#sokka fucking hated zuko at the beginning of the episode
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Just rewatched The Boiling Rock
#baked bean originals#atla#avatar the last airbender#sokka#zuko#sokka fucking hated zuko at the beginning of the episode#it took zuko deciding to tag along on his little suicide mission for Sokka to warm up to him#this is going to be tagged as zukka isn't it
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An analysis/rant about netflix's ATLA episode 1
who is that guy ?????
oh he's dead now ig it doesn't matter
the people in the intro were giving uncanny
i like the costumes, they're cute, i like zuko's crew especially. and i like that everyone on the ship is wearing armor except for iroh
aang's airbending bordered on flying waaay too many times
loooove gordon cormier, he's such a great aang
interesting choice to have them know about the comet right from the beginning ? i mean i guess it works to set up the end earlier on. i do actually think i like that it was originally something the air nomads celebrated and it got stolen from them by the fire nation
my biggest pet peeve continues to be how much they just say the things meant to be showed or explored later on. zuko wastes a scene info dumping to his uncle about things he already knows just so the audience is caught up, gran gran spits out all the avatar lore suddenly, aang gives an entire monologue about being the avatar before he runs away when his thoughts should absolutely not be that clear about it yet.
appa crying ;(((((((( my day was ruined
i'm about to be very predictable but i think it's so stupid that aang wasn't even trying to run away after finding out he's the avatar. they left out what feels like an entire part of his arc and now he feels more like a vessel of information rather than an actual person with feelings
i hate the glowy eyes when they firebend lol
i like that they left in katara being a bad bender at the start instead of just making her a girlboss
no penguin sledding FUCKKK WHAT'S EVEN THE POINT ANYMORE
dallas liu sounds so much like zuko to me. like, his voice is so different but it just sounds like zuko
fire fucking shot what the hell
aang's nightmares make no sense when we just saw what happened barely a minute ago, it's fine if that's how they wanted to set up his past but it doesn't feel like these things happened 100 years ago at all. the nightmares could've come in later or never at all.
i love that aang and katara still got their bonding moment, even if it was different from the original
didn't get a boomerang scene. so fucking sad
the conversation between iroh and aang was cool👍
NO MOTHERFUCKING YIP YIP ?????? IS THIS WHAT THE WORLD HAS COME TO
anyway, zuko was such a weirdo <3 love that <33 now for the serious opinions
it bothers me SO much that this guy is so old, like what's the purpose of sokka then ?? if the rest of the men in the tribe aren't literal toddlers ??
sure sokka was the protector but this guy existing means he wasn't ever that alone in that role. it makes who he was a lot more superficial. sure, you can argue some of the people of the southern water tribe believed the role was superficial, or just not that important, but to sokka it was who he was and what shaped him. i'm guessing they probably did this because it was kind of insane to leave the entire tribe alone without sokka there to protect them. but to me that was always the point. sokka didn't want to leave, but he understood that leaving them alone was for a greater good that would ultimately mean all of their safety. he was able to leave because he knew, in a way, he was still doing everything he could to protect them. now he just gets to walk away without any worries, leaving behind a role that was apparently not even that important to him ?? also !! it does feel a bit sexist on the creators' part to think that surely those women couldn't have survived on their own, they need whoever has some testosterone to protect them. that's literally what hakoda did and what caused sokka to have wrong ideals (wether or not hakoda did it with these intentions or not). so. the showrunners just did that to another character but without punishing it this time.
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I AM BANGING MY HEAD AGAINST THE FUCKING WALL AND ABOUT TO CRY I'M SO FUCKING MAD I HATE ZKS I HATE ZKS I HATE ZKS
okay, now that THAT is out of the way. I hate how zutarians treat Jet. I get aang, as he is katara's canon love interest and the one she ultimately ends up with. Naturally, this would screw with zks' delusions so, yeah, I can see where the hate is coming from, I understand (though by no means do I endorse it)
BUT JET??? WTF DID HE DO?? He was never a "threat" to zk, because katara ditched the barely a day long crush on him the second she learned about his plan. Was it the fact that he (rightfully!!!) calls out iroh and zuko and is antagonistic of them for not just being fn, but for straight up being fucking ROYALS, WHOSE DIRECT ANCESTOR IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WAR IN THE FIRST PLACE??
It doesn't matter to zks that jetara was obviously never going to be canon. It doesn't matter to zks that jet's anger is justified. It doesn't matter that jet is probably one of the most tragic characters in the whole fucking franchise, who suffers greatly from war, becomes severely traumatized, loses pretty much everything and on top of that has an "honour" to be one of the few characters who DIES ON SCREEN. It doesn't matter to zks that he's just like katara, sokka and aang - a child permanently scarred by the war.
None of this matters!! He's now a sexist (wut) prick who downplays katara's achievements, toxic, cheats on her (wut) and in some cases just straight up abusive. Basically completely takes over what is usually aang's ""role"" in zks' fewer dreams as katara's abusive ex whom zuko saves her from.
WITH MY WHOLE FUCKING HEART - FUCK ZKS. It's one thing if it's projection and something like that for the sake of smut or whatever. I'm proship, I don't give a flying fuck about 99% of the stuff I see. But this is just a disrespect to Jet's whole character. Why can't they just make up a whole new faceless dude for the role of an abusive ex? Why does it have to be one of the characters, especially ones who were never interested in katara to begin with?!?!
1 - Jet has a lot in common with Zuko, but he is still obviously not the same as Zuko - yet Katara had feelings for him, and not for the fandom's favorite moody boy (and she had WAAAAAY better chemistry with Jet than she ever did with Zuko). Can't have that.
2 - Jet HATES the Fire Nation, which is completely fair (even if his actions in his introduction episode were attrocious). And this fandom, for whatever reason, LOVES to pretend "The Fire Nation totally had a bit of a point" and "Sozin was not an evil man, he just wanted to help people, please forget that he chose to use the comet to wipe out an entire race from the face of the Earth." Jet was always going to be controversial because the fandom would take his (incorrect) way of dealing with his trauma as proof he was 100% pure, while excuse Fire Nation characters that did bad things but had a heart/tragic backstory. Double-standards at it's finest.
3 - He antagonized Iroh and Zuko, two fan favorites. This is, apparently, the worst crime one can commit. As an Azula fan, I should know.
4 - The show was not always fair to Jet either. While they redeemed and KILLED him and the Gaang was clearly upset, the only time he is ever brought up again (without it being a joke) was in the Southern Raiders, and it only mentions the awful behavior he came to regret - not his change of heart. Sure, it was not an innacurate comparison at the moment, but it's unfair that the dude DIED to prove he had changed but is never remembered for anything other than his worst action.
5 - Bryke, unfairly, said anyone who ships Zutara is doomed to have awful, failed relationships for liking such a "dark" ship. They did not like that, and thus double-down on making anyone that had any involvement with Katara be the literal devil in their fics. Unlike Aang, Jet actually DID manipulate Katara once and showed he could get violent towards people with no provocation, so they latch onto that to go "See? OUR ship is not the bad one, THIS is!" completely ignoring Jet's regret, growth, and redemption, as well as Katara's forgivenes.
Anyways, Jet isn't even among my favorite Avatar characters, but Jesus, does the fandom love to crucify that boy for things they'd absolutely forgive characters like Zuko and Iroh for.
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Netflix Live-Action ATLA Review
episode 1: Aang
Parts I like:
The costumes and sets
I really like them they look awsome
Like I gasped at the southern air temple it’s beautiful
Extra world building of the comet festival
Look it makes like a lot of sense
It also makes me hate sozin even more
Like they were Celebrating! This was supposed to be a time of happiness
Zukos conspiracy wall and journal
It’s fucking hilarious
Like the first thing he does is draw a picture of aang after losing him? A+ characterization I love him already
Gyatso
Look I’m sad we didn’t get the pie scene but I also like this one a lot
“I will always be your friend” excuse me while I go drown myself in the shower
The side characters
It’s neat to see side characters getting some love
(Aka Captain jee, that water tribe boy, and the little kids who threw fucking rocks at the soldiers like Jesus Christ man)
Parts I did not like:
Extreme exposition (especially at the beginning)
I get that you’re trying to get new viewers up to speed with old fans while not boring old fans but still
I just- don’t really like it :/
The bending
Ough no
It feels weird and robotic?
