#lionturtle

[dropthedemiurge]

Welcome, KristSingto's new mascot – a lionturtle KingMan! (I somehow have associations with ATLA now xD)

Also my first KristSingto fanart (I only drew them separately in the past lol) Aaaah, I can't wait for The Ex-Morning!*__*

[catschimericalcreations]

Did you know:

You can learn about this slightly less than island-sized Lion Turtle inspired by Avatar: the Legend of Aang here: https://catschimericalcreations.dreamwidth.org/24535.html

Like what I do? Please consider supporting me here: https://ko-fi.com/catschimericalcreations

Lionturtle by Cat's Chimerical Creations

[housecow]

im rewatching avatar the last airbender and its so freaking crazy how good the last episodes are 😭😭

[thebroccolination]

Thank you to Tae for feeding me since GMMTV left me in the dark searching for crumbs between the railroad tracks. :)

[water-beats-earthbender]

Oh I'm sure there's some reason aang can't just energybend Willy-nilly. It's draining, there's some sort of consequence, etc, etc, I DONT CARE it wasn't established in cannon and despite what we're supposed to think aang is still very much an immature kid and would probably try energybending some airbenders into existence

[agnaktor42]

@bimonchipmunk he don't need ass world to be a hoe, that man was slutting it up all over town

Avatar memes 3🔥🙏

[the-badger-mole]

I've seen people criticize Zuko for not taking the opportunity to kill Ozai during the eclipse but expecting Aang, a 12 y.o. pacific monk to do that instead. He was called hypocritical for being unsympathetic towards his unwillingness to take a life when he himself couldn't. I do like Zuko and tend to side with him ( post redemption ofc ) over Aang, but that seems like a valid take, I don't think I have a counter-argument to that.What is your opinion on It ? Also, what do you think was the in-universe reason for Zuko to make such a decision? He said that It's not his destiny, do you think there was any other reason for It? Is he not wrong for not doing It just bc of destiny since It's just an abstract concept and the stakes were really high ( plus It's against the show's message about shaping your own destiny) ?

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but it sounds like the people criticizing Zuko for not killing Ozai when he had the chance wanted Aang to do it? That doesn't sound like a contradiction, so I'm not sure if that's how you meant it?

Aside from that, I can only speak for myself. I understand why Zuko didn't kill Ozai. I also understand why Aang didn't want to. What my problem with the resolution for that was that it was the first time Aang seems to have even thought about what ending the war would entail. It doesn't make him look noble, or idealistic. It just makes him look stupid. What do you mean? What do you mean that he took this entire journey to get him to master all the elements on a deadline so he can end the war, and he had no idea what ending the war would even look like? He didn't even consider it? It had to be told to him. He really goofed off this entire series and didn't think about his project until the night before it was due. And don't anyone try to use his age to excuse this to me. First of all, Aang isn't a 12 year old. He's a fictional character who was created by writers. Writers who were telling a story. THEY are the ones who didn't consider how Aang would end the war. Second, within the story, Aang's age is never used as an excuse for why he did this. In fact, not only is an excuse not given, it's treated like a virtue on his end and not a lack of forethought on his part. He's rewarded for it.

Listen, I hate the Lionturtle/Rock of Destiny double deus ex machina, and I have made no secret of it. It was a cop out. It cheapened the finale. It made everything Aang was supposed to learn irrelevant, because no, he didn't have to make sacrifices and hard choices for his victory. He won because he was supposed to win (and how's that for shaping your own destiny?). Here's the thing, though. The Lionturtle, at least, could have worked. If Aang had to come up with the solution himself, go find the Lionturtle and ask for help (and maybe have to perform some challenge to earn it), then it would've been a satisfying ending while still not making Aang himself have to shed blood (nevermind that keeping his hands clean was a privilege most of the heroes in this story couldn't have).

I didn't necessarily want Aang to kill Ozai, and definitely didn't want him to kill Ozai just because it would look cool (although...). I would have been fine with a no-kill ending, if it had been set up right. I just think having Aang kill Ozai given the set up of the rest of the story would've been more satisfying than the cop-out ex machina double team. Or someone else could've faced Ozai, because he was never the main villain of the series. Azula was. And that fight was both satisfying and didn't end with her death, either (because it's a kids' show). It wouldn't even have to change. Aang was not the real hero of this story. Katara was the hero of the first half, and Zuko was the hero of the second. Aang was just the McGuffin. He could've sat this one out and been the one to make the "Real Hero" speech instead of Zuko. That would have been a good ending.

[ekjohnston]

What she says: I'm fine.

