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Erm, interesting question! I’m going to separate the books from the tv show, as they differ significantly in their interpretation and portrayal of the characters. So when I talk about GoT, I mean the show, not the books.
Avatar does female characters better than GoT. In the HBO series, femininity is often portrayed as something that inherently weak and to be scorned at. Unconventional female characters (Arya, Brienne) often exhibit internalised misogyny which simply isn’t present in their book characterisations. The show suffers from thinking a badass female character = fighting female. Avatar completely avoids this pitfall by consistently showing that traditional female characteristics are nothing to be ashamed of. The line spoken by Suki, “I’m a warrior, but I’m a girl too” is pretty much a perfect summation of how ATLA treats femininity.
GoT does moral ambiguity better. It’s not really a fair comparison because frankly the entire series is based off the premise that there are not inherently “good and evil” people. That’s a fake dichotomy. The real world is messy and GoT captures that beautifully. Avatar does a good job too, Mai being a great example of a character you’re not quite sure whether or not to root for. But in the end ATLA has some very one dimensional villains while GoT pretty much spends its entire time making you doubt your original perceptions of the characters.
Oh, and GoT wins hands down in terms of foreshadowing. It is actually ridiculous how many little one liners in the show come back to haunt the characters. Equally the prophecies that are uttered in the show are a great source of speculation (“Three treasons you shall know, once for blood, once for gold and once for love.”) There’s just so much fans can get stuck into. ATLA has excellent foreshadowing, but on the other hand things like Aang learning energybending in the finale could have been better set up.
In the end both series are spectacular, and they are too different to make a fair judgement in certain categories. Bryke should offer their services to write female characters better, and in return they can give some tips on plotting.
1. The animators think they are well funny and original.
That’s right people. In perhaps one of the most important and climatic scenes of the show where Aang becomes a fully realized Avatar, some overworked and underpaid person though it would be hilarious for the word ‘GAY’ to appear in the receding water.
2. Toph gets in everyone’s pants, no matter the version of ATLA.
A quite well known piece of Avatar trivia, but important none the less. Toph was originally designed as a dude. Her character in Ember Island Players references both her personality and alludes back to her original character plans.
But what a lot of people don’t know is that Toph was also originally a love interest for Katara. Early production notes state that Toph was supposed to complicate the Aang/Katara romance because Katara develops feelings for Toph and Aang gets a bit jealous. But then Toph was switched to a girl and everything changed.
Totally different.
3. Iroh was freed and had weird sexual chemistry with multiple Grand Slam winner Serena Williams.
Remember that nice prison guard who showed compassion towards Iroh?
Voiced by sporting megastar and all round HBIC, Serena Williams.
4. Nickelodeon will never ever learn from their mistakes.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me thrice, I’m not sure why some of you still have jobs. Fool me four times, no wait guys, seriously who’s running things up there?
People think Nickelodeon have messed up a few times concerning Korra, what with episodes being uploaded online before they were aired and general sloppiness in terms of spreading information. This is nothing, NOTHING, compared to what happened during Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Episodes were frequently uploaded online before they aired, different countries got episodes ahead of America leading to a massive spoiler fest, DVD’s were released with episodes that hadn’t aired yet and of course perhaps the weirdest fuck up, the release of a graphic novel that gave away the entire finale.
That’s right. This short illustrated book was released WEEKS before the finale (Avatar Aang) was aired on television and gave away everything. At least we got to the Korra finale not knowing Amon was Noatak. This book gave away everything, energybending and final pairings galore. I suppose you can’t really blame Nickelodeon for this, (or can you?) but it does just show the general point of how weird and chaotic it is being an Avatar fan.
(Sidenote: One of my favourite moments as an Avatar fan came when about 1000 posts were made about how this book was a massive fake and that it was just a conspiracy against Zutara fans. To be fair, Katara is dressed wrong and it does seem as if Aang has had a lobotomy.)
5. Iroh’s a really great and inspirational character. Wrong. He’s a massive asshole. Or at least he could have been.
Another gem out of the production notes was the idea that Iroh would be a bit of a dickhead. Instead of joining Zuko on his exile voyage out of the good of his heart and a wish to steer his nephew towards a path of good, Iroh was planning to ruin the fuckers life.
Iroh was originally going to teach Zuko a faulty form of Firebending that would totally ruin any chances of him capturing the Avatar. The idea of Iroh teaching Zuko Firebending made it into the final cut of the show, but of course without the general evillness and family backstabbing.
What a shame, I think if anything, Zuko was really missing a source of angst and despair in his life.
More interested in his future sex life than the fate of the world.
Dance moves to rival Beyonce.
Has the ability to kill people with his pinkie finger.
Saves the world beyond the grave and has cheek bones that should come with a health and safety warning.
credit @ bryankonietzko
Once upon a time there was a magical and beautifully written story called The Last Airbender. It featured mythical lands, powerful beings, awesome creatures and decent weather. Critically acclaimed and loved by everyone and their dog, this tale became so popular that a man with an almighty reputation came to distribute it wide and far.
But this being was haunted by past success. He believed everything must have a big twist. And so this beloved story was transformed into a very white, monotone and awkward affair. Fans weeped, critics heaved and creators were noticeably absent.
All seemed lost. But Avatar is a sandwich cloud. The creators bit the silver filling and prophesised a series with an almighty female and an inspiration tale. Hope flooded back and people raised their hands in praise and anticipation. The legend continued. But unfortunately some of the characters were as spectacular as a wet piece of cardboard. Hope seemed to be fading away…. the dark clouds gathered closer. But against no odds whatsoever the hero of the past returned and worked his magic.
The End. Go to sleep.
art by naomi565
Sokka channelling his inner Kataang shipper.
inspired by |x|
Fanfiction vs. Reality
Or not.
This guy looks like he ate the last person who tried to upset the balance.
