It's been a while since I saw the Avatar finale, but it seemed to me that Ty Lee and Mai betraying her at the Boiling Rock started Azula's descent into madness, then when Ozai refused to let her tag along on the big "Burn the Earth Kingdom down to bedrock" jaunt on the day of the comet, she got dropped straight down the shaft to Loonyville.
Avatar:TLA Miscellaneous Ideas Thread
- Thread starter nuclear death frog
- Start date
Ideas 1, 2, 4, and 5 are good. Idea number 3 would put Kung fu Action Jesus* way too close to a very dangerous, very crazy girl. Not to mention that unlike Toph who definitely likes him at least or the horde of Kyoshi girls who posed with him, Azula just doesn't seem to like him. Of course he could use 'energybending' to take away her powers permanently, but the series doesn't suggest the logic to do that.
*That is the perfect description for him.
*That is the perfect description for him.
Tenderness is a fic that takes a pretty serious look at that. Necessary warnings: Lemon. Taang. Deconstruction of Harem tropes.
It's extended canon - something the writers said, but not in the TV series proper.
The problem with picking a FIre Sage is that none of them were chosen for leadership ability. The Fire Lords didn't want rivals, after all. The current crop of sages might know a lot about ceremonials rituals and. more usefully, about the spirit world and related matters, but they'd have no idea how to rule a country.
Basically, if Zuko dies, Iroh needs to train up a replacement, because there's no one else in the fire nation competent to rule it. The replacement can learn on the job, Iroh can take the throne during the interim, or he can find some plausible stopgap, but whatever happened, Iroh wouldn't be able to enjoy his retirement.
No one can take his place, because no one knows the Fire Nation as he does.
The problem with picking a FIre Sage is that none of them were chosen for leadership ability. The Fire Lords didn't want rivals, after all. The current crop of sages might know a lot about ceremonials rituals and. more usefully, about the spirit world and related matters, but they'd have no idea how to rule a country.
Basically, if Zuko dies, Iroh needs to train up a replacement, because there's no one else in the fire nation competent to rule it. The replacement can learn on the job, Iroh can take the throne during the interim, or he can find some plausible stopgap, but whatever happened, Iroh wouldn't be able to enjoy his retirement.
No one can take his place, because no one knows the Fire Nation as he does.
Ah. Still, no reason he can't pick one of them to take the position after him and get trained in statemenship.
Something else that bugged me related to this. The Fire Sage who helped Aang and the others? What the fuck happened to him? He couldn't join the group or anything? Heck, seeing him with Jeong Jeong would have been nice, or at the end with the Order of the Lotus.
I geninuly liked his character as a loyalist to the Avatar instead of the Fire Lord.
Finally, an idea: What if, instead of banishing Zuko to hunt for the avatar, he grudginly took a plea from Iroh and instead put him with the Fire Sages to "teach him the meaning of an agni kai, and learn respect for the Fire Nation's hallowed traditions". That organisation was really under-used, IMO.
Something else that bugged me related to this. The Fire Sage who helped Aang and the others? What the fuck happened to him? He couldn't join the group or anything? Heck, seeing him with Jeong Jeong would have been nice, or at the end with the Order of the Lotus.
I geninuly liked his character as a loyalist to the Avatar instead of the Fire Lord.
Finally, an idea: What if, instead of banishing Zuko to hunt for the avatar, he grudginly took a plea from Iroh and instead put him with the Fire Sages to "teach him the meaning of an agni kai, and learn respect for the Fire Nation's hallowed traditions". That organisation was really under-used, IMO.
Oh no question. To do it ethically would years to get her back to lucidity, years more to get her decently sane and then a life time to keep her there (and likely someone would die during all this.)
