#atla talks

[woodlaflababab]

Rewatched The Awakening and having some Thoughts™

First, Katara, my baby, not me literally crying during my break in the backroom at work bc she's just so strong and so hurt and so brave. Her conversation with her dad will never not break me. I hate that Katara has ever gotten heat for actually being open to discussing her pain. My girl is brave and strong and lovely and the boys aint got shit on her.

I love the realism of this conflict. I love the way she so clearly lays it out and understands herself but is so lost on how to go forward which like, FAIR. The contrast of how excited she was for any news on her father in the Bato episode, to this, is just heartbreaking. She deserves a good reunion and yet because of the war, her family has been ripped apart and even when it comes back together she still carries those scars.

Second, how anyone can reach season three and watch this episode and still think Aang is a one note character or still the same childish figure he was before. He also breaks my heart in this episode. The adultification is wild, it's hard to watch him here and remember, this is a kid, a 13 yr old. It's someone who's experienced death, who feels the weight of the literal world on his shoulders, who's failure means losing an entire war, and he's so broken over it and it's like, No, Aang, honey, please. Have some grace for yourself.

Him in the water just, accepting death for the second time is so morbid and so sad. He's just ready to give up. Truely his lowest point. And going from his hurt at the mere idea of having to cover his arrow, to him literally burning his glider, which can never be replaced, like, how much more can he lose. He really has sacrificed everything for this war and yes I will sit here and cry about it thank you very much.

Third: speaking of these two, I think my favorite scene in the whole episode is unironically the one where she snaps at her dad and Hakoda walks away and Aang's like, "Are you mad at your dad?" All concerned and she's just "No, why?" And Aang's face kills me it's hilarious. Like, good job Aang, that was the correct answer. Him being like, something is clearly wrong and she clearly is also not ready to face it so he just shrugs and is just like, sure, okay.

Honestly, the whole interaction makes me laugh. The way Aang looks up at Hakoda like, oh yeah, the father of the two most important people in my life, the one they almost left me for, and also a world leader and so someone important to the position of the avatar. Ah. And then Katara seems to be mad at him and Aang's just, he just woke up from a coma, ksnfmsnfnd, he is not equipped to deal with this rn but he does it anyway.

Just, ugh, that second he stares at Katara before shrugging cracks me up so much, you can so clearly read what's going through his mind.

Anyway, I think this is genuinely one of my favorite episodes, I will always be a Book 3 stan.

[woodlaflababab]

Thinking about how Aang chose to save Zuko in the book 1 finale, and it's potential connection to Zuko's attempt to save Zhao.

Like, the last time Aang saved Zuko when he didn't have to and arguably should not have on account of, you know, being hunted by him, it led to the first sign of Zuko questioning his path (when hes obvs deep in thought and then turns away from the fire nation symbol). Aang's kindness started Zuko's entire arc. Aang actively inspires Zuko even if neither of them realize it.

Zuko had to know it was Aang who chose to save him at the NWT. With Aang already having done it once before and Zuko knowing Aang to be the most forgiving while the others never show any sign of seeing Zuko as more than the enemy, there's no way Zuko didn't put two and two together.

And later, in that same finale, Zuko chooses to reach out to the man who tried to have him killed. The man who put him in the position Zuko's constantly putting Aang in.

I can't help but wonder if it's not Aang's action that spurred Zuko on in that moment, at least somewhat.

[woodlaflababab]

It never fails to make me sad to see people call Aang's arc stagnant or claim he didn't change. His arc is unconventional. It's not a well established trope so there's not obvious cues we can draw on that we've seen dozens of times before. (Not that there's anything wrong with well worn tropes. The classics are classics for a reason.) But the unwillingness to examine his story outside of trying to spot familiar patterns just saddens me.

Maybe it's because I relate to his arc so much, and it's a lesson that I see so many people struggle with yet a lesson I rarely see truely represented.

Aang's arc is about balance. It's not like Zuko's, it's not about having a set of ideals and having to challenge and ultimately discard them for new 'better' ideals. Aang already has some pretty solid ideals, but the problem is, he sits in extremes. Throughout the entire series he is tettertottering between extremes of many different kinds, with these changes becomes less drastic as he goes on and builds his balance.

