Janet and Dante recover from “Appa’s Lost Days” with the brilliant and hilarious Ron Funches! What better way to transition from the emotionally poignant Appa-centric episode of Book Two to the rest of the season? By taking a break with one of the funniest comedians around to focus on some of the joyful, silly, and especially funny moments of ATLA, with particular focus on the second season. You’ll also hear from Ron about how he found both ATLA and TLOK, what he loves about the Avatarverse, and what YOU all told us were your favorite funny moments of Book Two. Plus: Ron makes his own fabulous suggestion for what we should call the listeners of Braving the Elements!
Hello, friends, benders and non benders alike. Welcome to Braving the Elements, Nickelodeon's podcast about all things Avatar Verse. I'm Janet Varney and I'm Dante Bosco. Barney, I feel like I should check in with you again since the last episode, when we did Appa's Last Days, we did have our amazing friend Ivanna Lynch help you get through all those emotions. First of all, I want to thank you for checking in. Um right here, everybody, you're listening to a great friend's voice. You're welcome. Good folks in the Fire Nation, you guys, good folks, No Fire Nation people checking in sometime. I'm talking about Dante Bosco, not talking about Prince Zuko. Yes, it was great having Ivanna there. It cushioned the blow a little bit of how much I cried during Appa's Lost Days. But I am to be honest, I'm still feeling a little emotionally drained, buddy, I really am. Okay, Well, we have something for that, obviously, we need to do something to give everyone, including you, a break from the heaviness of the last few episodes of the Last Airbender. But what Varney, what all right? I'm following you. I like your thinking on this what if? And this is just right off the top of my head, just like it always is when I pretend I don't know what's going to happen on this carefully planned podcast episode. What if we took a break to celebrate some of the funny moments of Book two. I mean, I like it, but off the top of my head, I feel like we need one of Nature's funniest human beings to really make this episode special, to make him pop, you know what I'm saying. Yeah, and it has to be someone who loves the Avatar verse as well. Okay, what if? And this is just a what if, the hypothetical what if I told you we were seconds away from welcoming the great Ron Funches to the show. It's happening right now. Everyone, Please welcome Mr Ron Funches. And I called you Mr just like you insist. I appreciate it is what I love Now as I feel that I am starting to get older and gain light respects, some people call me Mr Funes, which I was like, Oh, I like it, Mr Funes. Do people call you Mr Bosco? You know what, I grew up such a kid in the industry. I was always the youngest person the set. When people started calling me Mr Bosco on the set, I was like, I felt scared. I was like, what who are you talking to right now? Like I'm the kid, aren't. I know you're like the oldest person who set. I'm like, kill me now, I will say. I feel like there's a corroboration between the people who call me ms Varney and ms pronouncing my last name. Like people who want to call me ms. Varney also want to call me ms Varney, Like there's y Yeah, there's like I want to respect you, but I also don't know how to say your name, and so it kind of counsels itself. It's special even when the name is pronounced, it's beautiful. I can't it could be fun fun chess. There's a French pronunciation here, people do that. Yeah, gorgeous. So Ron, When you and I very first met and started being around each other at all, you made my heart sing and sore because every time I saw you, you'd be like, hey, Cora, and that was like the best field. Do you remember that? Yeah? Of course I love Cora, so I wouldn't I it was really fun to be around someone and be like, oh, I love you and this show. You're so great and then I just know you in comedy. Especially for me at that time, I didn't know many people who were on TV shows and stuff, so it was really fun for me. Now I know a lot of people on TV shows and I myself a seal, but shine has worn off myster and glamor. Now she's just a Janet. Now, good old miss Varney. When did you guys first meet on a show at a comedy We think we just met like a comedy rooms, which I don't do stand up, but um, I guess i'd be around Yeah, maybe, yeah, round sketch Fest for sure. Ron's joining sketch Frest. Like since he stepped on a stage and we got wind of it, We're like, who's that? We need met sketch Fest immediately. So that's been a good long while. And where are you coming from? Ron? What part of the country do you help from? Well? I moved around a lot. I was born in Los Angeles, raised in Chicago. I started a comedy in Portland, Oregon, and then I would go from Portland to San Francisco to do shows, or Portland the Seattle to the shows. And that's how people started to get to know me, like Janet, So I went to Northwest PNW in the house And then how did you find Avatar, Last Airbender and the Legend of Core where you met m Cora? Oh well, I don't know exactly how I found it, but it seemed like multiple times through my life where it's been around for me where I think I watched it probably near the time that it debut, I think like like two thousand