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akiizayoi4869 · 2 months
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Getting really tired of all the Aang hate/criticism (honestly I can't even call it criticism because it's just that stupid) that I've been seeing on my dash lately. Mainly by people who for some reason, don't think that Aang is an airbending prodigy/master because we are only "told and not shown that he is one". Like....guys. The literal airbending tattoos on his body prove that he is a master:
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The only way for an airbender to get his or her tattoos is by becoming a master, as was stated in the show. Not to mention that Aang was also the youngest airbender to have received his. Also, saying that we don't see him practicing his airbending is so dumb. Seriously, why would they show us that, when he literally did that 100 years prior to the show starting, hence the tattoos? Throughout the show we see Aang doing amazing things with his airbending that proves he is indeed a prodigy. Denying this just proves that you didn't watch the show at all, but rather you saw a version that you made up in your head.
And if you really want to go there with the whole "we aren't really shown how or why Aang got his prodigy status" you wanna know who else fits that bill? Toph and Azula. With Toph, we're given the flashback of her learning from the badger moles when she was lost in the cave.
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But outside of this moment? Nothing. We aren't shown her training to hone her skills or anything like that. When we meet Toph in book 2, we are told that she is an earthbending prodigy and the perfect person to teach Aang earthbending. The only reasons we are given for this is that she "waits and listens for the right moment to strike", something that Bumi told Aang was key to mastering earthbending, and because she's blind but can still earthbend and kick ass like it's nobody's business. Same thing with Azula. When we first meet her, we see her bending lightning.
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This is quite obviously a powerful technique. But are we given a reason as to when and how she learned and eventually mastered it? No. Azula's firebending is blue, and as we know, she is the only firebender who's fire is this color.
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We aren't given an explanation as to why this is in the show, however. Nobody in universe really comments on it, Zuko and Iroh don't bring it up either. Which, considering the fact that in her childhood, her firebending was the same color as every other firebender's, you'd think that would be a conversation at some point.
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And yet it isn't. In fact, the only explanation for this, as far as I know? Comes from the art book. Mike and Bryan wanted Azula's firebending to look different from Zuko's in their final fight, which is why they decided to make her firebending blue. Much like with Toph, we aren't shown Azula training throughout the years to perfect her bending, or throughout the present timeline. So this whole stupid argument against Aang does not hold up at all. Stop hating on his character just because you prefer a different ship to the canon pairings, I'm begging you.
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shrimzical · 14 days
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"ANTI AANG TAKES" BINGO CARD + Fanfic ver
Well. The ultimate "Anti aang" Takes on a bingo card, go to the tag, see how much can be crossed out
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Here's a fanfic version, though I don't have much experience in that section -
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Yeahh...
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The Good & the Bad: On Aang (Not) Killing the Fire Lord
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I recived this asks forever ago, trurly sorry anon, but I'll keep my apologises for the end. I'd love to answer that!
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If you're asking me, this is way better than """killing him""". Case closed.
Getting this cleared up: The show didn't say that Aang is morally superior for this. It was solely about staying true to himself. Not a moral high ground.
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So when I hear people say it's problematic because it implies that sparing imperialistic dictators has some intrinsic goodness to it, (Ahem-Lily Orchard), I just can't agree. It was never about universal ethics, it was about Aang's culture and values.
Why Is This a Good Thing?
Aang loves his culture, and takes a lot of pride in it and its values. (See: in The Southern Raiders his first go-to to convince Katara to spare Yon Rah is his culture, rather than what such act would do Katara herself). He would have been ashamed if he had broken them. But right now they clash with his Avatar duties, with god-knows how many lives at stake. He needs to let go of his pride & shame, and become humble.
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Just like Zuko humbling himself to the GAang before they accept him, or Sokka humbling himself to the Kyoshi warriors and Master Piandao, Aang could only speak to the the lion turtle after he'd given up, after he was humbled.
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Even beyond Aang, it enhances the show's themes at large. A theme in A:TLA is paving your own path, and that you can do what you want despite the pressure. Your true destiny will come, you might be surprised by it, but it's yours and you're free to carve it.
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You just have to keep going, to continue to do the right thing, and your destiny will find you. Things have a way of working out in their own way.
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Sparing Ozai serves the theme, thus the show overall. Everyone told him it's his destiny to kill the Fire Lord and end the war. But he didn't agree, paving his own path, his own destiny, and all was well. The pieces fell in their place.
It is s amplified by the fact that if you read between the lines, he actually did follow all the previous Avatars' wisdom besides Yangchen's.
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Aang knew what he wanted from the start. He isn't going to kill the Fire Lord. People (rightfully) tried to pressure him, but in the end, he stuck to his decision.
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Justice was served. Aang took his bending away and put him to rot in prison for the rest of his life. There's more than one way to execute justice.
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"... and the destiny of the world". That's exactly what Aang did. He followed his own path (staying true to himself) while saving the world (ending Ozai regime).
