#avatar the last airbender meta

[starlight-bread-blog]

Zuko had a hard time living up to his sister. She was a firebending prodigy. No matter how good he was, she was always better. And their father favored her because of this.

Ozai's abuse made it seem like he is not a good bender, just because he couldn't match his sister, the wonder child.

But Zuko is a Proficient Bender

At 16, he beat Zhao, a firebending master, at an Agni Kai.

He exercises the original firebending learnt from the dragons.

His firebending is influenced by other bending forms.

He's one of 3 people that at that time coulf redirect lightning.

After he'd recognized Ozai's cruelty towards him, he also casually recognizes that he is skilled, that he is good at firebending.

He casually recognizes that he is so good that he can teach the Avatar.

#zuko #zuko meta #atla zuko #azula #atla azula #atla #atla meta #avatar: the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #avatar aang #firebending #fire lord zuko #firelord zuko #prince zuko #ozai #fire lord ozai #firelord ozai #princess azula #avatar meta #avatar the last airbender meta #pro zuko #a:tla

[staliaqueen]

I rewatched The Avatar and the Fire Lord a few days ago, and god, what a good episode. Revealing that Zuko is a descendant of both Sozin and Roku was a genius move (and that's not even getting into the Zuko/Aang parallels of it all). But there's something the show doesn't seem to think of, and that I haven't seen anyone in the fandom discuss either — the fact that Zuko isn't the only one descendant from both these men. Azula is, too.

The conclusion of this story that Iroh presents to Zuko at the end of the episode is that he alone — because of his lineage from both men the war was started from — is uniquely capable of cleansing the sins of his family and the fire nation and bringing peace to the world. But, the thing is, there's two sides of this conflict, and therefor two sides to its legacy. The external and the personal. The legacy of the external is the war, but the legacy of the personal is the sibling rivalries that kept repeating through generations of the royal family.

Though Roku and Sozin were not actually related, they were childhood friends as close as siblings and fucking shared a birthday, so the symbolism works. We know very little about Azulon's childhood or if he even had any direct sibling rivalries like this at all, but from what I can find on his wiki page, we know that Sozin favoured him over "other family" (I'm assuming his siblings). What we know very well, however, is what happened in the next generation between Iroh and Ozai. We know Azulon favoured Iroh over Ozai, and that this likely is the initial source of their hatred for each other, which resulted in perhaps the worst sibling rivalry of them all (what with the indirect patricide and throne stealing).

Then we go on to Zuko and Azula, whose upbringing kept going in the same patterns, but the key difference is them being the first ones to both be descendant from the men who started it all. If Zuko having this lineage makes him uniquely capable of ending the cycle of war in his country and restoring balance to the world, shouldn't that mean that both he and Azula having this lineage makes them uniquely capable of ending the cycle of brutal sibling rivalries and restoring balance to their family?

This conclusion I've presented seems to fit perfectly with the lesson Aang draws from the same story as well:

"Roku was just as much Fire Nation as Sozin was, right? If anything, their story proves that anyone's capable of great good and great evil. Everyone, even the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation, have to be treated like they're worth giving a chance."

I know this is supposed to be foreshadowing to Aang refusing to kill Ozai later, but I can't help but think it's even more applicable to fourteen year old Azula. It's really so ironic that the show runners thought Azula deserved what she got when their own show seems to be telling them that Zuko mending his relationship with her is what he ultimately should've done.

But, then again... that does sort of make her the perfect tragedy.

#meta #azula #princess azula #zuko #prince zuko #zuko x azula #avatar the last airbender #atla #avatar meta #avatar the last airbender meta #atla meta #uncle iroh #fire lord ozai #fire lord azulon #fire lord sozin #avatar roku #i LOVE tragic siblings have i mentioned this before? #also can't wait for this either to get 0 notes or invite a bunch of brain dead angry replies #it's pretty much either or for me in this fandom

[zuko-always-lies]

Please reblog to increase the sample size

@atla-polls so that you are informed

#Azula #aang #katara #sokka #toph #suki #atla #atla polls #avatar the last airbender meta

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Your post about Ty Lee and Azula having history that Mai doesn't have with Azula is interesting and something I haven't heard before...would you mind elaborating? Thank you!

Thoughts on Azula. Thoughts on Mai. Thoughts on Ty Lee.

Not quite what I said. What I said was that the show did a better job portraying the complicated history between Azula and Ty Lee than it did Azula and Mai.

