#and kuvira and unalaq sure do exist

[wilcze-kudly]

Hey, it’s the same anon about Amon from the other day. I appreciate your long post, def agree with a lot of what you said. I actually do like Amon’s storyline in that it’s not about the politics but rather his Severe Daddy Issues. Yakone attempted to control Republic City as a gang leader, then abused his sons and inspired them to take up his project through alternate channels: politics for Tarrlok, a revolution/coup for Noatak. Ultimately book 1 for me is about their issues from their repressive childhood and their struggle to attain power in adulthood (which obviously is similar to Korra’s story as we follow her empowering herself/asserting her place in RC). Tarrlok killing them both (and Amon accepting it) is them ending this abusive cycle. I don’t think it has to be any more political than that — the politics fall flat bc it’s actually a highly individual story.

You're very right, Amon Anon (Amonon? 🤔)

I'll actually note that Amon and Tarrlok are quite unique as villains due to how character driven their storylines are, a habit that I liked but then ended up fizzling out. Neither Unalaq nor the Red Lotus have this individual based aspect to them, even if they do have their momenta. Kuvira is... all over the place, and she's also cheating by having a comic and being an awkwardly placed prop for Korra's arc.

I think that perhaps due to the other three villain storylines not having much meat on their bones, Amon gets grouped in there too, even though he doesn't deserve it.

I think your point about Amon, Tarrlok and Korra being connected by the theme of coming into your own and establish themselves after their shitty childhoods is very astute. All three of them have been under a lot of pressure to excel and fulfil the legacies left to them.

And all are trying to asert themselves in society. Hell, Tarrlok even calls that similarity out.

Tarrlok: Isn't that what you came here to do? Intimidate me into releasing your friends. See, that's what I admire about you, Korra. Your willingness to go to extremes in order to get what you want. It is a quality we both share.

Korra: You and I are nothing alike!

Amon and Korra paralel each other by longing for something else and actively defying their elders/superiors, and both escaped to Republic City...

And it is my personal theory that at the end of the book, Korra was, like Tarrlok, considering suicide.

Which, since they both lost their bending, and are weighed down by a legacy they can no longer uphold. They both feel that there is no saving them.

To be honest, Amon and Tarrlok can make great foils for all the members of the Krew.

They could also good foils to Asami too, due to the whole sins of the father concept. And a father who pressures you to fulfil his ideals and gets violent if you don't... etc...

And the similarities between them and Mako and Bolin are so glaring I don't believe they weren't intentional.

This cannot be a coinkidink I refuse to believe it

Now I also wish the writers had come up with Suyin's existence earlier because good god the comparison between the Blood bending bros and the Beifong sisters would be just agonising in a good way

Also pretty sure genetics do not work like that but I think its pretty cool how Amon looks more like Yakone pre plastic surgery, while Tarrlok looks more like Yakone post surgery.

There's gotta be some symbolism there that I cannot be arsed to figure out at the moment it is past my bedtime 😴

Goodnight and god bless have a smiley Zorro bcs we got into some heavy themes.

He's smiling like that bcs he's high on painkillers

[harpagornis]

Was The Owl House a refutation of The Legend of Korra?

“The problem was, those guys were totally out of balance. They took their ideologies to far.”

Toph Beifong

“That’s assuming that’s coming from genuine intent.”

The Titan

When The Owl House usually gets compared to other shows, it’s usually things like Steven Universe, due to the more realistic take on villain redemptions and actual LGBT representation, or Star Vs The Forces of Evil, for lacking its melodramatic elements and not doing away with magic. But rarely due I see a comparison with The Legend of Korra, particularly as the finale seems to be a very brutal refuttal of that shows’ ethos.

In LOK, most villains are extremists. They do horrible things, but mean their stated goals and Korra even incorporates their ideology to some extent: while the equalists fizzle out inexplicably, president Raiko comes in to offer representation for non-benders, the spirit portals remain open allowing the pirits and humans to co-exist as Unalaq wanted, and Wu dismantles the earth Kingdom monarchy in favour of independent democracies, a mixture of Zaheer’s and Kuvira’s goals.

In TOH, the villain too is politically motivated. That is, he is a puritan with a genocidal wish to “protect humanity” by killing off all witches and demons. Unlike Korra’s villains though, the show’s finale makes it abundantly clear this is a facade for a desire to be the hero of his own story. No entertainment is given to the idea that he might have genuine intentions.

I find this particularly interesting; I’m not sure if it was a direct jab or pure coincidence (since unlike LOK’s villains there really isn’t a way to logically compromise with Belos’ desire).

[foulfirerebel]

For the hundreth, billionth, umpteenth time...

Putting this under a read more.

Kiyoshi didn't kill on a whim, she was often forced into that situation per the novels. Nor did any of the other Avatars, again per the novels and comics and when they had to it scarred them for life. As for the LOK remark:

Amon and Tarlock? Murder/Suicide by themselves, the heroes just exposed Amon.

Unalaq? His consciousness was absorbed into Vaatu, he didn't exist anymore anyway. Also, Vaatu will most certainly return the next 10,000 years cause light and darkness coexist like that.

The Red Lotus? I'll give you Ming Wa and P'li, being electrocoated and having your head blown off are certainly ways to do it. Though P'li only died cause she was trapped in a metal container Su and Lin clamped on her quickly. Ghazan killed himself in a lava shower. zaheer was taken alive.

Hiroshi Sato? Sacrificed himself for his daughter.

Kuvira? Taken alive and imprisoned, got better per the comics.

