I simply do not understand why marauders fans make ship names using nouns/adjectives. Just combine their names like a normal fandom. And half the time you can’t even tell what ship it’s supposed to be. I saw flower used three times for three different people in different ships. This system makes no sense. And then people will use completely different reasonings for the adjectives. Like rosekiller, rose because it’s his last name and killer because he fucking kills people like what? It is so confusing to me guys. Please stop this madness. 
"You're the bane of my existence..... and the object of all my desires" - Lily Evans to James Potter, 1977
I find matching Patronuses more romantic than having the exactly same one.
That’s why James had a stag and Lily a doe.
They’re the truest definition of love.
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)
james has the magnetism sirius has the confidence remus has the charm and peter has the charisma
american pop star lily evans and british football star james potter and french high end fashion model regulus black and they are the it relationship of the world
Li shang - hes a lil bisexual like. the looks that he gave ping (aka mulan) were not hetero and obvi hes attracted to mulan as well so. mulan actually ate that up pulled him as a guy amd a girl
jake peralta (bi) - is it canon cause i think it should be
isabela (encanto) - no one can tell me she isnt lesbian like she has no interests other than growing flowers she DOES NOT CARE ABT MEN
sejanus plinth - he was GAYYYYY like in love with coryo the entire fucking time
art and patrick from challengers - theyre gay for each other. based PURELY on the shittons of tiktoks that have come up on my fyp. theyre gay for each other
eloise and cressida - they are L E S B I A N S your honour i rest my case
i will be doing more but its like too late and i have school so
team conrad but tbh i would date jere instead yk
I’m gonna be real, I think the writers simply didn’t want to give Azula a good ending or a good relationship with any of her family due to misogyny and ableism. I mean how hard was it to make her and her brother get along for at least a few minutes? So many ATLA characters had potential to be really good and they fucked them over because of how normalized it is to hate women and pity and praise men for the exact same thing women are hated for.
I’ve seen better dynamics between Zuko and Azula in FANFICTION than in the actual show or comics.
It’s like, you can give them moments of actually being siblings and STILL give them a complicated relationship and have Zuko feel inferior to Azula.
They grew up together, they had the same parents, they were both neglected by one of their parents, in Azula’s case BOTH of her parents.
And personally I feel like Ursa was kind of failing as a mother for Zuko as well but I won’t get TOO into that. She loved him, yes, but that doesn’t mean she truly did any good for him other than preventing him from being killed to be honest. If she genuinely cared for her kids she would have made sure they’d stick together and be there for each other. She would’ve taught him how to actually survive in the fire nation palace.
Ursa could have done so much for Azula as well. Ozai wasn’t present in their lives. In Zuko’s flashbacks, and even in the comic, we see that he is practically nowhere to be found half the time. Who was stopping her from watching Azula train? From complimenting her and giving her praise? From sitting with her by the turtleduck pond? She could have done literally anything with Azula and she chose not to.
Yes, Ursa was a victim but that doesn’t excuse the fact she failed as a mother.
But that’s just my opinion do NOT attack me about this I really don’t care.
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.
We were robbed of a Zukka sword fighting scene
especially since they probably had the same master (considering Pian Dao isn't only the best swordsman/ sword master in the Fire Nation, but also a close friend of Uncle Iroh)
Asami: Korra, the council needs to speak with you
Korra, irritated: you can not be serious! I just- you know what, give me a second
Korra: *grabs a full bottle of wine then immediately downs it in one go*
Korra, tossing the bottle in the recycling: I'm ready. See you guys in a bit
Asami, once Korra leaves: okay, I can't be the only one that was way more attracted to that than I should've been, right?
Mako: no no, I felt it too
Bolin: I can't lie, same here
Opal: I'm straight and I honestly thought about the two of us running away together for a split second
percy would NOT be jealous/possessive of anyone having a crush on annabeth because 1) she's so possessive that he knows she would never cheat on him and 2) he thinks she is so smart and pretty and cool and awesome that he's just like "hell yes. my girlfriend is sooo awesome thank you for noticing!"
