#jet was right! zuko and iroh ARE firebenders!!!!

[slowwshoww]

kinda fucked up how everyone paints jet as this irredeemable villain instead of a sad, angry orphan who, with all the wisdom of a 16 year old, made some deeply misguided attempts to right a wrong that took his entire family from him

if you can recognize that zuko and iroh rightfully deserved their redemption arcs and that azula deserved to have one as well, perhaps you can take a little pity on a teenager who died trying to to help aang find appa after being kidnapped and brainwashed

#there's always such a..... finality with characters like this #jet was right! zuko and iroh ARE firebenders!!!! #the fire nation KILLED HIS WHOLE FAMILY!!!! #anyway i'm annoyed at how jet is always this totally awful abusive shitbag ex boyfriend or whatever like #if you can have sympathy for azula who actively attempted to kill zuko on MULTIPLE occasions #perhaps you can find sympathy for jet too idk #atla

[nero-neptune]

crazy when you learn that iroh led the rough rhinos and the rough rhinos burned down jet's village. and jet befriends iroh and zuko on the transport to ba sing se, but jet finds out and tries to prove they're fire benders. and incognito war criminal uncle iroh essentially calls him crazy, pretty much ruining his life for a second time. and jet's considered the bad guy? this kid could never get a win!

#let's discuss how iroh indirectly killed jet #like sure the memes and whatnot but i think if jet lived the vindication of having been proved right about zuko and iroh being firebenders #woulda been Majorly outweighed by the horror that they were the dragon of the west and the future firelord #i'd be fucking pissed lol #rambles #atla #i did say these were jet apologist hours

[oneatlatime]

I was thinking about city of Walls and Secrets again (because when I don't like things I want to know WHY) and it occurred to me how much power Iroh has amassed, just by being nice.

We've seen Iroh being nice to strangers, often in situations where he can't receive anything in return for his good manners, since the beginning of the show. I've usually written those occurrences off as Iroh smoothing over for Zuko's awkwardness or awfulness (think him interfering between Zuko and the ship's crew in The Storm), or as simply Iroh being a polite person. I don't think he was lying when he told Toph - while showing Toph - that he enjoys sitting down for tea with new people. He is sociable by nature, and if Azula's comment about him being a tea-loving kook is accurate in Zuko Alone (which is up for debate - she did a lot of lying and/or repeating what the adults around her think as her own opinions that episode), then he's always been a sociable creature. This seems to be a fundamental aspect of Iroh's personality.

So whenever I've seen Iroh being nice to strangers, I've never suspected that it had a purpose beyond the short term (cover for his nephew), or as Iroh being Iroh. But I think he's playing the long game with niceness. Let me explain:

When you're hiding under a false identity while posing as a refugee in a city that probably has a ridiculously large bounty on your real identity's head (and rightfully so), you'd think the smart thing to do would be to keep a low profile. And Zuko and Iroh are doing that! Sort of. They're staying in the lower ring, but they are working customer-facing jobs. And more importantly, a true attempt at lying low would include reproducing the awful tea that was being served at the tea shop before they were hired. But Iroh won't let bad tea stand.

I made a joke in my write up of the Tales of Ba Sing Se that it was a good thing that Iroh came to people's attention as the person who makes the "best tea in the city," because he was going to attract attention one way or another, and being a good teamaker is both less suspicious and more of a currency than just being a nice guy who stops babies from crying and compassionately redirects muggers. But now that I've thought about it for a bit, I think he was going to attract attention one way or the other because he has, all this time, been attempting to attract attention. It's not just his personality, it's not just him cleaning up after Zuko, it's him consciously attempting to build connections. It's a 'nice two birds with one stone' type situation that he can attract this attention while being paid to make tea.

Here's the thing: all these times that Iroh has been polite in situations where there could be no payoff for being so, I think he has been casting seeds. And City of Walls and Secrets is the first episode where we see the seeds of his politeness and (seemingly counterintuitive for keeping a low profile) network building bear fruit.

Jet accuses Zuko and Iroh of being firebenders. He's absolutely right. Given that Zuko and Iroh are members of the Fire Nation royal family, you could argue that they're the most firebenders a firebender could be. But Iroh has been being relentlessly polite to customers, and serving the guards such good tea that they declare he makes the "best tea in the city." Rather than playing it safe and letting people overlook him, he has given people a reason to like him. So the customers, the guards, even his boss, come to his defence when Jet accuses him. The guards are not going to let a man who keeps them fed, keeps them in tea, and keeps them company, be maligned.

Here's the other thing about these seeds of politeness that Iroh casts: they protect Zuko in the long term as much as the do in the short term. Sometimes Iroh's politeness is just covering for a single remark from his nephew, which I always view in the short term as smoothing over offence. But Iroh being polite also goes a long way to protecting Zuko from Jet's accusations. Lest we forget, Zuko steals a guard's swords, at least participates in the destruction of the tea shop's table, and at least participates in the disorderly conduct outside the tea shop. If the law were fair, half of the consequences heaped on Jet would fall on Zuko. And (this is speculation) I would argue that if Iroh had kept his head down and played at being a refugee rather than everyone's friend, Zuko at least would have lost his job for destroying some of those tables. But the goodwill Iroh has generated with customers, guards, and his boss stretches to cover Zuko too. Which is handy, because Zuko is not looking like he's in a place where he can expend much mental energy on anything beyond taking it one day at a time at the moment.

Iroh knows there is power in being nice. The incident with Jet shows that being nice can carry more power than being truthful. A lot of that is down to presentation; Jet didn't exactly endear himself, and frankly season 1 Jet would have been ashamed of season 2 Jet's lack of charm, but that's a post for another day.

