#Avatar: The Last Airbender Episode 12

[luckyrave]

Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 1 - Water Retrospective Rating

I may have finished my highlights on all the episodes for Avatar: The Last Airbender Book 1: Water, but one thing still remains. My full retrospective thoughts on the the first season as a whole after having rewatched it recently, and all I'm gonna do is discuss briefly on my thoughts for each episode unless it's a two part.

So let's go ahead and begin this once and for all with:

Episodes 1 & 2: The Boy in The Iceberg & The Avatar Returns

One could easily group the first two episodes seperately as their own thing, but given that they were aired together as a 1 hour special when the show debuted it only makes sense to group them together.

There was a lot of intrigue and wonder when it pertained to the world of Avatar The Last Airbender, and it really did an incredible job to establish Aang as the protagonist, but also set up what it is Katara aims to be for her goal, and of course with Sokka along with the establishment of The Fire Nation as the adversaries. Most importantly what it does for The Prince of The Fire Nation, Zuko with his own personal motives that sets up a lot for a journey.

Rating: Pure Perfection

Episode 3: The Southern Air Temple

Listen I've already said my piece when it came to what the contents of the episode, but considering how Aang felt from what he discovered one just couldn't help but feel for The Avatar that despite the loss his people , Katara and Sokka now taking the place as his family. At the same time there was still a lot to be said once more Zuko wanting to keep things a secret about Aang because he didn't want anyone to get in his way, and that led to Zhao discovering what the damages. That led Zuko down to a declaration of an Agni Kai against Zhao to prove his point despite what happened the last time he took part in an Agni Kai in the past against The Master. There was just a lot to say when it came to both our hero and of course the antagonist who was set up.

Rating: Pure Perfection

Episode 4: The Warriors of Kyoshi

On the surface one could say that The Warriors of Kyoshi doesn't really add too much to the overall narrative of Book 1 as whole. That statement isn't necessarily entirely wrong because it's very self contained, but that isn't to say that The Warriors of Kyoshi isn't important. This episode actually add a lot of value for Aang when it came to the attention he received being The Avatar two generations after Kyoshi along with how that affects his bond with Katara, and of course with Sokka coming to terms with his mindset about Suki and the warriors. Most importantly its the seeds from this episode that are planted here that bloom into the series as a whole.

Rating: Amazing

Episode 5: The King of Omashu

This one is very much similar to the previous one in the sense that it is very much a self contained story that doesn't do a lot for the overall importance for Book 1 as whole, but does a lot for what's to come for the future of the series. Aang being met with a series of trials by The King of Omashu and having to think about what ahead really set worth a lot when it comes to his intellect, and that plays a heavy part into the revelation pertaining to The King himself.

Rating: Amazing

Episode 6: Imprisoned

Another episode that falls into the similar list as the previous two that came before, and one might ask "So is there anything to say here?" There's a lot that it does for Katara's character in trying to help Haru and the other imprisoned Earthbenders to get their spirit back against The Fire Nation. Aang and Sokka don't play too much of a heavy role which is fine, and for the importance of Book 1 it doesn't much overall. However, what is demonstrated here with Katara does play a bigger role in the future of the series as a whole.

Rating: Great+

Episodes 7 & 8: The Winter Solstice

There is a lot I've already spoken about when it comes The Winter Solstice, and given that this is a two parter it only makes sense to group together as one. The concept of The Spirit World being introduced and what it means for Aang as The Avatar, but more importantly his first direct conversation with his predecessor, Roku of The Fire Nation. One in which sets up so much for Aang's journey moving forward when it comes to his eventual battle against Fire Lord Ozai and the relation a comet Fire Lord Sozin used to initiate The 100 Year War.

Rating: Pure Perfection

Episode 9: The Waterbending Scroll

This one really sets the mark up for Aang and Katara when it comes to the essence of waterbending. Katara having felt like a novice at her skills in comparison to Aang's natural gifts as The Avatar really was a great thing to be explored, and does so much for their overall relationship especially when The Waterbending Scroll comes into play. It could be viewed as a little lesser than Imprisoned (Episode 6), but The Pirates do play a brief minor part towards the end which helped keep it relevance to Book 1 as a whole.

Rating: Great

Episode 10: Jet

A very self contained tale that is centered around Jet and his freedom fighters whom Aang, Katara, and Sokka come across after being nearly ambushed by a group of Firebenders. It has a lot of interesting themes when exploring beliefs and ideologies of good and really does so much for Sokka's character as a warrior in contrast to what Jet stands for as a character. Now given the nature of the episode, Jet and The Freedom Fighters don't play a huge role in the rest of Book 1, but their importance to the future says otherwise.

Rating: Great+

Episode 11: The Great Divide

I'm not even gonna beat around the bush when it comes to Episode 11 known as The Great Divide. The reason being is because this was one that had been talked to death in the Avatar community, and all I'm gonna say is it is the one episode doesn't add too much to the overall series. Mostly because The Gan Jins and The Zhangs don't really ever appear again in the rest of the series. It does however provide an interesting stance on perspectives which is cool, but that's really it.

Rating: Okay

Episode 12: The Storm

Wow what a contrast from the previous episode, and going straight into One of the best episodes in Avatar: The Last Airbender period. The definition of two sides of the same coin perfectly describes the essence of Aang and Zuko's personal upbringing. Each starting out with a sense of curiosity and being led to a decision that shapes where our hero and our villain stands in the series. The day Aang become The Avatar, and the day Zuko received the scar on his eye. In fact, one could even say that things really change an outlook on how Zuko is viewed as a character. He is still the antagonist but not necessarily in the sense of the villian, but more of the anti-hero, and the way both Aang and Zuko parallel one another is so master class.

Rating: Pure Perfection

Episode 13: The Blue Spirit

The definition of being kept on your toes is a great way when it pertains to The Blue Spirit. Aang trying to find some herbs to cure Katara and Sokka from their sickness due to the events from the Storm which led to him being captured by Zhao who had been promoted to Admiral. It is also where you are introduced to The Blue Spirit character and you are just unsure as to what their goal to save The Avatar and the reveal behind the mask is so genius. The perfect followup coming off from The Storm.

Rating: Pure Perfection

Episode 14: The Fortuneteller

The big importance to The Fortuneteller is further solidifying the chemistry and budding romance between Aang and Katara. All that pertains ot the future was in store for the eventual couple to be, and it is without a doubt a sweet episode, but one could say this was more tell than show, and that could be a hinderance especially since Aunt Wu doesn't really play anything critical in the story beyond this episode.

Rating: Good

Episode 15: Bato of The Water Tribe

It's always great to learn more about Sokka and Katara's culture in the Water Tribe especially with Bato who grew up their father Hakoda. Very similarly to some of the other episodes like Imprisoned, and Jet it can be considered self contained, but on with a lot of importance. ritual to dictate where the trio is marked on their trial and that provides a valuable lesson to Aang, Katara, and Sokka. Not to mention it does bring one plot thread to a close in regards to Katara's necklace that belonged to her mother, and also June is such an interesting character.

Rating: Great

Episode 16: The Deserter

Fire can be a very dangerous thing to handle, and that was something Aang learned first hand upon his excitement to learn from Jeong Jeong who deserted from The Fire Nation Army a long time ago. He knew that learning Firebending needed to be done and in midst of his excitement that came with consequences that just stuck with The Avatar in a belief that The Deserter warned him about. A simple fact that Aang just wasn't ready to learn Firebending. Yes, it is a self contained tale, but much like some of the others The Deserter does a lot when it comes to Aang's growth as the main protagonist.

Rating: Amazing

Episode 17: The Northern Air Temple

The idea of revisit an ancient relic that comes from Aang's past in particular his heritage as an Air Nomad is really sweet. The opportunity for him to revisit The Northern Air Temple again after so many years really threw him for a surprise that was similar to what happened at his home in The Southern Air Temple. The Fire Nation was involved in particular to the Past when it came to the eradication of The Air Nomads, but even now currently at The Northern Air Temple towards a group of refugees seeking shelter. Aang had a lot to come to terms with when it came to his beliefs and accepting what lies in the present for the refugees which is great for his growth, but like many other episodes it's very much self contained that sets up so much for the future.

Rating: Good+

Episode 18: The Waterbending Master

The Waterbending Master has a lot to say for Aang and Katara since after a long journey they finally arrived at The Northern Water Tribe, and of course Sokka finding himself in a trance of love for The Princess of The Northern Tribe. They learn that things aren't exactly what they seem to be due to cultures and beliefs in particular with Katara in proving herself as a worthy Waterbender to be trained under the same guidance as The Avatar. A result in which comes with an interesting revelation about her heritage and connection to The Waterbending Master himslf. Not to mention, what it means for the impending battle that is about to be ensued by The Fire Nation.

Rating: Amazing+

Episodes 19 & 20: The Siege of The North

There is a lot ways to consider the closure to a particular book in this case to a season, and Avatar: The Last Airbender demonstrated this through it's two part finale The Siege of The North. It gave Aang a chance to shine especially when it came to his display of being The Avatar in the battle that The Water Tribe had to face against The Fire Nation. It's also a great parallel in that Book 1 begins with Southern Water Tribe, and it ends here at The Northern Water Tribe. A battle that wasn't particular an easy victory, and it came with a cost on both sides of the spectrum. Especially for what it does Zuko's journey moving forward, and as they say the battle may have been victorious, but the war still wages on.

