#i'm working on an ozai piece

[seyaryminamoto]

Fic-to-Art #38: Ozai carries Azula to the physicians' wing

This has been done for A WHILE now, but I didn't post it because the past days have been chaotic and not just on a personal level. For one thing, I really wasn't eager to drop this when people were losing their shit massively over the liveaction and its recontextualization of Azula and Ozai's dynamics, I didn't look forward to releasing this just to be told that whatever I've done in my story is somehow wrong, sooooooooo... that held me back, for a few days.

Then? The AI-Tumblr deal started to be talked about and I may or may not have freaked out about that too. Sooo... this is the first glazed and nightshaded piece of my creation, as consequence. The original, clean and proper version is available in my Patreon. Is this me being a dick to Tumblr-only people? Unfortunately, it very much isn't, I'm not trying to say that if you want the best iterations of my art, you should pay me for it... this is squarely, entirely, at staff/the CEO's feet. Obviously, there's the insecure side of me that goes "what makes you think they'd steal YOUR art when there are so many better artists out there!" but ultimately? AI is about taking everything en masse. It isn't a matter of developing a criteria about who makes the better art... it's just taking EVERYTHING and trying to repurpose it in whatever twisted way it needs to. Therefore? I think my choice is more of a matter of caution than anything else. Once AI bullshit dies out (and I really hope it does), we may just return to the same level of quality across all my accounts. For now, it is what it is.

ANYWAY! Point is this artwork is very much what my Patrons happened to vote for this month, a very shocking scene where Ozai reacted in the least foreseen way to Azula being attacked. Azula's confusion/terror comes from a place of not knowing what to do and being powerless to stop her father even if she doesn't feel comfortable with his help... but for once, Ozai isn't making a dreadful choice that will only devastate his daughter. He's actually worried about her health... and feeling genuine guilt over what landed her in the situation where she was in danger in the first place. Yes. I like me my complex Ozai who finally learned actions have consequences. He bores me to death otherwise :') if anyone STILL doesn't know that this whole situation is Gladiator-specific, then I shall clarify fully: this is artwork based on my fic. It's about a story that has been developing these characters for ALMOST ELEVEN YEARS now. It has nothing to do with whatever's going on in canon or in the liveaction, the scene in question was written almost two years ago and the artwork proposed and voted for several days before the liveaction aired. Ergo: there is no connection between this and that. Nor am I saying through this piece that Ozai is a good father. He is not. He can still be an interesting character to work with on a narrative level anyway :')

Alright. With that out of the way, hope you guys like this piece! The big one I haven't posted is ALSO finished, also glazed and nightshaded, but I think I might just end up posting it on the 26th if I don't have time to do anything big for our eleventh anniversary... yep, I'm so busy I don't even have a huge project in mind this time. Also? I have a lot to write and I'm finally happily writing it, and I would like to continue doing that...

Anyway! If you would like to be part of the creative process behind this piece, as well as see it in its proper, OG, less color-bleeding clunky version? A $1 Patreon pledge gives you the chance to join in suggesting prompts, voting for them and reading Gladiator snippets 6 days before a new chapter is released!

#fic-to-art project #ozai #azula #obviously this was the February piece #and I'm very sorry for the long time it took me to post it but #god I hate it every time there's any “new” thing going on in this franchise #has nothing to do with me and yet it's always a pain because people with the STALEST takes #start to spring out and start trying to police what's going on in the fandom #even people with sense are saying things that blow my mind lately #... so yeah I don't feel entirely safe posting anything to do with my work lately #but hopefully that will change :') #for now enjoy this one

[spacedace]

Working on (yet another) ATLA wip in which during the invasion Azula helps Zuko escape and goes with him (because her beloved dumbass of a brother clearly has not been paying attention to all her subtle warnings on how not to get dead and clearly needs a more direct approach at keeping him alive and mostly in one piece). And in the process of getting the fuck out of dodge, Bato who's been separated from everyone else ends up accidentally crashing their escape party along with Toph and the four of them end up on the run together.

Toph gets along with the two runaway royals who are as suspicious and untrusting if Bato as he is them...at least until the fire siblings unintentionally trauma dump about their fucked up childhood and Bato decides "I'm dad now" and adopts them against their will.

Eventually Azula and Zuko just give up on fighting it and are like "okay cool, you're gonna be Firelord after we kill Ozai and then we can just chill for like, five god damn seconds"

And anyway eventually they all meet up with the Gaang and Hakoda and co and it's just like...

Hakoda:

This is my daughter Katara: Master Water Bender, Teacher of the Avatar, brave and true of heart.

And my son Sokka: genius inventor, master strategist, unmatched in his fierceness and loyalty.

Bato:

This is my new daughter Azula. She'll sell your soul to satan for a fire flake and then use that fire flake to take over hell.

And this is my new son Zuko. He's faral and will probably bite you. Don't leave him alone too long or he'll probably end up trying to fight god again.

And this is Toph... I don't know if I've adopted her or if I'm being held hostage but either way I've started saving up for the next time I have to bail her out of jail.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko #azula #toph beifong #bato #hakoda #sokka #katara #zuko and azula adore toph #eventually Mai and Ty Lee also show up and Bata has to update his intro to include his other two daughters #hakoda is very confused #anytime anyone tries to get Bato to do anything his kids say that the person can't talk to the fire lord that way #iroh and bato have a dad-off

[missaccuracy]

Note: if your choice is the "other" option, please, explain in the comments what it is.

Well, here we are, "Firebending teacher" has won. I have to say, I'd go with that option too. Specifically, I'd like to combine Firebending teacher with General and let me explain why.

"An artist" Azula can be interesting, but what bothers me about this concept and its popularity, is that for the most part, it relies on the notion that Azula didn't enjoy being a great firebender and military tactician in the show, and she did it just for Ozai's approval, therefore it's toxic and Azula should get rid of her father's influence.

I just don't think it's true. Azula was under Ozai's influence, but that doesn't mean she didn't like firebending and commanding. It's important to remember that Azula is a LEADER herself, and removing that part of her character wouldn't be satisfying.

I guess people just link Azula's tactical military abilities to an imperialism, which is something she needs to unlearn. So they headcanon her doing something completely unrelated to it.

But while an imperialism is wrong, there's nothing wrong with having a military mind, because it can be used for good.

It just feels like rewriting her character from a "bad" girl, who canonically enjoyed fighting, scheming and planning, to a "good" girl, who's now enjoying "peaceful" things instead.

The same reason applies to a "therapist", even though it's an intriguing idea.

Azula would be an effective politician, but she would have to work with Zuko in this case. Not that I think they can never repair their relationship, but I just want for both Zuko and Azula to live their own lives, apart from each other, even if there's no bad blood anymore.

I personally believe that the best way to do that is to make Azula a teacher and a commander of an elite firebenders. Sort of what we saw in the comics, but doing it right, when she would teach not only fighting, but also command her warriors. Maybe she would even help her students, being kind of a therapist in the process and giving them her own piece of advice. Maybe in her own free time she would learn some arts, as well.

But everyone's free to have their own opinion. What many people have suggested in the "other" option was also very interesting to read. Thank you for voting and leaving a commentary unser this poll.

#atla #azula #redemption #poll

[roseverdict]

Writing Commissions Open!

Hey howdy hey, guess who's broke and whose brain has latched on to the idea of getting a bike or a trike to get places other than the one (1) coffee shop in walking distance!

YEP. I need to open commissions.

However, I do have at least one thing going for me- I'm told I'm fairly good at writing things! Fanfic things, at least. While I'm not dumb enough to outright go "hey, pay me to write fanfiction," I figure I can at least point out some fanfics I've written that seem to have gone over well as examples of my work, since that's most of what I've got for proof of my skills.

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I'd show more, but Tumblr won't let me add more images, and even these fought me Tooth And Nail when I was trying to format them properly. Truly a functioning website.

Hopefully these kind of give an idea of the vibes I'm strongest with, too. Pricing and rules will be under the cut. I do have a target I'm trying to reach here, but depending on how well this goes, I might end up keeping commissions open indefinitely. We'll see. :D

DM me if you're interested!

Things I'm Comfortable Writing:

Original Storylines (Brief primer on the world/characters I'll be writing with will be required)

Things like the pieces shown on my AO3 account

OCs

Y/N-style pieces (both with and without the actual usage of "Y/N")

Mild Romance

Gore/Severe Injury

Body Horror

Whump

Look, if it's in the Danny Phantom phandom and basically nowhere else, I'm probably just fine writing it, despite its intensity xD

Things I Will Not Write:

Smut. There's no shame in enjoying it, I just. Don't.

