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aangarchy · 7 months

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Alright. I've rewatched the trailer like 20 times by now and i've been processing it.

First things first: anyone that's gonna talk shit about Gordon Cormier is gonna have to go through me first. I've only had Gordon!Aang for a day and a half and if anything happens to him i'll kill everyone here and then myself got it?

Just look at him! This is the exact big eared cute little kid i wanted them to cast for Aang. He looks adorable and honestly his outfit is growing on me.

The glowing arrow looked cool as hell. I like that the light spread through his tattoo almost like veins. I'm still curious on how the full avatar state is gonna look, how they're gonna get the glowing eye effect. Please don't let it look goofy.

Y'know what does look goofy?

Is it better than the m night shyamalan appa? I guess. Does that mean it looks good? Well.... at least momo sort of looks cute instead of some folklore nightmare like in shyamalan's version. But also you can tell in this shot in particular that it's very green screen-y

Then we go over to the bending, the limited shots we have of it. Mainly firebending was shown (a little airbending too but kinda hard to get a stillframe for that one)

Idk how to feel about it. In screenshots it looks alright but the shots while they were moving looked a bit off, especially the one where zuko's kicking. We only got very limited shots and that's intentional. I feel like the bigger cgi fails are gonna show up once we get the full show. If the bending looked good all the time i feel like they'd be showing it off by now.

What i don't like, is how apparently they're gonna SHOW Zuko getting burned. Like sure in atla they didn't bc kids show and Nickelodeon wouldn't allow it, and netflix can take darker turns if they so please. But i personally always felt that scene made so much impact because we didn't see it. Iroh is telling it from his memory and he didn't look when it happened, so we don't see it either. It's like a courtesy the show extends to both Zuko and the audience. We just hear the harrowing scream, and that's enough to know how devastating it is. I don't need a dramatic overlook so we can see the whole thing in detail, netflix.

Another thing is the hair in some scenes.

Daniel dae kim looked better in that promo photo, bc here you can just see how the bulky goatie was glued on. And then Sokka's hair..... where's the ponytail? It's laying completely flat against his head... why? Is it bc that's Ian's hair and they didn't know what to do with it? Literally get a comb and tease that bitch. This is like the complete opposite of Jackson Rathbone's hair in the shyamalan version, and somehow that full maybelline ponytail makes more sense than this sad excuse of a tail. Either way at least Suki looked dope.

Another thing i found weird about the trailer is the narration. I think it's either Iroh's voice or maybe Gyatso's? (I haven't heard Iroh's actor talk yet so idk, but it felt like it was being said TO either Aang or Zuko) but the lines they gave him... it felt like some weird mumbo jumbo tbh. Something something about the past and present being the same and it's up to us to know the difference and be the difference? It's saying everything and nothing at the same time and it felt kind of out of place. They're probably saving the iconic opening narration done by Katara for the full trailer (i hope???) but still they could have just gone with music, or maybe just a few iconic existing lines?

The music? Fire. Nothing needs to be added there. Was i kind of hoping for a different soundtrack? Maybe a bit. But am i mad? Not at all. They clearly took the nostalgia route with the more epic version of the avatar theme, and i can only respect them for that.

So far, very mixed reviews for me. I'm morbidly curious and very nosy by nature though, so i'm absolutely watching.

#avatar the last airbender #atla #avatar #atla netflix #netflix atla #atla live action #netflix

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littlerosette · 22 days

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Any kaatang fic recs?

i’ve got quite a few!

tales of republic city by djns: this fic has probably been read by every kataang stan at this point, but it really is just that good. it’s technically not canon compliant since i believe it was written before much of lok had been aired (kya is the eldest instead of bumi, which i believe was the original plan) but it’s still so amazing. the writing is great and i love how realistic their marriage and family are. katara and aang love each other so so much in this fic, but they do occasionally get into fights about their kids, about his job, about misunderstandings, and it only makes their reconciliations feel all the much more rewarding. every kataang fic by this author, in general, is great and i’d also highly recommend the prequel tales of the southern air temple.

picking up the pieces by sr240: a spin-off of tales of republic city (with permission from the author!) about a subplot that happens in the original fic. in this story, katara and aang deal with the fallout of a miscarriage and katara’s depression after the fact, and it’s so so good. it’s very angsty but with a very rewarding ending, and i’m obsessed with how the author writes katara and aang’s love for each other. you really get the sense that she makes the sun rise and set for him and it makes me 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 im a big fan of chronic loverboy aang.

writing in water: the waterbender’s scroll by greeneyes117: basically a retelling of the entire show through katara’s pov + stuff from the comics + original bits the author cooked up. i love the concept of this fic since it makes katara’s role as the narrator of aang’s story very literal. the writing is great and the characterization is also very very good. aang and katara’s connection is so beautiful too. like when i was reading i kept thinking “this is True Love.” warning: it’s a loooong story (almost 700k words).

stranger by sycamore17: a no 100 year war/enemies to lovers au where katara and aang initially meet in the NWT. i loooove the way they’re written in this fic. the premise of a kataang etl is a hard sell since i feel like they’re destined to like each other immediately in every universe, but the author handles it so well. the writing is gorgeous and it was very fun for me to see katara interacting with the air nomads, which i love in any au. would highly highly highly recommend the story. i’ve probably read it four times by now😭.

without water by chocomd: a fic set in between “the crossroads of destiny” and “the awakening” where katara heals aang. i love the author’s take on this because katara is so desperate and unhinged in it. she feels like she’s a thread away from snapping and breaking down completely, which is how i think she would be during this time too (i hc this is where katara becomes aware of just how much she loves aang). once again, the writing is gorgeous.

the waterbender’s heart by chocomd: a look into katara’s pov from “the firebending masters” to the finale. i love the way the author tackles how her trauma from her mother’s death interferes for her feelings for aang, and she acts so appropriately Teenage Girl-ish that i simultaneously want to hug her and send her to her room to seriously consider her life choices. i especially love how the author handles her reaction to the ember island kiss (lord) because it feels exactly like how i would handle it if i were in katara’s position (even though it hurts me lol). i also just love any story where katara is obviously pining but in total denial of it it’s great.

okay i probably have more but ill leave it there for now. happy reading!!