Rating: Pure Perfection

So with this now being said, and done after viewing all the episodes of Water as a whole. There's a lot to be said about the journey Aang, Katara, and Sokka have went through from where they started off and where they've ended up by final moments of The Book. Especially when you get to witness what the journey had been for Zuko early on in the season and to see that there's more to him than meets the eye by the end of this Book.

Overall Rating: Great+

[sidecharactersdomatter]

Thoughts I had during TGCF S2 Ep 12

Last Ep of S2 let’s do this!

Previously on TGCF…

-All wells that ends on the Fang Xin mystery

-“Just focus on doing what you want to do” best life advice ever

-Qingxuan really went, “They seem to be very good friends”

-He blushed!

-They laughed!

-No he will not while the laundry’s running

-That one guy is eavesdropping outside the palace

-They cannot just leave us on a cliffhanger like that!

-Dang no one should slander Hua Cheng shame on them

-Another facepalm!

-It was 3 days?!!!

-That one god got frightened once he saw FX covered in blood, and meanwhile Mu Qing just smirked

-The temple massaging was a dead sign

-More Hua Cheng Slander

-Mu Qing’s opinion

-I really love the music that was played from S1 EP 4

-Pei Ming was responsible for this month’s security

-I wonder why Prosecutor Pei Ming left his guard down?

-Mu Qing’s smirk

-Xianle won’t be banished!

-That was it, the security was getting tighter

-Ugh the Xie Lian slander

-Meanwhile, in Jun Wu’s study…

-That was a lot of paused frames to transition from the recap of eps 7-11

-He’ll probably try to reason with Lang Qianqiu

-That’s what we’d like to know and the answer’s been given by Jun Wu

-Instrumental Bu San seems to be Jun Wu’s main theme

-Jun Wu had a spy… or did he?

-There’s a mole in Heaven

-He’s tightening the security because of Hua Cheng

-He switched from calling him San Lang to Hua Cheng!

-There’s security tape outside his palace

-Xianle’s heyday in his childhood!

-His mother

-The nostalgia’s made him wistful 

-Oh he’s running now

-Qi Rong and Qianqiu’s words are ringing in his mind

-He’s picked up speed

-His breakdown!

-He jumped!!!

-So that’s how he gets down to mortal realm!!!

-That graceful landing

-It’s autumn

-So many young disciples

-HE WAS SO YOUNG AND INNOCENT!!!!!!!!

-XL’s mother is a huge inspiration to the many parents of my OCs

-It was a flashback 800 years ago!

-His sword

-HIs robe is gonna need a quick stitch up!

-It took him all day

-Literally those chipmunk squirrel hybrids

Squirrel 1: Well they were right here a second ago, and now they’re gone!

Stuffed! Squirrel 2: Yeah, that’s pretty weird huh?

Squirrel 1: So you’re telling me you didn’t eat ‘em, and you have NO IDEA WHERE THEY ARE!

Squirrel 2: Uh-uh

*Xie Lian Enters and both Squirrels book it, the 2nd squirrel spits out the nuts*

Squirrel 1: AAAAAH!!! Run away!  I knew you ate them!

This dialogue was from Brother Bear, I really felt like including it in the reaction when. I saw both squirrels and I prolly don’t have plans to watch said movie right now

-It’s a dilapidated temple

-The place is in ruins

-A well!

-The animators really deserve a raise for animating XL entering the well

-A secret entrance!

-It’s the tunnels of lake Laogai in Book 2 earth

-He can firebend!!!

-It’s the star map ceiling from Wan Shi Tong’s library, I really love spotting all the Last Airbender references

-The tombs, *gasps* they’re his parents’ tombs!

-He has been through a lot

-This is similar to the altars at my relatives’ homes

-That noise!

-It sounds like crying

-Baby Guzi!!!

-Oh no and you’re not supposed to shake and shout and children!

-Did anyone else get chills when the weird music played when he looked into the tomb of dust?

-Oh no!

-The statue moved and Qi Rong’s leitmotif

-That was close!!!

-His mask and royal robes

-Baby Guzi!

-His father!

-He possed Guzi’s Dad

-Nobody else rescued the child when they fled Qi Rong’s domain?!?!

-Damn

-His eyes are turning red!

-Masochist

-Worst family reunion I’ve seen

-And you’re not supposed to traumatize children

-Baby Guzi’s in tears!

-Those words still stung

-The flashbacks!

-Ban Yue’s voice!

-Young Lang Qianqiu!

-An Le!

-Recapping Seasons 1 & 2

-His shrine!

-Xianle has fallen

-The soldier

-The child he saved

-Move over J Michael Tatum, no offense to his fans really sry

-They cannot jut leave us on a cliffhanger like that!!!

And that was TGCF Season 2! *Casually prepares shrine and starts praying for the short film, eventual movie, and Seasons 3-8*  What really carried this season was Junior Official Xiao Mengyou, Lang Qianqiu’s whole impact, Shi Qingxuan slaying, Jun Wu’s Emperussy, Prosecutor Pei Ming, Yin Yu’s debut, Hua Cheng being the goat all thanks to James Cheek, Fengqing conflict, Feng Xin being the himbo, Lucien Dodge eating it up as Mu Qing, Qi Rong being this season’s freak, Guzi being Babey, and Howard Wang eating it up as Xie Lian especially in Episodes 6 and 10-12.  That was all for this summer’s reactions.  I am going to be bust this fall with sketching and mainly writing after class so, See you next time! The Scrap Immortal and the Avatar is set to start in January 2025!

[seas-of-silver]

So I see ATLA as an option. May I humbly ask:

Zuko stared in wonder at Katara, watching her in her element. "Whoa."

Thank you for your ask! This is my first time writing for ATLA, so I hope you like it!

~/~

Zuko stared in wonder at Katara, watching her in her element. ‘Whoa.’

After arriving at the Western Air Temple, determined to make amends and finally do the right thing… they had rejected him. If he was being totally honest with himself, he hadn’t expected that outcome. He had instead imagined that they’d umm and ahh for a while before begrudgingly yet kindly welcoming him aboard. The cold reception was like being slapped in the face by a penguin seal. And then when he accidentally burned that blind earthbender girl, he just wanted to dig himself a bagermole-sized hole. If that wasn’t enough, the next morning, when he went to visit again after breakfast, the assassin he had hired made an appearance. Zuko tried to stop the assassin from killing the Avatar, but his orders and negotiations failed. Thankfully he, the Avatar and his friends managed to stop the assassin, and only then was he allowed to join their group.

It was awkward at first, but as lunch progressed and jokes were made, things got better. Sokka, the boomerang guy, cracked a few jokes at Zuko’s expense; and after Sokka broke the ice, the Avatar- Aang, as he insisted on being referred as, quickly followed, as did Toph, and most of their companions soon took the Avatar’s lead and warmed to him. The only person who still wanted nothing of him was Katara. She stiffly and quickly ate her food before storming out in a huff. It made lunch a little tense after that, and once he finished helping with cleaning up after the meal, Zuko went for a wander.

When he and Uncle had been lying low here after the banishment, Zuko had little to do while he recovered except for exploring the temple - if anything, it was the one thing Uncle actively encouraged him to do. When Fath- when Firelord Ozai had burned his face, Zuko not only gained a giant scar, but his hearing in his left ear was impacted a little, and it messed with his sense of balance. With the aches and pains and embarrassing stumbles, it took him a few weeks to rest, recover, and acclimatise to his new norm. In that time, he had discovered much of the temple, including a few spots he favoured more than others - one of which was a large cavernous room that gathered water from the earth and cleansed it, before the water was distributed to various locations around the temple. This room, with its gentle watery soundscape, was the place Zuko had found the most relaxing and peaceful, and was a space he returned to frequently during his last visit. But unlike every other time he came to this room, there was someone else in there.

Water curved around the cave in graceful arcs, winding through the air like it was carving paths for rivers and streams. Inrticate patterns were being weaved as Katara, seeming so small at the base of this gigantic moving water sculpture, bent the water with ease. It was hypnotic, meditative, and incredibly breathtaking. He simply stood there, struck dumb with awe. He had fought against her many a time before, yet somehow he had never truly understood the extent of her waterbending prowess. The amount of water currently in the air was something typically controlled by a handful of benders, and here she was, doing it all on her own without breaking a sweat; if anything, she looked incredibly calm. It was as intimidating as it was inspiring.

He remembered that night in Ba Sing Se, in those crystal caves deep below the surface. He remembered being trapped there with Katara, and the heart-to-heart they were having before Aang and Uncle found them. He imagined that if Azula never showed up and the battle never happened, that maybe he and Katara would be friends now, instead of her doggedly giving him the cold shoulder. He recalled the spirit water she offered to heal him with, the water he heavily suspected saved the Avatar from certain death. He had been very touched by that offer. After everything they had gone through - all the fighting and anger and hurt and chaos - after everything he had put her through, she had shown him an unimaginable kindness…

He shook his head. It must’ve been a tactic she was using; why else would she have made such an offer back then? They were enemies! Well, they were at the time, though not anymore, but still! Why did she offer to heal him? Why did she look at him with kindness and warmth, as if she understood his pain? Why was “yes, please” on the tip of his tongue, words that would’ve left his lips if they weren’t interrupted? Why did she look so hurt and betrayed when he (stupidly) joined Azula’s side when he was made to choose sides? It didn’t make sense! She was kind to him because it was a smart tactical move, not because she actually cared… right?

