Lady Appreciation Post: Ty Lee
Ugh, why does it always seem like my Fridays are so incredibly busy to the point of ridiculousness? Maybe I should think about switching the day I post these. Anyway, since it's late and I'm trying to get to bed at a reasonable hour I'll just drop this unfinished post off for now and edit it in the morning.
"...Ty Lee rocks and I'm really happy to see her happy and free and okay. It also doesn't surprise me that she would be able to make friends with them in prison, her personality is so sweet and I can't see her holding a grudge against anyone. She's just so lovable." --artic-hare from Mark Watches Avatar
The story of how I came to love Ty Lee pretty much parallels how I fell in love with Mai. I knew vaguely about her from fandom murmurings and knew that she was childhood friends with Zuko and Azula. I got into the show and adored her from the first episode she appeared, falling instantly for her cute spunk and perky happy sweetness. My fangirling grew with her character arc.
Ty Lee is basically the Starfire of Avatar. She's sweet, bubbly, and just a little bit dim and strange.
"It's so... poofy! Poof!"
She also likes to hug people. A lot.
Usually Mai.
But don't let her slightly air-headed bright personality fool you. Ty Lee is also an extremely skilled and dangerous gymnast. She excels in the art of hitting people's pressure points and shutting down their nervous systems to render their limbs useless.
Ty Lee took out all those guys by herself. Yes she did. Because she's badass.
So yeah, this girl can literally paralyze you with a quick punch. You'll be defeated before you can even blink, because she's just that quick. Ty Lee kicks no short amount of ass over the series, taking down fully-trained Earthbending soldiers, the Kyoshi Warriors, hell, even freaking Azula once. (More on that later.)
FISTS OF FURY!
Ty Lee also hides no small amount of inner pain and insecurity. Her friendship with Azula is all kinds of massively unhealthy, yet Ty Lee still adores the Fire Nation princess and follows her around like a puppy. I like to think it's partly a byproduct of her attention issues, her straining for something to make her individual and distinct. Because as revealed in "The Beach", Ty Lee comes from a big family with six sisters who she claims "looked exactly like me". Whether that's because they're literally identical or just because the family resemblance is so strong that it's easy to confuse them is anyone's guess, but the important thing to take away is that Ty Lee felt drowned out by all her other sisters.
"It was like I didn't even have my own name!"
It's heavily implied that Ty Lee's parents didn't give her enough individual attention, being too preoccupied juggling all her other sisters. Quoting myself from elsewhere: "She felt lost in the background noise, and out of focus, and joined the circus in order to have something that made her unique from the others. (This also helps explain why's so drawn to and admiring of Azula, despite the princess's penchant for cruelty towards her: because none of Ty Lee's other sisters can claim to be friends with the Fire Nation princess.)" She was terrified of being part of a "matched set" of identical interchangeable dolls with no agency of her own, so she ran away from her home and joined a traveling circus. (And was apparently one of the most popular acts too.)
Not quite as heartbreakingly tragic as Mai's backstory, but still, intensely relatable and sympathetic. Ty Lee is eager to please and bends quickly to pressure. She craves attention and affection, for someone to focus solely on her for once. She wants this so much that she's easy for Azula to manipulate. Boys fawn over her in droves because of it, even to the point of overwhelming the poor girl.
"Guys guys, I promise there's enough of me for everyone. I think. I hope."
Ty Lee, like so many of the other Fire Nation kids, is tremendously screwed up and broken. And I love her for it.
In the end, Ty Lee, like Mai, is able to move past her extremely unhealthy attachment, loyalty, and devotion to Azula, and stand up to the dangerous Fire Nation princess. When push comes to shove and the choice is between Azula's control and Mai's safely and life, Ty Lee chooses to save Mai.
Look at those expressions of shock. No one even saw that coming.
Again, the Genre Savvy Azula was completely blindsided by this betrayal. Because love and friendship turned out to be stronger than fear and manipulation. Ty Lee wiggles out from underneath Azula's thumb and declares her independence.
Oh and the next time we see her, she's gotten friendly with the Kyoshi Warriors and joined them. Her insecurities and issues with being in a matched set have completely disappeared, and she's comfortable enough in her own skin and uniqueness of identity to blend in with a shared aesthetic.
Ty Lee's character development is complete. She no longer has to be so different, no longer has to be the "circus freak". She knows now her personality and individualism won't disappear just because she wears a uniform and facepaint. And oh, how wonderful it is to see.
