#my favorite waterbender

[yourhighness6]

Have you appreciated her yet today? Because you should.

#yes shes adorable keep scrolling #katara #atla #my favorite waterbender #zutara

[wakkass]

Katara's Lightning: waterbending technique

Part 2

By a happy coincidence, one firebender who just knows how to redirect lightning joined the Gaang. You have no idea how excited I was when I realized the potential for Zuko and Katara's interaction in this concept.

Two benders of opposing elements turn to each other's elements to master one phenomenon: lightning. She's a waterbender who creates this lightning, and he's a firebender who repels it. One draws these skills from the other's martial art: lightning redirection is based on the concept of waterbending, while lightning is a firebending technique.

This is not just a combination of elements, it's their unification into something whole. Mix water and fire! It would seem impossible, but Katara and Zuko are people who have always gone beyond human capabilities to achieve their goals. If they can't do it, no one can.

Thus, by blurring the boundaries between fire and water, they destroy the illusion of difference between peoples (if you remember, this topic was raised by Guru Pathik in book 2). People of water and fire can work together, help and even complement each other.

After all, in fact, each of them makes up for the lack of the other. Katara can't control the lightning, and Zuko can't create it to further deflect it. They need each other for the balance of power. Like Yin and Yang, like day and night, like the sun and moon. How beautiful it is, I can’t.

I think the whole idea of Katara personifying anger would have continued with Zuko joining the team. When he appeared, she found nothing better than to center her rage on him. He betrayed her, this is justified anger. He's the prince of the nation that started the war, he is responsible for these horrors. He's the son of the one who ordered her mother killed.

However, Zuko did something that no one expected, especially Katara: he allowed her to let go of the anger of her life. He achieved this by redirecting the power of her rage to the real culprit of all Katara's worries - the murderer of her mother. And the reprisal against him gave her inner peace and a solution to a problem that seemed unsolvable.

Her anger was just like lightning, which was eager to strike at least someone, just to throw out the accumulated energy. Righteous, but throwing itself at everyone. Zuko didn't hide it, didn't calm it down, but redirected it to where it was needed, finding the necessary target.

This is another metaphorical aspect of their joint technique. He learned to channel her lightning not just through training, but through interaction and strengthening their personal connection. And the result was that understanding at a glance, which formed the basis of their fighting style. I don't know about you, but I thought this summed up their relationship perfectly.

Thus, from now on, she can rely on Zuko and trust him not only with the emotional burden, but also with their lives in the midst of a storm, both metaphorical and literal. After all, she knows that he will always deflect lightning from innocent...

Remember this moment? Zuko and Katara fight back to back, showing their shared trust in each other and cooperation as warriors. But imagine if, on top of everything else, they trained a joint technique for generating lightning and then directing it. It looks so cool in my head, it’s a pity I’m not an animator and/or storyboard artist, I don’t know how to stage scenes (((

And then, when lightning seemingly brought Zuko and Katara together, it ended up nearly tearing them apart, taking his life.

Because Zuko will always deflect lightning from Katara…

< Part 1

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #atla fanart #atla au #katara #atla katara #zuko #atla zuko #lightning bending #bending meta #waterbending #I hope you enjoyed reading :3 #I finally figured out the image description #I really like describing the symbolism of relationships #connecting the emotional with the physical is my favorite

[anghraine]

I think YouTube fandom ranking surveys are pretty silly in general, but otoh, can't deny the satisfaction when my faves win resoundingly.

I am, of course, referring to this ranking survey prompted by the official ATLA/LOK account:

#i think my favorite comment was 'amon and tarrlok on the same side is just a doomsday scenario' #or something to that effect #indeed it is :D #might i have written multiple fics setting up or involving that doomsday scenario? MAYBE #look. they might be disastrously damaged and dysfunctional human beings but they are very cool waterbenders #and fantastic villains #and tragic #by this conclusive logic they deserve victorious family bonding as a treat #(and also triumph at youtube surveys) #(i am very mature lol) #anghraine babbles #anghraine's pics #the bloodbending brothers #avatar #avatar: the legend of korra #noatak #tarrlok

[enstarsurbanfantasy]

Mikagura - POV Hiiro

[Mikagura: a ritual dance performed at the imperial court and various important Shinto shrines. It consists of welcoming, entertaining and greeting the deities with humorous or poetic syllabic songs.]

Hiiro hears the singing before he sees the source.

He's strolling through one of the side gardens, thinking over one of his homework questions, when he's alerted to the distant sound of instruments. Music isn't uncommon in Ensemble Square, but it's mostly the music that the idol units are making. The music now vaguely resembles Akatsuki's songs, but it's slower and doesn't have modern instruments.

Hiiro turns a corner, curious about what's going on.

