#atla book 4 air

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

Dark Avatar Azula headcannon

Ozai projects his spirit/consciousness and starts to possess Azula.

Ozai's spirit/consciousness is actually Vaatu himself and it is he who orchestrates the 100-year war through the use of Sozin and the solstices. He obtains all elements and bending arts by consuming and controlling their respective sources.

Because harmonic convergence hasn't arrived yet. Ozaatu's possession of Azula will eventually kill her.

The fight between Azula and Aang is framed similarly to the final agni kai but with an even more somber tone.

Due to Vaatu being Ozai's true identity, Aang and Azula become spiritually connected, linked, and bonded with each other. Their spirit bond unites them as fate, allowing them to understand each other, empathize with each other, derive character development from each other, grow closer to each other than anyone else, and share each others experiences despite being on opposite sides of the war. Aang would even be able to know when Azula lies and vice versa.

Because of this bond, Aang was able to save Azula by inspiring her to evict Ozaatu from her body on her own.

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

Atla - Doubt

Iroh: Doubt is a poison Zuko.

Zuko: No uncle.

Iroh: Do not succumb to doubt. You are still on the right path.

Zuko: I said stop! I don't want to hear it right now! Not from you! All I want are answers!

Iroh: What would you like to know?

Zuko: The real reason why you refuse to confront my father. You knew who he really is. What he really is. Didn't you?

Iroh: I originally intended to fight your father, but Lord Bumi and the spirits advised against it, believing I'd fail, and that he can only be defeated by the avatar. When I asked why all they told me was that it was because they could sense a dark and powerful presence around your father. There was something about him that wasn't human. I did not know that you're father was Vaatu this whole time. I had no idea that the demon who orchestrated the 100-year war and our family curse was living among us all along. I swear.

Zuko: That doesn't change the fact that you lied to me! You set me up! You said that the Fire Nation would hate you for possibly killing off the fire lord and taking his place but you conveniently thought that they'd be ok with me being the one to do the usurpation for you. Has it never occurred to you that I might've had to kill my own sister for power? If I hadn't picked up on Azula not acting like herself, that might've exactly happened!

Iroh: I'm sorry Zuko...

Zuko: I trusted you. I confided in you. I believed in you. I constantly panicked that you'd hate me for choosing Azula over you. Even now I'm fighting your battles, cleaning up your messes. I'm not doing it anymore. Vaatu, the throne, I'm done.

Iroh: You're in pain. Is there anything I can do to help you?

Zuko: Yes. Get out!

This left Iroh shocked and hurt but he perfectly understands. Iroh complied and left.

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

I've seen ATLA fan art of a Zutara version of post agni kai.

Now, as much as I adore the quality of such art, it can't play out like that. Zutara needs more build-up and a book 4: air, can provide plenty of it.

We can see Zuko and Katara spend more time together, getting to know each other better and working together more on solving some conflicts and problems. Zuko is the most ok with Katara teasing him, seeing more of that banter would be pretty cute.

She was the first one to touch his scar, it'd be fitting for her to be the first in the team to know who gave it to him and why. A Blue Spirit and Painted Lady solo episode would be sweet to see.

Book 4 doesn't even have to be post-war, it can be part of the war arc. Season 3 ends with just the final agni kai between Zuko, Katara, and Azula and Iroh liberating Ba Sing Se, both without the comet, while everything else is moved over at the end of book 4 with a few changes due to any/every loose end being tied up.

As Aang is being granted energybending in season 3, his last chakra becomes reopened and he loses every romantic interest he had in Katara but his platonic love for her remains strong.

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

ATLA - Counterplan

Aang: Zules, I've been thinking.

Azula: Intriguing, usually it's me or Sokka who are the primary thinkers of the team.

Aang: Vaatu's true endgame goal is to take Raava's natural abilities and state of being.

Azula: Yes, 10,000 years after he obliterates the concepts of peace, light, life, and existence.

Aang: That part of the plan aside, his goals are the same as ours. Restore true balance.

Azula: Out of pragmatism, not because he genuinely cares for balance, but maybe that would change after his goals have succeeded.

Aang: Wan thought he could restore balance by imprisoning Vaatu forever, but it didn't work, he managed to find another way out while casually orchestrating the great war through Sozin.

