#but the air? aang flying through the air temple??

[yourstrullyme]

omfg why are the air bending effects so shitty wtf

[quillthrillswriting]

might f around and write a kataang fic that flips the usual zutara trope of "zuko helps katara escape a failing relationship with aang" would anybody be interested? 😳

--- can you see me using everything to hold back? ---

She strode up to the imposing wooden double doors, trying to psych herself up for the conversation she had ahead. Katara inhaled sharply, exhaling with a slow hand moment in an attempt at self- soothing. Before she had managed to work up the nerve to reach for the iron knocker, the door swung open of its own accord, accompanied by a sharp burst of air that admittedly caught her off guard. 

“Katara!”

And there he was.

“Aang,” she said, and the word felt like such a relief. 

“I haven’t seen you in, well, ages.” He tipped his head slightly to the side, looking her up and down, concern painted all over his face. “You want to come inside? I just put on a pot of Uncle Iroh’s tea.”

She smiled again, but it felt weak, unconvincing. “That’d be lovely.” She followed his retreating figure into the temple. After the war had ended, Toph and Aang had both temporarily moved between temples, trying to restore them so that they could become livable once more. Even if there were no more air nomads any more, Aang had reasoned that the monks would have wanted their temples to be used as a sanctuary for those in need, and so they had become ways to house those who were displaced by the war or simply had too many bad memories to return home. 

Katara only knew this from word-of-mouth. She had never before seen the air temples restored to their former glory firsthand, and the sight had knocked the wind out of her when she had finished her long and arduous climb up the mountain. Spires shot up through the clouds, with smaller buildings clustered all around them. Bridges extended across to neighbouring mountain peaks, and the entirety of the village was painted in shades of blue and gold. Although there weren’t air nomads flying overhead, as she imagined there would have been over a century ago, she noted that the village was surprisingly energized, with people coming in and out of their homes, a bustling street market and winged lemurs catching breezes overhead.

---

♥ the rest of the (now completed) fic can be found here!! ->

[mysticwolfshadows]

Taken - Zutara - Part 22

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They get distracted almost immediately.

They meet a Fire Nation Deserter, an ex-admiral. Surprisingly, Katara knows his name.

"You were Zuko's first firebending master," Katara said, when he found her healing others in camp. A few she even knew, and they stared at her like she was a ghost. "Before you publicly denounced Fire Lord Azulon's actions and fled..."

Jeong Jeong studied her. "I had heard the Fire Nation had taken a Water Tribe healer girl... To take someone so blessed, and force her to live amongst the cursed, is a grave crime. But it is good to see the rumors of your death are false."

Katara balked. "My what?"

The firebending master watched her, his eyes on the glowing water in her hands. "After Prince Zuko was banished, word spread that you were dead. The clinic had been set ablaze in the night, and a body scorched beyond recognition found, believed to be you." He paused. "Some rumors said you had been murdered by Ozai, for refusing orders. Others said that you had commited suicide, after being refused the chance to heal the Prince."

She stared. The soldiers that she knew hovered and stared back. "I... see..."

They are forced to leave when Aang is found playing with fire. Katara scolds him, reminding him of the dangers. They fly off, getting distracted by the Northern Air Temple. After convincing the Mechanist to betray the Fire Nation, they help take out the approaching army.

And finally, finally, the Northern Water Tribe is in sight.

A great feast is thrown in their honor, with the chief also celebrating his daughters birthday. A daughter that Sokka tries and fumbles flirting with. When Aang returns from speaking with the chief, he's announced that he found a Waterbending Master.

And then, come morning, Master Pakku refuses to teach her. "Women do not fight here. Train in healing with the rest of the women. If you can stand to be civilized for long enough."

Katara glowered. She had dawned her red fur coat again, the inside stoking the flames of her anger. "Excuse me?"

"You are excused, foolish girl."

"No," she said, standing tall, defiant. "You are foolish. You push aside half of your forces, cripple your own defenses. The Fire Nation Navy contains men and women. While Fire Lord Ozai encourages it for selfish, war mongering reasons, if a citizen has the desire to fight, they can fight."

Pakku returns her glower. "You disrespect me and our entire culture, not just with your words, but your very nature. I will not teach you."

"Then you will fail," Katara said, turning around, hands shoved into her sleeves. "Agna Qel'a will fall, because you are to stubborn to see the real threat."

She leaves Aang with Pakku, knowing that he must learn no matter what. Instead, she wonders the streets. People look at her with suspicion and distrust wherever she goes. Its like when she returned home, but she knew nothing would change how they thought of her.

That night, when Katara met up with Aang and Sokka in their room, Aang had only bad things to say. Pakku was worse than Jeong Jeong, and his attitude made everything more difficult. Katara sighed, knowing that if Aang couldn't learn quickly, they were all doomed.

"Show me what you learned," she said. "Lets see if I can correct you with what I know."

So Aang walked her through the movements, his form shaky. Katara watched, frowning as his hands were open, like an oar cutting through waves. She had always seen firebenders use closed hands, save for when lightning was involved. She had mimiced that, having no one else to learn from, and had developed a deadly speed with ice and snow. Perhaps her closed palms had been what was giving her so much trouble...

She moved forward, mimicking Aang's stance. She followed the movements, frowning, and made an adjustment. The water moved as intended.

"Like this," she said, nudging his feet and guiding his arms.

The water moved as it was meant to.

Aang beamed. "Ah, man! Thanks Katara! I wish you could be my waterbending master."

"For now, we'll stick with evening practice."

For several days, they kept their routine. Sokka would wonder off to who knows where, Katara would ignore looks of disgust as she explored the capital, and Aang would struggle with his lessons. At night, Aang would show her his attempt at whatever they had been working on, and Katara would figure it out before correcting Aang.

But everything was taking to long. There was no time. So Katara decides to come back to the lessons. She doesn't watch Pakku, hiding in the shadows, as Aang tries and fails with each move. When she steps forward into view, Pakku stops.

"I will not teach a treacherous girl! Leave at once!"

Katara circles Aang, not bothering to look at the man. The airbender looks at her in confusion, but continues his movements, as if they were back in their alcove at night.

"I refuse to learn from an arrogent old fool," she said. "Your pride blinds you to progress, to common sense. No, I'm here to teach. Aang, widen your stance. Remember, flow with the water. Let your feet slide, as if over ice."

Aang nodded, his form immediately improving. Pakku roars.

"I will not stand for the insult!"

She feels the water first, the shift in the push and pull. She lifts her head in time to see it, mere inches from her, but its... slow. Shifting one foot forward, she instinctively goes into a stance she had only ever seen Zuko use on flames. Crossing her hands in front of herself, she flung her hands to the side, wrenching control from Pakku and parting the stream of water, sending it pounding like hail into the snow.

Pakku stares. His students stare. Katara laughs.

"Yes, the great master Pakku," she snorts. "Tell me. When was the last time you had any real combat? When was the last time you had to fight just to survive?" Looking down her nose at him, she sneered. "My bending may be self taught, but it is fueled with memories of flames and fear and a need to survive. You insult me, and everything I have done to make it here, by refusing to listen when I speak."

