I FINALLY FIGURED OUT!

you guessed it. ATLA THEORY TIME!!!!

Remember this scene?

Azula was able to trick Toph in this scene, and I think it's not because her heart is cold (wink at the antis and shows my middle finger) nor she has her breathing under control, nor because she is just this manipulative.

I think it's because of the addition of so much unnecessary and unknown information for Toph. She includes 3 colour names and her "height", wich I severely doubt it was even taught for Toph. Also, she was describing the shape on an animal differently of what it looks like, wich would have to include Toph's imagination for her to figure how the fuck it looked- wich is also a hint. Toph doesn't know how a platypus-bear looks like. She can tell its weight probably, and its general shape and form, but not how it looks.

Therefore, I think Toph was mostly stunned by the clear discrepancy of what she was sensing, what was being described and especially the riddled information.

do you ever think about how Katara's portrayal in the Ember Island Players' stage play is an in-universe, textual example of an oppressor state adultifying & sexualizing a racialized girl as a form of pro-colonization propaganda

and then do you ever think about how a third of the fandom also participates in that completely unironically

Look, i love Katara, i really do. She's one of my faves, which is why it pains me when season 3 fics make her out to be a complete bitch. Yes she hated Zuko, yes she was mean to him, but y'all take it too far.

I especially hate in the "the gaang learns how Zuko got his scar" fics when the whole story of Zukos scar comes out bc Katara goaded him. Zuko does not owe them that. Zuko went 3 years on a boat with never mentioning how he got his scar. He never tells anyone in canon about it and only talks about his scar in season 3 to people who already knew. The audience only knows about his scar because IROH told the story. Zuko is not telling to story unless it's pried out of him (the exception being the "I assumed you already knew" trope in the fics because i love that and that is a valid assumption that Zuko would make).

But making Katara unnecessarily cruel and then having Zuko tell the story of his scar as a gotcha moment is leagues out of character for him. And Katara. The og gaang does kinda deserve to know why Zuko was chasing them, but at the same time Zuko does not owe them his traumatic backstory. The story of his scar is not something that he's telling the everyone with ears about.

Katara glares at Zuko, threatens him in private, doesn't like to accept his help (the keeping rocks from crushing you), and makes snide comments (mainly after Azula attacks them). But she still let Aang go alone with Zuko to the temple of the sun warriors. She threatened Zuko, but was the one to catch him when he was falling in the western air temple. She's grumpy and butter in the Southern Raiders but them forgives him and hugs him. Then Zuko and Katara are basically inseparable after that. She can't be too cruel towards him. Lowkey Zuko would probably accept bad treatment bc that boy has insecurities but Katara would never act like that and she wouldn't forgive herself for it because her main character trait is compassion.

Has anyone written any “what if the gaang was successful on the DoBs” fics? Not Zuko killing Ozai, but the invasion actually succeeding?

Invasion of The Day of Black Sun Was Terribly Planned and Here's Why

Okay, I'm going to come at this from an angle that you might find surprising, but hear me out.

The Invasion was terribly planned not because the invasion force was defeated. It was terribly planned because it had NO plan for what would happen in case they had won.

Let’s look at some of the scenarios that could have played out during the invasion:

Dealing with Fire Lord Ozai. In the show, this question is raised by Zuko at the end of The Southern Raiders. What are you going to do when you face my father?  But I struggle to believe that nobody would have considered this before the invasion.

What does defeating the Fire Lord mean anyway? In this context, we have to assume that Ozai would be deposed either by being imprisoned or killed. But killing Ozai runs into the same problem for Aang as it becomes during Sozin’s Comet. I mean, you would assume that, right? And if the invasion plan had gone off without a hitch, they would have ran into Ozai when he can’t bend and is powerless. Do you expect me to believe that Aang would be okay with executing a defenseless man? I don’t buy it.

Let’s run with the other scenario, deposing Fire Lord Ozai and imprisoning him somewhere. What’s the problem with this scenario? Well, to me it shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the concept of divine right to rule. The people of the Fire Nation would not accept any other ruler than someone from the royal family. For people to accept fundamental changes such as rise of a new royal house or an altogether different form of government, there has to be certain social transformation that precipitates it, such as lengthy discontent with the ruling class. And we have no evidence of that being the case in the Fire Nation, because at that point the war has been going great for the Fire Nation. During the Ember Island Players episode, we saw that Ozai and his regime enjoys a lot of support from general population. (And that is after the capital was invaded by a foreign force!)

There are only two candidates who would be accepted by the people of the Fire Nation – Zuko or Azula. They are the only ones with any legitimacy, but the problem is… at this point in time, neither of them would be acceptable for the rest of the world, so this isn’t a solution either.

I suppose another option would be a permanent occupation of the Fire Nation, but I don’t think this is feasible because the occupying force was too small. Perhaps the Earth Kingdom with time could muster enough forces to permanently occupy the Fire Nation, but because King Kuei decided to bugger off at the end of Book 2 instead of rallying the troops and organizing resistance, I don’t see how this could be organized fast enough.

