#because it's so out of character for Asami

[sharkteethunderneathmysocks]

Itsufuyu Fanmeeting - Improv

[tincanton]

ok i finished binge watching tlok (except for season 2 listen im not getting into that mess again) and like. its literally not that bad????

like excluding the relationship shit (and most of season 2 I hate season 2) its literally not that bad. like I would rewatch that again it was so fun.

i just wish they developed the Friendships between the krew more. i will reiterate this again, the moment even a slight Concept of a found family has entered my mind I will NOT stop thinking about it. (the most memorable part to me was literally the krew just fucking around in a hotel room with a pai sho board while spying on aiwei. i want more of the four of them just doing really random shit together come on. please. please. ple

also the love triangle ruined All of their characters. like it was just not a great time for any of them. can we all agree to collectively forgive all of that shit because clearly they've all mostly moved on from that mess.

ALSO ALSO mako is literally not a bad character what. literally what. he's literally just zuko 2.0 but everyone hates him for some reason huh. all he did was fuck up two romantic relationships huh. wuh. why does the fandom hate him whuh. explain. the math is not mathing. like what. hes literally full of angst and everyone just ignores that in favor of "but he was a bad bf" what. if we can forgive(forgive?? idk if that's the right wording whatevr) zuko for the shit hes done can we also forgive mako for like. handling his relationships in a questionable manner.

he was like 18/19 at that point yall (and he also seems extremely emotionally constipated jesus) I think we can let this one go. or if you still arent happy with that lets forget about all the drama and have them in a polycule LMAO

anyways tlok very fun. very enjoyable like i could rewatch the fight scenes over and over again they're so cool. and also I love the characters sososo much. the fandom is so focused on the ships can we just like. look at the besties. they're best friends fr.

(korra is so pretty in season 4 actually she is everything to me)

[invested-in-your-future]

"but it's realistic that they would breakup"

Not the point.

"But they had a lot of trauma the re-"

Also not the point.

"But at least she's a-"

Absolutely not the point.

Y'all trying to justify a narrative choice from within the narrative constraints.

That's a mistake.

Just like how many people never understood why so many would pick Bae ending, so many people just don't seem to get what the pairing meant overall.

Y'all realise what this pairing meant to people when it came out?

Despite the issues with the ending, the adoration and love the pairing has to this day has been earned by the game - it's inseparable from the franchise and it's reception.

It wasn't just another pairing. It wasn't just something that existed as bait or something within fanon or something developers never committed to.

Through the years plenty of ships get baited disingenuously while throwing the audience nothing but breadcrumbs - for example the disaster of Sherlock fandom, the mess with Supernatural, Teen Wolf, Voltron and so on. Or the way Blake/Yang in RWBY were the most blatant baiting that got no on-screen development(despite all the setup that show ignored for years) till the moment the show literally was getting axed and they wanted to milk LGBTQ+ community for money one last chance, skipping all the development to characterization characters deserve and attempting to bribe LGBTQ+ community with breadcrumbs at the last possible second.

And some shows would stumble into something important but fail to realise it and thus end up squashing it - ask Buffy fans about Tara and Willow or The 100 fans about clexa.

There were LGBTQ+ pairings in video games too but rarely they would be so front and center and very often would be playersexual.

This wasn't what Life is Strange ended up being.

Life Is Strange, at the very core is about queer experience - about fitting in, about making connections in the world that rejects you, about finding beauty in the life that hates and hurts you - Max and Chloe's relationship is the key to the entire game.

For some that meant letting go but for others? It gave the chance to fight a trope no matter what and to get an ending, albeit flawed, where a WLW pairing they liked can be happy and face the future together.

People lived through those two characters and their experiences finding something genuine to relate to.

Max and Chloe were that generation's Korra/Asami, Willow/Tara, etc.

Even DONTNOD recognised that in the end and treated it with respect.

Double Exposure might not pull a BYG outright but it sure does everything to kill the happy memories a fandom made about the pairing - to go back through every single ray of sunshine one ending got and subvert it, taint it, reject it.

Picking the Bae choice when playing Double Exposure is the Narrative constantly telling you how wrong you were to expect happiness when you picked the ending where the pairing is intact and how acshually it isn't intact!

It doesn't kill the characters but it sure goes an extra mile to kill what those characters MEAN to the audience.

Realism, plausibility and so on come after - it's what a writer does when they decide on a path. A writer doesn't just do something because it makes sense and is out of their control - they decide to do it and then make it make sense. Whether they succeed or not depends on how good a writer is.

Double Exposure isn't the story about a breakup. It isn't the story about two women dealing with their trauma.

Double Exposure treats an iconic pairing people cared about as a backstory element - nothing more.

Deck Nine expects the audience to accept what happened and move on to shiny new cast and possible new LIs.

The writers of Double Exposure are telling you - "look, this doesn't matter. Now here's a new mystery you can solve and new cast and look Max is back and you liked using her powers right? Use powers to do stuff."

To this developer team the core element of what made the franchise so important to its audience is nothing more than a leftover plot thread to "write around".

Because to these writers queer experience apparently starts and stops with searching for a relationship - someone being in a relationship that's not part of the story or someone being comfortable NOT being in a relationship at all just don't exist.

What Deck Nine writers seem to be doing is treating it as disposable or interchangeable/replaceable, while also inadvertently tainting whatever comes after with fandom rage.

The worst thing that can happen to a new character is being "the next love interest" - because people channel their frustrations towards the character (or in some worst cases, please don't do this, the actor).

Where there was an iconic part of the franchise Double Exposure, intentionally or not, sets up a toxic battle ground.

That's the point - treating LGBTQ+ audience as sales numbers, manipulating us, treating something that has been a formative experience to so many lives as disposable, or worse yet - malleable.

(And yes there's also a wider issue with Deck Nine and the working conditions there, misogyny, the nazi imagery and the rest but I don't think this is that disconnected from that? How they treat their audience and subject matter is a reflection of culture inside.)

[yandere-avatar]

My Jealousy, Jealousy Started Following Me

Characters: Avatar Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki, Zuko, Toph Beifong, Ty Lee, Avatar Korra, Asami Sato, Tenzin, Kya II, Lin Beifong, Suyin Beifong, Opal Beifong [Might do another with Azula, Mako, Bolin, and Kuvira if yall want] Had this in the drafts for a while. Just had to finish it up. Holy shit this took forever. Kept debating if it was worth it...

Avatar Aang

Aang likes to think he doesn't get jealous

He's calm and collective

But that all changed when one of the girls at Toph's Metal Bending Academy tried hitting you up

He likes to give them the benefit of the doubt and thinks maybe they don't know you're both dating

"Hey Babe! Come look at this sculpture Toph made!" [He'll call you nonchantly, hoping they'll get the hint]

But when the other person also walks over, still flirting with you, that's when he gets angry

He'd want to confront them, but honestly he's to nice for that

He might ask Katara for help

Katara will tell you how Aang feels

You'll confront Aang, but he'll pretend he doesn't know what you're talking about

"You know, you can tell me, Aang. You trust me, right?"

He'll sigh and admit and you'll comfort him, even confiding in him that sometimes you get jealous when people hit on him

Katara

HAHAHAHA

Oh, I really feel bad for whoever is flirting with you

Katara is a very jealous woman

She doesn't like people taking what's hers

She might lightly bend them, but she'll do it nonchalantly

She'll justify it by saying that it's not a big deal and you're blowing it out of proportions

She gets really frustrated with herself, because she hates this feeling

She's very powerful, so she's not someone you want to mess with

She gets irritated and will roll her eyes as someone tries to flirt with you

Very passive aggressive

You better be prepared for a fight

Sokka

He's so confused

Did that person not know you were taken?

He already has insecurities, so this doesn't help

He knows you're great, one of the MANY things he likes about you, so of course people would want your attention, but the point still stands

He'll probably do something stupid to get your attention

It's rather ridiculous

You'll look away from the person flirting with you to see your boyfriend about to get hurt

"Hey, I have to leave, my boyfriend is about to get himself killed"

Suki

She's very confident, so she's not worried about this person at all

Though, she is annoyed, because who did that person think they were?

