#long feng

[die-auster]

International Lefthanders Day

I am not a leftie but anyway.

Other possible lefties could be the Boiling Rock's warden and crabby women from Ba Sing Se ferry.

It's not a canon information but I noticed that these characters usually use their left hands for gestures/bending/etc. Here's a post about Katara if you're interested.

If you feel like it you can support me on Ko-fi. And your feedback will make the artist really happy!

[0bscvr1ty]

Blink and you miss it moment from [S2EP17 Lake Laogai] where Jet saves Longshot. His battle reflexes are insane. And look how protective he looks of his friend.

And I couldn't get screenshots but a split second before this he'd grabbed and pulled Toph to safety after one of the Dai Li agent's rock gloves pulled her down. She almost fell directly by the feet of said agent.

I'm going to go cry in a corner now.

[ammoniumalum]

Happy Lunar New Year 🐴

[this-is-such-a-bad-decision]

Been on an AtLA kick for a while, read lots of fire family fics, and I was wondering if anyone had explored the concept of Ursa as a Joo Dee? Like, she fled to the earth kingdom after assassinating Azulon, tried to blend in with other refugees in Ba Sing Se, but immediately got clocked and scooped up by the Dai Lee. Cue imprisonment, interrogation, and brainwashing. Fast forward five years, and Azula's coup suddenly gets much more personal as Long Feng pulls out the surprise tool he had been saving for later.

[darthkayde]

Clancy Brown Appreciation Post!

[theduckeminence]

White Boy joins the party <3

[thebxghag]

A young Kuei looks up at his mentor and foster father figure, Long Feng, as the ministers bow and court begins.

ko-fi | comms | inprnt | bsky | cara

[yourhighness6]

NATLA Debrief S2 Episode 4

Here are episodes 1, 2 and 3. Sorry again for the horrible quality of the photos but it can't be helped.

Aang

I liked how it showed us Aang struggling with bending and actually training this season. I feel like they definitely listened to the complaints about him not really ~learning~ waterbending last season.

I really like Aang being manipulated more by Long Feng as well. It's a good way to address how his naivety will get in the way of him being effective as the avatar and how he needs to become more mature.

I appreciated this plot twist with General Sung. I didn't see it coming but it felt natural when it did happen

The new Joo Dee was just as creepy as in the original. The open-ended question of what they did to the first Joo Dee is really eerie

Katara

Blue spirit/ painted lady parallels right off the bat??? Oh zutarians were are being SPOILED and I love it. Kia's makeup is beautiful.

Okay imagine Toph thinking Katara's sneaking out to meet Zuko... Fanfic, anyone?

Katara looking disappointed when Toph implied Aang had a crush on her

I like that Katara is being more confrontational with Aang when he does/ says something that bothers her (it's more consistent with her character even though it wasn't addressed a lot in the og because her relationship with Aang was ooc) but I feel like they're really flubbing the Painted Lady subplot if kataang is going to be endgame. Like in the og Aang was excited to go along with Katara and help FN people when she was the Painted Lady, but in this adaptation she doesn't trust him with that information (she doesn't in the og either but if they wanted to make it a kataang moment they could have used this as an opening to how they trust each other + have a bond over wanting to help people) and he seems very controlling of how she spends her time, almost trying to guilt trip her into spending more time with him.

She also seems really weirded out/ concerned when Aang seems like he might be trying to confess something to her and relieved when he doesn't. They're taking everything that was once good out of it and just leaving us with Aang's jealousy and Katara's evasiveness

But here we have painted spirit at last!!! The romantic music, them looking at each other is so good! Put this against kataang and KA really doesn't stand a chance. I also like that Katara is specifically helping Fire Nation people in this scene. When I heard the Painted Lady was going to be in season 2 I was concerned it would lose a lot of the depth since Katara would be helping people she perceives as "her kind" or on her own side of the war, but her recognizing the injustice in targeting Fire Nation deserters preserves that message. It also adds the extra layer of the fact that she's RIGHT there are many good Fire Nation people who don't agree with Ozai and she's right to want to help them.

I did dislike that she didn't use waterbending at all and seemed to just magically be able to fight hand-to-hand. This is kind of what I was afraid of that they would turn her into an effortless badass without any indication of her struggling to learn these things. I wish we'd at least gotten a scene of her practicing more nonbending fighting with Suki or even just in their house courtyard on a dummy or something. I did like the way her and Zuko seemed to be fighting totally in sync though it was very zutara of them

The reveal of her identity was incredible too. Like the way she immediately jumped in with water bending to save Zuko even though it was a risk that Jet would figure out who she was. And the way Zuko didn't even try to fight her he just stood there in awe. Lovely

And of course the next scene Katara is in is another argument with Aang. I'm actually crying a zutarian wrote this season for sure