Still, even if they could manage to occupy the Fire Nation, how do you make sure that the Fire Nation does not strike back on the day of Sozin's comet? I guess you’ll just have to imprison or kill every firebender. But do you still bring balance at that point?

The invasion plan is clearly not a good one. It needed the support of some kind of anti-war faction within the Fire Nation, someone with at least some legitimacy that could take control after the invasion and hopefully not be overthrown immediately. Historically, invasions like these require some kind of local collaboration to work. If complete occupation/subjugation isn't a feasible goal, then I don't think deposing the Fire Lord makes much sense, because you have no idea if the new boss won't be the same as the old boss or even worse. Also, you've just pissed off the Fire Nation right before they get their power boost from the comet.

Sure, the eclipse is still a very unique strategic opportunity that begged to be used. So, what would have been a better way to use the eclipse? Well… I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I’m actually going to point at Bumi and Omashu. He had the right idea! The eclipse would have probably been better used to free large swathes of land currently occupied by the Fire Nation. This would have been a great opportunity to reclaim Ba Sing Se. Like… why not do that?

Anyway, that’s my take on it. The Day of Black Sun is still among my favorite episodes of the show, but I think if looked at more critically, there’s a lot to be said about this invasion plan. And like… you don’t have to look at it this way. You can just have fun with it. But eh, for me, picking it apart like this is part of the fun. 😉

mai gave azula her knife in DoBS.

I like to think that the knife Azula pulls out in DoBS was given to her by Mai because Mai was genuinely worried about her friend and wanted her to be extra protected after realizing what Azula was planning.

Perhaps she was thinking, "You're going to be up against the Avatar's group without your bending, at least have a weapon on you if things go south."

I know this is more of an unconventional take because it's a common opinion that Azula simply stole/took the knife from Mai's inventory but I like to think that the trio had a more nuanced and stronger friendship where actions were demonstrated more than words of affirmation.

Day of Black Sun Parts 1 & 2 Re-watch

I'm combining my thoughts on DOBS parts 1 & 2 because...Well, much like with my re-watch of 'The Beach' while I think we're looking at some of the show's strongest episodes, every scene has already been dissected & analyzed to death & back. So, I don't want to do that again.

Instead of doing a play-by-play reaction, I'll just talk about the stuff that stood out to me / that I really liked. I'm not the best person to analyze military plans or action sequences, but I really enjoyed all the battle scenes & strategic aspects of these episodes. (Although there are flaws in the invasion plan that those better at analyzing this stuff than I have discussed.) I feel like Sokka really got his moment, even though he's not good at public speaking - he even took charge when Hakoda was injured. +1000 iconic behavior points. Katara was also so brave for helping heal her father & I loved her bravery & supportiveness. +1000 iconic behavior points for her too.

Sokka also gets +1000 iconic behavior points for helping invent submarines. I think Sokka's engineering skills are his most impressive skillset. Oh, & I really love that Sokka made Appa armor - another +500 iconic behavior points! He's really wracking them up in this episode.

Azula continues to be a boss-ass bitch.

[id: Azula sitting on a throne, smirking. end id]

I absolutely loved the Sokka, Aang & Toph scenes with Azula. Azula is just so incredibly smart & good at manipulating people. She had everything mapped out. The only thing she didn't predict is Zuko's betrayal. I just fucking love her, she's so incredibly smart & badass. +3000 iconic behavior points.

Another thing that I really enjoyed was how Sokka just thought Toph was so fucking cool for getting them through the tunnels. And she WAS! +1000 iconic behavior points for Toph.

The last thing I'll talk about is Zuko's confrontation with Ozai. It was just an incredibly well-written moment & we truly see how far Zuko has come. His speech has been analyzed many times already but basically, I just absolutely love that Zuko finally understands the way he's been indoctrinated & the way that he was abused & he gets to confront his father & redirect his lightning. This is one of my favorite scenes in the whole show. +3000 iconic behavior points for Zuko.

The Gaang leaving the adults behind - especially Katara & Sokka leaving Hakoda behind - was such an emotional & painful scene.

These episodes are so strong & I think it's incredible the way they give a sense of hope even though this was a loss. I really do love this show & the characters with my whole heart. That's all I have to say for now.

OMG I just watched the DoBS pt 2 of S3 in ATLA.

I'm very late and have skipped stuff whuch I should go back to...

BUT WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK THERE IS SO MUCH STUFF I HAVEN'T SEEN MUCH META ABOUT ?!

My boy Sokka ??? Literally the best strategist ? Hakoda being the bravest dad ever ? I can't even ? Sokka is so so so smart and underrated. I can't even. The way he guessed Ozai had a bunker. His impeccable team work and complimenting Toph. The way he knew where Azula was going though she did get him. Ofc, Toph being the best earthbender. The way that little powerhouse found the effing bunker. She folded that hugeass metal door. Aang being Aang, the last hope of the world y'know. And Azula. Azula is absolutely fabulous. Then there is the parallel between her manipulating Sokka with Suki and Ozai manipulating Zuko to stay with Ursa...That was very interesting. Some other tumblr user had put a screencap of them and mentioned some parallel but I hadn't caught on since I hadn't seen the episode. I think it was smokey-liveblogs ? Feel free to correct me OP or anyone else who knows. I apologize if I am mistaken.