It’s missing something? Like it doesn’t feel as grounded as bending from the original series
in the original you could see the martial art styles in it, this just feel like empty punches and kicks
The CG animals
Why
The fight scenes
Partly the same issue with bending
But also a lot of the time they feel unnecessary
(Not that the scenes themself are unnecessary, but that they’re putting in extra violence just for the sake of making a fight scene)
Also, the airbending fight scenes
A) airbender don’t like fighting, I get it in some contexts but the fact that it was the first thing they went to felt wrong
B) Airbenders evade and avoid. Monk gyatso and that other tornado lady were very much Not evading or avoiding.
zukos scar
Stop being cowards!
make the scar obvious and horrifying to see
a 13 year old got his face burned off by his dad!! That is supremly fucked up
make the scar reflect the cruelty of ozai (and in some extension the war)
Things I noticed but am mostly neutral about for now:
They changed the characterizations a lot
It feels like they sanded the characters down by taking away their more extreme traits
Zuko’s anger issues
Katara’s anger issues
Sokka being a huge loser
Aang avoiding all his problems
But I’m willing to wait and see if they give them different characterizations instead
(Like zuko still being an obsessive freak, just not in a “fuck all of you I must capture the avatar to regain my honor” way but instead a “I have a conspiracy wall about the avatar”
I like sokka
Not as much as the original, but he’s still fun :)
The southern water tribe
It seems a lot more populated
Which (like zukos scar) seems to detract for how horrible the consequences of the war
Like it’s supposed to be: look at how small and pathetic this village is! It used to be giant and full of life but now everyone is gone (lost to war but not all through death)
But it’s still neat ig
“The northern water tribe still fights strong” GIRL the FUCK YOU MEAN-
kataang is 100% not happening lol
like absolutely not happening
im not even sure if I would Want it to happen in this situation
aang is too baby
(honestly I’m mostly neutral on this ship anyway so whatever I guess)
#Atla#atla live action#netflix atla#natla#jamstuff#Jamtalks#Aang#katara#zuko#sokka#reveiw#ep 01 se 1
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hi nina:) 12 + 7?
hi abby :)
12. the unpopular character that you actually like and why more people should like them
gee i can't imagine why the person who got me into pianjeong would ask me this lol
i think what drew me to jeong jeong initially is just how unique he is within the avatar universe. jeong jeong hates himself and sees himself as inherently violent and evil because he is a firebender, which clearly comes from being in the fire nation military and seeing firsthand how firebending was used in service of violent imperialism. when he bends fire, he does so in a totally unique way, manipulating it like it's outside himself, like it's water or earth. zuko also has an arc of leaving the fire nation imperialism machine and feeling guilt for what he did as part of it, but while his bending does suffer from his worldview change it just fizzles out. jeong jeong's constructed a whole worldview about fire and a full bending work-around because of his guilt.
jeong jeong is meant to represent an incorrect worldview, but we see in zhao that there is some truth to it, and we only really get the counterpoint seasons later with the sun warriors. this means he doesn't come off as a strawman for his beliefs and we are left to sit with it for a while. further, jeong jeong doesn't get that resolution himself - it's through aang and zuko. and they aren't fucked up in the same way he is, so it's not like there's an obvious resolution for him even if there's a resolution for his episode's topics. not only is jeong jeong really uniquely Messed Up, by virtue of being a minor character his story is unfinished, leading one to think about How To Resolve It.
and THAT'S not even getting into how his extreme disconnect from his bending can read as gender dysphoria or internalized homophobia, or how the autism-coding of the Wise Old Master trope intersects with that and everything else about his character to paint a picture of someone who struggled to conform to the standards of a hypermasculine repressive social structure like an imperial military before breaking free.
and maybe we've all felt guilty and self-loathing at some point in our lives and he speaks to that.
7. what character did you begin to hate not because of canon but because how how the fandom acts about them?
i can't let fandom make me hate characters i like but boy is it trying with zuko. if people could just shut up about zuko on posts he's not involved in that would be great. also i wish i could feel better being an azula fan but unfortunately her fans have such bad takes about ursa and zuko and iroh. like i'm not a fan of any character just so i can prioritize their perspective and pain over that of other characters. i'm not a fan of sokka who thinks katara is terrible for not understanding him or a katara fan who thinks he's terrible for not understanding her. i love them both with all their sibling tensions. i wish fans of zuko and azula could do that.
ask game
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Welp, you probly saw this one coming. And I'm gonna be the one to ask it. Have you seen the live action AtLA, and if so, what did you think and/or how did you feel?
I have watched it!
Spoilers ahead, so I'll put it under a cut.
Hmmmm. Well, I didn't hate it, the way I hated the live action movie. The producers clearly cared a great deal about the source material, which was a nice change. I do feel like the series was done with love for the source material, which was not what happened with the movie. (Shyamalan himself admitted he'd never even seen ATLA - neither before nor after he directed the film. Unacceptable.)
I think, however, that there were two issues with the Netflix version that made it so it couldn't possibly match up to the animated series.
Due to time and budget constraints, they could only show the plotlines that moved the main story forward and thus missed out on so much of the deep dive into the characters and worldbuilding that the original series is known for, and;
The show is unclear about who the series is actually for.
The first point is one that streaming services like Netflix and the rest are especially guilty of perpetrating all the time, not just with Avatar, for sure. While I appreciate the time and budget constraints, the reality is that all of those "filler" episodes in ATLA gave us a greater understanding of these children, their world, and their relationships with each other. It's important that we understand that Aang is a LITTLE BOY - in his mind, in the beginning, he's only been the Avatar for a day. He isn't even his teens yet! Having him want to sled on otter penguins and ride elephant koi establishes for us that he's just a 12 year old kid who has zero idea what being the Avatar means, because he's not had the time to learn what it is to be the Avatar. (It's established in the original that the Avatar isn't told who they are until they are 18 or so - the decision to tell Aang so young has to do with war, and not tradition. It's also very telling that the Avatar after Aang can already bend 3 out of the 4 elements when still a fucking toddler.) Having him understand the gravitas of being the Avatar straight out the gate - not even a day has gone by for him, despite 100 years going by for everyone else - takes him right the fuck out of he's just a child figuring it out territory and into he's a Messianic Figure territory in the space of 30 minutes. Which you know. Makes it into a different show entirely.
Sokka and Katara, despite their trauma, are still kids. They don't know how to handle their shit yet. (Which is why, in the original, Sokka tries to be the adult of the group, but in reality he's a 15 year old kid who's had too much responsibility heaped onto his head and he is aching to just be a regular teen in a way he's never been allowed to be. And do dumb shit. Like drink cactus juice. Or go shopping for matching bags.) The showrunners have explained that they didn't think Sokka's misogynistic arc was necessary but uh. It is. Sokka has no idea what it means to be a man, because he's had no good example. He has to learn that as he goes - and by the time he gets to the North Pole, where misogyny is actively practiced, he has matured enough to understand why it's wrong, even during war. Sokka, as a character, learns more than all the rest of the Gaang put together. Sure, he's not a bender and no, he hasn't got Zuko's redemption arc, but Sokka is their leader. He has to learn how to actually lead the rest of them without being a douche about it, and that growth - which he does on his own - gives us the Sokka who has become a respected leader at the end of the series, despite his age. He grows into that, despite his mistakes. He learns. And he never gives up his humor, his sarcasm, and his personality to do it. We know, in the original, that Sokka has been damaged by this war. It's painfully clear. But that's because the original shows us, and it does that through all of the "filler" episodes. It does not tell us. The Netflix version tells us, and then tells us some more, making him humorless and dour. Oof. Why the hell would either Suki or Yue be interested in this dude? The original Sokka was funny, despite his missteps. He was humble in trying to make amends. He was vulnerable. This kid? Yeah, whatever. No shade on Ian Ousley. He's not being directed well, and the writing has failed him.
And Katara. Well. Let's just say that I would believe that this Katara would be happy to grow up into nothing but a wife and mother, content to raise the Avatar's babies and sit passively by in her old age, refusing to get involved in the civil war brewing in the South Pole, not expecting a statue the way the rest of them got. The only time we see her with a bit of a spark is when she challenges Pakku, but even at that there's no passion, no anger. Where's our passionate Katara, the match for Zuko's rage? She's the last surviving Southern Water Tribe waterbender, and original Katara is constantly aware of that in a way that Aang, the last surviving Airbender, isn't for quite some time. That juxtaposition of the two of them and their awareness of who they are - in the entire world! - shows us the difference between a girl who was raised in and suffered great losses due to war and a boy who was raised in peace and prosperity. The Netflix version doesn't even TELL us this, short of a flashback of her mother being fried. OG Katara is driven to learn waterbending because she knows that her very people - her very culture - depends upon her learning it, and despite her patience with Aang and her natural gift for teaching, she never forgets it. And again, no shade on Kiawentiio, who I think is actually a fine actress. She's just not being allowed to do what she needs to do by the writing/directing, and that's not on her.
The same goes for Gordon Cormier, who is fine as Aang. But I wish like hell they'd actually let him play Aang, instead of whoever this kid in the remake is. Because I bet if they had let him, he would have nailed that wonderful, playful and yes, deeply afraid little boy who does depend on his friends, but not just because the script makes him tell us, again and again and again. (We get it, Albert Kim. You don't have to keep telling us, in so many words, that Aang needs his friends. Please. For the love of Kyoshi, stop telling us.)
But really, this is one example of what condensing 20 episodes into 8 does for us. We're told Aang needs his friends, instead of watching it unfold naturally as time goes on. Only hitting the bare basic of plot points means that it's the plot that concisely drives the live action show, and not the characters. It really changes the show, and not in a way that I personally enjoyed.
Now to be clear, I was fine with some of the changes they made to the original story. I was okay with both Katara and Sokka being taken into the spirit world, etc. I wasn't expecting a remake beat by beat, and honestly, wouldn't want that. You hope to see something new in a remake, or what's the point? But boy, did I miss the filler bits. Which, in a show as well done as the original, were vital to the show itself.
Plenty of people have bitched about the CGI with regards to all the fantasy animals but it's no worse than any of the endless CGI we're subjected to nowadays. I just expected it to be as crappy as any of the rest - looking at you, Marvel movies - and it was. At this point I keep my expectations at zero with CGI. Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised, but in this particular case it did the bare minimum of what it needed to do, even if it meant that Appa had zero personality. (See only focusing on plot instead of characters, above.) I don't really know what else to say about that.
The costumes were adequate. That being said, Sokka and Katara's perfect clothing was a joke. I mean, you keep TELLING us that the war has devastated the Southern Water Tribe but these kids are wearing brand new, well-fitted, unstained clothing? Come on. They'd be wearing hand-me-downs, worn with use, repaired with whatever their tiny, isolated village had at hand. It's appropriate to have certain characters wearing well-made clothing - the Fire Nationals, to name one. (Bumi's outrageous hat was glorious, and perfectly on point.) But these peasants we see, the Earth Kingdom ones who are downtrodden, often starving? Why are their clothes so nice? I'm not talking about their clothes not being fancy. I mean, where's the wear and tear? Why aren't the costumes more ill-fitting or on the ragged side? Even Jet looked pretty spiffy, scruffy hair notwithstanding. It was something that nagged at me the entire time I was watching.
