#honestly the way i fucking love katara lol

[rayssion]

I'm torn because in a sense I'm tired of reading pjo, don't get me wrong like it's about time these kids had some rest, found some peace and lived their lives without the constant danger, I'm feeling tired for them feeling tense all the time, only waiting for worst to happen and it keeps on happening. I want it to stop, I want all of this to stop, these demigods to live, to just lead a normal life.

But on the other hand I'm not ready to leave them yet, I want Rick to write more so I can read more, so I can know more about them, so I can live with them. I want more books and I want more series.

At this point honestly, if Rick just wrote a whole series of the demigods just living their lives normally without anything ever happening to them, a boring life were you just follow a routine, I will fucking dig it up.

Why can't we just read about them without them being in constant danger?? Don't you guys feel bad for Percy? Boy spent years going on quests and doing missions, he deserves a real rest.

So this dilemma lead me to the idea of next generation/s, I'd like to read about something in the future of the same timeline/universe setup of pjo hoo toa, it could be their kids or their grandchildren, just imagine how lovely would it be?

It's like watching the legend of Korra after watching the last airbender lol, you'll see Katara and hear all of them talking about Aang and all of that, and you'll feel the nostalgia because you've been their, you lived with them.

Imagine percabeth's great grandchildren going to camps to train and learn and they hear all these stories about their ancestors and how they saved the world, imagine them accidentally stumbling across solangelo's great grandchildren and they befriend each other without knowing that their families go way back.

And then these kids will have their own adventures (they'll suffer now that they're our new squad lol) and how fun it'll be for us as readers if let's say, one time they go on a quest to retrieve something we're familiar with, like Riptide maybe? Idk.

And a huge bonus!! That they'll at some point seek the huntres and I know they'll spend the long nights hearing stories about the great demigods from Thalia and Reyna. They'll tell them every big and small story, even the time Percy arranged with Hermes for his and Annabeth's anniversary in exchange for looking for his staff. They'll tell them about the cocoa puffs and how Nico always slept with them, and I just know one of them will be determined to descend to the underworld to meet them (because Nico is now dead and in the underworld with Hades and his cocoa puffs and possibly Will).

And at some point they'll have to cross Boston for some reason and oh my god they'll meet Magnus and Alex and they'll stay at the Chase house for a while also hearing some stories from Magnus and shopping from Blitzen.

Rick this's my petition to have mercy on Percy and our lovely demigods and let them live in peace but please don't quit writing, I breath your books more than oxygen at this point<3

[beifong-brainrot]

After reading your post in regards to Toph being a cop — in your opinion, what do you think she should’ve become if she didn’t become a cop?

Honestly, part of me doesn't even think Toph should become anything lol. Or at least, not at once. She deserves to have the freedom she wanted so much, so I'd honestly just want to see her travelling and experiencing the worldz doing whatever the hell she wants.

Something I've been thinking about way too much ehen it comes to Toph is how she didn't really set out to change the world/defeat Ozai, like the rest of the Gaang. Of course, I don't think she was apathetic towards their cause, but we can't forget that her main motivation was to free herself from her parents.

Which she achieved by travelling with the Gaang, making friends while also hrowing as a person. I truly believe that even in canon, those were the best years in Toph's life, which may be why she chose to live in the same swamp that set Aang on his journey to her.

So when the Gaang managed to defeat Ozai and the Fire Nation, it was a new start for Aang, Katara, Sokka and Zuko. But for Toph it was kind of the death of the freedom and companionship she loved from their travels.

After the war, the Gaang became political figures which sucks for Toph because a) she hates politics and b) it sets more restraints in how she operates. People know her as the Avatar's friend and so the underground fighters she used to run with see her as a lawbringer.

So I could see Toph trying to make bending battles more legal and accepted. Hell, I like the idea of her being heavily engaged in probending, if not helping develop it.

I like the idea of Toph never getting tied down to a profession, though.

It won't be the same with her not always being able to have the Gaang at her side, but I think she might enjoy going solo for a bit. I can see her as a risk taker and daredevil, always trying to find another challenge, be it by dealing with a bunch of bandits or climbing a tall mountain.

The members of the Gaang would probably occasionally tag along with her, particularly Aang when he gets that Nomad itch and she'd visit them frequently.

As she grows older she might become more accustomed to her new influence and role in the post war world, but I can't ever really see her engaging in politics on the level that Aang Katara, Sokka and Zuko would.

But I can see her trying to rebuild Earthbender culture and particularly try to bring Earthbending back to the finesse and artistry it had before the Fire Nation.

This ties back to the idea that due to the Fire Nation's constant invasion onto the Earth Kingdom, earthbending stopped being treated with the respect it used to have as a bending form. As Fire Nationals would see Earth Kingdom citizens as inferior and by extent, their bending arts. Plus rounding up all benders and locking them away wouldn't really create a space for techniques to be passed down. Additionally, Earthbenders themselves would probably have to prioritise combat based bending rather than the more artistic cultural aspects of it. Hence Earthbending being a sort of less refined or spiritual 'throw rock really hard'

While Toph doesn't have much of a regard for tradition, I think she still feels strongly about her ties to the Earth Kingdom and with timez I could see her wanting to bring Earthebender culture into the future. It could start with her pushing to relearn older techniques that were lost to time, and perhaps trying to retrieve artifacts stolen by the Fire Nation. (INDIANA JONES TOPH- *gets shot*)

Also, throughout the series we see her seem to develop an interest in non combative bending. So it would be interesting to see her try to revive artistry in earthbending, particularly sculpting. I think it would be kinda cute, since it would be the first time she would be able to engage with art without someone having to describe it for her.

Like look at how many statues of herself she made it's fucking adorable. Look at her gooo!

So I could see her following some artistic hobbies as well, maybe trying to restore old Earth Kingdom monuments and scupltures. Since I think seismic sense could help her with archeological endeavours etc, like it did with the library.

I don't know if Toph could enjoy one singular vocation, due to her constant need for challenge and stimulation, so I think travelling the world and looking for various adventures and jobs would be the best fit. Since even if she's passionate about something, she can get burnt out if things get too repetitive, as we see with her metalbending academy.

Essentially, I think she should become the dragonborn from Skyrim.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Found a funny post. A ZK shipper complained that ZKs are being attacked while there are some much more terrible ships in the fandom – zucest, or Zhao/Zuko, or Ozai/Hakoda, or Zhao/Azula, or Ozai/Kya, or Jee/Zuko, or Ozai/Azula… there were probably more.

I guess you see the pattern. These are small ships (apart of zucest, probably, it seems the most popular in the list). They are nor, like, everywhere. I’ve only ever seen Ozai/Kya mentioned in a ZK fic, lol. And only ever seen Zhao/Azula fanart among the works of a ZK artist.

They do not pretend to be more than they are or to be something entirely different. For example, Hakoda/Ozai content would be either a crack scenario just for fun’s sake or an honest “these two characters are canonically incompatible, there’s absolutely no way they’ll have a sappy happy ending or a healthy relationship at all, so prepare for some serious drama” or “don’t look for a reason here, I just like them because they’re hot” (which is sexualization I guess but at least both characters are adults and not, you know, 14-years-olds). No “fixing the canon” crap here.

They are honest about their problematics too. Ozai/Azula? “This is incest ship, so if it’s not your kink, just don’t read”. Zhao/Zuko? “Here’s some really creepy shit. Yes, it’s extremely unhealthy, that’s the whole point. You were warned. Check the tags again.”. And so on. Not like the fics where Katara falls in love with Zuko after he raped her, you know…

They don’t shit on other characters. I can’t remember Mai being demonized in zucest fics as much (if she ever was) as she is in ZK fics. I’ve actually seen a devoted zucest shipper (hello-nichya-here) who defends Mai and Maiko!

They are just chill, create and enjoy content. Sometimes it’s amazing. One Jee/Zuko fic I’ve read was much more sensual and erotic than all the ZK smut I’ve ever read, combined (and the character dynamics was way more convincing, too).

Their shippers do not make up crazy conspiracies about how they were “robbed”. They do not write a kilometer long metas about how their ship is the actual canon, inserting Watson and Doyle’s names in every paragraph and lying about almost every event from the show. They do not comment “my ship is better!” under fics or arts featuring one character from their ship paired with someone else. They do not force their ship down everyone’s throat. As far as I know they don’t send death threats to people who don’t like their ship. Really, such terrible ships, why people attack the ZKs instead…

They try to use these as exemples of "worse" fandoms because they all have an element people could have issues with - a canonically abusive character like Ozai, a large age gap between an adult and a minor, incest, a controversial/disliked character, etc.