Obviously, we know canonically that Mai met Azula around the same time as Ty Lee in the academy and that they've been 'friends' ever since. Mai also gets recruited shortly after Ty Lee does.

The difference is that we see Ty Lee enthusiastically greet Azula only to then flinch and very hesitantly say in a way that implies deep fear that she will not be joining Azula's venture as she's finally happy being in a small third-rate circus. Azula then lights the circus on fire and not so subtly threatens Ty Lee into joining at which point Ty Lee pretends everything's fine.

In a small segment of an episode we get a window into what is clearly a very fucked up relationship between these two and a lot of information on Ty Lee as a character (that her cheerful persona is just that, a persona).

Mai, on the other hand, watches the events in Omashu with disinterest and derision and then appears to join up with Azula with no hesitation because she's bored.

Now, the problem is that Mai is a different character and that she doesn't show what she's thinking. In retrospect, she knew that hesitation would only bring harm to herself if not her idiot family put in charge of this city they have no idea how to handle, she has no choice but to join Azula's commando team and doesn't waste time pretending otherwise.

However, because the show doesn't tip its hand about Mai until much later in the series, it's hard to get a read on her beyond "ah, Mai is bored again I see", which makes her a weaker written character than Ty Lee who we get a lot of complexity from in very few scenes.

Now, it'd be hard to do especially when Mai's more of a secondary character anyway, but I feel like given what they were going with her we needed more of her, Azula, and Ty Lee to really pull off her character the way it needed to be by the time we get to the end of the series.

#avatar the last airbender #avatar the last airbender meta #avatar the last airbender headcanon #azula #ty lee #mai #meta #headcanon #opinion

[kenobihater]

okay so we all know about the surface level yue and zuko parallels (the sun/moon imagery, they're both 16 yr old children of rulers, they're both lucky to be born in one way or another), but there's another, much more juicier parallel between the two that makes me want to study them like bugs - zuko and yue are both driven by different yet similar virtues: honor and duty respectively.

honor is defined as adherence to a set of morals or beliefs, it's synonymous with integrity. honor is chiefly personal in nature in atla - ozai claims zuko has dishonored himself by speaking up for the innocent yet that's proven untrue. ironically, he actually loses his honor in his chase of aang, though by the end of the show zuko regains his honor by himself. honor is most easily defined here by one's own actions in relation to their internal sense of morality. duty in atla on the other hand is mainly based on external social expectations. it's a responsibilty, but not just a normal one, a responsibility that one is morally obligated to fulfill. yue repeatedly claims to have a duty to her people, a duty she upholds by putting her own wants and needs aside.

the other interesting thing about these two characters and the virtues that drive them is the fact that they're both dedicated to following virtues that are instilled in them by their fathers. ozai may not be honorable himself in our eyes, but surely he is in his own eyes and expects the same of his children. because he is the one to declare zuko as dishonorable, he's the one who is directly responsible for zuko's fixation on his supposedly tarnished honor. in a similar but less obvious example, yue's sense of duty derives from her father's position as chief. i doubt she'd be so duty-bound and driven if she weren't the daughter of a chief, but she is, and because of that she feels she has an obligation to both her people and to her father, to help him uphold his place in office by marrying hahn in a move that is undoubtedly going to strengthen and consolidate arnook's power considering the marriage was arranged (gonna clarify here that arnook is not as bad as ozai or anything, but that i just find the parallels between them inch resting).

anyways, zuko and yue would have made good friends because i think they'd understand each other on a deep level and this is a hill i will HAPPILY die on :^)

#len speaks #len's meta #zuko #zuko meta #yue #yue meta #prince zuko #princess yue #atla #a:tla #atla meta #a:tla meta #avatar the last airbender #avatar the last airbender meta #avatar meta #i wrote 10k about yue and zuko becoming friends in a single day a while back and i've NEVER in my LIFE written so much so quickly #so yeah. i'm currently spinning their friendship in my mind. they're SO important to me

[selenestarmoon]

The Fake Fire Lord and The Fake Shogun

I don't know if anyone noticed but Kaido's plan to leave Yamato as Shogun of Wano is the same as Ozai did when he left Azula as Fire Lord of the Fire Nation.

