Check out some helpful insights, writing peeves, book recommendations and more! Take everything I say with a grain of salt for most of the stuff here are based on personal preferences. I'd be glad if this somehow helped other authors as well. Also...
I have been trying to experiment with different content in this guidebook. This time, I wanted to incorporate some of my favorite pieces of media in writing and share my personal takes on them. I am gonna ramble a lot so give this chapter a skip if that's not your thing. Also, huge spoilers ahead. Don't say I didn't warn 'ya!
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
First of, I remember first watching "Avatar: The Last Airbender" when I was like seven. I grew up with the show. It's got fascinating world-building, characters, lore, and animation. I have never seen a show that's not only inspired by anime, but also incorporated different cultures and controlling elements uniquely. In this world, element-bending isn't considered "magic." The first episode introduces us to two siblings, Katara and Sokka, who happen to be sailing across the icy waters. After a heated argument, Katara's water-bending powers suddenly destroyed a giant iceberg which revealed a young bald kid frozen and his giant bison named Appa inside. This is where we're introduced to Aang. We begin to learn that he is one of the Air Nomads (based on Tibetan monks) who suddenly disappeared a hundred years ago. What continued to be stuck in my head was the episode where they showed a skeleton of his supposed master and father figure. The Air Nomads were all killed by the Fire Nation. Aang starts unleashing a wild gust of wind (which symbolizes the guilt he felt for running away from his responsibilities as The Avatar). Luckily, Katara was there to calm him down. As the episode ended, I just sat there quietly in front of the TV as the trio flies off into the evening sky. No music. Aang looks back at the abandoned temple with his eyes filled with sorrow. There were a lot of episodes that somehow reminded me of real-life events such as war, trauma, relationships, manipulation and death. The antagonists also have genuine intentions and weren't just evil for the sake of it. The show does not justify their wrongdoings because of their past, but instead explain what made them that way. There was another episode where Aang and his friends met a group of young Freedom Fighters from the Earth nation led by Jet. At first, Sokka is shown to be rude and sceptical towards them. Katara immediately develops a crush on Jet. The two share similar backstories in terms of how the Fire Nation killed their families. Also, side note: The Fire Nation actually resembles Imperial Japan. From the military uniforms to the infrastructures, one would be reminded of Japan during World War II. While Katara is shown to be a pacifist despite having lost her mother, Jet actually turns out to be a vengeful person who wanted eradicate all fire-benders. This is similar to how the Japanese in real life are often ostracized for their country's war crimes. It's a good thing that she dumped him later on upon learning about his true intentions. You may think I'm some grown kid crying over a mere kids' cartoon, but to me it's just like any other show with good writing and happens to be animated. We all have our own preferences and different experiences. Just because you didn't feel the same way I did when watching ATLA, it doesn't necessarily mean others can't enjoy it. ATLA had a lot of iconic characters and moments to it. It can make you laugh, cry and learn some critical life lessons. There are even disturbing moments which kept me up all night such as the Ba Sing Se and blood-bending episodes. The hilarious episode of Sokka drinking cactus juice and claiming to see a giant mushroom. The powerful episode where even the kindest people like Katara can be driven by revenge when she finally met the same general who killed her mother. The later seasons were a lot serious as the characters have matured. Our emo Prince Zuko, who used to be a one-noted villain hellbent on capturing the Avatar, started to gain more depth and redemption until he joined Aang's team. It is revealed that Zuko was banished from the Fire Nation by his father and in order to take back his honour, he must capture Aang and bring him alive. At fourteen, he was punished for questioning his father's authority, hence the huge scar over his eye. The only person who continue to stick with him and showed him compassion was his Uncle Iroh. Even after Zuko has turned his back at him, he still forgave his nephew. We finally got to know about Zuko's family. His younger sister Azula is often hailed as the favourite child by their father, Lord Ozai. Their mother disappeared when they were young and was said to have died. It is reminiscent of a toxic household where favouritism, neglect and toxic parenting can do to a child. Nobody should ever have to prove themselves and be exactly like their parents to be validated. Instead of pitting your kids against each other, maybe encourage supporting one another. The finale of the show really made an impact on me. The moment when Azula was defeated and started having a meltdown, it really sent goosebumps because of how the scream felt so real. I could not believe she is only fourteen in this current timeline. While we were able to get a satisfactory ending, I personally felt it was rather cliché. I was among the fans who wished Katara ended up with Zuko as the two could have shown us how two different people can still get along. It was like the writers thought "Hey, the main character's gotta get the girl 'coz that's the rule!"
I know this chapter is already long enough. I actually like dabbling into commentary and sharing my thoughts on shows and films.
