#dragon dad zuko

[aimlacely-sapphic]

🔥Fire Lord Zuko Headcanons🔥

My semi-canon compliant headcanons of Zuko after the war with a side of Zukka

Zuko's first few months as firelord are a bit of a mess. He's desperately trying to put together some semblance of functional governance in place of the corruption left in his fathers wake, while simultaneously trying to negotiate peace treaties and settlement agreements with nations his predecessors attempted to destroy.

He's overworking himself, not sleeping enough, forgetting to eat and overall just not doing a great job taking care of himself, convinced if he doesn't take care of things instantly then he's not doing enough.

It all comes to a head once the assassination attempts start getting out of hand. At that point Zuko is simply not sleeping so Sokka, Mai, Tylee and Iroh stage an intervention (you cannot convince me Iroh would stay in Ba Sing Se once things start getting out of hand)

His security get upgraded, Toph gets brought in to vet the staff (she can tell when people are lying!! why wouldn't she get to kick people out of the palace?)

And finally things start to settle down

Once the peace talks and negotiations are done he starts transforming the Fire Nation itself

A lot of people have written about this but I am absolutely convinced that Zuko spends the first year trying to get the palace staff to trust him not to hurt them

By the second or third year they are willing to speak to him and have more than small talk

He goes about making a lot of changes in policy but first he disappears for 2 days only Sokka and his head guard knowing in advance

He goes incognito through dozens of towns and villages

He visits schools (putting his blue spirit skills to use)

He goes to orphanages and homeless shelters

He goes back to the Sun Warriors to tell them about the end of the war and seek advice on how to reshape the way firebending is taught to everyone (and maybe he ends up adopting a dragon egg in the process...)

When he returns to the palace he is ready to transform the nation

He makes it a crime to use corporeal punishment

He brings back old traditions and rule for Agni Kais where they can only be fought by adults against adults provided they both agree to the fight. The Agni Kai stops when a person surrenders or at first burn.

He wanted to completely end the practice of Agni Kais but tradition could not constantly be broken by his reign (according to his advisors) so the changes just make them less common or harmful until they go obsolete

He puts in place programs for veterans to get the treatment and support they need.

He creates a fostering program where children who have been left behind can find love with parents who have lost children or veterans who want to bring love and hope to the world

He works with Aang and Sokka and Master Piandao to create new curriculum for the schools which is historically accurate, brings back culture and joy and teaches students to think for themselves

He includes some of the wisdom from the sun warriors in the new curriculum so that firebending, and really all fighting forms can be taught with their duality in mind. Fire burns but it is also life. Martial Arts can be use to kill, but they are also an art form.

Making the curriculum stick is a longer process but with help from people on the inside, slowly but surely schools start to teach in a better. kinder way

Its around the time of Zuko's 20th birthday when advisors start to bother him about marrying.

It is while trying to avoid their matchmaking that he start realizing that he likes Sokka (he's an oblivious biromantic asexual, why would anyone expect it to take less time)

Not much changes when they get together, they still spar and go to the gardens to feed the turtleducks together, Sokka still makes silly faces behind ambassadors backs, Zuko still goes down to the kitchens to make them a pot of tea to have together witting in his room (the kitchen staff are used to this by now)

But they start sharing more intimacies, finding what feels comfortable for them in the form of hugs that last just a bit longer and chaste kisses on shoulders and cheeks and foreheads.

And when the egg from the sun warriors hatches and a tiny dragon comes tumbling out, they name him Druk and take care of him together

Zuko continues to go on trips incognito a few times a year and it is on one of these trips what he finds a young child alone on the side of the road. When he learns that she has know family he tries to taker her to the orphanage in the town near by. She runs away and there is nothing Zuko is willing to do to get her to go.

She has a grittiness and fighting spirit that reminds Zuko of his younger self, an independent streak and impulsiveness that border on dangerous. And even though Zuko has to leave her that day he can't stop thinking about her as he returns to the palace.

Sokka notices right away and they talk about her, and adoption, and the fact that Zuko needs an heir and end up figuring out that they want a child of their own to raise now that Druk is all grown up

When Zuko next returns to the town he brings Sokka, a legal witness and adoption papers with him.

He introduces her to Druk and when she pets him and falls in love they start to talk to her. She begins to trust them, telling them her name is Izumi and that she doesn't like the orphanage because it reminds her too much of her past.

They stay for a few days getting to know her and when they ask if she wants to live with them she does say yes.

