#like i don't know believe me zuko knows Why the war is bad and Why his dad is bad specifically that's the whole damn point

[shopcat]

as much as i enjoy conceptually the whole Everyone finds out how zuko got his scar tropey thing bc i agree it's a strange little knowledge gap for them to have to be happily exploited for like, patting him on the head, but i also feel like it's just like. well OBVIOUSLY it's an excuse to throw some love at him which is good and i like it but when people use it as a way to like ... have people tell him it was Wrong and Bad well that's just stupid. the literal entire point of his confrontation with ozai during the eclipse is zuko TELLING his father that himself and then leaving to follow his own path. it's one of his biggest moments as a character and IS his most defining moment of deciding to take a stand against his father. like he knows it was bad he came to that conclusion himself he literally even said it was cruel!!! "how could you possibly justify duelling a child. it was cruel and it was wrong"!!!! he doesn't need people telling him Child Abuse Is Bad Zuko like. he knows. it's kind of part of his whole arc.

#🐾 #it's honestly crazy how people can see a character who spent honestly the vast majority of all 3 seasons coming to terms with EVERYTHING #about his place in the war about his family about his father about who he is as a person and what he needs to do #overcoming the indoctrination. letting go of the need for his fathers Approval. and realising he was wrong BY HIMSELF!! #when he says as well that he had to come to the conclusion ON HIS OWN!! .. WHEN he was banished #and then just be like. we need to tell him #like Oh my god.. he knows ... #the thing about that trope that makes it interesting is how he got his scar is a significant and also defining part of who he is #via the snowballing results. and his friends who he had been you know hunting not knowing that huge part of him is like DUDE #but i honestly kind of like it as well like i dunno that's why it's so interesting #people literlalt lvoe zuko bc of his you know. entire character. it's not just because he's sometimes funny or silly #and you're meant to love his character and his ''redemption arc'' wasn't a true redemption arc or maybe it's just the best one on earth #well it probably is ngl. bc from the very beginning you're meant to be rooting for him #he's set up almost immediately against zhao. he's countered with his sympathetic kindly uncle #we learn and it is INTEGRAL!!! that we learn that he got hurt when he spoke out specifically on the behalf of innocent people #in an act that was ultimately futile bc they were torn up in the war machine. #like i don't know believe me zuko knows Why the war is bad and Why his dad is bad specifically that's the whole damn point #walks away kicking a can #child abuse mention

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

i'm glad more people are pointing out the flaws and bad writing in spop, and the toxicity in c//a's relationship. however, i do want to remind y'all to not get too biased.

i've seen a few people victim blame catra when it comes to her relationship with shadow weaver, and that's a really shitty thing to do. catra was a terrible person but the way shadow weaver treated her wasn't her fault.

i know that a lot of us like shadow weaver as a character, myself included, but she was still an abuser. she still physically and emotionally tortured a child for no real reason, because abusers don't need a reason. it's all well and good to point out catra's abusive behaviour but what shadow weaver did to her was not her fault.

i've even seen people implying that catra deserved to get abused or that shadow weaver abused her because she was disrespectful or didn't try enough during training. this is a really fucked up take. catra being disrespectful doesn't justify shadow weaver's abuse, that's like saying that adora deserved to get abused because she stood her ground against catra sometimes.

and catra didn't have to attend the horde training, none of them deserved to be groomed into child soldiers. the horde wasn't an environment any of them chose to grow up in. of course, catra's inferiority complex can seem a little hypocritical considering the fact that she never tried to do better, but i can understand the idea of wanting to give up because you're a slow learner or not naturally gifted in something.

also, catra seeking out shadow weaver's validation isn't bad writing or catra being stupid. it's pretty common in abusive relationships, actually. take zuko, for example. he's the example of a well-written character that we all turn to so for once, i'm gonna compare him to catra in a positive light.

ozai was actively abusive towards zuko but he still desperately wanted ozai's validation and approval. this is the result of being raised by an abusive parent. you feel like you have to earn their love, even when you're upset or angry at them, you secretly feel like it might be your fault.

i have to admit, the light spinner episode still makes me feel really bad for catra. the way she asks shadow weaver why she got abused really resonated with me, because i feel like catra secretly blamed herself for the way she was treated by her mother.

she might have told adora that shadow weaver was a horrible, manipulative person but i think deep down, catra had the classic dilemma of hating shadow weaver but craving for her love at the same time. she wanted to believe that shadow weaver might see some potential in her, the same way she did with adora. it's easier said than done to be like “well if you know that your parent is abusive, why don't you just leave them?” or “why did you let them manipulate you again?”

basically what i'm saying is: let's be mature about this whole situation. of course none of this justifies catra's actions and of course she deserves to be held responsible for her abusive behaviour and her war crimes. but let's not cross the line and start being insensitive towards abuse victims. catra did a lot of shitty things but being abused by shadow weaver wasn't one of them.

#spop #she ra #catra #tw abuse #rant #long post

[the-badger-mole]

There's A Difference

I think I've said this before- in fact, I'm almost certain I've said this within the last few months- but the reason I can't let Aang's actions be dismissed by his age is because his worst traits are never addressed in canon. The reason why I personally find him very incel-ish is because the grown men who created him and project onto him strike me as incel-ish (and yes, I'm aware that at least one of them is/has been married. Incel is more of a frame of mind than an actual state of being). Aang could have had a growth arc, but instead Bryke chose to either ignore his flaws or make them out to be virtues. I'm judging Aang as a character, not a child. Because Aang is not an actual child. An actual child might have been confronted on the things Aang did. Aang is a character whose creators want fans to think is perfect, even when they themselves introduce the idea he might not be (Aang's being a terrible father is not that surprising to me, but even then Bryke had to scramble to tell us he wasn't actually that bad 🙄)

I am a lot less harsh with Zuko because he actually faced the consequences of his poor decisions. He worked to make amends not only for himself, but for his family. I empathize with his losses and his personal tragedies because the narrative actually cared about how those things affected him in just about every episode, unlike Aang, whose devastating losses are only touched on when they're convenient to that episode's plot. Otherwise, he is the picture of unbothered to the point that I question if he even knew most of the time that he was in a war (the answer, it would turn out in the penultimate episode, was no, apparently not). There's not much I can criticize Zuko on that wasn't already touched on within the show. Why would I judge Book 3 Zuko based on Book 1 Zuko (who btw, I still think was a much better rounded character than Aang in any of the series)?

When it comes to Katara and the misogyny inherent in how she was treated in her canon ship? Well, I can only point to canon and aks to be proven wrong. Katara had very little to do with the development of Kataang during the series, and that little was usually prompted by someone or something outside of her own thoughts and feelings bringing the idea up. Meanwhile, we know from the beginning that Aang likes Katara (well, he likes how she looks anyway). His feelings matter to the narrative: Katara's not so much. Then the disastrous comics where Katara's character from the show is completely stripped from her and she ends up being the cheerleader girlfriend of the Avatar. I know some of that is walked back in the more recent comics, but we already know how it ends for Katara and her kids. Also, the post LoK scramble to give Katara more agency honestly just makes me think that my original assessment of her relationship with Aang was spot on.

Zutara, in my opinion, would have been a great relationship for them both. They would've been just about perfect together, because as hot tempered as they can both be, they also both get really good at communicating with each other, which is something that Katara never really has with Aang. That's why it doesn't surprise me to find out how dysfunctional their family is. Katara and Zuko know how to work together as a team. In a relatively short time, they got comfortable opening up to each other. They are both passionate to the point that they can be really hot-headed, but they are both also extremely empathetic and compassionate. They are a couple that would've helped each other grow, and would have been so much more interesting than anything that happened with their actual canon relationships.

I get that there are people who would rather believe that Aang could outgrow his selfishness. That's totally valid, and has made for some great stories. However, I don't think saying the way he was written in canon has shades of incel is wrong. Especially by Book 3. I could see that guy growing up to be a viciously obnoxious narcissist. I bet those of us who know an "Aang" IRL can picture that, too.

#atla #zutara #anti aang #anti kataang #incel aang #aang-cel #THE YEAR OF CONTENT!!!!

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Your thoughts/response to this?

https://www.tumblr.com/andromeda3116/86439828788/what-would-you-have-done-differently-with-mai-if

*cracks knuckles*

"Mai only turned against Azula for Zuko"

Way to prove you don't know shit about the character. Like, even the line "I love Zuko more than I fear you" already shows Mai's problem with Azula isn't all about her boyfriend. It is not healthy or normal to be afraid of your friend.

