#She doesn't get why they call Zuko boss

[skboba-stars]

Since I've been looking at my old fandoms, I've been thinking of writing a fic for fun.

It's a combination of the Riordan-verse, Legendborn, Ennead, and Mercenary Enrollment.

The idea is for 000 - my original character - to help bring down the entire operation of the Camp from the inside (this wouldn't really be the focus though) and come out of Grian and stay with Ijin until Lieutenat Hamchang find their family.

Turns out that their parents were in Africa, but they died in a car accident in America when visiting a family friend.

However, the family friend's husband is still alive and he takes them in. They slowly get to know him and tell him their name is Zuko. One day, he asks them to protect his daughter.

Cue 000 going to school with Bree Matthews post-Bloodmarked and basically being Ijin 2.0 lol. Eentually, 000 wakes up with strange nightmares of their ancestor, who turns out to be Hatshepsut -and getting a quest from Anubis and Ophois (my Ennead original character) to find their father to punish him for giving away his scythe.

Cue her meeting the Kanes and travelling alongside Bree to find the guy - only for it to turn out that Osiris had the scythe all along. Cue a whole rescue scenario where 000 becomes Set's host. Set helps her learn her real name.

Cue a bunch of shenanigans with the two where they then try to get Set a body while going through therapy.

Like, I don't know if this is a stupid or brilliant idea.

[garfield-milk]

pspspsps. transfem zuko headcanons? im all ears please tell me

you have no idea how much I've waited for the day someone asks me about this...

ok so I want to start about how I think her childhood was like. pretty much everything happened the same as in canon but!!! ursa realized that there was something going on with zuko (she was showing her feminity) she didn't know exactly what, but she neither wanted to dig too deep. she just went "oh wow my kid is a queer, I personally don't care but I don't want to see him get hurt" so she let zuko try some jewelry and do femenine things with her but letting her know that it was seen as something "bad". HC that zuko secretly loves (both in canon and in this au) when azula calls her zuzu bc it's not a masculine nickname. anyways stuff happen, zuko started hiding that part of herself and then Ursa leaves and the agni Kai happens and she had to cut her hair (ouch). she didn't let it grow back or have it united bc she felt ashamed about everything about her !!!!! (I know I'm making this up myself but IM GOING TO CRY UGHHHH). there's more under the cut, I just don't want to make this too long lmao

ok so 3 years go by she gets really depressed and angry and blah blah blah your average zuko angry but with more flavour. then she a iroh have to flee from de FN and she cuts her hair!!!!! and lets it grow longer (it grows really fast ok?) which feels great for her and when they get to BBS and trans stuff start to happen. I have this idea (idk if this works well with canon but idc) that, meanwhile in the FN lee is a masc name in the EK the only name similar is Li (a femenine name) so one time iroh is talking to a costumer and calls "lee" to help him and the consumer just says something like "oh I didn't know you had a daughter" and iroh doesn't correct them (old man suspects a few things) and neither does zuko so iroh looks at her with that knowing smile but let's it be hehehehehe.

also I have a feeling that in BBS they arent really lgbt friendly but they let queer people live their lifes freely bc they want everyone to be "happy", so there's a ton of LGBT paces. zuko just happens to stumble in one and there's a lot of queer people and when zuko tells them that her name is Li they share a look and go "li girl come here, let us give you a makeover" and they dress her and put make up and jewelry on her. zuko starts coming over and meets a bunch of trans people and realizes that there's nothing wrong with her (after this is by the time she catches that 'im becoming good' fever, because she's also redeeming herself). she doesn't tell iron but!! she start wearing a bit more femenine clothes and some jewelry and pretty much everyone in the tea shop calls her iroh's niece/daughter so...

oh!!!! and zuko and jet have a thing bc jet didn't realize that she was a firebender until after the ferry. so one time zuko takes the courage to tell him that she's a girl (first person she actually came out to) and jet is completely fine with it bc why wouldn't he?? and then he finds out she's a firebender and tries to kill her (jet is a dumbass, he doesn't die and 5 years later they find each other and jet sees her and is like wow I shouldn't have tried to kill her but Zuko doesn't want to know anything about jet bc #girl boss). also the blue spirit is believed to be a girl and when zuko first heard someone say "oh wow do you not know about the blue spirit? she's like the coolest folk hero ever..." she got really fucking happy but attached it to the fact that that way people wouldn't associate the blue spirit with her (lie).