and eight or so, and then my son was getting a little older and once he started interesting and I was like, oh yeah, let's just rewatch it together, and we just would go through and I think I've bought it in DVD form and Blu ray form, watch it on Netflix and um. And there was a time period, especially like I think when I would talking to you, Janet, or even before, where it was very important you know sometimes the shows that get to you at the right time, and if you had asked me at that time period like Avatar and stuff was like I wouldn't want to be blasphemous and say like a relig Jim, but like uh, like the book The Secret or like these other like self help books where I was like, oh, I'm really learning a lot from watching this show about friendship and your own self confidence and your own inner power and things of that nature, and um, I just always I love the show and I tried to rewatch it at Lisa every year or so, and um just find time when when it comes to me. And then especially when the Cora the book came out, I was like, oh my god, completely different story, way different from the first one of the completely different characters, but I love it just as much. And it has my favorite character in the whole universe, which is Bowlen, who is like, that's like my spirit in that universe. And I felt like I had that same journey as him, where you was like, you know, kind of looked over and underutilized and no one saw any much in him, and he's just kind of the side guy helping other people in their journeys. And then you see that he has this great talent of helping people, of bringing light and joy and out through his acting and being in movies and things, and then he becomes super popular and I'm like, that's what I want. And it started happening in a little bit, and so I was like, I always love because it's just to me. He didn't have any bending powers, but he showed the true power of humor and light and what that can really do for people and for being a friend. Well, that can really do And that's what I love. I love the universe. I love that so much. I don't think we ever fully had that conversation about blind so that makes my heart so happy. I feel like, do you also identify with soccer as being sort of like the brainy, silly guy in Avatar? Or is he too sort of like sarcastic and cocky. Yeah, he was more excited to me, I forgot get that? Do it like he extra? Yeah, he's got more confidence than I felt like I would have had it like that time period, So like, to me, he's like that Andie Murphy, Richard pryor type of comedian, where Boland is more like Mitje Heberg or something. And that's where I was like, you know, and a guy who like where he's just chill until you shine that light on him, you know, And that's what I see in Boland a lot um. But no, I love soccer. Soccer is great. I love those comparisons with all my heart. I don't think I've ever heard anyone I mean, I haven't, like, no one has ever paralleled those people to those people. That makes me so happy because you've just joined two of my favorite world, comedy and Avatar, the Least Airbenders. So that's very satisfying, the very fun I want to see those in the tweets. I want to see people compare comics of all time to characters in avat harvers it uncle very dry comedian, like a Stephen Wright style comedian. Brilliant. So before we go too much deeper into the Avatar Verse and book two in comedy moments, we did want to ask for your help. I'm bringing this on you, but our mutual friend Jason man Zucas another person in the comedy world who was wickedly funny, who I felt such a kinship and affection for, much like I did with you when I found out that he loved the Avatar Verse. Because you know, sometimes in the comedy world everything is like very snarky or you sort of feel like it's not You've got to be cool and not be like too into something unless it's really like mean and cool. And knowing that Jason was like I felt the same way about you, which is like this is a touch point show for him, like goes back to it year after year and feels like he's learning lessons about who he is as a person, which Dante and I feel exactly the same way. Um. He was like, so what do you call your listeners? And we were like, oh, yeah, that's a thing that people do. They have names for like their listeners, their group, their people. So we asked when we had him on, We're like, help us come up with some names. We started to get a handful suggestions. We pulled some today to see if you have any feelings about the ones that that we pulled from Twitter and Dante, do you mind reading the coupe? Okay? So from at Josh Lomboard says, just listen to today's podcast. Might I suggest pro bravers as a term for those that listen regularly a play on pro benders from the Cora era. Love the show, y'all keep up the great work, and then bravers pro there's pro pro bravers. And then at fire Sparks seventy one named suggestion for braving the Elements fan base the rough Buddies, a reference to rhinos and the classic phrase that's rough buddy. And lastly from at trip. This seven my bid for what to call us. To take a page out of Avatar Legends playbook, Pun intended we could be found lings since we were all basically raised by all the nations of the apt Verse and are now braving the elements. I mean bravers, the rough buddies and