It's controversial in the ATLA fandom but I like no LOVE the live action! Sure the secret tunnel episode was not needed to add but I really liked how they've done a lot of the characters. I liked how they put more focus on Socks feeling second or third best in the first season and took away the misogyny. Yes that is common in different religions and cultures but it's also never brought up again after Kyoshi Island. And a lot of people are saying that Dallas and Elizabeth don't look like their characters which yeah, Elizabeth has a baby face but her character is also 14 who tf cares. You're made that she doesn't look as much like Azula because you have a crush on Azula and are mad Elizabeth doesn't fit the idea you had in your mind. Dallas on the other hand I think looks incredibly like Zuko. So again they have slightly different face shapes but he plays Zuko so well and gets his rage right and adds his sarcasm and sass perfectly, plus giving us the hints of social anxiety that we know Zuko has in later seasons.
Okay yes the combined multiple episodes but the episodes have about an hour of run time each and they took out so much unnecessary filler and episodes that are not needed. Like no I don't need 5 minutes of filler in a 20 minute episode I want all plot that's the only way to keep my attention! And they did just that. They kept my attention the whole time and gave a lot of information to new fans that helps you under the universe a lot better than in the cartoon.
I do agree it would have been nice to cast Inuit actors for Katara and Socks but I also believe the casting director were looking for they acting ability of the actors and how they embodied the characters.
The writers did mess up Katara though. She's supposed to be more no nonsense and have that female rage which, Kiawentiio, the actress of Katara embodies but was given the chance to show off with how the writer wrote her character. But I hope they'll write her better next season.
Also! I've seen a lot of people mad we get more Azula content in season one of the live action but I love it. You can see her already feeling the pressure of her father and the world as she's constantly watched and ridiculed and expected to be greater than anyone can be ever, especially at her age. Her breakdown in season 3 isn't something that would just happen. They gave her barley any signs in the cartoon besides the final episode. So now we get to see her already dealing with everyone and slowly get her descent into madness and pressure over takes her which I find really cool and something that's realistic. We also see her relationship with her father being established which is really important to see how he expects to much of her while at the same time brushes her off which is exactly what will be the catalyst for her breakdown in the final season
Oh and as a Zukka shipper Dallas and Ian also shipping it and giving us content is everything I want to do if I ever land a major role in Hollywood
fight me
This poll is a celebration of fandom and fandom history; we're aware that there are certain issues with many of the listed pairings and sources, but they are a part of that history. Please do not take this as an endorsement, and refrain from harassment.
Ugh, was having a great time mocking my recently imprisoned rival when I noticed the camera positioning makes it so that I appear behind the bars, thus framing me as trapped in a metaphorical prison of the narrative, now my whole day is ruined. Fuck.
zuko is so reputation midnights and ttpd coded and sokka is so fearless and 1989 coded iykwim
they always argue about the music that's playing in the car when they're on road trips you just KNOW that sokka is that mainstream pop girlie and zuko prefers indie synth music BUT zuko also loves reputation cause it's literally him. like. it's just him.
biblically accurate gaang dynamics
Night version
*my resume to work for Avatar Studios*
*Please blow me up*
no thoughts head empty except YOU SAW FOREVER SO YOU SMASHED IT UP-
This..... *chef's kiss*
credits to the artist of this masterpiece : @ansdrela
yayayyaayayyay i love this 100% agree but lowkey NATLA STAY AWAY FROM ZUKKA IT NEEDS TO BE PURE AND UNBLEMISHED BY YOUR NASTINESS leave zukka for us who read an UNHEALTHY amount of fics abt them
okay so I’ve seen and loved a bunch of these posts already but everything u say is immediately correct and amazing and sending u asks is the best
opinions on why zukka works and makes sense as a ship and if you think it could work in canon (outside of fanon)?
