ATLA Creators Leave NETFLIX Project:  And I’m Not Worried.

The Cycle of the Fire Lords AKA Generational Daddy Issues

You know how in the series finale Ozai declares himself the Phoenix King? I’ve always found that odd, since dragon seems to be the prestige animal of the Fire Nation. However, once I realized what the phoenix in Avatar actually was, it all clicked.

The “phoenix” that Ozai is referring to is the “Vermilion Bird” or Zhūquè (朱雀). The Vermillion Bird is a mythological bird that is portrayed as bright red and perpetually on fire, basically the closest equivalent to a phoenix in Chinese culture. The Vermilion Bird also represents fire and the season of summer, the two most defining attributes of Sozin’s Comet.

So, essentially, Ozai is declaring himself the king of fire and summer and Sozin’s Comet and all things Fire Nation-y. We all could’ve figured that out without the cultural context, but it goes much so much deeper.

The name of Ozai’s father is Azulon, which I mentioned in an earlier post means “Azure Dragon”. The Azure Dragon is associated with spring. When Ozai declares himself “Phoenix”, he is basically calling himself the “natural” successor to the Azure Dragon. Summer comes after spring, after all.

Think about that. Ozai has been Fire Lord for 5 years already and he’s still obsessed with proving that he deserves the throne. That he was “destined” to have it. He knows he isn’t a dragon like Azulon or Iroh, so he decides he’ll be be even better than that: A phoenix! The ruler of summer! He’s the embodiment of fire—Yup, Mr. Fire Lord, the most Fire Lord man to ever Fire Lord, coming through. It’s all so very dramatic and pathetic and reeking of insecurity.

And if Azulon is spring, and Ozai is summer, then Zuko is autumn. Which makes sense, since Zuko’s reign is defined by the dismantling of the Fire Nation empire; the branches of their imperialism withering away. In Chinese culture, the season of autumn is represented by the element of Metal. The-Hot-Zone, @the-hot-zone, put it best:

For Zuko to also be associated with metal is… pretty fitting. Metalbending is an entirely new style of earthbending, and it completely changes how people view earth. This can symbolize the shift Zuko will bring to the Fire Nation: re-associating fire with life, with passion, with light. It’s about the new understanding of an element.

Also, the animal associated with fall is the White Tiger, which is pretty rad. Zuko’s fierceness is very tiger-like.

New Emblem for my EarthBending101 series.  

Which kind of bender are you?

Maybe that’s why Katara was so upset.  

Aang and Kya sacrificing themselves to protect Katara and the tribe

Updated Element chart with explanations and a new watermark.  

Water Bending Pamphlet

We know that water bending gets stronger at night; Katara says as much at the end of ALTA Book 1.  However, the Moon is only in the night sky 50% of the time with the other 50% in the daytime.  Since Katara probably has better sleeping habits than me, I’d assume she goes to bed before midnight.  Therefore, she would only see the Moon at night about 25% of the time.  

It’s a common misconception to think that the Moon only appears at night.  In fact, it is more likely for people to see the Moon during the day because people are awake more in the day.  

Then why is water bending stronger at night, if the Moon is only there 25% of the time? 

The answer is interference from the Sun.  We know that water bending and fire bending can interfere with each other in the case of a solar eclipse.  The Moon moves in front of the Sun and blocks the “Fire Bending WIFI Signal”.  water bending is interfering with fire bending, so it would make sense if it works both ways.  Fire and Water are usually considered opposites, so it makes sense that water bending would be weaker during the day and at full strength during the night.  

If you have any about Bending, Avatar, or Science feet free to ask on my page.  

- SlightlyEmbittered

Aang VS Korra - Avatar: The Last CATbender - Fan Animation

I’ve always thought Sokka with his hair down looked like James from Team Rocket.  Wonder if they could cosplay as each other.  

Avatar: The Last Airbender premiered on this day sixteen years ago!

The Boy in the Iceberg and The Avatar Returns first aired on February 21st, 2005.