#the last time Aang does this is in the drill

[dreamchasernina]

Aang stand up without airbending challenge (impossible)

[hello-nichya-here]

Think I finally managed to understand why Azula not getting a redemption arc works in the show, but not in the comics (beyond the absurd ableism in the Yang stories that is).

Azula has become the classic case of a villain that keeps being brought back due to popularity despite clearly not belonging in the story anymore.

Her arc as a villain was completed in the show. She's been the backstabber, the relentless pursuer, and the cunning villain that wins through mindgames. She's been in charge, been under someone else's rule, joined forces with another villain, and had her enemies join forces against her.

She's been the villain that wins people through manipulation and/or charisma, or that full on threatens them into submission. She had henchmen that she used and threw away, and henchmen she cared about and was abandoned by. She was arrogant and power hungry, but also desperate for validation. She was the main villain's adored, loyal pet that was eventually kicked aside in the end.

She's been the lesser of two evils when compared to Ozai, and the worse of multiple evils when compared to Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee. She's been the villain that gets back up after a defeat post The Drill, the villain that wins (by corrupting one of the potential heroes, capturing a friend of the protagonist and KILLING said protagonist) in the Ba Sing Se arc, the villain that has both a satisfying AND tragic downfall in Boiling Rock and the finale, and the villain with hints of humanity that she refuses to embrace in The Headband, The Beach and the finale.

She had conflicts with people she had zero personal history with (Aang, Long Feng) leading to both physical and mental battles, and people she had a messy history with (her friends and Zuko) leading to super emotional scenes.

And finally, she's been the cold, calculating villain AND the villain that is a complete wreck mentally/emotionally - that last one only lasting for the finale because Azula's breakdown was not the CAUSE of her evil actions, it was the consequence of it. And said consequence made her be both the villain that is defeated by the heroes and the one that causes her own downfall.

Every single fucking thing that could have been done with her as villain has been done in the show already. Even Spirit Temple, the only comic that understood her character, couldn't do much beyond just repeat stuff we're already seen.

Azula refusing to accept anything she considers weakness or imperfection? We've see that in nearly every scene she was in.

Azula leading an evil squad? Literally what she did for 90% of her screentime on the show.

Azula losing said squad and refusing to take responsibility for it? Literally the Mai and Ty Lee arc, hence the two haunting her mind in that same comic. Only this time it happened MUCH faster because Azula no longer has all the political power she once had, so there's less consequences for crossing, so she's not as threatening to ANYONE.

Azula being pathetic and making a fool out of herself? The Beach exists.

Azula being obsessive to the point that it's almost laughable? Again, 90% of her screentime.

Azula having issues with her mom, desperately wanting love from her family, friends and a potential boyfriend? Again, The Beach exists and so does the finale.

The scene of her being confronted with a hallucination of an angry Zuko and shooting lightning at him? Literally a direct reference to the Last Agni Kai, which was the culmination of both of their arcs.

The ONLY thing that was new in that comic was the short moment in which Azula shows resentment towards her father for turning her into a copy of him, and that wasn't explored further not just because it's a stand-alone comic, but also because doing so would open the can of worms that is "Wait, if she's self-aware and processing trauma, that means she could learn her lesson and change" and since the writers clearly don't wanna go there, the scene is useless.

If the writers insist on keeping Azula an active threat in the story, they're setting themselves up for failure. Either they're gonna keep repeating storylines we've already seen with far less tension and with a villain that got a severe downgrade, essentially making Azula the Tom to their Jerry, or they're gonna pull a Yang and go "Make her crazier to make her scary again!" while ignoring that her days as a villain were cut BECAUSE she went insane, and now that here vil plans make no fucking sense anymore, the heroes just look stupid for not being able to defeat her.

Azula has nothing more to give to the story in the role of a villain, so she should either only appear in flashbacks or quick mentions of "she's being cared for, but it seems it's too little too late", or she should be redeemed to get a new role in the story, with new paths to explore. She just can't keep being put into the role of active threat, when we've all seen said threat was clearly neutralized already.

It. Does. Not. Work.

[roriaa]

When Sun and Moon meet - S2 FINALE

Zuko x Fem!WaterBender!Reader Enemies to Lovers

As one of the Princesses of the Northern Water tribe, you were blessed with a gift by the moon. However you were permitted to be allowed to use the gift at all costs. From many hidden waterbending usages, the aftermath of the avatar visiting the Northern Tribe had led to your beginning journey, hiding yourself as a water bender as a princess from the Northern water tribe

Warnings: Arguing, Fighting, Betrayal, mentions of death

Masterlist

҉ * ��͙ ⋆ ⁺ ༓ ☾ Chapter 11 - Trust to Betrayal

“What are you doing here?” I hissed. “Aren't you part of the fire nation? Couldn't they make an exception even though you were banished?” I asked but no response. “Oh so you're just going to stay quiet huh? What happened to your snappy attitude when we last met?” I shouldn't be asking such questions, knowing I wouldn't get any response from him. “I genuinely thought you came to Ba Sing Se for a change until I saw the drill in the walls with the fire nation logo. I even gave the benefit of the doubt when you were looking at Appa’s missing poster.” I stopped for a moment of realization “That's why you’re here! Once Aang comes here you and your nation can easily catch him”. I sigh in irritation “You're so annoying you know that? I don't even understand why you want the avatar so bad to the point you almost got killed. If your father really does care he wouldn't have banished you. You're lucky that Aang was the one that wanted to save you from the snow storm, the rest of us wanted you dead!” I scoffed “But of course you don't care! You only want your ‘honor’” I mocked. “Then once you go back to the fire nation you will continue with the fire nation war schemes and stand right next to your father in his horrible plans” 

“That's not my plan” Zuko finally speaks up. “Oh wow, so now you finally spoke up” I rolled my eyes. “Then what is your plan Zuko? All you fire nation people are about war and taking over everyone's happiness” “You don't know what you're talking about,” Zuko said out loud. “You said that many times to me before, but I feel like I know enough” I glared at him but sighed heavily. “But really what's the point of me trying to say anything to you.” I sat against the wall leaning my head back trying to keep my anger in check. “I wasn't the one who caused the drill in the walls of Ba Sing Se, it was Azula,” Zuko said. “Azula?” I asked, “My sister,” he answered. Ah, so the girl in the middle of the fake Kyoshi warriors was Azula. I rolled my eyes “So what? It's your sister, same tribe, same blood, same everything” 

“That's not the case…” Zuko sighed as he continued “my sister and I always had different views of everything ever since we were younger. Which led to my banishment with a scar to remind me” He touched his scar. I furrowed my eyebrows in sadness and moved closer to Zuko. “Did your sister have the same mindset as your father by any chance?” I asked softly as he nodded. “Then did you possibly have the same mindset as your mother?” Stupid question indeed.

“My mother left years ago because of the fire nation” Zuko said which made me wince at my unnecessary comment. “Sorry…” I said awkwardly. “I'm sure you’ll find your mother” I put my hand on his shoulder in encouragement. “Thanks” He gratefully said. I took my hand off of his shoulder and thought about my own mother. “My mother died from the fire nation last year, however weirdly enough I can't remember the details even though it was so recent” I shrugged stiffly. “I actually had a dream about her when you…uh hit me to the point I passed out” This turned way more awkward than it should have. Zuko stiffened and croaked out a sorry but I shrugged it off. “She told me not to give up in my dream but I'm still not sure what that means to this day…maybe she knew my sister was going to sacrifice herself to the moon spirit and to tell me not to give up…she wanted me to keep my head up high.” I sway slightly, feeling quite sad that I lost two of my loved ones in such a short period of time. “I'm sorry” Zuko said in sympathy as I shook my head. “It's not your fault…that's actually why I came to Ba Sing Se, not only for me to start new but to get revenge at the guy who killed my sister.” I said, trying to sound more confident. “The person who killed your sister was sent to the spirit world by the Avatar” Zuko said which made my eyes widened. “Oh…well that works too” I said slightly embarrassed. There was a moment of silence till I spoke up again. “Are you still planning on hunting down the Avatar…” I asked, silently praying his answer will be no. “This scar cursed me to chase the avatar forever…but lately I realized I'm free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free from my mark.” Zuko turned around to face away from me. “What if you could be free from your mark?” I said which made him immediately turn around with his eyes widened. “What…?”

“In the Spirit Oasis, the water there is more enhanced which could heal your scar” I explained “When I was younger I was in major pain and no one knew my cure, so my parents took me to the spirit oasis for my moon spirit to heal me. Which is why my hair is white” I pointed to my hair. “I'm sure your scar could possibly be healed in the Spirit Oasis, I could take you there.” I leaned closer to his scar, he closed his eyes as I moved my thumb across his scar. Then I heard a crash from the other side, showing Aang, Katara and the Old man who owned the tea house. “Katara! Aang!” I said running towards them in a hug. They both hugged me back “Thank you for coming to save me” “Of course we would save you Y/N no need to thank us” Katara said as Aang nodded. “Yeah! You're our friend!” Aang added. I smiled softly “Yeah…friends” I turned around to see Zuko irritated once again. The once soft moment was replaced quite fast. “Go help your other friends” The old man said while consoling Zuko. We nodded and ran out. I was following Aang and Katara but I took one last glance at Zuko in worry.

“We gotta find Sokka and Toph,” Katara said as we were running. I heard an electrifying sound and immediately turned around. Aang blocked it with his earth bending while I used my water bending to turn into ice. I looked to see who the attacker was and it was Azula, of course. Katara moved  her water bending to get a direct attack at Azula, a wave of smoke fills the atmosphere until she comes out again. Attempting to hit us with fire, the three of us used waterbending to shield ourselves. Azula landed on a tall rock which Aang was able to break down with his earth bending. Azula landed across from me, pointing her fingers like she was going to use lightning however she didn't know who to hit. Suddenly a blast of fire landed near Aang. From the corner of my eye, I saw Zuko who hesitated on who to hit. But it didn't take long for him to make his decision, shown by using his fire bending to aim at Aang. “Y/N Go up the waterfall and get Sokka and Toph,” Katara said, blocking Azula's attacks. I nodded instantly moving towards the waterfall, dodging Azula's attacks that were specifically made towards me. I lifted myself up with my bending, looking down at the scene feeling disappointed in myself. Looking at Zuko, I once again was a fool to trust him, again. It didn't take long till I was out of the cave.

  ҉   ☾

“Appa! Momo! ” I yelled after finding them both. I had no idea where I was once I managed to get out of the cave. Luckily, I found Appa and Momo together outside. I immediately got on Appa “Yip yip, we need to get to Toph and Sokka” I said which made Appa make a sound of agreement and he started flying. Once we got near the palace, I immediately saw Toph and Sokka with the King and his bear. “Sokka! Toph!” I yelled. “Y/N!” They both yelled back. I got down from the sky bison to get eye to eye level with the two. “Are you okay? Aang got a vision of Katara asking for help for you” Sokka said. “Yeah, it was hailing a lot around the palace” Toph included. “I'm fine but Katara and Aang aren't,” I said quickly. “They’re fighting Azula and Zuko right now” I was panicking, a lot. Last thing I want is one of them dead. “Do you know where they are?” Toph asked as I nodded. “Get on, everyone” I ushered the king and his bear to get on. 