And Mai HAD been rebelling against any authority figure she didn't like/respect LONG before she started dating Zuko. In "Return To Omashu" we see her being annoyed at the life her parents expect her to have, and then gladly, willingly joining Azula - but before it she said "Please say you're here to kill me." Sure, it's a joke that Azula appreciates, but still demonstrates Mai is aware that her friend is very dangerous and that while Azula is her friend, the princess is not. She also goes out of her way to ask what the hell Ty Lee is doing there since the circus was "her calling", and as a response she gets "Azula called a little louder", once again confirming to Mai that if she, for whatever reason, had decided to stay in Omashu, it would mean trouble with Azula.

We then have "The Drill" in which Mai openly refuses to obey Azula during a military mission that could mean early victory for their nation in a war that has lasted a whole century. She even said "She can shoot all the lightning she wants at me." THAT'S how little fucks Mai gives about putting herself in danger just to prove NOBODY can force her into anything she doesn't want to do.

We also have Mai side-eyeing Azula in "The Headband" when she interrupts her date with Zuko and basically orders her to leave, instead of waiting for their date to be over or just kindly say "Mai, I need to speak with Zuko in private. It's really important, can you give us a moment?" Just zero respect, which obviously bothers her. And let's not forget her yelling at all three of her friends to leave her the fuck alone in "The Beach" - the same episode in which she broke up with Zuko because he started crossing the line.

The Boiling Rock is just the inevitable pay-off to what had been set up since Mai's character was introduced to the audience. She has to pick between her dysfunctional friendship/subservient dynamic with Azula, or save the flawed but still loving boyfriend she loved and that actually corrected some of his bad behavior after their first break up. The choice is OBVIOUS. It's not "Friendship VS Romance" or "What I want VS What my boyfriend wants", it's not even "Selfish love VS Selfless love" because Mai turns on Azula BOTH for her sake and Zuko's.

On Mai not speaking out in defense of Ty Lee

You can't help someone that doesn't want to be helped. Ty Lee had tried to say no to Azula exactly once, and it led to threats of physical violence or even death. Naturally that scares her into keeping quiet - Ty Lee's seeimgly blind support and obedience to Azula was directly shown as a parallel to Mai's acts of rebellion. Once again, even in the first scene of the three of them together, when Mai demonstrates concern for Ty Lee, she basically gets a kind, cheery, bubbly "Sorry, forbidden topic! Talk about something else and pretend everything is fine!"

It's not unlike that Mai believed that, if she tried to defend her friend, all she'd accomplish is have both Azula and Ty Lee herself turn on her. It isn't until Ty Lee has to choose between the two of them in the Boiling Rock that Mai realizes there were still lines her friend would never allow Azula to cross.

"He didn't even consider taking her along when he left the Fire Nation! She could have helped a lot!"

In Zuko's own words as to Sokka as to why he left Mai behind "I couldn't drag her into this." Zuko and the Gaang were not friends, and he literally offered to be Aang's teacher and prisoner. He also knew he'd be hunted down both for his treason to the Fire Lord and because of the people he was no associating with.

He knew Mai could handle almost anything (hell, when she says to a guard that she doesn't need protection, he smiles proudly and AGREES). But that doesn't mean he'd be totally okay with asking her to throw her whole life away for him and potentially be imprisoned or killed if shit went wrong.

And once again, let's get back to the "You can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped." Mai CLEARLY didn't have a problem with imperialism and war - again, she joined Azula willingly, and both her and Ty Lee had a lot of fun being the Gaang's worst nightmare during "The Chase." She even argues with Zuko that he is not saving his country, he's betraying it.

Mai changing sides just because she trusted Zuko, even against everything she had been taught to believe her whole life, was not at all something Zuko saw coming - hell, MAI didn't see it coming - of course he did not think that she'd agree to leave him.

On Mai and Ty Lee not escaping the Boiling Rock on their own

Can't believe I have to point out that since that was the main point of that place, but THE BOILING ROCK IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO ESCAPE. The Gaang were literally the first to accomplish that, barely. It's not that surreal that Mai and Ty Lee either couldn't do it, or felt they had to wait a little longer to even try since all eyes would be on them since they were the newest prisoners AND one of them was related to the Warden which could make him decide to facilitate their escape somehow.

"Zuko didn't even try to rescue her!"

He was teaching the Avatar firebending. His life-changing field trips with his new friends were not vacations, they were missions. They were VERY close to the day his father was gonna burn the Earth Kingdom down. Aang, their only hope. fucking disappeared during the big day due to spirit shenanigans beyond his control. Zuko then also had to fight his own sister in an Agni Kai and nearly died.

Needless to say, he was a little busy.

"Zuko doesn't even remember she exists when she's not around!"

Oh the irony of a ZUTARA shipper saying that. Literally the only time Zuko remembered Katara was because of water from the spiritual oasis that could have possibly brought Aang back to life - aka it had nothing to do with her as a person because, at that point, even after the Ba Sing Se thing, Zuko saw her as nothing more than another obstacle/enemy on his way to regain his honor.

Meanwhile, in "Zuko Alone", when he has not seen her for at least three whole years, he remembers the prank Azula and Ty Lee pulled on him and Mai as kids because of her crush on him. In Ember Island he is going nuts with jealousy (not healthy at all, but still, proof that he WANTS to be with her). On the day of the eclipse he leaves behind a letter explaining himself to her and even says "I'm sorry, Mai" even though there's no one around to hear him because he just never wanted to leave or hurt her. And on the first part of the Boiling Rock episode he is gushing about how much he loves her - we know they're about to be reunited, but he doesn't.

If that is indifference, I can't even imagine what love looks like.

About the letter and "Mai just taking him back after it"

Definitively not a nice way to be broken up with, but totally understanble given the context. And even with that, Mai still calls him out for it, says she's "saving the jerk who dumped me", and in the finale she brings it up AGAIN as they are reconciliating. Typical Mai stuff: forgiving and understanding, but never taking shit from anyone.

About them only seeing each other again in the finale

THAT was a plot convenience - but it does not apply solely to Maiko. Sokka goes to free his dad, but doesn't remember Suki has ALSO been taken prisoner, and then very next episode Hakoda left him and Katara for really convulted reasons and somehow they didn't go after him. Zuko also didn't think to tell Iroh he was gonna take him out of prison so they could go join the Avatar on the day of the eclipse, and didn't try to go looking for him until the last episode. There's also the random "Katara is confused about her feelings for Aang" plot that is introduced in "Ember Islands Players" and goes nowhere.

It's the typical "forced drama that can only be resolved when the writers feel it'd be epic enough" stuff. We have to take it with a grain of salt.

"Ty Lee joining the Kyoshi Warriors makes no sense, and Mai hated the Fire Nation nobility so she shouldn't have ended up with Zuko"

Ty Lee not wanting to be part of a matched set, then finding true happiness by joining a group and learning that she can still be an individual is the classic "ironic ending" Avatar likes - see Zuko and Aang becoming friends when they started out as mortal enemies. The only problem was the lack of development taking us from point A to point B, but the idea itself was fine.

As for Mai "hating" nobility... WHAT? She didn't like being told what to do, sure, but she never resented the perks that came with being in the "elite" - she and Zuko spend half of "Nightmares and Daydreams" bossing people around while making out on her couch, and she even suggested doing that again as a way to cheer him up when he was sad.

And even if she DID hate everything Fire Nation nobility USED to be about - the whole point of Zuko becoming Fire Lord is that he will change everything. How is Mai supporting him, regardless of their romantic relationship, in anyway a contradiction? It makes perfect thematic sense!

Conclusion

Zutarians, please stop talking about things you clearly don't understand to pretend your OTP is the only thing that would ever make any logical sense.

#anti zutara #pro mai #pro maiko #mai meta

[oneatlatime]

The Avatar Returns

Exposition as an opening theme song is an interesting choice. I thought that was a quirk of the first episode, but nope. Less catchy than an actual song, but probably less annoying that hearing a song 50+ times in a row.

Episode 2 starts right where episode 1 left off, making me think that this must have been a two part premiere.