Although props to whomever is doing hair and makeup, because Kiawentiio's messily braided hair and her clear, bare skin are perfect. (That applies to all the teenage girls, none of whom were made up. Not counting the Kyoshi makeup, of course. That's what happens when you cast a 14 year old to play a 14 year old, instead of a 30 year old with a pound of makeup on her face, trying to make her pass for younger.) Not to mention I really appreciated Gyatso's faded, creased airbender tattoos. That was a great touch, right there. Tattoos fade and darken!
The settings were well done, true. I really enjoyed that part of it. The Southern Air Temple, was so beautiful, and Omashu! I know it's all CGI, but they did a good job with that part of it. The set pieces clearly had a lot of care put into them, even if some of them were fairly basic. No bitching from me on that point, although that's usually something Netflix in general manages.
All that being said!
There is one area where Netflix's version does really well, which is more insight and focus into the adults. Ken Leung's Zhao is flat out amazing in the live action - we see far more of him and his machinations, and it's so good. And holy shit, Daniel Dae Kim's Ozai! Watching him pit his children against each other in such a malicious, determined way takes him away from the distantly crazy Ozai that hates Zuko and loves Azula of the animated series to a complex and deliberately evil fascist in the live action and I was living for it. I truly was. They are not wasting either Kim or Leung here, and good on them. I want more of Ozai if they get another season!
I also very much like Dallas Liu's Zuko here. (Although come on, showrunners, do the scar right.) They've done more to flesh Zuko out - he's not quite the firebrand of the animated Zuko, but he's more tormented, and I see it as a solid acting choice on Liu's part. It would be really easy to make Zuko one note, but that's not happening, at all. Liu's making Zuko his, and as far as I am concerned he's doing it right. And god, don't even get me started on Paul Sun-Hyung Lee's Uncle Iroh. I knew he was going to knock it out of the park as soon as I saw he was cast and he has not disappointed. That scene where Zuko sits next to him during Lu Ten's funeral (and the soundtrack started playing Little Soldier Boy and how very fucking dare they) and Lee lets one slow tear track down his face while sweet young Zuko helps him keep vigil made me have all kinds of feelings. The way Lee, throughout the season, looks at Liu with such love and tenderness, all for this boy that everyone else sees as a piece of shit is so GOOD, ya'll. So good. Lee and Liu have palpably good chemistry together, and the showrunners are taking advantage of that, for sure. I mean, we know that Uncle Iroh is part of the White Lotus, and the entire show he has to balance letting Aang do his thing as the Avatar while at the same time keeping his clearly beloved nephew from falling into total despair and Lee nails it. I do hope, if the series continues, that we get to see a little more of Iroh's playful side - it humanizes him and also humanizes Zuko. (The moment where Jun tells Zuko she'll hunt down the Avatar because his Dad's cute and Zuko's face of teenage disgust made me laugh right out loud. More of that, please!) Lee and Liu's scenes were standouts for me.
But all of this brings me to my second point, which is who is the intended audience for this show?
The original was for kids, for sure. Absolutely. Bryke, for all their faults, were able to to work war and its devastation into the story while still keeping it firmly G-rated. The show's focus on the actual kids in the show, rather than the adults, meant that kids could relate to it in ways that have traveled with them into adulthood. There is an entire generation of people for whom this show was and is a lasting legacy and influence. It was like Star Wars for my generation. It was HUGE. And still is.
That being said, the Netflix show is not G-rated at all. People are being immolated in front of us. Many, many times. And while I appreciate that it gives us a visceral awareness of how terrible this war really is, it's certainly not for children! I mean, I would not have let my six year old twins - the age they were when we watched the original - watch the live action! Not on your life!
So who is the intended audience? The now adults who grew up with the show who are going to be extraordinarily hard to please? Adults who might have actually not have grown up with it for whatever reason and are watching the show without any preconceived expectations? Those of us who were parents, who raised our kids on it, who knew as adults how truly fucking outstanding the original was and who are going to be critical of the remake?
It surely cannot be for kids, or at least not younger ones. Even Netflix acknowledges this.
Because the thing is, there is only so much interest adults are going to have about the story of a 12 year old messiah and his little friends. Or at least that seems to be what Netflix thinks. So they've "Netflixed it" - they've made it darker, grittier, more violent, less playful. And because of that, they've taken the core trio of Aang, Katara and Sokka and have tried to make them grow up - made them humorless, more self-aware, more openly traumatized, more serious. And in doing so, they've really done these characters a huge disservice.
In fact, what I honestly think would have been better would have been to have made a live action feature that focused on the ADULTS. Made the Gaang peripheral to the plot - we see them when we see them, but they aren't the focus of the show. That would have been an interesting choice that I would have been all over, especially seeing the really good stuff with the remake that's set with the adults. Iroh, Ozai, Zhao, Gyatso, the Machinist, Bumi, Pakku and even the new character of Yukari, Suki's mother - all of them are excellent, and drawn into focus the way only Iroh was in the original show. If the focus had been on retelling the story through adult eyes, when we did see the Gaang, showing them as being just kids like they were in the original - immature, playful, etc. - would have worked instead of trying to mold the kids into mini-adults to keep them in line with the remake as it's clearly been envisioned. Actually, the more I think about it the more I think that would have been a fucking amazing remake, and if I am honest? I am really pissed they didn't do it.
But how it's been envisioned at this point - a show clearly for adults, which still focuses on a bunch of kids - is not really successful. It's a shame. I found myself really enjoying the adults in the show, and not enjoying the Gaang at all. Which surely was not the intent.
And on a completely personal note, seeing Kuruk with blue eyes made me miss like hell all of the different eye colors in the canon universe. I am very pro casting Asian and Indigenous actors in roles - it's how it should be done, end stop, no whitewashing, please - but at the same time, this is a fantasy world, not Asia, despite its acknowledged Asian influences. (Sometimes I do think people forget that.) I wish we'd seen the eye colors. Especially relevant when it comes to The Legend of Korra, where we see Republic City, and its melting pot, where waterbenders like Tahno can have fair skin and gray eyes due to mixed heritage, and brothers can have different bending and eye colors like Mako and Bolin. I miss Zuko's amber eyes, and Sokka and Katara's blue eyes. And Aang's soulful gray eyes, for sure. I get it that it might have been hard to expect the kids, at least, to wear contacts. But yeah. Not a dealbreaker for me, but I never stopped thinking about it while I was watching, so. Certainly something I actively missed, and not just for the aesthetic, either. It really does help us as viewers to understand by showing us how, in this particular time, that people from the different countries are keeping to themselves, especially when it comes to fraternizing (ahem). In other words, it wasn't done in the original just for cutesy anime references. There was an underlying reason for it. And the fact that the remake showrunners don't seem to either get it or find it important is very, very telling.
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The Southern Raiders Re-Watch
[id: Katara water-bending the rain while Zuko watches & Yon Rha lays in the dirt. end id]
This is one of my favorite episodes, as a Katara fan. Katara is just such an incredibly rich & complex character. She is defined by her compassion & kindness, but don't ever forget that her trauma also manifests in righteous anger & that she has experienced things no child should experience, & that is integral to who she is too.
I love the Southern Raiders & I want to get out of the way that I think that a lot of Bad Take Discourse about it has to do with 2 key factors 1) stupid ship wars & 2) “this Character is Right Because I Like Them - Nuance, What’s that?” spins from people who hate either Zuko or Aang & love the other (or people who want to condemn either Sokka or Katara for having conflict because they react to grief very differently)
This is a very nuanced & beautifully written episode about grief & anger & an exploration of Katara’s pain & trauma. It’s an incredible episode & I love it. I wish there had been even more episodes that allowed us to focus on Katara’s grief & how it manifests.
It had to be Zuko who took Katara on this journey. She allowed herself to be vulnerable - about the loss of her mother of all things - & Zuko betrayed her. They needed this cathartic journey & Zuko - who had also experienced the loss of his mother - who also reacts to pain with anger - does understand Katara on a level that no one else so far (except maybe Jet) has. So, this journey toward catharsis with Katara & Zuko works narratively on so many levels.
(also let's just get out of the way that I would like to go on my own personal little revenge murder journey to find the writers who put the throwaway lines about Jet in this episode - yeah, his death made so much sense & mattered so much huh guys? that's why it's almost like it didn't even happen & he had no growth & they all just remember him as a dick who never even died trying to help them :) fuuuuuuck the writers for this. ok...ok....let's move on. anyway)
Of course - I don't want to discount that Aang also understands Katara's pain in a way.
Zuko: Sokka told me the story of what happened. I know who did it and I know how to find him.
Aang: Um ... and what exactly do you think this will accomplish?
Katara: [Shakes her head in dismay.] Ugh, I knew you wouldn't understand. [Begins to walk away.]
Aang: Wait! Stop! I do understand. You're feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do think I felt about the sand-benders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people?
Zuko: She needs this, Aang. This is about getting closure and justice.
Aang: I don't think so. I think it's about getting revenge.
I think that what Aang does not understand is that Katara isn't like him. She isn't from the Air Nation Culture, & she isn't the Avatar. Their positions, culture, & history are very different. So yes, he does understand what it's like to experience this extreme rage, but he is wrong about how Katara should handle it because it's very different for them.