One of the things he has to balance, that I wish people saw because it is so so important, is the balance between protecting yourself vs protecting others. In the water you hold a child above your head, but in a falling airplane you provide yourself an oxygen mask first.

It's self-care vs matching expectations.

Which is such an insanely relevent contemporary subject and only becomes more so as we go on. Too often you see the hero must learn to be willing to sacrifice everything, whether for the world or for a person, but that's not healthy and is an ideal that can go wrong very quickly.

I just wish people saw this. I wish people saw Aang's climax of his arc as validation that they are allowed to be themselves, that they don't have to be what everyone expects of them, that bring true to yourself and being what people need are not mutually exclusive. I want people to see Aang and understand the value of being an individual made up of your background and personality and not a being formed to fit what's most efficient for society.

I want people to see Aang and know that it's possible to have this balance, that wanting to do things differently does not mean failing. I want people to see Aang and know that they don't have to lose childhood in order to grow and improve.

Some characters start out with incorrect answers, and they learn the correct ones, and we recognize this, but it's just as important to learn that sometimes you do have the right answer, it's just that there's more than one right answer and you can't cling to a single one as the pure singular truth.

Idk. I want people happy. I want Aang happy.

[woodlaflababab]

Thinking about Zuko's betrayal in Ba Sing Se in regards to Aang

Like don't get me wrong, I'll totally give that moment to the zutara shippers, Zuko's betrayal was mostly @ Katara

But there's also the fact that, prior to this, Aang saved Zuko's life multiple times. He disregarded the bounderies of enemies and showed Zuko the kind of kindness that someone might never be able to return. Zuko is still alive in that moment because of Aang. He is still alive because, despite everything, Aang wanted the best for Zuko. He is still alive because Aang believed Zuko's life was valuable and worth preserving.

And it is Zuko's actions that lead to Aang's almost literal death. What a fucking betrayal.

And why yes this thought was brought on by this ficlet by @my-cabbages-gorl

[woodlaflababab]

Thinking about how Sokka sometimes seems like the only one who sees Aang as less than the avatar, as someone less than perfect, someone who needs help and something to watch their back.

Like, Sokka was the one to decide to leave during the Bato episode. He sees Aang as someone to be held accountable, whos capable of messing up, but he's also the one who realizes that Aang needs them.

He's the one who acknowledges that Aang's a kid in the beginning while everyone sees him as the avatar. He's the one who watches Aang face Hei Bai and decides he needs help. He's the one who decides to play air ball with him. He's the one who chooses to climb a fucking volcano just to back up Aang who wanted to get a flower for a girl.

But he also gracefully allows Aang to step into the avatar role and as the series goes on, allows Aang to start taking up the mantle of leadership. He sees Aang grow up and allows it, defering to Aang's judgment multiple times.

But still through it all, his plans for deafeating the fire lord always revolve around being there to back Aang up bc he doesn't see Aang as some inhuman being whos incapable of failure. He plans the invasion, he trains them against the melon lord, and at the end, when asked where he felt he needed to be, Sokka says they need to go after the air fleet and half his reasoning is so if Aang needs them, they'll be there.

Hell, he's the one who's all for Aang pretending to be dead because that keeps him safe until the invasion, because Sokka knows Aang's not infallible and the element of surprise could really help him.

And Aang trusts him so much. He believes in Sokka without question so many times. When Aang has failed to find the fire lord during the invasion, he turns to Sokka, because he knows he can always rely on Sokka to find a way through.

I love them so much. Aang deserves someone who sees him as something needing protection and Sokka deserves someone who trusts in his genius no matter how much stupid shit he does jsndjsndndnd

Not saying other characters don't do this, but they don't do it as much as these two. Sokka's arguably the most protective of Aang and Aang's arguably the most trusting and has the most faith in Sokka

[woodlaflababab]

Thinking abt how Azula is associated with the blue dragon in Zuko's mind. Azula, who represented his ticket to home/desire for home. Who, in his fever dream, is advocating for rest and a break from all his pain and struggle.

And how later the blue dragon is now connected to Aang while Zuko is connected to the red dragon as part of their ever-present yin and yang.