The difference is that Azula agrees to be the Fake Fire Lord while Yamato refuses to be the Fake Shogun and here I will explain why in more detail:

We know that Ozai decides to name Azula as Fire Lord because he knows about Azula's successes so he is entrusting Azula with the Fire Nation, while he is going to rule the whole world as the Phoenix Emperor, having more authority than Azula. Kaido, like Ozai with Azula, trusts Yamato to give him the position of Shogun and in turn, wanted to leave her as Shogun because by wanting and going to become ruler of the world, he would have more power and authority than Yamato anyway.

In Ozai's eyes, Azula is still his most capable general and his own daughter (read an extension of himself) while Kaido is confident that Yamato will follow his will and Yamato is his own daughter (and therefore an extension of himself). So, it makes sense that Ozai and Kaido to give both full powers over their previous domain, now that they can have more.

Also, this feeds the ego of Ozai and Kaido because they give Azula and Yamato more power but keep them both inferior and dependent on them, they give them titles (Fire Lord and Shogun) that mean nothing in the long run because in the end they would be under the rule and authority of Ozai and Kaido.

Azula ended up being a puppet ruler because even though she is Fire Lord, Ozai is the only one with real power for being the ruler of the world while Azula rules over one of the many territories that are under Ozai's command and thus, the Fire Lord title has no real value so Azula had no real authority over the Fire Nation and becomes just a title like any other that Ozai can easily take from her at any time. Similarly, Kaido wanted to appoint Yamato Shogun to rule Wano but any power Yamato would have would be overridden by Kaido's authority as Kaido would rule the world and Wano would only be one of many territories that would be under his command so that the Shogun title becomes empty and becomes a title that Kaido can either take away from Yamato and give to someone else or remove said title, making Yamato a puppet ruler with no real authority over Wano as Orochi.

The reason why this worked with Azula but not with Yamato is because of the treatment and upbringing that Ozai and Kaido gave their daughters which made Azula seek her father's approval while Yamato didn't. Azula was treated like a prodigy by Ozai and was always praised and told that everything she did was fine, she was used to it and Ozai only wanted her for her power and considered her his best tool

while Yamato witnessed Oden's execution and seeing his bravery came to admire Oden to such an extent of emulating him,

and wanting to be him

and Kaido disapproved of this to the point that he beat her and locked her in Onigashima with exploding handcuffs and starved her, killing anyone who gave him food.

Because of Ozai's upbringing, Azula sought his approval, hiding her feelings and vulnerability from herself and others and consequently hiding her desire to be loved and to have someone she could love and trust, resulting in her basing her relationships on in control and fear, causing others to distance themselves from her and ended up as a puppet ruler with no one to trust while Yamato, through Kaido's upbringing, distanced herself from him and managed to create genuine bonds by opening up to others, expressing what she feels and wants without fear and showing vulnerability in a way that Azula wouldn't have done, causing Yamato to choose to defend her friends and her hero's dream by rebelling against Kaido and rejecting his plan to make her his tool by naming her the puppet ruler of Wano.

It should be noted that at the time Ozai names Azula Fire Lord, Azula was very unstable due to losing her friends through her own fault and Ozai was the only thing left for her so Azula agrees to be Fire Lord when her father orders her to because she seeks Ozai's approval since she wants someone to love her and be there for her while Yamato, because of Kaido's abuse, wanted nothing to do with him but still doubted that he was able to kill her but when he saw that the handcuffs exploded it was the straw that broke the camel's back for Yamato, causing him to disown Kaido as a father, calling him only by his name and rejecting any plan that Kaido had for her such as naming her Shogun of Wano as well that Yamato is not so affected by the fact that she distances himself from her father because, in addition to having the closest thing to a good example in her life (Oden's diary), Yamato has what Azula wants: people she loves, trusts and they are there for her

and achieves this by acknowledging his feelings

and being open with her desires

while Azula continues to refuse to acknowledge hers

and as a result, she refuses to open herself up and is unable to achieve what she truly wants.

Azula is a girl whose childhood was taken away and she was forced to grow up and be an adult by her upbringing so she doesn't open up to anyone and can't relate to anyone or do the same things that girls her age do while Yamato is an adult who acts like a child because of the little contact she has had with the outside world, but when she meets people with good values and meets people who value her, support her and encourage her to express her emotions and follow her path, she is able to grow and improve.

#avatar meta #avatar the last airbender meta #atla meta #avatar #avatar the last airbender #atla #avatar spoilers #avatar the last airbender spoilers #atla spoilers #one piece meta #one piece #one piece spoilers #azula #ozai #yamato #kaido #azula avatar #ozai avatar #one piece yamato #one piece kaido

[signed-manny]

Happyhoganon: How would you describe AtLA's lore?