  ҉   ☾

Once we made it to the destination I got off the bison “You guys stay here, it’ll be dangerous to all come together” I said. “Then why did we all come here?” Sokka whined. “It's because Katara needed to make sure you all were safe, and it's not for long. I just have to use my waterbending to get down and to somehow get Aang and Katara up. You guys need to be here for all of us to escape” I explained as they both nodded. I made my way over towards the waterfall and took a deep breath before jumping in. Once I made it down, I saw a horrific scene. It was Katara, crying while holding Aang’s body. I immediately used a splash of water to border Katara and Aang, making sure no one touched them. Coincidentally a wave of fire was shown, the old man came out of nowhere, landing in front of Katara and Aang. “You’ve got to get out of here! I’ll hold them all as long as I can” he says to both of them, making Katara nod and carrying Aang to get out of here. “Katara!” I yelled out making her look at me in somewhat relief but I could tell she was on the verge of crying again. I pull her closer towards me and make a water platform beneath our feet, helping us up. Before we reached the top I made sure to glare at Zuko, and he saw me, glaring at him. “Just as I thought you wanted a new start” I said, making sure he heard before disappearing.

  ҉   ☾

All of us were able to get above from Ba Sing Se, it wasn't as happy or uplifting as it was before. Instead it was depressing and anxiety wrenching. We stared at Katara, pulling the spirit oasis water out of the bottle to heal Aang. Internally praying he will come back to life again. Once the spirit of water disappeared in Aang, Katara couldn't help but hug him even tighter, crying. I looked down in disappointment at how everything turned out and so did everyone around me. Till a glow of a familiar arrow and breath indicated he was in fact alive. Everyone smiled happily while Katara laid him down and hugged him even tighter. Thank the spirits. “The earth kingdom… has fallen” Said the earth king with his head down, in disappointment and guilt. I felt bad for him. Thinking just as he saved his kingdom, it broke down once again.

A few hours go by, the cold breeze hitting my face making my skin feel like ice. It feels nostalgic, it feels like my home…northern tribe. I looked at Katara, still holding Aang in her arms. I decided to speak up “I'm sorry Katara…” I said shakily. “What do you have to be sorry about? You saved me.” She whispered, looking towards me in worry. I shook my head “I knew about Zuko being in Ba Sing Se the whole time” I admitted. I felt everyone suck in a breath which made me internally wince. “I met him here and talked to him but I didn't do anything because…I-” My voice cracked “I thought he must have changed…if I weren't so naive then…I would have caused any of you guys trouble”. I looked down, ashamed of my actions. Katara’s hand meets mine “It's fine Y/N…I'm just happy all of us have made it out”. I look up to everyone nodding. I dropped my shoulders and continued to look across from me, the night cloudy sky…

Season 2 END

<- Back - Next ->

a/n: WOAH lots of Zuko today and betrayal lmao. BUT S2 HAS OFFICIALLY ENDED. Not 100% sure when season 3 will start up, I already started it however I have ap exams soon for school, so I wont have much time :(. But I wont be gone for a while. Make sure yall take care of yourself and have a nice day! :)

-

taglist: @luvkvni @katovano @karmaswitch @someonesmember @velvet-spider @sh3sa1dwhat @nerdisthenewcool @meiraloves2dmen @fqnfics101 @iluvme547 @leaderwon @yukihatesreoyo @heart4hees @4l3x1s @kkissaku @corpsebridenightamare @newjellis @fatkish@pbeckn26@jasminesacademia @kyo-kyo1

[oneatlatime]

The Tales of Ba Sing Se PART 1

Once upon a time in Ba Sing Se, the Gaang got Appa back. The end. Please?

This title sounds rather expositiony, but last episode was already a plot/exposition dump, and a rather dark one at that. So who knows? Not me.

Sokka hun I think you're supposed to shave with a blade slightly less substantial than that.

I am fascinated by the hair loopies. I always thought that they were braided in, but they clip in. Does she have a magnet in her braid that they clip in to? A lego type system?

CAT

Toph's morning routine is uncomfortably close to mine.

I know Toph likes being slobby to stick it to the man, but wouldn't it also help with her spatial awareness if she's always sporting a healthy coating of earth? Maybe she can sense where her limbs are better or something?

"Spa day!" "Do I have to?" UNCOMFORTABLY CLOSE GUYS.

That has got to be torture. How would you like a pumice stone to the eyeballs?

Now THAT'S a healthy coating of earth.

You're not usually into that stuff? You got dolled up last episode.

Are there voice acting awards? Because whoever voiced these guys needs one. I have never in my life heard such perfectly distilled middle school clique bitch impression.

That's cathartic.

Katara's smothering/mothering tendencies usually annoy me, but it's a good thing those means girls happened when Katara was around, because this calls for serious hugs. I almost want to say that it's out of character to see Toph not be 100% sure of herself, but I think it adds character instead.

Do you think anyone's ever told Toph before that she's really pretty? Ever?

That's a good hug.

Is this short stories? Like an anthology? TALES of Ba Sing Se. Like day in the life? Ok. I'm going to break this up for ease of reading/writing.

The Tale of Iroh

If Iroh hadn't distinguished himself by making the best tea in the city, he would have come to everyone's attention anyway by single handedly fixing everyone's personal problems.

Bending soccer. Why didn't I think of that?

His voice is funny in this scene. Also isn't honour a fire nation thing?

One of my absolute favourite things about Iroh is that his philosophical side is always balanced out by a practical side. He's always philosophising but he's also always grounded. Sometimes hightailing it is what needs doing. Sometimes your sister is crazy and needs to go down.

You know you're bad at crime when your poor stance actually offends the guy you're mugging.

I also like how Iroh really doesn't moralise. He'll teach this guy what conditions the moonflower likes; he'll teach this guy how to mug better. Knowledge is for sharing, no judgment attached!

Random mugger speedruns Zuko's arc.

So pretty. It's been a while since there's been good pretty.

oh shit

ok

Now I have questions!

The Tale of Aang

Writers take note: You see this sad face? You see what you've done to my boy? You can reverse it with one simple trick! GIVE HIM APPA BACK.

I love this. Can't help Appa, so Aang helps every other animal in Ba Sing Se instead.

I want to know what this is. Monkey panther?

I didn't realise until now how tall platypus bears were.

CABBAGE GUY! HI!

Actual dragonflies. Punny.

I love these. My nomination for cutest atla animal.

I hope that wasn't required agricultural land. Should have put the zoo near the drill instead. That land already looked close to salted.

This was some Toph level bending. Love to see Aang's skills progress.

Turtle seal's got competition for cutest animal.

Just call this portion the petting zoo and it's a win.

The Tale of Sokka

Something I don't talk about enough is Sokka's supernatural skill with that boomerang. The realistic explanation is that he's spent every spare minute since receiving it honing his skills by chucking it at random piles of snow, but I like to think he's a boomerang bender. Actually wouldn't boomerang bending be a manifestation of latent airbending tendencies?

I make this face at lasagne.

I may have to make another Sokka's Stupid Faces post.

There is nothing oaflike about falling out of a window and into a Haiku. He was even polite about it!

Somebody introduce Sokka to flyting.

Forget about being a warrior, Aang needs to end this war yesterday so that Sokka can go be a poet. Warrior poet. He's way too creative to waste on cannon fodder.

Poetry bouncer. The longer I think about that the funnier it gets.

Betrayed by hubris.

A Poetry bouncer. Who comes up with this stuff? How do you come up with that? I keep thinking about a poetry bouncer and I keep giggling.

I'm breaking this post here as I'm reaching the image limit. Part 2 coming immediately!

[zutaras-where-its-at]

zutara prompt: au in which zuko doesn’t know how to swim and katara teaches him while she’s still unsure whether they can trust him (at the beginning of his redemption arc)

she hates him. really, she does.

he’s a no-good, lying, son of a bitch, and if he hadn’t betrayed them in ba sing se, aang wouldn’t have a scar cratered in the skin of his back. she hates him.

except—

he just looks so…pathetic right now.

everyone else is carving graceful arcs in the water, whooping as they dive headfirst into the frigid-but-still-functioning pool they found in the western air temple. even toph—who notoriously can’t swim and hates being in water—wades casually in the shallow end next to teo.

but zuko won’t even get in.

the heavy look of dread that muddles his sharp features and curls his proud shoulders inward is enough to elicit a stab of sympathy in her for the scorned prince, and katara wonders at the fact that sympathy and hatred are apparently not mutually exclusive.

it’s pity that leads her to brush past him with hardly a glance as she says, “if you don’t know how to swim, you don’t have to get in.”

“i know how to swim,” he snaps, then flinches when he sees who he’s speaking to. calmer, he repeats, “i know how to swim.”

she just ticks a brow speculatively. “you sure?”

zuko has tried very hard to be extra civil with her the last week, but now, she can see just how difficult it is for him to keep the glare off of his face. “i’m sure.”

there’s something there, then. something hesitant and anxious and dark that twists his mouth and keeps his eyes from really looking at her. and katara—observant as she is—recognizes it for what it is.

“okay. so you’re scared.”

he looks stricken, suddenly, adam’s apple bobbing once up and down in his throat. he still won’t look at her. “i’m not.”

it’s sharper now, sitting just under the surface, so katara sinks her talons into it and tugs—“you don’t like the water. you’re afraid of it.”

“i’m not afraid of the fucking water, okay?” he inhales and bites his lip and balls up his fists, “it’s just cold, is all.”

“cold?” she drawls disbelievingly. in the background, aang hollers loudly as he cannonballs into the deep end. “aren’t you a firebender?”

at that, his gold gold gold eyes finally find her face, and she’s startled by the raw panic she sees in them. after a long moment, he seems to make up his mind about something. she watches as he gathers his words properly in his mouth and confesses quietly, “i almost drowned. in the north pole.”

she puts two and two together in record time—because she’d always wondered how he’d snuck into the heart of the northern water tribe under such intense war-time surveillance, had always been confused and resentful of the fact that he’d stolen aang out from right under her nose when she’d least expected it—and frowns.

she thinks about her childhood, how hakoda taught them to check for thin ice, carefully pick their fishing spots, and above all, what to do should they fall in. it’s been drilled in them since they were young, that the ocean is no joke, but the poles are a nightmare should you step wrong. hypothermia, hidden icebergs, the disorienting dark beneath the surface—

katara hates him.

but it’s just so pathetic and sad the way he watches them all with lonely eyes and a fear anyone could see from a mile away.

because all too soon, she’s convinced aang that there’s absolutely no way he and zuko are strong enough firebenders to heat up the swimming pool, and surely zuko hasn’t taught him well enough that they could actually do it in under five minutes, and really, she doubts zuko even knows how to control the temperature so it doesn’t boil them.

she hates him, but maybe—maybe she doesn’t.

[avatar-legends-confessionblog]

You're so right, but I was accounting for him not really being nearby when Aang appears because Sokka is probably not exiled, cause he knows when to keep his mouth shut. And despite being a conquering tyrant in the AU, Hakoda thinks his actions through and has a lot more long-term vision than Ozai ever did

Excellent point. Man the world would be so fucked in an AU where Hakoda was beefing with everyone instead of Ozai. Ozai's priorities are, like, Big Drill and Does This Phoenix King Outfit Make My Butt Look Big? Meanwhile Hakoda is not only the best and most loving (alive) parent we see, he's insanely competent. If he's beefing with the other nations, you have to first explain why the war has lasted 100 years in the first place to even arrive at Hakoda's doorstep. And then you have to explain why the man still didn't just conquer everything (and with significantly fewer casualties all around) in record time. I would not want to beef with Hakoda.

Then there's his son, Mr. Also Quite Competent Once He Gets Going. He might be in the SWT near Aang for any number of reasons, honestly, because of the overall positive relationship he has with everyone there. Some kind of holiday, maybe? But he could also be off wherever. In which case, yeah. Then it might still be Katara, or the quite possibly hundreds of other southern benders who found him.