Over time Zuko comes to find balance and love in the peace he created in the Fire Nation<3

Note: I cannot take credit for all of these ideas, some of them come from a bunch of fanfictions I've read over the years and especially Post-Canon Fire Lord Zuko (and his staff) by RejectsCanon

#atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko #fire lord zuko #zukka #post canon atla #atla fanfic #dragon dad zuko #druk (avatar) #izumi avatar #the fire nation #peace time and healing #i'm biro ace #and definitely not projecting /s

[muffinlance]

scaled salvage: there are some... innocent misunderstandings between the earth kingdom and the southern water tribes about what an "information gathering" session with the prince entails - kutsaa is left to patch up the aftermath with a disturbingly calm zuko, bc if he interacts with a single earth kingdom representative he'll cause a diplomatic incident.

zuko isn't sure why everyone is so surpised or upset.

hakoda is quietly filing away the notion that zuko thought they *knew* what the earth kingdom was going to do and didn't try to fight back or refuse, to deal with at a later date.

“But…” the prince started. Again.

Hakoda stared him down, until he shut his mouth. “Just answer their questions, the same way you answered mine. Listen to them, behave for two hours, then you can come back to our ship.”

The prince didn’t agree, per se. But he let himself be marched across the gangplank, which was agreement enough.

“He’s convinced you’re going to break his hands,” Hakoda said, to Fong’s representative. A joke that was a warning. 

“He’s your prisoner, not ours,” the man said. “We can respect that.”

Hakoda nodded, once. “Try to get something out of him that we can use as proof of life. I’m pretty sure my crew could forge a more personal letter than the ones he’s been writing.”

“Of course,” Fong’s representative said, with a smile.

* * *

The prince was returned before dinner. He walked stiffly back aboard, and took up position behind Hakoda, like he wasn’t sure he was dismissed. 

“Your proof of life,” Fong’s representative said, handing Hakoda a strip of something black. “Thank you again. That tip about his hands came in very useful.”

It took until a long moment of staring to recognize the strip for what it was: dragon hide. He’d… never touched it fresh.

* * *

The kid didn’t say anything as Hakoda led him down to Healer Kustaa’s. 

He needed leading.

“Out,” Kustaa said, and closed the door.

* * *

There was the barest hint of a burn on Prince Zuko’s hand. The flame they’d used, to make him shift. The threat behind it, if he refused.

The skin had been sliced neatly from between his shoulder blades. It was… not a disabling wound, for a human.

Kustaa rigged up a kind of wrap, to keep the prince’s wings immobilized. And mandated that he spend at least half the day as a dragon, to aid with healing across both forms.

“Will it heal?” Hakoda asked.

“The scales on his face didn’t,” Kustaa said.

The black dragon spent a lot of time stretched out, unmoving, on a yard of the mainmast. The easiest he could climb to. Hakoda did not climb after him. 

* * *

“You knew they’d do this,” Hakoda said.

“You told them to.” 

He hadn’t known what he was asking for.

“Why would you let them?” Hakoda knew it wasn’t the right thing to say, that it wasn’t the prince’s fault that he’d been skinned, but he also knew that nothing on the Earth Kingdom ship had been lit on fire in the process and he couldn’t understand how those facts fit. 

“You said I had to listen to them,” Zuko said, “before I could come back.”

The prince had wanted to come back, even thinking that Hakoda had—

Of course he had. It was better than being sold to the Earth Kingdom. This ship was… it was safe, for him. The safest option he had right now. 

Being sent off to be deliberately hurt, then coming back to where they only hurt him accidentally: that was the prince’s idea of safety. 

…Hakoda hadn’t known what he was asking for. But he had a child aboard now, and it was time he figured out what that meant.

#Zuko: you banished me into a terrible situation and then you let me return the same day #+1000000 dad points #Hakoda: I don’t want them #Zuko: you don’t want the only thing I have to give #dad point combo #Bato arrives on board: Why is there a dragon sleeping on the mainmast #Hakoda: that’s my guilt-son next question #Avatar The Last Airbender #atla #Zuko #Hakoda #Salvage #Scaled Salvage #dragon Zuko

[avisisisis]

Something I love about ATLA is that it doesn't force the "forgive the villain" on all the characters. It's been left clear that Ozai is a bad person, and there's no chance of redemption; the only reason he's not dead yet is because Aang is a pacifist

The one episode where a character is supposed to forgive someone who has hurt them in the past is the one where Katara is off to kill a man (which, fair) and Zuko helps. In that episode, even if Aang is telling her to let go, she doesn't forgive him. She never will. But she spares him. Not because she thinks he doesn't deserve death (he does), but because she's not willing to continue the cycle of violence

