#pathik news

[epictureplus]

आज हिंदी सिनेमा से दर्द कहां चला गया…! बता रहे हैं पटाखा के लेखक चरण सिंह पथिक

एक जमाना था जब सिनेमा सबके लिए बनता था। सबके साथ बनता था। चाहे आप सामाजिक सरोकार से ओत प्रोत कला फिल्मों को ले लीजिये या अस्सी के दशक तक के कमर्शियल सिनेमा को याद कर लीजिये। उस वक्त पूरा परिवार सिनेमा देखने को एक उत्सव की तरह लेता था। तब सिनेमा सार्थक मुद्दों वाली कहानियों पर आधारित होता था। सिनेमा पर प्रबुद्ध लोग बहस करते थे। जैसे-जैसे तकनीक का उदय हुआ, राजेश खन्ना आये फिर अमिताभ बच्चन आये। जो…

[krokonoko]

god do any of you ever think about how Guru Pathik said "Love is a form of energy and it swirls all around us. The Air Nomads love for you has not left this world, it is still inside of your heart, and is reborn as new love."

that shit hit teenage!me like a truck.

and then they showed the Air Nomads reforming into Katara first laying eyes on Aang and smiling at him, as if he's the most precious thing in the world.

imagine how immeasurable Katara's affection for Aang has to be.

these two invented love.

[sapphic-agent]

One thing I didn't touch on in my Book 3 Aang analysis was that an important part of his character development was just dropped out of nowhere. I'm of course talking about him letting go of Katara.

I didn't notice it before, but this was such a strange decision to make looking back. Because watching both The Guru, it's heavily implied- if not outright told to us- that in order to not only be the Avatar the world needs, but to heal and grow, he needs to let her go.

You have indeed felt a great loss. But love is a form of energy, and it swirls all around us. The Air Nomads' love for you has not left this world. It is still inside of your heart, and is reborn in the form of new love.

This is pretty blatantly telling us that Aang's love for Katara comes from the loss of his people. He, upon realizing that he was alone, attached himself to the first person to care for him. The first person to embrace him in one hundred years. He's projecting the love he had for the Air Nomads onto her. And while understandable given the circumstances, that isn't healthy. Aang's attachment to Katara comes from feelings of grief as well as physical attraction, which is a... Bad combination.

(And before anyone says it, no I don't think that's the only way he cares for her. But I do think even their platonic relationship is tainted by not only this, but everyone around them enabling Aang. So many people told him that he just needed to wait and she would come around, that he was the Avatar so of course she would- Avatar Roku I am in your walls- not one person told him to be ready to accept rejection. Not one person told him to respect and be mindful of her boundaries. Are we surprised he did what he did in DOBS and EIP?)

"The Thought Chakra is located at the crown of the head. It deals with pure cosmic energy, and is blocked by earthly attachment. Meditate on what attaches you to this world. Now, let all of those attachments go. Let them flow down the river, forgotten."

I did actually mention this briefly in my Book 3 post, but I sincerely doubt Guru Pathik is telling him he can't love. Roku, Kyoshi, and Korra all found love and they had complete control over their Avatar States (Korra was at her most balanced when she got together with Asami btw). Letting go doesn't mean Aang can't love.

Appa, someone Aang loves more than anything, doesn't appear in this vision. Neither does Sokka, Momo, or Toph. Just Katara.

His attachment to Katara is what's holding him back. Because it's unhealthy, and it's keeping him anchored down. This isn't just about the Avatar State, it's about healing the turmoil in himself. He cannot do that if he doesn't let her go.

(This behavior is even escalated in LOK. Only instead of Katara, he attached himself to Tenzin. Tenzin being an Airbender gave Aang credence to project his love for the Air Nomads onto him. Not only did he then neglect Kya and Bumi because of it, I would also argue that he did a good amount of damage to Tenzin himself. Being put on a pedestal like that by a parent is so harmful)

The fact that none of this is even mentioned in Book 3 doesn't make a whole lot of sense. It was an important part of Aang's development and integral for his growth and healing

[tossawary]

I still think that the ending of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" was poorly foreshadowed, specifically the lion turtles and the energy-bending. (Not Aang not killing Ozai! I like that part! It suits the themes, it suits the characters! That part is fine. I am glad that the last airbender found a way forward that respected his people and beliefs.)

Like, I saw ATLA when it was originally airing and I thought these things kind of "came out of nowhere" at the time. I have heard the arguments to the contrary over the years and I have never really been persuaded by them, while at the same time personally agreeing that the lion turtles and the energy-bending absolutely do fit the world and lore! They are fitting elements! They work! I like this ending at the same time that, in my personal opinion, I think it was poorly established.

I think that the story BEGINS to establish lion turtles and energy-bending well enough. We meet both many other spirit beings and bending-capable animals earlier on, including the Moon and Ocean Spirits who apparently gave the world water-bending. S2 introduces Ty Lee's chi-blocking techniques and Guru Pathik teaching Aang about chakras. There are also a handful of lion turtle easter eggs in the background of some episodes, the most prominent perhaps being on a scroll in Wan Shi Tong's library.

But the story then jumps from these various establishing elements all the way to "lion turtles are real and not extinct and telepathic and can also energy-bend and Aang has suddenly mastered this new art well enough to take someone else's bending away permanently, and these relatively new elements are going to resolve the main conflict of the show". It feels like "1+1=3" to me. I think that last jump in the story is too big. Like, we're REALLY close, but I personally needed another 1 in there somewhere to bridge that final gap and get to that 3.

(Includes some fic ideas / suggestions on how to maybe add to strengthen the foreshadowing under the cut.)

