#I was also stressed and overly tired so that was contributing lmao

[star-realities]

genuinely forget I have people who follow me on this account and that I'm not just screaming into the void

[nerves-nebula]

Hi! Question a out Donnie and Pasiflora. How does the generational trauma play into Pasifloras upbringing? Does Donnie going to therapy help with this? Do the turt siblings contribute to Pasifloras childhood?

Donatello has briefly been to therapy and thought it was boring and annoying and not telling him anything he didn't already know. He wasn't in therapy when he made Pasiflora but eventually started going (Again) if only to try be a better parent. he still doesn't really have a reason to live but yknow. if you can't make a will to live for yourself, storebought is fine.

Pasiflora is outgoing whereas Donnie doesn't like going OUT-side of the house lmao so it's like. dad who takes kid to the park so they have something to do but he just stands around. i dunno if he plays with them very much, he tries to indulge them but he's also just like. really tired. for no discernible reason. He makes sure Pasiflora does a lot of activities tho because he doesn't wanna keep them cooped up the way he is.

because he and krang are used to eating erratically and whenever they feel like it, they don't really instill Pasiflora with good eating habits. Once pasiflora is old enough to make their own food, Donnie probably forgets to feed them as much. oops. But on days when Donnie can't get out of bed, Krang is usually around to help, even if that help is like. weird and alien fasdfdf. (also the other turtles probably come by now and then too)

as for parenting-specific trauma, despite not taking therapy very seriously Donnie has looked into a lot of his own trauma stuff independently. he looked into parenting stuff on and off for years before making Pasiflora. So he's aware to be careful about like, punishments and physical violence and whatever.

He's also aware that he might over compensate for his dads neglect so he tries to strike a balance between Suffocating and Neglectful when it comes to letting Pasiflora have freedom & leave the house. he remembers how he could basically just leave and Splinter wouldn't care as long as he was back for training on time, and thinks that was probably bad, but also knows that over correcting would be bad too, since he had fun having the freedom to explore.

one thing he's kind of terrified about is explaining sexual stuff to Pasiflora, because he MADE Pasiflora, so he's not actually entirely sure how all of that like... works... and he doesn't wanna leave Pasiflora in the dark the way Splinter did to all of them but he's also hesitant to talk to a child about sexual reproduction cuz it makes him uncomfortable.

uhhh as for the other bros i think Donnie is hesitant to let them take care of Pasiflora at first, if only because he's unsure they've done as much research as he has into a parent (and cuz being a first time parent makes you anna do everything right)

he first trusts Raph, cuz raph works with kids i think. then he trusts leo and mikey at basically the same time. sometimes, if things are really bad mental health-wise (or if donnie is just overly stressed), Krang calls the bros in for help. usually without telling Donnie cuz Donnie doesn't want anyone thinking he's failing at being a parent afsdfsdf. And Krang is like "it's insane that a child would only be raised by one or two adults. there should at least be a whole pod in here" cuz people in Krangs culture are raised communally <- a fact I just decided while writing this

okkkk i think that's about enough.

[prozac-shaped-urn]

oy vey. introvert rant incoming.

went to a going away party today for my neighbor and friend becky and i had war flashbacks to hacks 107 with dj's birthday/engagement party and boy son i was not ready for that......

turned out that becky is in fact moving, but this was an opportunity to surprise her friends about her recent engagement. which like.... that's fine. it's reasonable, but good GOD one of her friends just straight up starting crying like actually falling to pieces in front of my literal salad and i just couldn't deal with that so i starting doing some work on my phone so i could dissociate from the ridiculous display in front of me. i can't stand women who cry at nothing. like what is so moving that you'll cry for no reason? i've never in my life cried for no reason. i hardly ever cry to begin with. i get it, we all have hormones n shit, but for fuck's sake CALM DOWN!!!!! (maybe also the fact i've never been in love or been in a relationship or have many friends at all might contribute to my confusion and blasé reaction but make it make sense. i do not understand.)

moving on.

so at the beginning of this little party i was fine. like it was okay to be around new people because there were only two people there who i didn't know and then more started showing up and i felt myself turtle instantly. i shut down and folded into myself. just completely cut myself off from the group because this is something i've always done when confronted with a bunch of people i don't know. i get extremely quiet and reserved and distanced. i'm not sure if it's a defense mechanism from being mocked and outcast in school or what, but it's a go-to in stressful situations (groups of people is a stressful situation for me) and makes for awkward company, which i'm apologetic for but i'm also not about to change it. honestly i'd much prefer being around one person and one person only for future company. i dunno about a life partner or whatever but i'd be happy with a confidante. or like,,,, a neighbor. someone i know i can have irl to keep in touch with and offer support to. bestie lives in utah. we also wouldn't spend a lot of time together if we did live in the same city, so that arrangement wouldn't work lmao

anyhooters. i hate parties, i can't stand overly emotional women, i can make some damn good mango salsa and i need some solid rest. i'm still very tired from this week and my clit is still misbehaving at odd times. whatever. it'll fix itself eventually.