Killing someone can have a very important impact in your entire being, mostly depending on who you are as a person. Aang would've never recovered from killing Ozai. Katara wouldn't be who she is now, had she taken her revenge on the man that killed her mother

And the best part of it is that Ozai doesn't deserve to die. Not in a "I'm defending him" way (ew), but in a "he deserves worse that than" way

Taking away his bending was the perfect punishment for him. He believed bending made you superior and he never cared enough to train something besides his bending. What a loser. Zuko and Azula wouldn't be restrained by something like that

He's alive. Nobody has forgiven him. Nobody ever will

#on a “ozai deserves smth worse than death” mood #which is. my everyday mood but we're not talking about that #read a fic where ppl were mad ozai was still alive #zuko clarified that he's still alive not only bc that's what aang wanted but bc death would be a mercy for him #that's the man who ruined everybody's life(s). you can't tell me we can just let him die like that #and they're not even torturing him. he's just in prison #but he's so fucking weak that not having his bending = torture #pathetic #honestly what did he even do? his entire family was better than him #zuko was better at any kind of fighting and he learned firebending from the fucking dragons #azula is. azula! she bends blue fire and is the best at lighting n stuff #iroh created a whole new bending technique and broke out of prison w no bending #ursa killed the fucking fire lord #i mean sure ozai can shoot lighting out of his hands. but so can iroh! so can azula! #his 14 year old daughter is better than him #she could kick his ass if she wanted #but that's her dad right there and the obssession she has w pleasing him is straight up unhealthy #man. poor azula #anyways back to the point: ozai is pathetic #loserlord indeed #atla #avatar the last airbender #fire lord ozai #zuko #aang #katara #azula #uncle iroh #avis' post #avis talks

[mouthfulofsun]

#zukka #sokka #sokka avatar the last airbender #fail zuko becomes dragon dad #happy easter #eggs #they are dads now #crypticlown's last braincell

[bolithesenate]

okay i can see this going one of 3 ways

Viren becomes a vampire. "your MORTAL life will end", "the sun will rise, you won't" and Callum's "theres a difference between 'immortal' and 'undying'??" would add up delisciously for that (notice how Aaravos never once said he'd DIE)

same as above, but he turns into one of those corrupted shadow creatures. u know, the ones in lux aurea

his little self pity session at the beach opens the star arcanum to him and he becomes immortal himself. All of my evidence for that one is entirely subjective, but I think that his (prolonged) stay in the shadow realm (of weird nightmares) and the subsequent discoveries about himself REALLY mirror Callum's journey to the sky arcanum. maybe the whole "family is important" stuff is the star arcanum? i'm reaching here (for the stars haha pun)

lol edit: i realized aaravos did say he'd die but we're just gonna ignore that rn 😌

#spy how 'viren dying' isn't one of the options #in my heart we simply cannot lose lord hunk dad yet #i firmly believe that HE will get his zuko redemption arc in this one #anyways #tdp spoilers #tdp season 5 #the dragon prince #lord viren #tdp theory

[nazumichi]

not to be the zukka girl that requests zukka for the art reqs but um……zukka for the art reqs perhaps?? it’s zukka week

woah it is zukka week….. titled calm before the storm (divorce)/listening to your bf infodump is a love language

[id: a drawing of sokka and zuko against a light blue background. they stand closely together, side-by-side, dressed in their respective nation’s colors. sokka smiles and explains something, one hand over zuko’s shoulder, the other pointing for emphasis. zuko looks at him with a fond expression, holding a sleeping baby druk in a blanket to his chest. end id.]

#ask #req #raii draws a lot #do I tag this #atla #zukka #fine. fine yeah I’ll do that. here’s your blorbo bleebus also :] I like to think this is like. few months after the war #in a world where zuko doesn’t take up the role of firelord and sokka just bounces around the world to explore and sometimes visits the fire #nation and the entire time he’s there they’re like. inseparable. he wants to tell zuko everything he’s seen and learned and zuko shows off #druk like a proud dragon dad like “look at this horrible little man I would kill for him” and sokka concurs so they just carry him around #like he’s a little baby guy and everyone thinks they’re fucking weird… altho I will say I think zuko visits sokka more than vice versa #like. sokka does not gel with the fn and zuko also has plenty of uncomfortable feelings with it. maybe a few years in the future they #spend more of their time there less out of “oh we like this place now” and more “I’m ruling here it’s my duty” and “my daughter lives here” #sorry for thinking thoughts also WKSGJSGJGJSGUGE #vee tag