Water floats around Aira, ribbons swirling around his arms and legs as he steps back and forth with a string of bells in hand. He's dancing to the music, chanting with his eyes closed and moving as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Hiiro can see the kamuy dancing with him, water, storm, and war caressing his cheek like a mother to her child.

The music ends. With a sweep of his hand, the water surrounding Aira comes together in one long stream, and it funnels into the water bottle by the door. The spirits settle around Aira's shoulders like a winter cloak. Finished, Aira bows (to the kamuy?), opens his eyes and--

He is surprised, but the realization is... slow. His unitmate is settled, possibly in that floaty feeling Hiiro gets after finishing prayers, when his mind is more in the spritual realm than the human one. There is also something... other. Something playful and tricky and entirely inhuman.

Hiiro's throat is bone dry, and he swallows, opening his mouth to say... something.

But nothing comes out, because Aira places a finger to his mouth in a gesture for quiet. In fact, he seems to be physically unable to say anything. Aira gives a high pitched laugh, beams at him uncharacteristically, and blinks.

Aira shakes his head, and he's suddenly back to his usual countenance.

"Sorry," he says. "Ame-no-Uzume is a bit of a trickster."

"Ame... no Uzume?"

"You don't know a lot about Shinto gods, do you?" Aira remarks drily.

"Nope!" He'd like to learn more, if possible. The part of him that was trained to protect Nii-san rises, seeing all the possibilities of danger from such casual possession.

Aira takes a breath, exhales, and recites a story like he's heard it a thousand times before. "The sun goddess, Amaterasu, once quarreled with her brother, Susanoo, the god of sea and storms. After coming together to produce children, Susanoo vandalized her rice fields, flayed a horse and threw it at her loom, and brutally killed one of her maidservants. Amaterasu, furious, forfeited her divinity and retreated to a cave. As a result, the world was plunged into eternal night.

"The other gods came together to confer on the situation. In a bid to draw her out, Ame no Uzume placed a mirror by the cave's entrance, leapt upon an upturned tub, and proceeded to dance while tearing off her clothes. The other gods, stunned, started to laugh.

"Amaterasu heard the laughter and wondered how they could be happy in a world of eternal night. She looked out, and upon seeing her beautiful face in the mirror, went to take a closer look. As Amaterasu left the cave, the other gods threw a sacred rope across the cave entrance, preventing her from returning. Amaterasu agreed to rejoin the divine, and light was restored to the world.

And thus Ame no Uzume became known as the Heavenly Alarming Female."

Aira smiles, expression showing that he's still bit out of it. "Ame no Uzume is the goddess of revelry and the arts. I was praying for a good result in the MDM." he considers, and continues, "A sacred dance opens up your heart and mind to outside forces. Usually the gods have better things to do than to possess a random human, but Ame no Uzume likes to have a little fun."

"So it's like a send-off ritual," Hiiro murmurs.

Aira shrugs. "I... guess? I don't know much about your traditions."

Hiiro glances at Aira, just in time to see him sway concerningly. Hiiro slings an arm over Aira's shoulder to steady him, and Aira rests his head on his shoulder. "How long have you been praying?"

" 's the shorter ritual.. six hours?" Aira slurs.

Hiiro presses his lips together and declares, "I'm going to carry you back to the dorm."

Aira, already half asleep, doesn't do more than hum an assent.

#ensemble stars!! #urban fantasy #enstars urban fantasy au #hiiro amagi #aira shiratori #alkaloid #hiiai if you squint and look sideways #I ship them okay I think they should kiss #sorry if the ainu beliefs are inaccurate #I'm not ainu and half the sources I found were written pre-1910s #thank you smithsonian for your book written in 2000 it was a welcome palate cleanser #I just learned that apparently canon!Aira thinks of his family as “so normal it's boring” but I'm attached now #so I'm using my fanfic writer rights to say “this is an AU” #"water storm and war” is a reference to the domains of takeminakata who is aira's ancestor #I love aira he's my favorite character #the placeholder title for this was “waterbending” #aira is a waterbender #mikagura used to be performed across several days... the dedication the choir must have had

[bigfootswashingmachine]

i wasn't really planning on watching it one way or another, but with all the live action atla promo pics i've seen so far i am pre-disappointed in the costume design. these outfits should be the coolest shit ever. but so far i haven't seen anything very interesting and the materials being used look pretty obviously synthetic and costume-y. so that kind of sucks

#like you couldn't be bothered to use some actual fur and leather? ): for the WATERBENDERS? ): #someone get the WETA workshop in here #costume design is my absolute favorite part of visual media and it just suuucckkkksss to have such a good source to draw from #and do some lame low-budget shit with it #also this is a minor nitpick but you can just TELL all those seams are machine-sewn.