Now - Zuko doesn't really understand what Katara needs either. Katara herself doesn't understand. She just knows that she can't walk around with the knowledge of the man who killed her mother & just do nothing - she has to face him. Zuko thinks this is about finding Yon Rha & killing him, but it's ultimately more complicated than that.
Also - I do want to address Sokka's grief in this episode. Zuko barges into his tent & demands to know the story of his mother's death & he tells the story of that day before kicking Zuko out & quickly going back to being excited about Suki coming for a visit. This scene has a lot of comedy, & I enjoy that, but also - can we just talk about how fucking depressingly good Sokka is at compartmentalizing? It says a lot that he remembers the symbols on the flags, & the black ashes, but he can barely remember his mother's face. This poor kid is so traumatized & he's repressed so much. It's really heartbreaking.
When Katara says "then you didn't love her like I did" that's a painful moment. Katara is so loud & so intense about her grief - she wears it on her sleeve. She talks to other people who she believes will relate to her about the loss of her mother. She unabashedly yells at Zuko about it because his nation did this. Sokka is quiet about his grief. He buries it. He tries not to talk about it, or remember it. I just get so emotional about the water siblings, I love them both so much...I wish we could've gotten more exploration of how their different ways of confronting the loss of their mother impacted their relationship because it really is such a complex & well-written situation.
The moment when Katara confronts Yon Rha is possibly one of the most intense scenes in the entire show. The animation, music, & voice acting is just beautiful. You can really feel Katara's pain & conflict over what to do.
And in the end....Katara does not choose forgiveness OR revenge.
Katara: I wanted to do it. I wanted to take out all my anger at him, but I couldn't. I don't know if it's because I'm too weak to do it or because I'm strong enough not to.
Aang: You did the right thing. Forgiveness is the first step you have to take to begin healing.
Katara: [Rises from boardwalk.] But I didn't forgive him. I'll never forgive him.
Oh, Katara, babygirl....I love her so fucking much. She confronted Yon Rha, & she didn't - she couldn't - kill him because that's not who she is, but she couldn't just forgive him, because no, forgiveness is NOT always the answer. Katara did get to face Yon Rha, & in a way, I do think that it was cathartic for her.
And of course, Katara & Zuko are finally not just allies but friends, & I love that for them. This journey was so important to their relationship & I love that Zuko went on this life changing field trip with Katara.
[id: Katara & Zuko hugging. end id]
Their friendship means so much to me. I love these characters & this show so much. What a fantastic episode.
Oh, & I almost forgot…. Zuko & Katara each get +1000 iconic behavior points for their badass team up & fight scenes. Katara gets another +2000 for her showdown with Yon Rha. That is all for now!
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thoughts on the live action avatar
spoiler alert: I thought it was bad. if you liked the show and you don't like reading negativity, just skip out on this one.
the overall quality of the show was about what I anticipated, but some specific aspects were better/worse than I first expected. from the trailers alone, I knew the effects looked bad (I don't know why they get so much praise). I wasn't expecting amazing acting from a bunch of child actors either, though I was pleasantly suprised by sokka's performance.
the biggest and worst disappointment is the writing. it's really bad. the og cartoon does have some ropy dialogue, especially towards the beginning of book 1, so I'm not going to pretend its perfect. but the live action is relentlessly clunky and expository. I don't need aang to tell me, the viewer, how he's just a normal kid and all he wants to do is play with his pals. I don't need yue to tell me that the ocean spirit is full of vengeance and rage when it's literally destroying a city. show me. and trust me to understand the story beats without having them explained.
a lot has been said about katara's actress, and I agree that her performance is weak, but I think she wasn't helped by a) bad dialogue and b) bad direction. The direction as a whole seems so uninspired and most of the actors give middling performances. I would rather these kids overacted than underacted. The Harry Potter kids were not good actors, especially not at the beginning of the movie series, but they still managed to give charismatic performances because they went all in on it.
I really just hate how the scenes are sort of...placed? It's hard to even put my finger on what it is, but it feels like the characters just suddenly appear in scenes as if they spawned there, with no thought as to how they arrived. There's one scene in the final episode where Azula is standing atop a rock outside Omashu and removes her mask to address all of the Fire Nation forces, and I couldn't stop thinking about all of the troops shuttling into place outside of the destroyed city, while Azula taps her foot on the rock and waits awkwardly to address them all. tl;dr scenes often feel staged and inorganic.
speaking of azula, I fucking hate that she was shoehorned into the story this early. she had no good reason to be here, and the portrayal of her character just does not work. I vehmently dislike that we see her struggling to win Ozai's approval, because that is not the point of her character at all. when she is first included in book 2, she is the golden child. she is a firebending prodigy who was 'born lucky', who succeeds in every way that zuko fails. she is a complete perfectionist, but she also has the incredible entitlement of a person who has never failed in her life, which makes her the perfect foil to her disgraced, exiled brother.
azula seeming perfect is integral to her character and her relationship with zuko. it explains why zuko is so desperate for ozai's approval, and why azula completely cracks and breaks down in book 3 when things stop going her way. she is not used to failing, she is not used to being tested, she is not used to anyone telling her no. making ozai belittle her and play her off against zuko completely changes the dynamics of the family, and it makes her a weaker foil to zuko. I potentially hate this more than any other change in the live action, even though it's a minor one overall
out of all the characters, I think the only one they really successfully captured was sokka. they toned down his comic elements, which I think was a sensible choice, but he still has the jokey sarcasm that gives him the spirit of the character. I do have to give credit where it's due for this, because I honestly thought sokka would be one of the hardest ones to get right.
I do think it was a bad move to remove all of his sexism, though. I could accept them making it less overblown, but taking it away entirely gives him less growth as a character.
they did an okay job on zuko and iroh, though I don't think iroh has the right balance of humour and sage wisdom that makes him such a beloved character. zuko is okay, if maybe a bit too emotionally mature at times. I didn't really like that he and aang had a full conversation after the blue spirit kidnapping. in the cartoon, zuko immediately fucking blasts him, and that feels truer to how short-sighted and reckless he is at that stage in the story. but overall, zuko isn't too bad.
katara sucks. she really sucks. she's not bossy, she's not snarky, she's not got a temper. she doesn't have that overly responsible, maternal side to her personality either. her entire character is distilled down to her...wanting to waterbend. and help aang, I guess. we don't get to see her make proper mistakes or rob pirates or scream at sokka for being an ass. she's literally unrecognisable compared to her cartoon counterpart, and live action katara doesn't have any other personality traits that make up for the ones she's lost.
aang is almost as bad, though people seem to be talking about him less. he's so goddamn passive, and it's a complete joke that he doesn't do a single bit of waterbending in the whole series. I get that his arc across the season is about facing up to the responsibility of being the avatar, but I think they could've still had that and also included his motivation to learn waterbending. in the original cartoon, he's still very flighty and avoidant of his problems, but he always takes action to help others when he can.
I think it was a bad choice to not have aang run away from the air temple at the beginning of the story. having him just go flying and accidentally get caught in a storm removes a very core point of motivation and guilt for his character, and it has a big impact on the rest of the story.
I do like yue better in the live action than the cartoon, though. she's a pretty meh character in the original and the voice actor is very wooden. she isn't the best character in the live action either, but more of her personality shines through and she feels less like a plot device. her wig is fucking terrible, though.
the action scenes almost all suck shit. they feel turn based and the dynamic martial arts basis to bending doesn't come through in the same way. the final episode did a better job on the fight choreography, but I still wouldn't call it good.
the cgi landscapes and bad lighting make me all too aware that most of this series was probably shot in a warehouse against a greenscreen
yes it is better than the 2010 movie. no this is not saying very much
It did at least make me want to rewatch the original series again tho so I'm gonna go do that
#avatar#the last airbender#it'll probably get enough views for a season 2 but I doubt I'll watch it#if I do it'll just be out of curiosity to see if they massacre my girl toph as badly as they massacred katara and azula
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‘Sozin’s Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters’
I love the encounter with June, and how she has dropped the Uncle Lazy for 'creepy uncle' when speaking about Iroh. So those unsolicited advances didn't go unnoticed. Good reason to slap Iroh with 50 extra Jerk Points. And damn that is some heavy Zutara baiting.
I feel like Book 3 commits some of the same crimes as the last few seasons of Game of Thrones. Suddenly, the actual distance between places doesn't matter and travel from Fire Nation to Ba Sing Se barely takes a day. Once again, someone has invented fast travel. And I get that most people won't notice this, but to me it's very jarring and annoying. It gives the feeling of things being rushed.
Okay, unlike the Gaang I am not so happy about encountering this collection of crusty old men with dubious motives. I hate that Pakku is still an asshole to Sokka, and for the sheer gall of approaching Kanna again, Pakku gets 50 more Jerk Points. Also, all these old men are here for something... important? Yeah, the counter siege that was pretty much unnecessary, except to give Iroh bragging rights for having taken Ba Sing Se after all. Iroh is still drinking the kool aid of destiny, only now it has become about taking Ba Sing Se back from the Fire Nation. Convenient how that changed, huh?
I love the little cameos of all the past Avatars (I couldn't help but notice how each and every one made me more interested in them than I was ever interested in Aang) And also just upon this re-watch I realized that I have been channeling Yangchen in all my arguments of what Aang should have done - sacrifice your own spiritual needs for the good of the world. Yes, exactly! That would have actually taught Aang a very important lesson for the future. Also, for talking smack about Kyoshi, Aang gets 30 Jerk Points. She ushered in an era of peace, you judgey little asshat.
