#Also is that Katara in Fire Nation armor???

[demaparbat-hp]

WIP

[lilbagdermole]

It's common knowledge that Zuko and Aang, throughout the duration of ATLA, are a mirror of one another; a reflection of each other - not necessarily opposites but parallels.

So whilst I was analyzing the finale of the show, I noticed a really interesting parallel between our two protagonists:

Zuko was close to dying in his final confrontation with Azula and what pulled him back up, what saved him from dying was water. More necessarily Katara's healing abilities - but nonetheless, his opposing element saved his life.

On the other hand, Aang throughout his harrowing fight against Ozai utilizes Earthbending time and time again to save himself, techniques that we've come to associate with Toph (rock armor and seismic sense). And to access the Avatar State, that had since been blocked, Earth had been the ultimate catalyst to unlocking his Seventh Chakra.

And if we take into consideration what Guru Pathik told Aang - to unlock the Seventh Chakra he would have to let go of Katara. In a sense, this could have been a visual representation of how Aang lets go of his love for Katara, and how Toph (Earth) could take up that role.

Earth, his opposing Element, saves his life.

It's also interesting that our protagonists' conclusions and destinies are integrally tied to the aforementioned girls. Destiny and Fate are two major themes in ATLA, alonside the moral lesson shared to us by Uncle Iroh about the unity of the four elements and how each element can learn and grow from the other.

Zuko's destiny to bring honor to Fire Nation whilst also challenging his conflicting natures (Sozin vs. Roku; Ozai/Azula vs. Iroh) would have never come into fruition had it not been for Katara. Katara was the first person (other than his Uncle) to show him genuine compassion and humanity, she was the first person to glimpse into his true, kind and gentle nature. Additionally, had she not fought alongside Zuko to defeat Azula and save his life, he would have never been able to step up to the Throne and fulfill his destiny. Thus Katara is linked and bound to Zuko's destiny.

Aang's destiny was to restore peace to the world and end The One Hundred Year War. The Aang we meet during Book One - is timid and soft, a strong bender and with limitless potential, but he lacked the confidence, the back-bone, the grounding to step-up to his duties as the Avatar and defeat Ozai. Katara coddled him and never challenged him to look beyond himself. It's only after meeting Toph does Aang begin to confront his opponents with a different viewpoint, he gains a certain matureness in himself and suddenly we see him step up into his role and responsibilities. Toph's Earthbending not only saves him from death but it also gave him the strength to face his destiny. Thus, Toph is linked and bound to Aang's destiny.

It would have tied a lot of unexplored themes as well as provide a more satisfying conclusion (Aang entering the Avatar State because he followed through with Guru Pathik's lessons instead of pointy rock triggers it) and it would have been cohesive with the narrative thematic of ATLA.

I'm still astonished at how badly Bryke fumbled the bag with their romantic sub-plots. 🗿

[marvelousazula]

a little draft on how this AU could start (basically: people think Azula is being stubborn for not speaking to anyone, meanwhile her vocal chords are just terribly damaged – kinda want to write it in Azula's POV actually, but Katara's sorta my default for some reason). (buy me a coffee)

In every interaction of theirs, Azula was polite enough when she wasn't trying to kill them. Or trying to capture them, actually, in hindsight it didn't quite look like she was going for the kill. (She was too deadly, too efficient, for not having killed them if she wanted to.) Surprisingly pacific for a perfect princess soldier.

Which means Katara isn't that surprised by Azula good behavior in the asylum Zuko sent her to. She's more annoyed by how long it took him to bring her home, being stuck in a place where she was locked up in her room all day, forced to take teas to keep her malleable and with her bending weakened didn't seem like the ideal way to deal with yet another child soldier.

It's ironic, really, that knowing Zuko better is exactly what made Katara feel any sympathy towards Azula at all.

Knowing more of Zuko's childhood is also why she's here. It took not much convincing for him to believe that if Azula is behaving well, maybe she doesn't need to stay stuck in there. Reports say she's quiet and cooperative, there are group activities and she seems to tend to have a teamwork mentality – that explains why she's that good at strategy. The only issue is that she doesn't talk.

She never talks. Not even back in the palace, not to servants that have been around her her whole life. She silently acknowledges them, with nods and glances. There are no threats, and no fire, even after a few weeks and there's no trace of that chi-weakening tea. She's not even hostile towards her, and she had been expecting lightning in her face instead of a nod before Azula went on to do whatever she was going to do.

In one of her walks around the palace, late at night, Katara finds herself in that courtyard. It has been over a year, the ground is still scorched. It's disturbing to look at the grate and remember the chains – it's a weird feeling, knowing she did the right thing, stopping Azula, but feeling so bad for the way she did it.

The chains, the armor, had been deformed where Azula's fire touched. Fire hot enough to soften metal.

She blinks, fire hot enough to soften metal.

Firebenders aren't immune to fire, look at Zuko's face.

She's not surprised that Azula is up when she knocks at her door, the princess just frowns at her and tilts her head. It's kinda cute- what? She's quite expressive, actually, Katara had formed the image of cold and stoic, when Azula says more with her eyebrows than with her words.

"I want to test something, I-" this is something they should have checked, yes? Treated, like they treated the burns on her wrists and her chest and shoulders- "You can't speak. It's not that you don't want, or that you're this stubborn, you just can't."

Azula looks astounded for a second, like she expected nobody to notice it. She didn't seem to mind that people thought she was a stubborn brat, letting it slide and just being... a quiet presence. Like she was tired of fighting, of taking up space, like she wanted some peace.

You know, like she was exhausted from a life of being someone's pawn in a senseless war.

"Does it hurt? Your throat?" Azula blinks, like nobody has asked her if anything hurts- then she nods. "I can try to... soothe it a little. I can't really heal anything..."

Azula seems to calculate the risk of allowing someone to bend water on her throat, but maybe it hurts enough to be worth the risk. She nods, steps aside and allows Katara into the room.

Not in a million years Katara thought she'd be in the Fire Nation's Crown Princess chambers to offer her relief for her pain, but here she is.

The war is over, everyone deserves their pain to be soothed, their wounds healed.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

i'm not a zvtara shipper in any significant way, but sometimes i can't help but see aang as slightly hypocritical. i get that he managed to let go of katara in CoD, but i don't understand how exactly he let go of her but was still super into her in all of s3. what does "you need to let her go" even means? also, i get that he doesn't want to kill ozai at the end of the series, but what about the times he hurt people in ways that would result in deadly injuries? (i don't hold the end of S1 against him since he was being used as vessel by the ocean spirit, i'm mostly talking about the avalanche he caused on the northern air temple episode)

When Aang leaves the Guru, despite knowing he won't master the Avatar State at all if he left at that point, he did it because he literally ahd a vision of Katara being in danger. When he is letting go of his attachment in that season finale, he gives one last glance at Katara, who is in the middle of a battle, because he knows that the only way to truly help her would be to trust that she will be okay and focus on preventing the Fire Nation from winning.

On the episode "The Awakening", when Aang is panicking and wanting to reveal to the world that he is alive and fight the Fire Lord without a plan, he goes alone. On the day of the eclipse, he kisses Katara, but they go their separate ways in the battle, instead of him being close by in case she needs him.

The "learn to let her go" thing has NEVER been about him no longer being allowed to be in love with her, or even a close friend, and it was never a fully black and white issue either - that's why we see IROH, the guy who lost his son because he chose his quest for power over thinking as parent and thus keeping him away from the battlefield, telling Aang that he is right to choose love above everything. Why we have Katara be the one to literally bring Aang back from the dead. Why the Guru himself explicitly uses Aang's love for Katara as a way to make him strong enough to deal with the grief of losing his people, and why he says "Learn to let her go" not "Forget about her" (there's a reason the cliche of all cliche lines is "If you love someone, set them free" - attachment existing, by itself, it's not a bad thing, but holding onto it ALL the time can get toxic).

Hakoda let his children go when left to fight in the war, doesn't mean he no longer cares or shouldn't care. Iroh let Zuko go in book 3 because at that point he had understood that his nephew needed to follow his own path, doesn't mean he no longer cared or shouldn't have cared anymore. Why is Aang the only one being held to an absurd standard of "If you understood that you can't always be with the people you care about because you got other responsibilities besides just being their friend, that means you're supposed to never want them around even when that wouldn't negatively affect anything"?

As for Aang's supposed "fatal victims" - this is a cartoon that operates on cartoon physics. The Omashu slide/mail system on episode 5 should have left the heroes permanently paralyzed from waist/neck down, assuming they didn't full on die because the human body simply can't survive a fall like that. Firebenders don't burn themselves when practically holding the flame they're generating, nor when they literally breathe fire. We've seen some of the bad guys survive falling down from an airship and hitting the ocean, in full armor, and be completely unharmed.

The show had casualties - but it was always highlighted a fatal injury instead of glossing over it. There's a reason the showrunners were surprised fans ever thought there was even the slightest chance Jet had not died. In a world where people survive absurd stuff, the show suddenly changing the tune to go "Actually this one screwed over some people" is the ONE way to know there actually was a death, and these situations are still the exception, not the rule.

"Oh but Nichya, it was an avalanche!" yes, much like the one in Mulan - a cartoon that is famous for going "Ya know what, the bad guys didn't die despite being buried in the snow long enough that all the good guys left, and only after a major plot event." It's almost like animation does that kind of stuff all the time...