If you wanted to be unethical about it. Well I hear the earth kingdom is doing some amazing things with behavior modification lately
h43r:
Behavior modificationh43r:
If you wanted to be unethical about it. Well I hear the earth kingdom is doing some amazing things with behavior modification lately
h43r: Behavior modification
h43r:New idea:
Team Azula arrives in Gao-ling before Team Avatar does, and Ty Lee scores tickets for an Earth Rumble Tournament, dragging the others along on the grounds that it's the nearest thing to fun.
Azula makes two decisions during the tournament:
1. Fire Nation Man must die.
2. It's time to get the Blind Bandit out of these dumb contests and give her a real challenge.
Azula: So, are you going to waste your talents beating up these hicks.
Toph: Hey, I'm the greatest.
Azula: Clearly. But let's face it, there aren't any opponents here that are worthy of you.
Toph: And you think that you are?
Azula: That would be interesting, but I was thinking of something even more difficult. You've only fought earthbenders so far. Why not enter the big leagues: I'm hunting a master firebender, a master airbender and a master waterbender.
Toph: Sounds boring.
Azula: It's understandable that the prospect frightens you.
Toph: When do we leave?
Team Avatar - for that matter, Iroh and Zuko - should find life quite a bit harder with Toph operating as one of Azula's minions.
Team Azula arrives in Gao-ling before Team Avatar does, and Ty Lee scores tickets for an Earth Rumble Tournament, dragging the others along on the grounds that it's the nearest thing to fun.
Azula makes two decisions during the tournament:
1. Fire Nation Man must die.
2. It's time to get the Blind Bandit out of these dumb contests and give her a real challenge.
Azula: So, are you going to waste your talents beating up these hicks.
Toph: Hey, I'm the greatest.
Azula: Clearly. But let's face it, there aren't any opponents here that are worthy of you.
Toph: And you think that you are?
Azula: That would be interesting, but I was thinking of something even more difficult. You've only fought earthbenders so far. Why not enter the big leagues: I'm hunting a master firebender, a master airbender and a master waterbender.
Toph: Sounds boring.
Azula: It's understandable that the prospect frightens you.
Toph: When do we leave?
Team Avatar - for that matter, Iroh and Zuko - should find life quite a bit harder with Toph operating as one of Azula's minions.
The issue with that is that Toph doesn't live in Ba Sing Se, and would be aware of the fact that the Earth Kingdom is at war with the Fire Nation. That would probably be a deal breaker.
Then again, as long as Azula didn't Firebend, she might be able to pull it off for awhile, but I don't see it as a long term partnership.
Toph would be pretty useless against Aang, because he could avoid detection if he fought her, which means that after a couple encounters, the Gaang would lean to have Aang take her out quickly, before she crushes someone else. Likewise, Azula and company would learn to keep them from doing just that. Toph being blind could become a significant plot point, since this would be the first time she would be consistently hindered by it.
If that's the only change, then hilarity will ensue, since Aang will probably recognize her as someone who will be important to him. That could lead to some hilarity, as he keeps trying to talk to her, while she's trying to smash him. This could counter his natural advantage against her, since she could track him by his voice.
Overall, it sounds like an interesting idea, and I'd like to see how it plays out.
Then again, as long as Azula didn't Firebend, she might be able to pull it off for awhile, but I don't see it as a long term partnership.
Toph would be pretty useless against Aang, because he could avoid detection if he fought her, which means that after a couple encounters, the Gaang would lean to have Aang take her out quickly, before she crushes someone else. Likewise, Azula and company would learn to keep them from doing just that. Toph being blind could become a significant plot point, since this would be the first time she would be consistently hindered by it.
If that's the only change, then hilarity will ensue, since Aang will probably recognize her as someone who will be important to him. That could lead to some hilarity, as he keeps trying to talk to her, while she's trying to smash him. This could counter his natural advantage against her, since she could track him by his voice.
Overall, it sounds like an interesting idea, and I'd like to see how it plays out.
I could see it happening, but not lasting. Azula is persuasive, but Toph is stubborn. Sooner or later, Toph will balk at one of Azula's orders, and the two will fight - possibly if Azula tries to get Toph to help attack Ba Sing Se.