foundlings, any of those singing to you run the three. I like foundlings. I things like I love the reasoning behind it. It's easy. It seems like something that you could put on sure, but like people wouldn't be like that, silly. What does that mean? You know? It's like, I think it's fun like that. But also I will recommend cabbage heads. That's it. Cabbage heads so good. That's why, that's why you're working all time. Yes, that is a strong contenter. I don't feel prepared to make this call right now. I don't know on the cabbage heads big time. UM. I like all of those. I think those all come from great places. I love the thought that went into it. Um. So you guys who have submitted something fantastic. UM. I think with that in mind, we should get into some of our classic questions for Mr Ronfousches, what do you think Mr Funes boiling funchez A. First of all, we like to ask all our guests, what is your favorite hybrid animal in the Avatar universe? Oh? I mean I just go with the original. To me, Appa is the best, like loyal, fun, brave, just the best, like licks you and then like make your whole body with your tongue. That seems like that's what you want in that's a Golden Retriever taken to the ultimate level. And that's where I won't I'm just gonna throw us out. Do we know what two animals make up that there? Well? Bison, yes, BiCon, yes, BiCon And only say it's because the first episode we revealed this and I did not know, And then people were looking at me like what you didn't know? I'm like, no one else knew either. But then they were like, but you were on the show, dude, but you watched the show. It's also fun that I can't imagine. Right now people are yelling it. Yeah, the people who know Rhonda yelling at you. I'm gonna drop a little knowledge on you. It's half bison, half manatee. What that doesn't seem like you could fly? I know what he's flying in the because he's an airbender. It's the airbender is what makes him fliable. And then the manatee and the bison are and it's Google manatee. And you see the picture of the manatee that comes up that's just kind of floating in the water. It's Appa. It's it's essentially the silhouette of Appa. It's amazing. List We did not tee this up in any way, shape or form, but I will just say coincidentally, there is a fundraiser that we have going for Save the Manatee dot org slash OPA. If you go to Save the Manatee dot org slash APPA, it's Are for the Love of Opa can Pain and we're raising money to save the manatees in real life down in Florida. It's a great organization. So if you have time and the will and effort and heart to do it, um, please uh contribute. If not, feel free to spread the word. Did not t that up, but I thank you both for perfectly. It would be the opportunity to mention fundraising shouts all the manatees out there. I know we got some manatees listening right now. I know there's a few of them out there. Okay, let's talk about some relationships, some ships. Ron a controversial subject in the Avatar versus. It is in every verse because people have very strong feelings about their ships. Do you have favorite ships? Uh? In the Avatar verse, in the last air, whether it's or not. Oh yeah, I know, I got mine, and so I love my favorite one, and that is Cannon is Cora, and that's me. That's a great one person ever. Absolutely, But then my favorite would be saw me in Bowland as he's okay, strongly support this ship. Wow he went to a triple Yeah, but you know I don't want him to have the life that I want to leave. I love boland I as wonderful. Everybody gonna bring something different to that that makes me very happy. I love it. What about the big one? The big question? The big question ron is in the Avatar verse, if you can be a bender of the elements, which element would you bend? I see, there's like desire and then there's what I would feel would be reality understood. Go for what the desire is? Let's go well, I mean I feel like, if anything, I work and live with emotions and moving them around and being fluid with them. So I feel like water bending. I would be, but I'm also very stowick and Jill and so like there's earthly qualities to me, and so I feel like at the end of the day, I would just only be able to throw mud at people. Water or yeah, what is that like the it's not unlike the swamp venders. We got some smart swamp Yeah, you could be sludy. Yeah. One of the most spiritual, aware, amazing characters, and that was the guy in the swamp who tells us that time and death are an illusion. So you may be moving to some mud around, but you're also blowing everyone's mind with beautiful deep thoughts. I love it. That's what I want to do. Thank you so much. But in real life, I'd just be one of the hippies in the cave. That's also good. That's also great. Gave it two lovers. Yeah, that's a beautiful episode. Um God always give a shout out to Dante, your brother and uh Lorraie Newman and Dee Bratley Baker my brother Derek Bosco in the cave. Yeah, some of our favorite I didn't know. Lorraine Newman girl, she's like it's all about love man, like that's yeah, I love her. She's the best. She sent me to where when we when my wife got Mary, She's so yeah. I don't even think I've ever even met her in real life. She sent me when we my wife got That's so weird and so wonderful. Okay, so that's actually a great example of