I love that it was Katara who came to reassure Zuko in his moment of doubt before speaking with Iroh. Katara extending her compassion to Zuko means that she has truly accepted him as a friend, and it is just a beautiful moment. As is the reunion between Iroh and Zuko, not going to lie.
I don't care about Iroh's excuses of not fighting Ozai, sorry. History will see it as a brother fighting a brother for power. Yeah, what will history see Zuko fighting Azula for? Also, suddenly Iroh sees that becoming the Fire Lord is Zuko's destiny... I don't know where to begin with this contradictory old man. Although... I'll be honest, Iroh doesn't actually tell Zuko to fight Azula. He just tells Zuko that he needs to be in place when Ozai goes down. (Also how the fuck does Iroh know that Azula didn't go with Ozai and stayed in capital, like news don't travel THAT quickly) Still, for all the convenient destiny bullshit and evasiveness about facing Ozai, I'm going to slap Iroh for 100 more Jerk Points.
And sorry, but Zuko's comment about putting Azula in her place was always going to get him points. I really wish he hadn't phrased it that way, it's... not good. 120 Jerk Points.
Also there was a lion turtle I guess
Book 3 Jerk Points with 2 episodes to go:
Zuko - 840
Ozai - 700
Aang - 690
Yon Rha - 400
Iroh - 150
Sokka - 110
Roku - 100
Hide - 80
King Kuei - 60
Toph, Pakku - 50
Haru - 30
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6, 13, 18?
HI BESTIE ty for asking sorry i didnt do it last night I Went To Bed. lets fuckin go
6. which ship fans are the most annoying?
well, look, the obvious answer would be those j*hnlock truthers, and i do hope those tjlc people are having a wretched day rn wherever they are, but ACTUALLY im actually choosing atla for this just to say (sorry) i hate zu//kka SO MUCH. i hate it so much, it's unreal. i don't particularly have beef with the shippers necessarily but i think the concept is so fucking lame. it's a classic case of migratory slash fandom paired with a side of misogyny. the thought process goes like "zuko is rotting holes in my brain > want to ship him with someone > i don't want to ship him with a female character > the only one left is sokka." (even though suki is right there.) aang is out on the basis of being a baby and the rest of the gaang is girls. if you don't like zutara that's fine, but sokka/zuko is the SAME THING with less anger issues and less women. katara is kind of a devisive character to begin with (this is misogyny) but then one time i saw someone deride zutara for being "straight" to reason why shipping zuko with sokka was superior and i have never forgiven it. IT'S THE SAME SHIP. like HOW was this popular enough to PIT ZUKO/SOKKA/SUKI IN THE OT3 SEMIFINAL POLL? hello?? what were they doing there?? suki and zuko speak TWO LINES to one another! god! i guess that's better than using your ship to excuse hating suki but jesus christ it's so transparent just say you hate women and go
13. worst blorboficiation
i'm not doing this one or your other one for spn bc someone else sent in these exact numbers so i am choosing teen wolf. what im gonna say is so controversial but it's actually peter hale and it's not even fanon that did this IT'S CANON. i used to be a big peter fan and then it got completely ruined. ok so peter's whole thing, right, is that he's a deeply horrible person and that kate argent burned every molecule of humanity out of him during the hale fire. okay, got it. fuck yeah. that's rad. SO WHY THEN. IN THE SEASON 3 FLASHBACK EPISODE. WAS HE ACTING EXACTLY THE SAME AS HE DID AS AN ADULT. and this was the one thing that fanon was getting RIGHT. pre-fire versions of peter in fic were wildly different to post-fire versions BECAUSE THAT WAS THE IMPLICATION. peter works perfectly as a villain because his actions are reprehensible but his motives are justified which makes him COMPLEX and with one episode they RUINED IT. it speaks to a larger problem of jeff davis backtracking a lot of stuff that was said or implied in season 1 (such as kate preying on derek when he was underage) for censorship or what the fuck ever. now whenever i see peter in anything the only thing i wanna do is roll my eyes. they made him like him for ten whole minutes in 6A and that was the best it ever got again. sorry to peter hale fans.
18. it’s absolutely criminal that the fandom has been sleeping on…
i won't list my teenwolf rarepair here, but that. oh, wait, actually, my ff13 rarepair. fang & lightning are WAY BETTER than fang & vanille. this on the basis of 1. hot. that section where you can do double commando. sexy. 2. everyone keeps calling vanille a kid and it weirds me out to ship her with someone who calls her that/thinks of her that way 3. lightning/fang is sort of the same dynamic as lightning/snow which i love in a NONROMANTIC way in that lightning is the straight man, very stoic, and fang is so flippant and casual about everything and so open with her emotions that it gets on her nerves until it becomes endearing. and theyre both quite In Charge generally so when lightning is like well every monster is one step closer to rescuing vanille they keep each other going in that same way, out of sheer stubbornness. anyway 10/10 ship dynamic i completely understand and respect fang/vanille fans but i wish fang/lightning got the same amt of attention
[ASK MEME]
#liz answers asks#anonymous#ASK MEMES#thank you for asking wow i really went off this time#sorry to the people still in ym inbox i have yardwork but ill be back
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ATLA LA Episode 3 Omashu
"We have our anger. We have our grief.. We have hope." It's good to see a message mildly consistent with the LA and the OG.
Yessss let's kill Ozai
This boys gonna die, huh.
THE FIRELORD THRONE IS SO BEAUTIFUL
Ambush kinda sucks though. God, ozai is such an arrogant bitch. He's perfect.
I love the aspect of fire nation citizens being shone to hate the leadership of the firenation early on.
Little Azula
THIS POOR BOY IS GONNA DIE HE DIDNT DESERVE THIS
Jesus Azula just watching with a mild smirk and her arrogance. She is a mad king. Just like her father. Just like the OG.
Her anger at hearing her brother succeeding in a wild goose chase, if only a little <3
I like Katara being self-taught. It shows her dedication, her appreciation to her (nearly lost) culture, and her accepting help from a master of another element *aang)
"Tap into your feelings" shows trauma of watching her mother die. Her mother is still a major drive. Like the OG
"The monks said I never listened. At least I think that's what they said. I never listened."
WHOSE OUT HERE SAYING AANG ISNT AANG LOOK AT HIM
Sokka being a road trip dad is in 2/3 avatar universes.
Katara teasing Sokka aboit Suki is beautiful
Zhao has already snitched baby boy Zuko
Zuko just being a mild angsty teen instead of extremely angsty is fine but I need more.
Even if Zuko doesn't like Zhao there are rules he has to follow.
"We're fire nation. Even out here." He told himself that his entire banishment in every universe. We HAVE TO KNOW THAT.
OMASHU IS GLORIOUS
"What makes you think we're outsiders??" Aang, my sweet boy, you're not wearing the typical fantasy wear. Your clothes are orange. Not green. Don't you know the nation's base shit off of colors??? Silly goose.
Katara taking the lead to connect feels on brand.
Sokka scoffing at people flirting with his sister!!!!
"STRUCK MUTE AT BIRTH" you just know sokka hates that in every universe
Aang running off like the 12 year old he is.
I like them blending Omashu with the Inventor's story and Teo, actually. I wonder if Bumi knows Sai is giving plans to the firenation.
"There spies are everywhere in the city." ... like you're father..??
Aang once again being u comfortable with the description of violence.
I don't appreciate "Sai" allegedly creating the mail system.
Sokka is acting like a kid in a candy store with all the tinkering stuff. He's such a need.
The bombing! (The G)Aangs reaction!! Aang is having another "I can't be a kid, I'm the Avatar" moment.
Azula raving!!! TY LEE!!! MAI!!
Ty Lee seems quirky enough. Mai is still so sullen. My precious girls.
Azula feeling entitled to the throne for helping Ozai fits so well with the end of the OG.
Sokka volunteering to help the mechanist!!!
WHERE IS KING BUMI. I WANT TO SEE THIS BUFF CRAZY OLD MAN.
Kataras mistakes in her bending 🥺🥺
Oop
PRETTY BOY SAVES KATARA
PRETTY BOY IS JET????
His outfit is so good
I like turning Jet into a more calculated loose canon.
Teo and Aang laughing together 🥹🥹 Aang is acting like a boy !
THE ANKLE MOVE FROM JET
KATARA SUCCESSFUL ATTACK
THE WHISTLE FROM JET
The Duke! Longshot! SMELLERBEE! Pipsqueak!
"We're the good guys." The road to hell is paved with good intentions, Jet.
Sokka gushing about his dad to the Mechanist 🥹🥹
"If not us, then who?"
THE TREE HOMES
Jet get that fucking weed out of your mouth
Anarchist!Jet supremacy
"If not us, then who"
Of course, it's not the fire nation.
I like that the show seems to be keeping up with, to a certain degree, that the "good side" can be bad
Katara and Jet sharing stories about their mothers.
"Lately, [my mother's death] been coming back to me." Because now you're ready to begin healing. You're ready for the memories your mind suppressed. You are ready to feel the anger and injustice. You are now "safe" to do so.
The "Fight with everything you have" message/motif has not been lost in this show. At least with Jet
Her mom <333
Now. I am a kataang shipper. I love their endless devotion and trust in one another. I love how their feelings for each other were so gradual you could hardly see it. They are each others hope and home
BUT.. I really like this katara/jet moment
Zuko, love, you're such a Hater.
THE PAI SHO TILE.
I love the charcoal pencil Azula's using. Pretty accurate, historically, if I remember correctly.
NOT JEE BEING A TRAITOR
Sokka, you brilliant nerd. You're so proud of the bird.
