#yon rha

[okalsa]

Headcanon by me,

very much canon, I will not accept otherwise.

Hakoda killed Yon Rha, pretty sure about it. He asked Zuko where he’d live, then without saying a word or mentioning with his children, went all alone (or at least with Bato) to evaporate the killer of his beloved wife from earth.

Now if you would like, explain to me why he would have done it. I am intrigued.

[epic-traveller-23]

i LOOOVVVEDDDDD this scene so much, season three as a whole but this scene is so beautiful. Katara was so immature (obviously, she’s a 14yr old) and cruel and it made her feel so relatable. Aang lost his whole nation but katara still says ‘I knew you wouldn’t understand’, she says this to sokka and it’s such a horrible thing to say to someone, especially your brother, ESPECIALLY when talking about a dead loved one. But she still said it. Because that’s what grief is. Grief is depicted so well in ATLA, sokka and aang express it in deep sorrow and sadness, iroh expresses his grief in change and kindness, zuko is angry and katara and azula are distraught and they lose their composure and lash out and then fall apart. I love this show so much.

Another example is Aang with the sandbenders. He’s completely unreasonable and rude to everyone, but it’s so realistic. I love that they aren’t perfect. I love their flaws.

[beifong-brainrot]

One thing I don't get about the atla fandom is why so many people are so desperate to somehow prove Zuko was a good person from the begining of the show. Or that he was somehow innately better and kinder than any other fire national.

I've seen this point tossed around a lot and I can kinda see where its coming from but like.... guys. Yon Rha did that too. You know the guy who traumatised Katara for life and took her mother? He did it almost word for word.

He went on in there looking for a singular genocide survivor, found that survivor. The survivor gave themselves up after he promised to leave the village alone.

The only difference is that instead of killing Aang on the spot, Zuko took that 12 year old hostage with the goal of handing him over to the Fire Lord to be kept in conditions described as "You'll be kept alive. Barely" by Zhao.

Zuko's paralels to Yon Rha and his poor morals in the begining are crucial to his arc and to his and Katara's relationship.

Hell, you could even point out how similarly shaped the scarlet detailing on the Southern Raiders' helmets and Zuko's scar are.

[porcelainaang]

She takes three heavy steps to get a closer look at the man.

-I know you're here looking for revenge, but you're looking in the wrong place.

-Yo...

-He lies! Look at him Katara!

-You're right, he is that man, he did it.

-I did nothing! I was an officer, ordered to t-truly terrible things. I faced death countless time. I-I left the army even though I could have stayed. Thats, thats an act of mercy if you think about it, I-I saved lives! I gave up everything so it won't happen again.

-

-

-You-you are that monster who did it!

One strike all it took, one strike all it could took, one strike all it would took, one unimpeded strike.

This is my rewrite of the confrontation between Katara and Yon Rha inspired by NATLA S2E4. I find it ironic that in the LA, Jet and other BSS citizens are stopped in their pursuit of justice towards the people who wronged them by Katara and Zuko, two characters who's stories peaked the very moment they chose to confront Yon Rha and Ozai, aka the people who wronged them.

Both shows states that being a victim of a genocidal, imperial, colonial nation, in on itself is not enough to be deserving of closure and healing. One may ask, what is?

[assassiowl]

ATLA - Katara confronts Yon Rha I think about this scene a lot. (process video under cut)

[sooz-art]

Once upon a time, once when you were mine

I remember skies mirrored in your eyes.....

-In Your Wildest Dreams by The Moody Blues

@avatar-wtf-weekend Day Two: Yearning

Before Piandao became a legendary sword master, before Yon Rha joined the Southern Raiders, they were just two young men in the army together.

And Piandao had it down bad.

[zuko-always-lies]

Yon Rha vs. Zuko

Yon Rha:

Is looking for bender (Katara). He's looking for the last waterbender (in the SWT)

Raids the Southern Water Tribe/Katara and Sokka's village to find them

Kya sacrifices herself to save the village

Kya is someone Katara cares a lot about

Stops the raid after Kya's sacrifice, because he doesn't really care about anything else.

Zuko:

Is looking for a bender (Aang). He's looking for the last airbender.

Raids the Southern Water Tribe/Katara and Sokka's village to find them

Aang sacrifices himself to save the village

Aang is someone Katara cares a lot about

Stops the raid after Aang'sacrifice, because he doesn't really care about anything else.

The parallels between Zuko and Yon Rha seem too strong to be completely coincidental, but on the other hand if they were intentional you would expect "The Southern Raiders" to include some degree of Zuko reckoning with his past actions, and it doesn't?

[shewolfofvilnius]

It was only six years ago.

At times, including in the 'The Southern Raiders' episode that focuses on it, the death of Katara and Sokka's mother Kya is, while rightfully treated as traumatic and a major turning point in their lives...it's also treated as something of a distant memory.

In a lot of ways, Yon Rha killing Kya is treated as a distant memory.

Katara's eight when Kya is killed and is fourteen during the series.

It was only six years ago.