#monk gyatso

Thinking about how Roku would’ve been at Gyatso’s tattooing ceremony and how Gyatso returned the favor for his next life

Passing down the fruit pie knowledge

Book 4: Air

The 4th season of ATLA should have been a series of episodes in the life of Aang before he ran away and encased himself in the iceberg. Here are a list of HC episodes I came up with. Hope you enjoy!

1 - Reincarnation. Where after Roku’s death, it is immediately followed by Aangs birth. Nothing of note as to him being the Avatar as he’s just another happy/innocent Air Nomad baby. This way we’ll get a look into Air Nation upbringing as well as the type of baby Aang might have been growing up.

2 - Companions For Life. A whole episode dedicated to the first time and days of Aang receiving Appa. Showing how the monks teach responsibility and work ethic to kids with having them maintain and bond with their Sky Bison, showing how one takes care of a bison and how one can learn from them. Particularly with Aang and Appa getting to know and understand one another.

3 - Tattoos. In which we see Aang master most Air Bending Arts, showing prowess in the element, but unable to master the last one. This episode could delve into his initial frustrations but dive into his creativity more as he impresses the nomads by inventing the Air Scooter which Gyatso grants him his tattoos.

4 - Kuzon. In which Aang visits the Fire Nation for the first time. For the audience, this will be a moment of terror as Aang is about to encounter what we know is the culture that destroyed his. But bc this is Pre Sozin’s Comet, we see just how happy and eager the mostly isolated FN is to receive visitors. We see Dragons Flying overhead, people showing Aang around before we ultimately meet Kuzon, with both getting into trouble. This episode could reveal how Kuzon was a good dancer and taught Aang who was able to master the abilities much more flexible to perform say the Flying Dragon.

5 - Mad Genius. Bumi episode. That’s it, just Bumi and Aang wildin’ in Omashu’s delivery system, probably busting a robbery heist in the process planned by some bandits. Maybe a scene where they’re dining in the palace and knowing Aang’s a vegetarian he’s offered some cabbage related dish, which he reveals its his least favorite vegetable. Hint hint.

6 - Yang Chen Festival. Where we are exposed to one of the Air Nomad pilgrimages to a statue in honor of Yang Chen’s feats. Aang sensing some close connection to her beyond just being a nomad but brushes it off. Just a wholesome episode, with a minor reveal of Fire Nation soldiers scoping the area out by Fire Lord Sozin’s Orders. In which the Nomads invite them to dine with them, which is accepted. To Aang, this is something he’s happy to see and something the soldiers are all to happy to party with nomads, though the audience knows this is likely the Fire Nation order to locate all Sacred Air Nomad Locations.

7 - Forgiveness. Episode where the importance of one of the most difficult aspects of his culture. The ability to forgive. Perhaps Aang is put in a situation w/out Appa and his stuff gets stolen. Leaving him stranded but also allow us to see him deal with nature. With even a scene where he contemplates eating meat since there’s no vegetation to eat. Let’s say his saving grace comes in the form of some travelers who offer him meat but he can’t take it, but they save his life, only to find out that their relative stole his food and he’s facing them soon enough. Aang gets angry for a bit, the other apologizes but Aang understands and forgives them before heading back home.

8 - Breathe. An extended version of Aang’s Flashbacks from The Storm. He realizes he’s the Avatar and tries to come to terms with it. But can’t and as shown before. He escapes in the first half of the episode and the last half is the Nomads and Gyatso arguing over having driven him away. Which is soon interrupted as Sozins commit appears overhead. The rest of the episode is the monks futilely defending the temple with Gyatso protecting as many as he can. The ending is a glimpse of the genocide, before Gyatso leads some firebenders in a building and shows him airbending the air out of their bodies in an attempt to take as many down as he can.

This is how I envision Book 4 would be. To me it would make sense to make it a prequel of the series before the Great War started and possibly show how most nations got along with one another but maintained separation. The reason I excluded the Water Tribes from this, is because I feel like it would be perfect to circle back to Book 1 considering its where the series started, plus a minor headcanon of mine is that Aang wanted to go penguin sledding to feel better after running away.

So I had an epiphany about Gyatso tonight.

I was trying to wash my hair and my brain said:

Monk Gyatso was surrounded by the bodies of Fire Nation soldiers when they found his body. But how? Like how did that happen? Weren’t they all hyped up on the comet?

His clothes aren’t burned either!

If the firebenders killed Gyatso on sight…wouldn’t they be alive? If they just killed him…there wouldn’t have been any soldier casualties, right?

Well!

Y’all.

Gyatso said “I’m going out on my terms and I’m taking you with me” and sucked all the air out of the room, killing himself and a bunch of comet-overpowered firebenders in the process.

Fire can’t live without air; they’d be powerless.

That’s such a power move I cannot fathom it. I’m a Gyatso stan now.