#I structured this like an ESSAY LOOL

[thewillowtree3]

Avatar

I’ve been trying to think of why Avatar: The Last Airbender has been so popular for decades and I think I got it.

After watching the concert, which was AMAZING!! ;DDDD!! ❤️❤️❤️, I’ve literally been rewatching the series because I literally couldn’t watch anything else after the concert LOOL!! 🤣🤣 and I think I got it.

One of the reasons is because of the world building. You get to LIVE in its world, you get to breathe in it. You get to see its inhabitants, the daily lives of its people. Commoners, villagers, all everyday people. You get to see our heroes interact with them, be who they are as people.

The fact that the Gaang travel SOO much is also why we get to see soo much of this beautiful world. The characters get to travel SOO much. They see SOO many characters and people and different lifestyles. You get to see how many people live and breathe and that’s beautiful. You get to see SOOO many different places.

And also, you get to SEE these characters just be on their own, as people. In the beginning of the episodes, when the Gaang is just lazing around or having fun, they’re being people. They’re being people without the pressure of the plot. They’re being happy, sad, laughing, joking as people. When Aang plays in the water or when Sokka gets hit by something LOOL, it’s hella funny and it’s life. It’s natural, it’s exactly how we’d behave.

And also, the reason why the series is so lighthearted and happy is Aang. Aang is a happy-go-lucky, sweet, goofy kid who just wants to have fun a lot of the time lol. A huge character point of him is that he just wants to have fun all the time! He wants to ride elephant koi and go on the unagi and go slide down the Omashu delivery carts lol. But he plays SOO much. Even when they’re just resting or bending around, he’s playing. He’s making octopus monsters in the water and playing with Momo, and dancing. He’s just a goofball. And it’s so sweet because it reminds us that he’s just a kid. But I think it’s also cool because it reminds us of a simpler, happier time before the world was at war.

Without Aang, we wouldn’t have this fun, happy veneer. We wouldn’t have the shield that protects us from the world of the war. Without him, we’d have to face the consequences of the war in a much darker world. I think without him, the series would be a lot darker and it’d be harder to watch. I mean, when I was a kid, I forgot there was a war going on, I think because Aang was so happy all the time and the environment is so light and hopeful. If you take him away, you have to grapple even more with the very real consequences of the war.

And because the environment is safe-because Aang provides us a safe, warm environment to be light and happy in, and we get to travel to SOO many places, it really builds out the world building SOO well. We get to imagine ourselves in these places, get to wonder what it’s like to go to Kyoshi Island or the Misty Palms Oasis or Ember Island. We get to BE safe as we travel in these places.

And I think the plot lends itself to this environment too!! The entire plot is Aang fighting Fire Lord Ozai and learning the 4 elements. We know that from the very beginning. And so, we have room to breathe and have some fun adventures WHILE we get to that point. The audience all knows what’s coming, it’s in the back of our heads. So we have time for adventures. We have time for all those adventures and shenanigans. The important thing is, we KNOW it’s gonna be a journey, so we’re led on that as characters grow and develop.

We get to see them as characters separate from the story, as they struggle with their own ins-and-outs and their own needs and desires. We get to see them as living, breathing people, their arcs as they grow and develop. It’s because the story gives them breathing room to develop that they can develop AWAY from the story. Like in “The Runaway”, we get to see an insight into Katara’s motherly nature and how Toph really misses her parents. And that’s why we love and care about the story so much- because the CHARACTERS are so amazing and we care about the CHARACTERS.

A lot of other shows, we have to try to figure out the plot and what’s gonna happen and how they’re going to do it. So, plot is really necessary and you have to move it along. But in Avatar, you get room to breathe.

And the side characters! That’s also why the show is so beloved. Because the side characters are SOO funny. I keep seeing interviews of the Cabbage Guy and him being on panels and I keep thinking “that’s so cool and crazy.” Can u imagine, this one guy who has two lines of “MY CABBAGES!!” being THIS famous in the show? It’s INSANE!! LOOL!! But Avatar makes it work bc he’s fucking hilarious. Same with the Foaming Mouth Guy. Doesn’t even say a word but he’s HELLA FUNNY LOOL. And Chong! He plays “Secret Tunnel”- a song where the chorus is like 2 words, but ITS HELLLA FUNNY LOOL. The side characters are just so iconic.

When I think of Avatar, I feel so safe, warm, and happy. It’s because of Aang and the little spot of sunshine he provides, and the beautiful world we get to interact with. The Gaang is a little bubble of warmth that we get to live in amidst a much darker world, and it’s really beautiful we get to see that. :’)

[flcwerstudies]

gypsophila for the flower ask

{do you prefer many distant friends or a few close friends?}

i think i prefer having a few close friends but distant friends as well (i feel like thats cheating lool)!! i love the idea of having a tight knit group that i can always rely on to be there for me and who really understand who i am, but i dont like how suffocating it could get. anyway, the structure in close friendships is kinda precarious, ive seen. distant friends would probably be safer if i valued stability more? but those always come with a sort of loneliness and distance, but theyd allow me to breathe and recuperate i guess since keeping up with others levels of energy is hella draining for me. loooll sorry for the essay imogen, thanks for the ask!! luv yaaa 

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