Incest. Absolutely NONE. Even leaving aside the whole debate about whether or not people should ship incest ships, I would not be able to enjoy writing it, which would make the resulting work of low quality, which would be a huge waste of time for everyone involved.

Pedophilia- specifically, ships with a minor and an adult multiple years their senior. See above. 17yo x 18yo is pushing it, but depending on the circumstances, I might allow it. They aren't exactly in completely different phases of life there. However, I'm in my 20s and don't particularly want to think about or write about kids the age of my youngest brother dating people my age or older, you feel me?

Bigotry presented to the reader as a positive thing. I'm not gonna write your favorite heroic character declaring OOC that minorities are terrible people. If you want something from the POV of a character meant to be terrible, such as someone like Fire Lord Ozai in AtLA, however, I may be willing to write it.

I reserve the right to refuse any commission and not have to explain why. Person-to-person, though, this will likely only come up if someone tries to commission something that crosses these lines and refuses to acknowledge such.

Payment: 5¢ USD per word. This works out to…

$12.50 for 250 words

$25 for 500 words

$50 for 1K words

and so on.

I'll need half the payment up front as a deposit, then the rest upon completion. If, for whatever reason, I fail to write the commission, you will be refunded in full.

If you pay me for a given number of words, I will do my best to stick to it. I will make sure you at least get your money's worth, but if I just can't quite fit the writing into the given limit, I won't charge you for the extra words. Call it 100 words or so of wiggle room.

A commission for a fic 1K or larger that runs 100 words or less over the intended length will not cost extra

A commission for a fic between 500 and 999 words that runs 50 words or less over will not cost extra

A commission for a fic 499 words or below that runs 25 words or less over will not cost extra

A commission for a fic that has enough going on to run over that limit will result in me contacting you to ask for either a scaled-down plot or payment for the extra writing.

I will not consider calling a commission complete until I can hit the target wordcount at minimum.

If it should happen that I just can't make a scene stretch to the full wordcount, but you still want to keep what is written, the words that were not written will be refunded.

#writing commissions #writing comms open #id in alt text #atla #rottmnt #tmnt #gravity falls #gf #msa #mystery skulls animated #ninjago #steven universe #steven universe: future #animator vs animation #ava/m #sticks #su #suf #trike saga

[confused-much]

I'm on the 5th episode of live action ATLA and so far I enjoy watching it. Is it the perfect copy of the original cartoon? No. Does this make it bad? Also no!

There are changes to the story and characters but for me it doesn't make it that bad. I don't treat this show as the perfect retelling of the cartoon, just a different version of the story. And honestly? With that mindset watching the show is better.

Of course, this show is not without flaws. Zuko's scar is tiny, Aang doesn't really get to be kid that much, Sokka lost his misogyny, Katara lost her anger.

But at the same time, I feel like the change of their character traits works. Aang isn't thinking only about fun because he feels guilty for abandoning the world. From the first episode people tell him that because he was absent, the war went on. Of course Aang will want to help others now. Of course he will think of going to North Pole, especially since Kiyoshi told him to go there.

Sokka lost his misogyny but he still has different traits. He's struggling to be a warrior, he doesn't think that his engineering skills are worthy pursuing. His scenes with Suki are for me at least adorable to watch. They are both awkward in different ways because this is the first time they see someone from their opposite sex from a different nation. Of course Sokka would want to flex. Of course Suki would try to show off her fighting skills - she's a god damned Kiyoshi warrior and a daughter of the ruler of the village, of course skills in a fight will be her major focus.

Katara lost her anger, true. I think the scene with discovering Aang is weak. But she still gets a mini arc about her emotions and grief/PTSD from the night her mother died. She still is shown as brave when she decides to go against Zuko and his crew alone while Aang was talking to Kiyoshi. And she still has her morals during Omashu.

So for every disappointment, I feel we get something in exchange. At least in the first 4 episodes.

I really like how they empathize the war and how cruel it is. And also that even in Fire Nation there are rebels who oppose Ozai. Sozin's attack at Air Nomads was heartbreaking, seeing how the Air Nomads fought but ultimately lost due to comet was chilling. I feel that people blaming Aang and accusing him of running away and disappearing is also well done because that's something that would happen. People would lost hope, people would try to test Aang or accuse him.

Also, as a Kataang disliker, I am SO glad that so far, I don't see any romantic/cute scenes with Katara and Aang. The secret tunnel is great because we don't have implied kiss between Katara and Aang, instead we are shown a sibling love. I hope this trend continues and that Katara and Aang won't have any romantic scenes. I mean, the kid is 12, Katara is 14 and she had to grow up really fast. She's more like an older sister to him than a potential crush.

Overall, so far I like this show. It's not as awesome and true to the source material as One Piece live action (because OPLA IS the best live action adaptation, go watch it!) but it's still a nice watch. I feel like some people just don't want to give this show a chance simply because it's not the original. Like, why we can't have both?

#avatar the last airbender #atla #atla live action #katara #aang #sokka #i didn't talk about zuko #but he's great so far

[geotheraider]

ATLA Live Action Thoughts

Well hello there! After letting the events and creative choices of the Live Action ATLA show absorb for about 24 hours after finishing the series, I think it's time to put my thoughts to the page.

Yes, that was a mouthful of a sentence. Sorry about that.

To start things off, I loved it! Did I love every single part? Not exactly, but the creative choices and how everything was weaved together? YES! It felt exactly like a fairly well-put-together fanfiction for me. It incorporated loved pieces of the show while warping them slightly to fit within the creator's vision.

Now, we all like lists right? I know I do, so let's do some listing.

The Good:

The CGI for the fights was pretty well awesome alongside the choreography for the scenes. While some fights lacked a bit of depth (Katara vs Pakku) and certainly could have had more oomph with more length, I can still appreciate them for what they are.

To add to that, the bending looked freaking awesome! The earthbending had a signature ..crunch to it, water flowed, fire was punchy (though had one small bit to be desired - I'll address this later) and air was flighty.

The CGI creatures were great IMO. Momo was a little gremlin, which fits him perfectly. He was still cute in spite of his gremlinosity. Appa - I absolutely loved him. I think he's as good as he could possibly look in the media. He's still a ten-ton flying monstrosity of a bison, and he's perfect. He's fluffy. He's Appa. OSTRITCH HORSES! They were awesome and looked like living dinosaurs - nuff said.

The acting and line delivery, while rougher in the early episodes flourished as each episode went onward and the kids got more comfortable/experienced. You could really tell they were giving it their all, and I applaud them! Awesome work on their part!

Storytelling - the combination of different episode topics together flowed rather well! I really enjoyed them putting together the things they did.

And now for a bit of a read more for spoilers.

The storytelling was rather well done, especially things like adding Omashu, Jet and the freedom fighters, and the Mechanist (as well as the cave of the two lovers) together. Overall, it played well, and I'd like to think it was a good approach NOTE: This is from someone who is actively adapting the series in my own fanfic, and I can see aspects of that approach in the adaptation. I love to see it!

Ozai playing his children against each other is probably one of my favorite aspects of the entire thing! He's a manipulator in this version, which if they were going to have him on-screen rather than the ominous shadow emperor, then I think this was probably the only choice. I loved it.

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The not good not bad:

Nudging the story in a darker direction was a choice. I know I just spoke at length about how I liked the creative choices and I'm not sure how I feel about this one. As someone who's throwing a lot of trauma at the characters in his fanfic, It can be a lot. To have that on screen is difficult since it can end up hiding characters' sense of being if not handled correctly.

Katara - in the animated show - always a go-getter, filled with righteous anger, not backing down, and strong-willed Katara - in the live-action show - fairly timid, but slowly growing over time into her strength of will. I wasn't a fan of the vision of Katara early in the season, but by the finale, it was starting to feel like her. (I still wish her fight with Pakku was better)

The family of Aang, Katara, and Sokka - I've seen quite a few posts talking about how they don't feel like a family in the live-action. In the animated show, after rewatching it recently, I feel like they didn't really grow toward a family unit until after the North Pole. They were good friends traveling together. Yes we had the line from the Southern Air Temple of 'We're your family now' but I don't think I truly felt it until season 2. Don't get me wrong, they were close, but I didn't get those true bonded feels until S2.

Iroh felt like Iroh half the time, and the other half, I'm not sure who he felt like, but it wasn't in a bad way? Like, we explored a different part of him. With his first interaction with Aang, we even saw him as the reluctant Fire Nation general. As he still was at that point. I can appreciate the change and don't mind it a ton.

Bumi. I think I've decided that Bumi was where Katara's righteous anger went. He doesn't immediately forgive Aang for disappearing, and then reappearing. Bumi has fought a war for a hundred years and has had to deal with ALL THAT for a hundred years. To say he'd be prickly is an understatement. Honestly? He has no reason to forgive Aang. I don't mind this change - though he could've toned down the dickishness IMO.

