Avatar: the Last Airbender. Yes, again.

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I'm finally caught up on Avatar. This prompted by two very good shortfics on theavatar100 (a decent fic comm in general, if not the most prolific).

1.Visitor by potato (formerly ratherodd)
2.Exhibit by v_voltaire

Rather than attempt an analysis of the latest episodes (ha! ha!), I've decided to summarize with pictures. As an added bonus, these pictures are all 100x100 pixels and are meant for use as ICONS/ICON BASES. They are pretty, I think, but only because the show itself is pretty.

For those just tuning in: Avatar is another olde China AU anime. But, umm, it's American.


Book I, Chapter IX: The Waterbending Scroll

Aang, Sokka and Katara are on the run from the tragic banished Prince Zuko, sisteen years old and horribly scarred. In order to fufill his destiny as the Avatar, Aang must master the ancient arts of all four nations -- Airbending, Waterbending, Earthbending, and Firebending. He has a month.

"This is hopeless!" Aang says. "I only have a month, and we're still weeks away from the North Pole. At this rate I won't even learn Waterbending in time!"

"I can teach you if you want," Katara says.

"Really?"

"Sure." They begin to practice, while Sokka looks on with absolutely no interest -- leave that mystic stuff to a girl and a kid, Sokka is a Warrior. Soon Aang is Waterbending like a dedicated member of the water tribe.

In fact, he is Waterbending better than Katara. "That's enough for today!" she says crossly.

Sokka points out that in their enthusiasm they've swept all of the supplies down the river. They'll have to head into town to buy more.

***

Meanwhile, Prince Zuko and his uncle, Iroh, are having a minor disagreement.

"You see," Uncle Iroh says, "it is supremely important that we pull into the nearest port to obtain this one thing. Crucial."

"We don't have time for your detours!" Zuko says. "...what is it?"

"You see, it is absolutely vital to my strategy that I obtain... a Lotus game piece. The Lotus is less popular than the Bear, and less well-known than the Monkey or Lily, but with it I could take the poor fools on this ship for everything they've...I mean, I could produce an unbeatable offense. Have them turn the ship around my boy, we're heading into the nearest town."

"ARG!" (Yes, Prince Zuko lives a very hard life.)

***

Back in town, Sokka, Katara and Aang have wandered into a mysterious boat-shop. Bones, jewels, precious scrolls -- all manner of curiosities adorn the walls of the galley. The proprietor is an imposing man in a large brimmed hat, with a reptile-bird perched on one shoulder. He's interested in Momo, Aang's pet flying lemur.

"Name yer price!" he bellows.

"Momo's not for sale," Aang says. Momo hides under his shirt and whimpers agreement.

In the back of the shop, Katara has found a scroll of waterbending techniques. "Wow!" she says. "This is exactly what we need!"

"Aye, that's a nice one. I'm afraid I can't sell it to ye, the buyer being pre-determined. 200 gold! I'll be making a killing, considering I...obtained...that scroll for free."

Sokka takes another look around the galley -- the bones, the chests of gold -- and then toward the captain, who is continuing to leer from underneath his wide-brimmed hat. "You're a pirate!" he says.

"We prefer the term 'high-risk trader'."

"Let's go Aang," Katara says. "We don't want anything to do with these people. "She pulls Aang away from his attempts to bargain the captain down from 200 gold to two copper coins, all the money they have left after Aang's unfortunate splurge on a soundless whistle that morning.

They aren't even a hundred meters from the ship when a surge of pirates weilding cutlasses appear.

"Run!!" Weaving frantically through the alleys behind the marketplace, they barely manage to escape.

***

Price Zuko and Uncle Iroh, meanwhile, are antiques shopping.

At least, one of them is. But Zuko overhears the complaints of the pirates and soon an unholy alliance is formed.

***

Katara is frustrated. Aang is showing her up again, easily mastering an attack in the waterbending scroll that she is struggling with. ("You stole that!" Sokka accuses. "No wonder they were chasing us!" "Fair is fair," Katara says. "They stole it from the Water Tribe to being with." Sokka storms off in a huff.)

"It's all in how you shift your weight," Aang says, demonstrating.

"Shut up!" Katara says. "We can't all be naturally talented."

says Aang, and Katara appologizes for her harshness. Later, when Aang and Sokka are alseep, she sets out for the river with the scroll. She is growing more and more frustrated by her complete inability to master the Water Whip when she is captured by Zuko's soldiers and the pirates. When Aang and Sokka mount a rescue, they are captured as well.

But a disagreement has broken out. The pirates, egged on by Sokka, have decided to reconsider. The Avatar is worth a lot of money, much more than a mere scroll. maybe they won't hand him over. In the confusion, Aang, Sokka, and Katara espcape down the river on the pirates' ship. Momo the flying lemur has stolen back the waterbending scroll.

"Serves them right!" Prince Zuko crows. Then he notices that the pirates are mounting a pursuit -- in his own boat.

"ARG!"

***

Using their combined Waterbending powers ("Hey! I did the Water Whip!"), our three heroes have managed to put quite a bit of river between themselves and their pursuit. That ominous rumbling sound is the waterfall up ahead.

"AHHH!"

Just then, Aang pulls out the whistle he wasted money on in the market place. He blows, and there is no sound. He blows again. Their ship tips over the edge, and they are falling, falling.

It was a Bison Whistle. Saved!


Whew! That was more work than I thought, so you get a non-spoiling paragraph per episode from here on out. A shame, because nine wasn't even my favorite episode. Ten was.


Episode 10

This boy, Jet, with the double hooks. You're going to be seeing a lot of him because I have a Peter Pan fetish and he is Peter Pan. He's got a pose, a treehouse, and a bacd of merry men group of lost boys with ridiculous nicknames! And just like Peter Pan, he's slightly creepy and makes not huge distinctions between enemy combatants and people who just happened to have gotten in the way.

.
(Imagine that last one with suitably cheesy romantic music. Twang!)




Episode 11


Obligatory Demon of Rashoman episode, this time concerning two clans that have fought for 100 years based on conflicting versions of the same story. Aang's resolution is hillarious.




Episode 12

All and sundry are caught out in a storm. This is a flashback episode wherein we learn of Aang's guilt over his 100-year disappearance and the truth behind Zuko's scar. THUMBNAIL THEATER style:

AIR COUNCIL: You're the Avatar, kid! Now stop acting your age
WISE MAN: Sirs, I object! It's only natural that a little boy would-
AIR COUNCIL: We revoke your guardianship. You leave in the morning.
AANG: *overhears*
AANG: *runs away*

And then the giant iceburg hits.

Here's some nice gratuituos non-scarred Zuko bases. I have to question the build, though. Does this look like a fourteen-year-old boy to you?
1.2.3.

The real question in this episode iswho is the evil little girl smiling with glee while half of Zuko's face is burned off. Is it just me, or does she look like the Firebender in the opening?


Episode 13

All that running around in the rain last episode left Sokka and Katara with delirious fevers. Aang sets off for medicine.



There's also a ninja:
1.2.

and the most serious face I've ever seen Aang make:


*****

In conclusion, I'll be very upset if this show isn't picked up for a second season.

You can find torrents of the episodes here and sum more icon bases for this show at my website.