A description of the lore itself would be the way the core elements of our world (water, earth, fire and air) have been incorporated into a world that can showcase the immense power and potential a group of humans can have when they control that element.

I love that we see the way each element is designated a biome, a set of cultural values and beliefs, a way of life. And each is so different from the other. There’s even these intricate but meaningful difference within the same elemental group. Like the Northern Water Tribes customs vs the South. Or Kyoshi Island vs that one town that hates the Avatar.

Even in the people of each element there’s an emphasis on cultural values being diverse. The gaang’s different upbringings are evident in their personalities, the way they handle the scenarios they come across. How they react to conflict or relaxation or that feeling of anxiety when it’s just “too quiet”. Each character reacts differently and it’s so interesting to see and observe how the little core values they uphold can be derived from the morals of their culture. It’s so fascinating to take note of their differences.

But that’s just at the beginning. By the end of the show, there’s an immense amount of respect and a total shift in the viewers outlook. There is no separation of elements, just like there is no separation of people. We’re all just that, people. We can have differences but that doesn’t make someone wrong.

It doesn’t matter where you’re from, the true value of your character is your actions. Messages like these that are so universal and powerful are imbedded in the lore of ATLA and I think that’s a testament to the remarkable story that it is.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #i kinda lost track idk if that made any sense #atla meta #avatar the last airbender meta #anon

[biboomerangboi]

More reasons why Zuko being the Firelord is objectively the funniest thing on earth:

HES SEVENTEEN

He hasn’t been civilised in 4 years, his entire teenage experience consists of living on a boat and sleeping rough. The most stable bed he has was probably in Ba Sing Se he probably will just nap anywhere.

He has customer service experience which means he probably uses his customer service voice on his minsters.

Additionally he probably just wanders into to kitchen to get his own snacks and tea because he forgets what servants do.

He probably has no idea why he can’t just chase after an assassin he used to hunt the avatar for Agnis sake why is the captain of the guard demanding he stay in his room he’ll find the guy first (he’s probably right)

Katara probably has a free pass on Eco terrorism because what’s he going to do challenge her, she’ll beat his ass.

If he saw a minster doing something shady he will either invite lady Beifong to detect their BS or commit B&E and look for evidence himself.

He somehow found a baby dragon and raises it.

He will be far to willing to give Kyoshi island anything they want cause he feels bad and Suki scares him.

He randomly insisted on giving some earth kingdom village 100 ostrich horses.

The Avatar will just show up call him Hotman and demand the go on adventures and the Firelord will just dip because he’s been confined to long and has the Zoomies.

He takes far to much advice from Sokka and will genuinely believe if someone doesn’t get Sokkas plans they must be an idiot because Sokka is 16.

Sokka and Zuko also get into a lot of teenage rebellion phases by accident.

Toph just walks in breaks a wall of his palace and demands a field trip that always involves the Firelord having to explain himself to the cops.

He somehow knows every dangerous teen in the world and they all come for tea uninvited.

He has broken into both the NWT and Ba Sing Se.

He has a really well documented facial scar and official portraits but still disappears to be Lee the tea guy like no one knows.

HES SEVENTEEN.

#zuko is the funniest the circumstances just happen character ever #firelord zuko #zuko #atla #avatar the legend of aang #avatar the last airbender #zee rambles #zukka #zuko meta

[fangirlwriting-stories]

Yayyy more Avatar Meta! I'm thinking about leitmotifs!

So I watched that Sideways YouTube video on the music in Avatar, and how the show's leitmotifs are used more for conflicts and themes other than characters, and it got me thinking about that music from the finale. The big, sweeping, triumphant music after Aang finally defeats Ozai, that is. This music.

For anyone who doesn't know, here's my very much not expert knowledge on what a leitmotif is: it's a short bit of music paired with a story element of some kind, that you repeat at appropriate moments.

Now, if we're talking ideal, absolutely perfect scenario for Avatar's music (which, watch the Sideways video if you want to know why that wasn't really possible), this leitmotif would be great to use repeatedly throughout the show, in order to build a relationship with it and have it hit that much harder every time it's heard, especially in the finale. And the showrunners seemed to realize it's really good! Because this music is repeated, though slightly differently for a different Avatar, at key moments throughout The Legend of Korra. For example. They knew they'd written a really powerful bit of triumph music there.

