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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Randy Ribay
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July 22 - July 24, 2024
Roku—who had not yet learned to mask his true emotions—clearly didn’t want to be there either, but he was too polite and too passive to extricate himself. Sozin would have to save him.
Great way to set the scene and the early dynamic between the two friends and what will likely show up as a recurring theme for their relationship. With Sozin being a bit more forthright but rude and Sozin being overly deferential. I wonder how this will culminate.
Sozin sighed. His friend had always been too trusting. It was a fault Sozin had always found endearing but now feared could put Roku in danger someday given his newly elevated status.
I hope the story makes Sozin more protective of Roku. In a healthy protective friend way before it becomes toxic.
“I’m disappointed it’s not you, but I’m not surprised,” Fire Lord Taiso had told Sozin, who hid the hurt well. “However, you may still be of great use to our nation. Tend to your friendship like a fire, then learn to bend it to your will.”
Good to see it’s not all Sozin ambition. It’s his father’s influence as well.
“I never thought it would be me. Sure, we all knew it was going to be someone from our year and our nation. But still. It’s not like anyone actually thinks it’s going to be them, right?” Sozin didn’t say anything.
Roku, you sweet summer child.
“You’ll be great,” Sozin said after one beat too many. “If this is because of your brother—” “It’s not.”
First confirmed blood sibling to an Avatar?
With anyone else, he’d crack some joke about how it was easy since he was so amazing. Instead, he cast about in his mind for an honest response.
Loving the closeness of their bond.
It was—or had been—the Prince’s Crown, passed down through the royal family and worn by every heir to the throne until Sozin had gifted it to Roku when they had said their real goodbye last night.
It’s neat that we see this visually in the original show.
Sozin would never be literally alone if he didn’t want to be. He’d only have to snap his fingers if he desired a Pai Sho opponent or a training partner or a dining companion. But he’d learned early on that everyone—except for Roku—wanted something from him.
Love this for Sozin. Interested to see how this will color his personality going forward.
Roku was right—it should not have been him.
This wasn’t the chapter ending I was expecting. The lead up felt like it would be more heartbreak but it turns into Sozin feeling like he should have been the Avatar instead? There were bits of that in the chapter, of course, but it didn’t feel like the prose was naturally culminating to this point. It wasn’t like Roku was showing a bunch of disloyalty to the Fire Nation or incompetence. So this final beat doesn’t quite land for me.
“Everything in this world is temporary.”
Theme stated?
Roku laughed, but his airbending master kept a straight face. “I don’t mean any disrespect, Sister Disha, but all we’ve been doing is bouncing from one relief mission to the next. I’ve learned to mend pants, sweep floors, stir stews, wrap wounds, repair huts, distribute supplies—but that’s it.” Roku swept his arm out in imitation of a basic airbending motion. Nothing happened. “Are those skills insignificant?”
Love that Roku is getting this kind of training right after a lifetime of Fire Nation upbringing. This is the most important part of being the Avatar, in my opinion: Cultural Exchange.
Roku’s attention turned to his sore feet, his aching arms, his greasy hair, his empty stomach. How he longed for those post-training hours spent at the Royal Spa when he and Sozin would lie back in the steaming tubs of water, sipping tea and snacking on fertilized turtle-duck eggs while servants trimmed their nails, brushed their hair, and massaged their shoulders. Once this conversation with Sister Disha ended, all Roku had to look forward to was a campfire she’d make him light by hand, another meatless meal, a threadbare bedroll, and a hard patch of ground.
Good! Beat that privilege out of Roku!
Although she still wore her undergarments, Roku averted his gaze. Despite having lived among the Air Nomads long enough to learn that they carried absolutely no shame when it came to their bodies, it hadn’t been long enough to unlearn the Fire Nation sense of propriety, especially when it came to women.
Similar to Aang who strips down in front of Katara and Asoka with no shame. Airbenders are sort of the best.
Roku was actually rereading Jinpa’s The Lives of the Avatar by the light of a small flame he held in his palm.
Neat. I always wonder why their wasn’t many in-world chroniclers of the Avatar.
Perhaps it was supposed to be his brother or Sozin—they’d all been born on the same day.
Oh! Roku is a twin!? And his twin gets no mention in the show? I’m guessing that character won’t be around for long…
The Earth Kingdom’s failings reflected their leaders’ corruption and spiritual shortcomings, they assured him. The Fire Nation method—which involved burning inscribed bones and reading the resulting fissures—was pure and infallible.
