Avatar:Macmu-Ling

"Five, seven, then five, syllables mark a haiku, remarkable oaf."

— Madame Macmu-Ling to Sokka.

Macmu-Ling

Macmu-Ling.png

Nationality	Ba Sing Se, Earth Kingdom
Ethnicity	Earth Kingdom
Pronouns	She/her
Hair color	Black
Position	* Headmistress of the Fragrant Blossoms Institute Head of the Five-Seven-Five Society Haiku master
Affiliation	* Earth Kingdom Fragrant Blossoms Institute Five-Seven-Five Society
Weapon	Blades
Profession	Haiku teacher
Allies	Silver Fangs, Five-Seven-Five Society, Jin, Sumi
Enemies	Sokka
First appearance	"The Tales of Ba Sing Se"
Last appearance	City of Echoes: Chapter Fourteen
Voiced by	Melinda Clarke

Madame Macmu-Ling was a great master of haiku, one of the most revered forms of poetry. She served as Headmistress of the Fragrant Blossoms Institute in the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se, and also led the Five-Seven-Five Society, an organization devoted to the composition and appreciation of haiku. She also had covert connections to an opposition movement which was seeking to undermine the Conspiracy of Ba Sing Se.

History

Cooperation with the Silver Fangs and meeting Jin

Macmu-Ling relied on a network of Silver Fangs black market businesses to obtain high-quality calligraphy brushes that she paid a fortune for. The brushes in question were made by a master Fire Nation artisan, and were therefore illegal to import to Ba Sing Se. Furthermore, Macmu-Ling secretly disdained and opposed the oppressive political system in the city. Aware of her political leanings, the Silver Fangs sought to extend their connections with Macmu-Ling, as the crime group was also an underground revolutionary movement. However, the headmistress was very particular in her behavior and quite distrustful, causing her to repeatedly reject the group's covert requests for greater cooperation.

One day in the spring of 100 AG, a new delivery girl named "Huajin" brought the madame her regular shipment from the Silver Fangs. Macmu-Ling showed a slight annoyance at the untrained demeanor of Huajin, who was really Jin, but was nevertheless pleased to obtain the brushes. While scrutinizing the brush, Macmu-Ling absentmindedly asked Jin if she knew what the brush was used for. The madame was surprised to hear the servant girl identify it as a soft-hair brush, specifically identifying it as either made of goat dog hair or gorilla goat hair. When Jin again showed she was knowledgeable about the brushes of master calligraphers, Macmu-Ling's suspicions flared up, and she came towards the delivery girl while starting to remove a blade concealed in her sleeve. Jin quickly explained that she was a refugee from a family of calligraphers. The answer satisfied Macmu-Ling, and she hid her blade once again and adopted a much calmer demeanor.

Still wanting to make sure that the servant was who she said she was, Macmu-Ling asked Jin to help prepare some ink. The madame made sure to watch the servant's every move, even during the simple act of washing her hands. Macmu-Ling also explained that the ink was made of fire ox blood, which was exclusive to select scholars given permission to use it by decree of the Earth King. When Jin said that she did not know anything about such matters, Macmu-Ling laughed. Jin was unsure if Macmu-Ling was making fun of her, or if she was making fun of the laws in Ba Sing Se.

As Jin guided the ink into the inkwell, she noticed a message on the stick, reading "from the end of the earth, a single feather". Macmu-Ling asked Jin if she knew what it meant. Jin responded that she did not know much about poetry, and Macmu-Ling appeared more relieved. She gestured for Jin to test the ink, and invited her to use the expensive brush which would match its quality. Jin went on to draw the first character of her fake name, "Hua", and Macmu-Ling approved of her work. The madame promised Jin a "gift" in exchange for her deliveries, and composed a haiku on the spot. Jin realized that Macmu-Ling's haiku may be a coded message intended for someone else, and asked if she could write down the poem to remember it. When Jin was done writing down the haiku, Macmu-Ling gave her a bag of coins in payment. She also invited Jin to come back whenever she pleased, adding that she found the girl "amusing". Jin later learned from Xuan that the incident was the furthest his employers had ever gotten with Madame Macmu-Ling. Macmu-Ling later met with Silver Fangs representative Sumi, relaying her approval of "Huajin". This contributed to Jin being recruited as a full member of the secretive network. "Huajin" subsequently became the regular contact of the Silver Fangs to Macmu-Ling.

Meeting Sokka

Macmu-Ling was annoyed at Sokka's disruption of the Five-Seven-Five Society.

Some time after Jin's first visit to the Fragrant Blossoms Institute, Sokka came crashing through a window of Macmu-Ling's haiku class in the Five-Seven-Five Society. His apology accidentally took the form of a haiku. Macmu-Ling greeted him in turn with a somewhat badmouthing haiku, calling him a "remarkable oaf". The two began to engage in an on-the-spot haiku duel. After an exchange of three haikus each, Sokka managed to win the poetry contest and Madame Macmu-Ling left the stage in defeat. However, when he recited his victory haiku, Sokka made a crucial error by using one too many syllables, and was abruptly thrown out of the room.

Personality

Macmu-Ling respected and defended the complexities of art, and expected others to do the same. She held little regard for those whom she believed were incapable of appreciating the high arts, and did not hesitate to try to humiliate such people with her craft. Her standards in all things were exceedingly high, and she was known for asking her contacts to blacklist even simple delivery girls from coming to her again if they failed to meet her expectations. Nevertheless, she did sometimes show a warmer side to people she considered promising, especially if they were "amusing" to her.

She also disliked the authoritarian, propagandist regime of Long Feng, and was willing to kill those who potentially tried to spy on her.

Abilities

As a master of her art, Macmu-Ling could easily compose haikus on the spot. Her poems had strong imagery, multiple layers, and hidden meanings, which were considered ideal for the art form. She also carried a concealed blade on her person to defend herself.

Appearances

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Book Two: Earth (土)

Appearances: 1

Trivia

• Madame Macmu-Ling's name was inspired by the last name of Lauren MacMullan, who wrote the episode.
• "Madame Macmu-Ling" contains five syllables, much like the first and last lines of a haiku.