Azula: And, through my grandparents, finding a way to disguise himself as a human who would become my father. I will never forget that revelation. Is there a point to this?

Aang: What if we beat him at his own goal?

Azula: Meaning?

Aang: We extract Vaatu's natural abilities and state of being and fuse them with Raava, destroying Vaatu in the process once and for all, but it all happens immediately, not after 10,000 years.

Azula: How do you know that's gonna work?

Aang: I don't, but, one way or another, darkness and conflict will always return no matter what, they are essential to true balance. But I will not let Wan's work be for nothing and his legacy left in vain. I figured it'd be better if all of light and darkness fell under our control. Balance won't ever be disturbed again.

Azula: We should discuss this with the team, and think of a plan that's hopefully foolproof.

Aang: Right.

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

I've learned to like Zutara and Aang, but also Azulaang.

Azulaang is essentially Zutara 2.0 combined with what Kataang could've been like.

My specific vision for ATLA is for there to be a Book 4: Air, but it's part of the main war arc, not post-war. This allows Zutara to have even more build-up and give a boatload of subtle Azulaang tease.

My specific vision for Team Avatar is for it to have 9 members: Aang, Azula, Zuko, Katara, Sokka, Suki, Ty Lee, Mai, and Toph. Either Sozin, Ozai, or Vaatu (not all of the above) would instigate the main war arc but also be present to be each member's strongest enemy, greatest threat, complete antithesis, and have the strongest connection with each of their pasts.

When I say that my favourite atla ship is Zutara people assume that I dislike Aang. But that couldn't more further than truth. I love all the kids in team avatar.

I really like Aang, I just don't find his relationship with Katara romantically interesting and therefore I don't ship them.

So if you like both zutara and Aang please like or reblog this post. I want to see how many of us share this mentality.

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

Let's see how different TLOK would be if ATLA had a book 4: Air, Harmonic Convergence was in Aang's saga, Ozai was Vaatu/The Dark Avatar, Aang lost his past lives, and Zutara and Azulaang were endgame.

For starters, the world as it looks by the end of TLOK will already be like that at the beginning of TLOK. Three spirit portals are already open, but the third portal will be placed where the giant swamp tree and tree of time used to be. Makes sense to have a third portal there. The Air Nation and Airbenders have already returned. Korra would only be able to speak to Aang. Katara will have multiple statues, one in the South Pole, one in the North, and several in the Fire Nation that replace all of Sozin's, Azulon's, and "Ozai's." The spirits of the original benders exist because Ozaatu caused the extinction of all OG benders so he could consume their souls, abilities, attributes, bending, memories, and experiences but those souls have been freed.

Book 1 of Korra will be renamed Energy. Having mastered the elements, Korra is tasked with learning energybending next, which she struggles with since it's the purest, most spiritual, and arguably the strongest form of bending. This parallels Amon, who allegedly has "energybending" and uses it to block bending. Katara is there during Yakone's trial, she fights beside Aang and helps him subdue Yakone.

Book 2: Spirits is a bit more challenging to think up but importantly, Unalaq would be the well-intentioned extremist he was supposed to be. I figured he'd come from the opposite extreme as Amon and he goes after non-benders. During the North and South Civil War, Katara pulled amazing battle feats that pushed back the invading North. Unalaq does not orchestrate Tonraq's banishment nor set up the invaders to attack the north. It'll all happen coincidently. If Unalaq were to have a spiritual ally, it would be Hundun from Korra's game. If Unalaq were to die, it'd be because of a heroic sacrifice. Aang's sons will mostly be the same, with his oldest only being named after Roku. His daughter is named after Ursa, she's a firebender and has fire nation attire. Aang and Azula's family are more equal. Azula was the most demanding of that equality.

Book 3: Change. The airbending rebuilding subplot would be cut because it'll have already happened in Aang's era. Various red lotus members will infiltrate the white lotus and give Zaheer and the main elite members the keys to their escape. Roku 2 is not an Airbender, he and his family already became content with him being a non-bender a long time ago. The rest is the same.

Book 4: Balance. It's the same except Korra doesn't accidentally open another portal, I think there are enough portals. Zuko and Katara's daughter and current fire lord, Izumi (or Kya), has a mix of fire and water tribe attires. I'm having trouble deciding whether to switch the endings of ATLA and TLOK and have Aang and Azula take a vacation in the spirit world together while Korra and Asami have their kiss moment or just have ATLA end with all members showing up beside Aang and they all look out into the horizon and sunset while TLOK's ending remains the same.