She will probably call your attention to her and do something to impress you, so you focus on her

She smiles when seeing you turn your attention away from them [Flirter]

It's a huge win for her

There is a slight part of her that is insecure because she sees you as incredible and she knows other people see it too

What if you end up leaving her? It really bothers her

So she's always doing crazy stuff to impress you so you never leave

Zuko

Probably the easiest to anger and get jealous

He has no control over his emotions what so ever

He WILL start a fight with the guy hitting on you

He does NOT care who they are or what was say, he's going to put them in their place

But before he does that, he'll express to you that he's upset, but you think it's nothing

He tries to win your affection by beating that guy up

You're just annoyed because you think he overreacted. He says he didn't [He did]

Will gaslight you, saying it's your fault

"Why were you even talking to him!?"

He's so angry and he'll break the closest thing to him

He wants to control his anger, but you really bring out this side of him. He makes sure you know it too, because he tells you

So, when he's done throwing this temper tantrum, you both leave the party; Mad af

You're mad that the party and good vibe was ruined and he's mad that you're mad, because he was just trying to get that dude away from you

Toph Beifong

She can feel the other person's heart beat pick up as they continue to hit on you

She's annoyed, but doesn't know how to express it healthily

She might use her bending to push that person away from you

She'll give them a show, so that they can have something to talk about

Might even crush them

The thought makes her smirk

She'll send little earthquakes to the person

Treated thems like a ball and and bounces them with the earth, without making it obvious

She'll forget about it when you come over to her and talk to her

Ty Lee

She's the least likely to get jealous because she's also a player

Though she does get upset when seeing that you're uncomfortable

She'll glare and excuse herself from whatever conversation she's in, even if it's with Azula, and walks over to where you are

Her tactic is to come in hot, just like the person flirting with you

She'll aggressively flirt with them to try and make them uncomfortable

But if that doesn't work, she'll be very direct and say that you're together and that they need to stop

They'll think it's a joke but Ty Lee is dead serious

She's willing to fight them if it comes to that

She might also grab your hand and drag you away, if you ask her not to make a scene

She'll keep an eye on you for the rest of the night

Avatar Korra

Korra gets extremely jealous

If someone even LOOKS at you in a way she doesn't like, she'll get angry

She's possessive over the things that are hers

Anyone approaches her and they are pushed into the wall

She's pissed and can't control her bending

She'll apologize to the person she hurt, but she doesn't really mean it. She's still focused on you

You're HERs, so why are they talking to you

Everyone knows you belong to the Avatar, so why even try?

She's thinking of all the ways she could kill them

It kind of makes her feel a little better, but not much

She is slightly insecure though, because what if you do like them better than her? No, you can't... You just can't like them more

Asami Sato

She'll roll her eyes and glare at them

They've got some balls talking to you, everyone knows you have a girlfriend, so why is that person flirting w/ you ??

She'll come strutting over & flip her hair

"Who's this babe?"

She's smiling, but anyone with eyes can see that's not true

Man if looks could kill

You tell her that they were telling you about some acomplishment they achieved

"Oh, did you tell them how we work with the Avatar and have saved the world?"

She's deadass going to shove her accomplishments in their face

She's so pretty too so she knows that they don't stand a chance

She's already won this fight, so they might as well give up

Tenzin

Haha? Him? Jealous? No of course not-

Okay, he's extremely jealous, but it doesn't show at all

He has mad stern resting face- No emotions

But inside he's steaming

You probably have a little bit of an age gap, so he's worried you'll leave him for someone your age

[But you've liked Tenzin for a long time, so you weren't letting him go anytime soon]

He's trying to preoccupy his attention

Though, it's not working

He can't get it off his mind

Will definitely start a fight over it later

Kya

She's confused. Why is someone flirting with you?

She's not insecure, just annoyed

Because who the hell did they think they were? Did they not know you were taken. No, they had to have known

She's pretty easygoing, so she won't act irrationally

Instead, she'll continue doing her thing and allowing you to do your own thing, because you're your own human being

She'll probably bring it up, like... offhandly, so you don't get suspicious

"Hey, who was the person you were talking to? You know, the one who had talked to Tenzin?"

You don't even think about it and are like "Oh! Yeah, they were so annoying. I think they were trying to hit on me."

She laughs it off, but she's not happy

Thankfully, you complain about it, annoyed af

Lin Beifong

We know how she acts when she's broken up with [Hence her destroying ATI]

Try her and see what happens

She's a cop and she's willing to play dirty and arrest the person or frame them for a crime

She's going to ruin their life

And she doesn't even care if it destroys that person

The only person she cares about is you

She wants to hurt them

And she will stop at no means necessary to make sure it doesn't ever happen again

Suyin Beifong

She, like her daughter, is passive aggressive

She'll glare and crush whatever is in her hand

She'll fantasize about all the ways she would kill the person flirting with you

She wants for it not to bother her, but it really does

Maybe because there is a part of her that is scared you'll leave her [Like Tenzin did to her sister]

She'll take a deep breath, before smiling, and approaching you

She'll try and join the conversation, but the person who was hitting on you cuts them off and pushes her out of the conversation

She gets pissed

How dare they do that to her

She wants to throw hands with them, but holds herself together

She'll grab your hand, capturing your attention

"Yeah?"

She then tells you she wants to go back home

Opal Beifong

She feels very strongly about you and doesn't know what to feel when seeing someone flirt with you so openly

She knows it's not your fault, but god does she hate watching it

Though with her outgoing nature, she'd walk up and join the conversation, switching it to what she wants

She's easy going, so she doesn't really exhibit jealousy, because she goes with the flow

Though if you look closely, you can see her eye twitch and her mouth frown ever so lightly

She's quite passive aggressive and can be quite mean with her words

[sapphic-agent]

One thing I didn't touch on in my Book 3 Aang analysis was that an important part of his character development was just dropped out of nowhere. I'm of course talking about him letting go of Katara.

I didn't notice it before, but this was such a strange decision to make looking back. Because watching both The Guru, it's heavily implied- if not outright told to us- that in order to not only be the Avatar the world needs, but to heal and grow, he needs to let her go.

You have indeed felt a great loss. But love is a form of energy, and it swirls all around us. The Air Nomads' love for you has not left this world. It is still inside of your heart, and is reborn in the form of new love.

This is pretty blatantly telling us that Aang's love for Katara comes from the loss of his people. He, upon realizing that he was alone, attached himself to the first person to care for him. The first person to embrace him in one hundred years. He's projecting the love he had for the Air Nomads onto her. And while understandable given the circumstances, that isn't healthy. Aang's attachment to Katara comes from feelings of grief as well as physical attraction, which is a... Bad combination.

(And before anyone says it, no I don't think that's the only way he cares for her. But I do think even their platonic relationship is tainted by not only this, but everyone around them enabling Aang. So many people told him that he just needed to wait and she would come around, that he was the Avatar so of course she would- Avatar Roku I am in your walls- not one person told him to be ready to accept rejection. Not one person told him to respect and be mindful of her boundaries. Are we surprised he did what he did in DOBS and EIP?)

"The Thought Chakra is located at the crown of the head. It deals with pure cosmic energy, and is blocked by earthly attachment. Meditate on what attaches you to this world. Now, let all of those attachments go. Let them flow down the river, forgotten."

I did actually mention this briefly in my Book 3 post, but I sincerely doubt Guru Pathik is telling him he can't love. Roku, Kyoshi, and Korra all found love and they had complete control over their Avatar States (Korra was at her most balanced when she got together with Asami btw). Letting go doesn't mean Aang can't love.

Appa, someone Aang loves more than anything, doesn't appear in this vision. Neither does Sokka, Momo, or Toph. Just Katara.

His attachment to Katara is what's holding him back. Because it's unhealthy, and it's keeping him anchored down. This isn't just about the Avatar State, it's about healing the turmoil in himself. He cannot do that if he doesn't let her go.