and this is without going too much into what would happen after she joins the gang (not really sure when that would happen, if in the bbs catacombs or like in canon after going to the FN) but she and Katara would be absolutely besties after the firsts weeks and Katara would be GLAD, even if she tries to not show it, to finally have someone to be girls with (no, she insists that toph doesn't count because she's just as nasty, if not more, as the boys) and Katara would say stuff like omg im going to teach you how to be the perfect girl, and even though it might sound weird bc katara wtym perfect girl, but they are both excited asf and loving the concept so it doesn't matter (they are doing each others hair while shit talking about people)

i would love to know your opinions about what would she change her name to bc, yeah she prefers li over zuko but it's still very much a masculine name to her fire nation ears. so I have a few opinion but in not really sure witch one I like the best: suzume, sao, sakda or kuniko. but I'm open to hear any suggestions tho! and about head canons too, and pretty much anything related to transfem zuko!!!!!

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

What you say to this

Let's debunk all the lies:

1 - "Kataang is one-sided" We literally hear Katara talk about how he gives her hope in the begining of EVERY SINGLE EPISODE, she canonically starts thinking of him as potential boyfriend instead of just a friend right in the middle of the first season (and after it we never see her having a crush on another boy like say Jet), the kiss on the cave at the start of season two is HER idea and she clearly enjoyed it, she is visibly upset when he's pulling away from her after Appa's kidnaping, her rage at his death is a clear parallel both to Tui and La as well as Oma and Shu, she is jealous when he's paying attention to other girls and flirting with him, she clearly liked the kiss during the Invasion even if she didn't see it coming, she threated to murder Zuko if he ever hurt Aang again, and even in the Ember Island fiasco she full on says to Aang that what her actress said about her only seeing him as a little brother is not true.

2 - "The age/maturity gap makes it weird" It's literally the same age gap as Zutara. It's TWO years, not twenty. Katara likes having fun and goofing around just as much as Aang does. Aang steps up and embraces his responsibilities just as much as she does when he discovers what the Fire Nation did to the world, and his people. Honestly, despite being older, Zuko is the least mature of all three - hell, 16-year-old Zuko is less mature than 13-year-old Zuko, which makes perfect sense because his abuse and banishment made him double down on all of his flaws, mainly his stubborness and tendency to lash out in rage.

3 - "They spent the second half of book 3 always fighting and disagreeing" They literally were only in conflict during The Southern Raiders, Ember Island Players, and then on the first episode of a four-part saga. Three episodes out TEN. Katara and Zuko meanwhile spent 5/6 of the entire series being enemies, AND she only forgave him when there was only ONE more episode left until the finale.

4 - "Zutara doesn't have any real red flags" Ya know, besides the fact that Zuko's nation and family commited genocide against Katara's people, and that he believed that was 100% okay, and that he chased her and her friends all over the world being openly hostile and violent, and he once hit her so hard it knocked her out cold, and he constantly calls her a peasant because he's very classist AND racist to the point of not recognizing her father's authority/status, and he attacked her when she offered to heal his uncle and then again in Ba Sing Se after she thought they had bonded, him helping Azula in battle was why she got to murder Katara's best friend and then he also sent an assasin after the Gaang to finish/repeat the job, and after all that he still felt entitled to her forgiveness after he was accepted into the group. Once again: this is why no one takes zutarians seriously. They love bragging about their ship being "complex and intriguing" then try to completely negate canon because for all their talk about "calling out abuse in Kataang/Maiko", they are, at their core, enablers.

5 - "Zutara was part of Ehasz's vision for book 4" No, it wasn't, and the man said so himself. He liked Mai and Maiko, and wrote lots of Kataang episodes. He has repeatedly let everyone know that the supposed interview in which he talks about how Bryke forced Kataang to happen at the last minute is FAKE.

6 - "We didn't get book 4 because Bryke wanted a movie" Bryke didn't really WANT the Shyamalan movie, but Nickelodeon, their bosses, wanted money. They literally walked out on the production because they were unhappy with it. They were OFFERED to make season four, but didn't feel it was necessary and stuck to three - and while I don't think that was the best choice, it still worked and it was a decision fully divorced from any movie deal or ship war.

7 - "People get angry at mention of zutara despite there being nothing wrong with the ship itself (besides not being canon)" Literally no one is obligated to like a ship just because YOU think it's perfect, and that kind of entitlement, the "I'm better/smarter than everyone else" complex, combined with all the lies, is exactly why people tend to hate the SHIPPERS and by extension the ship itself.

Admiting that zutara has always been pure fanon and that it isn't for everyone doesn't mean you have to stop liking it. Quit acting like a spoiled child, go enjoy your ship in peace, and respect other people's right to be indifferent to it or actively disliking it. Their personal preference is not a personal attack against you, stop treating it as such.