[prying-pandora666]

Avatar Name Meanings!

Just for fun! Let’s take a look at the most cited meanings for ATLA names.

Aang - When his name is shown in written form, it is composed of the Chinese characters 安 (ān) meaning "peace, quiet" and 昂 (áng)meaning "raise, lift". A fitting name for an airbender who will save the world!

Katara - Taken from the Arabic word قطرة (qatra) meaning "raindrop, droplet". A gentle and poetic name for waterbender who is starting out.

Sokka - Derived from the Japanese phrase “sou ka”, meaning "I understand" or "Is that so?". A reference to both his skeptical and analytical nature, as well as his comic relief.

Toph - Toph was written as 北方拓芙, giving her name the meaning "expanding lotus". The name itself is not a genuine Chinese name, and may have been intended as a pun on the English word "tough". When combined with her last name Beifong, you get “lotus flower expanding northward”, a reference to Toph opening up and making friends, but also because she is from the Southern city of Gaoling and literally travels north with the Gaang.

Zuko - Fictional name written with different meanings in the show. His wanted poster uses 祖 (zǔ) from Chinese meaning "ancestor, forefather" combined with 寇 (kòu) meaning "bandit, robber". Likely meant to portray Zuko as a traitor to his family and people. However, it’s also written as 蘇 (sū) meaning "to regain consciousness" combined with 科 (kē) meaning "sort, class", which is probably the true meaning to his name referring to how Zuko will redeem the Fire Nation and royal family by redeeming himself.

Azula - Fictional name derived from Portuguese, Galician, and Spanish azul meaning "blue" (of Persian origin). A reference to her blue flames.

Want me to cover other ATLA names? Just ask!

(Psst want more ATLA? Check this out!)

[akiizayoi4869]

Do you have any of the Smoke and Shadow pages? I asked Pandora on Tumblr and Reddit but she won’t give them to me. Please I AM DESPERATE! I need some quality content! I hungerrrrrrrrrrrr

Sorry anon, but I don't have those pages. Pandora and I are friends but I'm not on the book 4 air project team. Meaning I do not have access to that content.

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

Season 4 probably would've been the season that focuses on Aang and Azula as characters.

The dynamic between Aang and Azula can be similar to Aang's dynamic with Zuko but even closer, more intimate, more spiritual, and more symbolic.

It'd be the season where Aang truly and completely masters all elements and gains 100% control over the avatar state.

Who says Book 4 had to be post-war?

we’ve found out recently that aaron ehasz head writer of atla said that azula loved zuko more than anyone, save her father 😭

in “the beach” azula notices zuko’s not doing ok and tries to make him feel better by making him join the others

in “the headband” azula finds out zuko is visiting iroh and does NOTHING about it. she just tells him to be careful.

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

In ATLA Book 4: Air. I imagine there are 30 episodes. It's part of the war-arc instead of post-war and the finale is divided by 4.

Right before the finale, Aang and Azula partake in a duo mission against Zirin and her fire warriors. Details and executions are hazy at the moment but it's the time Aang truly becomes a fully realized master avatar.

He's shown mastering every aspect of the elements along with all of their special techniques and alternate styles and overcoming their respective weaknesses and limitations.

Aang learns flight, spiritual projection, healing, plantbending, bloodbending, spiritbending, lavabending, metalbending, sandbending, combustionbending, lightningbending, and to change the colors of his firebending.

He clears and masters all of his chakras to the point where each one is indomitable and unblockable.

In the end, Aang demonstrates that he's capable of bending all five bending arts at once, with or without the avatar state. His personality is altered due to this level of impressive mastery and versatility.

[prying-pandora666]

I bet you that if we had gotten Book 4: Air, and there had been a time skip, we wouldn’t be seeing so much Aang hate today.

No really. If the show had been able to continue and gave us an older, edgier, more attractive Aang?

He would have fans falling all over themselves for him.

The thing is that ATLA ended when Aang was barely turning 13. A goofy, bald, pacifist, vegetarian 12 year old isn’t attractive and so too many fans discount him. How can he possibly compete with openly tormented and outwardly angry Zuko? Or quietly insecure and naturally hilarious Sokka?

