#20 years of avatar the last airbender | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

atlafan · 8 days ago

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20 years of avatar: the last airbender

I'm feeling sappy, and I'm sure no one will read this, so tldr...thank you avatar for all that you've given me, and this fandom, for 20 years. You changed my life for the better.

I was nine (9) years old when avatar: the last airbender aired on nickelodeon. I remember sitting in my den with my older sister. She was on the family desktop, so she was only half paying attention, but still, she watched it with me. I can't even remember how I felt when promo started. I think I was like, "what is this?", and then decided to give it a shot.

I was immediately hooked. There was so much going on. I believe they aired the second episode right after since it was a premiere event. This was a big deal. There were no other cartoons that looked like it on nickelodeon at the time. It looked like something that would have been on cartoon network or something, especially with it's anime style.

I don't remember physically watching every episode as they aired, but I remember tuning in each week. It was one of a few cartoons I had been watching at the time that had an actual overarching plot. Each episode built on one another, even the "filler" episodes had a purpose. There was character development. 20-22 episode seasons.

The bending was what I think hooked me right away. We had an above ground pool growing up, and I was like a fish. I remember imagining if I could make the water move. So when atla came out, and there was waterbending, I was like holy shit!!

Much of Book One was backstory. We were learning about our heroes, as well as our villains. What I hadn't seen too much of at that point in my life yet was the villains having other sides to them. Realizing that Zuko and Iroh really weren't the bad guys, was mind blowing. Each book had their own antagonist, and obviously the overarching antagonist was the firelord. But each book had entirely different battles, which I thought was so cool!

It wasn't until episode 12, "The Storm", that I became truly obsessed. We got to learn, pretty early on, how Zuko got his scar, why he was banished and searching for the avatar, and that if given the choice, he wouldn't be doing any of that. All he wanted was to return home to his abusive father so he could get some crumb of love. This episode is also incredible because this is the first time you see Azula. She's next to Iroh watching everything go down in the flashback. This episode also did an amazing job of showing how Zuko and Aang are foils. One was forced away from their home, and the other chose to leave. But they both ended up on a journey of finding themselves and restoring something.

The Book One finale...I remember watching it. I remember having my mind fucking blown. When that spirit fish appeared and took out all those fire nation guys? I was like running around my house telling anyone who would listen about how fucking cook it was. And my older siblings humored me. Sometimes they'd watch reruns with me, and it was great. When the first season ended, I kept imagining what the second book could be about. This was back when you had to wait for any crumbs on things.

Book Two was probably when I became the most obsessed. I was in middle school now, and Zuko's hair was growing out, and I added a new crush to my list of cartoon crushes. It took a few episodes, same as the first book, to figure out what the theme for the season was going to be, and who the antagonist was going to be. It was essentially Azula, and Ba Sing Se. I can't remember when I exactly started shipping zutara. In the waterbending scroll, when the, "I'll save you from the pirates", happened, that was probably it, but I digress. The Cave of Two Lovers is a phenomenal episode. There's a fine line between childhood whimsy, and being children of war who are on a mission. The Swamp was another iconic episode. We got to see what Kya looked like a little, and it was our first glimpse of Toph. Normally when a show adds a new character, they never really fit in, but Toph was such a good addition. She was what they needed. And of course Katara screaming, "I'M COMPLETELY CALM", will always be incredible. We also got to see Azula, Ty-Lee, and Mai altogether again, and got to watch Zuko and Iroh essentially join the gaang to fight Azula.

Zuk Alone...it always makes me cry. The backstory was fucking top tier. Ursa did so much to save her son. And seeing that Azula was a monster born and a monster made? Impeccable. During Bitter Work, we got another episode paralleling Aang and Zuko's journeys. Aang finally got to start earth bending, and Zuko learned about lightning redirection. Him screaming at the sky at the end and crying still gets me. So much had been thrown at him. It was too much to deal with.

I remember going to soccer games after watching new episodes like Appa's Lost Days, or Tales of Ba Sing Se, and just being totally distracted. Those episodes gave me so much to think about. What other show would dedicate an entire episode to a flying bison???

The lead up to the end of book two was extraordinary. Zuko realizing he should just leave Appa to be with Aang, and going through his metamorphoses, and then seeing all of the corruption in the city, Azula and her gang pretending to be Kyoshi warriors. When Katara dropped her tea at the tea shop when she saw Zuko?? When Zuko got thrown underground at Katara's feet??? My girl was going to attempt to heal his scar! He never let anyone touch it, but he let her! They bonded!!! And the way he and Aang glared at each other when he and Iroh found them, oh my fucking god. So much was said without anything needing to be spoken. This was truly when I thought Zuko was going to join them. It felt like the perfect moment. And Azula essentially murdered Aang. Katara catching him with the tsunami???? And then using the special water to heal him? THE SYMBOLISM!!!!

