#i can see him maybe doing what he did at the start of tsr and help rand out with playing politics

[thenotoriousscuttlecliff]

So confirmed now that Thom will be back next season. Interested to see how he'll be reintroduced (will he just randomly show up in Falme?) and which storyline he will be in. While the main characters are all, more or less, following the same path as their book counterparts, the secondary characters are getting shuffled around a bit. Loial basically got Min's role in Falme while Min took Thom's place as Mat's travelling companion. You could feasibly fit Thom into any of the book four storylines, he isn't really all that essential to Elayne and Nynaeve's. To be perfectly blunt, Thom isn't really essential to any storyline, he's pretty much just guy who tags along offering advice.

[starboysbrainrot]

hey,

i know that you don’t talk interact with character metas a lot in the atla fandom, but i’ve seen lately that you’re very defensive of characters like Zuko & Jet, which is unusual in this fandom because Zuko/Jet stans tend to demonise eachothers all the time, so it’s a bit surprising to see your blog

so if i may ask, what’s you honest thought on these two characters ?

read under cut cuz it’s pretty damn long

hey anon

first, thank you for your ask ! it’s always a pleasure to discuss things about atla :)

as you rightfully pointed out, I tend to avoid interacting with most atla metas. but I don’t mind responding to some of them.

now to answer your question, I wouldn’t say that it’s particularly a rare thing to be fond of both Jet & Zuko as characters… and I sure as hell wouldn’t call me a stan. I like them, yes, but I like them as characters who are both traumatised war teenagers stuck in their violent & toxic behaviour and who try to be better at the end of their character arc. I certainly don’t like them because I think they did nothing wrong or idk what else.

and tbh, some Zuko stans have a way of demonising Jet that I absolutely hate, while Jet stans rarely openly hate him, they can be critical of Zuko’s character, yes, but they’re often way more nuanced and levelheaded. although I’ve seen some big ass bullshit coming from both stans but what’s new, we’re in the atla fandom after all…

now if I had to be honest : they’ve both terribly written in the second half of their character arcs. and don’t shoot me down before I finish talking, I swear I don’t completely hate the way they’re written, only a part of it.

like Jet ? BSS redemption arc ? him helping the gaang ? working actively on his traumas after his brainwash ? great idea, love it, but terrible execution. his death is tragic but the aftermath is a fucking joke. the gaang only mentions him again two times, first in the TSR, to point out that he was a lunatic that killed innocent people (….ok) and in EIP (probably the one episode I hate the most in the whole show) to mock his death with the most apathetic “you know, it was really unclear” from Sokka ?? fucking hated every second of it. but on paper ? love the character, he’s literally my comfort character alongside with Zuko and I cherish him deeply. I really wished that his character arc would have been written differently but now what’s done is done. and don’t get me started on how mf imperialist warlord Iroh is painted in a golden light in opposition to the 16 yo orphan boy from the mf oppressed side of the war that died under a mf lake. how so many people are painted in a better light than Jet. Jet being canonically demonised in show pisses me off. what’s the point of concluding his redemption arc in season 2 only to compare him to a killer lunatic in season 3. make it make sense please.

now if I had to be honest about Zuko… I’m a book 1 & 2 Zuko enjoyer. he was at his peak at that time and although there are some episode I genuinely like in book 3 that handle Zuko’s character, I genuinely hate a handful of them. (like The Firelord & The Avatar) his redemption arc was working until book 3. it was meaningful, logical, COHERENT, until book 3. and I think his arc’s weakest point is mf Iroh. cuz I may not be a Iroh anti but boy do I have beef with him. yes Iroh, maybe not only giving tea but actively deconstructing your nephew propagandist ideas about the world imprinted in him by years of living under the roof of the mf firelord COULD BE A GOOD IDEA. yk, being on sea with a 13 yo and not trying to work on his imperialistic mindset baffles me. ignoring his internal turmoil in BSS instead of confronting him about it baffles me. it’s not only that Iroh is a shitty uncle, it’s also bad writing. because the show praises the hell out of Iroh for something he didn’t really do (helping Zuko’s redemption arc). book 3 Zuko has such a shitty way of portraying his redemption because of Iroh’s omnipresence. like no, Iroh is not part of the redemption. also, the show painting Zuko as a character having to repair the damage of his forefathers, the show painting azula as an unredeemable monster, while mf Iroh is adored by the gaang and lives his best life in Ba Sing Se after the war is absolutely stupid and downright ridiculous.

now that being said… I love both characters, like I said. I also love to imagine possible scenarios about how the arc could have been handled differently. (Jet joining the gaang, Jet never being left by the Freedom Fighters, Zuko joining the gang in season 2, Zuko trying to bond with his sister, etc)

I’ll always hate the missed opportunity of finalising Zuko’s redemption arc after meeting Jet, cuz that would have been a possibility. that after meeting Song, Lee, Jin, Jet, after seeing all the pain in the EK, all the pain in the world, he finally turns his back on his father. Jet would have been kind of the last part to push Zuko to choose the right path. instead we got “I betrayed uncle” and okay I’m just going to forget Zuko Alone, and Zuko’s whole ass BSS arc, where apparently I was suppose to understand that IROH… had been such a prominent part of the redemption arc.

anyways, both Jet & Zuko deserve better from the show & the writers.