[sharlmbracta]

i've seen a couple of fics where azula and zuko has a third op sibling but i could find none, zero(0) fics where ozai has a sister over him-

i'm saying this because i want his ass pummeled and headwrapped by his (not too much) older sister. i want him to be raised by an older sister

iroh, being like a decade or two older than them both, would neglect them both serving war on propaganda during his prime and takes his leave after his loss not unlike canon

the sister would have a couple (or more?) years with her mother so she picks up some actual parental love and how it's supposed to be before ozai is born

(or not and they end up like zuko and azula except they have just a little more agegap then them, ozai is more ill-tempered than zuko, and the sister pummels him more than azula does zuko but not brutally (or not) and they have a lot of sibling fighting and bonding and normal sibling shenanigans minus the parental love so probably some angst as well)

and if it still somehow ends up like canon where ozai takes over the throne due to either by his plotting or some fucked up misogyny by azulon or sozin's law or whatever she will be fucking furious and she will show it

(if so ozai could team up with her for her support but betraying her when the idea of power gets to his head)

(or or ozai would keen to her after iroh's loss and she would be like "no you little shit i knew all of your antics even better than our elderly dad and ever since you were baby" but if somehow he manages to convince her to her that he'd "do well" on the throne with his personal method of pleading to his sister (you choose) and then betrays her-)

-boy would she be fucking livid. ozai is absolutely afraid of her but pretends he absolutely isn't. she is definitely going to pummel his ass for good

zuko and azula would be mostly clueless at first thanks to ozai's efforts. azula would be a bit more keen though. she may not completely understand what really transpired between them when she suddenly left, but when she finally finds her again bidding for her time she would find the whole situation so fucking hilarious once she got over the initial shock of reunion - the sheer idea of how her imposing father was so afraid of his own sister (who technically didn't actually even do anything to him) that he yeeted her out of the fire nation.

azula would fucking love her.

#ozai #azula #zuko #sister #ozai's sister #seriously disappointed in y'alls lack of creativity /j #fandom you did literally literally everything except giving ozai a sister #starting from zuko adoption/ozai adoption/waterbender zuko/waterbender ozai/time travel/body swap/erasing ozai out of fucking existence #+ good dad ozai/letting other nations take turns for imperialism/reviving dead key characters/premature killing off living key characters #+ phoenix/dragon/modern/don't get me even *started* on abo/littles/mpreg/that one fic where ozai breaks his fucking*rib*sucking himself off #+ timespace ripping just so*you*could beat up his mfing ass/a regretful ozai dying in prison to be reborn as a concubine for the earth king #yet not a single one of you didn't even think of giving ozai a third sibling #you gave zuko and azula a third sibling!! you gave katara and sokka a third sibling!! yet you couldn't give one(1) for ozai #not even for a oneshot comedic purposes?? #sacriligious i say #sacriligious #atla #fire nation #royal family

[dark-magical-ships]

Anyway.

*F/O’s Iroh from ATLA*

#I hereby replace my shithouse irl father with a fictional Dragon of the West #to be clear: it’s familial. idk why I never had him on the list before though #maybe because I used to worry about not pissing off the antis and was thinking about adding Zuko to the romantic list #which for the record Zuko is in fact an ex. one that I still love butl like… idk I’d put him down as platonic now instead of romantic #but iroh is a better father figure than my real dad ever was. XD #🔥🍵 jasmine dragon 🍵🔥

[xxoxobree]

… Modern Zuko Headcanons

Prince Zuko x Gn!Reader

Contents: Fluff

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ Modern!Zuko Who makes you sneak out the house to have late night car conversations with him.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ Modern!Zuko Who has all of the cute Polaroids of you two on his mirror.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ Modern!Zuko That lets you put his hair in any silly little style you can think of. 

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ Modern!Zuko That sneaks into your window to cuddle with you after he and his dad get into it.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ Modern!Zuko That gets jealous whenever you hang out with Azula without him.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ Modern!Zuko Who keeps a hand on you at all times because he’s touch starved and loves the feeling of your skin and warmth.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ Modern!Zuko Who practiced for hours on how to ask you to be his prom date.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ Modern!Zuko Who brings you two boba from his uncles tea shop after every shift.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ Modern!Zuko Who calls shows that you like stupid but get really invested in them.

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ Modern!Zuko That got you a necklace with a dragon pendant for your first anniversary.