The fact that a lot of people, especially more casual viewers, were really confused by the way all of these elements suddenly came together at the end says to me that, no, the foreshadowing that WAS done (there WAS foreshadowing, I cannot rightfully say that it all came completely out of "nowhere", but it) was not good enough. Or maybe I should compare it to someone presenting me with all of the necessary ingredients for a cake and then telling me that it IS cake? Yes, all of the right ingredients are HERE, I agree, this COULD be a really great cake, but... you still have to mix it all together in a bowl and then put it in the oven to bake to get that specific cake. It's not quite cooked yet.

(Okay, wow, that sounds kind of mean. Maybe I should compare it more to a missing stair? We have MOST of the staircase, I just need one last step to get to the Deus Ex Machina at the top. To be clear: I don't think a "Deus Ex Machina" is inherently bad. I often like them a lot. I just wanted a little more foreshadowing than the stuff that is already there.)

In storytelling, there's this technique casually called "The Rule of Three". (And yes, of course, rules were made to be bent or broken depending on what story you're trying to tell, but usually, these rules exist because they are effective.) This rule is also sometimes known as "Introduction, Pattern, and Payoff". (It has other names, but that's how I remember it.)

Very loosely, this rule states that an important element of the story must appear at least three times. 1. It must be introduced / established in the world. 2. It must appear again to remind the audience that it exists / and establish a pattern such that the audience begins to expect it to appear again later. (And is hopefully excited for it.) 3. Payoff. The element returns in an important way, probably to resolve part of the plot. The previous two appearances have acted as foreshadowing for this ending.

There's also a "Rule of Two" version of this general storytelling technique. Like, "If this special crystal can zap the bad guy and save the day, we have to have shown or at least told the audience that it can do that BEFORE the big final fight scene."

In regards to ATLA, no, I don't think that a scroll in a library or a statue in the background of some scene served as adequate introduction and reminder for the existence of lion turtles, so it didn't necessarily feel like a payoff for me that they solved the main conflict. (It's the "solved the main conflict" that's most of the issue for me. If the lion turtles had just appeared in another episode as a random cool thing like those sea monsters by Kyoshi Island, I would not have cared.)

I actually think that the establishment of other spirits like the Moon Spirit and bending-capable animals like sky bison and dragons can serve as a decent enough "Step 1) Introduction". Though this does not establish that lion turtles specifically exist, we have established that powerful creatures similar to lion turtles exist. But I still needed a solid "Step 2) Pattern / Reminder" that would have established that lion turtles specifically exist and are important BEFORE one shows up at the end like that.

I think that there's at least one episode somewhere in Book 1 or Book 2 that could have been cut in favor of an episode where the Gaang meets and rescues a young lion turtle baby or something.

Maybe Guru Pathik could have learned his ways FROM a lion turtle? Aang could have gone to an isolated village somewhere (with more brown people besides just Guru Pathik?) where people are living in harmony with a lion turtle, or maybe even on the back of a lion turtle! That would be cool!

Concept: Aang encounters Guru Pathik living alone on the back of a lion turtle which doesn't talk to people anymore (Aang swims down to look at its face and it doesn't even look at him), because its kind have been hunted nearly to extinction and it's tired of violence. Guru Pathik learned his ways from his old teacher, who learned from his old teacher, all the way up the teaching lineage from a person who once learned from the lion turtle itself before it gave up on the world. Guru Pathik tends to this nearly empty temple on the back of a silent lion turtle who ignores him, because he will not forsake his teachings even when the world seems uninterested in hearing them and the old lion turtle seems like it could die any day now. The people in the fishing village on the shore think that Guru Pathik is crazy and most of them don't even believe that the floating island really is a lion turtle, it's just weird geography.

Guru Pathik could also have chi-blocking abilities! We could see him demonstrate them in self-defense! He could teach a few chi-blocking moves to Aang, who could later go on to use them occasionally in Book 3, and it would have been really cool to see Aang exploring non-bending skills. We don't need Guru Pathik to explicitly name energy-bending here, but I would like to connect him just a touch more strongly to chi-blocking. Like, he IS connected already by helping Aang clear chakras, which is kind of like a reverse of chi-blocking, but it would be nice to establish Guru Pathik as somewhat capable of the opposite but perhaps not liking to use the skill.

Aang really vibes with this dying culture of pacifists, but he still has to leave Guru Pathik before he can finish the training. Later on, he can encounter Guru Pathik and the silent lion turtle again, and he can confess to them how desperately he doesn't want to have to kill anyone, no matter what his past lives say. He just wants to STOP the violence and restore balance to the world without sacrificing himself. And THEN the lion turtle could wake up and gift him with energy-bending.

Or something like that! The foreshadowing doesn't have to be THAT heavy-handed, but SOME brief appearance by an actual lion turtle would have served as a better "Step 2) Pattern" to me.

Things like chi-blocking, chakras, water-bending healing, water-benders losing their bending when the Moon Spirit was killed, and even Zuko's spiritual turmoil serve as a good "Step 1) Introduction" to the concept of energy-bending to me. The ingredients are THERE. But again, I would have liked some clearer "Step 2) Pattern" that had actually baked the cake in regards to this being a skill Aang had specifically.

The above episode concept with Guru Pathik on the back of a lion turtle could have worked as a "Step 2) Pattern / Reminder" for energy-bending.

ANOTHER option would be to have Aang temporarily lose his bending at the beginning of Book 3, after Katara resurrects him with that special spirit water after Azula killed him at the end of Book 2.

I think Aang losing his bending for at least 3-4 episodes would have been really good for him / the show. So much of Aang's identity is tied up at this point in being the Avatar and the responsibilities of being the Avatar. Losing his bending, especially his AIR-BENDING, and his connection to the spirit world and his past lives would send him into a personal crisis. The Gaang could worry over whether or not a new Avatar has somehow been born or if the Avatar powers are gone forever. The characters could confront the fact that perhaps they've been relying too much on Aang as the Avatar and what they'll do now without the Avatar.