[tj-dragonblade]

Portage Lake, AK Aug 6 2022

#Alaska #scenery #lakes #nurturing my inner waterbender #habitat of the TJ #rainy-day drives down the coastal highway #remain one of my favorite things about living here

[rockpaperimpala]

So about Netflix's the Last Airbender....

I am literally so confused you guys. You made me think I would HATE this show. And I LOVED it. Me. Known perfectionist and hater.

Katara was lovely. Yes, she started as a more soft spoken character than her cartoon version, but she was still passionate and hopeful throughout, just visibly unsure of herself. I think people were thrown off by this actress' natural way of expressing herself, which is Different from animated katara for sure, but not bad. Then she spends the whole season growing in Confidence and Fire. I Adored her fight with Paku, it really did feel like a payout of the whole season's development, and the bending kicked ass!

The Bending Kicked ass!!! The martial arts was fun and fast and creative and exciting! It looked SO good. That alone would be enough reason for me to watch and enjoy any show.

Zuko's actor was fantastic. He really captured the rage and confusion of this 16 year old banished prince. And there were so many Added moments between him and Iroh wich to me enriched their relationship. Like YES! This is why I'm watching, to see more of them, to see things done a little differently.

Iroh facing the consequences of his actions at Ba Sing Se!! That's what I'm here for!

Zuko's relationship with the men on his ship! That's what I'm here for!

The Extra layers we get to Ozai manipulating his children!

Also no one is talking about Admiral Zhao, who I had SO much fun with. I feel like they slightly fleshed out his character in a really dramatic way, really developing the hubris and frankly insane grasping ambition of someone who would kill the moon. I completely enjoyed this wilder, less controlled version of him, who comes up through the season from basically nothing and no one!

I am OBSESSED with King BUMI and his anger and disillusionment with the world! Like this was SO real. Living a hundred years of futile war would do that!!!! It is one of my favorite changes to the whole series. This new layer of emotion and character depth is what I'm here for!

Sokka was SO funny. He literally had me laughing out loud so often. That actor GETs Sokka, and GETS the way his humor is delivered. And is also able to tap into the more vulnerable side of him. People said he was "obsessed" with leadership. WHAT? That is a young person trying desperately to do his best and to try and find his place in the world, to figure what he has to offer. I loved his pride at hearing the Mechanist say that he would make a good engineer, and the sweetness of the moment that Yue's father says that he can be a hero without being a warrior. Sokka does so much growth in this series, in understanding himself and life.

And his chemistry with Suki was adorable!! I even like him and Yue (who was a totally unexpected sweetheart, despite her terrible wig)!! Like he has that same ability that Sokka has in the original to Connect with people.

Aang was great! He WAS fun loving and sweet and funny. I don't know what you guys wanted. Cartoons are always bigger and more exaggerated than live action. People's eyes swell up an, birds fly around their heads, and there are funny sound effects. That larger than life quality is the strength of animation! You have to look for different strength in live action. Like the SUBTLETIES of the acting choices. This little actor brought so much kindness, innocence, and strength to Aang.

And I FELT his frustration at being asked to do this at 12, his fresh hope anytime it looked like someone more experienced would be able to help him and no one did, and that's why he didn't learn waterbending this season, because he kept waiting for an freaking ADULT to show him the way, to help him carry this immense burden, but every adult he meets asks him for help instead, asks him to carry it himself, and then the finale hits and he realizes that there won't be any adults helping, he does have figure this out himself, and he makes the hard choice, takes on responsibility more than his years and offers himself to the ocean spirit, and he might have been lost entirely if not for Katara!

And that counter running theme to the show pays off: that he doesn't have to do it alone. He may not have more experienced guidance, because the adults have let him down again and again, but his friends will be with him, and they will figure it out together!

This is there throughout the series! Katara tells him this about learning waterbending, when he says he still wants to wait. Bumi tells him this in the palace at Omashu, and Aang sees the faith he has in his friends repaid!

I like these changes! And the show still found time for silly fun adventures and character building moments.

The show was never going to be the animated original. That is already a Masterpiece, and it frankly did NOT need to be adapted at all. I did not WANT a live action adaptation. I was adamantly convinced I would hate it. But the changes that they netflix show gave are what I Iike most about it. If I want to see Zuko say "you rise with the moon, I rise with the sun," I will go watch the animated original, because that version is perfect. And now, if i want to see Zuko say "Lu ten would have been proud to have you as a father," and see iroh pull him into a tight hug, I can watch this live action version, which is very good too. I'm going to disagree with most of the people on here and say that the Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender, DOES capture the heart of what we liked about the original show. It's spirit, fun, excitement, and characters. And the changes made are the reason we should be watching.