I CANT BELIEVE YOU JUST MADE MY ENTIRE LIFE COMPLETE AND FULL BY ASKING ME THIS QUESTIONNNN (strap in folks hold on to your hats keep a good hold on your bladders bc this is 10+ years worth of BUSINESS)
Why "Zukka" works and makes sense as a ship
something i've discussed THROUGHLY with my notes app and a school slides presentation is that Zuko and Sokka are both direct parallels AND contrasts to one another, at the same time. i'll list them out here:
Their fathers' roles in their lives
Both Hakoda and Ozai were the leaders of their respective nations, with Sokka and Zuko as the heirs. Then, they both become absent in their sons' lives and leave them to fend for themselves.
This is a parallel, but this is also where they contrast. Sokka's father left to go fight in the war, a noble and honest pursuit, and left Sokka to protect his sister and the village.
Ozai, on the other hand, cast Zuko out of the nation and forced him to protect and defend himself, while effectively turning all their people and his own sister against him.
Their sisters' roles in their lives
Despite both of them being the oldest sibling and brother, they both have severe inferiority complexes due to their younger, powerful bending sisters.
With Katara, she was the only waterbender in the entire tribe, a marvel. She could learn to protect the tribe in a way that Sokka had been trying all his life, and she eventually does. Despite all this, Katara is still a grounding and valued person in his life, and he would be completely lost without her (something he openly admits to in canon!!)
With Azula, she was a prodigy firebender, while also being a special kind of keen and cunning. She was adored by their father and grandfather and Zuko could never quite measure up. Because of this, Azula is the main villain in Zuko's childhood. She does everything she can to break him down, and that continues when she returns as a character in his life in season two. All throughout the show, instead of being a source of comfort and familial love, she is his main obstacle he must overcome.
The loss of their mothers
Both Sokka and Zuko lost their mothers at very young ages to the Fire Nation, but they had vastly different impacts on their families (and further developed their sisters' roles in their lives!!)
When Sokka's mother died, she was killed by a Fire Nation general. Katara quickly took over the motherly role in his life, cementing her place as a grounding and comforting force. Her death also did not break their family. It deeply hurt all of them, but Katara, Sokka, and Hakoda still loved one another just as much as before.
When Zuko's mother died (obviously not really, but this is what he believes for many years), she was "killed" in order for his father to ascend to the throne and become Fire Lord. This left Zuko without anyone to protect him from Azula's tormenting and cemented her place as a destructive, villainous person in his life. Ursa's death also did destroy their family. Whatever way she had managed to keep them all together was eradicated, and Zuko was left with a sister and father that resented him and a sister fighting for his place in the line of succession.
Their obessesions
Both Sokka and Zuko had two bone-deep obsessions that were very defining parts of their characters in the first season, that slowly wavered and faded away as the story progressed and they developed as people. They were both given these obsessions by their fathers immediately before they became absent in their lives (whether leaving themself or sending their son away) and proceeded to dedicate their entire life to these goals in the name of honor.
With Sokka, his father asked him to protect his sister and his village. Sokka then dedicates all his time and energy to becoming a brave soldier and training the children of the village in order to protect his people. This is seen further in season one even after they leave, when he is overly protective of Katara and constantly worried for her safety (something this fandom doesn't talk about enough!!)
With Zuko, his father sent him on a wild goose-chase to find the hundred-years-lost Avatar, and when he actually does, all he can do is chase after Aang so he can go back home. As we see in season three, letting go of capturing the Avatar was essentially letting go of his former self.
Unlearning their flawed cultures (the big one!!!!)
Both of their cultures had many flaws that became ingrained in their belief systems and characters; their whole development is dedicated to unlearning these flawed teachings and reorienting their perception of the world.
