MG Reads Embers: Chapter Seventy-One
Feb. 16th, 2024 07:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
masterghandalfChapter Seventy-One
We open with Toph in the Northern Air Temple, disoriented by how thin the air is and how far from the earth they are. She also doesn’t understand what they’re doing all the way up here, instead of down at the volcano, helping Zuko. Apparently, Haru and The Duke had wanted them to land and help General Fong defeat whoever he was fighting, sure that an Earth Kingdom general had to be one of the good guys; Toph is amused to remember Katara and Sokka insisting that Fong isn’t a good guy. Aang, though, clearly doesn’t want to talk about it; Toph doesn’t know what that means, but she’s worried part of Aang thinks Fong may have had a point. Or it might just be that before they left the Western Air Temple, Aang contacted the spirit of Avatar Yangchen and talked with her about what the Air Nomads used to be like, and while Toph doesn’t know what she said, she can guess that the Air Nomads in her time weren’t like Gyatso. The only thing Aang would say that Yangchen told him was that he needs to find a firebending teacher, and so Toph agreed to help him find Iroh, which just makes her wonder all the more why they’re up on a mountain where there aren’t any firebenders. Teo’s apparently made it very clear that since he last talked to Zuko, none of the firebenders have come to visit, although Langxue did come up to teach some of them airbending moves. The idea that Zuko has a waterbender with him who can teach airbending has left both Aang and Katara very quiet. Everyone is shocked by the implications of airbending being back in the world, and once Katara got over it she’s been telling everyone how much water and air have in common. Toph snidely thinks that if water and air have so much in common, why is Langxue down there fighting instead of up here thinking about it? Aang hasn’t had much to say about any of it, though, and that makes Toph think something is wrong here.
At first, she thinks it was because Azula beat him before the invasion, but then decides it wasn’t until the Western Air Temple that he got like this. She knows the Mechanist got away, so it’s not like he feels guilty over Teo’s dad – and then it occurs to Toph that the airbenders Aang knew didn’t have dads at all, so maybe he just doesn’t know what to think about that. Meanwhile, she overhears Katara and Teo talking about Langxue, and how he can show them airbending moves when he’s a waterbender. Teo explains that Langxue was working off of scrolls; Toph finds Teo hard to read because he’s not actually standing on the earth, but based off the reactions of some of the other gliders, she gets the feeling they think he’s telling the truth, but not all of it. She’s not getting much of a sense of surprise from Aang, either. She tries to copy the body language she’s feeling from him and decides Aang’s reaction is that of someone who got news he doesn’t like, but that he expected. She wonders if that news was finding other airbenders, or the idea that Langxue is both an airbender and a waterbender, though Tao said that was impossible and Toph believes him. Suddenly Boots kicks her shins and Toph realizes he’s backing her away from the ledge. A moment later Changchang comes running over, warning Toph that this place wasn’t built for people who can’t fly. Toph tries to say she’s fine, but she’s feeling weak from the thin air; Changchang wonders how often she’s been up this high, and when Toph starts explaining how she doesn’t like it, Changchang leads her away, promising to give Aang a piece of her mind.
We cut to Changchang explaining that Toph has what they call “mountain sickness.” Aang is panicking and hopes they can help her, and Katara takes it as a good sign that he’s emotional about anything after the way he’s been. Katara can help some, but she can’t make it better completely. Teo thinks the only cure is getting down to lower altitudes and he apologizes for not thinking of it. Changchang explains it has nothing to do with being an earthbender, but some people just can’t tolerate the thin air up here, and the only way to help Toph is to take her back down. Toph wants to know what’ll happen if they don’t, and Teo just says it’ll be bad. Toph didn’t have any trouble at the Western Air Temple, but the nuns’ temples were built at lower altitudes, for the safety of mothers and newborns. Katara can’t imagine this happening to airbenders, and Aang admits Yangchen told him not everyone was born an airbender. Everyone is stunned, and Katara asks what else she said – Aang says she told him he can’t stop the war if he doesn’t understand why people are fighting. Teo says they know why General Fong is attacking, but that doesn’t mean anyone’s been able to make him stop. Teo promises to explain, but first warns Toph not to try any earthbending around here, in case she sets Asagitatsu off. He also warns them to stay away from the shore, because the ocean is full of the drowned. Katara wonders what could have drowned so many people, and then it hits her. Aang knows what drowning is but doesn’t get what they’re talking about, so Changchang has to explain that these are people who drowned but who can’t find rest – Katara promises to explain more, once they’re further down. Sokka thinks that if the Fire Nation has memorial fires burning along the coast, it should help, eventually, but Toph doesn’t think it’ll do much good if Fong kills everyone. Aang thinks they need to stop the fighting – it’s his job as the Avatar, and if he can’t do it here, how can he do it anywhere? Sokka thinks that first, they have to keep the two sides from fighting long enough to cool down, then take if from there. First, they have to be able to listen.