#avatar the last airbender #natla

[ittsybittsybunny]

ATLA Live Action Series Review:

The Good

Aesthetically this show felt right. Sure sometimes the outfits didn't quite feel lived in, but I always felt like I was watching a fantasy world with decent effects and interesting design. Also, I really enjoyed the sets!

Bending: Yes some of the fights feel very quick, but the bending looks cool. It is certainly better than 10 benders lifting one big rock. I can honestly say the opening bending fight scene gave me so much hope for this show.

Kyoshi Warriors: I loved seeing them in live action, and I thought Suki's performance was great!

Omashu: I think the mashup of the mechanist made sense since that is an important character overall and I would hate to see him cut. However, both Jet & the secret tunnels felt sloppily thrown in.

Northern Water Tribe: I really loved the way it looked, and appreciated the two episodes we spent here. I think Yue gained more agency in this interpretation, and why shouldn't the moon spirit be a waterbender. Also, episode seven felt the most in tune with the original show's spirit.

Zuko: I think he was one of the most fleshed-out and best parts of the show! Dallas Liu really captured Zuko's spirit, and the scene between him and Aang in episode 6 was wonderful!

Soundtrack: Hearing the original soundtrack bits is always great, and when I first heard the ending music I was so excited.

Is the show perfect, no - but I wouldn't mind a season 2.

The Bad

Pacing: Turning 20 episodes into 8 was bound to lead to some cuts...but oftentimes times things felt too quick or disjointed. I think there were editing problems contributing to this for sure, but sometimes things skipped around too much without a clear purpose as to why. Also, why bring in plots from later seasons when you barely have enough time already?

Writing: This show definitely suffered from exposition dumping, though it did get better as time went on. I think the biggest example of this is actually opening in the past rather than the present. We do not get to learn along with Aang that the world has changed, instead, we get to learn that 100 years have passed....which doesn't hold the same tension or worldbuilding.

Clunky Dialogue: Along with exposition, clunky dialogue is another example of bad writing. I think sometimes I felt like the acting was kind of meh in the beginning, but then over time I began to realize it had far more to do with the lines characters were trying to deliver. The actors themselves are not bad, just cursed with awkward writing and lines that feel out of touch with the setting they're in.

Main Trio: I don't entirely know that I believe Katara, Sokka, and Aang are friends as opposed to 3 people stuck together to save the world. Aang feels a little too somber for a young kid running away from his responsibilities, Sokka is protective, but not exactly the heart of the team, and Katara is sort of just there until the last two episodes. Where is her struggle, her desire to learn so strong she steals from pirates? Also, while Gordon Cormier did a great job, Aang does zero waterbending on his own, is overly serious, and tells Katara not to fight. Where is his desperation to protect his friends? It feels like they all lost emotional depth.

Tension: Bringing Ozai, Azula, and Zhao out in the beginning immediately causes us to lose the realization there is an even bigger bad. Part of why Ozai is so terrifying is he is a primarily silent villain until the third season when we finally see the face of the "big bad evil guy" behind it all. Yes, they add to Zuko's backstory, but again, they are revealing the villains too early. Azula is the antagonist of season 2 and one of my favorite characters, so I hope they do more with her in the future. Finally, Zhao is supposed to be an example of the uncontrollable nature of fire unrestrained, instead, he comes off as vaguely threatening with the supposed true power being Azula.

Characterization: While all characters are bound to lose something in a shorter show, it still felt like certain characters were more mutilated than others. I am sure there are 100 different opinions on who, but I think the biggest victim was Katara.

Katara: Katara manages to go from a complete novice to a bending master in what feels like a matter of days. The journey feels short, and that makes the results feel largely unearned. Katara is one of the strongest personalities in the show, determined, kind, and fiery. In many ways, she is the unpredictability of water - equally dangerous as it is necessary to live. She is the child of a war who lost her mother, forced to grow up too soon, and even raised her older brother. Yes, Katara often gets stereotyped as the mom friend, but overall she feels underutilized in this show. We really don't see enough of her journey until the very end.

Iroh: Iroh was always comedic but most importantly wise. Even when Zuko is trying to give himself advice, he mimics Iroh. Instead, he seems to be used more as comedic relief without the underlying experience. He just doesn't feel right. Also, he kills Zhao instead of Zhao getting himself killed - which is less about Iroh and more about the writing than anything.

Ozai is weirdly a little too nice. Yes, he burned Zuko and pits his kids against each other, but he feels toned down in a show claiming to be more mature than the original cartoon.

Azula is perhaps more realistically worried about losing her status as the golden child, but she is also missing the cruelty she and her father share. I understand worrying about making your character cartoonishly evil, but the Fire Nation is currently a deeply nationalistic empire trying to control the world. Where is the deep-seated belief that they are better than other people, not just trying to bring balance to the world? There is a line between creating complexity and toning down the very real evil inherent in this plan.

