#all so soft but more importantly very textual with how much these characters love each other

[tenuousnessless7]

Feel like something that’s not discussed a lot is how unapologetically sincere the show is. I feel like there’s a been a real push against vulnerability and sincerity in favor of cynicism or sarcasm in media, like there’s a fear that showing characters talking about how much they care about each other will be seen as “cringe” or unnecessary. And Lockwood & co just brazenly wears its heart on its sleeve in a way that feels really refreshing to me.

[sokkagatekeeper]

zuko and sokka for ask game

sokka here.

first impression: hehe funny hair. he should drink that calming tea i believe. wow he grabbed that grandma just like that :/

impression now: fundamentally emotionally mentally metaphysically — zuko is a boy in a forest talking to a frog. he’s got such a gentle soul and such a hard exterior and he is so angry and emotional and kind and compassionate and aggressive and insensitive and loud and vulnerable and brave and dumb. his redemption arc is so talked about yet so misunderstood and either glorified or taken for granted and reducing it to shreds. anyway beloved <33

favorite moment: obviously when he came out to his dad by shooting lightning at him was like a big moment but actually my absolute favorite zuko moment of all time has to be when he stood inside the fire of the dragons. it was so cathartic and aesthetically pleasing, and when he says ‘i understand’ it’s wonderful because you know he does understand. zuko understands firebending as a representation of the oppresive hypercompetent militaristic masculinity he was imposed since he was a child was fundamentally harmful and most importantly not for him, and then he comes to witness and understand a more artistic style of firebending as that part of him that has gentler edges. beautiful momentum for my son <3

idea for a story: been thinking about the concept of iroh unintentionally seeing zuko more as lu ten than zuko himself & all that it entails. i also would like to explore his dynamic with jet since none of you can get it right </3

unpopular opinion: cis king ✊ also ironically as though his arc is so loud about the black/white dychotomy being fundamentally blurry the majority of the fandom tends to interpret him as either a soft baby or in order to contradict this statement some people are just out there saying zuko is an asshole and nothing else which is an idiotically myopic approach to his character and ultimately not helpful at all with the misconception of it that’s being argued against. i think he’s softer than what people give him credit for, he’s just got a strange way of being soft. he’s just got poorly addressed anger issues and social obliviousness which makes him sound rude af at times. like his character is one of the most textual, blatant characters in the show. idc why so many people go out of their way to intentionally mischaracterize him so badly tbh. and also his homosexualitè is In The Text & fundamental to the understanding of his arc

favorite relationship: hard decision to make, but i’m gonna go with katara as well. i love the unique empathy they share because they both share the same fury and compassion and idealistic faith in themselves despite the odds and the world being seemingly against them at every turn. i love how much they care about each other instantly after their initial explosive conflict is resolved. i adore their parallels and their development and their friendship more than anyone else in this site get away from katara & her gbf you’ll ruin them

favorite headcanon: i love the idea of zuko writing poetry, maybe a few plays and sonnets. i think he has the meat of an author, the drama and the monologues and the epicity in it all. and i also think he would enjoy it very much

ask game here.

[starboybellamy]

I'm starting to think the writers are using the time jump to kill off any romantic BC possibility? They've recalibrated both characters so their priorities are completely different than what they were in S1-4. Both have other relationships that matter to them more than each other. And neither relationship is shown as temporary, so I think this may just be our new status quo. I'm sure they'll still be on the same side, but I just don't see this being fixable. They just don't care that much.

Disclaimer: I don’t write meta, I’m not good at writing meta, I just spill my words onto the internet and hope they make some sort of sense to someone, so bear with me, please. And this got long, so grab a snack.

You are totally allowed to think that. I know this season has been a bit weird with Bellarke, especially with Bellamy being much more logical and less emotionally driven, however, I think you’re completely wrong.