Also, it would be really funny if Aang woke up and picked up his glider to jump off that boat, then just fell into the ocean, and Katara needed to fish him out. (Which would then transition into the dramatic revelation that he has lost his bending!!!)

Katara could use her healing abilities to tell Aang that what's happened to him feels a lot like Ty Lee's chi-blocking. Katara would then probably try to emphasize with Aang, who gets angry with her and says she has no idea what this feels like! Katara could then have a really good intimate scene with Aang over how scary it was when the Moon Spirit was killed, what it physically felt like to lose that spiritual connection, and how scared she was even afterwards about what it would have been like to permanently lose that connection to her people and her culture. Aang then apologizes to Katara and they resolve to find his bending again.

Aang then goes on some spiritual journey with his friends to reconnect with his bending and his past lives as the Avatar. Probably some partially internal spiritual journey with Guru Pathik's teachings. Katara and Toph could both talk about what bending means to them personally as different people, and also what it feels like to them as they interact with the elements of the world around them.

Aang could have some cool fight scenes where he dodges some random thugs using all of his bending skills (martial arts) without the actual bending, air-bending techniques, water-bending techniques, and earth-bending techniques, and then finally some chi-blocking techniques that Guru Pathik showed him. There could be some scene where Aang saves a kid from these random thugs and realizes that he can still do good in the world even if he's not the Avatar! Even if he's not a bender anymore!

There could also be some REALLY funny scenes of Aang trying to get Appa and Momo to teach him how to reconnect with his air-bending. Aang mimicking their movements and so on. (Sokka: "Is that... working so far, buddy?" Aang: "NO! They're terrible teachers!!!" Cue sad Appa bleating and offended Momo chittering.)

You could even do it in a cycle of sorts, where Aang reconnects with his air-bending first using Guru Pathik's teachings and his friends' help. (He is OVERJOYED.) And then Aang slowly regains water-bending and earth-bending over the next few episodes, culminating in him having to face his fears learning fire-bending again. I think you could accomplish this storyline by squeezing it into about 3-4 episodes, or else starting off with losing then regaining air-bending plus the Avatar state in the first 2 episodes of the season and then threading relearning the other elements in the background through later episodes.

ANOTHER option where Aang temporarily loses his bending is after the eclipse, because he has a spiritual crisis over the fact that he was resolved to kill someone and he really doesn't want to do that. I don't like this option so much because it feels a little too late in the season compared to kicking off Book 3 with the drama of Aang losing his bending(!!!), but it's an option.

See, if Aang temporarily loses his bending and has to find it again somehow, then the show could establish what this kind "energy-bending" and spiritual manipulation within a person looks like. If Aang has had to get his bending BACK, then it would better establish Aang then using this ability he has now practiced on himself to take bending away from another person. It's a pleasantly surprising twist that Aang figures out how to reverse a previously established energy-bending technique and successfully uses it against Ozai.

And then the ending, though arguably still in the realm of a Deus Ex Machina (which is cool), would feel more like "Step 3) Payoff" instead of "What just happened?" We needed to see more obviously that Aang was capable of ANY kind of energy-bending before it saved the day like that.

Anyway! This post became way longer than originally intended! I hope this has made it clear that I like both the lion turtles and energy-bending as concepts. I think there are many elements in the show that begin to introduce lion turtles and energy-bending as Aang uses it as things that COULD exist. I just think that the show needed some kind of additional baking step in the middle to establish a pattern and use those ingredients to foreshadow that specific "an ancient lion turtle teaches Aang energy-bending and Aang then uses it against someone else" ending.

[empressofthesunslittlecorner]

A rant about Aang and Byrke

WARNING NOT KATAANG FRIENDLY

CONTINUE WITH PRECAUTION

Hello my loves!

Here I'm with a new blog entry.

This time we will talk about Kataang, Aang and Byrke.

Since I'm writing a FanFic where Aang is paired with an OC, I thought I could tell you why I prefer Aang with OCs instead of Katara.

Just to be clear.

I like Aang.

I love Katara and would for this girl sell my liver.

But them together as a pair...please no!

Kataang is one of my NOTPs.

In my Let's Talk about Zutara post I pretty much said why I can't stand this pairing.

One is the age and maturity gap.

What does a 14-year-old want with a 12-year-old? It's just creepy, no matter the gender and it would have been better if they got together at like 22 and 20.

Even if I think Zutara is superior, I could grimly accept Kataang.

Second Aang and Katara are the worst version of their self together.

I haven't read the comics, but what I saw on Tumblr and on Legend of Korra was enough to make me angry.

Katara was reduce to Aang price, girlfriend, housewife and mother of his children.

The warrior girl we all loved, who never turned her back on people who needed her, became in the name of love (and Byrke) a shadow of herself.

Our real Katara would smack this wishy-washy version of herself to kingdom come!

Then we have Aang. The boy clearly turns into a Nice GuyTM when it's about Katara.

He kissed her TWICE, TWICE, without her consent and never said sorry for this.

He thinks he deserves her love because he is the Avatar (the hero) and that's how it be.

Till Season 2 Aang wasn't that worse about Katara, a lot of plotpoints pointed out that Aang obsession, I'm not calling it love, on Katara was not good.

He replaced the love for his people with Katara.

Erm, that's not healthy at all.

What Aang expierendec was traumatic, he is the sole suriver of a genocide, but he can't shove all his love for his people to Katara.

How can only one person hold this standards?

It's impossible.

Katara is a bandaid on a ripped arm.

A bandaid isn't going to fix Aang trauma.