[juniperhillpatient]

Sozin's Comet Part 3: Into the Inferno Re-Watch

Wow, I'll be honest I forgot how many parts this finale had (& thank goodness because it's way too much to cover in one post.) While I've randomly re-watched various episodes of this show a lot, this is my first time doing a full re-watch & only my second time re-watching these finale episodes. That's because....well, this finale doesn't fuck around!

Let's get right into it. I gotta be petty & say it's kinda funny this show is so disdainful of its own main "romance" (& calling it that is a stretch) that they have Katara & Zuko go together on a ride or die life or death journey to the Fire Nation after baiting their noncanon romance quite a bit in the last few episodes. Fun! I'll briefly address that I know a lot of you guys don't like the setup for the Zuko Vs. Azula fight, & it's certainly a little flawed but...& this might be a hot take - Zuko showing up during Azula's coronation to claim the throne & the two of them having an Agni Kai does make a certain amount of narrative sense. It's just that a few details about the setup itself (the time it takes to get from Ba Sing Se to the Fire Nation, Iroh knowing that Azula would be crowned Firelord, in general, the buildup to Zuko's decision to become Firelord) could have been executed a little better. But I still love the beautiful tragedy of the final Agni Kai & I still think it was overall set up well save for a few details.

Zuko Vs. Ozai I would argue is pretty perfectly set up by the previous episode. Aang is ready for this fight. And Ozai is ready for genocide - & showing off his abs! I'm sorry if this upsets some of you but Ozai is getting +1000 iconic behavior points for stripping off his shirt for this fight & generally acting like a dramatic king. Yes trying to burn the world to the ground is pretty bad, but Ozai sure does manage to be a fun-to-watch villain while he does it. I only wish we'd gotten more scenes showcasing Ozai's personality & badassery throughout Book 3 to really set him up as the Final Boss.

[id: Ozai about to fire-bend Aang. end id]

I can really appreciate that Aang is out of his comfort zone here. Throughout this entire show, Aang has been an evasive fighter. He's not aggressive. He prefers to deftly outmaneuver his opponents & cause them to wear themselves out rather than attacking directly himself. Aang doesn't have that option this time. First of all, Ozai is just a very aggressive fighter who is determined to take Aang down. Second of all, this is the big battle - Aang needs to do something to take Ozai down, & he knows it. I have to appreciate that Aang offers Ozai the chance to back down. Obviously, it seems silly - of course Ozai won't take this chance. But it means something that Aang offers it anyway.

Sokka, Suki, & Toph's mission feels so desperate & scary. Toph gets +1000 iconic behavior points for her badass metal bending. Then Sokka comes up with a plan that will help protect the earth-kingdom but also might just kill them & shit gets real when they're separated from Suki. My heart dropped during that scene. Sokka protectively crouching over Toph just makes me so emotional. +1000 iconic behavior points to Sokka for this insane & potentially suicidal but brave plan.

[id: Sokka crouching protectively over Toph. end id]

Yeah, this part just makes me emotional.

Speaking of being emotional.....Let's get into the beginning of the end for my favorite emotionally damaged war criminal. Azula's downfall is heartbreaking. I didn't understand what was happening the first time that I watched this show, & I was just confused about why Azula was banishing everyone until it slowly crept up on me that she was paranoid after Mai & Ty Lee's betrayal. This show is incredibly well-written & as I'm re-watching again having put a completely normal & not at all insane amount of thought into Azula's characterization, I realize that it's so much more complicated than that. Azula was abandoned as a small child by her mother, who she believed never cared about her. Later, her brother is banished & after she finally gets him back, he abandons her too - for reasons she cannot understand. Then Mai & Ty Lee too. No wonder she can't trust anyone.

And even if it weren't for all of these people turning on Azula for reasons she doesn't get, Azula was taught that "trust is for fools, fear is the only reliable way" by her genocidal egomaniac father who burned her brother in front of her when she was eleven. The same father who just abandoned her (just like everyone else does) to fulfill a rather pointless role (now that he's the Phoenix King). I'm not sorry but what the actual fuck is wrong with people who can't sympathize with --- nope, I'm just. I'm....moving on, let's continue the analysis.

[id: Azula standing in front of her mirror throwing a hairbrush at a hallucination of her mother, who is reflected in the mirror. end id]

Let's talk about the mirror scene for a second. This is another scene that's been highly analyzed & discussed already but I want to talk about it a little anyway. It's important to remember that this is a hallucination, meaning that what we're seeing is what some part of Azula's mind is conjuring up. Ursa doesn't call Azula a monster, interestingly. She says "I love you, Azula, I do." Is this what Azula remembers her mother saying? What she wants to believe her mother is saying? We just don't know because we are simply not given enough information, but I think it could be a mix of both.