But like you said, these fandoms all mind their business, and anyone who does the same doens't have an issue with them, if they might have an issue with the ships. Meanwhile, Zutarians are hated not because the ship is controversial, but because the SHIPPERS are pushy. It's just going "Don't pay attention to my bad behavior, hate on these guys for having controversial ships!"

Seems it's time for this again: Hello, Nichya here! Unfortunatelly it was not at all uncommon to find Mai-bashing in zucest fics back in the day (honestly, most of the zucest fics back in the day were fucking terrible with both Zuko and Azula being wildly out of character) and it still hasn't disappeared completely. Thankfully that bullshit seems to be on it's way out, and I don't think the fandom ever reached the point of sending hate to Mai/Maiko fans like zutarians did, even if they hated the character for the same stupid reason - aka for "getting in the way."

[ultfreakme]

im a zutara multishipper though i often feel like a fake cause im not as hardcore as most of em.. i forgot all about that scarf scene its not as memorable as I'll save you from the pirates is that probalmatic imeaniguess but it was a fun scene in the cartoon ..

. so many zuts are celebrating over a silyl scarf scene but i can tell there's higher chances of hell freezing over than zutara and i dont look forward to them going again We were robbed when it doesn't happen. i love being a multishipper though cause i was very well fed with zukaang

im begging shippers not to bully gordon over shipping and it is interting to note how uncomfortable zutara makes the actors prob cause they recognize Kia is a teenager and Dallas is 22 year old.. theres hooplah over how the age gap is fine cause she' ll be 18 and theres a difference with 11/14 vs 15/ year old met guy when he was 20. of course kia is uncomforatble with zutara she met dallas aas a child. but here we got people treating her like she's an adult already.

the way kia is talked about creeps me out and i still think about the people telling me im a fake fan bec i think maybe we dont talk about kias age like shes not even real. i do enjoy the fanart comig from promo pics cause people are super talented but sometimes . it feels that people are shipping Kia/Dallas more than zuko/katara

Hi!! Honestly it's fine if you ship even if things for the ship are considered 'problematic'. I mean I ship Zukka and both of them have genuinely wanted each other dead or gone for a good chunk of the show lol.

I think, and I'm not going to generalize and say EVERY Zutara shipper, but one thing I've encountered as a pattern of difference between Zutara shippers and every other ATLA ship shipper, is canonicity. Zukaang, Zukka, Jetko, MaiLee, TyZula, Tokka, Taang, none of them are of the mindset that their ship will be canon so no one has any real problems with these ships. But a lot of Zutara shippers I've seen on twitter at least are convinced that Zutara was meant to be canon, and this inability keep fanon and canon separate is what's getting people's hopes up. And when it's made clear that these ARE separate, there's upset. I've seen the same thing happen with multiple other shippers and ships across fandoms.

Being a multishipper sounds fun anon, and I hope you're doing well <3

You're so right on the way people act about and treat Kia. Dallas has on interview said Kia is like a little sister to him, and yeah people keep forgetting that these two met when Kia was a child and he was an adult. It's why Dallas and Ian are fine when they talk about Zukka or can joke about "shipping" them.

I've noticed that people are doing the thing again(in 2024 dear GOD), where they keep waiting for young girls to be "legal" to be fucking creeps. People did it with Billie Eilish, the Olsen twins and a bunch of other female celebs and artists. I just feel terrible for her and Gordon, and I wish people would stop being weird about the actors and take a hint because Kia, Dallas, Gordon- none of them are being subtle about being uncomfortable about zutara. The only way they can be more obvious is plaster it on their foreheads. I didn't know about people talking about...ugh I can't even say it, Kia and Dallas like a ship GROSS. Leave Kia and Dallas out of it gosh. I got an ask a while back basically saying people will stop being mean to Gordon if Zutara becomes canon and I was flabbergasted. Like, you won't treat a child, with respect and dignity, because your 20 year old ship isn't real???

I've said this before, but people are just jumping to make Kia out to be more...older? People saying she looks like Gordon's mom(I will hunt these people on sight she looks like a child). And it's this, intermixing of sexism and racism and colourism (I've seen people be extremely disgusting about Dallas and Gordon too about their appearance. Pretty much everyone who doesn't fit into Western beauty standards are receiving awful hate- Thalia Tran playing Mai, Elizabeth Yu playing Azula).

People seriously need to get a grip and start learning to differentiate between fiction and real human beings or this is going to hurt EVERYONE involved, but especially Kia and Gordon. It doesn't matter if Kia is 18, she DOES NOT LIKE IT. DALLAS sees her as a sister, like i wish people would keep that in mind.

[highfantasy-soul]

Things I LOVED about NATLA Episode 8 - Legends

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

The Aang Gaang working together in the fight!!!!

Honestly it felt so natural to have all three of them taking out the Fire Nation ship that I completely forgot it didn't happen like that in the animated show!

In the animated version, Aang took out the ship while Katara and Sokka just stood on the ice wall - showing them in battle together and working with synergy was phenomenal

Aang doing AOE damage, Katara taking out soldiers with precision, and Sokka shouting battle plans and taking out the command center - really great way to SHOW the roles each play in battle

The Gaang complementing each other was soo cuutteee!!

"Lu Ten would have been proud to have you as his father" 😭😭😭

Then the Iroh hug!!! 😭😭😭

"I'd say it's 50/50! …. 60/40 😬"

Lol oh Sokka, you're so bad at optimism

Let's go Katara!!!! Going to even the odds!!!

The war balloon showing up early!!!

The entire battle of the North was sooo intense!

I really felt a lot more of the danger and panic than in the animated version

LOVE that Pakku's change to allow women in battle came here, with Katara and the other women standing up to him

The animated show doesn't even have any women helping at all in the battle - we don't even see them healing the wounded. To me, the live-action actually addressed the systemic issue of the sexism in the North rather than just having Katara be the token woman who wanted to fight

"You KNOW we can make a difference!" "We?"

The shot of all the women standing there in traditional clothing was super powerful to me

I know some people think it's 'virtue signaling' or whatever and complain about the shot of all the women heroes in Endgame or Captain Marvel's 'standing up after being knocked down' montage, but call me a stupid woman, those scenes actually mean a lot to me. Why is animated Katara railing against Sokka because she has to do the laundry seen as the height of feminism and yet a group of indigenous women standing up and backing one of their sisters in her bid to make systemic change actually the opposite of feminism? It makes no sense to me.

I LOVE Yagoda backing Katara!!

Katara isn't some 'outsider coming in to change a culture's savage ways' - she's simply the catalyst for the people WITHIN that culture to stand up and say 'yeah, now is our time, change needs to happen and we've known it for awhile'

Yue wanting to be out there helping her people 😭😭

Her father's talk with her really reminds me of Eowyn and Theoden from The Return of the King - even if you want to help defend your home, if you're in a position of leadership, staying alive so you can lead in a fallen chief's place is an important role to play, too

Sokka and Hahn's ….tension as he promises to take care of Yue 👀

The student calling Katara 'master'!!!! 😭😭😭

In my in-depth analysis, I go into why I think it's a title she's completely earned despite her lack of formal training but suffice it to say that if you have an issue with them calling Katara master, then shut the fuck up

Ooohh adding a time-table for the Fire Nation attack with the Ice Moon caveat!

I like adding to the depth and lore of the world which makes it make a whole lot more sense that the Fire Nation would attack the WATER TRIBE during a full moon

LIONTURTLE REFEREEENNCCEE!!!

I like the Fire Sage actually knowing spiritual stuff and finding value in it - even though he's using it to help Zhao hurt them

Yes, Iroh. Zhao is most definitely planning on tampering with the spirit world 😬

Avatar Kuruk coming to Aang!!!!

I really like that concept - like on the Lionturtle, the past Avatars can appear as a mirage to give warnings

And connecting Kuruk's battle against the evil spirits to the Fire Nation twisting the weapons of defense into a weapon to harm - soooo goooood

"Killing the ocean spirit would deprive people all over the world of their lives!!! I'm not a monster!!" 🙃

Aahhh, twisted logic at its finest: after all, what's the point in ruling the world if there's no one to rule

Oooohhhhh and Kuruk's voice beginning to layer with the other Avatars as he talks about how Zhao can't be allowed to meddle with the primal forces of nature!!

Such a great use of the voice alteration that happens when they go into the Avatar state!

Hero Momo!!!!!