He needed to really face it and accept it and let Katara go.

Guru Pathik told him he to let Katara go, but I don't think it was meant to say, don't love that girl anymore.

No, it was more like: you clearly are obsessed with her and think if she loves you all your hurt will go away, but this isn't the case!

Aang could still love Katara, he just needed to stop to put her on a pestal!

Then we know what happens, he let's her go, seems to get the Avatar State, but turn it down because Katara is in danger and he must save her.

Alright, we all would run to our loved one if they are in danger, but Aang, you are the Avatar.

The Avatar is the peacekeeper of this world.

Sadly he can't put his own desires forward, he has do to what was for the world right!

In the Crystal Catabombs he realizes this.

So he let's go of Katara to get the Avatar State and then gets shot down by Azula.

Then when the first episode of season 3 rolls around, you get the feeling that Aang learnend his lesson.

Because he was selfish, he lost his greatest eapan.

He needed to be better.

Only...after the first episode season 3 was really...bad.

I can't say it better.

If you compare it to the other two seasons...season 3 has mayor problems.

A lot of plotpoints get forgotten, Aang didn't learn from his mistakes, he acts entitled for Katara love and he gets his Avatar State back thanks to Deus-Ex-Machine Rock and even finds a way to handle Ozai thanks to Deus-Ex-Machine Lion Turtle.

How, HOW, did the creators look at this and want a golly what an awesome final?

It was not!

It was rushend and not earnend!

Because Aang is a selfinsert from Bryek.

They statet once in an interview that Kataang was reflection how they had a crush on their babysitter, who of course didn't wanted them and would go out with the "bad boy".

The bad boy here in question is Zuko, which is hilarious since Zuko is the most awkward dork.

So they wanted to create a story were the young hero gets the hot older girl.

No normal 14-year-old girl would date a 12-year-old and if she did call the police on her ass!

Avatar was only amazing because of writers like Aaron Ehasz, who turned Toph, who was supposed to be a boy and a love rival for Aang, into this badass girl who didn't let her disabilty stop her to become the greatest earthbender and inventer of metalbening in the world.

They truned Iroh into thee loveable and wise uncle and not like Byrke wanted into a spy for Ozai.

Also Azula was supposed to be a boy too, but she became the female villain we all loved and wish we would see in other media's too!

A lot of writer wanted also Zutara to happen and not Kataang.

If I remember right season 3 was so rushed and lacking because the movie-who-shall-not-be-named was in production and Bryke wanted the series to end before it.

A lot of concept were thrown out the window for it.

The writers wanted to make even a season 4, where Aang would even find other airbenders, but noooooooooooooooo we can't give Aang the healing he deserves, we must live out a fantasy trough this boy.

Looking at you Bryke.

Anyways we got, what we got and I'm so not happy about it.

Zutara should be canon and Aang should have found a girl who loved really, who was his equal and who didn't needed to be a broodmare for the air nomads, becasue there where still air nomads around.

Here we get back to my preference to ship Aang with OCs. Since I'm a big fan of the theoretical season four we would have gotten, it's only naturel to imagine own characters, since no canon characters exist for it.

I would have loved to see Aang with a descendant of Air Nomads. She learning from him, he learning from her, cute!

But let's be real if Aang is writing good he could work with a lot of characters.

Even canon ones like On Ji. I found her really cute with him.

The only thing I want for Aang partner is that the girl doesn't get reduced to a broodmare.

So the airbenders have always to come back/stop from hiding.

IT'S NOT THE COMPLICATED!

BUT WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS!

WE LIVE IN THE DARK TIMELINE!

AVATAR COULD HAVE BEEN THE MOST REVOLUTIONARY CARTOON EVER, BUT NOOOOOO TWO MEN HAD TO MAKE THEIR WEIRD FANTASY REALITY AND DIDN'T LISTEN TO THEIR TEAM OF WRITER WHO WERE LIKE, FAM THAT'S NARRAVTIVLY SPEACKING HUGE STEPS BACKWARDS!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!

Yeah, I think you all guessed how much I hate Bryke.

Fricking pricks!

Also, people who make fun of their own fans because they ship a pairing themselves not like are the worst!

That shows have much respect they have for their fans.

Zero.

They just wanted to live out their fantasy and be done.

Again, fricking pricks!

So for now, that's from me, I needed to get it out of my chest.

Till next time my loves!

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

What strikes me the most about Zutarians is how instead of simply following the show and putting 1+1 = 2 togeher; they decided Zutara was going to be canon and were outraged when it wasn't.

How many times have we heard this from Zutarians?

When Guru Pathik told Aang to let Katara go, I thought he was going to sacrifice all his attachments and Zutara would happen!

Let's ignore the fact that Aang DID let his attachment go, he went into the Avatar State, he died, and Katara brought him back to life. Maybe the show is trying to promote a different message here?

When Zuko stole Kya's betrothal neclace and put it around Katara's neck, that was romantic foreshadowing!

Let's ignore the fact that AANG steals the necklace back for Katara and she kisses him on the cheek.

When Zuko said, "You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun!" , it shows they are the yin-yang couple and meant to be!

Let's ignore the fact that Zuko hit her on the head so hard she lost consciousness and she wanted to let him freeze to death.

Also, Yin-Yang canonically parallel the MOON AND OCEAN SPIRITS, AKA Aang and Katara.

Like...Katara literally asked Aang to kiss her. She cuddles with him on Appa. They almost kiss during the Headband. She kisses him on the cheek multiple times. They have long romantic hugs. She threatens to kill Zuko if he hurts Aang.

......This is a show for 5 year old kids. How much more obvious could Katara have been?? Did she need to make a sign saying, "I LOVE AANG AND WANT TO KISS HIM,"???