You can't apply real world logic/physics to a cartoon, and it's very weird that the fandom only feels like doing so in the explicit attempt to create a reason to hate on Aang because they don't like that a pacifist remained a pacifist.

[sweet-evie]

No, but think about putting SaShiSu in an Avatar: The Last Airbender AU... 🥴

Waterbender!Gojo, Waterbender Healer!Ieiri and Firebender!Geto Imagines😭 Hear me out!

They go on adventures together, get in trouble together.

Plus, if SatoSugu friendship blossoms into romance, it's so Romeo and Juliet-coded ✨💖

I like the idea of the three of them being childhood best friends.

Imagine this takes place during peace time, and there's no war (YET), and it's just the four nations being normal.

So Satoru, Shoko, and Suguru definitely met as children during an official visit to each other's country or something.

Suguru Geto is Fire Nation nobility who knows a thing or two about manipulating body heat and more...

🔥 Listen... It's the bun istg... Because why does his hairstyle remind me of Ozai, lowkey?

🔥 He's a talented firebender, martial artist, and adept scholar.

🔥 His mom and dad are political figures and I imagine his mom is a lady-in-waiting to the Fire Lord's wife, while Suguru's father actually sits in the Fire Lord's council. The man is an admiral in the Fire Lord's navy.

🔥 Suguru would be a nerd about Wan Shi Tong's library. 🦉

🔥 Suguru would be good at war strategy. It comes from his obsession with Pai Sho.

🔥 You know, his uncle may or may not rope him into joining the Order of the White Lotus at some point in his life.

🔥 Suguru in RED Fire Nation armor~ 🥹🥴🤤

🔥 Also, if I was skilled in photoshop, I will not be above photoshopping Suguru's head on top of Ozai's body. As in, I just need that image of Suguru Geto as a Fire Lord. 😩

Shoko Ieiri is a talented and renowned waterbender for her healing prowess and knowledge in human anatomy.

💧 She is from the Northern Water Tribe, like Gojo, and was raised alongside Satoru, so they're basically siblings.

💧 Her knowledge of human anatomy is unmatched. As in, yes, there are skilled waterbending healers, but Shoko is iconic because she goes beyond practicing healing on human mannequins. Our girl does autopsies and often ponders how the human body works. She's a legit doctor, okay?

💧 She practiced healing on Satoru a lot while they were growing up too, because Satoru acquired plenty of scrapes and bruises and dislocated bones through the years. He was a rambunctious child who had way too much power in his menace-causing hands. (more on Satoru later).

💧 What Satoru lacks in healing prowess, Shoko makes up for in buckets and buckets.

💧 Shoko is a decent waterbender in combat, but she would really rather her two friends do most of the fighting.

💧 Not like Satoru or Suguru would let her on the field that much anyway. She's too valuable to risk. Shoko knows it and plays that up to her advantage A LOT.

💧 Aside from escaping the arranged marriage her parents set up for her, Shoko eagerly ran away from home with Satoru at 18 in pursuit of scholars who eagerly studied human anatomy like her.

💧 Shoko is interested in how the other nations tend to their wounded and sick when they can't find a waterbending healer.

Satoru Gojo is blessed by the spirit of the moon and the ocean.

🌊🌕 He is literally Yue 2.0, but better! Still the Honored One in any universe. 😍 The white hair and blue eyes... Need I say more?

🌊🌕 Okay, so... I'm thinking... Satoru Gojo in ATLA universe is just like his JJK counterpart. He was highly favored by the spirits from the moment he was born.

🌊🌕 His parents look like typical Northern Water Tribe people. Dark-haired. Satoru is the only one in the family who is pale and white-haired.

🌊🌕 He's a Prince, of course... Prince Satoru of the Northern Water Tribe sounds hell'a good.

🌊🌕 He grew up sheltered, he's a waterbending prodigy, and he's still a menace.

🌊🌕 Gojo is also definitely a blood-bender, but I like to think he learns that skillset later on in their adventures or something (kind'a like how Katara learned it, but with less guilt). Also, Choso definitely taught him right?

🌊🌕 Satoru does not know how to heal other people. It's one of his greatest flaws. He can heal himself just fine, but using water to seek out illness and heal it for other people? Yeah... He sucks at that... (Not different from JJK in other words, where Gojo can't output Reverse Cursed Technique to heal other people. He only knows how to use RCT on himself).

Their Adventure Backstory...

➼ At 18, Satoru starts to get antsy about seeing the world and whatnot. He's sick of the family politics and the arranged marriages about to be shoved down his throat.

➼ Shoko is in the same boat. If the arranged marriages are suffocating for a prince, it's even worse for a talented young woman of noble birth.

➼ Shoko's situation is what pushes Satoru to say "Fuck it!" and run away from home.

➼ So against their parents' wishes, these 2 reckless teenagers devise a plan to run away for a much needed world tour. Satoru's reasoning is that they won't be gone forever... He and Shoko will come back eventually.

➼ First destination in mind: the Fire Nation... to see Suguru and rope him into their grand plans, of course!

➼ Satoru and Shoko steal a ship from the Water Tribe fleet and go on their merry way. (I like to think they got there fast because Satoru was manipulating the water underneath the ship to propel them faster to where they need to go).

➼ By the time they reach the Fire Nation, word has already spread of the Northern Water Tribe's runaway Prince.

➼ Shoko thinks Satoru is being stupid, but hey, according to Satoru, "What can my parents do about it at this point?"

➼ Sure, Satoru is a highly valued individual that could fetch a high price if kidnapped by pirates (he's a Prince, after all), but he's also an insanely powerful waterbender and combatant. I'm sure he'd say something like, "I don't need my bending to win."

➼ Satoru and Shoko make it to the Fire Nation unscathed, meet up with Suguru, and convince him to come along on a grand adventure.

➼ They switch out the Water Tribe ship for something a little more discreet from Suguru's own father's fleet. (Side-eye the kiddies using their parents' resources carelessly to do whatever they want. 😆 They're nepo-babies... all 3 of them.)

➼ I like to think Suguru's parents don't mind though. His mom, in particular, thinks it's a good idea for Suguru to go out and see the world and shit.

➼ Where are they going? Satoru didn't actually know.

➼ Suguru suggests a visit to the legendary knowledge spirit's library, since he's a nerd about that, but also, Shoko wants to see if she can find anything that indulges her curiosity. So that's where they're headed first.

➼ It would be a cute idea for a coming-of-age story... where SaShiSu grow up through the experiences they've had and they realize they have responsibilities to attend to or something.

➼ Because as much as they would want to, there's no such thing as traveling the world as nomads forever. Satoru is a Prince, and Shoko and Suguru are of noble birth. They have stuff to do...

➼ OR... OR... OR.... They're 3 stupid teenagers who ran away from home right on the brink of a war happening. Like, they had no idea conflict was rising, so shit hits the fan and Suguru just receives word from his father via messenger hawk, telling him to come home because there is a war.

It's embarrassing how I'm thinking about their combat prowess + the trouble the three of them get into too...

➼ Gojo and Geto enhance each other's combat. They're so in sync.

➼ Of course, they started out pretty rough... Water vs Fire and all that.. But as they train together more and inevitably encounter situations where they had to fight their way out, they learn to work together and be so in sync.

➼ Watching them fight each other, or fight alongside one another is a treat. It's like a dance -- a perfectly choreographed movement of legs and limbs.

➼ Suguru's fire can burn hot enough to evaporate water. It burns hot enough to destroy tightly packed walls of stone. He is not a stranger to carrying out executions on the most heinous criminals in the Boiling Rock, so yes, Suguru has burned a man alive and/or electrocuted a criminal in prison in the name of justice.

➼ Satoru is the perfect support to Suguru when Suguru launches a lightning attack.

➼ At some point in their adventures, Suguru pointed out how Satoru could try sucking moisture out of plants or draw water from the air and Satoru figures it out.

➼ I like to think Shoko put the idea of bloodbending in Satoru's head. It was a hypothetical thought that led to Satoru actually trying to figure it out and eventually running into someone who does that.

➼ It all started with Shoko randomly saying, "Hey, did you know that water takes up 3/4 of the human body?" as they sat around their campfire one night.

➼ Also... something something shenanigans happen where Satoru keeps waterbending boiling water out of a pot to fling at something -- the little shit that he is.

➼ After they left the Northern Water Tribe, Satoru has become Shoko's impromptu combat waterbending teacher.

➼ Shoko always complains about it during training days because Satoru HAS NO CHILL. He's also banking on the fact that Shoko can heal herself, so he finds little use in holding back.

➼ Shoko and Satoru have definitely pulled water-based pranks on Suguru multiple times. This is gross, but.... piss-bending. Satoru did it once as a prank. 🤢🤮

➼ On a brighter note, Satoru definitely makes silly water sculptures/giant puppets in the middle of the ocean for his and his companions' begrudging entertainment. Suguru and Shoko roll their eyes at it, but honestly, it's kinda cute when a water serpent or a water squid rises out of the sea to greet their ship once in a while. Yeah, it scares the shit out of ocean wildlife and maybe nearby ships and such, but at least Satoru is having fun. 🥴😁 (the unhinged wittle baby)

➼ Shoko thinks the Moon and the Ocean Spirits regret blessing the Prince when he was born. Suguru agrees...