Like, if the SWT is doing good and has benders and is all aggressive and presumably training in their immediate vicinity, why would Aang even be in there that long?

X

[litsnobconfessions]

A Year of Animation Day 17: ATLA S3E5-8

Date: January 17, 2025

Day: 17

Content Watched: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Season 3, Episodes 5-8

Year: 2005-2208

Rating: TV-Y7-FV

Run Time: 92 mins.

Before we get started, I'm going to reference another video about why Avatar: The Last Airbender is a masterpiece. I wanted to bring this one to your attention because this YouTuber makes the argument that while other animation relies on a lot of movement and bright color schemes, ATLA doesn't, and that's why it's good. This reminds me a little of what I said about the stillness of The Red Turtle, and I'm starting to feel like by the end of the year, the underlying assumptions behind Hypothesis Seven are just going to fall apart. I also think this video re-states something that I've said I feel, which is that it's shot the way a live-action story would be shot, and they mention that many of the shots just look beautiful, like art, which I don't think I've really talked about, but I would absolutely agree with. One of the other things I really like that they point out is how bending evoloves over the course of the show and we see it used in new and interesting ways, and I think this is the idea I want to focus on today.

I love the consistency of these episodes. Everytime we see Aang's back or Toph's feet, we're reminded of his wound her her sole-less shoes. "The Puppetmaster" specifically has some beautiful shots of the forest, and the cut to the town really does remind me of a Miyizaki film. The animators are also at the top of their game here to create a horror atmosphere. I love all the close-ups on Hama's face, which are really creepy, and the wind picking up and knocking the leaves off the trees as Katara and Hama argue. There's also a shot where the branches over the moon resemble claws, which reminded me of Coraline.

In regards to new and interesting ways to use bending, this is the introduction of bloodbending! The episode is called "The Puppetmaster," and I really do feel like the characters resemble marionettes when someone is bloodbending them. But pulling water out of nearby plants is also really interesting, like the moment when Katara dehydrates a tree so much it shatters. I particularly like the fire lilies turning black as they wilt and die, as well as how that circle of black remains in the red field as Katara and Hama walk away from it. I haven't actually talked about this, but the ravages of the enviornment is another major theme in ATLA--with Hei Bai in season 1, the fish in "The Painted Lady," and arguably some smaller moments as well, like the drill, or even "The Siege of the North." It is something that happens, especially in war time, and I like how the animators capture this as a visual theme, even when it's not the primary topic of the episode.

Another bit of animation I liked is during Hama's flashback, as the waterbenders slowly fade away, leaving Hama alone, ringed by fire nation soldiers. But my favorite bit of animation is when she says "you have to keep an open mind. There's water in places you never think about." What I like about this is that the words themselves are not sinister. Here, she's teaching Katara how to pull water from the air, and she could have made that water into snowflakes or filled a canteen with it. Instead, she encases her fingers in ice and throws these at a tree like knives. It is the animation that sets the mood here and sets up Hama to be the villain she's revealed to be.

Now on to the episodes themselves:

"The Beach" introduces combustion bending--a new thing we're doing with bending, and the battle between Aang and the Combustion Man is a beautiful piece of animation. This is all I'm going to say on this episode because it is the only episode of Avatar I actively dislike, so I'm going to dedicate a different post to explaining that.

"The Avatar and the Firelord" is like the return of "The Storm." It's a lot of exposition, handled in flashbacks, cutting between Zuko and Aang. And like "The Storm," it works. Again, I think it's the parallels in charaterization between the two of them that makes the episode work. Also, they *are* the Avatar and fire lord... almost. And they will be besties? So, it's also an entire episode of foreshadowing.

I love the opening of "The Runaway" because we don't find out until close to the end that Katara and Toph planned this, and I could almost buy that Katara would have turned Toph in. Also, it's some nice character development for both girls, and I like that their battle isn't over like... "girly shit." It's not a boy or clothes or something. It's just opposing beliefs and backgrounds. Katara thinks that Toph's behavior is going to get them caught and Toph thinks she's a stick in the mud. To be fair, Katara shouldn't have gone through Toph's stuff, but she is right. I do feel bad for Katara in this episode, because with the situation in the Southern Water Tribe, she has had to grow up pretty fast. And while no, she's not anybody's mother, they do need a voice of reason, and Katara is serving that purpose. I do like that we get Sokka's perspective on this, and the whole Katara-overhears-them-talking-about-her plotline is a little trite, but the episode as a whole is satisfying because the characters are so well developed.

Great. We've been through all of them. Because the episode I really want to talk about is "The Puppetmaster." Which is my favorite episode. Period.

I'm not sure exactly why this is my favorite. I am a fan of horror stories, though I'm very picky about them. "The Puppetmaster" is one that I like, and I think they effectively use common tropes. It feels like they're paying homage to the genre in general. I like that Sokka's Instincts are correct again, and how how Toph's claim that people people are screaming under the mountain turns out to be real, though I was a little disappointed that the story Katara tells at the beginning didn't come back in any way. I also think the assumption that the moon spirit is to blame, and Sokka's defense of her is a great red herring, but I'm not sure what Hama's motivation for warning the gaang about the disappearances is, and I think maybe they should have gotten this information a different way.

But I think my favorite part of this episode is the last line. As Hama is being dragged away, she tells Katara that it's too late. She is a bloodbender now, and she will always be a bloodbender. There is no going back. The whole time, the goal of the episode has been to stop whatever has been taking people during the full moon. And when it's discovered that that's Hama, the goal becomes to stop Hama. Only when it's too late do we realize that the only way to stop Hama is to not become her.

Because Hama is Katara. Or, at least, she's what Katara could be. Like Katara, she was the last waterbender in her village, which she fought desperately to defend and lost many loved ones along the way. Like Katara, she's a powerful bender with a lot of anger. I've talked about Katara's anger in previous posts. She may be a waterbender, but she has a fiery temper. We see this in the very first episode. We also see it in her anger at Jet, her anger at Toph, her anger at Zuko, her anger at father, her anger at her brother, and even her battle with Master Pakku (which is basically a precursor to her battle with Hama).

The big difference between Hama and Katara is that Katara hasn't lost her compassion yet. We see from episodes like "Imprisoned" and "The Painted Lady" that she is deeply compassionate, and often that compassion fuels her anger. But anger is a double-edged weapon. When used wisely, it can fight injustice. But when it is over-fed, it can damage people beyond repair--like Hama. After all, Hama speaks about the waterbenders held in the fire nation in the plural--"they kept us off the gound, they bound our hands and feet," but she never mentions rescuing anyone else when she frees herself--implying that by the time she escaped the fire nation prison, her anger had burned away her compassion.

Remember back in season one when Jeong Jeong told Katara he was jealous of her abilities? Because water is a healing element and fire is a destructive one? And that every day he has to walk a knife's edge? This is the ultimate evidence that water is no different--it can be life-giving and life-taking, and in a beautiful turn of irony, Katara will now spend the rest of her life walking that knife edge.

[zuko-always-lies]

@fixtheaxel

In Book 1, we get one scene of Zuko practicing. Here it is:

Zuko opens the fight by spreading his arms in the direction of the two firebenders, showering them with flames. His adversaries block Zuko's attack with ease. Zuko shifts his weight to duck under a retaliation blast of the firebender to his left. The firebender to his right jumps forward to aim a blast at Zuko's feet. The prince propels himself out of the way. He twists around in mid-air and directs another fire blast with his hand to the firebender that retaliated first, and another with his foot to the firebender that aimed for his feet. Both soldiers jump out of the way of Zuko's flames. Zuko lands and stretches his fists out toward his adversaries, ready to face another attack. Iroh: [Sighs while he gets up.] No! [Zuko lowers his arms and looks at his uncle.] Power in firebending comes from the breath [Iroh moves his both hand up in front of him to emphasize the breathing motion.], not the muscles. [He stretches his left arm out as if he was sending a fire blast.] The breath becomes energy in the body. The energy extends past your limbs and becomes: fire! [Iroh directs a fire blast at his nephew that evaporates just before it would scorch him.] Get it right this time. Zuko: [With suppressed anger, he walks toward his uncle and addresses him.] Enough! I've been drilling this sequence all day. Teach me the next set! I'm more than ready! Iroh: No, you are impatient. [He sits down again on his chair.] You have yet to master your basics. [He yells his order.] Drill it again! Zuko clenches his teeth in anger. He turns around and suddenly directs a power fire kick toward one of the soldiers. The firebender attempts to stop the fire blast, but he is unable to and is thrown on his back by its power. Zuko: [The suppressed anger is very apparent in his voice.] The sages tell us that the Avatar is the last airbender. [Close-up of Iroh, who does not look pleased with the attitude of his nephew.] He must be over a hundred years old by now. He's had a century to master the four elements! I'll need more than basic firebending to defeat him. [Starts to yell at his uncle.] You will teach me the advanced set! Iroh: [Concedes reluctantly. On a dire tone.] Very well, [His expression changes completely to one of delight as he picks something up from the ground.] but first, I must finish my roast duck. [He quickly munches down the roast duck, much to the dismay of Zuko.]

Zuko refuses to put in the work necessary to master the fundamentals.

Book 2 features all of one instance where Zuko practices his firebending. It's where Zuko (instead of focusing on the basics) asks Iroh to teach him lightningbending. Iroh agrees, but Zuko can't learn it due to his inner turmoil (and lack of fundamentals?), so Iroh teaches him lightning redirection instead.

Of course, Zuko is a fugitive in hiding in Book 2, so it's not he'd have many opportunities to practice firebending.

In Book 3, Zuko goes back to the Fire Nation and should have ample time to work on his firebending. However, we never see him do that in the first half of the season, despite all the time spent on his story. Instead, he spends his time lounging around, complaining, rather than working to better himself.

In the second half of the season, Zuko gets the dragon shaped powerup. The fact that it is a powerup is clear. Before the dragons, Azula easily ate Zuko for lunch every time she fought him, while after it they are much more equal. Anyways, what late Book 3 mostly features is Zuko training Aang, instead of Zuko practicing, since Zuko, despite never being shown mastering the fundamentals, is somehow good enough a firebender to act as master training the Avatar.

Unpopular Opinion

The people who become master benders without having to put in the hard work and without having to struggle aren't Azula or Toph or even Aang, they're Katara(becomes a master good enough to teach the Avatar within a month of finally getting formal instruction) and Zuko (get's a convenient dragon-shaped powerup rather than having to actually master the fundamentals).

[the-badger-mole]

A Word Between Friends: A Helping Hand

"We have an important battle coming up, Twinkle Toes," she told him gravely. "And frankly your earth bending is getting sloppy. The comet is in just a few days and you need to be ready." Aang groaned and stopped following Toph.

"But I've been practicing bending non-stop all week," he complained. "Zuko and Katara aren't drilling me this hard." Zuko raised an eyebrow at Aang.

"He's right," he told Toph. Aang looked at the older boy hopefully, but Zuko smirked mischievously. "Let me know when you're done with him, Toph. I've been letting him slack with his fire squats."

"Seriously?" Aang groaned. Katara walked up to them just then, carrying a basket of laundry. Aang turned his pleading gaze onto her.

"Katara! Can't you get them off of my case?" he begged her. "They want to kill me with training." Katara frowned at the three of them and shifted the basket to her hip.

"When was the last time you practiced your water bending?" she asked Aang. The boy's face fell. Instead of coming to his rescue, as he expected, Katara joined his other two teachers in scheduling his training session.