The dragon symbolism goes from Zuko's struggle with the people around him, his family, to the cosmic connection he has with Aang. From a struggle within himself, to finding himself balanced with Aang.

Does this lowkey make Aang represent home/an end to the pain and internal fight while Zuko, now able to rely on that, finally gets to fully embrace the part of him Iroh believed in, giving Zuko everything he wanted in his dream?

Idk, but it sure is interesting.

Aang and Azula, the two tempting blue dragons in Zuko's life. Iroh, the red dragon Zuko aspires to be and eventually becomes thanks to Aang, the true guide to Home and Peace.

I really like the dragons.

[woodlaflababab]

I have a

kind of headcanon, hear me out.

The Fire Nation and Air Nomad cultures share a few similarities. Both are mostly island cultures, specifically mountainous ones. They share the same color scheme, with AN leaning more toward yellow and FN more toward red.

Both the Air and Earth benders say their bending originated from animals (Sky Bison, Badgermoles), meanwhile both the Water and Fire benders derive their bending from a celestial body. (Moon and Sun.)

But then they also say the dragons are a firebending specific animal, but I'd like to suggest they may actually be another thing both airbenders and firebenders share. I mean, the dragons fly, their movements are smooth and circular, like airbending. When we see the last two, we see a red one, but also a blue one, which isn't very Fire Nation of it. It's more remenescent of the sky and the blue arrows of the airbenders.

Plus I happen to be a personal fan of the headcanon that just like the fish Tui and La are the spirits of the moon and the ocean, Ran and Shaw are also spirits, but of the sun and sky.

Like, I'm just saying, it'd make sense for the dragons who live in the mountainous island regions of the fire nation to also find homes in the air nomad islands.

Also, Sozin or Azulon, don't remember rn, ordered the dragons hunted and killed. Why would they do that to their own animals? Unless they weren't fire nation animals and instead shared between them and the air nomads, whom they were also trying to wipe out.

Sozin's choice to completely demolish the airbenders only to potentially catch one (1) person, would make a lot more sense if he also had reason to want air nomads as a whole gone, and if air nomads were as intertwined with the fire nation as they seem, while they may be pacifist, they would be the greatest threat to the firelords rule via influence of fire nation citizens. Solution? Kill them all and spread propaganda that they were evil this whole time.

I mean, there's even that one thing that said Sozin's sister was super into air nomad philosophy which means it had to be pretty accessible to the people of the fire nation. She fell in love with an air nomad nun that was allowed to visit the royal family. And then took a political alliance marriage with an air nomad monk. Like, why would the fire nation feel a need for alliance with the air nomads and not like, the earth kingdom? They had to know the air nomads would never join their cause, so why do it? Unless they saw the air nomads as the true threat. Unless there was particular tension between those two cultural groups. This is especially backed up by the existance of the Guiding Wind group which, in a way too simplified summery, was a movement of airbenders sick of how involved air benders were with fire nation nobility.

So, air nomads and the fire nation share cultural similarities, as well as potentially a shared sacred animal. Air nomads were involved enough in the fire nation as to visit and marry into the royal family, and air nomads felt they had enough influence to start a movement against fire nation nobility despite not being citizens.

These two cultures were intertwined far more than any other pairing, which meant the air nomads had the best chance, despite being pacifists, of stopping the war in it's tracks. So naturally, they had to die.

[woodlaflababab]

Thinking abt the first episode and Aapa not flying. Later in the series we see Appa fly to the point of falling asleep in the air. Also, he's spent 100 yrs pretty much resting. It always just seemed a bit strange to me, then I was thinking

What if Appa, instead of not flying because he was tired, wasn't flying because the last time he flew was in a storm where he and Aang almost drowned and died? Like, animals can experience trauma too, and Appa is highly intelligent.

Honestly, I wonder if it wasn't more Katara's pep talk that got to Appa. Like, he's pretending to be tired so he doesn't have to fly, but then Katara points out how Aang is in danger. Either Sokka saying 'yip-yip' was just the final spur or, honestly, when I rewatch it, it may be coincidence because it looks like Appa is psyching himself up to it from the moment Katara says 'Don't you want to save Aang?' and the music starts up.

I'm just saying, we should acknowledge Appa trauma a little more