Zuko and Sokka who are 16 and 15 respectively (nearing 17 and 16 by the end), and therefor at an age where romance is more relevant to most, and so are the focus of so much love and affection and especially shipping?

If Aang had been able to grow anywhere between 15 - 18, he��d be right up there with the other two. You’d see metas about his tragic backstory, suddenly more of the fandom would care about the loss of his entire people, about the survivor’s guilt, the intense loneliness, the diaspora, the yearning for common everyday things that now no one else in the world understands.

But we didn’t get that. Instead we got LOK, with an old, bearded, post-bucal fat removal Aang. An Aang who has already had children and has a controversial score on “dad ratings”.

The poor kid never stood a chance.

@book4air

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

Would you mind explaining why you ship Azaang? It seems interesting, but I can't put my finger on it. Since you dominate the tag, maybe you have some insights about the ship?

Short answer: It's a superior, more intimate, more suggestive, and more spiritually attuned version of Zukaang and a complete antithesis to Kataang. It mostly takes place in my Book 4: Air/Dark Avatar Ozai AU.

...

Long answer: I believe it all started when I read Aaron Ehasz's tweet about Azula having her own redemption arc with Zuko as her Iroh basically. I then read a fanfic called Azula's Redemption where she's redeemed through Aang by showing her how to open and master her own chakras. It ends with Azulaang being endgame.

It's commonly believed that Azulaang is another "opposites attract" thing but mostly with their personalities rather than elements, even though Aang can waterbend and that art was one of the easiest for him to learn. Azula also had a rather strong fixation on the earth kingdom and was able to bend the Dai Li to her will with ease.

It is often shipped along with Zutara because it gives Aang a love interest. Some fans also see the possibility of Azula reforming due to Aang. I've been studying both characters and their dynamics with other people. I came to the conclusion that Azulaang has as much narrative significance as Zutara.

Azula getting better is the ultimate goal in Azulaang but I wanted to complicate things a bit where Aang is mostly changed by Azula's influence as well.

I invented a little mechanic where Aang and Azula form a spirit bond. This bond unites them as fate, allowing them to understand each other better than anyone else and one will know when the other is lying. This bond is formed when Aang finishes opening his own chakras first and it gets even stronger once Azula completes her chakra session next. Why it didn't form in Ba Sing Se is likely because Aang's fire and light chakras weren't fully opened. Do you know how Katara was an earthly tether blocking Aang's last chakra? I picture Azula being something of an opposite entity where her presence keeps all chakras open.

I mostly place Azulaang within the Dark Avatar Ozai AU of mine. In case you're wondering about that, it's an AU where ATLA has a Book 4: Air but the story arcs from the back half of season 2 of Legends of Korra are put in Aang's saga instead. Some parts of the first 3 seasons are altered though, like when Aang meets Roku for the first time, he vaguely describes Vaatu but doesn't mention his name. In the Library, the gaang learn the names Raava and Vaatu but no more than that, at the beginning of season 3, Avatar Wan's two-part episodes debut while Aang is still in a coma, at the end of season 3, Ozai fights the lion turtle instead of Aang at a different location and his plans for the earth kingdom were a trick to keep the gaang distracted. Ozai wins by slaying the beast and consuming its soul.

The dark avatar doesn't just obtain all bending arts in the opposite direction of Aang's cycle but consumes/controls the very sources of the bending arts, the entire power system of the avatarverse, and the souls of all original benders after causing them to go extinct.

Again, I always imagine Azulaang taking place in that timeline because the reason why their spirit bond forms in the first place is because Ozai doesn't need to fuse with Vaatu, Ozai IS Vaatu. Vaatu is also the true orchestrator of the 100-year war through Sozin and is reborn as a human through Iroh's mother, Ilah. Another reason is that Azula will have every reason in the world to want to join Team Avatar, bond or no bond.

Aang is the one who loses his past lives but in return, after he's purified, Vaatu's natural abilities, instincts, and status are taken from him and combined with all of Raava's while still permanently fused with Aang.

There have been times when Azulaang was seen through a biblical lens with Aang as an angelic archetype and Azula as a demonic archetype.

I hope this makes sense and I didn't just ramble on.

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

Well, I just picture Book 4: Air and see Zutara being near the end of the season and it's only Zutara and Sukka.

