It Is Tradition on AO3

The governess could not see Zuko from where she stood. Hiding behind the door frame, he suddenly felt like a small boy, eavesdropping on his parents’ conversations.

“Why do you want to know?” Katara asked.

“Because it is of great interest to me, of course, whose company our Fire Lord keeps, and whose council he gives weight to.”

“If that is the only reason, then you shall not worry. The Fire Lord has many wise people as his council. Your husband will soon be one of them.”

“Lady Katara, you surely know what I mean and do not have to hear it spelled out.”

“I do know what you mean,” Katara agreed. “And I do wonder why you noble ladies are so enamored by these plays that you come to me with such questions at all. Shouldn’t you be appalled by the mere idea of a commoner taking your place?”

“Oh, dear,” Yin snickered. “No one truly believes them to predict the future. It is not about the fantasy of a commoner becoming a Fire Lady, but rather: if even a commoner can climb so high, then surely one of us can get there too. No one truly believes you to be the Fire Lord’s bride.”

“In which case you’ve answered your own question, and I must wonder what the purpose of this conversation is,” Katara replied, just a tad too quickly. “I wish you good fortunes, lady Lang. Goodbye.”

A few heartbeats later Katara emerged from the room and entered the hallway, where Zuko was waiting and listening, leaning on the wall. Her eyes grew wide once she noticed him, and she froze, at a loss for words.

Zuko did not say anything.

He just offered her his hand.

Read the rest here.

Yeah, honestly - NATLA makes mistakes, but while watching it you really get the impression that they at least try. You know? That was the vibe I got at least. Some decisions were really weird, and the number one wtf decision was to swap the word "honor" for "glory" in Zuko's arc which COMPLETELY MISSES THE POINT OH MY GOD. Wtf was that. There were other things, like taking away Sokka's sexism arc, or mellowing down Katara, but all in all it's a functioning adaption that has some hits and misses, I feel like. I really hate the costume designs tho. The difference between the post-Atla content and NATLA for me is that one desperately tries to cram the story and the characters into a predefined box (whether they fit or not), while the other one attempts to creatively play with the characters a bit. The adaption does not have follow the show one to one. It's okay if they deviate, especially if it benefits the story. It's when they try to cram something into a box is when they have their misses; like, they were most likely just too afraid to give Sokka a sexism arc in our day and age. They probably were also too afraid to depict Azula as an actual villain, and hey crammed her into a box as well (and Mai and Ty Lee as well - and that was the weakest part of the show for me). But they also attempted to play a bit by suggesting that Ozai is a conscious manipulator that does not treat Azula as a golden child but rather constantly threatens her with a "demotion" of sorts. Is this something I wanted to see? No. Do I still like it more than some stupid-ass supposedly canon panels where Aang agrees to off Zuko if push comes to shove despite not being able to end Ozai? Yes.

And I'll watch Season 2 by the way. Stuff's different there but I'd like to see how they spin it further. It's a bit like reading a fanfic for me. All in all I feel like NATLA did not understand the characters all that well, but it's still better than whatever the comics are doing, and they have been consistent in their own little NATLA universe which is also a bonus.

I really have very few fucks to give about the Atla comics (wish they never existed), and I am no fan of Azula, but the panel from Ashes of the Academy had me shook, I gotta say. I have never seen authors disrespect their audience so thogoughly, and honestly, up until now I did not really understand what that saying even meant. Authors don't have to cater to the wishes of a fanbase, and they can and should write what they personally want (I believe GRRM once said something along the lines of "I am not a democracy"?), but it's one thing to carry on with your personal authorial intent despite what everyone wants from you, and it's whole 'nother thing to break the fourth wall to say: yo, you suck, losers, get wrecked. This was so uncalled for? The fuck?

It feels to me as if the authors are hell-bent on alienating the female reader base, at this point. They famously dragged Zutara through the dirt (I haven't been there, but it sounds horrible) - which is a pairing favored predominantly by women. They now attack Azula stans - and while I don't know what the gender ratio in this case is, I somehow presume that it's mostly women that stan her?

Then there is also the treatment of Katara, about which novels have been written at this point.

I know that some people are mad about Korra being presumably depicted as the cause of an Apocalypse in Seven Havens.

Like. Do you see my point?

Oh and then, they nerf Zuko to the point of him looking like a thirteen-year old, presumably to make Aang look cooler, I suppose? Which is so hilarious, because even if you want to cater to a male audience and nice guys or dudebros or whatever, Zuko used to have so much potential in this regard, but no, let's turn him into a wholly different character and make him look like a lanky little boy with no authority. I might be conspiratorial, I admit that, but man... god forbid women enjoy him, right? God forbid women enjoy a certain pairing that sparks something in them, or female characters, or a beloved female villain. All hail Aang, and no one but Aang? Is that it?

Is that it, Atla? Is that your legacy?