What she's thinking: At no point in their final conversations do any of the past Avatars tell Aang he has to kill Ozai. His living friends do, but the Avatars tell him to be decisive (Roku), that only justice will bring peace (Kyoshi), to take an active role in shaping the world (Koruk), and that he'll never be able to detach himself as an Airbender because he's the Avatar first and foremost (Yangchen). They don't give him what he wants (instructions), but they tell him everything he needs to hear in order to be able to do what the lionturtle eventually suggests. The idea that this ending is somehow cheating because Aang doesn't have to "sacrifice his soul" or anything is extremely bad for a variety of reasons. In this essay, I

[late-draft]

I want to know all of the details of the scifi au like right now, I'm so hooked instantly

Okay let me set the stage!

This is a sci-fi AU, leaning onto (what I've read) the first idea of ATLA; however unlike how it had Aang be from an ancient technologically advanced civilization waking up in a technologically regressed world(?), here the tech that Air Nomads had was forgotten and new one was created and it proliferated.

An important thing to keep in mind is that I intended this AU to be literally made up of iconic, primeval tropes of young audience's shows. I'm currently in a phase where I test how well I'm able to incorporate tropes and make the best use of them, so for this AU, expect it to feel EXACTLY like the thrill of running at 10 PM up to your grandma's CRT TV to watch that amazing series on Jetix you can't get enough of!!!!

~~~

First thing to notice here, the world has a Key Holder for every bending type. Keys are your magical symbols. It's the standard trope in these types of shows, think of them as kids who represent the absolute core traits of their element. Because Aang has to find specific individuals now rather than arbitrarily choosing a teacher, we have a tighter narrative although more trope-y. Aang is the Key holder for Air - every Avatar is always a Key holder for their native element, but can be taught other bending types only by respective elements' Key holders.

As expected, the world is ruled by the Fire Nation's strongest corporation, led by Emperor Ozai. Most of the setting is skyscrapers, huge power cables and mazes of pipeworks. Hakoda is the leader of resistance but he had disappeared two years ago, leaving his two children with a warning to stay hidden and safe below ground. Their secret hideout is pretty safe and cozy. Of course Sokka and Katara would not sit idly forever! Wandering through the underground they discover an ancient cryo pod, the only active one left. When he comes to himself, Aang realizes that he's the last airbender in the world for the past 1000 years.

The Avatar is able to operate ancient spiritual machines that the Air Nomads tended to. Once he learns all bending types, he'll be able to return airbending to the world through a Harmonic Convergence event by activating a huge lionturtle machine. The problem is - nobody knows where this machine is, but the Avatar is able to "listen" for signs of keyholders and machines through an ancient leftover network. Katara and Sokka swear to aid Aang in achieving this goal and restoring balance to the world. Ever since airbenders disappeared, there had been heavy dissonance in the spirit world, creating terrible natural disasters that altered the face of the planet. They're having difficulty finding the Key holder for Water.... the first one they find is Toph for Earth! She joins the gaang in late season 1 :)

In this AU, there's a tradeoff where the element of kungfu fights is reduced in favour of high-speed chases through the metropolis. Aang (14) moves quickly through the city using only his airbending, by running or speeding on his air sphere. The only piece of new equipment he wears are clear plastic goggles that Sokka (18) gave him. And while you might expect Zuko (19) to be chasing them on a red motorbike, no! It's in fact Katara (17) who's a super-skilled bike driver while Zuko and his entourage are on ROLLERBLADES SKATING ACROSS WALLS AND PIPES. Propulsion via firebending! (same thing Azula does in canon, just elevated to skating). Iroh waits for his nephiew to fail each chase and offer him tea, he's just wearing black dress pants. XD Sokka is Katara's genius engineer brother who constantly grumbles and throws sarcastic remarks because he has to fix her bike after every. single. chase! In this setting, Ozai is specifically looking for the Avatar because he could, using unethical means and technology on a trapped Avatar, be able to grant all bending types to whoever he chooses. This would spell disasteeeer. However, it's also implied that in a similar way, he could "fix" anyone...

Some notes:

You can probably feel the conclusions of many things I left blank. This is on purpose.

Zuko absolutely must have to be motivated by a desire to win his father's approval and love, this must not change. I'll introduce Azula in a later post.

The lionturtle as a concept and its effects are made clear and setup from the get-go. The spiritual machines are just a background element that doesn't affect the plot, it's just a goal.

Aang still has a crush on Katara! And it would be brought up a bit more frequently, in order to serve the plot.

Ozai is doing something concrete that's directly related to Avatar's bending, tying him closer to the Avatar as his antagonist.

This AU's setting is as you may have sensed, more mellow at first. It doesn't have a currently active war.

The characters are older because that feels more fitting to me. (I was investigating W.I.T.C.H. show and saw they were basically all 13 and dating and I was like. "Yikes. No")