(This behavior is even escalated in LOK. Only instead of Katara, he attached himself to Tenzin. Tenzin being an Airbender gave Aang credence to project his love for the Air Nomads onto him. Not only did he then neglect Kya and Bumi because of it, I would also argue that he did a good amount of damage to Tenzin himself. Being put on a pedestal like that by a parent is so harmful)

The fact that none of this is even mentioned in Book 3 doesn't make a whole lot of sense. It was an important part of Aang's development and integral for his growth and healing

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - It's the Dog Days of BL Again

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

May 2024 Final Week

Ongoing Series - Thai

Wandee Godday (Sat YT) ep 5 of 12 - The side couple is so damn pouty and adorable. So far as Yak and Dee are concerned, I love that they kept up with the cosplay stuff and didn’t just drop it as a one off. I'm just genuinely enjoying seeing how much fun they have together and watching them accidentally falling in love with each other and trying not to.

Linguistic corner!

I don’t normally watch any BTS stuff, but for reasons known only to my serotonin-seeking brain, I’ve been watching a few for this show. And I MUST talk about the way Great speaks Thai. It’s so different from all of the other Good GMMTV Boys. He’s way more casual. Not rude, but definitely not as formal or as polite as any of the actors around him. It’s difficult to describe but just LISTEN to the way he hops registers and pronouns pretty consistently. Sometimes in the same sentence. He even softens his polite particles. I've never heard an actor do that out of character. It’s fascinating. I wonder if it has to do with the fact that he is older (then most of his costars) and comes outta the Bangkok club scene, and was older when he joined GMMTV. Frankly, it’s the closest I’ve ever seen on TV to the way people actually talked in Bangkok. 

My Stand-In (Thai Fri iQIYI) ep 6 of 12 eps - honestly these two shows are neck and neck for my favorites running right now and Wandee got the edge because it left me smiling, but yesterday, Stand-In would have come out on top. Such a great show. It’s so sinister. So not romantic. Which makes me feel like... it's not really a BL. And, yet, I DO NOT CARE. Because I’m enjoying its little evil soul so much. “Poor Joe” is pretty much all that goes through my head the whole time I'm watching, and I'm enjoying poking at that pain.

We Are (Weds iQIYI) ep 9 of 16 - I love all of the 3rd wheels. Kluen is kinda great. And I’m not just saying that 'cause I have a crush on Title, it’s because Kluen is so open and genuine. (Unless they fuck up his character.) I even enjoyed the backstory for Fang and Tan. Honestly, the friendship group is the reason to watch this show, they’re great and funny, and make everything enjoyable. It’s a soap opera, like Only Friends, but gentle with its characters and us watchers. Which is what I really want from my BL. I don’t want all of this Friend Zone backstabbing bullpuckie. 

Knock Knock Boys (Thurs Gaga) eps 1-2 of 12 - I like it, frankly more than I expected to. It’s a bit slow moving, but the characters are interesting and the dynamic of everybody living in the same house together is fun. I haven’t seen this style of housemates centered Thai BL in years. I identify FAR too closely with the crass-talking bug-killing pansexual. On a completely different note, I really hope Best and Seng have an NC scene together. Last week I would never have said that, but now I think they have good chemistry. Am I crazy?

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 8 of 12 - They are sickeningly sweet boyfriends, and Moo is such a brat and so demanding. It’s charming. There was even a little bit of dancing together which I’m sure made @heretherebedork happy. Dancing okay but NO SINGING. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

At 25:00 in Akasaka AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 7 of 10 - Asami's past was cool to see. I enjoyed that his character finally got fleshed out and given some solidity. However, it felt like it came a little too late. Even though I know this is the way Japan tends to roll with BL timing. I wanted to like him sooner then this. Now I'm not really that invested.

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 8 fin - It was an extremely good and very satisfying ending for a JBL, which we cannot expect, so I'm disposed to dole out top marks for that. Also we definitely have a new contender for Namgoong award for best wingman. (Japan's favorite: the bespectacled variant.)

Summation:

Kindly Ryota goes to uni and ends up rooming with his former childhood bestie, Kazuhito. Kazuhito doesn’t have a girlfriend for, as it turns out, cute roommate reasons. Same director as Old Fashion Cupcake, the framing is gorgeous and it is a stylish piece. As a friends to lovers cohabitation narrative this was a classic 2000s sweet yaoi. I enjoy that kind of tradition out of Japan even if it (and the characters) come off as a little slow as a result. Still, it's nice to get a traditional BL out of Japan that is satisfying, not slapstick, AND did not hurt us. 8/10 recommended

Blossom Campus (Korea Thurs Gaga & iQIYI) ep 5-6fin - gonna have to wait until next week, for mysterious hotel wifi reasons.

It's airing but...

You Made My Day (Thai YT) ep 1 of 5 - mini series staring the I Will Knock You couple Tar & Bom, started but I couldn't find it. I also didn't try very hard.

The Time of Fever AKA Unintentional Love Story 2 (Korea movie) trailer released to Korean theaters 5/25. HoTae & DongHee, side couple from Unintentional Love Story are back! Same actors, same character names. I love them. I NEED TO SEE THIS. How?

OMG Vampire (Thai Sun ????) ep 2 of 10 - yeah I can't find it. Comments from last week suggest this is not my thing anyway, but Lee Long Shi very much IS my thing, so... maybe I'll put it on hold for a bit and y'all can let me know.

In case you missed

VBL (Taiwan) is released 'Special Episode' epilogues to their 4 2023 series on Gagaoolala, Viki & Viu - watch each on the respective shows' page: You Are Mine, VIP Only, Stay By My Side, Anti Reset.

My Biker 2 (Thai movie trailer) suposedly released somewhere, search me.

The Time of Huannan (Taiwan movie) went to theaters, not sure if we will get this, and it may not be BL.

And here's a 2023 that I missed and finally watched:

After Sundown AKA Saengrawi

ZeeNunew vehicle from 2023, recut into a movie on YouTube. It's from Mandee and horror, yet I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

Pronoun use is ter/chan or rao (no nai or pom) because of the historical setting + softness of the relationship.

It's oddly sweet and wholesome, for a ghost story. Phloeng and Rawee enter into an arranged marriage for confusing prophetic reasons and a twisted fate, solving a mystery of the past that is haunting Phloeng's family and harming Rawee. Honestly, it makes no actual sense, but it's kinda historical, and very pretty, so I enjoyed it more than I should. 8/10

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

June Releases

6/7 My Love Mix-Up (Fridays Thai Adaptation not sure where this will air) - I do love G4 and I did like the original and maybe this time these characters will actually kiss? I'm actually fine with this pick-up. I kind of enjoy seeing different countries remake the same IP. Especially if it's IP I'm mostly unfazed by.

6/7 The Last Time (Thailand Fridays YouTube?) - Convoluted story of loss and possible reincarnation or something?

6/9 Love Sea (Thailand Sundays MAME warning iQIYI - New characters to the Mameverse. While travelling, a writer has a one night stand with a very irritating man. YES I WILL TRASH WATCH THIS. Drinking will happen on Sundays I guess. (Look, I do usually travel on weekends, so it may end up being Monday Mame Trash - which jives.)

6/14 Let's Eat Together Aki and Haru 2 AKA Aki wa Haru to Gohan wo Tabetai 2 Haime! (Japan movie Gaga?) - Continues the (frankly) lackadaisical story from part 1.

6/15 Sunset Vibes AKA SunsetXVibes (Thailand Saturdays) Star Hunter and MosBank on iQIYI so if nothing else it's gonna be a wild and sexy ride. A one night stand but "uh-oh he’s my boss," adapted from a web series. I’m game. Maybe it’ll have a better story than Big Dragon? Maybe it will have a plot? We can but hope.

6/26 The Rebound (Thai Weds VIU?) - MeenPing are back in their 3rd BL together, a basketball based romance (Meen was a national basketball player, so yay for that). I like this pair better than most (I still do miss Meen with Est but Est has a fantastic looking new BL coming from GMMTV so yeah...) Anyway I'm up for a sports romance starring a man who, yah know, actually played that sport so... I'm game (pun intended).

(Speaking of, why can't Est be a merman? This... I ask you?.)

Why You? (Khmer movie - Billed as a horror romance BL this is supposed to release this month.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

In my world we call this smug. (Only Boo!)

LOOK AT HIS ARM?! This has been your Goodness Gracious Great Guns Of Huge 2024 moment.

(All Wandee Goodday)

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity

@rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

Sigh, Tumblr in it's infinite wisdom doesn't like too many tags.

There's these tricks, remember.

