#like yes theres the zutara hug in the southern raiders and thats big!

[veggiesforpresident]

thinkin about how aang is zukos first-ever friend.

like hear me out, ty lee and mai are azulas friends primarily. in flashbacks zuko is only ever shown with his mom or his sister and her friends. even when zuko and mai date its like... it feels more like a proximity/being a Good Son thing than anything else, at least on zukos end. and he doesnt really have many meaningful on screen interactions with ty lee?

which i think is why aangs "do you think we couldve been friends?" moment is so impactful for zuko and its when he really starts to doubt what hed been taught growing up, bc this kid who he was supposed to hate and subjugate... is offering him friendship. something hes never had before, except in the weird proximity-friendships of ty lee and mai.

and tbh, i feel like aang never really lost that faith in him or their potential to be friends, even if said faith was shaken a few times.

and then by the end of the series zuko and aang hug and they declare themselves to be friends, and this feels like the first time on-screen we see someone declare zuko belonging to them in some way.

basically their friendship is so beautiful and i cry about it.

#atla #zukaang #loosely i mean lol #like yes theres the zutara hug in the southern raiders and thats big! #and the iroh zuko hug in the finale #but even those were like... of forgiveness. not of like... just embracing zuko as he is? #if you know what i mean?