We cut to Aang as he remembers his conversation with Yangchen. She explained how she’d been raised to believe that the Air Nomads should be peaceful, by the will of Subodai the conqueror and Xiangchen the fanatic, who sought to use war to destroy war. Yangchen thinks Xiangchen was insane, but unlike Ozai, he turned his rage inward on his own people. He was too weak to be a horde-leader, and so he always envied the horde-leaders and sought to create a world where horde-leaders wouldn’t exist. To an extent, he succeeded, but he would have done worse if the yaoren hadn’t found Yangchen. As Aang flies Appa down the mountain, he remembers how Yangchen’s friends rescued her from Xiangchen, told her she was the Avatar, and dragged her into their war… and how they all then died in that war, killed by the very volcano Aang is currently flying towards. Aang thinks Asagitatsu looks peaceful as they fly over it, save that it looks completely abandoned and there are fires burning all along the shore. Sokka thinks that’s what you can do with lots of natural gas, and then looks back over his shoulder at the trail of destruction Fong left in his wake and thinks that’s what you can do with lots of angry earthbenders. Based on the traps Teo has told them Fong is facing, Aang’s not sure he can blame them. Sokka thinks it’s almost dark, and Fong will probably stop his march until tomorrow, if he has enough sense to not want to face the traps at night – then again, this is General Fong. Aang thinks Fong is trying to save the Earth Kingdom, and Sokka points out that he’s destroying it to save it. Aang says Guru Pathik says they’re all one and wonders how what Fong is doing is any different from their invasion. Sokka can’t believe it and reminds Aang Teo told them Fong was using civilians to spring traps. Everyone in their invasion volunteered. Aang says they don’t know if Fong’s people didn’t, but inside he knows how awful it is. Out loud, he says that Teo never talked to any of Fong’s people and thinks of the Zhangs and Gan Jins and wonders if Zuko didn’t start this fight. The Zhangs and Gan Jins had been fighting so long they couldn’t even remember why. He wonders if Fong’s the same and thinks Zuko might have set him off without meaning to. Sokka agrees that Zuko takes after his granddads – both of them. Aang knows Shidan and thinks Zuko’s other grandfather would at least be human – but his other grandfather was Azulon, so maybe not.