[nickeverdeen]

The Legend of Korra characters having crush on you

Includes: Korra, Mako, Bolin, Asami, Kuvira, Kai

Korra

Korra might seem little cocky

She wants to ask you out, but she doesn’t ‘cause she’s afraid that you’ll reject her

She would try to impress you with her bending skills

Korra would try to flirt

She’d fail miserably

She can and will listen if you wanna vent

Having a bad day? Tries her best to comfort you

She’s pretty much protective of you, but more than just in a friendly way

It’s pretty obvious that Korra has a crush on you

Mako

After all the break ups he’d try to suppress his feelings

Mako doesn’t talk to you more than anyone else did

But he does care

When the conversation between you two starts Mako can easily make it very awkward

Bolin is teasing him about it 100%

Mako would try to flirt with you

Apart from his brother, you’re his number one priority

Despise his hard work as a policeman, he’d kill just to hang out with you

Mako doesn’t really bother figuring out if you like him back or not

Mostly because he’s afraid that you don’t

Bolin

You’re one of the people that can coax him out of his shell

He loves making you laugh

You have him practically wrapped around your finger

Bolin thinks of you no matter what he’s doing

Compliment him or touch him and he’ll be stumbling over his own words

Sometimes panicks when he’s in your presence

Asami

Asami handles her crush on you pretty well

Mainly with her charm and confidence

She shows you some really kind attention

Compliments 24/7

She’s rich. She can buy you anything and she will buy you some nice yet meaningful things

Asami gives you hints, but she would prefer if you would be the one making the first step

She’s pretty confident in herself

Kuvira

To be honest Kuvira doesn’t even think that you’d reject her

Casually flirting with you

As a leader she has a lot of responcibilities so she learned how to hide her crush on you

Kuvira has no problem with making a first move, but she wants to make sure you’re not uncomfortable

She’s pretty much protective of you considering how many enemies she has

She’s not above impressing you

Considering she doesn’t know how you feel about her she wouldn’t make a move

Mainly in fear that you do not feel the same way

Kai

Two words: lovesick teenager

Blushes a lot around you

Kai would ask if you’d want to train with him airbending, but in fact he just wanted to spend time with you

Kai is nervous around you yet he does try to flirt with you

Failing

Listening to what you have to say carefully

He intends to act on his feelings around you not his brain

Tries to show off how “good” he is at airbending

Protective lovesick teenager

[wilcze-kudly]

One of my 'controversial' tlok headcanons is that Mako actually gets along better with his Ba Sing Se family than Bolin does.

And I know, I know why that seems wrong because Bolin is obviously so similar to his Ba Sing Se family and Mako looks so painfully out of place but that's so kinda why I think Mako might feel more comfortable with them?

Mako, being more removed from the family might have a better chance at fitting in rather than Bolin who might be subconsciously expected to "fit in" to previously established dynamics. Especially that apparently San's departure from the family was tumultuous.

We know that Mako probably had a close bond with San, and draws a lot of comfort from San's scarf and the memory of him. So being around people who are very much like him might be comforing as well. Particularly looking at Chow, who also looks very similar to San, his brother.

We don't really get to see many of the bending bros' interactions with their family, the main member of the family they do interact with being Yin. And Mako has a significantly more and more meaningful interactions with Yin that Bolin.

Like look at my poor boy he's thridwheeling this hug so bad rn

Of course, Mako gives her San's scarf which is a huge character moment for him. Grandma Yin proceeds to wear the scarf for the rest of the show and into the comics. And even though the reason the scarf was given to her was as a memory of her dead son, she only ever refers to it as Mako's scarf. She also seems much more receptive to Mako?

Like when Bolin and Mako come to save them from Ba Sing Se burning, Bolin had to literally manhandle her old as sout of the house and she was like: no this is my home 😠

But then when she was in the airship with Mako she looks at him and is like: is this airship our new home 🥰🥰

And also Yin is grossed out by Bolin kissing Pabu which is valid ig. I do kiss my dogs on the mouth but I know its gross 😓

Also, there's the very simple fact that Mako just... spent more time with his family than Bolin.

The family moved into the Sato Mansion and lived there for three years (btw how rich is Asami that she can just have a whole ass random family in her house wtf). Persumably , Mako visited them regularly, at least to check in, meanwhile, Bolin was in the Earth Empire.

It's sad because I can totally see a part of Bolin's reason for joining Kuvira to be trying to fit in and get his family's approval by helping better their lives. But instead he just ends up isolating himself from them further.

And Mako brought Wu into their lives and I think Yin appreciated that. Immensely.

This isn't to say that I don't think Bolin gets along witv his family, but rather that he feels a bit... not good enough and isolated lol.

[mormegils]

korrasami and longing

please walk with me here, i wanna make a point.

i recently rewatched tlok, and remember someone pointed this out years ago after the finale dropped but i don't remember who was it, or where it was posted. i can't find it so i assume it's gone by now, and i wanted to give my own thoughts.

SO. we all know the 3 years korra and asami spent away from each other between book 3 and 4 is very important to their story. in reunion, asami tells korra she's been talking to her father again and is thinking about forgiving him. korra is concerned that hiroshi might wanna hurt her again, and asami goes off:

obviously korra was just worried and had no ill intentions, but asami's reaction is understandable. personally, i would at least feel a little bothered if someone who disappeared for years and refused to keep in touch after a while wanted to judge what i was doing with my life all of a sudden.

especially after having offered to give up everything to go with and support her in any way possible, and everything i got was a quick decline and a big ass ghosting after a couple of letters...

anyway. then we have this scene in kuvira's gambit:

i've watched some reactions on youtube and most people didn't GET it. it's not a surprise since it's a trend in avatar fandom to misunderstand korra's character a lot (and the writers fumbled a little bit with korrasamis development in b4 imo).

this is not a badass korra™ scene or something out of place, it's actually simple: korra knows how it feels to be distant from the ones you love and not being able to do much about it, because it happened to her. korra's body recovered relatively fast and she could've came back sooner but, as toph told her in the swamp, korra was unconsciously sabotaging herself so she wouldn't be susceptible to getting hurt again. still, it felt so horrible to be separated from someone she cared about that she --knowing that bataar jr had love and devotion for kuvira-- used it a fucking threat to get him to talk!

and we reach THE korrasami scene, where they finally get some time alone after the battle and things have cooled down a bit, and the first thing korra does is apologize:

this is one of the few times since coming back that korra actively shows regret from what happened. it's the only time she apologizes for it, and it's to asami.

asami's answer is heartbreaking, but it is what it is. she could've lost both korra AND her dad, the people she cared for the most, but she still has korra. she's here. and that's what matters now.

[wen-kexing-apologist]

And the Hands Have It!

well, @emotionallychargedtowel let out the bat signal (or in this case the hand signal) about the fact I had not talked about the hand moment in 25.00 Ji Akasaka de episode 7. Maybe this is what finally breaks me out of my essay writing slump. 

I love hands. 

I love hands because they are expressive. 

I love hands because they are intimate. 

I love hands because they can show us a truth that a face with all its intricate muscles does not always reveal. 

A character removes themself from emotion, pretends they are okay, but their hands clench in to fists and we know that they are angry. A character is not supposed to let their love for another show, but their hand reaches out for just a moment towards the other, we know that they want nothing more than to hold them. Fingers twitch as if electricity has run through them, cross to break a promise, reach across space in search of reciprocated feelings. 

I absolutely loved episode 7 of At 25:00 in Akasaka because it was able to give us such incredible insight in to Hayama’s character in such a short period of time. We’ve been in Shirasaki’s head for so long, I had grown accustomed to Hayama’s stoic face. Assumed it was a mask of a different sort, one to shroud the character in mystery, placed there by an actor who knew exactly what he was feeling for his former classmate and was trying to keep Shirasaki on his toes. 

But instead we got a mask placed by a mother on a son, that fused to Hayama’s flesh every time another person assigned him value by his looks alone. A mask that is not so easy to remove, that will take time to shed forever, and so Hayama’s hands do what his face cannot. They show emotion. 