Katara, both Sai and Jet can be traitors. They are not mutually exclusive.
Katara, did I just hear your voice crack??? Sounds like emotional anger, I've been waiting for you to rise.
"I don't need proof for that" yes, Sokka, we know you're an ass and we love you anyway.
JET IF YOU HURT TEO ITS OVER
Jet, you're so unhinged, and true to the OG
Thank you, "sacrifice the few to save the many"
Jet's character is perfect.
ZUKO NOW IS NOT THE TIME
"This guy?? Again??" Yes, Sokka. Love the dry humor.
"This is my fight." No, Aangs. This is an adult's fight.
Zuko I understand you're a highly capable boy. You've worked hard to master bending and fighting, but you're ruining the marketplace atmosphere.
Zuko getting hit by an older woman like a thug is missing. No notes. This wasn't in the OG!
THE MAIL CARRIER ROLLER COASTER
Aang is so done with Zuko already, haha
Aang having Zuko’s diary, omg
"MY CABBAGES"
I like to think bending is similar to adrenaline. Where a fear response becomes strong enough to force your body to do something it otherwise couldn't do. Like with Katara's bending.
IROH BAITING HIMSELF FOR ZUKO AND ZUKO’S LITTLE SCARED FACE
Zuko looks so lost and guilty, after watching an adult sacrifice themselves for him.
Don't worry, my sweet misguided boy, Iroh has friends even if you can't make any.
"Uh, oh" NO SHIT AANG
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It’s come to my attention that a good majority of people on this website have a really poor understanding of the conflict between Toph and Katara in “The Chase.” As somebody who loves both characters and their friendship, this irritates me. Without further ado, let’s unpack that in what is in theory supposed to be a meta but turned out more like a rant.
“Katara was hostile towards Toph because the fact that she’s a gender non-conforming girl made Katara uncomfortable because Katara is obsessed with gender roles.”
Alright, so right off the bat this is just... completely idiotic and clearly fuelled by an agenda (and likely also a lot of projection). First of all, how is Katara of “I don’t want to heal, I want to fight!” fame “obsessed with gender roles?” There’s an entire episode in Book One dedicated to Katara refusing to conform to societal norms for women in the Northern Water Tribe! Katara routinely calls Sokka out on his misogynistic bullshit! (Mind you I adore Sokka but he could be a little twerp at times and Katara was 100% right to challenge him on it) Katara is the feminist icon of ATLA! The fact that people act like Katara is some sort of conservative tradwife who loves gender roles instead of the outspoken feminist and political activist she is makes me incredibly angry.
Second of all, Katara was extremely kind and welcoming towards Toph at first. She gently encouraged her to join in with the group as they all set up camp together as opposed to setting up her own private camp. It’s only when Toph refuses to comply with her that Katara begins to get irritated. Mind you, Toph has her reasons for this, something I’ll get to in a minute, but from Katara’s perspective (key word here is perspective) she’s just being an annoying little stubborn, selfish, lazy, anti-social, entitled brat. Of course we the audience find out later that this isn’t the case at all (or at least in theory we should find out later but apparently some people on here skipped that part), but for all her many talents Katara is not a mind reader and has no way of knowing what’s going on inside Toph’s head, nor does she know her well enough yet to fully grasp the context behind why Toph acts the way she does. Katara is somebody who greatly values community and believes in teamwork, so Toph turning down her warm welcome in favour of “carrying her own weight” likely felt like a slap in the face. Not to mention that she’s already emotionally exhausted from having to constantly mother Aang and Sokka. If I were Katara, I likely would have reacted the same way.
Oh and I agree that the “the stars look beautiful tonight, too bad you can’t see them, Toph” comment was out of line, but it doesn’t make her a horrible person. It makes her a 14 year old, and 14 year olds can be nasty, especially sleep deprived 14 year olds. Katara is otherwise a very kind and compassionate person. Other characters have said worse than that. Hell, Toph herself has said worse than that. That being said, it was a deeply hurtful comment and I do like to imagine that she apologized for it off-screen.
“Toph is a lazy, entitled, and classist spoiled rich brat who just didn’t want to do chores and expected other people to wait on her.”
This is another one that makes me roll my eyes and ask if they even watched the show. First of all, the presumption that Toph is a lazy or entitled person is just... laughable. I feel like people forget that Toph isn’t actually an earthbending prodigy in the way that Azula is a firebending prodigy (I could say more about Azula and how her belief that she was the unshakeable prodigal daughter ultimately caused her downfall and how by the end of the series Zuko is arguably a better firebender than her but this isn’t a meta about Azula and Zuko, now is it?). Nah. Toph was a sheltered kid who discovered she had the ability to earthbend, was told that she could never become great at it because she was blind, and in response said FUCK THAT and decided to work her ass off until she was not only great but the very greatest all thanks to her crazy, stupid, off-the-charts nerve, drive, grit, ambition, and desire to prove people wrong about her. Does that sound like a lazy person to you? Believe me when I say that you do not achieve that kind of skill level by sitting around on your ass and expecting to have things handed to you. And entitled? Don’t make me laugh. Toph hates having things handed to her, that’s one of her defining characteristics.
As for the implication that she’s classist and enjoys basking in her family’s wealth and being waited on...... are you stupid? Did you even watch the show? Toph absolutely despises everything about her parents’ lifestyle. Growing up like that was traumatizing and restrictive for her. We’re talking about a girl who likes to play around in the mud for fuck’s sake. Toph does not care how much money you have. She never wanted any to begin with. She even says it herself; “I guess I shouldn’t be complaining. They gave me everything I could have wanted. But they never gave me what I actually needed - their love.” Not to mention that she easily could have continued to freeload off her parents wealth but instead chose to sneak out of the house and make her own money doing what she did best; disproving people’s assumptions about her earthbending. Oh and I’ve seen someone point this out before but WWE is generally considered a “low brow” activity that “proper” people frown upon and shouldn’t associate themselves with. Toph fucking loved it. I don’t know how seriously people take the comics, as they often miss the mark when it comes to characterization (Toph’s, however, was generally pretty accurate), but there’s a part in The Rift where Sokka asks her when she’s going to start charging people to learn metalbending and she gets all serious and flat out tells him that she will never do such a thing, because money doesn’t matter to her. Sharing her one true passion with the world is what matters to her. Oh and the part where she basically tells a bunch of rich and sleazy businessmen to fuck off and “stop thinking about money and start thinking about people’s lives” is just... *chef’s kiss* Sorry my thoughts here are so incoherent but this take is so piss poor and makes me so angry that I don’t even know where to start. As for “Toph enjoys being waited on” I just- *sigh* Toph has such a visceral and defensive reaction to any implication that she is unable to take care of herself. Like I said earlier, that’s one of her defining characteristics as well as the reason for her behaviour in “The Chase.” Where are people getting these takes?
You wanna know why Toph acted the way she did in The Chase? Well, first let’s recap her life up to this point. Toph was born the blind daughter of one of the wealthiest families in the Earth Kingdom. From day one her parents treated her like glass due to her disability. She was not allowed to leave her house unsupervised, and even then she was only permitted to walk around the gardens of her home. Every day of her life she was pitied, gaslit, babied, ignored, emotionally neglected, and made to feel ashamed of herself. She was not allowed to make any decisions for herself. She was not allowed to do anything for herself. She was not allowed to talk to other children. She had no friends. Other people didn’t even know she existed on account that her parents kept her locked up in her own home and didn’t tell anybody about her because they were so ashamed to have a blind daughter. Flash forward to “The Chase.” Toph begins to set up her own camp separate from the rest of the Gaang. Considering that she flat out was not socialized as a child and hadn’t even interacted with anybody her own age prior to a few days ago, this is understandable. So then Katara comes up to her and asks her why she isn’t setting up camp with the others as if she’s somehow incapable of taking care of herself (again, this is just what happened from her perspective) like she’s her mom or something and it just angers her because she thought she joined this group to get away from all that and she doesn’t understand how friends work because she’s never had one, all she knows is that apparently this girl thinks she isn’t capable of taking care of herself, and that infuriates her because it’s the exact same bullshit she thought she was running away from.
There’s a lot more I could say about this but I’m sick of typing so yeah in conclusion both of these takes are piss poor and I’m sick of having to read them. Stan Toph, Katara, and their friendship.
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Zuko & Katara's Relationship Dynamic
This is like the third or fourth time I've tried to write up this post so please bare with me.
Oh wow. That video. Hopefully everyone has seen it now. Not only did it articulate arguments I've been making for years, but it also brought up ideas I had never thought of or noticed before. Watching that and watching the second half of Book 3 again (because it's my favorite) made me want to redo my zutara dynamic post.
I'm going to be using the tiny bits and pieces the show gave us to see how Zuko and Katara's relationship looks and how it would look if they gave us more because...Bryke really fucking hated zutara. I mean, I guess they did.
Katara is compassionate; Zuko is empathetic
A lot of anti-zutara arguments have said that Zuko and Katara could never be together because they would constantly fight and hate each other and it end sooner than later. Not only does this actually describe maiko, but that argument would need to ignore the characters' actual character.
One of Katara's biggest character traits is how compassionate she is. She has a drive to help others and ease their pain. Whether it's getting Aang out of the iceberg or healing a Fire Nation fishing village, Katara will go out of her way to help someone in need.
Katara: No. I will never ever turn my back on people who need me.
Zuko is very emotional and passionate person. As much as he tried to hide it to appease his father, Zuko does want to open up and connect with people. Unfortunately, aside from his uncle, most of the other people he knows are like Zhao and Azula. Not the most understanding of crowds. But because of this he can pick up what people are really thinking and feeling. Think of it as a defense mechanism he developed growing up around people like Azula.
