NCT . TyongF . FCB . DANCE . aTLA . Zutara

[royaltealovingkookiness]

Zuko lost Azula in the end of the series but reconciled with Кatara, this means that relationship between him and her sibling and not romantic. people should finally learn to distinguish between platonic and romantic relationships and not ignore the obvious romantic development of Kataang

I’m sorry. I’ve read this ask 3 times and I don’t understand really what this is about?

Zuko’s relationship with Azula was always quite bad and distant, full of distrust even when he came home at the beginning of Book 3. So yeah, the Agni Kai probably broke it further, but Azula remained Zuko’s responsibility and there could be scenarios where they reconcile (I obviously don’t talk about the comics).

I don’t know what this has to do with Kataang though? 🤷🏼‍♀️

[magicalpeachconnection]

Pretty sure the anon is trying to say that Katara was "supposed to" be a kind of Azula replacement? Like Zuko lost Azula, but gained Katara, so she was supposed to be his "new sister", so Zutara shippers are thus Wrong and "need to recognize it as platonic," or, at least, that's what it sounds like to me. But that's not how relationships work. You don't replace someone when you lose them, especially family. And if you think that's how it works, then I can't help you. Also, if that is how it worked, why didn't he ever get a replacement for his mom? If you want to argue that, he got a "dad replacement" in Iroh, but where was his mom?

Not too mention, they just never stuck me as sibling like? Like, you can tell that Zuko feels like Toph is a younger sister. They have exactly Zero possibly romantic or more adult in nature interactions. Zuko and Katara have a history of charged scenes, from "I'll save you from the pirates" to his literal awe and wonder about how strong she is when she frightens the dude who killed her mom.

[royaltealovingkookiness]

Ah, thanks! Yes, maybe that’s what they meant. I honestly too feel more the sister-vibes with Toph than with Katara. Toph is the prodigy little kid who is loud, self confident, but is also not mean about how good she is. In a way, she feels a lot like the little sister Zuko never had...

Katara doesn’t in any way feel like a “replacement” for Azula. Her relationship with Zuko has that deep emotional quality to it - she “gets” him, he gets her. She can make him open up, and he sees parts of her she hides from others. It feels very mature, which is why they are so shippable.

Having said that, I don’t have a problem with a platonic Zuko - Katara friendship at all. But I did mind that canon, after giving a ton of development to them in the last 6 episodes, made them virtual strangers in the comics.

[magicalpeachconnection]

I feel the same way. I can handle a platinum relationship, but the series end just made me feel like they cheapened the relationship they spent 3 seasons developing.

I would also argue that if you WANT to go with the "family replacement"theory, Katara feels WAAAY more like a replacement family for Aang than Zuko. Like, she had SOOOOO many mothering moments with Aang, and Sokka, and even Toph, and she never has to do that with Zuko. They always felt more like equals. If we're assigning family roles to the Gaang, Katara is canonically the mom of the group, to the extent that she and Toph have a whole episode about it, and even Sokka said that he kinda looks at her as a mom more than a sister sometimes. Who else is the responsible one in the group? Sokka? Eh, kinda, but big brother responsible. Responsible enough to babysit, but maybe not to actually have authority long term. Probably still needs to be able to have the "or I'll tell Mom" card. (It fades as the show comes to a close, but still has serious big brother energy.) Suki? She definitely feels like brother's girlfriend who never leaves and just gets absorbed into the family (which I really hate, and would have loved to see more about her integrating and creating her own space in the group, separate from Sokka. Difficult with her dating him, but not impossible. Another rant for another day.) Aang feels like the middle child, used to being the carefree youngest, but being forced to step up to handle the responsibility of now saving the world having a younger sibling. Toph has serious only youngest child energy. She's used to getting her way, even if it might occasionally require a fake tear like she uses on her actual parents, the tough exterior from being used to keeping up with the older ones and always feeling like she's never going to compare, because whatever she does, the older one did it first.

Zuko, though? Zuko is the one who falls into the "dad" role pretty easily. Aside from being the oldest in the group (except MAYBE Sokka? I don't remember, I think they might have been the same age). Zuko never really gets into irresponsible shenanigans like the others do. And when he does, it's for a reason, for their growth and development. It's technically irresponsible, but it's a trip there group needed to make. For example, Katara NEEDED to face the guy who killed her mom. She needed that growth, and him going with her was definitely way more responsible than her going alone. Same with Sokka. He felt too wracked by guilt to step up and lead in the way the group needed him to, so Zuko helped. That's like when the kid gets in trouble at school, so the dad takes them to get ice cream. Technically? Yeah he should punish the kid for getting suspended for being in a fight. Realistically? It's more important to sit down and find out WHY the kid felt a need to fight and if it was justified, and talk over why that was the right or wrong choice.