#prince zuko #zuko #fire lord zuko #atla zuko #zuko x reader #avatar zuko #zuko fanfic #modern Zuko #zuko x y/n #zuko x you #zuko x gn reader #atla #modern atla #zuko headcanon #zuko atla #zuko avatar #zuko and azula #zuko fluff #zuko imagine #zuko my beloved #Zuko one shot #Zuko hcs #Zuko atla x you

[zukkaweek]

Day 1 - August 11th

Ba Sing Se or Jasmine Dragon | Fake Dating 

Day 2 - August 12th

Accidental Kid Acquisition | Zukka As Dads

Day 3 - August 13th

Kyoshi Warrior Sokka | Blue Spirit

Day 4 - August 14th

Culture Sharing | Arranged Marriage

Day 5 - August 15th

Zuko Joins the Gaang Early | Gay/Bi Awakening

Day 6 - August 16th

Cave of Two Lovers | Disability/Chronic Pain/Chronic Illness

Day 7 - August 17th

Boiling Rock | Touch or Touch-starved | Free Day

#zukka week #zukkaweek #zukkaweek2024 #zukkaweek24 #zukka week 2024 #zukka week 24 #zuko #sokka #atla zukka #zukka

[aimlacely-sapphic]

Currently absolutely obsessed with Zuko raising a baby dragon (Druk)! Can you imagine!! the comedic potential for everyone else, the complete cuteness overload of Zuko just casually having a baby dragon in his hair while he goes about his firelord duties, druk puffing smoke at people who are mean to zuko, the gaang all trying to get druk to love them, the possibilities are endless!!

(But mostly the idea of zuko being showing his soft caring side raising a dragon and bringing in a new era of peace is something so special to me)

For more Druk content do yourself a favour and go through the Druk (Avatar) tag on AO3 it does not fail to deliver.

#zuko #fire lord zuko #dragon dad zuko #druk (avatar) #avatar the last airbender #atla #post canon atla #zuko & druk

[muffinlance]

Hakoda adopts baby/young dragon Zuko who takes one look at adult dragon Bato who had deposited him at Hakoda’s feet and had thought that was the end of it and decides Bato will make an excellent second parent. Completely ignores Bato’s protests.

Bold of you to assume that Bato didn't come over to sweet-talk Gran-Gran into making itty-bitty dragon sweaters for his new kidnappee hatchling.

Baby noodle has ESCAPED his tormenter (by squiggling up Hakoda's parka) (Bato is now frantically overturning everything in Hakoda's house looking for his missing sneak-snek while Hakoda's shirt vibrates with teenie-tiny growls)

#Sokka: DAD THERE IS SOMETHING IN MY BED #Hakoda: that's just your new brother #don't tell your other dad #avatar the last airbender #atla #dragon Zuko

[reunionatdawn]

Weighing in on ATLA shipping discourse

Iroh: You're not the man you used to be, Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good.

Why did Zuko have a fever after decided to let go of his Blue Spirit mask? Well, the imagery suggested that he experienced a Kundalini awakening. A Kundalini awakening is a profound spiritual experience that involves the activation and rising of Kundalini energy, located at the base of the spine. In Hindu and yogic traditions, Kundalini is often depicted as a coiled serpent, symbolizing dormant spiritual potential.

Ida and Pingala are the two energy channels that run alongside the spinal column and correspond to the left and right sides of the body, respectively. Ida is associated with the feminine or yin aspect. It is linked to qualities such as calmness, receptivity, intuition, and nurturing. It is also associated with the moon, coolness, and the element of water.

Pingala represents the masculine or yang aspect. It is associated with qualities such as activity, dynamism, alertness, and willpower. It is associated with the sun, warmth, and the element of fire. In the yogic tradition, the balance and harmonization of Ida and Pingala are considered essential for achieving physical, mental, and spiritual well-being.

Once the two energies combine at the crown chakra, a person's consciousness is supposed to transcend duality. What does that mean, exactly? It means to move beyond the perception of reality as consisting of opposing or dualistic concepts, such as good and bad, light and dark, right and wrong, or self and other. You understand that these apparent opposites are part of the same unified whole and are interconnected in a deeper, more profound way.

"I was head writer of ATLA, and this is exactly how I see it! There was some controversy that Zuko made the "wrong choice" at the end of season 2. A lot of fans were ANGRY! But it had to be this way… we wanted him to get everything he thought he wanted. The triumphant return. His father's respect, and a seat at his right hand. Only then could Zuko truly outgrow these things, and choose to do the right thing in a meaningful way." (Aaron Ehasz)

So, the symbolism definitely favors Zutara in that respect. Katara learned through Zuko that the Fire Nation is not innately evil. Even though he hurt her with his "wrong" decision, part of her character arc was understanding why he did it and being able to forgive him. And because he made that choice, she could trauma-dump onto him and that led to her gaining closure about her mother's death.