Sozin was a product of his own arrogance, and killing the Fire Lord wouldn't have really stopped the war unless you're sadistic enough to do it in front of the many troops that he commanded. LOK showed this with Kuvira being out of the way, but some of her generals deciding to continue her work.

Ozai is powerless, it's Zuko's fault for listening to him for even a moment or two. Ozai was left an empty, broken, pathetic shell of a man hurling threats he could never cash in on. Frankly, that's worse than death for a man so arrogant he thought himself a god.

Jedi do kill. Jedi have killed. Jedi can kill without turning to the Dark Side of the Force, what is the OP even on about that?

As for the Batman/Red Hood argument...you do realize that would make Batman a cop, right? All the "Batman's a cop!" arguments would be correct if Batman ever killed his enemies. Not only that, but as SF Debris and other people put it, Batman just jails or otherwise hands people over to the justice system because he believes in it.

Why are people still blaming Batman for something Gotham's broken justice system does on the regular?

But back to Avatars for five seconds. You realize how horrified Kyoshi was when she and her friends found out their mentors killed a bunch of people out of some really skewed name of keeping the peace? How much having to put Yun down and others scarred her? How much power they all have and how the world can just bend to their will if they so much as lose control once and how horrifying that is?

But sure. Go the easy route. How long before that backfires, I wonder? How long before it becomes so easy to just...kill things that you start acting less like the hero you're meant to be and more like Zod or Injustice Superman or as whiny and stupid as Homelander? Or worse, you become so high on the dark side that you're hollow and empty.

Additionally, how long before you just encounter someone or something that can't be killed? and if it is, it'll throw everything out of whack? Like how Zhao killed the Moon Spirit?

But sure, people who don't kill are the stupid ones. Miss me with that "might makes right" authoritarian bullshit.

Honestly, so many problems in Avatar could be easily solved if people would just take a page out of Kyoshi's book, and just kill their enemies.

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

I’ve been thinking a lot about the world of Avatar recently and it’s occurring to me now just how controversial the concept of the Avatar would really be. It’s easy to think that the Avatar can only do good for the world (as seen with Aang saving the world from the Fire Nation) but really think about how a real-life Avatar would be. 

What really got me thinking about all of this is the fact that the Avatar cannot be in the wrong. I know that sounds silly, like, oh the main hero has to be a good guy? Wow, what a concept! But that’s not as clear-cut as it sounds. The Avatar can never be in the wrong because they’re the ones ensuring balance. If they’re in the wrong, then that means their authority can be challenged, thus leading to people losing faith in the Avatar. So, what does that really mean then? Like, isn’t it a good thing that the Avatar is always right?

Well, when it comes to situations like with Aang and the Fire Nation, then that’s fine. The Fire Nation was clearly in the wrong since they were committing genocide and disrupting the spirit world. But now let’s introduce something a little more grey. What if the Earth Kingdom was going through a civil war? One side is upholding the monarchy, the other side is a resistance group trying to change the regime. How would the Avatar come down on this?

This is where the problems with the Avatar concept comes in. In these situations where the disputes are a little more grey, the Avatar is basically being forced to choose which side do they agree with politically. And regardless which side they choose, they’re making a political statement even if they don’t say anything:

1) Avatar sides with the monarchy = “Avatar is saying we should uphold tradition and reject the immoral terrorists”

2) Avatar sides with the resistance movement = “Avatar is saying the government is corrupt and that the freedom fighters need to win”

(By the way, yes, the word choice was deliberate to make this point)

In addition, and I hate to say this...the Avatar has some fascist overtones. Think about it; the Avatar is this regular person given god-like powers and has the authority to step into world affairs to “bring balance”. Imagine if the Avatar was a little more proactive? If they didn’t like what was going on in one nation, they could just go in and disrupt things all in the name of “balance”. State sovereignty literally doesn’t exist because they have to abide by the Avatar’s judgment. 

Essentially, the Avatar only works as a character if they were to intervene during situations where there is an obvious correct answer. The Avatar can’t be a morally grey anti-hero because if there’s even the slightest doubt of their actions, their whole reputation and authority is damaged. They just become another piece in the game of world politics.

And before anyone starts, yes, I’m factoring Legend of Korra into this post. And yes, I hate Legend of Korra because they fell into the problems I listed above. Now I’m not trying to say that Amon, Unalaq, Zaheer, and Kuvira were saints. But you have to admit that the Avatar getting involved in their squabbles exposed the limitations of the Avatar character.

Let’s use Amon as an example. As we all know, Amon was the leader of the Equalists, a movement of non-benders fighting for equal rights in a world dominated by benders. As I wrote before, the Avatar can’t be wrong, so if Amon is the villain, he has to be bad enough that no one will question Korra’s authority. But here’s the thing; no one wants to root for a fascist. And it’d be a HORRIBLE look on the main character if they’re essentially fighting what appears to be a resistance movement that just wants equal rights.

So what does Legend of Korra do? They make Amon as blatantly evil and corrupt as possible. Also, turns out he was a fraud this whole time! Yeah, all that stuff he said about equal rights can now be ignored because Korra was never in the wrong and you don’t have to feel bad about rooting against Amon. 

(EDIT: Something else about Amon I just realized. If you have a character like Amon who is fighting against perceived injustices in the world, you’re basically saying that the current world order IS corrupt and that the Avatar is fighting to uphold it. So yet again, the show has to go out of its way to make sure Amon is wrong and Korra is right, even if it means invalidating Amon’s whole argument. Amon can’t have a point because if he does, that means Korra may have been in the wrong. It’s a really shallow way of handling difficult topics like this)

I know I’m just dissing Legend of Korra now, but that’s why I couldn’t get into the show. The Avatar can’t be wrong, so they have to suck all the nuance and sympathy out of their villains in order to make sure no one roots against Korra. And I don’t even blame them for doing so because they were working with a limited character like the Avatar.

