When I worked in a tea shop, I actually got a few people coming in requesting jasmine tea. Why jasmine? Because that’s what Uncle Iroh would drink on Avatar: The Last Airbender.
So here’s something to think about:
Even though he was royalty, Uncle Iroh was a master of preparing his own tea– even after he left with Zuko, he could always be seen preparing it on his own, eventually opening a successful tea shop when the one he worked at turned out to be awful.
For a firebender, heating a pot of water wouldn’t be difficult– a few seconds of rage and you’d have it at a rolling boil– but a rolling boil would ruin the tea.
The secret to a good cup of tea is often in the temperature of water that you use.
Jasmine, green and white tea tends to need between 160-180* F (71-82*C)– go any higher than that, and you’ll scald the leaves and wind up with bitter tea. Let it steep for too long, and it’ll scald anyway. So you can’t just boil the hell out of it and walk away; to be really good, a cup of tea needs a lower temperature and a softer flame. It needs patience and attention. And that’s where Uncle Iroh excelled.
It was such a wonderful character detail, and I love it so.
…I…wait…I just…b…
*Gags* “This tea is nothing more than hot leaf juice!”
“Uncle…that’s what all tea is.”
“How could a member of my own family say something so horrible?”
DO YOU MEAN THAT ZUKO NEVER PREPARED A GOOD CUP OF TEA BEFORE BECAUSE HE WAS TOO IMPATIENT TO PROPERLY HEAT IT AND THAT IROH PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER RIGHT THEN AND THERE?
“We’ll have to make some major changes around here!” — His next line which he says firmly, grabbing the teapot and looking at Zuko as he turns.
Like literally after this the main plotpoint between these two is Iroh teaching Zuko how to be more patient/kind/open-minded while also teaching him how to properly work in the tea shop and I just…do you mean to tell me those two were actually not just random meshing plotpoints but were a direct correlation?
The next two Avatars, from water and earth, live without ever knowing who they are.
Zuko still spoke out at the meeting, he still refused to fight his father in the Agni Kai.
Zuko was banished, and in his search to find the Avatar, earth bends.
He is the Avatar and doesn’t know what to do about it.
Okay but consider:
Zuko, punching the air: “I MUST FIND THE AVATAR!”
*rock goes flying*
Zuko, waving his arms for emphasis: “IT IS THE ONLY WAY”
*strong wind knocks over grunt in the background*
Zuko, stomping dramatically: “TO RESTORE MY HONOR!”
*deck behind zuko becomes covered in ice*
Iroh, stroking his beard: “…. hmmmmmm…”
And Iroh just decides to mess with him and just goes “Well, I suppose we should start searching” and Zuko doesn’t find out until later in the episode
Nah man, gimme a whole season of Zuko and Iroh’s hijinks as they search for the avatar and it’s Zuko the whole time. A whole season of Iroh waffling between goofy uncle and “here let me teach you about balance-” “I DON”T NEED BALANCE I NEED TO RESTORE MY HONOUR” “okay cool you do you kid i bet the avatar’s behind that rock please move it for me”
zuko saying he needs to find the avatar, when actually, he just needs to find himself is his original story arc
Ah, but you’re not thinking the two of them got exiled on their own from the Fire Nation, did you?
Prince Iroh and exiled Prince Zuko left with a contingent of sailors and military men. Said military personnel realize what is happening three days into their trip.
When wacky spirit shenanigans happen and Zuko solves it without knowing, the military lieutenant look at the commander like he’s in the office.
When Admiral Zhao takes Zuko’s ship and all his crew, and questions them, all of the crew say the same thing:
“No, Prince Zuko hasn’t found the Avatar yet.”
They say this with varying ability to keep a straight face. There’s one of them who just breaks down in helpless giggles.
“Nope,” he gets out between the giggles. “Not found. Definitely not found.”
Admiral Zhao’s men come to the conclusion that Zuko’s crew have cracked under the stress of being away from the Fire Nation so long, and especially on a mission that pretty much the whole Nation “knows” is impossible.
Katara’s outburst caused quite a few heads to turn, including Firelord Zuko’s.
“Every time we visit, you bring up the same old insecurities, regardless of how often I’ve reassured you! It’s driving me nuts!”
Normally, Zuko knew to steer as far away from Katara as possible when she entered one of her tirades. But considering the number of innocent bystanders, whose support she actually needed tonight for her campaign to work, he knew it would be best to intervene. And so, despite the healthy amount of fear in his heart, he passed his drink off to a servant and began to weave his way over.
“Don’t you tell me to calm down!”
He quickened his pace.
Once Zuko finally broke through the crowd, he was greeted with the sight of the normally towering Avatar cowering down to the point of looking like his old twelve year old self from years ago.
“Aang. Katara.” Oddly enough, rather than expressing relief at Zuko’s intervention, Aang’s face morphed into one of almost angry petulance. “While I’m sure Katara is right, could we perhaps save it for a later time?”
Of the two reactions Zuko was expecting (either more angry yelling, or embarrassed apologies), this third one was from so far left field that Zuko could do little more than freeze in shock. Because upon whirling around, Katara had stood up on her toes and mashed her lips against his.
Ok, so it was a kiss, but it was nothing like he had dreamed about. The only thought Zuko had running through his head was how he was pretty sure the way her hand hand lashed out to grab him by the robes and drag him closer was probably a capital offense that was punishable by death.
“See!” Katara crowed once she broke the kiss. “There is nothing there! I swear to both Tui and La if you bring it up again, we’re breaking up and you can go search for platyroos in the plains alone!”
And with that, Katara stormed off, leaving both men staring after her with open mouths, none of them aware of the whispers that were rapidly growing in volume around them.
Two days later, the Avatar and his girlfriend were set to leave. Zuko wasn’t about to lie and wish for a longer stay. Katara had been avoiding Aang, Aang had been avoiding Zuko, and Zuko had been avoiding Katara.
But Zuko had been taught not to let things fester, and aside from the slightly wounded feelings he now harbored, he was heavily annoyed with the dirty looks Aang sent his way whenever avoidance failed the three of them.
The kiss he gave Katara before she climbed onto Appa was much less a press of the lips and more worthy of something produced by the Ember Island Players.
“There is something there,” Zuko told her, taking in her stunned expression. “I just have enough honor not to act upon it or impose it upon you in any way. The only reason I’m telling you now is because I would appreciate it if you didn’t use me out of spite for any future arguments.” He ran his thumb over the red now staining Katara’s cheeks. “But if Aang does bring it up again, and you do ever break up, know that I am always here.”
He left before either of them could gather their wits enough to respond.
Zuko’s scar is different than the typical villain’s scar bc it’s not an ambiguous sign of past violence but an explicit symbol of his father’s abuse – rather than making him seem tougher for no reason it shows that at his heart he’s just a traumatized child and not a villain at all. In this essay I will
And that time he thought he could take down a waterbender, while surrounded by snow and ice, at night, during a full moon.
“Here for a rematch?”
I swear, Zuko is like a dog with no concept of his actual size compared to others.
Guys I found it. The best comment to ever be on one of my posts.
Zuko is that Chihuahua that tries to fight everything and anything and Uncle Iroh is the dog owner who is constantly apologizing for him and trying to stop him/keep him calm and never succeeding
DarkestElemental616 