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frost-queen · 1 month

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My mortal flaw // part 2 (Reader x Zuko)

Requested by: @ficsmoothie Forever tag:@missmelodramatic, @merlin-dahlia, @alex--awesome--22, @elllie-does-the-posts, @floatlosers, @merlieve, @queen-of-books, @glimmering-darling-dolly @denkisclown, @wildieflower, @meyocoko, @bubblybrianna, @justanothercoco, @subjecta13-thefangirl, @m-rae23, @harleyquinnswifeyfrfr, @swampthing07, @melsunshine, @panhoeofmanyfandoms, @venomsvl, @the-uncoordinated-house-cat, @rosecentury, @imagines-by-her, @evilcr0ne, @vviolynn, @iixchloee, @cherrysxuya, @zhochikennugget

Summary: If there was one person you hated the most it was Commander Zhao. When Zhao kills the moon spirit, it takes a drastic toll on you. Being on the brink of dying in the arms of the fire prince. [ part 1 & part 3 & part 4 ]

You felt the ominous atmosphere, the moment he stepped foot on the ship. A certain chill catching your bones. It wasn’t that chilly tonight, but you still shivered. The ominous approach of his footsteps. Heavy and hard on the ship’s deck. The ship had gone silent. Holding in a breath. All of the soldiers lined up. At the very end Zuko with you by his side. Iroh a bit behind Zuko’s right shoulder. You took a deep breath when he came in vision. Standing across on the other end.

A thick smirk on his face. His walk sturdy and a bit too much air. He never gave the soldiers any of his contact. His gaze was fixated on the prince and you. You let your gaze briefly shoot over to Zuko. His posture firm as you saw him brace himself. His chest slightly puffing up as he kept his hands behind his back. His expression emotionless. Turning your gaze back to the front, he was almost near.

He might have been a fire bender, but he gave you the chills. He came to a stop before Zuko and you. – “My prince.” – he addressed with a small bow, one hand on his chest. His gaze then shifted to you. – “Water princess.” – he spoke, making you almost roll your eyes at him. The way he showed it made it seem like he had little respect for you.

“Commander Zhao.” – Zuko spoke drawing his attention back to him. – “You will the address the princess formally.” – he insisted upon. Zhao forced his mouth to smile. – “Princess Y/n.” – he said bowing his head just a bit. – “Commander Zhao.” - you said bowing, hands holding your elbows inside your sleeves. A moment of silence fell, making you glance over at Zuko. Iroh cleared his throat. – “Shall we head inside Commander Zhao?” – Iroh offered, gesturing at the cabin.

Iroh took the lead, guiding Zhao inside. Zuko and you behind him. Zuko paused allowing you to enter first. You gave him a smile, showing him your gratitude. Zuko moved behind you, following you inside the cabin. You had come a long way since Kyoshi Island, but you weren’t fully there. Zuko’s walls had crumbled just a bit around you. Just enough to appreciate your presence more.

You didn’t expect him to cling onto you like dew to a flower. That he would be a totally different man or suddenly declare his love for you, if he even had that. No it was more an understanding. A common agreement on both parties. Nothing was going to chance this union.

Iroh and Zhao were already in the quarter when you walked in with Zuko. Zuko came standing by the map on the table. You went to Iroh, standing beside him. – “What news.” – Zuko started looking firmly at the map. Zhao cleared his throat. – “Perhaps the princess should leave the room.” – Zhao stated looking behind Zuko to you. Zuko lifted his head up, bringing his fingers closer to his palm on the table. – “The princess stays!” – he declared with a glare.

“My prince.” – Zhao started, his expression bitter like swallowing a sour apple down. – “All this talk of war, might not be something for a girl to attend.” - Zhao let out, clearing wanting you out of the room. – “Y/n stays!” – Zuko made clear, slamming his fist against the table. – “I have no secrets for her.” – he finished looking angered at Zhao. – “Is that so?” – Zhao spoke a hint of surprise in his voice. Perhaps some mockery too.

“Forgive me my prince, but I do not believe your princess would be an asset to the room.” – Zhao slipped out, looking rather foul at you. Zuko clenched his hand, getting frustrated with him. – “She stays!” – he outed loud.

It wasn’t hard to read the room. Commander Zhao disliked you for one reason only. The reason you were a water tribe girl. If you were a girl from the fire nation, he might have belittled you too, but with less grudge. You sighed soft, getting in motion. – “I’ll leave since you are insisting.” – you said making Zuko turn around to you. – “But…” – he started. He had been keeping his foot down, insisting on your presence in the room. So hearing you give up, confused him.

“I know when I am unwanted.” – you replied loud enough for Zhao to hear. Stepping up to Zuko, you wanted a private moment with him. – “Be firm.” – you whispered to him. Letting your gaze go from Zuko with admiration to Zhao with anger. Zuko swayed his head a bit to the side, moving his hand to yours.

“Stay…” – he whispered almost breathlessly when you slipped through his fingers, already leaving the room. Zuko’s gaze met up with Iroh. Commander Zhao to his back. Iroh showed Zuko to be strong, to not show emotion with a simple expression. Zuko took a deep breath before turning back to Zhao. – “Now let’s talk.” – he said firm, pressing his palms on the table.

