hello zuko here

the first time we get to see all four elements working together for a common enemy, blah blah blah, but i started laughing because

sokka’s fucking boomerang. sokka threw a fucking boomerang at princess azula, renowned lightning bender and heir-apparent to the throne of the fire nation.

Azula considered Sokka to be the biggest threat in this group and countered him first. What this picture miss is Sokka sanding nearby. All members of this group unleash their attack at same time, but Azula reacts to boomerang first. If you watch this part in slow motion, you could see that Sokka’s boomerang was the first thing that would hit Azula and may even incapacitate her making her unable to continue to fight. So she had to counter in first. She deflected it with well placed shoot.

Then and only then, when there is no immediate threat, she starts to create her blue fire wall to counter other elements.

Lets think about this. How hard should you have to throw something to make it move faster that any elemental attack? Either all elemental attacks are slow or you are pretty strong. That said nonbenders with good aim and strong hands could easily overpower benders if they timed it right.(Aang got captured by Yuan archers who are all nonbenders.) Azula knew of this and acted according to it. She is talented bender and you may think that she should enlist other benders to help her track and capture Zuko, Iroh, and later avatar, but instead she uses her nonbender friend to help her.

Even if you have no bending you can still fight… and win.

When Aang, Sokka, and Toph all confronted Azula, she proceeded to make them chase her and waste their time. Azula is not only talented, she’s sly and smart as hell. WHO WAS THE ONE WHO SAW THROUGH THAT BS CHASE?

Sokka.

NOT ONLY THAT but after Sokka explains to the Gaang that Azula is just baiting them, Azula actually verbally attacks Sokka. Not through fighting, but through words, knowing not only that an intelligent person like him could only be brought down with emotions BUT that Sokka was the leader and if she could get him the stay, Aang and Toph would follow his lead.

Azula knew Sokka was their strength and took him down. WOULD SHE DO THAT IF HE WASNT A SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO HER!!??!

No. She wouldn’t waste her time and energy on someone she didn’t think was capable of actually getting in her way.

WHEN SHE GETS HER FIREBENDING BACK SHE HAS THE OPTION OF ATTACKING BADASS METAL BENDING TOPH AND THE FUCKING AVATAR WHO DOES SHE ATTACK?!?!

Azula never underestimated the power of non benders especially an intelligent one like Sokka. Sokka was a huge threat to fucking Azula on multiple occasions. 

into the debate as well, (instead of actually fighting him she backs off, and who blames her? Sokka’s club looks like it could shatter bones…).

Along with this:

98% of the fandom for some reason: Oh my god I can't believe Aang is an awful neglectful father who resented teo of his children for not being airbenders

Not to mention Aang pretended to be their grandfather so does he have a paternal role in the group???? Yeah…that’s what I thought.

First off, we are ignoring the fact that Aang did resolve to kill Ozai when given no other option, after consulting with the other Avatars.

Yangchen: Many great and wise Air Nomads have detached themselves and achieved spiritual enlightenment, but the Avatar can never do it. Because your sole duty is to the world. Here is my wisdom for you: Selfless duty calls you to sacrifice your own spiritual needs, and do whatever it takes to protect the world.

[Yangchen's spirit vanishes.] Aang: [Sorrowfully.] I guess I don't have a choice, Momo. have to kill the Fire Lord.

We're also ignoring the very obviously shown themes of mercy requiring strength and restraint throughout the show, not just with Aang, but with characters like Zuko and Katara. And despite that, mercy is constantly talked down upon and viciously mocked by representants of the Fire Nation.

Because the Fire Nation spits upon mercy, it's whole imperialist system is built around the disregard of the value of human life. Nations and cultures are to br squashed if they pose a threat, captured enemies are to be used for labour and even forced to fight their own people, the Fire Nation's own soldiers are to be sacrificed if it is convenient.

The Air Nomads' philosphies of valuing life under any circumstances is set as a stark difference to this mentality. It's a mostly unconditional value of human life, set up against the highly conditional values assigned to humans in the Fire Nation. And this is a philosophy that Aang grew up with, and more importantly, one of the only things he has left from his people who were genocided.

