This flashback in ATLA, Azulon becoming enraged with Ozai for disrespecting Iroh and the recently deceased Lu Ten, is usually interpreted as Azulon then ordering Ozai to kill Zuko. I disagree with this for two reasons. 1: We don’t actually hear Azulon say that, it’s only referred to by Azula (who was around seven or eight at the time and might have misunderstood what she heard) and by Ozai, years later, when he is taunting Zuko on the Day of Black Sun. Neither Azula nor Ozai are reliable narrators. 2: Azulon is, at the time of this flashback, the ruler of the Fire Nation who has just lost one of his only two grandsons and heirs. What kind of monarch loses one heir and then turns around and demands the death of another, especially when losing Zuko would hardly bother Ozai? My interpretation of this situation is Azulon ordered Ozai to give Zuko into Iroh’s care, replacing Lu Ten as Iroh’s heir, neatly removing any argument Ozai had about Iroh’s line having ended. Ozai of course would never accept this. He either lied to Ursa, claiming Azulon wished Zuko dead, or outright told his wife he’d kill Zuko before seeing him get ahead of him in the line of succession, thus manipulating Ursa to help him assassinate Azulon. I think this theory makes far more logical sense than ‘Azulon ordered the murder of his nine-year-old grandson’.
au where Zhao survives to see Zuko become Fire Lord and in their first meeting after the fact Zuko’s like “I am the leader of a nation and I will be a mature adult and I will not insult you BUT MY FRIENDS CAN, SOKKA GET IN HERE” and he makes Zhao stand there while Sokka roasts him for like an hour
Whoever said this obviously hasn't seen the original 🤣
Ty Lee teaches Zuko acrobatics.
It all began as simple hand-to-hand sparring - something they did from time to time whenever they had a free spot on their otherwise busy schedules. Zuko held his own well enough, but Ty Lee's agility combined with her stunts would give her the upper hand more often than not, and her moves never failed to bedazzle him. He could never bring himself to say anything about it - the only words able to escape his mouth in his awestruck state being "you're... good" or nothing more than a simple "wow" - but luckily for him, Ty Lee could see the fascination written all over his face and ended up offering to teach him.
It was hard at first. While Zuko's parkour and gymnastics skills were already pretty outstanding, he couldn't handle making any sort of mistake, and the earlier sessions would always end in him stomping off in frustration everytime he couldn't get a move quite right. However, as time went on and Ty Lee reassured him that it was absolutely okay to screw up sometimes and he realized she wasn't going to laugh at or humiliate him for it (and a couple of apologies for his mean behavior later) he began getting better and better at it until he could almost go toe-to-toe with her and the sessions turned less serious and more playful. They would chase each other around the palace grounds, somersaulting from wall to wall and leaping off the roofs until exhaustion caught up to them and they collapsed on the floor, covered in sweat and breathing shakily but laughing together like they didn't have a single care in the world.
After that, it wasn't uncommon for Zuko and Ty Lee to swing from the beams on the hallways' ceilings like trapezists whenever the floor had been recently swept.
(The cleaning staff most definitely noticed and shot odd looks at each other everytime it happened, but said nothing about it. It's not like they were complaining.)
that’s it. that’s their relationship
Just a silly little comic because I’ve gotten back into Avatar and the freedom fighters own my heart!
I just,, I love them! Anyways here’s a comic about Jets totally heterosexual obsession with tea boy Li aha
Do NOT repost anywhere else.
First time making a comic in clip studio paint, I think it went well?? I hope? I gave up on the backgrounds tho
The freedom fighters my beloved
Fire Lord Zuko passing a law that forbids challenging anyone under the age of majority to Agni Kai
Fire Lord Zuko waiting until the day he reaches the age of majority to pass this law, lest anyone think he is a coward
(No one. Literally no one would have thought that, but it’s generally regarded as a very classy move regardless)
good morning camp camp nation (it’s almost 2pm)
some Ty Lukos for the soul
its love
I love how for most of The Boiling Rock Part 1 Zuko’s just going around like ‘you know who’s great? Uncle. I miss him a lot. He’s my favorite person and I will fight you for him” completely unprompted
what a soft kid, I love him so much