Help me dig out any VISUAL references you might remember, from shows of the similar vibe. The goal is not to mimic but to add to the characteristic genre.

These screenshots are from OBAN: STAR RACERS and are what I'd associate with the old Air Nomad technology!

Shape Da Future from Jet Set Radio is precisely what aligned perfectly with this AU.

I'll be sharing more details about this AU in future posts, and everyone is welcome to add their ideas and thoughts on it! I wonder what I forgot to mention here…

[nono-bunny]

As a kid I remember kinda wishing he DID kill Ozai, like, himself, and that hasn't really ever changed tbh, but! Oh my god this would have been such a good way to go about it while working with the constraints of making a kids TV show rather than.... Lionturtle

Theres no way the network was ok with a 12 yr old killing someone in the finale. But they did not have to do it this way. Imo the best way to end Ozai and not feel like an out of nowhere dues ex machina, they could have made it so proximity to the comet made bending more powerful. Maybe Ozai then, in his fight with Aang, decides to go so high in the sky he tries to become one with the comet, and this destroys him. His own psychotic ambition is what destroys him, and Aang doesnt have to “deliver the final blow” and it doesnt feel random.

[eponastory]

Gotta apologize again for practically swimming in your DMs lately, but I remembered why people like 'Toph x Aang', and often cited Toph's honesty and lack of glorification to Aang as a reason why she would've been a better romantic interest for Aang than Katara. And I don't disagree with that, Toph is much more likely to put her foot down to let Aang know when he's wrong, which should urge him more to grow. But despite Toph theoretically being a better love interest for Aang, I have a question:

Would Aang be a good love interest for Toph?

Because since you, @longing-for-rain , and other Zutara supporters described Aang's immaturity very well, I have to wonder if Toph would be happy with Aang, knowing how hurtful he can get (Desert, Ember Island, did Aang even apologize for those instances?). What do you think? Do you think Aang has the qualities to be a good love interest for Toph? Could I ask this question for Ty Lee too? Because I see lots of people believing that Ty Lee would've been a good choice for Aang, but would Aang have been a good choice for Ty Lee? You know what, let's just get every popular alternative candidate out of the way, since people ship Aang with Toph, Ty Lee, Zuko, Sokka, and even Azula and Mai. Run the gauntlet (if you want to). Would Aang make a good love interest for literally ANY of the main characters?

Unpopular opinion, but as Aang is written in the show... he's not a good candidate for anyone.

Wait wait wait...

Hear me out before everyone gets up in arms...

This is where we have to acknowledge that Aang is a fictional character and not a real person (we are not going to count LA Aang because technically that would make him an actual person because he is portrayed by an actual teenage boy) therefore everything is written to be as it is. However, because fiction is subjective, we can debate whether or not to treat Aang like an actual person.

So with that in mind, let's begin this deconstruction of Aang's character and how he is not a good fit for any sort of romance as he is written in the show.

Aang's Selfishness

This right here is glossed over many, many times in the show. What I mean by selfishness is the fact that he is unable to look beyond his nose when it comes to other characters and their feelings. In real life, this is a very twelve year old thing to do, but unlike real life there is no one there to call him out on it. Just the writers, and they don't even do that. That coupled with the fact that he is written to be a child, it really doesn't make sense to me. That and he is the McGuffin and 'The One' of the entire show.

Bryke sets it up to be a good show by giving us the premise right from the start, but as the seasons move on, I don't really see any development from Aang. Only the characters around him.

That being said, because you don't get that development, any relationship going forward is going to feel shallow, like most of the relationships (except sukka) feel. Zuko and Katara progress in their relationship well because there was growth from both of them.

When it comes to Aang, he is more concerned with his views than taking a moment to think about everyone else's. Of course, I applaud those who actively seek peace in their lives and with dangerous situations, but Aang is incredibly naive. He doesn't get any better, even when Zuko calls him out on it. We see Aang struggle with the solution, but then Deus Ex Lionturtle shows up and doesn't really encourage that growth.

Because you don't get that growth and him moving past how HE feels, that is where a relationship is going to fall apart. It's not toxic, but if he doesn't change then it can become that way. Again, Aang is not a narcissist. He is just selfish and naive. These are two big things that cost him.

[fanonical]

a lionturtle is a proud, majestic being. a turtlelion is a strange little creature that can barely survive in the wild

[nono-bunny]

As I grow up and continue loving Avatar the Last Airbender, I also start to engage with it more and more critically... And honestly, I fully belive that the reason that it's not a perfect show, despite when I used to think and want to believe in when I was younger... Is solely because season 3 exists in the state that it does.