One thing I really liked was that the guys were free to express their feelings. Sokka's tears broke my heart. Poor baby, it feels as if the trauma from losing his mom, and Yue caught up to him...He probs wouldn't have survived losing Suki. Let's not talk abt Zuko, I have a very soft spot for sad abused kids.

Also, Azula's portrayal is probably one of the reasons some of us (me included, yea don't come for my head pls) keep on forgetting she's 14. The voice acting, the makeup, the smoothness...My girl coulda been some very influencial general or minister instead of Zuko's sister/ 2nd queen consort instead of Ozai's daughter and I wouldn't have questioned her abilities as a military strategist/politician. (And pls don't misunderstand, I am not pro Ozula or whatever, what I mean to say is that this little girl is so skilled she could have been a major adult villain and no questions would be asked lmao. Even now, many ppl think she is the older sister.) It's also very creepy...What kind of upbringing made Azula this manipulative ? While I have no doubts that Azula is very cunning and intelligent, I do not think that this level of manipulative prowess is normal for a small 14 yo, she literally caught the other smartest character in the show aka Sokka and grabbed him by the feels, and he does not strike me as a hothead (Zuko)/ Softie (Aang). The parallel is meant to show where she got it from (aka dear old genocidal phoenix papa).

I have already spoken about my own opinion on the Zuko/Ozai showdown. While most people find it -rightfully- cathartic, I personally feel it was not the smartest choice nor the most pragmatic. Aside from my own preferences, the writers could have avoided putting themselves in a tight spot with Zuko being able to kill Ozai and choosing not to "because destiny duh" then trying to convince Aang to do it, which many people -rightfully again- claim is non-sensical at best, hypocritical at worst, since Zuko is chill with calling for his death, though some think that seeing his demise as a necessary evil is not the same as killing him because he's still his father... I think that the confrontation would have been more interesting at the end of the series with a defeated Ozai instead. I would have loved it if Zuko decided to leave a letter and disappear to save Iroh/do stuff. Not only would it have avoided these writing "complications", but also it would have told us more about Zuko & Ozai's relationship indirectly. Would he care to open and read ? How much time would it take him to realize that Zuko peaced out of the palace lol ? What would have Zuko done had he left with Iroh or would they have gone separate ways ( Z with the Gaang/I with the white lotus)? Imagine my dude decided to join the invasion asap lol ? I am not sure as I am very new to this whole writing meta or whatever what this is considered to be, but I think that the main reason for this scene is probably to show the badassery of lightning redirection and "Iroh's teachings" finally getting through Zuko by having the very special technique he created saving his life from Ozai's abuse and generally horrible ways (imperialism, racism, genocide, child abuse, and so on...). It could have been replaced with something even more badass in my humble opinion : maybe him stopping combustion man with it and saving the Gaang's lives, Iroh's whole every nation/element matters coming full circle with him genuinely realizing the severity of his mistakes and protecting people of different nations from his country's march of genocide, the lightning being more than the symbol of the abuse he's been through, but all of FN's sins against its citizens and the other nations. I find this idea interesting in that it would have made Zuko's conflict and learning fit more into the grand scheme of things instead of an individual scale (he redirected lightning twice, once to save himself, and once to save Katara in canon, which is sometimes interpreted as a romantic gesture rather than a purely selfless one).

I didn't want to tackle the emotional impact of their confrontation because I feel it has been very largely touched upon by other very talented meta writers. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Again, going back to Toph and Sokka...Their wisdom is amazing. They may be children, but they are wise beyond their years. They stopped Aang from going to his own death. No, you weren't ready yet, sweetie pie. I love how they didn't lose faith despite their defeat. You can't save the world if you aren't very, very tenacious.I would have shipped Sokka x Toph if it weren't for the age gap and Suki's existence. 🙈

And...The water fam standing amidst of the bombings/chucking projectiles and planning...I wonder how this show was actually aimed at kids...Not easy to watch. I love how it absolutely captured the raw, vile brutality of war.

PS: Hakoda digging Katara's waterbending skills gave me life too, especially after seeing that episode where Pakku refused to teach her because she was a girl. And also, God I love healing, especially as a real life biological/medical science enthusiast. 🙈💖 *squeals* + Hakoda/Bato/the other adults being selfless and letting the kids escape as opposed to Ozai leaving Azula to fend off intruders...I'll never laud enough Hakoda's shielding his kids from the war.

PS 2: english is my 3rd language so I apologize for any strange sentence structures/incoherencies.

Conversations that definitely happened in the writers room

In honor of the current writers strike, I thought it would be a perfect time to talk about how insane the writers room must’ve been during the development of ATLA…

_____________

Day of Black Sun:

Bryke: We should have Katara and Aang kiss in this episode.