So, if we're looking at other places to put this leitmotif throughout Avatar, it needs an identity. I'm thinking one that fits it, and that fits good for the other ideas I have in mind, is "This is the way things should be." This would be the leitmotif that plays when things go right in a way that the characters have been working for, or a way that fits the overarching narrative of the show. So, if that's it's identity, how about places to put it?

I can think of only one other place in the show where it should be played at full power and triumph, the way it is in the finale, and that's in season 2 when the Gaang is reunited with Appa. Specifically, the theme should be played right here. I have no editing skills, just picture that with the finale music.

But two times does not make for a fully utilized leitmotif, and there are other ways to use it that can make it more effective overall, as well as more complex and nuanced. I think it would be really interesting to play a minor key version after Zuko lets Appa go, right around here. And maybe a similar minor key one during the Blue Spirit episode, after he firebends at Aang and scares him off.

And there are definitely quite a few places where it can be used in a softer, more subdued way, closer to how it sounds right here. It can even be used for the first time in the first episode, as a background sound when Sokka agreees to go with Katara to find Aang and says "Are you gonna talk all day, or are you coming with me?" (Which I can't find a link for, sorry.) I'm also thinking probably a similar one when Toph joins the group, though she'll probably need her own variation on it that's a little more "Toph." It should definitely be played when the Gaang (at least mostly) accepts Zuko into the group as Aang's firebending teacher, probably the first time we should hear it in major key for him.

And of course all the placements in the finale stay right where they're at. Knowing how leitmotifs tend to affect me if they're meant to evoke emotion, if it was all set up this way, and I heard that huge triumphant leitmotif in the final battle, there would have been tears from me. Heck, I might have cried every time it showed up in the finale.

But mostly, this is just an idea I've been thinking about for way too long, and wanted to put out there in some way shape or form, even if I don't have the editing skills to actually put the music in the scenes. Anyway, if anyone else has thoughts on where it might fit, or if you want to argue with me about my placements, feel free! This is far from comprehensive, I'd love to hear other people's thoughts!

#avatar the last airbender #anaylsis #avatar the last airbender meta #media analysis #music #music analysis #atla zuko #atla aang #leitmotif #my writing #my meta

[iidigestive-readerii]

Okay, serious question: Hawky shows up and leaves in "The Runaway"

Who's to say that he actually came back between episodes until the invasion and actually helps fund stuff... the Gaang had SO much money from scamming everyone.

Hakoda couldn't have funded all of it alone with the Southern Water Tribe members. They all had to communicate somehow...

...anyways.

Food for thought tonight.

#The Runaway #avatar: the last airbender #avatar the last airbender meta #atla meta #atla the runaway #hawky #atla hawky

[longing-for-rain]

Sometimes I think about exactly how powerful Zuko’s story as an abuse victim is and I just have to stop and tear up for a minute.

Just let it sink in that at 13 years old, Zuko’s father mutilated him in front of an audience and told him he was worthless and unwelcome until he completed an impossible mission. Nobody stepped in to help him. Most onlookers thought he deserved it, and even Iroh was too afraid of Ozai to challenge him in Zuko’s defense.

Zuko went on for years believing Ozai was right, and didn’t recognize what happened to him as abuse. He thought his banishment and suffering were his own fault because something was wrong with him, and that it was his duty to change to become worthy again.

Then this scene? Absolutely incredible.

Zuko’s whole journey leads up to this confrontation, where he not only recognizes that he holds no responsibility for the abuse inflicted on him; he confronts his abuser and tells him he was wrong to treat him that way, that he doesn’t owe his abuser anything.

And not only that, Zuko also tells Ozai that he sees how he’s hurting the rest of the world the same way he hurt him, and vows to stop him. That’s literally so powerful, especially watching this as someone who once felt as broken and alone as Zuko once did. His story is everything to me.

#atla #zuko #ozai #avatar the last airbender #meta #zutara #zuko appreciation post

[starlight-bread-blog]

My Interpretation of The Last Agni Kai

(Disclaimer: This isn't critisism of Zuko as much as it a small breakdown of the tragedy of the royal family. This post was also editted and it may not appear in reblogs).

Do you hear this language? "The showdown that was always meant to be". It's somewhat true, but I'd argue that it's not because of who they are as people. It's because of Ozai.

It's because they're the golden child and the scapegoat. It's because they've been put against each other by their abuser.