So that leaves us with Yangchen's advice. The one he didn't follow:
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This opens another layer to this. Why doesn't Aang take the advice of a fellow Air Nomad? The one he should relate to the most? Because despite both being Avatars and Airbenders, Aang is the last. They're not the same. Yangchen is speaking from a place of privilege. She can carry the weight of the Avatar and not worry about the Air Nomads. Notice the wording: "spiritual needs". But it's deeper than that. In her time, they were there, they'll preserve their culture and values. Aang doesn't have that.
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He's Avatar: The Last Airbender. He has both weights to carry. The decision to spare the Fire Lord, while protecting the rest of the world, is embedded in the show's title.
There's also something so incredibly powerful in Ozai being defeated specifically with Air Nomad values. A 100 years ago, during Sozin's Comet, the Fire Nation started the war by genociding them. When it comes back, the Avatar, the last Air Nomad, ends the war and stops the next genocide while preserving their values. The Fire Nation isn't going to push him to taint (one of) the last living aspacts of the Air Nomads, and Aang is shouting it – in the very same day the disaster occurred.
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(Additionally I view this as a land mark of his character development since Siege of the North. He used spirit powers for murder, now he's using them for mercy).
(A:TLA is also a show made with kids in mind. They may not be able to make Aang kill Ozai. He got his bending stolen and sentenced to prison for the rest of his life. That's a more than serviceable punishment for a show aimed at kids).
(Ps: If Ozai had died Zuko would never have found out where his mother is).
The concept is fantastic. Nothing wrong there. But now, it's time for the critisism.
What's the problem then?
Despite looking in internet forums, it's entirely possible that I missed some things. With that being said, the Lion Turtles could have been foreshadowed better. As I stated, I don't mind it. But as far as I recall, it was foreshadowed once in The Library, and that's it. (Edit: It's also foreshadowed in Sokka's Master, but the point still stands).
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The Lion Turtle is a twist, it subverted expectations, but that doesn't mean it has to be a deus ex machina. That's what foreshadowing is for. It's the literary device to making a plot twist feel believable. The result is many fans, including me, feeling as though it came out of no where, even though it didn't.
Overall, I love that Aang spared Ozai. It ties into the themes of the show and Aang's role as the last airbender. It makes perfect sense, it's rather beautiful. However, I do wish the foreshadowing was better.
And for Anon, to apologize for the wait, I dedicate you this meme:
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This scene. This scene right here might be one of the most tragic and brutal scenes in the whole series.
We all knew going in that Aang was in fact the last airbender, but this just hit it home just like it did for Aang. A confirmation that his entire people was wiped out, and his father figure (the one he abandoned cause he couldn't take the pressure of being the Avatar) having been butchered. Later episodes only makes this image a lot worse since the Air Nomads valued pacifism and the sanctity of life, while Gyatso is surrounded by the corpses of firebenders he had slain.
There's no buts or ifs about it. Aang's people is GONE.
And he doesn't take it very well.
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Aang, the happy go lucky kid that believes in the best in everyone goes absolutely berserk.
I think this is one of the recurring themes in Aang's arc aside from accepting his role as the Avatar. I really do believe that deep down, the kid does have a grudge against the Fire Nation. A rage like this doesn't go away easily nor overnight. And there are times when Aang went berserk when pushed too far, like how Appa was stolen or when he fused with the Ocean Spirit. Sure, you could argue he wasn't in control of himself in the latter incident, but considering how corrosive deep seated grudges and anger can be corrosive, I still think it's in the realm of possibility.
Plus I think it gives his decision to spare Ozai a bit more weight behind it cause he's choosing to move on from his anger and end the cycle of violence the world is trapped in. What the Fire Nation did was awful: yes. But it doesn't mean Aang's doomed to give into his anger.
Am I saying Aang was in any danger as being just as bad as his enemies? No. I don't think there's any circumstance where he'll become some genocidal warmongerer. Neither does it mean his trauma, grief, and anger will just go away over night. It's how one handles them is what makes his character. Despite being the last survivor of a genocide, Aang chose not to give in. Just because the world is brutal doesn't mean you have to be.
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zuko-always-lies · 19 days
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What exactly were everyone's character arcs supposed to be?
This is an interesting question for ATLA, and one sometimes without a clear answer. Some characters have reasonably complete character arcs, and others simply don't, to a degree which is often not acknowledged today. A few are in-between. This not necessarily a function of screen time. Jet and Yue have reasonably complete character arcs despite only briefly appearing, while others with far more screen time do not.
Without further ado, I'll go through the characters one by one and try to give an answer:
Yue, as I said, has a story which feels complete with a beginning, middle, and end. She's a very duty bound person committed a political marriage to help her tribe, a person who was saved by the holy symbols of it in the first place. Then she falls in love with Sokka but refuses to break off her engagement out of duty. And finally she sacrifices her life out of duty to save everyone.