You were on deck, hand under your chin as you let the water from the ocean move up and down with your hand. A stream of water getting stretched out from the ocean and back down. Just mindless bending to pass the time. Commander Zhao felt like a bad omen to you. You didn’t care much for the little respect he had towards you. You did care how he could subtly belittle Zuko.

Acting as if he was higher in rank and Zuko but a foot soldier. A part of you was glad you weren’t in that room with him. You hated looking at his stupid face. On the other hand, you wanted to be in that room to make sure he wouldn’t make Zuko a fool. Kyoshi Island made you look differently upon Zuko. With more respect as to say. It sure made the union between the two of you bond.

Something you never thought was possible. You’d always hoped Zuko would melt some walls down with you. At least enough for him to respect you and perhaps if you could dream for him to show affection in any way. Even if it meant the littlest of meanings. You wanted him to be happy with you, even though you were never his choice.

The water splashed down as you heard their voices. It made you turned around, standing up straight. Commander Zhao stomped towards the railing to leave your ship. Not seeing Iroh or Zuko near him, you rushed back inside. The door swung open as you were panting with worry. You only had to look at Zuko, knowing Zhao had gotten under his skin once more. – “What happened?” – you asked with concern, going over to Zuko.

You reached your hand out to his arm. Your fingers could touch his arm but for a second before he flipped his arm up. – “Get out!” – he shouted loud with anger. It startled you, but you staid. Zuko grunted loud, brazing. – “I was only…” – you began as he cut you off with blazing fire in the room. You felt the warmth tickle your skin. – “I don’t need your pathetic sympathy!” – Zuko answered rudely.

“Zuko!” – you shouted back getting up in his face. – “I am not Zhao!” – you grabbed him by his suit. – “Damn well remember that!” – your gaze staring coldly back at him. Your little outburst made him swallow in shock. Never had he seen you counterstrike so hard against him. You let go of him with a shove. Iroh was impressed by you, tempering Zuko’s temper so easily. Zuko blinked confused, calmed down in a matter of seconds.

Taking a deep breath, you calmed down as well. – “Don’t let Zhao get under your skin. He’s not worth it.” – you told Zuko. Zuko nodded. You wanted to leave again when Zuko grabbed for your wrist, making you stop. Startled, you looked down at his hand around your wrist. Your eyes met as Zuko looked away. His grip faltered as he let go of you.

He proceeded to do as if what he had done was of no significance. You bent through your knees as a curtsy to him before leaving the room once more. – “Don’t.” – Zuko said out loud. – “I wasn’t going to say anything.” – Iroh answered innocently. – “You were thinking it.” – Zuko added with a sigh. – “All I wish to say is don’t push her away nephew. You’ll regret it.” – Iroh replied wisely. He then bowed his head to Zuko, taking his leave. Iroh found you on the deck, asking if you wanted to join him for tea. You accepted, drinking some tea under the moonlight with him.

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“Remember your fire breath.” – Iroh said to Zuko. Zuko took a deep breath to show him. – “Princess Y/n.” – Iroh said making you nod determined at him. Iroh nodded back. You jumped off the railing into the water. Before your feet touched the water, it turned to ice underneath you. You whistled loud for Zuko to join you. He gave his uncle one last hug before he jumped over the railing too.

Landing hard on the ice platform, you had created. He sunk to his knees from the impact as you helped him up by his elbow. Taking a firm stand, you started swaying your hands around you. The ice platform got in motion as you bend the movement of the water. The ice platform making a way through the ice cold water to get to the Northern water tribe. Zuko had his fists up, ready to fire at anyone trying to attack. His gaze fell on you, seeing you bend the water so gracefully yet with strength.

Above your head you saw balls of fire being launched at the water tribe. Your hatred for Zhao, Admiral now, growing more. – “There is a secret entrance underneath the water.” – Zuko let out, keeping an eye out for it. You felt the movement of the water in your bones, feeling connected to it.

“There.” – you told him bending the platform over to it. The platform came to a stop as Zuko exhaled deep, a bit of flame coming out of his mouth. You came standing by his side. – “You don’t have to do this.” – he told you. – “Together.” – you reminded him holding your hand out to him. Zuko stared at your hand, then up to your warm smile. He clasped his hand in yours without a word. Both of you jumped into the water. The cold giving you a brief shock. You let go of Zuko’s hand underwater to swim. Dive and swim closer to the entrance.

Zuko emerged first, gasping loud for air. – “Y/n?” – he said looking around. You hadn’t emerged yet as he slightly started to panic. Your head came above, taking a soft breath. – “Here.” – you said as he sighed relieved. Zuko and you swam to the edge, having found a way into the Northern water tribe. Zuko helped you out of the water.

Your eye fell upon the moon high above. – “Y/n.” – Zuko called out waiting for you to join him. – “Y/n let’s go!” - he ordered seeing you waste time by staring at the moon. Hesitantly you came in motion, joining his side. – “I just want the Avatar.” – Zuko said to remind you. The two of you found a way outside. In shock, you stared at the chaos. Fire everywhere. The water tribe, your kin, fighting with every might against the roaring flames.

It pained your heart to see it come to this. Zhao had lost his mind. Zuko noticed you were captivated by it. He knew your heart would be bleeding from seeing this. He returned to you, grabbing you by your wrist. – “Don’t look.” – he said pulling you away. A ball of fire clashed into an ice structure above. It made some brocks of ice crumble down. You bended them away before they could crush Zuko and you.