All this makes me think two things: first, I wonder if any of the other one-episode characters that Iroh has tossed a throwaway polite comment to are going to come back. Second, Iroh is playing a somewhat risky game by attracting attention; so far it's paid off. I wonder if there will come a point where it causes trouble instead.

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #iroh #zuko #jet #btw this is why people give free doughnuts to cops #also what is up with tumblr's spellcheck? Counterintuitive does not need a space.

[highfantasy-soul]

Katara: NATLA Edition - Waterbending

In the Netflix show, Katara's main teacher was the world - she observed, she learned the spiritual side of bending from Aang (and a little from Jet), and she learned from opponents she fought (including Pakku)

This is SHOWING Uncle Iroh's lesson to Zuko in Bitter Work (book 2) about learning as much as you can from everywhere even if they aren't directly doing your own style of bending. By learning about everyone's cultures/styles/philosophies of the world, then you have a more rounded view of the world and can incorporate new things into your own bending.

I think an important distinction people are missing when they compare LA and animated Katara is that in the animated series, we see Katara WATERBEND more, but in the live action, we see her PRACTICING waterbending more.

In the animated series, she's already doing very useful things with her waterbending (lifting a fish, throwing water and freezing it, breaking apart an iceberg with her anger, pulling down a bank of snow,  lifting a whole wave of water, pushing and pulling a wave, pulling water from Aang's lungs, pushing the water while she's in it to get to shore faster, lifting water from a river to freeze as a block on a guy's head, lifting and maneuvering water in the air) before she ever even gets a hint of training. She just 'naturally' knows how to do all that through her own trial and error - no advice from Aang about the spirituality of bending, no training from the scroll, and no using moves she's seen other benders do just making it water.

The only times we see animated Katara training is in The Waterbending Scroll episode - which is the entire point of the episode - and in the trio of episodes up in the NWT - again, the whole point of her arc in those episodes. Everything else, she's done on her own and there's no moments of her training during the other episodes, she just waterbends.

In the live action, we see Katara constantly practicing, even when she's just in the background of a scene or traveling from place to place - she's ALWAYS practicing her stances or playing with water to get better.

In the live action, Katara is struggling with ALL of waterbending, not just the technical aspect of it - because bending is a highly spiritual practice where you have to be in the right mindset to do successfully. We see every single step of Katara's waterbending practice journey - from not even being able to lift a globe of water to holding her own against a master.

We get to see the process of bending from start to finish which really fleshes out the magic of the world in an organic way while providing one of our leads with more depth that ties them to the themes of the world and of their own culture and how the oppression of the Fire Nation affects her mental state.

In the animated show, we hear Katara talk about how losing her mother hurt her, yet we really only see the fallout of that trauma, not her inner turmoil over it. We see her taking on a 'motherly' role in the community and with Sokka, we see her anger at the firebenders, we see how she's had to grow up too fast and just wants to be a kid, but the actual death of her mother and its affect on her isn't shown.

I like how the live action specifically shows how Katara's mother's death affects HER - she doesn’t just share the story to connect with others, it's not just the 'reason' she acts the way she does, it's not just something that impacts her relationships with others: if no one else in the world existed for Katara to interact with, Katara would still have a journey to go on surrounding Kya's death.

In the LA, the fact that her mother was killed by a firebender looking for HER - and she tries to save her mother using her waterbending and it doesn't work because she isn't strong enough yet, directly affects Katara herself independent of anyone else. That trauma keeps her from being able to waterbend easily like she does in the animated show and it's one of her main arcs: the arc to learn waterbending isn't just a technical journey for her like it is in the animated show, it's emotional too.

Generational trauma due to horrific violence is shown both in external issues to grapple with as well as internal ones our characters have to face alone.

I really like how the live action broke down Katara's waterbending and we got to see the 'less flashy' aspects of it. She's not constantly doing huge and impactful moves, she's steadily growing in power and confidence one small step at a time. She doesn't do it alone - she has so many teachers who help her along the way with both the physical and mental aspect of bending and to me, her progression in power is much more clear in the live action than it is in the animated show.

#natla #avatar the last airbender #netflix avatar #atla #natla positivity #katara

[whiteruncat]

I hope Netflix never gets ahold of another person’s artwork in attempt of a LA like they did with ATLA. If you can’t fully honor someone’s art and respect their ideas then don’t bother with a LA. It’s the most legal form of stealing artwork and creativity. It’s just cruel. And it’s so agitating to see the people saying “Well they tried” “They did their best” “You have to consider” Netflix should have been the ones to consider that maybe they should never have took on something they couldn’t do correctly. They have disrespected so many characters.

* Netflix took out sexism only to throw is back in! Yeah Sokka was sexist but the level of audacity to make the mighty Kyoshi Warrior Suki just another romantic interest is shameful.

* What happened to Katara saving a village of earthbenders? Katara started out strong and only got stronger by walking boldly with compassion, love, and the strength to help those around her.

* Let’s not forget about Bato & Hakoda. They are honorable and respected warriors of the Southern Water Tribe. Neither of them would let Sokka pass his ice dodging test if he failed it. They both love Sokka and respect Sokka too much to lie to him. Sokka passed his ice dodging test btw with Katara, Aang, and Bato.

* Ozai’s attitude towards Azula doesn’t make sense at all. Ozai basks in the glory of being a powerful firebender. His identity is firebending. Ozai married Ursa so his children would be powerful firebenders. Ozai wanted to kill baby Zuko because he wasn’t a powerful firebender. Ozai almost killed Zuko again after he rudely asked for the thrown and was told to sacrifice his son. Azula is Ozai’s pride and joy. She’s the firebending prodigy that’s perfect. Azula has never had to worry about whether her father loves her because Ozai has always favored Azula.