Asami’s hand reaches out and smooths down Yuki’s hair when their coworker tousles it because Asami cares about Yuki. 

gif by @wanderlust-in-my-soul

Asami’s hands reach out and place themselves on top of Yuki’s when kneading dough, because Asami wants to fuck Yuki.

gif by @my-rose-tinted-glasses

Asami’s hand grasps desperately at the side of Yuki’s face, and his fingers dig in to the back of Yuki’s neck, because this kiss means more to Asami than just practice, Asami wants this to be real. Asami likes Yuki, Asami has gotten ahead of himself, Asami’s face has barely changed when he and Yuki are together, but his hand betrays his feelings, without Asami even knowing. Asami's hands grasp at the side of Yuki's face and applys pressure, to show a want that Hayama has never ever been allowed to express. 

gif by @my-rose-tinted-glasses

And we end the episode with Asami trapped behind a pane of glass, where his hands cannot reach out for Yuki. His face is finally expressive, but Yuki’s turned away, shutting out the chance for Asami’s true feelings to be reaffirmed through touch. The way that Yuki knows. Because every touch Yuki has felt from Asami’s hands have been true. The feelings have been true, even while his face is still. And the feelings Yuki has, feelings Yuki has always, always conveyed out in the open, have been shattered on a lie (Asami’s words he heard and misconstrued).

gif by @my-rose-tinted-glasses

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

since i've talked a lot about how i dislike Catra, here are some of the other fictional characters that i dislike:

(warning: long post ahead, also spoilers for steven universe, the dragon prince, ocean waves, the legend of korra, and kipo and the age of wonderbeasts)

1. Lapis Lazuli (Steven Universe)

i think this one is pretty obvious. there were a bunch of characters in SU who were let off the hook after doing terrible things, but Lapis is the one i disliked the most.

she started off as an interesting character, her trauma after getting caught in a war and stuck in a mirror for ages was sympathetic and pretty well-written but like Catra, i think the writers coddled Lapis too much.

this is evident with her relationship with Peridot, where she starts off blaming Peridot for something that wasn't her fault and destroying her prized possession when she tries to make amends. but Lapis expresses concern for Peridot ONCE and now they're besties.

and after that, Lapis becomes toxic and demanding, causing Peridot to constantly walk on eggshells around Lapis so as not to hurt her feelings. and finally, Lapis just takes the barn, Peridot's HOME, off into space because she couldn't agree with Peridot's decision to stay and fight the Diamonds?? i'm not mad that Lapis didn't want to fight the Diamonds, i fully understand her trauma, but did she have to take the barn with her? what part of that was necessary??

i think all of this would have been fine if Lapis was held accountable for her actions, but she wasn't. she doesn't even do the bare minimum and Peridot immediately forgives her. sigh. at least they didn't make Lapidot canon.

2. King Harrow (The Dragon Prince)

i don't hate this character as much as I hate some of the others on the list but i do think that he was kind of a shitty king. he literally decides to starve his own kingdom in order to help out another kingdom. and this is framed as the right thing to do?

it's a tough choice but Harrow's people were depending on him, and he decides that his own people should sacrifice their winter rations for another kingdom. scummy move, i do not like him. Viren may have been self-serving and manipulative, but he was right to try and stop Harrow from doing this.

3. Rikako Muto (Ocean Waves)

god, i fucking hate this bitch. worst ghibli movie ever honestly. the thing is, like Catra and many of the other characters here, Rikako would have been an interesting character if the writers just made her an antagonist.

but no, she's supposed to be the love interest while being a selfish and manipulative brat. she is rude to everyone unless she wants a favor from them. she uses people to her advantage and screams at them when they try to resist. Rikako is the most interesting character in this movie, which sucks because she is also the most insufferable character.

the singular most hilarious scene in this movie has to be when Taku is fondly reminiscing about the interactions he had with Rikako, and since she was nothing but a little bitch throughout the entire movie, we get a super emotional flashback, accompanied by a soft score, of all the times she was manipulating and verbally abusing him. would have been funnier if it was not unironic. i do not know what the creators were thinking.

there was no chemistry between these two characters, their relationship was unhealthy as fuck, but they still get together by the end because.. amatonormativity. and because Taku had too much chemistry with his male best friend and they didn't want the viewers to think that he might be queer.

4. Bolin (The Legend of Korra)

it's crazy how everyone and their mothers hate Mako for cheating on Korra and Asami, but absolutely adore Bolin who sexually harassed his coworker. Bolin forced a kiss on Ginger while she was tied down on set, after she had already rejected him multiple times and said that she was her doing her job.

i see so many people saying that Bolin was a green flag and a better choice than Mako, and i seriously wonder if we watched the same show. i don't condone cheating either obviously but how do you call out cheating but completely gloss over sexual harrasment? Bolin legit acts like a manchild who doesn't understand consent and because the show frames this as "comedy", the audience thinks it's cute and funny.

at least Mako faced the consequences of his actions. he got dumped by both Korra and Asami, some of the other characters called him out on his actions, and he actually turns into a much better person by the end of the series.

oh, don't forget that Bolin started working for the literal fascist in s4. and he acts all dumb about it and argues that Kuvira was like Korra which,, what the fuck? he literally sees Kuvira torturing people and it still takes him a long time to stop working for her. he was a bit like Entrapta in that case, the writers made him too oblivious and stupid in order to justify him aiding a fascist.

5. Kipo (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts)

okay, so Kipo is a little different from the other characters mentioned here because she's not problematic by any means. quite the opposite actually, her main personality trait seems to be that she's kind to everyone.

and that's fine, it's on par for most kids show protagonists, but Kipo is such a deeply unflawed character that she just becomes so boring. she has no character growth throughout the series, except for developing her fighting skills as her wildcat form. and even that comes easy to her, she masters it in one episode. her "flaws" are very surface level, like being clumsy or kinda awkward.

she is unbothered by almost everything, which is the most baffling in that episode where she discovers that she was the result of a science experiment done by her parents. you would expect some sort of mixed emotions there - confusion, hesitation, resentment even? nope. she's just excited and happy that her parents put her life at risk by experimenting on her.

and the show insists on reminding us every five seconds that "hey! Kipo is a GOOD person, she's the KINDEST human being ever and the ONLY person who doesn't love her is the EVIL VILLAIN". shit like this just turns me off so much. just SHOW me how nice Kipo is, instead of making every character gush about her niceness. SHOW, don't tell, for god's sake. besides, even if a person is kind and wholesome, it's unrealistic for EVERYONE to like them.

and the funny thing is that this show has other interesting characters! Wolf, for example, was a really complex and flawed character who is still fundamentally a good person. Hugo was a sympathetic villain who got a pretty decent redemption arc. so it's not like the writers didn't know how to write interesting characters, they just wanted to make their protagonist a Mary Sue.

[pastel-peach-writes]

Okay I saw your korrasami x Reader fic and I loved it so much can’t wait for the next part. Whenever you have time would you be able to do a lil fic where Korrasami gets jealous/irritated the reader is being hit on? Maybe relationship isn’t established yet but the situation prompts them to confess 👀 have a good one!

Hi Anon! Thank you so much for the love! Second part of KorrAsami x Reader is out btw! (This post came out wayyy later than envisioned).

The Green-Eyed and Blue-Eyed Monsters | KorrAsami x Reader

╰┈➤ PLOT: Korra and Asami don't take it lightly when their shared crush gets hit on and when one thing leads to another, a confession ensures. ╰┈➤ WARNINGS: Jealousy, No Y/n, Not Proofread, Jealous Korra, Somehow Even More Jealous Asami, Oblivious Reader, Impromptu Confessions

⍣ ೋ Enjoy!⍣ ೋ

There was something in the summer air. Maybe it was the smell of the blooming flowers and fruits or the bustling sound of merchants advertising their fresh and homemade treats. Whichever or whatever it was, Korra and Asami weren't here for it.

People of all genders, shapes, and sizes kept complimenting you and making small talk. It was cute at first. The pair thought it was about time you were complimented for how you dress, how your skin glows under the sun's rays and your bright smile. But once the compliments became flirtier, they decided they had enough.

See, there's something Korra and Asami keep to themselves. Something that no one else, not even Team Avatar, knew about. And that was the pathetic crush they had on you.

They can't pinpoint when or how the crush developed, they just knew they had one on you and wanted you to be a part of their relationship.