Book Three. I remember waiting so long for it because of the writer's strike. I would watch it weekly at my friend's house. Getting to see Zuko live his life, but it not being what he thought he wanted??? The new clothes for the gaang???? The Beach?????? It was just bop after bop after bop! And learning that Zuko's great-grandfather on his mother's side was Avatar Roku???? That was fucking mind blowing. He never stood a chance! I also want to know how old all of Roku's kids were when he died because you're going to tell me 100 years passed, and that was Zuko's great-grandfather? It should have been his great-great grandfather, right? I digress. Also, Roku and Sozin, yall were in love. Or, I think Sozin was in love with Roku because Sozin clearly got married and whatnot way after Roku did. I mean, Azulon was fucking ancient in those flashbacks, and he was the first born. How old was Iroh and Ozai's mother? Do they even have the same mother?

Nightmares and Daydreams is one of my favorite episodes just because it was funny. It was a day for the kids to sort of just be kids, even though Aang was scared about the day of black sun. I was really mad that we didn't get to see katara really fight during the day of black sun because of her father. I feel like she could have blood bended Azula and been done with her lmao and Aang kissing her...her expression still makes me think she didn't exactly enjoy it. And when Aang came back not even an hour later, she was like, "so this fool just kissed me and left, and then he comes back? nahhhhh". I wasn't expecting them to "lose" that day.

And then...the writer's strike. I had no idea that it would be months upon months before the final episodes aired. Every week I waited to see if new episodes were being announced, and there was nothing. Then, I remember on YouTube I was watching fan edits, and there was the entirety of The Western Air Temple on there, just sped up, and I was like what the fuck is this???? And then like a week later, it was announced that the final episodes would air over the course of five days, and the last four episodes would air like a movie.

Katara being the most angry about Zuko...and then when she threatened him later...absolutely incredible. Each episode was so much fun. Zuko wasn't only there to teach Aang something. I think he gave a little something to everyone. Each episode was a 10/10. The Southern Raiders was a fav of course, and I liked that katara made it a point to Aang that she didn't forgive the man who murdered her mother and she never will, but she has closure for it and she can start healing. And of course the zutara hug. I went out of my mind!!! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! And then the Ember Island Players...Aang I've never been so disappointed in you. Katara literally told you that it wasn't the time, and then you just kiss her?! Babe, you're thirteen, hold your horses!! (Side note, I love that they made the joke in book 2 about the king having a straight bear, like no combo of animals, just a bear.)

The final four episodes...I taped them. I have the VHS somewhere with all the episodes on it. I had a ton of Kim Possible final episodes on there, but I had to make room for atla. The lion turtles, the gaang having to figure things out while Aang was missing, the Agni Kai...when Zuko took that lightning for Katara...THEY COULDVE BEEN SOMEBODY!!!!!

The ending was sweet, and it felt resolved. Aang and Zuko were friends, foes no longer. They caught up to each other, both having restored their honor. I think this is where I get aggravated with the comics because obviously restoring balance to the world after 100 years was going to be messy, but they didn't give Zuko a fighting chance!!

Since this show aired, that hasn't been a single day that I haven't thought about it. The show got me to go to DeviantArt and that's when I started writing and publishing fanfic and fanart and fan webcomics. It was such a cool place! It introduced me to much fandom culture. When I made a tumblr in 2013, I loved seeing how so many atla memes were already integrated on the site. I started reading ao3 fics. And also...just the life lessons this show taught me. I learned so much watching it. They had to deal with some real shit. And it was a comfort I could always turn to when my real life was crumbling around me. It put a smile on my face, it gave me hope. The music still gives me goosebumps any time I hear it. I had never seen world building like that. I didn't know cartoons could be so expansive. I think that's why I ended up liking Adventure Time so much a few years later. And around the same time as atla, I was watching Code Lyoko. Two shows where episodes build on each other, and have expansive worlds.

I feel like I grew up with these characters, and as I've gotten older, they've become like my babies, my children, because I get to rewatch them grow up over and over again. I think it's a really special thing when tv characters touch your heart like this. This is what thought out character development does to people. Zuko had one of the greatest character arcs of all time, I'm not even joking. Look at him from episode one, and then go look at him from the last episode of the series. GROWTH, PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY!!! All of the kids learned something, and became better for it.

I think I'm due for a rewatch.

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