#ATLA re-watch

[juniperhillpatient]

The Cave of Two Lovers Re-Watch

This episode made me laugh a lot, & that's the highest praise I can offer it - it's definitely not a favorite of mine. This one is doomed to rank low for me because it comes in between 2 episodes featuring my favorite Evil Princess & it heavily features a romance that I don't personally enjoy. I just vibe with Katara & Aang as platonic friends so obviously I'm not in love with an episode about their romance.

I was entertained by the stoner nomad throuple & their shenanigans, while also understanding Sokka's annoyance. They're the kind of characters that are annoying but also amusing to me. I spend a lot of time around stoners who like to sing & play music so, to be honest, they just reminded me of people I know in real life which made me chuckle.

Sokka saying "since Katara's busy-" *cut to Katara having flowers braided into her hair* was just a great moment. Also, Appa getting flowers in his hair was so pure. All the interactions toward the beginning just made me laugh, & I'm kinda in love with the shot of Aang, Lily & Katara with flower crowns.

I'll also give this episode this - at least Katara seemed to show an actual interest in Aang. Unlike the last episode that set up their romance explicitly ('The Fortuneteller'), Katara's feelings are explored a little here. It's not enough to convince me that she's truly interested in pursuing this romance, but it's something. She's the one to bring up the idea of the kiss, & she gets embarrassed & angry when Aang implies that he doesn't want to kiss her. Then, in the end, she blushes & smiles. That said, it's weird that "Oma" & "Shu" are set up to parallel Katara & Aang. They're from two nations divided by war. That doesn't really apply to Kataang. I guess the part about creating peace & separating divides applies, but only to Aang as a character, not to the Katara/Aang romance. Of course, parallels don't have to be exact but it feels clunky to me. That said, I'm not exactly objective like I said.

It was neat to get to meet the badger moles! I love that animals are always the original element benders in the Avatar world. Also, Aang talking about the power of love guiding the way & Sokka saying "huh, we let big ferocious beasts guide our way" cracked me up.

The Iroh & Zuko parts of this episode were fun - to me anyway. Sorry but I love seeing my favorite characters at their worst. Stealing the Ostrich Horse was a low moment for Zuko. Song & her mother were so kind. They took Iroh & Zuko in when they didn't have to, helped cure Iroh's poison, & fed them dinner. Then Zuko stole from them. Not only that - he stole something valuable. I'm guessing an animal like that was important to their livelihood. This is where we see Zuko's entitlement & selfishness leading to a truly horrible act.

Also - "of course we have names." Zuko the terrible liar my beloved. I will forever continue to lean heavily into the "Zuko can't fucking lie & becomes an awkward wreck (more than usual) when he tries" trope when writing fanfic because I'm right.

Now, I want to talk about Iroh in this episode. I've been upfront that I don't feel like I understand him as a character, & his motives are often confusing to me. It would be easy to dismiss his mixing up the poisonous white jade bush & the white dragon bush used for tea as "silly old man" behavior. But it occurred to me - & this is a THEORY I could be totally wrong - that he might have done it on purpose. I can't recall ever seeing this possibility discussed, maybe it has been. Or maybe it's silly, but hear me out - Iroh knows that Zuko isn't willing to go to anyone for help, but they're royals. They're not cut out to live in the wilderness. The single tiny fish that Zuko catches will not sustain them.

This is what makes me think maybe Iroh was manipulating Zuko into going to the village for help - he immediately points out a berry bush & acts like he's going to eat the berries. He says they're either bacui berries, which can cure him, or maka'ole berries, which will blind him. Zuko obviously stops Iroh from eating the berries & insists they seek help. What if this was Iroh's plan all along?

Please - let me know what you guys think of that. Is it ridiculous or is there a possibility?

Anyway, that's all I have to say about this episode!