TLDR: Zaheer may have been right about everything

[hayleysayshay]

My response to a lot of the ‘is Zaheer a good villain‘ discourse is that zaheer ‘s plan didn’t stop with the Earth Queen and Korra. sure Korra was his top goal but ideally all four would escape and they’d continue to rid the world of leaders and such. They’d continue their work.

I think what works about Zaheer as a villain is that his pursuit of Korra is personal. Like Amon would always do the equalist revolution even if Korra didn’t arrive in Republic City. Unalaq sees Korra as a tool. Zaheer is a better done version of Unalaq where he takes issue with Korra’s very existence . That is what makes book 3 work for me. Zaheer has some points but the wrong methods and a limited foresight. The questions asked is what is Korra willing to risk for the new airbenders? The answer is everything.

I think Zaheer as a villain is pretty consistent. He isn’t emotional about Korra. He offers her advice and helps her work through her issues as it is better in that moment for the world at the moment to get ride of Kuvira. Zaheer knows Korra is more powerful than she knows. And that’s why, if he had the option to do it all again, I think he would. Because I think he still sees power centred in individuals as inherently bad. He’s using Korra as a means to ends in book4, get rid of Kuvira, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t try again after. But that’s just my interpretation of his mentality and philosophy— there is an issue with how vague/interpretable the political philosophies are in the legend of korra.

I just think some of the nuance of whether or not Zaheer is a good villain is lost if we focus on his depiction of an anarcho communist and his politics not how he works in the story. I think Zaheer is one of the best villains in the legend of korra because of his role in the story itself and what he means to Korra as a character, not his politics.

[daydreaming-scribe]

(Possibly) Unpopular LoK opinions

A point that might reappear multiple times in this post: The Gaang not acting like how they did when they were children/hormonal teenagers is not Out of Character behavior.

The Gaang not being ideal parents is not bad writing. In fact, existing in the spotlight and trying to manage running the entire world makes it more likely for them to be imperfect parents.

Aang is the sole known survivor of a genocide, and on top of that he was the Avatar, expected to run around the world and solve everyone’s problems. He also grew up in a culture with no traditional family structure and where everyone was an airbender, so the person most directly responsible for raising you was your airbending master. Sue him for internalizing this behavior and prioritizing the child with airbending, over the two without.

Also, for those who want to argue that Katara wouldn’t allow this: She grew up in a culture that was almost entirely the opposite. Maybe she was cool exploring the world and going on adventures when she was young/didn’t have children, but she definitely would want to raise her kids inside a semi-traditional household.

Zuko having a singular named child who appears for maybe three minutes in which time she does not indicate she had an imperfect childhood is not solid evidence to say he was the best parent of the Gaang.

Lin might’ve been an ass the whole time she was in Zaofu, but Su should’ve been the the one to apologize to her. Sure, holding a grudge for thirty years is not healthy, but when the grudge is for a family member permanently scarring you and the person on the other end faces no consequences, you should get an apology.

The Red Lotus and Kuvira were both better villains than Amon/Noatak. Neither of them had to hide behind a fake persona, a fake backstory, a mask AND fake burn scars to get their ideals across.

Say what you will about Unalaq, but he’s the only major villain who didn’t try to finish Sozin’s work and kill off the surviving Air Nomads. (But also on a related note, despite Kuvira being Earth Kingdom Hitler, she only nearly killed the airbenders because they were attacking her robot).

Kuvira as a villain wouldn’t be so strongly thirsted after if she wasn’t light-skinned and presenting as white. That said, I still would go straight for her.

I just realized this yesterday watching a tiktok video and it partially inspired this list but: Mako is the less fun brother because he and Bolin lost their parents at a young age and because there was no one left to care for them, so he had to be not only a protector but a parental figure to Bolin.

Also ACAB but Mako gets so much hate for being a cop but Bolin gets a pass for being a part of a fascist military force.

Again ACAB but arguing that Toph would never be a police officer, much less the Chief of Police, because of her rebellious nature as a child is stupid and I might make a longer post about it because there are too many reasons to list.

For a pretty rigid magic system (and yes, bending is a magic system), there wasn’t really a solid/satisfactory explanation why Bolin couldn’t figure out metal bending other than “some people just can’t do it”. 

The ability to astral project being a subsect of airbending and not just something the Avatar, or otherwise anyone with a high level of spirituality, could do, is a bit of a retcon.

Asami’s amazing but she’s just a little too perfect, probably to compensate for being the only non-bender. She’s smart, rich, a skilled fighter, and much more emotionally competent than the other three members of Team Avatar. Like, does she have any character defects?

[dragonshoard]

Ok, sue me but I liked LoK because it was realistic af when it came to the aftermath of the gang. 

They were children going through a war, thoroughly traumatized and then thrown right back into the fire after it was over. They never got to be kids, they never got to know peace, not really. 

Aang screws up and passes down issues to his children as a reflection of his experiences. He was 12, told suddenly that he was the Avatar and then he was running away and caught in a storm and then some lady was hovering over him and what do you mean I’ve been asleep for over 100 years.

Katara backs up into a role that she’s comfortable with because, I don’t know why it’s so hard for some people to understand this, just because you wanted to learn how to fight doesn’t mean you want to fight. She’s 14. 14 during the show. The mature caretaker and that’s even further emphasized when she has three children, three. Do you have any idea how much time that takes out of a person? To raise a whole child, much less three? By the time they’re out of the house and you feel like you can detach your identity of being a “mother”, good luck with that. It’s been 18+ years. Have fun remembering how to be yourself. 