#this is also an invitation to rec kataang fics to me btw!! could read about them falling in love forever #fic rec #kataang #asks

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biconickyoshi · 3 months

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Can we have an intro script for Avatar but instead of Katara, we have Zuko narrating?

I was actually just thinking about this the other day, anon!! I bet I can draft something up real quick!

FIRST CHAPTER NARRATION:

Long ago, the Fire Nation lived in peace and prosperity.

Then, everything changed when my great grandfather tried to share that prosperity with the rest of the world, and the Air Nation attacked.

While my great grandfather won that battle, the Avatar - an Air National, the master of all four elements, and the most deadly threat to the Fire Nation - somehow managed to evade him, and vanished.

Nearly a hundred years have passed since then, and the Fire Nation is now nearing victory in the war. My father, the new Fire Lord, has tasked me with finding and capturing the Avatar.

This is my destiny, and the only way I can restore my honor and return home.

POST-ZUKO REDEMPTION NARRATION (aka the normal show intro version):

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop the my people’s tyranny. But when the world needed him most, he vanished.

Nearly one hundred years passed, and my uncle and I discovered the new Avatar, an airbender named Aang.

Through his friendship, Aang helped me open my eyes to the things I was blind to. Now, my uncle and I are going to help him defeat my father and save the world.

*****

There you have it lol. I literally just thought these up over the span of the past 20 mins, so sorry if they’re not the best 😅

I am seriously considering going back to the very first chapter and adding that first narration to the beginning of it now… hmmm…

#asks #my fic #atla au #zukaang #the avatar and the fire prince #taatfp #atla #zuko #aang #avatar the last airbender

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jerk-bending · 3 months

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@sokkas-therapist @lilmartita @enby-spite

I have failed in finding the fic so I'll do my best on the cliff notes version and you can all suffer with me that I can't find the fic itself.

Harmonic Convergence happens when the Gaang is adults. It was posted before we knew Fire Lord Izumi's name, I think, because Zuko comes down first. His and Mai's daughter is not very old when she starts airbending and Zuko is like...I need a spiritual explanation bestie or we are gonna Agni Kai right here.

I think Ty Lee actually HAS the first airbending baby tho now that I'm thinking about it. Because the narrator says no one was too surprised. For some reason.

I can't remember if Suki or Toph is the next one, but Toph arrives literally dragging her floating kid along on a tether. Little Lin comes too. And Toph is like "Yeah explain this, Twinkletoes, cause how tf am I supposed to raise a flying baby."

Suki I think is the next one, and that paragraph is short because it's like, "When Suki's daughter sneezes and shoots some feet in the air, Sokka punches Aang."

Then you get Aang sitting in an igloo with an ice pack on his eye while Katara is giggling because she knows Aang isn't running around on her, and this situation is so absurd.

The punchline to all of this is that Katara and Aang have yet to produce an airbender of their own.

If that sounds familiar to anyone PLEASE drop the link I am on my KNEES.

#atla #atla fic #avatar the last airbender #avatar the last airbender fic #atla fanfic #avatar the last airbender fanfic #kataang #kataang fic #kataang fanfic #maiko fic #maiko #maiko fanfic #sukka #sukka fic #sukka fanfic #jerkbitching

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zvtara-was-never-canon · 8 months

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Would you say that the show itself doesn't respect/understand Katara's trauma?

Let's see:

The first voice we hear in the very begining of the show (not just in the first episode, but in EVERY SINGLE ONE that followed), is Katara's. The first character to explain the show's whole deal, HOPE, is her.

Right away she explains to us through narration the whole conflict of the story, and the series itself immediately shows us how it has affected her and her family personally, with the death of her mother, the departure of her father as he goes to fight in the war, her and her brother struggling to get food, the tribe having no defense.

She is the first person to interact with Aang, the protagonist - and we find out about HER life, HER trauma, and see a bit of HER personality before we even see Aang or find out his name. The show introduces us to KATARA as a character, while Aang and his backstory are still always a bit of mystery until episode 13. For fuck's sake, the reason Aang becomes so endearing so quickly is because he brings the fun of childhood back to Katara and HER village.

The idea of traveling to the Northern Water Tribe is introduced because KATARA wants to be a fighter. And even when it goes from a promise of adventure between two friends to an official mission, Aang is happy that they will learn TOGETHER. Hell, excluding the opening, Katara is the first character we see using any kind of bending on screen, in the actual story.

The death of Kya and how it has severely traumatized Katara is brought up three more times in the first season - when she's comforting Aang, and bonding with Jet and Haru.