We got the ICONIC 5.03 “She is” scene, which, I don’t care what anyone says, was romantic AS FUCK. He looked her directly in the eye and DECLARED that she was important to him. Walked into an army holding a coffee mug to save a woman that he thought was dead 4 seconds before. That’s totally a pre-Priamfaya Bellamy move. No thinking, no planning, just acting (okay so the planning wasn’t done on-screen, obviously there was some kind of organization that had to happen). He spent the last 6 years incorporating ‘the head’ into his ‘the heart’ leading style and as soon as he found out Clarke was alive, BAM, he’s right back to being reckless (to an extent) Bellamy. I died. I still get goosebumps thinking about that scene.

The hug scene in 5.04. Oh god. Okay, so when I first watched it I was like, “Really? That’s it? That’s all you’re giving us?” But that’s because I wanted a hug circa 2.05. The overjoyed-can’t-believe-you’re-here-and-in-my-arms hug. That’s what I had in my head through the whole hiatus. So much so in fact, that I was disappointed with the soft, loving hug(s) we did get. But when I watched it again without my disappointed goggles on, holy shit, that was some romantic af filming. Close ups of his hand on her back? Framing them in the open door? Their refusal to not be touching each other for any amount of time? Forget it. If anyone watched that scene with no context, not knowing Bellarke, they would 10000% say those bitches are in love.

5.05, Team Bellarke back at it again! Nothing that could really be claimed as ‘romantic,’ but they were back to joking, silent communication, and flawless teamwork. Power couple Bellarke was back and I was living. Plus, the shocked look we got from Clarke when Becho was reunited? Iconic.

Now for 5.06. There was A LOT of drama surrounding this episode. People were pissed at Bellamy because of this, that, and the other thing, BUT, we’re going to ignore all of that and focus on the Bellarke of the episode. Granted, there wasn’t a whole lot. Clarke was focused on Madi, Bellamy was focused on Echo (in my opinion, their focuses were exactly where they needed to be). Clarke once again, watched Becho kiss, and the camera focused on her so that we made NO MISTAKE that her first reaction in 5.05 was not just ‘shock’ or ‘confusion’ or ‘worrying about Octavia’s response.’ It was pure ‘oh shit, my person has another person what the fuck I don’t like this no thanks’ (AHEM, jealousy, Clarke, that’s what that feeling is). And the episode ended with THEM TOGETHER. Seriously, how often over the last 4 and a half seasons has Bellarke been together the ENTIRE SEASON? (Hint: the answer is never.)

5.07. Holy shit, if you can’t tell by my posts over the last 12 hours, I LOVED the episode. Bellarke teaming up to go to Indra? Going to Octavia together? Sure, it wasn’t a ~romantic~ episode, but it was a teamwork episode. It’s a reminder that Clarke and Bellamy still work flawlessly AS A TEAM. And the end? Well, we’re going to see how that will play out next Tuesday, but I, for one, am ready for the angst and the (probable) fight. Give it to me, my body is ready.

Okay, that’s my canon, textual evidence. If that’s not enough to convince you that Bellarke is STILL HAPPENING, remember that we are JUST now past the halfway point of the season. This was the set up. Now we’re about to get into the juicy conflict, the obstacles, and most importantly, the resolution. There is plenty of time for Bellarke to reconnect (which is what this season is about, finding your family, and reconnecting, because they’ve been separated for six. whole. years. It’s not going to come naturally anymore). Now, have their priorities changed? Sure. Clarke didn’t have a kid to look after before Priamfaya. She’s a mom now, her first priority is always going to be her kid. I can’t blame her for that. Bellamy’s priority is Spacekru (PLUS CLARKE OKAY). His family. His friends. That’s what he is focusing on. He’s going to have a breaking point next episode where he has to come to terms with his sister no longer aligning with what he considers family.

ALSO, remember Bob, okay? Remember when he said 5.08 was going to be good for Bellarke fans? As would the rest of the season and especially the finale? Have faith in Bob. I would literally trust him with my life.

Also, @moonaskingtostay made a very good point about the time jump. The writers haven’t handled the separations thus far very well. Everything has been kind of lackluster in that department, and I really hope it steps it up in 5B.

If you’re still here, congrats. Bellarke is happening, just be patient.