"Why don't we combine a session?" Zuko suggested. "After all, Azula's got the Dai Li on her side. We need to prepare for anything."

"That sounds good," Toph agreed. "We can get Sokka and Suki to go over some hand to hand techniques, too."

"Does anyone care how I feel about it?" Aang demanded.

"No!" Zuko and Toph said simultaneously.

"I'm sorry, Aang," Katara said, unapologetically. "They're right. We're too close to the battle for you to neglect your training now."

"But I need my rest!" Aang tried to reason with them. "I'm a growing boy."

"You can rest after we take down Ozai, Twinkle," Toph said, unmoved. "Right now we have to make sure that rest won't be permanent." Aang gulped and his face went pale. Katara saw the look on his face and sighed.

"Tell you what," she said. "Why don't we do something fun after training? We can go into town again." Aang agreed, smiling fondly at Katara. Katara flushed and looked away from him.

"Fine! Fine!" Toph agreed, grabbing Aang's collar. "You'll get your treat later. Katara, you are such a mom!" 

Read the rest of the chapter here

[juniperhillpatient]

Winter Solstice: Part 2: Avatar Roku re-watch takeaways :)

This is far & away my favorite of the episodes I've watched so far, & I remember it was around this point in my initial watch with my family over quarantine that I went from "sure, I guess I'll watch this with you guys" to "this show is actually really good & I'm invested." This is where the bigger storyline takes off & Aang is given his mission from Roku & it does not disappoint.

Well - this couldn't possibly go wrong :) The gaang is heading for Fire Nation waters & it's appropriately anxiety-inducing. I like that Aang does attempt to get Sokka & Katara to stay behind just about as much as I love that they don't even consider it, even if they try to talk him out of this plan altogether. If there's one thing that is pretty much a must in "chosen one" type stories, it's the Chosen Saviour character trying to talk their friends out of helping & the friends insisting anyway. It makes everyone more sympathetic & it's just fun.

After a nice little adventure in being likable, Zuko is back on his bullshit. I gave Iroh a lot of shit for confusing & inconsistent motives in the last episode & this is a continued critique I have, but I'll give him this - his one consistent motivator is also his most likable trait: he wants to protect Zuko. Zuko is obviously being a major asshole to Iroh & his crew just pressing forward with a doomed mission & it also goes to show how much he still believes he can be accepted again by his father. Iroh meanwhile gives us some important information: Not only did Ozai banish his own son, but he's also unlikely to be very understanding about his son's valid reasons for re-entering the Fire Nation. Not a terrifying & merciless picture they're painting at all :)

Katara & Sokka's banter continues to be fun, & it's a lot more fun now that they're just annoying each other instead of sexism playing into the mix. I also enjoy Appa & Momo adding some levity. Also - if I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times - Appa is honestly the real hero of the show. Poor guy legit got shot at with fire, was forced to fly faster than usual to get to the Fire Nation in time, AND rescued the gaang from a collapsing temple in the end! Where is Appa's Nobel Peace Prize, just asking?

Shyu also deserves major props. I like how we're gradually learning more & more about the history of the war. The world-building in Avatar is just so consistently well done. And the history never feels like info dumping, because it comes up naturally in the story, like the fire sages having once been loyal to the Avatar but now being forced to work for the Firelord.

I think this is the first time we get to see Sokka's intelligence when it comes to engineering smart non-bending solutions, with his (admittedly failed) plan to get the doors to the secret Avatar room open. Also, Katara is a genius for thinking of the plan to trick the other sages into thinking Aang's already in the room.

And we finally get to meet this guy!

Aang's meeting with Roku did not disappoint. I'm a huge fan of the line "I know you can do it, Aang, because you've done it before." I feel like the first time I watched this episode really helped me understand how this whole "Avatar" thing worked & drilled in the importance of Aang connecting with his destiny & his past selves. Also - Aang now has a mission & the new big goal has been laid out, so that's very exciting. Our boy has to learn all 4 elements by the end of the summer....no pressure :)

Oh, & another thing that was fun about Aang's little Avatar spirit adventure to talk to Roku - we got our first tiny glimpse of Ozai & he's a scary DILF, so that's fun. One thing that I would change about the gaang visiting the Fire Nation & Zuko & Iroh talking about complicated family dynamics, is that I wish there had been a way to sneak in an Azula appearance. No? Maybe? Okay, look, I just wish there was more Azula content & that we'd seen her more earlier on.

Anyway, far & away this was the strongest & most exciting episode thus far in my opinion. For me, this is where things start getting exciting & I'm looking forward to pressing onward in this re-watch :)

[breached-containment-script]

I remember this from LoK pretty clearly because it sounded iffy to me already, even though at that time I hadn't watched ATLA yet and only knew the general arcs and premise.

Pema was overwhelmed by all the constant airbending and how "deeply"(?) everything in their life was immersed in the Air Nomad heritage, and the fact that she was carrying what, a fourth child felt like these people were making their own lives worse or strained, for the sake of "repopulating" airbenders. What didn't help was the heavy implication that both Lin and Tenzin still had feelings for each other, but split up as Lin didn't want children. Due to the setup, it is unclear how much of Tenzin's desire to have children was his own, and how much of it was from that being drilled into his head by his dad. Leading me to question how much Tenzin likes Pema versus how much she ticked the boxes of being a nonbending Air Acolyte who would bear many children.

And ultimately, at that time I thought it was uncomfortable but interesting because I perceived these characters as those who were supposed to be deeply flawed. Then later I'm learning that despite how clearly Aang's treatment of his children was Not Good, the audience is supposed to still view it as Good, just a bit "melancholic" because it "didn't all work out in his favour" (two children not being airbenders)? Writers should own up to narratives that portray characters as negative, even if those characters are supposed to be protagonists or "good guys". Especially when they canonically write Bumi II and Kya II as verbally confirming they suffered, and Bumi displaying very negative self-perception just for not being an airbender.

It's a bit confusing how many people in the fandom buy into the flawed idea that it's any character's responsibility to sacrifice their life in order to repopulate the world with airbenders, especially after LoK did that Harmonic Convergence event. Yes, what had happened to the Air Nomads was atrocious; but this responsibility idea centers Aang again and again due to his titular status as the Last airbender, which fails to recognize his other partner (whoever that might be) as also an equal human who deserves equal respect for themselves and their culture. It's a myopic view of the main character who was written as having moral high ground due to starting game code, basically.

Pema slides almost in an invisible way, because her starting characteristics are "already being in Air Acolyte culture", "willing to carry many children" and "having all children airbenders" (which doesn't actually escape the problem, it only masks it.) With Katara's case, the problem becomes glaringly obvious.

Some of my suggestions would be for the narrative to relax and embrace portraying Aang as deeply flawed; or that it had written him as learning and improving, he could have had children with multiple women after a divorce or two if they intended to keep the nuclear family aspect despite that clashing with the... ambiguous way of life of Air Nomads. But the way LoK canonized Aang and everything resulting from his behaviour and attitudes, does not paint him as a good person.

The many times I have seen someone be critical of the way Aang treats Katara and/or their kids and someone in the comments tries to use the Air Nomad genocide as an excuse is waaay too many.

Things along the lines of:

Aang has to marry Katara so they can repopulate the Air Nomads!

Aang has to take Tenzin on trips to train him in his culture (while entirely neglecting his other children and the other side of his family's cultural heritage) because otherwise it completes the Air Nomad genocide!

And um, no. Katara is not a baby-making machine and the responsibility for the Air Nomad genocide does not and should not rest on her and her children.

I even had someone tell me yesterday that if Katara were to say no to Aang taking Tenzin, that it would be "forced assimilation," and no. Tenzin is just as much Katara's child as he is Aang's, and she has a right to not want her child treated that way and she has a right to a voice in how he is raised culturally. Especially since what we know did happen in canon is that Aang completely cut Tenzin off from his Water Tribe heritage and his children didn't even know their grandmother. Defending that in the name of "preserving Air Nomad culture" is actually just misogyny.

Genocide and forced assimilation are, by definition, things that happen on an institutional scale and are done deliberately to destroy a culture. Katara making her own decisions about who she has children with and how those children are raised is not and should not be compared to those things. But it's actually not a new idea for men to use culture as a tool to control women. It's just regular old, run-of-the-mill misogyny tied up in progressive-sounding language.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Fading Falsehoods (Part 39)

Gonna put another warning on this one. I don’t think that this one is quite as intense but there’s going to be some physical abuse and some mentions of toxic relationships.

They are so untalkative now that she has finished. Maybe they don’t know what to say and she supposes that she can’t blame them. Evidently she doesn’t think that there is anything that they can say. 

“I guess that, that’s why you liked the tea and berries so much?” Aang tries for something light. 

It falls just as heavy. She clenches her teeth and nods. He thinks that it is just about the berries, about having a meal. And for a good while she does too so she doesn’t understand why she is crying at the memory of her first time eating them with he, Mai, Katara, and Suki. 

It isn’t about the berries at all. It isn’t even about finally having had nicer meals. 

She doesn’t know why thinking about it makes her cry. 

She just finds that her cheeks are wet and that Suki is doing her best to keep them dry.

She wants to sleep again. It is a nice taste of that kinder nothingness. She doesn’t have to think about anything in the nothingness, her mind is finally quiet in the nothingness. But she also can’t feel Suki rubbing her back in the nothingness. She also can’t feel Mai take her hand. Mai’s hands are rather chilly but even cold hands are hot when not having anything to hold is absolutely frigid.

“I don’t want to go back there.” She murmurs. “I’d let the spirit trees kill me before I go back there. I’ll do it myself if it comes down to it.”

“It won’t.” Mai says firmly. “Aang already said that it won’t.” 

Aang nods. 

“Yeah!” Sokka grins. “Instead we can take you to the Jasmine Dragon…or somewhere else and we can have the most fantastic dinner…”

She supposes that she appreciates his enthusiasm and his intent. Although he has missed the point. She opts to let him have his moment. 

“Do you still feel that nothingness?”

“Sometimes.” Maybe more than she realizes. Maybe it has become a background fuzz, something that she has simply gotten so used to that she doesn’t even realize that it is there anymore. 

But on some level she must, because she often finds herself pressing her hand against her cheeks or her abdomen just to feel the softness. She often finds herself rubbing her bicep just to make sure that she has at least a little something there–something that is more than just bone. 

She still has her hand held over her ribcage. It is the one that Mai has taken to cupping her hand over. 

“Well what do you think would make it go away?”

She shrugs. “I guess, sometimes Suki helps. At least I can pretend like it isn’t there for a moment.”

“So people then?” Katara asks. 

Mai nods for her. “Azula never liked to be alone. She would never admit it though. Of course, she doesn’t really care for huge groups either. She’s pretty picky.” 

Azula tugs out of Suki's hold and stretches her arms. "Maybe that would help." She supposes that she is happy enough when she is around them and talking about things that don't have any particular point. Maybe she would just like a sense of security, to be in some soothing place. "I'd still like to go home. This swamp is disgusting. The last time Ive been covered in this much mud was when that drill exploded."

"What a delightful day, we did our best." Mai comments.

It was better than many of the ones that she has had lately. And to think that she had once thought that father's reprimands would be the worst that she'd have to endure.

"Any other questions?" She asks. Spirits, they haven't even begun the 'father' discussion yet. 

"I think that that's enough for one day actually." Katara replies.

But she isn't done, she realizes, not quite yet. "But we haven't talked about Zuzu yet." 

.oOo.

