#wtf else could they even show of the agni kai WE SAW IT DID YOU NOT WATCH THE FUCKING SHOW????????
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okay at this point we're gonna have to accept that any attempts of a live action ATLA will always be cursed and will never be a good alternative to just watching (pirating cause fuck nickelodeon) the cartoon because what the fuck do you mean they're taking out gigantic chunks of Sokka, Katara and Aang's arcs/development/characteristics, showing the genocide at the Southern Air air temple and more of the Agni Kai between Zuko and Ozai while simultaneously having the gall to say "I mean, the characters, we had to dimensionalize them-"
The Big Netflix Avatar: The Last Airbender Producer Interview: 'This Is a Remix, Not a Cover'
There are certain scenes that you never saw in the original, whether it's the attack on the Southern Air Temple or the Agni Kai between Ozai and Zuko. And those are things that I knew we needed to see in order to make it feel much more grounded as a live-action show. So it was about feeling your way throughout the process. Where can we take the story into the new directions that still feels true to the spirit of the original? And that's what it all comes down to, making sure it feels like it was Avatar in spirit.
Bending the Rules
And going back to those narrative liberties, was there anything in particular where you were like, “no, this is set in stone. This can’t change”?
AK: There's a lot of things like that, starting with the characters. I mean, the characters, we had to dimensionalize them, but there are certain core ... I would say there's a core DNA to the characters that you don't want to mess with, whether it's Aang, like I said, his childlike goofiness, his sense of humor, the burden of his responsibility, Sokka and his humor and his pragmatic outlook on life, Katara's warmth and her optimism. Those things had to carry through into our version. So you start with the characters, and you say, "What's the essence of the characters that got a big change? And what's the room where we can expand it a little more?" The cartoon, for as great as it was, was 15 years ago. And so, things have changed. There are certain roles I think that Katara did in the cartoon that we didn't necessarily also do here. I mean, I don't want to really get into a lot of that, but some gender issues that didn't quite translate.
My friend just watched it for the first time, and she's like, "Sokka's an asshole." I was like, "Yeah, no, he kind of is."
JR: Yeah, especially in the first season.
AK: Yeah. So we had to guard against that kind of stuff. And so, those are things that aren't really changing a character as so much as updating them a little bit.
I think one of the big questions is, despite all the remixing, is the point A and the point B still the same as the original?
AK: Pretty much. Yeah, I mean, I think the state of the world and the stakes of the world are still the same. So we decided to make Aang's narrative drive a little clearer. In the first season of the animated series, he's kind of going from place to place looking for adventures. He even says, "First, we've got to go and ride the elephant koi." It's a little looser as befits a cartoon. We needed to make sure that he had that drive from the start. And so, that's a change that we made. We essentially give him this vision of what's going to happen and he says, "I have to get to the Northern Water Tribe to stop this from happening." That gives him much more narrative compulsion going forward, as opposed to, "Let's make a detour and go ride the elephant koi," that type of thing. So that's something, again, that's part of the process of going from a Nickelodeon cartoon to a Netflix serialized drama.
And they say in regards to the original creators leaving: "But sure, having them leave was a blow. And we had to think about whether or not the vision that we had set forward really reflects and honors the spirit of what they had created. And we felt like it did, so we went forward with it. " idk y'all should've taken the hint goddamn ...
AK: But sure, having them leave was a blow. And we had to think about whether or not the vision that we had set forward really reflects and honors the spirit of what they had created. And we felt like it did, so we went forward with it.
If you could send fans who are anxious about the live-action show any message, what would it be?
JR: I think, as a fan of the show, they're going to get the live-action version of the show they've always hoped they would get.
Albert, anything to add?
AK: This is the version of Avatar that I would want to see as a fan.