Zuko groaned internally as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. Trying to understand Katara was like trying to understand Uncle. Uncle. His heart ached when he thought of the man that was more of a father to him in the last three years than his actual father had been since he was born. His betrayal of Uncle sat heavy in his stomach and stabbed painfully at his heart. He was wrong, he knew that now, and he could only hope and pray that maybe one day Uncle would find it in his heart to forgive him. He hoped that Uncle would approve of his new path of helping the Avatar. He wished Uncle could be here with him.

Letting out a slow, heavy breath, Zuko left the cave and headed towards the rooms below. He needed to find Aang - it was time for the Avatar’s first lesson in firebending.

~/~

Ask game: Give me the first sentence and I'll write a short piece for it!

[danburys]

AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER SEASON 2, EPISODE 12

[beifong-brainrot]

Katara and the fear of loss (aka why she waited)

I think one aspect of Katara's storyline I don't see explored nearly enough the fact that she is terrified of losing others, especially those whom she cares for. This makes sense, especially looking to her background, how the death of her mother affected her and the fact that war has been a very large part of her life since she was a small child. Not to mention, she is actively a huge part of said war, along with her brother and friends, at the tender age of 14.

Now, some of you may ask "quill what the hell does Aang have to do with Katara's mother?"

Yes, on the surface, there isn't that much connecting Katara's dead, grown ass mother to Katara's alive 12 year old goofball bf but the parallels between Kya and Aang are planted even at the beginning of the show, in the first few episodes.

When Zuko and the Fire Nation attack the Southern Watertribe, they are looking for Aang, the last airbender, not dissimilar to the Southern Raiders looking for the last Southern waterbender. Furthermore, both Kya and Aang willingly give themselves up to the Fire Nation in order to protect the village, particularly Katara.

Throughout the show, we see Katara's interest and endearment towards Aang grow, and we see them create a genuine friendship. But I'd argue that Aang being the Avatar is, to some degree, a problem to their relationship. Aang's duty as the Avatar, and the risks and decisions he is faced with due to it, often create a rift between him and Katara.

Be it due to Aang's responsibilities leading him to make decisions she doesn't agree with, like in the Avatar State, where Aang feels the pressure to force the Avatar State due to the suffering of the soldiers he feels responsible for.

Or, more poignantly, in the Awakening, where Aang is once again compared to one of the parents Katara lost due to the war, though Hakoda's 'loss' was not due to death, but a need to fight. I think this also shows how much Katara values Aang not just as the Avatar, but as a person.

Katara: Aang. He just took his glider and disappeared. He has this ridiculous notion that he has to save the world alone, that it's all his responsibility. Hakoda : Maybe that's his way of being brave. Katara: It's not brave; it's selfish and stupid! We could be helping him, and I know the world needs him, but doesn't he know how much we need him, too? How can he just leave us behind? Hakoda : You're talking about me too, aren't you?

This is twice Aang has been directly paralleled to one of Katara's parents, whose repsective losses have clearly affected her greatly. This is also extremely poignant, since we've been explicitly told that Aang's love for his own lost family, the Air Nomads, was reborn into Katara. For Aang and Katara, the ways they deal with their losses influences how they pursue each other romantically.

Of course, there's also the ✨️ immediate threat of death and physical injury✨️. Aang and the rest of the Gaang, but particularly Aang is constantly being chased and tracked and endangered by the Fire Nation and he is meant to face the Firelord and defeat him. There are a lot of possibilities for something to go horrifically wrong here.

From Aang being half dead when Katara found him, then almost immediately getting kidnapped by the prince of the goddamn Fire Nation, to almost every villain of the week shenanigan, Katara already has good reason to worry for Aang.

But then the reach Ba Sing Se and things get even worse. Jet, Katara's only other canonically confirmed love interest dies, and Katara is helpless to do anything about it. This is already enough to make someone reconsider future romantic endeavours, but surely it can't get any worse, right?

Oh yeah, Aang FUCKING DIES

He gets blasted in the back with lighting, right as he enters the avatar state, right before Katara's eyes. The saviour of the world, but more importantly, her dear friend, brutally cut down before her very eyes. And Katara, a child, is the only person with even a sliver of hope of bringing him back.

So is it really any surprise that Katara, having experienced loss before multiple times over, and almosf having lost Aang himself, would be hesitant to enter a romantic relationship with someone being actively hunted by the greatest military in the world, someone obligated to take on the leader of said military?

Katara is afraid. She's afraid of opening her heart up to loving Aang and then losing him after that. This is the main reason why she hesitates in initiating her and Aang's relationship. Whenever Aang tries to brooch the subject, she brings up the war and the Firelord, but due to being a child, she struggles in communicating her exact feelings, which leaves Aang confused and of kilter. Katara often gives Aang romantic attention, and clearly feels rather possessive of him, however, she is not ready to enter a romantic relationship due to the threat of the war looming above their heads. But due to being 14, she doesn't know how to explain these feelings, which is what leads to the minor conflict between her and Aang. Because, you know, they're both children in a situation that children aren't built to deal with.

Katara : Aang, I don't know. Aang: Why don't you know? Katara : Because, we're in the middle of a war, and, we have other things to worry about. This isn't the right time.

It's important to note that Aang isn't exactly a bad person for wanting this relationship to be made tangible. He does push boundaries, and kissing Katara without her consent in the Ember Island episode is obviously a horrendous misstep (which he acknowledged), but I think you can at least understand his motives. He may soon die, after all, and he wants to love Katara and wants to express that love before he possibly loses his entire goddamn life. I think this can also be traced back to how Aang deals with the genocide of the Air Nomads and vs how Katara deals with the death of her mother.

Aang certainly blames himself for the death of the Air Nomads, although this guilt is unfounded. Perhaps part of him believes that if he'd just stayed with them, spent a little more time with Gyatso, he could've helped them. It wouldn't be a leap to imagine that Aang wanting to spend more time with those he loves, including Katara is a coping mechanism surrpunding that loss.

Now juxtapose this to Katara, who's entire encounter with Yon Rha is permeated by helplessness and fear, an 8 year old Katara being unable to do anything but run away and try to get help, sadly not in time for Kya to survive. So Katara trying to assert some control over her relationships, maintaining a certain distance to Aang while the war that robbed her of her mother is still in full swing isn't an improbable concept. She's trying to not feel that helplessness again.

(Katara probably blames herself for her mother's death too, but it has less to do with Katara's actions and more to fo with what Katara was; a waterbender, something she hasno bearing on)

This is why she initiates the kiss with Aang at the end of the show. Not because she feels the need to give in to his advances due to him being the hero of the world. Not because she's caving to his insistence or because she's pressured. But because the possibility of Aang getting fucking murked by glorified pyromancers are significantly lower than they were during the war.

This is not a 'taking one for the team bcs I feel like I have to due to Aang saving the world' type of smooch. This is a 'finally I feel safe to express my feelings' type of smooch.

To be completely honest, I don't like how Kataang was handled post day of black sun, I think it was an unnecessary addition of a redundant "will they, won't they?" aspect to the relationship. Teasing Zutara in the last few episodes was also just unnecessary, because it was obviously never a viable endgame relationship and it only served to give kid zutara shippers false hope. This is especially fucked up looking at how the same zutara fans were later mocked by the creators, which, no matter what you think if the ship, is a horrible thing to do to a bunch of teenage girls and I think has contributed to those teenage girls growing into bitter, aggressive adult zutara shippers.

But, as much as I dislike this storyline, it does make sense for Katara's character and is an interesting and touching 'silent arc' for her to have. We often see characters fall in love in the midst of a conflict, but we aren't always shown how that conflict would affect the way they look at their relationship, so I appreciate this storyline for what it was.

[queen-morgana91]

"Why do people dislike Zuko/Zutara stans??"

Mmmh

🤦‍♂️

Sorry but I can't stay silent anymore, these posts are insane

Aang: a kid/genocide survivor lashing out because his best friend and only living link to his people has been stolen. The avatar state (a power he is afraid of) was a response to losing another part of his home, the only person connecting him to his past and eradicated culture

Katara: saw Aang loosing control in the avatar state and CHOSE to be at his side and help him, because she KNOW what's it's like having your loved ones stolen from you, she is hurt from seeing him hurting because she's an empathetic person and she loves him. She's comforting a friend during an emotional crisis.

Zutara/Zuko's stans: Ugh violent destructive tantrums save yourself katara! Zuko <3

Mh ok.

It's funny because those people are stanning a character who called Katara a peasant and threatened to wipe her village and only were in good terms in the last few episodes. They are stanning a character who was a villain/antagonist for two seasons (and half of season 3) who tried to kill her and her friends over and over again. But that's ok, he suffered and redeemed himself in the last 3 episodes, so it doesn't matter, while everything the abuser/toxic Aang """did""" was beyond forgiveness.

That's the message of Avatar the Last Airbender :)

The way people in this fandom are so unempathetic towards a 12 year old who lost everything is so crazy to me.