(If you can’t tell, I have a lot of feelings about Katara, don’t start with me; her story is a genuine tragedy and I get why people are pissed at it, but I find it realistic and compelling)

Edit: I made a rebub on Katara. I still stand by the rest. 

Toph was rebellious against the rules so she decided to make her own rules. If that’s not the most boss ass move I’ve ever heard of I don’t know what is. And, lets be honest, Suyin turned out good and so did Lin, though she was horribly bitter for a while (rightfully so, but she remained in that place for years of her own volition without any attempts to make amends). 

I don’t exactly remember much of what Sokka did but he and Zuko looked like one of the only two members of the Gaang who turned out remotely functional and I’m not exactly sure how.

Also, these were all children who can and will change with time and experience. I know for a fact I wasn’t the same person I was at 12 or 14 than I am now at 22. 

And these was children in war. ATLA was about a war and you have to realize you don’t know who these people are during the peace in the aftermath. They’re entire existence is defined by it for the longest times and that is traumatizing. 

Even after the war, the war isn’t over. The 100 year war is over, but a thousand small wars have just begun and that carries on into Lok, becoming Korra’s problem. 

And about Korra. Korra who was sheltered for 16 years of her life. Who was suddenly shocked out of the state of peace and safety that she’s had all her life with one traumatizing experience after another. People who have less exposure to stressful situations deal with it horribly once it hits because they aren’t adapted to it. They have a lower tolerance to it and it sucks. 

I love Korra’s story. I love it because (1) I love depth and suffering and (2) because her progress was amazing to watch and I loved her character development. She was always strong physically, but it was her spiritual self that she needed to work on.

And, like, just because the Avatar bends 4 elements, doesn’t mean they’re always the strongest individual in the room? Their power mainly comes from the wealth of knowledge that comes with the access to their 1000s of lives, but it doesn’t help much when what the current avatar is experiencing something they as a collective have never experienced before. 

(or up against their literal opposite who is of equal power :/)

Korra is 16-17. She’s going against masters and she will make mistakes, same as Aang. Aang has not gone up against as many outliers and master benders as Korra has. It makes her look weak in comparison. 

Seriously. Aang’s major enemy was the fire lord and during the last battle spent half of the time running away from him before depending on the Avatar state to beat him into the rocks. His other enemies included individuals that weren’t much older than him (other than Zhao, but they got rid of him pretty early on and I wouldn’t call him the scariest antagonist). 

Korra got: Amon, Kuvira, Unalaq, and Zaheer (the red lotus in general). Like, ahhh??? 

[whoslaurapalmer]

For the ask meme: The Last Airbender, Kataang, Azula! And if you're up for it: Legend of Korra, Korrasami, and Korra herself.

oooo!! thank you!!!! 

so i have previously done last airbender and azula, and i still have such absolutely boring kataang takes, so -- 

KORRA TIME

Favorite character: JINORA, zhu li, kya, ikki, eska, korra, bumi  

Least Favorite character: okay.........meelo grates on my nerves, often, i feel bad about that but he does, and i like Get zaheer as a character but i’m very ‘meh’ about him, really, same with unalaq 

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): i am just as boring in my ships with korra as i am with last airbender so it really is just, korrasami 

Character I find most attractive: ....asami’s hair flips are so pretty 

Character I would marry: tough call. not really any of them?? 

Character I would be best friends with: god you know what it’s probably still katara only now i get old badass katara. 

a random thought: i think the show is better watched binged straight through from beginning to end than it was watching it in real time, with the space between books, because i remember being really irritated by korra especially in book 2, but when i sat down to watch it straight from beginning to end after it was all over i liked the pacing a lot more and i liked korra a lot more. 

An unpopular opinion: back when book 1 first happened i thought it would be better if korra could still only airbend at the end of book 1 and spent the rest of the books getting the other elements back but in retrospect i don’t know how that would work (although i mean given wan and the lion turtles? that could’ve actually worked.) but i still get a little Irritated about her just regaining her bending like that. sometimes i feel like the writing in korra, as good as it is OVERALL, is kind of, uneven because i think bryke weren’t ever sure if they’d get the next season???? oh this is not unpopular i’m really bad at unpopular 

okay this is probably the true unpopular opinion, i don’t think pema should’ve been pregnant in book 1 solely because in general (but not always) i Do Not like pregnancy plots because they’re mostly used for certain dramatic moments and then afterwards you have a baby to deal with that usually isn’t ever talked about again because no one has the time to bother with them because now it’s not an optionally angsty plot point i mean seriously what do we really see of rohan after he’s born and if we see him he’s just passed around like a lil potato and not that we HAVE to see character in A NEWBORN but YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN i am of the firm opinion that if you write something you have to deal with the repercussions and that means Dealing With New Baby Character and rarely do i see that happen 

My Canon OTP: korrasami! 