* Just me thing but I think Ozai was way scarier without a face. Only knowing him as Zuko’s father that burned his eye was like wow this dude is evil. Then the season 1 ending with Azula was an ominous beginning for them both.

* It’s kind of sad seeing Sokka so unconfident as a warrior. Sokka is a genius and he’s a warrior. He saw through Jet and saved a village. He played airball with Aang to cheer him up at the Southern Air Temple. Sokka helped trick the Sages to open the door for Aang to meet Roku. Sokka also got covered in snot when he first met Appa.

* Pakku didn’t find Katara’s necklace on the ground and I can’t believe they’re going to just write off Gramp Gramp like that. Why doesn’t Aang ever learn waterbending? Like the first season/book is called water and he is supposed to go the North Pole to learn waterbending. He doesn’t even know any waterbending by the end of the first season. You wrote out Iroh hitting on June but you wrote in June hitting on Iroh. Seriously?? Is Smellerbee the only girl in this LA that’s correctly done right? The Cave of Two Lovers isn’t even in season one!! It’s in season two.

* Bumi was done dirty. Aang, Katara, and Sokka got arrested for being goofy kids and destroying cabbages. Bumi came off as this mad king that was giving Aang three deadly challenges. Each one Aang had to think differently to solve. At the end when Aang realized the king was Bumi they laughed together and reminisced. Bumi set it up to show Aang that he would have to face many difficulties ahead as the avatar. He had no hard feelings towards Aang once. Bumi was so hateful in the LA towards Aang he acted like he flat out just wanted to hurt Aang.

* Aang is another big one obviously. He’s a kid and that’s just how he acts. Aang also chose to runaway. He was almost alone once he learned about being the avatar. His friends didn’t play the way they used to. And his best friend Gyatsu was all he had. When Aang heard they were going to take him away from Gyatsu he ran away because he knew that he would be alone. Being avatar wasn’t so much seen as a heavy responsibility at the time to a kid like Aang but it was the cause of his loneliness and he resented the title. Learning the abilities that followed were cool to Aang because he wasn’t alone and had new friends. LA Aang acts so serious and mature when Aang is serious-ly not mature at all.

I have to congratulate Netflix on one thing though. I hated the LA so much it made me miss the animated ATLA so I went out to the store and bought the animated set. Rewatching it is reliving the best days of my life.

I don’t blame any actors in the LA. I truly think they all did the best with what Netflix gave them. It’s not easy to act with bad script. 10/10 would have loved to have seen them in a good LA of ATLA made by the creators.

#avatar the last airbender #princess azula #aang #Bato #hakoda #sokka #ozai #atla netflix #katara #atla suki

[allgremlinart]

i feel like natla jetko could go one of two ways re: the different jet characterization

most of the ferry stuff could be the same but once he suspects Iroh of being a firebender he would either confront him directly right there in the train station (bad choice)

or he would corner zuko and be like "hey i think your uncle might be a fire bender i dont think you're safe with him 😔 come join my gang, Please, for no other reason"

i am SO curious to see where it goes

HELP THE SECOND OPTION IS SO FUNNY... but it brings up the question like. does he assume Iroh has. kidnapped him. is this a Stockholm Syndrome situation.... Jet needs to step in here and save this poor guy..

but yeah this is a Jet that seems (somehow) much quicker to leap to confrontation? I cant see him engaging in a TON of restraint (which. OG Jet did at least TRY at when he was in Ba Sing Se, although that didnt work out for him,...) or subterfuge, but then again clearly he WAS capable of subterfuge in Omashu....

my personal crackpot prediction is that they dont have enough time for Song or Jin and so they squash her character beats with Zuko into Jet's screentime (Zuko learns that people besides him have missing/dead parents, hand reaching out to touch scar, wrist grabbed, etc.) (and like maybe they make Jet gay of some sort I think they'd let him. maybe. its ok cus like he'll die anyway. I think that could fit Netflix logic...)

#allgremlinasks #jet atla #jetko (tangential) #natla

[unorthodoxx-page]

A Tale of Spirits last sneak peek!

Yes, I know the sneak peeks are early this week lol.  There’s going to be a lot going on in this chapter, but it’s flowing for me right now.  So here’s the sneak!

Like always, it’s unedited and subject to change.  

SNEAK PEEK (Iroh POV)

He moves through the steps with a leisure he hasn’t felt since his family was whole.  This small kitchen almost reminds him of his time at sea with his nephew.  When he would brew Zuko’s favorite on those colder nights and play a relaxing game of pai sho.  He folds the tea leaves gently in a smooth cloth and brings it to sit just below his chin.  Iroh takes a soft sniff and hums in approval at the richness of the aroma.  He moves his hand just over the moving flame in a seemingly useless gesture and frowns.  His fingers twitch against the urge to adjust the heat by a few degrees.  It is not worth the risk.  He moves to the teapot and lets his fingers run along the curve of the ceramic with a light smile.  He dumps the warm liquid and replaces it with fresh boiling water to steep the leaves in.

“I’ve never seen anyone preheat a pot before.”

Iroh chuckles and sets the teapot on the open flame.  “That is one secret to great tea,” he says, “a warm pot ensure that the temperature of the water does not drop too much when steeping.”

A loud snort echoes through the empty shop and Iroh’s smile grows tight.

He’s back again.