The first situation is one of the many times the show will make clear parallel between Aang's anger/grief at what was done to his people and Katara's anger/grief at what was done to hers. She comforts him about Gyatso's death by mentioning the death of her mother, managing to make Aang come back for the Avatar state. In the start of season two, we hear her mention just how tough it is to watch someone she loves be in so much pain. She comforts him again when the Sandbenders take Appa. And then in the Southern Raiders, when Katara wants to murder her mother's killer, Aang EXPLICITLY recalls these moments to explain that he DOES understand what she's going through (same thing she said to him the very first time) and still thinks that this is not what she needs to heal - much like Katara telling him not to weaponize the Avatar State, aka his pain.

Katara's grief over her mother is explicitly shown as a reason why she wants to protect the innocent, to help anyone who needs her. In the Haru episode, she's explicitly shown as a figure that symbolizes hope in the darkest situations, just like Aang is too her. Once again, the show lets her have some time in the spotlight, even in a plot that could have easily been filled by Aang since the dude is basically a messiah. And in the Jet one, while she's being lied to, she IS trying to do something good - and Aang is there with her. Once again, Katara's hero journey, and all the grief that comes with it, is literally being written alongside Aang's.

The show also places great emphasis on her journey to become a poweful warrior, even openly challenging (and giving some trouble) to a master that is unfairly refusing to teach her solely because she is a girl. She gets to hold her own in a fight against Zuko in the season one finale. In season two, when she expresses the desire to be given the title of Sifu like Toph, Aang immediately accepts. Katara is constantly shown to be pretty badass - including in the Southern Raiders, where she looks the man that killed her mom straight in the face and says she's not a helpless little girl anymore, exposing one of, if not THE, main reason why she wanted to be a fighter so bad. To regain power, to protect herself and those she cared about.

And while the show DID highlight these moments of strength from Katara, it also let her be vulnerable. We see her crying after thinking she saw her mother in the swamp, and when she believes her friends see her more as a motherly figure than a kid because she was forced to grow up too fast after Kya's death - and then Toph comforts her because they DO see her as their friend, not just a replacement mom. There's also the beautiful scene of her and Hakoda, in which she is allowed to admit how badly it hurt to suddenly no longer have her dad around, even if it was necessary/for a good cause.

There's also little things like her being allowed to bond with Bato and reconnect a bit with her tribe's way of life after some time away from it, or the show explictly having her tell Hama that it would be an honor to be allowed to learn more about her culture and heritage, which the Fire Nation obviously has robbed her of as the tribe is struggling to just survive. She also is clearly overjoyed when Pakku says it's about time for the North to help rebuild the South.

And, of course, when she's face to face with the man that killed her mother, she is allowed to stay her compassionate self - while still not forgiving him because, surprise surprise, the writers knew what they were doing and did not want to force her to suddenly ignore all that trauma just to half-ass a lesson about forgiveness is ALWAYS the way to go.

Katara is allowed to be strong AND vulnerable. To help AND be helped by others. The show clearly demonstrates, repeatedly, that she isn't just struggling to deal with the death of a parent, but with having to sacrifice her own childhood, not having BOTH parents around, seeing her home be destroyed both literally and figuratively, the feeling of helplessness as this century old war is taking so much from her and others (both dear friends and strangers). The writting for her wasn't perfect, but it was clearly not an after-thought like part of the fandom claims.

Just because she didn't kill a guy and wasn't okay with using bloodbending unless 110% sure there was no other alternative, it does not mean the show didn't take her character and it's struggles seriously. And if this fandom cared about her half as much as they claim they do, they'd recognize that instead of complaining non-stop about how one of the kindest characters in the story didn't suddenly do a 180 turn and go "Murder is great actually"

#katara meta #katara #katara appreciation #katara deserved better #pro katara

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bisexuallsokka · 2 months

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zukka n 22 pls :)

22. a kiss in a rush of adrenaline.

"Sokka."

"I know."

"It's just that…if you don’t make it…”

"I know, Zuko."

"Sorry. You can do this. Win for me, yeah?"

Sokka spares a glance at him, seeing how he is worrying his bottom lip. Zuko meets his eyes, as if he can read Sokka's thoughts about Zuko's lips and his hands and his--

"Sokka!" Suki warns.

"Shit," Sokka curses, redirecting his attention to the television and glaring at the banana peel that his kart just ran into. "Sorry, uh, got distracted."

"Sokka just hit a banana peel," Zuko says, continuing his ongoing narration to Toph. "I think it's the one he planted during the last lap."

Toph lets out a cackle that Sokka chooses not to acknowledge, and out of the corner of his eye he sees Katara lean forward more. His palms feel sweaty. He's so close to gaining on her, he can't let Zuko down after Katara beat him in the last race. Funny, the fact that he could lose the pool of money reserved for the champion of their Mario Kart bracket doesn't seem to matter to him anymore.

"Katara is still in the lead but Sokka is catching up, they are approaching the finish line to start the final lap, they both just got a power-up..."

Sokka tunes him out as he crosses the finish line, focusing on the final lap, on beating Katara. He turns a corner, then another, then-

"Fuck," Katara mutters as she just barely misses the shortcut that Sokka takes, then she shouts, "Fuck!" when her position changes to 2nd and Sokka takes 1st. He doesn't dare let it distract him though, tries desperately to not get distracted by Zuko for once as his narration of the game gets louder from his excitement. Sokka just focuses on completing the rest of the track smoothly, dodging a shell that Katara sends his way, then-

"YES!" he and Zuko shout at the same time, Sokka jumping to his feet as Zuko chants, "He won, Sokka won!"