Yeah, Sokka is right. Gran-gran is right. Katara's known this boy for five minutes and she's already breaking what seem to be basic, long-established, life or death rules. See this is why gran-gran weighs Katara down with washing Sokka's dirty socks (and probably any other chore she can find). The first time this girl has more than five minutes to herself she endangers everyone (albeit with help). But Aang seriously doesn't get how dangerous the situation is, what with him being frozen for a hundred years. Katara had to be the responsible one with regards to the ship and she blew it. And now presumably they're all gonna get melted to death. Or burnt. Fireburnt? Firebended? Killed a bunch.

"Well I'm banished too!" UUUGGGHHH wrong hill to die on! This girl goes from 0 to 100 lightning fast. Although if the Fire nation do attack, Katara may be setting herself up to be the sole survivor of her village.

Why does the temporally dislocated 12 year old have more sense that Katara? So bossy and hotheaded and teenage girl-like. And she's known him for five minutes, why is she heartbroken by his leaving? Girl you feel too much.

"I haven't cleaned my room in 100 years" such a simple joke but it completely caught me off guard. Aang's priorities are so in line with what an actual 12 year old prioritises. I love it.

Laying it on thick.

You know it's too bad that igloos don't have wooden doors because I think Katara would feel a lot better slamming one right about now. Don't yell at your grandma.

Can ice do this? Also Appa looks so comfy. The one time I lived somewhere with bay windows & box seats I sat like this all the time. Messed my neck up every time I did, but that didn't stop me. The comfiness outweighs the pain.

They weren't kidding when they said all the men went to war. I was expecting a Helm's Deep type situation where old men and younger teenagers would be there to man the defences. But it's really just Sokka. That's an impossible burden.

This is the second episode of a kids' cartoon so I don't think they're going to kill anyone, but if this were a more realistic show, or real life, that whole village would be doomed.

What a shot! And he's not running. That's an unquantifiable level of courage.

Boat's got no brakes

That is not where I was expecting that ship to open.

The fire benders have horns. And I bet that steam coming out of the ship smells sulphurous.

That might be the best possible outcome. Head first in a snowbank is embarrassing but not fatal. Also war cries are manly but they give advance warning to your target. Hush up.

I love the "show no fear!" kid. Sokka's genuinely got these little kids believing in him. The potty break scene last episode shows that he pretty much has no idea what he's talking about but he's got the kids convinced! And the moms probably appreciate him taking charge of them for a few hours, even if he has no actual combat experience. And he keeps getting up!

How hard did he throw that boomerang!?! It took 24 seconds according to my DVD for it to come back.

It honked. Lord have mercy it honked. I have a weakness for well-placed sound effects and this one got me. Also these other soldiers must have orders to be as useless as possible. And do they all have the same face?

Zuko's spent years meditating? Don't believe it. Unless angry meditation is a thing? Maybe he has to meditate himself into angriness before he can burn stuff? Like work up a rage? Just guessing.

"Well you're just a teenager" They're all babies! All of them!

I repeat, Katara you feel too much! You need to grow up apathetic and cynical like the rest of us dried up adult husks ASAP or else you're really gonna be hurting.

"Take care of Appa for me until I get back!" I love this. He's announcing at maximum volume that he's going to escape and none of the fire soldiers react?

Sokka my man of practicality and action. Gran-gran my grandma of practicality and action. Katara my annoying little sister.

Is Zuko's little speech to Aang supposed to be a veiled insult or is he just making small talk? Obviously it's exposition for the viewer re: how monks are raised, but why did he feel the need to say that? Also your dad likes sticks? Cool. We all have hobbies.

So pretty.

Sokka, my man of synonyms. So Appa understands basic language commands but not spoken English. Heartfelt pleas won't get him flying, but yipyip will.

These two are such siblings. "big deal he's flying" careful there Sokka, you were nearly uncool in front of your younger sister. That can be fatal.

Aang is so polite when he's wiping the floor with full grown men. Also he has crazy good aim. That trick to break the ropes? How?

To be fair, Aang said he'd go with them, not that he'd stay with them.

Burrito Zuko

Aang's whole defense is running away. And it's working! Not the bit with burrito Zuko but he's actually winning this fight.

That mattress slam is brutal. I know this is a cartoon and physics isn't real here, but that caught me off guard. How is Zuko still conscious?

Prince burrito is a parkour champ.

Appa! Has the same problem as Sokka re: announcing sneak strikes.

Zuko what was your plan? Knocking him into the water doesn't recapture him.

Yep. Appropriate reaction to cyclone Aang.

So Aang does know how to waterbend. Katara didn't need to go north after all.

Love the head bonking callback.

This is genius on the fly problem solving. Only works backwards? Then do it backwards! Also these guys are dead. They'll suffocate long before they freeze.

"Shoot them down!" He orders... himself?

Siding with Zuko over the old man on this one. Aang is crazy powerful.

I just realised his eyes are different sizes. Does that impact his vision? For that matter, if that is a burn from taking a fireball to the face, how does he still have an eye?

So so pretty.

A literal cloud passes over when a cloud passes over their conversation. Clever.

Aang's waterbending was instinctive? Or only accessible during the glow-up. So they do still need to go north.

Katara you know your brother so well. He does indeed want to knock some fire bender heads. Sokka, having defeated his nemesis the potty break, now moves on to greater targets.

No matter what goes on in the show, all episodes end on a high note because that credits song is just so good.

Final thoughts

This was good! I think I liked this episode better than the first one, which makes sense. The first episode has to do all the set up, it's the next one that can have fun. Those moves Aang was pulling in the ship were really impressive. And really clever too.

Still loving Sokka, still loving Aang, Zuko was less of an asshole this episode. He also felt more competent, or maybe coherent? Like his character hangs together better, despite the butt honking. I laughed just typing that. I'm still not used to Zuko's voice actor though. I like how unique all of the characters' voices are in this show so far, but Zuko's still feels out of place to me.

The show doesn't dwell too much on Sokka facing down the fire nation ship (there is lots of build up but it gets played for laughs), but I think it's the stand out moment for me in this episode. Obviously it was foolhardy and a doomed effort, but it was also Sokka very literally fulfilling his responsibilities to the village. He was tasked with protecting his sister; he did. Goofy as it is, this moment is a win for Sokka. Not wise, but a win.

I love that Aang is 12, and feels 12. So often fiction about kid heroes that is intended for young readers/viewers has characters that feel like adults despite their stated age, but Aang feels 12. Katara feels like she's trying to be a grown-up so hard but keeps slipping up and acting her actual age. Sokka feels like he's trying to act as he thinks a man should, but keeps getting called out by Katara and responding in a way that fits his actual age. They close out this episode with plans for a multi-stage animal-riding safari. I love these priorities. Saving the world can wait, hopping llamas cannot.

My one problem with this episode is Katara. She needs to slow down, dial it back, stop yelling at grandmothers, and stop feeling everything at 110% before she exhausts herself. I get that the South pole and a grand total of like 25 people is probably a really boring way to grow up, but she threw herself heart first at Aang with near-suicidal enthusiasm, assuming that banishment in the South Pole would actually be a death sentence. I don't know how old she is, but that is such a teenage girl thing to do. And she's gonna get hurt!

Next episode needs more Sokka quips and more Appa. I would watch whole episodes with just Appa. I'd watch a whole Sokka episode too.

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #The Avatar Returns #avatar the last airbender

[fellow-nerd]

Before I dive into the abyss of everyone else's thoughts on the new avatar series, let me start by saying it wasn't THAT bad.

Don't get me wrong they've definitely changed a lot and it feels strange to watch after living off the original for literally my whole life.

But there was oddly enough, a lot of things I did like.

I will say that the first episode was absolute painful to watch. I despise the fact that they made kyoshi and gran gran give the opening monologue. Like that is Kataras role. It's our first introduction to her and it sets her character up, shes hopeful for the future, she's spent time learning the past, but most importantly she believes whole heartedly in Aang.

I'm not sure why there's so much kyoshi going on. I know she's really popular but it feels off to me. I think they made that change since this show is way more heavily focused on it be A WAR. rather than a feel good action adventure. In the og, roku serves to tell Aang why the war happened and gently guides him along. This works because Aang is a gentle kid, let me say it again, A KID. And everyone is so aware of this in the original. There's no forced heavy dialougue or such a deep sense of solemness, Aang is a kid and he wants to have and slowly learns to take on more responsibility, it a huge part of his arc that I feel is integral to the show. It's not just "oh well time to win this war, time to fight" it takes time and this show is not doing that.