Writers: That could be cute. We could show Katara’s feelings finally become more clear to the audience with her smiling-

Bryke: No. We want him to grab her, kiss her while she looks frozen in shock, and then have her blush and frown while he flys off.

Writers: … Well, that’s a choice.

_____________

Ember Island Players:

Bryke: We want Aang to kiss Katara again.

Writers: This could work. We can finally show Aang’s feelings for Katara being reciprocated-

Bryke: No, we want Aang to demand an answer as to why they aren’t together after they kissed in DOBS. And then she responds with an entire monologue about her being confused and how this “isn’t a good time.”

Female writers: *Having flashbacks of all the times they have had to give the same speech to “nice guys” in their lives* And then… he kisses her?

Bryke: Yes, immediately after, but this time we want her to be visibly upset-

Female writers: *Muttering* At least that’s realistic.

Bryke: -angrily lashing out at him for his actions and then have her running off.

Writers: …

Bryke: We also want to have her sitting next to Zuko during the performance while having them bantering with each other in a positive manner while Aang looks at them angrily from afar.

Writers: After?

Bryke: No, in the lead up to the confrontation.

Writers: I’m sorry, what-

_____________

Imagine trying to write a compelling story that flows and makes sense, only for the two creators to get in the way and make the most bat-shit insane changes possible.

I would lose my fucking mind.

If anyone wants more, I have plenty…

Aang was a kid who was the sole survivor of a genocide. Why doesn't that factor in your opinion of him?

I've talked about this before, but his age and tragic backstory are irrelevant. ALL of the main characters are children with tragic backstories, and they are more empathetic, have more growth, and their tragic backstories...actually matter.

Listen, for all people whine about how often Katara talks about her mom (which isn't really that often), it's clear how her mother's death shaped her as a character. It's clear how witnessing her mother's death formed her worldview, and Kya sacrificing herself for Katara made a mark (she never turns her back on people who need her? COME ON! That is obviously her trying to save people the way she couldn't save her mother). Even her wanting to learn how to fight and not heal (which is an insane battle advantage, btw) speaks to her trauma around not being able to defend her mom.

Even Sokka's trauma around the loss of his father and not being deemed old enough (big enough/ strong enough/ smart enough) to go with Hakoda and the other warriors come through in his recurring need to prove himself (coming up with the big battle plan for DoBS, breaking his father out of prison, learning swordplay, etc.). It's woven so neatly into the narrative. His trauma matters to his story.

Toph is the least developed of the Gaang, and her issues with her parents have more impact on character than the destruction of the Air Nomads have on Aang. Heck, Zuko's entire arc hinges on compound traumas.

Meanwhile, Aang's trauma....? What trauma? Yes, the loss of the Air Nomads is a tragedy, but we, the audience, only know it's a tragedy because we have real world knowledge telling us so. Personally, I was in 3rd or 4th grade when I began learning about the Trail of Tears, and in kindergarten when I began learning about slavery (I was born in Harlem. The kindergarten I went to taught us accordingly). When I saw ATLA, I had a frame of reference for the genocide of the Air Nomads. But it didn't really seem to bother Aang all that much. Oh, sure, it did come up when it was convenient to the plot, but it mostly seemed to be a way for Aang to expound on the superiority of Air Nomad philosophy and society to whoever he's talking to. Aside from that, and his first rush of feeling when he found out what happened to them, the loss of the Air Nomads doesn't seem to effect Aang all that much. If he doesn't care about his tragic loss, why should I?

Aang is a fictional character. I don't have to extend the same pathos to him that I would to a real life person. It is the writers' duty to make me feel for him, and they did not. The way he's framed is the issue. And here is where I really start retreading things I've said before, but I think it needs to be repeated (again and again and again). Aang is not framed as someone who has a lot of growing up and learning to do. I could give him a pass on his worst traits because he's a child and still growing, but the show doesn't frame him that way. The show wants me to see him as a precocious imp who's wise-beyond-his-years but still has a cheeky lil' mischievous streak. It's not trying to frame his lying to the quarreling tribes in The Great Divide as a bump in his journey to becoming an effective leader bridging different people together. It wants the audience to laugh at him getting one over on the foolish tribes who absolutely went back to fighting as soon as Appa was out of sight. The show isn't framing his desperation to get the village in Avatar Day to like him as a foolish pursuit he needs to get over if he wants to be strong in the face of adversity. It wants us, the audience, to feel bad for him because his charm isn't immediately bringing the people over to his side. It wants us to be indignant that the villagers don't see how important Aang is and wont' support him. The show isn't framing Aang's non-con kisses with Katara as bad because it hurt her. It isn't making a point to that Aang needs to care about her feelings. It wants the audience to feel bad for Aang and hope for Katara to come around because he's A Nice Guy™️©️®️. Aang is never shown to be a particularly good friend to any of the Gaang, let alone him being kind to strangers just because that's his heart. All of that I would allow to be just him being a dumb kid with growing to do if the show hadn't made it clear that Aang was perfect and didn't have to change, and in fact the world should change for him.