a very very funny episode on the funny side of Avatar. But so, okay, we got all these different types of comedy. I don't want to kill the conversation Asian about comedy by getting too in the weeds. Yet at the same time, I feel like this is a show that does a lot of different styles of comedy very well. So, you know, you got your goofball, cookie silly, you know your site gags. You're sort of more Nickelodeon maybe, Like there's a little bodily noises and things like that which I always feel like I don't want to laugh at, and then realize they're really funny, and so I continue to laugh at them. The older I get, nothing gets less funny. Uh, you got your sarcasm. So we sort of see that in in soccer and tough like things that are super absurd that we also see in the Avatar verse Ron. Do you have like a style of comedy that you feel drawn to over and over, not just like maybe it doesn't even have to be like the comedy you like to do or be in, but just like stuff that makes you laugh when you're watching it. Oh. I think I'm very open to lots of different styles of comedy. I guess overall, I like story driven comedy. I liked my hummer and everything to be driven off of what's happening and there in real life. Um. I think, especially as I get older, I find lists in common with like absurdest humor, which I think when I was young, I was all about and it was all about, especially for myself in the way I do it. I was all about let me show you how smart I am, how many tricks, how much word play I can use in a joke. And now I'm more like, let me tell you about my life, and let me tell you about my story. And I think like the relationship between Zuko and Uncle is one of the funniest things that I mean, it's like heartwarming and sweet and a lot of things, but just the way they speak to each other as family does, in the way that there is love and care, but also there is this like you need to get your stuff together and you gotta um and just Uncle is just very funny as a character and just very dry. But also I love how silly and weird and Milo is what's not hanging out is not? So I like both totally totally. What about mine? Do you guys like mine? Is about mine? Mine? Coming anything? Varney hold on, this is a podcast. Let me do some of my best mind work for everyone. I'll take it over to physical comedy when that has done well is beautiful. Yeah, I'll watch your mind always got time for a mom, I can dig someone. You don't have to say a word. Yet it's a universal thing that everyone can understand. Is meant to be funny. Uh sure, yeah mind. Truthfully, one of the great things about the show is there is this comedy that comes every so oft from the show that is like just essential to the shows as anything else is. And it's it's hard to you know, you see shows that came with that got inspired, I have a turn and try to bring it into it and then bringing that comedy is always a hard part. Or when just anime in general, when they try to do live actions of anime and doing all the great things of a lot of animals, and then try to add that I don't know, it's it's hard for them to get it's weird. That's a really good point. Trying to translate cartoon comedy into live action. UM has the opportunity to not succeed a lot. Do you agree with that one, absolutely, because you're taking away one of his strengths with his ability to be as surreal as possible. There's rules in your mind that you will allow a cartoon to have that you won't allow a live action to have. And so if you start seeing things that break that reality in your mind, you'll just you'll reject it. But when it's animated, it gets a little bit more of a leeway. And I think the same way in the messaging from a youth, I always found, like you know, it's fun, so many messages and some things that you can hide in things like graphic novels or animated shows that you couldn't put in a live action show. And I think that's some of the beauty of it. So to me, sometimes things are just meant to be what they are, and you just let that great animate to show be a great animated show agreed like in real life. And I'm going to give a couple of examples. Well, to give an example from from Book one before we get into Book Too, the fortune Teller to me has you know, and this is something that like, that's one of those episodes that sometimes people are like, yeah, like it's fun and yeah, you find out maybe some stuff that goes towards Cannon, but it also feels a little bit like it's just a side story or Madam Woo and that's kind of woo woo or whatever. Um, there's so much funny stuff in that episode. That's the episode where the platypus bear. We see a platypus bear anxiously and fearful of egg, which is freaking gorgeous. And then also just the whole exchange of Soccer's frustration in that episode where people are like, of course, fortune telling is the only way we know how things work, like can your science explain why it rains? And Soccer is like, yes, yes it can. Um. Love the moment in the water rating scroll where Katara is like, you know, everyone's gathered all together and Katara is like, you know, this is really my fault. Someone else is like no, no, and then Iro of all people like over on the side, it is like it kind of is. It's like beautiful dry not expecting it to come from Iro comes for Iro makes me happy? Did you truth? Telling