Zuko gave you a complimenting look before going his way. You remained outside, making sure no one would follow him. The moon caught your eye again as you felt like it was trying to say something. A warning before the storm. It made you swallow nervously, unaware of what was happening down in the sacred pond.

“Zhao!” – Iroh called out with anger. – “Whatever you do to that spirit, I will unleash on you tenfold!” – Zhao laid on the ground, holding the moon spirit under his grip. He grinned, chuckling even. With trembling cheeks, he drove the blade into the moon spirit. The moon disappeared, leaving the world in a gloomy view.

You stood outside, gasping loud as suddenly the moon was gone. Your hands felt weird as you couldn’t bend anymore. Looking at your trembling hands, you couldn’t figure out what had happened. You gasped hearing fire benders come in sight. They pointed at you, firing a blast at you. Now defenceless, you couldn’t do much. You were able to deflect one or two from moving out of the way, but the third one hit you. A blast of fire hitting you in the chest.

The pain was excruciating as it send you down. It had knocked you off balance. Getting slowly up, your side felt heavily bruised. There was another blast as you couldn’t out run it. It made you cry out, falling back into the snow. Clutching your side, it felt wet. Looking at your hand, you saw it was blooded. – “Zu…Zuko…” – you forced out, dragging yourself forwards into the snow. You had lost sight of Zuko a while ago. You remained still, hoping they would presume you were dead and move on.

Trying hard not to tremble, you waited till the sounds died out. Although it wasn’t easy in this chaos. Water benders that could bend no more, falling down. Struck by fire. Your breathing became shallow as you forced yourself up. Knees weak as they could barely hold you up. Weakened and bleeding, you shuffled forwards, pushing yourself forwards. – “Zuko…Zuko…” – you would whisper in search for him.

Zuko panted loud as he came outside. His first reaction was to look around for you. – “Y/n?” – he said suddenly noticing the moon was gone. The world turned grim. He saw water benders around him try to bend with no success. His eyes widened, knowing it must happen to you as well. – “Y/n!” – he called out, running to look for you. You found your way to a bridge, shivering as you tried to keep your eyes open.

Another person came running towards you as it made you look. They came to a sudden stop in shock. Your expression hardened. – “Zhao!” – you said bitter. Zhao stared in shock at you, till he saw how weakened you were. He straightened his posture with a chuckle. You wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. Moving your hands forwards you expected him to be hit by water. Yet nothing came.

Remembering again, you turned your hand to you, shaking with realization. Zhao laughed loud at your vulnerability. – “What’s the matter princess, can’t bend?” – Zhao mocked. – “Don’t worry.” – he said taking a stand. – “I still can.” – he finished punching fire at you. The impact made you fall back, crying in pain. You pulled yourself back up with every might of you. You weren’t going to let him win easily.

“You can’t win from me.” – he said teasingly. You took a stand with buckling knees and trembling hands. The side of your dress already stained with blood. Zhao readied himself to fire at you again, when he got interrupted by another blast of fire. – “Zhao!” – turning your head a bit, you saw Zuko come in sight. – “You took everything from me!” – he shouted bending more fire at him. Zhao got knocked back.

Zuko put all his anger into his bending, overwhelming Zhao with fire. Zhao crawled up to the side of the bridge, leaning against it. Worn out. – “Zu…Zuko…” – you said, drawing his attention to you. Zuko’s eyes widened seeing the state of you. Your knees gave in, making you collapse. Zuko caught you before your body could hit the ground. Zhao wanted to get up as he got hit by fire, the wall of the bridge, collapsing as he got blasted through it.

Iroh had a murderous look in his eye, his hands still in position. Zuko looked with concern at you. – “How… who did…” – he asked looking at the blood on your dress. He placed his hand against your cheek, to stop you from trembling. – “Y/n.” – Zuko said, his gaze soft, eyes glossy. – “Y/n.” – he repeated when you weren’t giving him much reaction.

“Y/n.” – he said more desperate as the pain reflected in his eyes. He looked down at your chest, seeing it barely move, hinting your breathing was dimming out. – “No, no no no no, Y/n!” – he called out panicking. – “Y/n!” – his eyes teary now. He panted out a breath, desperate to get a reaction out of you. – “Y/n!” – he called out again, shaking your shoulder. – “No! no!” – he cried out followed by a scream of agony. Iroh lowered his head in respect, grieving for his nephew. – “Please… Y/n please… don’t leave me yet…” – he said letting his forehead lean against yours.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry Y/n.” – he sobbed out. – “Come back to me.” – his voice cracked a bit as a tear fell on your cheek. He shakily pressed his lips onto your forehead. – “I am not done with you. You still haven’t scolded me enough.” – he said in the hopes it would break a reaction out of you. – “Please Y/n… I…I… damn it!” – he cursed out. – “You cannot make me care for you and leave me like this!” – he outed in pain.

“So you care.” – you muttered weakly with a cough. Zuko’s eyes widened, looking down at you. You slowly opened your eyes, giving him a faint smile. Zuko grabbed your cheek, forcing his lips down on you. Your eyes widened more. His kiss was tender and soft. – “Look what you made me do Y/n.” – he said with a smile through his tears.