"I was head writer of ATLA. Azula and Zuko's relationship was not always well understood, even by the team internally. Azula loved Zuko, more than anyone save her father. She also felt competitive with him for their parents' attention of course, but since she had alienated herself from her mother, she focused her energy on pleasing dad… which of course meant acting in more and more intense and possibly evil ways." "By the end of the series, of course, her loss of her friends shatters the part of her identity that she could somehow control affection and love through intimidation. As a result she spirals… I did however intend to leave a kernel of humanity, and had we made a season 4 Azula would have completely bottomed and we would have explored the possibility of a path to redemption. True story!" (Aaron Ehasz)

But it's not even just Zutara. What I found interesting was that Azula was the blue dragon and Iroh the red dragon. Azula was crazy and needed to go down, right? By siding with his sister, you're meant to think that Zuko chose "evil" instead of "good". But it looks like some of the writers meant for it to be more complicated than that. There was no "good" or "evil" choice. Azula had a softer "yin" side, too.

Zuko wanted to get along with his sister. He did not want to kill her, even though Iroh thought that was the only option. The fact that Azula never got her redemption arc did a massive disservice to Zuko's arc as well. The fact that Azula had good in her is exactly why Zuko's choice in BSS couldn't truly be called "wrong" or "evil".

Azula loved Zuko and that idea wasn't conveyed very well in the cartoon. She was the one person on that beach who actually did understand him. She was jealous that Zuko chose the Avatar over her. And she knew that targeting Katara with her lightning was the best way to hurt Zuko. Katara found a non-lethal way to defeat Azula for Zuko's sake. Because after seeing how hard it was for him to fight her, she finally understood why he made his choice in Ba Sing Se.

"[Azula] had not bottomed in the end of season 3, she had further to go. At the deepest moment in her own abyss she would have found: Zuko. Despite it all, her brother Zuko would be there for her. Believing in her, sticking by her, doing his best to understand and help her hold her pain that she can no longer hold alone. Zuko — patient, forgiving, and unconditionally loving – all strengths he gained from Uncle Iroh." "And I always imagined that after coming out the other side, she would be one of those people who hilariously over-shares her own feelings all the time, and that she would be a bit over-apologetic. Like a Canadian version of Azula." (Aaron Ehasz)

The first episode of Book 3 was called The Awakening. Aang literally awakened to the energy twisted up in the middle of his back. He did not complete his spiritual transformation. The Kundalini energy did not reach his crown chakra. It was still blocked because he had an attachment to Katara that he hadn't worked through yet.

Zuko's awakening was figurative. Mai didn't understand how he felt. Symbolically, when she turned his head to kiss him, it showed the audience the scarred side of his face. When Zuko lied his sister, the unscarred side of his face was shown. I suspect that the writer for the episode, Aaron Ehasz, wanted to hint that Zuko did still feel a connection to Katara and didn't want Azula going after her and Aang.

Zuko in The Crossroads of Destiny was not supposed to be the same Zuko from The Avatar State. Both versions of Zuko still wanted to go home. But 201 Zuko was motivated more by selfish attachment. 220 Zuko was more motivated by love. He loved Azula unconditionally. Even with all of her twisted, ugly, and cruel behavior. His consciousness had transcended the duality of Iroh and Azula being opposites where one is "bad" and the other is "good". During The Beach he was fantasizing about a time when Iroh played with both of them as little kids. Back when they were all a family.

Mai: You know what will make you feel better? Ordering some servants around. I might be hungry for a whole tray of fruit tarts. And maybe a little palanquin ride around town. Double time.

I don't dislike Mai. I think she is an interesting character who was not a bad person or anything. I just thought she served a very specific narrative purpose. She was there to show how Zuko wasn't compatible with his old lifestyle anymore.

Mai wanted a typical socialite boyfriend. They really didn't get along too well or have much to say to each other during The Beach. She didn't like him when he started talking about his trauma and showed his uglier side. Zuko was insecure and jealous because he was not even sure if she really liked him. And she didn't even know the person he was after his banishment, only the person he was as a child. When he turned his head away from her, his unscarred side was shown.

Zuko: When I got to the meeting, everyone welcomed me. My father had saved me a seat. He wanted me next to him. I was literally at his right hand. Mai: Zuko, that's wonderful! You must be happy. Zuko: During the meeting, I was the perfect prince. The son my father wanted. But I wasn't me.

He walked out of that war meeting with the scarred side showing. Mai didn't love Zuko. She loved the perfect prince. The fantasy she built up in her head and the role Zuko was acting out at the start of the episode when he was ordering her the fancy fruit tarts.