It is very obvious throughout the shows that the Water Tribe had strict gender roles that were both implicitly and explicitly taught from birth. The men go off to fight in the war, the women take care of the children, Sokka has to protect his "defenseless" little sister, etc. Suki helped start him on the journey of unlearning his deeply-rooted misogyny, and by the end of the series he's really drinking the Respect Women Juice™️ (unlearning the flaws of his culture also brought him much closer to his sister and strengthened their bond and respect for one another)
The Fire Nation is a lot more complicated with a lot more cultural nuances and implicit and explicit teachings, but we'll focus on one central cultural theme: the constant prioritization of ambition over absolutely everything else, including (if not especially) love. (I actually talk about this extensively in another analysis post about Azula, if you want to check that out<3) We see Zuko battle with this teaching all throughout the series, and it is the main conflict he faces, at its heart.
We watch him commit his entire life to capturing the Avatar in season one. We watch him betray his uncle in season two. We watch him, time and time again, put his own health and safety on the line trying to capture Aang, especially in season one. Constantly, over and over again, he puts his ambition first because that was what he was taught.
And though this is a trait him and Azula share, it is also what pits them against each other. Azula's entire character is built on putting ambition first, and that leads her to chasing the throne that is Zuko's birthright. Zuko just wants to go home, but that would reestablish him as the heir to the throne. Time and time again, we watch them fight and betray each other, constantly battling for this crown for a broken nation. In the end, it is Azula's undoing, but that's another post.
All in all, unlearning the flaws of their culture is central to their development as characters and a place where they parallel... but it is also a place where they directly (and perfectly) contrast.
Despite the cruelty of the Fire Nation, they are the only military that includes women. They seem to not really struggle with the same gender roles the rest of the world does. They may be colonizers, but they're not misogynists. Zuko never looked down on his sister because she was a woman, nor did her father. It was always her propensity for cruelty that undid her. (They even send a team of highly skilled women to capture the Avatar!!)
This is a direct contrast to the teachings of the Water Tribe, which are entrenched in misogyny and gender roles. The men go off to war, the women stay behind. The men are strong, the women are weak. Can you imagine how much Zuko could have assisted Sokka in his development here? (blah blah directly paralleling Suki's role in Sokka's life blah blah blah)
In the Water Tribe, love and family comes before everything. We see that time and time again. Sokka's main priority, every time, is his sister and his tribe. They stick together. They love one another. They are united, with one person leading them as a group but not standing over them like a tyrant. "Ambition" seems like a mostly unheard of concept in their nation. The only ambition we ever really see from Sokka is when he's trying to protect his tribe (season one finale)!!
Can you imagine how much Sokka could have helped Zuko unlearn his constant prioritization of ambition?? Like, come on. All the things Zuko was left to stew with and angst over all on his own Sokka could have gently taken into his own hands and shown him the way. Like, it actually makes me go feral just thinking about it. Sokka could have helped Zuko so much!! (pushing the Ba Sing Se Zukka AU rn)
Consensus
Okay, let's recap. It looks like Zuko and Sokka are both direct parallels and contrasts, paralleling in the ways that allow them to understand each other but contrasting in the ways that help them heal one another. Like, it's actually insane. I really don't know if it was intentional or not but it's really just so perfect. They slot together perfectly as characters. I hope this all made sense😭😭
Could "Zukka" work in canon?
Now, this is tricky. Believe it or not I'm actually really glad they didn't make Zukka canon. ATLA had a huge problem with writing good romance, and in the canon we saw in the show, neither Sokka or Zuko were in a place to get together.
I've enjoyed my fair share of Zukka AUs where they get together before the end of the war, but you and I both know that would have been a hot mess. (Both of them just weren't ready, they were both in relationships, and sorry but they were kinda busy—Katara was right about the whole "there are other things to worry about.") If they were ever to get together in canon, it would have to be years after the war ended.