➼ But hey, they make each other proud in their own ways.

➼ Shoko once stalled their trip and stayed in a remote fishing town for a week to heal the sick, and Satoru and Suguru were there as her assistants. (Satoru was complaining about the poor amenities and Suguru had to remind him all over again that though he was raised in a noble household, it was his duty to protect and care for those who cannot do that for themselves).

➼ Satoru once helped mediate a political issue that was severely affecting several neighboring towns in the Earth Kingdom.

➼ Suguru cracked a criminal case that was unsolved for months in a town in the Fire Nation, and was personally responsible for delivering the serial killer to the Boiling Rock. (Satoru saw the boiling lake and definitely played around with it, much to the chagrin of Suguru and Suguru's uncle).

Side note for my peeps who are familiar with ATLA lore:

You know how they say no prisoner has ever escaped the Boiling Rock? Suguru told Satoru and Shoko about that, and Satoru definitely bets that he could do it.

Prince Satoru argues it's only because, "None of you waterbend."

They're visitors to the high security prison, but it doesn't stop Satoru from doing dumb stuff, like sneaking out without alerting the guards.

To prove his point, Satoru did what Sokka and Zuko did to escape the Boiling Rock: Use a cooler as a boat.

So in the dead of night, Suguru, Satoru, and Shoko do it, and Satoru successfully ferries the three of them across the Boiling Lake.

Afterwards, Suguru's like, "You've proven your point, Satoru. Let's head back."

Satoru is laughing and flashing his friends that cheesy, cocky grin he's known for and brags, "'No one escapes the Boiling Rock, highest security Fire Nation prison' my ass. All you needed was a waterbender!"

Shoko rolls her eyes at her friend's antics and speaks to him in a matter-of-fact voice, "Sure, but it wouldn't make sense for waterbenders to be kept here anyways or to be stuffed in coolers as punishments. It's meant to hold a firebender, not for people from the Water Tribe... and especially not for you."

Suguru is smirking at them both, "Theoretically speaking, precautions would be in place to prevent you from bending water. So that means pumping dry air and probably suspending your hands and feet before you're given anything to drink."

Shoko was nodding. "It'll take more than getting stuffed in a cooler for you to escape actually, so this little plot proves nothing, Satoru."

They got caught regardless because they lingered on the edge of the Boiling Lake on the opposite end of the island for far too long, and a watchman saw them and alerted Suguru's uncle.

Needless to say, SaShiSu were thoroughly scolded when they made it back to the prison.

Satoru's paying for damages to one of the dismantled coolers that were used as boats.

➼ I seriously need to stop, but yo...

Somebody please write a JJK X ATLA AU for real... 🙏

[avatar-legends-confessionblog]

back on the hating zuko(‘s stans) agenda

I hate when zuko stans portray katara as an absolute bitch for being rightfully upset at him in b3. I especially hate it when they make sokka act like his knight in shining armor so that their ‘smol bean isn’t hurt :(‘ and ‘meanie stupid katara gets karma >:)’ like oh brother this guy STINKS! ew!

or when zuko stans completely ignore a character’s issues or, when it’s mentioned, use it as a transition to talk about his. like I’m sorry but not everything’s about your zukey bear. please stop.

OR OR OR when his stans act like it’s the trauma olympics and they constantly one-up other characters’ issues.

you could mention how kya’s death was sad and they’d be like, “oh katara and sokka’s mom is dead? by the fire nation? and you think it’s really sad? yeah well zuko’s mom ran away which is actually worse because he doesn’t know if shes dead or alive and that’s way worse than seeing her charred corpse and actually sokka and katara had each other to grieve with so they’re ok but zuko had NOBODY at all because azula is mean and ozais horrible and also sokka and katara had a good dad so their mom’s death is literally like nothing compared to zuko’s mom being missing and azula being mean and ozai being evil. so yea ig kya’s death was sad for them or whatever but let’s remember what zuko had to deal with”

i’m sorry I just had to complain about zuko stans because I saw a shit take about the water sibs from one of them and it pissed me off to no end. they need to stay far from my pro watertribefam corner

X

[ultfreakme]

Thoughts on Jessie Gender's video on NATLA

I really admire Jessie Gender's videos usually, she's the one whom I usually go to to see videos on gender and queerness in media. I like her stuff a lot and respect their work.

But the NATLA video left me going "no, wait, that's not what happened" a lot. I can't summarize the video, I suggest people go watch it if they want to know but I disagree with practically everything for the most part.

I'm not anybody on the internet. But what I do have is a lifetime of growing up on ATLA, a degree in Sociology and English Literature, coming from a culture that ATLA is based on, studying about colonial rule, researching the cultures ATLA is based on in my spare time and a love for the original. Does that establish some legitimacy? If for some reason you feel like you need to go hate on Jessie for this, DON'T. DO NOT. This is me just critiquing because I think the video content was biased and I want to honestly engage with the points made because everyone has a tendency to demonize the adaption without looking at it on its own merit. With that said:

Point 1: Sokka's sexism is taken out to make the show more palatable and his arc in the Kyoshi Island episode undermines Suki to prop up Sokka.

She says that Sokka's sexism and him addressing it is a show-long arc, and him deconstructing that is him fighting against the colonial sexism of the Fire Nation.

Sokka's sexism is explicitly dealt with in one episode. He's shown to be overtly sexist in the first 4 and never again except for little comments here and there that every other character makes as well and goes unaddressed. His sexism is not because of the Fire Nation- FN is very inclusive of women as warriors. Sokka's sexism is an anomaly because no one but him cares that Katara isn't just sitting home mending clothes(Bato, Hakoda, none of the men on the ship they are on in S3 say a word and she takes off to join Aang in the Fire Nation islands).

If Sokka's sexism is not systematic to the Southern Water Tribe or caused by the Fire Nation, what kind of commentary on sexism is this?

She also says Suki is played down and demured to give Sokka confidence when she's teaching him, taking away her arc as she pines for the new boy who she likes because he's shirtless. Sokka's throughout the episode shows insecurity and a more subtle form of sexism where he's trying ton prove he's as good as her. He's trying to show off his strength to her, and failing miserably and when he realizes she bested him, he walks away. He goes into it assuming he's better than her but walks away realizing shit she is GOOD. Then he goes to her dojo to observe the practice and follows along, Suki invites him in seeing him fucking up the forms outside and teaches him.

Suki falls for a tackle Sokka does in the og and live action. In the OG, it's shown as Sokka ACTUALLY being better. In the live action? He isn't. One lesson doesn't make him better, she transitions from actually teaching him to kinda flirting until she completely stops. She's not weakening herself for him, both of them are expressing romantic interest. How did Sokka, a boy who that morning was defeated by them, get better than SUKI in a spar she put genuine effort in? I think that's frankly more sexist than the live action take.

Additionally, Suki was meant to be a one-off character meant to teach Sokka that sexism is bad. She existed entirely to serve Sokka's character arc and had no independent motivation in season 1. In the live action, we see her talk about wanting to go into the world, and see her growing motivation through Aang's presence of wanting to not just protect Kyoshi Island, but the world. She became what she is only in season 2 and 3. Sokka's sexism arc didn't even pan out well because he never addressed the issue with Katara after that episode, the first and most affected victim of his sexism.

Sokka wearing the armor in the original, is a joke. Aang calls their uniform a dress while laughing (it's not, like it's not even constructed like one, the bottoms are loose pants called Hakama). He isn't put into the uniform to show solidarity, it's a joke, and we are meant to be laughing at Sokka for the most part. Queer fans have reclaimed and redefined that scene to be like drag, but that wasn't the original intention of the show because we get jokes on Aang's masculinity which never actively get refuted from Toph in season 2. Katara of all people points out Sokka wearing a poinytail in a demeaning manner multiple times, a supposedly girly hairstyle. If the original wanted to honor Sokka embracing gender fluidity, they wouldn't consistently mock him for being choosy about buying a bag and wearing a ponytail(which in-universe has cultural importance to him).

All signs of 'femininity' in Sokka are played for laughs in the rest of the show(down to the scene where he draws a rainbow, and his master Piandao simply rolls his eyes).

Sokka is also never once shown as a better warrior in the live action- his story is the opposite. Sokka yearns here to be an engineer, a scientist tinkering away with new inventions. His father Hakoda and the SWT discourages this because there is no value in that for them. Value is shown for them to come from physical strength, which Sokka NEVER has in live action season 1(him having biceps and being shirtless is not a glorification of strength). He's good, but he's nothing special. His true highlight is in his intellect and the show implies pretty well that Sokka doesn't need to be physically strong or a warrior to fight back against oppression.

That's his defining line in the show teasers "you do not need to be a warrior, to be a hero."

Point 2: The sexism arc isn't replaced by anything more nuanced.

