As I said before, this part of the chapter is solely for the author's note. It's possible that this will happen again in the latter 38 chapters.
The author thanks readers for reaching the end of the chapter, which she says was difficult to write because of everything she has going on in her mind.
The author says that not everyone was introduced here, since some of the introductions would happen off-screen, which makes sense, since some works of fiction assume that when two characters who have a mutual acquaintance meet, they know about each other. Bumi and JJ get less focus than Pakku and Piandao, since the former two are Aang's mentors, and Aang isn't present. She says she finds the two "fascinating," and shares some headcanon on them.
First up is Pakku, who's probably the good guy who's the easiest to demonize because of his sexism, but curiously enough, he doesn't get that treatment as much as some would think. The author starts out by saying that Pakku has a good heart but doesn't adjust to change easily, and keeps his emotions inside, all reasonable assertions.
The author believes that Pakku and Kanna "did the nasty" while they were engaged, and Kanna gave birth to Kya after they ran away, which would make Pakku the biological maternal grandfather of Sokka and Katara. Of course, Pakku is hesitant to tell his grandkids and have an emotional scene, especially since his daughter died before he could meet her. This is an interesting interpretation, although it does rely on assumptions that characters feel this way and don't show it; generally, even the most emotionally restrained characters have at least a few unguarded moments in which they show what's on their mind.
Going back to Kya for a moment, the author suggests something along the lines of "talent skips a generation" when it comes to bending, especially with the complicated genetics. Bending is a bit of a complex thing, and there doesn't seem to be that much rhyme or reason as to whether a child will inherit their parents' abilities(I'm surprised the author didn't see this as a plot hole). Keep this in mind when the note goes to Piandao.
The author suggests Pakku would want Iroh in charge, simply because he doesn't want anyone under 50 in charge of such a large nation with so many problems; 50 seems relatively old for the Avatar-verse. Incidentally, Ozai is a few years shy of 50, but relative youth (by Pakku's standards) is the least of his problems.
Pakku is also guilty of non-malicious (grand) Parental Favoritism, favoring Katara over Sokka because she's a bender and he isn't (although it is partly explained by him bonding with Katara over training), and Katara's similarity to her mother (the daughter Pakku never knew). As such, he's not trying to be a jerk, but Katara's still offended about how he favors her while being "very dismissive" of Sokka.
Katara also takes the opportunity to talk with Pakku about bloodbending, since he's a fellow waterbender. He opens her eyes to its uses in medicine, which she would overlook as it's a "dark art." Pakku doesn't have the emotional baggage with it , and is smart enough to figure out that Katara knows it.
Piandao is next, and the author cites his article on the Avatar Wiki as saying that his bender parents abandoned him because he didn't have their talent. The author suspects that he would have tracked them down, hoping to meet them, only to be disappointed and to ultimately channel that emotion into swordplay. He also takes an interest in students who don't have very good self-esteem, while turning away the arrogant ones.
The author suggests that Piandao has a fatherly relationship with his students, but mainly with Sokka, who seeks the approval of a father figure. The author points out that Hakoda's "a great dad", but Sokka needs validation from male authority figures. The author suspects that Zuko and Piandao know each other, from the summers after Zuko's mother vanished, but Piandao spends more time with Sokka to allow Zuko time with his uncle.
The author also suggests that Piandao and Fat might be partners, and promises to follow up on this more later.
The author mentions that Sokka didn't know what it meant to get the white lotus tile, but all the Gaang have one thing in common- relief to have many poweful and competent allies at their side on the Eve of Sozin's comet. They have questions about the White Lotus, but they can be saved for another time, and Sokka is glad to be accepted.
The author mentions that with all the "older minor characters," there, she decided to have Aunt Wu there as well, due to thinking of her as having a bond with Katara and Iroh, and being a way to explain Iroh's faith in Aang coming back.