Katara's bending progression: In each episode of the show she improved both in skill and strength, when finally she fought Pakku, she used self-developed techniques. Those are the traits of a master bender. While we don't get to see her training with Pakku, or demonstrating that she truly has mastery over the element, we get shown that she has indeed grown immensely. A few extra training scenes would've gone a long way, especially with Aang.

Speaking of Aang. Aang had no water-bending training along the way north :( I would've liked to see that, but it's not a deal-breaker.

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The bad/meh- Let me preface this by saying I still love the show. There were a few moments that were lacking though (and one that was meh throughout):

The firebending, while amazing in almost EVERY SINGLE ASPECT, was lacking in one. FIREBLASTS AND FIREBALLS ARE SHOT FROM THE FIST, NOT GATHERED IN YOUR HAND LIKE CHI BLASTS. Sorry.

Katara. Where were your responses in some of those interactions? You sat there and listened (which in some cases is a good thing for someone expressing their emotions) but didn't respond when you could have/should have! I feel like we missed a bit of her character when we lost some of her in those. It's not enough to be a truly detracting piece of the show, but I should say that I wasn't a fan of that choice.

Roku was a bit...too unserious. He was the serious avatar in ATLA (in terms of brooding and wanting to help guide Aang.) He...got the Bumi jokes. That was an odd choice. I hope they revisit him in the future and he is able to redeem that aspect.

At the end, during the scene at the North where Aang gives himself over to the ocean spirit, I didn't really like the idea that the avatar was lost to the spirit. I also didn't like the "I need you" from Katara. Not from a shipping perspective, but from a character perspective. In the animated show, Katara spent a lot of effort showing that Aang is her hope for a better world. In the live-action, that wasn't there, so that line seemed out of place.

Hmm, four negative points. I'm sure there were more, but none are springing to mind at the moment, so perhaps I'll edit this later.

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Final thoughts.

I need to stress that the likeability of the show hinges heavily on how you approach it. If you approached the live-action hoping for a perfect retelling of the ATLA story, then you are going to be severely disappointed. If you instead approach it for what it is - an adaptation of the story, with nudges events in one way or another, and includes new approaches, then you'll love it. I went in expecting a fanfiction type of show, and I think I got more than expected. The kids gave this thing their all, and it shows! Everyone showed improvement through the episodes and by the end really fell into their roles.

I certainly hope the future has another (2) season(s) lined up because I'd love to see what twists and turns we're in for.

Oh yeah, and scarf. I liked the scarf scene. There is no shipping bait in Omashu.

#atla #geotheraider writes #avatar the last airbender #natla review #natla positive #natla spoilers #zuko #katara #aang #sokka

[natlacentral]

'Avatar: The Last Airbender’ Showrunner Teases Hints to Katara's Future Romance

It’s not easy tackling adapting something that is beloved by fans. Whether you’re a director stepping into a beloved franchise to reboot the series or a showrunner turning an animated show into a live-action show (after an already abysmal live-action movie), someone is going to end up disappointed. This is the challenge that showrunner Albert Kim was faced with when tasked to bring Avatar: The Last Airbender to life. Set in a world where some people are born with the power to manipulate natural elements like water, earth, fire, and air — called "benders" — the series follows Aang, the titular last airbender, who wakes up after being frozen in ice for 100 years to a world engulfed in war and turmoil. As the Avatar, a unique individual who can bend all four elements, it is his task to bring peace to the world.

We spoke with Kim about the challenges of adapting the series and what he considered to be essential to keep in the series versus what could be changed and expanded on. He discussed larger changes to characters like King Bumi (Utkarsh Ambudkar) and how he combined storylines for the shorter season. Kim also discussed what it was like casting Gordon Cormieras Aang and touched on bringing Azula (Elizabeth Yu) in earlier while giving Ozai (Daniel Dae Kim) some more personality. Finally, he touched on the romance between Katara and Aang(as seen in the animated series) and whether that would stay the same in the show.

Staying Loyal to the Spirit of the Animated 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' 

COLLIDER: When it comes to adapting Avatar: The Last Airbender, there were elements that I could totally see from the original animated series. What did you think needed to be in there? And then what did you feel like you could update when it comes to this live action series?

ALBERT KIM: There wasn't really any set litmus test, like, 'Alright, this is the element that will carry on and this won’t." It was more about trying to understand what the spirit of the original was. And that's kind of what I told everyone, whether it was the writers or the directors, or the crew, you know, what we want to do is be faithful to the spirit of the original, rather than being a note-for-note translation of it, because that was never going to be possible. So, when you took it that way, and then there was sort of the formal challenge of adapting what was 20 half-hour episodes of animated television to an 8-hour serialized drama for Netflix, certain pieces started to fall into place when we did that.

One of the first things I did was lay out all 20 episodes on the whiteboard as to what the plots were, and then just took a look at it as if it was one, long narrative thread rather than individual episodes. And when you do that, certain elements start to pair off thematically, whether it's like Jet and the Mechanist, being both characters who are good at heart, but driven to extreme behavior by war. And the interesting theme that emerged was that they would be adversaries, even though they're both good characters. So that's a conflict that we decided to play.

When you start looking at the entire season, that way, certain threads start to appear. And so, like I said, there wasn't any kind of like, "We have to include this, we have to include that." Although, I will say there are certain things that I personally said, "I'm going to include that." Like, I was always going to have cabbage man in there, you know, there was no way we're losing the cabbage man. So like I said, yeah, we'll work him in.

But that was kind of the process. And then along that way, there are certain things — I think the hardest decisions we have to make is what to leave out. I'm sure we did not get to someone's favorite episode, or character, or scene, or even sequence. And I feel their pain, because I wish we could have gotten to a lot of those. But it was just some of those hard choices you had to make. Because in addition to, as you saw, adapting some of the elements from the original, we added new material, we're going off in new directions narratively, and we needed to give those room to breathe as well.

Was There Ever a Plan To Stretch Out the Season's Plot?

Just picking up off of that, obviously, a lot of showrunners would like longer seasons. But did you ever considering splitting the first book in half and spending a little bit more time, given the shorter seasons that we have in the live-action?

KIM: I don't recall ever having that conversation with Netflix. For one thing, I joined the process when the show had been in development for a little bit of time with the original creators. And so I think that was the parameters that were laid out even when I joined. But even after that, I don't think we ever discussed going longer. I mean, Netflix has their own criteria for the length of the season and the length of episodes and things like that. So, those weren't always my call.

But yeah, I don't think we talked about taking the first season of the animated series and stretching it out any longer. It was my call as to how we told that story. Like I always knew, I wanted, like the original, our heroes to start in the Southern Water Tribe and end in the Northern Water Tribe, which meant pretty much replicating the original series. So that was the process by which that came about.

Gordon Cormier Was the Perfect Aang in 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'

I just want to talk about the casting process a little bit and, specifically, working with these young actors. I really loved Gordon [Cormier] in this series. I feel like it can be really difficult casting Aang because so much rests on his shoulders, and it has to be a young actor. Can you talk about working with him and what you saw in him that would be perfect for this role?

KIM: With Gordon, what you see is what you get. I mean, he is Aang. It seems a little cliché to say that, but he really is like when the camera’s shut off, he acts the same way. You yell cut, and he jumps off, and he runs around, and he hops, and he used to sit on my chair all the time. II would go back to my chair, and he'd be sitting there like, "You don’t mind, right?" And then, he would hop off. If he's telling a story, he's acting it out. I mean, he was Aang.

In the process of auditioning, it was one of those things, where, because we were casting a very young actor, and because we were looking at specific ethnic communities, and also because of the auditioning process was conducted in top secret, so they couldn't know what show they were auditioning for. I had to write fake scenes for all of them. I wasn't really listening to specific lines during the audition, it was more about looking into those personalities and seeing who was it that captured the essence of Aang, and every time we just kept coming back to Gordon.

He didn't know he was auditioning for Aang, so, he wasn't playing to that character at all. He didn't know it was Avatar. So, like I said, it was more about looking past the specifics of the scenes that he was playing and more about the essence of who he was. I gotta say, I think that's where we ended up with all of our characters. I think Ian [Ousley] has that natural sardonic sense of humor in person that his character does. And same with all of them. So like, that's how the casting process went about.

Kim Explains Major Changes to Characters Like King Bumi

And speaking a little bit about the series and things that did change, I noticed when I was watching through the series, that there are some characters who have different personalities compared to their animated counterparts. King Bumi really stands out to me as becoming more antagonistic. Can you talk about some of these decisions to change the direction of some of the characters? And can you tell me how that fits into your narrative?