Roku: I can only say what the fuck was that. He was barely there, and not the serious master to Aang's youthful exuberance.

The Ugly

Show, Don't Tell: The show's single biggest issue seems to be speeding through story parts by simply stating things. Instead of allowing the audience to discover, trusting that we are smart enough to understand, let's just blatantly say things like Zuko is the only reason the 41st division is alive to their faces. Even though in the context of the story Ozai literally already said that.... it's the division, the division for Zuko, Zuko's division.

Thematic Misunderstandings: I think this show makes several minor changes with major implications, such as airbenders actively fighting the firebenders, when airbenders are known for their pacifist nature and the lie of an Airbender fighting force is actively propaganda. Similarly, Aang very quickly accepts his role as the avatar and doesn't even run away in the beginning. Without this conflict between his desire to be a carefree child and the fact that the world needs him - the show loses a key aspect of Aang's character. Also, the obsession with downplaying the avatar state as something dangerous feels like a disservice to the tradition, connection, and strength of the avatar, which can be permanently destroyed as the trade-off for that kind of power. It's dangerous for the balance of the entire world, not just because it's powerful!

The Agni Kai: Zuko's fight against his father is one of the defining moments of Ozai's cruelty, not just because he is willing to fight his child, but because Zuko tried to do everything right. Zuko shows deference to his father, apologizes, and most importantly refuses to fight! The determination not to upset his father and still be grievously injured and banished is a hugely important theme for the fire nation and Zuko's life as a whole. He tries to do everything he is supposed to and only regains his father's acceptance after he "kills" Aang. Zuko's struggle between moral vs. social right and wrong in contrast to his family is hugely important to his character.

-----

TLDR: ATLA was a fantastical animated television show that was never afraid to show character development and flaws. When you turn 20 episodes into 8, you are bound to lose something. You hollowed out the middle, leaving the shell of important moments and events without ever wondering if all the times in between formed the true spirit of the show.

Rating: 6.5/10 It's perfectly fine and worth a watch. Not a disaster, but certainly falls flat of the original.

#atla #avatar the last airbender #avatar the last airbender tv #atla tv #spoilers #natla #i loved it i hated it i mostly sat through it #i would like a season 2 though #aang #katara #sokka #zuko #iroh #uncle iroh #azula #ozai

[micalpixel]

“Camping in the Earth Kingdom”

I recently re-watched Avatar: The Last Airbender. Still one of my favorite shows. ^^I was gonna do a side-view of of them flying on Appa. But then I found this when looking for episode images.... So let's uh...Let's not do the exact same thing.... This scene is loosely based on the episode "The Waterbending Scroll" where they...camp. :3 (I have no idea where Appa's saddle goes when they sleep. As far as I can tell, they take it off at night and then it disappears until morning, when it magically reappears back on Appa. If you can prove me wrong, please do!) (I'm so glad the spray can tool exists. Used it heavily for this one and we are now best friends.)

#avatar #the last airbender fanart #avatar the last airbender #aang #katara #sokka #momo #appa #pixel art #micalpixel

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

something that makes sokka extremely adhd relatable is that he's constantly looking for his Thing, the one Thing he's good at or useful for that makes up for any failings or flaws or ways he just can't measure up to others. at the beginning of the show he defines himself by being the oldest boy in the village & best warrior, but then he gets his ass kicked by zuko and suki and sees aang's raw power and he can't exactly think fighting is his special skill anymore. but he still thinks he has to be defined by fighting ('man of the house' daddy issues) so he calls himself the guy with the boomerang bc that's turned out to be his most useful and versatile and unique weapon, the one that other people can't outclass him at (after all, it's his most successful attack in his fight with zuko). when he loses it in "avatar day" he explicitly says it's like losing a key part of his identity and the moment katara goes "hey you're good at solving mysteries" he's like "yeah! i'm a detective! that's my new thing! and gets a new set of objects to signify it ("i believe in the power of stuff"). but detective sokka doesn't last bc throughout the entire episode he and katara are pretty equally matched in detective skills and he gets his boomerang back anyway. failed experiment.

and throughout all of this, he's figured out that people find his insistance on getting them fed & his grumpy comments funny and so he begins defining himself as the meat and sarcasm guy, and when he's a tough spot in "bitter work", bargaining with the universe to get him help, he offers that up as all he's got to give. it's obviously a Joke that he immediately asks for meat after telling the universe he'll give it up but it's also pretty indicative of how much he clings to these identities. it's all he's got (he thinks), of COURSE he can't actually give it up. they stuck that boy in a hole for 22 minutes and it revealed so much about how he sees himself.

