Pathik - Tumblr Posts
Thoughts on Opposites
In regards to bomjumaku's article on the cross, here are my musings on duality and unity.
From a purely Daoist perspective, there aren't really any opposites or duality. Such things are just convenient labels for us humans, but have no meaning in respect to the actual Path. Everything just is as it exists within the Dao, thus eliminating the imperfect descriptions of whether things are Good or Evil, Light or Dark, Yin or Yang. Yes, even the infamous Daoist symbol of the Yin-Yang is simply the best attempt of our ancestors to define the state of Being Unified. To follow their own analogy, it should really be simply one plain circle of gray, or maybe purple, something completely different from Black and White. This is known as the Wuji, the ultimate or empty circle. But because just a plain circle looks really dumb and doesn't explain anything, the originators did the best they could to teach the concept better without actually teaching it (but of course, by doing that, they are still teaching it after all).
So we come to the Yin-Yang. I get the feeling from television and the internet that a lot of people use it without actually knowing what it means. So if you get it or already understood it, congratulations! For everyone else, here's the basic rundown. Do you see how there's a black dot and a white dot in the opposite-colored field? This isn't just for aesthetics, it means that nothing is pure on either side. Nothing is totally dark, and nothing is totally light. A lot of people like to deal in absolutes, especially in popular media, but nothing is actually that simple or clear. To try and talk about history or politics this way is to invite disaster and often prevents us from discussing things honestly or fairly. Rorschach was wrong (and yet somehow still right), and we're all supposed to understand that by the end of Watchmen. This is part of what makes him such an interesting character, and I think a big reason why he's the fan favorite. For someone who sees things completely in Right and Wrong, he himself is all mixed up and conflicted, lost in his own gray area that drives him crazy. If we really want to be able to exist in peace and have conversations about Big Important Things, we must accept that things simply are as they are, and will never be wholly good or wholly bad.
Now, let's take another look at the Yin-Yang. Do you notice how those two fields of black and white aren't actually rigid against each other? There isn't just a straight line separating the two halves; the curve represents the two sides flowing into each other, one after the other in a constant flow. This, to me, indicates the illusion of thinking of the two as separate entities or concepts. They are both part of the greater whole, unified as a single entity. This is what the Wuji represents, a single essence that simply is. Contained within it, of course, is the system of Yin and Yang, but the main point is to recognize that it's not a dual duel between the two, but a partnership. People like to talk about how Yin represents the Feminine and how Yang represents to Masculine, but to me this is missing the point. The two simply exist in harmony with each other, and you cannot have one without the other, as they are a single unit.
Of course, this won't stop people from using it as a convenient Chinese cure-all for symbolism, and it certainly won't stop people from using it as a label for any given two-part analogy. And that's okay, because duality labels are still convenient and useful for us. But we do all need to recognize that the duality is an illusion. The concept of opposites is only true in strictest of languages, where something is either Good or Ungood. But for everything else, it's better to think of things in terms of different (and often completely non-polarized) qualities. Like Pathik says, separations are illusions.
anastasia au / アナスタシアバージョン zukaang week 2021 day four | ba sing se season 2 au / 平行宇宙
aang woke up under the control of dai li, while zuko and iroh lived in ba sing se three years after banishment. set as canon divergent version before crossroads of destiny. more of this story below the cut!
excuse my fuzzy brain for incoming plotholes maybe hehe yeah wow i love impulsiveness. anyway yeah sozin comet ain't comin until like, 120 AG-ish
zuko and iroh stopped searching for the avatar and peacefully worked under quon's patronage at ba sing se.
fortunately, due to their successful tea business, they found better access to knowledge of the avatar, as well as various air nomad's relics and textual informations. they decided to keep everything at their secret warehouse, hiring bands of thugs to keep it safe.
unbeknownst to iroh and zuko, four years before they lived as refugees, dai li was the first one to find aang in his iceberg state near eastern air temple.
hundred years ago, aang briefly fought against fire nation army at the temple alongside pathik, gyatso, the nuns, and several young monks. he was saved by pathik from dire situation by getting thrown into the ocean.
long feng planned to raise the boy as their secret weapon so earth kingdom could rise, taking down the fire nation.
upon woken up, aang was hypnotized, and could only remember that he's an orphan named liu jun, born as earthbender.
he was told that the markings on his skin was a curse since birth by angered spirits, and to never let other people see it or they'll be facing the consequences of his misfortune.
he lived like a bird in a cage under long feng's watch and the head of dai li's tutelage. for six years long, he felt horribly stressed.