Zuko

I love the depiction of the Blue Spirit as a sort of antihero Robinhood type at the beginning, representing how Zuko is still making mistakes and misguided but trying to be better. It really does a good job of showing exactly where Zuko is in his redemption right now. He's not becoming a vigilante all at once. He hates injustice but his definition of injustice is the world being unjust to him because he can't live in a palace

Awkward Turtle Duck Zuko my beloved

I really like the added detail of the Fire Nation deserters in Ba Sing Se, and Zuko feeling responsible for them after he started that fire, but still being conflicted about his loyalty to his father. I've always thought there should have been more deserters/ dissatisfied people in the Fire Nation so I'm glad they're adding that to this adaptation. I think this line in particular demonstrates the conflict that Zuko will have to grapple with later on as well: He feels he can't be accepted anywhere besides the Fire Nation, but he doesn't want to go back and do more harm. I think seeing the future in store for him in Ba Sing Se if he becomes a deserter is a good conflict to add because it will encourage him to go back to the FN with Azula despite his growing worry for the populace

This whole subplot was also a great example of why people love book 2 so much. It talks about issues applicable to the real world more than the other seasons. And I loved the way they showed how in times of crisis or uncertainty people target minorities. I also think this moment during the raid is when Zuko crosses over into full on vigilante. It's a great precursor also to showing him trying to right the wrongs of the Fire Nation when he's fully redeemed in season 3, because he wants to right his own wrongs and feels guilty for what is happening to the FN refugees because he started that fire. He's also super badass and cool in the scene with the Painted Lady

Yes. Yes yes. This is gonna be a great season

Side note: it took me awhile to notice but I like the way they did Zuko's scar a lot better in this season. It actually has texture rather than just being a splotch of red which makes it look more realistic.

Toph

Again, addressing some real world issues like weapons manufacturing and how people in power are above the law. I love Toph playing a more active role in the plot surrounding the Ba Sing Se corruption as well, because I think it means she'll get more development and be a more dynamic character

Sokka

They're also managing to address how Ba Sing Se's facism pertains to the real world, especially in the US right now with ICE. And a refugee being one of the first to vanish because's he's an easy target... I feel like the writers knew what they were doing with that one

Also the Sokka/ Toph friendship finally!!! We've been seeing more of Katara + Toph which I do enjoy but these two had such an important relationship in the cartoon I'm glad that's starting to come through more. Her trusting him before anyone else with the info about her parents was really special to me

Iroh

I like the way they're showing that there are people within the city dissatisfied with the government and staging protests to try to spread information about the war. I'm still unsure about why they're doing so much with Iroh. I guess they've been listening to people's complaints in recent years about him not being punished enough for committing literal war crimes (which is fair) but I do miss him being a more steady guide to Zuko. In this adaptation he feels a lot more lost

This is another example of how he doesn't have many of his nurturing qualities and whimsy. Like yes he helped the mugger but I think that was more the mugger being conflicted than anything he did, cuz all he actually did do was demonstrate he has a death wish like omg. This portrayal also makes me nervous that he doesn't have as big a part to play in the white lotus later on, which we haven't seen mentioned at all as of yet, because he doesn't seem as in control of his own fate or at peace with his mistakes (and the reason he was at peace in the cartoon was because he knew he was helping make up for his mistakes even if he had to keep it a secret)

Iroh offering to get the guy a job was nice though. I guess they're trying to say that his character derives comfort from offering comfort to others which fits nicely into the og series characterization. I liked that it helped him be able to confront his grief for Lu Ten when he wasn't able to when he saw the tree earlier in the episode. Unfortunately I felt like a lot of him talking to himself was overdone and unnecessary to understand the significance of him helping the mugger. All in all his conflict still seems unnecessary to me especially if he's still high up in the white lotus. And where is leaves on the vine?

Azula, Mai + Ty Lee

Suki getting the screen time she deserves. Her fight with Mai + Ty Lee was also really cool AND she faced down lightning bending Azula with no fear. What a badass.

Other than that I feel like Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee have been my least favorite part of the show so far. The flanderization of Azula's character by trying to make her more "redeemable" (aka like Zuko) and the lack of clear motivations for Mai and Ty Lee have made them unenjoyable to watch. It feels like very basic villainousness and like they're just getting the perfunctory "evil" scenes rather than anything that gives us insight into their characters or gives the story more depth.

The ending was pretty cool and ominous though. And Ty Lee looks amazing in Kyoshi Warrior makeup

Closing Thoughts

I'm still unsure of Zuko and Iroh's motivations for being in Ba Sing Se. Why doesn't Zuko want to go back to his family if he can't capture the avatar, but his intention in coming to Ba Sing Se wasn't to look for the avatar?

Otherwise I was very happy with this episode. I'll give it a solid 8.5/10. My ratings are only increasing as the season goes on I feel very engaged with the plot and the characters. Again, I wish that they didn't spell every nuance out for the audience but the storytelling is feeling a little more subtle as the season goes on