Omg I was SO WORRIED they actually killed Momo!!!!

Sokka and Momo's relationship is so cute how they developed it 😭

I like Yue telling her story this way better than in the animated series

Here, the story is connected to what's happening directly: she's saving Momo's life the same way her life was saved and letting us know the spirit oasis water has healing properties beyond regular healing

Zuko and him fire blasting out from beneath the ice - cool in every adaptation!

"How do you know that?" "Because I helped design the thing" 😔

Love that we're getting a direct tie from the war balloon to Sokka - just like with Kuruk's spirit knife and like Sokka said all the way back in Omashu: the Fire Nation can turn anything into a weapon

Though Iroh won't fully stand against Zhao yet, he's totally stalling as much as he can

Zuzu!!!!

"This is about you and me!" aawww classic Zuko - walking into a massive thing and thinking it's still just about him capturing Aang 😅

We've got bigger fish to fry, buddy - oh, shit. No. Oh god. Why'd I use that turn of phrase?? Too soon! Too soon!

Love the full circle moment here with Katara and Zuko's showdown

Aang is now letting her fight while he goes off to another task, trusting that she'll be ok

"Go easy, enough people have been hurt already." "I don't care. "I wasn't talking to you 😏"

Damn right, Aang! Putting respect on Katara!!!

Also, Zuko's face as he realizes Aang doesn't see him as the most important thing here 😬 that's gotta hurt

KATARA V ZUKO ROUND 2!!!!

Love that they're getting a rematch so we can see just how far Katara has come in her combat/waterbending training!

The bending is GORGEOUS!

You can see every move each of them are making and watch the respective elements respond to their movements perfectly.

"You little peasant!!" Oh Zuko, you silly, angry boi "You've found a master, haven't you?"

"Yes, you're looking at her" - DAMN STRAIGHT!

Despite Pakku not agreeing to train her, she's taught herself. She clawed tooth and nail to learn everything she could from every source she had available - she observed other benders and created a waterbending version of the move, she practiced in every spare moment, she grappled with her emotional and spiritual trauma and came out the other side with a more holistic view of bending despite the world telling her to stop - so yeah, she IS her own master.

While I do love the "You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun" line, I'm ok with the siege lasting only a day instead of several like in the animated series.

Zuko's little field trip with Aang takes an entire day with nothing really going on in the battle, it's just a few minutes of screen time until we can get back to night again so we can see the moon being killed.

Streamlining it and having Aang seek council before the battle starts rather than in the middle of it I think was a good move. We didn't need a cliffhanger mid-episode like we did in the animated series since it's all a single episode.

Zhao's plan revealed is such great character work - he's just as egotistical as the animated version, down to wanting to be declared 'the moon slayer', but there's so much more depth in the live-action version

He's so ambitious that he actually believes he could become Fire Lord and doesn't take Iroh's threats seriously at all - his pride ensuring his downfall.

LOVE that they kept the blood-red moon as the moon spirit is captured!!

Aang trying to talk down his enemies yet again 😞

No matter how clear their antagonistic motives, he truly believes the best in people and always wants to give them the chance to do the right thing

Oof Zhao cutting to Aang's fear without knowing it: Zhao thinks the Avatar doesn't matter on its face - Aang is afraid he's not good enough as an Avatar TO matter

This sets up Aang's decision to give himself to the ocean spirit - he accepts that he isn't good enough - he doesn't matter, but the ocean spirit does

Iroh shot first!!

In the animated show, Iroh only attacks after Zhao kills the moon spirit, here, he's trying to help the Gaang by distracting Zhao enough for them to save the spirit

But they're too late

They kept the black and white shading where only things bathed in fire or the ocean spirit's blue light have any colors!

I think this entire battle sequence was amazingly done

You can FEEL the terror, you can SEE the cost of such an attack

It's not gratuitous violence - it's showing the realities of war without showing gruesome injuries

I love how Hahn and the other Norther Water Tribe Warriors got to have a heroic stand even without waterbending. Despite their best resource being taken from them, they aren't going down without a fight.

Iroh unleashing on the soldiers and Zhao running like a little bitch!!!!

I love Aang's speech here - he's "following" the advice of past Avatars by putting the world's needs above his own, but it's out of despair, not balance

He's surrendering to a power greater than him because he doesn’t feel like he's succeeded in being the Avatar (which unfortunately, through no fault of his own, is true) and so he's willing to fully lose himself to another power to save the world.

MONGO KOI-ZILLA!!!!

It's WILD that this happens only HALFWAY through the episode!! They really let this sequence breathe and gave so much room for all the character moments to happen

Iroh hugging Zuko while he just stares at the giant koi fish 🤣😭

"Uncle, what is that?" "That, that is wrath" - CHILLS

Zuko ready to fight that monster fish to get the Avatar 😭😭😭😭😭

He really is a crazy dude

"He's a small man who's going to meet a small end"

So right you are, Iroh

Zuko v Zhao!!!

LOVE how the live-action made Zhao a cerebral rather than physical antagonist for Zuko

Even though Zuko beats him physically, Zhao destroys Zuko mentally by revealing all the truths about the royal family dynamic

"You were the fire in which her iron was forged"

DDDAAAAMMMMNNNNN 🔥🔥🔥🔥

Love how each adaptation has Zhao die in a different way 🤣

Honestly, I like all the ways ppl have decided to kill him

The ocean spirit taking him, waterbenders drowning him, and now Iroh killing him for attacking Zuko

I do think I like the animated death the best, but Iroh killing him to protect Zuko is also a nice way to end him - Iroh isn't about this 'give them infinite chances', he's a soldier who's not afraid to get his hands bloody.

The entire attack by the ocean spirit is phenomenal - beautifully shot and you can now feel the terror from the fire nation soldiers

Yue getting the agency to realize she can save the moon and sacrificing herself was a good change

"It's worth it to be alive, even just for a night"

"The world needs you. I need you" 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

I think it was a really good choice to move Katara talking Aang down from the Avatar state and telling him they're family to the final episode rather than way at the beginning like it happened in the animated series.

That declaration holds a lot more truth as we've SEEN them become a family

Seeing the actual loss from the battle was heart wrenching, but I think it was really needed

Poor Hahn and the young waterbender

I love that Sokka didn't fight in the big battle - his place was being there to support someone else and provide comfort in a terrifying moment for her. His heart is what was needed in this battle, not his combat skills

And Pakku giving Katara her due - she EMBODIES change and growth, always finding a way no matter how many people tell her no

And she got her spirit water!!

"I'm tired" "Then you should get some rest. A man needs his rest" 😭😭😭😭😭

"How do I do this without causing so much pain?"

Oh Aang, that's a question you're going to be grappling with for awhile.

It's such a wonderful way to sum up his character - he doesn't want to cause pain, even to the point of giving people chances they don't deserve - but that quest to find an answer is the reason the world is saved and Aang cements his own legacy within the Avatar line.

Closing with another lesson from Gyatzo!!!! 😭😭

"Let go of your past, or you'll never have a future" - thesis statement right there

Let's not misinterpret this line to say 'forget the past' - this is a Buddhist version of 'letting go' which is to say 'don't cling to the past so much you cannot take steps into your future'

The Gaang's banter over Sokka always thinking about food!!!! So cute!!

I love the scenes here at the end with the Fire Nation

Ozai still holding out hope that Zuko will surprise them with some 'hidden' reserve of strength, but still willing to let him fall so 'the strong' can rise

Azula taking over Omashu!!!

And the comet!

Makes sense that they didn't give a time-table as kids grow fast and we can't just draw them the same age: Gordon is a growing boy so we need to give some space for how much he grows through the filming process

[angelosearch]

My initial screaming thoughts on the Avatar the Last Air Bender live action remake on Netflix. Spoilers for eps 1-4 below, will watch 5-8 later today probably.

I want to hug this casting director and also ask them how they pulled the chacters straight out of the cartoon and made them real.

IROH IS SO GOOD OMG

Lol wow the dialogue is really leaving nothing up to the imagination. Exposition exposition exposition. Get why they are doing it this way but it gets reeeeeally clunky sometimes.

We must say the exact number of years that everything has happened and everyone's age

hope line in ep 1 is straight out of Ember Island Players

WOW THE BENDING

WOW THE FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY

The ostrich horses are chocobos and I am not taking any questions

😭 The airbender genocide is horrifying (as it should be)

Animals are a tad uncanny valley but I am okay with it

I appreciate that they kept so much of the original music even though it feels a little out of place for something live action

The tone is much more mature. The themes are different in a good way - they haven't changed much of what exists in the canon, just shifted focus. Adult side characters are getting more story. Stakes feel higher. Violence! Grittiness!