Get these two kinds of people together and you get the crystal catacombs scene. Katara lashes out at Zuko until she breaks down. When she does Zuko opens up with empathy since they have something in common. This creates the beginning of an understanding between the two. Zuko uses that to finally open up to someone who isn't his uncle and Katara listens and reaches out to help. Contrast to the first episode of Book 3 when Zuko tries to voice his thoughts and concerns to Mai and she...doesn't really care.
Something similar happens during The Southern Raiders. Zuko figures out that Katara is taking out her anger of being separated from her father by The Fire Nation onto him and even connecting her mother's death to him.
It's not the first time Zuko has done this either. He easily figured out that Sokka was planning on going to The Boiling Rock. He does it again during Sozin's Comet when he tells Katara that Aang needs to figure out what to do about Ozai by himself.
There's a noticeable pattern of behavior by the time Sozin's Comet arrives. Zuko voices his concerns about meeting his uncle again and Katara is right there to help him through it.
Zuko's empathy combined with Katara's compassion creates almost a cycle of understanding and emotional vulnerability that the two can't really get with anyone else. One notices the other having concerns or problems and goes to give comfort by words or by actions.
Zuko still has a temper but so does Katara
Even after Zuko's fever dream character change thing, even after The Day of Black Sun, he still has it in him to yell at anyone who commits even the slightest transgressions against him:
Aang: That one felt kinda hot.
Zuko: Don't patronize me. You know what it's supposed to look like.
Aang: Sorry, sifu hotman.
Zuko: And stop calling me that!
Sokka: So all we have to do is make Zuko angry. Easy enough. *pokes him with his sword* *annoying laugh*
Zuko: All right! Cut it out!
Maybe it's the firebender in him or maybe he really is just like that. Basically if you annoy him, he'll let you know. What people sometimes overlook is that while it takes Katara a bit longer, she also gets worked up when people upset her.
Toph: What's the matter? Can't handle some dirt, Madame Fussy Britches?
Katara: Oh, sorry, did I splash you, mud slug?
And remember, it was Katara getting angry at Sokka that even broke the iceberg that revealed Aang.
Katara: Ugh, I'm embarrassed to be related to you! Ever since Mom died I've been doing all the work around camp while you've been off playing soldier!
Sokka: Uh... Katara?
Katara: I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirty socks? Let me tell you, NOT PLEASANT!
Sokka: Katara! Settle down!
Katara: No, that's it. I'm done helping you. From now on, you're on your own!
The point is that it is both Zuko and Katara that are very passionate and emotional people. One of them isn't emotionally dominating the other because they both wear their emotions on their sleeves.
This also comes in to play when they set goals for themselves. When Zuko sets a goal, he puts everything into it. Katara is the same way. The difference is that Zuko's drive sometimes gives him a one-track mind while Katara is more flexible. Like for example Zuko being so focused on finding Aang before Sozin's Comet that he ignores Toph's story about her childhood versus Katara wanting to go to the North Pole but taking time to stop and help whoever they come across.
This passion also fuels their values and how strongly they stand by their beliefs. I already put The Painted Lady quote up above but Zuko's morality is what is making him so angry at himself during The Beach. He knows what he did was wrong, but he couldn't face it yet.
Sometimes their emotions get the better of them, but it's only because they are passionate about what they're doing.
Their natural teamwork is amazing
I can't provide a lot of clues in this bit because it's more of a visual thing. Just consider how flawlessly their plans worked during their attack on The Southern Raiders. Especially when you consider that it was a stealth mission so they barely even said anything to each other during and it still went incredibly well.
You could see it again during their mock battle with The Melon Lord. Sokka must have noticed because he paired them together to deliver some "liquidy-hot offence." And they pulled it off, again, without having to say anything.
They've only been a team for a few weeks(?), days(?) but they act as if they've been doing it for years.
They trust each other's judgment
Piggybacking of the previous point, Zuko and Katara have only been a team for a while but there seems to be a level of understanding in terms of judgement. They both know that whatever the other chooses is going to be a well-thought out decision. Maybe it's because they see each other as the mature members of the group even though Sokka is the same age as Zuko? I don't know.
Aang disappears right before they embark on their fight against the Fire Lord, and out of nowhere, Katara puts Zuko in charge.
Zuko: Get out of the bison's mouth, Sokka. We have a real problem here. Aang is nowhere to be found and the comet is only two days away.
Katara: What should we do Zuko?
Zuko: I don't know. Why are you all looking at me?
Katara: Well, you are kind of the expert on tracking Aang.
and that wasn't the first time in that episode that she went along with one of Zuko's decisions
Katara: Aang, don't walk away from this. *She begins to walk towards him as a hand touches her shoulder to stop her from doing so.*
Zuko: Let him go. He needs time to sort it out by himself.
As a lot of people have pointed out during the entirety of The Southern Raiders, Zuko never gives a suggestion on what he thinks Katara should do. Aside from making it a stealth mission, he follows her lead the entire way.
Katara teases Zuko (and he lets her)
The fun one. This one has two parts: pre and post The Southern Raiders.
Before The Southern Raiders, Katara was tolerating Zuko. She was still angry with him about the betrayal at Ba Sing Se. Getting little jabs at him was the only thing that was really helping her from loosing her cool around him.
Katara: I'm sorry. I'm just laughing at the irony. You know... how it would have been nice for us if you lost your firebending a long time ago?
Zuko: Well it's not lost. It's just weaker for some reason.
Katara: Maybe you're just not as good as you think you are.
Toph: Ouch.
He just finished yelling at Aang and Sokka but all he does is glare at Katara. She does it again, but to be fair, he kind of set himself up for it.
Zuko: It's a sacred form that happens to be thousands of years old!
Katara: Oh yeah? What's your little form called?
Zuko: ...The Dancing Dragon.
Then comes post The Southern Raiders and...yeah, she's still picking on him and he still lets her. Granted it's a lot more playful this time around.
Zuko: They make me totally stiff and humorless.
Katara: Actually, I think that actor's pretty spot on.
Zuko: How could you say that?
Actor Uncle: Let's forget about the Avatar and get massages.
Actor Zuko: How could you say that?!
(Cut back to Katara wearing a satisfied grin on her face and she looks to an expressionless Zuko as he slouches in his seat.)
I love pointing it out every time. She teases him and he does nothing about it.
Katara: Er, no. I was looking for cooking pots in the attic and I found this. Look at baby Zuko! Isn't he cute? Oh lighten up, I was just teasing.
And she admits it!
-
So what can we take away from this? From what little time they were given together (thanks, Bryke) it seems that Zuko and Katara really understand each other on an intimate emotional level. They can sense when the other is distressed and offer comfort. They're both passionate in and out of combat, for better or for worse. They're comfortable with each other as if they've known each other for years even though it's such a short time. Katara also likes to add a little bit of playfulness in there with Zuko letting her have her fun, again, showing how comfortable they are with each other.
I do think their relationship could have gone to romantic sooner than later if you would have given it a bit more time. Like first half of a hypothetical Book 4.
To me, at least.
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avatar au where zuko joins aang like really close to the beginning but katara and sokka aren't there. like,,, everything that happens in the beginning happens. katara and sokka meet aang and then zuko captures him. but sokka and katara can't catch up to zuko's ship on appa fast enough and they lose track of them (and then spend the first part of whatever this is trying to find them and eventually catching up). and basically something happens. maybe zhao finds out and sabotages zuko and somehow zuko and aang end up stranded and running from zhao all over the earth kingdom and through the power of friendship and hating zhao zuko decides yeah actually he's on the avatar's side. this is his stupid annoying 12 year old brother figure. so i guess this just puts zuko and aang in sokka, katara, and aang's position for a good section of book one (basically going to all the places they went) with sokka and katara sneaking all over the place on appa trying to find where the fuck they are
zuko alone episode but it happens because aang won't stop fucking singing and zuko's had enough and is emo enough for the episode to shoot all the way to book one
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anyway no one asked but: yue joins the gaang instead of becoming the moon at the end of season 1 hcs!!
- instead of giving up her life to replace tui as the moon spirit, she gives up tui’s blessing to give them the final burst of strength to escape from zhao. basically yue gives up her blue eyes, pale hair, and waterbending. she never (?) waterbends on the show, and the loss of her bending isn’t too devestating to her.
- also sokka gets a friend who can’t bend either... he deserves it.
- when the gaang leaves after the battle is over, yue decides to come with them and it’s a HUGE thing with her father and begins her main character arc, which is about whether her responsibility to her tribe and the preservation of their culture is more important than her paving her own way and also how those two things can coexist!
- she leaves her betrothal necklace on her bedside table and the last shot of the episode is just of it, lying there.
- this got rly long so there’s more under the cut
- her traveling clothes are a thing shawl and a tunic similar to sokka’s with pants. she keeps her usual haircut but it’s tied with leather instead of the fancy hair things she used as princess. also she uses a hunting knife as a weapon
- she and sokka continue their weird not-dating-but-kind-of-dating dance for a lot of episodes and it’s generally awkward and easy comic relief. also more shots of yue blushing because she’s just so cuteeee
- there’s a scene of them stargazing where yue tells sokka the story of a pair of lovers who died and then remained best friends in all their future lives (because avatar friendships enduring through lifetimes and also friendship being just as important as romantic relationships)
- yue becomes friends with EVERYONE they meet IMMEDIATELY and everyone falls in love with her because she’s sweet and pretty and has a nice laugh.