These episodes are full of sad moments with a lot of hurt behind it. These are all children (child soldiers also) overwhelmed by moments of severe loss. These children are human and they have flaws.

This is why being a fan of most animated content sucks as their fanbases have the intellectual capacity of a goldfish

[loopy777]

The Timeline, Vol 2

Mai was introduced exactly 19 years ago today, on April 7th, 2006, in the AtLA episode ‘Return to Omashu.’ This also introduced her romantic interest in Zuko.

Mai and Zuko were confirmed as a dating couple in September 2007 with the airing of the episode ‘The Awakening.’ Mai and Zuko broke up 2 months later in November 2007 in ‘The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion.’ They reunited as a couple 8 months later in July 2008 with the airing of the AtLA finale.

A little less than 4 years later, in May 2012 with the publishing of the graphic novel ‘The Promise - Part 2,’ Mai and Zuko broke up again due to trust issues. In a major emotional moment, Zuko attests to still loving Mai and desiring her back, but she refuses to return.

One year later in May 2013, Mai’s situation in the aftermath of the breakup was revealed in the comic book ‘Rebound.’ In this story, Mai dates a boy named Kei Lo but breaks up with him by the end of the issue. She also fights some anti-Zuko terrorists.

Mai is not seen again until almost three years later (September/October 2015), in 'Smoke and Shadow - Part One.' In this story, Mai dates a boy named Kei Lo. For the story's conclusion, 6 months later (March/April 2016), in ‘Smoke and Shadow - Part Three,’ Mai breaks up with him by the end of the issue, and in a major emotional moment, Zuko attests to still loving her and desiring to have her back, but she refuses to return. Throughout the trilogy, Mai also fights some anti-Zuko terrorists.

Mai's next and so far final appearance is almost 9 years later in March 2025, in the one-shot graphic novel 'Ashes of the Academy.' In a major update to their relationship status, Zuko and Mai briefly refer to the trust issues they broke up over, but she refuses to return. At the end of the story, Mai fights some anti-Zuko terrorists.

Some real-time statistics:

Mai and Zuko were a couple for 4 years.

Mai and Zuko have not been a couple for a total of 15 years since Mai’s introduction.

Mai and Zuko have been broken up for nearly 13 years.

Mai’s situation post-breakup was first revealed 12 years ago. Since that time, the only change to her character has been to get a new job she seems to like better than the old one.

It has been 5 years since I began to track these statistics. A child born when I made the first Maiko Timeline is now likely to be in kindergarten. In that time, Mai has appeared in one comic book. In the same amount of time, writer John Ostrander wrote his legendary 66-issue run of the groundbreaking comic series, 'The Suicide Squad' (plus some tie-in miniseries).

The graphic novel plotline about Mai and Zuko breaking up has been in existence for 68% of the existence of Mai as a character, and 65% of the existence of ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ as a franchise.

A baby born when Mai and Zuko broke up in ‘The Promise’ is now 13 years old, likely experiencing puberty, and 2 years older than the recommended age range for the new graphic novel installments of ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender,’ which is 8-11 years old. It took only a little under 10 years to air all of both 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' and 'The Legend of Korra.'

The numbers continue to tell the story better than the franchise's paid writers.

(Timeline once again made at https://www.officetimeline.com/online. I was honestly shocked they're still in business.)

[rightwheretheyleftme]

I just finished watching book 4 of The Legend of Korra. Here’s my top 5 things I hated the most about it:

Part 1 and Part 2

5. Korra spends half of the FINAL season away from the rest of Team Avatar.

This season has 12 proper episodes and Korra spends the first 6 in almost complete isolation. She reunites with Mako and Asami in episode 7 but the full team doesn’t get together until episode 11 out of 13. In the final episode, we get only one shot of the 4 of them together and that’s it. We never see them fight as a team not once this season. This is the final season of your show and your big hero team only has 1 scene where they work in tandem? Why? A total narrative disaster.

4. Monarchy bad!

This season wastes your time making you watch Prince Wu go through a stupid character arc about learning to be a good leader only for him to abdicate at the end. Remember kids, monarchy is bad! Unless we are talking about our beloved hero Zuko, or the firm but caring Fire Lord Izumi, or Suyin’s surveillance state, or the newly redeemed Desna and Eska’s sovereignty. The whole message of “democracy good always!” falls flat when one of the heroes of your show is an autocrat, Bryke.

3. The comic relief buffons are protagonists now. Deal with it.

Varrick, Meelo and Prince Wu get an ungodly amount of screentime this season. Every episode includes one of these court jesters making unfunny jokes and acting insufferable. Let’s deviate from Korra’s recovery arc so we can watch Meelo fart again, because that’s what Bryke think comedy is

2. Earthbending Hitler is redeemable! Yay!

Kuvira, a character who runs concentration camps and enslaves people en masse, being portrayed as a person who had good intentions but “went too far” is disgusting. That whole speech that Korra delivered in the finale about how her and Kuvira are soooo alike made me nauseous. This achieves nothing other than to justify fascism to an audience of children.

1. Abuse is cool! It helps you grow and makes you smarter!

The fact that Zaheer was the one who healed Korra is so fucking asinine that I don’t even have the words to describe it. It’s like the writers thought “Let’s make her abuser also be her savior! That would be soooo edgy!” and called it a day. And the final line of the show where she justifies her abuse because it made her humbler? Ugh. To borrow someone else’s words: “…......and then the "compassion line" happened.

.......and then Bryke decided to invalidate not only how Korra's recovery arc had been portrayed up to that point, but also her growth throughout the show AND the lessons imparted to viewers in Avatar: The Last Airbender.

They decided that showing Korra internalizing her trauma and growing from it only through the perspective of "well I deserved it, because I needed to be taught a lesson" (something women IRL often do, by the way) was preferable to "sometimes bad things happen to you because of the cruelty of others. You don't deserve it and you are more than what happened to you." And they just...put that message out there in the last five minutes of the entire show, uncritiqued and un-remarked upon. It's sickening.” Indeed it is. (source)

Underwhelming final season. 4/10

[genericpuff]

Lore Olympus will be officially ending in 2024.

While this is vague both in Rachel's responses (as always) and the actual specific timeline, considering this is the final 'arc' and most of Rachel's arcs rarely go any longer than 12-15 episodes, I have the sneaking suspicion she's going to try to wrap this up by March/April. That's just a prediction, mind you, it could just as well go on throughout the entire year of 2024.

That said, it's wild to see it finally confirmed, like a weight has finally been lifted of our shoulders. Many of us have been speculating on it for a while now that LO would undoubtedly get dragged out as it's Webtoon's golden goose and clearly Rachel's lifeline to the industry.

Lore Olympus has been a part of my life since 2019, and an even larger part of it in the last year and a half when I joined the critical community. It's going to be weird to live in a world where LO just doesn't update.

Of course, as mentioned in the article, there's still the matter of the physical books which are still FAR behind the webtoon version, and the TV show which they swear is still happening (but we all know it's not happening lmao).

So I don't think this will be the end of WT milking it for all its worth, but I am interested to see what happens to WT when they don't have their golden goose on a leash and chain anymore. They've sunk so much money and priority ad space into LO that even other Originals creators can't stand the comic due to how much its undercut their own opportunities. I'm hoping this will be a wake-up call to WT to give more attention to their series that are struggling and deserve to be seen, rather than focus all of their attention into one series that's barely got a pulse to speak of.

Of course, I'm sure people are wondering, "What about the fandom communities? What about antiLO/ULO?"

Listen, this isn't the first fandom I've taken part in, though it's certainly the one I've been the most directly active in with the essays I write and the stuff I do through Rekindled.

But if being in fandoms has taught me anything, it's that it doesn't matter how long a series has been gone. If there are people who still love it - or love to hate it - taking part in discussion, that discussion will continue to thrive. A series existing in hindsight is just as much a reason for participation as an active series existing in the present day. If anything, a series falling into the realm of 'hindsight' can give us the room we need to sit and reflect on what the series actually did, and what we were left with in the end. It's never stopped the folks who still talk about long-ago-completed series like The Office, House M.D., and Avatar: The Last Airbender.

So if you're new to the LO critical community, or asking yourself if it's still going to be "worth it" to take part in the fandom after LO is done - it's as worth it as you make it. There will always be something worth discussing in this fandom if we're wanting to discuss it.

As for me, well... I'm just getting started.

[oneatlatime]

Hiii!!! I’ve been binging through your blog for the past few weeks and I noticed how you talk about how Kataang(Katara x Aang) is portrayed in the show. Honestly yeah, I will admit I didn’t like it at first but now I just don’t really care for it. But I’d be interested hearing an in-depth opinion on the ship(unless you already did and I just never noticed or forgot 😭).

Another question, do you think you’re going to read the comics that came out the series? If you’re asking my opinion I’d say they’re a uuuh 7-8 out of 10 IG?

I do have thoughts on Kataang which I haven't shared yet. Part of me thinks I should wait to answer your ask until I've finished the series; it's obvious to me that these two are being set up to be the big finale couple, which means if I talk about them now I'm probably missing the pieces I need to have a full, well-rounded opinion. But you know what? I feel like talking about them now. So here goes.

Short answer: It peeves me that Aang comes from a culture that seemingly doesn't even have parents, yet he still manages to date his mother.