Aang's age and tragic backstory are irrelevant because the show made them irrelevant. All they left us with was a Gary Stu character who hides his selfishness under a thin veneer of cheerfulness. It's not good enough.

Hi! Just a quick message to say that I love your analysis on Katara and Zuko and their dynamics with each other. I personally love how you place the emphasis on them having their journey towards growth together, but an individual one as well. I've only started watching AtlA two years ago, but reading your remarks during my second rewatch of the show made me appreciate the nuances of their relationship and arc more <3 I was just wondering, because you've made some good Zutara fic recs in the past, which Zutara long fic would you absolutely recommend? Thank you so much!

aww, thank you so much! i haven't read long zutara fics in quite some time actually but off the top of my head here are my favs:

the color of the stars by bluenebulae: yes i know i've recommended this fic a hundred times already but i will continue to do so bc it's SO GOOD. this is a book 3 canon divergence where zutara get captured together on DoBS and need to find their way back to the gaang together and it is just everything.

tempest in a teacup by akaVertigo: if you've been around in zutara fandom for a while, you probably already know this fic but i couldn't not include it. this is an au where katara ends up in the fire nation as a child after her mother's death and she and zuko grow up together. fire nation katara AUs do make me a little suspicious because they can easily be done wrong, but this one does it right and the writing is absolutely stunning so trust me when i say you won't be let down.

zuko's tiny dilemma by boogum: book 1 au where zuko is accidentally turned into a 6 year old (with his 16 year old consciousness) and the gaang ends up having to take care of him. i know that sounds like a weird set-up for romantic zutara but i promise nothing gross happens. it's actually a very funny, sweet and wholesome fic so i strongly encourage that you give it a chance!

the worst prisoner by emletishfish: book 1 au where sokka accidentally kidnaps zuko during the events of the blue spirit, and shenanigans and zutara ensue. this is the funniest zutara fic i have ever read AND there are two more installments in the series so you will be good to go for a long time.

(i couldn't find this fic in my bookmarks at first because my browser logged me out of ao3 and i nearly had a breakdown thinking it was gone forever and texted my friends in full panic mode, so that should tell you how much i adore it.)

once around the sun by eleventy7: i would be deeply remiss in offering fic recommendations if i didn't mention one of the most goated zutara fics of all time. i'll warn you now that though this fic has a happy ending, you should absolutely check the tags or you will be stabbed in the heart halfway through just like i was. the pain is definitely worth it, though.

i hope you enjoy reading these! <3

What does Ty Lee actually want (Ty Lee meta)?

ATLA establishes that Ty Lee ran away to the circus because she felt neglected, forgotten, and devalued in her family and wanted more attention and to be distinct. She found her time at the circus so enjoyable that Azula had to force her to leave.

Yet after that, she adapts easily to life with Azula and Mai. She not only performs her duty but often even anticipates what Azula wants and does it without Azula having to order it. Although she evidentially has some fear of Azula, she also seems to really enjoy what the Dangerous Ladies are doing. A lot of people claim that Ty Lee is merely putting on an act for Azula's benefit, but Ty Lee behaves the same playful way when Azula isn't present. Already, I think we can assume that even if Ty Lee could go back to the circus, she might choose not to. After all, she is doing something very distinctive and unique now and is getting lots of attention from a very high-ranking person (i.e. Azula).

Also in this period we see Ty Lee show some manipulative behavior toward Azula by showering her with compliments. A lot of people assume this was a way for Ty Lee to "pretend" to be utterly submissive to Azula and utterly non-threatening. However, although I think Ty Lee's behavior showed her acquiesce to the social hierarchy between Azula and her, I don't think this is what Ty Lee's actions are primarily about. Instead, I think Ty Lee was trying hard to get Azula to show her more attention. Moreover, her comments were in part genuine, as Ty Lee legitimately admired Azula a lot.

Then the Fire teens return home. At this point, Ty Lee should be able to get all the attention in the world, since she helped conquer Ba Sing Se and is also clearly one of Azula's favorites. I think Ty Lee was likely staying in the palace, and not with her family at this point. It's also not clear to what degree Azula is implicitly or explicitly preventing Ty Lee from leaving at this point. The war seems nearly won, Azula's mission is complete, and we don't even see Azula use Ty Lee during the Day of Black Sun. But it's very much not clear to what degree Ty Lee even wants to leave. She's back together with her friends and Zuko, has really made a name for herself, and is probably living separately from her family. However, we hardly see or hear anything about her in this period other than the beach trip, so it's hard to judge what she wanted.

Then DoBS and Boiling Rock goes down. At the end of the series, Ty Lee is free to do whatever she wants. What does she do? Does she go back to the circus? Does she stick around to help Mai?

No, she joins up with the Kyoshi Warriors, a hierarchical group of child soldiers. It seems like perhaps she's a little nostalgic for her time with Mai and Azula, running around conquering things in the Earth Kingdom.