Suki and Aang cheer and Katara gets up to give her brother a firm congratulatory handshake and a smile that makes Sokka fearful of ever trying his luck a second time. He turns back to Zuko, finally letting himself fully bask in his smile and the way his eyes are wide and excited. He's on his feet, throwing his arms around Sokka so strongly that they nearly topple over, then Zuko is pulling back from the hug and Sokka's hands are grabbing his elbows to stop him from getting too far and he's leaning forward and-

Shocked silence falls over the room except for the music from Mario Kart and, after a few moments, Toph saying, "What?"

Zuko and Sokka are staring at each other in shock, Sokka's hands still frozen on Zuko and Zuko seeming unable or unwilling to step away.

"Uh, Sokka just kissed me," Zuko tells her. Toph cackles again.

"I did," Sokka says. It had barely been a kiss, just a peck really, but there was no denying their lips met. And he wanted it to happen again. But also... "Sorry, it was the adrenaline," he starts, but when Zuko's face falls Sokka grips his arms tighter. "Not like that! Like, I definitely wanted to kiss you, but I hadn't planned to do it just now, I was just excited and you were looking so-"

"Sokka, I will double my contribution to the money pool if you have this conversation literally anywhere else," Katara says, already going through the menu to start a new race, sounding way too unenthusiastic for someone who has been telling Sokka to make a move for months. Everyone else is still busy processing what just happened to say anything else; Aang's eyes are darting quickly between Zuko and Sokka, Suki is hiding a smile behind her hand, and Toph is smirking in their direction.

And, well, it's the push that Sokka needs as he grabs Zuko's hand and leads them toward the door to go for a walk and a conversation that has been a long time coming.

#i was going to choose which map theyre doing and who they play as etc but to be honest im too lazy to think about that rn #thanks for the prompt!#sophiasrant #ask me stuff #prompts #my writing #zukka

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comradekatara · 3 months

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i feel like the reason aang isn’t as adored and beloved as he should be is because he’s the protagonist but he’s also not an archetypal western classical hero. i don’t agree with the entirety of that “avatar aang: feminist icon” essay because i think the role of patriarchy and gender in atla is more complex than what that essay posits, but he definitely complicates the masculine ideal of heroism and generally does not conform to patriarchal notions of masculinity. which is very deliberate, especially as contrasted with sokka and zuko’s explicit struggles with the imperialist/colonial standards of an aggressive, militaristic, and chauvinistic masculinity. aang is subversive because he represents an absence of war in a world ravaged by it. through his link to a (somewhat more) peaceful and harmonious past, he represents a better possible future. as katara would say, he brings people hope.

but people don’t like that he’s not visibly edgy or tormented like zuko is (even though he’s a far more tragic character than zuko is, just fyi), that he isn’t “cool” (even though he’s literally the coolest kid ever, just fyi), that he “gets the girl” (even though if anything, she gets him) despite being twelve and bald and nice (the horror!). katara is the more classical hero of the narrative, as its narrator and its catalyst, the adventurous revolutionary who gradually learns to control and use her powers and eventually becoming a force to be reckoned with. zuko is the classical anti-hero of the narrative, his “redemption arc” constantly hailed as one of the greatest character arcs in television. so people expect katara and zuko, as very obvious narrative foils who parallel each other every step of the way, to be the obvious couple, because based on every romance narrative we’ve been inundated with throughout our lives, within our patriarchal society, they “just make sense together.”

but as much as katara is a protagonist in her own right, aang is the show. the title quite literally represents the central thematic tension of the entire narrative, the colon illustrating the implicit divide between his duties to this brave new world in desperate need of justice and balance, or his duties to his extirpated culture as the last true voice among them. aang is the central figure because this tension represents the crucial ideological battle happening across the entire show. aang is the avatar because he is the only person in the entire world whose values have not been shaped by war.

people constantly laud zuko, in particular, for being the most interesting, complex character in avatar. but i personally don’t even think that’s true. which isn’t to say that zuko isn’t fascinating in his own right, of course, but rather that he’s certainly not the only complex character this show has to offer. he just happens to monologue about his anguish constantly. but aang wasn’t raised as an imperial prince, and so he approaches the world, and his own pain, in a very different manner. the reason he immediately goes to ride giant koi on kyoshi island, mailchutes in omashu, and otherwise goofs around after learning of the shocking ramifications of his people’s genocide is because that’s how he copes with his pain. unlike zuko, who never stops talking about his aches and yearnings, aang represses his trauma and hides his tears behind a mask of upbeat cheerful goofy twelve year old antics.

until he can’t anymore. until he snaps. both katara and zuko wear their hearts on their sleeves, and that includes their rage. but aang’s rage is dangerous specifically because it represents that he has been pushed past his limits, that the conditions of this world in which he is a perpetual stranger, temporally displaced and dispossessed, are intolerable. that peaceful reconciliation is impossible. and the fact that he persists beyond that breaking point, over and over again, to firmly and resoundingly establish his ideals even as they conflict with everything he has learned about this world, a world that is not his own even as he can never return to the world he once knew, is what makes him so unique, so powerful, so beautiful.

i know that aang isn’t the typical hero, neither narratively nor aesthetically, but really, that’s the entire point. the world, our world, needs something other than what we have now. we need someone who will not succumb to the ideals of domination and victory through violence to assert themselves. we need someone who stands firm in refusing to kill the firelord, even as everyone he knows tells him otherwise. we need someone who knows that darkness cannot be vanquished through more darkness, but can only truly yield to purifying light.

and sure, aang is a child, and often acts childishly. sure, he’s not conventionally handsome and alluring. but one thing i will never understand is how that somehow negates his appeal to the masses. because even if you don’t appreciate how crucial he is to the themes of this narrative you all seem to love so much, how can you not love his adorable little face? his precious little laugh, his zest for life, the infinite well of love and kindness he holds in his heart? people who hate aang are crazy to me. because you are, quite literally, hating the world’s most precious baby boy.