As her words hang in the air, she notices a speck of black drifting down. Her eyes follow it, watching it mar the white snow. More soon follows, and Katara looks up. Black snow falls all around them, thick and dark. It's to much to be just one ship, to just be Zuko. No, this is enough for a siege.

She glanced at Aang, who had stilled in his practice. "Keep working, Aang. Practice what you know. I think it's time that I join Sokka in the war meetings."

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[razzberrydazz]

Went and found this old circa 2020 sketchpage of Avatar Azula from when I first baked up this idea. More ramblings about said au idea under the cut

Of course they don't know Azula is the avatar, at first. They still assume the avatar must be a sole surviving elderly airbender, or a waterbender in hiding. But due to the imperial carnage the fire nation empire has left across the nations, the airbender avatar died among the slaughter and genocide of the air nomads. The water and earth born avatars died without having discovered they were avatars in the first place, either living a quiet life in the swamp or dying as teens before their destiny could be revealed.

In this au not every airbender was slaughtered, the nomad groups that weren't at the air temples survived the initial carnage, and upon discovering the deaths of their family and teachers, went into hiding. Rumors of surviving airbenders circulate and eventually reach the fire nation, spurring them to launch searches both to eradicate the remaining survivors and to find the assumedly airbender avatar.

Zuko still was scarred by Ozai and sent on his wild goose chase to find the avatar, unaware that said avatar was right under his nose, living with him, his own sister.

Azula didn't know she was the avatar either, though her mother seemed to know, and so her mother disappeared and ran away to protect that information. Azula, the golden child, a prodigy at firebending capable of producing blue flames and propelling herself into flight. How could she know her flying with flames was also bolstered by airbending? Airbending in reality is practically invisible, unless there's enough dust or other debris to show the air flow. If there's so much fire in the air to mask that it is the air itself being bent, no one would suspect a thing. Heating up humid air to produce steam, that's still firebending, right? Right? And lava bending, that's still fire. The little lies she tells herself to avoid the revelation that she is the avatar.

Meanwhile, Aang does find the little village in the southern water tribe, and meets Katara and Sokka. Originally I was thinking Aang would be an old man, but nah let him be a 12 year old, an actual 12 year old, raised by surviving air nomads and Guru Pathik, and Aang ran away after a fire nation ship (carrying Zuko) attacked the nomads while they were resting on a beach. Aang took Appa and flew away, terrified, and somehow ends up at the southern water tribe village days later. He's a kid, he doesn't want to face the horror that the caravan he grew up in is likely dead, so he tries to distract himself with the thought of riding otter penguins, up until the imposing fire nation vessel stopped at the village's shores.

These fire nation soldiers accuse Aang of being the avatar and demand he be handed over, and the events of episode one happen, and through airbending and hijinks alone he escapes and joins Katara and Sokka on a quest to go to the north pole to find the northern water tribe. This time not for Aang to learn waterbending, but for Katara to find a waterbending master.

Azula comes into play when news gets back that Zuko has supposedly spotted the avatar and nearly caught him... and this news comes a day after Azula makes the horrifying revelation that she can waterbend. She must hide this revelation from her father, and from everyone else for that matter. She approaches her father and asks to go on her own search for the avatar, and drags Ty Lee and Mai along for her mission.

Once it's just the three of them alone, already on a boat to embark, she reveals her secret to them, she is the avatar. And if Ozai finds out he'll kill her to make an example of her. Now her goal is to try and covertly travel the world to learn how to bend the four elements, before her father can find out, so that when he does find out, she'll be able to stand her ground against him.

Azula's terrified of her father, and loves him in the twisted way she does, and so perhaps she rationalizes to herself that revealing she's the avatar after having already mastered all the elements would ingratiate her to him, so that she could prove a useful asset. If that doesn't work, she will fight to take his place. A Fire Lord Avatar.... she likes the sound of that.

Of course, over the course of her travels, she'll learn about all the bullshit the fire nation has caused, and that some air benders survived, and that the fire nation committed genocide by ambush against the air nomads. Does she necessarily care? No. She wants to be feared, she could maintain order and balance through fear, right? Right?

Her band runs into Appa on the water, and through various shenanigans and misunderstandings then finally explaining, she reveals Aang is not the avatar, she is, and she needs him as her teacher if she's to master the elements as quickly as she can without her father finding out.

And so the ruse begins. Team avatar keeps up the lie that Aang is the avatar, while Azula touts that she will be his firebending teacher, and as they travel she has him teach her airbending. Azula donning a cloak and once they deal with Kyoshi island hijinks, choosing to dress and don herself up as a kyoshi warrior to hide her identity for whenever they encounter fire nation peeps. If Zuko weren't so dense he would have realized quickly the kyoshi warrior fighting him was his sister. Iroh realized it was her, but kept his mouth shut, knowingly.

Just ahhhh the antics, the antics, do you understand my vision

[maydaybytheway]

something that has been going on my mind for a while is: where was aang running away to during the storm? well ladies and gentlemen and non binary folk, i think ive found an answer

the two places i could track down him going to are either the fire nation, or omashu in the earth kingdom, i pinned the relevant places here, and also the water tribe for later usage now, ill just state that he has no reason to head directly to the southern water tribe even though aang says he has friends all over the world, hes lying! there isnt a single mention of any friends from either water tribes, so.. yeah, hes either going to fire nation because of his boyfriend (kuzon) or to omashu (bumi)

you could make an argument hes going to either of the other air temples for some reason, but ill debunk that at the end SO. where would he be going? firstly i would like to track the location of the iceberg aang gets trapped in

in theory, the iceberg should be found somewhere along here in these trenches, where later, the wolf cove is founded now, we need to track how the heck it got to there, since we know aang wasnt flying near the south pole during the storm, nor that he was going to the water tribe BUT. before that

i would like to mention the fact that, with pixel measurements, the fire nations nearest city/village (fun fact! thats where yon rha lived, the killer of kataras mom) is closer than the shores that are near omashu objectively speaking, if aang was running away and wanted to get somewhere safe fast, the closest and best course of action would be to go directly to the fire nation anyways, presuming that aang takes the fastest and most direct approach with going to the fire nation, we can presume he could fall off around midway through, maybe a little bit before

these are the ways i see that this could somehow go, anyplace between those spots could eventually leave to the iceberg's location in the southern tribe keep in mind, this was 100 years of travelling with the oceans current, this didnt take like a day or something honestly, those trenches might look tricky, but they probably are all in a current that leads towards the ocean near the south pole, aka, the iceberg location now, for omashu:

this is what they COULD look like, but...

this is what they PROBABLY look like

there are just too many rocks and open spaces in the way, making it so that the iceberg would probably end up either in another place in the south pole, or stop near the air temples, or heck, maybe even the earth kingdoms shores "b-but. what if he was headed to the air temples!" well its your lucky day random anonymous guy i just made up, because i thought of that too

even without taking into account the distance and the fact that it would be pretty much impossible for aang to float to the iceberg location, aang would have no reason to go to the other air temples, especially the eastern one, since the whole point was to escape from the air nomads but anyways, now that weve got it all figured out, that aang, was indeed, going to the fire nation, you might be wondering, what was the point of this? why would you waste so much time on something that doesnt matter only to reach an irrelevant conclusion? well, dear hypothetical person the real reason is that KUZAANG IS CANON!! AANG WAS GOIGN TO RUN AWAY WITH HIS BOYFRIEND IN THE FIRE NATION AND THEN AND THEN THEY WERE GONNA KISS AND THEYD LIVE TOGETHER AND AND AND ALSO THE WAR WOULDNT HAPPEN. BECAUSE SOZIN WOULD SEE THEM AND WOULD THINK "damn... maybe air nomads arent so bad" AND AND AND THEN HAPPY ENDING.