It made you chuckle out a laugh, only to be reminded of your pain once more. – “Uncle!” – Zuko called out. Iroh came running over, helping you up. Zuko picked you up in his arms, as you were still too weak to walk. – “We need to get to the ship now!” – he ordered. His uncle nodded firm. – “I’ll clear the way.” – he said not taking his task lightly.

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saddiorprincess · 2 months

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𝒁𝒖𝒌𝒐 𝒙 𝑪𝒐𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆/𝑪𝒉𝒖𝒃𝒃𝒚 /𝑩𝒊𝒎𝒃𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓!!

𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔.𝒁𝒖𝒌𝒐 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒅 𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒄𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆/𝒃𝒊𝒎𝒃𝒐/𝒄𝒉𝒖𝒃𝒃𝒚 𝒔/𝒐!(𝒇𝒆𝒎,𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒔,𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚+𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒆❣︎)

Ok so believe it or not Zuko adored you the moment you to layed eyes on each other .

I’m talking head over heels and he wasn’t afraid to check you out either ,although you being apart of Sokka and Katara’s Shenanigan’s and helping out the Avatar did throw him off a little (lot bro was holding back vengeance).

But he honestly found you beautiful,the most prettiest girl he’d ever seen.

He would never admit it tho. Especially not after trying desperately to win back his honor he had a mission and he was going to do it so what if he caught a glimpse of you in a pretty pink lacy dress with tight stockings? ,he was supposed to capture the avatar not pay attention to girls. 🙄(he was fighting demons )

Every time he found your location after tracking down the avatar he purposely never went near you partly because he was afraid he’d get shy and start rambling and loose focus ,partly because he didn’t want to hurt you and even ordered his guards to not attack you or go near you either.

During his time trying to capture Aang he noticed that you were a bit well uh..slow?. Even after he turned cunty and started being apart of the gaang he noticed you were quite stupid when it came to anything (me core) ,you were always so lost and curious it was actually rly cute.

Speaking of the devil. When Zuko did turn Cunty and finally started thinking outside the box and joined the gaang he avoided you a little at first . Who could blame him ? You were always so sugary and sweet poor boy didn’t know how to act and partly dreaded his decision because not only was he trying to avoid you ,but anytime he saw lace,pink,or smelt a sweet tapestry his mind immediately went to you.

When he finally stopped being a scary cat despite not being the kindest person ,nor knowing how to be he always acted as polite and respectful towards you. (Bro was secretly plotting your wedding )

Would compliment you 24/7 at first little things like “you look pretty.” Or “this color suits you .” (This was his no rizz era) but eventually he did start being sweeter .

Would offer to carry things for you. Didn’t matter what as long as he was by you.

Was actually rly clingy. At first Zuko didn’t rly get as comfortable with anyone else as quickly as he did you,so he followed you around like a lost puppy on all the missions .(rizz?)

Literally swoons every time he sees you all dolled up (every day ) ,thinks he’s slick and peeps at you but you notice. You don’t mind tho .

He’s very observant. Any time he notices you looking out of place or feeling left out he makes sure to include you in at least something .(you always do the same for him ,he’s literally devoted to you)

The amount of times Zuko almost blew something up because uncle Iroh said y’all would look cute together.(unc speaking facts per usual)

Although it would take a WHILE.Zuko would eventually warm up to you and trust you enough to admit his past and even go as far as willing to move on and admit his mistakes to be with you.(stop I’m crying poor baby:()

Praises you on a daily basis (ofc not with the gaang around) but you fr have him swoon.

Very overprotective of you no matter if you’re around the gaang or not anytime another boy tried to get with you or talk to you he’d just wrap his arm around you or hold your waist. If they still didn’t get it then he’d just blow them up.(canon)

Loves how soft you are. Doesn’t matter what time of day if he’s not busy being a asshole or a girl-boss he’s got his head in between your thighs as you play with his hair and hum .

Like I said he’s very observant he literally tracks your every move (Joe Goldberg who😝?) one switch in your attitude and he’s immediately trying to calm you and god forbid anyone makes you upset or uncomfortable. (Hello this sounds sorta cringey y’all ignore this )

Is always making sure to give you attention.(especially in his fire lord era ) he’s usually busy but don’t worry,he always makes it up to you somehow.

Likes when you wear dresses he loves how he can see your plush tummy. Go’s farel when he sees your plush thighs in stockings or tights .(he’s just like me fr)

Gives you free tea at uncle irohs tea shop .(canon)

Loves to show you off. Like “look how pretty my wife is :3.” Meanwhile you’re doing the dumbest shit known to man kind and are probably gonna end up sat on Zuko’s lap crying your eyes out in 5 minutes.😍

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑰𝒔 𝑨𝒍𝒍 𝑪𝒔 𝑰𝒎 𝑳𝒂𝒛𝒚😞. 𝑰𝒇 𝑨𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑯𝒂𝒔 𝑹𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝑺𝒆𝒏𝒅^_^

#prince zuko #atla zuko #zuko x reader #atla #atla x reader

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ecoterrorist-katara · 1 month

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Why I feel like Ka/taang is one-sided, despite textual evidence

ATLA does try to convince us that Katara has romantic feelings for Aang. For example: she seems thoughtful when she realizes that Aang is a powerful bender; she’s offended that he didn’t want to kiss her in the Cave of Two Lovers; she gets jealous when Sokka says On Ji and Aang look good together.