It is! It's replaced by the biases against bending. Sokka discourages Katara from bending because the Fire Nation attacked the SWT to eliminate waterbenders. Both Katara and Sokka hold fear for waterbending, a part of their own culture, specifically because of the Fire Nation's hegemony and hierarchical beliefs. Waterbending = preservation of culture and Katara says these exact words in episode 1. Sokka stopping her is him being under the colonial hegemony of the FN because waterbending is what brought Fire Nation soldiers to their shores to kill their mom. That's the new arc and it has follow through to the end. Instead of Sokka telling Katara to kick ass because he isn't sexist anymore, the live action Sokka says it because he's embraced waterbending and his own culture now through seeing Katara grow and letting her choose for herself what's best for her (instead of smothering in his faux warrior persona, which they literally discuss when stuck in the cave). This arc is exclusive to the show, there's no comment on the cultural significance and erasure of waterbending in the original.

It's made more explicit in Katara's arc, where she needs to get past the fear the Fire Nation has put in her of the dangers of her own bending, and embrace that her people wanted to protect it (Kya sacrificing herself, Gran-Gran hiding the waterbending scroll).

Point 3: Showing the genocide of the Air Nomads is disrespectful

In the original, the Air Nomads are nothing but a memory. At all times. We never see the influence of the Air Nomad culture on Aang, or see them alive and thriving at any point. We see them fight back on the live action, and the actual genocide is a few short minutes, interspersed with Aang sinking. It's not a lingering process and it shows the abilities of Air Nomads. Jessie says this is purely aesthetic and to be cool, but there are significant moments that happen here.

Establishing the powers of Air Benders- this is the first and last time we'll get to see Air Bending on this scale and this shows what they can do

There's a scene where two air nomads nod to one another, and the air nomad switches from defensive to an extremely offensive move. It shows that this isn't typical for the Air Nomads, and that they are being pushed to their limits

This is a festival, they were defending themselves and it's important to show that the Air Nomads didn't just go silently without a fight and were ambushed on an important day.

To show the Fire Nation's cruelty and the extent of their power during the comet specifically.

To give weight to WHY everyone Aang runs into is so critical and hateful of the fact that he was gone, and to also show why Aang never refutes them and the weight of what he's lost (and also that even if he were there, he couldn't have done anything)

It's not just to be cool, it's honestly not cool to watch and taking Gordon Cormier, a child's quote to say that's what everyone's impression is, is disingenuous despite the disclaimer given. The kids' quotes always get taken out of context. Reviewers and Avatar fans who went to the premiere were disturbed overall by the violence. They did not think of the Fire Nation as "cool", they saw the Air Nomads like that. Like don't we want people to think of the Air Nomads in a positive light for fighting back?

Their culture gets little to no expansion in the original, and whatever Aang has left of them is actually slowly stripped away in the original.

Aang is made to okay the destruction and modification of the Northern Air Temple when destruction is shown as wrong during his rage and grief in the Southern Air Temple. The new settlers have used the gliders of Air Nomads to device weapons that fly, which were then sold to the Fire Nation. The Mechanist and his people continue this and create more weapons to fight the war in the temples(albeit this time agaisnt the fire nation but the cycle of violence continues using devices and cultures of a peaceful people). A once-peaceful place, is now a center for war innovation and Aang is told to accept this because he must let go of the past to look to the future.

The above, in comparison to Aang simply saying "I should let go of the past and look to the future" is FAR more disrespectful of Aang's culture and past. The live action keeps Gyatso's memory a constant companion to Aang, he is terrified of letting go of the past and it hinders him from simply living.

Point 4: Violence is shown as good and the cycle of violence is perpetuated.

She says Kyoshi demanding Aang to fight back and hit hard is showing that Aang needs to embrace strength and power. That everyone telling him to fight and be alone means strength is given importance, and that the same is shown when Zuko says "sometimes the weak can become strong, sometime you just have to give them a chance."

Kyoshi is wrong. She is willfully portrayed as powerful, but harsh. Roku(though his screentime was small) disagrees with her and tells Aang to find his own way of fighting and that is ultimately what Aang follows.

Kyoshi doesn't come off as correct, she's demanding and harsh, unforgiving. Aang initially lets her take over because he is scared of the power he holds and she promises she can control it to help others. Aang doesn't want power(he literally says 'I don't want these powers'). In the finale, he gives in to the ocean spirit and does what Kyoshi asks; save everyone, even if it costs his own life. But it is shown as a tragedy. Katara calls back for him and tells him he shouldn't have to sacrifice himself, that he has a place in this world as he is no matter what others tell him and he listens to THAT. He says he will save the world not alone, but with his friends, in the memory of the Air Nomads to ensure it never happens again.

Physical strength is only a priority to Katara's character. Sokka doesn't fight in the end, he's begging Yue to not sacrifice herself and is protecting her. He's not some macho man. Aang is also not embracing power.

Zuko says that line not to show that he can grow stronger, but that people should get second chances. He's a hurt kid wishing his father had the compassion to let him grow. But he doesn't and Zuko walks away from it thinking physical strength and bending prowess is important, crushing his compassion. That line on a meta level isn't even about physical strength. It's about mental fortitude and character, and the strength to be compassionate.

Jet was mentioned as being portrayed as more wrong, but in the original he was ready to sink a village of innocents. in the live action he genuinely helped Katara with her waterbending and was justified in wanting to kill the mechanist(who collaborated with the fire nation) and King Bumi (who is neutral, incompetent and has let the Fire Nation run rampant in the city). He's more sympathetic here because he's doing it with a concrete reason, and he didn't even manipulate Katara the way he did in the original. She was genuinely charmed by him.

A big problem I had with Jessie's video was putting in clips from some right-wing channel between critique of NATLA....which....why? Huh? And these were used to say NATLA is leaning into fascist tendencies and smoothing out any critique of colonialism when it really isn't. I think NATLA is very explicitly saying the same message as the original. Not in the same way, but it is. The show actively engages audiences and the characters in discussions of cultural erasure and the problems of valuing power(the latter especially through Zuko and Azula).

There are million issues with the live action (Sokka's casting, ableism in Zuko's burn scar, the writing issues, pacing issues, the lack of screen time for Aang and focus on the Fire family). The ones Jessie Gender discussed though, are not it.

[theduckeminence]

Y’all ever just think about how characters from atla would sound and be viewed as from a historical standpoint? Can you imagine how freaking hilarious yet interesting that would be?

Like imagine you’re reading a textbook and you get to the era of the 100 Year War and you read about notable figures from the dynasties between Firelord Sozin, to Azulon, and then to Ozai, only to see a photo in the textbook depicting the theatrical and hella dramatic armor Ozai wore when he attempted to burn down the Earth Kingdom?

Or the fact that King Bumi is probably known to be the most longest living and insane kings to ever rule in the world and the more you learn about this guy, the more crazier and out of pocket you can imagine him being?

How about the idea of how some of our beloved female characters being portrayed in history as being the most badass characters to exist—especially at a young age? Can you imagine what it would be like to read or watch a video on how Azula took over Ba Sing Sa? How Toph created metal bending? How Katara upstarted rebellions and movements in the name of justice and rights?

Yet can you imagine the idea of how some of these characters can be severely underrated and overlooked due to their lack of story? For instance, characters like Princess Yue, Jet, Hama—can you imagine how their stories would be told and framed? Yue being seen as a tragedy? Jet also being both a tragedy and a young war hero? Hama being seen as both a “bad guy” in history for hurting many, yet simultaneously sympathized for what she has gone through? Can y’all imagine that?

Can you also imagine how Zhao would be known as the biggest loser in Fire Nation history? So much so that chances are some schools in the FN may as well refuse to speak about him? That’s both sad and hilarious—

[princess-of-the-corner]

In regards to Miraculous Gaang animals:

-Sokka: I was thinking just Captain Beetle, especially since it sounds vaguely close to Captain Boomerang, which is an appropriate title for Sokka but also not because it's also the name of a DC villain who killed Tim Drake's dad (and it doesn't have ladybug theming). I definitely think use Captain though, because I am now attached to Sokka having Cap as a nickname.

-Katara: So there are actually several species of big cats that like and excel in the water. One of them is the jaguar, and black jaguars do exist. Jaguars also have lots of night and water symbolism associated with them. I'm not the best with names, but I think Midnight Jaguar, Black Jaguar, Painted Jaguar, or maybe Inky Jaguar could all work for her. (Also, look up fishing cats. They're useless for this au because they don't come in black, but they're a cross between otters and bobcats and they're insane).

-Suki: ML got it right here actually because very many species of vipers are blue or teal, so I'd stick with that. For some reason my brain is getting stuck on Viperious (instead of imperious), but some other half baked options could he Velvet Viper, Silk Viper, or Vypertime (instead of hypertime),

-Zuko: Seriyu is the blue dragon spirit of Japan that represents the east and springtime. Spring represents new beginnings which is fitting for Zuko, and could provide a fun connection/contrast with Iroh's whole Dragon of the West thing. Otherwise I got nothing.

-Toph: I like the Blind Tiger too much to come up with anything else, lol. My brain said "yup that's perfect the naming machine is now off for her." Sorry if you were hoping for more options.