I'm also concerned about the frontloading of all the backstory for Sozin, Iroh, and Aang. We don't learn of these thing until farther in the series for a reason. It's built up to to make it feel more rewarding for the audience. U cant just go well here u go have fun. It's gonna bite them later on when they have to think of something else to fill that narrative gap, and knowing netflix it probably won't go well.

That being said, however, i did find myself really enjoying the interactions between Aang and Gyatso and Iroh and Zuko in the flashbacks. It's something new and it's probably the most in character things we've seen so far.

BTW I'm only half way through so I'll make more updates when I finish.

Overall, I feel like there's a lot this show is doing right but a lot that is definitely gonna drag it down. No one asked for this show. The funding should've gone towards new animated projects, but it's here anyways and hopefully it doesn't go crazy downhill in the later half or I'll be taking back all the good things I just said.

#tbh it kinda feels like someone wrote a cannon compliant fix it fic cuz they wanted it to be more traumatic and war focused #also i better not see no one hating on the actors #cuz we all know how that went for star wars and it is horrendous behavior #also also i wasnt gonna say this in the post but the tags are here for a reason #appa and momo look like bad rejected jim henson puppets and it irks me #absolutely deplorable #avatar the last airbender #avatar #netflix

[likeabxrdinflight]

okay so, episode one. thoughts.

so this episode covers, roughly, episodes one, two, Aang's half of episode three, and Aang's half of "the storm." which tells me they're not adapting that one in the way it was presented in the animated version. I'm...a little sad about that. but moving on. also, the Agni Kai between Zhao and Zuko was not present in this episode either- I suspect it will show up later. I hope it does, anyway.

I'm gonna start with the characters, I think.

Aang: Gordon is extremely cute and believable in the role. some of his dialogue is clunky and, like all the younger actors, his diction needs work. but he's a good little actor and he fits the role really well. I only think he'll improve from here. Generally speaking, Aang feels much the same as his animated counterpart. The biggest change they made was in why he ran away- in this version, Gyatso tells Aang he's the Avatar, and then Aang flies off on Appa to clear his head with every intention of coming back. It's just that the storm happens and it also happens to be the night of the genocide. I don't love this change, as it removes the more willful running away of the animated Aang. I do like the dramatic irony of it just happening to be the same night as the comet (which by the way is present and very much A Thing. It will be back for season three I promise.) But all that said, it's not a character ruining change- Aang is still Aang. This was the stand-out performance for me given Gordon's age. This kid's going places.

(also the bond between Aang and Gyatso was very intact and very sweet and I did cry multiple times but who's counting)

Katara- yeah. this was the character I was most concerned about and rightly so, I think. Kiawentiio is not a bad actress and there are flashes of the Katara I know and love in her performance. but the writers took away all her spark in this episode. it's not very clear that she's the one who frees Aang. she doesn't do it by yelling her head off at Sokka. her anger feels completely cut off in this version, we only see flashes like one time and it's not nearly the ferocity I expect from Katara. she definitely still wants to be a waterbender, but the entire mini-arc where Aang offers to take her to the North Pole and then she gets upset when it seems like it won't pan out is cut from these episodes entirely. she's also not the one to calm Aang from the Avatar State, which in some sense I like- Katara was far too parentified in the original cartoon- but in some sense I don't, because her ability to hold the group together and be emotionally resilient was one of her strengths as a character. she does get some nice moments with Aang though. I strongly think they are still setting up for Kataang down the line, though it's not as blatant as in the original. ultimately though she doesn't have quite the same role in this first episode as she did in the original and it is disappointing. we'll see how she evolves from here but I'm still very concerned she's gonna end up a...watered down version of herself. pun absolutely intended.

Sokka- no notes honestly. that's Sokka. if he's your fave I think you'll be pleased with how he's adapted here. they play up his sense of responsibility to the village and to his family much more, but that aspect of him was always there in the original. everything you love about Sokka is there.

Zuko- also no notes so far. he's virtually identical to his animated counterpart at this point. Dallas is gonna be great in this role.

Iroh- I'm thrilled with this depiction of Iroh. Paul Sun-Hyung Lee knows what he's doing with this character, and the writers know what they're doing with this character. All the inconsistencies with season one Iroh vs seasons two/three Iroh have been eliminated, exactly as I hoped. There's a very nice scene they've inserted between Aang and Iroh that pretty much spells out what we all already know about Iroh- he's not really on board with the whole war thing. There's also a scene where he indicates to Zuko that the throne might not be all it's cracked up to be. This is exactly what I hoped they'd do with his character- indicate early that he's not quite the Fire Nation loyalist and that he's playing a longer game with Zuko.

Generally the performances have all been pretty solid. Some line reads are awkward and all the kids need to fix their diction. I didn't watch this episode with subtitles but I think I will turn them on for the rest because it's kind of an issue. They all get mushy-mouthed in places. Sometimes the volume on the dialogue is a little too soft as well. So fair warning about that.

The overall look of it...the color palette was better in the final product than I expected. The costumes look much better than they did in the trailers. Some of the effects look amazing (fire and waterbending especially) and some...not as much (airbending has it's weird moments, so does earth.) Appa is solid. Momo hasn't shown up yet but I've seen clips from trailers and I think he'll be fine too. The worldbuilding looks incredible. The Air Temple felt very alive, the Southern Water Tribe looked pretty real and felt lived in. We haven't seen much of the Fire Nation yet, but Zuko's ship looks perfect.

In terms of writing, this episode definitely has an exposition problem that I'm hoping will only be present here, since there was a lot to set up. There's one scene where Gran-Gran just reads out the opening we all know from the cartoon, complete with the "water, earth, fire, air, long ago the four nations lived together in harmony..." and it's really fucking awkward. That whole scene was awkward. I'm hoping dialogue choices like that were a first-episode problem and won't recur as much moving forward, but we'll see. there's another spot where Aang, at the end, kinda gives a "hey I'm the hero now" speech and it's pretty awkward too because you know he's speaking to the audience, not Katara and Sokka. Gordon's doing his best but that dialogue was not good.

That said, this wasn't an issue the entire time. The opening with the Air Nomad genocide was actually very well done, but it seemed like once Aang shows up in the Southern Water Tribe it was like the writers suddenly felt they had to lore-dump everything all at once. It took me out of the experience a bit, as someone who's seen the original more times than I can count. But...maybe new audiences need this, I dunno.

The humor is largely intact. Sokka still has his sarcasm, Aang gets some funny lines, even Katara has a moment or two. It's not as cartoon-y, and there's definitely less levity. No penguin sledding, Aang doesn't crash into the snow tower, they don't play airball at the Southern Air Temple, etc. But it's not grimdark either, I don't get the sense that it's trying to be "edgy" on purpose. It's just playing up the serious elements that were already part of the story and removing the aspects that were only ever gonna work in a cartoon. This does still feel like Avatar, it feels like the same world and the same overall story, just being told in a different way.

Overall it's not a terrible start. There's issues, some changes I'm mixed on, some changes I really like, some I really don't. Mileage will vary on this particular episode for older fans, I think. But as a first episode? It's very watchable. There's good things happening here. Gonna see how it evolves over the next seven episodes. Please let Katara kick ass soon.

#natla spoilers

[annie-handholder]

sooo I read atla's comic the promise and man, I gotta say I don't like it very much lol, the art was really good and there were moments I enjoyed but overall it's a no from me dawg

WHY DID KATARA NOD WHEN ZUKO ASKED AANG TO KIL HIM? it felt soooo OOC for Katara, isn't Zuko her friend? and Zuko gripping Katara like that because she hit some of his soldiers? and Aang who's supposedly a fully realized avatar would just go into the avatar state like that and threaten to KILL Zuko when he couldn't even kill Ozai???? and lets talk about friendship why is the Gaang acting like Zuko is just a random guy????except Suki and Aang they all acted like Zuko wasn't their friend he was just someone they should stop, I'm supposed to believe that Toph who was the first one of them to trust Zuko would just go "oh he's going crazy like his father!" w/out being concerned or feeling anything about it? and Sokka too it's just so off.

oh and what's up with Iroh just leaving Zuko to fend for himself!! like I know he said he wanted to open his teashop after the war ended but idk, I don't believe he'd let Zuko figure out being a firelord by himself especially when a lot of the fire nation citizens are angry they "lost".

honestly the whole thing could've been solved if they talked, the characters were going into extreme reactions w/out talking, even Aang who kept preaching about talking didn't really want to listen when Zuko was explaining his reasons to stop the harmony thing.