So…what’s wrong with anti-Kataangers? Do we just lack media comprehension?

To be clear, on their own, these gestures can indicate romantic interest. But at the same time, we have stuff like “Aang is a sweet little guy, like Momo.” We have her ambivalent facial expression after he kisses her before the eclipse, and her hedging during Ember Island Players, and her anger when he kisses her anyway. In the context of these conflicting cues, Katara’s possibly romantic reactions can absolutely be interpreted in a different way, because:

Acknowledging a friend as a potential romantic interest is not the same as actually being romantically interested in them. (Imo this is something young women struggle with, due to a combination of romance-centrism and heteronormativity that make women feel like they should be in romantic relationships, and that boys and girls who share intimate and deep feelings for one another must be romantically into each other)

Wanting someone to find you desirable is not the same as desiring that person. (Which is something a lot of women, especially young women, struggle with. Remember all the discourse around Cat Person back in 2017?)

Being jealous when someone flirts with your friend is not the same as wanting to be with your friend. (Especially when you see your friends as family, or if you’re accustomed to a specific type of devotion from that friend. It is jealousy, and it is possessiveness, but it doesn’t always arise from romantic feelings)

Growing up in a patriarchal society means that your desires are always filtered through what men want from you, sometimes in an abstract male gaze-y way, and sometimes in a very visceral and interpersonal way when a boy wants you specifically. And Katara’s reactions are just that — reactions. Reactions to what other people — including Aunt Wu, Sokka, Aang himself — have insinuated about her and Aang. She’s not really proactive in her interest in Aang: we don’t really see Aang, romantically, from Katara’s POV. Under the framework of “Katara is reacting to a romantic prospect she’s kind of uncertain about,” it is completely plausible — and indeed likely — that she would sometimes act in ways that indicate romantic interest, in addition to moments where she indicates the opposite.

Ka/taang shippers often bring up other evidence, like Katara’s despair when Azula hits Aang with lightning, or how protective she is of him when Zuko joins the Gaang. The thing is, these pieces of evidence aren’t necessarily indicative of romantic love. The fact that Katara genuinely loves Aang makes the whole thing more complicated, not less, because — especially at that age, especially when Aang is twelve years old and grew up in a sex-segregated society of monks — it is really difficult to tell the difference between platonic love and romantic love. Their mutual devotion is layered and complex yet straightforward in its sincerity. What was not straightforward, until the last five minutes of the show, is whether this devotion on Katara’s end is romantic. The romantic arc for Katara and Aang is not really an arc, as Sneezy discusses in this classic ZK video. Katara actually becomes more conflicted over time and we never see an event that clarifies her feelings. She seems more interested in him in The Headband than on the Day of the Black Sun, and she has never been more hostile to his romantic overtures than in the penultimate episode.

And in light of this, it’s pretty easy for fans to fill in the blanks with a different interpretation: maybe Katara’s weird expression after their kiss at the invasion means she didn’t enjoy it; maybe the kiss made her realize that she doesn’t actually feel that way about Aang; maybe against her will and her better judgement, she’s developing feelings for another person, a person who hurt her and whom she fervently tried to hate until he pulled off what is in my opinion the greatest grovel of all time in the form of a life-changing field trip. Maybe. Am I saying that Zutara has more romantic interactions than Ka/taang? Of course not. But ironically, the lack of romantic interactions means that it’s not inherently one-sided, the way Ka/taang became in the latter half of season 3.

I’m not arguing that Katara’s unequivocally not into Aang. Obviously the text declares that she is, because they get married and have kids. But I am saying that there’s a very good reason that so many people, especially women, see Katara’s interest in Aang as ambiguous. It’s not because we can’t pick up “subtle” hints of growing affection. It’s because we know not all affection is romantic, and it’s really easy for someone else’s insistent romantic intentions to muddle what you want.

P.S. I first started thinking about these topics (platonic vs romantic love, desiring someone vs wanting to be desired, etc) in the context of compulsory heterosexuality, a term describing how queer women contort themselves into relationships with men even if they’re not really into men. I saw a post a few days ago joking about why so many queer women seem to be into Zutara. I wonder if part of the reason is because as queer women, we are very sensitive to the ways in which we can talk ourselves into wanting things we don’t actually want, and Katara’s romantic interest in Aang can be easily seen that way.

#Anti Kataang #Zutara #anti Bryke #Katara deserved better #From Bryke who offered her so little romantic agency #I actually think Aang and Katara’s mutual devotion is really compelling because the wires get crossed when you have such intense love #And navigating romantic vs platonic feelings can be very complicated and interesting #but no we did not get that bc I guess they just had to end with a romance however shoddily developed #my meta

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tuktukpodfics · 1 year

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Thinking about how underrated the Foggy Swamp Tribe was in Avatar.

In the show they’re mostly played for laughs. They don’t wear pants, they have thick accents, they don’t seem to know much about the Northern and Southern Water Tribes. But they're a lot wiser than they're given credit for. Not to mention they're big dang heroes.

The Banyan-grove tree

Philosophically, the swamp is fascinating. Their home is centered around a banyan-grove tree, a cross between a mangrove and a banyan—two trees symbolizing life and death.