Aang says Teo thinks Zuko was telling the truth, but Teo doesn’t know how to recognize lies – his father lied to him for years, after all. Sokka wonders how that could be, and Aang thinks maybe you have to be a master airbender to sense lies. Looking down at the caldera, he spots areas where Zuko’s people have started farming and wonders what gives them the right to change things. He wants to talk to Zuko, but Sokka thinks right now, Aang is lying to himself. If he really thought both sides were in the wrong, he’d want to talk to Fong first. Aang thinks that they have to be wrong, since Zuko isn’t working for his father anymore and there doesn’t have to be a fight. Sokka points out Aang didn’t want to fight Fong either at his fortress, and Aang protests that was the Avatar State, not him. Sokka says Zuko doesn’t have an Avatar state to step in for him, so they need to figure out what he’s doing and why. Aang wonders to himself why Zuko keeps getting into messes he needs an Avatar to get out of, then – he admits he doesn’t know who started this fight, but he knows Zuko is the Fire Lord’s son, settling Fire Nation people on Earth Kingdom land, and Aang wants to know why. They land at the docks at Dragons’ Wings, and Aang is surprised that some look like they’re from Ba Sing Se, some from Shu Jing, and some he doesn’t recognize. The combination bothers him, especially with Suzuran out in the harbor. As soon as they land Toph gets off Appa and says that Teo’s right – the ground here is dangerous, and they don’t want to try and bend it. Katara wonders where everyone is, with Sokka explaining to Haru that they usually get a crowd. A voice says everyone already knows who they are, as Huojin comes over. Aang wonders what he’s doing here, and why everyone seems scared – Huojin says he was never going to raise his daughters so close to Azula, and everyone is scared because there’s an army here to kill them all. Aang promises he won’t let that happen and Fong isn’t his friend but doesn’t understand why people are scared of him. Huojin says Azula wasn’t his friend either, and Aang thinks that Sokka didn’t mean to let Azula into Ba Sing Se. Huojin looks up at the mountain and asks if the Mechanist’s people told them not to earthbend down here, the points out that Iroh is coming.
Iroh and Amaya come over and Aang asks what’s going on; Iroh tells him he might want to return to the Air Temple, since General Fong’s army will be here soon and he’s not here to be friendly. Aang wants to know how they know that; Toph reminds him about Fong throwing people into traps, and Aang protests that maybe the volunteered – Iroh assures him they did no such thing. Katara accuses Iroh of being the one to set the traps, and Aang thinks they could have just run away – Amaya asks if he thinks they really didn’t try, and if Aang’s ever tried to run from an earthbender before. Iroh explains how they’ve given Fong many chances to withdraw but he still keeps coming and they have no choice but to fight; Aang thinks there’s always a choice, but Iroh tells him that if they leave, Asagitatsu will erupt. That will kill more people than the entire war has so far, and that’s what Koh wants to happen. Iroh refuses to allow it, and that’s why Dragons’ Wings is here, to stand against evil and try to mend the damage the war has caused. He asks Aang what he’d do; Aang says he’d try talking, but Sokka doesn’t think that’s worked out so well for them, and Iroh agrees that Fong isn’t interested. Apparently, their scouts have reported that he’s personally ripped their messages to shreds. Aang thinks they could send a person, but Iroh thinks the rules of parley exist for a reason, and Fong has signaled that what he’d do to a message is what he’d do to the messenger. Zuko doesn’t want to risk any of his people, and Iroh knows those who’ve tried to parley with Fong and ended up buried alive. Those were the cleaner deaths. Amaya calms him down, saying she thinks Aang gets the point; Huojin says if he doesn’t, he has stories from drinking with soldiers who used to fight under Fong. If he told them in earshot of his daughters, he’d give them nightmares. Aang thinks that Sokka does sometimes have nightmares about what Fong almost did to Katara, but he’s still sure Fong just wants to protect the Earth Kingdom. Iroh tells him Asagitatsu has to have firebenders to watch over her, and so they won’t leave, and the Earth King ceded this land to them. Besides, historically this land belonged first to the dragon clan of Ryuuko-hime, then went to the Air Nomads after the dragons died – and besides, Asagitatsu herself wants them here. Aang promises to try to calm Asagitatsu, but Iroh points out that she’s not malicious, and has to erupt sooner or later. Aang thinks Roku fought a volcano to keep it from erupting, and since Roku showed it to him, he’s sure that means fighting volcanoes is something important for an Avatar to do. Iroh tells Aang if he ever means to learn firebending, he has to learn that fire is the life of the world, and every volcano is a beating heart – does Aang intend to stop Asagitatsu’s heart? Aang reluctantly agrees that Roku didn’t actually stop his volcano, and then Toph asks where Zuko is.