-Azula: I think her blue flames are significant, so I think basing her off an arctic fox, a silver fox, a blue morph fox, or maybe even a cross fox. Actually, yeah screw it, cross fox Azula. Duality, being split between red and dark gray/blue coloring as she's conflicted with her loyalty to Ozai/the fire nation and her own unique individual wants and needs. Being part blue connects her to Blue Dragon!Zuko too. I'm thinking that her costume is similar to the one in the show but if it was more flowy and elegant and less armory and intimidating. So like, the layered panels thing she has going on can stay, but more thick cloth traveling layers and less rigid armor. Instead of the big leather flaps she has like a poncho or a shawl. She's already got the cross fox coloring motif of big black middle panel and red side panels, and we obviously have to add her skirt tunic being pulled back into a coat tail. Keep the loose pants and the pointed boots for the theatre vibes. I'm thinking her mask is sort of like a masquerade/theatrical fox mask that covers the whole top half of her face and has fox ears but leaves the bottom open. Names. . .uh? Yeah I'm bad with these. Vixen?

-Yue: Also nothing, so sorry.

-Jin: Homegirl appears in one episode, we can go hog wild with her (pun intended) and do whatever we want. I'm thinking basing her off a wild boar and not a farm pig. I want her whole "chipper jubilant" hero thing to be more "Feral joy that one gets from running through an open windy feild at night and screaming at the top of their lungs." I like the idea of keeping her spiky, messy, wild hair in her costume. Like, let that go nuts. Pigella also has ballet inspo, so I think Jin should get, like, festival revelry dancing inspired costume and makeup, but also in more muted earthy tones. Names. . .maybe Babirusa? Type of Indonesian wild boar. My only other ideas are just straight up using Wild Hog or Hogwild.

-Ty Lee: I like the idea of her costume being very circus themed. Like, she looks like a trapeze artist. Lots of glitter and "look at me" kind of details on her costume. Tight, but with just enough loose flowing bits to look cool when it moves around. You could even keep the crown thing because my girl is a queen after all. I think we name her something like Sticky Sweet, Sweet Stinger, or Honey Stinger. Something that emphasizes the "looks like a cinnamon roll, could kill you" thing she has.

-Mai: Hear me out---rat instead of mouse. Mai is always down to pick a fight and is a lot meaner than your average mouse, and this way, her costume could have, like bandit/thug inspiration and she could just look so menacing. The only names that come to mind are Rat-Attack-Tat, which doesn't exactly roll of the tongue or Swarm, which brings more bug than rat.

Also. Eagle!Jet because Freedom Fighters and also Jet with guns sounds like a dangerous and amazing combination. That's it.

Anyway, I gotta go find everything on the Avatar!Ty Lee AU now because I didn't know you had that and HELL YEAH!

Oh! Okay so!

I love the Captain name for Sokka. Also I am double laughing at the Captain Boomerang reference because I have heard him called 'discount Sokka' once before. May have to hammer out the exact ladybug reference with it. A previous ask mentioned Harmonia and Harlequin.

Jaguar is perfect for Katara. I think I gotta go with Painted Jaguar because gotta love the reference.

Something viper themed is good, but I'm not sure exactly what. Vipertime makes me laugh but idk if it fits.

Seiryu is great actually.

Blind Tiger is also perfect lmao.

Okay so Azula! So like. Technically this is a no Bending au. Or else there'd be too much going on to have both atla's plots and the au's. So there's no reason to have a fire theme. BUT. I can't resist bringing back the wordplay that is Vulpyro.

rip Yue I got nothing either.

'looks like a cinnamon roll but will kill you' is the best description of Ty Lee. So yeah one of those Honey Stinger ones is great!

Rat time!! I like it. No idea on names.

Jet with the Eagle is a terrifying but perfect combination. Not sure what his plot will be in this au considering how different the plot is? Like obvs I want to parrallel ATLA's plots but I think a lot of him is hard to translate.

[honorforged]

The sun had not yet risen over the Fire Nation capital, but Fire Lord Zuko was already awake, his golden eyes sharp with worry. The moment he’d realized Katara was gone —Her necklace lay on the table beside the bed. There were no signs of a struggle, no sound had woken him, and that terrified Zuko more than anything. Katara would never have left like this. Not in the dead of night. Not without waking him. Not without her necklace.

Now, the palace courtyard buzzed with frantic energy as soldiers armed in crimson armor scrambled into formation. Zuko stood at the center, his black and gold robes hastily thrown over bare shoulders, his hair tied back but coming loose at the edges. He radiated tension like a wildfire, and his voice cut through the early morning air like a hot blade.

"Fan out in every direction. Start with the eastern cliffs and the harbor. If she left on her own, someone had to have seen her. Check the market square, the outer villages. Question everyone." His tone left no room for debate.

A young captain stepped forward. "And if we find signs of a struggle, my lord?"

Zuko’s jaw tightened. He paused, just for a breath, then nodded once. "Then send word immediately. And leave markers. I’ll follow the trail myself." He scanned the soldiers, his gaze fierce and unwavering. "This isn’t just a missing person. This is Katara. The Water Tribe ambassador. My—" He stopped himself before the word girlfriend slipped out, but everyone knew. The entire palace knew. "We find her. No matter what it takes."

As the units dispersed, Zuko turned to Iroh, who had arrived in silence, watching his nephew with quiet concern. "This isn’t like her, Uncle," Zuko muttered, eyes on the horizon. "Something’s wrong."

Iroh placed a steady hand on his shoulder. "Then trust your instincts, Zuko. But also… trust her. Katara is strong. Wherever she is, she hasn’t given up."

[ @darkheartedprince ]

[bellatrixobsessed1]

I Am Blackened Bones (Last Part)

Her re-coronation ceremony comes with a festival. The first one that she had attended in ages. The servants had made good on their promise, she had been buried under so much silk and fabric that it was almost suffocating. Her head was heavy with golden combes and elaborate, dangly hair sticks. And then beneath a crown. But she had looked beautiful. Felt beautiful. But it wasn’t exactly practical attire for a festival and so she has dressed herself down. Something simpler, more comfortable and breathable but with a nice touch of elegance.

She isn’t sure that she wants to stand out, but she seems to do so all the same. Looks and murmurs aren’t lost on her, although she can never quite make any of them out. She thinks that that might before the best, despite Katara’s reassurance that they are just curious to see how she is doing and what she is like.

Azula tucks her hands into her sleeves and pauses to look around. Zuko and Mai have yet to arrive with TyLee and that adds a whole level of anxiousness to her already edgy mood.

“It’s weird being back at home, isn’t it?” Katara asks softly. She already knows the answer.

Weird, she supposes, is one way to describe it. “I don’t feel like I belong here anymore.” She has been gone for long enough to have forgotten the do’s and dont’s. Long enough to make a fool of herself, trying to fit back into the standards that she had once upheld.

She laughs too loud. Her posture never seems to be as poised as it had been. She she talks too much when she gets into a conversation Her clothes seem far too elegant for her even when she is dressed down. She says the wrong things and at the wrong times.

And Katara seems to find it terribly endearing. She finds it rgayer humiliating.

“Of course you belong here, you're their princess. And they seemed pretty happy to have you back during your re-coronation ceremony.”

“Right…” Azula mumbles.

“They’re probably just curious to see your firebending performance tonight.”

Azula isn't sure if she is ready to give them something else to talk about. Isn't sure if she is ready to show off her white fire, everyone had made such a big deal of her blue fire. But she does enjoy feeling the heat of her flames on her face, had always enjoyed the thrill of a display well planned. Which, evidently, is the other problem; she usually plans her choreography at least a few months in advance. She says as much to Katara.

Katara who gives her one of those soft smiles and laughs. “I thought that you said that you wanted to be more spontaneous and whimsical like the spirit. Well here's your chance! These shows are all about creativity anyways.”

Azula bites her lower lip. “Yes. I suppose.” But it still makes her stomach flutter. It is quite a risk to make her first festival fire dance an impromptu act.

.oOo.

Azula worries too much. Overtones things that need not be over thought. Her firebening is nothing short of mesmerizing. Mesmerizing and masterful.

Everything is an art from her breathing to her hand gestures to her firebening itself. She has adorned her hands with elegant armor. The sort that makes her hands look like long silver claws. It was certainly a unique choice to dress in silvers, blues, and whites instead of a Fire Nation red and gold. But it suits her well. And it suits her fire well.

Each and every gesture is deliberate and elegant. The twist of her wrist, the quick flick and pulling back of her arms, the roll of her hips. It takes katara a moment to realize that she is mimicking the swish and sway of the north sky curtains. That her arm gestures wave like those lights and her fire fur also and unfurls just as the colors had weaved in and out of one another.

Sparks look like crystals of snow. And smoke rolls across the stage like seafoam crowning a wave. And Aaula stands at the center of it all, hair fluttering, forks of lightning crackling around her. She is in her own snowy, stormy sea.

She looks upon the crowd, fierce and focused. Her fire reflects in her eyes, putting a confident twinkle in them that almost fools Katara. If she hadn't heard it from Azula’s own lips, she wouldn't think her nervous in the slightest.

Her fire snuffs out and her hair settles over her shoulders. She ends with a graceful bow and closes her eyes as the crowd claps for her.

“Well she certainly hasn't lost her touch.” Mai comments.

“It comes naturally to her.” Zuko replies.

But Katara has a feeling that she will still complain about how rusty her skills have gotten because of disuse. Katara can't tell the difference. If anything, she seems better connected to her fire than ever.

.oOo.

She is more nervous to see TyLee again than she had been to perform. Perhaps more nervous than she had been to speak with Mai. But it is one last thing. One last thing that makes her feel jittery.

TyLee looks perfectly content just talking with Katara, Zuko, and Mai. It gives her the impression that she is intruding on something when she walks up and greets them.