#the cave of two lovers #atla book 2 #atla re-watch

[curiositypolling]

pls reblog for sample size etc

follow for more occasional useless polls :)

#sorry this is a fandom one i just am watching it again so yknow got curious re tumblrs opinions #atla #no suki cause she only rly joins a good bit later and also i feel like she'd crush everyone lmao

[luffys]

Today this war is finally over. I promised my uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation and I will. The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the Avatar's help we can get it back on the right path, and begin a new era of love and peace.

zuko | fire lord

#atlaedit #avataredit #userroh #usersenka #usernikki #usercharithra #himawaari #userkyaa #tusersin #mohall #mohedit #t. edit #f. avatar #c. zuko #t. colour #finished the atla re watch today #and i just love zuko so much #his whole journey his development #everything

[bluespiritshonour]

When Zuko walked out of Azula's room after confronting her about lying to Ozai about who killed Aang, he really did leave the door open in true sibling fashion, didn't he?

#atla b3 re-watch #because reasons #zuko #azula

[slyandthefamilybook]

"Hello Mr. The Joker. My name is Batman. I was recently deposed from the Bat Cave and I need you to send me $5,000 in iTunes gift cards"

#atlas entry #re-listening to this ep after watching it was the beat decision #mom can't cook #mom can't cook podcast #andy farrant #luke westaway

[sugaroto]

I started re-watching atla with my cousin and I need to share a fun fact about the greek translation that Sokka (early seasons) would be shocked about

He has a girl voice😱 (actor)

#i dont remember what language i first watched it #but i should re-watch the whole thing in greek at some point just to see who have the same voices #what do you mean sokka and azula have the same voice #-i actually just found out about this- #avatar the last airbender #atla #sokka #atla sokka #toph #toph beifong #princess azula #atla azula #avatar #Τζίνη Παπαδοπούλου #greek #greek translation

[taddymason]

Hi! I know you're very fond of blood bender Nya. So, that makes me wonder if that will be included in Lightning Pin. I'm curious because I think it will be a good opportunity for Nya to bond with Kaida since Kaida can control souls, and if Nya's a blood bender, she technically can control people (?) Idk, that's how I see it jrndksk.

OOO THANKS FOR THIS ASK! Believe me, I've been thinking about this very concept since they can control people and what it means for each of them to use a technique like that.

I'm also going to take the opportunity to talk a little about bloodbending and how I think Nya would feel with that technique (spoilers for Skybound AU I guess)

In particular, I think that Nya would use bloodbending in a situation where she is really desperate, an extreme scenario where she has no other option and it's her best alternative in combat to quickly finish off an enemy. Nya has a strong sense of responsibility for the difficulty involved in managing an element as versatile as water. Even if she may be frustrated at first with this very thing, she is aware of the scope of such an element and the importance of controlling it. She would clearly understand the consequences of simply depriving someone of control of their body, the moral question of when it is necessary to use such a technique when she may accidentally end up killing a petty criminal.

So, I don't think Nya would be afraid of the technique but she wouldn't feel comfortable using it in combat knowing what it entails and much less she would use it unless she was pushed to her limits. Of course, if she was in a situation where she had no choice she would be really ruthless with bloodbending.

Now Kaida on the other hand...

I've mentioned it before, but this girl sees violence as something normal and pragmatic. Thanks to Jay, she understands that she has to control her powers better so as not to accidentally hurt someone she cares about, but it's not like she thinks or even considers that there are any other ways to handle a situation other than "kill or be killed." For example, in Lightning Pin, she attacks Cole without even thinking once she realizes he is an elemental master. So her sense of awareness of what it means to use her powers completely ignores the moral question of what it means to steal someone's soul. It also doesn't help that Jay's moral flexibility means he was never really able to teach her exactly the opposite in a place like the Administration.

Which I definitely want to touch on in the fic with her and Nya, since while Kaida's first instinct is to fight (like a soldier) Nya's first instinct is to protect (like a samurai). And I want them to bond based on the differences and what they consider necessary about how to fight with their elements.

#I'm re-watching ATLA so I could rant for hours about the elemental powers and philosophies of each one #kaida walker #ninjago #ninjago oc #ninjago fanfic #Ninjago Nya #Nya ninjago #dad jay au #nya jiang #ninjago au

[lemonylepid]

Avatar: Legend of Korra is Avatar for republicans.