Long answer: they're both way too young. I'm a huge fan of letting the kids be kids for as long as possible. Especially with these kids, who have been prevented from being kids by the war. As Katara points out in the opening scene of the very first episode, she's been the mother since her own died (or at least she feels like she has had to be the mother). Call me crazy, but I'd rather Katara spend a few years after the war doing dumb childish stuff to recapture that lost childhood than jump straight into a relationship. Isn't the safety and space to do dumb childish stuff one of the things those who are trying to end the war are fighting for? Shouldn't she get to enjoy that? And Aang is just way too young no matter what way you look at it. He's 12 right? I think that would make him a grade 6 student. Back in my day (yells at cloud) Grade 6 students collected yugioh cards and feuded over who had the snazzier lunch box. I could picture a 12 year old having a crush on a slightly older girl that goes to the same school, but it would be short lived and unactionable. I guess Katara would be around 14? So, a grade 8 student. A grade 8 girl would not date a grade 6 boy. It would just never happen.

They've both got bigger fish to fry. Aang is the last Air Nomad AND the current Avatar. When he fully takes on both of those positions, what time will he have for a girlfriend? Katara is the only Southern Waterbender. Whether or not she wants the responsibility, it will be her duty to single-handedly reconstruct a huge portion of her nation's culture from the ground up once she returns south. Does she have the time to ping pong around the globe mothering her boyfriend as he rides giant animals or does Avatar stuff? Say she wants to: what will her family and the rest of her tribe think of the only person who can access such a huge part of their culture riding off into the sunset?

Their current relationship dynamic is still too mother/son. This is more obvious in season 1 than in season 2 (maybe that's growth?) but you can't depict a male/female pair as pieta and then expect me to ship. I think this could change somewhat, but I've already been disappointed in that. I thought that once Katara had mastered waterbending and therefore felt she had something other than mothering to contribute to the group, she would back off with the mothering. And she did, a little, but not enough for my tastes. Maybe as Aang fully steps into the Avatar role and the last Air Nomad role (sidenote: no idea what the latter would look like) he'll move on to a more equal relationship with Katara.

I think Katara is meant for better things than rebirthing a nation. Bending seems to be at least somewhat genetic. So if Aang wants Airbending in any form to survive after his death, he's going to need a billion kids. While I could definitely see Katara wanting children, I don't see her as the barefoot pregnant type.

I'm not convinced that Aang has a clear picture of Katara. She has flaws, which is good! Does Aang see them?

I get the feeling that, while they are helping each others' skills grow as they travel the globe, they are also preventing each others' personalities from growing. As long as Aang is around, Katara has someone to mother. As long as Katara is around, Aang has someone who prevents him from feeling the full weight of his responsibilities. Again, this is worse in season 1, but how often did Katara deny that Aang was to blame for something that was at least somewhat his fault? Aang will never become a fully rounded person until he can look at his flaws and mistakes dead on and say "my bad" without a Katara in the background going "no you're perfect!" Katara deserves to find out what kind of person she is outside of a nurturing role. Quick thought experiment: what if you pair Katara with someone who needs no nurturing, or better yet, nurtures her? And what if you pair Aang with someone as bluntly truthful as Toph? Katara and Aang might find both of those situations uncomfortable at first, but I think it would contribute to their growth.

Aang having a crush on an oblivious Katara would be a great single season arc. I think it would fit both of their characters well, and I think Aang growing past latching on to the first person he saw after the iceberg would be a good way to show that he's rooting himself in his time-displaced present, and fully committing to ending the war. And don't get me wrong, I love Aang and Katara both as a fighting team and as friends.

These kids are all fighting a war, and all kids. I don't mind the supporting characters having romances, because it's not like Sokka or Suki can end the war, no matter how hard they try/might want to. But I'm a big believer in doing one thing at a time, and I think if you're the only person in the whole world who can end a war, then ending the war should take precedence over dating. I'm aware that that's an unrealistic expectation and out of step with the show's theme of balance. In the real world, birth rates skyrocket during war time because people live for the moment and grab happiness (read boinking) wherever they see it. But both these kids are pre-boinking age so I'm going to be a cranky old fart about it.

Being the wife of the Avatar is a position that will often come with being relegated to second place, especially with the amount of work that undoing a century of war will take. Although she works well in a team, Katara is a naturally dominant personality. Katara did enough of putting herself in second place before the series started. I think Katara could very easily fall into the pattern of subjugating her own needs and desires and putting her husband's first, but I don't want that to happen. And one way to prevent that from happening is to prevent her from dating the single most politically important person in the universe. (To be clear, Aang would never deliberately squish a wife like that, I just think the workload of being Avatar and last air nomad would cause that to happen)

A lot of my objections to this pairing are very adult objections. I don't know what I would have thought about this pairing when I was the age of the show's target audience. It undoubtedly would have bothered me less, although I probably would have been put off by how twee it is. As an adult, all I can see are babies playing house.

As for the comics, I hadn't made any concrete plans to read them. I don't know where I'd get access to them. I'm not sure how canonical they are. I guess I should probably decide whether or not I want to read them after I've finished the whole series. I've been told that my girl Jin appears in one of them, so I definitely have some interest. I have also had the Avatar Kyoshi novels strenuously recommended to me. But so much of Avatar's charm, to me, is in the medium. And while comics are closer to animation than books are, they're still static. Avatar does movement so well.

[fast-moon]

I'm 30 years late, but...

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine originally aired when I was 10 years old. I loved Next Generation when I was a kid, so I gave DS9 a try back then... and immediately grew bored of it. They weren't going to new planets or having space battles, they were just sitting around in one place discussing space politics, and there wasn't even anyone funny like Data to hold my attention. So, I stopped watching after a couple episodes.

But, since I keep hearing it ended up being the best Trek seres, I've decided to go ahead and give it a full watch-through. Maybe now that I'm 40 and have more life experience under my belt, I can appreciate it more.

Turns out I do! I've finished the first season, so I'll give a run-down of what I thought of the S1 episodes below the cut:

1-2. Emissary: All right, I actually understand the premise this time which completely went over my head as a kid. The Bajorans were under Cardassian occupation for decades, the Federation showed up and drove them out, now the Federation is in control of the Cardassian space station DS9 to help the Bajorans rebuild and return to self-governance. But wait! Turns out there's a wormhole that goes to the other side of the galaxy here and it's suddenly become prime space real-estate! And the wormhole is inhabited by... mysterious non-temporal entities that spit out a magic orbs from time to time and the Bajorans worship them as prophets.

3. Past Prologue: Garak is queer-coded like whoa and gives Bashir a taste of his own medicine about not respecting boundaries. Is also possibly like a quadruple-agent. And tailors a fine suit. Also, Kira got a haircut. There's rats on spaceships?! Oh, that's just Odo. Okay. Still, the fact that he considered that a convincing disguise means there's rats on spaceships?!

4. A Man Alone: A guy backstabs himself and blames Odo for it.

5. Babel: Poor overworked O'Brien gets so stressed out he starts speaking in tongues. Then it turns out it's contagious. And it turns out that it's because someone sabotaged the station decades ago with a dyslexia virus and then just kind of forgot about it.

6. Captive Pursuit: This actually touches on a moral question I'd been wondering about if we ever end up with sentient AI: If something is bred/programmed to like being oppressed, is it more moral to remove it from its oppression even if that makes it miserable, or to return it to its oppression if that's what makes it happy? This episode chose the latter.

7. Q-Less: A surprisingly boring Q-centric episode whose only shenanigans involved a space stingray Vash was trying to sell off. Q really does miss Picard.

8. Dax: Oh, another philosophical thought-experiment: If you committed a crime and then get reincarnated in a traceable manner and retain all the memories of your previous incarnation, can your current incarnation be held liable for your previous incarnation's actions? This episode decides it doesn't want to answer this because she's not guilty, anyway.

9. The Passenger: Bashir becomes even more insufferable and nobody notices.

10. Move Along Home: Samurai hippies come through the wormhole and demand everyone LARP with them whether they like it or not.

11. The Nagus: Quark falls victim to one of the classic blunders, the most famous of which is "Never get involved in a land war with Asia". But only slightly less well-known is this: "Never get involved with a Ferengi when profit is on the line".

12. Vortex: So... Odo just lets a guy get away with murder because he has a sob story and claimed he knew others of his kind? Just because he was wanted unjustly on his home planet does not change the fact that he murdered a guy for hire. Also, Odo can get knocked out by a rock?

13. Battle Lines: Remember that "Great Divide" episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender that everyone hated? No reason.

14. The Storyteller: O'Brien goes down to Bajor to fix the pipes, becomes God.

15. Progress: Kira has to go convince a Boomer to leave his land because they need the resources to rebuild the planet, but he's all "I got mine, screw them." She humors his sexist behavior all episode, then burns his house down.

16. If Wishes Were Horses: Bashir wishes for his own personal side-piece Dax, and real Dax is weirdly okay with this because "boys will be boys". The conflict in this episode is literally solved by thinking happy thoughts.