I also think it's very interesting that Ursa says "I think you're confused." Again, this is some part of Azula's own mind manifesting. I think this is pretty strong evidence that Azula knows that she's wrong - this as well as the comment in 'The Beach' about believing herself to be a monster - but I don't think she has the context to really understand how or why she's wrong. How could she? She's never had the opportunity to learn from sources outside the Fire Nation, or adults other than her father, the way that Zuko did.

And then of course....we have the showdown that breaks my heart the most. Zuko & Azula's Final Agni Kai. When Azula says "I'm sorry it had to end this way, brother," & Zuko says "No, you're not," that truly is the culmination of their entire relationship, isn't it? And it's so devastatingly tragic because it didn't have to be this way - they could have been normal siblings, in another life - but at the same time, it did always have to be this way, because of generations of toxicity, because of Ozai & his choices. +1000 iconic behavior points to each of the fire siblings for being dramatic fucked-up bitches.

I think that Azula really is sorry it has to end this way, she does not understand Zuko's reasons for abandoning her or their nation after she did everything she could to put him back in his rightful place at their father's side. And Zuko doesn't believe her, not for a second, because their father has always made him feel like the mental, emotional & physical abuse he's been put through is all because he can't measure up to Azula & he sees her as an enemy & believes that she hates him even though she doesn't. It's all just incredibly fucking sad.

And I want to be super clear, I sympathize with both siblings here a lot, but Zuko is right to challenge Azula. Ozai & Azula need to be taken out of positions of power at this point in time. Whether Zuko or Iroh or whoever "should" have the throne, it definitely shouldn't be Azula, & Zuko & Katara are doing what they have to do here.

[id: Azula generating lightning. end id]

The music, the animation, & voice acting during the final Agni Kai is beautiful. It's just an incredible scene. It's haunting, honestly. One of the most intense & emotionally charged battle scenes in any show that I've ever seen.

And of course...Zuko taunts Azula until she shoots lightning. I think it's worth noting that Azula was avoiding doing so up until now. Almost like she didn't really want to kill Zuko. And then Azula goes for Katara. This is a coldhearted & calculated move, in a way. Azula is manipulative even in the midst of her breakdown. She knows that going for Katara is the way to disarm Zuko. But I also think that it's because she didn't want to kill Zuko. Sorry Azutara besties, but Azula didn't know Katara at all on a personal level, so I think she made the quick decision in a desperate moment that if she had to kill someone, she didn't want it to be her brother & that this would be a great way to get Zuko distracted so she could burn him & win. But like...I also think this was all whizzing through her brain in chaos because she's also mid-breakdown & had to think fast.

Anyway, Zuko takes a heroic & brave dive & saves Katara. This moment just gets me every time. However, you interpret the relationship between Zuko & Katara (for me personally, I see it as a deep friendship) this is an act of love. +1000 iconic behavior points for Zuko. Pretty sure Zuzu is already taking the lead, but I can't not award him points for saving Katara's life.

I'll end this review by saying that Aang redirecting lightning against Ozai (but still not killing him) was a really amazing moment & I loved it. +1000 iconic behavior points for Aang.

[id: Aang redirecting lightning. end id]

This show really is epic, & its conclusion is proving to be just as intense, emotional, & beautiful as I remember it.

[stitchlingbelle]

Watching Avatar, Part 5

Welcome, me, to season 2! Earth stuff, here we come.

"The Avatar State": And we are immediately making things Complicated in the Earth Kingdom(s), with this asshole General. If we and the Gaang were thinking that being in the Earth Kingdoms would be all allies and smooth sailing, we are now disabused of the notion. Interesting catch about the Avatar state, especially since it doesn't seem like Aang can choose not to enter it-- it's going to be all about not creating a situation where he needs it. I call Foreshadowing. (Would killing the Avatar forever also kill bending?) (Also, has there ever been an Evil Avatar? How were they defeated? I have questions.) Meanwhile, we meet Azula and wow this girl is EVIL. Way to level the Fire Nation threat wayyyy up. Both more competent and more cruel than her brother-- plus incredibly smart and manipulative. Just strolling up and telling Zuko to come home? Sadistic, shows a deep understanding of him, minimum effort, almost worked.

"The Cave of Two Lovers": Light, fun episode with a killer WHAM ending. I feel like Zuko is going to having serious trouble adjusting to life in the Earth Kingdoms. (Iroh's a sweetheart and everyone's glad he's here.)