My Non-canon OTP: ..........honestly like the whole cast/happiness 

Most Badass Character: IT’S STILL TOPH 

Most Epic Villain: the thing about korra was because there’s a different villain for each season they all have sort of......an Epic-ness about them, i think? they definitely have a finality about all of them, but they’re all, fairly well-written, but in terms of BEING EPIC i think zaheer is epic in terms of grandeur and kuvira is epic in terms of her whole side-character-to-accidental-villain thing 

Pairing I am not a fan of: is there anyone who’s a fan of mako and korra, at this point? okay probably but. no 

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): okay it’s not that like, i think they screwed up here, but like, what i would’ve done for more info about izumi and just like, zuko as a parent, OH but at (my usual) a passing backwards glance over the series, maybe mako could’ve been, written better, idk, there’s a thin line sometimes between ‘a character rightfully changing over time and making mistakes and other important character stuff and i’m just rightfully irritated at some of the stuff he did cause like the audience is supposed to be’ and ‘a character should’ve just been written better’ 

Favourite Friendship: su and lin do become better friends, right?? (it’s been so long.) and i specify ‘friends’ because i think their relationship has to exist as them being friends compared to them being sisters (not because they’re half-sisters but because of just how they were as sisters) 

Character I most identify with: it’s korra because of The Depression Arc like damn 

Character I wish I could be: yeah it’s still jinora, even before last airbender happened i was always super-fascinated (in the way that children are with the idea of magic) by the idea of controlling air so when the show happen i always wanted to be an airbender, just in general, and i always really liked jinora’s wholehearted belief and confidence in her abilities and how take no shit she becomes (and also “i will make no such promises.”) 

korrasami!

When I started shipping them: the finale happened and i was like ‘well there’s no way i’m not gonna ship them’ 

My thoughts: i really wanna rewatch the show (i haven’t since......when did pokemon go come out, it was that summer. 2016????? really????? fuck.) and really pay attention to their relationship because memory tells me it could’ve been a little more consistent, but in general they have the most genuine, heartfelt chemistry built upon actual respect and admiration for each other and they get each other in a way that mako clearly did not get them. also goddddd the fact that asami is the only one korra can comfortably write to while she’s depressed really fucking gets me 

What makes me happy about them: they make each other happy and (idk in my opinion which rapidly builds headcanons at the speed of light sometimes) make each other feel happy about themselves and that’s really all you can ask for, in a relationship 

What makes me sad about them: when they were weird rivals for a while in book 1 because girl rivals (especially over a boy) hurt my soul 

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: i’ve never actually sought out fic with them!! 

Things I look for in fanfic: in general, i am, a terrible stickler about characterization, and that doesn’t change in any pairing or fandom 

My wishlist: my Absolute Jam, across the board in all fandoms, is post-canon fics (or during canon sometimes that’s applicable) where, the actual canon trauma is discussed and worked through (in some way or another) so if i was going to look for fanfic with them, that would be, at the top of the list, but i would also just take slice of life cuddles because i always think about that sweet art bryan did where they’re in the turtledove float and that’s so comfy and warm 

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: personal happiness 

My happily ever after for them: they get to chill and not have to run around saving the world all the time 

korra! 

How I feel about this character: korra took a while to grow on me, and also like, main characters tend to be typically underrated in a large cast and aren’t usually people’s favorites compared to other characters, but i have come to really like her a lot!! she really is more lonely than people gave her credit for and she has to deal with A Lot, constantly, and so much of korra is her trying to figure out not just how to be the best avatar but how to be the best her and when she gets to do either one and who lets her do either one, and her frustration and rage are so quick and volatile and personal and high-key relatable, and damn was her depression/recovery arc done well 

also the fact that she was accidentally holding onto the remaining lead and had to get it out herself is, yeah 

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: asami! 

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: KORRA AND NAGA i was going through my korra tag and found the comic where she finds naga and god it’s just the best 

My unpopular opinion about this character: hmmmm. is this still unpopular? korra’s occasional brattiness is completely justified when you look at the series as a whole (which is why i mention watching it that way) because wow she’s grown up completely isolated from anyone else her own age and people in her life inadvertently or on purpose took advantage of that 

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: all i would say is her, awkwardness in interacting with people at the beginning of the show because of how she grew up but we do get that, don’t we 

Favorite friendship for this character: korra honestly needs more friends her age 

My crossover ship: none!

[bloodyshadow1]

Strength in Softness

For @threehoursfromtroy /Writerleft  requested on behalf of Willowtree3 to make you happy while you recover.  A bit of Korrasami domestic fluff.  I hope you are recovering well and that this makes you smile

               “Urgh,” was quite the philosophical statement that Avatar Korra, the bridge between spirits and man, let out as she collapsed into her girlfriends lap.  She had been working all day doing her best to solve problems of people and spirits alike, but sometimes the pettiness of people exhausted her more than fighting equalists or Kuvira’s army ever did.  Today it was an argument between two companies fighting over a plot of land technically considered spirit wilds territory.  They had accused the other of giving money to one of the local gangs to discredit the other and drive them out of business.  Of course as it turned out both men had hired a different gang to do what they were accusing the other man.  It ended up with her and Mako back to back as both gangs descended on each other and covered in grim and pieces of the street.  

               4 years ago Korra would have jumped at the chance to clash with a bunch of bending gangs.  But present day Korra had better things to do, and spending time with her beautiful girlfriend beat out fighting street punks every day of the week. “Tough day today sweetie,” Asami said knowingly, she didn’t have to be a genius to know that Korra had a bad day, but it didn’t hurt that she was.  

               “I don’t want to talk about it right now,” Korra said though her voice was muffled due to their positions.  

               “That’s fine,” Asami said kissing the top of her girlfriend’s head, “but you’re going to have to let me get up if I’m going to spoil you to make you feel better.”

               “No,” Korra said with half faked petulance, “spoil me from here.”

               “But I can’t reach the phone to place your favorite order from Narook’s if you don’t let me up.”

               “You’re a genius, can’t you invent a phone that can be carried so you don’t have to abandon your distressed girlfriend in her time of great need,” Korra said laying it on thick as she nestled in a bit more.  

               “I’ll get right on that, but for right now I need ot get up and walk over to the phone,” Asami said gently pushing Korra’s head off of her lap.