However, after helping Azula, Toph is going to have difficulty joining the gang, despite being Aang's destined teacher. The obvious thing is for her to eventually join up with Zuko and Iroh, who can understand her position. This will shake things up enough that Azula plausibly doesn' t get a chance to lure Zuko back, and Toph's trio stay together, having adventures separate from the avatar gang until late season 3.
However, after helping Azula, Toph is going to have difficulty joining the gang, despite being Aang's destined teacher. The obvious thing is for her to eventually join up with Zuko and Iroh, who can understand her position. This will shake things up enough that Azula plausibly doesn' t get a chance to lure Zuko back, and Toph's trio stay together, having adventures separate from the avatar gang until late season 3.
I think Iroh would prefer to make sure Zuko had burnt his bridges first, so Azula can't lure him back. It's better for Iroh's plans if Zuko doesn't waver after joining the Avatar, let alone change sides again., and Iroh knows full well how much Zuko yearns for the love and respect of his father.
In canon, Iroh didn't get much chance to avoid the 'crossroads of destiny' meet-up, but if changed circumstances have prevented that, I can see Iroh pushing Zuko into taking a good look at Ozai. He can take the trio through the war zone and oppressed colonies, into those parts of the Fire Nation suffering most under Ozai's rule.
Zuko gets to do a lot of good deeds, with increasing conviction, and the price on his head grows. Faced with his father ordering his death, and lengthy experience of his misrule, Zuko finally recognises his father has to go. O)nly then does Iroh start pushing them to join the Avatar,
Toph, of course, is no mere bystander during all this. She and Zuko both affect each other greatly, while becoming like siblings. Iroh learnt lightning from watching waterbenders - what can Toph and Zuko learn from each other, and how will it affect the way they think?
The reaction when they learn about each others childhoods should be interesting too - they were both bad, but in very different ways.
Ultimately though, the end needs to tie into the original divergence. E.g Toph makes use of things she learnt about Azula in their time together to defeat Azula.in their final climatic fight - just the two of them in the agni kai arena, with Zuko incapacitated, and Katara fighting elsewhere.
In canon, Iroh didn't get much chance to avoid the 'crossroads of destiny' meet-up, but if changed circumstances have prevented that, I can see Iroh pushing Zuko into taking a good look at Ozai. He can take the trio through the war zone and oppressed colonies, into those parts of the Fire Nation suffering most under Ozai's rule.
Zuko gets to do a lot of good deeds, with increasing conviction, and the price on his head grows. Faced with his father ordering his death, and lengthy experience of his misrule, Zuko finally recognises his father has to go. O)nly then does Iroh start pushing them to join the Avatar,
Toph, of course, is no mere bystander during all this. She and Zuko both affect each other greatly, while becoming like siblings. Iroh learnt lightning from watching waterbenders - what can Toph and Zuko learn from each other, and how will it affect the way they think?
The reaction when they learn about each others childhoods should be interesting too - they were both bad, but in very different ways.
Ultimately though, the end needs to tie into the original divergence. E.g Toph makes use of things she learnt about Azula in their time together to defeat Azula.in their final climatic fight - just the two of them in the agni kai arena, with Zuko incapacitated, and Katara fighting elsewhere.
Poor proof-reading on my part, but you knew what I meant.
What could Zuko and Toph learn from each other, anyway? Canon is silent, but lightning redirection is not an obvious effect of mixing fire and water bending. Any techniques Toph and Zuko come up with are likely to be in the same vein, rather than simply straight translations, which gives the writer plenty of room to be inventive.
And then there's the question of how they'll change each other, as they certianly will.
What could Zuko and Toph learn from each other, anyway? Canon is silent, but lightning redirection is not an obvious effect of mixing fire and water bending. Any techniques Toph and Zuko come up with are likely to be in the same vein, rather than simply straight translations, which gives the writer plenty of room to be inventive.
And then there's the question of how they'll change each other, as they certianly will.