Yet Zutarians will insist with their whole chest that they didn't realise Kataang would be endgame, that Katara always thought of Aang as her little brother, that they KNEW Zutara was endgame and evil Bryke ruined it, that the final Kataang kiss ruined the whole show.

It's okay to be frustrated that your preferred ship didn't happen. But this is another level of delusion. And they are so bitter and resentful about it that they made Aang into a possessive rapist, Katara into a helpless Cinderella, Zuko into the uwu soft awkward turtleduck, and Mai into a domestic abuser.

They basically brainwashed themselves into believing Zutara would happen despite any and all evidence to the contrary. They hate Aang, so why doesn't Katara?

.....rant over. Thanks for having this blog, its so cathartic.

That's what happens when your ego is so big that you think EVERYONE agrees with you despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. It was obvious that Zutara was never gonna be a thing, but these people CHOSE to believe that it'd happen anyway because THEY wanted it and they're the center of the universe.

Plus, as all the years of non-stop fake news, conspiracy theories, harassment, petitions and ridiculous complaints have proved, they seem to think they can annoy people into liking Zutara and thus forcing Bryke to make it canon in some sequel/reboot.

[ghanjrho]

A:TLA; how it should have ended.

Recently, I've been on a deep dive into the A:tLA fandom, specifically the Zutara sphere. And that means I've found a lot of long-form meta on the show, it's ending, LoK, script final drafts, you name it. That's all gone in the brain blender, and here's what came out the other side.

Sozin's Comet honestly doesn't change that much; only two real differences.

The magic rock is gone. Instead, we get a flashback to Guru Pathik, and Aang realizes that he has to let go of his attachment to Katara.

The Maiko/Kataang victory laps in the last 5 minutes are gone. Mai and Zuko get a scene where they wish each other well, but acknowledge that they're over. Katara and Aang have a nice moment where they choose friendship. There's love there, but it's Philia, not Eros.

@burst-of-iridescent has a delightful essay series on Zutara, and the part that sticks in my head is that in the run-up to the finale, Aang and Katara are at their least unified. To wit:

In "The Southern Raiders" Aang is preachy, condescending, and more than a little hypocritical about Katara's plan to take vengeance for her mother. The episode ends with Katara explicitly rejecting Aang's belief that Yon Rha was forgiven.

In "The Ember Island Players" Aang is distraught at the idea that EIP!Katara's statements, namely that Aang is like her brother and she's attracted to Zuko, are true. When he questions Real!Katara about this, he responds to her statement that she's confused about her feelings by kissing her. The kiss is not returned. Again, no resolution is had.

Finally, in "Sozin's Comet Part 1" Katara is part of the chorus condemning Aang for refusing to even consider killing Ozai, no matter how many people are at stake. He runs off from the group, and from there disappears into the Spirit World to get Lion-Turtled. Yet again, no resolution, and the two don't reunite until the tea shop.

Now speaking of the Lion Turtles, I'm actually not opposed to them. Yes, they come out of nowhere to deliver an 11th Hour Superpower that handily spares Aang from having to actually make a choice he disagrees with, but at the end of the day it is a kid's show. Nickelodeon was never going to approve a script where Aang killed Ozai. Throw in a little bit of foreshadowing, and I'm good. It's worth noting here that the story of Avatar Wan was supposed to be covered in A:tLA, which would handily cover that requirement.

Now, for the post-canon. We'll start with Fire.

Zuko is NOT left alone in the Fire Nation. Similarly, Iroh does NOT fuck off back to Ba Sing Se.

Toph and Suki stick around. Suki in her canon role as commander of Zuko's Kyoshi Warrior bodyguard, while Toph and Mai use Toph's lie-detection and Mai's insider knowledge to purge threats to the new peace.

Toph eventually goes back to the Earth Kingdom to start a metalbending academy, but first she needs to make sure that her Sparky lives to be the grumpy old man he was born to be.

While Iroh is correct that for political and diplomatic reasons Zuko needs to be Fire Lord, he also bows to the reality that Zuko is plain and simply not ready to be the Fire Lord.

Zuko went from 4th in line to 1st in line basically overnight, and the 5-ish years he spent as Crown Prince were clearly not spent preparing him to succeed Ozai.

So a teenager with a fairly surface-level understanding of "how to monarch" has to self-Reconstruction the Fire Nation, while paying reparations, without having been militarily conquered.

This is how idealists get assassinated. New Plan!

Zuko is crowned Fire Lord. Iroh is his Prince Regent. It's very clear to all involved that Zuko is the one charting the course forward for the Fire Nation, while Iroh is there to convert intent to action, while teaching Zuko how it's done.

It doesn't hurt that Iroh is one of the Fire Nation's most successful military commanders, so the civil war route is a lot riskier for anyone to attempt.

Next, Sokka

Sokka honestly has a pretty good arc in the post-canon. Nothing I really feel the need to correct.

Eventually, Suki is able to hand off her duties in the Fire Nation to someone else and goes home to Kyoshi Island

It’s still home, but it isn’t the same. Or rather, she isn’t the same.

She never leaves the island behind, but it’s usually a stop on the journey from Wolf Cove to Republic City.

Then, Aang

Aang divides his time between Avatar duties and Last Airbender duties.

Avatar duties involve a lot of sitting in on meetings and reminding people that the ultimate goal is peace.

Last Airbender duties involve a lot of teaching Air Acolytes everything he remembers from his childhood. He gets lucky here, though.

The Airbender Genocide wasn't complete. More than a few Air Nomads escaped the Genocide, and hid themselves away. Some in small villages built in remote mountain valleys, others blended into Earth Kingdom settlements.