What I picture with Azulaang from that season is mere hints, teases, and foreshadowing that it'll become canon off-screen.

The 100-year war doesn't end in season 3, it still goes on for one more season.

i've said it before, but i really do think that the final book of atla should have just scrapped the romance aside from sukka. and NOT just because i love zutara. all i would have wanted from zutara would have been a hint at them becoming something more in the finale. i wouldn't have changed anything about them in the third book. their story is flawless, their development is unmatched.

without (romantic) m/aiko and (romantic) k/ataang, however, they could have spent more time developing mai and aang's characters'. these romantic relationships were as much a disservice to mai and aang as they were to zuko and katara. i would have killed to see mai (and ty lee) have scenes leading up to their decision to betray azula. i would have killed to see aang have more scenes with guru pathik leading up to him unlocking his last chakra to go into the avatar state and defeat ozai.

it will forever be wild to me that the greatest show of all time has only a few flaws, all of them stemming from two terribly written romances. and from the same writers that gave us sukka?? truly wild.

[prying-pandora666]

The Fandom Doesn’t Take Toph’s Abuse Seriously

Meanwhile, Toph saying her parents never gave her their love:

Meanwhile, Toph describing that abuse in more detail and even fearing she will continue the cycle and pass it onto her students:

(Video courtesy of @book4air)

No wonder so many fans reduce Toph to a violent bully who “just wants to knock heads” or would love to be an enforcer of authority “as long as she’s the one doing it”.

No wonder so many fans think Toph had no arc and no depth.

They don’t actually believe what she says—in her own words—about her trauma and abuse.

Not all abuse is physical. Emotional neglect, withholding affection, social isolation, and constant pressure and unrealistic standards are still abuse. Why should Toph’s abuse be taken any less seriously than Zuko’s?

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

Atla Netflix Trailer

I ain't gonna lie, that had me feeling jittery inside but still a bit bothered that Zuko's eyebrow isn't completely covered up to show that it's permanently missing.

Some believe that Zutara needs to be canon now since we got a full glance at the size comparison between Aang and Katara and it confirms what anti-kataang people were saying all along. It's a weird, self-inserting, kid-has-a-crush-on-minor-babysitter, dynamic that focuses only on Aang's perspective and attraction.

Y'all may call me hypocritical for agreeing with them and obsessing over Azulaang since Azula is the same age as Katara but the main differences between Kataang and Azulaang is that it's not gonna be framed with one acting parental and coddly to the other, we'd get insight into what those two feel for each other, Aang would be trading his child-like infatuations with Katara for a more mature love for Azula, though she deeply cares for him, Katara mostly sees Aang as a powerful symbol of hope than a person, Azula, at first, sees him as a dangerous enemy that needs to be neutralized by any means necessary which is no better, but once she looks past that, she'll see Aang for who he really is and value that, they would call each other out for their mistakes and directly and indirectly inspire each other to be better, I invented the concept of Aang and Azula becoming more spiritually bonded which allows one to know when the other is lying, and Azulaang can be endgame in their late teens or even early 20s.

As for Zutara, if they plan on going that route, they have to add in a season 4: Air. Otherwise, it'll come off as forced as Kataang, if not more so. If they add in a season 4 then I hope it becomes a part of the war arc and not-post war like most season 4 takes I've seen.

I always imagined Ozai, in any way possible, being the true instigator of the war and the antithesis of each member of team avatar as a whole, not just to Zuko. I'm anxious about that not happening but at the very least, he had better not get emasculated like he was in season 3. Let Ozai be a badass. Let him have a personal/thematical connection to all of Team Avatar, be a complete antithesis to Team Avatar, and prove to be the stronger, greater, more dangerous, and more competent character in comparison to both Azula and Iroh in any other way possible.

[prying-pandora666]

Azula and Ozai in “The Search” - Part 1

The @book4air channel and Twitter just posted this preview scene from our expanded/rewritten adaptation of “The Search”.

I always wondered what these two had to say to each other and it’s never sat well with me that it never got any focus. Ozai is just as much Azula’s father and abuser as he is Zuko’s! If anything, Azula was even more enmeshed with him!

They haven’t seen each other since Ozai left her behind during the comet. They were on bad terms. Azula was desperate to please him and he discarded her. Isn’t that just brimming with potential!?

Hopefully you’ll like the additions we’ve made!