#and instead he spent his whole life hating him isn't that tragic? doesn't it just kill you?

[franeridan]

doodling ace and suddenly having a lil mental breakdown over him, daily occurrences and all that

[theowritesfiction]

‘Sozin’s Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang’

Damn, I had forgotten how awesome the airship battle actually is because the Agni Kai and Aang vs. Ozai usually overshadow it, but it doesn't deserve to be overshadowed. I had forgotten how close Sokka and Toph came to dying. And Sokka sacrificing his precious space sword to save Toph's life <3 God bless these kids.

As much as I enjoyed parts of Aang vs. Ozai, I was never a fan of the rock of destiny unlocking Aang's final chakra and unleashing his full Avatar powers. I just find that and the whole concept of energy bending as too contrived, sorry, another hot take, I know. As fun as it is to watch Ozai getting absolutely massacred by the Avatar, if Ozai is directing lightning at me, and I know how to re-direct it... well, there's nothing left of Ozai to bury except for his teeth.

Also, as I'm watching Aang in the Avatar State, I'm also thinking... well, they can never introduce anything in this universe and have it be a challenge for THAT. Too much of a power up.

Ozai does deserve some extra Jerk Points for attacking Aang after he has turned his back on Ozai. That's 100 Jerk Points.

I really enjoyed the Azula and Katara fight in the Crystal Catacombs, but the circumstances are too tragic for me to enjoy it here. :(

Also, this is the look of someone who's going to make sure that Azula isn't just imprisoned somewhere after the war and forgotten, this is the face of someone who will make sure that Azula has what she needs in order to heal. If you disagree with that, stop following this blog right now and block yourself, I don't want you here.

Also fuck whoever decided that this was the last we have to see of Azula in Book 3. Just a very sincere and heartfelt fuck you. <3

Anyway, there was a reason why I didn't want to watch these final episodes, and not just because I knew they would depress me. Before re-watching, I thought of these final episodes as something that wrapped up the show in an overall satisfying way, and even if I didn't like some of the decisions I was happy with the way it ended. Well... I'm not going to even bother hiding my salt, I'll just come out and say that I actually kind of hate this ending now and mostly because this is where they left Azula. I shouldn't have watched it because now I'm angry, and the show just feels either unsatisfying or incomplete.

Here's what I would change:

Mai is magically teleported back to the capital to make up with Zuko. I love the scene itself, but I think it just comes out of nowhere and they're suddenly good again all too quickly. Mai just spent time in the worst Fire Nation prison, I think it would make sense for her to be at least a little conflicted. Just develop Maiko in Book 4, either friendship or romance track.

The Kyoshi Warrior Ty Lee made no sense. I can understand her bonding with the other girls in the prison, sure. But she didn't bond with Suki, and Suki hates her! Suki hasn't spent ANY time with Ty Lee at all, so she's suddenly... okay with this? Ugh, no, make Ty Lee becoming a Kyoshi Warrior a side plot in Book 4 please.

I want to give a big middle finger to the final scene with Zuko and Ozai. Scrap that. Give us a scene of Zuko visiting Azula instead. Perhaps together with Katara. Azula would be restrained and shouting all kinds of abuse and insults at them, and Zuko would look confused and uncertain about what he should do with her, but fortunately he has Katara with her, and even if Katara has her own issues with Azula, family is everything to Katara and she tells him to never stop trying to find a way of reconciliation. And perhaps she even offers her help.

That's thousand times better than giving this deflated bag of dicks named Ozai another moment on screen.

Anyway, the show ends with Zuko asking Ozai for information on his mother, clearly setting up Book 4.

But wait, you may ask, wasn't there another scene in Ba Sing Se after that? No. No, there wasn't. That scene is stupid, makes no sense and doesn't exist. Just a hastily cobbled together trash after they decided that Book 4 wasn't happening after all. Ignore it.