Jet also feels like he has an arc. You can take issue with how it was written and how it plays out, since he really got the short straw, but it's an arc. From being orphaned by the Iroh-aligned Rough Rhinos, to fighting the Fire Nation and going "too far," to trying to make a new start in Ba Sing Se, to correctly getting suspicious about Zuko and Iroh, to being brainwashed by the Dai Li, to dying fighting against Long Feng. It's not nearly as coherent as Yue's arc, but it's something.
Suki, by contrast, doesn't have much of an arc. I've heard before the concept of "character arc" being defined as "either the character changes or the audience's perception of them changes." Neither of those things ever happen with Suki. She remains unchanged, and we learn nothing really about her. The only meaningful character change which happens is that she and Sokka fall in love.
Aang quite obviously has an arc: grow into the position of Avatar, defeat the Firelord, befriend Zuko, and the end the war. And, of course, get together with Katara.
Zuko also has an arc, which the show probably spends more time on than with anyone else: change sides, become friends with the Gaang(although that bit was very poorly written), and reject his abusive father and instead start worshipping his uncle. And I suppose grow strong enough to beat the crap out of his sister, like he's always wanted to do.
Iroh, by contrast, couldn't have less of an arc. Any attempt to read an arc into the mess of extremely incoherent writing he was would require extreme charity. In the end, we're supposed to both accept he "changed" offscreen before the show(that his arc was already mostly complete?) but also that he was "always good" anyways.
Toph doesn't have an arc. 90% of her character development, such as it was, is confined to her first two appearances. After that, she's merely a hanger on to the Gaang. As much as people love her, there is so little to her story. Her character is better defined than Suki, but her story isn't.
Azula is supposed to have an arc. It's supposed to be about falling apart, going insane, and being lain low. But it was extremely rushed and shoved unconvincingly into the last few episodes, and the writers were uninterested in explaining what actually happened to make her fall apart, so I struggle to say she has anything resembling a coherent arc.
Ty Lee also doesn't have an arc. Her arc, such as it was imagined, was supposed to "betray Azula." Yet none of the character development she gets over the series leads in that direction, and we have every reason to believe she would have acted the same at the beginning of the series as she did at the end. And of course there was no "redemption" aside from switching sides for her.
Mai has slightly more of an arc than Ty Lee, but that's only because it involves her getting together with Zuko and eventually sacrificing herself to protect him. Otherwise, it's about as coherent as Ty Lee's arc.
Sokka's arc is an interesting one. I would say that there are four things they experiment with as the basis for his arc. First, there is his distrust for Aang, which is rapidly resolved. Second is his sexism, which is equally rapidly resolved. Third is unease over being a nonbender, but that's only rarely referenced over the course of the series, and is fully "resolved" in the truly awful episode "Sokka's Master" early in Book 3. Finally, there is the issue of his daddy issues and his desire to prove himself as a warrior. That is something his story keeps coming back to over and over again. However, it is almost entirely resolved in the Day of Black Sun episodes, where Sokka leads the SWT in battle, despite a couple weird later references in the Boiling Rock episodes. Thus, I would Sokka has an arc, but it's resolved well before the series ends.
Finally, we reach Katara. I don't think Katara really has much of a coherent arc in the series. In Book 1, it was all about her trying to become a master waterbender, but she achieves that by the end of the Book. After that, her character lacks clear direction. What's her story supposed to be about after that? Getting together with Aang? "Forgiving Zuko"? The daddy issues which show up for exactly one episode? The conflict with Toph which shows up for two? "Accepting that ordinary Fire Nation people are people too," even though she was always shown to be compassionate to ordinary Fire Nation people not actively engaged in genocide? The "mommy issues" which she often brings up but which are rarely taken seriously by the show, and are ultimately used to get her to forgive Zuko (two separate times!)? All of these seem completely unworthy of hanging her arc on, and I have to say, I don't think Katara has much of a coherent arc past Book 1.
If we had to order these characters in terms of coherence of arc from most to least, it would probably go something like: Aang, Zuko, Yue, Jet, Sokka, Katara, Azula, Mai, Ty Lee, Iroh, Toph, Suki.
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not exactly a z*tara take but a stupid take from a z*tara shipper that they subjected everyone else to by using unrelated tags
https://www.tumblr.com/kalz-one/744479988928086016/aang-had-no-business-getting-married-if-he-was?source=share
Once again, Zutarians showing that they think tibetan monks are just hippies constantly getting high and having orgies and never believing in monogamy even though we don't know shit about how their family structures work or about how the monks viewed topics like marriage, romance, celibacy/sex, etc.
Hell, Zuko's line in the first episode of "I suppose you wouldn't know of fathers, being raised by monks" implies that the monks are either not allowed to become parents/have sex (because there IS a difference) or that due to the whole "become detached to achieve enlightment" thing they tend not to get in romantic/sexual relationships, by their own choice despite being allowed to.
Considering that, Aang either:
1 - Is fully allowed to date, get married, have sex, become a dad because the monks have no rules against it, most simply CHOSE not to do it because they were detached for spiritual reasons (something Yenchen explicitly told Aang the Avatar can never truly do because, as his duty is TO the world, he is, by definition, attached to it).