You didn't notice the crush they had on you. They didn't act weird or out of character, and the compliments they gave you seemed normal. Something someone who's "just-a-friend," tells someone else who is also "just-a-friend".

Maybe your lack of understanding of flirtatious compliments is why you couldn't tell what these attractive strangers were doing. You thought they were being friendly!

"Asami, I'm reaching my limit," Korra said out the side of her mouth. The three of you were standing by a merchant booth. You wore clothes in that color that made Asami and Korra both crumble to their knees while the couple wore their typical summer gear. Turned out this Earthbender also liked that color on you, since she was flirting shamelessly with you in front of Korra and Asami.

"It's okay, Korra," Asami whispered to her girlfriend. "They deserve to be flirted with. They're cute and they're glowing a little more than usual today. It only makes sense that people saw it too."

"Yeah, but we're supposed to be the ones flirting with them!" whispered-exclaimed Korra, slamming her fists onto the merchant's counter. The elderly man scolded Korra and demanded she pay for the dent she made in the wood. "It was already there before, old man!"

The man raised a fist, scolding her more. Asami pulled Korra away from the booth, an apologetic smile on her face as she did so. "Korra," Asami spoke once they were distanced away from the elderly merchant. "We both agreed not to flirt with them until we got a signal that they liked us back."

Korra shrugged Asami's hands off her shoulders with her lips twisted in a scowl. "Well, I'm beginning to regret that agreement. It's stupid. How would they know we like them if we don't flirt?"

Asami shrugged. "I don't know. You're the one that made up the rule." She then snickered at Korra's incoherent grumbles and mumbles. "Look, just because you can't handle when people flirt with you, Kor, doesn't mean others can't either." Your voice is what saved Asami from an angry, yet flustered Avatar exclaiming protests.

"Hey, guys!" You greeted, the apples of your cheeks bright from how hard you were cheesing. "Why are we over there?"

Asami laughed, wrapping her arm around Korra's waist. "Because Korra was going to get into it with that older gentleman." You dramatically gasped, jaw slacked down to your chest.

"Please!" Korra protested with a laugh. "I didn't do anything. He was yelling at me about some dent that was already in his counter. He just wanted to con me into paying so he could get a new counter."

"Whatever the motive was," laughed Asami, "we moved over here to not cause a scene. Plus, it looked like you were getting all flirty with that girl anyway," the engineer teased.

You laughed. "Nah, she was just saying she loved my outfit and how it brought out the color in my eyes."

Korra's brows knitted together, arms crossed under her chest. "Yeah... that's flirting."

You only snicker as a rebuttal but Korra's face didn't change. You faced Asami but she wore the same expression. Was that girl really flirting? She kept spewing compliments and her eyes, well, they were super focused on you. Maybe even too focused? Her body was facing you and if you knew anything about body language, that meant she was interested in you or the conversation at least.

"Hey, excuse me?" A voice from behind you took you out of your thoughts. You turned on your heels to find a girl wearing an obnoxiously large jade necklace that she paired with her all-purple outfit. Even though the outfit was quite extreme, her tan skin made her glow and somehow, the different shades of purple just worked.

"Oh, hi!" You beamed a bright smile as you faced her. The same smile Korra and Asami worked tirelessly to see on your face day after day. The same smile Korra and Asami spoke about deep into the night when they finally succeeded in their attempts.

The couple loved your smile, how you showed off your teeth and gums, and how when it showed on your face, it was genuine and came from affection... So, why the heck was this smile on your face for this random girl?

Oh, jealousy. What an interesting and sometimes ugly feeling.

Asami's eyebrows knitted together, hands skeptically placed on her hips as she watched Jade Girl pull out a small basket of fruits from behind her back. They were bright, signaling how perfectly ripe they were, and there was an assortment of fruits, all the way from the Southern Water Tribe to where the Northern Air Temple once was.

"You don't have to accept this if you don't want to, but I saw you from the entrance of the market and knew I had to give you something. You're so pretty and deserved the fruits,"—her own laugh interrupted her sentence. Korra and Asami rolled their eyes—"of my labor!"

Somehow your smile brightened. The warmth of the sun sinking into your skin and now traveling up your body filled you with a buzz. What did you do to owe the pleasure? The people here sure were friendly. "Aw, thank you!" Your voice was a peculiar high pitch as you graciously accepted the basket, her purple manicured nails and slender fingers brushing against your fingers.

You would be lying if you said it didn't make you giddy.

"This is so sweet. Oh, wow. You even have jackfruit!" You showed the basket to Asami and Korra and the girls momentarily put on a smile as your attention was on them but then dropped when your attention returned to the beautiful stranger.

"Yes," giggled the woman with her hands clasped. "My family and I are, as some may say, wizards or magicians in the fruit department. It all started from my great-great-great-great grandfather, I think I missed a few greats, and his connection with Hei-Ran, Avatar Kuruk's firebending teacher. Y'know," she stepped closer to you and took a hold of your hands on the basket's handle.

Asami stepped forward protectively, hands in fists but Korra pulled her back by her shoulder with the shake of her head. Even if she was enjoying Asami's experience with the jealousy she's been feeling all day, stopping this interaction and maybe getting in trouble because of it, wasn't worth it.

Korra frowned at herself in disgust. Ew... Has she turned into Tenzin?

"I could take you for a tour of my family's orchard," continued the Jade-Fruit-Tan-Pretty Girl—Korra and Asami couldn't keep up with the adjectives they had for this extremely forward, go-getter type of woman—continuing to hold your hands and bounced on her heels as she spoke. "Maybe even as a date? If you're into that?"

The Avatar and engineer gave curious glances in your direction. Were you into that? A pretty girl shamelessly flirting with you, giving you gifts, and offering to give you a tour of her family's orchard that's been around since before you were even alive? Since before the great Aang was alive?

You gave the woman a flattered chuckle but pulled your hands away from hers. "Oh, wow, um." Suddenly, the heat and buzz the sun was giving you was too much, almost overwhelming and unnecessary as it scratched the back of your throat and made your cheeks glow in embarrassment. "Thank you but I'm afraid I'm going to have to say no. You're gorgeous and trust me, if this was any other circumstance i would say yes but I'm not really-- I don't--"

"Oh, my Spirits! Are you not into women? I'm so sorr--"

"No, no!" You waved your hands so fast in defense that you forgot you were holding the basket of delicate fruits. Korra used her airbending through muffled snickers and giggles to float the basket in her direction and placed it neatly at her feet. "I'm into women," you claimed a little too loudly. A few bystanders shot curious expressions your way but otherwise went about their day. "Trust me. I. Am. In. To. Women."

Watching you stumble over your words in an attempt to clear up the situation to the Jade Girl was amusing to watch, even Asami thought so. "At least one thing's clear," her green eyes met Korra's blue and without many words, they knew exactly what to say.

"They're into women," the two said simultaneously, finally letting their laughter and giggles break through their words. Your cheeks only warmed up more as you heard them in the background.

If you were trying to shoot your shot with this woman, you would have failed thanks to your fumbling and lack of charisma but luckily, you weren't. And double luckily, Asami's and Korra's laughter drowned out the real reason why you had to turn Jade Girl down and she left understandingly.

"Are you done?" you grumbled to the girls, picking your favorite fruit from the basket and inspecting it before taking a bite. You stood in front of them with your arms crossed and cheeks puffed out like an angry bunny.

Korra laughed, shoulders bobbing up and down as she wrapped her arms around her midriff. "I dunno," the Avatar's tone was heard through her laughs, "are you sure you're into girls?"

"Oh, shut up!" You threw a navel orange to her arm but she dodged it when she hurled over in laughter.

"We're sorry," Asami said in a horrible attempt of stifling her laughter. "It's too funny. If no one was sure of your sexuality before, they are now."

Korra cackled from her hunched-over position, collapsing onto her knees as she wheezed and wheezed. Watching her face turn from brown to a reddish-brown would be a sight to see if her maniacal laughter wasn't so alarming.

You thought with how hard she was laughing that she would forget to breathe but the opposite was true. She was breathing just fine, she was just dramatic, and watching you try to defend yourself was better than watching Bolin crash and burn in front of Opal. Sorry, Bolin.