“That was an amazing show.” Katara says.

“Thank you.”

“Sparkler?” Zuko offers.

“Those are for children.” Azula replies.

“I’m pretty sure that the label says not to give those to kids.” Sokka points out.

Azula shrugs. “Father let me use them all the time when I was a child.”

“He also let you go to war when you were a child.” Sokka quirks a brow.

She snatches a box of poppers and tosses one at his big toe. He gives a satisfying “yowch!” She takes another and tosses it at the pavement, watching it give flash it’s split-second spark. “Zuzu and I used to throw these at each other all the time. And when father told us to stop we would throw them at him.”

TyLee giggles. “Oh yeah! That was so funny!”

Azula nods.

“You two were little menaces.” Aang says as Toph cackles, “no wonder Ozai was so angry all the time.”

“He didn’t need our help.” Zuko grumbles. “We threw those poppers at each other and we turned out fine.”

“Did we?” Azula quirks a brow. “You have anger issues and a need to people please and I have…whatever it is that causes a person to see things that aren’t there now and then.”

“You’re also a people pleaser.” Mai shrugs.

“Speaking of which…” She turns to TyLee. “It’s good to see you again, TyLee. Katara and I were going to go get some tea and kebabs. Do you want me to bring anything back for you?”

“I’d like to go with you guys. I can never decide which kind of kebab to get.”

“But the fireworks display is about to start.”

“As it does every hour.” Mai reminds her. “The main event isn’t until midnight so…”

“But we’ve never missed an hourly show.” Azula replies. “Except, of course, for the past few years when we didn’t attend the festival.”

“Well then I guess the three of you better hurry back.” Mai shrugs. “We’ll go set up the picnic blanket and what not.”

“Top of the hill, under the maple tree?” Zuko asks.

“Top of the hill, under the maple tree.”

And so they split off. She, Katara, and TyLee follow the scent of sizzling meat and chili pepper and the others follow the blinking of the fireflies towards the hill.

“How have you been, Azula. I heard that things have been really…strange for you.”

“Yes, a little bit.” She finds herself toying with the excess fabric of her kimono’s sleeve. “I…I got to see a few new places. The Spirit Oasis was nice—I was unconscious or freezing while I was there though so I didn’t get to take in the scenery all that well. But the Water Tribes have these lights that dance in the sky. Have you ever seen them? I think that you would like them!” Maybe she should give TyLee a turn to speak. But TyLee seems perfectly content to listen to her talk about the lights. “I based my performance off of that. Maybe we can all go one day. Me, you, and Mai. Like old times.” She would quite like that.

“That sounds nice, Azula. But I would like to…get used to talking to you again.”

It is TyLee’s kind way of saying that she needs to build trust again. And Azula can’t blame her. She feels somewhat the same. They have to get used to each other again. She has to get used to the Fire Nation again. She also has to get used to herself. She likes to think that she will keep good company on that journey.

“What about you, TyLee? What have you been up to these days?”

“Oh! All sorts of things! I was with the Kyoshi Warriors for a while, as you know, but then I saw this traveling circus and I just couldn’t resist. I kind of missed that, you know?”

Azula nods. “That suits you much better than being a Kyoshi Warrior…or someone who just follows me around. You’re a skilled combatant, but you aren’t a soldier.”

“None of us were.” Katara adds and Azula nods her agreement.

“I’m so much happier with that traveling circus. We go everywhere and see everything and they are such a fun bunch!” TyLee declares.

Truly it sounds like the perfect path for her. Azula hopes that she can find her own now that she has the time and mental fortitude to do so. “Have you ever played any Caldera City festival games, Katara?”

“I did once about a year after the war. Turns out that you need to be a firebender to win most of them.”

“Hmm. Yes. That’s right. Our games are fire based. However, I imagine that, now that we have more waterbenders and earthbenders who attend, we probably have more diverse gaming options.”

“Is that your way of asking if I can win you one of those?” She points at a fluffy pile of plush toys.

“It might be, yes.” She pauses. “It, of course, is also an opportunity to prove that I am better than you at a game of flaming hoops.”

“That’s a firebending game.”

“The hoops don’t necessarily have to be on fire.” TyLee smiles.

“But then it is not a game of flaming hoops. It is just regular hoops.” Azula frowns. She clears her throat, “not that I particularly care what kind of hoops they are, so long as I get a prize.”

“She cares a lot.” TyLee whispers. “It’s going to bother her all night if you play flaming hoops with hoops that aren’t flaming.”

Katara smirks. “Well I guess I know what I’m doing tonight.”

Does Azula win their game of hoops? Only three out of five times. It would seem that Katara is quite better at it than she had anticipated. Has she acquired one large komodo-rhino plushie, three smaller ones, and a sky bison plushie? Most certainly. She gives the sky bison to TyLee who snuggles the thing all the way back to their spot on the hill.

Did they forget the tea? Yes. Did they also forget the kebabs? Also yes. Are the others quite disappointed? Quite. Is that humorous? Indeed.

Sokka loses their game of drawing straws so he has to walk down the hill and fetch their tea and kebabs. At least he does not have to wait in line. At least there are going to be at least three more shows before the main event.

Azula leans herself against Katara. Lets the waterbender wrap her arms around her the way that she had back when she was just some confused and curious fire spirit. It is comfortable. A nice welcome home. A promising welcome.

There is noise all around; booms, crackles and pops. Sizzles, drum beats, and laughter. Chatter, chimes, whistles, and smokey hisses.

Azula had missed home so terribly and it doesn’t truly hit until now. She is thankful for that. Thankful, also, for the realization that her yearning for home means that she still belongs here. That her flame is still strong. She isn’t entirely certain of where she will go from here, but wherever she goes, she will travel whole and hopeful. Authentic and cherished.

She looks at Katara. The fireworks twinkle in those pretty blue eyes, bathe her soft skin in flashes of pink, green, and gold. It is not unlike the sky curtains. Azula turns her own gaze back to the fireworks.

She stares up at them with Katara’s hand in one of her hands and several komodo-rhino plushies in the other.

She used to know all about komodo-rhinos. She still knows all about komodo-rhinos.

20 to 55 inches. 4 tons. Black or white komodo rhino. 59 inches. 7 tons. White or black komodo rhino. 39 inches. 7 tons. Greater one horned komodo rhino. 60 inches. 10,000 pounds. Caldera ash komodo rhino.

[litsnobconfessions]

A Year of Animation Day 16: ATLA S3E1-4

Date: January 16, 2025

Day: 16

Content Watched: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Season 3, Episodes 1-4

Year: 2005-2208

Rating: TV-Y7-FV

Run Time: 92 mins.

Today's outside research comes from this article in The Viking. I honestly don't know anything about the outlet itself (please let me know if it's skeevy!) but the article is about the use of CGI versus hand-drawn animation. It argues that there is definitely a place for CG in modern animation, especially as the technology improves and animators come up with new ways to use it. I thought it was interesting that the writer said it's easy to see where CG is used in Avatar because it's not easy for me. This also makes me wonder if it's easy for my older friend to see because that could potentially have an effect on how much someone likes or dislikes a specific piece of animation.

Okay, starting off with some of the best motion scenes in these episodes: the Ba Sing Se flashbacks, Aang surfing through the the storm in "The Awakening," the moon's reflection wavering in the water in "The Painted Lady," the syncrinization of the gaang putting out the fire after the meteor lands in "Sokka's Master"--I particularly like this one because it shows just how powerful all the benders have gotten. There's also the fight between Piandau and Sokka. I really do enjoy the non-bending fights, just because they feel like a change of pace. What I liked most about this one was when Sokka cut all the bamboo stalks to try to stop Piandau, who just slices through them as they're falling. Again, the animators do a great job showcasing just how expert our fighters are. Not an animation note, but I also love that Piandau continues to teach Sokka throughout this scene.

Other details in the animation include some remarkably realistic nature shots, the Earth king's single shoe, and Piandau's face at Sokka's response to the rock gardening lesson. Again, I love when an actor can convey a lot in a single look, so it's just as impressive, maybe more so, when an animator can do the same thing. They also continue the theme of Sokka's terrible art in this episode, and the scene in which Katara, as The Painted Lady, comes across the water to frighten the fire nation guards is a beautiful homage to horror films.

I especially like the literal cloud cover in "The Headband," because it a visual play on words, and I think this is where I need to say that I saw clips from "The Headband" while watching season 2, and I had no idea who Aang was in these, so the animators did a good job with his disguise. There's also more framing, with Zuko is framed in the doorway of Azula's room as he's leaving, and the animators make great use of the 4:3 aspect ratio in Piandau's house.

Some other animation that I like includes the ice mirror, the absolutely disgusting fish in "The Painted Lady" (do not eat while watching this episode!), and Aang's shadow running alongside Katara dressed as the Painted Lady as he's trying to chase her down. I feel like Aang's armor in "Sokka's Master" is a reference to something. I don't know what, but I wanted to point it out because I do appreciate when artists and storytellers allude to other works of art and literature. I also really like the blocking when Aang tears down the fire nation banner during his argument with Katara in "The Awakening," as well as the way his flashbacks are animated during his healing session in the same episode. Also, Katara's healing powers always emit this faint blue light, which is a nice hint in "The Painted Lady" that the lady is actually Katara.