2 - Would usually not be allowed to do things the he did - but once again, he is the Avatar and the LAST airbender. If he doesn't have kids, an entire people group/culture will cease to exist, permanently screwing up the world's balance and harmony, so he gets a special permission to father children, just like he got special permission to kill Ozai if that was the only way to end the war.
Zutarians, try paying attention to the show every now and then, it will keep you from saying dumb things (also, americans in general PLEASE learn the basics about how literally any culture other than your own works, I am begging you)
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spacecasehobbit · 4 months
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It never would have made sense, in AtLA, for Aang to kill Ozai at the end. Not only because it wouldn't make sense for Aang's character, but also because it would have gone against one of the major themes in AtLA: that part of growing up is learning how to trust in and take responsibility for your own choices. It's something all the main characters have to grapple with, and it's one of the many ways that Zuko and Aang specifically are paralleled with each other through the show.
So when Aang goes off seeking counsel from prior Avatars, on a narrative level they have to advise him to kill Ozai, and he has to make and stand by his own choice for himself. It's one last attempt by Aang to foist the responsibility for his choice(s) as the Avatar off onto someone else - one of his central conflicts that he struggles with across all three seasons.
When he finally faces Ozai, however, he has to make his choice. Not the choice any of his friends would make, not even the choice other Avatars would make. And he has to accept that choice and face it head on. That last part is critical, too, and the reason why he almost fails to take Ozai's bending until he faces him directly, until he looks Ozai in the eyes and acknowledges the full scope of how he has chosen to end that battle.
He can seek counsel and listen to the views of others, but in the end he has to choose what actions he can live with in himself for himself.
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nahellet · 11 months
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What's with the shitty take that Aang never receives consequences for his actions?
No, seriously, what the fuck people?
I can't even say "It's a Zutara stans thing" becase there are people completely out of it who still think Aang makes a bunch of mistakes and the narrative never confronts him about them.
And I just want to know...what the fuck, did you watch a completely different series? Did you watch every Aang scene with your eyes and ears closed screaming about the deeeeepth of zuko character?
Aang running away from the temple because the pressure of being the Avatar at 12 years old was getting to be too much for him? It's one of his biggest guilts, and he literally confronts the consequences of running away by finding his entire culture, his people, and the most important person in his life in a pile of snow and ash.
Aang hiding the map from Hakoda? Literally the episode is about Aang admitting guilt directly, not defending himself after Sokka got righteously angry at him, and accepting that Katara and Sokka no longer want to travel with him, the only reason Aang even came back was because he understood that they were in danger.
Aang burning Katara? Sokka physically attacks him, Sokka and Katara walk away from him, it becomes his biggest embarrassment, and literally the reason he can't Firebend in the slightest, denying a part of himself completely for hurting his best friend.
The attack at the North Pole? First of all, fuck you Vathara, fuck you Embers, and anyone who thinks this is a bad thing, the idea that Aang did some kind of atrocity by defending the North Pole after Fire Nation soldiers helped to literally permanently fucked up the planet by murdering the spirit of the moon is completely asinine, even the idea that Aang is supposedly responsible is stupid because:
A) Avatar state, literally in the next episode, Aang is shown to be completely out of his body, unable to control it.
B) I don't know if you noticed because the visual understanding of this fandom is in the negative, but Zhao literally got pulled into the ocean when Aang was already out of Koizilla, Aang's literally just a channel for the Ocean spirit, as soon as the moon came back, it stopped.
Lastly, Aang is literally shown to actively have nightmares regarding hurting people like that, The Avatar State and the Guru happens specifically because Aang is afraid of hurting people by losing control.
Aang choosing his earthly attachments?
Holy.
Shit.
People seriously have no comprehension or understanding whatsoever of the things they see or Buddhist mythology.
Aang didn't give up being able to control the Avatar state because he was obsessed with Katara, Aang gave up being able to control the Avatar state because he saw that Katara was in danger, it's one thing to believe that Aang was refusing to let Katara go (even if canonically, he lets her go twice with no problem) but that's ignoring that Aang wasn't thinking about his relationship with Katara, he was worried about her life, is not a romantic moment is a “HOLY SHIT!” moment.
Even then, he shows his doubts about having done that, it wasn't an easy decision, but he made it because surprise, surprise, the survivor of a genocide values the person most important to him but still feels conflicted about the danger that comes with the loss of something so important
Oh, and Aang actively lets Katara go a second time, again, no problem.
What's his reward for letting Katara go?
A fucking lightning bolt in the back, being the only character in the franchise to die more than once, and having his chakras physically blocked.
It's not like Aang refused to open his Chakras, the guy had a very physical knot of energy in the center of his fucking spine.
Oh hey, what's that Ty Lee? Chi is affected by physical blows? Nah, I'm sure Katara's words, getting hit opened his Chakras again because of the energy there, and DIE surely means Aang doesn't want to open his last Chakra because he's obsessed with Katara.