Embarrassed yet pleased with how this situation seemed to make the two of them smile, you ate more of your fruit with a slight huff. "Yeah, yeah. Don't rub it in."

"Man." Korra finally pulled herself up from the ground with chuckles still coming out of her. Tears of laughter rolled down her cheeks and there were slight stains from them and the ground on her pants, but she didn't seem to care if she noticed. "That was great." She rested an arm on Asami's shoulder, still chuckling to herself as she brought her attention to you. "So, if your sexuality wasn't a problem, why did you turn that girl down?"

Huh. You quickly found out that you preferred her cracking a lung out on the street than her asking questions you didn't want to answer.

"Uhh," you grabbed your basket with a shy lipbite, "don't even worry about it."

"Uh, no?" Korra snorted. "I'm nosy and I want to know."

"Korra," Asami's warning tone fell upon deaf ears as the darker-skinned girl continued.

"Come on," whined Korra. "I'm the Avatar and you're a part of my team. I wanna know what's going on in my team's lives including their love lives."

Asami rose a brow at her statement. Korra never cared about anyone else's love life unless it somehow involved her.

...

Oh!

So, they were flirting with you now. Asami crossed her arms as smug as the smile that appeared on her lips. She could see the gears turning in your head and saw that you were so close to figuring Korra, and herself, out but weren't exactly there yet.

"She just wasn't my type," you admitted. You resumed your walk down the market, not expecting anyone to follow but given Asami's and Korra's reputation with persistence, you knew they would.

"And so what girl is your type then?" Asami prompted, she and Korra just a few steps behind you as you mindlessly swung your fruit basket.

Was this really how this was going to go down? You've envisioned this scene many times before and never have they gone down this way. This was supposed to be romantic, a moment to remember forever once you were sure you weren't going to freak them out with this.

"Because that Earthbender girl was pretty cute too," resumed Asami. "But you turned her down as well."

"To be fair, babe," Korra chimed in, "they didn't know she was flirting. They probably didn't know Jade-Necklace-'You're-So-Pretty' Girl was flirting either until she asked them out."

With her snort, you turned around swift on your heels and pointed at her. "Y'know, for someone in a relationship, you're weirdly obsessed with the people who may or may not be flirting with me."

Korra only gave you a nonchalant shrug. "So?"

"So, your girlfriend is right there!" You gestured to Asami who looked indifferent to the whole situation. She was interested in your love life too, for personal reasons just as much as Korra's, but she kept it under wraps better than her girlfriend. "Asami, aren't you at least upset by this?"

Asami mimicked the shrug Korra gave you seconds ago. "No."

"'No'?!"

"Yeah, 'no'," she snickered. "I'm just as curious as Korra and I don't see any harm in getting to know why you turned down every person that flirted with you today. They have eyes. They see the beauty I see in you every day."

"Okay, calm down," you awkwardly laughed. "Your girlfriend is right there."

"Oh, I know." Asami adjusted her crossed arms, her smugness still apparent in her body language. She even quipped a teasing, almost knowing brow. "She sees it too."

The confused, puzzled, and shocked noise that came out of your body made Korra chuckle as your eyes flickered to hers. She didn't know it was confession time until Asami blatantly flirted with you right in front of her, but she wasn't opposed. "Yeah. I think you're pretty cute."

"Excuse me?!" your voice was reaching the same volume and pitch you used when you tried to explain your sexuality to the jade girl but you couldn't help it. The people you were crushing on, who were in a relationship with each other mind you, were calling you beautiful and cute and not in the way friends do.

You may not pick up on flirting often, but you could pick up on the tones and vibes the couple was trying so hard for you to pick up on. How long were they trying to get you to notice? With how seamlessly Korra joined Asami on the compliment train, this couldn't be a first-time offense.

Asami took your questioning silence as a sign to keep going. "Honestly, today was kind of hard for us." The woman took an apple from the basket and rubbed it on the chest of her shirt. She took a bite, as if she wasn't about to share world-altering information with you. "Korra and I had to keep seeing and listening to these people flirt with you and compliment you--"

"Oh, I'm sorry--"

"Aht," Korra held up a finger, interrupting your interruption. "People with flirting with you should never be something you have to apologize for. Even if it upsets someone. You're attractive, it's about time people, even if they aren't us, act upon it."

You weren't given time to process what Korra said before Asami spoke again, after her bite of apple.

"Anyway, I was getting real tired of seeing these people flirt with you and all I could do was sit back and take it. Why? Because I, we, weren't sure how you felt about it. We didn't know if you didn't respond to our flirts because you were oblivious or uncomfortable and after today, it's clear you were oblivious.

"And so after Fruit Basket Girl, I've had enough. Korra and I spoke about this countless of times, night after night, but we still couldn't figure out a perfect way to tell you this." Asami wrapped her arms around her girlfriend who did the same to her.

Anticipation filled your body and soared through your veins. Asami ate more of her apple and basically left you hanging on a really thin thread, urging her to continue and aching for the rest of her answer.

The crushing weight of the anticipation was so large that even Korra nudged Asami to continue. "What?" the raven whispered down to her girlfriend. Korra shot a pointed look in your direction and Asami could only chuckle. "No, it's your turn. I've done my job."

Flushed cheeks and breath of heat, Korra huffed before standing straighter with a fist proudly resting on her hip. "Asami and I have a crush on you. A pretty big one. I guess this one couldn't take the jealousy anymore and impulsively wanted to confess to you right here, right now, in front of this poor woman's pickled goods stand."

The three of you drifted your gaze to a woman in her late 50s, huddled over on her wooden stool with an assortment of jars surrounding her counter, shelves, and even the back of her stall eyeing the three of you with green-framed glasses. "Oh," she waved you three off, smiling fondly. "Don't let my presence stop you. I got teenagers and they're never this open with me about their love life. This is entertainment."

Korra's jaw slacked in bewilderment before she protectively reached out to grab your arm to lead you and Asami out of the market and around the corner where no one but a stray dog drinking out of a water bowl was.

"Okay," Korra addressed the two of you. "Now that we have no other intruders, I guess that just leaves you to talk. Asami and I have a crush on you and we know this is coming out of nowhere but what do you think about that? Did we freak you out?"

If a future version of yourself were to tell you that all it took to get the ladies of your dreams was a market, a cute stranger, and a fruit basket, you wouldn't have believed them and yet, here you are. Standing in front of two smart, fierce women who fought and preserved to get whatever they put their minds to.

Who would've thought they wanted you in the way you wanted them?

Korra's and Asami's stomachs churned and stirred in nauseating anticipation, the feeling alone making their knees wobble like jelly and their minds dizzy.

Simultaneously, they had no thoughts and every thought known to man swirling around their head.

Their waiting for your answer made their mind go quiet yet their worrying over ruining their relationship with you made them think about anything and everything.

What if you didn't want to see them anymore? What if they read the situation wrong entirely and you never saw them in that light?

The two of them conversed about the stolen glances you would take at them, thinking they didn't catch you but they did each and every time you would look at them. They would see the way you would smile at the other when she was wrapped up in her own world and how you would get lost in one's eyes as they spoke in group settings.

They were sure they read every situation as what it was: you crushing back on them. But as you stood in front of them with an unreadable expression on your face, light brown basket playing at the tips of your fingers, doubts clouded their minds.

You finally blinked into reality when a stray piece of wood poked at your pointer thumb. "Whoa, sorry. Uh, I guess I'm just shocked. I never thought this day would come." Asami's and Korra's lips upturned into a smile as they saw yours do the same. "Yeah, I like you two goobers back. I didn't think it would take jealousy to get us here," you gave them a laugh. "If I would've known that, I would've gotten you jealous a long time ago."

The couple gave you dry laughs, wrapping their arms around your shoulders.

"Absolutely not," said Asami.

"You do that and you will go back to being girlfriend-less," said Korra.

You snickered as you were happily held between them as you made your way back home. "Wow. Tough crowd-- Hey!"

The stray dog came crashing into your fruit basket, making the woven item crash onto the ground and get stomped on as the dog pounced on it to feast on the fruit the basket possessed.

"My fruit." You frowned. Every single piece of fruit, if not squashed or ate by the seemingly perfectly-weight dog, was dirtied. Some fruit juice grew to make a stain in the beige-colored gravel.

