Tag: atla

heraimisgettinbetter:

themelonlordapproves:

This.

Right here.

This is the entire point of the series. ATLA is full of powerful and important ideas, but this is the single overarching theme that dominates the story and is its most important reason for being.

And that, guys… that is why the Lion Turtle works.

Because Aang was shaping his own destiny. The world, his friends, his own past lives were telling him one thing. They were telling him that it was his destiny to kill the Fire Lord. But Aang said no. It wasn’t his destiny to become a murderer and an assassin, to end a long and bloody war with more bloodshed, and he knew it. So he refused. He forged his own path. He searched for an answer. He went looking for another way. He asked everyone he could think to ask, and was given nothing.

And then, in the final hour… he asked the Lion Turtle.

He didn’t have to. He had already accepted that this time, he wasn’t going to be able to shape his own destiny, and he was just going to have to take what the world had handed him. But he wasn’t going to leave any single option unexplored, and so he asked the Lion Turtle, too.

He asked for an answer.

And his persistence was rewarded. He was given an answer. Because he searched for it and struggled for it, he was given the power to reshape his destiny.

That is the entire fucking point of the story.

reason number 2342 why avatar the last airbender is one of the greatest cartoons ever made. 

your Top 5 ‘OH FUCK” moments in ATLA.

heraimisgettinbetter:

avataraang:

What a brilliant and totally spontaneous suggestion. 

My criteria for OH FUCK moments is quite simple. They are the moments that are shocking. Tingle inducing. And even when you know they are coming up when re-watching an episode you can’t help but get excited. Without further ado…

#5 — Azula Does The Unthinkable

Azula is without a doubt the greatest villain the Avatar series ever produced. One of the reasons she holds that title is because she accomplished what so few villains ever achieve — she kills her target. It was a shocking moment to say the least. While everyone in the catacombs looked up in amazement at Aang, Azula being the devious individual she is simply walks behind him and fires a killing strike. It’s brilliant, heartbreaking and frightening all mixed into one pure stroke of narrative genius. 

#4 — The Beard Grab

There is nothing more satisfying than a villain extolling hubris right before their downfall. Ozai goaded, humiliated and pummeled Aang during their battle. He was revealing in the belief he would get to kill the last airbender, but his actions led to Aang fortuitously unlocking the Avatar State. In a moment of perfect cinematic and musical direction, Aang rises up from the ashes and shows his true power. The audience hadn’t seen the Avatar State for over 20 episodes, and it returns in the most spectacular fashion. Time slows down, and the kid who was yet to land a blow on Ozai simply shrugs him away with the back of his wrist before firing him into a pillar hundreds of meters away. If dictionary definitions could have gifs, the world epic would be accompanied by this moment. 

#3  — The World Turns Dark

The Season 1 finale is full of moments that are simply breathtaking, but I feel none can quite match the utter shock and dread that come from Zhao killing part of the Moon Spirit. The audience is tricked into a false sense of security when Zhao calmly puts the fish back into the Koi pond, but his arrogance overwhelms him and in a fit of rage he sends a vicious blow across the water. In doing so the sky literally turns black. The moon fades from existence and the world is cast into darkness. Talk about upping the stakes.

#2 — The Ultimate Betrayal

“You miscalculated, I love Zuko more than I fear you.“ Iconic words from Mai and this entire scene sets in motion one of the most important plot arcs in ATLA. What is so paradoxical about this scene though is the fact it’s both excellently foreshadowed yet so completely surprising. Mai’s betrayal of Azula was well built up, small moments of dissent and frustration built up across seasons. But equally Ty Lee’s choice and saving Mai and paralyzing her best friend are easily comprehended. Yet everytime I watch it, Ty Lee’s sudden intervention is always so captivating. The sensationality is underlined by the fact it’s what finally cracked Azula. She had everything worked out, everything planned to perfection, in her own words she was a “people person”. Yet even Azula didn’t see this coming. 

#1 — There Is No War In Ba Sing Se

Did anyone else get chills just from reading that sentence? It would be no surprise if you did, the brainwashing scene in ‘City of Walls and Secrets’ is one of the darkest, most compelling and brilliantly staged moments of ATLA. Exceptionally edited, the scene of Jet being tortured is interspersed with a speech by Long Feng on the need to keep order and harmony within Ba Sing Se. It dawns on the Gaang that their last hope against the Fire Nation is currently a dystopian city run by a truly malevolent figure. As Jet is trapped in a chair and is subjected to propaganda the audience is drawn in with him, “…There is no war within the walls. Here you are safe. Here you are Free.” It’s completely terrifying and yet could quite possibly be the best ending to an ATLA episode ever. 

i fucking love this cartoon

mangaluva:

Sometimes I can’t stop thinking about how Zuko accidentally spoke against his father and begged for forgiveness, on his knees with tears in his eyes, and got half his face burned off and banished from his home

Then Zuko betrayed his uncle and everything Iroh had ever taught him, begged for forgiveness on his knees with tears in his eyes, and got a hug and complete forgiveness and unconditional love