We cut to Zuko, watching the sunset and feeling his powers weaken; beside him, Shirong comments that he used to do most of his work at night, but he’s not looking forward to this. Zuko tells him he’s responsible to the spirits, not just him, and he doesn’t have to do this – Shirong says the Earth King gave Zuko this land, and as Dai Li his duty is to uphold the law, foster virtuous acts, and maintain peace and harmony with the spirits. General Fong is going against the will of the Earth King, so it’s Shirong’s duty to stop him. Zuko reluctantly accepts that and tells Saoluan and Langxue to stay here if they want to fight. It’s not Langxue’s youth – Zuko just thinks he’ll be of more use up here, bending the fire ice and the wind. Langxue reluctantly accepts, though he nods at Teruko and comments that at least he’s not the only one with a babysitter. Teruko comments that Zuko takes after both his grandfathers, and both Shidan and Azulon could promise to stay out of harms’ way and mean it, and then jump into the action as soon as their people were being killed. Shirong thinks Fong may have spotted Appa and might reconsider attacking, but their war balloon suddenly signals that enemies are in sight, and Zuko knows it’s time to get started.
We end with an author note. A/N: Altitude sickness can be nasty. Ascending the way the Gaang does in canon at the Southern and Northern Air Temples - straight up thousands of feet with no time to stop and rest on the way - is just asking for it. I'll leave out the grisly biological details, but this one dovetails kind of neatly into the Avatar world in canon. Long story short, human pregnancy runs right up against the edge of the body's metabolic limits. If a pregnant woman can't get enough oxygen to breathe, she can't burn enough calories to support the baby's growth and health. This can lead to low birth weight, premature birth, and a bunch of other related unpleasantness.
Which is why it's very, very interesting that the Western and Eastern Temples are at significantly lower altitudes. Sure, they're above sea level. But it's more along the lines of a few hundred, or at most a few thousand feet above sea level; well below what's medically referred to as high altitude (about 4,900 to 11,500 feet). Given the Air Nomads in canon don't spend all of their lives above the treeline, but instead bounce up and down a lot, this is exactly what you'd want for safe pregnancy and delivery. That's kind of cool.
What's also interesting is that in a way, altitude sickness is like the Wendigo. There are physiological limits to human adaptation, and people who break them pay the price. Sometimes fatally.
MG’s Thoughts
This one mostly feels like more setup, but once again, I still have issues with it. First off, we learn a bit more about Xiangchen and why he wanted to force the Air Nomads to all be peaceful, and of course, it turns out he didn’t really believe in pacifism for its own sake. He was just jealous of the Air Nomad warlords and wanted to take away their power! This is a big part of why I consider the fic’s take on the Air Nomads’ philosophy and way of life to be a hypocritical sham from the ground up – it wasn’t actually based in sincere belief, but one man’s envy and spite writ large, and then was propagated over generations by literal brainwashing. On a related note, I’m bothered again by the fic’s take on Yangchen, on multiple levels. For one, we’ve known ever since she was introduced that canon!Yangchen was considered, among other things, a great Air Nomad philosopher and sage, and while I’ve mentioned before that I think the Yangchen novels are weaker than the Kyoshi novels, something they focus on heavily is Yangchen’s need to balance her sincerely held Air Nomad ideals with the ruthless realpolitik required to unravel the complicated political knot she finds herself caught up in, and how she threads that needle. Embers!Yangchen needed to be saved from her own people and then her “friends,” by the fic’s own admission, dragged her into a war that got her killed. It hardly seems to fit with the Yangchen who was considered one of the greatest of all Avatars in canon, does it? Not to mention, it’s always been heavily implied that the reason Kuruk felt like he could ignore the mortal world (and focus on hunting dark spirits, per the Kyoshi novels) was because Yangchen left him a largely peaceful, stable world situation where he felt people handled their own troubles fine without him – a far cry from Embers, where Yangchen died in a supervolcano eruption that supposedly devasted the world. Basically, while I don’t think the fic demonizes Yangchen the way it does Kyoshi (nor does she get portrayed as useless, like it does Roku) I still don’t like how it handles her, though I’ll admit I’ve had a soft spot for canon Yangchen ever since I first watched “Sozin’s Comet.”