"Return to Omashu": Loved the epidemic trick, and it's very inline with Sokka's last save-an-entire-population gambit-- if you can't win by force, remove the people from harm, instead. Oh lord, Azula has backup now, even if I don't quite get their whole thing just yet. King Bumi remains a boss, can't wait to see what he does when he decides it's Go Time.

"The Swamp": Not my favorite, it was a little slow. Glad to see some of the continuing emotional threads reinforced, interested to see who Mystery Girl is. Zuko becomes Batman again, but for the wrong reasons. (Did he ever have good reasons? Do we ever find out why he started being the Blue Spirit in the first place?)

"Avatar Day": When this episode started I expected to hate it but it was actually pretty good. Loved the humor of Avatar Kyoshi turning up just to be like, yup, I killed him. (And that whole flashback was a badass and chilling reminder of how much power the Avatar can wield. Seriously, she tore the peninsula apart and created an ISLAND?) Also a great example of the principles of nonviolence on the show-- she could have slaughtered everyone threatening her home, instead she just... removed the problem. Meanwhile, Zuko you suck, how dare you break Iroh's heart like this?

[discet]

Since we're bringing up potential cartoon crossovers, how about if the Calamity trio ended up in the Avatar The Last Airbender world, maybe Anne with Aang, Sokka, and Katarra, Sasha with Zuko and Iroh, and Marcy with Suki and the Kyoshi warriors (if you have better ideas on where the girls end up with, you can change them up)?

So if I was going to do an crossover AU I, personally, would not go for an isekai angle. Avatar, like the Star Wars AU I was asked about a while back, would be one I would want to have the characters to be born into the setting naturally instead of being dropped into it.

Mostly because I don't know how much their entering into the plot of ATLA itself would change things. Avatar already has a chosen one character in Aang. While Marcy might be all for a big heroic adventure, Anne and Sasha would be less inclined.

If I was going to set them all up I actually would probably set them up in the time period of Legend of Korra. Cause man what a fun setting and a mixed bag of concepts.

For this AU Anne Sasha and Marcy all grew up in republic city together.

Girls, Before Timeskip

Anne: Gonna buck convention here, Anne's family is from the fire nation, specifically the outer archipelago around the Ember Isles. As to why, its cause ATLA's designers took a lot of inspiration from thai culture for the architecture and fashion on the island. The next incarnation of the Avatar, as her family has roots in some of the water benders who had been captured and brought back as prisoners to the fire nation (like Hana). Does not realize she's a bender at all until she is 12, extremely late bloomer. Discovers she's actually the Avatar on her 13th birthday when she peforms airbending on accident.

Sasha: Comes from an old established colonial family that helped establish Republic City back when it was a fire nation colony. Ethnically I think she'd be half Fire Nation half Earth Kingdom, mostly because this comic about Sasha being Wasian lives rent free in my head since I saw it months ago. She'd probably be a brunette since I don't think blonde hair would be a... thing in Avatar world I think I would make her an earth bender of a fire bender. Mostly cause I like how it would play into her role as the defender of the group and also so she can pick up lava bending in later seasons. Sasha as the only bender for most of their life was also the group protector on the rough and tumble streets of Republic City. Idolized Toph as just a top tier ass kicker.

Marcy: Comes from a family who immigrated to Republic City from Ba Sing Se around the time it became republic city. The only truely nonbender of the group, Marcy spent child hood always a little envious of Sasha. This only grew worse when it turned out Anne was also a bender and Marcy started to feel like the odd one out. Marcy is absolutely obsessed with the technological advances being made in the city. Once Anne is recognized as the Avatar, Marcy throws herself more ardently into her studies of engineering

Plot: So at the start we get a similar set up as canon. Sasha see's herself as the protector and boss of the trio who, even after Anne has had a year with her water bending. On Anne's birthday, Sasha convinces Anne and Marcy to break into the construction site. Things are going alright until some cops show up. Sasha calls for them to run, but Marcy being her clumsy self ends up almost falling off a girder. Anne narrowly manages to pull Marcy back, but at the cost of her own balance and falls. Sasha tries to do something, but there isn't much earth to work with and she doesn't know how to metal bend. Anne in full view of these cops and some onlookers shoots out a jet of air from her hand to save herself.

Anne is made an instant celebrity. Republic cities first Avatar! The people of the water tribes are resentful since culturally Anne is fire nation and one of them were expected to have the next avatar. Anne is stressed and would do anything to put this genie back in the bottle. She didn't want to be the avatar. That was a lot of responsibility! She wasn't even a good bender!

