The Darkness Interlude

She dares to ask herself the question on the long walk back to the temple: Why?

'Why does it feel so good?' She allows the words out past terrified lips as she stumbles over sticks and boulders. Why can't waterbending be enough? Why can't her Octopus Stance and water whips and ice disks be her power? Why this seductive lure of blood and moral greys so dark they're practically black?

The interested reader might take a moment to grieve the consequences of war and cultural genocide. Had Katara grown up in a Southern Water Tribe with the elders of old— the rites of the maiden, the Glacier Priestesses of the Long Night— she would have learned of the blood mysteries; the death magic of that sisterhood. How else does life cycle in a place of constant ice and snow? Where the soil sleeps ten months of the year and nothing rots, only freezes? She would have been initiated into her birthright: water is the source of all life and for life to be, so too must there be death.

Katara is every bit as much the waterbender as she is the bloodbender. She did not learn this from Hama; that old, broken woman's revenge is nothing but a scar on the surface of the Southern blood mysteries. Teachings of healing deeper than the skin, of reading a person's truth in their veins, of balance, destiny, and deep feminine honour.

But she grew up in a world at war and was shown the distorted aspect of bloodbending.

And now she feels herself evil because of it.

Even worse.

She blames Zuko, blames the stains on his own soul for tainting hers.


RHI trivia #15: BellaOfTheTower said in a review: "The very nature of bloodbendong implies lack of consent and it's blatant violation and lack of control that all in all, leaves a terrible taste in my mouth. However, I did always like bloodbending. Though it is in fact a terrifying and deeply disturbing power."

^ YES. Yesyesyes! This sort of problematic, conflicting shit is storytelling gold. I've always interpreted bloodbending as forgotten lore of the waterbenders (no offense Hama, but you can't possibly be the first). In my headcanon, there was once a rich and thriving culture in the Northern and Southern Water Tribes and bloodbending would have had a place in that culture. And there's something about bloodbending that feels… feminine. Like a priestesses/pagan maybe even sacrificial thing. And as with any tool or weapon, I don't think its inherently good or evil, it's how each bender uses it that matters. Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.