KIM: Well, in the original series, King Bumi, is a really fun, eccentric character, and he puts Aang through a series of tests ostensibly to teach him the lesson that the Avatar has to be prepared for anything. And they're fun. Everyone enjoys that episode, and that's the reason why we wanted to do it. But for me, when I sat down to look at who Bumi was as a character, what was interesting to me was that this was a man who's lived for over a century, and endured a century of war, and has grown disillusioned, and what's really pained him throughout this is the idea that he was abandoned by his friend. He's still hurt at the fact that Aang the Avatar wasn't there for him.

On the flip side, Aang feels the burden of not having been there for his friend, like he wasn't there and what happened to Bumi is a microcosm of what happened to the world in general. That's his responsibility as Avatar. So, those emotional stories were the most interesting thing to me about that episode. So, in order to draw those things, it resulted in the story retelling and the changes we made. So, for instance, in the original series, Aang doesn’t find out that he’s Bumi until the very end of the episode. To us, it was more interesting if they knew who each other was at the start, so you could play that hurt. How you betrayed me and how a character like Bumi would go about getting that — he is not going to just come outright and say that, he's going to prove it to him. Here's what happened to me. Here's what you missed. Here's the pain that has happened while you were asleep, or frozen.

It’s when we approach the stories from that character perspective that some of those changes start to click in. So yeah, and at the same time, we had those elements from the original we wanted to work in. And so, even though we don't show Flopsy, we put big statues of Flopsy in his throne room, right, and like paintings on the walls. So it's a little bit of an Easter egg, I guess. But it's also an homage to the original episode. So all of those changes were done in the interests of making the characters' journeys be a little more grounded, I guess.

Bringing Azula and Ozai in Early Establishes Important Storylines

Yeah, definitely. I liked your decision to bring Azula in earlier. I think that's a great move, because now the audience can understand who she is. She doesn't just appear in the second season and become this fully formed character. But I also noticed that Fire Lord Ozai… It feels like he's playing a larger part in this story as well. Will we see his story have any changes? Because, I don't know, maybe it’s Daniel’s [Dae Kim] performance, but there’s a little bit of sympathy that I have for him and I don't know if I'm supposed to have sympathy for him.

KIM: I think that's great. I mean, I think that’s the idea of dimensionalizing all these characters is always great. Whether or not he's the villain, you know, you want to be able to feel that he's relatable in a way in that you understand how he got there. And to me, again, we had the benefit of hindsight of knowing what the characters will become and where Ozai goes. And like how important the family dynamic is, or the Fire Nation storyline.

And like Zuko’s entire character arc is tied up in the dynamics of his family. So being able to see the roots of that, by bringing in Azula earlier and showing what Ozai is doing in terms of being a manipulative parent, which — just speaking for myself, is very familiar to an Asian person — the parental expectations that come with that felt like a really good way to establish the storylines not just for this season, but possibly from going forward.

Kim Expresses Relief For Not Having To Exploring Katara's Romance

I have to ask this question, because I have wondered this myself, and also because I saw some of your interviews. But talking about the direction of Katara, who I think a lot of fans have interpreted in the original series as a little bit motherly — it’s probably too motherly of a role for the character. And I'm glad that I'm getting the sense that she's not leaning so much in that direction for the live-action show. But speaking on that, her romance with Aang is something that is reflective of that mothering dynamic. Are there any plans to change that up? I know some fans enjoy Katara and Zuko, I'm just going to put that out there...

KIM: [Laughs]

…but I'm curious if you have any insight on that.

KIM: I will say, hopefully, I'm smart enough not to get involved in that debate, because I know how passionate both sets of fans are. And I was fortunate in that it wasn't a big issue in the first season for us. Because, you know, practically speaking, there are certain things you can do with animated characters that you can't with live action ones when it comes to something like that.

It's not something that we hit very much head on in the first season there. If you look carefully, there are little hints, especially in the final episode of what Katara is saying about Aang. So, we are obviously aware of where it goes in the original series, but it's more of a future issue and a future storyline to be dealt with. So I was, even for myself, I was very relieved to put a pin in it, so I wouldn't have to deal with it in the first season. But yeah, it'll be interesting to tackle that one.

Adjusting Characters for Live-Action Does Not Take Anything Away From the Story 

Yeah, I understand. And I saw some of the fan backlash that came out from your comments about Sokka. And I'm just wondering if this fan backlash scared you a little bit, when it comes to interacting with the fans?

KIM: I understand the reaction. I think it's because people, in that particular instance, are acting in a vacuum. Like, they haven't seen the episodes yet, and they're so hungry for information. So they look through the trailers, the footage, and our comments in our interviews, and they can seize upon all these things to get an idea of what might be happening. But what I've been telling people is watch the episodes, and then we can have that discussion. Because, for now, it's all kind of vapor, you know? It's not like something that's concrete that we can talk about, because I think they'll come to see — whatever the comment was — that it was either blown out of proportion or slightly out of context.

And like you, having seen the series, I think you understand what I'm saying. We didn’t sap Sokka’s character arc in any way or make them less flawed. If anything, things were played maybe slightly more subtly in a more grounded way than it would be in an animated series. So, that's about it. And I saw all sorts of crazy things like, so Pakku is not going to be sexist? Again, having seen it now, I think, you know, we play exactly that same conflict.

But there are things that we drew upon from the original series. Even in the original series, the Southern Water Tribe is slightly more progressive than the Northern Water Tribe is, right? Because the Northern Water Tribe is a little more conservative and enclosed, that's reflected in our series as well. And I think you can see, even from the first two episodes, Sokka’s attitudes, maybe not so overtly stated, are rooted in old viewpoints and culturally passed down conceptions of all that stuff. So, that's all there. Again, let's watch the episodes and then we can have that discussion.

#albert kim #natla #atla #netflix avatar #netflix atla #avatar the last airbender #atla netflix #avatar netflix #interview #collider

[bonebabbles]

How is Clear Sky literally always worse than I remember him?? (I stopped DOTC at the third book I believe)

It may have something to do with the fact you stopped at Book 3, which is First Battle. The book after First Battle is The Blazing Star (and the one I'm posting from now), where the narrative has just decided to treat him as a completely new person.

He never addresses anything about how fucking awful he was in books 1 - 3. Book 4 hits and the book falls face-first into a "redemption arc" which is just everyone immediately forgiving him even though he's still a huge piece of shit. He's "Working Sooo Hard" to not randomly murder people and that means he's a good person, and the writers have a panic attack if any character goes more than 30 seconds without sucking his toes.

So if you're coming at it with Clear Sky from books 1 - 3 in mind, it's infuriating. You remember the actual character they wrote so the "redemption arc" feels as flat as it actually is. It's like watching Fire Lord Ozai suddenly be considered a good guy and the entire plot of Avatar changing midway through Book 2.

#Every time the characters fall over themselves to marvel at some mediocre thing clear sky does my brain is calling it- #a 'Clap At Baby' moment #he is a fucking. adult man. he is supposed to be a father. and the BARE minimum is cheered and clapped at #''oh how nice! my faaaaaaaaaaather said 1 nice thing about me'' #''oooooaaaaaaa my Dear Brother isnt ripping women to pieces he's just calling me a few slurs'' #''you can do it clear sky you can kill the evil cat you let into your own fucking clan youre so cooool :0'' #Clap At Baby moments #the ideal way to read this arc is to not. #the second best way to read this arc is to start at Book 4 and pretend the first 3 don't exist. #just like the writers did #just imagine 3 books instead. it'll be better. #dotc hate

[matcha-kisses]

V

wordcount: 3.6k+

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

It had been one year since Gramma had abandoned the Shang family. It was an incident that changed Yao and Bai forever. Their lives were so different now that Ming left.

Bai tried to keep her optimistic attitude for her Papa's sake. Yao started to act differently when Ming left. He didn't smile anymore, and he didn't talk unless it was absolutely necessary. He would never tell it, but Yao was hurting deeply. He understood why Ming wanted to leave, but he couldn't help but feel betrayed. He risked everything for her just to have her leave him. But, deep down, he knew what she needed. It just hurt him knowing he wasn't enough for his wife.

During this hard time, Bai began working at the palace full time. As Firelord Ozai said, he believed there was nothing holding Bai back from working. It was true, but it hurt Bai knowing he didn't even considered how she was feeling. But, he's the firelord; what is she to do?

Bai began taking on more tasks at the palace. She was still Zuko's and Azula's personal servant, but she also began to take on more duties. It felt a little overwhelming at times, but there was one person that kept her sane through it all.