That break down went waaaay longer than I planned, but TL;DR, if Katara is replacement family for anyone, it's Aang, and that's why I can't ship Kataang.

[royaltealovingkookiness]

Don't you think Ozaï was a failure the final villain ? I mean Zuko and Azula's Agni Kaï had much more build-up than Aang's fight, besides Ozaï who was supposed to be the most powerful firebender (per the showrunner) wasn't all that impressive in my opinion (when you compare him to Iroh who invented a technique Ozaï failed twice to react to).

I was certainly less invested in the Aang / Ozai fight (also because the conclusion was foregone) than in the Agni Kai (which kept me at the edge of my seat), but that’s because narratively it had much, much longer build-up. 

The Aang- Ozai fight is longer, has more fancy moves and is superbly animated - it is a decent fight. 

It does have quite a few moments that hit narratively - like Aang’s lightning redirect that we can trace back all the way to The Storm, when we see Iroh doing that technique for the first time, also coincidentally the first big Zuko/Aang episode  or the moment when Ozai is trying to scar Aang the same place he did with Zuko and Aang goes into the Avatar state. But I think it also falls a bit flat because in the end, the narrative in Book 3 didn’t follow through properly Aang’s arc and character development and never gave him that epic moment of deliberately making the choice to open his seventh chakra, and rather going with the deus ex-turtles. 

But the Agni Kai is something altogether different level - it’s the culmination of Zuko’s, Azula’s and Katara’s arcs and every frame of it is meaningfully rooted in the story. We know the long, long struggle of Zuko to get to that level of firebending and personal growth to be able to stand in that arena again, to see him use moves borrowed from all the elements, to watch him choose to protect Katara above winning, to see Azula falling apart alone, to see Katara fight for Zuko with everything she has - there are so many emotions in that fight, and it all feels deeply earned. 

The only other moment that gave me as much goose-bumps was Iroh retaking Ba Sing Se. 

But that’s just me. I love fights with huge emotional pay-offs and the Agni Kai absolutely delivered on it. 

[thedailyshow]

Jordan Klepper attends a Trump rally to hear about the latest conspiracy theories.

[idoyoudowealldohoodoo-blog]

I’m screaming forever. FOREVER, FORRRRRREEEEEVVVVVVVEEEEERRRRRRRR

[linrenzo]

LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO GOT YA BITCH

[biorn21]

I think "she should've tried to make it work" is a wrong way to look at it. Even if Urza hadn't sent those letters, Ozai was still an abusive dickhead, just look at how he treated Azula, his "favorite". Not saying that Urza wen't about it the right way (she admits that running away from her children was wrong, which it definitely was), but staying with Ozai was never going to work.

No, Ozai is a psychopath, definitely. I am ironic when I say that he was unlucky with his wife, I know perfectly well that he is inadequate. But I think it's easier to protect children by being around them. And to stay close to them, you do not need to anger the crazy psychopath who can do whatever he wants with you and your children, since, unfortunately, he is  endowed with power. Okay, since such an interesting topic has surfaced, let's let our imagination run wild :) Ursa could be smart and deadly. To act subtly. Ozai doesn't sound like a tactical genius, honestly. In general, I'm surprised why Azula is so smart XD This is definitely not her father's merit XD Compare Azula's operation to capture Ba Sing Se and Ozai's operation to destroy the Earth Kingdom in "BURN THEM ALL BUAHAHAHA" style. I think it would be wise for Ursa to try to enlist the support of influential people and start weaving palace intrigues. Help Ozai kill Azulon and immediately accuse him of this murder. She wouldn't even have to come up with much. Perform a coup in favor of Iroh or Prince Zuko, becoming regent until his son comes of age. In short, a bunch of options for the development of events, even without escaping from the palace. Oh what room for fanfiction :)

[emletish-fish]

This is a much more interesting and nuanced idea. But it requires a woman to be clever, something bryke are completely unable to imagine or write. So naturally it couldn't occur within the comics/LOK.

I think the big over-arching problem is Bryke's writing is sloppy and nonsensical. Its often plot driven rather than charater driven. Which is why characterisation is so off with all their solo projects. They need to move this character from point A to point B and don't really care how they get there, or if it makes sense. They even explicitly tell us, their audience, this in LOK. The Mustachioed war-criminal Varrick says about storytelling "who cares if it nakes sense - just enjoy the ride".