The boy sits close to the open kitchen with a dark scowl on his face.  His eyes flicker between Iroh and his fumbling nephew with an unwavering focus.  He hardly moves during these moments, and only the twitch of that perpetual stem between his teeth betrays his fury.  

Iroh though he detoured the young man from his nephew when the boat made it to Ba Sing Se.  He recognized the intensity in the boy’s eyes the moment he and Zuko came back from the food raid.  Although young, Jet has the gaze and words of a seasoned general.  He would not stop until Zuko was recruited to his cause, so Iroh acted preemptively.  He called to the man serving tea, made a loud complaint at the beverage being ice-cold, and ensured Jet was watching when he warmed it.  The boys face had pinched in revulsion at the truth of what they were, and that should have been the end of it.

He miscalculated.

Jet’s hatred ran deeper than anything Iroh’s ever encountered.  An immeasurable, festering rage that promises death to all firebenders, no matter how innocent they might be.  He should not be surprised, Iroh himself has probably created children like this during his campaign, but he will not let this child ruin his nephew.  

Iroh jumps at the sudden bang of plates.  He turns just as Mikey slams the utensils against the table.  “Are you going to do anything else besides glare at us all day?”

“Why,” Jet spits, “got something to hide?”

“Yes, Uncle’s patented tea process for one,” Mikey snaps.  “Shouldn’t you be working?  It’s like seven in the morning!”

“I am.” 

Mikey crosses his arms.  “Stalking doesn’t count, and I know it doesn’t pay the bills!”

#Rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #Avatar The Last Airbender #rottmnt #atla #atla fic #atla fanfic #Crossover fanfiction #fanfction #crossover #crossover fanfic #A tale of Spirits #tmnt #rottmnt mikey #tmnt mikey #jet #iroh #zuko #ao3 #ao3 fic

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

i'm not a zvtara shipper in any significant way, but sometimes i can't help but see aang as slightly hypocritical. i get that he managed to let go of katara in CoD, but i don't understand how exactly he let go of her but was still super into her in all of s3. what does "you need to let her go" even means? also, i get that he doesn't want to kill ozai at the end of the series, but what about the times he hurt people in ways that would result in deadly injuries? (i don't hold the end of S1 against him since he was being used as vessel by the ocean spirit, i'm mostly talking about the avalanche he caused on the northern air temple episode)

When Aang leaves the Guru, despite knowing he won't master the Avatar State at all if he left at that point, he did it because he literally ahd a vision of Katara being in danger. When he is letting go of his attachment in that season finale, he gives one last glance at Katara, who is in the middle of a battle, because he knows that the only way to truly help her would be to trust that she will be okay and focus on preventing the Fire Nation from winning.

On the episode "The Awakening", when Aang is panicking and wanting to reveal to the world that he is alive and fight the Fire Lord without a plan, he goes alone. On the day of the eclipse, he kisses Katara, but they go their separate ways in the battle, instead of him being close by in case she needs him.

The "learn to let her go" thing has NEVER been about him no longer being allowed to be in love with her, or even a close friend, and it was never a fully black and white issue either - that's why we see IROH, the guy who lost his son because he chose his quest for power over thinking as parent and thus keeping him away from the battlefield, telling Aang that he is right to choose love above everything. Why we have Katara be the one to literally bring Aang back from the dead. Why the Guru himself explicitly uses Aang's love for Katara as a way to make him strong enough to deal with the grief of losing his people, and why he says "Learn to let her go" not "Forget about her" (there's a reason the cliche of all cliche lines is "If you love someone, set them free" - attachment existing, by itself, it's not a bad thing, but holding onto it ALL the time can get toxic).

Hakoda let his children go when left to fight in the war, doesn't mean he no longer cares or shouldn't care. Iroh let Zuko go in book 3 because at that point he had understood that his nephew needed to follow his own path, doesn't mean he no longer cared or shouldn't have cared anymore. Why is Aang the only one being held to an absurd standard of "If you understood that you can't always be with the people you care about because you got other responsibilities besides just being their friend, that means you're supposed to never want them around even when that wouldn't negatively affect anything"?

As for Aang's supposed "fatal victims" - this is a cartoon that operates on cartoon physics. The Omashu slide/mail system on episode 5 should have left the heroes permanently paralyzed from waist/neck down, assuming they didn't full on die because the human body simply can't survive a fall like that. Firebenders don't burn themselves when practically holding the flame they're generating, nor when they literally breathe fire. We've seen some of the bad guys survive falling down from an airship and hitting the ocean, in full armor, and be completely unharmed.

The show had casualties - but it was always highlighted a fatal injury instead of glossing over it. There's a reason the showrunners were surprised fans ever thought there was even the slightest chance Jet had not died. In a world where people survive absurd stuff, the show suddenly changing the tune to go "Actually this one screwed over some people" is the ONE way to know there actually was a death, and these situations are still the exception, not the rule.

"Oh but Nichya, it was an avalanche!" yes, much like the one in Mulan - a cartoon that is famous for going "Ya know what, the bad guys didn't die despite being buried in the snow long enough that all the good guys left, and only after a major plot event." It's almost like animation does that kind of stuff all the time...

You can't apply real world logic/physics to a cartoon, and it's very weird that the fandom only feels like doing so in the explicit attempt to create a reason to hate on Aang because they don't like that a pacifist remained a pacifist.

#anti zutara #pro kataang #pro aang #aang deserved better #aang defense squad #respect aang or die by my sword

[chaoticly-shy-dragon]

so I am working - dragging my feet - through natla (1 episode left) and I thought I would share some of my thoughts and commentary:

Iroh: You must use your tact, your empathy-

Season 1 Zuko: [looks back at him]

*

Canon s1 ep3 Zuko: You... are working with Zhao. Willingly.