Firebenders are really fucking evil so they need to balance it with more morally gray/evil earthbenders and more upfront sympathy/development for Iroh and Zuko

This show could be enjoyable to someone who has never seen the cartoon before but it is definitely written for us, those who had our hearts broken by the movie

Sokka is not overtly sexist and honestly I'm okay with it. I like that arc for him in the animated tv show but with the tone of the live action, he couldn't just be funny sexist, he would have to be dark sexist and that just wouldn't be Sokka. Plus I like how they focus more on Sokka's sense of duty because it creates a good foil for Aang.

I was never really a big Sokka/Suki shipper but DAMN.

KYOSHI PLEASE STEP ON ME ALL I REALLY WANNA BE A GIANT WOMAN OMG THEY TOOK STUFF FROM THE BOOKS

I am getting more Zutara vibes rn than Katara/Aang idk

Okay they are condensing the plot but in really smart ways. We aren't losing much.

The set design. The costuming. SO PERFECT. Ohmashu looked great.

DANIEL PUDI AAAAHHHHHHHH

THE. CABBAGE. MERCHANT. 10/10 IT'S THE VOICEACTOR THEY CAST HIM IN THE LIVE ACTION

they mention secret tunnels. Are they gonna do it? Are they gonna keep it in?? YEEEESSSS FUCK YES OKAY THIS REMAKE IS AMAZING

I really like how they made the tunnels about sibling love tbh

Utkarsh Ambudkar disappears into the role of Bumi and it is SO GOOD

Me: *cries as Zuko comforts Iroh at Lu Ten's funeral* My husband: "Wait, listen to the music" Me: *listens* *lays down* *CRIES A LOT*

This show is very focused on showing what a 100 year war does to people and I think that was a good direction to take

Overall I am VERY happy with it. They understood the assignment, there is a ton of love for the show weaved into it, and I am excited to see more.

[ssreeder]

omg i don't think you can even begin to imagine how fucking happy i was while reading this chapter. i love happy zukka, they are so !!!! together thank u thank u thank u thank uuuuuuu.

i became fucking insane reading this i swear, i love how you write, all of the characters you write about feel so human and real and full of details and feeling i love it. like, ara is such a complex character i really enjoy reading her. i enjoy reading anybody actually and like, i sometimes forget that some characters are ocs instead of actual alta charters. i love katara and suki being besties and the interactions between toph and sokka. AND ZUKKA AJS2(+#+$IDO!!!!!!2?2(2929. omg just omg. i love how caring they are for eachother and I'm so glad they are more open and touchy with eachother, i now feel like they can actually start to heal together.

OOOO talking again about Ara, i maintain my point about wanting her to have some friends and to heal because she deserves it!!! i support womans rights and woman's wrongs (jk, I'm still a bit angry at her for like everything she did to zuko and i want to se some kind of interaction between them but at the same time i feel bad for her). oh and jet, yey I'm glad he's not dead and he's starting to realize how much of an asshole he was!!!! i also really liked the piandao bit, because it made me remember how much time everyone (hopefully) has to heal, so please don't kill anyone sreeady ☺️☺️

i love love love love love love love love love your ocs and your characterization and your worldbuilding and your writing and how fuckin long your chapters are!!!(god when I saw the wordcount of this one i almost screamed of pure joy). i am your biggest fan sreeady i swear 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

anyways, i am excited about the next chapter, i really want to read the whole family dinner thing because that could either way go akward asf or low-key bad (of hopefully good but i don't want to get my hopes up). i am not really excited about azul, don't get me wrong, i love her, but I'm really scared about what will happen when she finally arrived and stuff happens.

as i always say, i love you, you are the best and i hope you have the best week/month/anything ever because you deserve it (you have no idea how long I been waiting for cuddling zukka 🙏🙏🙏)

MILKYYYYYYYY!!!!

I’m really thrilled you enjoyed the last chapter haha, because honestly sometimes I get so used to writing angsty drama that I get to a soft scene & im like hmmmmmmmmm do i even remember what that is?? Haha.

I AM SO THANKFUL FOR YOU OMG!!!! you seriously have no idea how many times I read this ask and smiled. I am so glad the cuddly soft zukka hit all the right spots haha, they are such dorks in love I just wanna smother them! (I won’t…. I promise haha)

You know you mention Ara and I gotta say I was expecting SO MUCH ARA HATE after last chapter but I was shocked people seem…. Idk…. More understanding? Idk I know she’s complicated & not a ‘good girl’ but when you explore her characters thoughts it really makes her that much more complex. Haha I’m not going to lie I’m not looking forward to her finding out about Shen though ahhh.

Speaking of dead fire benders you’re right it seems like pretty much DYING was the push Jet needed to confront his life choices. He was forced to look at his situation without voicing his excuses and blocking out his thoughts. Now hopefully he accepts those changes and grows form it but ehhhh jets my stubborn boy so we’ll see lol.

Milky milk milk I adore you. Thank you for this wonderful ask & sorry I used it to rant a but. I love reading your thoughts you are adorable :) I hope you enjoy the next chapter too lol. We get some fun moments (& Zuko imploding & exploding a bit haha)

[lovelyelbowleech]

HELLO!! HAIR ANON HERE!!! I’m SO SORRY this was delayed but I have been crazy busy. Mostly with good things (like graduating and getting my MA [🎉], and working out the details of starting my next MA program!!), but most recently with covid LOL. BUT THE LAST TWO CHAPTERS OF WAR GAMES HAVE BEEN KEEPING ME SANE. Or causing me to lose what’s left of my sanity (that last chapter especially). Honestly probably both at the same time 😂

Bc OOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH my GOD that last chapter. I feel VINDICATED. I feel FEVERED (and not just because of the covid lmaooo). I feel YRIEIFOWHFOWHDOWUDOWHDUD. I don’t even know how to describe how I’m feeling other than CHAOTIC and OVERWHELMINGLY POSITIVE. My brain is fuzzy but I needed you to know this was the most hyped up I’ve been about something fandom related in over a decade. I’m glad my gf wasn’t home bc I’m not sure I would want to explain the multiple screams I let out, or the multiple honest-to-god flails that happened.

IN HONOR OF THAT some of my favorite lines:

“Zuko’s eyes were bright, even in the dim light. ‘No,’ he said. ‘I just wanted to be normal. So I went with it.’” GOD. GOD. GOD. GOD. THE IMAGE THIS PAINTS. LIGHTING SOMETHING ON FIRE RN

“No, that wasn’t true. He had plenty in his head. Things like the fact that perhaps, just between him and himself, he could admit that maybe there was an attraction that he had been trying to convince himself was something else, like envy or admiration. He did maybe stare at Zuko’s muscles a little too much, and find the blushing and the way his hair was starting to flop very charming. Cute, even.” THIS…. INVENTED ROMANCE?? THE NOISE I MADE WHEN I READ THIS WAS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN A SQUEAL AND A WAIL

"’The Avatar is not a baby,’ Zuko said faintly, his eyes a little wide. ‘Not all babies are bald.’ He looked like maybe his brain had stopped working.” THIS MADE ME GIGGLE SO HARD SJDKSJDIWID ALSO THE WHOLE SCENE WHERE THEY WERE FIXING THE TENT!!! Toph, Katara, and Zuko had me in HYSTERICS, also I’m SO PROUD of Zuko’s angry stitching, good job, buddy

ALSO!!! Tu’s section was so sad and so good and so beautifully written??? I’m so worried about what’s going to happen to him and the freedom fighters. But as someone who loves your writing I’m also VERY EXCITED to see what happens with them. 😂 And omg YAY SUKI AND SHEN SURVIVING! And Shen *GETTING SOME*! I think I actually said, “YEAH, GET SOME” out loud when Shen rediscovered his dick. Good for him, man. He fucking deserves it (pun only half intended). Now I’m just desperately curious about what Azula is going to be up to in the next chapter, and which of the four groups we’re following are going to meet first 👀 I’M SO EXCITED TO FIND OUT AHHH

Thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU as always for sharing your amazing writing and story with us!! I am having the time of my life reading this and I am so grateful that I get to. I’m so excited and am waiting very patiently for the next chapter. I hope you’re feeling better, and thank you so much for sharing, again!!! 💖💖💖💖💖💖

Well done for graduation and getting your MA! Sorry about the covid though, that sucks. I hope you are feeling a bit better!