Holy shitballs - what an attitude to writing. No wonder everything after ATLA is rubbish.

So in the search, they needed to move Ursa from the Palace to her life in hiding.

Secret lover-actor/making your violently abusive psychopath of a husband think you have cuckholded him, the prince of a nation, and encouraging this powerful man to viscerally hate you and your children, and then abandoning these children to him because its "too hard", and shacking up with an actor - I mean that is one way of getting there.

(but seriously, messing with royal family lineage is something that has, in our world, often lead to many deaths, but whatever, who needs a story to make sense, eh bryke?)

Off the top of my head, ideas that make better sense: koh the face stealer and the dai li both have the power to erase memories and they are right there. Or Ursa has spent her time in exile planning and waiting for her children to be of age and leave the palace, but falls foul of some local drama, or Ursa is white lotus and deep under cover, or Ursa has been imprisoned in an EK fire nation facility for the duration of the war.

None of these ideas require making her a horrible mother who is feckless, unconcerned and needlessly stupid.

Cause that is not the Ursa we saw in the show.

[biorn21]

Thank you, you said it better than I could XD

[biorn21]

Did you read the avatar comics? If so, what is your opinion on them?

I haven't read all the comics because I decided to keep my peace of mind, haha. But I managed to get to know the Search, I really regret it.There are many reasons for that. The first and foremost reason is what was done to Ursa. In the series, Ursa was a beautiful, sad, quiet and at the same time selfless woman who loves her children immensely and is ready to do anything for them. This is how I love her and keep this in my memory.

In the comic, she turned into a proud fool who does not think for a second about her responsibilities and the consequences of her actions, even if other people suffer from this (first of all, her children). Seriously, I felt sorry for Ozai. It was necessary to marry so unsuccessfully. Even he didn't deserve it. What Ursa does: 1) Destroys her chances, if not for a happy, then at least for a normal marriage. Yes, the marriage was negotiated and no one asked Ursa what she think about it. But no one asked Ozai either. They started on equal terms. If Ursa were wiser, she would try to build at least a friendly relationship with a person with whom she (hypothetically) has to somehow live her entire next life. Writing letters to her lover is not a solution that could help her achieve this goal. 2) SET UP OZAI AGAINST ZUKO. Telling her husband that the first son (and potential heir to the throne, too) is not from him is such a fucking shit on many levels that I don't even know what else to say. And we thought that Ozai did not like Zuko because he was weaker than his sister and generally suspiciously kind. But no. Ozai hates Zuko because Zuko's mom is a complete idiot. Thats all 3) Leaves his children. And it is very hypocritical. There are several lines in the comic where Ursa tells Ikemu how dear her children are to her, how she would like to forget her palace life, but now she is a mother and cannot do it. How she wants to get a new face and return to the capital unrecognized, to at least once look at her children, even if she puts herself at risk. And literally a few pages later, she, almost without thinking, agrees to the offer of the Mother of Faces to forget her life in the palace and her children, because this, you see, hurts her. (Somewhere in the capital , Ozai consistently destroying the psyche of her children, but of course it doesn't matter.) Seriously? SERIOUS ??? * angry obscene screams * Oh, sorry, I'm done. Okay, despite that, there are some pretty good points about the Search that mostly relate to Azula and her interactions with Gaang. But there are also many other things that make me wish this comic wasn't. But I willn’t talk about it now, because I have already written too many words X)

[kittenfangirl20]

Ozai hated Zuko before he was presented with that letter, he was just making up a justification as to why he would continue to hate Zuko like an abuser would. It is even stated by Ozai that he saw Zuko as weak. It is a common tactic by abusers to make their victim look bad to others which sadly many people fall for. Should Ursa have kept her memories that would constantly torment her because she was unable to do anything to help Zuko and Azula. Congratulations for falling for the tactics that Ozai used to make Ursa look like a bad guy to the point where you actually feel bad for him. Do you also think that Ursa was the one that really abused Ozai too? Also they didn’t start out on equal terms, Ozai forced her into a place that she was a stranger and forced her to never see her parents ever again only to hurt her even though she hasn’t done anything to him yet.