What this means is honestly up to personal interpretation, but! Personally I believe that Aang should've killed Ozai, or at least work for NOT doing that. Either erase the chakras subplot that goes nowhere to enhance and actually give importance and weight to the lionturtle... Or resolve it by following up and officially killing Kataang. I firmly believe that Zutara was the only correct resolution to the whole ordeal, but I also would've coped so much easier with a less disastrous and unhealthy Kataang, and with an Aang that actually gets his teased character development. I didn't always hate Aang, and I wish the third season never made me.

I just... Truly feel robbed on all fronts by the third season, and of the things it introduced in the first place! I don't agree that Aang should've spared Ozai, and I don't agree that he should've ended up with Katara, but... Both happened, but they were done so poorly that I feel like even those who do agree with them deserved better.

My first impression of the finale is just forever gonna be how when we were kids watching the show, both me and my little brother were not even close to being the minority in being wholly underwhelmed by Ozai and Aang's battle, and agreed that he should have just killed him, even though we may not have necessarily wanted to see death. Also my brother was and is a fellow Zutara shipper because he's cool like that and I love him, shoutout to my little brother who's not gonna read this! Also, to my dad's partner who is, hi! You're cool too even if you have no idea what I'm talking about! Like... When your core audience is unsatisfied with your story's resolution, that's!!! Not a good sign! We as kids got that they were going for kid friendly messaging, and we did not care for it because it didn't make sense and wasn't fun to watch, and that's!!! A huge failure!

[tokyosmega]

the atla universe if languages existed

hey there! ever wondered what avatar would be like if the nations actually spoke different languages? me too! here's my idea of how it would go:

(set during avatar: the last airbender, might add more during korra times another day)

quick disclaimer: i am an american who speaks american english and conversational france french. all of my language knowledge comes from youtube or school. this is just a silly little headcanon i needed to write down.

WATER

Within the water tribe’s language system, there are two main languages: Northern Water and Southern Water. Northern Water is spoken by the Northern Water tribe and Southern Water is spoken by the Southern Water tribe. Despite having similar names, the two languages are very different. When the Water tribes lived as one on the water lionturtle, they all spoke the same language (which we will call Olde Water), but after separation, they evolved independently. Think of the relationships between the two water languages as the relationship between French and Spanish. Their words can be similar (sol/soleil, luna/lune) because they share roots from Latin (or in this case, Olde Water). Northern Water and Southern Water share roots to the point where a Southern speaker and a Northern speaker would not be able to understand each other but could probably pick out a few key words from their speech. Similar words are things that are native to their area, while less common things that did not exist/were unknown during Olde Water times have differing words (the word for “polarbear-dog” is probably similar in both languages, but the word for “badgermole” is probably different). If the tribes met often for peace/community reasons (perhaps annually), then both languages would contain loanwords from the other tribe. For example, if sea prunes are a Southern Water tribe staple, then the word for “sea prunes” in the North is probably the same as it is in the South. Neither language has any sort of written component- it is completely oral.

Another, more niche language also exists within the Water language family, and that is Foggy Swamp. This language also originates from Olde Water, but has a great amount of Earth influence, since the swamp itself is in the Earth Kingdom (influence specifically from Omashu). Someone who speaks Olde Water would understand Foggy Swamp to the extent that someone who speaks American English would understand Pidgin English (that is, they would have to focus intently and would be able to get the jist of their speech). A Northern Water or Southern Water speaker would not be able to understand them at all, since their languages have developed so drastically from Olde Water. However, one could trace roots of words in Foggy Swamp back to Northern or Southern Water. An Earth speaker would not understand them at all either, but would be able to trace back loanwords and modern terminology (the word for “swamp” or “cat-gator”, for example, would be a lot more similar to Earth than it would be to Northern Water or Southern Water). Foggy Swamp also does not have a writing system.

EARTH

Because it covers such a vast space, the people of the Earth kingdom used to be incredibly linguistically diverse, with almost every city speaking differently than the next. During Kyoshi’s reign, Chin the Conqueror took over most of the kingdom and standardized the writing system (similar to the Qin dynasty in China), and therefore heavily influenced spoken language in the Earth kingdom. As an after-effect, Common Earth, also known as simply Earth, is the most widely spoken language in the world, to a similar extent as English or Mandarin Chinese. It is taught as a second language in every nation and it is hard to find a city where there are no Earth speakers. Everyone in the Earth kingdom speaks or understands Earth. Omashu Earth is an accent that is spoken primarily in the city of Omashu, and has tonal differences from Earth, similar to the difference between New York English and standard American English. Aside from Omashu Earth, the other areas of the Earth kingdom that were taken over by Chin do not have distinct accents. There are some slight variances, especially in the Southern islands between the Air temples, but all speakers of Common Earth can understand each other perfectly. Common Earth has a stable writing system that does not vary.