All of the fear he thought that he'd never feel again hits him once more in full. His mouth runs completely dry. “Okay look, I didn’t realize that the Golden Scale was that bad.”

“It’s run by the same people who run the Boiling Rock.You knew what you were doing.” She shrugs.

“I didn’t realize that! I only sort of knew what I was doing!” He admits. “You just shot me with lightning, forgive me for getting mad about that. I didn’t really care what facility you were in as long as you were in one and away from me…” And finally learning what it was like to be helpless and humbled. He can’t say that she’s gotten any more humble.

“Agni, Even when you have power you don’t know what to do with it. What are you going to do with outlaws, Zuzu? The thieves, the murderers, the traitors? Are you just going send them to any old prison and hope for the best? What about the other ‘lunatics’, the ones who’ve always seen things that weren’t there?”

“I’ll find them suitable places to stay.” He insists.

“Are you?” She asks. “Because you haven’t. I was isolated in the Golden Scale but I wasn’t alone. I’m free–only because you need me of course–but there are plenty of others who have been left to rot.” 

“I…” He opens and closes his mouth several times. 

“You don’t need them so I suppose they’ll just have to stay there so they won’t dirty the city. It doesn’t look very good to have people like that out in the open. Especially when the other two nations are keeping a careful eye on ours. If you liberate the people who’ve been left in the Golden Scale then Fire Nation brutality will be on display for everyone. We can’t have that now can we? Not during your reign. Not during this new era of ‘peace’ and ‘hope’.” 

“That’s…”

“That’s why father established the Golden Scale you know? To keep the miscreants and lowlifes in check.” She trails off into a sigh.

“I haven’t gotten around to fixing every mistake that father made.”

“Of course not, you haven’t even gotten around to fixing the main one.”

“The main one?”

“You.” She growls. 

“Alright, Azula, I think that’s enough for today.” Aang says carefully. “Or take a break, spend some time with Suki.”

“Maybe I would have made a poor Fire Lord but your work, at the best of times, is careless and mediocre. Perhaps if you hadn’t missed three years of culture you’d know that we have a proverb.” She slinks closer to him. Dangerously close, he can feel steam rippling off of his palms. “Something along the lines of how the way a ruler treats his family his how he will treat his people. If he can’t uphold a healthy family structure then he certainly can’t maintain a prevailing kingdom.” 

“That’s just pompous old people talk!” He declares. He can already see Iroh shaking his head. He knows better, he knows that the elders got a lot of things right. But, spirits, he wishes that they could be wrong–just this once.

“Is it? Father always hated that saying too.” Azula shrugs. 

Sometimes when he is angry he doesn’t know what he is doing until after it has been done. Sometimes when he is angry, it doesn’t dawn on him until several crucial moments after the fact. “DON’T COMPARE ME TO FATHER!” He roars. 

And it doesn’t dawn upon him even when he sees Suki and Aang rush forward. It starts to dawn upon him when Aang slams him against a mangrove and Suki hooks Azula under the arms, the flames die in her hands as the Kyoshi Warrior pulls her back. It finally dawns upon him when Suki releases Azula and Katara steps up. It fully settles in when he sees her look at Azula’s arm and bite her lip. When he sees the look on Mai’s face. 

He claws at his hairline.

Spirits, what has he done?

.oOo.

“Here, hold still.” Katara says. Azula is already perfectly rigid and gritting her teeth. “And don’t worry, I already filtered the water so you don’t have to worry about infection.” She hums, “try to relax if you can.”

Azula takes a deep and shuddering breath as cool water coils around her bicep. Suki rubs her back.

“Alright, hopefully this will be the last time we have to bandage you up.” Katara sighs. 

She is getting awfully tired of constantly needing bandages and waterbending. After said bandages put in place, Azula hovers her fingers above the burn. She doesn’t know where Aang and Sokka have taken Zuko to but she furiously hopes that they will run into a particularly nasty spirit and leave Zuko at its mercy. 

Mai shakes her head. “That’s the temper that I can’t stand. That’s why I can’t be with him. I never know if that’s going to be me.” She gestures to Azula’s arm.

“Then why are you still trying to patch things up with him?”

Mai shrugs. “I don’t know. What else am I going to do?”

“TyLee was right there.” Azula replies curtly. “She likes you.”

Suki nods in agreement. “She talks about you all the time.” 

“TyLee…” Mai trails off. “She’s a little too bubbly for me.”

“Exactly.” Azula shrugs. “That’s why our trio worked. You provided the gloom, TyLee provided the sunshine. I provided the deep and nagging sense of fear that you couldn’t quite shake.”

Mai snickers. “Good times, right?”

“You’ll leave Zuko right? If you  had the bravery to cut me out, you can certainly leave Zuko behind.” 

“Azula, he needs help…”

“So did I.” She pauses. “It wasn’t your job then and it's not your job now.”

“Why do you care if I stay with him or not? I know that you’re with Suki but…”

“I don’t want to date you Mai. We have an established dynamic that works well.” She bunches her fist around the fabric of her pants. “I was the one who set you up with Zuzu…”

“So you think that whatever else happens is your fault…got it.” She sighs. “It isn’t your fault, I can make my own choices.”

But she still finds herself worried over what choice that might be…

“I’ll be fine, Azula. I can take care of myself. And I may or may not have been considering TyLee for a while now. Good to know that I have your permission.”

Azula shakes her head. “It’s more of an aggressive support than it is a permission.” 

“Aggressive support.” She repeats. “You’re truly fascinating, you know that?"

Azula stands up and flexes her arm, testing her new limits. She supposes that she should be glad that she has a mostly full range of motion, though stretching the burned arm isn’t particularly pleasant. Suki takes that arm and presses a kiss to the bandages. And then she elbows Azula’s ribcage. “Now stop being injured all the time.” 

Aggressive support. 

She thinks that, that is also a good term to apply to Suki.

[herglowinggirl]

Hello, familiar anon here, I didn't ask the question about an SOK ending where Yun lives and gains redemption. I also wouldn't mind having my own tag. I haven't found any other evidence of Yun shipping Kyoshi and Rangi outside of "The Boy From Makapu". How does Kyoshi view Yun later in her life( up to the first year after "The Meeting", creating Kyoshi Island nearly 25 years later, the last years of her life)? Would Kyoshi ever mention or talk about Yun after the events of The Shadow of Kyoshi?

hello! and yes I have some thoughts on this and how it would impact the advice Kyoshi gave to Roku and Aang. this got long but I’d love to break down parts of it to write fic, which I think I will do and perhaps post before Kyoshi Fortnight. But I digress, it’s long enough that I have decided to use subtitles. If anything skip to the end about the advice she gave Roku and Aang I think it’s most relevant to what I want to say and also my favorite part.

what I talk about under the cut: the ways I believe yun’s death would impact kyoshi’s actions after tsok and what the advice she gave aang and roku actually means (my thoughts on “only justice will bring peace” means)

would kyoshi talk about yun during her lifetime?

Yes. First off, it would be impossible to avoid him in the political landscape, because it is mentioned that he passed lots of judgements and signed treaties, ect. Although Kyoshi has grown in her leadership style and it’s turned a little (a lot) anti-establishment, she would still need to deal with the fallout of Yun not being the Avatar, because there would be a need to re-sign treaties and settle disputes with people seeking to take advantage of others now that the Avatar has “changed” would have to be dealt with and in tandem, Yun’s legacy.

But also, in a duology that features grief, I find it a natural continuation of the narrative that Yun would be mourned. You don’t stop knowing or loving someone after they pass, and I feel like mourning all of Yun—the boy he was, where he came from, his legacy, the decisions he made, the impact he had on the people around him, even how he hurt people—is only natural and is slightly unavoidable. I think Kyoshi mourns all of her deceased loved ones. 

Just, like the concept of this: she’s always hated pai sho but now when she faces a board in her gut and in her throat things feel wrong because it reminds her of what Yun had to do to survive. A breeze smells like the flour and air Kelsang sent into her face the moments before everything changed. She collects pebbles that Lek would’ve liked. Rangi brings her fire lilies for an anniversary and she starts crying. She sings songs with Wong that were her parent’s favorites that coincidentally, Kelsang knew too.

community in grief and kyoshi’s relationships

He was Rangi’s friend, too. Auntie Mui and Hei-Ran are sure to mourn him in their own ways. In tSoK Kyoshi calls her team Avatar a group of contradictions and misfits and in his way, Yun was too. The false Avatar. What a title! 

A continuation of the concept: Rangi and Kyoshi remind each other of him every day for a while, swapping stories about him when it gets to be too much, making eye contact when they can hear his voice making light of something stupid an official has said. Hei-Ran makes her do drills she made Yun do. Auntie Mui makes his favorite dish on his birthday that they do not pass in silence, because then what would they be, that group of misfits, to forget another outcast? If they don’t mourn the boy from Yokoya who will mourn them, or who would’ve mourned them if they hadn’t been so lucky? Who will care for the beggars and orphans of the world if not the Avatar who was once one of them and her companions? In a way, the retribution and pain of it all is justice for the life that Kyoshi took. Like, there’s just so much to unpack in the way she says “Was I right about anything at all? What will they say about me? Avatar Kyoshi, who killed her friend because she couldn’t save him?” But I don’t think her guilt would silence her. 

That being said, Yun was fundamentally a victim of a system that failed him. The same one that failed Kyoshi. In another way, her actions are justice on a world that failed her and her best friend and the similarities they shared, and she’s able to take those actions because of the way that Yun impacted her, for better or for worse. So yes, I think during her lifetime, she would speak of Yun and who he was, not letting people forget the ways they (and she) failed him and how easily everyone wants to forget their failure. It brings me to the way she was so angry with the Earth Kingdom establishment for discarding him and trying to hide history away. I don’t think she’d ever do that, even if she did...uh, dispatch him.

kyoshi, immortality, and her role as an avatar

I’d like to turn to two passages:

Kyoshi: “The way you describe it, you’d have to decide what version of yourself you’d be stuck as, forever.”

Lao Ge: “Exactly! Those who grow, live and die. The stagnant pool is immortal, while the clear flowing river dies an uncountable number of deaths.”

and

In the future, perhaps, she’d become finalized like carved stone. It would be easier to deal with the world then. She could only hope.

[...]

She still had to be careful not to lose her balance and fall. Kyoshi kept her eyes focused on her difficult path, sometimes stumbling but making sure to catch herself, taking one step at a time.

This isn’t directly related to what I think she would say, but more about how she lets her experiences, and therefore, her experiences and relationship with Yun, affect who she is. Here, F.C. Yee is detailing the person we see in her cameo in A:tLA. It’s a testament to her growth, yes, but also to how she lived so long. She’s allowed to grow now, while she’s young and still learning. But eventually Kyoshi’s growth will wane, leaving us with the iron woman we saw in A:tLA. 

Remember when I said I would call F.C. Yee a sap for the very last Kyoshi POV line? It’s the last sentence in my second excerpt, is that Kyoshi is allowing herself make mistakes. It’s pretty obviously a little deeper than the concept of walking down a slope: She became one of the most revered Avatars, we know how her story ends, if not lots of the in-betweens, but F.C. Yee tells us right here in that sentence. She changed and she learned. 