Show me one fucking time that an action of Aang's wasn't met with consequences, both by other people and himself, I really want to see it, because the show never let's Aang get away with doing something bad, either he himself notices he did something wrong, or people call him out, sometimes BOTH.
Hell, NOT killing Jet or Zuko was bad in the long run, but people never say anything about that.
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woodlaflababab · 30 days
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It never fails to make me sad to see people call Aang's arc stagnant or claim he didn't change. His arc is unconventional. It's not a well established trope so there's not obvious cues we can draw on that we've seen dozens of times before. (Not that there's anything wrong with well worn tropes. The classics are classics for a reason.) But the unwillingness to examine his story outside of trying to spot familiar patterns just saddens me.
Maybe it's because I relate to his arc so much, and it's a lesson that I see so many people struggle with yet a lesson I rarely see truely represented.
Aang's arc is about balance. It's not like Zuko's, it's not about having a set of ideals and having to challenge and ultimately discard them for new 'better' ideals. Aang already has some pretty solid ideals, but the problem is, he sits in extremes. Throughout the entire series he is tettertottering between extremes of many different kinds, with these changes becomes less drastic as he goes on and builds his balance.
One of the things he has to balance, that I wish people saw because it is so so important, is the balance between protecting yourself vs protecting others. In the water you hold a child above your head, but in a falling airplane you provide yourself an oxygen mask first.
It's self-care vs matching expectations.
Which is such an insanely relevent contemporary subject and only becomes more so as we go on. Too often you see the hero must learn to be willing to sacrifice everything, whether for the world or for a person, but that's not healthy and is an ideal that can go wrong very quickly.
I just wish people saw this. I wish people saw Aang's climax of his arc as validation that they are allowed to be themselves, that they don't have to be what everyone expects of them, that bring true to yourself and being what people need are not mutually exclusive. I want people to see Aang and understand the value of being an individual made up of your background and personality and not a being formed to fit what's most efficient for society.
I want people to see Aang and know that it's possible to have this balance, that wanting to do things differently does not mean failing. I want people to see Aang and know that they don't have to lose childhood in order to grow and improve.
Some characters start out with incorrect answers, and they learn the correct ones, and we recognize this, but it's just as important to learn that sometimes you do have the right answer, it's just that there's more than one right answer and you can't cling to a single one as the pure singular truth.
Idk. I want people happy. I want Aang happy.
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Azulaang parallels
Air and Water were the easiest elements for Aang to learn while had the most trouble adapting to the Earth and Fire.
Fire and Earth were the easiest elements for Azula to learn while she is the most distant and ignorant of Air and Water.
(Although she couldn't literally bend earth, she was the most fixated and knowledgeable of the earth and was able to take over two whole earth cities, bend the Dai Li to her will, and no-sells Toph's lie detector skills. Katara takes her out almost twice without even needing bloodbending.)
Then there's this whole thing of mine about Aang's year being the 10,000th year, Vaatu influencing Sozin to begin the war and Ozai is the dark avatar but only because his true identity is actually Vaatu. This would make Aang and Azula spiritual foils.
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firelordteo · 2 years
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Ok gonna go on a little rant here I reaaally don’t like the notion that Aang ‘’isn’t mature’’ (or mature enough compared to the rest of the gaang), because it’s really not true like He is SOOO damn wise and mature for a 12 year old. Sure he’s playful and free spirited and did some silly things, but that doesn’t take away from his maturity in serious situations. Like yeah in early book 1 especially, he didn’t want to accept that he’s the avatar, but it’s like, completely understandable. What kind of kid his age would actually want to bear the responsibility of saving the world instead of just... Being a normal kid. But very soon he accepted his role more or less and got very serious about it.  Not to mention, the free-spirited and playful thinking about life is part of his culture, and it’s really important that he’s being true to himself like that!!  So yeah, put some more respect on Aang, thanks
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akiizayoi4869 · 4 months
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One thing that I think doesn't get appreciated enough when it comes to Aang’s arc is how it began and how it ended. At the beginning of the show, Aang gets freed from the iceberg, gets told that he's the only airbender that has been seen in 100 years, and that his people were thought to be extinct. He, in the expected optimism of a 12 year old, does not believe this at all(and honestly, I can't blame him, that is a LOT to take in) and eagerly takes Katara and Sokka to his home, the Southern Air Temple. Eagerly showing them around, showing them the games he used to play with his friends, like air ball. He shows them the statue of Monk Gyatso, someone who he quite obviously looked up to and loved a lot. And the entire time, he's trying to tell himself that his people can't possibly be gone and that he can't be the last airbender left. Only for that way of thinking to come crashing down on him when he sees this:
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Monk Gyatso's body surrounded by a bunch of firebenders. Now, he can no longer deny the truth: that the fire nation really did kill all of the airbenders in their search for him 100 years ago. He is the sole survivor of a horrific genocide. Aang has to come to grips with this, and for the rest of the show, we get reminders of this moment, specifically in the Northern Air Temple episode, where we see one of the 4 air temples remodeled, effectively erasing the culture of the inhabitants who once lived there. Fast forward to Sozin's Comet part 1, and everyone is telling Aang that he has to kill the firelord in order for the war to end. This is not only a tall order to ask of him since he's, you know, a 12 year old kid, it's also asking him to toss aside everything that he learned growing up. And if he did that, it would be like truly giving up the way of life of the air nomads and that the genocide succeeded in erasing them from existence. And since Aang was the sole survivor of that genocide and a reminder of what the world had lost, he quite obviously did not want to do that. In the end, he ends up finding another way to defeat Ozai without killing him. He ends the war without tossing aside his peoples beliefs. At the end of the show, what do we see him wearing? Air nomad robes reminiscent of what we saw Gyatso and the other air nomad monks wearing in flashbacks. He even has on a necklace that looked similar to the one Gyatso wore. I can not even begin to tell ya'll how happy that made me feel when I saw that.