I liked some things tho, the idea of the comic is interesting, I liked how Aang's need to separate the nations was from his trauma of being the last one of the air nation I thought this was really good, I liked how Zuko didn't realize how hard it is to be a firelord and was crushed by the pressure so much he lost sleep and even went to his father, I also liked how they 'humanized' Ozai in a way, he's still a huge pos but he's not just 'I'm bad therefor I do bad things' anymore, that was nice, and seeing Zuko and Suki getting closer was really nice too, their friendship is very sweet.

#the comic felt childish #and dont come at me w/ atla is a kids show I know but it was still handled in a way that wasn't so immature and well childish! #it sucks because the premise was really good #atla #atla the promise #atla comics #asoolapost

[chaosthatsmellsgreen]

Netflix's Avatar The Last Airbender thoughts, part 4/5

about the characters from the Fire Nation

Zuko and Aang: they softened Zuko a lot, which, eh, it's fine. he opens up to Aang a little too easily in ep 6, but i loved their little talk about their studies and how they grew up. it's on the nose but honestly, you can't exactly pretend that the Zuko-Aang parallels in the OG show were subtle. "I need my honor back" *sharp cut to Zuko* was anything but subtle, so i'm actually fine with this

Iroh and Lu Ten: so, the discussions around the siege of Ba Sing Se, and Lu Ten's funeral, and Zuko's remembrance of Lu Ten were all wonderful. it's a nice detail to include the earth kingdom soldier, to show the consequences of Iroh's actions more, and i decided i liked how they handled it. i like that Iroh doesn't apologize - there is no point, and no apologies will bring the soldier's brother back. the only thing he can do is show that he knows too many lives have been lost in this war already, and move on; maybe hope that confronting him has helped the soldier move on in some way as well. as for the casket scene; Leaves from the Vine is exploitative a little, but i think the show did a good job of not just riding the free tearjerking the song itself lent to it, but providing substance under it. i especially adored Zuko in that scene; he's young, too young and too raised in an emotionally repressive family to be able to say what he really wants to say. it doesn't even really seem to be allowed for him to say "i'm sorry for your loss", because Lu Ten's fate is regarded as an honourable death more worthy of congratulations than condolences. but obviously, Zuko feels how much pain Iroh is in, and (what i also love) he's struggling with Lu Ten's death himself. there were hints in the original show that Zuko would've spent time alone with Iroh and Lu Ten, and the gifting of Lu Ten's medal is such a precious, telling moment of their relationship. my last comment is that having Zuko not only personally relate to Iroh in his grief, showing him that Iroh isn't alone in this pain, but then sitting with him after that is such a heartwarming, beautiful moment.

Zhao: so Zhao's story was interesting, i think it explored his motivation a little better, and he remained more consistent. in the OG show, he goes a little 0-100 after his first few episodes, here it was more gradual from being a nobody to having ambitions of killing the moon and becoming Firelord. hm. this is almost like a pattern huh

Fire family: is the easiest way to refer to the whole Ozai-Azula-Zuko-Iroh situation. Ozai and his relationship with his children is framed differently and expanded upon. they did change the whole dynamic somewhat, which i don't think is necessarily bad, it certainly lends more depth to Azula, whose story culminated originally in what Overanalyzing Avatar called "The Extremely Expedited Complete Mental Collapse of Azula" (if you haven't watched his analysis on why he thought Azula's breakdown was too sudden, i really recommend it). i think with how they are setting up her character, if they take it in the same direction as ATLA did, they'll have a more solid and believable breakdown at the end. i think Ozai seems weirdly - bear with me here - protective of Zuko. like he believes the crap he's spewing, and while he still treats Zuko horribly (i think the burning of Zuko's face was somehow even more cruel in this, it felt less angry and more deliberate, cold, which is... ugh. hard to even think about.), he clearly seems like he'd prefer Zuko on the throne over Azula. which was not the case in ATLA, even when they were children and Zuko wanted to show off to his grandfather, before he did anything, Ozai was already frowning. now, i don't necessarily think this change couldn't make an interesting story, i just hope the message about how abusive and horrible Ozai is to his children is not gonna get twisted and excused because of this change in attitude. i also like that there is a little more emphasis on the fact that Ozai and Iroh are brothers, and that they actually TALK to each other

priorities: from the above points, i think a clear pattern forms: despite the runtime being roughly equal to ATLA's book 1, NATLA season 1's priorities lean sooooo far towards discussing the fire nation, their soldiers, their supporters and opponents, Zuko and Iroh, Ozai and especially Azula that the Gaang looses a crapload of the runtime they originally had. and while this obviously benefits the fire nation characters, it has this negative effect of us missing out on a lot of opportunities for the main cast to bond while we're busy watching Mai and Ty Lee hyping Azula up for... whatever reason

Mai is not in this show btw. i know there was a girl with Ty Lee and Azula who looks like Mai but it wasn't her.

PART 4/5

START // NEXT // PREVIOUS

#natla #natla spoilers #atla live action #atla live action spoilers

[avisisisis]

Seeing so many people putting Azula and Zuko against each other bothers me a lot, because that's literally what Ozai did. How can you guys not see that? It's canon

Azula and Zuko were both terrible to eachother in multiple occasions (edit: actually, Azula was terrible to Zuko, but I didn't wanna get jumped by Azula stans so I made it seem like they were both bad. Sorry about that and thanks for correcting me), but they're both traumatized children fighting a war that started before they were even born. The war made them that way. Ozai made them that way

Azula was horrible to Zuko for most of his life, and that's canon. You can't deny it. But at the same time, it MOSTLY wasn't her fault

So, we know how Ozai clearly liked Azula more than Zuko did. But why is this? Zuko may not be as good as Azula in terms of bending, but he's not a bad bender. Ozai likes Azula more (not loves; likes) because she acts the way he wants her to act. She's cold, mean, calculating, manipulative and supports the Fire Nation. Zuko is nice, he asks too many questions, struggles with his emotions and can't seem to stfu (I know I sound mean saying that but that's literally canon. That boy cannot, for the love of god, shut his fucking mouth up)

Ozai made Azula be more like him. Zuko gets his kindness from his mother

And on the topic of Ursa, she canonically loves both of her children, even if she prefers Zuko due to him being less like their abuser. We never see her calling Azula a monster, besides of the scene where she says “What is wrong with that child?” OUTSIDE OF HEARING RANGE and right after Azula did something Bad™ (forgot what it was sorry). This is why I believe that Ursa never directly told Azula she feared her: Ozai told her she did. Ozai spent a lot more time with Azula than he did with Zuko, which was very easily an opportunity to poison her mind even more. And how did he do this?

By telling her everyone hated her.

He isolated her, made her cold and unforgiving, so that she wouldn't have any “weaknesses” like Zuko did. He used her as a means to abuse Zuko. He told her Zuko and Ursa were weak and that they both feared and hated her

Zuko would be right to be angry at Azula for treating him the way she did,but he still should know (and he DOES know, it was literally the main theme of his redemption arc; realizing that his abuser was the one at fault and not him) that the one at fault was Ozai. Same with Azula; it wasn't Zuko's fault nor Ursa's, Ozai is the one that willingly chose to destroy so many people's lives because he wanted power

And I'm pretty sure Zuko and Azula don't hate eachother like many people believe them to do. No, they love eachother, but ofc Ozai fucking ruined their relationship bc he ruins EVERYTHING

Zuko is sad that their relationship turned out to be that way. Zuko wants them to be better, to do better. Zuko wants them to be happy. But Zuko has also grown up with a version of Azula that could never make mistakes and that was mean af. Zuko won't be able to have a perfectly healthy relationship with his sister ever because of how he was made to think of Azula as perfect, and because Azula was made to think of him as weak

So, please, don't pit them against eachother. Don't compare the abuse they went through (seriously. Doing that is disgusting). Don't bring one of them down to make the other look like a little angel that does nothing wrong. They already suffer because of that enough in canon. Leave my babies alone

