#I'm in awe of this man's character growth throughout the season

[tealvenetianmask]

THIS was the biggest character growth moment for Blitz in the episode.

Early on, Stolas asks about the horses, and Blitz makes a joke of the idea that he has a traumatic past. Now, in the fandom, there's been a bunch of speculation that his love of horses has to do with growing up around them in the circus... and I think that's a pretty good bet. But regardless, I think the fact that he makes this joke is supposed to signal to the audience he's not ready to really open up about his past and/or doesn't think that Stolas needs him to.

Why would he anyway? His idea of caring for Stolas involves smiling a lot, being silly, being encouraging, making food, buying/stealing/ killing things for him- keeping him in the moment, and letting the really difficult emotional stuff just exist in the background for the time being.

It's not a bad strategy.

But when Stolas goes through being rejected by his daughter and responds with utter despair and hopelessness, I think Blitz realizes that he has something to offer on a deeper level. Because of his painful life experiences, and not in spite of them.

His particular brand of resilience has a core of defiant determination in the face of staggering emotional pain. And Stolas needs that from him, so he's going to be really fucking brave and share it.

[annwayne]

TBB ask game 7, 8, 24 & 50

--from @nimata-beroya

Thank you @nimata-beroya for the ask <333

7. Favorite moment from Season 3?

Oh god. Oh man. What do I pick?? Sad wet Crosshair trying to push Omega away because he feels so guilty for what he's done??? Or Crosshair and Hunter coming to trust each other again? Or all the cute moments where Crosshair so easily acted like a loving guardian to Omega? (the whole got your bow ectect and Omega saying he was just as bad as Hunter only for Crosshair to say he's worse??? sjkdfgds) Throw a dart at any scene with Crosshair in it, and chances I loved it.

8. What song(s) do you associate with the Bad Batch? 

Oh that's interesting! I'm not really a music person but, I've been listening to this and this while writing TBB fanfic, so I guess this is the type of music I associate with them?

24. Do you have any hot or controversial takes?

Lol aside from the obvious ones related to season 3, I have this-I did not care about Omega until season 3. Before she was just an odd plot tool that chose to withhold information for no reason?? She was Miss Special without any reason to be. (There were better ways to hint that her blood was the key to transferring M-count between subjects other than saying "she's a perfect clone of Jango Fett"-that made NO sense.) I really wish they had put more effort in actually showing big character growth throughout the seasons instead of just. Nothing until s3. And a more lighthearted take that might not be so controversial but idk, feels like people view all clones as perfect boys-TCW versions of the batch are frat boys lol

50. What are you going to miss most about the show?

Awe man. I'm gonna miss our boys. The Bad Batch got me writing fanfic again after, man like five years of no fanfic? Hell, it just got me writing creatively again! The story I wrote/am writing has been a big part in my process healing after leaving a cult. And it came out when I was going through the most difficult part of my life to date. So yeah. I miss that we won't get the show, even though I'm happy it wasn't dragged on like some shows do (coulda had another season. Or longer seasons tho.) I'll rewatch the show, enjoy fanfic and fanart, and keep making my own fics and art. But it won't ever be like this again.

Bad Batch Asks!

[likes-words-and-shrimp]

Any Tales of - game for the fandom ask :D

going with Symphonia! My first and fave Tales game <3

the first character i ever fell in love with:

It's hard to narrow it down but I did really love Lloyd when I first played! I love my dumb protagonists but he's also just such a good character with really good growth. I think after is Dirk because DWARF DAD and I always wanted to have more with him. We need more dwarves in media!

a character that i used to love/like, but now do not:

I guess the best answer here is Zelos lol. I think I used to like him plenty and found him funny but, well, a lot of that has tempered down over the years or maybe I just got very tired of seeing him as a focus in fandom and am bored of it. I played the remaster to remember his good points as a character and I came out of my replay loving Regal more oops.

a ship that i used to love/like, but now do not:

Hm, nothing here really applies. When I first played I actually didn't have many ships at all, even Lloyd and Colette wasn't a full on ship for me! (But I did like them interacting a lot haha). All other ships I eventually liked I still like now.

my ultimate favorite character™:

It has to be said: it's Colette! I do switch back and forth with loving both her and Lloyd together as my pair of faves! But I think Colette ultimately wins out, especially as I've grown older. Much of her story and her struggles just hits for me in ways no other character's background really does in Symphonia. Also religious conflict/guilt of a character is also delicious to me when done well.

prettiest character:

Ohh there's a lot! So it's hard for me to pick. Ofc I think Colette is pretty but so is Lloyd, he's my pretty boy. :D But! I think after watching the OVA, I remember Regal looking so pretty in a way that his in-game model could never do. Regal it is. Also we love a beefy man who cooks, it ups that prettiness.

my most hated character:

Hmm, probably one of the Grand Cardinals, so maybe I'll go with Kvar! HE AWFUL. But fun to write though when I did that one time haha.

my OTP:

*falls on floor* if my blog title isn't obvious, colloyd is my ultimate of ships, the best of my otps. Lloyd and Colette together is food for my soul. I love every aspect of them and they have completely devoured me that I didn't even realize how much I was already shipping them until years later. I emphatically believe Symphonia is their story and about their relationship. The way they understand each other better than anyone, the way they're silly with each other, the way they just love each other?? They do love each other, that's canon. Platonic or romantic (but it's romantic in my eyes) and I am so invested in their dynamic and want to explore every possibility with them. I have apparently written half a million words about them help me.

my NOTP:

:) Sorry but I legit dislike Lloyd with the z-man lmao. I used to be indifferent (I just found it so boring) but now I'm honestly very uncomfortable with it (fandom hasn't helped). Oh well!

favorite episode scene:

I'm going with scene here and it's a tie between the coffee scene and the reveal of Colette's crystallization. Of course both have to do with Colette and how things keep being awful for her :') But I love the coffee scene for Lloyd and how he reaches to hold her, and also how Lloyd assures Colette is not disgusting at all when she has a breakdown of her reveal. Him walking to her to be NEAR HER even as she tries to hide away her sickness gets to me.

Another favorite is the ending: We got big trees, we got beautiful music, we got COLLOYD WINGS. This lives in my heart.

saddest death:

The closest is Corrine! I think what makes it sad more though is Sheena's reaction to it. Also just such a good performance of the voice actress too.

favorite season plot/arc:

Going with plots and arcs in the game, but I think from discovering Colette losing her humanity and seeing this play out throughout the Sylvarant arc of the game is so good and it does make you genuinely wonder what will happen. And when we get to the Tower of Salvation and fight Remiel and KRATOS. I was stoked playing through that when I was younger.

least favorite season plot/arc:

Hm, probably when we're doing the Tethe'alla temples and such. Pacing gets a little off and also with more characters we start to lose the focus on other people. I think it picks back up once the group focuses on curing Colette's sickness.

character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate:

Lol hate is a strong word, I'm more just fatigued of him but heyyy it's Zelos! I am just uninterested. Also Kratos to a lesser extent, but oddly my opinion of him has actually raised a bit more over the years. So he's like, middle. gj, kratos.

my ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave:

Maybe Mithos? I like Mithos. This boy can fit so much messed up trauma and manipulation. Combined with the uncomfortable idolization of his sister to the point he no longer sees her as an actual person (if he ever did?). And the fact he can genuinely be creepy?? Still my fave Tales villain.

my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave:

Colette. ;_; She deserves so much more. Also, Dirk is a close second, he deserves more attention! The dad that stayed!

my ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship:

So fun fact, I started shipping Lloyd/Mithos a bit purely because of some jp fanartists, and now I'm very intrigued. (I own two doujins of them now haha). I think there can be so much fun interactions between them, and none of it would be good for Lloyd. But it's fun. One day I will write something with them and no one will have a good time.

my ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship:

I think this would be Kratos/Anna for me, and I've written several fics of them too. I get the appeal in a way, but ultimately Anna is a character with... no established character lol. Even Kratos barely ever talks about her as what she was like as an actual person? I know plenty of people love this ship and I've seen interesting things done with it, but my investment isn't much for them. I honestly mostly like this ship for the baby Lloyd fluff you'll get from it lol.

[mayasdeluca]

i know everyone’s moved on from Maya’s decision but i’m still 🧐 how we got from sexism in SFD and not being able to advance in her career to..

