KATARA BLOODBENDING SONG | “What Have I Become” by Lydia the Bard | ATLA Animatic

Avatar the Last Airbender is a masterpiece and I will never be convinced otherwise.

Hope you enjoyed this original Katara song by myself and @FrostudioChambersonic !! I’m SO EXCITED to release it, I’ve been working on this project for ages and am so proud of it! Naturally I usually do covers so putting out an original song is always nerve wracking, so if you enjoyed please do drop a comment/share! (This isnt meant to be a villain song btw for anyone confused)

I really wanted to explore that moment just after Katara learnt to bloodbend and what her emotional state might be. This is arguably the darkest story arch in ATLA and I wish we got a few more episodes on it to see the effect it had on her! So this was the next best thing for me, write a song and play around with it!

LYRICS:

These hands they don’t feel like mine
Spirit deep inside escapes it confines and I’m running out of time
Don’t know if I can hold it back
From the swathes and scores it wants to attack
I can’t hold it back

My only purpose
Was to protect
Those I love and care for

This powers tainted
Can’t restrain it
It wants vengeance and war

If I’d had power
All those years ago
What could I restore?

Could I have saved you?

What have I become
Who would save me
What have I become
What have you made me
Look how far you’ve come
Stronger than the sea
As weakness fills my lungs
And I’m scared of me

Once the waters edge felt safe
Now the waves they roar and rage
Mother water and I am her daughter those waves run in me

Currents rush and race and seethe
Righteous anger here to feed
And I have control
Bend and fold
This whole world
I will mould
I’ll make their blood run cold

My only purpose
Was to protect
Those I love and care for

This powers tainted
Can’t restrain it
It wants vengeance and war

I must remember what I fight for!

What have I become
Who would save me
What have I become
What have you made me
Look how far you’ve come
Stronger than the sea
As weakness fills my lungs
And I’m scared of me

My gran would tell me stories
Of peace before this war
Where everyone was happy
And knew what they lived life for

She told me there was one
Who would unite them all
A shining son would come
And that’s all she foresaw

What part am I supposed to play?
Am I the storm?

Will I be
The Villain

This power
Unbidden

If I send a wave to you will it drown me too?

What have I become
What have I become
What have I
What have I
What have I
What have I become

Byeeeeeeee

PS: Really super duper fun links below!! The FUNNEST of links! I’m talking discord server, social media, patreon, music streaming, the list goes on… go have a gander!

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✨STREAM THIS SONG✨

You can find my music on other platforms too, just type in my name :)

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✨CREDITS✨

Lyrics/Vocals - Lydia the Bard

Music - @FrostudioChambersonic

Animatic - @sarahsworks

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✨PATREON✨

Karaoke tracks, early access, mentions in videos, sneak peaks of work in progress and more!

Check it out here -

Help support the channel by joining as a Patron! All funds raised will be spent on the channel so you will be directly supporting the content that comes out here!

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✨SOCIALS✨

I must hype up the Discord server, its the MOST wholesome place to be, follow the above link to join! Also you can ask me questions :)

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✨END SCREEN CREDITS✨

If you’d like to use this song in an animatic or art project go for it please do just credit and tag me! Please do not simply repost this video on YouTube, TikTok or any other social media.

THANKS TO MY PATRONS!
Emilyrox
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[shadowldrago]

Katara is afraid that she's a monster. That being a Bloodbender is something that's inherently evil, and now, she's corrupted. But, she isn't. The representation of her rage and trauma DIDN'T drag her down to the depths. She is going to struggle with it, likely for a very long time, but, she won't become a monster like Hama was.

[elistewart]

I think that even Katara’s evil side was like, “Please, just stop fighting, ” at the moment before the flashback. As if it has ‘inherited’ her compassion.

[Wolf-whqp]

I love the detail of Katara's "evil self" being red like the fire nation

[sarahserenityqueen]

I think Katara is having visions of what could happen if she gave into the blood bending art that her rage and sorrow empowers.

[shadowldrago]

This is very much NOT a villain song, but, it's Katara's fear. Fear of her own rage, fear of becoming just another killer. Fear that Bloodbending is inherently evil and that by using it, regardless of WHY, she, in turn, Is Evil. This feels like part of a story. And we see that conclusion in the episode where the confronts her mother's killer, and ends up Bloodbending the wrong guy, but spares him, and deliberately doesn't kill her mother's murderer. She doesn't forgive him. She's never going to forgive him. But she is not a monster. She is more than her trauma. And, even if out of sheer spite, seeing this man brought so low, she intends to rise and be BETTER.

[jackbelinski]

If you think about it, what must have really deeply affected Katara wasn’t just simply mastering blood bending, but learning that such a dark, demonic skill actually existed within water bending. Her whole life she loved water bending and cursed fire bending, never knowing she was practically capable of much worse.
I mean, it’s one thing to burn someone, but to tear their muscles & organs apart, fix them and tear apart them again, not to mention being able to make people hurt or kill others against their will?

[Jade_Dragon]

So... Is anyone looking at this and thinking "yeah, this isn't a villain song, but..."
Edit: why does this have this many likes? Also this was made 5 hours before the premiere, so I had no idea what it was about. I just meant based on the thumbnail

[FrostudioChambersonic]

I'm honoured to be able to work on a collab with you! You are spectacular and your voice is truly majestic!

[Cute_Waterfowl]

This song perfectly shows the duality of us all. Our anger our addictions our struggles. A war waging daily within us all. Fighting against ourselves in a never ending battle. The truth is both sides represent us as a whole. We can all heal from the pain that’s been done to us with time.

[FAILGIRL]

The fact that there isn't any songs from ALTA that would fit for Katara and that Lydia had to write this song from scratch is absolutely amazing. Great job, Lydia 👍👍👍
Edit: Thank you so much everyone for the likes and support. It means a lot to me

[NotMelancholicMelanie]

3:29 "if i sent a wave for you, would it drown me too?" That hits deep

[sadmoonbun]

I hope they include katara learning bloodbending in the live action it's fr one of my favorite parts of the series

[raven]

I like this is not just a villain song but also about a girl who is so pure of heart battling her inner demons. Bravo! 👏

[mediamonkey]

KATARA HAS ENTERED THE WATER SPIRIT AVATAR STATE!!

[gnhpinn]

This song does a better job conveying the nuances of katara and her trauma in 4 minutes than the entire live action avatar series

[sarahsworks]

Thank you so much for having me as the artist on this one Lydia! Put my blood (heh) sweat and tears into this one >:)

[njivwathomassilavwe]

Genuinely amazing. I love how she was singing and fighting against the worst of herself and that ending was terrifying

[psionicsknight]

“Avatar the Last Airbender is a masterpiece and I will never be convinced otherwise.”

Lydia… why would someone try to change your opinion about an absolute fact?

[TobiasAdin]

This song perfectly showed Katara's inner turmoil. I don't think most people realise how awful bloodbending truly is. And for Katara, who's basically the embodiment of compassion, it must have been devastating to be forced to use it. This song does Katara justice in a way that the show didn't (as much as I love the show).

[alakazamlover]

the final lines, with the animation, of Katara being drowned by herself, that was just....perfection, in lyrics and animation, just....hot damn i have chills....especially from the whiplash of Katara saying how gram gram told her stories about time before the war, then hinting at the avatar
and Katara going "what is my role? am i the storm? am i the villain?" and still questioning that, to her last moment