Perhaps I'm wrong. Maybe the Kyoshi Warriors were just a fast way out of the Fire Nation for Ty Lee, and she abandoned them pretty rapidly after that. Still, it is interesting, especially considering the Kyoshi Warriors wear matching makeup which obscures their features, while Ty Lee said that she doesn't like being part of a matched set.

It's very clear what Azula wants. It's very clear what Mai wants. But it's far less clear what Ty Lee really wants, probably even to herself.

Employee File #72566

Name: Roe Marin

Age: 21 y/o

DOB: October 8th, XXXX

Gender: Female (she/her)

Species: Inkling

Current Title: EVP 999

Long-time employee of Grizzco, Marin has shown time and time again her loyalty and skill to the company. Joining the company at a young age along side her (adopted) brother, Atlas Marin, when the company was also still young, she practically grew up with the company as it became the corporation we know and love(?) today. Ms. Marin currently resides in Inkopolis Square working for the Inkopolis Square branch of Grizzco, though, she has been asked to travel to Grizzco’s two other branches to help out from time to time.

Marin is dedicated to her work as a salmon runner. With her time and experience, she is now considered one of the best in the company, with many younger employees looking up to her as a role model. Despite that, Marin has kept her heart of gold, not letting her rank go to her head and is always around to lend a helping hand or just to make a fellow co-worker smile.

Well, that’s a little formal… Hello! I’m Roe, and I’m a representative of Grizzco Industries. I’d love to talk about my line of work if you’re curious! Let me reel you in… oh that was stupid… with helping you, wether it’s with those fish, or about the opportunities we offer here at Grizzco!

#WeAreGrizzco #AskASalmonRunner

Let's talk about Azula & Ozai’s psychological abuse for a second. (Part 1)

Quick recap: I recently had the opportunity to visit the Writer's Guild of America (WGA). It was so fascinating to see how scripts are written, better understand the explicit motivations of certain characters and scenes, and the way the quality of an episode translates from pre-production to air time. I already have a lot of thoughts on the scripts I got my hands on (mostly Avatar) that I'll be unrolling, and I'm hoping to return to gather some thoughts on BoJack Horseman (I ran out of time within the opening times of the library because apparently 7 hours is not enough).

There was a lot of work on the ATLA writing team’s part that I found admirable and a lot that I found... less so. I will address both in time (as this post will)—but I want to start with the worst thing I found.

(S3E20, Sozin’s Comet: Avatar Aang, written by Mike DiMartino & Bryan Konietzko)

The ensnared Azula thrashes like a feral animal, breathing fire in desperation. Katara helps Zuko stand and they walk over to where Azula is tethered.

As Katara and Zuko watch with pained faces, Azula finally snaps, going from feral animal to bumbling crazy person.

AZULA: (WILD SCREAMS INTO PATHETIC BUMBLING AND CRYING)

(Emphasis is mine)

There’s a lot to unpack here—the way Bryke never sympathize with Azula’s pain and trauma here or even attempt to POV her internal dialogue for a sentence, the way their comparisons dehumanize her tragically human emotions, how the descriptions “feral animal” and “bumbling crazy person” are misogynistic, ableist, and horrific as fuck. But keep this all on hold as we take a step back and talk about Ozai.

One of the effects of reading Avatar scripts vs. watching the show was getting to read Zuko's confrontation with Ozai in DOBS line-by-line and recognize the psychological abuse patterns Ozai exhibits. For the most part, the audience sees Ozai’s physical abuse through the lens of Zuko's most traumatic experience—getting dueled, burned, and banished at thirteen for speaking out of turn—but we seldom get to see the ways Ozai works at Zuko psychologically  because of how little the two directly interact during the runtime of the show.

We get a hint of it here:

And can fill in the blanks based on how abysmal Zuko's self-image is. But, with the help of the direct script, Zuko’s confrontation with his father alone can tell us a lot about Ozai’s psychology—and the psychology of the environment Zuko and Azula were raised in.

Because of how it applies to The Abuse Event™, we already know that Ozai tends to threaten Zuko into submission. Ozai’s actions assert that “respect” is “do exactly what I say, no questions asked”, that Ozai (as their father) must be given “respect” or dangerous consequences lie on the horizon, and that any semblance of approval or positive affirmation can only be earned by being “respectful” and being “good enough” to live up to his exceeding expectations (more on this later):

“You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher.”

We see him employ the same style of direct intimidation at the start of Zuko’s confrontation:

ZUKO: In fact, he’s probably leading this very invasion — he could be on his way here right now.

FIRELORD OZAI: (ENRAGED SCREAM) Get out! Get out of my sight right now if you know what’s good for you.

Zuko doesn’t flinch.

ZUKO: That’s another thing — I’m not taking orders from you anymore.

Ozai gets up and moves toward Zuko aggressively.

OZAI: You will obey me, or this defiant breath will be your last…

Quick tangent; can I mention how gratifying that three-word stage direction is? Zuko doesn’t flinch. After his father’s enraged scream. And it’s equally gratifying to see Ozai’s temper rise for the first time as he realizes his threats have lost their grip.

After all, what abusers hate most is losing their control.