Zuko

Zuko had been Bai's rock during her time of hardship. No matter how many times she told him to leaver her alone or that she was fine, Zuko was always there for Bai. Even though she's never told him, Bai is grateful for Zuko's encouragement and support. He helped find the light during such a dark place in life.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

"Hey, are you crying?"

Bai lifted her head from her lap to see Zuko was standing over her.

"I-I um.... yeah. But don't worry about it." Bai mumbled. The last thing she wants right mow is Zuko to see her like this- a crying, blotchy mess.

Zuko felt a piece of his heart break seeing Bai like this. He's always seen her happy and radiate. So, it's so hard seeing her so broken. Especially, when he knows the same kind of brokenness she's feeling.

When his father told him what happened, Zuko felt sick to his stomach. Memories of his own mother disappearing flooded his mind again. The pain of loosing a family member is unbearable and is so hard to heal from. You may never heal from it. Zuko knew exactly what Bai was feeling. He wanted to see her immediately. He bolted to the garden because he knew how much Bai loved it there. If she was anywhere, she'd be there.

And Zuko was right. He wanted nothing more in that moment to take away the pain he knew she was feeling.

Zuko didn't say anything. He figured that Bai didn't want to talk about what happened. Instead, he sat down beside her- not leaving until she does.

The two sat in peaceful silence until Bai broke it.

"Thank you."

She leaned towards Zuko, resting her head on his shoulder. Zuko felt his heart racing. Bai started smiling because she could feel it too. She's learned Zuko has a hard time receiving affection. But, he's learning that he doesn't mind it- as long as it's from Bai.

The two sat there like that for hours. The world didn't exist in that moment. It was only Zuko and Bai.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

"Hello, Bai!"

Bai snapped out of her thoughts and smiled. She knew that kind voice anywhere. It was General Iroh! Although, he tells her just to call him Iroh.

"Iroh!" Bai bowed. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"As well as I!" He said, pulling her into a hug. Bai was grateful for Iroh. He helped her papa out so much during the past year, which she was grateful for. She wanted to feel like she could help out her papa more, but it's hard to help someone out when you feel just as broken as they do. But, Iroh stepped in and made everything better. He understood what Yao was feeling since he lost someone as well- his son, Lu Ten. Plus, Yao and Iroh got along very well, considering they have the same taste of terrible jokes.

"Now, what is it that you wanted to talk about?" Iroh asked, although he has a feeling he knows what it's about. His nephew's birthday is coming up. It's no surprise that the young teens has feelings for each other and he's sure Bai is going to ask for the "perfect gift."

"Well, you know that Prince Zuko's birthday is coming up." She started.

Called it, Iroh thought to himself.

"And you and Zuko are very close. So, I was wondering, what do you think I should get him for his birthday?"

"Bai, why would you feel the need to get Prince Zuko a gift? He has everything he could ever dream of! Unless, you're hoping this gift could win over his affection?" Iroh teased.

Bai felt her cheeks turn blood red and could feel them getting hotter as every second passed by. She wanted to deny Iroh's assumptions but she couldn't find the words.

He let out a loud laugh seeing how Bai reacted. He didn't mean to make her feel so embarrassed!

"Don't worry, I'm only teasing, Bai."

"Of course." Bai said, hesitantly.

"But in all honesty, Bai, I don't think it'll matter what you get Prince Zuko for his birthday. I'm sure he'll like whatever you get him."

"But Iroh," Bai started. "He's a prince. He's probably use to getting these swords and armor for his birthday! And I just want to be able to get him something that he'll love, but I'll never be able to get him something like that."

Iroh smiled at the young girl. If only she could see that his nephew loves her, even if he won't admit it. He would be ecstatic that she would even consider to get him a gift.

"Bai, it doesn't matter if you get him an iron sword or a handwritten note. I have complete faith knowing that Prince Zuko will be happy with whatever you get him. Just look inside your heart. There, you will find the perfect gift for Zuko."

Bai felt a small relief wash over her, and she felt a little hopeful. Maybe she is worrying for nothing.

"You really think so, Iroh?" Bai asked.

"I know so, Bai. Now, I'm heading to the kitchen to get some tea. Would you like to join me?"

Bai laughed at Iroh's response. Of course he's getting tea. She never knew anyone to drink so much tea.

"I think I'm good, Iroh. I have my own duties to attend to, but thank you so much."

"Well, okay! But I hope you don't change your mind; there may not be any left." Iroh chuckled.

Bai shook her head in amusement. Iroh never failed to keep an upbeat attitude. She walked in the opposite direction, heading to tidy up the Firelord's wing.

Bai was so caught up in her thoughts that she wasn't even paying attention where she was walking.

"Woah! Better be careful, Bai."

Bai lifted her head and gazed upon the young prince. No matter how much Bai saw Zuko, he never failed to make her heart skip a beat. During the past year, Zuko gotten taller and his voice grew raspier. He'd also been training abundantly so his body became more fit. Bai's cheeks heated up after remembering catching Zuko without a shirt on. He didn't notice her, and Bai was thankful for that; she would've died on the spot.

He's so handsome, Bai thought to herself.

"S-Sorry, Prince Zuko." Bai stuttered.

Zuko couldn't help but smile at Bai's nervousness. She was so sweet and adorable, although he wouldn't tell her that; she'd get mad at him. Bai had turned very beautiful over the past year she'd stayed at the palace. Of course, Zuko thought she was beautiful when they first met. But somehow she turned even prettier as her face matured. Of course, she still seemed to get nervous around him whenever he came around.

"Bai, I've told you a thousand times, call me Zuko, please. There's no reason to be proper when it's just us two."

"I-I know, but it's just a habit. And I don't want to get in trouble." Bai said, mumbling the last part. Once, she thought her and Zuko was alone until she was called into the Firelord's throne room. He screamed at Bai for treating Zuko with such disrespect. Bai couldn't understand what he meant, considering she always tried treating the royal family with respect. But, somehow, Firelord Ozai heard Bai call Zuko by just his regular name and the consequences were dire for Bai. Ever since then, Bai had made a very conscious effort to address Zuko only as Prince Zuko.

Zuko nodded his head in agreement. He knew exactly what she was talking about. He felt like it was his fault Bai got in trouble that day. He wanted to tell his father it wasn't Bai's fault and that he had no business to yell at her, but he knew it would end terribly.

"Well, anyways, what were you and Uncle talking about?" Zuko asked, changing the subject.

Bai felt her heartbeat quicken upon hearing his question. She doesn't let him know that she was talking about him! It'd ruin everything.

"Oh, um... you know, tea." Bai said, unsure of herself.

Zuko felt like Bai was lying but of course, he wouldn't push it. He wouldn't want to make Bai feel more nervous that what she already does.

"Oh, okay. Well, I had a question I wanted to ask you."

What, Bai thought to herself. Why would Zuko want to ask me anything?

"Sure... what is it Prin- I mean, Zuko."

"Well, I was wondering-"

"Bai! You are needed in the Firelord's wing! It's best that you not keep him waiting!" Leang shouted.

Bai felt panic settling in her heart. Her palms grew sweaty and her heart was beating out of her chest.

"I-I've got to go Prince Zuko." Bai said, running away.

Zuko felt defeated as he watched Bai run to his father's room. He knew it was more important that she was at his father's hand instead- considering her father is not a man of mercy- but he hated how they were so brutally interrupted.

I guess I'll have to ask later.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

"What a day!" Bai thought aloud.

After tidying up the Firelord's room, she was all over the palace. She had to help Azula find an outfit for the party, serve the admirals and members of the counsel during the war meeting, and had to clean the entire ballroom by herself. Bai felt exhausted and wanted nothing more to fall into her bed. Luckily, she didn't have to walk far anymore since she sleeps at the palace now. Of course, it isn't a luxurious room. It was a lot smaller than the other room in the palace. It used to be an old storage room but the Firelord turned it into a bedroom for Bai. She'll admit, it felt a little nice feeling independent. But more than anything, Bai wanted to stay with her papa like old times. However, she understands why he won't let her.

After Ming left Bai and Yao, Yao became so frightened that everyone would leave him. He even stopped sleeping in his room and slept in the kitchen. So that way, he could see if Ming would come back and make sure Bai wouldn't leave. Eventually, Yao realized it was unhealthy to do so. So, he talked to his friend, Ozai, and he welcomed Bai in with open arms. Yao was grateful but shocked at the Firelord's choice. He never knew Ozai to be a compassionate man, but whenever he mentioned Bai, he was very merciful. It was weird to Yao, but nevertheless, he was grateful. Bai and him both knew he needed to start sleeping peacefully Shein. So now, Yao could see Bai everyday while feeling well rested.