one day, aang finally found a way to get out of his residence by tricking the caretakers, sneaking and riding on earth kingdom's logistic vehicles.
once he's out of the food supply cart, he found and saved momo from being sold by black market thugs in the lower ring. there, he stumbled upon zuko and iroh's secret warehouse.
zuko was mad for the intrusion, but quickly realized something about the boy's appearance. iroh, however, noticed that this liu jun has upper class upbringing, and concluded that he's one of the rebel child who wanted the taste of outer walls.
zuko just blatantly state the obvious; "kid, you really, really look like the avatar in that painting," but aang was like, "who's avatar?" and ended up being educated about hundred years war history.
aang felt shocked by the tattoos he saw on the painting. still, he quickly dismissed the idea that he might be a living airbender, since their tattoo was supposed to be a sign of mastery, not a curse like long feng said. he didn't tell this to iroh and zuko, yet.
"aish, you must be mad for ever thinking i'm the avatar. he should be an old man by now! i'm afraid of being near fire or under the water for too long, and i dislike being in cramped spaces with damp air. how am i supposed to bend those elements?" (those are also the mental issues resulted by long feng's braingwashing, ofc)
either way, he needed to hide from long feng. aang quickly sealed the deal to iroh's offer who gave him the chance to help their tea shop in the meantime. well, anything but being under dai li's supervision works.
for a week of working together, zuko had noticed a lot of strange things in aang; like how he could easily play kangling (air nomad's bone flute), how his footsteps were so light he almost can never be heard walking, and how he never want to bathe and get dressed with other people nearby.
in the hunt for aang, long feng sent royal guards to every corner of earth kingdom territory. finally, they found aang at the warehouse. chaotic pursuit ensues. iroh and zuko managed to save him—at the price of being labeled as criminals.
with the help of june, iroh and zuko found their way to their old ship and crews. they brought aang there, and asked who he actually was since he's so important for the dai li.
from zuko and iroh's research, the only living people who could confirm the avatar's identity was bumi, who's in omashu, and the temple sages. too much risk for those, ofc, so they opted to go to the empty eastern air temple for more hints.
there, they met pathik, who went, "monkey feathers! aang, is that you?" to which aang replied, "nah, i'm liu jun." and pathik's like, "but i can sense your avatar spirit! and-and your tattoos, let me look at it!" but aang was so, so afraid of showing it.
then, by nudging his inner ki, pathik managed to trigger the avatar state out of aang, causing him to remember everything, including his airbending ability.
zuko and iroh be like, "well, shit, he's really the avatar," and their journey went rather hellish from that, with both zhao's fleet and the dai li on their tail.
after being informed by pathik that he had bonded with an air bison named appa, aang wished he could find him, since appa's the only family that might remain alive with him in this world. zuko promised that they would find appa.
under the pretense of companionship, zuko secretly plotted to give aang to ozai, while he and iroh helped the boy to master four elements by travelling around the world.
feelings were hindering him on the way, though. months of travelling together did that. "i think we could be good friends, even in another lifetime, if not a hundred years ago." oof, aang.
just like dimitri and anastasia, zukaang had deep bonding session at the boat with their dancing dragon and firebending lessons. iroh did smile knowingly at them.
betrayal slapped hard when aang found out about zuko's actual plan during their fight against zhao at north pole, who revealed with, "you befriend this dishonored prince, avatar? all he wanted to do was to send you to the fire lord as a nicely wrapped gift! this was all a ploy to earn your trust, to take you down by knowing your exact blind spots! you are merely a tool for him to regain his former identity!"
ouch. they got separated from there. aang then teamed up with the eventually formed gaang at the other side of the world, while zuko getting scolded by iroh, "you don't only lose someone that you care about, but the hope of the whole world! your hope! hadn't the past three years taught you something? hunger for power only bring despair to you!"
both once separated parties then reunited with the crossroads episode. aang ended up dead, katara swore to finish the fire siblings off, and zuko went absolutely mad, drowned in grief.
it's up to zuko now, to actually fulfill his promises; from finding appa to saving the world from his father—all without knowing that katara could revive aang. angst angst angst, final boss, zukaang banging then everyone lived happily ever after ♥
the musical scores would be:
a rumour in ba sing se
once upon an agrahāyana
caldera holds the key to your heart
learn to wield it
learn to wield it (dancing dragon reprise)
in the dark of the moonless night
feels great to finally manifest this draft of zukaang anastasia au for @zukaangweek uwu