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

(pt 1) i really enjoy all your atla analyses & you've done a great job breaking down the usual arguments re how eip shows that kataang shouldn't have happened. i'm curious about your take on one specific argument that i just saw today, in an analysis of the show by a zker that was otherwise quite good and respectful (i know you've already talked about eip a lot, so no problem if you don't feel like rehashing). the premise: aang didn't just pressure katara in eip, he threatened her.

(pt 2) they point to when katara joins aang & asks if he’s alright: “aang: no, i’m not! i hate this play! katara: i know it’s upsetting, but it sounds like you’re overreacting. aang: overreacting? if i hadn’t blocked my chakra, i’d probably be in the avatar state right now!” the suggestion is he’s threatening her when he says ‘i’d probably be in the avatar state right now’ to describe his anger. i think this take exaggerates and oversimplifies it, but interested in your thoughts on it.

Hello my friend!! It is true I am Old inside and don’t like rehashing dhdlksjslks BUT your comments on my posts are always incredibly kind and insightful so I am more than willing to do a bit of rehashing for you 🥰 Besides! I’ve seen this general take before a few times and it’s always irked me for the exact reason you point out - it simultaneously exaggerates and oversimplifies the situation (and honestly that’s an impressive duality since it’s seemingly contradictory, so hats off to them lmaooo) - and now is as good a time as any to address it. So, for starters, let’s go ahead and get the excerpt they love to focus on so much:

Cut to Aang standing alone on a balcony. Katara enters and walks up to him.

Katara: Are you all right?

Aang: [Angered.] No, I’m not! I hate this play! [Yanks his hat off and throws it on the ground.]

Katara: I know it’s upsetting, but it sounds like you’re overreacting.

Aang: Overreacting? If I hadn’t blocked my chakra, I’d probably be in the Avatar State right now!

Here’s the thing about so-called analyses of this excerpt: in a manner extremely convenient to the poster, they never seek to contextualize this moment. (I mean, to do so would deplatform their entire “argument” - perhaps that’s why they avoid performing a full analysis?) So let’s avoid that pitfall from the start.

Firstly, below are some links to related posts; I’m going to do my best to summarize the most relevant parts, but for anyone who desires greater detail, I gotchu 😤

This post explains why EIP (the play, lol) is imperialist propaganda and is intended to belittle the entire Gaang.

This post explains how Aang never acted “entitled” to Katara’s affections, particularly in regard to EIP.

This post breaks down the infamous EIP kiss like Snopes Fact Checker, covering common misconceptions, important perspectives to consider, etc.

Alright. With that out the way, it’s time for some context.

Aang and Katara have this conversation on the balcony after watching 95% of “The Boy in the Iceberg,” a play chock-full of Fire Nation propaganda that demeans the entire Gaang in order to prop up the Fire Nation as superior (hence why the play ends with Ozai’s victory). Here is my general breakdown of Aang and Katara’s treatment in particular from a previous post:

- katara, an indigenous woman, is highly sexualized and portrayed as overly dramatic and tearful, because the fire nation objectifies women not of their own people and views them as less intelligent and less emotionally stable

- aang, the avatar, the sole survivor of the fire nation’s genocide of the air nomads who is incredibly in-touch with his spirituality and femininity, is portrayed as an overly-airy and immature woman. the fire nation portrays him with a female actor to demean him (like, that’s classic imperialistic propagandist tactics) and furthermore writing his character as a childish airhead reinforces the fire nation sentiment that the air nomads were weak, foolish people who did not deserve to exist in their world

In other words, these kids have just watched almost an entire play that preys upon their insecurities and depicts them using racist and sexist stereotypes about their respective nations. It is completely understandable that tensions might run a little high and that their interactions would not be as balanced as usual (Katara and Aang have a great track record of communicating well with each other, as it happens!).

So we have to keep that in mind when examining the aforementioned excerpt. But there are other factors to consider, too! Namely: they are kids. Children. Teens. Aang is 12, Katara is 14.