Mai: I guess you just don't know people as well as you think you do. You miscalculated. I love Zuko more than I fear you.

Mai stood up to Azula to save Zuko, and she genuinely believed she loved him. But he left her behind to be with his new companions. If not for Ty Lee, she would have died. That should have been the end of that relationship. I thought it was very weird that they got back together. The NATLA writers should definitely find a different way to conclude Mai and Ty Lee's character arcs. Especially Mai. She deserved a more dignified ending than being left in prison and then threatening her ex-boyfriend to take her back.

"I love that even though Aang is sort of not in this story very much, to me, he's-his presence is in all of these scenes 'cause you know he's like the little angel on her shoulder [...]" (Bryan Konietzko)

The main reason I think the shipping discourse in the ATLA fandom is so toxic is because the creators Mike and Bryan saw the narrative differently than the other writers. They seemed to have a completely different vision for the story and characters compared to the head writer. So, there were two conflicting visions and fans who liked one over the other could argue their side indefinitely. Bryke saw things as more black-and-white and good vs. evil. You can see it in some of the interviews and commentary, particularly with Bryan.

IMO, there really was no "good" and "evil" side in The Southern Raiders. There was no "angel" or "devil" sitting on Katara's shoulders. To Katatra, what Aang said must have sounded like nothing more than a trite platitude. It's true that in the end, she didn't choose violence. But I don't think Aang's words were very pertinent to her decision-making when she finally faced Yon Rha, LOL.

It's understandable why Aang would come off as preachy, though. He was just a child coping with his own grief. The Air Nomads' philosophy was one of the only things he had left of them, after all. Such a teaching was no doubt his own personal coping mechanism.

Aang was right in the sense that Katara didn't need to resort to violence in the end. But ya know, maybe she would have if she didn't have someone by her side who understood her inner darkness and accepted her even if she had chosen violence. Just like how Aang might have killed the sanbenders if Katara hadn't been there. And Katara would not have condemned him if he had done so.

"Zuko and Katara might have shared some sparks, but sometimes there are people along your 'journey of love' who are there to teach you about yourself and what you really need, but don't necessarily end up being your partner. Come on, kids! 'Zutara' never would have lasted! It was just dark and intriguing." (Bryan Konietzko)

Zuko was a character of duality. Yin and Yang. Light and shadow. His two sides were represented by the scarred side and non-scarred sides of his face. I think Bryan viewed Zutara as a "dark" ship because a big part of Zutara was about Katara's shadow side.

Just like Mai did with Zuko, Aang built up a fantasy version of Katara in his head. The perfect, well, "waifu," I guess. The endlessly patient feminine maternal figure. The sweet beautiful girl with such manageable hair. But that's only half of who she was. There was another side to her that he never saw. One that used bloodbending. Angry, hateful. Yes, even ugly. And that's not a bad thing. It's human.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko #katara #zutara #avatar #princess azula

[punkeropercyjackson]

Trans girl Zuko moments

Her liking pretty things(such as that seashell)because 'girls like that stuff'

Growing out her hair after a buzzcut as visual character development

'The son my father wanted.But i wasn't me'

Being heartbreakingly jealous of her ideallic sister and wishing she could be perfect like her while hating her for it at the same time

And Ozai perfering Azula for living up to standards while Ursa loved and nurtured both of them equally but payed extra attention to Zuko because of all the degradation she faced

Comparing herself to Ty Lee by saying she's not as optimistic or pretty

Misandrist queen(Her instant reaction to a guy getting near Mai was rage at him potentially being a sleaze,her insults to Iroh,her arc culmenating in coming for her abusive dad's entire life including jumping his ass,etc)

Dragon-coded

All her friends pre-Gaang were girls

Her and Aang=Tween dorky boyprotagonist and late teens mean goth older sister who learn to love eachother trope

She's really maternal to him but also in general

Sokka is the Team Dad to her Team Mom and their dynamic is 'Mean hotheaded girl and chill goofy guy start off thinking the other is annoying asf and picking on eachother until they go on an adventure together and now they're sickeingly lovey dovey best friends totally not lovers'

Chose the Kyoshi Warriors as her bodyguards

This panel in general

But also these that make her look like the second girl mc in a Nickelodeon girl power sitcom

Jet talks to and treats her the same way he does Katara and he's got Smellerbee on his team so He Knows What She Is(and is being an annoying cocky bisexual about it)

Had TWO secret identities-First one was pretending to be an ordinary boy to hide her royalty status and her first instinct on picking a name was after her childhood best friend who's a girlypop and the second one was a hero persona that included baggy ass clothes that hid her entire figure

Baby butch(Toph)immediately adopted her as her older sister

Got 1 taste of living as a daddy's boy prince praised by everybody for manliness after months of living on the run and interacting with the Gaang and went 'I need to get my ass outta here,i can't fucking live like this,I WAS WRONG BEING A REAL MAN FUCKING SUCKS,AANG WHERE ARE YOU!!!!!!!!'