Despite Chin’s attempt to standardize language within the Earth kingdom, the places he did not conquer held fast to their respective languages. Ba Sing Se Earth, which can also be called Upper Ba Sing Se Earth, is the language that differs the most from Common Earth due to Ba Sing Se’s impenetrable walls cutting them off from the rest of the kingdom. Since both languages are derived from Olde Earth, they share similar writing systems, but neither language can understand each other (similar to the relationship between Cantonese and Mandarin). The walls between the Upper and Lower ring also created Lower Ba Sing Se Earth, where grammar is more simplified, due to the hasty lifestyle of a lower-class worker. Both Upper and Lower Ba Sing Se Earth speakers can understand each other, but Upper Ba Sing Se speakers might not be able to understand Lower slang. Their writing system is exactly the same. Kyoshi Earth is spoken solely on Kyoshi island, and is very similar to the former language of the people of Yokoya. It is not understandable to any other Earth speakers and functions similarly to the relationship between Japanese and Mandarin Chinese, with a different yet similar alphabet to Common Earth. The Si Wong tribes, who inhabit the Si Wong desert, speak various independent languages, but are collectively known as Si Wong Earth. Their languages have many loanwords from Common Earth due to trade. Their written language is syllabic and simple, similar to Cuneiform. 

FIRE

Most of the Fire nation speaks the same language, but there are three main dialects within the Fire Nation language system. The most commonly spoken dialect is aptly named Fire, but is also known as Common Fire. This language is spoken within the Fire nation capital, Caldera, but is mainly used within the greater land mass of the Fire nation. It evolved from Olde Fire and is the most basic form of Fire nation speech. The most similar dialect is more of an accent with some different slang terms and is known as High Fire. It is spoken by the citizens of Caldera, especially the nobles. It is completely understandable to those who know Common Fire and vice versa. The relationship between the two languages is similar to the relationship between Canadian French and Quebecois. The main difference between High Fire and Common fire is pronunciation of words and tonal patterns within sentences and phrases. The last dialects all get looped into one group and are collectively known as Provincial Fire. Provincial Fire is spoken on the outskirts of the mainland and into the chain of islands off of the Fire nation. It varies greatly depending on what island or area of the mainland it is spoken in and has differences from Common Fire that are similar to Korean’s differences from its provincial dialects (speech pattern and tones, different slang terms). The further out one gets from Caldera, the stronger the dialect. Written language within the Fire nation is the same across all of the dialects and characters are similar to Mandarin Chinese as they are pictorial and syllabic (from canon). 

The Sun Warriors are the only ethnic group of the Fire nation that speaks anything other than Common Fire. The Sun Warriors speak Sun Fire, which originates from Olde Fire as well, but has changed greatly since it was spoken within such a small group of people. Someone who speaks Common Fire would not understand Sun Fire at all, but could probably pick out a few words that have similar roots to Common Fire. Sun Fire has two written languages- one is reserved for spiritual leaders and spiritual texts, while the other is used by all people. Visually, it is similar to the differences between Japanese’s Kanji and Kana writing systems, where one is more simplified and one is more traditional. Spiritual written Sun Fire is more similar to written Common Fire. 

AIR

The people of the Air nation only have one language: Air. Due to a high need of proper communication, as well as people constantly moving from temple to temple, or growing up at one and working at the other, Air nomads developed only a single language from Olde Air. Air nomads have a robust writing system to allow writing of incredibly complex ideas and air nomad journeys. Most nomads learn multiple other languages as they age, so they can succeed no matter where they find themselves in the world. Due to the destruction of the Air temples, Air is almost a completely lost language. Remaining speakers include Aang and his children, as well as a few Earth kingdom elders who learned the language from friends and passed it down to their children.

MISC.

Cities born out of the 100-year war, like Cranefish Town (Republic City), are another story. The Fire nation mandated that all colonies only speak Common Fire in hopes of destroying the culture of the city, but despite that, a hybrid language developed: Earthen Fire. To a non-speaker, Earthen Fire sounds like Common Fire, but the grammar structure is very Earth based (a Fire speaker can understand Earthen Fire in the way that a Dutch speaker can understand Afrikaans). It also incorporates many loanwords from Earth. The writing system involves the exact same characters as written Earth, so it almost sounds like Fire spoken with an Earth accent. 