17. The Forsaken: Odo gets sexually harassed so reports it to HR who just laughs him off because they think it would be good for him to get laid. Then he gets stuck in an elevator with his stalker and it's revealed just how physically strenuous it is for him to maintain his human form all day, and yet he has never been afforded any accommodations beyond a bucket to sleep in. This poor space slime, no wonder he's always so grumpy. #JusticeForOdo

18. Dramatis Personae: TNG's "The Inner Light", but stupid. Once again Odo has to save the day because he's immune to the humanoid crazypox that seems to infect the station every half-dozen episodes, and yet they still just can't find it in their effects budget to adjust station operations enough to allow him the minimal comfort of not having to contort himself into human form every day until he collapses just to do his job.

19. Duet: I am a sucker for "Did the janitors on the Death Star deserve to die?" sorts of moral discussions, and this episode delivered that very well. Also, I'm in lesbians with Kira.

20. In the Hands of the Prophets: Lady who doesn't even have kids at the school nevertheless takes issue that the children aren't being taught in accordance to her religious beliefs. It's been 30 years since this came out and nothing changes.

All in all, a decent season 1. It does show its age in places, especially in its treatment of female characters, and being written before the internet and smartphones caused seismic cultural shifts that its vision of the future failed to take into account. But still, I'm liking it now that I actually understand what's going on. On to season 2!

[luckyrave]

Avatar The Last Airbender Episode 12 Highlights: The Storm

Ghosts of The Past is one way to describe the thoughts that runs deep within Aang when it came to the life he wants knew from the people who he had cared for over a hundred years ago. The monks from The Air Temple, and of course his close ties to Gyatso, and it can't allow him to properly sleep for the night.

In the mean time there is a lot that also troubled Zuko when it came to his own troubles with his obsessive drive to constantly hunt down The Avatar. All in the name of his rightful honor and that was always his top priority above all else. He didn't really care one bit when it came to the safety of his crew.

The trio find themselves in a market since they had run rather low on supplies, but also with very little change on them either. Something that leads to Sokka being partaken in a job by an old man who wanted to go fishing and offered to pay Sokka double after his wife opted out due to a Storm on the near horizon. Aang attempted to tell Sokka that perhaps it wasn't necessarily a great idea due to the clouds that followed, and even the fisherman's wife vouched for Aang too.

A realization about the airbending tattoos led the old man to understand that Aang is The Avatar and quickly berated him of his duties by ignoring the world, and while Katara tried her best to stand up for him.. Aang ran off in shame only for him to follow his trail to a cave where he would share his tale to her.

The crewmates of Zuko discussed about his behavior, and how they were fed up of his orders along with the way everyone had been treated until Uncle Iroh stepped to share the story of why exactly Zuko became the way he had been. A couple years back, Zuko wanted to take part in a meeting so that he could hear how the meetings went to get an idea of how to handle things when he became the Fire Lord.

When it pertained to a strategic plan to distract The Earth Kingdom forces by The General to use fresh bait it left Zuko disgusted at the thought of his people being used for slaughter. A notion that didn't exactly sit well with the old folks who took part in the meeting, but also because he had spoken out in front of The Fire Lord who had been left with much fury at what occured.

Other the side, Aang shared his story to Katara about the day he learned that he was The Avatar. It was on the day where he introduced the monks his age about the air scooter only to have summoned forth by Gyatso and the other monks where they revealed he was the current avatar. All of which were based on the four relics that he had chosen based on his past lives and that they were familiar to him even though Aang said it was because he felt like they were fun. Gyatso did admit to the young airbender that they would've revealed his identity when he turned sixteen, but to due to signs from storm cloud that could lead to war they felt it was best that he knew.

On Zuko's ship, Uncle Iroh continued to share the story of his nephew to the crew members. An Agni Kai was in place as of result of dire consequences which Zuko wasn't afraid of at all when it came to General he had spoken out against in the meeting and The Fire Nation Prince was more than ready to have faced him. That is until he realized that his opponent, but The Fire Lord he had disrespected who was known other than his own father. A matter which led Zuko to plead for mercy as he only had the nations best interest at heart, and that he refused to fight his father, Ozai who wasn't phased at all by his act of mercy.

In fact, Ozai wanted Zuko to stand so that he could fight for his own honor, but The Prince continued to beg for mercy. The state in which Fire Lord Ozai saw his son left him with one single choice to teach Zuko a lesson about respect and suffering would be his teacher before he burned Zuko's face forever. The simple act of refusal in the fight against Ozai left Zuko only with a sentence of banishment to hunt down The Avatar so that he could regain his honor, and only then did the crew members understand why Zuko had been so obsessed about going after Aang.

Aang continued to share his side of the story with Katara about how everything began to change from his friends casting him aside from any fun activities as it would've been unfair, but thankfully Gyatso tried to give Aang that sun of normality of a young boy by giving him breaks in between his training. Something that didn't exactly sit well with Tashi who insisted that Aang be prepared for training, but Gyatso refused to budge since he was Aang's Guardian.

This only led to an even further debate amongst the elder monks when it came to how Aang should be raised. Tashi with a claim that Aang needs to train so that he could very accept his destiny, and to some degree Pasang could understand where Gyatso came from when it came to the way he had been raising Aang but it was also something that the world mattered. Aang himself needed to train away from Gyatso and that he would continue his training at The Eastern Air Temple.

Nobody had known then that Aang had eavesdropped on the entire conversation, and was left so turn when it came to what he should've done. Thus, he made the decision to run away that night with only a single letter left behind for Gyatso. The same night where it had stormed and he had frozen himself in that iceberg for 100 years until he had next woken up to Katara by his side.

Aang felt so frustrated that perhaps The Fisherman was right and that he did turn his back on the world, but Katara hadn't seen it that way. She tells him that if it was the other way around then Aang would've been killed alongside the other airbenders, and that things were meant to be this way because he gave people hope. A sense of hope that came from The Fisherman's Wife came to find Aang and Katara about Sokka and her husband stll being stuck out at sea, but where he promised to save them from that storm.

The state of The Storm really took a turn for the worst on Zuko's ship as members of crew were in grave danger, and he along with a couple others wasted no time in trying to save the helmsmen from his death fate. In fact, Zuko and The Lieutenant whom he had butted heads with showcased some respect from on another, and upon a single witness from Aang and Katara approach to save Sokka and The Fisherman a question was raised? To chase after The Avatar or secure the safety of the ship's crew? This was the moment where Zuko held off on is vendetta to capture Aang and make sure the crew of his ship was safe from harm in the storm.

Aang and Katara were able to have saved Sokka and The Fisherman from the boat only for them to be completely swept up by a massive tidal wave, and the parallels really started to sink in for Aang just like it was on that fateful day. The only difference was that instead of being locked forever an iceberg once again, Aang created an air pocket that allowed everyone to escape from meeting a permanent end to their lives.

After, Aang managed to rise himself along with others on Appa's back out of the ocean did he exchange a shocked glance to Zuko on the ship. A decison he is content with Aang and the others to live another day so that he could get himself and his ship's crew to complete safety.

Finally, Aang, Katara, and Sokka had been able to make it back to the caves safely as the storm finally cleared up, and The Fisherman offered his apology to Aang for his behavior and for his life being saved from the storm. Aang also had gotten the chance to tell Katara that he was done dwelling on the past and that he should look at what's in front of him to make a difference as The Avatar. A notion that left Katara so relieved because it meant those nightmares would haunt Aang no longer moving forward, but that brings an end to my highlights for Avatar The Last Airbender Episode 12. Catch you all again for my highlights on the next episode.

[empressofthesunslittlecorner]

Let's talk about Zutara

WARNING NOT KATAANG AND MAIKO FRIENDLY

CONTINUE WITH PRECAUTION

I thought I should finally use this second blog of mine for the reason I made it.

To scream into the void and find mutals.

So let's talk about one Ship which people to this day fight over.

The fanon ship (at it pains me to write this) made out of Zuko and Katara from Avatar the Last Airbender aka. Zutara.

I read a lot of analyses, arguments and so on about this ship.

It probably all has been said about Zutara, but since I'm writing an AangXOC story which will include Zutara, I felt like I should give my stance on it.

Back when Avatar first aired in the country I lived in the time I was like 11-12 years old.

I had an instant crush on Aang since he was so funny, kind and gentle.

I never saw Aang's crush on Katara as a problem, because it always seemed to me, till season 3, that Katara was just motherly to Aang.

Giving a friend a cheek kiss in thanks doesn't automatically mean that you like-like them.

At this time I only really shipped Sokka and Yue and cried my eyes out how it ended.

And then the famous scene from book 2 in the crystal catacombs under Ba Sing Se happened.

Short recap, in that season Zuko goes through a lot of chances and I root for, wishing him the best.

Now back to the scene, I said.

The scene turned me into a Zutara shipper in one instant.

Zuko and Katara opening up to each other, sharing their traumas and feelings about the Fire Nation, Katara offering to heal his scare...it was poetic cinema.

I was shivering all over and was like kiss, kiss, kiss!

Let's not forget that before this scene I didn't even see them as a potential couple...but this scene, this beautiful moment they shared with each other, opened my eyes.

I was like, yeah this is it, this is something one should want from a partner. Mutual understanding.

Then Zuko decided to betray Katara for a chance to go home and I cried right there with our favourite waterbender.

I felt also betrayed.

The scene they shared made me feel things, which I experienced as a young girl for the first time, I felt the connection between Zuko and Katara like it was my own.