“I’ve been thinking this whole time that I needed to stick to some plan, but plans don’t work. People die. Families fall apart. Let’s have a baby.”

.. after the Thanksgiving fiasco. and it’s not just Maya. it’s hard following the trajectory of all the characters. except maybe Travis (he’s seemingly consistent, or they don’t write for him enough to be inconsistent?)

and Sullivan, for not good reasons, who continues to be an ass. bc Maya did say, “Or if I asked?” which, she’s clearly trying to ask, and he nodded and said “Proudly.” but he was more concerned with the optics around his promotion. “I’ve worked really hard to earn even a modicum of respect from this team.” you refused to apologize for almost a year! that was an easy starting point.

Yes, this is a problem with the writing that I've noticed for a while now. They not only have trouble balancing all these characters and storylines and giving them all proper screentime, but there also seems to be inconsistencies in what the characters want/think and they don't ever really show the growth or development because they either drop the storyline, skip through it, or it's supposedly off screen.

Unfortunately Travis doesn't really get much of any kind of storyline with the exception of small backstories that are usually an episode or two throughout. He really hasn't had much of anything substantial lately. I mean I guess you can say his stuff with his parents and Emmett are minor things but I don't know, I feel like he gets the most shafted. Also Jack because really, what are they doing with him? He kinda just seems there most of the time and awkwardly put in other scenes just because.

Then you have Vic who is basically always with a man in her storylines and we have no real backstory about her or any of her family or anything like that.

And with Maya, Sullivan and Andy, I would say they usually get the most, though Maya is kinda on the backburner this season and I do hope she's finally going to get the career storyline this season but these 3 always are going through so much at one time and it's like they can't ever have the career + personal life at the same time.

Like with Maya (since that's how I only care about within those 3 lol) and her being frustrated with her career but then they try to make it seem like having a baby is a substitute for that...I mean there's no reason why she shouldn't be able to have both at the same time or feel one way about her job and feel another way about starting a family with her wife. But it's like they only have her focusing on one at a time. When she was demoted, we barely saw her upset about it and then they had her focused on starting a family with Carina and now it feels like they're probably going to have her so frustrated with the new chief that she may not even want to progress with the whole baby thing? That's just an assumption on my part but I have a feeling it's going to be a way to give Marina more angst. And then Carina will get angry because Maya already agreed but now she'll be distracted by work.

They really need to be able to have the characters juggle multiple things at once and feel more than one thing at a time. And don't get me started on how they write Sullivan because it's like they don't realize how awful they make him and they try to make up for it after the fact.

I'm just very curious how the writers are going to tie this all together in Maya's case. Is she actually going to be able to fix the sexism within the station? Is she going to be able to start a family and keep her job/move up the ranks? Are they going to make Maya choose one or the other? Because that would be ridiculous and then that means they have no plan on actually fixing any sort of sexism, either in the plot or their writing.

[benka79]

I know no one is reading this madness but... I just have to scream about the Tom Paris x Harry Kim subtext...

Timeless

Writers gave us two KimRis parallels...

First... Janeway asking Chakotay to have dinner with her. (With romantic hints all over)

While this was happening, Tom and Harry were close with each other. And Harry ends up gesturing to his best buddy platonic friend. It means. Writers showed us TWO RELATIONSHIPS in the past.

Then... Present... Chakotay had a new love and he was willing to not change the past to stay with this new lover...

Oh man, he changed Janeway for that girl, even when the producers made him stare longingly and sadly at our Captain. (Once when she asked Chakotay to dinner with her and the second time when she was dead and frozen on the bridge).

But... Why Harry hadn't doubts about turning back time??? Okay, we could think GUILT! REGRETS!

But because he mentioned they lost THE PEOPLE THEY LOVED... And he was willing to die for them... And he wouldn't change his mind... And they put that parallel with J/C... I will conclude, yeah, he was doing this because he wouldn't change ANYONE IN HIS FUTURE FOR HIS JUST PLANOTIC BUDDY TOM.

Now, the message Harry o himself to repair his mistake... Is linked to Tom Paris's letter to his father. Or how I like to call it, the letter he wrote for his own growth.