#aang #katara #zuko #analysis #hot takes #sorry this one is kind of all over the place #very stream of consciousness bc it’s loving aang hours #and he’s not only meaningful narratively #but he’s also just SOOOOO CUTE #I would literally pay money to babysit him #which I think defeats the point of babysitting but whatever #he’s just. so precious 😭😭😭#also fwiw I don’t really fw kataang either but like. it does make more narrative sense than the alternative #and if it had been executed better . well. who can say

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darklinaforever · 3 months

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And here we go again to see the French critics denounce the live action series of Atla as with Percy Jackson...

The latest review I saw literally says that ; we don't see anything from the world of Avatar, that we don't see anything crazy. Not only is there a problem with adaptation, but it is also simply a basic bad series in the writing in the direction in the photography in the dialogues, in everything in fact. The narration which is catastrophic over 8 episodes. This is a purely bad series. And Aang and Katara apparently don't have an arc. Sokka actor is the only one to have a minimum of arc even if he has no charisma, and also has no chemistry with the actresses of Suki (wtf ?!) and Yue.

At this point, dare you frankly tell me that this isn't bad faith with a view to glorifying the cartoon ? Because, after the film Atla, how can we say things like that about the live series version ? I hope for all these people that the series will work and be renewed until the end of the story of the original series. She deserves it. Rare are live action adaptations made with so much love and care. Fuck you people actually.

That at least is a really good, objective review that doesn't spit gratuitously on the live action series :

#atla #avatar the last airbender #avatar : the last airbender #atla live action #live action atla #avatar the last airbender live action #live action avatar the last airbender #avatar : the last airbender live action #live action avatar : the last airbender #atla netflix #netlifx #zutara #pro zutara

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blindinghope · 3 months

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finished the new atla live action and i have thoughts....! this may not be properly put together, genuinely just saying whatever comes to my mind

besides the controversy around a certain cast member i really enjoyed everyone's performance. unfortunate they weren't all true to the original creators intentions.

the other issue is with the many details they cut out or changing plotlines and character backgrounds.

i'm disappointed with their portrayal of sokka...he had his silly quips in the original series and flaws like misogynistic comments but he comes to redeem himself later on. he had to grow up fast and that comes with being immature. like he demeans suki and the warriors then gets his ass beat!! what happened!!!

what happened to aang's crush on katara or being a real kid? they made him come off more scared than anything and he has no growth??? everything came to him so easy like kyoshi taking over to fight and immediately finding roku..it did not make sense.

and katara's rage??? she seemed so..flat. softspoken and for what. i only felt she had her spark again once they got to the northern water tribe which is literally the end and it shouldn't have been like that. katara is the narrator, she's the first voice you hear in the original series so for netflix to not give her that respect is so disappointing

would love to know why they ruined the characters

#anyways im rewatching the original now #text #atla #avatar the last airbender #atla live action

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droppingartintotheinfinite · 3 months

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watched the first episode of the live action atla adaptation and took notes:

-what is this opening. who are these people. am i expected to care about this random earth kingdom man because i really don’t

-opening fight is kinda meh :/

-sozin looks weirdly… nice? like he has “harmless old man” vibes. i don’t actually dislike this casting choice i think there’s a lot of potential to having him look friendly and approachable even as he does war crimes

-seriously did someone in the writer’s room watch rogue one before coming in and then go like “HEY I KNOW WHAT WE SHOULD ADD” WHAT is this plot doing here

-where is katara’s opening narration. like i get they aren’t adapting one to one but that’s such a loss. the opening cutscene from the original series was so good

-WHERE THE FUCK IS THE GAANG SERIOUSLY. WHY ARE WE STARTING WITH RANDOM EARTH KINGDOM MAN AND SOZIN

-all of these people are so fucking sweaty what is this

-sozin’s outfit is appropriately fuckable

-“my sights… are set… higher… because… it is… our time…” “[screaming]” wow very emo

-KATARA IS HERE!! MY BEST GIRL

-why did they change the narration. this is objectively worse.

-oh no this isn’t katara is it… dang :(

-air temple looking neat. why are we here tho. where are katara and sokka

-why is everyone watching aang jumping around like he’s a fucking celebrity. have they never seen an airbender before in the fucking air temple

-at least they say aang’s name right. step up from shamalalalam or whatever his name is. of course that bar is so low the devil declared it a tripping hazard, so

-these people do NOT talk like actual humans. have these writers never had to write natural exposition before

-genuinely what was the point of that first scene. WHAT does it add

-“when yangchen died the next avatar was born into the water tribe” what, does aang not know this. my fucking god this exposition is shit

-aang didn’t know he was the avatar?? and then didn’t immediately get an ego about it when gyatso told him??? who is this and what did you do with my BOY

-the acting isn’t bad but the lines are so shit it’s hard to tell

-aang is NOT sufficiently goofy

-appa’s kind of ugly :(

-TEAM ROCKET’S BLASTING OFF AGAIN (<— my unfiltered reaction to sozin going jetpack mode)

-unnecessary airbender fight scene. i think this is literally just here to look cool and honestly? 6/10

-aang just fuckin… wandered off? instead of willfully running away? bro you can’t take my boy’s agency like this

-i want a video of appa’s va making those noises into the mic. come on netflix do it it’ll be funny

-WHY is everything so WET all the time

-20 minutes in and i have yet to see the south pole. literally none of this is necessary to the story. you could cut all of it and nothing would change

-HERE SHE IS. FINALLY. IT’S HER

-no funny boat scene with sokka? insert no bitches megamind here

-oh they still have a boat scene. unfortunately it sucks ass

-WHERE IS PISSED OFF KATARA DECIMATING AN ICEBERG BY ACCIDENT

-seriously. they’re removing all the good scenes to fit more unnecessary action and/or melodrama filler in

-shitty zuko cameo

-WHAT is that scar. why is it so small. did he fall and get a scrape on his face? looks more like a scab than anything. 2/10

-baffling why the iceberg even reacted to katara when she’s apparently so fucking incapable she can’t even lift a water orb. they’re massacring my girl

-why does sokka want to leave this random child to die

-kanna!