#zuko #transfem zuko #trans girl zuko #momko #autistic zuko #bi zuko #azula #ursa atla #ty lee #mai atla #aang #aanglove #sokka #zukka #kyoshi warriors #maiko atla #suki atla #platonic zukki #katara #jet atla #jetko #toph beifong #atla geekery #ty luko #aang and zuko #zuko and toph #💌 #tgirl swag #summerposting

[captainkirkk]

Concept: Druk keeps stealing Izumi's favourite turtle-duck stuffie because it's soft and smells like family, and it makes baby Izumi FURIOUS. Zuko refuses to get between a toddler and dragon's argument, so he buys Druk his own turtle-duck stuffie.

Zuko explains to her that Druk was stealing her toy because he was jealous and sad he didn't have his own stuffie, not because he was being mean. Izumi's toddler brain equates lack of stuffies with sadness, and now she's terrified that her dad will be lonely because he doesn't have a stuffie :((( Zuko is one of the most powerful people on the planet, but he knows he has no hope of winning an argument with a toddler.

And that's how the Fire Lord and his dragon ends up with matching turtle duck stuffies

#how long until grandpa iroh and aunt azula also have turtle duck stuffies #avatar #atla #my posts #i have no idea where this image came from but i'm obsessed with it #atla headcanons

[ash-and-starlight]

Would you have any thoughts about the Gaang in a modern au (either with or without bending), especially jobs? I legit love how there’s never been a consensus of how they’d live, especially job wise, in the fandom — except for Katara, she is absolutely a doctor, surgeon, ER badass. Personally, I love the thought of Zuko as a child protective agent, and Sokka as a high school teacher, not just for the dramatic Zukka potential lol haha either way, I’d love to hear your thoughts!

aaa ok i love and adore to see how their roles get translated in modern au’s in such clever ways, i loveee your ideas for zukka workplace drama that’s so 🥺 ok i’ll list some of my faves but feel free to add

-doctor katara SO TRUE and activist katara also so true either way she’s helping people and giving all she’s got

-aang also activist monk-turned *insert job that has to do with flying?? or meteorology??* AND i love the silly little headcanon he and zuko are lion dance partners dkfjdj

-toph wwe champion. without question

- jet could also work with kids tbh as either a child protective agent too or teaching martial arts classes for kids as some sort of social program he zuko and toph have an underground fight club every tuesday he and iroh have a wholesome breaking bad situationship going on with banger edibles

- zuko the guy with 294737 job options tbh either as jasmine dragon clerk, firefighter, historian / khon expert and standing authority on the ramakien, parkour guy, sword guy, guy who goes to business school just to learn how to efficiently dismantle dad’s financial empire, and i am extremely partial on muai thay champion-instructor zuko who has like a post-injury gym program just for the zukka of it all of him helping sokka with his leg during rehab 😌

- sokka also guy that can do anything tbh wether working as inventor or in tech/mechanic fixing things, working at a science museum (hi robin), marine biologist (hi kath) working as an astronomer or at the planetarium bc he’s always been fascinated by the night sky and the moon, artist, poet, mythbuster, sword guy as well, all of these at once. most importantly he has an insanely popular food blog on the side

- suki kendo captain of an all-girl club

- florist mai. (specifically ikebana artist) which is comic canon and in context made little sense but i love it it’s beautiful bc it brings me to

- tattoo artist ty-lee 💕

- and azula uhhh nepobaby electrician

#i am kIDDING about azula but also not #*there is not job consensus in the fandom* babe i don’t have job consensus within MYSELF #anyway love to put those guys into situations #love to read about how ppl interpret the canon into the modern concept of Jobs #oh a thing i don’t think i’ve ever seen tho is zuko still being a royal while in a modern au?? #like he’s just some guy but at one point iroh drops the bomb of ‘yeah u know centuries ago our family was part of the royal line 🤪 #i think i would have been the firelord haha ✌️’ #and the whole gaang now just has to live with this information #i think it would be funny ekhfhd #ANYWAY #awesome question sorry for going off and still making no sense with my answer ily #ash replies