Mangrove trees are the nurseries of the ocean. Sea life migrates to mangrove forests to lay eggs in the protection of their murky root systems. Bato may look down on the swamp people and make a snide comment about them not wearing pants, but the swamp people are the stewards of ocean life.

Banyan trees are trees of death. The banyan is a parasitic plant that grows by latching onto another host plant, eventually choking the host to death. Banyan figs are also pollinated through death. Wasps crawl into the immature fig, lay their eggs, and die inside it.

So this tree needs death in order to live. And it can’t provide shelter and food for animals without the death of other animals. You can see how this cycle of life and death is reflected in their worldview—which is completely ride or die.

Everything is connected.

The first thing they do once the gaang stops attacking them is call them kin. They bring them home and treat them like family. And I think the swamp people really do see them that way.

They could have comfortably sat out the war. They didn’t. The war might not have affected them personally, but they still felt responsibility to help.

Death is an illusion.

They’re not even scared on the Day of Black Sun. They don’t seem afraid of death at all. They keep cat-gators as pets! For fun! Katara and Sokka are distraught by the visions of dead loved ones they see in the swamp gas. The swamp people live in the swamp gas all the time. Death is all around and they do. not. care. In fact, they embrace it, treat it like a normal, necessary part of life.

Sometimes I wonder what happened to the swamp people after the Day of Black Sun. They surrendered along with the other adults, buying the children time to flee. The swamp people have their own section in the crowd at Zuko’s coronation, so presumably they were released. But released from where? Were they locked in a prison for water benders like the horrific one Hama was imprisoned in? What happened to them in Legend of Korra when Kuvira harvested the banyan-grove’s vines? Where was their kin when they needed help?

#P.S. Fun Fact: Tho is the only person outside the gaang who correctly identifies Momo’s species (lemur)#Everyone else calls Momo a monkey #Tho calls Momo a leemoo #...which is played for comedy because of his accent #foggy swamp tribe #atla #avatar the last airbender

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oneatlatime · 4 months

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Lake Laogai

This Lake had better have Appa in it. With little water wings on.

Skipping the commentary as usual.

The Previously On section suggests that a whole lot of plot threads are about to crash into each other. Strap in folks.

Lefty Sokka!

Beat up Sokka quota fulfilled by his sister's critique of his art skills. It's not like he had paper to practice with at the South Pole.

Sometimes I forget that Aang is 12, then he does something like attempt to rescue his pet from a nefarious city-wide conspiracy of silence with lost cat posters.

"Good tea is its own reward." That means no, he isn't paid enough.

Remember what I said in my last post about Iroh bringing too much attention to himself?

"senior executive assistant manager" someone on the writing team has worked retail I see. Nothing like meaningless promotions with no raise attached! It's right up there with employee pizza party.

I have to pause here and point something out. This whole scene with Iroh? This is an adult fantasy. I don't mean dirty, I mean this whole scene was put in specifically to appeal to the adults who got roped in to watching this kids' show by their children. A rich man walks through the door of your shitty retail job, immediately spots your natural greatness, and offers you a much better paying job with unlimited creative freedom and a better house to go with it? Find me a burnt out retail worker who hasn't conjured up this fantasy five times a shift.

And so the plots come crashing back together. This won't end badly.

"patience really pays off" I checked. He waited literally three seconds.

Shout out to Toph in the background playing catch with a ball she can't see. Casual flex of epic proportions.

Remind me never to go to Lake Laogai. Sounds like it's lousy with Ju Dees.

So the Ju Dees don't know about each other? Because she seems honestly confused. Does Ju Dee think she's the only Ju Dee? What happens if two Ju Dees run into each other in the street?

Posters are illegal but I haven't heard a peep about recarving a bunch of fields into a zoo.

This is maybe the second time Aang's blown up over Appa. Frankly he deserves more blow ups about the whole situation.

I don't think knocking down walls will help find Appa, but I applaud Toph's spirit.

They took out a whole wall and then exit by the door anyways. That's funny.

I really hate this guy, but I have to admit that he may be the first truly competent villain of the series.

'The Jasmine Dragon' also lets anyone with half a brain know that you're Fire Nation. Try the Jasmine Badgermole instead.

Zuko really can't catch a break, huh? He wasn't happy being a tea server, but at least he was resting. But every time he gets five minutes to himself, the main plot reappears to drag him back into the action, whether he wants to or not. Although he hasn't figured out that he doesn't want to be dragged back yet.

Every line of dialogue in this scene is a good point. Zuko's right, Iroh's right. The Zuko's right again, then Iroh's right again.

YES YES YES GET HIS ASS

That was satisfying!

I'm not understanding why Sokka is the voice of reason here. Is he incapable of holding a grudge? He's the one that had all the animosity with Jet to begin with. Shouldn't it be Aang who wants to hear him out?

Toph is a living lie detector now? I can't think of an example off the top of my head, but I'm sure that could have come in handy previously. Any other incredibly useful skills we should know about?

Jet is oddly defensive for someone who claims to know he did wrong.

Ever get so excited that your spine malfunctions?

Sokka just has a metre long map in his pocket. Good friend to have in a pinch.

Avatar first! Katara is rude to an old person!

I'm going to have fun with Toph's new ability.