at some point (likely around "the library" when he takes initiative to come up with a fire nation invasion plan) he also becomes the plan guy, the idea guy, and the gaang find themselves looking to him for leadership. this is perhaps the closest to fully encompassing sokka that any of his "[blank] guy" labels get, since coming up with plans involves planning when and how to fight (boomerang guy) & how to get everyone fed (meat), and people not following his plans is a major source of frustration (sarcasm).

this all culminates in "sokka's master", where the show finally names the underlying insecurity driving this quest - that he's a nonbender. katara being the last waterbender meant she was in danger and that keeping her safe was top priority, and even though hakoda and kya wouldn't have played favorites sokka probably felt a little like the unfavorite child for not being special like her. he lacks an ability, and believes his life has less value bc of it. almost like somebody with a disability and internalized ableism

(interesting, one of the people who most consistently mocks sokka for being a nonbender is toph, early on. toph has a lot of internalized ableism herself, a fear of vulnerability bc she doesn't want to perceived as weak like her parents thought she was. her bending is her disability aid, the thing that allows her to be stronger than people think, so she dismisses a nonbender until she learns better.)

piandao's response to sokka's lack of self-worth is not to train him to be great at one thing, but to introduce him to a variety of different arts, show him that his value lies not in having any one skill but in his capacity to learn and grow. there's no single thing that makes him worthy. it isn't even the combination of all of them that makes him worthy. he simply is worthy.

and i don't know if this is a unique narrative in fiction or anything but it really means a lot to me that sokka doesn't have One Thing that "makes up" for him not being a bender. he's of course extremely skilled and prodigious at many things he does in the show but there's no one savant talent that "justifies" him being in the group and i feel like so many disability narratives - especially for kids - go that route and i really appreciate that atla doesn't and simply says people are valuable because they are valuable, not because of their special abilities

#nina's personal log #sokka #seeing 'avatar day' again reminded me i had this in the drafts #ALSO i think toph is a different disability narrative than sokka but also more nuanced than typical this is NOT saying hers is bad #it's very good #nd atla tag

[yourhighness6]

This is such a random thought but is it just me or were we cheated out of seeing the first conversation between the water tribe siblings and the members of their sister tribe in "The Waterbending Master". Like, it probably would have been hilarious for one considering that they would have to explain that yes, this is the avatar, yes, he is alive, yes, they are just kids, yes, they are the chief's children. Besides that, this is the first time the Southern and Northern tribes have had contact with each other for probably at least a decade. I feel like we were robbed of this and now I really want to see it in the live action

#Emmie babbles #I feel like there's so much going on in this episode that it gets kind of lost #but it's my favorite atla episode of all time and I've been really good in 2024 so I think I deserve it #water tribe siblings #atla #avatar the last airbender #sokka #katara #waterbending #water tribes #southern water tribe #northern water tribe #princess yue #chief arnook #the waterbending master #atla live action #go on Netflix give the people what they want #I say as the only person who has ever spoken about this ever #atla rewatch

[anthurak]

Listening to the ATLA soundtrack and ‘Last Agni Kai’ in particular reminded me of what is by far my favorite bit of symbolism of the show that for some reason I never see discussed:

Specifically, that Zuko and Azula have this big, dramatic, drawn-out firebender-versus-firebender duel that burns down a good chunk of the capital and shows both combatants more or less evenly matched. Yet as soon as Zuko is knocked out of the fight via cheap-shot and it becomes a waterbender-on-firebender fight, KATARA takes down Azula pretty much immediately.

The not-so-subtle symbolism being: “Hey, here’s a crazy thought; how about instead of fighting fire with fire, we fight fire with fucking WATER? Seems like that would be quite a bit EASIER, no?”

Oh and if anyone wants to point out that firebending golden boy Zuko could have beaten Azula with the lightning-redirect he learned from Iroh, let’s consider for a moment where exactly Iroh LEARNED that technique:

From studying WATERBENDERS.

In short, Avatar gave us one of the greatest symbolic takedowns of the bullshit ‘fight fire with fire’ trope/mentality and I will forever love that.

#atla #Avatar The Last Airbender #atla analysis #atla symbolism #katara #azula #zuko #rambling about atla #you don't fight fire with fire you fight it with water #a novel concept no?

[marlynnofmany]

“Earthbending and waterbending are the same thing.”

“WTF? No.”

“Sure they are. Water is just melted rock, the same as lava.”

“No, it’s—”

“Ice is a rock.”

“What.”

“The experts agree. It’s naturally occurring, solid, has an organized crystal structure, and has a well-defined chemical composition.”

“But — okay, even if I accept that, which is a big ‘if’ — that’s the same as saying that waterbending is also airbending just because water can evaporate into a gas.”

“Correct.”

“Wait, what?”