Aang’s arc began with being told that he was the last airbender and that his whole culture had been lost to time, and it ended with Aang choosing his cultural beliefs over violence in order to end the war, effectively saying "No, my people aren't dead. My culture isn't lost. They both live on in me."
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shrimzical · 15 days
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AANG & OZAI PARALLELS: DEBUNKED
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Because apparently the true villain is the sole survivor of a genocide of his entire nation, and not the imperialist colonizer.
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Where do I even begin?? Because I’m genuinely holding in laughter writing this, it’s absolutely insane how certain people can make such egregious parallels that aren’t even found in the first place. 
AH, so a little backstory on how this fucking shit stained idea even came to existence, well our dear z^tara fans pissed their pants over Zuko and Katara not tying the knot, so, as a way of retribution for their supposed “honour” They take any chance to jump on the Aang hate train and make him into some irredeemable abusive demon, aaand they got that perfect opportunity because the LoK decided to take a lick out of the great “Main Characters Must Be Bad Parents In The Sequels” Trope. Which personally, does absolutely nothing to the protagonists resolution aside from cheap family drama but I digress. 
Now, I’m not behind the idea of the writers trying to make Aang a “flawed” Parent, I think it really makes no sense by how they went about it, (I might touch on this in another post) 
((And it’s so very clear that they’re trying to give it a soft “retcon” And even taking extra steps saying that Kya and Bumi just “remember wrong” Which I’ll actually take, because season two of LOK was hell on earth anyway so you might as well give it some saving grace.)) 
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There’s three main parallels that they got from Ozai and Aang: (god help me)
Favouring a child
isolating the rest
leaving pressure On the golden child
I’m going to debunk all three of them while trying not to fall into complete lunacy over how ridiculous they are. 
Favouring a child + Leaving pressure: 
OK, so people are clearly blind with context clues and media comprehension, got it. No surprise whatsoever. I can’t be disappointed if I didn’t even have any expectations to begin with. 
Let’s compare the treatment on how Ozai treats Azula, and how Aang treats Tenzin. (Holy Shit)
Beginning with Ozai, well.. It doesn’t take much of a rocket scientist to understand that Ozai essentially could not give two fucks about Azula, as she in essence, serves the role of an attack dog, as long as it does its job, it’s worthy. 
Ozai favoured Azula because she was molded to match his ferocity and hunger for power, she was a prodigy bender, and was cunning and calculated, all traits that Ozai found endearing and someone worthy to be crowned the next “fire lord.” His “favouring” Of her didn’t come out of genuine love or care, she is his tool who serves a purpose. In short, she showed more competency and more ruthlessness and callousness in comparison to Zuko. Which earned her, her place as the “Golden Child.”  
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None of this is even remotely similar to how Aang treated Tenzin and his kids, aside from the fact he supposedly “favoured” Tenzin more, but that is such a baseline statement and has absolutely no relation with Ozai's reasons.
You have to understand that an entire FUCKING NATION IS DEAD. History, Culture, Tradition, is at the BRINK of being wiped out, Tenzin is quite literally the only Airbender that will be left after Aangs passing. Why do people devalue this concept so much? 
“B-BUT THE AIR ACOLYTES1!!” Still have limited knowledge, airbending is so heavily tied to its spiritual roots, you LOSE your ability to AIRBEND, if you aren't inclined to your spiritual side. Which is a core part of the air nomad culture. Tenzin is... Literally the only god forsaken part left of that, so yeah. It’s a pretty big fucking deal. Aang values his culture and teachings to such a high degree, he is literally the survivor of a genocide. His favouring of Tenzin was done out of necessity and love, not out of a need for power and a new attack dog to send orders around. 
Tenzin will literally be the future “Director” Or guide for the next avatar to learn airbending, people still forget this, and it’s hilarious. He needs to know all the moves, all the teachings because he will be the next avatar's personal guide. 