Book 3 Jerk Point Final Standings:

Ozai - 980 Zuko - 940 Aang - 690 Yon Rha - 400 Iroh - 150  Sokka - 110 Roku - 100 Hide - 80 King Kuei - 60 Toph, Pakku - 50 Haru - 30

And Ozai takes it, limping across the finish line with his bending removed. The crowd goes wild!

Anyway, I'm sorry about this review of the final episode being so negative, it's nowhere near as bad as I probably made it sound, but please understand that I'm extremely salty and upset right now, and of course it shows.

I'll do some more housekeeping tomorrow, like count the overall winner of Jerk Points contest, and also do the Book 3 episode tier list. :)

[karlyanalora]

Okay, there’s this great short fic by @madhyanas you should totally read here. Now I didn’t want to derail the author’s story, but @whymylifewrites left some killer tags on that post that I really want to talk about. Hence this post.

#OHHHH THIS MAKES ME INSANE#there was a force sensitive cody fic i read like this once#where he was reaching for the dark side instead of the light because he really just hadn't experienced many positive emotions in his life#but the idea that force sensitive clones#or really anyone raised in an environment of hatred and fear#would just automatically reach for the dark when they reached for the force#puts a whole new spin on the purpose of the jedi#and adds a level of psychological complexity to someone's relationship to their own emotions and connection to the force#like#were luke and leia given to the homes they were because they would be stable and loving environments?#so these two powerfully force sensitive kids wouldn't learn to rely on the dark to sustain them and would reach for the light instead?#how does the connection to the dark side work if you're not actively drawing on the power to do anything?#is it just there living in your body because that's where the emotions are?#this guy isn't actively drawing on it#but it's there#it's there with his anger and fear and despair#it lives in him even if he's not aware of it#and does he have to actively reach for it to do begin to affect the world around him?#it's affecting him#how long until it begins to spill over?#or will it?#what is it tied to and what keeps it bound?#ssdfsdf sorry op went a little off topic but oh man#this is excellent#chilling and horrific and yet tragic and oddly enough#innocent? if that makes sense?#like he has seen too much and knows to much but this connection that he doesn't even know he has isn't purposefully malicious#it just is

This totally makes sense to me. We reach out to what is familiar, and if all you have known is fear, that is what you will rely on. If this is indeed partly how the Force works, it has some fascinating implications. The Jedi offer to train Force-sensitive children from a young age so they can ensure they grow up in an environment full of peace and love and all those other Light Side associated emotions. Anakin spent nine years a slave. He was afraid, and that fear kept him alive. He may not have been actively pulling on the Dark Side, but it was always there just like it was for this young clone. Waiting to be given direction and power and purpose. No wonder the Jedi Council thought it was a bad idea to teach him how to use the Force. (Not saying they were right, but it provides more context.)

I in no way claim this to be canon, but to me, it has always seemed that the Dark Side of the Force was its own entity. You couldn’t control it and it wanted to control you; a corrupting power that never satisfied. Like the emotions themselves, at least the basic ones like fear and anger, aren’t inherently bad. But unless you address them in healthy ways, they leave you vulnerable to the Dark Side. It’s like a sign on your door saying you might be receptive and the Dark Side comes scurrying over. It’s pressed against the door, waiting for you to open it the tiniest crack so it can slip in as much as it can fit. You can choose not to use the Dark Side, to kick it out, but the further inside your mind it’s gone, the harder it is. And it’s always waiting.

But so is the Light. The Light isn’t pushy; it won’t force its way in. But if you call upon it, it will be there. But because of that, you have to know about it to use it usually. The Dark Side preys upon ignorance, ready to answer the call you never voiced so that you will come to rely on it ignorantly.

The Dark Side will use the truth to its advantage. It’s showing this young clone the truth in hopes of driving him to hate and right into its open arms. But this backfires. It drives him back to love. Love for his brothers, not attachment. He loves them, and he will miss them when they are gone. And love is what keeps the Dark Side at bay and drives it from his mind. The Dark Side is tied to nothing, but by the Light it is bound.