I would argue that she is sorry. She does love her brother, and she didn't want it to end this way. Zuko cannot see that, and he isn't sorry.

In The Beach, Zuko burns a picture of them, as a family.

To him, the picture resresents the perfect past. Before everything went to shit. But he no longer fits there. Even though he's back. He's frustrated, he hates the world, and wants to burn it all.

Especially after he has redeemed himself, he is sure there is nothing for him. His mother is gone, his father is abusive, and Azula: the prodigy, the favored one, who belittled him from the day Ozai began to favor her. She left him in the dust while making it extra dirty. She's barely his sister anymore, she's the untouchable force making his life worse.

In Zuko Alone, Azula practically taunts him over his planned murder.

This is what Zuko sees. Not a human, not a sister, but a boogeyman. After all, Azula always lies. What he doesn't see is Azula's reaction when she realizes the situation is serious. She'll never let him see that.

Azula could have burned the bridge all those years ago, when he was banished. But she didn't. She is the reason he's back home, on that beach. Ozai was her God, she was disciplined to him and only him, even more than herself. And she lied to his face so Zuko could come back home. She's cunning, manipulative and dangerous, but she loved her brother.

Zuko can't see that. Even when "she's slipping", he can't see that. Of course he wouldn't, her love for him is overshadowed by the damage she caused him, and his envy of her. She's above him, the demon haunting him. As Ozai and their history led him to believe. And he sticks to this belief, until it's disproven.

(Author's note: Azula's face here makes me want to cry, props to the animator)

She's human, his sister. And she's trurly sorry it had to come to this.

The Last Agni Kai is a tragedy. It's the story of two siblings who grew up in an abusive household, with a dad who played favorites. One made all the wrong choices, while the other could not fathom the other's humanity. They don't reconcile, they put themselves against each other. Because it's the showdown that was always meant to be. And he only recognizes it wasn't, after it's over. Now, he too, is sorry.

#next to aang's non violent solution #this sticks out like a sore thumb #tw abuse #tw child abuse #prince zuko #atla zuko #fire lord zuko #firelord zuko #zuko meta #azula meta #princess azula #atla azula #azula avatar #azula and zuko #zuko and azula #sozin's comet #the last agni kai #atla meta #atla analysis #avatar the last airbender meta #avatar the last airbender #avatar aang #avatar: the last airbender #atla #a:tla

[yourhighness6]

Ugh I will always love the concept of Katara using blood bending to revive Zuko after the last agni kai, mostly because it makes no sense to me that Zuko was able to bounce back so easily after being struck by lightning, but also because the way the show treats bloodbending is just odd to me. It was a defense mechanism created by a traumatized victim of some of the most devastating parts of colonization, and although I understand that Hama was supposed to symbolize the "bad parts" of waterbending and was important for Katara's growth in realizing that the world isn't entirely black and white, its still disappointing to me that the show never explored the gray areas of blood bending, especially since that episode was, as I stated above, about understanding the gray areas of the war. Katara using blood bending to revive Zuko would add so much to the last agni kai in demonstrating that she has truly realized that "good" and "evil" are relative concepts, and Zuko being saved by both a defense mechanism of a survivor of colonialism and a type of bending used to terrorize his people would have even added to his arc, as the narrative required him to save and subsequently be saved by the physical embodiment of everything his family sought to annihilate.

#also just the angst potential #there are so many fics and better metas written about this but I had to throw my two cents in #Bryke's refusal to acknowledge bloodbending as anything but evil incarnate is so fucking annoying #anti bryke #bloodbending #zutara #zuko #katara #final agni kai #atla #avatar the last airbender #atla meta #zutara meta #technically

[zuko-always-lies]

Toph was forced into joining Team Avatar more than she chose to do so[Toph meta]

Team Avatar didn’t intend this to happen, but their actions inadvertently led to this situation.

Before I begin, I would like to note that the conventional narrative surrounding Toph’s decision to join with the Gaang usually amounts to something like “Toph joined up because she was unhappy with her life with her parents and wanted a life of adventure.” At least, that’s what I thought until I happened to have a moment of insight recently. I happened to see a post which reminded me of this exchange from “The Chase”:

Katara: Ever since joining us you've been nothing but selfish and unhelpful. Toph: What? (Doing a half turn and pointing at Katara again.) Look here, sugar queen, (Drops arm and continues, Katara makes a gesture like she wants to interject.) I gave up everything I had so that I could teach Aang earthbending, so don't you talk to me about being selfish!