#atla #alok #legend of korra #the last airbender #The bisexual kiss was unearned #If you're coming to attack me #Re-watch the show

[backgroundcharacterno7]

She's finally here folks!!!! Avatar Eto has arrived!!!!

#tokyo ghoul #tokyo ghoul re #eto yoshimura #avatar the last airbender #atla #tg x avatar #this took me way too long #watch me get absolutely nothing done for the next few months bc of exams...

[juniperhillpatient]

The Deserter Re-Watch

Ooh, this episode is so juicy! It's our first real exploration of fire-bending & what it means as a discipline, in my opinion. Sure, we've gotten snippets of Iroh & Zuko practicing & we got to witness an Agni Kai but we haven't gotten a lot of discussion about the nature of fire-bending.

It's a really fun bit of foreshadowing seeing Chey & Jeong Jeong's posters up beside Aang's - & of course, the Blue Spirit.

I have to say - Sokka really annoyed me for the first time in this re-watch during this episode. His obsession with safety & following the path makes sense most of the time because Katara & Aang can be quite chaotic. But in this particular instance, it does not make sense because he's completely ignoring the big picture here: Roku has informed Aang that he NEEDS to master ALL FOUR elements by the end of the summer. Aang needs to jump at the chance to be exposed to fire-bending, & even more so it makes complete sense for him to push to actually LEARN FIRE-BENDING. I forgave him by the end though because I love it when Protective Big Bro Sokka pops out & we got to see that in a major way when Aang accidentally burned Katara. My man really tackled the Avatar for making his little sister cry. King shit only.

I loved the overarching arc of this episode with the revelation that Jeong Jeong was Zhao's master, & Aang's incredibly satisfying & entertaining battle with Zhao which culminated with Zhao self-destructing due to having no self-control.

I can't blame Aang for pushing the fire-bending lessons along, even though it was an important lesson for him that fire can be dangerous & chaotic. From his perspective, he's just trying to learn this discipline fast because he doesn't have much time & this is a rare opportunity. I noticed that he used movements almost identical to his air-bending when bending the fire that burned Katara.

I thought that was interesting. These techniques were too chaotic for someone who had not learned control. It drills home the message that Aang first needs to learn earth & water-bending.

Also, I noticed that Aang's attitude toward fire-bending is very similar to what we've seen with Zuko. He wants to rush everything along. He doesn't care about learning breathing techniques & boring control. This is the issue that leads to Zhao's defeat in this episode. And it's the thing that will eventually hold Zuko back until he understands the true nature of fire-bending.

Speaking of the true nature of fire-bending - I think this episode shows us an extreme that's not ultimately productive. Jeong Jeong is obsessed with control to his own detriment - he hates his own element. Aang ends the episode vowing to never fire-bend again because of one mistake, even though, as Katara says, he will have to eventually. The Fire Nation has embraced all the most destructive qualities of fire. This is why Zhao defeats himself in the battle with Aang.

As we'll learn though, there is more to fire. This is so important to the show because it's ultimately about balance. The Avatar needs to understand all four elements. But so far, we've only seen the most destructive & dangerous side of fire-bending so of course, Aang fears it. With time, we'll see how fire fits into the balance of the world, but not yet. I just love narratives about balance & this show does it so incredibly well.

Oh, & we got to learn about Katara's healing powers in this episode! I love how they came to her naturally. Katara's healing abilities just make so much sense for her character & I love it.

Anyway, that is all I have for this episode - I'm really looking forward to more discussion about the four elements & how they're all connected.

#the deserter #atla book 1 #atla re-watch #image ids in alt text

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (12-18 May 2024)

the fucking contempt that dripped from his voice!