I think, however, that eventually she had to pick a place to stop in order to stop aging. If I had to pick a point where she became “immortal” I’d pick Rangi’s peaceful and timely death surrounded by her loved ones on Yokoya (not Kyoshi Island since I’m going to maintain that her A;tLA cameo was “immortal” Kyoshi) and I think Lao Ge killed her—or at least convinced her to let go.

further thoughts on her longevity: rangi’s role and future

Ok before anybody comes into my inbox like “um zey herglowinggirl I need you to know that actually Rangi also lived to 230 😌″ because I understand the sentiment it’s more like here’s what I’d like to discuss: Kyoshi can’t be immortal around Rangi because Rangi is in so many ways her catalyst for growth. First off, it would be completely out of character for Rangi to be immortal, because she’s constantly moving and being and feeling and judging and that changes her. Positive jing. And Lao Ge says it: “those who grow, live and die.” Rangi believes in the best and strives for the best, for perfection. For Kyoshi to freeze herself and become immortal, that would require picking an imperfect state. And as we know, Sei’naka women do not accept imperfection 😤. 

Although Rangi promises to always be by Kyoshi’s side, I think in the latter years of Kyoshi’s live it’s more like the impact that Rangi has had on her in that frozen state. That voice of Rangi’s is part of Kyoshi in those years. However, without Rangi, it is unlikely that Kyoshi will always or commonly choose to act on it. It’s stated multiple times throughout the novels that Rangi is Kyoshi’s center and that she doesn’t know who she’d be without Rangi, but I think the logical conclusion is immortal. With Rangi’s death she becomes her own center by stopping her growth; with Rangi’s death she just becomes...that stone she was talking about, where it does get easier to make decisions because you’re not striving to constantly change and grow. It’s almost a coping mechanism, if you will. Because Kyoshi is more than Rangi, can function without Rangi, it’s just not necessarily pretty.

lao ge’s role and future

Which brings me to my “in my personal version of canon Lao Ge kinda maybe killed Kyoshi” point. Rangi is in no way Kyoshi’s morality, but she is very much the idealistic ‘better’ half. With this catalyst of hope and change gone, I think back to the creation of the Dai Li—it very much sounds to me like something Jianzhu would do. Kyoshi, who had previously been the breakdown of negotiations, created a secret op police force? 

I think the moment Kyoshi started being the establishment, the moment she was the band-aid instead of the solution (much like Yun was, hint hint) Lao Ge would’ve paid her a visit. Either this or the creation of the Dai Li created a catalyst for perhaps an existential crisis, perhaps just being tired, perhaps simply knowing what is best...Kyoshi is, and always will be, a sworn criminal who cannot uphold the law, only her own judgements. She is both the law and the breaking and bending of it, and when she loses this balance when Rangi falls from her side and she becomes her own rock I think it would swing her away from her center, and this is where she becomes immortal. Eventually, it would become enough of an issue for people to intervene and tell her that her time as an Avatar is coming to an end. 

advice to future avatars

This is my favorite point and I’ll tie it back to Yun in just a second. I have posted about thinking about the impact of Yun’s death on Kyoshi and how that would’ve impacted her legacy and the advice she gave Roku and Aang before. Honestly what strikes me is how proud Kyoshi would be of Aang. The way that each Avatar must learn to forge their own way and become their own person and what their era needs, balancing themselves, is something so lovely. I think Kyoshi would’ve absolutely loved how Aang took the advice of his predecessors and said “no, I know what would be better for me,” and I think post-tSoK Kyoshi, who has learned she has to forge her own way and style as a leader, would love and be so proud of him for that. 

However, that doesn’t mean that her advice doesn’t have weight. I think mainly her “immortal” phase would perhaps have an impact on the way Yun impacts her advice. I think “only justice will bring peace” also speaks to the finality of death. Just like immortality, death keeps growth from happening. “only justice will bring peace” is also a nod to the way you must learn to cope with your actions and the way you feel about them. It’s also about Aang’s inner peace, which is something I don’t think I’ve ever seen mentioned. Everyone always wants to talk about what he should’ve done and how Kyoshi was right because she told Aang about her choice to let Chin die, but I think she actually guided him to the idea that you should be ok with yourself. To be confident in what you do and take up responsibility for your actions. Kyoshi wasn’t telling him murder was good. She was telling him she owned up to her actions and chose to make those decisions as an Avatar. To me, this finality speaks of growth after Yun’s death and the end of tSoK. She has grown and then frozen, but that means she has changed.

And although I don’t have an answer for what advice she might’ve given Roku, I think it’s a good way to interpret this. The only thing keeping Kyoshi from being honest about Yun’s death is the fact that Zoryu has “Yun” locked up. I think this is likely one of her biggest regrets, that she cannot be honest and responsible for something that weighs so heavily on her soul. This, I think, guides her advice. Only justice will bring peace. Now that I’ve thought it out, perhaps it wasn’t Lao Ge, and perhaps it was the idea that Yun had never been done justice and perhaps that turmoil never changed, which made her long-lived but not quite immortal. She cannot quite know the peace of death nor of life.

I think she must’ve told Roku that no matter what, he must accept the consequences of what he does. He’s not willing to loose that friendship and I think Kyoshi would’ve understood that, and the questions Roku would’ve had to pose himself as an Avatar. That is Kyoshi’s advice. Only justice, true justice in the form of accountability and self-actualization as a leader, will allow you to make good decisions. The acceptance of this: that whatever he does, he must be willing to accept it’s legacy, learn from it, and teach the next Avatar just as she let Yun’s death affect her leadership and what she taught. And I think that’s probably incredibly poetic, even if I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. 

[seyaryminamoto]

How much was azula and zuko blinded of the propaganda?I have seen someone say that" azula knew the propaganda was a lie and there evidence was the fire nation were willingly to burn ba sing sa to the ground so azula should have known better"

O_o um, no offense intended to that person but... where’s the evidence that Azula ever had any doubts about the Fire Nation’s supremacist views?

I can outright point at a key dialogue where Zuko blatantly proves he’s not blinded by his father’s propaganda: Book 1, episode 3. Zuko directly tells Zhao: “If my father thinks the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then he is a fool!”, quoted right out of the wikia. So... heh. Zuko seems to be critical of his father, of his conquest, of his colonialist pursuits...

... And yet he proceeds to continue chasing the Avatar, fighting against him, outright committing treason against his own nation by releasing Aang but ONLY so he could be the one to turn him in personally, still saying things like “My honor, my throne, my country, I'm about to lose them all.” (Book 1, episode 13), telling Iroh “I want it back. I want the Avatar, I want my honor, my throne. I want my father not to think I'm worthless.” (Book 2, episode 1), introducing himself in this manner: “My name is Zuko. Son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai. Prince of the Fire Nation, and heir to the throne.” (Book 2, episode 7), and the list goes on :’) basically, insert everything nefarious or gray Zuko does through the three seasons, and factor in that Zuko has proven he doesn’t believe his father’s propaganda since early Book 1... you get the picture.

So... what that line in “The Southern Air Temple” ends up telling us is that all his actions are self-serving! :’D Which takes away from Zuko’s big speech to Ozai, namely when he says that the argument about the war spreading the Fire Nation’s greatness was an “amazing lie”. No, it wasn’t an amazing lie, and no, he didn’t believe it, at least he didn’t ever since the show began, as far as we saw. Therefore... I give no free passes to Zuko over any arguments that he was doing Ozai’s bidding or acting in his behalf. No one who says “my father is a fool” with such conviction in the show’s very THIRD EPISODE can pretend he was completely unaware of how wrong the Fire Nation’s direction was until he finally had his change of heart and awakening to the goodness of the world. He knew it was wrong. He did everything he did because it didn’t matter to him that it was, his throne and honor mattered more. 

And considering I could quote at least three different instances where he talks about the throne as his own, or meant to be his own, I think it’s damn clear it was constantly on his mind. The only occasion when he says anything about wanting to do right by the Fire Nation itself is with Mai in the Boiling Rock... and by then he’s “redeemed”. Ergo, he’s supposed to know better at last. Before redemption? Zero signs that Zuko believes the Fire Nation needs new guidance and that he realizes the problem is Ozai’s propaganda and ideological indoctrination. That line in episode 3 suggests he KNOWS his father can and should be questioned, but later on he doesn’t betray any interest in doing so until he outright confronts him in The Eclipse. And that’s the thing: Zuko knows Ozai is bullshitting everyone, but it’s not his problem. That’s not why he’s doing what he’s doing. He’s not here to further spread Ozai’s gospel, he’s here to get the Avatar and earn his ticket back home, and he’ll do ANYTHING to achieve that.

Meanwhile, Azula... anyone can say she’s not blind to the horrors the Fire Nation has committed, that she’s an active participant of the war, that she’s her father’s enabler too... sure. But I don’t think ANYONE can say with any degree of certainty that Azula had broken out of the Fire Nation indoctrination on any level by the time we meet her in the show. Azula, as far as I’ve always seen her, is a product of her upbringing: she is sheltered, troubled, capable of dismissing any moral dilemmas in the face of any mission, absolutely unwilling to fail at anything she ever does. But really... where’s the evidence that she KNOWS the Fire Nation isn’t inherently superior to the others? Where’s the evidence that she knows Sozin’s doctrines are just excuses? I’m not saying she’s not smart enough to figure it out, I certainly write her that way myself... but I don’t think there’s anything you can point to in the show, the way there IS, objectively, with Zuko, to say “Yeah she’s 100% aware that the Fire Nation supremacist ideals are BS and she just follows fit with them because she wants a throne for herself.”

In contrast: how many times does Azula say the word “throne” in the show?:

“The fact is, they don't know which one of us is going to be sitting on that throne, and which one is going to be bowing down.” (Book 2, Episode 20) -- not the Fire Nation throne, but Ba Sing Se’s. Ergo, a throne she took via strategic prowess... that she then abandoned and left in Joo Dee’s hands SOMEHOW (why... Azula, just... why?? xD) before returning to the Fire Nation instead of merely relishing in having obtained MORE POWER!

... That’s literally it.

Where Zuko constantly talks about “his throne”, Azula only displays genuine, overt, blatant interest in becoming Fire Lord when Ozai directly offers her the position. She doesn’t shy away from it at all, of course, but when she’s seen talking about her alleged future as Fire Lord, her wording is... curiously different from Zuko’s:

“My father asked you to come here and talk to me, didn't he‌? He thinks I can't handle the responsibility of being Fire Lord. But I will be the greatest leader in Fire Nation history.” (Book 3, Episode 20)

This isn’t even fully healthy Azula, so using her behavior here as representative for her genuine views is a tricky thing to do. And yet... she says she will be the greatest LEADER? She’s not looking at the throne as something she is owed, she’s looking at it as a challenge she needs to prove herself worthy of. She’s not looking at a crown or a throne exclusively: she’s looking at LEADERSHIP. She’s ambitious enough to think BEYOND obtaining the power, and instead she’s already thinking of how she’ll use it.

This is a fundamental difference between both Zuko and Azula. Azula’s motivation wasn’t the throne, or a crown, or anything like that until the finale. If she’d wanted more political power, like I always say, she would’ve stayed in the Earth Kingdom and ruled over Ba Sing Se herself, getting high on the thrill of finally controlling a nation of her own. She’s the main artificer of the take-over, the Dai Li literally answer to her, and yet she didn’t stick around: she left the city for other people to deal with rather than going wild over her newly acquired power. Doesn’t this speak lengths about Azula’s priorities? And once she’s finally being offered the throne she does value, her troubled mind is set on LEADERSHIP. And while of course someone can argue she’s just vain and wants to be remembered forever, kind of like Zhao did, the question of what kind of leadership Azula has in mind is still worth asking: if she didn’t want the Earth Kingdom throne, it suggests she actually cherishes the Fire Nation above all else, and another nation’s throne doesn’t suffice or particularly prove fulfilling for her beyond the initial conquest. Prioritizing the Fire Nation, WITHOUT being Fire Lord yet, above Ba Sing Se’s throne... strongly suggests a belief that the Fire Nation matters more than anything else. And that’s basically what the Ozai propaganda impresses upon his people.