Bai was ready to crash, but she knew she needed to do something more important first. She grabbed the empty bowl that sat beside her bed and ran to the bathroom to fill it up with water. After it was full, she sat it down on the table and began to do the same routine she always does before bed.

Bai kept her promise to Ming by practicing waterbending. Bai didn't want to at first. She didn't want to be reminded about her gramma who left her and Yao. But, once Bai started bending like Ming taught her, she felt at ease and at home, surprisingly. Waterbending was now how Bai felt connected with Ming. So, every night she practiced before bed. It was very risky, but it was one Bai was willing to take.

As Bai bended the water above her head, she heard a loud knock on the door. The knock scared her, causing Bai to drop the water all over her head.

Great! How am I going to explain this?

Bai tried finding a spare cloth quickly so she could dry her hair before she answered but the knocks wouldn't stop. They only became louder.

Who on Earth would want to see me? No one ever comes to see me.

Bai ran to the door, curious to know who was at her door. She figured it would be Zuko, since they've talked late many nights. Bai smiled softly at all those nights they spent talking. One night, Bai even confused her deepest secret to Zuko- that she was a waterbender. She thought he would hate her when she told him, but he didn't, actually. Bai never could've imagined Zuko to react the way he did that night.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

"Wait, you can what!" Zuko screamed.

"Shh! Be careful! Someone might hear you!" Bai whispered.

Zuko couldn't believe what Bai had told him. She could waterbend. He knew he should've guessed, considering when you looked into her eyes you could tell she was from Water Tribe decent. But to hear her say it was shocking.

"Bai... that's.... I just can't believe it!" Zuko said, excitedly.

"You're not mad?" Bai asked.

"What! No! I could never be mad at you. I think it's amazing you can bend. Of course, it'd be cooler if you could bend fire, but water is okay too."

"Hey! Don't hate on my waterbending!" She giggled.

Zuko smiled at the giggly girl beside him. It was moments like this he loved. The times where neither one of them are busy with duties. Where they're able to be free and true.

Although Zuko's smile faded when he realized the seriousness of Bai's confession. If Firelord Ozai found out the truth, he would banish Bai, or worse, kill her. He would think she's leading an invasion. Of course, Zuko knows Bai would never plan that, and she doesn't have the resources. But his father wouldn't.

"What's wrong, Zuko?" Bai asked, snapping Zuko from his terrible thoughts.

"Oh... um.... you haven't told anyone else about this, have you?"

"No." Bai started. "You're the only person I've ever told. You're the only one I've felt like I could trust."

Zuko couldn't help the smile growing on his face. Bai's words kept ringing in his ears over and over again.

"Really? I'm the only one that you could trust?" Zuko asked.

"Yes. I knew I could tell you because you wouldn't tell anyone."

Zuko grabbed Bai's smaller, smoother hand and looked her in the eyes. Bai worried Zuko would feel sweat growing on her hand due to how nervous she was now, but that wasn't important at the moment.

"Bai, I promise I will never ever share this secret."

"I know Zuko."

"No I mean it, Bai. I promise that I will never give you a reason why you can't trust me. I will always be the person you can come to about anything. No matter how big or small." Zuko affirmed.

Bai felt her heart pounding and ears ringing. She has never seen Zuko so affirming. It made the butterflies dance in her stomach. Whether Zuko felt the same way or not, Bai knew from that moment that she wanted to spend forever with him.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

The increasingly loud knocks snapped Bai from her memory. She ran to the door, figuring it would be best not to keep the other person waiting.

But to Bai's surprise, no one was at the door. She looked left and right to see if anyone was there, but no one was. She was about to close the door when something at her doorstep caught her eye.

It was a scroll wrapped up by a red and black ribbon. Bai picked it up quickly and shut her door.

Who would want to send me a note? Especially at this hour?

Bai thought maybe it was gramma, but she knew better than to think that. She knew that gramma was very happy back at home and wasn't worried about her or papa.

It's probably just some warning from Azula, she thought to herself. Azula had sent her notes like this before when she thought Bai did a poor job. But it wasn't from Azula either.

Dear Bai,

It is no surprise that you've made quite an impression on everyone at the palace. You fit right in and are adored by everyone. To be honest, you caught my attention the night of Princess Azula's party. You're a very sticking woman. But I feel as if you have more potential than to be a servant girl. You are able to do so much more than what you're doing now. Which is why I want to help you reach higher places. If you want to know more of what you can do, then please see me during Zuko's party. I hope to see you there.

Firelord Ozai

Bai gasped loudly and dropped the paper. The Firelord was the last person she would've ever thought would write to her.

Does Firelord Ozai really think I'm cable of doing more, Bai thought to herself. She remembered how he spoke lowly of her when she first started working. But now, he thinks she's capable of doing more. And he even thinks she should be doing more!

But things aren't usually so simple with it comes to Firelord Ozai. He's a complicated man; it's hard to tell his motives.

But what if he's being serious?

Bai decided she wouldn't worry about it anymore. It was late after all. A good nights rest would help ease her mind.

Bai slipped out of her work clothes and into her night gown before jumping in the bed. She tried to calm her overactive mind, but she couldn't. Thoughts of new possibilities flooded her mind. There was so much she could do and she could make a difference here. And who would've thought the Firelord is giving her this chance!

But what if there's more to it, Bai questioned again. Bai sighed in annoyance at her indecisiveness. This is going to be a long night.

Bai decided she'd talk to Zuko about it first thing tomorrow morning. If there was anyone that could help her out, it was Zuko. Besides, she trusts him with all of her heart. She knows he'll point her in the right path.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

"Absolutely not!" Zuko yelled.

"Prince Zuko, let’s be reasonable about this." Iroh calmly stated- quite the opposite tone from his hotheaded nephew. "We've sat here and thought of all the different choices; this is the only possible way."

"Uncle, I'm not sure I can do it!" Zuko screamed.

"Prince Zuko, you must! It's what is right! Deep down you know it's the truth."

"No! I won't do it! I asked for your help so-"

"And I am helping you!" Iroh interrupted. "There is no other possible way!"

Zuko let out a scream of frustration, hot flames leaving his mouth. He knows his Uncle Iroh is right. There is no other way, which is why it makes Zuko so angry. He has to do this. It's the right move to make.

But why does it feel so wrong?

"Prince Zuko, I know this feels wrong to you." Iroh started, answering Zuko's thoughts. "But it's the only way. You and I both know this."

"But what if something happens to-"

"Prince Zuko." Iroh interrupted. "You know that this is your only choice."

Zuko let out a sigh of disappointment. He know Iroh means well. His uncle has never steered anyone in the wrong direction so he knows he's probably right.

He just wishes he wasn't.

"I know it is, Uncle."

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

#atla #atla zuko #atla sokka #avatar aang #avatar the last airbender #prince zuko #zuko x oc #fanfic #katara #sokka

[gerstein03]

So I wanna preface by saying I'm really enjoying the Netflix series. There are things that I think original the show did better (Zuko's outburst during the war council meeting, Katara freeing Aang because she lost her shit at Sokka), some I think the new show did better (having Zhao lead the attack on Kyoshi, all the expanded scenes with Zuko and Iroh, and especially having Zuko's crew be the 41st division), and some I don't particularly feel that strongly about that were just different (the restructuring of a lot of the season one plot points and Zuko actually fighting Ozai). However I think the only two things I actively dislike about the new show is the removal of Zuko and Zhao's Agni Kai and the way they changed Ozai's character to actually care about Zuko.

The fight with Zhao after his complete lack of respect for Zuko is one of the best moments of season one and is what initially establishes Zuko as a character that is more than meets the eye. As for Ozai, in the original show, the thing that makes him work as an actually solid villain isn't the fact that he's a badass dictator or anything like that it's the fact that he honest to god does not give two fucks about either of his children. He's an abusive piece of shit who publicly mutilates his son in front of hundreds of people and sent him on a wild goose chase to get rid of the child he viewed as a disappointment. The live action has stripped all of that away. He's still a shitty father but underneath that is someone who in his own fucked up way cares about Zuko. And that actively makes him a lesser character. He's little more than a standard issue evil dictator here and the fact that he scars Zuko seems like is was done more out of necessity for Zuko's backstory. If Zuko didn't need to have the scar I honestly wouldn't be able to see the live action version of Ozai doing it

#avatar the last airbender #live action atla #fire lord ozai

[highfantasy-soul]

Omg I just finished the Netflix ATLA live-action and omg omg omg. It was SO GOOD!!! I genuinely did NOT expect to cry as much as I did, but damn, the character moments hit SO HARD!