#but really. the only person that was actually abusive in the fire family was ozai #ozai used his daughter to torment zuko and ursa; ruining her life and mental health in the process #and ursa wasn't the greatest mother but c'mon. she was trapped with a man she was forced to marry #she was literally taken away from her home and most likely SAd by him multiple times so they could have heirs #and YES it was SA. ursa did NOT want to go with him. she didn't want to marry him #and she definitely didn't want to have children with him #but she still loved her children so much #she did all she could. especially considering her poor mental health at the moment #she tried #so don't come to me with any of your “ursa didn't love azula and she was a terrible mother” bullshit #ursa loved BOTH OF HER CHILDREN #she showed favoritism over zuko because azula was mimicking her worst abuser's actions #and yet she still tried to show azula love and appreciation #but ofc ozai fucking ruined that #ursa never directly told azula that she feared her #i 100% believe that ozai told azula ursa hated her to isolate her even further #also azula wouldn't be in the wrong to be angry at zuko for leaving #the first time? yes she'd be wrong because he didn't leave he was kicked out #the second time? well. she is a 14 year old girl #she probably saw Zuko's betrayal as something more personal #AND AGAIN!! #azula is allowed to be angry. she's allowed to have feelings #but she needs to know and understand that her miserable life wasn't zuko's (or ursa's) fault #in the comics (yes i know they're terrible don't come at me) it's shown how she blames everyone but herself and ozai #she says ursa was the one at fault. she antagonizes zuko and attempts to make him more like ozai #she also antagonizes kiyi (her half sister) #she antagonized a lot of people #atla #oh and abt what i said before. azula WAS abusive. it was Ozai's fault but she really was abusive #sorry if i made it look like i was denying it

[agentemo]

Netflix's ATLA initial thoughts, ep 6: Masks

Ohhh this is the Blue Spirit episode! Alright alright alright alright alright alright al

Ohhh this is the war council episode. Not alright! Not alright!!!

ZUKO'S SMILE 😭

Leutenant Jee is right and he should say it. Lmao he got nervous at the end of that outburst though.

June is soooo hot. I love women.

I'm not sure how I feel about Roku's characterization after Bumi's character assassination. I do like how it establishes that the Avatars are all their own people. I'm a little confused about how talking to the other Avatars works, though. They can only embody him at their shrines; that makes sense. But can he only contact with them there?

Once again, I like the combination of storylines. There aren't a lot of little villages, for better or for worse, so taking these characters and combining them in an interesting way to storylines that I would never have thought of is fun and intriguing. They failed in ep5 but it is an ambitious thing to do and they've been mostly successful in the others.

"You couldn't have always been this way" BAD DIALOGUE! LEADING THE WITNESS! INTO A FLASHBACK.

Wait, are Katara and Sokka's bodies just alone in a forest with Appa and Momo? 😤

I love seeing Zhao's arrogance shine through. Until now, he was biding his time and using his resources well. But he got cocky once he thought he'd won. And it's totally believable.

Loving the Blue Spirit stuff. No notes. Just a good time... Wait why isn't anyone firebending? Anyway, the scenes in the stronghold were almost shot for shot from the OG and I don't WANT that from the live action show but they did a good job with it here. And the follow-up conversation between Aang and Zuko was awesome. This is what I wanted: appreciating the text while elevating. Bravo.

New drinking game unlocked: Take a shot whenever a child quotes an old or dead person.

I honestly like the change of Zuko fighting back. It makes sense. The scene was not easier to take. The follow-up was tough to see as well.

Daniel Dae Kim is too hot to be this evil. Ugh...burn me daddy.

NOW WHAT, JEE? NOW WHAT THE FUCK YOU THINK?! HE SAVED YOUR DUMBASS!

GOD AND ZUKO HASN'T SEEN THIS REVERENCE IN SO LONG. AND HE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHY HE'S GETTING IT BUT HE DESERVES IT. CRYING ON MY COUCH.

Another great episode. So far, here are my thoughts. 1-3 were OK. 4 and 6 were great and 5 was trapped between two great episodes, making it really not.

THE FINAL TWO NEXT!

#avatar the last airbender

[black-velvet-lady]

"Who's scarier? Ozai, Azula, Hama, or Koh?"

I think a question like this directly ignores some legitimately terrifying characters that we were introduced to in avatar last Air bender. Such as General Fong, the earth bender Prison Warden, Zhao, Avatar Yangchen, Fire Lord Sozin, Fire Lord Azulon, Combustion Man, the dragon of the west, and Long Feng to name a few.

Now many of these characters are undercut by little screen time, narrative framing, being overshadowed, or having their information be supplemental material.

Going in order of the books the Prison Warden of the earth bender Prison is a legitimately terrifying boss with violent impulses as volatile as a grenade locked behind a hair pin trigger. This guy throws fire at a prisoner's feet and locks him in solitary confinement for a week for coughing while he was talking. Coughing. Not only that he tossed his captain overboard for asking a question, he didn’t even know it was the captain. Then later near the end of the episode Haru throws a rock at his head and he immediately went to burn the kid for the offense. Course this is undercut by the end of the episode with him meekly saying he can't swim and Taro calling him a coward.

General Fong is another character that is legitimately terrifying due to his actual power hungry nature. Fong wants to weaponize a twelve-year-old boy and brandishes guilt upon the boy to achieve these ends. When told no he uses violence to achieve his goal against not only Aang, but Katara and Sokka as well. He buries Katara alive to force Aang into the Avatar State endangering the lives of his comrades and the injured stationed at his base, and he doesn't learn his lesson. He still believes he was right in doing all of this by the end of the episode cause he wants to wield the Avatar as the ultimate weapon and carve a bloody path of vengeance through the fire nation straight to the royal palace. Still he's undercut by sharing screen time with Azula who arguably steals the show from every major villain in the series.

The Rough Rhinos are kind of undercut by the fact that they always loose to the protagonist characters, but they were instrumental in the war effort as the forward troops. Not only that but they also have a canonical body count since they were responsible for the deaths of Jets parents during the burning of his village and they did have murderous intent in the village of Chin.

Sozin. Picture is worth a thousand words and I got two.

Enough said.

Azulon. Man was responsible for 90% of the hundred year war and ordered the death of his grandson cause his second son insulted him. He's a horrible POS.

Long Feng. Controls the largest city in the world through mind control and fear and is able to kill kids with impunity cause he's controlling the King like a puppet. Even when placed in prison he is still a danger to the city and its people.

Combustion Man. I think it's very telling that the gang will fight the dangerous ladies but their go to strategy with him is run and hide.

Yangchen and Iroh seem to stick out like a sore thumb now don't they? Don't be fooled. Yangchen's original lore actually states she took her job deadly serious. Yangchen was a fully realized Avatar at 17 and terrorized the world into such a state of paralyzing fear that there was a lasting peace for an entire generation after her death cause everyone feared her wrath. The framing around her and Kyoshi kinda makes them seem like the other way around but I find it very telling that Yangchen says you must sacrifice your own needs to protect the world while Kyoshi equates not lifting a hand to save Chin from dying to be the same killing him.

Iroh is the last one cause honestly you don't need me to explain why Zhao is bad. Let's keep one thing in mind with Iroh. He met the dragons before Zuko was born. He learned that fire is life 9 years before campaigning in the Earth Kingdom and laying siege to Ba Sing Se for 600 days. He only stopped when his son died. Did nothing as his brother took the throne and burned his son. Retired to the place he laid siege to. Brought the white Lotus into power and they continued his father's inhumane prisons on the red Lotus.

And Ty Lee is the scariest and most effective member of the dangerous ladies. No I will not elaborate.

[juniperhillpatient]

Sozin's Comet Part 3: Into the Inferno Re-Watch

Wow, I'll be honest I forgot how many parts this finale had (& thank goodness because it's way too much to cover in one post.) While I've randomly re-watched various episodes of this show a lot, this is my first time doing a full re-watch & only my second time re-watching these finale episodes. That's because....well, this finale doesn't fuck around!

Let's get right into it. I gotta be petty & say it's kinda funny this show is so disdainful of its own main "romance" (& calling it that is a stretch) that they have Katara & Zuko go together on a ride or die life or death journey to the Fire Nation after baiting their noncanon romance quite a bit in the last few episodes. Fun! I'll briefly address that I know a lot of you guys don't like the setup for the Zuko Vs. Azula fight, & it's certainly a little flawed but...& this might be a hot take - Zuko showing up during Azula's coronation to claim the throne & the two of them having an Agni Kai does make a certain amount of narrative sense. It's just that a few details about the setup itself (the time it takes to get from Ba Sing Se to the Fire Nation, Iroh knowing that Azula would be crowned Firelord, in general, the buildup to Zuko's decision to become Firelord) could have been executed a little better. But I still love the beautiful tragedy of the final Agni Kai & I still think it was overall set up well save for a few details.