30 Days

Even when we got another rewind in Tom Paris career... From Lieutenant to Ensign, this episode represented again his huge issues with his father but it talked about what's inside Tom.

I'm gonna divide this insights in two parts.

Tom's Fantasy World: Captain Proton

Something that could start like a game, was playing a very important part of Tom inner thoughts.

The whole adventure of Captain Proton resume Tom's fantasies and deeper desires. Because deep inside Tom wants to save the day and be a hero. He needs to proof he is worthy by being a superhero. But mostly, he is always saving the girl in danger. And when I say the girl in danger, I'm talking about Harry. Because Harry represents the imposible love interest he wants to reach. In this episode he arrives to save Harry again but this time from the evil Delaney's twins. But Harry shows him he wanted more time with the evil girls. (Imagine Tom trying to save Harry from women just to show him that he should be his only hero in that story, in his fantasy.)

When they go out from the Holodeck, Paris talks again about the letters... (Because they're trying to fix the letters they got, one of them is Paris's father letter)

PARIS: Any progress on those starcharts?

MEGAN: I'll have them to you by fourteen hundred.

The fact that Paris is bringing back that to us is because again, something very meaningful related to his father will happen. Because this evil letter made his character to go backwards in his behavior. Remember?

But then... Look at this:

PARIS: I think Jenny really likes you.

KIM: Yeah, I know.

PARIS: I thought the feeling was mutual.

KIM: How many times do I have to tell you? I like Megan, but she won't give me the time of day.

PARIS: What is the difference?

KIM: You can't be serious.

PARIS: They're the Delaney sisters, Harry. They're twins.

KIM: Are you kidding? They're nothing alike. Jenny's aggressive and sometimes annoying. But Megan, she's quiet, artistic, and she's got that cute little dimple in her right cheek.

PARIS: Jenny doesn't have the dimple?

KIM: No dimple.

Okay, I will stop here. Pay attention to this because I'm in awe here of the amount of subtext: THIS IS A LOVE TRIANGLE AND IS A BLATANT REPRESENTATION OF B'ELANNA->TOM->HARRY.

Tom tried to show a point to Harry because Delaney's sisters, here representing women, are the same to him BECAUSE HE WANTS TO SHOW HIS FRIEND WOMEN ARE THE SAME. SHOULD HARRY TASTE THE RAINBOW THEN? 😂

And because is a Tom's episode, is Tom centric so... Jenny is B'elanna, because she's aggressive and sometimes annoying. Harry is Tom here, because B'elanna likes him. But Harry/Tom is in love with Megan, because Megan is quiet, artistic, and she's got that cute little dimple in her right cheek. This is screaming HARRY all over even the dimple!!!!

Gif credit @skjc-writes

But the sad thing here is Harry saying IS AN UNREQUITED LOVE. And then Tom adding this...

PARIS: Well, you've done it again, Harry.

KIM: What?

PARIS: Fallen for the unattainable woman. First it was a hologram, then a Borg, and now the wrong twin.

I'm screaming here!!!! Because HARRY IS UNANTTAINABLE TO TOM!!!!!! ARE YOU READING THISS?? Of course no, I'm alone here, but, nevermind. 😂

Deep Inside Tom's Ocean

Another huge symbolism was the ocean planet and how they needed to go deeper to find the truth about the instability of that world.

The Ocean was a symbolic representation of Paris. We had a whole world installed almost in the surface of the waters that was about to fall down. It was an entire society.

When Tom decides to go deeper, they found another contractions that belonged to an older society who had lived there before. But... What was there wasn't the source of their incoming destruction. The new society was the one carving their own graves.

How we could read this related to Paris? Well, as I said, imagine the ocean is Tom. The society and buildings that are next to the surface is the self-destructive personality Tom had created in order to face his failures in trying to fulfill his father's expectations.

The old society buried in the bottom of the ocean is his true self. He's sensitive, and creative, and innocent like a child. But he abandoned that purity to build the surface. Because his true feelings wouldn't be accepted by his father. (This include his bisexuality).

Throughout the whole episode they repeat that the old society in the bottom of the sea IS NOT GUILTY for the incoming destruction. So, Tom's deepest feelings and thoughts and fantasies, what he really is, is not the cause of his self destruction.