“There’s no functional difference. It’s all manipulation of tangible things through willpower alone. Fire is from a different power set entirely.”

“Dare I ask why?”

“Fire is a thing that happens, not a thing that you can scoop into a jar. It projects from a source temporarily. Controlling fire involves manipulation of light, heat, and localized destruction all at the same time. Not every type of heat or destruction, but if you think about it, all light either comes from a sun or from tame lightning.”

“Hold on, so then—”

“A fully trained firebender can glow like a flashlight, incinerate things on the spot, and give you a wicked case of sunburn with radiation that you can’t see. Oh, and if they have enough finesse, they can split their light into rainbows. That’s my favorite firebending skill.”

“I need to sit down.”

“Welcome to Magic 101! I hope you’re taking notes.”

#have a random bit of dialogue #which would make for a fascinating magic system #worldbuilding #I was talking to Stone about how LCD screens are liquid crystal #and therefore a rock element item #instead of water-liquid #because of another post I'd seen #then this happened #I had an idea and wrote this out #free story idea! #have fun #I'd love to read it #magic #earthbending #etc #ice is rocks #and we're all lava monsters #writblr

[juicyreptile]

Things in ATLA fanfics that really butter my bread

zuko described as breathing out sparks/embers/smoke/steam, especially unconsciously

aang forgetting he is the most powerful human alive

sokka gets the braincell

the gaang (aang or zuko esp) gets to be feral. as a treat ❤️

rotational team parent - everyone gets a turn to try and corral (and fail!!) the other members!

everyone forgetting that zuko is a master of stealth and/or zuko getting to actually use those Blue Spirit skills

Everyone's Uncle Iroh is Best Dad

ZHAO ALWAYS GETTING FUCKING DUNKED ON, NON-STOP. fuck zhao all my homies HATE zhao

suki my beloved suki

toph being the absolute gremlin that she is

aang being a troll

physical differences in benders!! like, firebenders running HOT, being hard to burn; waterbenders running cool, able to deal with colder temps easier; earthbenders have denser bones, tougher skin; airbenders having huge lungs, superior senses of balance/up-down; ect ect, (this can also extend to non-benders of the dif nations in less dramatic and/or obvious ways)

zuko being the leading expert on airbenders/the avatar to the surprise of everyone, with the excuse that he was hunting for the avatar for three goddamn years and looked up any tiny scrap of information he could find. (also extends to him being super knowledgeable about the customs of other nations/places because he's literally been all over the world)

found family gaang real; they're all stupid and protective over each other, sharing one braincell collectively and doing incredibly dangerous things but then all just pile up in one place to chill and take a group mirmir

outsider POV of the gaang, esp ones were people are incredibly alarmed over this group of feral children being the ones running the world now but also wtf else are they gonna do?? they gonna tell the Fire Lord what to do? they gonna tell the AVATAR what to do?????

please share with me YOUR favorite things in fics i wanna hear them ❤️

#atla #the last airbender #avatar the last airbender #the gaang

[comradekatara]

this tweet https://twitter.com/AtlantisFell/status/1728661837896355843

i hate twitter so much just as a general rule everyone is so fucking annoying on there. but okay fine let's unpack this

it's true that bloodbending could have ended the war quicker. if instead of perpetuating a cycle of senseless violence, hama had been more strategic and targeted high ranking fire nation military and the royal family, she definitely could have defeated the firelord by simply walking into the palace on a full moon and slaughtering him and his entire family in their sleep while everyone else in the palace would be helpless to stop it. she could have sunk entire ships. she could have used her power productively. but she didn't, because she was too severely traumatized to operate on that kind of logic.

however, katara deciding that bloodbending is okay actually wouldn't have actually changed anything significantly within their timeframe. she already knew that aang was the one to have to defeat the firelord. she believes in destiny, she believes in the symbolic significance of the avatar restoring balance, and she is, above all, an idealist. i've said in a previous post that if sokka were a waterbender he would've figured out bloodbending on his own long before he met hama and used it whenever it was convenient. but katara as a character has always been defined by her hope, compassion, and desire for justice. of course she is crying over having her autonomy violated. of course she is crying over seeing a woman she had placed so much trust, faith, and admiration in, considered her mentor, who made her feel less existentially alone, reveal herself to be someone who harms others, who tortures random civilians and who nearly killed her brother and her best friend. of course she would consider hurting someone like that "bad" and never want to use that power herself (despite the fact that she later does, which is a point for another post). how is that even in question?

we can of course talk about how hama is framed, and whether or not her portrayal actually works for us (because i do have my issues there too, and am thus of course sympathetic to these concerns), but katara crying here is certainly not something that feels illogical or out of place. her feelings throughout this entire episode remain consistent with the rest of her characterization throughout the show (in fact, this is one of my favorite katara episodes because she undergoes so many emotional shifts and grows so much in such rich and meaningful ways). and besides, katara doesn't actually need bloodbending to fuck people up anyway.