Anyway—let’s see what else we pick apart about Ozai’s behavior from this conversation. He cuts down on Zuko’s character in an effort to diminish him into doing exactly he wants:

FIRELORD OZAI: Coward! You think you’re brave enough to face me, but you’ll only do it during the eclipse. If you have any real courage you’ll stick around until the Sun comes out.”

And he sneers at Zuko’s sentiment about “peace and kindness” by deriding his brother:

FIRELORD OZAI: (LAUGHS DERISIVELY) Your uncle has gotten to you, hasn’t he?

ZUKO: Yes.

Zuko smiles.

ZUKO (cont’d): He has.

FIRELORD OZAI: (SCOWLS)

FIRELORD OZAI: Oh, that’s just beautiful, maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure.

So, Ozai does a couple of significant things in this last bit. For one, we see that he freely throws negative shade at other people and generally looks down upon others; these are tendencies we have seen both his children parrot at different times in the show. But he’s employing another narcissistic abuse tactic here—by speaking ill of Iroh and cutting down on his character, Ozai is trying to degrade Zuko’s trust in his uncle and thereby isolate Zuko from his support system. We can presume he’s done this countless times before because we have already seen his tactic work its magic. Earlier in the series, Zuko has little respect for Iroh despite being highly esteemed, and calls his uncle shallow, mistrustful, fat, and lazy countless times. He especially denigrates Iroh when he is trying to justify upholding his father’s demands over Iroh’s genuine advice. However, Zuko knows better now than to listen to his father’s persuasion, and we see Ozai’s true intentions when he scowls wordlessly at Zuko.

I don’t doubt that he has ridiculed others in his childrens’ lives in the exact same way—particularly Ursa. Perhaps this is why Azula’s relationship with her mother was as complicated as it was, or why she gravitated towards Ozai’s parenting and adopted her father’s views of their family well before her mother’s disappearance. And we know he speaks of Zuko in this way, because we have direct evidence of Ozai telling his other child that Zuko is a failure (and also commanding her on a task in the same breath—there is no mistaking the underlying threat behind this introductory scene).

And then finally, when all of these tactics cease to work—when he feels his control slipping—he jabs at Zuko’s deepest attachments to regain control over him via emotional blackmail. And relishes in getting to do so.

Zuko doesn’t turn around, he starts WALKING AWAY. The Firelord EASES back into his chair — he is confident in his next tactic.

FIRELORD OZAI: Don’t you want to know what happened to your mother?

I don’t doubt that Ozai has used these same tactics on his other child, Azula, to get her exactly where he wants her to be. Even if he was more prone to flattering Azula or she was more capable of living to his demands, she still lives under the exact same danger of conditional love that her brother had earlier in the season, and is likely terrified of the consequences of losing that approval (which is why she throws her “Avatar-slayer” title onto Zuko). And even if Azula never “had it as bad”, kids pick up on things and even if it isn’t you, there is always the fear that it could be.

Now, about Azula. (Click here)

[ Behind the scenes for ATLA. ]

[ Zuko and Ozai’s scene during the Day of Black Sun. ]

Zuko: Think again. I-

[ Sokka and Azula’s voices can be heard in the background. ]

Zuko: Is this like acting in the round?

Sokka: No! We were acting first.

Zuko laughing: We…we got like nine cameras on us. What are you doing?

why i love azulaang

I got an ask earlier on what got me into Azulaang.  For me, what got me into it isn’t really related to why I love it so much, so that’s going into this post.  Azulaang from a narrative perspective, their roles in the universe, story, and as foils to each other.

Side note, but this got LONG, so it’s under a cut and thank you to anyone who reads this all oh god oh no

In the canonical series itself (aka, the show), Azulaang actually doesn’t get much interaction besides battles.  I believe the only times they directly address each other is in The Chase, and maybe DOBS-though, day was more of Sokka, Toph AND Aang talking with Azula.  The only one-on-one exchange of dialogue they have is in The Chase.  It’s where Azula introduces herself, and Aang tells her that he’s going to fight.  He’s not just prey that will go with her easily.  A nice contrast to the predator and prey theme of the episode.  Azula is relenting, never stopping in her pursuit, and though he and the Gaang run and run, eventually he decides to face her alone.  I think this is a good summary of their dynamic in s2.

But that was actually just a tangent.  See, the main form of storytelling we see for Azulaang is.  Well.  Physical.  They don’t talk, they fight.  Which is natural, since they’re enemies, but Aang talks a lot.  Like, a lot a lot, even in fights.  Azula, too, she makes verbal jabs and insults to Zuko in their fights and Suki too.  But when she’s fighting Aang, there’s... nothing? And same with Aang.  Almost all of their storytelling, their dynamics, is told through fights, and seeing as how ATLA is an action series, fights have just as much meaning in the storytelling as anything else.

You might be thinking, “but isn’t that just them fighting?  doesn’t that mean they hate each other?  you can’t have a dynamic out of fight scenes alone!” you fool.  You foolish fool.  1) Enemies to lovers.  2) You put two prodigies of their respective elements, one a princess groomed from birth to be her father’s right-hand, the other destined to become the most powerful person on earth, both designed to be weapons by the adults around them, and you think that fighting/bending WOULDN’T be as much as a form of communication, an expression of themselves, as a conversation around a campfire?