Aang constantly reassures him, and apologizes for the pressure that may be put upon him but he always reaffirms that he’ll be there to guide him and they’ll “learn together”
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So yeah not the same thing at all. Fuck you for being so inept at understanding the different reasons and perspectives of those situations, just for some petty ship discourse, genuinely disgusting.
Isolating the children:
OK this part, I have to say that the writers definitely messed up with aangs characterization, but I think the execution came out way differently than the intention, so I will try to look more into the intention of each decision.
Ozai isolated Zuko, mistreated him, belittled him, PHYSICALLY ABUSED HIM, but yeah totally on par with Aang actually. 
I don’t wanna touch on this part much mainly because his treatment was literally explained all throughout the show, and granted, while I understand most of these people haven’t touched the show aside from reading fanfic 300000 Where Aang is revealed to us as satan himself, but perhaps, even a small peak at Ozai's parenting would reveal the laughable contrast between the two.
Zuko was a slow learner, and much more of a softie, and a “mama's boy” To Ozai’s heavy dislike, he was thus treated as such, he was belittled, turned down, and literally burnt alive for showing “weakness” He is meant to serve as a direct contrast to Azula, ”The everything he isn't.” 
Kya and Bumi on the other hand, don’t show any actual signs of trauma aside from some petty jabs they threw at Tenzin, 
Bumis talk with Aang at the statue was *very very* Clearly, meant to highlight his own inferiority complex that he internalized growing up. His need for proving himself to be capable of doing just as much if not more than a “bender” Probably happened because his two parents were both prodigy benders and him being a first born son who was a non-bender must’ve hit pretty hard for him, and I’m so sure that katara and Aang reassured how special he is but that kind of thing doesn’t really go away.
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Kya: [while healing Bumi] I told you those rocks were slippery. You're lucky you didn't kill yourself.
Bumi: You done with the lecture, mom?
Kya: Oh, grow up. You haven't changed one bit since we were kids. You're still trying to prove you can do everything a bender can. Well, you can't. Deal with it.
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 That talk with Aangs statue was very much meant to unveil an internal struggle rather than a conflict he had with his father. Kya even doubles down on this, telling him “of course he’d be proud of you” Basically spoon feeding to us, the viewers, that this is much more of internal than an external conflict that he has to overcome along the show. 
“Why Didn’t he share his culture with them 1!!1!” 
He most definitely did, or tried to, but it’s clear they didn’t show much interest so he didn’t pester, this is shown many times throughout the show. 
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“You know I could never keep all those gurus straight… There were like a million of them!
remember that long boring story about the guy who never ate?”
This is literally Kya’s remark to Tenzin just after he tried teaching the airbender students this story, basically telling us that Aang DID try to tell them about his stories and culture, but much to their disinterest, didn’t try any further. 
And Bumi, literally could not pay attention to the story to save his life, and instead decided to fool around in his literal 60’s!! I mean Imagine what he was like when he was a kid!! 
I could imagine their dynamic was very similar to Jinora with Meelo and Ikki, Tenzin being the only one with actual interest and care, whilst Bumi and Kya goofing off and not putting much focus onto it. WHICH IS FINE BTW!! 
It only goes to reiterate that Tenzin was the only one who was actually giving interest and attention to the air nomad culture, and it was of Kya and Bumi’s own personal choice to not partake in it. To each their own I see. 
“BUT WHAT ABOUT THE VACATIONS” 
This.. I agree, weird for the writers to decide this, but given how they low-key are retconning it in interviews, my best guess is that each of those trips were side-quests during their journey to teach an important lesson that might’ve just drowned out because Tenzin may not have remembered it as well. 
Also keep in mind that Tenzin was put into a lot of pressure, Aang probably saw this, and as a way to still keep it enjoyable, he took him to trips that would help ease the mind for a little kid whilst also learning something valuable. That seems pretty on brand for Aang actually
And given that Kya and Bumi are literally in their fucking 60’s it wouldn’t surprised me if they didn’t have the greatest memory. Hell, they didn’t even fault Aang as a parent until Tenzin started boasting about “trips” That Kya and Bumi gave petty jabs but weren’t actually showing genuine hurt, just annoyance.
Kya even comments how Aang was too busy “Trying to save the world, and doing his duty that he didn't have much time for them” 
Phrasing as if it wasn't anything "important" But it's clear that this was Kya's own personal irritation towards Tenzin rather than an actual evaluation on Aang's duties.
A continuation comic best explains it in a deeper way:
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Literally showing that “neglecting” His kids wasn't up to him, and was out of a sense of necessity, trying to cram as much knowledge onto Tenzin, the only one who was basically putting his lessons into practices. Kya and Bumi were left feeling neglected. But that wasn’t out of his decision; he still loved them dearly.
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This. Literally highlighting how much pressure was forced upon Aang, so yes, as any person would, he struggled with making time for everybody. Holy shit who knew?? 