               “What’s the point of having an amazing super smart genius inventor girlfriend if she can’t just make the impossible devices i come up with off the top of my head a reality,” Korra said as she pouted a bit.

               Asami just bent down and placed a soft kiss on Korra’s lips that lingered for a moment more than it had to, just like always. Then she walked out of the room to get the phone and place their order, “fine,” Korra shouted.  “I guess the avatar, bridge between worlds, will just sit here in here alone since her girlfriend doesn’t want to comfort her.”

               “I love you,” Asami shouted, it was unclear if she actually heard Korra’s complaining, or if she just knew the love of her life that well.

               “Love you too,” Korra mumbled as she moved to lay back on the couch alone.  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, filling her senses with Asami instead of ruminating on her horrible day.  It worked, Asami was her favorite thing in the whole world so it made her feel good to think of her.  The way she smelled of motor oil, ink, and jasmine, it shouldn’t be a pleasant combination but somehow it was.  The way her lips tasted like Asami, Korra couldn’t find another word perfect enough to describe Asami’s taste.  

               Asami…, the best word Korra could describe Asami was soft, well actually beautiful was the best word to define Asami, but everyone who was in love thought their lover was beauty defined.  Just because everyone else alive and who ever lived and Korra was right didn’t mean it was the only word to perfectly describe Asami. When the two of them had met for the first time back at the gala Tarrlok had thrown in her ‘honor,’ beautiful was the first word that came to mind when they were introduced.  When she saw the beautiful girl on Mako’s arm the next word that came to mind was soft.  

Back then it had been an insult, because she was blinded by her attraction to Mako that she refused to see Asami as anything other than an obstacle between them.  After all soft was something that didn’t exist in the South Pole, soft things were weak and they died in the cold.  But through Asami’s determination to befriend her and fighting Equalists together, the way that Asami aided her without question against Unalaq,  she managed to forge a bond with Asami that didn’t involve Mako.  

Korra never stopped thinking of Asami as soft, but the meaning of the word changed.  Asami was far from weak as Korra realized, the first time she realized that Asami wasn’t the prissy beautiful rich girl she had initially believed the heiress to be was on the track where Asami showed off.  She would later claim that she wasn’t, but in that way that teasing just screamed ‘I’m lying,’ that both of them loved so much. It was in Hiroshi’s hidden workshop that Korra learned about how strong Asami really was, when she shocked her father and single handedly defeated Amon’s Lieutenant to get them out of there. Looking back, Korra knew that that was the moment that she started to fall for Asami, even if she was still blinded by her attraction to Mako.  When Tarrlok arrested Asami because of her ties to the equalists Korra almost snapped right there and would have torn the man apart if she didn’t have everyone to look out for.  The way that Bolin described Hiroshi’s mech ready to finish off Asami when she was on the ground after the war with Amon was over made the avatar’s blood boil despite her feeling weak after what Amon did to her.

No, Asami Sato was far from weak, Korra knew that better than anyone now.  The universe seemed to take Asami’s survival despite everything against her as personal challenge and just did its best to break her down twice as hard.  Yet Asami didn’t break, not only had the CEO survived, but she thrived despite everything in her life trying to tear her down.  And above all, Asami never lost her softness, the softness that Korra associated with her now.  The way she took care of the crippled avatar after Zaheer poisoned her, the way she forgave instead of hating, she showed Korra that soft wasn’t weak. That it took far more strength to be soft and warm instead of closing yourself off hardening your skin and making yourself cold.

“Food should be here in an hour,” Asami said though Korra could feel her nearby even with her eyes closed, “if you wanted to get cleaned up or take a nap beforehand.”  

She had a point, Korra was still covered in soot and dust from today’s rumble, but she didn’t want to shower, not yet.  “I’ll take the nap first if you don’t mind,” she said opening her eyes.  To this day she couldn’t help but stare at Asami whenever she saw her.

“Alright,” Asami said giving Korra a quick kiss before lifting the avatar’s head onto her lap.  “Sleep for a hour and then we’ll eat.  After that though I’m going to spend the whole night spoiling you so be sure to rest up.”

“Sounds perfect,” Korra managed to say before Asami’s softness trapped her in a comfort she never wanted to escape.  Her girlfriend, smart, beautiful, soft yet strong, she was perfect in every way and Korra thanked her and the spirits that they found each other.

[equalmeasurefiction]

Holy Daddy Issues, Tenzin!- Part 2: Why Korra Doesn’t Talk to Strangers

Holy Daddy Issues, Tenzin! Part 1

I have started so many metas based on this one post right here (Korra’s Journey).  But the problem with every single meta that I’ve started is that they all touched on problems that were tangential to the issue at hand.  While I knew that the problem in Season 4: Episode 2- Korra Alone (S4:E2) was indicative of a much larger issue within the Korra franchise, I couldn’t pin-point the underlying cause.  There are so many problems with the Korra series that it’s easy to get lost in the weeds when you’re analyzing.

But it wasn’t until I started thinking about the ‘family’ theme in Legend of Korra that I finally felt I’d found the root of the problem.  I think the reason why Korra doesn’t talk to anyone in S4:E2 is because the Avatar series is about family.  It’s not about Korra, it’s not about the responsibility of being the Avatar, it’s not about friendship or the communities people form when they go out into the world or even how people are interconnected by society and government, it’s about family.  More specifically, it’s about the typical nuclear family where there is a father, a mother, and a collection of children.

Every single main character in the Legend of Korra series is part of a family (except maybe Varrick, but he ends up ‘starting’ a family with Zhu Li, so he’s kind of ‘the future.’  It works well for his character).  All the core issues and problems within the series are derived from family.