[biorn21]

You made interesting comments and made me doubtful on some points, so I even went and quickly skimmed over the comic again: «Ozai hated Zuko before he was presented with that letter, he was just making up a justification as to why he would continue to hate Zuko like an abuser would. It is even stated by Ozai that he saw Zuko as weak» -Yes, this is exactly the version that I usually adhere to. But she is shown on the show, not in the comic. In the comic, Ozai's relationship to his son and daughter is not mentioned until the moment with the intercepted letter, I checked it. «Should Ursa have kept her memories that would constantly torment her because she was unable to do anything to help Zuko and Azula» -I’m afraid I can imagine several ways how Ursa could help her children. But all of this will be hard. Just forget about children and stay with lover is the most comfortable option. I would have come to terms with this if Ursa left her children in an absolutely safe place and reasoned in the spirit of “they will be happy without me, my presence can only harm them and me. I have to forget. " But they stay with Ozai. And already without the protection of anyone else. «Congratulations for falling for the tactics that Ozai used to make Ursa look like a bad guy to the point where you actually feel bad for him.» - Hmmm, what can I say. It would be more difficult for me to do this if Ursa did not help with the rest of the points X) «Do you also think that Ursa was the one that really abused Ozai too?» -Let's remember all the interactions between Ozai and Ursa before the story of the correspondence: -The acquaintance of Ozai and Ursa passes without incident. -Later they leave in a carriage and meet with Ursa's lover, who makes a scene. Ursa asks not to touch Ikem. Ozai agrees. Ikem, for all his inappropriate behavior (an attack on the royal guard, which can be equated with a threat to members of the royal family), remains alive. It's a VERY mercy to be honest. -Next, a wedding, where Ozai informs his wife that she, having a new status, will not be able to keep in touch with her family. He says this with a malevolent face - perhaps wanting to prick his wife for an unpleasant scene with a guy on the road. He has no other reason to mock her at the moment. But whether he himself made the decision to ban communication with relatives is a question. There is neither confirmation nor refutation of his words. Perhaps this is his just thought of a way to get revenge on Ursa. But most likely, these are indeed the rules of the palace, which Ozai communicates to Ursa in the most untimely and unpleasant way. Why? That's right, because he's an asshole, we still remember that from the show. Prior to the letter scene, Ursa and Ozai still fit into their roles of good and evil. The episode with Ikem spoils the picture a little, but for now you can close your eyes to this. -And then follows the scene with the letters. We understand that: 1)The correspondence has been going on for a long time, despite the explicit ban announced at the wedding. Ursa realizes that she is violating the ban and putting many people in a dangerous position, but she writes letters anyway. 2)Ozai knows about the correspondence and does not interfere with it 3)Ozai in general does not show interest in the correspondence and, most likely, would not even read the key letter if it were not for the maid, who insisted on it. 4)Ozai kept his promise and did not pursue Ikem until Ursa named him Zuko's father. Only after this does Ozai give the order to kill Ikem.Based on all of the above, yes, I believe that the blame for what happened lies with Ursa and that Ozai behaved as gently as possible with Ursa before she went too far with the statement about paternity. I'm generally surprised that she survived. Remember what happened, for example, with Anne Boleyn. In countries where power was passed on by inheritance, betrayal of the queen was not considered an ordinary betrayal of the wife to her husband, but was a betrayal of the dynasty and the country. Such an incident could turn into a future struggle of heirs for power. This is, at best, a series of murders and executions among those close to to the throne; at worst, a civil war with all the ensuing consequences. After that, do I find the comic version of Ozai unexpectedly bland compared to the series? Yes. After that, do I consider Ursa a stupid woman who doesn’t think about the consequences of her actions? Definitely. About the fact that Ursu was taken to a place where she felt like a stranger -  These are the consequences of a contractual marriage. Marriage is not Ozai's decision. This is Azulon's decision. . Honestly, I really loved and love Ursa from the series. Reading comics, I justified it as best I could, while it worked out, but then there was a cognitive dissonance. Ursa from the TV series is ready to kill for the sake of the children. This is an extreme measure, a crime against humanity, against oneself. This is a terrible blow to the psyche. Ursa from the comic leaves the children for a lover after five minutes of thinking. I can’t link these two Ursas into one person. Their actions contradict each other. I really tried, believe me X) For myself, I had two options: - Take the events of the comic for the canon and start hate Ursa as a character. - Ignore the comic and think that Ursa is a wonderful mother and Ozay is a vicious psychopath. I chose the second.