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😊 Tea and No Sympathy (who_la_hoop) - 70K, drarry - enjoyable enough, set 2 yrs post war, draco gets stuck in a time loop & learns some things

😊 That's What You Get For Waking Up In Vegas (Oh_i_swear & ThePirateStorm) - 96K, shrunkyclunks - cute & entertaining - ymmv depending on your threshold for lots of britishisms in the dialogue of two ostensibly american guys + highly unrealistic kid behavior

😊 head above water (yourblues) - 91K, hocky rpf, started almost too slow burn for me since I don't know the characters involved but well written & compelling enough that I wanted to know & then about halfway thru I was fully in

😍 This, You Protect (Infinite Coffee & Protection Detail #1) (owlet) - 64K, recovering WS Stucky, one of the preeminent classics in the Stucky fandom featuring Cat Eleanor, The Olds, grilled cheeses and sheep pj pants.

💖💖 +56K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

Kelly, the Well-Meaning and Very Confused Barista (chaya) - MCU: barbershop quartet, 6K - "An outside observer confuses the 'barbershop quartet' as one woman with a really bad habit for cheating. Complete fluff." - I really love a well-done outsider POV

and now you will not be alone any more (pocky_slash) - X-Men: cherik, 5K - "Erik gives driving, sewing, and cooking lessons, soothes nightmares, bolsters self-esteem, and still can't figure out why Charles keeps smiling at him like that." - love stories where Erik's like a feral cat that accidentally domesticates itself without realizing it

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Girls5eva - s1, e2

That '90s Show - s1, e1-2

The Unicorn - s1, e1-2

QI - series U, e9-15

Murdoch Mysteries - s16, e21

The Brokenwood Mysteries - s10, e3

Dead Boy Detectives - s1, e1

D20: Fantasy High: Junior Year - "Ragenarok (Part 1)" (s21, e19)

D20: Adventuring Party - "Only Cowgirls Get the Blues" (s16, e19)

Doctor Who - s1 (series 14), e3

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Musée Mécanique

Re: Dracula - May 12: What Manner of Man is This

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - To the Moon and Back with Rebecca Boyle

Shedunnit - Bonus: The Chalet School

The Sporkful - Bringing Georgia O’Keeffe To Life With Her Recipes

99% Invisible #581 - It's Howdy Doody Time!

Decoder Ring - How the Jalapeño Lost Its Heat

WikiHole - Nathan Lane (with Zach Woods, Jeff Hiller and Katie Dippold)

Under the Influence - The Gong Show: Ads That Could Never (Ever) Run Today

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Bonnie and Clyde Ambush Museum

WikiHole - Patrick J Adams (with Bowen Yang, Mary Beth Barone and Marie Faustin

Points North - The Legend of Heike's Tombs

The Allusionist - 194. Word Play 4: Good Grids

Pop Culture Happy Hour - I Saw the TV Glow is weird and transfixing

Switched on Pop - Is pop music just fast food? (with Gastropod)

The Fandom Show - 29: The Golden Girls (with Tricia Black)

Dinner’s on Me - Zachary Quinto

99% Invisible #582 - Rocket Man

Vibe Check - Saying the Quiet Part Out Loud

Re: Dracula - May 15: Lizard Fashion

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Looking to the past and future of Black Twitter

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Underwater Sculpture Gardens

Welcome to Night Vale #248 - Mother Lauren

The Fandom Show - (NEW) Doctor Who

Re: Dracula - May 16: This Man Belongs to Me

Wild Card - Why Chris Pine gave up on being perfect

Wild Card - Chris Pine on performing the role of "movie star" + more Issa Rae (Wild Card+)

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Gabbing Goblins with Colin Dickey

Dinner’s on Me - Harry Shum Jr.

Persuasion by Jane Austen - Persuasion 1. | Meet the Elliots

The Fandom Show - Our Flag Means Death

Short Wave - Scientists Reveal Mysterious Origin of Baobab Trees, Rafiki's Home in 'The Lion King'

Dear Prudence - My Mom Forgot to Take Her Medicine and “Accidentally” Made Racist Remarks. Help!

