Same

haha i dont consciously think about either tbh but i just have a whole timeline mapped out in my head idk where it spawned from. AND YES LILY EVANS IS A GODDESS AND QUEEN🧎‍♀️‍➡️🧎‍♀️‍➡️🧎‍♀️‍➡️i think jily is also just too pure/its the og marauders ship so no one can hate on it cause how can you hate your roots

pls no one come for me on this but i feel like james is just so white boy coded. like he exudes british white boy energy. he just. i respect all those who hc him as poc but hes like (in my brain) the definition of a white boy. like in my head him and lily are the most annoyingly cute white straight couple that everyone still loves. anyways thanks for coming to my ted talk.

wait what. what. literally what. neither of them look white???? iroh's bad actions are never explicitly shown and none of us are smart enough to think about it too hard??? yes i kinda agree with the zuko one cause we just glossed over and focused on the redemption arc but still. i also think that we dont give aang enough shit about yelling at toph (the library thingy) and non-consensually kissing katara (still adore kataang dw). i dont think that toph gets enough shit for being so blatantly rude all the time. and i think we truly dont remember sokkas misogyn (yes it is fixed but still) they all committed bad actions and all of them have their bad actions glossed over by everyone but their haters but i dont think it has anything to do with race because NONE OF THEM ARE WHITE and i'd argue that neither of them are really that masculine. at least i don't view them as such. sokka, hakoda, jet, ozai, zhao and honestly kinda toph are arguably more masculine. yes i do think that their wrongdoings are not focused on enough but i don't think it's because of their skin colour or masculinity

Crazy how the only 2 major characters in ATLA that don't get ridiculously scrutinised for all of their wrongdoings are both the lightest skinned and most traditionally masculine characters in the show (zuko and iroh). Probs just a coincidence tho

i’ve been thinking about riordanverse demigods and their mommy issues.

annabeth, piper, alex fierro: my mom is an absent goddess who’s kind of a bitch to me and my loved ones

jason, thalia, hazel: my mom was a messed up person when she was alive

nico, leo, frank, magnus chase: my mom died years ago but she was a wonderful person and i miss her every day

percy jackson and will solace: MY MOM 🤱 is my BEST 🤩 FRIEND 👯 she is so LOVELY 🥰 and KIND 💕 and COOL 😎 and i’m having DINNER 🍽️ WITH HER ON SATURDAY 🥳💫🤪

i don't ship most of the atla characters individually but i do think it would be profoundly funny if post-sozin's comet every single member of the gaang had a crush on zuko and he was wildly oblivious to it

Discoveries (That I Panic About)

Hakoda stood at the front of the ship, gripping the railings to see if he could see the Fire Nation and where his children were.

He had been very busy, slowly but surely rebuilding the Southern Water Tribe with Malina. But now he had time to visit.

As he traveled to the Fire Nation, where his children were, he wondered what the announcement they had mentioned in their letters was. 

Katara had only spoke of it briefly, talking more about the young Avatar Aang, but she did say that it might surprise him, and it would be good for Water Tribe and Fire Nation relations.

Sokka was more enthusiastic, stating what Katara had said, but also that he was so pleased with the proposal that he agreed immediately. Aang, the Avatar, was apparently also excited for the announcement. Even Toph Beifong, who was all the way in the Earth Kingdom and busy with her metal bending school, had traveled to the Fire Nation.

So really, this declaration would be phenomenal, and would cause an entire chapter to be made in the history books.

But there was one specific letter out of the eyebrow-raising three that had surprised him immensely.

It was from Firelord Zuko.

Zuko, the poor boy, had sounded very anxious and desperate to please in his letter. He promised that he wasn’t forcing anyone do anything, and that he and Sokka had both agreed this would be the best route, and that he was very hopeful that Hakoda would be accepting of their decision.

And while Hakoda had to admit that he was a bit skeptical of how good this choice was, considering they were just children ruling over an entire nation, he did trust Zuko enough to not have any doubts that all parties had consented to this choice.

Suddenly there was yelling, shaking him out of his thoughts and alerting Hakoda that they were close to the Fire Nation now.

When they finally arrived, the entire Water Tribe was in for a slight shock as a massive furry bison flew in and roared. Of course they had seen the animal before, but perhaps not this close. Avatar Aang immediately leapt off his beast, apologizing profusely to the surprised warriors.