All the characters are so accurate to the animated series (Iroh I did feel was a bit different, but I still enjoyed how he was portrayed), and the show really added a lot more depth to some of the backstories - like including more Gyatzo and Aang, Katara and her mother, and Sokka and his dad. Yeah, some of that hurt and I know making characters (specifically parents) not-perfect rubs some people the wrong way, but I really think it brought to the forefront the issues the characters face and set up the journey to overcoming it.

The bending was phenomenal, while they did rely on CG for some body-doubles during the movements, I'm fine with it. It's magical martial arts, people physically cannot do the things benders do, so it didn't really take me out of the story at all. The sets and costumes and FOOOOODDDD that they had just looked so good - I wanted to eat EVERYTHING on Kyoshi island!

And for how they combined several storylines and expanded the roles past Avatars played, I really, really loved it. They combined the stories in a way where there could be a common theme (really, several themes) weaving throughout and really sit with character moments and motivations that I think worked really well for an adaptation that didn't have 20 episodes with 20 full stories told per episode.

I was honestly shocked, too, at how many episodes/story arcs were almost directly, 1-1 translated to screen! The whole blue spirit arc was done so well and the siege of the north was just about as accurate to the animated as you could get it - while adding just the right amount of extra in there to really tighten some of the themes.

I loved how they expanded Azula's story by showing her in the capitol before being sent out for the Avatar in season 2 - it really gives us an idea about her personality and what expectations are on her instead of just introducing her as 'Zuko's crazy little sister'. The animated series does a good job making her a massive threat, and we see bits of her motivations ('almost perfect isn't good enough') and it's later that we get to see a more fleshed out side of her - which takes time the live-action doesn't have. Azula's mind-space definitely deserves a multi-episode run. And the clarification that Ozai was just pitting his kids against each other to make the stronger one push to the front - so so so good!

Just honestly, this was a fantastic adaptation and I can't think of a way they could have done better. No piece of media is perfect (contrary to the Azulas in every fandom demanding perfection or else it's terrible and awful and 'you're SETTLING for this??') but this is as near as I can imagine it could be. I definitely felt the heart of the animated series shining through.

I'm so looking forward to season 2 and seeing how they remix the stories there to tug at my heartstrings even more.

#avatar the last airbender #netflix avatar #avatar netflix #atla #atla netflix #live action avatar

[balanceoflightanddark]

The Paradox of Woobifying Ursa

Fire Lady Ursa is...a complicated character. On the one hand, you have the almost saintly, caring mother that was the shining beacon in Zuko's childhood. On the other, she screwed up horrifically with Azula and she did support the imperialistic Fire Nation. She did smile at the thought of Ba Sing Se burning to the ground after all and there's no reason to suggest she was any different. No matter what the comics try to retcon or change, there's no denying the fact that Ursa has a lot of skeletons in the closet.

Here's where I have another issue with the comics. They try so hard to make Ursa a woobie and sweep all her flaws under the rug, maybe trotted out now and again, but always portraying her as a helpless victim of Ozai.

But...here's the irony.

This Ursa is much less sympathetic and interesting than the Ursa we saw in canon.

See, the Ursa in canon had flaws. A lot of them, no doubt. But she was never portrayed as a hapless victim. There was an edge beneath those layers of silk. Aside from supporting the regime, she was the one who was willing to kill the Fire Lord to protect her children. She had an agency in her actions and not just an abused housewife. It's what made her character interesting in the first place. That she was more than just another noblewoman.

The comics stripped that away from her. All of her agency was reduced to virtually nothing. Outside of the bit with the archer, all of her questionable actions were downplayed or given to somebody else. Her character was virtually reduced to "victim" and very little outside of "victim".

Which ironically made her unsympathetic since her nasty qualities like her questionable parenting of Azula is unaddressed and pushed onto Azula herself. She also gets even worse actions like being responsible for making Zuko's life hell with that asinine letter (which was unbelievably stupid on her part), but NOBODY CALLS HER OUT ON IT. Hell, the narrative wants us to feel sorry for her when Kiyi rejects her, when it is absolutely her fault for choosing to forget her children and have a new face. All attempts of sympathy for her fall flat when she's just a whiny piece of cardboard who never learns from her mistakes and all attempts at whitewashing her for Zuko's sake fall utterly since this narrative does. Not. WORK.

Compare this with Canon!Ursa who, again, DID have agency, and wasn't portrayed as being endlessly weepy all the time unable to change her fortunes.

Look, living with Ozai couldn't have been easy. But portraying Ursa as helpless ironically is a disservice to her. Cause now that moral ambiguity and the qualities that makes her fascinating are stripped. And for what? To make her sympathetic or the white sheep? I'm sorry, but whitewashing an imperialist is a disservice to her. Implying she was always good is an insult to the character.

Cause if Ursa doesn't have any flaws, any qualities that makes her human, then what's the point of reading about her to see if she can overcome them?

Change is an integral part of the franchise. So if Ursa was always perfect, how on earth can she change and grow, to overcome her flaws and become stronger as a result?

This is Fire Lady Ursa. Who she should be, anyways. Compassionate. Neglectful. A product of the Fire Nation. A mother willing to suffer the consequences for the sake of her children, even if she was never the best mother. A character with the capacity for both good and evil. A mess of qualities both detestable and admirable.

In other words: human.

#atla ursa #fire lady ursa #atla comics critical #atla critical #anti atla comics #atla ursa meta #atla meta

[waywardavatarenthusiast]

Hey IDK if you’ve seen Airspeed’s video about Azula in The Spirit Temple. What are your thoughts?

Here’s the link to the video: https://youtu.be/FFNGmbBw-1U

Hi, anon!

Thank you so much for sending me this video! I can't believe I might have missed such amazing insight as to what's to come. I have a ton of thoughts on the video, but ultimately, it put me at ease.

I think the comic will be great.

When I discovered the character Azula, I was thirteen and impatient. I still am impatient, but I've only become more fascinated with Azula with time. I want an Azula redemption story. Azula deserves more than a seventy-two page graphic novel to close out her character arc.

I am overjoyed to know that the comic will be character-driven, and not feature a ton of action. Azula confronting her past through projections means that Azula is doing inner workings already. The spirit in question honestly feels like a mouth-piece for the fandom, which I love. People love to make fun of it, especially Azula's corner, but I think the amount of quality critical thinking through feminist, cultural, and literary perspectives done for one character should be studied.

I'm especially anticipating the new flashback featuring Ursa, because I myself haven't quite been sure what to think of her relationship with Azula both as a writer and fan. I'm even more excited to see some of Azula's thoughts on Ozai as they have an even stronger correlation to her thoughts on her role as a princess, sibling, and the Hundred Year War. If I understand correctly, Azula will also be met with harsh truths, most likely at the hand of Mai (definitely Mai) and Ty Lee. To be honest, I have zero clue how things will go with Projection!Zuko. One think I like about Faith Erin Hicks is that she draws a lot from the show, which would do wonders to Azula's character, repairing some of the damage that Yang did to it.

There's one fact, however, that I'm getting from the video which already makes this comic miles ahead of Yang's. I put my trust in Faith Erin Hicks with this, as she's a liberal, feminist author. Azula won't be made out to be a monster, or treated like one in this comic. That counts for everything.

I'm more interested however, in what this comic means for her character arc. I've noticed that Azula has gone unrepresented in almost all recent Avatar content, and as I suspected, this seems to be a good thing. I'm actually delighted that this comic will do little to nothing to progress her character development, because as I said earlier, Azula deserves more than what the comics could offer her.

That being said, here are my final predictions and reasonings regarding Azula's character in the near future.

I believe that Azula is getting a redemption arc. I do not believe she was originally intended to, post-show at least. Regardless of Bryke's thoughts on Azula, she is one of their biggest cash cows. Most people who don't want to see an Azula redemption aren't terribly interested in Avatar as a whole. Bryan Konietzko has already stated the comics will be relevant, but they won't be looked back on. An Azula redemption movie, in theatres, is the most likely plot to restore the prestige of Avatar (as much as I love Korra, a ton of people feel as if it dropped the ball). If the first movie from Avatar Studios isn't well received, it may very well be the last. Oddly enough, this is a fandom where fans are listened to, if the creative team doesn't have bias of personal feelings on the matter (see the author responses to the Azula fanbase and Zutara).

Thanks again!

#atla #azula #avatar the last airbender #zuko #ozai #azula redemption arc #atla azula #avatar fandom #atla mai #ty lee #mai #atla ty lee #avatar studios #ursa #atla ursa

[northerngoshawk]

12, 21, 22 for the choose violence ask game 🔥

thanks for the ask, hotwife!!!