If we want to be scientific, a person’s brain doesn’t finish developing until they are 25, lmao, and the preteen/teen years are when the prefrontal cortex that controls “rationality,” “judgement,” “forethought,” etc. is still developing. This doesn’t mean Aang and Katara are irrational and make poor decisions 24/7 (obviously not), but it does mean that in an intense, highly emotional situation, like after watching a play that intentionally demeans them and depicts them as inferior, they are more likely to overreact, more likely to be emotional, and more likely to make mistakes. Like, I’m serious, lol. “Teens process information with the amygdala.” That’s part of the brain that helps control emotions! It’s why teens sometimes struggle to articulate what we’re thinking, especially in situations that require instinct/impulse and quick decisions, because we’re really feeling whenever we make those choices. Acting more on emotion. Our brains simply haven’t finished developing the decision-making parts, lmao.

In sum: Aang and Katara are both kids, not adults, and should be interpreted as such. This doesn’t negate their intelligence, because they are both incredibly smart and Aang is arguably the wisest of the Gaang, but they are human. Young humans. They have emotions, and we should not be so cruel as to assume they’d never act on them.

So taking that all together, we can now acknowledge the high stress Aang and Katara are under, understand why they might be upset (*cough* imperialist propaganda is hurtful *cough*), and examine how their youth might play into their emotional reactions. And funny thing - all analyses that come to the conclusion of Aang “threatening” Katara here do not usually bother with this context. I can’t imagine why!

And you know what, let’s add one more piece of context: Sokka states that Aang left the theater “like, ten minutes ago,” which is what cues Katara to go look for him on the balcony. The reason I mention this line is because to me, it suggests Aang knew he was more worked up than usual! He chose to separate himself from his friends so he could process his frustration! He did not take his anger at the play out on them; instead, he purposefully took time and space to be alone.

With that in mind, I don’t understand at all how Aang’s Avatar state quote could be interpreted as a threat? Canonly, Aang is someone who was aware enough of his frustration to separate himself from the others - yet the logical next step is him threatening Katara as a result? He knew his intense emotions were because of the play (which he says himself), so the logical conclusion is that he then pinned the fault on Katara? What?? Sorry, that interpretation has no textual basis, lmao. But I digress!

Aang tells Katara, “If I hadn’t blocked my chakra, I’d probably be in the Avatar State right now!” As you said, this is the line people point to in an attempt to justify their (baseless) conclusion that Aang is “threatening” Katara. So let’s bring in the two key pieces of context: imperialist propaganda and age. Given that Aang is 12, and given that Aang has just watched almost a full play that demeans him and everything his people stood for (and let’s not forget it also mocks his and Katara’s love for each other)…

His reaction is understandable. An exaggeration and needlessly dramatic, but understandable. He feels vulnerable and insecure and Aang is human. He is human and flawed and he overreacts here and I love that A:TLA shows how even our heroes, even people who are truly good at heart and in soul, can get overly upset (especially given the aforementioned circumstances!). Would Aang actually be in the Avatar state at that moment, had it been possible? Of course not! He’s young and he’s hurt and as such he says something dramatic to convey his anxieties and frustrations. The line is not meant to be taken literally, and seeing people do so despite all the factors that should be taken into consideration when analyzing it… Cue a long, tired sigh from me and so many other A:TLA fans.

And to be honest? I cannot fathom how people watch this episode and come to the conclusion that Aang is “threatening” Katara. To me, this episode - besides being a recap episode - is one that humanizes our cast even further. Aang snaps at Katara, kisses her when he shouldn’t (which the story appropriately treats as wrong). Katara pushes down her true feelings and retreats into herself, afraid to start a relationship with the boy she loves because she’s already lost him once before and can’t bear to do so again. Zuko further confronts the hurt he’s enacted upon others, especially upon Iroh. Toph practices being vulnerable and accepting vulnerability from others by conversing with Zuko. Sokka witnesses how others have erased his contributions and labelled him as nothing more than the token nonbender in the group. Even Suki learns that she is not the only person who holds a place in Sokka’s heart and that she can never replace what he has lost.

To watch this episode where our heroes must come to terms with how the Fire Nation deems them inherently inferior, with how they have more fights to overcome in the future with the Fire Nation than a single war, and to come to the conclusion that… that what, Aang is abusive? A monster? Irredeemable? That he would threaten his best friend, someone he loves in every way?

Wow. That says more than enough about the viewer, doesn’t it?