Show s1 ep3 Zuko: Yes? What's the problem? He is annoying but that's mostly it.

Canon!Zuko: UNCLE! DID YOU PUT SPIRIT MUSHROOMS IN MY TEA AGAIN?! I'M HAVING LUCID NIGHTMARES!!

Other random thoughts:

[Suki proceeds to defy gravity with her fan to impress Sokka]

Me, exasperation incarnate: Suki, I didn't know you were an airbender!

and

[Previous incarnation avatar bashing sesh]

Me: [...] But I love Zuko-Iroh interactions

[The one scene. Zuko is shouting how they can't just ask around. Iroh is offering advice until he gets distracted by street food.]

Me: The fact Zuko stood there for a few seconds trying to figure what this proverb means before he realizes its very much not a proverb - cackling

Second-hand long-suffering friend, who is at the end of her wits after hearing me talk about the butchering of Kyoshi's character for 20 minutes: XDDDD He legit thought rice had sth to do with it XD

there is more but it's more of

Oh no, he is hot.

And oh no he is also hot

Why is every extremist hot?!

Bumi is very bitter. Very.... Jaded.

Aang has no situational awareness: He did not just ask Zhao (Zuko too) to let him go so he can go save other enemies of the Fire Nation. He didn't.

Also. Why the firebender this, firebender that. Are the Fire Nation non-benders saints or something??

Mai casually says Ozai sucks for not thinking Azula is perfect <- Me: I mean she is absolutely right but she would not say that.

Azula's whole. Thing. I felt the narrative was trying very desperately to make her seem competent and clever but the fact that Iroh's thoughts insinuated the frontal attack on the Northern Water Tribe was her idea left me in stitches

But yeah. They nerfed Azula

Zuko - feral, bloodthirsty, a loser. <- Me: Oh my god they captured his essence! Minus the honor thing!

ZUKO NOT SAYING HONOR

THE TRAVESTY OF SOKKA NOT WEARING A DRESS

I WANT SOKKA IN KYOSHI WARRIOR UNIFORM

Katara not having any emotions ::: Aang walks all over her saying he can't support her in her fight against the patriarchy that is actually just Pakku and Yugoda or whatever was happening in the 7th episode: Katara doesn't blow up at him. Sokka calling her a little girl and never actually apologizing about the whole Jet accusation especially when he did the same with the Mechanist. : Katara doesn't blow up at him

Me: sounds fake but okay

At this point when Toph comes along Katara will let her not be a part of the Team (no Gaang just Team Avatar) and not contribute and not bond and NO FOUND FAMILY TROPE

Aang teaching Katara waterbending, Aang not goofing off, No Kataraang (not even a smidge) - something in me shriveled up and died.

Why is Azula soft??????

And why is Ty Lee assertive and forthcoming??? Just?? Why????

And finally, my second favorite:

Azula, trying very hard not to mention Zuko's ludicrous tenacity: Commander Zhao is a great asset... Maybe he needs better resources to showcase his true potential.

Zhao who barely passed his exams according to Jee the gossip queen: Yes, I do need the best resources. Give me all the 'sources.

#natla #natla spoilers #atla #atla live action #atla netflix #avatar the last airbender #aang #katara #zuko #sokka #suki #avatar kyoshi #azula #my shitty commentary

[akiizayoi4869]

I don't feel like making this into a full blown meta post, so I'll keep this short.

Jet had every right to be suspicious of Zuko and Iroh in Ba Sing Se.

"Oh but they were trying to start over and lay low!" So? First of all, how would Jet even know that? To him, they were just two firebenders infiltrating the Earth Kingdom's last line of defense. And even if he did know that they were trying to start over, why should he care? Seriously, why? After this happened to him?

His entire family/village was killed by the Fire Nation. So why should he feel bad about being rightfully suspicious of those two? I've seen this take so many times in fanfics that's centered around Zuko and Iroh, and it makes no sense. Sometimes Jet actually apologizes to them about that if the author has him live. And it's disgusting. Think about it like this: Zuko proved Jet right in the end. You know why? Because Zuko turned around and did this:

Which then led to this:

Zuko helped kill the world's last hope for peace. When he was supposed to have been "starting over" with Iroh.

So in conclusion:

Leave Jet alone.

#atla #Jet #Zuko #Iroh #He had every right to be suspicious of the two of them #and to want them out of Ba Sing Se #or to just want them killed #he was completely justified

[tired-demonspawn]

summary: "Li's uncle was just the kind of person the scarred swordsman needed right now: a kind and wise positive influence, who-

...who had “the coldest tea in Ba Sing Se” just a moment ago.

A firebender.

Jet looked away as a thought solidified in his head:

He needed to get Li away from that ashmaker.

Or:

The one where Jet assumes it's just Iroh that's the firebender and Zuko is being held hostage by him. Shinanegans ensue."

my first fanfic or smthn 👍

#atla #avatar the last airbender #atla fic #atla zuko #atla jet #its ao3 only for now so if you find it somewhere else that aint me #if you feed it to an AI i will find your home address and pipe bomb your mailbox

[waterfire1848]

Prompt idea based on your soulmate AU where people are tied to the wrist once they meet their soulmate, and they stay tied until both (or more) parties admit their feelings.

In this au idea, Zuko is tied to Sokka. Which makes capturing the Avatar an awkward affair. This helps to (gradually) jumpstart the Zuko redemption arc. But neither Zuko or Sokka admit their feelings and they remain tied together up to book 2 (or longer)

Aang and Katara were also tied together but they admitted their feeling early on. Perhaps after the Jet affair?