This actually tracks. Of the modern nations, the Earth Kingdom is the least spiritual. Fire Nation spirituality doesn’t really start declining until after Roku’s death.
“Our breath gives life to our words as much as our actions. Let both matter.”
Avatar Roku, This box contains message scrolls that arrived for you while we were traveling. Some come from your friends and family in the Fire Nation. Others are from those across the world who seek the Avatar’s help with one matter or another. You asked me how you might learn detachment. Here is a way to begin: Read not a single one. —Sister Disha
Love it! Don’t allow Roku to get a big head.
On the other side sat his opponent, Dalisay, his sister’s tutor-turned-ex-girlfriend.
So Sozin is not homophobic yet. Wonder what makes him change his mind.
Sozin rubbed his chin and looked back at the board, pretending to puzzle over his next move to mask his disappointment.
Very relatable. I was actually at a board game party recently where I noticed some good players also holding back like this.
and even a method to extend one’s life indefinitely.
Interesting. So far this is something only achieved by Earthbenders.
Ashō washed ashore on a mountainous island with fog so thick he couldn’t see his own hands in front of his face. He wandered through the mist for days before stumbling upon a narrow path that led to a village nestled in a valley. The people—who had never seen anyone from the outside world before—greeted him like a king. He spent several days as their honored guest, during which time he discovered their benders had powers a thousand times stronger than any he’d ever seen before. Waterbenders who could control the weather. Airbenders who could command typhoons. Earthbenders who could produce—or
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Love folklore like this. I especially enjoy the reveal when it’s shown how much is fact and how much is fiction.
Sozin cleared his throat, then stumbled through a summary of Ashō’s story of the foggy island. It had been years since he’d read it, but he recalled every detail perfectly due to his uncanny ability to remember everything he read.
Kozaru’s cheer was overwhelming, a clear sign that her respect for Sozin had grown. But Dalisay’s face had gone pale, and she kept her distance from them both. She wasn’t impressed by Sozin—but she feared him in a new way. Which, Sozin supposed, was another form of respect. Was killing really all it took?
“Avatars often do when training with the Air Nomads, but it’s not a requirement. Fire Avatars traditionally don’t.” “Makes sense,” she said. Fire Nationals regarded their hair as sacred. Only the closest of family members even touched each other’s heads. Cutting it beyond the customary length was usually a sign of public atonement.
They laughed, and Roku realized how much he missed the cutting sarcasm of his homeland. The Airbender sense of humor was like that of small children, laughing at simple, straightforward amusements. Word play. Breaking wind. Sky bison calves or winged lemurs tumbling over as they played. Things of that nature. They didn’t make jokes at the expense of others, even in jest—with the exception of Gyatso.
“And how’s life after graduating from the University?” he asked. He’d always been fascinated by her decision to attend the University instead of the Academy even though she was a Firebender. In fact, it was after he’d heard about her decision that he’d divulged his crush on her to Sozin.
Love this. Says a lot about her.
Roku stroked his chin as he considered the news, hoping Ta Min noticed his new facial hair. The Earth Kingdom trying to expand wasn’t surprising given their insatiable appetite for resources. And Roku had been spending plenty of time in the temple’s library reading about the transitions between Avatars so he understood that the stretch of time between when the previous Avatar died and the next reincarnation came of age was the perfect opportunity for bandits or merchants or governments to make some moves. Nothing too bold, though, lest they make themselves the next Avatar’s first target. Since
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Roku nodded. “You might be onto something. Sister Disha keeps telling me I’m a ‘spirit of no nation.’ I’ve been trying to figure out what that means by reading about my past lives, but maybe I just need to learn more about the world.” “Hmm. A ‘spirit of no nation.’ A clever turn of phrase, but I don’t think it’s quite right.”
“The Avatar is reborn into a different nation according to the cycle of the seasons. So, it seems to me that spending time as part of each nation is integral to being the Avatar. Maybe it’s necessary to care deeply about your homeland so that you can empathize with how others feel about theirs. Once you fully understand that each is as valuable—and as flawed—as the others, that could motivate you to strive for peace and balance between the Four Nations.”
“So you’re fixed?” Roku asked. Gyatso thrust an open palm out to the side. Nothing happened. His face fell. “Guess not.” “Maybe seeing us in danger focused your chi,” Ta Min suggested.
It would be really cool if this carries over to adult Gyatso as well. He fights better when motivated.
“I determine when you are ready to learn airbending. I determine when you have mastered airbending. I determine when you are ready to begin serving. And you are not ready.”
Uh oh… getting a little self righteous there.