[Maybe we should bring back taring and feathering people some of y'all need to be publicly shamed. Is this Fire Lord Ozai's alt account???]

I think many people still fail to grasp the intersection between Aang the Avatar and Aang the Last Airbender. Yes, there have been previous Air Nomad Avatars, but Aang, at the point of 100 AG is the only Air Nomad. And yes, his hesitation around killing Ozai does directly tie back to his upbringing by the monks.

Aang: This goes against everything I learned from the monks. I can't just go around wiping out people I don't like. Sokka: Sure you can. You're the Avatar. If it's in the name of keeping balance, I'm pretty sure the universe will forgive you. Aang: This isn't a joke, Sokka! None of you understand the position I'm in.

And he is right. For all the support and empathy the Gaang can provide him, they cannot help him carry the legacy of the Air Nomads. Aang is the only member of them who still lives. And their legacy lives in him, only him. If he breaks his vow of non killing, that is not only a personal moral loss, but a moral loss of his entire people. It's agreeing with the idea that the Air Nomads and their traditions being wrong and weak, and in order to survive and "do the right thing" Aang must abandon their traditions. Which would've been rough in a world where the Air Nomads still exist, but in the world Aang exists in, it is essentially agreeing that the Air Nomads and their values have no place in the world.

Ozai: You're weak, just like the rest of your people! They did not deserve to exist in this world ... in my world! Prepare to join them. Prepare to die!

Let's remember this comes soon after Ozai could've been killed by Aang, but was spared.

Calling Aang "weak, like the rest of his people" and undeserving of life is not just an idle taunt, it's Ozai placing a fire national imperialism flavoured moral judgement upon the Air Nomads. In 'his world' mercy is a flaw, and since human life is conditional, the 'flawed', merciful Air Nomads don't deserve to live, their ideals and beliefs don't deserve to live.

The moment Ozai says this during the final battle, Aang killing him would be agreeing with him, proving him right. It's agreeing that human life is conditional, that his people did not make the cut. That they somehow brought their destruction upon themselves, by being weak, by being wrong. Aang's battle against Ozai is as ideological as it is physical, and I find it strange that so few people acknowledge that.

I don't even think it's fair to say that atla presents another toothless "killing bad" message, which is so common in many kid's media. Like yeah, it does tell tou that killing is bad, but it certainly isn't toothless. Multiple characters, characters we are meant to like and trust are not against killing and see it as the practical option. All the past Avatars we see, characters that are meant to bestow ancient wisdom upon Aang are like "yeah you should kill that guy"! Aang himself struggles with killing, and so does Katara, but they are shown to be the most empathetic and compassionate characters of the show, is that shocking to us?

Atla asks the questions, especially in "the Southern Raiders" and the "Sozin's Comet" episodes, of whether our characters are willing to bear the weight of snuffing out a person's life, and urges us to not do violent things when going through anger and pain.

Throughout the whole series, everyone keeps bringing up those moments where Aang is literally backed into a corner, pressured to completely abandon every part of his identity as an Air Nomad.

It’s endless, where characters constantly shoving it in his face: “Just kill the Fire Lord, you’re the Avatar!” Like, hello? This is a boy raised in a culture where violence was always the absolute last resort, the very thing his people stood against. Of course he lashes out! He’s fighting to stay true to who he is and what he believes in, yet somehow he’s the problem here?

And spare me that lazy, nonsense excuse: “Well, he’s the Avatar, so he has to be mature and deal with his emotions better.”

Give me a break. Everyone else got their moments to work through their trauma and grief, right?

But the second Aang finally has enough and lets his feelings out, suddenly everyone’s complaining: “Ugh, why did he snap at them? I can’t believe he lashed out at Katara when she was just trying to help.”

Are you kidding me? If anyone had a right to be furious, it’s him. He’s literally the last person left from his entire people! And despite all that, he still tries so hard to do the right thing, refusing to let justified anger or pain turn him into something he’s not.

i care about katara and her struggle

   If only the Avatar’s Address were Written on that Flyer…

    寻飞天野牛     名阿柏有六足重十吨     如有消息请联络     降世神通安昂     上环九十六区第二百一十七栋