[biorn21]

^_^

[biorn21]

* Princess of Northern Water Tribe entered chat *

[biorn21]

Diplomatic meeting :) “переговоры проходили очень хорошо, но потом алкоголь закончился”

[biorn21]

Only the lazy one didn’t joke about 2020. I should have too.

[biorn21]

…When you  look for a teacher of earth bending for a long time, and then don’t know how to get rid of him Х)

[biorn21]

Ursa and Ozai …I pretend that there were no comics with Ursa in my life)

[biorn21]

It was just a sketch for a very long time, but I finally finished it! XD Who asked what Zuko would look like in AU werewolves? Ta-dam! No changes at all X) Okay, he’s a little older, but you still can’t see it in the picture x)

[biorn21]

bad influence

[biorn21]

If you offered someone a soothing tea, and he hasn’t calmed down, just offer more tea.

[biorn21]

Another sketch from werewolves  AU and jokes of dubious quality. Zuko is held captive by the Southern Water Tribe because he sailed in the wrong place and at the wrong time. Sokka is too cool, Aang is too young, and Katara suffers from childlike spontaneity.

[voidcenturyscholar-deactivated2]

Post canon Toph who doesn’t want to go back to her shitty parents so she just decides to stay in the Fire Nation and bum off Zuko’s hospitality.

Zuko’s like no, yeah, I totally get it, and just makes her one of his advisors. At first it’s just so she has a good excuse to stay but after the first meeting Toph storms out shouting about how EVERYONE was lying why would you even need to lie about what kind of tea you want??

Zuko: I mean they’re politicians.....but also who, and when, and in what way

They make a subtle Morse code system so Toph can warn him when someone is lying to him without tipping anyone off that she can sense lies.

Zuko gets a reputation for somehow being both extremely socially inept and yet somehow disgustingly perceptive?? You can’t get ANYTHING by him???

[romancedawning-deactivated20210]

#my lord what EXACTLY is ms Beifongs role in these meetings #a nervous nobleman asks after the third time she interrupts them with stupid commentary #zuko with perfect deadpan: she’s my scribe

You CAN’T leave that in the tags

[chess-blackmyre]

#LISTEN THO#zuko and toph bonding over shitty parents?#toph being entirely rough around the edges with this polititians#UNTIL the day comes when some big emisary is coming and zuko is so nervous#she can feel it#and she's like don't worry i got this#and pulls out all of her high society bullshit to charm them#and everyone#zuko included#is like WTF toph#but also what if toph's parents show up one day#because they want to exploit the fact that their daughter is advisor to the firelord#to get better deals or something#and then zuko gets all protective big brother#even though they both know she doesn't need it#but it's still nice right? and he's still the freaking firelord so he puts them through quite a bit of bullshit#also also also omg years down the line when the rest of the gaang visit#and zuko and toph are like THE WORST with their little inside jokes#talking with the morsecode they use in meetings#laughing their assess off at the smallest gesture of the other#listen they deserve to be each other's sibling after all they've lost and been put through (tags via princessamericachavez)

[sokkabaddiebender2021]

An ATLA Rant: Imperialism & Nuance

Just to start off, this is coming from a girl who’s grandmother was Filipino. No, I have not personally experienced imperialism in my lifetime, but it is a subject that I think is very serious and important to me because of my heritage.

That said, I have absolutely zero idea how you could watch avatar: the part airbender and come out of it saying that it is pro imperialist. Absolutely zero.

I agree because this is a pan Asian inspired show that was written was created by two white men (with the help and advisement of several poc as well but that is a topic for another time), people, especially people of color, have every right to be critical of it. But this argument that the show is somehow pro imperialist just doesn’t make sense to me.

The fire nation is in the wrong. The show makes that VERY clear. Their actions towards other nations is called out by several characters (Zuko, Roku, etc). Their destruction of other cultures (southern water tribe, air nomads, attempted earth kingdom) are seen as diporable and downright inhuman. Not only that, but we see the devastation this cultural genocide brings upon main characters like Katara and especially Aang and how they must heal from it.

Moving on, the show absolutely was not teaching people to stand docile and peaceful against their oppressors. Katara and Aang literally destroy a whole fire nation factory!! When the fire nation was attacking the northern air temple, they were kicking their asses off the cliff!! They planned a whole invasion to attack the fire nation capital to end the war!! (Let’s not forget Katara incititing a riot against the fire nation in the imprisonment episode with the earth benders). I could on and on about all the times the gaang meets the fire nation with violence and encourages others to fight back against them, but that would be going wayyy too in depth.