"Good doggy," Asami cooed at it. Korra, though agreeing with her statement, swatted at her arm with a laugh. "What?" She glanced between the two of you. "That dog is eating what that girl left behind. We're together now, we don't need that jade girl's basket." She held her chin up high as if she was the queen but a playful smile hinted at the corner of her lips.

You and Korra shared a laugh before continuing your trek back home. The fruit was probably better off with the dog anyway. You probably weren't going to eat much of it when you got home, not if Asami's and Korra's jealousy had anything to do with it.

WC: 3,752

[like-wuatafauq]

Korra gets so shitted on but she's one of my favorite comfort characters because she literally became disabled and they didn't try to hide it by being "oh she's still so strong cuz she's the avatar" or the "lets think about the positive side". They showed how depression hit her and how she alienated herself for 3YEARS, how frustrated she was to feel strong again, the shame she carried, and even how angry she got when others couldn't help her. People compare it so much to Avatar the last Airbender but completely disregard how other people found comfort in her story not to mention the lgbtq community and her progression with figuring things out with Asami. She went through a lot, it was not going to be a perfect story and she was never going to be a perfect person, and she could never be Aang. And that's okay.

[bengiyo]

Hey FRIEND! If you're still doing the Character ask game then how about Asami from At 25:00 in Akasaka?

Eboni! I'm always happy when I hear from you. I'm glad people have been giving me characters I like.

How I feel about this character

I love when a character is holding their yearning so carefully. Hayama was so fascinating for me because he had his life completely under control. You know this man somehow influenced the casting choice for Shirasaki so he could get close to him again, and I loved how controlled he was about his feelings for most of the show. I also loved that he was genuinely trying to help Shirasaki with their work.

The grey area between helping Shirasaki and trying to be with him any way he could is so hard to navigate there, and it makes the character so compelling. I love that he constantly crosses the line with Shirasaki, because there's no way a character could navigate that line perfectly.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Obviously just Shirasaki, but I think we should see Yamase get some time with everyone.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Probably his friend from college who works at the gay club now. That man violated Shirasaki's privacy so fast when he saw him in the club. He was also one of the only people who seemed to really know Hayama.

My unpopular opinion about this character

I'm not sure I have any? I don't know that we as a fandom appreciated the way his restraint expressed as kindness as loudly as I might have wanted. I think he could have walked away okay if Shirasaki never developed feelings of his own secure in the idea that he did genuinely help him.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

I feel like I got everything I wanted from this show. We know they both want it, and they talked out all the big things that mattered.

For the Character Breakdown Ask Game

[simplykorra]

I really like whenever you post thoughts about what you love about characters (specifically Ava), so I was just curious about what you love about Bea? I’ve never loved both characters in a ship like this and I think they’re such a perfect complement to each other

when you can find a ship where both characters are able to occupy space in your mind and both of them give you that buzz when you think about them, then you've hit the jackpot

it's not always been the case with my ships - the only other one besides avatrice that i could say do that for me are korra and asami

as far as bea goes, i really love the different layers she has and seeing them uncovered, especially in season 2

but also the little bits we see in season 1. it's clear from the jump that bea is reserved and by the book and has her routines and patterns and that whole bit with shannon in the start and how she's trying so desperately to stay by the book because if she doesn't then she'll break - and it makes you wonder if that moment ever happened before ava showed up

did bea ever break? did she allow herself the chance to mourn any of her sisters? there's a post and a theory i've seen that bea was in line to be the next mother superion and i think that tracks so well because she is a survivor and a planner and you just know she knows everyone and everything about the order because she doesn't know how to function without all the information

and i think that's her fate until a certain ava silva shows up and throws her world into orbit

we know ava isn't the first person to bring out bea's heart - we see it in that photo of bea/mary/lilith, but it's clear that things between all of them had shifted and bea probably blamed herself a bit for it (because that's what she does) so when ava shows up and beatrice immediately just...tries with her, it's probably terrifying.

then she opens up to ava, probably too much, but holy shit ava has this big heart and sees who she really is and isn't scared or disgusted, no ava tells her she's beautiful, and for the first time in bea's life her attraction to someone doesn't bring pain - it brings her this tiny bit of hope and from that moment on, beatrice fully commits herself to ava and i love her devotion.

i love that when beatrice tells ava that she won't leave her side, she never does, literally until ava has to leave her

as their relationship grows and we see more sides of bea, it really does let her personality shine. i fully believe there is a cheeky and almost incredible sense of humor inside of her that she holds in all the time and ava brings little bits of her out of her - which is what i love about bea - there's so much life inside of her, she just chooses to keep it hidden away from 98% of the world, but those who get to see it fall in love with her

then we get to season 2 and holy shit beatrice is in normal clothes and living with ava and fighting for her gay life and she's just so cute and still so devoted, but also letting herself relax a little and even enjoy the simpler things

THEN...then we see her dancing and we, like ava, see that there is so much more inside of her and to her and that she has this spirit that could change the world if it was ever allowed to be set free

for me too, the love for beatrice comes from when they come back to the order in season 2 and while she puts her habit back on, it's so clear that she isn't the same girl

she is no longer sister beatrice, but just beatrice, of the order and her devotion is no longer to god, but to her own heart - a heart that belongs to ava and she devotes herself to protecting the girl she loves, chooses her even over the mission itself

bea's heart is too big for her own chest at times and she has such an amazing depth that still feels mostly uncovered, but kristina performs her so well that you see how deep her character goes without having all the details yet

ava is the centerpiece of warrior nun, she's the heart of the show for sure - but beatrice is the backbone, the steady presence that keeps everything upright and aligned, it all falls apart without her and that weight is on her shoulders always and she knows that

yet, she can't ignore herself anymore and carry that weight for free, not when she knows what it's like to fall in love and finally chooses herself because of it

when ava comes back, beatrice will be ready to love her the way they both deserve

[sapphic-agent]

"If I was surprised at anything, it may have been that it seemed like people were less willing to let her make mistakes than they were with Aang."

I hate Bryke's guts, but the one thing I will agree with him (Bryan) on is this.

I've gotten heat from Aang stans for saying this, but for me Korra will always be a better written character for me. Not because Aang's childish and optimistic and naive or anything like that. That doesn't matter to me. Hell, it's not even for his actions during DOBS or EIP or Kataang. Sure, those things aren't great, but they aren't the issue with his character.

It's not about Aang's actions, it's about how Aang's actions are treated by the narrative.

This is nothing new obviously, I've said this before. Many times. Aang kissing Katara in EIP is treated as him messing up his chances with her, not because he forced something on her she didn't want. The kiss in DOBS doesn't even come up again in the show (and when it did in the comics, Aang blew up and nearly melted her face off so-). I've spoken enough about his holier-than-thou attitude in TSR too and how his message of forgiveness is perpetuated as the right one.

It's one thing that is 100% better in LOK; Korra is held accountable for her actions, by the narrative, the other characters, and herself. A big part of LOK is Korra acknowledging her actions and making the effort to change and be better.

A great counter to Aang repeatedly crossing boundaries with Katara is in Reunion when she warns Asami about trusting Hiroshi and Asami calls her out on giving unsolicited advice. Korra immediately backs off and tries to apologize when she sees that she upset her.

Now compare this to Aang's behavior in TSR or EIP.

And before anyone says it, I know Korra's older. I also know Asami reconnecting with her father is different than Katara wanting to kill Yon Rha. I get all of that.

But honestly? That doesn't matter to me. Because when you're talking about fictional characters- especially character progression and development for the protagonist- addressing flaws is important. Accountability is important. Especially when it comes to how they treat the people around them (love interests like Asami and Korra probably being the most important).

This is what solidifies Korra's character development as being better than Aang's for me.

However, I do think it's because of this framing (and the fact that she's a woman, but shh) that Korra gets more hate. Her flaws being addressed also means that they're constantly apparent. The audience is always aware of them. Whereas Aang's worse actions tended to be brushed over or excused. Or the context of those mistakes were maneuvered to make the audience feel bad for him instead of the one affected by his actions (EIP EIP EIP EIP).

So yes, Bryan, people were more willing to let Aang make mistakes because you and your bestie failed to actually address them