Sister Disha stopped in front of a statue of Avatar Zalir toward the back of the sanctuary. She was a short-haired, athletically built woman in a sleeveless tunic and a patterned tolgè, a type of handwoven, wraparound skirt that was worn in the days before the Fire Nation when the archipelago was a loose collection of small clans scattered throughout the Fire Islands.
“My airbending hasn’t been that powerful in a long time,” Gyatso had said, referring to the rescue. “You’re bound to get into more trouble on this trip, so I’ll have more opportunities to tap into that energy to save you. If I do that enough times, maybe I’ll be able to figure out how to fully reestablish my connection to my airbending.”
Sozin burned the scroll, then turned back to Kozaru, flipping her a few silver pieces. “For your Earthbender associate.” Kozaru caught the silver and then examined the pieces in her open palm and frowned. “It’s less than you promised him.” Sozin sneered. “It was a sloppy job.”
Boo! Bad Sozin! Bad!
Roku had seen enough airbending training during his time among the Air Nomads to know that Gyatso’s spiraling foot-work, arcing strikes, and wheeling kicks were better than most. He flowed fluidly between each stance, each movement, each turn and spin. It was as if he was dancing with the wind itself. He was more graceful than most of the Airbenders twice his age who’d already earned their arrows—it was no wonder Sister Disha had taken a special interest in helping him. Yet Gyatso only produced the expected blasts of air a fraction of the time. And even then, the gusts were sputtering and
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It was commonly understood that to master bending, one’s spirit had to be attuned to the qualities of one’s bending element. Firebenders had to stoke their determination, their will. Airbenders—from what Sister Disha had taught him so far—needed to relinquish their will and accept the openness of freedom.
“I lost someone very close to me a few years ago,” Roku offered. “It messed me up for a long time, but I found a way through it. You’ll do the same.” Gyatso lifted his head. “Who did you lose?” “My brother.”
Yeah, I figured.
Roku’s understanding of Gyatso shifted—and he now knew why Sister Disha kept trying to get them to spend time together. “That’s when you started having problems with your airbending.” Gyatso nodded. “Want to talk about it?” “Not really. Want to talk about your brother?” “Not really.”
“Backward?” “Yes,” Gyatso said. “Like your monarchy. You really think a single person calling all the shots is a good idea? And have you ever had a female leader? Do you even have a term for that—Fire Madam? Fire Mistress? Fire Lady?”
“There are good reasons for Air Nuns and Air Monks to study and train apart,” Gyatso said. “And besides, we’re not just flexible when it comes to airbending—Air Nomads can move temples if their understanding of their own gender shifts.”
Good bit of lore, that.
Gyatso scoffed. “Are you going to pretend that you don’t greet your countrymen with a hearty ‘Flamey-o, hotman!’?” “Nobody says that,” Roku said. “Not yet,” Gyatso said with a mischievous smile. “But give me some time.” Roku thought about that for a beat. “You’re going to create new Fire Nation slang and somehow get it to spread across the archipelago . . . as a joke?” “Never underestimate my dedication.”
“Avatar Kyoshi didn’t bond with hers until later in life,” Roku said, trying not to sound too defensive.
Gyatso made his way over. “We’ll start simple. Stand here, facing me.” Roku did as instructed, eager for his first real lesson. “I’m going to push you over.” “That’s it?” Roku asked, skeptical.
Oh, I see what’s happening here. Sister Disha had them together so that Gyatso can regain his airbending by way of teaching Roku.
“I know you enough to know that you want people to think you’re a dragon guy but aren’t really a dragon guy.”
A note. I believe Yee has a higher ceiling and is a stronger writer of prose, but when he gets too verbose, I get lost in the sauce. With Ribay, I never get lost but he definitely needs more spice. But if I had to choose, I prefer Ribay in most cases, even though Yee can achieve greater heights with his writing when everything is clicking together: pacing, characterization, and world building.
“So naïve. You probably believe all his other stories too.” Amihan spelled it out: “We hunt outsiders, Malaya. That’s our real job.”
“I was the youngest Air Nomad to master the eighteenth tier in decades. I was even on track to earn my arrows by the time I reached your age—if you can believe it.” “I can,” Roku said.
“But it went away?” Gyatso asked. “Not entirely,” Roku said. “But it became less constant.” Gyatso was quiet for several moments. “There’s a big part of me that doesn’t want that, you know? That feels like if I stop grieving my sister—even for a moment—then that means I’m forgetting her.”
But if reconnecting with my airbending means I need to stop loving Yama, maybe it’s not worth it.”