Plenty of quarter- or eighth-Air Nomad kids running around with airbending potential they never had the knowledge to develop. Think very early Book 1 Katara here.

The result is that a resurgent Air Nation is being formed, with a culture woven from the threads that survived through relics, the refugees, and Aang himself.

Airbenders are still rare, and it's over a decade before another airbender earns their mastery, but it's not his son and his grandkids when Korra comes around.

Finally, Katara

Katara spends a lot of time traveling. She spends time in the South Pole, helping to rebuild and learning Southern Style Waterbending from the released waterbenders. She also travels the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom, doing what she can to solve problems.

There are a lot of problems to solve.

Her travels in the Fire Nation are particularly fruitful; word of the Last Agni Kai has spread, so she is known to be the one that the Fire Lord sacrificed himself for, and who healed his wound.

She and Zuko stay in contact, allowing themselves to have a slow-burn courtship.

After a couple of years she moves to Caldera City and starts getting down to seriously courting Zuko, preparing herself for Fire Ladydom.

The year before Iroh is set to retire as Regent, she and Zuko start thinking about the wedding.

There are a lot of potential traditions to uphold, even just between the Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation

This goes double for the daughter of the head chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe, and the Fire Lord himself.

They decide to have fun with it and do everything.

Aang presides over a private ceremony, family/close friends only, that is really just a mutual declaration of love and friendship.

Then come the Southern Water traditions. It's the full gamut, with ice-dodging, sacred hunts and more. In the end, Zuko is an honorary member of the Southern Water Tribe, and he and Katara are wed (again).

There's a diplomatic tour through the Earth Kingdom, stopping at Kyoshi, Gaoling, Omashu, Ba Sing Se, the Foggy Swamp the former Fire Colonies, and ending at the Northern Water Tribe. The language used artfully slides over whether the couple is newly married or about to be married, but overall it works well for the Fire Nation's reputation abroad.

The final act is in the Fire Nation. A full Royal Wedding, a grand affair of state, held at high noon on the day of the summer solstice. When all is said and done, Zuko and Katara now rule alone as Fire Lord and Fire Lady.

Alright, I have more, but I'm tired. Tune in next time for the Fire Nation (extended) Royal Family! featuring Steambabies (Found here)

[atla-confessions]

"You have indeed felt a great loss, but love is a form of energy and it swirls all around us. The Air Nomads love for you has not left this world, it is still inside of your heart, and is reborn as new love." - Guru Pathik

just so we remember a little bit why we are all here. because ATLA touched all of us

X

[morethingsgraphicnovel]

IX. The Hermit

This card is about soul-searching, self-reflection, and meditation. Drawing this card indicates a need to block out everyone else's voice for your own, to reconnect with your inner self. So of course, Guru Pathik is featured on this card, since he attempted to help Aang do exactly that. When this card appears, make sure you take a breath and find some time to be alone to reconnect with your inner voice.

--

I'm drawing an Avatar themed tarot deck (Major Arcana only)! Every day I'll reveal a new design. :) Follow along and let me know which one is your favorite!

[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

[likealittleheartbeat]

Welcome. Collected a lot of my original writing below for those interested. The longest meta is 12 pages on a word doc. The shortest is two sentences. Most are 3-5 paragraphs. Fics are also here. Enjoy.

ATLA Meta

Zuko & Aang The Queer Platonic Love of Aang & Zuko (the longest meta I've written)

Aang's Traumatic Processing

What Do Aang and Zuko 'Understand' w/ the Firebending Masters?

The Theme of Emotional Isolation

On Fandom's Resistance to Zukaang

'A New Drive:' Desire vs. Connection and Zuko's Inner Fire

Touch: Zuko and Aang Don't Construct Intricate Rituals

Aang, Self-Hatred, & The Blue Light of Compassion

Jeong-Jeong's Wisdom: The Pain of Fire

The Negative Capability of the Blue Spirit

Contextualizing Ozai's 'Abuse'

Zuko's Interest in Spiritual Practices

The Avatar and the Firelord: Reincarnation for Zuko & Aang

Are the Firebending Masters Heart-Shaped and Why Does It Matter?

Aang Ran Away (A Response to NATLA)

Why Zukaang?

Post-Colonial Feminisms The Impact of Yue's Sacrifice on Katara

The Girl in the Iceberg: Katara's Winning Move w/ Azula

Ophelia and Katara: Women of Waters

The Implications of an Unconsensual Kiss in Emerald Island Players

Katara as an Indigenous Female Storyteller

Kyoshi and Pacifism

Resisting Romanticism in ATLA

ATLA Resists the Pocahontas Complex, but You Don't Have To

Symbolizing Colonial Rape in ATLA

ATLA Actually IS About the Ships

Context: History & Fiction Sokka & Wan Shi Tong: The Limits of 'The Archive'

Aang's Coming-of-Age: On Rites and Community

Atomic Bombs in ATLA: The Avatar State & Sozin's Comet

Aang's Not the Fictional Orphan We're Used To

Do These Characters Need Therapy?