- Netflix ATLA Showrunner Albert Kim & Executive Producer/Director/VFX Supervisor Jabbar Raisani
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like this ain't coming across like a remix, this is just empty meaningless noise
#wtf else could they even show of the agni kai WE SAW IT DID YOU NOT WATCH THE FUCKING SHOW????????#the camera staying on them when he gets burned by his father isnt needed thats literally the only thing we didn't see#AND WE DONT NEED TO FUCK OFF#not dc#avatar the last airbender#atla#netflix atla#idk how they can have such a clear cut example of What Not To Do and seem to be trying to do it WORSE#like the movie's reputation is openly garbage its so abundantly clear what fans want#and theyre like :))) what if we uh update these one dimensional characters cause sokka's obnoxious at first :))) yeah no shit#its not as if its not called out either???? its not played for laughs katara literally calls him sexist IN THE LIKE FIRST 5 MINUTES OF EP 1#he's in the wrong and you know it yall just didn't watch the show or have ZERO ability to comprehend media literacy its so sad wtf
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Ranking all ATLA Villains/Antagonists from worst to best (by someone who loves villains)
This post was inspired by this ask
Warning: I swear quite a bit in this post and I’m a dumbass, not an ATLA scholar, so take this with a grain of salt. Also I have no idea wtf my ranking criteria was. I assigned arbitrary and meaningless points like Dumbledore giving all the points to Gryffindor at the end of the year.
Iroh
I have a secret for you...Iroh is an antagonist.... Say it with me... Iroh is an antagonist. For the people in the back, IROH IS AN ANTAGONIST. He’s not particularly good at at it, but he belongs on this list. Primary reason being, his siege on Ba Sing Se, which was a major battle in the 100 year war and all the other things he did in the war to become a general. If he was good at being a villain, he would at least have the decency to conquer the city, but as Ozai points out, Iroh excels at tea and failure. When we see Iroh in Book 1, He’s a very chill antagonist for the same reason a lot of our other antagonists are (June, the Yuyan Archers, Combustion man etc)-they are helping a villain achieve their goal. In Iroh’s case, he does help Zuko in many ways ( like sneaking him onto Zhao’s ship) and these in turn help Zuko get closer to his goal of capturing Aang. I love Iroh as a character, but he’s not good at being an antagonist, which is why he is ranked the worst.
Circus Trainer
This man is straight up, evil. I like villains, but I do not like this man. He’s cruel and not in a fun way, which is why he’s near the bottom of the list. The whole point of being a villain is to be cool and do bad things, but he’s not even a little fun to watch. He’s the least interesting to look at...
Yon Rha
This man is a coward. Like how did he lead the Southern Raiders? He went soft when he got old. He was more savage back in the day. Like this man is a firebender, but he cowers from Zuko before Katara even pops up. He needs to grow a pair. Like Katara said man is pa-thet-ic.
The Rough Rhinos (ignoring the comics)
They get points for creating my favorite antagonist, Jet. But the first time we see these clowns in the show, the gang just rides away on Appa, easily avoiding them. And then the gang easily defeats them in their next run in. These clowns are good at destroying things, but not really fighting or pursuing others.
Ozai
I expected more from this man. He was hyped up for three seasons and I just didn’t feel like he was smart enough to be the bad guy for the whole ass show. The man clearly doesn’t think for himself or show up throughout the series doing menacing things. The final agni kai overshadowed Ozai and Aang’s showdown. That’s the theme, Azula outshines a grown man as the star villain of the show. He does get some points for his fashion and flair for the dramatic.
Mai's Uncle (Boiling Rock Warden)
This man, is a dumbass with the reflexes of a sloth. Suki overpowered him in 2 seconds flat. How is this grown man getting defeated by a little nugget like Suki? She was only holding his wrist. He could have just kicked her? Like you are a prison warden, look alive man! And he should have captured Zuko’s little ass and sent him right over to Ozai to get some street cred, but instead he just gets pissed cause Zuko broke up with Mai? First lesson in being a villain/antagonist- power over everything (including family). He does get points for ordering them to cut the line. That’s straight savage.
Xin Fu and Yu
Toph gets it right, these are two dunderheads. How did they not hear Toph bending metal? They react almost as slowly as the Boiling Rock Warden, letting Toph easily overtake them. They are two skilled benders and they didn’t even stand a chance.
General Fong
This man gets points for being a bat shit crazy. And I think he’s one of the first non fire nation antagonists we see in the show, so points for him. He’s an underrated antagonist. He does cool bending and his emotional manipulation to get Aang into the Avatar state is A+ villain work.
Azulon
Azulon gets villain points for keeping the war going. He didn’t fuck it up like Ozai. But Azulon gets his villainness handed to him on a platter, he didn’t really do much, besides maintain status quo. We do get the scene where Ozai asks for the throne. But I don’t think Azulon assumed Ozai was going to kill Zuko. Azulon was trying to make a point, that Ozai’s request was absurd, but he obviously didn’t know Ozai well enough...