The bad people here is the new society, that fake shield Tom had built for years to carry his low self esteem created by his incapability of fulfill his father's expectations. It's a self-destructive personality and is not who he really is.

The bad thing is, Tom is trying to destroy it, but Janeway blocked him. He couldn't... And he is still in his emotional prison.

Finish the Letter.

Tom starts recording a message to his father. It starts as if he was apologizing, but it will end as a compilation of his true desires. He wants to fight for what he feels is worthy. And sometimes you just have to take the risk.

The fact that Harry went to see him and not B'elanna is very meaningful and it shows why is Paris pining for him more than for B'elanna. But it also shows why Paris feels Harry is the unattainable love for him. And it show in the fact that Tom was avoiding Harry's eyes. He felt ashamed. He was ashamed of the man his friend had to see. His rank had been lowered. He was in prison again. Even after confessing behind the mask of a fantastic adventure of a ship that Harry was his NUMBER ONE.

He was feeling again he didn't deserve Harry he didn't deserve to be visited by him. He even let his self destructive personality to show again, but Harry, with eyes full of pain, gives Paris an advice that will close some of his wounds.

Harry is the one waking him up from the nightmare of deception. That's a huge symbolism because even with Harry there, bringing him back to reality, Tom will relate that with the fact that he feels he left down Harry too.

Harry asks Tom to finish his letter. To start healing that huge damage he has inside, the voice of his father yelling at him to do this and that, to be better. To not be what he wanted to be.

Finish the Letter for his father, because it will help him. Even if his father never hear it. Tom did it. He finished the letter. And then in his fantastic world of Captain Proton B'elanna repeats those words to him he really needs to hear from his father: I'm proud of you.

He has a long way to walk through. But it caught my attention that in season 5 we are still stuck in this matter. He should be showing more growth as a character. We are swimming in the same daddy issue and I suspect we will be swimming for a long time too.

I think the writers doesn't know what 'move on' means.

Miscellaneous: Megan and Harry mentioned to Tom the number 14 like something he needed to reach. (The remaining time to know about the letters and to get out from prison) This number represents EQUILIBRIUM and also LOVE. Maybe are those the two things Tom needs to achieve. Mostly, self love and acceptance.

Another interesting fact was the episode in which Seven said Tom got out from the cryogenic bed 4 TIMES. I'm thinking that maybe is related to everytime Tom had been in prison. We are counting three times so far. Let's see 😂.

[lest-we-be-liars]

My Family Can't Even With My Dramatic Ass: SPN 15x09

Y'all...that was...that was so much. Let me tell you. I was making noises through that episode that I didn't even know I could make. My children were concerned for my well being. My mother in law over heard me while she was on the phone with my husband and asked if I was hurt (answer: emotionally, yes) and who the hell Chuck was and why he was a sick SOB. I was on my knees at one point. From beginning to end, it had my heart racing. I'm just....

The acting:

Shoshannah

I felt her pain when she had to cut Sam! I felt that!!! I felt her regret! I felt her disdain towards chuck. I felt her conflict of not knowing what was real!

Jared

You beautiful beast, you. Every moment of realization and revelation was CLEAR AS DAY. This man had an emotional rollercoaster throughout this episode. Hope, pain, regret, defiance, loss, indecision....and even when he was tied to a chair it SHOWED! His facial expressions were on point! I live! Glorious as always, my dude!

Rob

Can we please talk about how this man has, probably, the hardest, most controversial job in network television right now. He has to make you hate God. GOD! And he is killing it! Like, he is such a quirky loveable person, but I want his character to burn. That's skill. I feel so uncomfortable when chuck is on screen. I feel so uneasy, like that " walking alone at night in a bad neighborhood" feeling. Just *chef kiss* bravo.

Misha

I know a lot of people don't like him. A lot of people rag on his acting saying 'Castiel only has like 3 emotions/faces'. But when you look at the actor vs the character...Misha is a very expressive person. He is energetic and dramatic and high pitched and his face is always expressive and pretty much he is the opposite of Castiel. Setting aside the fact that he's played like 8 different characters on the show and you can tell which one by facial expressions alone, the fact that this man has been playing a character that is so opposite of who he really is for so long and still keeps people intrigued speaks volumes about his skill. He was wonderful as always in this episode and that is my opinion and I'm sorry you can't change my mind.