[sokkastyles]

Hi,

Hope you are doing well. Thank you for the response on my last query. I was reading a meta about the air bender extermination, which you had reblogged in one of my older queries on TSR.

Reading it properly. I realized two things

The fact that all the air nomads were exterminated makes no sense. Were they stupid enough to not escape when they were attacked? If we are to believe none escaped, then air nomads are actually dumb.

The above also goes against the fact that Aang's Avatar training was to begin when he was 12 instead of 16, because the monks seems to have realized that the war was approaching, and he needed to be ready, which is why they tried to take Aang away from Monk Gyatso, which led to Aang running away out of fear.

This goes into LOK territory, but there are some disturbing implications of the way the Air Nomads operate. The idea that every air nomad child born will be a bender is just not possible. Heck, two of Aang's children are not air benders, so that itself throws a wrench in that idea. It also makes them similar to Ozai, if they actually held such idea (this point is never made in the shows or acknowledged in canon I think, but the idea is dangerous, and well Air Nomads are not to be idealized.)

I would like your thoughts on this.

(The meta I am referring to is; " The Airbender Extermination Is Dumbo and I Refuse to Accept It" by tumblr user @whentheynameyoujoy)

@whentheynameyoujoy's atla metas are a treasure, and I agree with the above statements. One of the big plot holes in the story is not only that the air Nomads were all exterminated in one fell swoop, despite being Nomads, something the live action adaptation tried to explain by having them all come to the Southern Temple on the night they were attacked, and Sozin purposefully planning his attack on that day. But the other thing about it is that as you say, the reason Aang was told before sixteen was because the Air Nomads knew the war was coming. They were preparing for it, to the point where they were willing to put a child's life on the line before he was ready, but they weren't prepared enough to be ready to fly away the moment a threat occurred? If we factor in the live action, this also means they decided to all have a party in the same place on the same night that they knew the people who wanted them dead would be at their most powerful.

It also just doesn't make thematic sense. These are AIR Nomads, they should be able to go wherever the wind takes them, to scatter at a moment's notice, to rise no matter how many times an attempt is made to crush them. Wouldn't that be a satisfying ending, for us to find out that like the air, there were hidden pockets that remained, permeating even the fire nation so that it would be impossible to truly defeat them. Wouldn't that also fit really well with the whole illusion of separation thing?

Which brings me to point three, or, Eugenics is Good When Good People Do It, which is actually very bad. The only way the Air Nomads only produced benders is if they did not mingle with the other nations, which makes no sense, since they were nomads, or if they somehow got rid of nonbender babies, either through dropping them off at the nearest earth kingdom orphanage (which is similar to my headcanon on what people like Ozai might do with nonbender children, or straight up infanticide, which Ozai also is a fan of.

Unfortunately the first method does not explain why there were no airbenders just hanging out in the other nations. Since we know that bending can be passed to a child from nonbender parents, then even nonbender children of air nomads would be passing on the airbender gene, and there would be nonbenders all over the Earth Kingdom suddenly giving birth to airbender children. That actually would have been another clever way to reintroduce airbenders back into the world, instead of...whatever Korra does. It also fits with theory of people like Ty Lee having air nomad blood without knowing it.

[breyito]

@zukaangweek

Day 5: Captured/Safe

Everything is Lost AU

As the Fire Palace scrambles to get the rumours of treason whithin the Royal Family in regards of the Avatar's escape under wraps; Aang and his friends ride Appa to the only place that feels safe at the moment: the Southern Air Temple. The mood is sombre; and they are all shaken up. Aang and Toph are barely put together, both feeling the acute loss of Zuko and forced to face the grim reality that the other boy might not see another sunrise.

Meanwhile, Zuko convalesces in the Infirmary. The angry red burn is stark against his skin, due to all the blood he had already lost to arrow wounds before Ozai's attack. The Fire Lord has ordered him to be cuffed to the bed. Lu Ten sits besides him, ruffled, worried, in shock and incandescently furious. Just this evening they were celebrating the Day of the Dark Sun in Crescent Island, like they have done every time for as long as he can remember.

Zuko had taken ill these past few days and so his abscense had been excused. To think it was all for this... just how badly had that bastard of a man ensnared his baby cousin? Lu Ten knew that Azula's idea had been an awful mistake. Zuko is too sensitive to be exposed to that level of violence every single day. He's always been eager to compete, but never to hurt. Of course such soft and kind soul would begin to care for the prisoner that was his responsability.

To think that filthy nomad took advantage of that care to transform it into infatuation (love, as Zuko had said, like he has any idea of what love is, besides what his plays portray) and then twisted it into this devotion Zuko feels for him... How far had he gone, to win Zuko's heart? He's just a boy, which such a tender heart...They've known each other for a few short months, and still. Still. Zuko feels so much for that man...

And said devotion is what made Ozai snap and punish him in such a savage way. If Lu Ten could bear to separate himself from Zuko's side, he would be dismembering that arrogant bastard himself. Attempts on his life were nothing, but trying to kill Zuko? The sheer audacity makes his blood boil.

His baby cousin's journey to health will be long and arduous. His freedom will be strictly reduced and he will be monitored at all hours. Father will take a long time to forgive him. But he will. The Fire Lord has only ever truly loved three people: his wife, his son...and his 'grandson'. Anyone else and they would be dead already. But Father has always been different with Zuko. And they had time. After all...

The North has been under siege for almost a year. By the time Sozin's Comet arrives, their rebuilt walls will melt all the way and their starved warriors will be easy enough to go through to kill the Royal Family. (He hopes the rumours of their warrior Princess are actually true, and she presents a challenge. If not for him then at least for Azula. Maybe they'll let her remain as Consort to the new Governor. After all, it's important to keep the succession line, even if they previous ruling family are mostly just non-benders.)

Omashu has managed to keep themselves isolated and relatively secured, but now that Ozai had fled there their information well will run dry. The mad king might have discovered how to bend metal, but lava? Lava is a whole different game. Sinking the whole city into molten rock is such a brilliant idea.

And the Avatar? Well, he's sure to fly to where he feels like is secure. High ground. One Temple is already occupied, so three options remain.

Hunting him down again shall be fun.

Sorry it took me so long, I just got incredibly stuck on Lu Ten! And his relationship with Zuko (I may or may not have made 10 different versions of their joint moodboard....) Anyways, tomorrow I'll be posting those ones. And let's just say that Lu Ten is...*fans herself*

Anyways, more backstory:

-In this AU, Ozai almost missed his firstborn's birth because he was too busy 'hunting the Avatar' (and failing, again). He spent about 8 months away, so...

-There have always been rumours about Zuko being either Iroh's or Lu Ten's (since he was 14-15 at the time). The preferential treatment from both of them just feeds the flames.