Toph, you have never been more right. It is the worst city ever. You are really shining this episode.

I know this is a serious scene, but I need to point out that Jet's guyliner is on point.

This shot is jarringly out of place. I think it's because it both black and white, and live action. Those have to be real clouds.

So the Blue Spirit can talk after all. Careful, your Zuko is showing.

Wow Zuko is good at sewing. And fast too.

Sokka is having far too much fun with this whole 'prompt Jet's memory' thing. Maybe he does have a bit of a grudge after all.

Katara can reverse brainwashing now too? Everyone's levelling up this episode.

This scene with the planks is a very cool and disorienting visual.

Didn't have 'the gaang breaks into a brainwashing facility' on my ATLA bingo card.

Pretty.

OMIGOD IT'S AP- did Zuko just break the fourth wall?

Everyone always forgets to look up.

So this fight is going to be Toph v. all of the Dai Li while everyone else tries not to get in Toph's way.

That's a boat.

Toph could probably take all these guys out faster if she wasn't having to constantly break off to save everyone else from them.

The Dai Li prancing up walls is a really cool visual. It's very Ty Lee of them.

I love watching her work.

Why don't you let Long Feng escape? He's no longer threatening you, and you're down there to rescue Appa. Just let him go.

The security on Lake Laogai is a joke.

Big words from someone who also had no plan whatsoever at the North Pole.

Zuko knows that Iroh's right. He knows, and that's important. I don't think Iroh is saying anything that Zuko hasn't thought and then hurriedly pretended to have never thought about before. It's why he says 'stop it' rather than being completely confused as to what Iroh is referring to.

Poor Appa's like 'can you have a crisis of self after you free me please?'

'You've chosen your own demise." No. You chose it for him. That's some top tier deflection/victim blaming right there.

Longshot can talk!

That's one hell of a set up and pay off re: Toph's lie detecting abilities.

Poor Jet. A double tragedy: to be likeable only when you're brainwashed, and to dedicate your life to wiping out the Fire Nation yet being killed by the Earth Kingdom.

Hi Appa. It's about time buddy.

Shockingly in character for Appa's first actions to be to single handedly save the Gaang from a threat.

You skip that bastard like a stone.

Everyone go and listen to the sound Appa makes when he spits out Long Feng's shoe. It's delightful.

I am framing this.

And this too.

I can tell there's some shmymbolism here, but it's gone right over my head.

Final Thoughts

Appa is back. The Gaang has Appa back. I have Appa back. Ok. I can relax now. With any luck, this means we can leave Ba Sing Se.

This episode felt like City of Walls and Secrets, Part 2. I think it was a good decision to have a couple of episodes between the two, but I think there would be some tonal whiplash if you binged this section of season 2. Which wouldn't have been a problem for a show designed to air once a week, so it's a moot point.

So Zuko freed Appa from his chains, and presumably pointed him in the direction of a door or something. Or maybe not; Appa has a ridiculously hard head, he could have busted his way out. Either way, Zuko broke the chains. Thanks Zuko!

In season 1, Zuko finds the Avatar the world had lost. In season 2, Zuko finds the Sky Bison the Avatar had lost. So in season 3, Zuko will find something Appa has lost. I wonder what that will be?

Jet being killed by the Earth Kingdom is so deliciously ironic, and tragic, yet very in character for the Earth Kingdom's approach to this war. It's also literally this:

Smellerbee and Longshot have really gotten the short end of the stick over and over this season. They were the only ones to decide to stick with Jet. Presumably they were the only ones who believed that he had had a legitimate change of heart. And they were kind of wrong. They get to Ba Sing Se only for Jet to immediately backslide way past even where he was at his worst in Season 1. He completely discounts and dismisses their legitimate concerns for his methods and his overall health. Then Jet gets arrested and disappears for two (?) weeks. So what do they do now? Get jobs? Steal so they don't starve? Then suddenly Jet's back but he doesn't even remember them. Then suddenly Jet's dead. The whole point of coming to Ba Sing Se just died, in a way that shows very clearly that their desire to help with the war is not welcome at all in the city. So what now? Do they leave and try to fight in the war from outside the walls? Do they settle down and try to forget about the war? Things did spiral completely out of Jet's control once the Dai Li got involved, but you have to admit that he's left his only remaining friends up a creek.

Sokka had some good jokes but was oddly ok with this episode's events. Toph had some great lines and got to shine with a new skill that any writer with half a brain will bring back in future episodes. She felt like the audience substitute this episode, which is usually Sokka's role. Toph was episode MVP for sure. Poor Aang took a bit of a back seat this episode. Zuko finally hit the crisis point, and may well have made his first indisputably correct decision of the series. But, as previous episodes have gone out of their way to show me that Zuko being good always goes badly for Zuko, I'm sure freeing Appa will somehow come back to bite him.

Iroh's question of "who are you? And what do you want?" was Zuko's entire character arc this season. He took a shot at answering the "who are you?" portion in Zuko Alone, and sort of halfway got there before messing up at the end of the episode. As for the "what do you want?" Zuko will tell you (often and repeatedly) that he wants his honour back. But I think he just wants to go home. The thing is, I strongly suspect that the home Zuko wants to return to hasn't existed since his mother left, if it ever existed at all. Which means that while "who are you?" has an answer Zuko can work towards, "what do you want?" has an answer that is kind of impossible. So Zuko is going to have to learn to want something new.