Again:

The Equalist Revolution in Season 1 boiled down to family and being unable to escape from it.

The Civil War Arc and Harmonic Convergence Event came down to sibling rivalry (Korra even points out that Unalaq is jealous of his brother).

In Season 3 we have the family that Korra could have had--the Red Lotus.

Finally, in Season 4 we have all the families on display (the surviving ones), breaking away from each other and getting the closure they need as they move toward greater independence.

When the series is viewed in this light, a lot of things that seemed like bad decisions make a whole lot of sense.  Why doesn’t Korra talk to other people who are outside the immediate group in her series?  Simple: according to the show’s underlying thematic logic, relationships that aren’t in some way filial (ie: do not represent or create a ‘nuclear family connection’) are of no importance.  Sibling relationships are important (Mako & Bolin, the Kataang Kids, Tarrlok & Noatak, Unalaq & Tonraq to name a few).  Paternal relationship are vital (like, huge.  I’m not going to bother to list them all, because the list would be insane).  In Season 3, maternal relationships become significant (Beifongs).  Hetero-normative romance is vital, because it’s the root of the nuclear family (the path to forming that mother/father pair).  Romantic relationships are vital because they represent the possibility of creating a family (note that Korrasami only happens at the end of the series--it’s not a baby-producing relationship).  Male characters are only important if they represent fathers, brothers, sons, or boyfriends.  Female characters are only important if they represent mothers, sisters, daughters, or girlfriends.

There is no room in Legend of Krora for any character whose relationship with the main cast doesn’t involve a filial or family-creating relationship.

There are no characters in Legend of Korra that are in any way analogous to Haru, Jet, King Bumi, Ty Lee, Ju Dee, or even Toph (who, Taang theories aside, was the only member of the main group who didn’t seem seriously romantically interested in another main character, and wasn’t related to either romantic lead).  All of these characters, despite having minor romantic arcs, had character arcs that helped the audience understand the stakes of the conflict, appeared multiple times throughout the series, functioned as allies to the main cast/main antagonists, and informed the Avatar world.

In the Korra series, there were no characters who were just friends and allies. There were no characters who weren’t somehow related to Korra’s group or to the Gaang by romance or by blood.  And as a result, Korra’s world feels much, much smaller than Aang’s.

If Legend of Korra were explicitly about family--if it were a series that explored the world in the aftermath of Aang--this wouldn’t be a problem.  But this series is supposed to be about Korra and her journey to become a strong Avatar.  And being the Avatar is about saving the world from destruction, chaos, and the perpetuation of human suffering.  The Avatar is supposed to be the bringer of peace, they’re meant to be embroiled in massive political and social struggles that span continents and cultures.

But Korra’s entire world, the entire thematic thrust of her show, is about family. .  And this functionally cripples Korra’s development.  This theme limits her ability to act and interact with the world she exists in.  She says that she’s the Avatar, but she can’t actually ‘be’ the best Avatar.  After all, she’s not solving the world’s problems, she’s confronting family problems.

And yes, every single problem that Korra ‘resolves’ relates back to family and she only puts an end to the conflict after the family dynamic has been revealed. She could only beat Amon when Tarrlok revealed their family connection.  Her conflict with Unalaq was filial. Her relationship with the Red Lotus was very much tied to her relationship with her father (Tonraq got a lot of screen time as soon as the Red Lotus started to become a threat and I maintain that Zaheer is a kind of ‘dark father’ to her).  And Kuvira?  Well, Kuvira’s main beef is with her surrogate family (Beifongs) and Kuvira’s strife is meant to mirror Korra’s own struggles with her surrogate ‘family’ and their restrictive decisions (it also functions as a nice introduction to the idea that Korra’s not going to end up with a guy--note that when Korra’s kind of ‘into’ guys/dating Mako there’s a male antagonist, when she’s starting to pay attention to Asami the antagonist group gets mixed--this raises even more questions for me...).

So, how does this relate to S4:E2- Korra Alone?

Korra is finally, after 3 Season, presented with the opportunity to interact with the world and engage with people on her own terms-- not as the Avatar, but as Korra.

What happens?

Nothing.

Korra doesn’t have a heart to heart with a single ordinary person.  Instead, she wanders around, takes part in underground fighting rings, and struggles aimlessly right up until the spirits lead her to Granny Toph.  And when Toph’s advice and aide isn’t enough to fully resolve Korra’s struggle, Korra has to go to Zaheer (because mothers and grandmothers can’t fix daddy issues).

As I've previously stated, Zaheer represents an alternate father-figure to Korra.  If things had been different, Korra would have been his protege, his ‘daughter.’  Ergo, his violence against her can function as a metaphor for child abuse.

Since all of Korra’s character growth, success, and development revolves around family-related conflicts, the only way she can resolve her PTSD is by confronting the ‘father-figure’ who inflicted the damage.  After Korra confronts Zaheer, she feels better and is more equipped to fight Kuvira.  Once again, everything is resolved through filial relationships.

Family vs Korra

Now, family is a great theme in any written work.  It’s something that the vast majority of human beings can connect to on a personal level.  After all, most people a family.  And a lot of the moments involving family in Legend of Korra were really great.

That said, the family theme in Legend of Kora was in conflict with the development of the main character.  The narrative focus on filial connections and relationships was so overwhelming that very little time was actually spent on Korra.

In fact, one could argue that the one character who had the least to do with this central theme was Korra herself.  Yes, she was constantly embroiled in family conflict, but she was never invested or interested in these conflicts.  Maybe she’d feel bad about something related to the conflict, or she’d be impacted/influenced by a relative or romantic interest, but for the most part her character wasn’t interested/invested in these struggles.