truth? That's some of the best humor is just telling the truth and moment where people don't expect you too, that is beautiful and that is so very very Iro. Um where we are in the show you heard in the intro ron that we've just been going through like Tales of Busting say, which have some great funny moments in it, but is also very emotional because of different you know, struggles of people are going through and Momo trying to find Opa. And then we go right and we roll right into Appice Lost Days, which is heartbreaking in many ways. Um, So we are doing our sort of comic relief. We haven't got to Lake Lau Guy yet. But in this sort of handful of episodes, are there any things that like call out to you as favorite moments either of you from episodes in book two of course the caves, people going in the cave, getting lost in the cave, all they were happy with Ray moments classic It's such a fun episode it's funny. It kind of comes out of nowhere in the Amatar verse. You're like, where are those guys from? Like they sounds so modern and kind of like dude ish, pro ish kind of people, like hippies, croovy at cruvy. It's like, where did these people come from? And then it's not like a one liner and then leave. It's like they're there the whole episode. And then Soccer has a very real reaction to them that I think a lot a lot. It's like, come on, you guys are killing me. Yeah, he's a real life proxy for us with how out there they are but so adorable. I love that too. I've made no secret about the fact that I am super into that bird that screams in the swamp. That is very Simpsons to me, just like you know, you're trying to sleep and all of a sudden you hear a horrible human shriek and then you look over and it's just a bird that sounds like that that makes you very happy, And I would say on par with that for me in terms of animal humor in this book, uh, the prairie dogs that sing at the beginning of what is It? The Library, They're like uh, extraordinarily, I'm a soccer for those animals. I mean the pro wrestling, like the blind banded stuff. I grew up loving pro wrestling, so I just grew up the whole Hogan era and Jimmy Superfly Stucker. But just a throwback to that era, and it done so well and so was just comedy, I think to me, and I don't even know. Yeah, the kids, they have the same feeling towards it that when they watched them for the first time. But like the people that were older thinking about those days, it's like it's it's hilarious, you know, Randy Savage, like it's just like those Oh yeah, I totally got the same feeling from when they're introducing him, and how the characters are acting and the wrestlers are talking is just this almost farcical theatrical fun thing. It's just that guy named the Boulder, and the Boulder is a great name to have. Yeah, it's it. Also it makes me happy when because you know, sometimes things get parodied that are funny in and of themselves, and therefore it doesn't almost work as a parody, whereas like and because pro wrestling is funny, like it's genuinely very funny, and they're very funny talented people in wrestling who then also come out of wrestling and do other stuff if they want to. I love that this is like it's you can tell that it's about the love of pro wrestling. It's not like trying to make fun of a thing that's already beta. Does that make sense now? I really am getting exactly what I was about to say, so I wasn't going to say it anymore, but that's exactly what I was going to say. That's what great world building and the thing I love, and lots of art, whether it shows are music. When I'm like, oh they love something that I love. To someone that works, they're also loves the things that I love. And you can tell when you watch that scene that it wasn't making fun of pro wrestling. It was a send up and a love of it totally. I should have just let you say it had no idea that you know it's okay basically, but then it would have been like I stole it from you. So it's better this one. Never what else. Somebody suggested we'd be called the cabbage head. So I assume you enjoy a certain someone who pops back Cabbage Merchant. I mean the fact that Merchant is all around. It's great. It's a great runner. That's what every good show needs, is a classic runner where something just continues to happen over you never know when it's gonna happen. It always happens in different ways, but it's always funny and just that happens exactly and again, to go back to what you said, Janet, to me, it reminds me of another like not to the Simpsons of that uh you know, the character who's always down on his luck, o Gil, who who always just needed a job, and the Cabbage Merchant was the same thing where he's just like just trying to tell you can't all every time my cabbages and just ah, it's so funny. It's very like his life should be so simple and easy and it and it's that feeling that we all can relate to where it's like I'm not asking for much like I just have a card of cabbage as y'all. I'm not trying to overthrow a government, I'm not trying to do anything crazy. Yet you are causing me to have a nervous breakdown over this tiny, simple thing I'm doing, which like who cannot relate to that? Because I feel like that's like when your computer is not working when you need to most and you're like, oh, come on, really do think about