GASP!! IS THAT… A REALISTIC BUT UNDERSTANDABLE FLAW!!?? HOW DARE YOU! ITS OZAI #2 
The fact that the smiley energetic person forgets to SMILE, is a big deal, man was put through hells amount of stress but he never cracked.
So tell me, how is a genocidal freak, who treats his golden child like a tool and abuses the other both physically and emotionally for showing “weakness’ 
Even remotely comparable to
 the sole survivor of a genocide, trying to withhold his teachings and culture onto literally his only child that showed actual effort in doing so, while also maintaining the balance of an entire fucking world and being literally the biggest “advisor” And “Mentor” For society, OH! And also building and managing a literal city, but along the way struggling to make time for his children. 
Guess what, they’re not. And if you think they are. You are an idiot, with bias and headcanons.
So the conclusion is, Aang is a flawed parent, but he isn't a "bad" Parent - confirmed by the literal writers.
Comparing him to Ozai a literal dictator, is absolutely sickening, just for your petty shipping discourse when this show's been over for a decade is insane. Indulge in what you enjoy, but stop projecting delusions like they're canon.
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:D
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If Aang had accepted his role as the Avatar, he might not have had to leave Gyatso.
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But he didn't. He ran away. And when he woke up, he saw the exact consequences of that. He won't do it again. It was hard, really, really hard, but when it came down to it, he had accepted his duty to kill the Fire Lord.
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And then he didn't have to. Funny how things worked out, isn't it? He just has to keep moving forward.
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On Aang sparing Ozai
It's one of the most controversial plot developments in *Avatar: The Last Airbender*: Aang choosing to spare Ozai, one of the most deplorable human beings in the franchise. A lot has already been said on the move and likely will continue to be discussed in the future. All I can do is throw my two cents into the ring on what is a pretty hot button topic for a lot of fans.
I personally have no issue with Aang sparing Ozai.
Or rather, I think it's the more moral option available.
The question of whether or not to kill a villain is a recurring theme in a lot of fiction. If given the chance, should one execute a bad guy in cold blood? That the crimes are so horrendous, they justify their death. And the answer is usually: no. No it's not. Taking a life is arguably one of the biggest decisions one could face, and it should never be easy.
Case in point: Ozai. No one's going to argue that Ozai is a monster. He's a genocidal warmongerer who is willing to screw over his own family just to stroke his ego. Trying to advocate for his survival is to be in one of the worst positions imaginable. I can understand wanting Ozai dead.
But Aang...Aang is not a god.
The Avatar is meant to bring balance to the world, yes. But the Avatar should not be judge, jury, and executioner. Otherwise the whole point of the human side of the Avatar spirit is completely lost. To determine who lives or dies puts one above humanity and all the institutions that are supposed to punish war criminals like Ozai. Which goes against the point of Aang's character.
Aang was able to defeat Ozai and capture him to be tried fairly before the world. And it's not just because he wants to stick to Air Nomad beliefs. It's because he believes in people. That all have the capacity for good. To quote the kid himself:
Aang: Everyone, even the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation, have to be treated like they're worth giving a chance.
That everybody should be given the chance to do the right thing. Handing Ozai over to the world to be judged and his regime dismantled does give the Fire Nation the chance to do the right thing. And if they fail to do so, it was their responsibility, not Aang's (especially since they failed to do so in the comics and that caused a myriad of problems). Especially when others were in a position to kill or stop Ozai but for one reason or another failed to do so (case in point: Iroh and Zuko).
Cause Aang's just a kid. He shouldn't be a god.
Which goes into the bigger argument for Aang sparing Ozai.
Aang's just a kid.
A child.
In what universe should a 12 year old be judged for not killing someone? The same kid who naturally cracked when the Air Nomads pushed him to embrace his duties as the Avatar far too early? It's bad enough he's put in the position to save the world, now people are expecting a kid to kill now?
Aang shouldn't even be fighting wars. He should've been a kid, but was forced to grow up, a recurring theme that was there from the very first episode. Remember when Katara admitted she forgot what fun was like? Yeah. Imagine a whole world like that where kids are forced to fight in wars. And it IS a problem on all sides.
So the question remains: since when did we start believing kids should be gods?
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zuko-always-lies · 1 year
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I really hate the 'Aang compared loosing his mere animal to loosing Katara's mom" argument because Appa was not only his companion, he was also the remaining part of Aang's culture, life, and tribe, especially since he lost the glider. Maybe it's not the same, but we shouldn't be minimizing Aang's trauma like that.
Appa is literally Aang's life long companion and the last remanent of his culture. Losing him was a terrible loss. More to the point, Aang probably also brought it up since it was a time when Katara prevented him from murdering those responsible out of revenge, and he's trying to do the same with her.
P.S.:
Aang: (Cut to a close up of Katara as Aang and Sokka look on behind her) Wait, stop, I do understand. You're feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do you think I felt about the sandbenders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people?
Aang also compared Katara losing her mother to himself having his entire culture genocided. That's not trivializing her loss at all.
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