My favorite piece of animation is definitely the bit where Aang says "I need to redeem myself--to get my honor back," and only the right half of his face is in frame, which then fades to the left half of Zuko's face. This might the epitome of their foildom--when Zuko has (supposedly) gotten his honor back and Aang has lost his own.

My favorite episode of these four is "Sokka's Master." Zuko is my favorite character, but I think Sokka is my second favorite. I really like his character arc. I personally think that his misogyny is a reflection of his sense of inferiority. Sokka has a need to prove to others that he's worthy, which he does by puffing himself up and telling himself (and everybody else) that he's better than someone else because he's a dude or older or a warrior or whaetever it may be.

Which is what makes this episode so good. This is the person Piandau expects when he meets him--the person who is the best in their village, and is therefore worthy to train with a master. But by season 3, Sokka has grown so much that he no longer thinks of himself as great and admits to Piandau that he doesn't know if he's worthy. This is the kind of humility that season 1 Sokka would never have shown.

Sokka also tells Piandau that he's traveled all over the world, and I do think this has something to do with his growth. Those people who are the best in their village, because they never leave their village, wouldn't know if someone far better than them lived in the town next door. But Sokka has met those people. He's fought with them, he's trained with them, and many of them have surprised him. It's his wider experience that has allowed him to grow humble and to recognize that there's a lot he has yet to learn, including, perhaps, whether or not he is worthy. I think that for this reason, the episode also speaks to the importance of travel. Because travel does change us, and usually for the better.

I also like this episode because of how supportive the chracters are of one another. I love when shows depict positive, healthy relationships, and I think the gaang is a good example. They are good at working together, they know each other's stregnths and weaknesses, and they appreciate and support one another. Sokka, at this point, has every reason to feel inferior. He's traveling with the literal Avatar, the world's only metal bender, and a 14 year old water-bending master who happens to be his little sister (for that matter, they're all younger than him.)

It's hard company to keep, especially for a non-bender. But it's clear that the others believe he's a valuable member of the team (which is also a far-cry from season 2 Toph), and want him to see himself as valued. And while I enjoy Katara trying, and failing to make the team laugh, I want to call attention to the other skills the episode tells us Sokka has developed.

First, the gaang tells Sokka that "no one can read a map like you," which feels a little silly, especially with Toph's follow up line about not being able to read at all. But later we see Katara struggling with the map, and the truth is, navigation is a practiced skill. Ask any kid today who has grown up with GPS to use a map, and they will struggle. Sokka is the gaang's GPS. Second, they say that without Sokka around, they don't really know what to do. Again, this is kind of played off as funny, but I think it shows that Sokka is growing into the leader that he claimed to be back in "The Swamp." He is now directing the gaang, and they rely on his direction. Could someone else take up that mantle if Sokka wasn't there? Yes. But like with the navigation, it likely wouldn't be as smooth as it is with Sokka, the now experienced leader.

I think there's some really good Katara stuff in these episodes as well. As always, I want to point out how she mirrors Zuko. In this case, she's struggling with her complex feelings about her father when they reunite, and Zuko is going through the same thing. I love that they cut these scenes together. Just like the switch from Aang's face to Zuko's, I think that one of ATLA's strengths is in how they juxtapose different characters' scenes.

This set of episodes also has what I think is the most romantic scene between Aang and Katara, which is the dance in "The Headband." (The dance is also really cool because I love the idea of bending being such an artform that it can also become a dance.) I was always kind of meh on the Kataang ship because I felt like the show was sort of wishy-washy about it. Yes, it gets introduced in the first episodes, but it is so in the background that it still feels a little like it comes out of nowhere. The Sokka/Suki, Sokka/Yue, and Zuko/Mai ships are all much more foregrounded and developed over all, despite the fact that Aang and Katara have so. Much. Screen time. Together. But now, watching these episodes more closely, I think I'm coming around.

In the dance scene, Aang asks Katara to trust him. This is basically the scene from Aladdin when he takes Jasmin on the flying carpet, only Aang and Katara have spent the last several months in each other's company, training and fighting and so on. He makes her a promise that everything's going to be fine, and it is. This, by itself, wouldn't be super impressive, but let's pair it with the end of the next episode. I already mentioned Katara flying across the water like some horror movie villain, but when the fire bender attacks her, she doesn't directly fight him. Instead, she stands above a crack between the boards of the pier and waits for Aang to airbend her to safety.

Could Katara take this guy on by herself? Probably. But seeing as the goal is to scare the shit out the fire nation soldiers, I can see why they went a different route. But she is still staring down a fireball flying toward her, pretty much putting her life in Aang's hands. This requires so. Much. Trust. And I don't think it would have happened if they had not spent so much time together. We saw in "Imprisoned" that Aang can't always stay focused enough to catch his cues. But they have been together long enough that Katara can now put her life in his hands. I think this is what Katara and Aang's relationship is based on--a deep, mutual trust that has developed over a period of time, and I hope we get to see more of it in the upcoming movie.

Finally, I want to talk about "The Headband." My husband told me before I watched this the first time that it was Avatar's version of Footloose, so that was all I saw. So I'm really glad for the re-watch because there is so much more to this episode. If you listen to the Braving the Elements podcast, you will know that Dante Bosco (the voice of Zuko) likes to remind people that "there are a lot of good people in the fire nation." And he's right. This episode proves it. This episode is filled with good people who are caring and kind and interested in learning about the world around them. They're also ignorant of the crimes their country is inflicting on other nations. And yes, they're children, but that brings me to the more important part of the episode.

"The Headband" is a really good example of how governments can and do use educational systems to support their own agendas. As a teacher, I find this both important and distressing, especially as more and more restrictions are currently being put on libraries and school curriculums in my country. Schools are meant to do what traveling did for Sokka (and for Zuko, as he met victims of the fire nation's war). Instead, this school uses a strict curriculum to teach false history--that the fire nation fought an airbender army and, a century later, people honestly believe that the fire nation is spreading prosperity, rather than conquering other lands. We saw this in Persepolis too--when the teacher tells the class to rip certain pages from their textbooks, and when Marjane tells her father that her teacher told her the Shah was given his power by God. This is the real indoctrination--not the teaching of diverse perspectives, but the lack of it. This is what leads people to blindly obey authority figures rather than to develop their own opinions.

Quite frankly, even the dancing is part of this because another thing that authoritarian governments like to supress is art. Typically, a wide variety of styles and themes in art indicates a healthy country. But when a leader feels the need to maintain power and control, art gets narrowed down to increasingly specific styles and themes--typically things that are highly nationalistic and show the leader in a positive light. Again, this is something I worry about in my own country, with a leader who takes so poorly to criticism and satire. In Avatar, this appears as the supression of music and dance. I expect that whatever song the kids are learning is an ode to the fire nation, and Aang is told that the only appropriate form of movement to music is silent marching--marching, a form of movement that conveys uniformity because just as students shouldn't think differently, they shouldn't move differently either. And as funny as it is to hear Aang attempting to use century-old fire nation slang, his knowledge of fire nation dances shows how much the fire nation has changed in the last century, and not for the better.

I was going to talk about how the end of the episode reminds me of The Thomas Crown Affair, when he gets a bunch of people to dress like him so the cops can't find him. But now I think it may be better to compare to the end of Dead Poets Society--a group of students standing up for the person who opened their minds. Because the truth is, most kids want to learn something at school, and when they learn--really learn--they do show their appreciation.

[tiredlylaughing]

An analysis/rant about netflix's ATLA episode 1

who is that guy ?????

oh he's dead now ig it doesn't matter

the people in the intro were giving uncanny

i like the costumes, they're cute, i like zuko's crew especially. and i like that everyone on the ship is wearing armor except for iroh

aang's airbending bordered on flying waaay too many times

loooove gordon cormier, he's such a great aang

interesting choice to have them know about the comet right from the beginning ? i mean i guess it works to set up the end earlier on. i do actually think i like that it was originally something the air nomads celebrated and it got stolen from them by the fire nation

my biggest pet peeve continues to be how much they just say the things meant to be showed or explored later on. zuko wastes a scene info dumping to his uncle about things he already knows just so the audience is caught up, gran gran spits out all the avatar lore suddenly, aang gives an entire monologue about being the avatar before he runs away when his thoughts should absolutely not be that clear about it yet.

appa crying ;(((((((( my day was ruined

i'm about to be very predictable but i think it's so stupid that aang wasn't even trying to run away after finding out he's the avatar. they left out what feels like an entire part of his arc and now he feels more like a vessel of information rather than an actual person with feelings

i hate the glowy eyes when they firebend lol

i like that they left in katara being a bad bender at the start instead of just making her a girlboss

no penguin sledding FUCKKK WHAT'S EVEN THE POINT ANYMORE

dallas liu sounds so much like zuko to me. like, his voice is so different but it just sounds like zuko

fire fucking shot what the hell

aang's nightmares make no sense when we just saw what happened barely a minute ago, it's fine if that's how they wanted to set up his past but it doesn't feel like these things happened 100 years ago at all. the nightmares could've come in later or never at all.

i love that aang and katara still got their bonding moment, even if it was different from the original

didn't get a boomerang scene. so fucking sad

the conversation between iroh and aang was cool👍

NO MOTHERFUCKING YIP YIP ?????? IS THIS WHAT THE WORLD HAS COME TO

anyway, zuko was such a weirdo <3 love that <33 now for the serious opinions

it bothers me SO much that this guy is so old, like what's the purpose of sokka then ?? if the rest of the men in the tribe aren't literal toddlers ??

sure sokka was the protector but this guy existing means he wasn't ever that alone in that role. it makes who he was a lot more superficial. sure, you can argue some of the people of the southern water tribe believed the role was superficial, or just not that important, but to sokka it was who he was and what shaped him. i'm guessing they probably did this because it was kind of insane to leave the entire tribe alone without sokka there to protect them. but to me that was always the point. sokka didn't want to leave, but he understood that leaving them alone was for a greater good that would ultimately mean all of their safety. he was able to leave because he knew, in a way, he was still doing everything he could to protect them. now he just gets to walk away without any worries, leaving behind a role that was apparently not even that important to him ?? also !! it does feel a bit sexist on the creators' part to think that surely those women couldn't have survived on their own, they need whoever has some testosterone to protect them. that's literally what hakoda did and what caused sokka to have wrong ideals (wether or not hakoda did it with these intentions or not). so. the showrunners just did that to another character but without punishing it this time.