-(Is either one of them his blood father? No clue! I can't decide, lmao. Still, their relationships with Zuko are very different than with anyone else. Lu Ten's especially adores Zuko. Has and will kill again for him.)

-Ozai absolutely loathes this. If he could have, he would have killed Zuko the minute Azula made sparks. (He never knew if he believed those rumours, and never confronted either of them. He did confront Ursa, and she denied it, obviously. But after the letters of her previous lover...)

-They are both completely aware of said rumours, whereas Zuko isn't. Neither one knows whether the other one slept with Ursa. Neither one asks, they just play a mental game with each other to see which one caves in and aks first.

-Zuko is kept prisoner about 1,5 years. Piandao is still part of the White Lotus (he just faked an injury to retire and went to work as a spy inside the Palace) so he helps him escape when the time is right.

-He finds the Freedom Fighters on the way to where Aang is. He gets along brilliantly with them (since they left the village and are roaming vigilantees).

-In this one, Zuko wears the Blue Spirit Mask when he fights, but as he travels he wears a weimao with a black veil, since his scar is very noticeable.

-Oh, Bumi is the Grand Lotus. Desperate times need desperate meassures.

-Lu Ten and Zuko both train with Piandao. Zuko is trained more in stealth, since he's not the Heir. He manages to make fire dance with his swords. Lu Ten manages to use his sword as a lightning rod and direct his lightning to very specific targets.

-(Yes, Azula does still master the blue flame.)

-Ursa didn't dissapear, she was killed, along with Azulon, by one of Ozai's plots. (I debated a lot whether to keep her or not, but decided not to. Zuko needs some trauma lol)

-Bumi managed to track down some descendants from the Air Nomads, and has kept them hidden and tried to train them. After his escape, Aang takes over and, although they are so few, he's not alone anymore.

-Aang notices that, since he couldn't have weapons with his hands free, and Zuko was allowed shaved him once a month; now he can't do it without thinking about him and missing his shivering inducing touch. Zuko always finished with a kiss to his arrow. He sees him everywhere, even in this place where he's never been.

-Yue became a warrior when in the first full blown attack on the city, a squad managed to get in to try and assassinate the Chief. She pulled with all her will when she saw her father about to be killed and ice spikes came from under them, killing the six soldiers inmediately. She refused to be kept away after that, and most of the women agreed that they needed to be able to fight too. She has a reputation for slashing through whole ships on the full moons.

-Toph only managed to compete (and win, of course) in one Earth Rumble before Gaoling was taken by the Fire Nation. It was all very civil, luckily, but anything that had to do with earthbending was forbidden. She hated the fact that just as she learned what she was missing, it got taken away.

-They were introduced by Lu Ten when she was 10 and Zuko was 14. She and Zuko got along because she noticed to softly he moved around, and how trained he seemed to her senses despite never fighting. So she started throwing rocks at him until he responded (Zuko was horrified for a whole minute while she made her eyes watery, but then bursted out laughing.) They secretly train together ever since.

-Zuko was a nervous wreck when he asked her if she would want to leave and help him with Aang's escape. She made him sweat a little but then told him she'd noticed his coming and goings weeks ago.

-They went to many stealth missions masking them as 'dates', to map the most secure route for their escape.

ALSO. This is important since it won't leave my brain alone

AU OF THE AU: Zuko dies in Lu Ten's arms in the escape. Lu Ten goes on the warpath to absolutely destroy the Avatar and the rest of his group.

[thebluemallet]

My Immediate Thoughts on the Latest Avatar: The Last Airbender Trailer

THE SHIP DESIGN FOR THE FIRE NAVY SHIPS! THAT MAST!

This must be the North Pole and leading up to the Siege of the North.

Appa soaring through the skies.

Yeah, they're really going to go and show us the attacks on the Air Temples. On the one hand, I'm excited about the new material. On the other hand, I feel like I shouldn't be excited about witnessing a genocide even if it's fiction.

IS THAT FIRE LORD SOZIN? OR IS THAT JUST A RANDOM FIRE NATION GENERAL?? I THINK IT'S SOZIN??

Aang breaking out from the iceberg seems a lot more violent than the cartoon but it also looks awesome! And if I were Sokka and Katara, I'd be scared shitless seeing that.

I think that's Monk Gyatso voice in the beginning? And he specifically says that the Fire Nation is embarking on a dark path instead of the super vague "storm clouds are gathering" like in the original cartoon. So Aang goes into that iceberg with more knowledge in this adaptation than in the cartoon.

Daniel Dae Kim looks great as Fire Lord Ozai!

Azula with a bow and arrow? Guess she's expanding her skill set.

Blink and you'll miss it, but that is JET that Katara, Sokka, and Aang are talking to before there's a big ass explosion behind them.

WE'VE GOT THE MOTHER EFFIN OSTRICH HORSES, BABY!

IT'S ZUKO COMING TO RESCUE UNCLE IROH WHEN HE GETS CAPTURED BY EARTH KINGDOM SOLDIERS!

Aang, Katara, and Sokka checking out the ruins of one of the Air Temples. Southern Air Temple, maybe, probably?

Water Tribe! Don't know if it's Northern or Southern but it could be the aftermath of Zuko coming to the Southern tribe to find Aang.

Katara coming in with her belief that Aang can save the world.

I'm in love with every shot of Appa flying!

THE AIR SCOOTER!

AND HE CRASHES INTO A STATUE LIKE HE DOES IN THE ORIGINAL OPENING CREDITS!!!!

There you go! You whiny little complainers finally got your sarcastic Sokka. And he definitely has more emotional range than the Sokka in the other project that shall not be named so I approve!

THAT'S ZUKO'S TINY LITTLE WARSHIP CRUISING AROUND THE SOUTH POLE LOOKING FOR THE AVATAR!!!

UNCLE!

That's not Zuko pinning up that picture of Aang. Maybe it's Zhao?

I fucking love the masks on the Fire Nation soldiers!!!!!!!

Zuko, you moody, angsty, traumatized teenager! I love you!

(This better get renewed so we can get awkward Zuko. I want to hear him say, "That's rough, buddy." I want to know how many takes they ruined when they eventualy film that scene.)

ZUKO AND IROH TEAM UP AGAINST THOSE EARTH KINGDOM SOLDIERS!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

you know guys, maybe we should hear out what the fire nation has to say?

Nope, sorry, I was distracted by the abs. They should have had him silhouetted because I'm pretty sure this is the AGNI KAI WHERE HE BURNS HIS KID'S FACE!

Avatar "I don't want the responsibility!" Aang.

It's giving "Because I never wanted to be" and "I'm just one kid" energy.

THE FACT THAT I WILL NEVER GET TO CUDDLE APPA IN REAL LIFE IS A CRIME!

Sokka coming in and reminding Aang that he's not alone in this.

Reminds me of early on in the show when he says "Katara and I aren't going to let anything happen to you."

Momo's excellent comedic timing, there.

IT'S JUN! AND NYLA! IT LOOKS SO FREAKING GOOD!

HOLY FUCKING SHIT! IF THAT'S HEI BAI, THEN I'M GOING TO SHIT MYSELF WHEN THEY SHOW KOH!

Oh, Zuko isn't showing up to Kyoshi this time, it's ZHAO!