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Hey, i follow your blog for several weeks now and think you make some fresh of breth air.

What is your opinion on aang and his arc in general ? Are you critical of the lion turtle at the end and think it was a selfish moment when he did not redirect lightning back at ozai?

Despite of all the shipping wars :)

Let's make a distinction clear here: the lionturtle was poorly set up, that is a totally valid complaint. Claiming that a traumatized 12-year-old, who as a bonus was raised to be a pacifist, is being selfish for not wanting to be people's assassin for hire is complete lunacy. He's a child, a person. He's not your super weapon/soldier, and his responsibilities as the Avatar don't change the fact that what people are expecting of him is unfair and deeply traumatizing.

And actually, Aang's role as the Avatar and the way people misunderstand it ties into why I think his arc was great: he has a duty to the world. The WHOLE world. Fire Nation very much included.

He isn't there to wipe them off the face of the Earth in retaliation for what they did to his people. He isn't there to have them be ruled with an iron fist for the crime of being born in the wrong place/culture, regardless of how complicent every individual was, or wasn't, in the war. He isn't there to disregard anyone's humanity and inherent right to life and dignity, not even Ozai's, for "the greater good."

He is there to bring back harmony. To help put the Fire Nation back on the right path. To make them stop being a threat, yes, but through REDEMPTION, not violence.

That's why he learns that the kids were taught lies basically from birth, and that any form of self-expression, and even old Fire Nation traditions, are being suppressed. Why he turns to Iroh for advice in Ba Sing Se even though the old man was constantly helping Zuko. Why he could see the lonely, angry, sad child hiding behind Zuko's hostile behavior. Why he too needed to see that fire could be both life and death, and thus should not be hated but also not used caressly, because even though he is an air-nomad before anything, that is still his element too.

The Fire Nation's original culture might not be his primary identity, but it is part of him, and he's one of the few people alive that were there to witness it in it's true glory - and the only one who hasn't had time to get used the idea of them being nothing but a threat now. That's why Aang is the perfect guy to save the day. He won't let them do evil, but he won't let their potential for good be ignored.

And it's sooooooooooooooooo satisfying to see the Fire Nation needing to rely on Aang's air-nomad culture to help. To see him prove Ozai was wrong to think they were just dead-weight in the world, that they had nothing of value to offer (and grabbing the fucker by his stupid beard).

To see Aang, who lost his people, saw sacred temples and relics destroyed, and that even had to hide his arrow, screaming to the whole world that the wisdom of the airbenders was the one hope for a brighter future and being validated by the narrative for it was fucking beautiful.

Aang was a child that was constantly told he had to sacrifice everything, his beliefs, his peace of mind, his culture, his attachment to the people he loved, what was left of his childhood and potentially even his own life for everyone else's sake, and that he was selfish if didn't like that shitty deal the universe offered him. And in the finale he said "FUCK THAT NOISE!" and that was thing that ultimately saved everyone, not just himself.

He is the poster boy for "Fuck you! It's real easy to talk about sacrifices for the greater good when you're not the one who'll have to sacrifice anything!" and I love him for that.

Seriously, it's crazy how fans that go "Urgh, just betray your beliefs and traumatize yourself for everyone else's sake already, you selfish asshole" don't realize they're unironically talking like an actual cartoon villain that is know for being cowardly and cruel.

[malereadermaniac]

Bloodbender ~ Male Reader

Story driven fic with a small amount of avatar Wan x Gn Reader Image from @/jde.aep on tiktok!

Cw: war, death, blood bending, graphic detail of injury? word count: 2.3k

War is hard on everyone. After the closing of the spirit portals, Avatar Wan was trying his best to bring all people together - no matter their bending types. Inevitably, those who were benders of air banded together, those of fire had done the same, and the pattern carried on with water and earth. And while peace did last for a while - Avatar Wan's guidance helping everyone settle into their own nations and tribes in certain areas - the selfish and gluttonous nature of humans rid the world of peace very quickly.

You had met Wan during his early days as "The Avatar" as he is now known. He'd met you in the spirit wilds, a lonely water bender that was exiled from their lionturtle. The two of you clicked quickly, relating and sympathising with one another about your respective exiles - and so, you both decided to venture together. You had no goal in your life, wandering the wilds and befriending the spirits was as far as your achievements in life had ever gone, so you were happy to join the Avatar in his quest to defeat Vaatu. Spending many nights together, along with the few spirits which had either resisted corruption or had been saved by you and your spiritual water bending, allowed Wan and you to bond more and more. You two sympathised with one another over hard times and took care of one another after particularly difficult fights, your healing water bending skills coming in handy after hard battles. Of course, it was inevitable for Wan to find out about the reasoning for your exile due to your frowned upon skills; however, the Avatar felt anything but judgment towards you. He claimed that with how dangerous the world was, we as benders have to develop our skills in as many ways as we can, so who was he to judge you for simply mastering your craft. Your mastery of skills in waterbending had also helped Wan many a time - whether that be via your artfully created attacks and new skills, your healing or spirit bending, and of course, your affinity for bloodbending on a full moon. After spending many nights and days together, your relationship with Wan had even prospered further than a friendship; the two of you never being so in sync.