And this gets into the biggest problem with this theme.  Family was of prime importance to every single other character in the show except Korra.  Sure, Korra felt that family was important to her and she loved her family, but the center of Korra’s existence, the entire drive of her character, was ‘being the Avatar.’  Her drive wasn’t doing things to protect her family and the people who were important to her.  Her drive was being a great Avatar.

Korra’s quest to be a great Avatar, to be successful and solve world problems was sidelined so that the series could talk about family.

This is probably why S4:E2 is such a disappointment to so many viewers and it’s probably the reason why I felt so disappointed in Season 4.  It felt like we were finally going to talk about Korra and her growth and development.  For a moment it seemed like we might actually touch on things that were of central importance to her character.

And then everything went right back to family.  Again.

[wilcze-kudly]

Dark Avatar Ozai, aka, Ozaatu:

Vaatu orchestrates the 100-year war through Sozin, the tree of time, the swamp tree, and the summer solstice. He also manipulates Iroh's spiritually attuned mother, Ilah, into getting free, by him fusing with Ilah's astral form and warping back into her body. This resulted in Vaatu's power temporarily depleting and being reborn in a human form that's given the name Ozai. Kinda like how Tui and La were reborn as mortal coy fish and how Tienhai took the form of a human after falling in love with a young prince.

Aang's year is the 10,000th year and Harmonic Convergence arrives at the finale of ATLA Book 4: Air. Ozaatu battles the Lion Turtle instead of Aang during Sozin's Comet and Ozaatu wins by consuming the last Lion Turtle's soul, gaining its abilities.

As the avatar embodies balance and all the positive aspects of bending, elements, nations, humans, and spirits, the dark avatar will, naturally, embody all the negative aspects and extreme versions of bending/elements/nations/humans/spirits. (Think Ozaatu as basically a combination of Vaatu, Sozin, Azulon, Ozai, Amon, Unalaq, Zaheer, Kuvira, and an evil lion turtle.) The dark avatar achieves this status through the polar opposite means of how the light avatar does it and in the reversed order of the avatar cycle.

By the time becomes a fully realized master dark avatar, Ozaatu will be an immortal who can rapidly heal at a nigh-limitless level, in contrast to the light avatar being able to only reincarnate.

While the light avatar will have the strongest bond with and reliance on various team avatars, the dark avatar will be the superior archenemy to said various team avatars, an independent one-man team avatar, and view his own allies as disposable pawns.

Vaatu's endgame plan is to destroy Raava and to also slowly drain and absorb Raava's natural regeneration and powers and combine them with his own for 10,000 years. Aang and Azula's counterplan is to use spiritbending and energybending to purify Vaatu and have Raava absorb Vaatu's regeneration and powers immediately, saving all of existence and restoring true balance in the process, even if Aang loses his connection to his past lives forever.

Thoughts on all of this?

Oh wow that is an in-depth snd interesting AU for sure.

I do find the idea of Vaatu being somehow included in the 100 year war or being reborn in a mortal form intriguing, but I also don't really think Vaatu would willingly tie himself so much to a human.

Vaatu despises humans as a rule, and you could easily make the argument that the only reason he fused with Unalaq is because he had no other choice, really.

But I'm also not sure Vaatu would be that willing to ally himself qith the Fire Nation. Sure, they cause destruction, something he apparently feeds off, but the Fire Nation clearly had no qualms desercrating Spiritual areas, like Hei Bai's forest. This may pose a moral conondrum for Vaatu, whose influence appears very strongly when Spiritual Areas are disturbed, certain Spirits turning to their darker form even after Vaatu's defeat.

Vaatu is not the Spirit of Evil, he is the Spirit of Chaos and Darkness, neither of these qualities being purely evil. Similarly, Raava is not the Spirit of Good or Order, she is the Spirit of Peace and Light.

These seem like semantics, but it actually implies that true Balance in the world cannot be achieved with one of these Spirits absent. Vaatu and Raava are both important in their own right, even if Vaatu is a smug rat bastard

It would actually be an interesting storyline to see Aang go down, and see how he would deal with Vaatu. I think he could get down with the Chaos point for sure, being a nomad, traveller and somwone who doesn't value routine or order that much.

I was going to say that Aang wouldn't be down for the whole "darker urges" and destruction thing, but then I remembered the abject glee on his fave as he destroyed a factory so I think he could be homies with Vaatu who knows.

I also think that presenting Dark Avatar Ozai as a mish mash of all the villains of the franchise is a bit of a sisiphian task, since they are, particularly Korra's villains, very varied in ideologies and personality.

The issue with blending Ozai and Vaatu is that Ozai is a character who is less nuanced, at least in the text. (Azula takes the role of nuanced main antag) While tlok villains like Vaatu have their... clumsily executed shades of gray.

If we had to consider an AU of Vaatu and the Fire Nation teaming up, I'd rather go the Unalaq esque route of the Fire Nation trying to use Vaatu as a weapon. Canonically, we already had Zhao reasearching Tui and La, why not just have him find texts on Raava and Vaatu, and bring this news to the firelord.

Then you could have a B plot of Ozai trying to get to Vaatu and coerce him into merging with him or smth. Especially if you comtrast these scenes with Aang's more gentle approach to spirits, you can create some nice foiling.

So um. My thoughts in the end are: Intriguing idea. Cool concept. Needs a tad more nuancw when it comes to Vaatu, and I think you may be trying to cover too much ground with one single antagonist. 7.5/10