SOKKA AND SUKI LOOKING AMAZING FIGHTING TOGETHER!

THAT'S TEO AND AANG FLYING AROUND! THAT'S TEO AND AAANG!

I guess one of the big changes from the cartoon is that we'll see Teo and his dad in Omashu instead of the Northern Air Temple because that's DEFINITELY Omashu they're flying around.

AANG! YOU'RE SO PINT-SIZED COMPARED TO SOKKA AND KATARA! AND THE RUNNING HUG! I CAN'T HANDLE THE RUNNING HUGS! THEY'RE MY KRYPTONITE!

BLUE SPIRT! WE'RE GETTING THE BLUE SPIRIT AND AANG FIGHTING TOGETHER!

Aang ready to kick some Fire Nation butt.

I wonder if that's part of the Siege of the North? It looks like Sokka flies him in on Appa and Aang drops in.

I think the next shot is the South Pole when Zuko attacks trying to find Aang?

Aang pulling out the Matrix moves when Sokka lets his boomerang fly!

KING BUMI! They were really accurate with the costumes here.

KATARA FIGHTING OFF ZUKO AT THE NORTH POLE!!!!

Jet looking like a badass and fighting off some fire benders.

I know I've guessed this several times, but THAT WAS DEFINITELY AANG AND ZUKO AT THE SOUTH POLE!

I like we see the glow slowly going over the tattoos as Aang goes into the Avatar state instead of it just going straight to glowing.

AND THE CHANTING! I LOVE THIS MUSIC SO MUCH!!!

I think Aang's last transition to the Avatar State is definitely him at the Southern Air Temple when he finally has to face what happened to the Air Nomads, but I could be wrong.

Anyway. February 22 isn't that far away and there are not enough words to describe how excited I am for this.

[gotticalavera]

"Look, Bumi. Like a Mommy"

My HC of Bumi and (♂️or♀️)Aang, is the one where Bumi actually inherited Aang's uncontrollable hair.

Since I found this sketch in my notebook, I'm going to vent with some general thoughts about Fem!Aang and Bumi

Bumi wasn't planned, Aang has irregular cycles so she didn't think was pregnant.

The first to realize her condition was Appa. Flying bison can detect when their air nomad friend is pregnant, so they tend to be more careful when flying.

Aang felt very nervous when she found out that she was pregnant. She didn't feel ready.

Aang felt alone, air nomads go through pregnancy, birth and grow up in community. Even though she is accompanied by her partner, friends and family of her partner. Her pregnancy made her feel very alone and afraid of being a mother.

Bumi was born during a stormy day, so Aang was even more scared.

Aang has postpartum depression.

Aang began to improve when Bumi made a grimace similar to a smile. That reminded her of a monk who lived in a temple who had no teeth and she started to laugh.

Aang always carried Bumi very carefully, being tall, Bumi seemed much smaller in her large hands.

Even though Bumi doesn't have airbending (for now), Aang always considered him an air nomad.

Aang sang, danced, spoke and told stories in Air Language for Bumi. So the world already had two speakers of the Air language by birth.

[old-people-like-avatar]

Netflix Avatar the Last Airbender -- S1E1: Aang Review [spoilers]

I just finished watching the first episode of Netflix's Avatar the Last Airbender. I have not read anyone else's reviews, so this is just my take. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Overall, somewhat surprisingly, I had a pretty positive reaction. I enjoyed some parts, really disliked other parts, but overall, pretty positive start.

THE GOODS

Sokka: I'll just come out and say I really enjoyed Ian Ousley's Sokka performance this episode: the way he was looking after Katara and the village, his bravery in fighting Zuko to protect Aang. The line delivery. He more than anyone else conveyed character through action (as opposed to character through clunky dialogue).

The bending/action: It all looked great! No complaints here.

Gran Gran saying the intro lines: Long ago the four nations lived in harmony! Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked! I was absolutely delighted at how they wove the cartoon intro lines organically into Gran Gran recounting of the 100 year war to Aang.

THE I-APPRECIATED-WHAT-THEY-WERE-DOING-BUT-NOT-SURE-THEY-PULLED-IT-OFF

Southern Air Temple: I really appreciated that this show tried to show us how alive and peaceful the air temple felt as they prepared for the comet festival before the Fire Nation burned everything to the ground. I loved seeing the room with the Yangchen statue. I loved the concept of starting off the show with Aang in his home. But I needed to see more of Aang really living in his home, of Aang having fun and being carefree, of Aang being Aang -- not just Aang floating down to the ground. The audience didn't really get to see the essence of who Aang is other than "the avatar" and "don't want the responsibility." They achieved some of what they were going for, but it could have been so much more.

THE BADS

Aang/Katara lacking connection: Sokka had a strong episode, but I did not feel much connection, if any, between Aang and Katara. I don't mean romantic connection. I mean any connection at all. We needed to see them interact more meaningfully before the Fire Nation attacked. Something felt missing (though ironically, I felt a connection between Aang and Sokka).

Terrible, clunky dialogue: They really need to learn to write better dialogue. (Didn't they learn from the movie?) Some of the lines -- even the ones meant to be emotional, like Gyatso's "I am your friend" -- came off so wooden. And not because of the acting. The Gyatso actor did an admirable job selling the lines he was given. But the problem so far is there's a little too much telling, too little showing. We needed more Gyatso airbending banana cakes or playing games with Aang, not Aang exposition-dialoguing to Appa about how he loves to eat banana cakes. And somehow, even when they showed, they still told! Why? For example, the episode did a fantastic job showing how Sokka was burdened with the responsibility of defending the village. Katara did not need to say, "I know how much responsibility this has been on you" or whatever that awful line was. Iroh's lines so far haven't really "hit" for me yet.

THE UNKNOWN

The kid actors: So far, I like all of the child actors, especially Ian Ousley's Sokka. Gordon Cormier also did a good job conveying Aang's lightness and humor. ("Sky bison!") I'm not sure yet about Katara and Zuko. Overall, I like what i see so far. But right now, I think the problem is more with the dialogue they've been given and less with the acting. But we shall see how things develop.

THE CONFUSING

Aang can fly without a glider...?

Why was Roku replaced with Kyoshi in the intro?

Onto the next one!

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Fringes Of Lucid

For @ly0nstea's Azulaang week. Prompt(s): Spirit & Sick

Summary: It can’t feast upon her if her dreams become her reality. Aang wonders if perhaps he can help her with that.

Her forehead is clammy and her body won’t stop shaking. It has been a few days since he had found her in that temple. The spirit had been feasting on her–for how long he isn’t certain. But it comes by each time she slips into one of her dreams. 

It drinks from her desires, from her deepest wishes–all of those things that she longs for but dreads that she will never see outside of the REM state. 

He is afraid that it consumes more than just her desires. He is afraid that it is slowly stealing away her ability to dream at all, leaving her with only that which has her waking up crying out. He doesn’t think that she remembers doing so. But then, she isn’t really awake enough to remember.

Sometimes she is lucid enough to talk to him, but whether she has been lucid enough to remember those conversations is to be seen. She is rather soft-spoken during these conversations, her voice laced with sleepiness that gives it a sort of mumbly slur. He finds that she is rather pleasant to talk to. 