Then once we get Azula’s introduction in book 2 in Omashu and later during the chase, Azula Mocks/laughs at Zuko for still being tied to his soulmate. Azula keeps laughing until she gets closer to Aang and Katara. The two parties exchanging bending attacks.

Azula’s laughter is abruptly put to a stop when a cosmic force bring her, Aang, and Katara closer together and ties all three of their wrist together (or reties them to each other and ties to the scary but pretty fire princess in the case of Katara and and Aang).

All three are of course dumbfounded. Simply staring at one another with wide eyes. Azula for her part can’t believe that she not only has two soulmates, but one of them is the Avatar (that she should either be capturing or slaying). While the other is a (admittedly pretty) peasant water bender. Any plans she had to either get her brother back home, win the war for the fire nation, or gain her lord fathers approval has been put to a sudden deafening halt.

For his part? Now it’s Zuko’s to turn to laugh uncontrollably and mock his sister for still being tied to her soulmate(s).

How do you think canon would evolve from here?

Thanks for the ask!

Ohhhhhhhh. I really like this idea!

Hmmmm...

For one, Zuko would never stop laughing. Not only is his sister how tied to her soulmates but she's tied to two of them. Katara is on one side and Aang is one the other. Firebending for Zuko is hard now that he has someone chained to his right hand but it becomes impossible for Azula. The only techniques she'd be able to do are firebreathing and smaller firebending moves.

Azula can't exactly go back to her camp with the Avatar and a waterbender being declared as her soulmates, so she'd forced to go with them. I think she would say that they have to go get Mai and Ty Lee though (Mai would definitely laugh a little when she sees Azula cuffed to Aang and Katara while Ty Lee would think it's sweet).

Aang runs into a bit of an issue because it's hard to earthbend when you only have one hand and your soulmate is tied to your other one and constantly messing you up.

Zuko and Sokka have already had a season and a half to work together and know how to operate. They might not be 100% ready to confess but they can function just fine while handcuffed. I imagine Iroh would be with the Gaang and helped Zukka, but he'd definitely have some words for his niece about how thing is a good thing.

Whenever I have Iroh with the Gaang, I like to think that the library and Appa being taken don't happen because Iroh is going to have a map of the Fire Nation and he'd know about the eclipse (I think), but you could go either way here. It would be a sweet moment to have Aang and Katara protect Azula from Wan Shi Tong, who wouldn't want any more Fire Nationals in his library.

Azula, Katara and Aang being a couple would be very interesting. Katara notices Azula’s nails dig into Appa’s saddle when they first take off so she offers her a reassuring smile and starts talking to her to calm her down. Azula and Katara talking about their mother. Aang making spicy food for Azula because she misses it from the Fire Nation. And, of course, the nightmare and comfort content for all three of them.

Ba Sing Se would be when Zuko and Sokka confess. It could be during one of their tales or during the final battle, but they confess in Ba Sing Se. Azula is no where near being ready to confess by the time of Ba Sing Se.

The only thing is that I don’t know how in denial Azula would be. She’s literally tied to her soulmates but I don’t know how willing she’d be to give up pleasing her father and it’s not like she can conquer Ba Sing Se with Katara and Aang attached to her.

This all being said, Toph, Ty Lee and Mai are loving this show.

#ask #soulmate’s tied together AU #azula #katara #zuko #sokka #aang #ty Lee #Mai #toph beifong #avatar the last airbender #zukka #Azulaang #azutara

[oneatlatime]

Let's look back at my season 2 predictions!

When I got to the halfway point of season 2, I made a post detailing my predictions for where the rest of the season was going. They were delightfully subjective and conformed more to my hopes than to any legitimate foreshadowing.

I made 9 predictions (one per main character), and then I predicted three ways that the finale could go. I went into some detail in some of my predictions, so I'd recommend checking out the linked post. Keep in mind that I made these predictions before the Ba Sing Se arc started, and it shows.

For Azula, I predicted that she would be the finale's big bad, that she would be defeated, and that the Fire Lord would be introduced as next season's big bad. I'm giving myself one third of a point for this one. Azula was indeed the big bad.

For Toph, I predicted that she would get a subplot that revolved around either something she excelled at being challenged by an external force like those wrestling idiots, or something that she needed to work on that tied into her noble background. Once again giving myself a third of a point, because those wrestling idiots were involved and she did meet an obstacle that she beat by inventing metalbending. I correctly predicted the pieces involved but I got them in completely the wrong configuration.

For Appa, I predicted that he would come back after having many adventures and running into other sky bison. (What's the plural of sky bison? Devastated to say that I've never had to use it) I was right that Appa came back; I was wrong that he ran into remnants of sky bison(s?), but he did end up running into remnants of the Air Nomads, and dreaming about other sky bison(s?), so I'm giving myself three quarters of a point.

For Zuko, I predicted that he would be coaxed/dragged into being decent via a swordbending girlfriend, and that he would be redeemed by the end of Season 2. Hilariously, my prediction smashed Jin and Jet together, which breaks my brain a little. Also, he did the polar opposite of being redeemed by the end of the season. I'm going to give myself a quarter point, for getting the sword bit and the girl bit.

I predicted that Sokka would split from the rest of the Gaang and go on a multi-episode Appa hunting arc that focused heavily on his ties to his family. I was 100% wrong with this one. No point for me. Which is too bad, because I really liked the idea I came up with.