I was Katara at this moment and couldn't believe that the boy who opened up to me, who understood what it was like to have their mother taken away from the Fire Nation, who said that he wanted to change, that he turned his back on me.

Didn't I/Katara mean nothing to him?

Didn't he feel how special our/their moment was?

I was devasted.

When Zuko then joined the Gaang in the middle of season 3 I could understand Katara's anger towards him.

Katara and I trusted him first and he betrayed our trust.

We had a right to be angry.

As the Southern Raiders came on, as I saw how flawlessly they worked as a team, I felt my own heart heal.

I swerve to this day, that I thought they would kiss at the end of the episode, but we got a hug.

However, this hug, made me feel all giddy and mushy inside.

I felt it was something special.

Maybe even more than a kiss.

It was a huge of forgiveness and the start of a new bond.

And then the last episode comes on.

Zuko sacrificed himself to save Katara from Azula lighting, she healed him then...I thought, yes this is it, now comes the kiss...but nothing.

Then suddenly Zuko is back together with Mai and I was like WTF?!

And Aang and Katara share this really intense kiss at the end.

I was literally like:

It came out of nowhere for me.

That Aang wasn't over his crush on Katara we all know, but when did Katara decide she liked Aang?

When did this realisation happen, when in the Ember Island Player, which was like a few days before Sozin's Comet Katara made clear that she didn't want to have a romance or get kissed by Aang, which he didn't respect.

Did he ever actually apologise for the unwanted kiss? I don't think so.

Remember I had a crush on Aang, but through the seasons I became a Zutara Shipper and literally felt all their moments like they were my own.

I was Katara and Aang wasn't on my radar anymore.

I really doubted my interpretation skill, did all these lovely, mushy, heartful moments have been really romantic or did I project?

I felt like Zuko and Katara had broken up with me.

Yeah, so much inpact had their "friendly" moments at me!

To this day, the hug Katara and Zuko shared on the Southern Raiders is one of the most lovely moments of any of my ships.

Not even kissing made me feel, what this hug made me feel.

Think about how powerful this is!

If Zutara had kissed, I would have probably passed out or cried like a baby in happiness.

I don't know and I will never know since it's a fanon ship.

Uurgh.

Anyway, years passed and as I mention before I read a lot of analysis and so on.

What shocked me most was that Byrke originally planned to have Zuko and Katara together but then changed their minds.

It did reassure me, how I wasn't imagining things between them, however reading then how the Souther Raider Episode changed a lot of times because Bryke found it too shippy, tells you a lot.

They wanted to make Kataang canon and better, than the natural flow Zutara had going on.

I want to repeat again, a HUG was MORE ROMANTIC and INTENSE than the crappy kiss Kataang shared.

Like what?!

How is this possible?

Well, yeah, if you don't force things and actually make people interact in a wholesome way it can be.

Zuko and Katara felt never forced because they just clicked. They were different, but the same in many things, that it was so natural to understand the other.

Aang and Katara felt always more like a mother-and-son duo, than real lovers.

And Maiko was kinda lame too.

Sorry.

I have this theory they just wanted to pair Zuko with a Fire Nation girl and be done with it.

I don't know why they chose Mai when it could have been worked with Ty Lee too, if it was only to pair Zuko with someone who doesn't understand him or doesn't want to try.

Excuse me, maybe Ty Lee would have been better since she seemed to care for her friends, in contrast to Mai who just tried her hardest to be goth and hate everything.

Sorry.

What I'm trying to say with this rant?

I think, as someone who had liked Aang and then felt more connected to Zuko and Katara, I can clearly say that if Katara had been a real girl and not a fictional character controlled by men, she would be together with Zuko.

Why would I/Katara choose someone who I need to mother, who is younger than me, who can't relate to me, if there is an older handsome boy who is kinda dorky and awkward and tries his best, understands my feelings and helps me to parent the Gaang?

Yeah, no, Katara would have smooched Zuko if she had been a real girl.

Now, who of you who knows me, can say, but Empress some of your OCs are older than their canon partner, how can you say that Kataang can't work if you do this in your stories?!

I want to make clear I don't have general a problem if the girl is older than the guy or taller.

It's just that their supposed age gap is when they are together makes it creepy.

Look at an example.

My parents have a three-year age gap.

Nothing much.

They are both in their 60, mid 60, so it's not weird.

They are in the same mature stage in life and understand the struggles of the other.

Now think if my parents meet at 12 and 15.

My dad is the older one.

Are you going to say with a straight face that it wouldn't have been creepy if my parents started to date at this age?

What does a teenager want with a pre-puperty child?

Also, they live in completely different worlds, how can they relate to each other?

The same goes for Katara and Aang, what does a 14-year-old want from a 12-year-old?

I bet if it was the other way around, we would all give Aang shit for preying on a 12-year-old girl.

The gender shouldn't decide if we find a couple creepy or not, even if it's so sadly.

What I want to say, Kataang would have worked better if let's say season 3 ended with no pairing, just all being friends and happy and then in the comics when they age, when Katara is 22 and Aang is 20 they got together.

They would have matured, been on the same level, probably dated other people and had experience.

It would have been okay.

Even if I still think Zutara is superior in anything.

Anyway, I hope I could explain myself and no hate to the canon ships and their shippers.

Ship and let ship.

I just wanted to explain my reason why I will be always a Zutara Shipper and don't reconsider the ending of Avatar as the end and Legend of Korra.

I will forever be Team-Season-Four-Where-Aang-Finds-Hiding-Airbenders-And-Falls-in-Love-With-A-Airbender Girl-His-Age-And-Zuko-And-Katara-Marry-Eachother-And-Katara-Becomes-The-Most-Beloved-And-Badass-Fire Lady-In-History!

And they find also Zuko mom ^^

So for now this is it for me.

If you want my take on an Aang and OC story, where Zutara will be canon, go to my other Tumblr profile empressofthesunwriter and read Yin and Yang.

Here is the link to the Index

I wish you all a nice day/night!

Till next time!

[foxwitchaine]

Question

Which characters from other media, do you think is a better version of miraculous ladybug characters?

I'm gonna take this question with a huge pile of salt. Because there's more than one show that does this concept better than what MLB does. That also includes how they handle the cast. I'm also gonna sound like a broken record with the upcoming "buckle up", but buckle up and hold on tight, everyone. It's gonna be a rollercoaster.

1.) Mr. Freeze

I know for sure I'm cheating just by mentioning him, but Mr. Freeze is what Gabriel Agreste should have been in regards to his quest for Emilie. Mr. Freeze isn't just a sad man mourning for his wife. He is broken. Shattered. Screwed over by people higher on the corporate ladder than himself (doesn't that sound familiar). Thing is, Mr. Freeze's story resonates with people and is part of the reason why he is still talked about today. He's also shown a kinder side, like the time he made it snow during Christmas in one issue of The Batman Adventures comics. All for the simple reason his late wife would have been sad if there had been no snow that year.

His demise in Batman Beyond left many viewers heartbroken, as we're left wondering what could have been.

Gabriel Agreste, on the other hand, is utterly and thoroughly selfish and thinks of no one but himself. This is best seen in how he treats his son throughout the show. Disregarding Season 5 (I have no idea how they thought they could pull it off), Gabriel has not shown one ounce of humanity. Not towards Nathalie, not towards Adrien, not even towards his wife, who he supposedly loves. Other than the show telling us how much he loved her (this is a recurring problem with MLB's writing), we never would have known.

Gabriel's death in Season 5, as a result, is much less impactful than Mr. Freeze's death in Batman Beyond.

2.) Madoka Kaname

Now this is a more recent show that I still think holds up. For those not in the know, Puella Magi Madoka Magica is a 12-episode anime series that aired in 2011 and, for lack of a better word, changed the game in magical girl anime. While one could argue that it tears down rather than celebrates women in power (as magical girl shows are supposed to do, Astruc), and it's not the most original concept (what is, nowadays), one thing most can agree on is the character writing, especially for Madoka.

Madoka, just like Marinette, is a selfless sweetheart who performs the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good. What separates her from Marinette, tellingly enough, is how her sacrifice is written. Throughout the anime, Madoka watches helplessly from the sidelines as her best friend Sayaka sacrifices herself for a boy. And then Sayaka gradually loses herself as the truth about magical girls comes to light. We aren't just told how Madoka feels about it. We see and feel it ourselves. I could write an essay on how well-written Sayaka's tragedy is, but that's beside the point. The point is, Madoka chose the sacrifice rather than having it forced on her by the writers.

Sound familiar?

It should.

Gen Urobuchi, despite his reputation, took the time to respect Madoka's agency as a character. Thomas Astruc tears down Marinette every chance he gets. You can't get more telling than this.

3.) Prince Zuko

You're all probably gonna get tired of hearing me talk about Avatar: The Last Airbender. But then again, I'm pretty sure every ATLA fan has heard that in the years since the original show ended. I've mentioned him before when talking about Chloe's botched redemption, but I feel this is the perfect place to expand and discuss more.

Prince Zuko is what Chloe Bourgeouis should have been in the show. And no, his redemption didn't come out of nowhere. It was consistently foreshadowed throughout the show all the way from the very first episode. This is an essay all in itself, so I'll refrain from diving into detail. But the fact of the matter remains that Zuko is the gold standard for writing a villain redemption. I could point out Darth Vader as another example of a villain redemption. But where he had to die to redeem himself, Zuko didn't.