Sasha has a bit of an identity crisis and Marcy is excited for Anne but also nervous that her friends are going to leave her behind.

The white lotus + Tenzin approaches Bee and Oum, insisting Anne be taken into hiding until they can train her. They are hesitant as Anne is already overwhelmed by all the changes and expectations placed on her. However, when a red lotus attack almost kills their daughter they accept.

So in an interesting twist for Amphibia Fanfic, it's Anne who is moving away for a while. Sasha and Marcy both beg the White Lotus members to let them come and keep Anne company but are refused. Sasha argues they should at least take her because she's a talented earth bender and could be a sparing partner for Anne. This argument also doesn't work but does deeply hurt Marcy, since if it had worked it would leave her alone in Republic City.

So Anne is taken away, tearful goodbyes and promises of letters.

Girls During Timeskip

Anne: Anne is deeply resentful of her position of the Avatar and the expectations set upon her shoulders by the world and white lotus. She gets passively adequate at all 4 elements but isn't particularly talented in either. However, in theming with her position as the heart in Amphibia, she does seem to have an extremely natural talent for dealing with spirits which will pay dividends over the course of the series. Anne stays in close contact with Sasha for the entire time skip. However, after something terrible happens to Marcy, and Anne fails to sneak out to go see her, Anne sends letter after letter sending her sympathies and apologizing for being unable to come, but never gets any letters backand so loses contact with Marcy. Though she's determined to rebuild that connection upon her return.

Sasha: After Anne left Sasha fully threw herself into practicing bending, wanting to turn herself into a pillar Anne could rely on once her adventures as an Avatar truly begin. In the process however she kind of turned her back on Marcy. Without Anne as the glue of their relationship, Sasha starts to see Marcy as a social anchor around her ankle as she tries to put together a 'squad' strong enough to support Anne. However she secretly comes to regret this, as without Anne or Marcy be her side, Sasha's only 'friends' are those who are obsessed with their image and reputation, so she no longer has a refuge where she can just act herself. Way too proud to try and make up with Marcy, especially after the incident.

Marcy: A bit lonelier and overworked, Marcy is a prodigious inventor that was scouted by Sato corp right out of school. Once Sasha distanced herself, Marcy threw herself into her studies not making many connections with others. 3 years after Anne leaves Marcy has the incident. Some bending bullies from the girls past who grew into members of the triad. They try to corner Marcy one night when she was alone and without friends. Marcy runs but ends up in an accident and loses her arm as a result. Marcy writes Anne a tear stained letter, begging her to visit cause she feels hurt and alone. We learn that Anne tried to sneak out back then but was caught. Anne wrote back apologizing and promising she did everything she could, but the white lotus intercept the letter and it never gets to Marcy and vice versa. Leaving Marcy to believe she's been abandoned by both of her friends

Story Start

As Anne's 18th birthday rolls around Anne is officially done with life in the compound and enlists the help of dozens of spirits to help her break out this time. They sow chaos and give Anne the time she needs to get to a village and book passage to her home in Republic City. Anne first seeks out Sasha, since they still have an active connection and knows Sasha has a championship match coming up. Sasha is of course super happy to reunite with her and introduce her to her Probending Team. I don’t have a lot of details for these two but they are both pretty insufferable as people. They clearly see Anne as a way for them to boost their reputations. 

After a night with them Anne asks Sasha if she knows where Marcy is so that she can visit. Sasha is reticent, clearly ashamed of how she left things with Marcy, and encourages Anne to move on. Maybe even tries the ‘end of discussion’ move. However in this AU Anne has spent the last half decade being told what to do by every adult in her life, so she’s not going to just meekly ascent to Sasha’s command and seeks out Marcy anyways. 

She eventually finds Marcy still living in all of their old neighborhood, and just teary eyes sprints to her and pulls her into a big bear hug. Marcy is shocked, both that Anne is there and cares about her. They talk through the misunderstanding pretty quick and reform their connection and spend the night catching up. Marcy proudly shows Anne the steampunk as hell prosthetic arm she developed for herself and talks about her job at Sato Corp. Anne confides in Marcy about her insecurities and resentment about being the Avatar. Marcy becomes the first person in five years to agree with her that it is an unfair burdan she has been saddled with, rather than insist that its one she needs to take up anyways. Which is in retrospect will make a lot of sense when part way through season 1 its revealed that Marcy is an equalist and is the one developing their weapons for Mr. Sato. 