I predicted that Momo would do aerial reconnaissance for the Appa hunt with Sokka. I'm giving myself a full point for this one, because what was he doing in the Tale of Momo? Flying around looking for Appa. Admittedly Sokka wasn't there, but whatever, I need this point.

For Katara, I predicted some sort of moral crisis. Something to add some nuance to her world view. A good yet unapologetically patriotic firebender, or a downright evil waterbender. I was completely wrong on this one too, unless you count being talked into listening to Jet. No points for me.

I predicted that Aang would have to do some type of Avataring that involved delegating tasks to his friends, or putting his status as avatar first, probably due to unrest in the spirit world. This was by far my most broad prediction ("hey maybe the avatar will have to avatar it up" is a very safe statement), so no points for that. I was wrong about spirit world involvement, although I was right that his Avatar duties would conflict with his personal convictions. I'll give myself one quarter point.

For Iroh, I predicted that he would call on old resources to get himself and Zuko into a better situation. I got this one almost completely right, except two bits: I thought he would use blackmail or intimidation, when he actually used something more like the power of friendship, and I also thought that particular plot point would last longer than a single B-plot in a single episode. But what the hell, I'm giving myself the point.

All three of my predictions for how the finale was going to go were incorrect. There was no strike against the Fire Nation, there was no immediate dismissal of the eclipse as a possible time of attack, and there was no relegation of the eclipse to a single episode plot point. No point for me.

So, out of a grand total of 12 predictions, I scored:

3.91!

Ouch.

I'm going to be generous and round it up to 4, which is a third correct. Still ouch. I am less reliable than a coin toss.

But! I actually had a lot of fun both coming up with predictions and reviewing them. So I'm still counting this exercise as a win.

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #if any of you play cards with me #bet against me

[highfantasy-soul]

Quick list of things I particularly loved from NATLA Episode 3 - Omashu before my in-depth overview

The whole rebellion inside the Fire Nation - love seeing EVERYONE fighting back

"I think that's what they said - I never listened." ^_^

"What makes you think we're outsiders?"

"We ARE Fire Nation, even out here"

"Irrigation, am I right?" :D

Aang darting through a crowd messing up everyone's day - just straight from the animated!

And the first tease of the cabbage merchant!!!

Our Gaang wasting NO time after the explosion to run in and help

Bloodthirsty Teo ready to recruit Aang to carpet bombing the Fire Nation - yet another example of children's morals and sense of self being warped by this war

How proud Teo is of his father!!

Sokka being able to show his interest in tinkering and engineering!!!

And did I spy some ECLIPSE glasses????

Aang's "no, I'm not going to just leave people in trouble, I'm going to stay and help them any way I can" moment

"He's done the impossible" in the most mocking voice imaginable! XD Adore that Azula isn't afraid to mock her father

And Mai and Tylee cameos!!!!

And the Yuyan archers! So many hints to the future here

Katara practicing her waterbending forms even in the background - really showing that she's taking every opportunity to hone her skills - she's not just perfect immediately

JEEEEETTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!

Honestly first thought cart-boy might have been Haru, but once he caught the Mechanist meeting with the spy, my Jet senses started tingling

Jet's combat - perfect! Katara's skills - growing!!

LOVE how there's such a marked upgrade in Katara's control from her single ball of water and big splash of last episode to her controlled twin water ball attacks

Jet's bird-whistle signal

I started giggling maniacally, knowing what was coming!!

And that DAMN piece of straw XD

Sokka saying 'No, my role is to be a warrior and protect the village' with the most heartbreaking look on his face as he sees the skills he truly loves being devalued (or the perception that their devalued) and then Sai reassuring him and his frown turning into a hopeful look on the verge of a smile. Seriously, my heart, guys

Chills every time Smellerbee throws up her hand and shouts "Freedom Fighters!" and the whole camp cheers - really you see how they're a family, a community, healing together the best way they know how

Honestly, everything with Jet is great - him actually giving GOOD advice to Katara, making him a real person rather than someone who only cares about himself - I believe this Jet actually cares about Katara the person, not just Katara the weapon

Also the fact that there's only the small hand-brush as a romantic gesture, the rest of Katara and Jet's interactions keep strictly platonic - nowhere near as charged as all Sokka's interactions with Suki and Yue

Katara's mom smiling in the sunrise D;

Zuko's annoyance at Iroh loving the city XD

And Lotus tile reference!!

Sokka's paper bird!!!

And oooohhh here comes the fighting!

Such a great choice to pit the Mechanist (Sokka) against Jet (Katara) where they're BOTH bad! This isn't a one sibling is right scenario - both their new allies are doing bad stuff! Very juicy and great plot thread/theme weaving

"To prove you're a jerk!" "Oh yeah, well I don't need proof of that!!"

Cabbage merchant tease #2!!

SSCCAARRRFF ZUUUTTAARRRAAAAAAAAAAA

"This guy - again?" *rolly eyes*

Sokka's first mad plan!! Riding the crates to the palace!!

The Zuko/Aang fight - beautiful, stunning, stylized, classic

Zuko being beaten by a woman furious that he's hitting a child

"YOU READ MY DIARY!!!!!!!!" sorry, "YOU HAVE MY NOTEBOOK!!"

MY CABBAGEEEEESSSSSS!!!!!!!

Water HAWHIP!!!!

Iroh's first firebending in the show is him using it to draw attention to him so Zuko can escape :( not to harm anyone, but to protect

Aang's little "Uh oh o.o"

This was the first episode where it ended and I thought "I HAVE to watch the next one RIGHT NOW"

Damn you cliffhangers

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

#natla #avatar the last airbender #netflix avatar #atla #natla spoilers #sokka #katara #aang #jet #the mechanist #omashu

[late-draft]

Some thoughts on S2 from a first-time watcher!