how to determine And proud he is of his cabbage is he never stops. He gets right back out there. It brings the everyday man right into the end of Abatar verse and everyone could be the cabbage Man. We all the cabbage Man. But speaking of crowd pleasers, there's Cactus Juice, the Cactus Juice episode which has a lot of stuff happens but the audience at large and call it the cactus Juice episode and just Soccer drinking that cactus juice and going on, you know, fear and loathing in Las Vegas kind of situation. Is even just thinking about it now, it makes me laugh. Uh is crazy and fun and I'm I'm surprised someone hasn't bottled that cactus juice up yet, because that thing is a winner winner. LEU say, that's a real example, and I'm sure we said it when we talked about that episode, but I don't know if we hit it home enough that like, it makes me really happy that Nickelodeon was like, yes, soccer can go on a mystical trip by consuming that's a great up thing to you know, to joke about. That's a real thing. Uh okay, And then I guess we got a shout out Tough and part of her what makes her so great is like her own sarcasm. Yes, yeah, I think she's just very real. Um, that's what I see with her, right, don't necessarily like they're making fun of I'm the kind of opposite. And the fact that I don't usually enjoy that type of humor. I don't enjoy when people, especially if it's done falsely. If you to me to lower yourself down in order to make other people comfortable. Um, it's not something that I'm usually into. But what I love about a character like Tough and her jokes is that it's not usually coming at this thing. Like you guys said, it's not to make other people feel more relaxed, it's to make them uncomfortable. It's to make her, like herself laugh. She's she's humoring herself, and that's what makes her so funny to me is that it's like the real life of like you know, like my son has has autism, and at some point you don't sit around, especially if you were born blind or if you or whatever type of differently able to disability that you you have, at some point. For most people, it's just part of your life. It does not define you, and so it doesn't define her. It's just a part. She goes, yeah, I'm blind. I'll make jokes about it if it comes out, but it's not the thing of like, oh woe is me, or I'm putting myself down? Is this like I'm confident with I'm so tough, I'm strong, I'm smart, I mean, I think, and I'm also I happen to be blind. So I make fun of it sometimes, and that's what I love about it. That's exactly what it is. It's very funny, and I mean, she's one of everyone's favorite characters, particularly on the side of comedy. And we'll talk about that in a second, because we definitely ask people online, uh, what some of their favorite moments were from the show from book too, and unsurprisingly, tough comes up a lot. In fact, let's start with the A K. Men's A K M E n d Z on Twitter simply wrote, there it is, and I do exactly what they were talking about. We know that it is when they are looking for the library. Uh, they're looking the old they see is this fast fans of sand and Tough calls it out excitedly. There it is and has to remind everyone shortly thereafter, like is what you would hear from me if I had seen it. And it's a great moment. It's a great moment. A lot of people into there. It is classic moment, simple quick joke, the best type. Yep, yep. Don't you want to read the top couple of ones from Twitter and Instagram? Yes, so the Lonely Will on Twitter says totally underrated. But soccer is hiku battling. Yes, that very funny high coup battled scene. I thought it was hilarious. I come from this book and word poetry scene, and you know, we take ourselves seriously sometimes, but also there's a somewhat there's room for comedy and humor and the lightness and and hey, so I can had bars, so I gave it a soccer and and even the comedy of him, you know the last one we had won too many syllables, one too many syllables. They are socca hilarious so all of that was really funny and really even detailed within the poetry scene, which I thought was really funny and cool. Um salon fire on Instagram says Socca, triumphantly declaring, I'd like to spend my vacation at the library, which I mean is funny anime moment to write. Didn't they do like a whole thing around that? And I mean, who wants to go to library? And they're all trying to take a vacation to try and to take some time off and they have to go to the library. Are you serious We're going to library right now? I know a couple of people who was that? Who was love that? I know? You know, But there's certain things as I've gotten older, I got like, as a kid, you couldn't get me the museum. The museum, which are we flew on a plane to get to this wherever we're at and we want to go to the museum. Now it's like that's the first place I'm trying to go. Comedy to me now somehow now trying to go to museum and eat some Brussels sprouting some local fair farmer table here quick shout out to burn sko on Instagram, who said, uh, the sugar Queen and the I'm completely calm moments from the chase when Qatara just starts to lose it and unravel. We talked about this when we recap the episode, in that episode of Braving the Elements, but like, that really hits home for me. Um, it makes me really happy when I can laugh