So, it made sense that you became Wan's right-hand after his successful sealing of Vaatu. For the first few years, you and the Avatar helped guide and create a new world of benders and non-benders without many bumps in the road - your relationship with Wan strengthening with every village you visited and helped build up and with every battle the two of you shared. However, as the two of you grew into fine leaders, the greed and feelings of superiority grew within certain people in their respective nations. You don't even know how it started, not a single clue on which nation or tribe attacked first, but within a few weeks, war ravished and desecrated lands. The Avatar did his best to help settle disputes and fights with your help, some being harder than others; the battle scars covering Wan's body being proof of that - but while the two of you may have been successful in some areas, war was still thriving in other areas of the world you both worked hard to build. After many years of small wars taking place, and land being stolen from one nation and then taken by another, certain benders of different elements banded together at one point, growing in numbers and building an army; and said group began invading and taking over neighbouring nations. Wan and you had sprang into action almost immediately, helping nearby nations that had weaker or smaller defences - however, you both could only do so much.

The Avatar and you, as well as some other of your appointed leaders, had tried to predict where this newly founded nation would attack next. And so, you all made your way to the early fire nation. Wan explained his plan to predict and outsmart the oncoming army to the firelord, who understood immediately and gave his army to you to lead. Luckily, just as predicted, a massive army had turned up at the fire nation's docks; but you were prepared, even if your army was almost half the size of theirs... As the sun was shining above both armies tension grew thicker with anxiety trickling through, as while Wan and you were confident in your makeshift army of mainly firebenders, you were most certainly outnumbered - but you had the sun to strengthen the firebenders, you'd be fine, right?

The sun was making its way across the sky, near to setting, the sky turning a stunning shade of pink. Contrastingly, the ground below the celestial body was starting to turn into darkening shades of crimson and maroon. While your army was certainly holding its ground, benders skillfully wielding the elements and non-benders well trained in using swords and bow n' arrows, you were no match for the opposing army. For every troop of the opposing army that was shot down on sliced to the ground, 3 of yours were brutally killed. Wan had been mainly holding down the Fort, masterfully bending earth to protect other warriors and firebending on the attack; you were also doing your best to protect Wan and as many troops as you could whilst fighting. Luckily, not only was the battle somewhat near the docks that were full of water, but the field of battle was full of grass and flowers and trees - so you had plenty of water at your disposal to shield yourself and others while using your own techniques to attack. You had drawn the water out of the grass below ten opposing soldiers and trapped them in a solid block of ice. You'd created slopes for Wan to slide off of to get the high ground. You desperately healed injured soldiers in while getting fired at, creating a cloud of steam in aims to hide yourself and the injured warriors. But unfortunately, while your efforts and Wan's were definitely notable, bodies were dropping like flies - good men and women gruesomely killed while the opposition had barely felt the effects of your attacks.

The sun was now setting, the light of the sky fading, as so was the power of your remaining firebenders. Bodies of soldiers from both armies littered the ground, your numbers dwindling even further as the few members of your army left fought desperately alongside Wan and you. Desperately clinging towards any hope he could, Wan ordered you all to split up into groups - each group containing a water or earth bender to help protect the remaining soldiers. And, while his plan mainly worked, the attacks from the invading nation were ruthless, more and more people were dying - the attackers not even thinking of the invasion anymore, simply driven by bloodlust. With almost all of your group left lifeless, you desperately hide around the docks with the two other troops left in your section. The screams of your army either falling on deaf ears or further traumatising you and your troops - you couldn't exactly tell which one of those it quite was.