Zuko also had a better-written backstory that explained (not excused, there's a difference) his behavior at the start of the show. I can't claim to know what the MLB writers had in mind when writing Chloe, but I'm pretty sure Audrey Bourgeois was supposed to be the Ozai figure in Chloe's backstory. Which leads me to my next point:

Zuko wasn't forgiven right away.

Yes. You heard that right.

Zuko had to work to be forgiven by the people he had wronged. And guess what? He failed. If anyone remembers when Azula critically injured Aang and Zuko betrayed Iroh to the Fire Nation, you'll all know what I'm talking about.

Zuko fell during his redemption arc. But he got back up again. And he apologized — genuinely apologized — to the man he betrayed.

4.) Odd Della Robbia

Code Lyoko is a relic from the early 2000s eras of cartoons. And boy, could I write essay after essay on this show. But since we're talking about characters and such, we'll be focusing on this lovable jokester from the show.

Odd Della Robbia is what Chat Noir should have been if he had been in the hands of competent writers. Odd isn't just the perpetually hungry jokester of the group who chased the first pretty girl who caught his attention. He pulled his weight in the battles against the malevolent AI X.A.N.A. Be it through helping Aelita reach the Towers, fighting Specters in the real world, heck even fending off Sissi during her worst moments. Perhaps even more damning is how Odd, despite his less pleasant actions and habits, was more of a true friend to his group than Chat Noir is to Ladybug.

Yes, writers. You can write a jokester character beyond what comes from his mouth.

No, this doesn't mean you can let them harass everyone they come across.

Perhaps, I'm gonna say this a lot, even more damning is how Odd responds to the rejections from the various pretty girls he chases. He actually takes no for an answer. Shocking, isn't it. He chases a skirt, they say no, he moves on. And no, this isn't portrayed as romantic or heroic. It's portrayed just as it is. A hormonal teenage boy being prone to doing stupid things.

What teenager hasn't done something stupid thanks to their hormones?

5.) Susan Ashworth

(Content Warning: mature themes such as suicidal depression)

I'm venturing into mature video games here, admittedly. I couldn't quite find one from my childhood that stood out, so I browsed through some game playthroughs I watched years ago. Ultimately, I settled on Susan Ashworth from the 2012 game The Cat Lady. Astruc being a man shouldn't be an excuse for him writing Marinette and other female characters so poorly. Why? Because Susan Ashworth, and by extension the game she is from, was written by a man.

Funny. I know.

What's even more amazing is how the developer Remigiusz Michalski, who publishes his games under the label Harvester Games, tackled such serious topics such as depression and suicide. No, he didn't use them for shock value, as that's very commonly done very tactlessly. He handled them with maturity and grace. Susan isn't defined by her depression even though she successfully committed suicide in the opening of the game. She has moments of humor and snark, like in the scene where Mitzi is showing her how to use social media. It also helps that Michalski... actually knows what he's talking about, as it's stated in interviews that he worked as a nurse before he created the first game Downfall in 2009.

I can't stress enough the importance of research before writing. Astruc clearly has a lot of ideas he wants to shove into Miraculous Ladybug, but they all fall flat due to a glaring lack of research and preparation. I'm not saying go do gruesome things for your craft and stick to "write what you know". I'm saying know what you're getting into before you dive in. One glaring example I think everyone can agree was poorly handled was Qilin, thanks to plot with the racist ticket inspector.

Michalski clearly knew what he was doing when he wrote Susan's story. Astruc continues to flail in his attempts to keep Miraculous Ladybug relevant.

Honorable Mentions:

Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter - This is how you write snarky hero and sidekick duos

Jerry, from Totally Spies - Come on. You all knew as soon as I mentioned Code Lyoko that this guy would come up

Mandy, also from Totally Spies - She's very entertaining despite being the high school queen bee archetype. It also helps that she consistently faced punishment for her actions

Sissi Delmas, from Code Lyoko - I was gonna use her in place of Zuko just for the fact she showed other traits, such as her protectiveness of Milly during the zombie episode

Uncle Iroh - Do I even need to say it out loud?

KOS-MOS, from the Xenosaga trilogy - She's an excellent example of how to slowly unveil a character throughout the story

Tidus and Yuna, from Final Fantasy X - A really good example of how to write a romance into the story without dragging the plot down

Fiona Belli, from Haunting Ground - A bit polarizing, I know, but Fiona's friendship with Hewie is so heartwarming and grounding. Basically what Chat Noir should have also been to Ladybug

[brionysea]

if you know me, you may know that I love animation. I think it's beautiful and deserves a lot more respect as an artistic medium than it gets. I still live with my parents, and they don't agree; they think it's for children, which makes it worth less. I put on my favourite film (Into The Spider-Verse) while they were in the room once, in a sneaky attempt to share something I love with them, and they were just on their phones the entire time. if I'd been more open about what I was doing they might have tried more, but as it stands, it didn't even cross their minds that something animated could be worth their time.

I say all this to lead into the fact that I've also never been able to get them to watch Avatar: The Last Airbender. again, I was watching something I liked while my mum was in the room, but just because I wanted to this time. I was watching the North Pole episodes. my mum likes badass female characters in media, so I told her to pay attention to Katara's fight with Pakku, but even that didn't pull her in (although she did note that Katara was "fiery"). she was bored, wanted the TV for something she liked now (I'd had it for a while), but I wanted to finish the 2-parter first. we decided on one more episode. we reached the part where Zuko kidnaps Aang and runs into a blizzard with him, and Katara, Sokka, and Yue find them. Katara, of course, outmatches Zuko in seconds. Sokka frees Aang and suggests leaving Zuko to die in the blizzard, and Aang - being who he is - says, "No. We can't leave him here."

and my mum, barely looking up from her phone, says, "Why not? He'd leave you."

bear in mind, she hasn't watched the show. she doesn't know these people. she doesn't know Zuko. this is a single glimpse into a single moment of his life, one of countless mistakes made by a lost teenager, where someone else had to decide whether or not he was worth saving. I got this sinking feeling, imagining a world where Aang didn't listen to his beliefs in this moment; a world where Zuko died in the blizzard, where Iroh lost another son, where Aang never got the chance to learn firebending from him - a world where Zuko never realised his destiny, all because he was left for dead in a snowstorm.

but my mum didn't know this show, didn't know all the reasons why that shouldn't happen, so all I could think of to say in response was a small, devastated, "He's sixteen."

and I'm looking back on that feeling now, at the judgement made on a boy she didn't even know, and I'm thinking: what gives you the right to decide he's done? that he's not allowed to grow anymore? that he won't be missed? that he should die, and that Aang should be complicit in it?

this may seem silly. animated or not, Avatar is just a show. but it's a show that got me invested, a show that made me care about the characters and what they have to say about morality and philosophy and the world. it's a show that made me not want Zuko to die alone in a snowstorm. it's a show that made me not want Aang to become a murderer at 12 years old.

but that mentality of judging people by their worst moments, of not seeing them as full human beings who have worth and a future and limitless potential for change because you, personally, haven't seen it, translates to real people too.

it's reductive.

I think of it like this: what they decide says something about who they are, but what you decide says something about who you are. are you the kind of person who would let someone die when you had the chance to save them? are you the kind of person who invites more pain into the world? who allows it without protest? who believes it's possible to reach a point where people don't deserve your compassion anymore?

Aang isn't.

I didn't have much of a plan going into this post, but looking at it in full, I think this is the value of redemption arcs. and while on a practical level, you can understand why so many people pushed back against it at the end of the show, I think this is the value of Aang's philosophy: it lets you be more.

[episodeoftv]

Round 2 of 8, Group 2 of 4

propaganda and summaries are under the cut (May include spoilers)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 5.16 The Body

tw Death of a major character, grief, dealing with the death of a parent

Buffy, Dawn, and their friends deal with the aftermath of Joyce's death.

The purposeful removal of music for the whole episode, the grief portrayed, the portrayals of people with varying amounts of interaction with death. It hits so hard.

This episode killed me. I have never watched anything that has fully emcompassed the feeling of loss and what it's like to experience death close to you than The Body. It is an absolute gut punch in the best way. I actually had to take a week off of watching Buffy to recover because I was so destroyed. 12/10 I don't think I will ever be able to watch this episode of TV ever again

One of the greatest depictions of grief and bereavement of all time. Both formally inventive and unique in its cinematography, sound design, editing etc. while also being an incredible personally affecting emotional experience.

There’s another buffy episode that probably deserves the title more, but I did have to give this one some recognition. For a whacky silly show about vampires, this episode is maybe the realest portrayal of death and grief I’ve ever seen. It’s not just a sad episode that makes audiences cry - I mean it is that - but it’s also this incredible examination of what it’s like to lose someone, and how the world shifts on its axis when that happens. The lack of any non diegetic music is an amazing touch to give this episode a sense of distance from all others. It’s real in a way that’s hard to watch but also unforgettable. Certain scenes and lines will always stay with me and will forever shape my feelings on life and loss.

Avatar: The Last Airbender: 2.07 Zuko Alone

As Zuko tries to make it by in exile without his uncle, he remembers how his father became Firelord and what happened to his mother.