Jensen

Give this man ALL of the awards! This whole damn season! Just *incoherent fangirl screeching* From his concern for Sam, to his panic, the TEARS, the confidence with Chuck, his pain over losing Cas, the resignation....I felt uncomfortable. I felt uncomfortable because I felt like I was watching a real human being go through all of that. He made me feel like I was watching someone's actual life unfold. You, Jensen, are an artist! Like hot holy damn! I'm basically just still sitting in awe over it. I cant even...jut... flrubergurbermlehlefleh!

The Writing:

Phenomenal. Nuff said.

The episode itself:

Sam, Chuck, and Eileen

I can't handle the pain. When chuck had Eileen cut Sam....nope, no, uh uh, not okay. I was cussing out a fictional character. Out loud. People heard me. Big mad.

Chuck manipulating the Sam/Eileen relationship? I have some not so positive feelings about this. Like, the man has suffered enough. Let hi. Have something good for once without sticking your dirty little fingers in it.

Chuck physically torturing Sam and expecting it to break him? Ha! Dude has had his foot bruleed! One scalpel ain't gonna cut it. Why is he still defiant. Because he's Sam f***ing Winchester.

That first future clip hurt. I like Claire.

That second one made me panic. All I could think was "why is Cas gone?"

The third one though....Sam packing up to head out and Dean coming in defeated. I have so many thoughts and feelings. This is the point I was on my knees. Because Sam was trying to keep the faith. Present Sam was convinced Chuck was showing him lies, because Dean was giving up. But the part that is haunting me, aside from the fact that we learn, Donna, the girls, Eileen and pretty much everyone except Jody and Bobby are gone, is one single pronoun. I. Dean didn't say "we had to bury Cas". He said "I". Where was Sam when all this happened? Why was Dean the one who had to bury him? Alone! Cas is Sam's friend too.How Fucking strong and Terrifying was Cas with the mark that a damn Ma'lek box was the only solution?! Also angel knight of hell demon wtf flerbergerber...IWANTTOKNOWWHATHAPPENDANDHOWALLTHATWENTDOWNOMFC!!!!!

Chucks whole "oh, oh no Dean, don't go out that door...." bs made me rage

Vamp!bros? That's the end? Really?! REALLY?!

The monster taking over the world if chuck is gone? Idk....I don't know if I believe that. Sam might. I don't.

Sam losing his hope...hurt.

Sam losing Eileen because she doesn't know what is real...hurt.

Chuck having his powers back...hurt.

This while storyline just fucking hurt.

Cas and Dean

Cas telling Dean to stop being stupid?! I'm sorry what?! Like, my reaction was similar to Dean's. Like just...well okay then. Go off!

Cas calling the shots about staying together? Go off!!

Nonverbal communication had to happen considering they both know they were being followed but the leviathan didn't know they knew

And it just proves that, even when they're fighting they are still in sync.

Benny!!!😭😭😭

"I left, but you didn't stop me." Kill me.

Cas getting trapped and Dean getting knocked out. Ugh.

That PRAYER!!!!!

Dean apologized?! What?! WHAT?!

Dean acknowledged his anger issues?!

"You're MY best friend." "Of course I forgive you." *hyperventilating*

My guy fell to his knees!

That is WAY more than a single man tear! That was sobbing. There was snot! He was begging. My GOD!

The reunion. That hug. Cas lead the leviathan away from Dean to keep him safe, AGAIN! "I heard your prayer." BFFL STATUS ACHIEVED!

Watching Cas agree to take on the mark made me nervous

They're nonverbal communication coming in again, storming the casino.

Dean decking Chuck made me chuckle. I didn't like chuck returning the favor. Dean's speech to chuck after finding out about the memories. "Not this Sam. Not this Dean."

Dean didn't blow up at Sam. He has acknowledged his anger and is working on it. THAT'S CHARACTER GROWTH MY FRIENDS!

Finishing each others sandwiches 😊

TFW IS BACK BABY!

Billie and Jack

Jack!!!!!!!

Wtf is it time for?!?!?!?!