at my own moodiness based on lack of sleep. Let's turn it into comedy. I don't need to be feeling bad about it. Let's just turn it into comedy. I'm a baby. I'm an infant, and when I don't get enough sleep, I go a little crazy. That's fine, no big deal. I'm a human. Cindy Lauren Paul on Instagram and Tibler Nibbler on Twitter both say, like when I was like, ah, this tea is nothing more than hot leaf juice and zoo like that's what all tea is, uncle, I wro How could a member of my own family say something so horrible? Yes, yes, you guys, hot leaf juice is hilarious and so right, and I every time I drank tea to this day, I think I just bought me some hot leaf juice for a prime price, and I started thinking, you know, it's just wild, it's just so funny and so true. But it is hot leaf juice, That's what it is. It's hilarious. But it always that made me feel bad because I always think of the world where I'm like, oh, I really wish they got to live in this world where they just ran a successful tea cafe and just got to go on dates and live his life. He deserves it by rage, You're so right, that's such a good Yeah, it's like at the snapshot where you're like, oh, what if it were just that, like, oh, life, it's beautiful. He would be great at a day when people would go travel from every nation to go to that T shirt. Yeah, you know, I drink this tea and I liked tea. I'm into tea, but I'm always marveled at the fact that there was a time in the world where it was the most popular drink in the world, from England to China. You know that old saying, what's that got to do with the price of tea? In China? Tea was the gold mark of the world, like the price of tea and China set the currency. Part of the US Revolution and the Boston Tea party was over tea. It was over, guys, know how much you know about tea. I can't believe we haven't done a t epis. Guys, it was over tea. Alright, this will not surprise anyone. Most popular responses on social media from the question of what is your favorite funniest moment from book to number one cactus juice, cactus juice, cactus juice, number two, hot leaf juice, and very is there it is. So those are the most popular responses. We have missed so many because there's so much funny stuff packed into this entire show, much less book to um, we're talking about comedy in the show. It makes you think, you know how this comedy has to come from Mike and Brian to a degree. The creators are are two dads of the show, which they're human. Mike's a little more subdued. I could see Brian having a little more zanier comedy side to him, but it has to. They populated their writer's room with a bunch of comedy writers. To remember, we've had a bunch of them months, so that's of course. Of course, we love our two dads. Ron Funches. Thank you, so much for doing this episode with us and coming on the show. We were so excited to have you. And perhaps if there's a favorite episode you have from a book three as things really stir up, come back or we'll save all come back. Let's come back when we get because I'm going to be getting into it and I want I need to know more about how you're thinking about that. Absolutely give me more reasons to go back, and Rewatch, I would love that anytime. Uh there anything do you want people to check out? We want to promote anything. You want to tell people where to find you that I'm in a show called Lute with my Rudolph on Apple TV that people can check out the full seasons out on Apple TV right now. Um, I played King Shark on Harley Quinn on HBO Max. If people want to check out one out, if they's bloody here and people can look out for the next sense. This is Nickelodeon um coming out next year. I'm gonna cartoon called Rock Paper Scissors that will be coming out on Nickelodeon next year. So hopefully it's nothing like Avatar, but if they hopefully they'll still check it out. I think it's wonderful, So everybody got to check it out. And where can we find you on social media? Ron? Oh, just Twitter at Ron Funci's go round Funches dot com if you ever want see me do stand up comedy because I like doing that. And then um Instagram, just run funch, Run funch, everybody. Thank you, Ron, Thank you so much for joining us this week. Of course, thank you so much for having me. It's a pleasure to be talk about you know, it's not often you get to find a little corner, a little place where you can just talk about something you really love. Is what I enjoy, whether you know, I love talking about pro wrestling or um video games or animation. And again, like I said, this show meant a lot for me in a lot of ways, and and so as a pleasure to be able to talk about it, thank you for having me. Well man, he's the best, all right, everybody, thank you so much for listening to Avatar Braving the Elements, and hey, make sure to subscribe, follow, leave us a review. All of that really helps the podcast so much and we love you guys. Next week, we're talking with a couple of the wonderful people responsible for the gorgeous design in Avatar, the Stairbender artists Elsa Gotta, Garsa and Angela song Mueller, and of course our dad, Brian knets Go. You can follow me on social media at the j V Club on Instagram and at Janet Varney on Twitter. I'm at Dante Bosco on both of those. We'll see you next Tuesday on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Y