Koh
Koh almost didn’t make the list. I don’t really consider him to be an antagonist. Aang came to him asking for information and Koh was trying to do what he does..steal faces. He was just vibing. I included him on this list, because he antagonized us (the viewers). Dude is easily the most terrifying part of the show.
Ghashiun
He muzzled Appa! He’s not ranked high on this list, because he didn’t know Appa was Aang’s so he wasn’t intentionally trying to fuck with the Avatar. I do like the sandbenders as a whole. They just run around causing chaos with their cool bending. This character, however, loses points, because when he is confronted about stealing Appa, he gets defensive and tries to lie. If you do something bad, at least have the balls to own up to it.
Wan Shi Tong
Gets points for his flair for the dramatic a la Ozai. I did like Wan Shi Tong’s logic around not giving the gaang information: “You think you're the first person to believe their war was justified?!” He had more brain cells than some of our other villains/antagonists, but was also dumb too? Sokka pretty easily outsmarted him. This Spirit has been alive forever, he shouldn’t be outsmarted by a child.
The Old Man
Oooof. I almost put him in the number one spot tbh. He did us and Haru so dirty. Like he could have died,but he turned in the person that saved him??? He gets points for shock value and pettiness. I personally think Jet should take him out...
June
June gets points for being a bad bitch. I like her vibe. She’ll do anything as long as you’re paying her the right price and I can respect that. She isn’t higher on the list, because she is executing someone else’s plan, not her own.
The Yuyan Archers
Speaking of bad bitches, the Yuyan Archers are so cool and I wish they got more screen time! We see very few antagonists that can keep up with Aang the way that this group does. They add a bit of spice and a different flavor to what we know about Fire Nation fighting styles, which I approve of. I hope we see more of them in future ATLA projects. They aren’t higher up, because they are still doing someone else’s bidding. If they had their own leader and their own agenda, that would be some cool shit.
Combustion Man
This man gets points for giving the gaang a lot of trouble. As viewers, we really worry about whether they will be able to defeat him. I like that he has a different style of bending, which in and of itself is terrifying. He still doesn’t make it up higher on the list, because he’s still doing someone else’s (Zuko’s) bidding.
Rig Warden
On second thought, I may have him ranked a little too high. But oh well, fuck it. He gets many many points for being voiced by George Takei. This man also gets points for having general villain swag. He is sassy and I am here for it. He’s highly effective at crushing the souls of the Earthbenders on the rig. Also, he does not stutter when Haru throws those rocks at him.Came at him full force which is what all the other himbos on this list should have been doing when these children played them! He outright told Katara he was gonna kill her “You’re one mistake away from dying where you stand.” Loses points for begging as he’s dragged off the rig. Go down with some dignity!
The Southern Raiders
So the Southern Raiders get ranked separately from Yon Rha, because he led them towards the end of their conquest. I think they started under Sozin’s reign. This group gets ranked fairly high, because they were very effective at their task. They came, they saw, they decimated-leaving the SWT defenseless and barely able to sustain itself.
Mai
I like Mai and wish I could rank her higher. I like her knives, they are very cool form of defense that was unique to her. I also love how she just immediately flung arrows at Aang, no hesitation. She does get style points, her aesthetic is everything. Her one liners are pretty funny, “You’re so colorful, you’re making me nauseous.” She lacks in her commitment. Anytime anything inconveniences her she’s just like eh, no thanks. Hardcore antagonists need to be have some dedication to their cause, which Mai does not. I feel like she would eventually run out of weapons in a longer battle, which would be a big issue for her.
Long Feng
Gets instant points for villain swag, creepy vibe and sass. This man kept news of a whole war from Ba Sing Se, even though the city was filled with refugees? Long Feng had his work cut out for him. He loses points, because he lets the children get away with too much. He should have locked down Aaang and co immediately, because they were trouble as soon as they rolled up. Also, he should have fought Azula. He let a fourteen year old take his whole career away. He was never even a player.
Sozin
Sozin gets a large amount of hypothetical points from being the one to start it all. He’s the one who initiated the 100 year war. He did not play around. He used that comet to its maximum potential. Also he has a dragon, which is fucking cool. He gets bad bitch points for leaving Roku on the exploding island. Like that’s a power move right there. He wiped out the air nomads and invaded the Southern Water Tribe, which is why his successors are ranked much lower on the list. They really didn’t do shit.