For further evidence... I present to you the Fire Nation Oath:

“My life I give to my country, with my hands I fight for Fire Lord Ozai and our forefathers before him. With my mind I seek ways to better my country, and with my feet may our March of Civilization continue.” (Book 3, Episode 2)

Just one reading of this oath explains Azula’s actions and motivations immediately. Recapping her actions throughout the show: 

She finds Iroh and Zuko under Ozai’s orders, attempts to take them home peacefully, then they rebel, she fights them and regards them as traitors, loses, still intends to continue chasing them after her defeat.

Gathers new allies for her quest, comes across the Avatar, decides to take him down, fails, decides she has two targets now.

Chases the Avatar, fights both him and Zuko, narrowly escapes before being defeated, all be it to fight another day.

Helps in the Drill’s operations in Ba Sing Se, nearly stops Team Avatar’s scheme, fails again once Aang finishes their plan perfectly.

Follows Appa, fights and defeats the Kyoshi Warriors, takes their uniforms, impersonates them and breaks into Ba Sing Se while no one’s the wiser.

Acquires crucial information about the enemies’ plans to attack her nation on the day of the Eclipse.

Acquires the support of the Dai Li, captures Katara, Zuko and Iroh, overthrows Kuei.

Offers Zuko one more chance to fight by her side, attempts to fight Aang and Katara by herself, then is shown willing to fight Zuko as well as those two until she joins forces safely with Zuko and they defeat Aang and Katara.

Takes Zuko home as a hero, he hides crucial information about the Avatar, Azula attempts to set up a trap so Zuko takes the fall if the Avatar isn’t dead.

Offers Zuko advice about not visiting Iroh so he stays out of trouble, which he disregards to no consequences.

Goes on a chaotic vacation with her friends.

Gives Zuko a history lesson with more than a few harsh burns.

Tells Zuko he should go to a war meeting, which he attends later to no consequences, and she was right to say he was expected to be in it.

Intervenes in the war meeting and cuts off Zuko before he says the wrong thing, Ozai extrapolates Azula’s suggestion into his perfect, megalomaniac villain plan, and she’s shown perfectly satisfied with supplying her father an idea he values.

Organizes and leads the resistance against the invasion, stalls the Avatar’s group, keeps her father safe.

Visits the Boiling Rock, presumably upon finding out her brother infiltrated the prison, and in all likelihood suspecting he didn’t do it alone, considering that she immediately barges into the interrogations about the escape attempts rather than appearing at Zuko’s holding cell.

Fights Sokka and Zuko, nearly dies when the Warden decides to cut the line but saves herself by flying off, loses her shit when Mai betrays her, gets chi-blocked, sends her friends to prison.

Attacks Team Avatar in the Western Air Temple, takes a near-fatal plummet but still manages to survive and return home while the enemies escape.

Intends to go with Ozai to set fire to the Earth Kingdom, loses her temper, Ozai loses his, he offers her the role of Fire Lord and becomes Phoenix King.

Loses herself to paranoia gradually, hallucinates her mother, pushes everyone away, agrees to fight an Agni Kai with Zuko instead of merely commanding to be crowned disregarding Zuko’s intrusion.

Loses the fight against Katara, is sent to an asylum.

I think there’s quite a lot in here that suggests Azula’s actions are meant to uphold the values and beliefs of the Fire Nation Oath. She gave herself completely to her missions, to the point of even facing deadly peril more than once. She fought many battles, lost a LOT of them, and yet she never backed down. She is by far the most strategic character in the Fire Nation side of the story, switching her tactics constantly while the show progresses... and what is she after? Victories. For whom? Herself? Why... again, if it were just for herself, why abandon Ba Sing Se, the crown jewel of the Earth Kingdom’s Ultimate Conqueror? Why allow Zuko to share in that big achievement, too, instead of merely locking him up someplace and taking all the credit for herself?

There’s seriously zero reason to believe Azula DOESN’T live by the Fire Nation Oath. I, personally, don’t see how any of her actions indicate she’s questioned her nation’s indoctrinated creed in any way. Do I think she’s smart enough to know that the war wasn’t about spreading “greatness”? Sure. Does this automatically mean she was doing everything she ever did for herself, and not for the Fire Nation AND her father? Absolutely not. And that’s where Zuko and Azula are crucially, fundamentally different: Zuko’s concerns are PERSONAL. Zuko’s battles are PERSONAL. Zuko wants HIS honor, HIS throne: Azula never says any similar words in the entire show. Azula’s biggest display of ambition is claiming she wants to be the Fire Nation’s greatest leader. Ambitious, yes, BUT... an ambition that is perfectly in line with the oath, again, especiall with this line: “may our march of civilization continue”. Whereas Zuko’s words and actions throughout the show honestly don’t strike any legitimate chords with the Oath, as far as I can tell?

And I’m relying on the Oath because it’s literally the only solid evidence we have of actual creed and speeches the Fire Nation people are taught. While we can make plenty of guesses as to what else their education includes, by judging Fire Nation people’s actions and behavior, the only solid things we have are the misinformation the teacher attempts to give the children in Aang’s classroom and the Oath she makes the children recite. I think it’s safe to guess most Fire Nation people would know that Oath by heart, and probably attempt to live by it, too.

But like I said, where Azula’s actions can easily be interpreted as morally awful ways of displaying the “values” present in the Fire Nation Oath, I don’t see how Zuko’s actions EVER had anything to do with those values. They plain didn’t. And that isn’t a bad thing, objectively speaking: it means Zuko wasn’t insanely attached to the Fire Nation to the point of valuing it above his own life, after all. And yet, it puts a spin on Zuko’s actions and behavior that definitely doesn’t do his character any favors: no, his actions aren’t motivated by the Fire Nation Oath or any similar creed, they’re motivated, above all else, by the hopes that his father will return his birthright and honor to him. And his redemption is, of course, coded as him realizing that Ozai doesn’t get to decide whether he has honor or not! Which... again... is a blatant way of saying that Zuko’s true motivation wasn’t “doing Ozai’s bidding and advancing the Fire Nation’s war”, it was his honor, his throne, and everything to do with what he’d lost after his banishment. The whole show is full of obvious signs that Zuko’s not motivated by any beliefs greater than this -- such as the fact that he returns home as a hero and it feels WRONG to him. It’s not only because his father now respects him under the false pretenses that he killed the Avatar, but also because he plain feels out of place and isn’t happy at all! Why? Because he “got everything back”, and it feels off. Why is it off? Because he wants honor and he doesn’t feel like he regained it at all in the first half of Book 3. Then he turns his back on his father and chooses a whole different path and he’s finally at peace with himself, so much he can’t even bend anymore :’D but the point is, simply, that there’s no evidence anywhere within the show that Zuko honest to gods was acting out of anything but his own, personal needs rather than a constant pursuit for the Fire Nation’s advancement.

And like I said before, this doesn’t have to be a bad thing. It probably makes his redemption “easier”, to a fault, since there’s less to address. Do I like it? No. Do I think Zuko is fundamentally a better human being than Azula because he questioned Ozai and she didn’t? Considering how many awful things he still did while proving he could question his father, not a chance. Do I think Azula is fundamentally a better human being than Zuko since her actions do seem to follow fit with what Fire Nation indoctrination looks like? Considering what that indoctrination entails, and the deeds she proves capable of to uphold it, the answer would once again be “not a chance”.

In short: neither buying the Fire Nation indoctrination or questioning it makes either Azula or Zuko objectively better people. Both are capable of amoral deeds and actions that should never be supported, encouraged or excused :’D and while I absolutely will impress that they have different motivations, which codify their actions, I don’t think Azula’s deeds would be objectively any worse if someone SOMEHOW finds solid evidence that she truly didn’t believe in any of these doctrines, just as I don’t think Zuko’s would be any better if it’s proven (though... I’d be pretty sure it can’t be) that he’s just as brainwashed as everyone else in the Fire Nation.

On a final note, directly answering your final concern there: both Zuko and Azula are shown reacting to the notion of Ba Sing Se being burned to the ground. Heck, Ursa is shown reacting to it too. If we need a refresher...

If this is somehow proof that Azula “understands” the FIre Nation is evil (How? She’s laughing like it’s a perfectly happy revelation? So is her mother? So is her brother? How does someone watch this scene and interpret this as “this messed up family KNOWS they’re the BAD GUYS!”, rather than “this messed up family thinks burning a city down is GOOD?!”), then it’s also proof Zuko and Ursa do. And they still laugh just as she does.

If the person in question was talking about Azula’s intervention in the war meeting? Zuko’s reaction shows he thinks burning down a continent is evil. Zuko’s betrayal of the Fire Nation shows he didn’t want anything to do with that (his reluctance to share this information with Team Avatar, however, is highly illogical?). Azula’s behavior doesn’t suggest at all that she thinks burning an enemy nation is anything but a sign of superiority, something both Ursa and Zuko are totally fine with in the scene above, and her suggestion, yet again, is something that is perfectly in line with the Fire Nation’s morally reprehensible values. As such, it’s not something that proves Azula somehow was acting of her own accord and is immune to Fire Nation indoctrination and propaganda, by any means.

So.

I’d think that answers that. :’)

[litsnobconfessions]

A Year of Animation Day 12: ATLA S2E12-16

Date: January 12, 2025

Day: 12

Content Watched: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Book 2, Episodes 12-16

Year: 2005-2008

Rating: TV-Y7-FV

Run Time: 1 hr. 55 mins.

Obligatory Iroh reference:

I found another video in which a YouTuber explains why they think Avatar has fantastic animation. And I think the detail that they talk about in this video really does explain why the animation in Avatar counts as sophisticated because, for one, they're animating martial arts moves which culminate in magic. But also, that bending is an extension of the characters' personalities. So as I watch the next five episodes, this is what I'm going to look for.

Guys, I've got to admit, it is getting harder and harder to really hone in on the animation. It requires more active watching, and I just want to sit back and relax and enjoy one of my favorite shows because I am getting so into it, ya'll! But I'm going to try to talk about the animation anyway.

A lot of what I noticed about the characters' body language was also stated in the video. Toph is always very gounded, she keeps her feet on the ground and takes deliberate steps. Her arms are at her sides, and even though she's tiny, she kind of resembles a football player. She is ready at all times to get slammed by a strong force and not be shaken by it. Even when she's standing in the slurry from the drill, Toph looks secure and grounded.

Katara, on the other hand, has more fluid movement. She is less rigid in the way she stands, and she seems lighter on her feet, ready to move around something like flowing water. This also fits her bending style because she often has wide, arcing movements that push and pull her entire body as opposed to the quick, stiff, and rigid movements Toph's earthbending requires.

While Aang is usually light and airy, we can see the loss of Appa literally weighing him down. We also see that he's more rigid when he's earthbending, as is necessary for the style. Zuko and Azula are also rigid, though in different ways from Toph. Zuko lacks Toph's groundedness which reflects his lack of groundedness in his life—both in his constant travel and in his moral dilemmas. Azula's rigity in contrast, reflects not only her skill (likewise, even in the slurry, she maintains skill and precision), but her rigitidy of personality, her belief that nothing short of perfect is good enough.

Jet and Ty Lee both have a looseness that represents their comfort with who they are. (Also, I meant to mention when Jet was introduced that his laid back look reminds me of Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop, and according to the above YouTuber, he was actually based on this character.)