Glad you enjoyed the chapter 😂😬

"also I’m SO PROUD of Zuko’s angry stitching" > I have such a strong image of what those stitches looked like, and all the rage and frustration that went into them. I might have been projecting a bit 😂

Poor Tu is really going through it, his sections are very short at the moment, but I always pack a lot of suffering into them (like Katara's were before she met back up with Sokka, lol)

Shen's been though a lot, he deserves a treat. Good thing Suki is also there to keep ragging on him and making sure he doesn't get ahead of himself 😂

Thank you once again for the amazing comment! I am glad you are still reading and enjoying! And I hope you are on the mend from the plague! ❤️❤️❤️

[higuchisora]

Okay but like. Can we stop making our orphaned main characters grow up to be shitty parents now? Like I get that it's supposed to "add dimension" to them or whatever but at this point it's kinda tired imo. Plus it's giving really nasty vibes and connotations when you look at how common this trope is. Like am I the only one who noticed that 3 of some of the biggest shows/stories ever with, coincidentally, orphaned male main characters decided to make sequels where they end up being shitty/lackluster dads to their sons?

I get that no one's perfect, but why do they all have the same struggle that comes with the same awful connotations, especially when it doesn't even really make sense for their character/other flaws and struggles would've easily made more sense and might've even been more interesting? Like, I don't need another "Daddy Issues: The Movie", I already have my own, goddamn 🙄

It doesn't surprise me that Jhorts Khaki Rollup/the guys she worked with wrote that, whether or not they even noticed what they were implying with it. But when not only them, but Naruto and The Last Airbender both pull that shit too, in increasingly contrived ways, it's just not cool, imo.

There's some irony there, especially when considering the characters in question. All of them, at the core of their characters, come with massive insecurities and issues surrounding abandoment/craving love and family.

Let's start with Naruto. I know he and his son make up or something, but the fact that it was even an arc- plus the way they handled it- was so weird to me. Like, the original series literally had kids making fun of him for not having parents and saying shit like "well, no wonder he's dumb/rude/dirty, he doesn't have parents lol loser" and mocking him for it. It feels like they're almost proving those kids right, by making him have such a strained relationship with his son. Like they're saying "oh, of course he can't be a good dad- he's never had one." Which is beyond disgusting.

One of my friends argued that it made sense because he's now the village leader, so he's busy etc etc, but honestly? I call bullshit. Sure, being hokage was his dream. But it was his dream because he wanted to be accepted by his village, because they were treating him like shit his whole life. He just wanted to be loved. Regardless of how any decent parent should be prioritizing their child, Naruto himself, at his core, is driven by this. So to think he'd finally have a family of his own, people who love him, and he'd just ignore them in favor of work doesn't make any sense. It doesn't matter if they have a mom to watch them, Naruto would absolutely want to be part of every step of their lives.

On the other hand, with Harry, I'm more inclined to believe it, in a way. I've never read Harry Potter myself (just the movies as a kid), but people who have, told me he was actually pretty judgemental in the books. So I guess it would make sense he'd be taken aback by his son's sorting. However, he literally named him after a Slytherin. One he used to hate, by the way. It wouldn't make sense for him to be down to name his son after the guy that tormented him in school, then get mad when his son turns out to be a Slytherin. Like naming your kid after an artist, then being mad when he grows up to like art. It's just weird. He's literally deeply insecure about not having parents/a family, so I can't really imagine him not throwing as much love as he can towards his kids regardless of how they turn out.

The same goes for Aang, even more so. This guy was a fucking monk, one whose people got fucking genocide'd. Sure, you might argue that that's what would make him so preoccupied with revitalizing Airbenders and why he'd be so bummed his kids weren't airbenders, but even then I just can't see it. He's lost everyone, but he's also the same guy who lowkey gave up the avatar state for Katara, still does that dorky fucking spinning marble trick at his grown age. He'd fucking love his family with all he has, considering he's lost his other family. And, I'm going to be honest here. I just don't fucking believe Katara would just sit there and let him neglect his kids. I don't care what anyone has to say about his motives or how they feel about Katara; love or hate her, that girl would not fucking stand for that shit. She'd kick his ass six ways to Sunday and then drag him in for counseling, even if that counseling was just Sokka with a beard and mustache glued on. People seem to forget, she's not the Avatar's Wife, she's Katara, who happens to be married to Aang, who happens to be the Avatar. You saw how she was with her dad (and Sokka). That shit would not fly in her house.

It's like when they write the Asian character as a nerd with 1st gen immigrant parents who run a laundromat, or the only black character having an absent/incarcerated father. It's one thing if it happens IRL, it's another when you go out of your way to enforce stereotypes/harmful beliefs in your writing. Even if it wasn't intended, it's not excusable.

There's others, and more I'd like to say, but those are the ones I remember distinctly, and it just disappoints and pisses me off to see so many creators collectively go with the narrative that the orphan has to be a bad parent. I don't care if that's not what they meant, or that it was for "drama" or "complexity". This is an ongoing trend, especially for such a specific demographic/type of main character, and it's not only gross, but incredibly damaging, too. It doesn't need to be intentional to be harmful. I know people whose exact fear is becoming a shitty parent because they've had asbent/abusive/neglectful parents and/or a bad childhood. Hell, I'm one of them, though I don't plan on having kids. It feels like they're just feeding into that fear and perpetuating this harmful sentiment.

[bauliya]

The katara is selfish problem is bigger than z*kka though. The opinion that katara was unnecessarily mean to zuko especially pre-tsr is rather widespread and is constantly showed in fics, including a lot of zutara ones (and I say this as die hard zutara shipper). They expect her to be this infinite well of kindness and generosity that even when she resents people for valid reasons, she is called selfish, or worse, a hypocrite. I cannot tell you how many 'katara is mean to zuko pre-tsr and therefore she has to apologize' fics exist out there. It sounds so much like anger policing - it's like people cannot fathom the idea of a 14 year old girl being angry without chastising her for it.

the idea that katara is mean/selfish/bad has existed since day one. honestly the hatred against brown women is something a part of atla itself, with korra being constantly humiliated and punished for no fucking reason.

but the hatred against her used to be a LOT more explicit and obvious. because if you see older atla fancontent like memes and videos (which... i unfortunately did) they CONSTANTLY mock her for grieving her mom and going off on sokka, while praising the male characters for doing similar things. hell, they don't even criticise azula for being a war criminal as much as they criticize katara for... what? being a traumatised teenager? anyway. and i think this hatred for katara is why there's a lot of anti-zutara sentiment in the fandom, because people are uncomfortable with the idea of her ending with up the fan favourite zuko, especially in a manner that portrays them as equally complex and interesting.

so while yes, the katara hatred is definitely bigger than z*kka, I think z*kka is the latest manifestation of katara hatred in a fandom environment that no longer tolerates explicitly racial and misogynist bashing of female characters. and this really isn't new. look how hard the MCU latched onto thor/hulk the second valkyrie was introduced.

frankly zuko and sokka don't even have much to go on. the closest interaction they had was when they were focusing on their respective girlfriends. and yet the fandom acts like it's this huge obvious ship with lots of canon content and we just didn't spot it when we were homophobic while it aired and it's... just not. they've simply found a convenient way to erase katara while still having fanfic about zuko. that is all.

and yeah, zutara isn't immune from katara-bashing. I personally sideeye any fan content that like, paints her in a negative light. which there is a lot of. but z*kka is based on the fact the fandom hates katara, that the fandom can't stand seeing her as a love interest to most of the male characters in the show (which she is!!! she fucking is!!!) including their fave lightskin broody prince, and that's why they just ship him with their brother. katara hatred is definitely a bigger issue than one ship, but that one ship just embodies it totally.

[juniperhillpatient]

The Crossroads of Destiny Re-Watch

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Definitely one of my favorite episodes of the entire series OOOH I love Crossroads of Destiny so FUCKING! MUCH! It's such a good episode.

Alright, so, shocking to no one probably, I've discussed this episode before. I'm linking a post I wrote about Azula & Zuko's dynamic in this episode because I think that it explains a lot of where I'm coming from. HERE ya go.