“I didn’t mean to scare you!’ He blabbered. “It’s just Appa trying to greet you! I’m so, so, so sorry! It won’t happen again!”

Hakoda gave him an amused smile, placing his hand on the young boy’s shoulder. “It’s quite alright, Aang.”

“Dad!” 

Hakoda just had barely enough time to see a blurr of blue and brown before he was engulfed in a massive hug, almost knocking him off balance. He grinned warmly. “Katara! Oh, look at you! You’ve certainly grown.”

She beamed. “Oh, Dad, the preparations are amazing! You have to see it.”

“That sounds wonderful, Katara,” Hakoda said, “But I was wondering where your brother was?” 

Katara smiled, albeit a bit mischeiviously. “Oh, he’s in the palace. He’s busy with preparations and stressing over every detail on this very, very special day.”

Hakoda frowned a bit. “Are you sure he’s okay? I don’t want him overworking himself.”

Katara shakes her head. “Don’t worry, Dad. With Zuko there, Sokka won’t even overwork an hour.”

Hakoda nodded, a bit hesitantly. “Well, if you say so.”

And then Katara and Aang started dragging him along, insisting that they can’t be late. Hakoda shot a confused and pleading glance towards Bato, who just shook his head and smiled.

Traitor.

*

“Katara! Oh, hey, Twinkle Toes,” Toph said. “And Hakoda.” She added, a bit like an afterthought.

Katara smiled at the younger girl. “Hey, Toph!” She replied, Aang following suit. “Do you know where Sokka is?”

Toph snorted. “He’s with Zuko, as per usual.” She responded, sounding incredibly exasperated. Hakoda assumed that his son and the Firelord were good friends.

Katara nodded. “That’s good. Come on, Dad!”

The dragging started up once more, with Toph following, but thankfully this time it was much shorter. They stopped in front of two massive bronze doors, accented with shining gold. It looked like a door for royalty, and it also looked very similar to the entrance of the Fire Lady’s room described in Sokka’s letters. Hakoda couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “Why is Sokka in the Firelord’s room?”

Katara and Aang exchanged glances. They both smiled knowingly, as if Hakoda had said something a bit stupid and was being oblivious. He was mildly insulted by that.

“Oh, that’s not Zuko’s room! It’s Sokka’s.” Aang said casually, as if the knowledge that his son was living in a room made for royalty was inconsequential.

Katara pushed the doors open, revealing Sokka sitting at a desk, with Zuko beside him, incredibly close and having an arm around his son’s shoulders.

“Oi, Snoozles!” Toph yelled, and the two boys jumped apart. Sokka and Zuko both twisted their heads to face all four of them, their eyes blown ridiculously wide.

When Sokka saw Hakoda, his eyes grew even wider, something that had seemed impossible to Hakoda. “Dad!” Sokka exclaimed, and ran over. Sokka tackled him in a hug, which Hakoda was quick to reciprocate.

Hakoda laughed a little. “Look at you, Sokka!” He said. “You’ve grown into a fine young warrior.”

Sokka beamed with pride at the praise. Zuko looked on at them and smiled.

And this was when Hakoda discovered something very important.

He looked down.

And he saw…

A blue choker.

On his son’s neck.

Shocked, Hakoda shoved him away, confused.

Sokka looked hurt, while the others stared at him, mildly flabbergasted.

“You– you have,” Hakoda stutters through his words, “Since when? Who?”

Sokka looks confused at first, and Hakoda wants to shake him, begging for answers like a hungry, desperate man demanding apples from a tree. Thank Tui and La, Sokka understands. His face flushes right down to the roots of his hair and he glances at his sister desperately. “You didn’t tell him?!”

She shrugged, much to innocently. “It’s you who has the necklace. You tell him.”

“But– but… Ugh!” Sokka groaned.

“Sokka,” Hakoda said, very, very slowly. “When did this happen? And with who?”

Sokka paled, and swallowed. Then swallowed again. He looked like he needed a drink. And, admittedly, Hakoda did too.

“I– I,” He stammered. “It just happened, like, last week! It’s very, very recent news, Dad, I promise!”