Ty Lee midear, your journey was a pleasure to watch unfold.
Look at that smile. She's so cute.
"...Ty Lee rocks and I'm really happy to see her happy and free and okay. It also doesn't surprise me that she would be able to make friends with them in prison, her personality is so sweet and I can't see her holding a grudge against anyone. She's just so lovable." --artic-hare from Mark Watches Avatar
The story of how I came to love Ty Lee pretty much parallels how I fell in love with Mai. I knew vaguely about her from fandom murmurings and knew that she was childhood friends with Zuko and Azula. I got into the show and adored her from the first episode she appeared, falling instantly for her cute spunk and perky happy sweetness. My fangirling grew with her character arc.
Ty Lee is basically the Starfire of Avatar. She's sweet, bubbly, and just a little bit dim and strange.
"It's so... poofy! Poof!"
She also likes to hug people. A lot.
Usually Mai.
But don't let her slightly air-headed bright personality fool you. Ty Lee is also an extremely skilled and dangerous gymnast. She excels in the art of hitting people's pressure points and shutting down their nervous systems to render their limbs useless.
Ty Lee took out all those guys by herself. Yes she did. Because she's badass.
So yeah, this girl can literally paralyze you with a quick punch. You'll be defeated before you can even blink, because she's just that quick. Ty Lee kicks no short amount of ass over the series, taking down fully-trained Earthbending soldiers, the Kyoshi Warriors, hell, even freaking Azula once. (More on that later.)
FISTS OF FURY!
Ty Lee also hides no small amount of inner pain and insecurity. Her friendship with Azula is all kinds of massively unhealthy, yet Ty Lee still adores the Fire Nation princess and follows her around like a puppy. I like to think it's partly a byproduct of her attention issues, her straining for something to make her individual and distinct. Because as revealed in "The Beach", Ty Lee comes from a big family with six sisters who she claims "looked exactly like me". Whether that's because they're literally identical or just because the family resemblance is so strong that it's easy to confuse them is anyone's guess, but the important thing to take away is that Ty Lee felt drowned out by all her other sisters.
"It was like I didn't even have my own name!"
It's heavily implied that Ty Lee's parents didn't give her enough individual attention, being too preoccupied juggling all her other sisters. Quoting myself from elsewhere: "She felt lost in the background noise, and out of focus, and joined the circus in order to have something that made her unique from the others. (This also helps explain why's so drawn to and admiring of Azula, despite the princess's penchant for cruelty towards her: because none of Ty Lee's other sisters can claim to be friends with the Fire Nation princess.)" She was terrified of being part of a "matched set" of identical interchangeable dolls with no agency of her own, so she ran away from her home and joined a traveling circus. (And was apparently one of the most popular acts too.)
Not quite as heartbreakingly tragic as Mai's backstory, but still, intensely relatable and sympathetic. Ty Lee is eager to please and bends quickly to pressure. She craves attention and affection, for someone to focus solely on her for once. She wants this so much that she's easy for Azula to manipulate. Boys fawn over her in droves because of it, even to the point of overwhelming the poor girl.
"Guys guys, I promise there's enough of me for everyone. I think. I hope."
Ty Lee, like so many of the other Fire Nation kids, is tremendously screwed up and broken. And I love her for it.
In the end, Ty Lee, like Mai, is able to move past her extremely unhealthy attachment, loyalty, and devotion to Azula, and stand up to the dangerous Fire Nation princess. When push comes to shove and the choice is between Azula's control and Mai's safely and life, Ty Lee chooses to save Mai.
Look at those expressions of shock. No one even saw that coming.
Again, the Genre Savvy Azula was completely blindsided by this betrayal. Because love and friendship turned out to be stronger than fear and manipulation. Ty Lee wiggles out from underneath Azula's thumb and declares her independence.
Oh and the next time we see her, she's gotten friendly with the Kyoshi Warriors and joined them. Her insecurities and issues with being in a matched set have completely disappeared, and she's comfortable enough in her own skin and uniqueness of identity to blend in with a shared aesthetic.
Ty Lee's character development is complete. She no longer has to be so different, no longer has to be the "circus freak". She knows now her personality and individualism won't disappear just because she wears a uniform and facepaint. And oh, how wonderful it is to see.
Ty Lee midear, your journey was a pleasure to watch unfold.
Look at that smile. She's so cute.