I think where people get far too simplistic here is that they think that atla is telling people to not use violence against their oppressors because the show is critical of people like Jet and Hama. First of all, the characters are given a lot of nuance in the show. Both are introduced with tragic backstories of the horrors that the fire nation inflicted upon them (I still get chills with the scene when Hama explains her story).

Despite this, both characters have every chance to use their abilities to fight back against the fire nation in a way that helps. You know, like fighting against the army and not innocent people who have no idea that the fire nation is actually in the wrong. The narrative is not that violence is bad! Peace is the only way! I think it’s that you can’t let your veagance lead you away from fighting the right people. That’s the issue: neither Jet and Hama were fighting the right people.

And we first see both characters fighting soldiers in their first scenes. Hama in the flashback when she’s defending her home (and rightfully uses violence to do so) and Jet when he helps the gaang take down some fire nation soldiers in the forest. This is just violence directed at the right people. But instead, both attempt to murder and in Hama’s case, torture people who take no part in the atrocities the fire nation has committed. Are they ignorant? Well of course they are because as we very obviously see, they’ve been fed propaganda their entire life while also living under an authoritarian regime, something that’ll give you no will to think other than the things that are spoon fed to you.

So let me ask you this, was it right for Jet to try and murder an entire village of innocent people, literal children included? Was it right for Hama to imprison and torture lord knows how many innocent citizens just because they belong to an nation that they have no actual knowledge of its evil? I’m hoping your answer is no, and the show would also say no as well.

When both Katara and Aaag choose not to kill, the narrative is not saying that they shouldn’t kill these men. The narrative allows both characters to make their own choice in what ways they wish to do, and it has nothing to do with what is actually right or wrong, because ultimately it is up to what each character wishes to do. Katara sees Yon Ra as the pathetic old man that he is, so she sees no purpose or healing for herself in taking his life. This is a personal choice made for herself, and that is all that matters.

The same goes for Aang. This poor boy is desperate to uphold the beliefs of his people, so he finds another way. A way that still upholds his beliefs while still ending the tyranny of Firelord Ozai. It is ridiculous to say that this is a passive take to imperialism, because yes he doesn’t literally murder someone but he still takes the dude out. And honestly, Ozai’s fate is worse then death (especially considering who Ozai is). Once again, the narrative is not saying be passive to your oppressors and don’t use violence. Its saying that because Aang is living in a world where his beliefs have been forcefully removed and disrespected, he has every right to continue to defend them in the ways he sees fit.

While some may see the narrative as more sympathetic to Iroh and Zuko, I think it’s just because they ARE some of the main characters of the show, as compared to those like Jet and Hama. We see much more of their story just as we see much more of the gaang’s story. Not only that, but their narrative purpose is far different from these two other characters. Iroh and Zuko are meant to show that despite them being from the fire nation, they are not inherently evil people. Jet and Hama are meant to show that even while they are against the antagonistic force of the show, they still can commit evil. Not only are Iroh and Zuko’s actions never justified, but they both must go on a journey to unlearn the hateful propaganda instilled into them, and remedy their ignorance. The narrative never says that neither Jet and Hama cannot also redeem themselves, but Hama feels no remorse for her actions, and Jet does attempt to redeem himself, but ultimately falls back into old habits (I believe he could’ve redeemed himself, but I’ll agree the writers were a bit sloppy in his end, like I’m not sure why they had to kill him other than to make him a tragic character but whatever).

To finally wrap up this essay, ATLA is not a black and white show. The show is not pro imperialist for condemning the violent actions of two characters who happen to be victims of imperialism. The show is not pro imperialist for allowing two children to decide for themselves whether or not they want to end the lives of someone. The show is not pro imperialist for not making the antagonist of the show a one note and one dimensional bad guy.

I’ll end this with the speech that Zuko makes to Ozai when he prepares to leave on Day of Black Sun:

No, I've learned everything! And I've had to learn it on my own! Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilization in history. And somehow, the War was our way of sharing our greatness with the rest of the world. What an amazing lie that was. The people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation. They don't see our greatness. They hate us! And we deserve it! We've created an era of fear in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness.

[kaligraphy]

I absolutely love the headcanon of zuko swearing like a sailor after three years on a ship with his crew (and then toph demands he teaches her ALL of the swears lol)

I ALSO love the headcanon where iroh would have NEVER allowed that sort of language to be said around or be heard by zuko

zuko? his little boy? he couldn't even say "darn it" without covering his mouth as a child! who taught his son nephew these words?! there will be consequences!