-“it can’t be… this… is an airbender…..” i am rolling my fucking eyes

-iffy on this iroh so far but i’ll reserve judgement

-tumblr was right. zuko’s actor is absolutely putting his whole pussy into this. he can have rights

-how are NONE of these jokes landing. even the ones they directly crib from the original just… lose all impact

-why is kanna saying the intro dialogue randomly with no prompting. seriously these writers are SO. FUCKING. SHIT

-every emotional beat in this comes off more wooden than a fucking tree

-seriously. everything i could say about this just boils down to the wooden writing, unnecessary and poorly executed exposition, the action scenes shoehorned in for no discernible reason, inability to create any impact from anything ever, and the removal of all the good scenes from the original in favor of more unnecessary poorly written TRASH

-oh one more thing actually

-AANG TEACHES KATARA TO WATERBEND. GET OUT??

-basically

-they took all the good stuff out to fit in more melodrama and action, but their writing (and directing. and acting) is too shitty to actually sell said drama and their fight scenes are mid at best

-3/10

#and i’m only giving them THAT much credit because i’ve seen the original adaptation #sol speaks #text post #avatar: the last airbender #atla #atla live action #also there’s just. a whole bunch of unexamined sexism in here #like did you remove the sokka sexism arc because you thought it was too controversial or because you thought he was RIGHT?#phase 52

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plumbley-bee · 3 months

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Watched the first episode and these are the things I liked

.zuko being a blatent avatar fan boy and furiously drawing a picture of aang the moment they meet to put on his little find the avatar wall.

.sokka actually having a good reason as to why he doesn't like it when Katara waterbends because it's dangerous and their mother literally died to protect that secret rather than him just thinking its weird.

.the memory of his former teacher being the thing that calms aang down from his freak out after finding out his whole tribe is dead rather than katara and sokka.

Really really tried going in with an open mind, I wanted to like this show so bad you guys. But these are the only changes so far that I think we're done well. Maybe the next few episodes will be better, but Aang narrating everything he's feeling very quickly after we meet him and also to nobody but appa? Katara and aang not even introducing themselves before she comforts him? Sokka gets mad at aang for "lying" about being the avatar but like in this adaptation they talk like what, once? Before that gets revealed? How could he lie he was unconscious half the time you've been around him! In the original katara literally asks him if he knows anything about the avatar on their way back to the tribe and he actually lies to her, but the live action doesnt even have them interact until after he learns his people are dead. He isn't given time to lie to them! He barely knows them!! Everything being told to us and aang by grangran, fully pulling us out of any immersion you could even try to have because it came out of NOWHERE and fit so horribly like we barely meet grangran before this happens and suddenly she's breaking this really important impactful news? I literally bust out laughing bc it felt so unserious.

I felt us seeing the massacre of the Airbenders was unnecessary, I felt learning about it by watching Aang learn about it was much more heartbreaking and left a bigger emotional impact. But that would've been fine had they given the moment he discovers the remains of the air temple any emotional weight, but after it was all already explained to us with a monolog from a minor character, a lot of that has also unfortunately been taken away from that scene.

oh and aang getting his air glider from zukos ship was fine but that thing literally is supposed to mean so much to him?? Like that's one of the few things he has from his people left and it's not even his now ig???

(Also the sokka immediately going to sacrifice aang felt so out of pocket like you're gonna tell me that the 16 year old boy who has been looking after the kids in his tribe most of his life is going to throw a 12 year old to the wolves because he lied to you even though he really didn't because he was never given time to even lie to you in the first place!!)

I'm also sad aang didn't get to play with the kids, or go penguin sledding with katara, they were silly filler stuff but they were important in their own way too.

"Aang brought us something we hadn't had in a long time, fun."

This has always been the heart of the show for me. learning to live rather than just survive, still enjoying things, and finding hope during even the hardest wars. Aang as the avatar brings the potential for the world to finally know peace again, aang as the last Airbender bring the hope that Airbenders aren't all extinct, but aang as the boy in the iceberg? He brings joy and fun and laughter where he goes. He remembers what good came from the world before all the bad. he runs from his responsibilities and problems because he's a young boy and he's scared and that fear and that "cowardice" brings him so much shame that he just tries to fix other people's problems instead to make up for it and THATS THE AANG THAT IS SUCH A GOOD MAIN CHARACTER!

Idk, I'll try to keep watching, but they've already removed so much heart from just the first episode.

