#tlok vaatu

Eh... Maybe?

The thing I hate about discussions surrounding LOK, and more specifically Korra as a character, is oftentimes people say they don’t like LOK or Korra because “Korra lost her connection to her past lives.” Now, it is true that she no longer has a connection to her past lives, but people frame this as something she is directly at fault for and had an active role in, which is not true at all. First of all, Unalaq/Vaatu took Raava out of Korra’s body and beat the connection to past lives out of her, quite literally. Korra couldn’t have stopped him cause she was already worn down from the battle and having Raava ripped out of her, and each hit he dealt to Raava was another blow to Korra, only making it harder. Secondly, Korra is constantly up against antagonists who are not only much older than her, but they’re also all very skilled benders and fighters. So Korra is never gonna have a fight without some sacrifice on her part, because in fights where you’re pretty evenly matched, you win some, you lose some (cliche I’m sorry but I’m not gonna put in the energy to think of anything better). So, even though Korra did eventually win out against Unalaq/Vaatu, it was never gonna be without losing to some degree. Thirdly, no other Avatar had ever lost their connection to their past lives, so there was no way for Korra to know this was something that could even happen. There were no preventative measures she could’ve taken because this was not something she could’ve known was possible until it was already happening, and by then it was too late. There was already so little precedence for harmonic convergence and so many odds stacked against her that the fact that she even made it out alive is a feat unto itself, but the fact that she came out alive AND the victor!! And killed Unalaq’s ugly ass?! Especially at 17?! Y’all are tripping for painting Korra as the bad guy here when she did THAT! And I know that season 2 is bad and you can dislike it and Korra cause that’s your opinion. But stop depicting Korra as the one at fault for the severance of her connection to her past lives and instead hold Unalaq/Vaatu accountable for severing the connection and also being an ugly dick.

AO3 Mirror

Fandom: avatar the last airbender

Relationships: zuko & iroh, vaatu & zuko

Tags: Chaos Avatar Zuko, manipulative vaatu, injured zuko, zuko is a brat, fire nation propaganda, firebending

Notes: in honor of consider the spirits updating, i'm posting the next chapter that really shows the consider the wildflowers inspiration. the reason i didn't post this chapter despite being finished it for damn ages was because i WANTED to research how zuko's burn would be healing at this point in his life and incorporate it, but i kept putting it off because looking at fresh burns is gross. at this point i've come to the conclusion i won't be doing that research so might as well get the chapter out. if you know about third degree burns healing and/or have a similar disability to zuko, comment so i can kidnap you to be my consultant and sensitivity reader.

Summary: Zuko entered the Spirit World on the first summer solstice after his banishment and left with the Spirit of Chaos bound to him by shards of his prison. Now Zuko’s journey has taken a new turn as he must master the elements to be ready to face and capture Raava’s avatar.

Along the way, Zuko learns more about the world and himself as he discovers what kind of chaos he wants to leave in the world.

Chapter Summary: Vaatu and Zuko have their first day tied together.

Chapter TWarnings: illness, talk of death and disability from illness, zuko being a brat, mentions of zuko's scar still healing

Snippets:

Zuko drifts, his dreams consisting of blurry images and colors as he feels the sun dip before rising again. He sees colorful shards being tossed into a fire. Instead of melting he sees the colors cut into the fire, hurting it in an unnatural way. He sees a sea of black surrounding the fire. ...

A laugh that feels like thunder rumbles through Zuko. "Have you forgotten our deal already?" the voice asks. Instantly, Zuko remembers the strange dream he had. The tree, the strange world, the spirit- Vaatu, the deal. ‘That was no dream,’ Vaatu tells him. “So it was real?” Zuko asks, excitement brewing in him. “It worked?!” ... Zuko breathes out and stops shivering. Iroh smiles at him. “How do you feel, Prince Zuko?” Zuko takes a moment before responding. Allowing himself to soak in the feeling. “Warm.” ... “I haven’t done any firebending in months! The Avatar has had more than enough time to master the elements! If I hope to catch him I need to master firebending as quickly as possible!” “But you have!” Iroh argues. “You have been meditating every night and have reconnected to your inner flame! You were able to do my technique within a degree of me explaining it.” Zuko scowls, looking over the endless icebergs. Iroh places a hand on Zuko’s. “You are firebending. You have made tremendous progress for someone recovering from such an injury.” ... “Perhaps it would be better to show you instead.” This time, Zuko braced his legs in a strong rooted stance. I’m ready. What do you want to show me. “The firewoods.”

End notes:

firewoods are based on the irl habitat of flatwoods they're really cool.