Let's address a few things that needed to happen before they could ever have gotten together:
Finally admitting that Maiko was just an extreme example of comphet
Zuko did not give a single shit about that girl. Like. He didn't even personally go get her out of prison WHEN SHE WAS LITERALLY ARRESTED FOR PROTECTING HIM😭😭 And then they try to play off their story as some big epic romance?? uhhhh no
(really, Mai was in long-time unrequited love with Ty Lee that was finally requited after Boiling Rock but idk if society is ready for that yet)
Not to mention, Azula literally forced both of them into that relationship, but if I get started with that I'll never stop so. Moving on.
Figuring out Sokka and Suki
Okay, so while there is a good chance that Sokka and Suki could have made it work in canon, there is also a good chance they would have broken up. They both had very different priorities: while they both did care about overall world peace, it was obvious from Suki's first introduction that her Kyoshi Warriors were her top priority every time, and Sokka's was his tribe, his found family (Aang, Katara, Toph, Zuko, yk yk), and world peace at large. You're telling me those don't conflict? Especially because they really seem like a Piper/Jason situation, where they found comfort and love in each other during wartime but wouldn't have known how to keep up the relationship without the constant threat of death.
Overall, in order for Zukka to work, Sokka and Suki would have had to break up, which would not have been difficult to arrange.
Sokka needed to go home and begin rebuilding the Water Tribe
No matter how much I adore fics where Sokka stays behind in the Fire Nation and helps Zuko rebuild, it just wouldn't work. Sokka's obvious priority had always been his tribe. The second the war was over (ignoring the comics bc that's a can of complicated worms i don't want to get into), he would've gone back with Katara to work on rebuilding their destroyed tribe. Only once the Southern Tribe could stand steadily on its own two legs could he have even considered leaving.
Anyways, that's really it. In order for Zukka to work, three plot points would have to be resolved: Maiko, Sukka, and the reparation of the Southern Water Tribe. Extremely doable, imo.
Personality-wise and just as characters, would it have worked?
I really think it would have! Like I said before, Sokka and Zuko are two characters that perfectly parallel and contrast at all the exactly right points to make them slot together flawlessly as a pair. (Whether that's romantic or not—doesn't matter.) Really, I genuinely think they are a real missed opportunity. I have genuinely never seen two characters that seem so different that actually work that well together, or even just characters that work that well together at all.
Like, I really mean it, they are perfect matches. It's genuinely scary. Like it or not, no one will ever be able to replicate the perfection of what Zukka could have been.
Anyone that says that it's "random" or "doesn't work" obviously hasn't been watching the same show or simply just hasn't been paying attention. People might ship it just because it's opposites attract or red and blue or even just the most accessible MLM ship in the fandom, but they really are perfect for each other.
alright, I think that's it! sorry for this monster of a post😭😭 genuinely did NOT expect that to happen. PLS SEND ME ANY ASKS YOU CAN THINK OF ABOUT THESE TWO!! i have spent a concerning amount of time thinking about them and these show has analysis potential for days, so. (and who knows, maybe i'll finally post the like three unfinished fics i have for them💀💀 god knows i should)
thanks for the ask, and have a great day <3
When I was writing the Fortnight music video, I wanted to show you the worlds I saw in my head that served as the backdrop for making this music. Pretty much everything in it is a metaphor or a reference to one corner of the album or another. For me, this video turned out to be the perfect visual representation of this record and the stories I tell in it. Post Malone blew me away on set as our tortured tragic hero and I’m so grateful to him for everything he put into this collaboration. I’m still laughing from getting to work with the coolest guys on earth, Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles (tortured poets, meet your colleagues from down the hall, the dead poets). I still can’t believe I get to work with the unfathomably brilliant Rodrigo Prieto on cinematography and my team of dream collaborators: Ethan Tobman (production design), Chancler Haynes (editor), Anthony Dimino (1st AD), Jil Hardin (producer) and Dom Thomas (executive producer). Parliament aced the VFX as always. Joseph Cassell, Lorrie Turk and Jemma Muradian made these tortured looks come to life. The entire crew made this a dream to shoot. Thank you to everyone involved and everyone who has watched it!! https://taylor.lnk.to/FortnightMV