'Just half an hour more... I just need half an hour, and then the full moon will be up' you think to yourself, desperately racking your brain to think up a plan to not even defeat but to merely ward off the invaders. As time passes, the field becomes more and more quiet; that is, until Wan's voice shatters the depressing silence. It wasn't a battle cry or some sort of declaration from the Avatar, but rather a pained scream - such a blood curdling scream that you couldn't sit still. Standing up, you let instinct take over your body - a mix of adrenaline and dopamine driving your body to work mindlessly. Before you knew it, you had leapt into the sea by the docks of the fire nation, and with the full moon finally showing its beautiful glowing self, you could feel your bending instantly build up in strength. The commander of the invading army had his attention snapped from crushing Wan's leg with a boulder via his earthbending, his gaze being drawn to you - a simple waterbender, about 70 feet in the air being held up by a violent vortex of water, with the silver shining full moon behind you and one hell of a look on your face. Onslaughts of high-pressure attacks of water rained down on the opposing army, spouts of water with ice shards within shot down some soldiers while others were taken down by their bodies getting inexplicably paralysed - their bodies becoming colder by the second until their turn into human icecubes, a skill you perfected on the last full moon. However, you attacks alone didn't stop the commander and his army, the wretched man earthbending a giant hill and Imprisoning Wan within it; his troops still attacking what was left of your army and shooting arrows up at you. So, you had to take things further. It pained you mock the deaths of your fellow troops, good people who had the bravery to fight for their nation now dead. However, you'd hope that they would understand your desperation. With the power of the full moon shining above you, its celestial and spiritual connection to the waves and its benders allowing for your bending to strengthen wildly, you performed an act of bloodbending you had never even attempted beforehand; Necrobending.

Folklore and tales of horror told to children tell of bodies coming back to life, spirits toying with humans to play with their emotions, and fear being something spirits are fascinated by. However, from the bloody horror screams that erupted from the opposing army, this was no mere folktale. You felt your body extend through your chi as it spreads. You had felt a feeling similar to this when bloodbending. However, never to this extent, it was as if your consciousness had multiplied by hundreds, being able to feel limbs that don't belong to you and being able to control them with such incredible ease. And what elicited such a terrified reaction from the invaders was surely a sight to behold - soldiers, killed by their own hand, people they knew for sure were dead, rising from the ground as if nothing was wrong. Every single fallen soldier had risen up once more, disfigured in their nature with pain evident on their faces - however, their bodies still going. Like some horrific conductor, you move your hands gently in rhythm with the moon, the waves, the pace of a heartbeat, and bend the bodies of the fallen to fight once more. The sight was graphic, fatally injured soldiers attacking with full might - some of them with vital organs hanging out of their unseemed stomachs, others who were crying blood and some with torn off and crushed limbs. However, no matter how many times the opposing soldiers fought back against your undead army, it was no use. Dead men can't die once more. The bodies of your fallen army disfigure further throughout their fighting, their bodies almost liquidating from the continual attacks on their flesh, the wounds not affecting their attacks - it was a sight straight from a nightmare. The sounds of screams adorned the roaring sound of the vortex below you spinning to hold you up, the moon glowing on such a grim sight as the invading army dwindles down to only a mere hundred soldiers. The commander of the army was long dead, six of your bloody puppets having torn into his body live, his screams falling on deaf ears as his well-deserved pain imprinted on his brain for the last few moments of his life.

The dazzling moon was beginning to hide away once more, your overwhelming power very slowly starting to fade - however, the battle had been won. With the commander dead, the rest of the invading army was left tired and with no more will to continue fighting; and so, they gave themselves up. The one earthbender amongst the 20 men and women brought Wan down from his makeshift prison, and one by one, each troop gave themselves up to being taken to prison in the fire nation. Having watched your impeccable display of skill and intelligence, Wan had never been more mesmerised - he couldn't tell if it was terror or infatuation, but he admired what you just did. The Avatar watched as you laid the fallen back down softly, paying what little respect you could to their bodies, whispering an apology as you lowered yourself back down to the ground. With the shining moon almost fully set, the sun was starting to show itself once more, the two bodies displaying their eternal dance in the sky; celebrating the end of the battle in a bittersweet way. The atmosphere was finally calm again, but from what you had just gone through, your mind had gone blank for almost the entire day, but Wan made sure to fill you in. The fire lord appreciated your help, of course remorseful of the many lost lives, but still appreciative; you did just save his nation from being fully invaded and taken over. A mass funeral ceremony had been held for those who had lost their lives and the Avatar and you were commemorated by the fire lord. However, the war isn't over. That fight had only been won due to chance - the full moon doesn't shine every night of the cycle. Many more battles were to come, and we all unfortunately know how they end.