This is mostly a Zuko episode, honestly. So, let's talk about him. Zuko is READY to fight Azula. Like, no hesitation, dramatics & violence at the ready he is prepared to be on sight. Lucky for him, Azula doesn't really want to fight him. Otherwise, he'd probably be dead. Sorry Zuzu but it's the truth. Iroh demonstrating how he got the nickname the Dragon of the West is pretty iconic. +500 iconic behavior points. Also, +100 to Ty Lee & Sokka for their flirty banter-filled fight. I'm not gonna lie, I'm sort of starting to ship them. The mid-fight flirting is just fun, okay? Although yes, I'm aware that it's a tactic on Ty Lee's part. That doesn't mean she doesn't think he's cute also.

It's hilarious how some things never change & some things stay the same (....I sang-read that in my head...I listen to too much Frozen...anyway) from my initial reactions to this show like 2 years ago lol. I didn't get spoilers per se before watching ATLA but it's such a popular show in the public's consciousness that I did kinda know Zuko would be redeemed, & I just assumed I'd ship Zutara so I read the scene romantically & liked it for that reason.

[ID: Katara & Zuko in the crystal catacombs. She is crouching far away from him, looking tearful. end id]

I don't read the tension between Zuko & Katara that way anymore, but I see how someone could. Anyway, I wrote THIS post about Katara & why I think she acts the way she does. That said, I'm still annoyed with her for offering to use the spirit water on Zuko though because GIRL I get you but also it is a WAR lmao you don't think you might need the magic healing water? For something more important? Like, Zuko will live, he's not even in physical pain right now!

Watching Azula's devious & brilliant coup unfold is just...SO FUCKING SATISFYING GOD I LOVE AZULA SO FUCKING MUCH SHE'S SO FUCKING COOL!!! AHHH!!!!!! Okay, I'm calm. ish. I just...I just...LOVE HER SO MUCH.

[ID: Azula saying "Don't flatter yourself. You were never even a player." end id]

SHE'S SO ICONIC!!!!!! AHH!!!! Okay, I'm trying to be reasonable. +3000 iconic behavior points. I had to stop myself from giving her like 20k because like!!!!! HAVE YOU SEEN HER??? I LOVE HER.

Okay. *ahem.* Anyway. Iroh in this episode is super interesting. They lean REAL hard into the "wise old man who says proverbs" thing in this episode. And I think that's sort of the narrative pushing the audience to see Iroh as more of a perfect wise old man than an actual character in his own right, & that kinda gets on my nerves. BUT, looking at Iroh as a complex character, I do think I can get behind the idea that Iroh WAS willing to be complacent in the life he was presented with but NOW....he saw a chance to help the Avatar, & realized he had to take it. He realized that Zuko was going to go back to the home that traumatized him, & he panicked. I've seen a lot of fans criticize Iroh for never telling Zuko, "hey, maybe you should consider that the Fire Nation is evil & the Avatar is good." I think I would rather criticize the writers for not showing us more of Iroh's internal struggles though because the inconsistencies ARE interesting on a character level if you think about Iroh as a person. ✨Nuance ✨The main reason they become annoying is if you take the presentation of an "infinitely wise old man with all the answers" & run with it too hard. Not the most interesting way to look at it. So, in that way, Zuko's betrayal hurts.

But in the way that all I care about in life is the Fire Siblings.....Zuko's betrayal is the most iconic thing he's ever done actually! +2000 iconic behavior points. Obviously, I'm being hyperbolic & you guys (hopefully) know I don't actually root for the Fire Nation but I just love the Fire Siblings.

I will say though - something that hasn't changed about my perception of Zuko's betrayal - I 100% get it & I was never mad at him for it. I'm not saying I'm NEVER mad at Zuko ok, don't group me in with people who wash away all of Zuko's flaws please, I'm saying that I sympathize & get why he did what he did & I felt this way the first time that I watched too because I remember arguing (not like angry arguing, just debating) it with my family. Literally, the Fire Nation is all he knows! His SISTER is telling him to please come home. He misses his father & wants his father's approval. It's like....completely sympathetic & understandable. I'm not saying he's RIGHT I'm saying it's sympathetic. There's a huge difference. ✨Nuance✨

Oh & the fight scenes in this episode!!!!! Shocking to 0 people my favorite is Katara versus Azula. They're both incredible benders & it's a spectacular fight & ALSO NARRATIVE FOILS FIGHTING EACH OTHER!!! TWO PRODIGIOUS YOUNG BENDERS FIGHTING SIDE BY SIDE WITH THEIR BROTHERS FOR WHAT THEY BELIEVE IS RIGHT!!! FIRE VERSUS WATER - & LIKE BLUE FIRE (THE HOTTEST KIND) VERSUS ICE!!! YEAHHH!!!!!

[ID: Azula with her bans swooshing in front of her. end id]

Katara gets +3000 iconic behavior points for CUTTING OFF PART OF AZULA'S BANGS with ice. Oh & I never noticed it until now but it sort of parallels the moment when Zuko cuts off the end of the wheat Jet has in his mind in THEIR homoerotic boss fight. I KNOW these are two of my favorite ships for good reason, if your ships can't have epic death battles nearly killing each other what is even the POINT MAN!!!

Um, anyway. And Aang dies. What is it with the final Chosen One Tm heroes dying? Buffy, Aang, Harry Potter...Sorry for bringing the Terf series into it but like....C'mon, y'all get why I did right this is a pattern in iconic coming-of-age Chosen One stories. I don't know what it means, but it means something, I'm sure of it.

Luckily, Katara still has the spirit water & she saves Aang's life, so he's fine. Yay! That is about all I have for this episode for now. I'll tally the iconic behavior points in a separate post :)

[tiny-katara]

cilla my beloved not to bother you in the asks again BUT i realized i’ve never seen your LOK thoughts & i’d love to know them! (i just saw ur tags & u mentioned the animated movie probably wouldn’t be any better than lok - agreed - so i assume you’ve seen it, but if u haven’t then feel free to ignore this!)

have a great day my bestie!!

bestie you literally cannot bother me in the asks i don't think it's possible. i love seeing you pop up in them! it makes me so happy <3

if i'm being perfectly honest, i've only seen 3 or 4 episodes of lok, but i do have a vague understanding of the plot and it's such a mess??? some of these things i say could very well be misinformed, so don't hesitate to correct me lol.

honestly i think korra herself is kinda cool. she reminds me a lot of katara tbh because she wants to fight and she's really good at it. her design is cute and i do like her shorter hair as well. i think her little gang is also pretty fun and they all had some good potential. it's also never going to not be funny that korra and asami both date mako and then decide that dating each other is better. also bolin seems like he's a cute little dorky guy, which i whole-heartedly support. they all deserved better characterizations but the overall concepts weren't bad at all.

something about korra that really bothers me is that energybending isn't exclusive to the avatar. it seems pretty dangerous for the average person to use, so i wish that it had just stayed as something the avatar could do to maintain peace when absolutely necessary. it just feels wrong to take a core part of someone's identity. kind of reminds me vaguely of the way our restraints work at the hospital i work at. we consider chemical restraints to be much more severe and intense than like literally tying someone down to the bed because takes their identity and very being away from them. we have some pretty nasty patients here in america and i have never seen us use chemical restraints and my unit has some batshit people. so yeah, something about that whole thing rubs me the wrong way. i think taking away ozai's bending was valid because he had abused it, but that conclusion was far too easy for aang to come to. it is not something that should be taken lightly.

i also hate they solve the airbender crisis by just "now everyone bends" because it just kind of fuels this idea that if you don't have an exceptional skill, you're not as good as other people. like nonbenders have their strengths too??? getting rid of them does not solve the problem, it will only create new weaknesses. becoming too reliant on something that can be taken away is dangerous. we want a functioning society, not a building on the edge of a cliff that will crumble if one little stone chips off.

one of the worst things about korra is how they treat bloodbending though. do you have any idea how fucking useful that could be??? literally life saving. so many zutara fics under like 100k handle bloodbending better than a 4 season show and that's just ridiculous. katara should have been able to hone the skill and find its weaknesses and strengths. it's honestly very ignorant and just shows that they have a very poor understanding of the importance of blood in the body, which i could excuse if they didn't also demonize the skill and treat it as pure evil. i swear part of the point of the oringial show is that no form of bending is inherently good or evil and then they do that??? they don't even have a proper understanding of their own themes.

i don't think i really need to mention that the show is just full of blatant sexism towards katara doesn't get a statute, autonomy, accomplishments, etc. but that happens to all the women??? like where tf is suki??? you're telling me this girl that hijacked an airship and just vanished off the face of the earth??? yeah, i don't think so.

also yue??? she's badass of her own accord--and this a bit of a tangent but yue is a badass in a feminine way. like katara and suki are both feminine and badass, but they're badass bc they'll beat you up in the street if you're out of line. yue is badass in the sense that she is endlessly serene and patient and can calmly take you down without a single rude word. she will not be a pushover even tho she is kind and she is understanding, yet stern with her judgements. she is so cool snd it literally does not make any kind of sense that she is not mentioned or given a statue or any kind of acknowledgment. its literally so ridiculous and infuriating.

toph is treated slightly better, but is still a bad mom and everything surrounding her is just a mess. the fact that the stupid cabbage guy (sorry i don't really like him that much lol) gets his own statue makes my blood boil. like i know it's supposed to be a joke, but it's just a slap in the face because none of our beloved female protagonists get the same respect. it's disgusting.

i really don't even have the strength to get into kata/ang and their children and the damaged relationships and ignored cultural values and all of that, but just know that it's absolutely horrifying that katara had to give so much of the culture and identity she was proud of up for a man. no one should ever have to give up a piece of their identity for their partner.

anyways thanks for the ask bestie <3 you're welcome to drop in anytime i really do love hearing from youuu!!