Hama
Gets points for being a waterbender, which is something cool that we hadn’t seen in a villain yet. She also gets points for executing her own deranged agenda. I would love to see her and Jet link up, cause that would have been chaos. She also gets heaps of points for inventing bloodbending. Many of the villains of this list can barely think and homegirl has big brain energy. She is cunning and quick, like when she utilizes Sokka and Aang to attack Katara. I like her general bruja (witch) vibes. She gets more points because she does not motherfucking stutter when Katara figures her out, she just starts bloodbending immediately. She really enjoys her power and I can’t blame her for it. She’s a baddie and she knows it. More points for Hama, because she gets Katara to carry on her legacy (whether she wants to or not) and goes off to jail with her dignity. She’s an all-star villain and I love to see it. She loses a few points, because her bloodbending is limited to the full moon, but she still has her waterbending which is terrifying enough...
Dai Li
Like the rig warden, I probably ranked these himbos too high, but I love them as henchmen. Their bending is amazing, they are sneaky and they can brainwash you? Like fuck me up man. They really are just a joy to watch and their betrayal of Long Feng is so unexpected. This group really creates the creepy/ominous aesthetic the creators were going for in Ba Sing Se. Don’t think their bending is good? They one upped Toph and almost had her, but Jet saved her at the last second.
Zhao
I feel like Zhao’s characterization is inconsistent (sometimes he has a bad temper, sometimes he doesn’t?) which makes him hard to rank, but let’s do it anyway. He gets points for being voiced by the guy that played Lucius Malfoy, like yaaas work that Slytherin aesthetic. Gets points for using the Yuyan Archers. Loses a lot of points in his fight with Aang, like that child was obviously baiting him. He has a lot of ambition and actually has to work to his rise to power, which he obviously relishes. He’s the perfect antagonist for Zuko. He accomplished his goal of frying the fish/moon and he actually captures Aang. I think the writers added in his hot temper later on, because they realized he was too competent and had to give him a flaw.
Zuko
Ohhh my morally confused prince, Where do we even start? Zuko gets a lot of points for his sheer determination. I would love to see an unhinged Zuko without Iroh. Zuko’s tenacity and unpredictability make him a fantastic antagonist. Iroh and Azula try to control Zuko, but they never really know what he’s gonna do next and neither do we as the viewers. He’s near the top of the list, because even with so many struggles he kept Aang on the run for two seasons. I like that he actually struggled to be good. He obviously loses points for joining the good guys, but we still love him.
Jet
Speaking of morally grey, cue up Jet’s theme music. He gets instant points for swag and cool swords. Like the Yuyan archers, Jet is one of the few antagonists we see that can keep up with Aang. Like Zuko, Jet’s dedication to his cause get him high on this list, because he will defeat the Fire Nation at any cause. The creators lose points for being cowards and killing him off. We saw plenty of other people (Sokka) get hit with similar rocks and not die. Jet is a fantastic antagonist with a backstory that the audience can sympathize with. He loses points for not being more versatile in his tactics. I’ve written more on this here.
Ty Lee
Katara is terrified of her, do I need to elaborate? Ty Lee by far has the scariest skill set on the show. It’s too easy for people to underestimate her. Katara and Suki make that mistake once and then never do it again. Like Toph, Ty Lee knows to wait for the right time to strike, making her highly effective at taking out our favorite benders and whole groups of benders (The Terra Team). Her betrayal of Azula is ICONIC and unexpected, but as always, Ty Lee knows just the right time to strike. I think Ty and Mai were perfectly capable of getting away at the Boiling Rock and I’m disappointed they were captured so easily.
Azula
Look down, you’re talking to your highness. Can’t see her? She’s the reason for your blindness.
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Azula is the baddest bitch in the game. PERIODT. She is ruthless, cunning and powerful. Her lightning bending is at a whole other level. She is the smartest person on this list. She takes Ba Sing Se from the inside out, utilizes the Da Li perfectly and has antagonized Zuko from the beginning. As far as I’m concerned, she was made to be Firelord.
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hey!! do you have any multi-chapter zutara fic recs?