RIP Jet. Your life was fucked to Hell long before you were old enough to try and salvage it. You'll probably be missed by more people than you strictly deserve. War sucks, amirite?

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #lake laogai

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outpastthemoat · 2 years

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one of the MOST zuko faces IMO is the little disgruntled face he makes whenever iroh makes him do something he doesn’t want to do

“what do you MEAN i’m not invited??“

just LOOK at that face. he’s like a cat who decided he didn’t want to go outside after all when you’ve been standing there holding the door open for five minutes, but the moment the option of going outside is taken away from him he acts like he’s been personally insulted.

”you shut the door in zuko’s face?? you exclude him from a very secret and private meeting of boring old people that he didn’t want to attend anyway?? uncle how COULD you!!!”

and then again when jin comes to collect him for their date he has to turn around and glare back inside pao’s tea shop where presumably iroh is lurking, no doubt to make sure zuko doesn’t try to slip away asdfsdjjf

that lower lip sticking out is clearly intended to communicate something along the lines of “i can’t BELIEVE you’re making ME, your only beloved nephew, suffer through something so horrible. a DATE?? with a GIRL??? betrayal!!! treason!! you might as well have signed my execution orders. have you no mercy???” BUT!!!! he does whatever uncle wants anyway because zuko’s a terminal people-pleaser at heart.

but he’s gonna pout for a while just to make sure uncle gets the message that he’s NOT happy about it AT ALL. what an absolute threenager.

#zuko #iroh #atla #my meta

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comradekatara · 6 months

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an ask for u! what side of tumblr do you think each character would be on? (for your selection of characters lol)

characters who would not use tumblr: aang is too busy touching grass; katara is terminally online but primarily in a twitter way, she thinks tumblr is for deranged gays and has never ventured to confirm or deny that suspicion; sokka would probably love tumblr if he knew what it was but he thinks it’s a social media platform (which is only partially true) so he avoids it at all costs because he’s paranoid; toph occasionally tweets but is otherwise too cool for social media; azula thinks tumblr is a cesspit of liberal social marxist postmodern blue haired pronouns, she would much rather stay on reddit thank you very much; ty lee is too busy making bank off of being an influencer, and since tumblr is not a particularly lucrative platform, sees no point in exploring it.

suki would use tumblr but in the most well-adjusted way possible. she just reblogs aesthetically pleasing pictures, pictures of hot girls, music she likes, quotes from books she is reading, occasionally will post her own pictures from a hike or a concert or of something she cooked, or make brief, innocuous textposts about her life that are charmingly humorous. her tumblr presence is entirely unobjectionable.

zuko would use tumblr in the more typical, unhinged way. he gets into fights and receives anon hate constantly (but he won’t turn anon off because he secretly craves the attention). he’s constantly changing his political views, and even though it comes from a place of earnest internal struggle, everyone calls him a hypocrite for it and makes lengthy callout posts with receipts, or claim that he’s probably a russian bot. besides making contentious personal posts that are basically just lengthy monologues about how confused and frustrated he feels, he also reblogs a lot of pictures of cats, frogs, horses, rustic scenery, quotes from giovanni’s room, sad gay poetry, mitski songs, and then the occasional picture of like, a motorcycle with flame decals on it or a sexy picture of a hot girl, just to like, reaffirm his masculinity with the most blatant posturing possible. i mean who is this even for. his tumblr presence is radioactive and anyone who does make the mistake of following him often regrets it within the week.

mai has been on tumblr since puberty but she would deny even knowing what it is to anyone who asked (including zuko, but that’s mostly because she’s seen his blog and couldn’t stand to be mutuals with him out of friendly obligation). her blog has really gone through phases and grown and changed as she’s matured. she definitely went through a superwholock phase and has a lot of opinions on shows like house md and succession too. her blog is mostly a repository for her private thoughts, her favorite video games, tv shows, movies, and music, but she’s amassed a lot of followers through making many funny textposts that get tens of thousands of notes each. she’s constantly getting asks that are all like “thoughts on [X]?” but because she can’t usually be bothered to take them seriously she’ll just reply with a funny quip, which also gets a lot of notes. she used to take her blog more seriously but now it’s just a funny little website for her, and she’s thriving.

yue is putting in so many hours of backbreaking labor at the webweaving factory. her url is probably something like “[noun]motif” (probably moon, water, or angel) and her blog title is a line from louise glück. she mostly posts poetry, both reblogging others’ as well as her own, but she also talks about tv shows she’s watching and books she’s reading. she’s somehow managed to get into drama because ppl will call her out for enjoying and talking about media that supposedly “supports incest” or “supports cannibalism” or whatever but she’s too busy minding her own business to really notice. no one really knows anything about her life because her blog is exclusively centered around her artistic and poetic inclinations, but everyone assumes she’s an english major (no one would ever guess that she’s actually a #womaninstem). years after she dies her mutuals will still make posts like “i miss moonmotif i hope she’s doing okay and that she abandoned her blog for a good reason.” perhaps it’s better that they don’t know.

#sorry for making it sad #i legally cannot talk about modern au yue without making it sad #doublejoywilson #asks #modern au #the gaang and #suki #zuko #mai #yue

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