“And who…” Hakoda started gesticulating wildly, “Was it that nice girl from Kyoshi? Suki?”

Sokka choked. “Dad, Dad, no! Spirits, no, we broke up! We’re just friends!”

“But then…” Hakoda’s gaze shifted towards the Firelord. There was a high blush on his cheeks. Hakoda looks back at Sokka’s necklace. There’s a Fire Nation symbol inscribed on the purple stone hanging from the blue collar. “You– you– Zuko??”

Sokka grimaced and nodded. “Dad,” He said, gesturing to Zuko, “Meet your future son-in-law.”

And Hakoda faints.

*

When Hakoda came back to himself, he finds he is in the palace’s infirmary.

He also finds his children and their group looking over him anxiously.

Instantly, Hakoda finds himself wrapped in another hug.

“Kids?” He said lowly.

“Glad you’re awake, Dad.” Katara said, smiling.

Zuko stepped forward, a little awkwardly because his Firelord garb was so heavy on him. He bowed. “Um, hello, Hakoda, sir,” He said. “I– I know I didn’t exactly make a, uh, good first impression as your future son-in-law–”

Hakoda stopped him when he took his hand. Maybe he should be against this. Maybe he should shout at Sokka, tell him to break it off, because this was the Firelord, and the Firelord was the leader of a nation that took so much from him. 

But he couldn’t.

He couldn’t because a leader is not responsible for his nation’s past mistakes, they are responsible to fix them.

He couldn’t, because when he looked at the Firelord, all he could see was a young, terrified boy named Zuko. A young boy who grew up to fast, and was forced to save the world, a heavy burden on his shoulders.

“It’s quite alright,” He said honestly, “I was… ah, very… shocked?”

Toph snorted. “Seems like an understatement.” Hakoda ignored her.

“But, I must assure you,” He continued, “I approve of this. You were right, Katara, in the fact that this might strengthen Water Tribe and Fire Nation relations, but I can also see how close you and Zuko are, Sokka.”

Sokka looked like he was going to cry, and he hugged Hakoda even tighter than before. “Thank you, Dad,” He whispered. “Thank you.”

And so, is really any surprise that Hakoda cries during the announcement?

He is just so, so proud.

*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&

zuko: sokka, sokka, did u notice the color of the necklace???

sokka: ofc why?

zuko: its purple bc us yk?? fire nation and water tribe??

sokka: oh my god you're so cheesy ily

also why when i try to write this super light-hearted fic it just turns out to be a lil angsty does anyone else experience that????

also zuko is a bloody simp change my mind

Random Avatar Azula AU idea

I probably won't do this, but it just occurred to me that once Ozai is defeated and Azula and Zuko return home, Ursa would insist that they should be going back to school lol

Azula - 'But mom, I'm the Avatar'

Ursa - 'The fourteen-year-old Avatar who needs to finish school'

Zuko laughs

Ursa - 'And you have years to catch up on, young man'

Zuko - 'I'm the Fire Lord!'

Azula - 'The sixteen year old Fire Lord'

(This would obviously require overhauling the Fire Nation syllabus lol)

So did season 3 Zuko genuinely believe Ozai loved Azula? Is that why he was okay with ratting her out to him with no fear of what he might do to her?

Zuko is a 16-year-old boy that was a victim of abuse pretty much his entire life. It took him THREE WHOLE YEARS to realize that their father disfiguring and banishing him for speaking out of turn/against a cruel plan, and refusing to fight him, was, in fact, a deeply horrible thing for Ozai to do and it was all Ozai's fault.

Is it fair or realistic to expect him to understand that, even though Azula managed to live up to Ozai's insane expectations for his children, it was still unfair of him to put so much pressure on her and that it was only a matter of time before she cracked under it? Can we really blame him for not realizing Azula is being psychologically abused when she's in denial about it herself and actively trying to convince everyone around her that everything she does is effortless? And when the adults he actually trusts, aka his mother and uncle, are ALSO not aware of what's going on right in front of their faces?

Can we blame a child who is desperate to get even the slightest bit of approval and affection from his parent, and never achieving it, for thinking their sibling has an easier, enviable life because they ocasionally get some conditional love?