DO I?!
Okay before I start, here’s a link to my original masterpost of fanfic recs. A lot of the masterpost is made up of one shots, but I do have some great multi-chapter fics on there as well.
NOW FOR THE ONES NOT ON THAT LIST
FINISHED
Once Around the Sun by eleventy7 (RATED K+)
Oh MAN. If you’ve been following me for a little while, you would know that this is my ALL TIME FAVORITE Zutara fanfiction. HOLY. CRAP. It’s so good. Taking place shortly after the end of the show, this post war fic is the slow burn we all deserve. Starts K//at/ang and M/a-i/ko, and it beautifully highlights the flaws of both endgame ships without demonizing either Aang or Mai. AND we get an amazing Ursa and an AMAZING Azula. Sometimes if I need a pick me up I just read the last two chapters and sob at the beauty.
Fall of the White Lotus by Boo-82 (RATED T)
Do you love soap operas? Do you love sweeping romances? Do you love the idea that the entire Avatar-universe would be DESTROYED if Katara and Zuko didn’t fall in love??? If yes to any or all of those, than this fic is for you. An epic of a post war fic, this story could take the alternate title of ‘Road Trip of LOVE: A Zutara Story’. Has some Taang on the side, so if that’s your thing you’ve got that added bonus.
Such Selfish Prayers by andromeda3116 (RATED T)
Didn’t you hate how in the comics Katara became a shell of herself who did nothing but wait on Aang hand and foot? Yeah, so did the rest of us. So here’s a story where Katara’s just chilling, watching the acolytes, and is like “Uhm wtf am I doing this isn’t me”, leaves Aang, and goes on to change the world because she’s that awesome. And yeah, Zuko just happens to be a part of her epic world changing. So beautiful.
Our Fortunes Together by NomDeGuerre (RATED M)
Like arranged marriage tropes? Love slow burn? Well here have both of them in the SAME FIC. Yep, that’s right, a slow burn arranged marriage fic. Really awesome AU where rather than be banished, Zuko has to suffer with Azula and Ozai after the Agni Kai, and the slaughter of the group he tried to save is blamed on him. His final shame is being married off to a member of the Southern Water Tribe, our babe Katara. Excellent story.
i didn’t know i was lonely (’til i saw your face) by raisindeatre (RATED T)
brb just sobbing over the beauty of this modern AU. I don’t like modern AUs. But I LOVE this one. It’s just… the best thing ever. Honestly. It’s so fluffy and cute and I’m blushing right now writing this summary for it. It’s the "I hit you with my car and was the only one to visit you in hospital" AU none of us knew we needed from Zutara. Also anyone else think of The Raven Cycle when they hear this song? Just me? Alright sorry this is a zutara fic rec I’ll stay in my lane
What Fortunes Lent by lewilder (RATED T)
Even So is one of my all time favorite one shots, but What Fortunes Lent by the same author is also an amazing worthwhile read. In this AU, the Southern Raiders mission comes when Katara is older and they take her prisoner rather than kill Kya. There are so many moments where you’ll clutch your heart and just want to cry but the ending is just beautiful if not horribly ambiguous… absolutely all around lovely fic.
STILL UPDATING
Southern Lights by colourwhirled (RATED M)
Now, I don’t really like drastic AU’s. They just aren’t what I’m typically interested in reading. But this one, oh man. I’m so in love and invested. It takes place in a universe where there is no Avatar (but there is Aang) and Sozin successfully conquers the world. The worldbuilding is FANTASTIC, characterization is amazing, and at this moment the plot is really picking up and getting interesting. Slow burn is absolutely fantastic in this story, and I’m so excited to see what happens. What I love the most is hints of events that happened in canon are sprinkled throughout, giving this feeling that some events are always meant to be, even in drastically different scenarios.
Brightest Nights or Darkest Days by Kittenshift17 (RATED M)
I want to give a warning with this one. This Zutara fanfiction will not be for everyone. This author is mainly a Dramione writer, and you can absolutely see that in how she writes the dynamic between Katara and Zuko. If you love Zutara but hate Dramione, you probably will not like this. However, as someone who likes both, I can say that this is a really well written season 2 AU and in the last update we just got an interesting addition to the plot that appears to be here to stay.
HOPEFULLY these will keep you busy for a while. Happy reading!!!
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