ATLA's Trope Subversion

A Quick Note: On Bryke and Privileged Creators

Skin & Race in ATLA

An Indigenous Deus Ex Machina

Japan, Monarchies, and Resistance to Euro-American Imperialism

Zero Relationships Are Made Stronger Through Conflict in ATLA

A Follow-up to 'Zero Relationships': Reciprocal Relationships in Times of Oppression

ATLA's references to animated works on Imperialism

The Iceberg as a Novel Visual Icon of Survival

Visual vs. Oral Cultures in the Water Tribes

How Guru Pathik's Voice Actor, Brian George Embodies the Themes of ATLA

Aang as Hamlet

A Theory on Why the Series Ends in Ba Sing Se

The Tragedies of Jet and Hama

Aang & Katara Subverting Romeo & Juliet

Buddhisms and Spiritualities in ATLA On Defending Aang's Character

Death in ATLA

Avatar Alone: On Solitude in ATLA

The Block of Ice and the Crystal Palace

Breath, Air, and Abrahamic Connections in ATLA

The Gaang, Not A Found Family, But a Sangha

ENERGY BENDING

Queer Readings The Masculine Shift in Gay Coding

Queer Rep vs. Queer Themes

Alternatives to Queer Metronormativity in ATLA Tags To Browse My Blog With:

#atla meta, #buddhism, #colonialism, #imperialism, #indigenous, #queer history, #the world is wide (cultural diversity), #history is long (historical connections), #platonic love #likealittleheartbeatrecommends (for works with similar themes to atla), #fanart, and of course #zukaang

Fanfics (of the zukaang variety): Warning Sign: (modern au, 2 chapters, completed); The Gleaners:  (modern high school au, one-shot) Water:  (post-series, 19 chapters, completed) Fluff Fanfics Can Get It: (modern college au, WIP) What Is It Like to Be Full of Lightning?: (missing scene oneshot) The Strength of My Self-Discipline:  (missing scene, rated M, one-shot) False Pretender: (post-series, rated M, one-shot)

Ficlets: “I will seek your light, Aang”

“It’s not that Aang wouldn’t confide his feelings.”

“Right, friend.”

“I know you know this isn’t working”

“The True Blue Spirit”

“In the velvety night, a spark burst”

“If you walk down the spiral staircase”

"I give my secrets to Appa"

“So this is what peace sounds like”

“We didn’t have this whole idea of love back then”

"Zuko finished reading Aang's manuscript"

[atlaculture]

What do you think of the possibility of other cultural inspirations being further included in to the Avatar universe?

While there was a new character design for the Avatar TTRPG revealed called “The Successor”, who seems to clearly have clothing inspired by Ainu fashion. Interestingly, he is apparently from the Southern Water Tribe. Perhaps, this could be a different village which is more directly based on Ainu people, rather than Inuit culture.

There have just been two new Air Nomad characters revealed for Avatar Generations, who appear to be based on Indian people. Their names are Sameera and Nethaka. They were just revealed in a livestream.

Realistically, I am still skeptical about any of the new lore from the TTRPG & Avatar Generations actually being adapted into the animated works of Avatar Studios. Although, I’d love to see it actually being cohesively tied in to the universe. Since, I think that these mediums have actually been adding such great lore to the franchise, which seems have to gone largely unnoticed by the fandom.

Lastly, are there any cultures that you’d think could still fit nicely into Avatar world as inspiration? Personally, I’d love to see Aboriginal Australian & Polynesian cultures also being explored in the franchise.

I think there's a very good chance that the extended Avatarverse will have additional cultures added as the franchise continues.

Regarding "The Successor" (Kahola), I've actually written at length about his design here and here. I really like his look, but I think his design would have been more appropriate for a Kyoshi Island character.

According to the Avatar wiki, Sameera and Nethaka are based on Sri Lankan Buddhists. As Sri Lanka is 70% Buddhist, it's a great source of inspiration for the Air Nomads. I'm really happy that they've added South Asian-coded characters to the Air Nomads. They were already implied to have existed by Pathik being described as a "spiritual brother to the Air Nomads"; which I took as a euphemism for him being a non-bender with Air Nomad ancestry. It also contributes to my headcanon that the four air temples each reflect different regions with large Buddhist populations: South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and the Himalayas.

I like the idea of the Water Tribe having varying settlements all over the Avatar world that each have a different culture. A Polynesian-inspired Water Tribe settlement that developed on a remote Fire Nation island--- probably prior to Sozin converting the country into a despotic ethno-nationalist state--- would be fun to explore.

[theowritesfiction]

'The Guru'

I'll be honest... this new, happy and positive Zuko creeps me out. I don't trust him at ALL. It's honestly like he has been utterly brainwashed by the Dai Li. Hmm... he was in the catacombs under the lake, right? Maybe that's what happened... hence the fever, nightmares and now this 100% personality change!

Sokka's reunion with the Water Tribe warriors and his dad... I'm not crying, ur crying! I honestly had forgotten that Sokka gets his sense of 'humor' from his dad. The warriors in the camp totally look exhausted by dealing with Hakoda's jokes for months. :) Still, Sokka being treated like a man by his dad... it means the world to him <3

I love Azula and the dangerous ladies on their infiltration mission. King Kuei is still a dolt, though. Even if these Kyoshi Warriors were not impostors, why would you blurt out about your invasion plans just like that? Maybe not everyone needs to know about it? The scene with Azula plotting the coup and Ty Lee joking around with Mai and admiring Azula's confidence... it's an almost domestic dangerous ladies moment and I love it.

Watching Azula's plans unfold is just so incredibly satisfying. The setup of letting the Dai Li overhear Mai and Ty Lee... perfect. And obviously, I love the scene of Katara telling the 'Kyoshi Warriors' that the Fire Nation have infiltrated the city. Especially because she recognizes Azula by looking her in the eyes... interesting, very interesting. <3

Aang's lessons with Pathik are quite fascinating. Pathik torturing Aang with the banana and onion juice is a big part of the fun. But the issue of unlocking the final chakra is something I heavily dislike. That Aang would refuse to embrace his lessons and get rid of his earthly attachments, when the girl he thinks he loves has shown very few signs of being romantically interested in him... ugh, just no. And I really hate the eventual payoff of all this, when Aang got to unlock his full powers without sacrificing anything in return. He literally was handed his cake and got to eat it too. And to me, that's not satisfying storytelling. Learning to give up his one-sided crush would have been a far more powerful and wholesome message other than 'oh I guess I'll just not unlock my full potential necessary to save the world because of the girl who so far has acted like I'm her baby brother 99% of the time'. Aang gets 100 Jerk Points for not completing his training.  