Can we expect someone who just heard their parent say the words "Your sister was born lucky, you were lucky to be born" to just casually ignore that very clear "I wish you were dead, you don't deserve to exist" and focus only on the implications of "Wait, is he dismissing my sibling's life-long attempts, and success, of living up to his expectations as sheer dumb luck, not hard work and genuine talent?"

I've said once, I'll say it again: Zuko's attempts to survive all the trauma he endured are basically the same as someone who is panicking while drowning and trying to pull under the person that is trying to rescue them because they cannot think clearly in such a dire situation.

It's no coincidence that the two main moments in which we see him having compassion for Azula (in The Southern Raiders and then in the finale post Agni Kai) take place AFTER he has turned his back on Ozai and found a group of people who love and support him. He is now watching the situation from the outside, from a safe distance, not while in the middle of all the chaos, unsure if he's gonna make it.

And for the first time, Zuko can actually see his sister. A prodigy, but still someone that is trying to meet impossible standards. A brave, fierce, DANGEROUS warrior, but also a deeply traumatized child.

There's a reason Aaron Ehasz, the head-writter and executive producer of the show, has repeatedly said that, if Avatar had gotten a fourth season, he would have liked Zuko to essentially be Azula's Iroh and help her heal and redeem herself. He is literally the only other person in the world that knows what being Ozai's child is like, even if he was the scapegoat while she was the golden child.

ok i respect this and think youre fine but pls pls pls dont tag jily because im trying to enjoy my morning not read an argument😭😭😭

ship tags are for content that is in favor of that ship and nothing else. if you're going to bitch about not liking a ship then keep it the fuck out of the tag. shouldn't be so difficult to use some fucking common sense.

I'm not bitching first of all, and who tf told you that ship tags are only for those in favor of it????

That's bullshit if I ever heard it. @cheekyboybeth

you seeing this?? 💀💀

I think you're the one without common sense anon, bc who tf thinks that. I literally said I liked them platonically and that's what you call "bitching"? I expressed an opinion!!!! Damn, can't a person have those anymore? And let alone that wasn't even the point of the post, I was making a joke about something else— the discourses between the jegulus fans and the jily fans.

So stfu and stop sending me dumbass asks. I'm not answering you anymore, it's not worth my time.

it's really interesting to me how you can tell the level of respect azula has for mai, ty lee, and zuko through how she directs them within the confines of the fire nation's expectations of them all.

azula is someone who really values and upholds the fire nation's expectations of conformity, especially in regards to court. she herself plays her part as she's expected to. she plays by the rules her father sets for her, parrots his beliefs, renames omashu "new ozai" for her father, tasks herself with finding the avatar (zuko's fool's errand) and conquering ba sing se (iroh's greatest military failure), and is consequently ultimately hurt and betrayed when her father punishes her despite this by refusing to let her come with him during sozin's comet and giving her a meaningless title to mollify her. to her, playing by the rules that are set out for them within the fire nation, whether spoken or not, is essential, and to not play by them results in punishment. this mindset was already instilled in her before zuko's agni kai, but it was no doubt fully solidified by witnessing her brother pay for his inability to play the role he was assigned as a dutiful son and strong heir.

as a result of this, zuko is the most obvious liability of the fire nation kids in azula's eyes. he has already failed to abide by the rules once and is likely to do so again if she doesn't stop him from doing so. make no mistake, azula does not want zuko to stumble again. she manipulates him into coming home despite his wavering resolve by reminding him of what he could have and what he's always wanted (their father's respect, his honor and birthright restored, the return of a feeling of normalcy/familiarity) because she loves her brother and wants him to play the role he's supposed to successfully. if she didn't love him, she could easily have taken him home as a prisoner like her father wanted her to initially or killed him. i won't even entertain the notion that she brought him home specifically to take the heat if the avatar wasn't really dead; that is a deeply stupid thing for her to do which would result in her judgment and honor being called into serious question as she's the one who vouched that zuko killed the avatar which would be a failure in her role as the dutiful daughter and honorable princess.