So I think that pretty much sets the stage. Giving Anne a friend who both represent flawed ideas of the equalist conflict. Sasha having fully embracing the status quo of ‘Benders are superior and should be treated as such’. And Marcy representing the sympathetic but flawed ‘Some benders abuse their power so all benders must be neutralized for society to progress’. 

and maybe I’ll flesh it out more later but the scene that I think is really cool is when Marcy is revealed as an equalist. Cause Marcy isn’t working against Anne in this AU. Or using their bond to betray her. She eventually tells the truth on her own and tries to get Anne to join her. Insisting that Anne is right, it isn’t fair that everyone has these expectations of her. She shouldn’t have to be the avatar if she doesn’t want to be. And wouldn’t she like to go back to the way things were before all this happened when they were on even footing with each other. 

Which is a really juicy dilemma for Anne to chew on. Cause she’s not a great bender and she doesn’t want this job. 

[marisandini-chu-blog]

How Shadow and Bones Differentiate Villain and Anti-Hero

Alright, first I need to claim the fact that I love dark, edgy, but misunderstood bad boy in stories with the potential of epic redemption. Loki from Marvel. Jason Todd from DC. Captain Hook from Once Upon a Time. Zuko from AtLA. You name them, I simp them.

So when I watched this new show on Netflix and shown a tall, handsome man in dark clothing, both respected and feared for his power. I feel... nothing. 

WHICH IS WEIRD! Like... he’s obviously my type. Complete with the sad backstory and vicious streak. So I kept wondering why I wasn’t enamored by the Darkling, Alexander Kirigan. I wasn’t surprised he was the main villain, I even expected it. But I usually at least have a bit of sympathy for them. This OOC behavior of mine made me introspect myself and the show, trying to find out which part gave me the red flags before Mother Darkling decides to pop the chosen one out halfway in the season. 

That’s when it hit me; there were red flags! The show had been subtly trying to tell us Kirigan is a manipulative boyfriend not just by great acting and good directing, but by comparing him with the actual anti-hero of the story who I actually love; Kaz Brekker. 

Here’s the list of signs you might not notice of why Kirigan is meant to be a Villain instead of an Anti-Hero. 

1. The Eyes

"The eyes are the window to the soul" is a common saying and and the key to good acting for any good show. Eyes tell us a lot about what a person’s character is like and SaB showed us the difference of a sincere man and a man with a hidden agenda.

Look at him! Look at that little smirk. Look at the gaze. That's the look you find when someone's evil little plan is finally coming together. Not one awed by the power or by Alina. A blatant sus move is what I'm saying. Congrat, first flag planted.

Sure he could still fall in love with Alina, but that doesn't stop his agenda either. All it does is potentially create conflict for him to pick either his plan for revenge or life with Alina.

In comparison, look at Kaz when he said this to Inej; "She isn't like you, no one is." Straightforward eyes. Serious grim. No nonsense tone. Inej is one of the most talented and terrifying rogue-assassin and Kaz just blatantly said that he kept her from 'slavery' because of who she is, not what she's capable of. Like... the man has no shame being known to love her while still trying to be professional (or as professional a thief can be). I can respect that.

This is the eye of a man who would abandon everything to make sure she comes out alright in the end. Do not argue with me on this!

2. Leverage and Status

The moment Alina steps into the Little Palace she was treated like a princess. A palace, by the way, that’s managed by the Darkling. She gets favorable treatment; from the food, Zoya displaced when she fought Alina, a horseback ride just the two of them, asking her to call by his name to make them familiar, a black uniform that might as well be claiming???

Dude is desperate is what I’m saying. 

Sure, this could all be romantic gestures. There’s the problem that Kirigan is superior in status and name, powerful Grisha, and has a vested interest in her power. Pursuing romance while Kirigan has the ability to make her life heaven or hell with a snap of his finger made every single decision be seen with wariness. 

"Beware of powerful men," Genya couldn't put it any better.

Had they pursued romance after they destroy the fold, cementing Alina’s position as a saint more. Then I might have let go of that wariness. 

I’m only proven correct when the moment Alina turned away from him, Kirigan made another leverage by (spoiler!) putting an antler to her collarbone... eeeewwww much?! 

That’s how desperate the Darkling is to be in control of a person and a situation. 

And when no letter came for Alina? That a big red flag because who else in this castle can control the coming of going of letter with the Savior. HMMMMMMMMMMM.....

Then there’s Kaz. My man. There’s no competition. This guy held no leverage on my dear Inej. When she almost decided to leave, Kaz didn't force or convince her to stay but he ask her. Doesn't remind her of her debt whether monetary or life debt to him. In fact, this guy needs money for revenge but instead mortgage his main source of income for her freedom.

HE POSTPONED HIS LIFE GOAL TO FREE HER FROM DEBT ASJHAKFSDJGLDFJ!!!  

