lizbee | Stupid Avatar canon question

Is it ever actually said, in the show (stuff Bryan and Mike say in interviews only counts if I like it) that Ursa is not a firebender?

Because I keep seeing it come up, but I don't remember anything about it in her (very brief) appearances, and it doesn't make sense to me. I can't imagine Azulon letting even a second son marry a non-bender, or Ozai being willing to do it. And in any case, she's Roku's granddaughter and Azula's mother. I'm pretty sure she can light a match, y'know?

This week's AtLA obsessions: Ursa and Azula. Is there any Azula redemption fic? It seems like there should be -- I mean, there's a whole massive Zhao redemption comic, and on the whole I'd say his crimes have greater spiritual consquences than Azula's. But she is a girl, and that's a taint that no amount of cleansing can remove.

(My other whim, for schmoopy Ursa/Hakoda fic, was somehow answered. Only the fic is too schmoopy. I NEED A PROPER BALANCE, PEOPLE! MY WHIMS, CATER TO THEM! Or I'll have to write the damn thing myself. And we all know how that ends up.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I have a feeling that any redemption fic about Azula would only weaken her character. She'd have to have a complete change of how she sees the world and her place in it which, of course, is IN CHARGE. I'd like a redemption fic where she's faking it to manipulate her way back onto the throne! :)

I guess the question is, how much of Azula's, um, emotional/moral dysfunction is natural to her personality, and how much is the result of Ozai being the Worst Father Since The Greek God Who Ate His Children? I tend to go back and forth; her early cruelty suggests it's natural, but had she been raised in a different environment, it might have been channeled into healthier directions.

hmm, I have no idea. Her talent at leadership, let alone bending is probably blocking me from seeing her in a different situation. She seems so natural at it, I can see her being less cruel after a different childhood but she'd still want to do everything her way. It'd have to be pretty damn epic.

I'm not certain bending is necessarily passed through families. I don't think Toph's parents are benders, and she's the greatest earthbender ever. Maybe being Roku's grandaughter was enough. I think it's canon that all Ang's people are benders isn't it? Not all the fire nation are but I'm going to assume it's a fair chunk, not like Waterbenders and the slightly more numerous earthbenders.

Maybe it's like Squibs and if you have too many benders in one family it'll turn off?

"I'm not certain bending is necessarily passed through families. I don't think Toph's parents are benders, and she's the greatest earthbender ever. Maybe being Roku's grandaughter was enough. I think it's canon that all Aang's people are benders isn't it? Not all the fire nation are but I'm going to assume it's a fair chunk, not like Waterbenders and the slightly more numerous earthbenders."

That's true. And Word of God says that bending isn't a genetic trait. Which I don't actually believe, but at least they haven't repeated JKR's mistake of trying to actually bring in proper science.

I love how well Avatar maps onto HP. One day, Hermione and Katara will overcome the hindrance of fictionality and take over the world. For its own good, of course.

Every time I see that icon of yours I get the 'found wanting' quote from A Knight's Tale.

I dread the day someone at Marvel tries to explain mutants with 'science'. Or that the Stargate people try to come up with something other than vague in canon handwaving at why everyone speaks English.

I for one, welcome our new sensible overlords. :)

NEVER EXPLAIN ANYTHING. If anyone asks, a wizard did it. Or a giant turtle.

Or The Ancients. They do lots of stuff. In several fandoms too! They die and leave a lot of stuff just hanging around!

Didn't they say that bending ability is connected to spirituality or something? So since all airbenders are monks and nuns, they're all at least somewhat able to bend, whereas in other nations it's a minority trait.

...Yeah, I'm gonna leave that idea now.

Well, Toph's awesomosity is not a result of an innate awesome talent she was born with, but but because of her unique style of bending that she learned direct from the source. It's how she bends, not the power of her bending.

Actually in most cases, it seems to be how they're taught and the style they use that is important. Zuko vs Azula and Katara's crazy talents being the exception, rather than the rule.

No, I think that even holds true for Zuko and Azula. They're taught to use rage, and that falls dismally flat for Zukes in third season until he does his shiny dragon magic dance and learns to do it properly, and then he's Super Awesome again, right? So that kinna makes sense to me.

And all I ask in fiction is "kinna makes sense" really.

Toph's awesomeosity defies description.

So... yeah. I guess bending is a binary condition not a talent scale, and it's what you do with bending that's important.

Unless you're shiny magical Katara.

I wish I had icon space on DW. FAIL.

Maybe it's her hair loopies that give her great power. Or her hope! The power of hope, and stuff.

Yeah, I got nothing. Hey, I found that ipod I meant to send you like a thousand years ago. Are you still ipodless? I have your new address!

I have an iPod! It turned out not to be broken.

but thank you for the intention. ILU.

I always though Katara just really really tried hard in training. And is just a born fighter. I think she's a bit like Harry Potter, where she's a tough opponent as a bender just cos she's a scrapper and would be a tough opponent in any kind of fight.

Like I always love how in her duel with Pakku, where she's clearly massively overpowered, she gets close and tries to actually punch him instead.

And she out thinks Azula more than anything.

Yeah, that's my take on her skills as well. She's a strong bender, which isn't apparent at first because she's so untrained, but it's more that she's tough, she's a good tactician, and she wants to learn ALL THE THINGS. Except bloodbending. (But give her a few years, she'll come up with a medical application for that as well.)

Yup, Iro was trying to teach him properly but all he wanted was to be as flashy as Azula.

Wasn't Katara kinda OK and average, although self taught, until she was literally forced to learn blood bending?

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