so azula appeals to zuko's weaknesses to get him home because she loves him. but she still doesn't respect him because of his prior failings, so she tries to keep him on the straight and narrow within the confines of their roles in the fire nation. she confronts him about visiting their disgraced uncle in prison, tells him his actions could be misconstrued (although she knows exactly how zuko means them; she wants to remind him to play his part or suffer the consequences once more). she shuts him up in war council meetings by speaking over him so that he won't say something that would result in their father punishing him once more. she attempts to prompt him into letting her know if they should be worried about the avatar still, although he doesn't confide in her since he doesn't trust her and instead takes matters into his own hands by hiring combustion man. azula does not threaten to harm zuko herself if he fails in his role; she instead manipulates him with her knowledge of his personality and reminds him of the harm that their father will cause him if he fails.

ty lee is another problem azula thinks she needs to solve. once more, she loves ty lee, but ty lee has shown azula that she is not a reliable person to play her role as she's meant to. azula believes ty lee's failure to be even worse than zuko's, though. zuko said the wrong thing in a war council meeting because he didn't understand the rules; ty lee understood the rules, and she chose to run away anyway. this is not just ty lee being oblivious, but her choosing to intentionally disobey the rules.

so when azula comes to collect ty lee to resume playing her role, azula is initially friendly, perhaps giving ty lee the benefit of the doubt that she might have wised up, but the moment ty lee demonstrates that she is still refusing to play by the rules azula is convinced they all have to play by, azula turns to manipulations and threats of harm to pull ty lee back into line. like with zuko, azula loves ty lee but does not respect her. she knows that ty lee will not play the role society says she must unless azula coerces her into doing so. unlike with zuko, ty lee does not require multiple corrections from azula. the threat of harm once is enough for ty lee to return to her duties. noticeably, ty lee also manipulates azula a lot when she does so, showcasing her awareness of the roles they're all playing and her ability to play with the best of them.

but mai is different from zuko and ty lee. azula both loves and respects mai. yes, azula has to go out of her way to collect mai as well, but mai has moved to omashu with her parents. she never stopped playing her role. azula does not believe mai would ever stop. she respects mai's intelligence in a way she doesn't with zuko and ty lee because mai respects the rules of the game. so azula not only never utilizes threats or manipulation with mai, but she treats mai as almost an equal and allows mai to treat her as an equal. she asks mai to come along with her, and mai agrees. she promotes mai to a position of power above that of her parents, and mai obliges. she says that the trade of bumi for tom-tom is unfair, and mai calls it off. but it's not only when mai plays by the rules of the game that azula respects her and does not threaten or manipulate her to keep her in line. even when mai blatantly disobeys azula's orders, azula allows it. even when mai screams at her during the beach, azula allows it. mai knows that azula will allow it, too. she openly scoffs at the idea of azula lightningbending at her. why? because azula respects mai and her judgment. she sees mai as an equal because mai plays the game as well as azula does, including her moments of rebellion (this is undoubtedly what azula disobeying ozai by bringing zuko home under false pretenses and directly lying to him is, albeit a much higher stake rebellion than mai's refusal to search the sewers).

notably, while azula declares her intent to kill zuko after he commits treason and tells ozai that she lied to him, even when mai and ty lee take the ultimate step out of line with their roles, she doesn't allow them to be executed. i say "allow" here because she's not the fire lord, so it wouldn't be her personal decree to have them executed but rather her father's. they committed high treason. they not only aided and abetted in a prison break and the escape of some of the fire nation's most wanted but physically attacked a member of the royal family and the crown princess at that. this is a crime that's punishable by death, and yet mai and ty lee stay in their cells in boiling rock, seemingly unharmed given mai's unscathed appearance at the end of sozin's comet. ozai would have no reason to not simply execute them, but azula would since she loves them. it's entirely possible, she was on some level holding onto hope that she could coach them back into line again somehow.

but why does she hope to rehabilitate or at least preserve her friends while aiming to kill zuko? it's pretty simple: when zuko failed to play his part he did so in a way that meant azula was punished for having failed in her role as the dutiful daughter and honorable princess because she chose to play a different role that she gained nothing from playing: the role of zuko's sister. so in azula's eyes, zuko went out of his way to not only lapse in his role as the dutiful son and strong heir but to purposefully fail to play the role of her brother in a way he knew would cause her harm. do mai and ty lee also fail to play the roles of her friends while instead revealing their loyalty to someone else entirely when they betray her? yes, but them doing so does not result in ozai's wrath.