12. the unpopular character you like and why more people should like them

this is one i feel like kataang fandom in particular could use a little more work liking, if i'm being honest. actually, scratch that, i think everyone in fandom could use a little bit more work liking this character.

and that is... zuko.

not fanon zuko, mind you - canon zuko. because let's be honest, canon zuko is far less popular most people would want to admit. they hold up a woobified oc and claim that it's zuko, but fanon zuko is really just aang in zuko's body.

canon zuko, on the other hand, throws temper tantrums like a brat and is a racist, colonist piece of work. he's impulsive and reckless (in all the wrong ways) and berates everyone who's around him. he's crappy even to his friends and family, betraying his uncle for his sister and chasing after his perceived "honor," trampling everyone - even an extinct culture - underfoot.

so why do i like him? because of his friendship with aang.

i know a lot of kataangers dislike zuko because of how his stans scream his praises from the rooftops and demonize aang for things not even a thousandth of what zuko has done in canon. similarly, i know a lot of so-called zuko "fans" absolutely hate it when someone (rightfully) points out zuko's flaws in canon, hitting them with the "but he apologized for it!1!1!"

which... no.

instead, what i find beautiful about zuko is how his relationship with aang changed him, how his redemption arc was fueled in part because aang extended a hand of friendship out towards him. i also really, really enjoy delving deep into zuko's rightful guilt about being part of an imperialist nation, of helping his nation continue their conquest over the world, even if he didn't directly contribute to the air nomad genocide or fought as a soldier against the water tribes or the earth kingdom. and it's always aang, who should have more reason than most to hate zuko, who forgives zuko, and from that zuko learns how to heal and forgive himself and be better.

that's the zuko i like from atla. not the bad-boy, suave, blameless womanizer that fanon likes to uphold, but zuko, who has done wrong and will continue to do wrong, who will still stumble as he grows and learns, who may not ever unlearn some of the things he's been taught, but who will still try because his friends are right by his side and can help him back up when he falls... even if they have to call him out for it.

21. part of canon you think is overhyped

zuko's and azula's agni kai. i think everyone focuses on it because it involves two fire nation siblings duking it out.

even withholding the shipping lens, i've found that a lot of fandom tends to hyperfixate on the fire nation, from only exploring those characters to even explicitly defending them from anyone who points out they're an imperialist nation.

and we all know which ship fandom just loves that scene🙄

why not more love for aang vs ozai?? an epic battle betwee the last of an extinct nation and an imperial who wants to kill him off, a battle that was only won when aang held steadfast to his values as the last air nomad. in a world that told him he couldn't be both the avatar and the air nomad, he looked them in the eye and said, "i can, and i will."

and i think that's a beautiful message for everyone to hear.

22. your favorite part of canon that everyone else ignores

i'mma be honest, despite shipping kataang... i don't really consider myself a shipper. i don't tend to look at media through the lens of my favorite ship, so as a result, i sometimes feel almost... disconnected from the shipping community as a whole.

the most notable example of this being the balcony scene with aang and katara during The Avatar State. a lot of kataang shippers love that scene because it shows how worried katara is for aang, which is great! don't get me wrong, everyone has their own lens and they are valid... most of the time.

but for me, it was less about that and more about the conflict between aang as the avatar and aang as a person and what it means for katara. because if you think about it, when katara grew up, all she has ever heard was legends of the avatar, this godly deity who could singlehandedly stop the 100 year war - only to find that he was just a kid, like her.

so for me, that scene wasn't so much that she was telling aang that she loved him as it was that she was worried about losing aang, her friend, to aang the avatar. she was worried that in the process of trying to stop the war, he would lose his humanity, sacrificing it for the "greater good" - something something similar to how he didn't want to lose his heritage as an air nomad for the sake of victory something something parallels something something. i could go on, but this ask is already getting long, so i'mma stop it here for the sake of your and my sanity.

choose violence ask game

#northern answers #flameohotwife #ask game answer #also it's so nice to see you again hotwife!! #i've missed yoooouuuu <3

[akiizayoi4869]

You know, I usually don't judge people based on how they feel about a cartoon and the characters in it, because it's a drawing. But then there are times when I see shit like this, and I find myself changing my mind about that. There was another story/art done by this person where Ursa and Zuko were dancing while the bodies of Ozai and Azula are behind them, dangling in the air after being hanged. One of the tags for that was "Good parent Ursa" or "Ursa is a good mother" or whatever the fuck it said. Which I honestly find to be laughable. Because this person is saying that Ursa is a good mother for rejoicing in the fact that her daughter is dead. And she did absolutely nothing to stop it, because Azula "deserved it". That's not being a good mother. That's being an abhorrent piece of shit and a disgusting person. But it's totally fine because it's Azula, who is the only character to have ever committed war crimes in the show.

First of all, the war crimes bs is stupid because going by that logic, every single person in the show committed a war crime, whether or not they were on the good side or the bad side.

Secondly, this shit reeks of sexism and misogyny. You know why? Because you're saying that Azula deserves to die and face unimaginable torture for the crime of being better than her brother and not bending over backwards for him, and for being unapologetic about it. Your saying that Azula deserves to die for the crime of being a girl who was better than her brother because she actually worked her ass off.

And if you honestly think that and believe that it's "justice"? That's extremely telling about how you feel about women irl who are better than a male relative at something. Who knows, maybe that's how you feel about your own relative who is better than you at something. And if that's the case, that is beyond fucked up.

And do not come on this post and say "oh she deserves punishment because she abused him!" Fuck out of here with that shit. You say that crap, I'm blocking your ass. You want to say someone abused Zuko? Look no further than Ozai.

#atla fandom problems #fuck this fandom #the amount of sexism and misogyny in this fandom is seriously disgusting #and it needs to stop

[old-people-like-avatar]

Netflix Avatar the Last Airbender S1E6: Masks Review [Spoilers]

I actually really, really loved this Zuko-heavy episode. Probably my favorite so far. It introduced some important new scenes to the canon.

THE GOODS

Ozai: He's just trying to be a good father, guys. Really. Just trying to teach his son a valuable lesson to make him strong. No, but really. I really enjoyed Daniel Dae Kim's fresh interpretation of Ozai's agni kai with Zuko and its aftermath. He somehow made the concept of suffering-as-teacher come off... as parenting. Of course, we can all see the horrific abuse for what it really is, but Ozai the character truly believed. He even showed some hesitation in burning Zuko's face. Kim's performance gave Ozai a depth that wasn't really in the show. I actually really enjoyed watching this character.

41st Division: I loved the addition of Zuko's crew being the division that was supposed to be sacrificed. Awesome.

Zuko/Iroh: While there was a little too much of Iroh "talking up"/exposition-ing Zuko to the crew as someone who "sacrificed" and whatnot, they did also manage to do some really great showing. Little gestures, like Iroh fixing Zuko's gauntlest or putting a blanket on Zuko. <3 Or the way Iroh choked up when Zuko finally came back to the ship.

Zuko/Aang: The Blue Spirit action scenes were great, but what I really enjoyed was Zuko's scene with Aang in the random hut in the middle of nowhere. [Where did the hut come from? Who knows? How come the soldiers didn't see and search the hut? Who knows? Plot device!] Them bonding over goat hair and Zuko's notebook! Their conversation. I liked this expansion of the "Kuzon" scene from the show a lot.

Iroh and Azula in the agni kai: I liked that they had Iroh try to stop Ozai before the agni kai, and that Azula wasn't just sadistically watching.

Admiral Zhao: I loved the portrayal of Zhao's ascension to admiral. He was delicious.

THE I-APPRECIATED-WHAT-THEY-WERE-DOING-BUT-NOT-SURE-THEY-PULLED-IT-OFF

Resolution for Koh: Thematically they were trying to tie Koh's need for family to Aang and Zuko's need for family, but... it just really did not work. Here's this piece of wood totem! (But why did Roku steal it? No idea.) Something about a mother of faces! Family! Yeah! Okay! They didn't really pull it off.

THE BADS

Clunky dialogue... again. "I can't let everyone down again!" Please, make it stop. We've been hit over the head too many times with this. "I have feeling you've been hurt more than enough." No, no, no. Why do you feel the need for Aang to state all the obvious things? This writing team needs an editor.

Aang's capture made no sense: They didn't really explain how Aang didn't escape after the shirshu venom wore off. He was just secured with a rope on a cart. Couldn't he have airbended? If the answer is he was still under the effect of the venom, then say something about that. Otherwise, it just didn't make any sense.

THE UNKNOWN

Roku: I'm not sure how I felt about Avatar Roku as a character. Remains to be seen. Needs further development.

#avatar the last airbender #atla #avatar: the last airbender #netflix atla #netflix avatar #live action avatar #live action atla #spoilers #natla