The author believes that Aunt Wu would have met Iroh, Jun and Zuko during their five days after their attempt to capture Aang, and mentions that she borrowed a scene from RTD's Casanova. The author also suggests that after Iroh and Zuko's reunion, they would do a bit of catching up, since Iroh doesn't know all the details. It would essentially recap the series thus far and result in Zuko telling Iroh about Katara (and thus why he knows her). All this seems like what the author would include but what isn't important enough to make it into the series, possibly material for the "Stalked By Katara" series.
The author then decides to tackle three points- 1)Iroh refusing to be Fire Lord, 2)The focus on Ba Sing Se, and 3)the Gaang splitting up.
First up is Iroh. The author asks in a somewhat rhetorical way, why Iroh can't be Fire Lord, complaining about all the responsibility being thrust upon a traumatized, impulsive and socially awkward teenager while Iroh makes tea, and suggesting that's why Zuko's "going nuts" in The Promise. Zuko may be all those things, but he's also headstrong and take-charge, taking all the responsibility onto his shoulders so that Iroh can enjoy his retirement as a way of repaying Iroh for everything that he's done for him. As such, it's quite easy to imagine that Zuko would eagerly take up the Fire Lord position after hearing that Iroh doesn't want it.
The author points out that Iroh is next in line, wise, patient, experienced, respected, popular and smart, all of which are true. The author points out that Zuko's surprised that Iroh thinks he should be Fire Lord, believing that he rejected that position. Zuko was eager to become Fire Lord while he was younger, but now that he's older, sees it as a terrible responsibility, particularly in getting people to follow him, which is why he'd accept it, but wouldn't enjoy it. This is reasonable, and somewhat similar to Prince Wu's Character Development from Book 4 of The Legend of Korra, but Zuko would also see how important it is, and commit himself to the task.
The author points out that Zuko didn't think Iroh was serious in this episode, but didn't want to start an argument. She concludes that if she needs a theory other than that someone new must come along, she would bring up his siege of Ba Sing Se, and how many people in the Earth Kingdom haven't forgiven him for that, especially problematic considering their importance to the process. That's true, although I think that could naturally be extrapolated.
Another thing I'd like to bring up is Iroh's age, and his being somewhat broken by Lu Ten's death. He, in all likelihood, wouldn't last all that long as Fire Lord, since I've heard governing a country tends to age a person much more quickly. He also seemed happiest settling down in Ba Sing Se, and for all Zuko wanted to capture Aang, he must have noticed that, too, and not wanted to deny his uncle that.
TL;DR? There's more reason for Iroh to not want the position and for Zuko to take it up than the author thinks.
The author then moves on to the second question about the White Lotus, wondering why the adults focused on Ba Sing Se (which the author admits to making more important here) while leaving the teenagers on their own. The author suggests that they can't change the plan at the last minute (which means that it's terribly flawed to begin with; as they say, "No plan survives first contact with the enemy.") The author suggests that the White Lotus believed they could take down the airships from the ground. As for warning the villages, the author suggests that the White Lotus warning villages and leaving them on their own is not heartless, but pragmatic, and necessary to focus on Ba Sing Se.
The author then moves on to question 3, without the bold text, saying that Sokka, possessing engineering skill and the desire to save the villages from being destroyed by fire from the sky, along with Suki (who wants to prevent the farmlands from being destroyed), and Toph (who believes Aang will be there.
If I seem a bit more critical of the author's notes than the story text, it's because of a few reasons. First, I find fault with many of the author's interpretations. Second, they seem to restate much of the fic, while explaining the fic, making the Author Tract elements of the work come through more clearly. Lastly, I believe that the author does some of her best writing when she isn't trying to prove something, which is why Jun, Sokka, Pakku and others that aren't involved in Zutara vs. Kataang and Maiko are some of the most consistently well-written characters in the fic.
What I liked
- Interesting portrayal of Pakku.
What I didn't like
- Some of the characters' backstories didn't entirely make sense.
- The author tries too hard to patch up perceived plot holes.
- The author's criticism of Iroh not being Fire Lord shows a lack of understanding of Zuko and Iroh.