This didn’t exactly correspond to the conventional wisdom on why she joined Team Avatar. As we shall see, it doesn’t exactly correspond with the reality of what happened, either, yet it’s easy to see why Toph feels that way.

In “The Blind Bandit,” Toph’s introductory episode, Team Avatar try to recruit Toph since Aang thinks she’s destined to be his earthbending teacher. Their first real exchange goes like this:

Aang: (airbending himself to his feet) Well, a crazy king told me I had to find an earthbender who listens to the earth. And then I had a vision in a magic swamp and... Katara: (cutting Aang off) What Aang is trying to say is, he's the Avatar, and if he doesn't master earthbending soon he won't be able to defeat the Fire Lord. (The Bandit sticks her open hand in Katara's face, who looks taken aback.) Toph: Not my problem. Now get out of here or I'll call the guards. Sokka: Look, we all have to do our part to win this war. And yours is to teach Aang earthbending. (Cut to a shot of the Bandit's back as Sokka speaks. When he concludes, she turns around, looking distraught.) Toph: Guards! Guards, help!

Toph declines the offer to join, while demonstrating she doesn’t care that much about the war or regard it as her job to help lead the Earth Kingdom to victory.

Later on, Aang and Toph have a more substantial exchange:

Toph: Even though I was born blind, I've never had a problem seeing. (They reach the end of the bridge and she jumps off the guardrail and lands on the ground.) Toph: I see with earthbending. It's kind of like seeing with my feet. I can feel the vibrations in the earth, and I can see where everything is. You, that tree, even those ants. (The screen zooms backward three times as Toph speaks, each time showing a wider overhead shot of the pair. At the mention of the ants, cut to a shot from ground level showing Aang and Toph in the background. In the foreground, some ants are silhouetted waling across over a mound of dirt. Aang looks around, but is unable to see that ants that Toph is talking about. He finally turns to her with a smile.) Aang: That's amazing. Toph: (frustrated) My parents don't understand. They've always treated me like I was helpless. Aang: Is that why you became The Blind Bandit? Toph: Yeah. Aang: Then why stay here where you're not happy? Toph: They're my parents. Where else am I supposed to go? Aang: (pause, then with a smile) You could come with us. Toph: Yeah. You guys get to go wherever you want. No one telling you what to do, that's the life. It's just not my life. (The camera slowly zooms in on Toph as she speaks. When she concludes, her head turns suddenly as she senses something amiss. She drops to her knees and places a hand on the ground.)

Toph emphasizes that she feels the allure of the Gaang’s lifestyle and freedom, but also that she wants to remain home with her parents, even though she has to hide who she is from them and they don’t understand her.  Although this isn’t directly stated, a huge issue here is that she deeply loves them and doesn’t want to leave them. Her real wish is that her parents would not only love her but understand her and allow her openly live the kind of active life she loves.

Obviously, Toph and Aang soon get kidnapped, and Toph has to step up to save Aang in front of her parents and show them the other side of her to their disbelieving eyes.

Katara: Toph, there's too many of them. We need an earthbender. We need you! (Toph, Lao and Yu turn to look backwards, then cut to a shot of Lao.) Lao: (angry) My daughter is blind. (camera pans down and to the left to reveal Toph, holding her father's hand) She is blind and tiny and helpless and fragile. (Toph closes her eyes) She cannot help you. (Toph snaps her hand back from her father's.) Toph: Yes, I can.

Note, however, that she never says anything in this scene which amounts to a commitment to join Team Avatar.

Soon Toph has defeated her opponents, and she, her parents, and Team Avatar sit down for a chat.

Toph: Dad, I know it's hard for you to see me this way, but the obedient little helpless blind girl that you think I am just isn't me. I love fighting. I love being an earthbender. And I'm really, really good at it. I know I've kept my life secret from you, but you were keeping me secret from the whole world. You were doing it to protect me. But I'm twelve years old and I've never had a real friend. So now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me. Lao: Of course it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph. It's made me realize something. Toph: (hopeful) It has? Lao: Yes. I've let you have far too much freedom. From now on, you will be cared for and guarded 24 hours a day. Toph: But dad! Mrs. Bei Fong: We are doing this for your own good, Toph.  

Note that Toph does not actually ask for her parent’s permission to join Team Avatar. She doesn’t even mention the possibility, nor does she say anything which amounts to her agreeing to do so if her parents give her permission. In fact, from what we’ve seen in this episode, it’s not clear if anyone has ever actually unambiguously articulated the fact that Team Avatar wants Toph to join them as Aang’s earthbending teacher to Toph’s parents.