Just a wonderful painful/relieving episode. 9.6/10. I have no idea where this is going....and I LOVE it!

[ashlightgrayson]

I'm sorry, but I don't understand what you're talking about. Zuko isn't an "edgelord with no personality". In fact, he's one of the characters with the most personality in the series, I think. He suffers from abuse from his sister and father throughout his life. The only person that loves and supports him is his uncle and he's so broken at the beginning of Avatar that he can't see it. He spends his time in season 1 and season 2 obsessing about capturing the Avatar not because he just randomly chose it as his life's mission, but because to him it was his only ticket to earning his father's love. By the end of season 2 and season 3 he is having a moral dilemma. He still wants to capture the Avatar but he also starts building relationships with the people around him and starts to see more clearly that his father isn't the person he has idolized in his head. However, it's hard to let go of the idea you've had of someone your entire life and whom despite his abusive attitude towards you, you still love deeply. Zuko rationalizes his father's behavior, like most victims of abuse do. "If he doesn't love me it's because I'm doing something wrong. If I find the Avatar then I'll finally be enough."

When Katara and him have that altercation in the underwater caves in season 3 (if I remember correctly, my memory is a bit fuzzy, it's been a while) they let out their built up frustrations and open up to each other. Katara lost her mother to the Fire Nation. This is the consequence of something Zuko's family has done. To her, the fact that he is pursuing a goal for his family, capturing the Avatar, makes him a representative of the enemy to her. Zuko has lived with a lack of acceptance from the people that are supposed to love him most and is conflicted by the body count his father has left behind and one that he may contribute to if he continues to pursue the Avatar. At the same time, through Katara he sees the pain his father's, and possibly his actions, have inflicted on real people. Katara and him for a moment are able to see eye to eye on their mutual suffering, both caused by his father. They are both victims in this huge war that doesn't just affect them.

People that ship Zutara aren't shipping the Zuko from season 1 and even 2. That's the Zuko that had a one track mind of seeking his father's love without thinking about the consequences that had for other people. They're looking at the Zuko that became sympathetic towards victims of the Fire Nation like Katara and was able to recognize how he was just another victim and pawn in his father's conquest for power. By season 4, Zuko isn't the same person he was in season 1. He's found true friends in Aaang, Toph, Katara, and Sokka. He has come to understand that despite not having his biological father's love, he has his Uncle Iroh's love, which is all he needs. He's able to have conversations with Katara about things that have happened to them. People ship Zuko and Katara because they can relate to each other as victims of war in the hands of a tyrant and as survivors of that war that grew into better people from their awful experiences. Zuko isn't being "emo and edgy" for the sake of it. He is depressed, angry, and resentful because he's always been treated like trash and is a victim of abuse. Victims of abuse lash out and participate in self destructive behavior. In his case, obsessing over finding the Avatar for Zuko. He has a right to want attention from his father, a man that's supposed to love him and yet thinks of him as unworthy of that love. Yes, he does awful things at the beginning of the series. The important part is that he learns and grows out of it. He does NOT become his father. He could have, and he made a choice not to. The growth that he has parallels the growth that Katara has from someone that wants vengeance for the war with the Fire Nation has cost her, to someone who becomes forgiving, learns to heal people, and most importantly, learns to heal herself.

This is about understanding that Zuko isn't just "emo" and a jerk for no reason and it's not like he didn't change. That's a mad insult to his character and diminishes everything he represents in the show. He is a voice for victims of abuse and how they are not destined to be the monsters or losers others tell them they are. They don't have to be assholes forever, they can grow, they can BE better. They have a choice. The assholery is a symptom, it is not a definition of who they are. He wasn't in a position to be in a relationship the first few seasons of the show. That's the whole point. By the end of the show, he is someone who is finally ready to have a healthy romantic relationship. He has accepted himself and isn't chasing after someone else's expectations of him. He has found who he is and has taken the time to accept and heal from his abuse. Please don't reduce Zuko's character to just an "edgelord". He is so much more than that.

if by ‘’vanilla’’ ships you mean ships with a healthy amount of respect, trust and love for eachother, then yes. i love vanilla ships. i am the queen of all things vanilla. my name is vanilla.