Zuko Vs. Ozai I would argue is pretty perfectly set up by the previous episode. Aang is ready for this fight. And Ozai is ready for genocide - & showing off his abs! I'm sorry if this upsets some of you but Ozai is getting +1000 iconic behavior points for stripping off his shirt for this fight & generally acting like a dramatic king. Yes trying to burn the world to the ground is pretty bad, but Ozai sure does manage to be a fun-to-watch villain while he does it. I only wish we'd gotten more scenes showcasing Ozai's personality & badassery throughout Book 3 to really set him up as the Final Boss.

[id: Ozai about to fire-bend Aang. end id]

I can really appreciate that Aang is out of his comfort zone here. Throughout this entire show, Aang has been an evasive fighter. He's not aggressive. He prefers to deftly outmaneuver his opponents & cause them to wear themselves out rather than attacking directly himself. Aang doesn't have that option this time. First of all, Ozai is just a very aggressive fighter who is determined to take Aang down. Second of all, this is the big battle - Aang needs to do something to take Ozai down, & he knows it. I have to appreciate that Aang offers Ozai the chance to back down. Obviously, it seems silly - of course Ozai won't take this chance. But it means something that Aang offers it anyway.

Sokka, Suki, & Toph's mission feels so desperate & scary. Toph gets +1000 iconic behavior points for her badass metal bending. Then Sokka comes up with a plan that will help protect the earth-kingdom but also might just kill them & shit gets real when they're separated from Suki. My heart dropped during that scene. Sokka protectively crouching over Toph just makes me so emotional. +1000 iconic behavior points to Sokka for this insane & potentially suicidal but brave plan.

[id: Sokka crouching protectively over Toph. end id]

Yeah, this part just makes me emotional.

Speaking of being emotional.....Let's get into the beginning of the end for my favorite emotionally damaged war criminal. Azula's downfall is heartbreaking. I didn't understand what was happening the first time that I watched this show, & I was just confused about why Azula was banishing everyone until it slowly crept up on me that she was paranoid after Mai & Ty Lee's betrayal. This show is incredibly well-written & as I'm re-watching again having put a completely normal & not at all insane amount of thought into Azula's characterization, I realize that it's so much more complicated than that. Azula was abandoned as a small child by her mother, who she believed never cared about her. Later, her brother is banished & after she finally gets him back, he abandons her too - for reasons she cannot understand. Then Mai & Ty Lee too. No wonder she can't trust anyone.

And even if it weren't for all of these people turning on Azula for reasons she doesn't get, Azula was taught that "trust is for fools, fear is the only reliable way" by her genocidal egomaniac father who burned her brother in front of her when she was eleven. The same father who just abandoned her (just like everyone else does) to fulfill a rather pointless role (now that he's the Phoenix King). I'm not sorry but what the actual fuck is wrong with people who can't sympathize with --- nope, I'm just. I'm....moving on, let's continue the analysis.

[id: Azula standing in front of her mirror throwing a hairbrush at a hallucination of her mother, who is reflected in the mirror. end id]

Let's talk about the mirror scene for a second. This is another scene that's been highly analyzed & discussed already but I want to talk about it a little anyway. It's important to remember that this is a hallucination, meaning that what we're seeing is what some part of Azula's mind is conjuring up. Ursa doesn't call Azula a monster, interestingly. She says "I love you, Azula, I do." Is this what Azula remembers her mother saying? What she wants to believe her mother is saying? We just don't know because we are simply not given enough information, but I think it could be a mix of both.

I also think it's very interesting that Ursa says "I think you're confused." Again, this is some part of Azula's own mind manifesting. I think this is pretty strong evidence that Azula knows that she's wrong - this as well as the comment in 'The Beach' about believing herself to be a monster - but I don't think she has the context to really understand how or why she's wrong. How could she? She's never had the opportunity to learn from sources outside the Fire Nation, or adults other than her father, the way that Zuko did.

And then of course....we have the showdown that breaks my heart the most. Zuko & Azula's Final Agni Kai. When Azula says "I'm sorry it had to end this way, brother," & Zuko says "No, you're not," that truly is the culmination of their entire relationship, isn't it? And it's so devastatingly tragic because it didn't have to be this way - they could have been normal siblings, in another life - but at the same time, it did always have to be this way, because of generations of toxicity, because of Ozai & his choices. +1000 iconic behavior points to each of the fire siblings for being dramatic fucked-up bitches.

I think that Azula really is sorry it has to end this way, she does not understand Zuko's reasons for abandoning her or their nation after she did everything she could to put him back in his rightful place at their father's side. And Zuko doesn't believe her, not for a second, because their father has always made him feel like the mental, emotional & physical abuse he's been put through is all because he can't measure up to Azula & he sees her as an enemy & believes that she hates him even though she doesn't. It's all just incredibly fucking sad.

And I want to be super clear, I sympathize with both siblings here a lot, but Zuko is right to challenge Azula. Ozai & Azula need to be taken out of positions of power at this point in time. Whether Zuko or Iroh or whoever "should" have the throne, it definitely shouldn't be Azula, & Zuko & Katara are doing what they have to do here.

[id: Azula generating lightning. end id]

The music, the animation, & voice acting during the final Agni Kai is beautiful. It's just an incredible scene. It's haunting, honestly. One of the most intense & emotionally charged battle scenes in any show that I've ever seen.

And of course...Zuko taunts Azula until she shoots lightning. I think it's worth noting that Azula was avoiding doing so up until now. Almost like she didn't really want to kill Zuko. And then Azula goes for Katara. This is a coldhearted & calculated move, in a way. Azula is manipulative even in the midst of her breakdown. She knows that going for Katara is the way to disarm Zuko. But I also think that it's because she didn't want to kill Zuko. Sorry Azutara besties, but Azula didn't know Katara at all on a personal level, so I think she made the quick decision in a desperate moment that if she had to kill someone, she didn't want it to be her brother & that this would be a great way to get Zuko distracted so she could burn him & win. But like...I also think this was all whizzing through her brain in chaos because she's also mid-breakdown & had to think fast.

Anyway, Zuko takes a heroic & brave dive & saves Katara. This moment just gets me every time. However, you interpret the relationship between Zuko & Katara (for me personally, I see it as a deep friendship) this is an act of love. +1000 iconic behavior points for Zuko. Pretty sure Zuzu is already taking the lead, but I can't not award him points for saving Katara's life.

I'll end this review by saying that Aang redirecting lightning against Ozai (but still not killing him) was a really amazing moment & I loved it. +1000 iconic behavior points for Aang.

[id: Aang redirecting lightning. end id]

This show really is epic, & its conclusion is proving to be just as intense, emotional, & beautiful as I remember it.

#atla book 3 #sozin's comet part 3 #sozin's comet part 3: into the inferno #atla re watch

[theowritesfiction]

‘The Day of Black Sun Part 1: Invasion’

Okay, here we are with the big mid-season double header! Right off the bat, I have to remark on another sweet Water Sibling moment, with Katara slipping a drink into Sokka's hand as he's pouring over the maps. Aww <3

The invasion force arrives... and no, I can't think of anything else but Haru's facial hair committing crimes against all common decency. 30 Jerk Points for that mustache. Also, Aang getting a new glider just in time... that snack compartment sounds like a Sokka idea, though. I loved Appa's armor - okay, I guess the scam money was put to good use. I don't love Aang shaving his hair - 10 Jerk Points.

Poor Sokka choking up right before it was time to present his big idea was kind of mean... but Hakoda's explanation of the plan really underlines how desperate it is. Most of the fighting is still being done without the aid of the eclipse. Also, there are some very serious flaws in the plan that I can see right away, and I will probably do a more serious meta about it, but I will immediately challenge the assertion that 'once the Avatar has defeated the Fire Lord, the war will be over'. Like... why would you expect the war to be over at that point? Why wouldn't the Fire Nation keep fighting back against an invading force striking into the heart of the capital? The Fire Lord isn't the only one keeping this war going. The moment the eclipse is over, every firebender in and around the capital will be looking to kick these invaders out, because there is no way in hell they will be viewed as 'liberators'.