On a related noted… Aang. Basically Aang’s whole role in this chapter is to have people explain to him how he’s totally wrong about everything, from Toph’s reaction to altitude sickness to how to deal with Fong to how to deal with Asagitatsu (for that matter… yeah, I’m pretty sure canon!Aang knew that Roku showed him the vision of fighting the volcano because that’s where he died, not because he was trying to tell Aang “Avatars should stop volcanoes” – and besides, I just watched “The Avatar and the Fire Lord” yesterday, and it’s pretty clear Roku isn’t trying to stop the volcano outright, just buy time for his people – including his family – to get away from it safely). I also can’t help but feel that it’s rather odd that we have the scene where Aang learns that the people of the Northern Air Temple are becoming airbenders… and it’s told in Toph’s pov, giving us absolutely no indication of how Aang reacts to this massive change. And contrasting Shirong’s little spiel with what the Dai Li are about with how they act in canon – yeah, I have to chuckle a bit there. Maybe if he framed as that’s what the Dai Li should have been before they fell into corruption… but that’s not how it comes off.
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Date: 2024-02-17 04:25 am (UTC)... both Shidan and Azulon could promise to stay out of harms’ way and mean it, and then jump into the action as soon as their people were being killed.
What happened to dragons and dragon-children not being able to get tricksy with their promises?
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Date: 2024-02-17 10:11 pm (UTC)Maybe we could assume something about Toph being an earthbender is making it worse... except the fic literally just said it doesn't have anything to do with being a bender or not!
What happened to dragons and dragon-children not being able to get tricksy with their promises?
Maybe we're assuming they can't break promises on purpose, but can do it in the heat of the moment? *shrugs*
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Date: 2024-02-17 05:43 am (UTC)That's a really good point, but since Aang's thinking it, I suspect it's not supposed to be. The fact remains that Zuko is Fire Nation royal, creating a settlement on Earth Kingdom land, with at least a partial Fire Nation population. That setup has over a century of precedent for being a Very Bad Thing, and Zuko should both know that and take steps to reassure the local Earth Kingdom officials that he won't encroach on their territory or usurp their authority. He should probably at least consider having an Earth Kingdom co-leader, if not accept an Earth Kingdomer to have authority over him.
Embers!Yangchen needed to be saved from her own people and then her “friends,” by the fic’s own admission, dragged her into a war that got her killed. It hardly seems to fit with the Yangchen who was considered one of the greatest of all Avatars in canon, does it?
Yyyyyeah, Embers!Yangchen comes off as the "victim Avatar". While Kyoshi is the "merciless Avatar", and a female Water Tribe Avatar was apparently the start of the decline of the healers and a future one will be a guaranteed disaster, it feels almost... misogynistic? The male Avatars aren't good, either, but they usually have more agency or don't abuse their power, they're just mediocre.
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Date: 2024-02-17 10:14 pm (UTC)I think we're meant to assume the Earth King's seal should be sufficient - but Fong knows Ba Sing Se has fallen and doesn't know the Earth King's current situation, so it really shouldn't be surprising he'd think the seal could have been coerced or forged and therefore doesn't represent a legitimate royal order.
Yyyyyeah, Embers!Yangchen comes off as the "victim Avatar". While Kyoshi is the "merciless Avatar", and a female Water Tribe Avatar was apparently the start of the decline of the healers and a future one will be a guaranteed disaster, it feels almost... misogynistic? The male Avatars aren't good, either, but they usually have more agency or don't abuse their power, they're just mediocre.
That's a very good point. Weirdly, Kuruk doesn't get much focus at all, even though Koh is the fic's big bad and Kuruk is the only known Avatar in canon to have actually fought him...
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Date: 2024-02-18 11:10 am (UTC)Weirdly, Kuruk doesn't get much focus at all, even though Koh is the fic's big bad and Kuruk is the only known Avatar in canon to have actually fought him...
Vathara can't bring up Kuruk's canon encounters with Koh, because they go very against her depiction of Koh as a Satan figure who wants the downfall of the Avatar. "I'm going to teach you a lesson about responsibility by stealing your GF's face" doesn't fit with her version, who probably doesn't want an Avatar who is goofing off to get off their ass and start arbitrating more.