Instead, what Toph asks her parents to do is accept her as who she is.  She wants their acceptance of who she really is more than anything. It seems like what she wants to do is to be able to live an active lifestyle while staying with her parents, wants them to love her for who she is while allowing her to combine her lives. She doesn’t want to leave with Team Avatar, she wants to stay at home and live a free life with loving, understanding parents. It’s not clear if Team Avatar understands that this is what she’s asking for, though.

Of course, Toph’s parents reject this, and instead tell her that they will do everything they can to control her, eliminate her double life, and prevent from being active at all. Hence the following exchange:

Aang: I'm sorry, Toph. Toph: I'm sorry, too. Goodbye, Aang.

This is just about the only lines in the episode you could plausibly read as evidence Toph had already decided she wanted to join Team Avatar.

When Team Avatar first arrived, Toph had a choice:  she could either continue to live her double life even though she felt unhappy since her parents didn’t accept the real her, or she could leave them behind for a life of adventure. She choose the former. Due to the unintended consequences of Team Avatar’s actions, she no longer had that choice by the end of the episode. She could only choose between becoming nothing more than her parent’s perfect, controlled, doll, or joining the Gaang. Both what she really wanted(her parents’ acceptance of the real her) and the compromise she could live with were gone. Hence the following scene:

Cut to a shot of the bushes behind them. Toph runs through them, breathing heavily. Aang's turns to see her with a look of wonder.) Aang: Toph! What are you doing here? Toph: My dad changed his mind. He said I was free to travel the world. Sokka: (he and Katara look at each quickly) Well, we'd better get out of here - before your dad changes his mind again. Toph: Good idea. Aang: You're gonna be a great teacher, Toph. Toph: (slyly) Speaking of which, I want to show you something. Aang: Okay. (Aang airbends himself out of Appa's driver's seat. As he lands in front of Toph, she taps the ground with her foot and a rock erupts from the ground, throwing Aang out of the frame. Cut to a shot from the branches of a nearby tree. Aang hangs from one of them by his feet.) Toph: Now we're even.

This makes it understand why Toph was carrying around so much resentment in the next episode she appears in “The Chase,” and why she was so willing to leave the Gaang behind then.

#Toph #Toph meta #I would like emphasize she never actually agrees or asks to join the Gaang before the end #I think this a very reasonable take which makes Toph more complex #you could read the episode otherwise but I think this reading actually makes the most since #sense #Avatar The Last Airbender #ATLA #avatar the last airbender meta #ATLA meta #toph beifong #Beifong family #lao beifong #poppy beifong #Katara #Aang #Sokka #avatar: tla #avatar

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

What do you think of Toph becoming a cop in LoK?

I'm not sure if I have too many thoughts about it.

The thing about LoK is that there's such a large gap between when we see the characters of the original show to when we see some of them as adults (Aang of course being dead). There's so much that happened to them in the meantime that I guess for me it's a moment of "Alright, Toph becomes a cop I guess."

I do think she would seek a career or employment of some type and would rail against being a diplomat (far too similar to her homelife in the decorum and manners and political weasling required). She'd like being a cop in this brand new city where there's none of the old things tying her down, she can train her own group of benders, and she's doing good in her own straight forward way.

I think it makes sense in that the others all have roles of some kind. Suki is a Kyoshi Warrior, Sokka and Katara are children of the southern tribe Chieftan and have relations to repair with the Fire Nation as well as the North Pole, Aang is of course the Avatar himself, Zuko is now Fire Lord, Toph is the only one who doesn't have a set position and has to find something for herself to do in the quickly changing new world order. This keeps her connected with her friends in their new city they're working on building up and is a role she'd like to fulfil.

#avatar the last airbender #avatar the last airbender meta #avatar the last airbender headcanon #the legend of korra #toph beifong #meta #headcanon #opinion

[firenaition]

god i love fallible characters, but specifically zuko in the catacombs. choosing his sister over his uncle just to get to sleep in his childhood bed again. earning katara's kindness and empathy and stripping it all away in minutes because he ached for the familiar. fighting on the wrong side of history just to see his father smile with pride. knowing he could have done the right thing, but what is being good when you could be terrible but loved.

#zuko #avatar: the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #atla #atla meta #prince zuko #ozai #azula #iroh