- there’s a filler episode that’s just sokka and yue going shopping together and trying on lots of jewlery but the running gag is that yue keeps getting distracted with talking to other people and definitely flirting with every girl she runs into and sokka is always distracted with a pair of earrings or a set of rings and doesn’t notice. finally some random guy is like ‘man your girlfriend has been flirting with my sister this whole time... are you aware.” and sokka is immeditaly like ShE’s NoT mY GiRLfRiEnD and then like wait what
- so maybe yue is a lesbian. sokka is very distressed that he’s been trying to court someone who’s not interested so he talks with katara while she’s sewing or something and he’s like is yue gay?? and katara is like oh i don’t know. lots of people we know are queer. sokka: WHO??? katara: well, zuko. suki. sokka: ZUKO??? SUKI??? and this is when katara realizes her brother’s gaydar is nonexistent.
- yue tries being a vegetarian (to be nice to aang) but thinks nuts are gross so she and sokka go on hunting trips together. she’s Very Good at archery.
- also the episode where they watch toph wrestle?? she and sokka are SO on her side. it made me angry in the show that sokka wasn’t on her side but yue would convince him very quickly and they are very loud together.
- she also stays to talk to toph on the estate because she doesn’t look as suspect as the rest of the gaang so the guards don’t kick her out immediately (read: she’s good at conforming to elitist ideas of how people r meant to act and passes the rich kid test). she and toph sit in the garden and watch the moon (because the moon symbolizes yue’s perceived failure to sacrifice herself to save her tribe) and talk about how sometimes to live as yourself you have to skirt your responsibilities to your family. yue leaves a few hours later firmly friends with toph.
- she continues to be the one firmly on toph’s side in the toph/katara disputes that are in the first few episodes with toph. katara can’t hold it against her though because literally who could hold a grudge against yue she’s so incredible
- (ok we’re skipping a lot of time here bc i frankly do not remember everything that happened in book 2) her ba sing se tale is her uhhh going to the market to buy herself an iced tea because she’s gay and just having a good time being a no one. a girl she runs into at the cafe asks her to go on a walk around the city with her and it’s very sweet but yue does Not know this is a date so when the girl gives her a kiss she gets blushy and says something dumb
- also at the end of another episode we have a short scene of yue on the roof of their house in the upper ring, staring at the moon and touching the place on her neck where her betrothal necklace isn’t. then the camera switches to zuko, on the other side of the city, looking at the same moon and absently running his fingers through his hair where his topknot used to be
- yue and jet hate each other but yue still advocates for him because she sees how he’s been hurt and thinks that he deserves a second chance. i don’t know the funeral traditions for any of the nations but she does a quick northern water tribe blessing over his body before they run away.
- yue and mai are like.. yes we r gay..... yes we do flirt with each other while fighting sometimes.... yes we r the two knife fighters.. yes we are ALSO narrative foils
- yue looks SO GOOD in fire nation clothes but she keeps her usual hairdo because she deserves it. the fire nation propaganda makes her very angry, as does the institutionalized homophobia. she starts arguing with some guy over it and katara is ready to back her up and start fucking screaming and get arrested and sokka is like.. now. now is when i should talk to her.
- he drags her away and she’s like fuck dude i can fight my own battles and he’s like no i just.. what you were talking about.... i have something i need to tell you..... and she’s like you’re bi!! good for you, sokka, thank you for telling me. and he’s like :bi shock: no?? you’re a lesbian. anyway yes she is a lesbian they are wlw mlm solidarity.
- there’s a filler episode where toph and yue rob a bunch of fire nation soldiers and when they get caught (after a While of these robberies) they get out of it by playing the ‘dumb rich kids’ card and run away with jewelry like.. dripping off their hands. katara makes them sell all of it except a choker necklace yue keeps that looks like a betrothal necklace but instead has an etching of a bird flying away.
- skipping again bc this is getting rly long. when zuko joins the gaang he and yue have a tentative conversation about their relationships to their nations and he’s like.. idk sounds like you needed to leave? that wasn’t an environment that you can thrive in. and she’s like but i can change it! i need to be there to change it, and i left. and he’s like well no. some things are just toxic. i went back to my nation and it was terrible. and she’s like i have a responsibility to my PEOPLE and gets mad at him and she and katara r like angry at zuko team.
- yue’s life changing field trip with zuko is just them leaving on appa to go to a market and be normal teenagers. they both viewed each other as Fire Prince and Water Tribe Princess, but this lets them open up and realize concretely that that’s not all that they are.
- zuko apologizes for implying that the nwt was irreparable and explains that the fire palace wasn’t something he could fix and that trying just hurt him more. yue says that part of the reason she was angry with him was because he was right and that she felt so much more herself when she was away from her home. they finally reach the conclusion together that they have to become themselves before they can hope to change their cultures for the better.
- yue comes along to boiling rock but is v much background to zukka bromance. she hangs out with suki some (lots more yue blushing oc bc suki is BUFF) and does some dumb gay fighting with mai but they’re both bad at it because yue is busy mooning over suki and mai is busy protecting ty lee.
- ember island players still say she turned into the moon >:(
#yue#yueki#sokka#atla#yue atla#leo.txt#god this is so long#i just have a lot of thoughts and love yue SO MUCH#she deserves SO MUCH#anyway i hope u enjoyed my thoughts#there's probably enough here for an actual fic so like.. maybe someday
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Observations and love notes from my Avatar re-watch:
Katara is the glue. I’m not gonna list off everything she does for people bc that would take forever but she is the reason everyone arrives anywhere (North Pole, Ba Sing Se) in one piece. She’s also the reason why. She got the boy out of the iceberg. She was Aang’s impetus.
That being said, something I love about Kataang is that just because Katara is maternal and Aang is a goofball doesn’t mean she has to actively take care of him. He’s not like “lol I’m so inept what would I do without you”. They’re functional humans is all I mean.
This is not to take anything away from Sokka. He is my favorite person who is not Aang and those memes about how the story would be like 1/10 the length if Sokka had more power are TRU. That being said, he can’t sew.
“You have to master the four elements to defeat Firelord Ozai. And when you do, I hope you think like a mad genius!” -Bumi in s01.05
Me, has seen Aang energybend: UGHHHHHH
The older I get the more I discover the levels of almost Tolkien-esque attention to detail. This applies to the lore to the world-building with very specific real-world inspirations to the music. Y’all heard the Cave of Two Lovers theme sewn into that last tune before Aang and Katara kissed? Taiko drums used in cultural motifs partly inspired by pre-Meiji Japan? Oh yeah.
Fucking Jet. What a charmer. What a troubled child. I love him. I love the Freedom Fighters. I love their little Lord of the Flies society and their ends-justify-the-means ideology. They’re a microcosm of a world ravaged by war and hate and the fact that these are basically child soldiers and gangs??? I mean, thanks Nickelodeon??
Yeah you know what? Disney would never, and that’s why all they’re shows and movies are milquetoast as fuck.
Why the hell do people dislike the Cave of Two Lovers. It’s literally one of the funniest episodes on the season and the story of Oma and Shu is gorgeous???? Even if you’re not into Kataang this episode is lovely dammit.
I also appreciate how earthbending, the roughest toughest element, was started by a romance.
I like Toph a lot more now than I used to... what was wrong with me back then? (I sound like Katara.)
It’s actually really really interesting to me that most people refer to Aang’s people as the Air Nation while Aang, who is one of them, calls them Air Nomads. Yes it speaks to the general perception of Air Nomads, but “nation” and “nomads” are basically contradictory and is an extremely reductive way to look at them.
Iroh was clearly never meant to be Firelord because there’s not “z” in his name lol
Hector Elizondo as Wan Shi Tong. That is all.
Notice how Azula always fights dishonorably. For all of Zuko’s obsession with honor and integrity, Azula has no problem with it. She literally didn’t hesitate to kill the Avatar from behind while in the Avatar State, and purposefully tried to kill a bystander during an agni kai.
Book 2 is the best. Book 3 was great and the final 4 eps elevates the show to literal god-tier but the first half was kinda meandering until Black Sun.
This fandom resurgence is fucking fascinating. I’m looking at returning fans as well as newcomers and it seems like Zuko is the fave. It’s absolutely for good reason, but I can’t help but wonder if part of it is because so many of us see ourselves in him? I dunno. Zuko--at the beginning--is angry, lost, and desperate. I can connect with that on some level. I’m just curious why it’s almost unanimous (right now at least). Let me know, honestly.
If this show is about balance, then it’s explored through all kinds and all levels of friction:
- individual vs. community will (i.e. Katara vs. Northern Water Tribe)
- subtle friction between Buddhist and Confucian ideals (”you must learn to let her go” vs “power and perfection are overrated”)
- Pacifism vs. Justice-by-any-means (This is a tough one to unravel. Like, I’m definitely not qualified to get into these philosophical weeds but you guys have met Jet and seen Book 3 so you know what I mean.)
- This all speaks to the overall friction between Aang’s identity as the Avatar and his identity as The Last Airbender. It’s gorgeous. (God I have a lot to say here, more to come.)
I think a big part of what makes this show satisfying is the fact that all the plants have reasonable payoffs. Everything in the finale feels like a culmination of everything we’ve seen leading up to it. Nothing feels out-of-left-field; Azula’s descent, Aang and Katara’s relationship, Zuko’s rise. Even the energybending. (more on that too, later) Other showrunners and writers take notes.
#i know I have a lot more thoughts this is just what came out rn#please comment i wanna hear your thoughts#i'm absolutely on this shit rn#avatar#avatar the last airbender#a:tla#atla#aang#katara#sokka#zuko#azula#ozai#toph#avatar aang#avatar rewatch
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