#avatar the last airbender

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littlerosette · 2 months

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you being a kataang shipper was an unexpected but pleasant surprise. you have an affinity for emotionally intense and obsessive ships (eremika, judecardan, everlark) and kataang is very wholesome/pure at its romantic core. what makes kataang special/different for you? and im excited for your kataang fic <3

people have told me they’re surprised by me liking it which i think is so funny. tbh i think my taste in ships ranges pretty wide? i love emotionally volatile, obsessive ships, but i also am deeply in love with everlark and kyoru. it all just depends on the quality of the relationship to me. and also i tend to prefer canon ships if for no other reason than there’s more content for them and i like being correct LMAO.

as for what i like about them, im just very touched by their bond and the depth of feeling they have for each other. objectively speaking, katara and aang’s relationship is the heart and soul of the show. each finale ends with a focus on them and she is the narrator of his story. they’re best friends and soulmates and they have a bunch of tropes that i love. the prophecy trope? i fucking LOVE when stories have someone visit a fortune teller or have a fortune teller tell them about their true love and it’s their love interest (regardless of if theyre aware of their feelings for them yet). its just the right smack of fate to me. also their parallels with oma and shu. the kataango. katara getting jealous of any girl that expresses interest in him. aang getting jealous of men that express interest in her. they also have the trope where she’s the ONE PERSON who can calm him down from murderous, primal rages which is another one of my favorite tropes (thank you inuyasha). just so many good wonderful things about them i love them.

also the first scene of them that i vividly remember watching as a kid was their finale kiss. the passion of the kiss and the swelling score and the pan up to the pink sky quite literally shifted my brain chemistry. i could not help but stan.

#asks #kataang

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natlacentral · 2 months

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Exclusive Interview: Yvonne Chapman Talks ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender,’ Channeling the Avatar State in Her Craft, ‘Superman & Lois,’ and More

Yvonne Chapman, much like a skilled bender mastering the elements, excels in her craft. Whether she’s directing, writing, acting, or producing, her purpose and mission as an artist is to serve the stories she tells. She’s best known for transformative performances in projects including Kung Fu, The Stranger, and Family Law.

Currently, she can be seen starring as Avatar Kyoshi in Netflix’s critically-acclaimed hit new series, Avatar: The Last Airbender. A live-action reimagining of the beloved animated series following Aang, the young Avatar, as he learns to master the four elements (Water, Earth, Fire, Air) to restore balance to a world threatened by the terrifying Fire Nation.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to catch up with Yvonne to discuss Avatar: The Last Airbender, her preparation in bringing Avatar Kyoshi to life in this live-action adaptation, channeling the Avatar state in her craft, Superman & Lois, and her love for filmmaking.

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PC: We find worlds colliding with your latest project, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Michael Goi, with whom you worked on Kung Fu, championing you for this role. Is there an added sense of pressure when someone is recommending you for such an iconic character? Yvonne: Yes! [laughs] Also because it’s somebody that I truly respect. Michael is fantastic. I really didn’t want to let him down. I didn’t want to let the fans down or anybody. Kyoshi is such a beloved character, as you said. It was a lot of pressure, but the team is so good. It’s everybody coming together, not just me. It’s everyone who brought this together. Thank goodness. I’m not alone in this, that’s for sure.

PC: Not only were you a fan of this franchise, but you also did so much research in your preparation to play Avatar Kyoshi. As you brought this beloved character onto the screen, what’s something you wanted to make sure was translated from the novels and animated series to this live-action adaptation? What’s something new you brought to her? Yvonne: I really wanted to strike that balance. I wanted to explore what she would be like as a mentor because that’s a new capacity that we’re seeing her in as opposed to the original source material. But I also wanted to honor what the fans saw and what I saw in the novels.

In this particular circumstance, there are so many ways that Kyoshi could have interacted with Aang, and a lot of them would have been true because, as we see in the novels, there are so many facets to this character and woman. But given the circumstances at the time when Kyoshi Village was under attack, literally as we were talking, tough love was needed. I feel like that’s very true to who she is, especially as we’ve seen her before. She’s a no-nonsense, get-to-business kind of woman. I really wanted to make sure that was part of the characterization of her.

PC: You also get to narrate and kick off this series in Episode 1. How did they reveal that news to you? How different is that filming experience when it’s just your voice as compared to Episode 2 that has all of those intricate fight sequences? Yvonne: It’s very different. First, the ask came from Michael and Albert [Kim], who again, have been such wonderful caretakers of the series. They used the original source material as their Bible. The original had Katara’s voice. They still wanted to keep it female, but Kyoshi is someone who has been around for 230 years. She would be somebody who would know what’s going on, and they thought the narration would suit her well. That’s why they asked me to jump in on that.

It’s very different because when you’re acting or doing action sequences, you’re in the embodiment of the scene. You’re working off somebody else. You’re in a different environment that lends to a more reactive response whereas this, we did tons of iterations of the voiceover and tried different things. It’s the sound technicians who brought it all together. So kudos to them. But it was fun. It was a different experience being in the sound booth and trying out different ways of saying that intro.

PC: Kyoshi and Aang have a conversation about the Avatar state, and how it’s the place where they can access the energy of past lives and thousands of Avatars. What is the creative equivalent to that? What was a scene that you filmed throughout your career where you were in a similar state and felt that magic? Yvonne: That’s such a good question. In general, in acting, we always talk about a toolkit of different things that you need to use on set. Sometimes one thing doesn’t work, and another thing will work another time, but it’s a mixed bag of everything. If I had to compare it to the Avatar state of being able to use all elements and channeling all your lives and everything, it would be that. It’s the part of the work where you’ve got to try whatever works at the time because you’ve got to get the job done.