And yes, I think this invasion plan was terrible and is one of the reasons why I don't subscribe to the genius Sokka theory. But even if the overall plan is not good, I can still give Sokka credit for his awesome inventions that individually performed as intended. <3

Okay, the Kataang stuff... let's get that out of the way quickly, I don't really blame Aang for wanting to kiss Katara before heading into what they believe is the decisive battle, even if Katara just wanted another big sister moment. I still find the framing of this whole 'romance' very badly done. The last Kataang moment was way back in The Headband, which was pretty much the only clear time where Katara showed romantic interest in Aang, and yet it had no follow-up and here Katara once again acts confused and uncertain, and knowing what we know about Katara and how free she is with her affections... once again, she is clearly far less interested in Aang than Aang is interested in her. Sorry, facts only. Also, since I was still subjected to Kataang kiss which I find gross, I give the culprit (Aang) 20 more Jerk Points.

I think Mai actually spent a lot of effort trying to be supportive for Zuko during these Book 3 episodes. I think she deserved better than a crappy letter. 30 Jerk Points for Zuko. Also, Zuko, saying farewells to Mai and Ursa, but not to your sister who brought you back, gave you what you wanted and kept your ass safe? Boo, 20 more Jerk Points to a bad brother.

The action in the harbor is appropriately epic, but I don't have too much to say about that. It's action, what do you want me to say? I'm a bit sad that Hakoda's injury put Katara out of the final confrontation, and she wasn't there to face off against Azula... robbed again :(

The ending actually felt very satisfying to me. Aang's despair at having been tricked and the viewer realizing that Azula has outsmarted everyone... ah, how does Azula manage to be the best even when she doesn't appear on screen? <3

Anyway, see you soon in Part 2, but meanwhile, here are the updated Jerk Points for Book 3:

Zuko - 460 Aang – 280  Roku - 100 Hide, Sokka - 80 King Kuei - 60 Toph - 50 Haru - 30  

#my atla rewatch #atla book 3 #the day of black sun

[southslates]

I'm a Zutara stan but I sometimes think Aang and Mai were what Katara and Zuko needed at one point. I just refuse to believe those relationships were a complete disaster for the both of them. I sometimes laugh/cringe at how salty some fics are towards their exes (because Zutara is canon!!) but I get it.. Zutara is treated much worse.

I get it and I would actually agree that there was merit to having them date at some point.

I graduated high school last week and with adulthood on the horizon, almost every single couple I know has broken up or is on the verge of breaking up. Sure, there are a few that are sticking it out and I'm sure that a few will make it past college and whatever comes next, but that amount will definitely be minuscule. The reality is most couples from grade school don't end up together--but that doesn't mean that those relationships are pointless, right? There's fundamentally a lot you can learn in a young relationship about yourself and what you want in your other relationships as you become an adult.

What bothers me about the endgame couples in ATLA is how young they are and how quickly they dedicate themselves to each other. Katara and Aang are generously the equivalents to a thirteen and fifteen-year-old, and Zuko and Mai are more like seventeen-year-olds. Because of that, I'd say the latter had more of a shot at making it, but still, that's super young.

And the fact that Katara is like, fifteen or sixteen in the comics and running around the world fully dedicated to her fourteen-year-old boyfriend? She's fifteen, her boyfriend should be secondary to her own growth.

But yeah, I agree that there was never anything wrong with Katara dating Aang and Zuko dating Mai. They were caught up in a war and maybe at some point Katara needed to date someone who gave her hope, and Zuko needed to be with someone who understood the societal pressure of being Fire Nation nobility. But that doesn't mean that they were compatible life partners, you know?

The most common criticism I see of Zutara that isn't flat out your ship is for teenage girls who love bad boys is that they wouldn't work because they're too similarly passionate. I think that this stems from The Southern Raiders which most Zutarians interpret as Zuko helping Katara get the revenge she needed, but a lot of other people see him encouraging her tendency to get carried away.

Katara and Zuko both often make brash decisions based on their own moral compasses and I like that. I think that similarity might have been an issue over some of ATLA and while they're young but as they grow (because they're literal young teens in ATLA) it could have been exactly what the world needed from young leaders.

And that's really why I believe they should be endgame because the whole opposite-personalties attract and "Aang and Mai keep Katara and Zuko in check" thing might be important and relevant when they're young but in the long run, matching personalities can compromise and understand each other better.

I'm not wholly Anti-Kataang and Anti-Maiko from what we see in the show, but I don't like the way the relationships are seen to progress. Aang is pushy with Katara in ATLA and then he never grows out of it and Katara just accepts it. And Zuko and Mai start to break apart and don't reconcile their differences (all this to say I haven't read the comics entirely and I do think Mai and Zuko definitely could have grown into a healthier relationship, we just don't see that). Maybe if the show had ended with Zutara I wouldn't have liked it because Zuko and Katara weren't ready to date at the end of ATLA. None of these characters were, they needed to deal with the trauma of the war and build healthy friendships and relationships with their families.

I'm sorry this answer is so ranty, I'm just getting out my feelings. I really hope the live action ATLA ends with no established relationships for any of these characters so that it's all open to interpretation. I just can't see how a bunch of relationships forged in wartime between twelve to sixteen-year-olds supposedly were all meant to be.

#zutara #AGAIN IM SO SORRY FOR RANTING #i have so many feels about all of this stuff #zuko #katara #antimaiko #antikataang #atla

[kidnappedbycartoons]

Azula deserved better.

You expect me to believe that Iroh, who is a literal war criminal and didn't realize the error of the Fire Nation until the war killed his son, can change, but fourteen-year-old Azula can't? She was failed by the adults around her. She didn't have an Iroh or Usra to guide her. No, she had Ozai. And look at Ozai!

I mean, look at her relationship with Usra. I didn't read the comics yet, but in the show, it's clear that there is some tension between the two. Anytime we saw Usra and Azula interact in the show, it was always Usra telling Azula not to do something or wondering what's wrong with her. And in the beach episode, Azula says that she can talk about how her mother loved Zuko more than her and thought she was a monster. You expect me to believe that Azula wasn't jealous of the attention and love Zuko got from Usra?

Also, I don't think Usra told Azula that she was a monster, but you know who I think put that in Azula's head? Ozai. She wasn't getting that much love and attention from Usra, so she sought it out in her other parent. She wanted his attention and the best way to get that was to show off the traits that Ozai favors. He's someone who leads with fear, he lacks empathy, he is ruthless, and so Azula became like that to stay in his good graces. Ozai probably told her that her mother thought she was a monster.

Also, Azula is clearly capable of care and is also lonely. We see this during the beach episode. Yeah, she is manipulative and toxic towards Ty Lee and Mai, but does no one notice that when Ty Lee is upset, Azula feels bad for her. We see this when Azula almost makes Ty Lee cry at the party and she quickly apologizes. And we see it again when they're at the beach and Ty Lee is talking about her home life and why she joined the circus. When she's not looking, Azula is looking at her with a face of concern but when Ty Lee looks back at her, Azula fixes her face so that there's no hint of emotion on her face. She does care for her friends, but she doesn't know how to because the only example she has to go off of is Ozai.

And during the beach episode, we see that she feels jealous because while Ty Lee can get all the boys to come to her yard, Azula cannot and finds it hard to talk to them. After taking Ty Lee's advice and managing to kiss a boy, she is talking about world domination and being the most powerful couple in the world, which scares him off. She doesn't know how to interact with someone if it doesn't have to do with the war and winning. And who is also obsessed with all of this? Ozai.

She also cares for Zuko. Now, is there a clear power imbalance between the two and has Azula been toxic towards him? Yes. But she does care a bit. When she lied and told Ozai that Zuko killed the avatar, she didn't even know that there was a possibility that Aang lived. She didn't find out UNTIL Zuko gave her that obvious lie. Up till that point, she was just helping him out with his standing in the Fire Nation. But when she found out that there was a possibility, it worked in her favor. And during the beach episode, she seeks Zuko out herself. She doesn't tease him that much, no. She comes to get him and bring him back to the group. And if she wanted to be the Fire Lord so bad, why would she bring him back? She didn't bring him back as a traitor like she was going to in the start of book two. No, she brought him back and helped to restore his honor. How would that help her? It doesn't.

All I'm saying is, if Iroh can change, why can't Azula change? If Zuko can change, why can't she? She didn't have an Iroh or Usra like Zuko did. She had Ozai. And look at how Ozai is. Iroh calling her crazy and saying she needs to be put down leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Azula deserved better. She could've had a redemption arc.

#atla #atla azula #azula deserved better #avatar: the last airbender