They don’t really talk about much, nothing important anyways. He mostly tells her about what it was like to live in the Air Temples and she tells him Fire Nation folktales of all things. She never struck him as the type to enjoy the fantastical. She loves dragons though, she loves them very much and has let slip that she wanted to be a dragon as a little girl, that she still sometimes does. During that conversation she had been lingering on the very fringes of lucid. Awake enough to be coherent, sleepy and out of it to make little wooshing noises and add arm flaps while talking about dragon flight. 

She is never quite lucid when they talk about her predicament. About the spirit that is reaping her energy. They only talk about it when she emerges fresh from one of her dreams-turned-nightmare. 

This is when she cries, when her body shakes. 

This is when she asks him if she is going to die. 

She says that she can feel herself withering away. 

Her skin has grown so pale. Pale enough to accentuate the dark circles under her eyes. This spirit is taking so much from her on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level. She has so, so many wishes and yearnings for the beast to consume.

It can’t feast upon her if her dreams become her reality. Aang wonders if perhaps he can help her with that.

She longs for travel and adventure. But she is too sick to even stand. She longs to firebend again, to shift and glide through her favorite katas. But she is too sick to keep her balance just standing upright. She longs to go home. But she is afraid that there is no longer a place for her there. She wants her friends bank–the new ones that have only recently left her. But she is in no condition to look for them. She longs for her mother to love her, to have a happy family. But there is so, so much work to be done there and some of it has to be done within the walls of a prison. She wants to hear her mother say that she is proud of her. But she doesn’t want to forgive her mom. She wants love and friendship and someone to hold her. But she is uncomfortable when people try. 

She wants so many things–needs those things, really. But it is hard to accomplish when she can barely keep her eyes open. He thinks of hoisting her onto Appa and flying her back to the palace but he is terrified that her condition will worsen if he takes her away from the temple. 

So Aang does the best that he can. He does the only things that he thinks could help; he takes care of her–he fetches her food and water and holds her her upright so that she can eat and drink it. He, to the best of his ability, keeps her clean–dabs her forehead with cool cloths and helps her change clothes when she allows it. 

Most of all, he holds her hand. 

She longs for affection and friendship–that he can do for certain. Sometimes she falls asleep in his arms, these are the nights that she manages to sleep peacefully. He hugs her tightly and tells her that she’s going to be okay because she’s such a strong person. She bunches the fabric of his robes in her fists. 

He has been doing this for several nights now and it seems to soothe her. And so he lifts her into his arms again, he strokes her bedraggled hair and rubs her back. 

“Avatar?” She murmurs. 

“Yeah?” 

“I’m tired.” 

“You just woke up.”

“I’m always tired.” 

Sometimes this is as far as the conversation goes before her head dips and falls limp against his shoulder. Tonight she continues, “I didn’t see it tonight. The spirit. It wasn’t here.” 

“You mean last night?”

She nods. “Yeah, that’s what I meant. It didn’t bother me last night.” She nuzzles her face against his chest. 

Aang smiles. “That’s great news, Azula!” He gives her a little squeeze. 

“My head hurts.”

At the risk of her dozing back off, he lays her head back against the pillow. “I can try some waterbending if you’d like.” 

She nods and gestures to the bowl that he keeps by her bedroll just in case. As he draws the water from the bowl he inquires, “what did you dream about last night?” 

She furrows her brows. “I can’t quite remember. It was something silly, I think.”

“Something silly?”

She nods again. “I think that the clouds were made of mochi and father was yelling at them to go back to being regular clouds. I liked the mochi clouds though, because they made lightning that you could eat.” 

Aang laughs. Azula rubs her tired eyes. “Sokka would love that dream.” Aang mentions. “Maybe you can share it when we get you home.” 

“Home.” Azula repeats softly. He withdraws the water and she rolls onto her side. She manages a little smile. The first one that he has seen on her face in quite some time. It makes him smile. He cups her cheek. 

“Are you feeling better?”

Azula sits up. “A little, yes.” 

This is the most coherent that she has been in a while. “Do you want to try to go for a walk?” He offers. “It’ll be good for you to have some fresh–” She is already on her feet, her body sways slightly and she brings a hand to her sagging head. He leaps up, for a moment he is certain that she is going to topple. 

But she lifts her head back up and takes a deep breath. “I’m alright, Avatar.” 

“Aang is fine.”

“I’m glad to hear that he is.” She replies. 

Sometimes it is truly hard to tell if she is joking. “I mean that you can just call me Aang.”

“I didn’t realize that I had the ability, thank you for letting me know.” 

He rolls his eyes. “You know that I’ve been taking care of you, right?” 

Azula is quiet for a moment before finally deciding to mutter a thank you. He isn’t sure if she should be thanking him yet, he can’t imagine that the spirit has given up that easily. Fulfilling one of her desires might have startled it but he can’t imagine that it is terrified enough to stay away. 

“The river is nice.” Azula comments upon their arrival. She finds herself a perch on a rock, on that is bathed directly in sunlight. She holds her arms out and lets the rays caress her skin. She closes her eyes and tilts her head up, basking in the warmth on her skin. He finds himself wondering if she’d ever let him caress her in the way that the sun does. She looks over at him and smiles and thinks that she might just. 

It occurs to him that he already has her trust. That he has earned it by taking care of her in such a vulnerable place. She pats a spot on the rock and he joins her.

“I think that I know how to get rid of that spirit.” 

“Destroy it with your Avatar powers?”

“It feeds off of your desires and fears.” 

“I’m not afraid of…things.”

“Everyone is afraid of something, Azula. You don’t need to tell me what it is though.” He thinks that he already knows anyways; she is afraid to be alone and hated. She is afraid to be weak. She is afraid to let people in. “We need to either get you the things that you desire or help you to let go of them.” 

She frowns. “You want me to let go of my family?” 

He chuckles. “Yeah, that’s what I said to the Guru when he told me that I needed to let go of Katara. It’s about worldly attachments. What we need to do is balance your chakras, so that you can fight the spirit off easier. It’s a spirit that attacks through spiritual energy.”

Azula nods. “That makes sense.”

“Now that you’re coherent…”

“I’ve been coherent this whole time.”

He quirks a brow and, with a mischievous grin, imitates her dragon impression. Her cheeks color and she looks away from him, folding her arms across her chest. “I’ve been coherent most of the time!”

He’ll let her have that, even if it isn’t true. “Well now that you’re doing a little better, I think that we should try some meditation and balancing your chakras. It’ll be good for you. It’ll make you a stronger bender too!” 

“Alright, Avatar…Aang. We can try it.”  She stretches her arms and lays herself across his lap. He watches the shadows of the canopy stir upon her face. She reaches up and touches his. 

“Just so you know, there is one less desire for the spirit to use against you.”

“What’s that?” She hums.

He leans down and gives her a little peck on the lips. “I love you, Azula.” 

She swallows. “Th-thank you?”

He laughs and ruffles her hair. At least he can say that she is trying her best. He supposes that she will have to get used to things. And she will get used to them, she will have plenty of time after they beat that spirit.

[captainvulcant]

ATLA Live Action Review

I will preface this by saying that largely I enjoyed watching ATLA and I would watch a season 2, would even look forward to a season 2.