What more do I need to say? 

3. Sympathy Card

This is the type of point you want to watch out from your partners, ladies, gents, and others. The sympathy card is the way to go when anyone wants to reach out to you so you can take care of them before they abuse or gaslight you. 

While it’s good to share trauma and eased the burden, sometimes it's healthy to ask yourself whether the person can take advantage of you and to verify whether they lie to you or not.

When Kirigan shared about his past as a sympathetic boy with his secluded fountain and coin. Everything about that scene rang warning bells for me... the part he had requested her to use his color... requesting to horse ride with just them two... sharing sob story that may encourage Alina to help him...

Kudos to Alina to see through the fact she's seen as a means to an end.

It was only when Kirigan showed righteous anger and frustration of a war that's killing his people did Alina finally opened her heart to him.

Kaz however doesn't use the sympathy card. Heck, the man likes to believe he shed away any weakness and threw it in the harbor where it belongs. Kaz hates weaknesses. And garnering sympathy is an admission of weakness for him.

We still know there's a tragic backstory as any decent anti-hero would have... but by not sharing that, this implies that Inej and Jesper stayed because of who he is, and not because of who he was or how he came to be. They don't need a sob story to stay together and that showed a stronger bond between them.

4. Friends

To be frank, I find this the most hilarious because this point is the one that convinced me that Kirigan was secretly an evil bastard.

He doesn’t have any friends!!!

Like... dude had a literal witch army, a wife once, a fuck buddy, and a girlfriend but there wasn’t a single moment in the show where someone, outside of Alina and superior, to speak casually to him. 

You’re telling me this person... the most powerful and influential Grisha in the East Ravka, charming as hell, handsome as fuck, and yet he doesn’t have friends?! 

“I’ve buried good soldiers... friends...” Get the fuck out of here! WHAT FRIENDS?!?! Maybe if you get off your little power trip from your self-made pedestal, you can actually be less of an asshole and make one. 

Sure he excused himself by blaming his ‘ancestor’ for being a shadow summoner. I can see how the fear makes it hard for him to get close to anybody. But all the other characters who are part of his army only ever shown to speak with him respectfully, and the royalty even commend him. No one disrespected him even openly and you’re telling me he doesn’t have one friend amidst all these people?!

In comparison, look at Kaz. He’s brash, crude, and unapologetic. He held true to his moniker ‘Bastard of the Barrel’ and yet this ass has friends. They show Jesper joking with Kaz, and Kaz has shown to banter with him back as well as tolerating his gambling addiction when it could have jeopardized the Job. Inej was shown to actually argue and have disagreement with Kaz when he’s technically her boss. Can you imagine the Darkling doing that? CAN YOU?!

No. Because he's a pretentious ass. That's why.

This is a great example of the use “show not tell” of how Kaz despite his obvious edges has a soft spot shown through his relationship with Inej and Jesper, who have a friendly dynamic. I can attest that while Kaz didn’t create a good first impression, I love Jesper and Inej (they are precious!) so much that I project it to Kaz in extension.

On the other hand, Kirigan’s goodwill had only ever been told by outsiders or himself. None from his inner circle (which he doesn’t have!) other than his mother, who ended up outing him instead. 

So I applaud the writers and showrunners of SaB to actually have subtext signs of a manipulative bastard. The Duckling is a good villain character that's complex but unredeemable. Sometimes, you just have a good ol' charming villain you can't redeem and that's okay.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

I might go on a semi-analysis here so bear with me.

A lot of people obviously like ZK because of the whole "Enemies to Lovers" thing.

I think the E2L narrative doesn't work with ZK and I figured out why. It doesn't work not because they're not enemies (they are) but because an important part of this dynamic is that the two enemies take each other seriously and they're personally enemies. Katara obviously sees him as an enemy personally but Zuko doesn't. To him, she's an obstacle, something he has to pass through to get the avatar. It's like when you play a videogame and you have to defeat the sidekick before going to the main boss. You don't give a damn about them. The only two people Zuko sees as serious adversaries/enemies are Azula and Aang.

I don't agree with this. There's nothing wrong with an enemies-to-lovers dynamic in which the (grudging) respect/attraction only starts after they're done being enemies. At most, if you want to be very specific, you call it enemies-to-friends-to-lovers.

Once again, the problem is in the "to lovers" bit. Zutara doesn't have it. Nothing in the show explicitly or implicitly tells the audience that these two have feelings for each other, be those feelings undying love or even just a slight crush based purely on physical attraction. There's nothing there.

Zutara is enemies to friends. That's it.