[princess-of-the-corner]

I mean, TOPH becoming a questionable parent because she overcompensates to try and avoid becoming like her parents is something I can actually see.

(I'm not going to lie, I originally thought that her daughter became a cop SPECIFICALLY as an act of rebellion against her mother.)

And Aang favoring his Airbending kid, even unintentionally, makes a tragic amount of sense considering his situation in canon. If he wasn't the last Airbender, that might not have been an issue.

So like. That’s why I said I /low-key/ agree with this criticism of LOK. 

I completely understand why Aang and Toph would lean toward being that type of parent. 

With Toph, yeah she’s compensating for her own trauma! She hated the way her parents raised her. It was a bad situation. And while she might have eventually repaired things, it was after 12 years of that bad situation, and at least two years of her being on her own with a found family and creating a life where she didn’t need them before she even /started/ to find some way to repair things. Far too late for them to really be her parents, but at least she might’ve been able to talk to them later on. 

So I can absolutely see her compensating in the other direction. Giving her kids the type of freedom she wished she had and encouraging them the way she would’ve loved to get. But then pushing too hard with it. Freedom to the point of not seeming to be involved with them at all, words that are supposed to be saying ‘I believe you can do this’ but come across as pushing them to be the best. 

And Aang! My boy!

Within Canon, there was so much pressure on him. On creating new Airbenders, on rebuilding what had been destroyed, on all of that. It is perfectly understandable that he would focus on the only kid to be an Airbender and teaching him everything he could. It makes sense that, in doing so, he might accidentally sideline the other two kids because while he loved Bumi and Kya just as much as Tenzin, he wasn’t the only person who could teach them about things and what he did.

Though honestly I really do think the rest of the Gaang would have smacked some sense into them at some point. Especially Zuko because he’d go ‘If your kids remind me of my childhood then maybe you should rethink what you’re doing!!”, but also just like. With Aang, if he was fucking up, Katara should’ve said something because she is his wife and mother of his children and would know better as well. 

However I just....

I feel like these issues would have worked better as something /in the moment/ rather than in LOK. 

By the time of LOK, Aang is dead. Even if his kids come to terms with each other and how he fucked up, he can’t really do anything to fix it other than maybe have Korra channel him and be like ‘Lol sorry guys’. 

Toph is still kicking in LOK, but like. Her kids are grown ass adults. Hell, Toph has /grandchildren/ who are grown ass adults. It’s so far afterthefact that even if Lin and Suyin did work their shit out, confront Toph on how she accidentally fucked them up, and she did decide to fix things, it’s so late for her to be the mother they need and honestly who knows how much longer they’d have because while Toph is a stubborn fuck she will die eventually. 

So I think that if we were going to get plots about them being not-the-best parents, I very much would’ve prefered it if we saw them struggling with it while they were alive and still raising said children. If there was time for them to bounce back. 

And I think like

On the whole, I like the idea of ‘flawed yet trying to be good’ parents. I like seeing that dynamic, and how the kids are affected, and all sorts of things. 

But it hits different here because this isn’t just ‘our character’s parents’. The parents are characters we saw and loved as main characters in the previous series. And we don’t want that ‘anger at parents who, even if they were good, still fucked up’ feeling aimed at them. 

[theyapper0]

Sorry about the last question lol. Can you do both? I rlly like your opinions on things!

Yeah totally!!!

Here are some of my ships!!! This is in no way to disrespect people who ship the ships I dont like (besides ships like Sasha and Grime. Guys, she's a teeenager)

I dont really have a lot of ships I dont like, I think anything is a possibility in fanon!! But I do have a LOT of ships I like! That's why I have an honorable mentions column lmao

I have some ramblings under the cut

ATLA:

Obviously we have Katoph there, if you scroll even a little bit down my blog, you're sure to find something of these two. I just think they're AMAZING!!! With Toph's neutral jing and the mix of positive and negative for Katara, they are literally all or nothing and I'm- I liked how their relationship started out rocky in the beginning but had the chance to grow into a mutual respect and kinship with each other

With the amount of Katoph stuff I do, I bet you're surprised that I LOVE Tophzula. I think their dynamic could be SOOOO interesting. Toph being with the only person in the WORLD who could lie to her and Azula being with one of the few people who could match her in abilities and strength?? Talk about a fucking POWER COUPLE!!!

And Zukkaang, listen LISTEN, this ship is GOOD. I LOVE THIS SHIP!!! I love the idea of Zuko and Sokka getting together first then, after a couple years Aang kinda realizes "oh shit I'm like, madly in love with these two amazing people" and straight up tells them. They'll obviously take some time to process but then they all get together AND GET MARRIED WITH 3 DIFFERENT CEREMONIES FOR EACH OF THEIR CULTURES AND HABE KIDS AND BE HAPPY-

I put Taang in my dislikes because I see Toph and Aang as siblings, like just,,, twins,, I think they have an adorable dynamic as these insanely string children who still like having fun and have a strong appreciation for freedom.

Tokka has similar reasons. I think Toph's crush on Sokka in the series was ADORABLE but I dont ever see it going anywhere. Honestly, I see her growing out of it quickly but Sokka reminding her of it everyday and SOKKA IT'S BEEN 10 YEARS SINCE THEN, PLEASE LET HER LIVE IT DOWN IT'S EMBARRASSING

Sokkla, I just see these two as frenemies who are CONSTANTLY trying to one up each other in ANYTHING, I imagine it's super funny to watch

And again, no shame or hate towards people who DO ship it!! People really make these ships work and stuff!!! It's cool!!!

Sokka and Suki are so cute as this sort of young love/clinging onto each other for any sort of steady ground because everything else is falling apart sort of way. And honestly?? HHHHH CUTE!!

Yuetara is of course here because OH MY GOD COME ON, THE OCEAN AND THE MOON??? THESE BITCHES ARE GAY!!! THEY ARE BALANCE!!! THEY ARE IN LOVE!!!!

Jet/Teo/Haru (anyone have their ship name??) Is just cute okay??? I liked Teo and Haru but I also liked Harua and Jet so I decided TO JUST SHIP THEM ALL BECAUSE YOU CAN JUST, DO THAT!! IT'S CUTE GUYS

Amphibia:

Sashannarcy,,, do I need to say more?

Grime/Hop Pop/Sylvia (ship name anyone?) Is SO CUTE!! I don't see Grime and Sylvia together though, they both just shake hands on loving Hopadiah Planter

I also don't know the ship name for Sprig/Ivy/Maddie but I think is adorable!!! I think that Sprig and Maddie don't like each other like that but both DO like Ivy!! I only have like,,, one ship in this fandom that isn't polyamorous,,,

Sprig and Anne, I don't like because I see them as siblings. Anne is such an older sister to Sprig in good and bad ways. Like, she'd help him no matter what (and literally went super sayian and beat the shit out of a king for him) but also shows him memes and is an overall TERRIBLE INFLUENCE on him and I mean that in the nicest possible way

Also, Felicia/Wally, I saw a post that headcanonned that they used to be lovers but couldn't be together because Wally's family disapproved and he was also Ivy's dad and HHHHHH I LOVE THAT!!! I love the idea of them not being together but still pinning for the other secretly, always looking at each other a little too long in passing and stuff like that,,,

But yeah!!! My ships!!! Thank you for the ask and I'm honored you wanted to know what I ship and dont ship!!