Also, I hate how in this way the narrative places second hand burden of guilt and responsibility on Katara for this. The viewers are being manipulated into thinking that because Aang gave up all this for her, she is now obliged to get with him. Gross.

Watching Toph figure out metalbending is just pure awesomeness. I have nothing else to say about that. She's just that damn impressive. It's not even hubris or exaggeration when Toph states that she's the most powerful earthbender that's ever lived. I believe her 100%. Also, she just locked two grown men into a tiny steel coffin and left them to die. <3

The ending is fantastic as well, with Azula letting Long Feng believe that he's in control. Azula is such an icon when it comes to episode endings. You can't go wrong with that ominous smile or a smirk.

Jerk Points for Book 2:

Iroh, Long Feng - 560 Azulon - 300 Aang - 290 Ursa, General Fong  - 200 Zuko, Toph - 120 Ozai, King Kuei - 100 Sokka - 70 Bumi, Lao Beifong - 50 Pakku - 30

[kataraslove]

Hey got some headcanon on my head and it's bothering me as devoted katang fan, I'm no writer or content creator but I've loved this ship for so long now, first before giving you the headcanon I must tell you how I got it, so it goes like this within the Hindu yogic culture of Indian or Buddhist culture there lives an understanding that energy is seen as a serpent and that the rising of this serpent threw the Chakra leads to different quality of experience and perception, energy in yoga is called Shakti or kundalinin, shiva is her equal, shiva means nothingness or the beyond, now to the headcanon, I've looked at Ang potential as an energy bender and tryed to recreate this process in my head by using this yogic tradition threw the serpent kundalini, but changing the serpent name to katara,

Headcanon

1 Angs an energy bender and by that has the potential to master the 4 elements without the spirit of raava, but by using his own serpent energy he names after he's beloved katara,

2 threw Ang learning energy bending end up creating a serpent who's quality and potency of power is the closest to katara personality and has merge her energy with his energy signature thus Ang giving the serpent a name, after his most beloved, or Angtara or katang or katara,

3 katara and Ang create a new form of martial art and bending, music, Art and dance but for healing just for them two, by using air water and energy bending, and Ang allows katara threw the connections of the dance and energy bending to allow katara to experience the 4 elements, and ther children learn and create there own style of the same art music bending martial art dance, healing,

4 katara and Ang create a place just like the two lover, in the SWT and air temple island,

5 Ang and katara children and descendants can be energy bender also but it take alote of training and spiritual discipline to master one element to the next, thus there energy serpent is still growing, and because of there love for there mother and grandmother they have immortalized her as a goddess and carry her energy signature, thus katara lives on energetically in her descendants,

6 Ang ask katara to write the laws and constitution and values for her descendants that will continually create glorious nation in her name threw out the 4 nation just like Republicans city, but better

7 katara descendants who will one day create a nation that will unify the four elemental nation under the flag that represent her quality strength and moral and values,

8 katara is given statue were ever her descendants go, people love her worshipp her creates holidays for her, and seeks to create a better world for her, names a city after her and a flower,

9 Ang established an secret order dedicated to creating a better future, that ends up help established all these nation were katara descendants wave her flag

Okay I do have more but that's all I can remember, it mostly has to do with energy bending and how I'm trying to immortalized katara threw this by having Ang love and devotion and unwavering love for her be reincarnation as a force that could help create possibilities for her descendants and the future story, im noo writer or content creator but I'm passionate and in love with this ship and its possibilities but I'm only using energy bending here but we can alway weaves everything together, I've always wanted to hear a katang fanfic with these quality and headcanon in it, I've carried these ideas in my head for so long and I didn't know what to do with it, please do with it as you please, my mission is done

my love and respect thank you so much for being there for the katang community and our beloved couple, merry late Christmas and have a happy new years

oh wow! you learn something new everyday!

i assume that the process of aang unlocking his chakras to master the avatar state with guru pathik is a representation of awakening the kundalini serpent, to achieve ultimate enlightenment and master the avatar state. and so when azula shoots him with lightening at the base of the spine, she removed his ability to access the kundalini serpent/the avatar state.

but his slamming of his back into the rock unlocked his ability to connect with this power and reawaken the kundalini serpent (aka the avatar state).

as for your headcanons, those are beautiful! i love the notion of katara and aang’s descendants honouring their love and of katara being worshipped and revered by the next generations. i always believe that she should be considered as the matriarch of the new air nation by future airbenders. so thank you for sharing this with me, it’s so sweet!

[sokkathebluewolf]

Preview: Gladiator Chapter 276... and 277

The setback in the Southern Air Temple results in a much-needed introspective journey for more than just the Avatar: Guru Pathik teaches the Gladiator and his allies to make peace with their faults and understand themselves better in order to truly conquer themselves and the dangers that await them in the future.

A casual day in Azula's rooms takes an unexpected turn after Rei makes what appears to be a simple request. Yet fulfilling it will take a toll on the Princess's broken heart, for she will come across a painful reminder of the life she once shared with the man she loved...

Read Gladiator HERE or HERE

For a snippet of the new chapter, support me on Patreon!

[a2zsportsnews]

AFG vs NZ one-off Test set to be abandoned without a ball bowled

The one-off Test between Afghanistan and New Zealand is set to be abandoned without a ball being bowled. While the fourth day’s play was called off due to incessant rain and wet outfield at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Stadium, the match officials decided to wait until Friday morning to assess the conditions and take a decision. However, late on Thursday, the Afghanistan Cricket Board issued a…