It's good that I saw a bunch of spoilers before watching S2 and S3, because after seeing how the plot arrived to some of these points, I feel like what I imagined would have worked better; useful for understanding one's own likes and writing.

I thought Toph would have been in bigger danger while in the metal box. In canon she's technically just being dragged back to her family, right? But the emotional impact of her success of bending metal (something believed to be impossible) would have been stronger if she was in a much bigger danger, in worse circumstances, for longer.

Long Feng was so quickly "taken down" at the start when the Earth King decided to stop following him! Yeah the Dai Li still answer to Long Feng but it felt like him losing outward power happened too quickly and he was actually scared that he had lost all power instantly. He even allowed the kids to try to show the king the truth. So which is it, do Long Feng and Dai Li have huge power, or little power?

I liked the plot twist with plot twist with plot twist with plot twist with plot twist with Azula and her goons in Kyoshi warriors' disguises, and the Dai Li still answering to Long Feng. This uplifted the plot part a bit that had been sunk in my mind just before.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Jet was actually ok in S2; he succumbed to a weakness of his by getting obsessed with "random" firebenders, but then he truly tried to be of help, he beat the goddamn brainwashing and did everything he could to help Aang and his allies. He was given a "heroic death" offscreen! Perhaps he survived, gravely injured but who knows. The writing portrays him as an ok person at the end.

If he was supposed to be an "evil version" or "irredeemed" version of Zuko, that could have been portrayed only if Jet had demonstrated more, and persistent negative traits that he would refuse to change. Before giving him an on-screen death.

It wasn't very believable to me that Iroh managed to follow Zuko so quietly and so well under lake Laogai; but from spoilers, I was convinced that Zuko had arrived to a moral decision to set Appa free and let go of his need to belong back at the royal family of the Fire Nation, all on his own. That might have been a bigger triumph of character, but... even coming to this decision because Iroh pressured him into thinking about choices (the fact that he had choices), doesn't diminish what he decided by a lot.

Fever was excellent lmao. Iroh gave him some ibuprofen But the subsequent very cheery behaviour feels like big and heavy Copium from Zuko to me!

Damn. Aang literally speedrun all those chakras opening. Guru Pathik seems alright to me and doesn't feel like a huge deus-ex mechanism considering many other elements the show has used. But I feel like the show would have benefitted a LOT more if separate episodes were devoted to unblocking the chakras. Those are supposed to be a big deal, something difficult to overcome for the hero. But also; Aang refusing to let go of Katara right at the moment when he sensed she was in danger, is actually a correct choice (from a narrative standpoint) - we aren't supposed to cheer for him to let her die. Of course we as the audience want him to try to help Katara! However what Guru Pathik had told him about attachment still stands in the writing (maybe it could have been made more clear that this attachment in question means a selfish possessive one). The writing still sets it up so that it seems like Aang WILL have to let go of the attachment in the future to successfully open the last chakra. Just... later, because this is not the right moment! ^^

Oh man. The best the writing could do for Katara was to have her make a dumb joke about Momo knocking over figurines in the war meeting? And the plan was just... "go forth and attack the Fire Nation during a solar eclipse"? This was the best the text could do?? No bits of additional strategy, problem-solving, no Katara being serious about it? And after that she decides to go for tea despite being on a crucial mission? And why would the delicate scroll requiring the Earth King's seal to set the entire army in motion be left to be carried around outside by one girl. Just so that she could run into Zuko and blow his cover, despite having last seen him as broken, crying over his uncle, fighting against his sister the Fire Nation princess. Feels like the plot really got super convoluted here just to get to points it wanted. Sadge.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #aang #zuko #katara #toph #long feng #thoughts #season 2 #brainstorming

[thegaybluejay]

I’ve been thinking recently and I actually will die on the hill that Jet deserved a proper redemption.

The problem with Jet wasn’t that he fought against his oppressors - colonization and oppression are inherently violent and sometimes require harsh methods to reach liberation. Him cutting off Fire Nation army supply lines and otherwise making it difficult for them to colonize the valley was a good thing.

The problem with Jet (and the main lesson we can learn from him) is that he hated his oppressors more than he loved those he swore to protect.

This caused him to eventually see life as disposable, even going so far as to be willing to sacrifice innocent Earth Kindgom citizens (the people he claimed to be fighting for) to reach his goals. Instead of a righteous anger, he turned to vengeance.

The reason the Gaang’s revolution worked is because they built it on the foundation of love and genuinely wanting better for humanity. They fought valiantly when they needed to, but they kept that core value.

And I truly believe Jet could have learned this. He seemed to be slowly starting to learn in Ba Sing Se - quietly stealing food to distribute to everybody on the ferry rather than, say, taking out the chef and the captain. Yes, he did get obsessed with Zuko and Iroh being firebenders, but he still wasn’t fully back to his old ways. He fought them and only them.

Then he was taken by the Dai Li, brainwashed, and used to lure the Gaang to the Dai Li against his will. When he was able to break the brainwashing and fight back, he received a fatal wound.

His final act of courage to fight against Long Feng proved that he had something good inside of him. He was only able to break the brainwashing when Aang reminded him of the people he loved. Aang even called him his friend.

I’m not saying he was written horribly, but I personally just wish he had a better ending. It would’ve been cool to see him show up for the invasion on the Day of Black Sun, healed from his wound and fighting on the right side and helping people the way he originally wanted to, y’know?

Anyway, I’d love to hear other people’s thoughts on this!

#avatar the last airbender #atla #jet atla #fuck colonialism