Azula killing Aang at the end of S2 is the last time they really fight, which I think is pretty interesting.  I’m sure there’s more I could say about it from a narrative perspective, but that’s more on post-show potential than anything else, plus brain not co-operating atm.

And, yeah, I gotta bring attention to their positions as narrative foils.  Parallels.  Whatever.  They’re similar.  Like, really similar.  And of course, Zuko + Azula & Aang + Katara + Sokka all have similarities that can tie them to one another, but Azulaang is one of the ones which I think doesn’t get the commentary it deserves. (side-note, but I wish more people discussed Azula & Katara in how they approach being ‘women’ despite being very young in the absence of their mother, where Katara puts herself in a motherly role because she and Sokka both have a hole to fill, and Azula makes herself seem older than she truly is, lipsticks and make-up and long nails and all, because Ursa leaving took the last of her childhood away)

So, let’s look at them:

Young prodigies of their respective bending arts (for Aang, his airbending of course).  They are recognized for this and praised for so.  With Azula, it’s shown in Zuko Alone when Ozai shows her off, and also her introduction scenes in s2 to show off just how formidable she was.  With Aang, it’s the fact he’s a master at such a young age.  Of course, there’s differences too.  Azula’s natural talent is honed by the adults around her.  She is being raised for war.  Aang’s is, well, I assume normal for Air Nomads.  The monks knew he was the Avatar, but given that he didn’t find out until he was 12, I don’t think that really affected his airbending.

You take these prodigies, and you put them in war.  They are given responsibilities that seem impossible to handle.  No adults can handle them, after all.  Aang must end the war that’s been happening for a hundred years.  He must be the one to defeat the Fire Lord - something that Roku couldn’t do.  Azula must capture her brother and uncle.  In time, she gives herself more responsibilities: kill the Avatar.  Conquer Ba Sing Se (which Iroh himself couldn’t do).  Aang must help end the war.  He’s a key part in ending it.  Azula must end the war.  She’s a key part in ending it.  They are on different sides of the battle.

The adults around them, the same ones who give them these responsibilities, they do not see them other than their power.  Generals look at Aang and the Avatar State, and decide to use him as a weapon.  Ozai looks at Azula and her talents, and decides to raise her as a weapon.  These two in particular get this more than any other characters in the series I think.  Absolutely there’s other characters who are strong, prodigies, young, with the world on their shoulders.  But none are quite as... not sure about the word.  I don’t wanna say dehumanized.  Weaponized?  As Azula and Aang.

Thing is, though, that Aang has unconditional love on his side.  When he was younger, he had Monk Gyatso, he had Appa.  He had the other kids in the Temples, he had friends around the world, he was allowed to be a normal kid.  Azula didn’t have that.  Ozai’s ‘love’ was conditional.  She believed that Ursa thought she was a monster.  Yes, she had friends in Mai and Ty Lee, but whether they began as genuine friendships or not, they ended with her clinging onto them through fear.  Aang had the Gaang throughout the series.  People joined him, he made relationships, he was loved by so many because of his journey.  Everyone left Azula.

So, you take these two characters, these foils, who are so close to understanding each other but one’s missing the key that makes the other stand victorious in the end of the show.  Azula’s story is a tragedy, Aang’s is that of a hero.  And I think the beauty of that, in Azulaang, is that Aang reaches out to Azula.  Despite her killing him, the hurt she’s caused, and all their fights, Aang understands her.  Most fics and such I’ve read of this pair - well, it’s not as easy as just that.  Their relationship is a complicated rollercoaster.  Recovery and redemption does not come easy.  In those fics that don’t take place after the pair has been established already, there’s something just really.  Really hits me hard.  About Azula being forgiven, loved, and challenged, by the boy she’s killed, and the boy who won the war.

Less of a meta-note and more fluffy.  But domestic!Azulaang gives me joy.  Obviously they’d presumably have responsibilities with the world post-war (married office couple talking shit about governors vibes), but I fully believe that Aang would take Azula on a Appa-trip (atla universe equivalent of a road trip) and show her the world outside of the Fire Nation Palace, war council rooms, and yknow.  War.

Also, I like bullying Ozai, and if there’s one thing that would cause him more pain than finding out his son’s partner was a nonbender with a worse sense of humor than Iroh from the Southern Water Tribe, it would be his daughter, the one he molded to fit into his absolute image, dating the AVATAR, a monk, who took away his bending and keeps showing him a weird marble trick, “Azula make him stop please this is torture, what do you MEAN you want me to spend time with your future son-in-law, i am NOT allowing you to - DONT WALK AWAY FROM ME, HELP ME”

Zuko isn’t getting bullied as much, but I think Azula and Aang would love teasing him.  Affectionately.  He wouldn’t mind as much because it comes from a place of love and care.

This shit took like an hour to write jfc