#kendall yelling bad tweet.gif #id in alt text #asks #zonaii #katara #hama #hama&katara

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

Avatar: The Last Airbender Live Action Thoughts!

-First of all, ya'll need to leave those child actors alone, they are babies and they didn't write the show, nor was it their idea to do it. I have seen way too many people body shaming children; leave them alone they all did well!

-I think Gordon makes Aang just as cute and small and powerful as I always saw him as!! He manages to joke around and be fun even when the storyline is a lot darker and more serious.

-I really wish Sokka was able to be more of his goofy and silly self. I understand why he isn't, and his humor is more sarcasm and dark jokes, but I saw glimpses of him in there! His excitement when he was with the Mechanist, engineering and getting to do something other than be in charge. Also when he has any older brother convo with Katara or Aang. I'm hopeful with time he'll be able to loosen up!

-(Speaking of the Mechanist, my boy Danny Pudi was SO GOOD, I love him, him and his little son).

-I wish Aang would practice waterbending with Katara :( those scenes of them practicing together were always some of my favorites in the series. Just beautiful kataang moments. I'm glad they addressed it but I missed those moments.

-I don't understand how you guys can't be having fun watching this, I get so excited waiting for little moments of lore, or when Jet and Katara were fighting in the forest I was sitting in front of the TV like "WHERE'S SMELLERBEE AND LONGSHOT. OH MY GOD NO IT'S PIPSQUEAK!" It's just so much fun! The colors are beautiful, the effects are gorgeous, and the plot and characters are entertaining. Think about the piece as it's own thing and enjoy it!

-Adaptations are just that; adaptations, and things will be changed! I think so far I haven't minded their changes, I understand why they've been made. There are things to criticize, but I think this is pretty well done.

-Zuko is fantastic; I think all the child actors are fairly good but Dallas' pissy attitude and the faces he makes are so so fun! I feel for Zuko and I'm scared of him when he shows up, and he's just as annoying and bratty as ponytail Zuko should be. His physical motions are fantastic!

-TEO WAS SO LITTLE?? Oh my god, like as a kid I thought the cartoon version of him was kinda hot so when they wheeled that tiny baby in I was HORRIFIED.

-Idk why YOU ALL weren't scared of Lizzy Yu's Azula, but her little smile in her intro scene gave me a lil chill. Maybe it's because I was away when the show first came out so I saw post after post about how bad she was, but I just.... Thought she'd be worse?? She did really well! Ya'll better be careful though or Gaten Matarazzo will come for you, that's his girl.

-So far the mushing of plots has made sense to me. Yes, I miss the silly filler episodes and the traveling the Gaang did, but it allows us to sit in a scene longer, and to colorize the world better, when we're in one place and one plot for longer. I think that's important for this type of medium and this amount of episodes. They might be able to justify more next season if this show does well enough.

-I am OBSESSED with Zuko and the 41st division oh my god, what a fantastic and well thought out addition. The reveal, and they're bowing for him when he comes back was DEVASTATING.

-They we're GIVING us Sokka and Katara best sibling moments, I loved all of them. They are so cute, they just mean so much to me.

-I don't feel Appa or Momo as characters like I did in the cartoon. I'm hoping this can change, because rn they surprise me every time they get on screen. I'm like "WHAT- oh it's Momo, he's here." How are we going to feel Appa's loss as much as we did in the cartoon if they continue to like barely be in it.

-Ken Leung SLAYED as Admiral Zhao, I watched him go literally insane as the episodes went on.

-Aang's imposter syndrome and feeling of failure being focused on I will always enjoy, even if I hope he can be silly next season too. His entire character arc this season just made me want to cry.

-Bro the coloring during the the Siege of the North was A M A Z I N G. The way the color faded in and out with fireballs and the monster koi passing nearby, just so pretty. It looked awesome.

-Making Yue a waterbender? The best. Her freezing Sokka in place so he can't stop her? Heartbreaking.

-Iroh and Zuko paddling off looking for bestie Lt. Jee?? Okay.

-They really grew this show up for us adults that watched it in 2005 and focused in on the really painful moments, themes, and details.

#listen i just feel like i can tell how much they all care about the series and it makes me want to like it #i'm liking it!!! #it's good! #i love all the children #aang #sokka #the mechanist #katara #jet #smellerbee #longshot #pipsqueak #zuko #teo #azula #appa #momo #admiral zhao #yue #uncle iroh #lieutenant jee #gordon cormier #danny pudi #dallas liu #elizabeth yu #gaten matarazzo #ken leung #avatar the last airbender #live action atla #melissa og