However, I did have a lot of issues with this series, issues which I don't feel can be solved by saying "well it's a different series it shouldn't be an exact copy paste of the original". If their changes are worse than the original then that is a failing, and there was a lot which was objectively worse. I'll begin with:

Dialogue Are these things written by AI now or something? The dialogue was giving me "I forced an AI to watch x hours of halmark movies and write one for me" but for your standard adventure series. Listen, we have had this already in 100s of other series and films. ATLA is so unique, could we not have kept the dialogue to that style instead of the expositiony "It's my responsibility" style basic adventure hero stuff? At best it was dull, at worst it was actively cringy. I felt that Zuko and Iroh's dialogue was better and most engaging, no real issues there, but only on a couple of occasions did I experience the Gaang's characteristics and dynamic that I was hoping for from the dialogue.

Music Would have very much liked to have heard some East-Asian instruments and music style. The bog-standard western orchestra did the same as mentioned above: it's dull, it's predictable, it didn't bring me into the world it took me out of it. I was metaphorically taking a shot every time the orchestra swelled at a dramatic or poignant moment. The exception was the little Leaves from the Vine motif they dotted in around Iroh, that was wonderful. Could have done with more of that for Aang's emotional moments.

Exposition So much exposition. Imo they shouldn't have shown the air nomads being attacked. We should have seen Aang fly off and then seen the fire nation making its way up the mountain ominously (on foot!! why do the firebenders have bending jet packs now??? this defeats the later plot??? why can everyone fly now????) before cutting to black. If they really wanted to show it it could have been in quick flashbacks as Aang makes his way through the air temple, which I think would have made it feel more personal to Aang and more devastating. As it was I was just reminded of Star Wars through the whole thing (so many Star Wars vibes at the air temple it really threw me off). Dialogue exposition also awful. If they had spent less time explaining every single plot point to the audience like we're stupid and more on the relationship between the characters and character development we might have actually felt like we progressed from episode 1 to 8. Which leads me to:

Characterisation I'm considering making an entirely different post for this honestly, but here it is in brief. I think we really lost something in this series, and for that I blame the 8 episode thing Netflix is obsessed with. The actors did a good job I felt, particularly with a script that was more rote phrases and platitudes than wise words and attitudes. We didn't really get to see friendships developing, they were just there. We didn't see the characters grow, and the issues which they faced and overcame in the series (which worked perfectly well!!!) have been changed for no reason. Sokka's dad was disappointed in him?? Why???? We already have Zuko whose dad is disappointed in him. I love Sokka's original character, I love seeing him getting over his mysogyny. You know what might have been helpful, in 2024 where all studies show that young men who spend time online become more conservative and sexism is rife?? Maybe showing that it's ok to change your views, that it's ok to work with and respect women, that people will still love you, and that it's not always your fault when you're taught stupid shit. That would have been useful. Taking away that aspect of his character meant changing Katara's and Sukis, and not for the better!!!! Like jesus Suki, my poor Suki. She's such a cool character in the animation. She has responsibility, she is competent and cool and knows her place in the world, but is also open to the idea of change. Why did they make her so awkward (original Suki is fun and funny as well) and unsure? And more parent drama?? Again??? Do they only have one plot?

I also felt that by missing key episodes like the Northern Air Temple we really missed out on Aang's character from the animation, and the emotional weight those scenes could have brought. This Aang doesn't goof off, he's already learned his lesson. This Aang doesn't struggle to balance his beliefs as an airbender (the last airbender, the only one who can continue them) with his job as the avatar, he's just 100% up for the fighting with no conflict. This is a huge part of his character's original internal struggle (and a massive plot point later on) and it feels like we lost something by taking it out.

Final Thoughts Once again, I did enjoy the series. I got super emotional at some parts, I particularly enjoyed the first 4 episodes. Overall I liked the casting and I think the actors did a pretty good job and I'm excited to see where this will go in season 2.

But, I do think that we are allowed to criticise and compare things. I'm seeing a lot of people on here being like stop over-analysing things!! No, lol. Firstly, this is tumblr, the over-analysing website. If you want a superficial review go to tiktok. Secondly, if I had one thing to place the blame on for my issues with this series it's that it is more generic and dumbed down than a cartoon made for kids almost 20 years ago. I am not alone in thinking that media is becoming very basic and sanitised (while at the same time becoming more explicit and violent? It's like no we can't have nuance or complex issues but we will show you explicit sex scenes and awful violence) and also it all feels the same. And I do think we should be wary of the homogenisation of media.

[deafmangoes]

Netflix's take on The Last Airbender is pretty good, actually.

Right, well, after having a good cry about shit this morning, I'm going to pen some thoughts about the new A:TLA.

T'other day I described it as just "okay" after watching the first two episodes. Today I finished up through episode four and actually, I've changed my mind. It's good. You hear me? It's good.

Episode one dragged a bit, but with episode two I could see why they were making certain changes (and actually, I preferred the Suki and Sokka interactions in this version). Will probably write about them later.

Episodes three and four are set in Omashu and adapt elements of the Book One episodes "The Northern Air Temple", "The King of Omashu", "Jet" and the Book Two episode "The Cave of Two Lovers", with a few additional plot points taken from Book Two with regards to Azula, Zuko and Iroh's storylines.

These two episodes are really good. Gonna put spoilers below here just in case, but I'll put my conclusion here so you can skip the rest:

If you were on the fence about this adaptation, like I was, then I think this pair of episodes really show you what it's about. This is the story without the cartoon veneer. It's confronting just what a century of protracted warfare does to people, and treating their trauma seriously. Yes, it has lost a lot of the original comedy, but it's not completely without heart (we still get the Cabbage Merchant, he's still great).

Give it a go. If you're like me, and you grew up with this cartoon, then take a deep breath and remember that you're older too. Let the story age with you, and bring you back into the world for a more mature take at it. It doesn't need to replace the original, it's just another adaptation. Enjoy both of them.

First let's talk about the changes: instead of showing up at the Northern Air Temple, the Mechanist (now given the name Sai) and Teo are citizens of Omashu. Jet and his gang are also introduced early, still as resistance fighters. Zuko and Iroh turn up to Omashu in person, instead of being largely absent during the trio's visit.

Unlike in the original show, Aang wasn't planning on visiting Omashu until he saw Teo flying in his glider and mistook him for a surviving Airbender. This starts the episode, and we're introduced to this version of him and his father. I appreciated that they kept the important elements of both characters even after removing them from their original context (as squatters in the Northern Air Temple), and tied them neatly into Omashu's technology advances.

Sai the Mechanist is turned into an active collaborator, out of fear for his son's safety. Jet's black and white morality is dialled up when it's revealed he's been behind the bombing campaign in Omashu. King Bumi retains a lot of his original character but they really, really drive home how much a century of war and compromise has eaten away at the young child Aang remembers, and his bitterness is entirely justified.

I could gush about this for a while, but trying to keep it short: all the changes made to this pair of episodes work. Nothing felt out of place, everything meshed together into a well-woven, well-written story that gave a real gut punch of emotion during Aang and Bumi's confrontation. I also really liked that instead of Aang and Katara in the tunnels, it's her and Sokka - they get to have the argument that's been brewing for a while, and it helped ground that they're still just kids. They've been thrust into a conflict that they're not prepared for. Jet's portion took the themes of his original episode and ratcheted them up, showing how the trauma of being raised in war can seriously mess with your worldview, and that if you're not careful you can begin to perceive everyone as the enemy.