It's Been a Minute - Bumble & the trap of modern dating; plus, living ethically in COVID's aftermath

Endless Thread - Catfish for dinner

Strong Songs - "Easter Theatre" by XTC

Dinner’s on Me - Danielle Brooks

Re: Dracula - May 18: It was No Dream

99% Invisible - The Power Broker #05: Brandy Zadrozny

Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! - Maya Hawke

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Sweetheart Soul

The Romantics Radio • Familiar

The Essential Survivor [Survivor] {2014}

My Supermix

AM In The A.M.: '70s Pop Morning

"Beach Baby" [First Class] radio

#sunday reading recap #bookgeekgrrl's reading habits #bookgeekgrrl's soundtracks #fanfic ftw #dropout tv #british comfort murders #i'm all caught up on qi eps #having an endless search for a 30 min show i can watch during dinner or laundry folding that won't take up too much brain #the romantics #survivor #'70s pop music #99% invisible podcast #decoder ring podcast #pop culture happy hour podcast #the fandom show podcast #dinner's on me podcast #the allusionist podcast #vibe check podcast #endless thread podcast #re: dracula #persuasion by jane austen (ballarat national theatre) podcast #the atlas obscura podcast #welcome to night vale #it's been a minute podcast #shedunnit podcast #switched on pop podcast #the sporkful podcast #wikihole podcast #wild card podcast #strong songs podcast

[maaruin]

Oh, and the waterbending fight between Pakku and Katara looked really bad in the live action. They tried to recreate the one from the cartoon pretty closely but it looked a lot less dynamic - probably a limitation of the medium, but then it would have been better to change it up completely.

#the very first thing they should have done making the live action was to take time and experiment with how to best translate the bending #before any casting before any costume design before any writing #even if the writing had remained as mediocre as it is if the bending looked amazing that would still make the series worth re-watching #but it is as mediocre as the writing #avatar the last airbender #atla netflix #atla netflix spoilers #atla netflix critical #atla live action #atla live action spoilers #atla live action critical #atla live action s1e7 #now off to re-watching the 'the waterbending master'

[theplatinumcritter]

So like... If Blue Spirit has a bounty on his head... But prince Zuko also has a bounty on *his* head...

If you capture Blue Spirit and unmask him and see is prince Zuko... Do you get both bounties or...?

#I'm in the middle of a ATLA re-watch #And now I have questions #Cause both were wanted by the fire nation #atla #avatar the last airbender #the last airbender #prince zuko #blue spirit #atla zuko #atla blue spirit

[slyandthefamilybook]

MY LIEGE. HE MEANS YOU HARM

#atlas entry #I'm re-watching S1 of Shadow and Bone #ever since I watched that vid that line has wormed its way into my vocabulary

[tragedykery]

I just remembered this but a while ago I mentioned to my brother that aang & katara have three kids and at first he was horrified (“aang is twelve!!!”) but then he said he thought there should be one girl, one boy, and one nonbinary kid, and that their names should be gert, geert, and gerda

#elli rambles #bumi? no he’s called geert now. and he’s nb #he’s anab #assigned nonbinary at brother #brother tag #jupiter rewatches atla #<- sure this goes there since it was technically during our (re)watch #also btw those names are somewhat of a meme between my siblings and me. just bc they’re so horribly dutch

[hartmannyoukaigirl]

love how I started monster as like 'lets get into this deep anime !! I'll like it :)' only to struggle watching for months only to get to ep 30 something and then. out of all series. I got into. sonic. and watched the majority of its anime ( that's 70 something ep btw ) in like a week. no words

#the ONLY !!!!!! kids media that i like tbh #ive watched the popular ones like atla & grvity falls and theyre nice but like . that's it #idk why ive had a permenant brain rot since i was like .. 7 for sonic though. that re awakened now when i watched the movies and. and. #*IMMENSE SOBBING* #Yeah . yeah #i literally never cared abt pokem0n ever in my life i tried to when i was 9 but still didnt #other popular game series like mario and kirby are sooooooo mid. again. never cared #its the stupid ( not ) blue hedgehog that made me go like YEAH THIS WILL BE AN ABSOLUTELY TIMELESS INTREST AND I WONT GET TIRED EVER OF HIM #its the. shapes and colors #← 4 yo #to be fair i AM a kid. i just began watching higu and pmmm at age 8 so i kinda . Yeah