There isn't much I can do about you not liking Katara's character, so I won't try. To be honest, Katara is one of my big annoyances as well. That said, Katara's attitude is explained (not justified, but explained) by the death of her mother. It messed her up big time, mentally. She never got the help needed to get her past her mother's death, and that is a problem. It translated into a powerful hatred for the Fire Nation, and as said in canon, she sees Zuko as the face of the Fire Nation, the face of the person who killed her mother.First Katara I suppose. Now she isn't my favorite character, I think that would be Sokka, but I like her well enough. Hell I like everybody in avatar. Maybe not Zaho, he's a bit too mustache twirly and short sighted, but whatever.
I could take her being evil, no problems there. But what I can't take is somebody making me want to drag her behind a shed and put her out of her own and everybody elses misery, especially if she's supposed to be at least nominally on the good side. Vatara has managed to do just that. I really just want to grab Katara, put her down and be done with it because she is just that stupid, devisive and quite frankly dangerous.
I may have to say that this is shortly after Zuku captured her. Yeah, if somebody makes me have those feelings for the good guys of the story. Or at least the not bad guys... I'll stop reading.
I believe that the reasons was that see couldn't see any way anthropologically that the Aztec based culture could evolve into the Asian based culture that the Fire Nation is now. And it's not that they were without Dragons. The Fire Nation was at the Asian based culture it is now during Roku's time, at which point Dragons were still in the open. Remember, It wasn't until Iroh was a grown man that the Dragons were "extinct", so Dragons were involved in the culture until only very recently (recent in a historical sense).Could it be that a culture that has direct access to the beings they worship might be different than a culture that doesn't?
The South Pole was dangerous. I agree, likely not as dangerous as it would have been without waterbenders, but from the time Hama was captured to the time Katara was born, the Southern Water Tribe didn't have waterbenders, so it was definitely dangerous. The kids were having fun and a good time because they're kids. Even if they have responsibilities, kids generally want to have fun. Also remember that the first time we see Katara and Sokka, they're fishing for dinner. It's only after Aang pops up that they really start playing around, largely because Aang's attitude towards fun is considered infectious at best. It can also be said that the Southern Water Tribe is proud, and doesn't want to present the idea of weakness to a visitor, as they don't want to be pitied.Same with the water tribes. She acts as if the live on the south pole is something very dangerous and difficult. Instead we are shown the kids pretty much having fun and a good time. Why might that be? If live is usually so difficult in these parts?
Zuko's waterbending wasn't given to him to make him awesome (at least story wise, I can't speak as to the author's motivation), it was the spirit's messing with him further. Zuko's status as a yaoren was part of Yue's plot that Zuko wants nothing with. Yaoren are supposed to help the Avatar understand the relationships between the cultures, and generally be the Avatar's companions who can relate to the Avatar in being outcasts who don't belong to any one culture. Zuko, however, can't stand to be around Aang, something the spirits didn't take into account when they forced waterbending onto Zuko. The waterbending isn't there to make Zuko more awesome, it's there as part of a Xanatos Gambit that is part of the Thirty Xanatos Pileup that makes up the plot.But why did he need to also waterbend? Wasn't he awesome enough? (I don't remember reading the authors notes on that decision, but more on that later) Meh, whatever, just seems unnecesary to me.
Being descended from Dragons is there to put the Fire Nation apart. It's one of the major reasons why the other nations see the Fire Nation as inhuman monsters, because in a sense, they are. Being descended from Dragons also serves as a counterpoint to the Water Tribes. Firebenders exist because the source of Firebending mated with humans, whereas Waterbenders exist because the were blessed by the Moon Spirit.As does the dragon thing. Why? Why does the fire nation need to be descendant form dragons? And why are the other nations not? Was that really necesarry? Did they really need that cool gimick? Because I can't think of a reason that dragons need to be anywhere in Zuko's linage. And no. It's happened in a lot of mythology isn't a valid reason. It's an excuse.
I see Embers as a Grey and Gray Morality story, and a lot of Zuko's decisions are horrible if you look at them right. He attacked and kidnapped Katara, and held her against her will for a time. He had his reasons and was protecting his own interests, but he did hold a fourteen year old girl against her will. He also let Azula live, and if you didn't get that far, Azula is very much a Complete Monster in Embers, even more so than in canon, as Embers allows for Mind Rape. Azula can manipulate a person's inner fire to drive a person insane. It's scarier than I'm describing. So Zuko let's Azula live, and leaves the whole of Ba Sing Se to Azula's tender mercies. And Azula has a bit of head trauma, so she's even more of a Complete Monster than usual. There's also the recent decision to send Aang a mostly harmless spirit which has been hinted to have much worse consequences than Zuko may have expected. Of course, that might end up okay, the resolution hasn't been shown. He also destroyed Katara's world view, and turned the Southern Water Tribe against her. Only the fact that Hakoda is her father and the chief kept her from being "tossed off an ice flow". Zuko did feel bad enough about that situation to send her a letter of apology with papers that allow her a legal pursuit of vengence against her mother's killer, knowing that doing so would likely split her up from the Avatar and turn Aang against her. So no, Zuko's not completely morally straight. He's not evil, and he's not done anything terrible by the standards of a Fire Nation great name, but by the standards of the average reader, Zuko isn't the nicest guy around.It's not that he makes mistakes, he's great at that. But morally? Has he ever made a morally wrong decision? A decision where he didn't come out as the moral victor? I can't remember one.
In contrast I can barely remember one thing were the avatar or his friends come out morally as clean as Zuko.
I see the author's note as being there to further explain certain decisions that may be clear to a more observant or intelligent reader, but may be muddled for your average ff.net peruser.If I need author notes to apprechiate a story... I think there's something a little bit wrong with it. At least when I need them under every chapter. Once or twice, to explain a plot point... ok yeah sure. Every chapter? Do you really need to justify every chapter?
Better still, thoughts of Aang's reaction to what said relatives do?Hmm...so the Air Nomads are still around, genetically at least. Although keeping them captive (can't leave the Fire Nation, I think it was) must make them stir crazy as all get out. Thoughts of Aang's reaction to meeting the reletives?
1)Why is this called a discussion if only praise is allowed?I will point you to Rule #2 here. You don't like the story. That's fine. We don't want to hear diatribes about how bad it is which approach personal attacks on the author.
Criticism is allowable (and encouraged, at times). Your post bordered on attacking the author, not the story, which is why I referenced Rule 2.1)Why is this called a discussion if only praise is allowed?
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