[thetrashthatsmilesback]

im 22 years old and making sexuality headcanons

cringe but whatever

people who know me or have seen my blog before probably know im a huge fan of the "mai and zuko are each other's beard" headcanon. they're both gay in my reading of the show <3.

katara and suki get both the lesbian and bi flags because i couldn't decide

aang gets the bi and pan flags because i see a lot of people hc him as pan, which is fair, but then kiyoshi is canonically bi not pan. since every avatar is the same soul reincarnated, it makes sense that they'd be the same sexuality. i could see aang using both labels interchangeably for himself in a modern au, so this felt fitting

also let me know how i did with these image IDs. i'm still figuring out how to do them well.

Begin Image ID Zuko from Season 3 of Avatar the Last Airbender. In one hand he is sheathing one of his Dual Dao. In the other hand he holds a small flame. The background shows stone cliffsides and a yellow, cloudy sky. This image is overlaid on the updated rainbow gay pride flag with the additional lavender stripe for inclusivity. End Image ID

Begin Image ID Azula from Season 2 of Avatar the Last Airbender. She is wearing fire nation armor with her hands positioned on her hips. She is on a black background. This image is overlaid the sunset lesbian seven stripe pride flag. End Image ID

Begin Image ID Ty Lee from Season 2 of Avatar the Last Airbender. She has both her hands up in fists, and is looking at her left fist with a puzzled expression. She is positioned on a black background. This image is overlaid the sunset lesbian flag with seven stripes. End Image ID

Begin Image ID Mai from Avatar the Last Airbender. She is standing at a 3/4 angle with her full body showing over a black background. This is overlaid the sunset lesbian flag with seven stripes. End Image ID

Begin Image ID Sokka from Season 1 of Avatar the Last Airbender. He is crouched, with his right hand on the ground and his left hand holding his boomerang. This is on a black background. This image is overlaid the bisexual pride flag. End Image ID

Begin Image ID Katara from Season 1 of Avatar the Last Airbender. She is posed in a deep lunge with her arms spread, bending a whip of water. Her hair is lose around her, and she is on a black background. This is overlaid the bisexual pride flag. End Image ID

Begin Image ID The same image of Katara as before is overlaid the sunset lesbian flag with seven stripes. End Image ID

Begin Image ID Aang from Season 1 of Avatar the Last Airbender. He is posed in a deep lunge on a 3/4 view. Both his hands are extended loosely in front of him, open palmed. He is on a black background. This is overlaid both the bisexual pride flag and pansexual pride flag. End Image ID

Begin Image ID Toph from Season 2 of Avatar the Last Airbender. She is posed in a shallow squat. Her left arm is bent above her head and her right arm is bent in front of her body. Stones are floating around her. She is on a black background. This is overlaid the sunset lesbian flag with seven stripes. End Image ID

Begin Image ID Two images sit side by side, divided by a thin white line. They both feature Suki from Season 1 of Avatar the Last Airbender in her full Kiyoshi Warriors costume. She is in a shallow lunge towards her left (the viewer's right), holding her fans. Her left arm is bent above her head with her fan open. Her right arm is extended forwards, and her fan is closed. This is on a black background. The left image has this overlaid the bisexual pride flag. The right image has this overlaid the sunset lesbian flag with seven stripes. End Image ID

[the-genius-az]

Nope, Katara dies pretty old but nowhere close to Azula's age. (She could try if she was an earthbender lol). They don't have children, but Sokka does and Azula mildly claims his family line as hers too (not that weird because Sokka is also basically claimed as her brother).

Yeah, I guess? Because it's Azutara, Maizulee ends up a platonic thing.

The re-encounter I have in mind involve Azula undercover in Fire Nation armor (inspired by NATLA!Azula in soldier's armor). They don't recognize her at first, even without the face plate, because this Azula is taller and adult-sized, and they're "shik shak shok" when one of Gaang babies call her and she answers. Like "she came back from the dead and oh god she's ALIVE".

Azula, the prodigy. It's all Ursa's fault, she does come from the second oldest dragon family lines.

When they heal and reconcile, Azula gives Zuko rides. She also gives Izumi rides and Zuko is silently jealous of not being a dragon to fly alongside her. He doesn't even care about being stronger or a better firebender, he watches Azula flying with other dragons and wants to be there with her.

It's angst first (because, well, Zuko has tried to decapitate her multiple times and once he managed to slash her with his sword – it's how Katara, then the rest of the Gaang, discover that their giant lizard friend also has a human form). Later on it gets funny. Katara can understand dragon Azula pretty well, Sokka is a close second. Meanwhile Zuko just stares like "what the fuck?" Made worse because at some point, the Gaang constitutes of the canon Gaang, three dragons and Zuko is just like "HOW DO Y'ALL COMMUNICATE?" (At least Appa seems as annoyed as him for the excess of lizards.)

But Zuko eventually is allowed in the same cuddle pile that Azula is in, so it'll be fine.

- Ash 🔥🍌

I read your stories at night! I'm actually getting to that point of understanding where you want to go.

They don't have children, but Sokka does and Azula mildly claims his family line as hers too (not that weird because Sokka is also basically claimed as her brother).

Azula: They're ours too.

Sokka: What? No-

Azula: Ours!

Sokka:....Okay.

Azula, the prodigy. It's all Ursa's fault, she does come from the second oldest dragon family lines.

Ursa, yes... she's always the one to blame!

he watches Azula flying with other dragons and wants to be there with her.

My babies...🥹

I bet neither of them (after solving all their problems) wants to separate again.

But Zuko eventually is allowed in the same cuddle pile that Azula is in, so it'll be fine.

Happy ending!

[avatar-legends-confessionblog]

"...projecting the Zutara dynamic onto Zukka..."

I am sorry, how is that even possible? Sokka and Katara are very different characters, with different personalities, different personal subplots, different stories of relationship with Zuko. Even if the shippers (both zutara and zukka) make water siblings OOC, Katara and Sokka still don't resemble each other at all, and also have nothing in common with the canon sibling character.

Haven't read a lot of zukka fics – do they really have plots where Sokka is totally miserable in his marriage and has to be saved from his abusive canon spouse (Suki, I suppose?) by a knight in shining armor Zuko? Do they have plots where quiet obedient Sokka is hated and constantly bossed around by his family and his whole village, forced to do all the work for everyone, until saint Zuko shows up to save him from boring laundry and mending clothes and neverending cooking? Do they have plots where Sokka is so tired of being nice to everyone and always pretending to be happy regardless of the shit happening around/with him, and Zuko is the only one who allows him to unleash his hate on the world, which is somehow the true Sokka's character? Because, despite having a limited knowledge about zutara dynamic as well, I've seen the things listed above pretty often in fics about Zuko and Katara, and literally never – in fics about Zuko and Sokka. I also haven't seen the catacombs scene or "The Southern Raiders" rewritten in any way with Sokka in Katara's place. Do such things even exist? Are they popular? Seems not, but I am not an expert, so if you know this stuff, please share, I need to cringe sometimes.

Also the overall zutara attitude looks like something "this pairing should be canon, look how meaningful it is, it carries the whole narrative, all the themes, all the symbolism, they are destined for each other, etc.", while zukka is more like "these two both can be very smart and very stupid, and it's fun imagining them together". So zukka doesn't even need dynamic from zutara, it will just be of no use.

If you were talking about ambassador-of-the-water-tribe-in-the-fire-nation or fire-lord's-consort or arranged-marriage type of things, I am sorry, no pairing "owns" that. Similar things might exist for any pairing where one of participants is royal and the other is an important foreigner. Or are you referring to wedding necklaces? Katara is not the only one who is allowed to wear it. I understand that zutara became popular earlier and zukka later, but it doesn't mean projecting. If these plots/tropes – not a dynamic, but at least all this stuff I have seen in both pairings – work well (or very badly) for zutara, they work just as well (or as badly) for zukka. Seriously, two characters in the pairing marrying each other is not something that haven't existed before Atla.

If you meant something that I haven't mentioned here, please, tell me what you were talking about because I am really confused with this phrase of yours.

X