[firelxdykatara]

Let me start by saying I've never watched Legend of Korra. like, the most I've watched was any bending scenes/fights and all the Zuko and Toph clips (admittedly, I didn't watch any of the Katara clips because..well..honestly I didn't want to see her be so meek). But I've always felt kinda...bad for liking Mako since the few posts I did read made it seem like both Korra and Asami were better off without him and I didn't want to accidentally fall into the category of sympathising with a man who didn't treat women right. Even when I watched what few clips he was in -Mako seemed a little serious but not anything bad- I thought it was just because I didn't see enough of him to see why he was so bad for Korra and Asami.

And then I read your post on Mako and how he had to do anything and everything to take care of Bolin and my heart kinda broke. I don't know if this is right, but it kinda feels like Mako is being treated a bit like Katara's being treated. Like, they both fit the sibling-turned-parental-figure roles and some of the fandom seems like they can't accept that both are still teenagers who...well, still act like teenagers. seriously, I'm gonna be mad if I ever see another 'take' about how Katara is bad for acting more teenager than mother 😤. And the parallels between the non-con kisses that their respective Avatars gave them, with both Mako and Katara shouldering the blame (though in Katara's case it's more of a "she's supposed to like it! She's the Avatar's girl uwu") . It just rubs me the wrong way how neither of them get any slack for acting less than amazing when they both spent years carrying their trauma and shielding their siblings from that same hurt.

Sorry if this is bothering you or if it doesn't make sense; I'm just kinda fed up of seeing people side with the Avatar no matter what the situation was, especially when Korra and Aang were actually in the wrong *coughnon-conkisscough*

You're not bothering me at all, don't worry!

Honestly all of this makes a ton of sense, someone who's never seen the show and only has fandom's word to go on could be excused for thinking Mako's a fuckboy who was intentionally leading the girls on rather than a kid who'd been raising his baby brother alone on the streets since he was eight years old and maybe not the best at navigating personal relationships and didn't know how to deal with the fact that he had feelings for two incredible girls at the same time. That shit's hard to deal with even when you have parents and had a happy and comfortable life and are just in high school trying to get through the day, but you throw that in the mix with 'became a parent at eight years old' and 'struggled to get enough to feed his brother, nevermind himself, while they lived on the streets' and then everything that happened during the series, and it's like, cut this kid some slack maybe????

Also the comparisons with the way the fandom treats Katara are also spot on. Obviously in Katara's case there's also an added element of racialized misogyny, because she's a dark-skinned girl and the only dark-skinned girl in the main cast, so that gets added to the fact that she was also the gaang's 'mom friend' and you get fans unironically calling her a 'bitch' for -checks notes- getting reasonably upset after being pushed to her limit and losing her cool--but in Mako's case, he actually fills the same niche in the krew that Katara did in the gaang, and he gets a lot of the same treatment, which I think winds up coming at him from the opposite side of the fence so to speak. Because he's a boy, he automatically gets the blame for anything that goes wrong with the love triangle--up to and including the avatar violating his boundaries and kissing him without his consent--because Korra and especially Asami are precious girls and could do no wrong.

And the thing is that it gets kinda complicated because Korra did also get a lot of racialized misogyny flung at her by the racist&misogynistic dudebros of the fanbase who hated that a brown girl was now the avatar, but that wound up overshadowing the very real and reasonable criticisms that can be made of her character and her behavior. Especially in Book 2, where she gets angry enough at Mako for -checks notes- doing his job and not wanting to jump to conclusions that she TRASHES HIS OFFICE!!!!! IN A FIT OF RAGE!!!!!! (which of course Mako gets blamed for and a lot of fans will frame that as Korra getting 'reasonably upset' which lol no)--and the fact that this occurs in the same season as Bolin getting trapped in an explicitly toxic and abusive relationship with a Water Tribe girl (who happens to be Korra's cousin) that is played for laughs the entire fucking time makes me think that Bryke just have very troubling ideas about how it's ok for women to treat their significant others, particularly if they happen to be men.

(Although let it not be said that they didn't write toxic relationships from the other side, Varrick spends the entire series mistreating Zhu Li and then at the end he decides he's in love with her and they get married [in a very Western ceremony, incidentally], and nothing is ever mentioned of the awful way he treated her for the entire show.)

So yeah like, it really, really bothers me that Katara and Mako share similar niches in their respective teams and both of them get a whole lot of untoward hatred for -checks notes- being teenagers and having feelings and sometimes expressing them. They both deserve so much better from their respective fanbases, and I think the biggest reason Katara has a bigger and more devoted defense squad is because atla is still pretty widely regarded as the best installment of the franchise and a lot of people just don't care to even watch lok. The bulk of the lok fanbase is anti Mako and it's hard to maintain any resilience as a fandom in the face of that lmao.

But I'm always happy to talk about how much I love him and if I can only turn the tide one anon at a time then that's ok.

[zutaralesbian]

top 5 non-canon ships you'd make canon, top 5 characters you'd save from dying

Thanks! :)

Top 5 non-canon ships you'd make canon:

1. Zuko and Katara (ATLA)

Well, this one is kinda complicated I guess lol. I obviously wish they were canon but at the same time I do kind of think it's a good thing they aren't? As much as I love ATLA I think it sucked at handling romance (with the exception of Sukka) so the writers may have very well handled Zutara badly if it had been canon. Plus the ship not being canon is at least partially why it has the amazing fanworks that it does. Still in my eyes they are the greatest ship that never was!

2. Buffy & Faith (BTVS)

The enemies to lovers are that should have happened.

3. Damon & Bonnie (TVD)

This is another case of 'the writers probably would have fucked it up if it was canon' scenario but idc the reaction from the DE fan base alone with have been worth it lmao. And Bonnie deserved to have a romance with a character she had chemistry with and wasn't irrelevant.

4. Grace & Frankie (G&F)

This is one that actually kind of frustrates me because it so clearly SHOULD be canon. The subtext is all there. But the writers are probably cowards and think that one gay couple on the show is enough.

5. ???? I think that's it for major ships. Most of my otps are at least canon if not endgame. But shout outs to Fiona/Nessa (Shameless US), Lola/Elizabeth (Reign), and Bonnie/Nora (TVD)

Top 5 characters you'd save from dying:

1. Eleanor Guthrie (Black Sails)

Honestly while Black Sails is overall a pretty solid show, I don't think I'll ever be able to do a full rewatch again and one of the reasons is because the treatment of Eleanor makes me too angry lmao. Paired off with two awful men and then made pregnant just so her death would be more 'painful' for her awful husband. Eleanor deserved better and fuck the Black Sails fandom for always justifying her treatment in the final season.

2. Tara Knowles (Sons of Anarchy)

God another one that makes me see red when I think about it. She was killed for Jax's man pain even though he treated her like shit for 95% of their onscreen relationship. They had her killed in such a needlessly brutal way. They had Gemma be the one to kill her (who used to be my second favorite character on the show) and ruined the great a nd complex Tara/Gemma dynamic they had going in the first four seasons. Basically this death destroyed multiple things for me.

Also Jax's overall character arc would have been 100% more powerful if Tara had lived. Just imagine him finding a way to help Tara be able to take the kids and run. But he doesn't follow them because he realizes he's become too much of a monster and wants them to be safe. Like, that actually would have made me feel something for him.

3. Poussey Washington (OITNB)

The show was going downhill before it happened but her death was the final nail in the coffin for me. I could never enjoy it the same way again. They killed her when she was finally finding happiness again :(

Also, while I don't want to speak too much on the message they were trying to send with her death since I am white, I was pretty uncomfortable that they spent so much time on trying to make everyone feel sorry for the guard that killed her in the season afterwards.

4. Finnick Odair (The Hunger Games)

Suzanne Collins killed him off because she knew he was a fan favorite and wanted to make Mockingjay as depressing as possible. So needless. And another character that died right as he was finding some happiness :(

5. Tara Maclay (BTVS)

One of the older victims of the bury your gays trope. A sweetheart who deserved better :( While my feelings about Tillow are complicated after the shit Willow pulled in S6, I still kind of think they should have been endgame you know?

Honorable mentions: Glenn Rhee (TWD), Carl Grimes (TWD), Catelyn Stark (asoiaf), Miranda Barlow (Black Sails), Adam Torres (Degrassi)

While I may not have changed the fact that Padme died in Star Wars (just because her death is kind of narratively important) I would change the way she died. George Lucas really wanted me to believe that she 'lost the will to live' because Anakin fell to the dark side????? Nah. She deserved to go out like a boss. I follow the theory that Palpatine killed her via the force by draining her life source to revive Anakin as Darth Vader, but that's not technically canon.