Ty Lee is especially loose, and has an airy quality like Aang because she is a gymnast. This also may be why there is a fan theory that she has airbender ancestors.

Like the video states, Sokka wears his emotions on his sleeve, so he can bounce from angry to excited to comfortable. I particularly like the bit of him casually tossing his boomerang as he walks through the city. Mai, in contrast, has some of the least movement, which suits her bored goth style. I think this also fits her fighting style, since her knife throwing requires very little motion, especially compared to Azula and Ty Lee.

But I think the most interesting use of animating body language here is when Iroh teaches the mugger how to be a better mugger (which is already hilarious). He uses the same stance Toph teaches Aang when she is training him to be rocklike. This further emphasizes that Iroh has studied the forms of the other elements and learned from them, as he stated in "Bitter Work."

Also, now that we're in the city, the framing element is very clear, as the animators make good use of windows. This is especially common for Zuko and Iroh, who are often framed by the window of their house, such as when Jet is spying on them.

"The Tale of Aang" introduces us to a slew of unique Avatar-verse animals, and the scene in which Aang is earthbending is just beautiful to watch—and certainly everything in frame is moving. Another very dynamic moment is the fight between Zuko and Jet, and what I love about this is that it's one of the rare fights we see in the show that involves no bending. I also really like watching the kids get ready in "The Tale of Toph and Katara" because I don't think about Sokka shaving—and even less about Aang. This is a detail that I think most animators wouldn't bother with, and I honestly think that Disney's clean-shaven princes may have led to a social idea that animated men just don't have to shave because they don't grow facial hair unless they're really old.

One of my favorite bits of animation in this episode happens in the train station. While Jet is trying to convince Zuko to join the freedom fighters, you can see Iroh in the background looking around and finally turning his back to the camera with his cold tea and turning back to the front with his cup now steaming. The first time I saw this episode, I didn't notice that, and I love that they included the detail.

My other favorite piece of animation is the scene in which the Dai Li brainwash Jet, which is overlayed with Long Feng telling the gaang about covering up the war. Between cutting back and forth between the gaang and Jet (who in one cut is crying out, and in a later one is gagged) while the lamp circles and flashes is incredibly spooky.

I will admit that there are shots in the train station in which background characters don't move. And Suki's makeup does not get messed up when she jumps into the water to rescue Toph in "The Serpent's Pass," though I do think Toph's hair looks wet and stuck to her face. Less of an animation issue, but still a weak point is that Katara tries to bend the water around them in this scene, and only makes a bridge of ice when the serpent actually shows up. I kind of wonder she didn't try that in the first place, though it's possibly out of respect for Toph, who we see is extremely uncomfortable on the ice (as a side note, this reminds me a lot of Evvy's experience traveling by boat in Melting Stones. Hi, Reading Circle fam!)

My favorite episode of these five is, without a doubt, "Tales of Ba Sing Se." (No one is surpised.) I would say this is my favorite season 2 episode, and I think that if I could convince my friend to watch one episode of this show, this would be it. With the exception of Momo's tale, I think all of them could be understood as standalone stories, and I think it captures the emotional depth of the show, and how it can be both very serious and very humerous. There's also a lot more animation elements that I love specific to this episode that I didn't mention because I didn't want to go on forever. It's just filled with great shots. There are some beautiful angles, and I love how the title cards of each tale bring in an additional art style as well. I also just love when a show breaks format.

My favorite tale in Ba Sing Se is definitely Sokka's, but I'm biased here. I'm also a slam poet, and I have actually competed in haiku matches, so the first time I watched this show, my husband was really excited for me to see this episode because he knew that I would love Sokka's tale. I also like that this again, displays him as simultaneously the smart guy and the dumb guy because he does (albeit briefly) beat the teacher in a haiku match, but he is well… oafish. In fact, his first haiku, when he falls through the window, is accidental.

But this is actually a trope I love, and I think it's because I relate to it. I am very academically smart. I know a lot about language—I teach language—and I love analyzing literature. I can run rings around people in certain circles, but in other places, I am absolutely clueless. And I hate it. I really admire Sokka because I know how he feels in episodes like "The Fortune-Teller," when no one will listen to reason, but I think he is better at taking it in stride when he is not the expert, and I aspire to that.

I also really appreicate Toph and Katara's tale because it shows us Toph being more feminine. What I like about this is that she's not really forced into it. Katara suggests they have a girl's day, and Toph accepts pretty quickly. There is a rocky moment where the ladies are trying to give her a pedicure, but Toph did iterate that she didn't want people touching her feet. Other than that, she really seems to enjoy herself and enjoy spending time with Katara.

And I really love the line "I know it doesn't matter, but you're really pretty." Because it doesn't matter. And it shouldn't matter. But at the same time, a lot of women like feeling pretty (me included). And I think this is a weird contradiction of girlhood—we want to be pretty and to feel pretty, but we simultaneously don't want to have to be pretty, and we definitely don't want to deal with the competition—which is what also makes it so satisfacotry when Toph and Katara sweep the mean girls down the river. Like… we've all been there, it is so relatable.

But most importantly, like I've mentioned before, this episode validates different versions of girlhood and femininity. Bascially, it says that it's okay to want to be pretty. And it's also okay to not want to be pretty all the time. Here, Toph reminds me a lot of Tamora Pierce's Alanna, who becomes a knight, dresses practically for the day to day (which often means trousers), can hold her own against all the boys, but will also get prettied up and pull out her favorite dress and earrings when there's a party. Not only is there no single representation of girlhood, there's no single representation of girlhood in a single girl.

Finally, I like that Momo gets his own tale, and the fact that they end with it segues very nicely into "Appa's Last Days." And I'm going to be honest with y'all, as emotional as Iroh's tale is, it's "Appa's Last Days" that really gets to me. I have to appreciate that the creators of Avatar were willing to tackle an episode about animal cruelty. It's also beautifully told because it fits so well within the serial structure. We revisit several moments that we've already seen, like the mushroom cloud and the vulture hawks, but it even calls back to farther episodes. Even before he is abused at the circus, Appa is afraid of fire since he got hit during "The Winter Solstice Part 2," and when Guru Pathik sees Aang's location through his connection to Appa, the show represents this with the same animation it used when Aang searched for Appa in "The Swamp." I'm also pretty sure this is the only episode in which we see Suki's battle against Azula, which, spoilers, is important.

[zuko-always-lies]

Zuko Ordering Iroh Around

Book 1 Zuko does this a lot. Much more below.

“The Boy in the Iceberg”:

Iroh: No! Power in firebending comes from the breath. Not the muscles. The breath becomes energy in the body. The energy extends past your limbs and becomes fire. (Iroh demonstrates, releasing a controlling plume of flame that bursts in front of Zuko, but does not hit him) Get it right this time. Zuko: Enough. I've been drilling this sequence all day. Teach me the next set. I'm more than ready. Iroh: No, you are impatient. You have yet to master your basics. (More forcefully) Drill it again! Zuko: Grrrr... huh! (He blasts one of the guards backwards with a gout of fire.) The sages tell us that the Avatar is the last airbender. He must be over a hundred years old by now. He's had a century to master the four elements. I'll need more than basic firebending to defeat him. You WILL teach me the advanced set! Iroh: Very well. But first I must finish my roast duck. (Begins eating) Num num... num...

“The Avatar Returns”:

Zuko: This staff will make an excellent gift for my father. I suppose you wouldn't know of fathers, being raised by monks. Take the Avatar to the prison hold. And (shoving the staff in Iroh's direction) take this to my quarters.

and

Iroh (rubbing his eyes): Huh? (Cut to Appa rapidly flying away from the ship, then to Iroh helping Zuko back up onto the ship.) Zuko: Shoot them down!

(As Appa gains altitude, Zuko and Iroh in unison launch a massive bolt of fire at Appa. Katara and Sokka look behind them in horror at the approaching fireball. Aang jumps to the back of the saddle and, using his staff like a baseball bat, airbends a gale that sends the fireball at a right angle away from Appa and into the ice cliff nearby. The fireball explodes, releasing a huge amount of ice from the cliff wall which falls into the narrow channel that Zuko's ship is navigating. Zuko gasps in horror as the bow of the ship and indeed the entire channel is blocked up under an avalanche of ice. Cut to Aang, Katara and Sokka laughing as they fly away. Cut back to Iroh and Zuko on the foredeck of the heavily damaged ship.)

“The Southern Air Temple”:

Zuko: Uncle, I want the repairs made as quickly as possible. I don't want to stay too long and risk losing his trail. Iroh: You mean the Avatar? Zuko: (turning on his uncle angrily) Don't mention his name on these docks! Once word gets out that he's alive every firebender will be out looking for him and I don't want anyone getting in the way. Zhao: (from offscreen) Getting in the way of what, Prince Zuko?

“The Warriors of Kyoshi”:

Zuko: (in a dangerously silky voice) The only reason you should be interrupting me is if you have news about the Avatar. Iroh: (enters cautiously carrying a map) Well, there is news, Prince Zuko, but you might not like it. Don't get too upset. Zuko: (calmly) Uncle, you taught me that keeping a level head is a sign of a great leader. Now whatever you have to say, I'm sure that I can take it. Iroh: Okay, then... we have no idea where he is. Zuko: (enraged) WHAT?! (The four candles flare to the ceiling with Zuko's wrath. He stands quickly and turns around to face his uncle, his anger evident on his face. Iroh turns away from the flames and raises his right arm to protect his face. As the flames subside, he pulls a fan out of his robes.) Iroh: (fanning himself) You really should open a window in here. Zuko: (snatching the map from Iroh's hand) Give me the map!

and more importantly:

Zuko: (standing up and speaking angrily) The Avatar's on Kyoshi Island? (Zuko walks out of the room while speaking to Iroh.) Uncle, ready the rhinos. He's not getting away from me this time.

“Winter Solstice, Part 1: The Spirit World”:

Iroh (happily)>: Over here. Zuko: Uncle? We need to move on, we're closing in on the Avatar's trail and I don't want to lose him! Iroh: You look tired, Prince Zuko. Why don't you join me in these hot springs and soak away your troubles. Zuko (angry): My troubles cannot be soaked away. It's time to go! Iroh: You should take your teacher's advice and relax a little. The temperature's just right. I heated it myself. (Iroh shifts position slightly, puts his hands together and breathes steam from his nostrils. Cut to Zuko, obscured by steam, who swats it away.) Zuko: Enough! We need to leave now! Get out of the water! Iroh (rising): Very well.

“Winter Solstice, Part 2: Avatar Roku”:

(Scene cuts back to Prince Zuko's ship. Smoke is still pouring out of the damaged rear engine. The camera pans to the back of the ship. Zuko has instructed the men to open the back hatch of the ship. A smaller vessel is being lowered into the ocean. Scene cuts to a close up of Prince Zuko. He is speaking to Iroh.) Zuko: Uncle, keep heading north. Zhao will follow the smoke trail while I use it as a cover.

It’s interesting how often Book 1 Zuko orders Iroh around and treats him as a subordinate, often in a very direct and unmasked manner, considering that Iroh is an esteemed general, royalty, Zuko’s elder, and Zuko’s sifu. But Zuko treats him like he’s Zuko’s natural inferior.

Azula very much engages in this sort of behavior toward her friends, especially when she’s on a mission, but she doesn’t tend to yell at them nearly as much, and, to be fair, under the Fire Nation’s social system, Mai and Ty Lee are clearly her inferiors and subordinates. It still has a negative effect on her friendships, of course.