If I was on the fence about this adaptation before, these two episodes have fully convinced me of it.

[mysticwolfshadows]

Taken - Zutara - Part 19

First / Previous / Next / Masterpost

Katara felt sick the entire time they rode in the saddle. They needed to find somewhere to stop. They had no supplies. They needed food, clothes, tools.

Aang, set on the Southern Air Temple, could not be convinced of anything else. She knew that it would be empty, but couldn't say anything. Zuko had told her breifly that he had been there. It was empty. Not a soul.

They walked around, Aang talking about his culture. He explained air ball, showed them decayed training grounds. They wondered, Aang wondering where everyone had gone.

In the end, they found a flying lemur, a small amount of food, and a few barely held together bed rolls.

They had thought about staying the night, but then Aang had found it. Tucked into a quiet section of the temple, the stones fallen away to show earth. There were mounds, t-crossed posts, with either monk beads or Fire Nation helms hung from them.

A graveyard.

Aang had, understandably, been upset. He walked from post to post, touching prayer beads and talismans, until he reached one post in the center. He'd fallen to his knees, hands clucking the beads as they hung from the post, and he screamed.

His tatoos glowed, the wind whiping around. Beads clattered as they tried to come free of their hanging spots, and helmets were thrown violently away. Dust cluttered the air, and Katara pushed through, even as Sokka called for her to retreat.

She pulled Aang down, hugging him tight. She did her best to sooth him, saying anything and everything she could think of, to calm him. When the glowing stopped, she was left with a young weeping boy in her arms, his hands clutching at her dirt covered shirt.

They left immediately.

Despite Sokka's objections, they went to Kiyoshi Island. It was of Zuko's trading ports. They couldn't risk running into him. But Katara had to insist. They needed food, usable bedrolls, and equipment. Kiyoshi, despite having dealt only with Zuko, was at least a Southern ally.

They were attacked and captured by warriors immediately. Aang had to prove himself as the Avatar for them to be set free.

Katara was quick to talk about trade. She spoke with the leaders, the merchant's, the council. They had nothing to offer now, but they would do everything they could to ensure they were compensated at a later date. And while she negotiated with nothing but potentially empty promises, Sokka and Aang were goofing off. Aang had a fan club following him around, taking paintings, watching him do tricks, riding elephant koi. Sokka was getting his ass handed to him by the locals, making a complete fool of himself.

In the end, she managed to get their supplies. Food, water, cooking tools. They gave her new bed rolls, a few small tents. They even got them some Earth Kingdom clothes, to help them blend in on the mainland. All with the promise that they end the war. And, of course, first pick of ambergris, the next time the tribe had some.

As soon as Appa was loaded up, she went to find her brother and the young avatar. And a good thing she did, as she saw a familiar Fire Nation ship pull into the harbor.

Cursing, she ran to grab the others. Sokka was wearing the battle dress of the female Kiyoshi Warriors. He was instantly flustered, but she pushed it aside, pushing him to climb onto Appa. They found Aang with his fan club, down near the beach. Far to close to Zuko and his ship.

As Appa swooped, Aang launching himself up to the dismay of his fans, Katara stood in the saddle and reached as far as she could. With a sharp jerk, she pulled water up around the ship, skewering it with ice. The effort it took exhausted her, and she had to sleep through most of the afternoon.

Omashu was loud and intense, and the king was crazy. Even if the king turned out to be Aang's friend, she insisted they leave sooner rather than later. They needed to take fewer detours.

Then they found the scorched forest, just a few days before her birthday and the winter solstice. And, suddenly, they had less time than they thought for Aang to learn all the elements.

First / Previous / Next / Masterpost

[aero-sense]

I've been thinking about how the Air Temples aren't barred by ability, but by bonds. In the game, the door to the Air Temple couldn't be opened by Air Bending, so Aang had Momo open it going through the pipes. You don't need to be an airbender yourself to get into the temples, but prove that you're trustworthy enough to one, like how Aang was willing to show the rooms to Katara, Sokka, and Teo after he gained his trust. And if not them, then you can at least befriend one of their furry companions, the flying lemurs. There were plenty of them residing around the temple's grounds if you needed help, at least back in the day…

The game also proves people weren't barred from visiting the temples. People used to visit, implying that the Air Nomads would help them up with their bison, and the visitors would drop by the village on the way. Along with Aang's eagerness to show Katara and Sokka the temple, there's nothing to suggest the Air Nomads didn't enjoy housing guests and letting them tour the temple.

[attackfish]

hi there! anything on the aang-ty lee swap?

Continued from: [Link] and [Link].

1. Li isn't exactly unhappy when Sokka has much more serious grown up stuff to do than go penguin sledding with them. It gives her a chance to be alone with another girl, with no boys and no grownups around. She hasn't had a chance to be alone with another girl since she had to leave the Eastern Air Temple. And she can't stop staring. It makes her feel, maybe not jealous but self-conscious. Katara has such beautiful hair, and it wasn't that long since Li became a master airbender, and they had to shave her head for the tattoos, and her hair is only a few minutes long and awkward and floppy. But she can't stop staring. Maybe that's why sthe almost misses the old Fire Nation war ship, entombed in the ice.

2. But Katara notices, and points it out to her, and in a fit of daring, and a desire to make this time with Katara last longer, and may e to impress her Li talks her into going inside. It's cold, and quiet, with creaky iron floors, and it's appropriately eery, and just a little spooky. But it quickly becomes the wrong kind of spooky when Katara talks about the war, and when she tells Li that she thinks she might have been frozen in the iceberg for a hundred years. That can't be right, can it?

3. On their way out of the ship, Li stumbles right into a booby trap that locks them inside and fires off a flair. But, as she points out to Katara, there's a hole in the ceiling, and she's an airbender. She jumps through, carrying Katara with her, and they run back to the village as fast as they can.

4. When they get back, Sokka yells at them for going into the ship, and accuses Li of being a Fire Nation spy and kicks her out for being trouble and dangerous, and Katara insists on going with her and Li has to tell her she can't, and then an annoying angry guy with a ponytail and a face scar shows up, and she has to go back to the village, to protect them, and the angry ponytail guy demands she surrender to him in exchange for The villages safety, and she agrees, and everything is happening very very fast, and she has to figure out how to escape from here, and before she knows it, Sokka and Katara have shown up on Floofy to rescue her, and they are flying away from angry ponytail guy and his ship, and making plans to go to the North Pole.

5. The thing about Mai is, for all her time with Azula was horrible, and she spent so much of it scared, and angry and miserable and it's a relief to be away from her, being around Azula was never boring. There was something about her, something compelling, that drew Mai in, and without her there it's almost as if things lack color. Nothing feels as intense, as sharp, as real without her there. And honestly it's not even that she wants to go back, is that she desperately needs somebody to talk about any of this with, someone who knew what it was like. When she finds out that Ty Aang was so close, just outside of Omashu, she is not going to take it well.