PC: Kyoshi really drives home to Aang what it means to be an Avatar. Gordon [Cormier] is someone who’s getting his big break with this project. Did you share any words of wisdom with him as he traverses this industry and what it means to be an artist and storyteller? What was that point in your own career when you defined what this craft and its responsibility means to you because you’ve always brought such an empathetic quality to the roles that you’ve played? Yvonne: Thank you so much. I feel like I learned something from him. Honestly, Gordon is wonderful. He’s so giving, kind, and professional, especially at the age that he is. I don’t need to tell him anything. The support system he has is fantastic. His father was with him on set all the time. They’re such a wonderful presence through and through. As we’ve all seen, he’s played Aang beautifully and perfectly. I am so thrilled that they’re getting Season 2 and 3.

As far as traversing this thing, at the end of the day, I’m so happy that I get to do what I love. Each and every project that I get, I am so grateful for because being an actor, it’s more rejections than acceptances. There are more times that you’re not working than when you’re working. So whenever I get the chance to work, that’s always at the forefront. Each and every job is so difficult to get that when I’m there, I want to show up and do the best that I can. I’m so grateful that I get to work.

PC: Something that you did so brilliantly with this role is the ways in which you were able to infuse hints at Kyoshi’s past because there’s only so much that you can fill into a show. There’s a moment when she shares a bit of tough love with Aang, which for those familiar with the source material, feels as if she’s projecting her own shortcomings in her journey. Was that contrast something that was written in the episode or was it something that you brought to it having done that prep work? Yvonne: It was definitely written in there with that intention in mind. Then, having those discussions and performing it, it’s definitely something that I wanted to bring to her as well because it is a projection. She had such a hard time finding out that she was an Avatar for those who read the book.

She has a very tumultuous childhood and upbringing, and then figuring out that she was the Avatar on top of all that with the very few people that she trusted, betraying her, all of those things she had to learn the hard way. Her saying that to Aang in that moment is definitely a projection. Because right after she says, “I was like you once.” This is where that’s coming from. You hit the nail on the head. That’s exactly what that was.

PC: The series is so well done, and it’s so cinematic. It feels like you’re watching eight films. What was it like getting to see that final product and collaborating with everyone to bring Kyoshi to life on the screen? Yvonne: I was so happy at the premiere because we all got to celebrate with each other. That hasn’t been a thing for a few years because of COVID and everything. To be able to meet people that I didn’t get to meet on set was so special. Every single time someone new appeared on screen, we cheered. It was so wonderful to do that with the whole team.

The hair, makeup, and wardrobe were everything. You can’t not feel like Kyoshi in that hair, makeup, and costume. It completes everything. Like I’ve said before with any project, when you step into the hair, makeup, and wardrobe, it’s like putting on a different skin. It’s putting on the skin of that character. It completes the whole deal.

PC: It’s transformative. You’re a multifaceted talent who has such a strong affinity for writing and directing. What are the types of stories that you’re most interested in telling through those disciplines? Yvonne: I’m a sucker for those kinds of stories that really delve into the quiet moments in life. Because there’s so much to be said about those little quiet moments that we have when interacting with one another or even with ourselves that sometimes don’t get enough airtime to be shown. I love that kind of style, but I also really love the epic stuff too.

If I could do that in a sci-fi, I’d be totally down for it. A huge comedy as well. For me, at the end of the day, what it really comes down to is sharing the human experience and seeing those full colors on screen. If I can participate in that in any way, whether it’s through writing or acting, I’m on board.

PC: Your 2024 is off to the strongest of starts with Avatar, and then it was recently announced that you’re joining Superman & Lois. Amanda has a very small role in the comics, but through the screen adaptation, you’re going to get to write a new chapter for her. How different was that character development and preparation process compared to Kyoshi, where you have this wealth of source material? Yvonne: It’s quite different. Because, as you said, with Kyoshi, there’s a wealth of source material. I can pull from so many different things. With Amanda, what I had to go by were the scripts for Superman & Lois and my discussions with the showrunners who were wonderful. Anyone who is a fan of Superman & Lois, oh my gosh, you’re not going to be disappointed with this final season. It’s so good. There was more than enough, honestly, reading the scripts. It’s so clear to me who she is, and the showrunners are so great at breaking it down for me in that sense. In their description to me and what was released of the role, it made perfect sense with the world-building of it and the final season of it with Lex Luthor. It was very different but still enough to work off of.

PC: Similar to many of the characters you’ve portrayed, there’s also a significant contrast in the types of projects you’ve worked on, from bigger budgets like Avatar and Kung Fu to indies like The Stranger and Dragon Fruit. What is it about independent filmmaking that excites you as a creative and a storyteller? Can you share some of the indie projects you have in the works? Yvonne: With the indie projects, I love doing them because I’m usually working with really good friends. Dragon Fruit was done with Jeremy Brown, who wrote, directed, and produced the short film. He is such a force, and oh my gosh, the amount of work that goes into an indie project because you’re wearing a thousand different hats all at once. I wasn’t part of that project for the full four years, but it took him four years to finish the project from inception to the final product.

On The Stranger, it was a friend of mine, Curtis Lum. I worked with him on one of the first things I ever booked as an actor. We kept in touch. He was like, “I’m producing this short film and I’m acting in it too. You’d be really good for it.” When it’s your friends and it’s a passion project, I love those sets because you get to work with the people around you. We always hope for that.

I send so many auditions to my friends and I’m like, “You should go out for this. You should go out for that because we’re just hoping to be on set together one day.” So when projects like that come and you can support somebody that you know and really care about, it’s a win-win.

To keep up with Yvonne, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix today.

#Youtube #interview #yvonne chapman #pop culturalist #natla #netflix atla #atla netflix #atla #avatar netflix #netflix avatar #avatar the last airbender

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