(side note but also I hate the fandom depiction of both characters !!! y’all can’t actually be serious cuz if you can’t choose between either demonising/babying mf 16 yo (as if… a middle ground didn’t exist, yk, as if… characters had… layers…) then idk what I can do for y’all.)

[catless-and-covenless]

Intro to Mythology and Folklore is the best class ever I’ve decided. I’m able to just learn and hear stories all day and see the real thing that I love about Folklore. The small threads of sameness that connect us all as One Folk. Even if the way we experience being Folk, as Prof. BH says, is super different and unique to where we are located. I can't help but see the similarities. The need for understanding, preservation, love, and warmth. I’m so excited to start. Just hearing everyone share their experiences was so much fun. I can't wait to start writing papers for this class.

Granted I did a lot of talking in the beginning but it made everyone speak eventually and I was able to watch and hear stories. It was amazing. I want to do this the rest of my life. I can’t wait for this to just be my forever. I can't wait to be in a museum one day and talk history and folklore and set up exhibits. It was the first thing in what feels like a lifetime that made me feel happy and ecstatic.

I don’t know how to go to any other class after this. She’s going to be my favorite. I already know I’m going to be in her office hours all the time. Especially since she had a little….TSR moment when she grabbed onto my shoulder. (Note to self: Ask Mom if I’m an amplifier for the supernatural. Might as well add to my long laundry list of supernatural spooky traits that are going to keep me up at night.)

And…poor Ter saw everything. Again. I need to see if I can find him a therapist. But as I left I turned and saw that Prof. BH took out Tarot cards…I want to ask her so bad if she’s a sister in the Craft. It would be so nice to have someone who understands. Although I think I scared poor Ter. He almost jumped out of his skin when I brushed against him to make light of what happened yesterday. (Note to Self: He does not have the stomach to be part of the Merry Band of Misfits.)

Texting this many people is new too. I need to cool it. I know Cr is used to my word vomit but I’m starting to look clingy. Can’t have that. And whatever Ca is doing def needs to be poked but that is not my monkey and not my circus. I will just let G know he needs to go grab his girl. And I need to remember that He has a girl. And I will. I am not a midseason breakup then fridged final girl. I am a teenage girl. And according to Ter that is way more terrifying than anything at the moment.

Speaking of Cat text me and said Ir had to tell us something. I got us a study room next to the library and just camped out there with my books and the one I checked out for Cr. There was so much to learn. Although I need to brush up on my Celtic folklore. Otherwise I will fail that part of the course. I understood almost nothing. Which was >;c not my favorite thing. I need to go and find African folklore next. There were puzzle pieces that started to stick on the board in my mind. Things started to come together. But then G and Ca actually came in together. But on the bright side I have a stupid drawing of a pigeon. It’s so bad and I’m keeping it forever on the board in my apt of weird magpie collections. Ir came in next before Cr came in late. Because of the Taco Trucks. He would get lost in a supermarket if I let him shop for food alone.

It was exactly what he warned me it would be about. Although I can tell it’s not just Ter. I spook. Ca is getting pushy when I know more than I should. And I don’t have the answers that she wants. There’s only so much “I just know things” that someone like her will take. In a way I admire it. I’m curious but not to that degree. Maybe I should be. Maybe if I had then–-well that doesn’t matter. What does matter is the more everyone spoke and got information the more I realized and started to draw the red strings together.

Re - Maiden of the Mountains / Throne looking for a king - reborn consistently?

Cr - Tezcatlipoca during Toxcatl.

Ca - def. One of the four maidens Re wanted to use to place Cr on the throne

A- crossed Re and is in hospital. Porbably another maiden.

Je - Maiden?

4th maiden?

Look up the theory on Appalachia being part of the mountains in E. Euro.

I don't care of the new worlds needs death to restart a new cycle. As everything came together, looking Cr over, realizing he fits the mold, literally, I couldn’t help but panic. He’s my best friend. And I hadn’t ever gotten the gumption to even tell him. To his face. And now I found out she wanted to use him for the ritual. It was too much. And then people tried to comfort me. And I freaked out more. I hate being seen as weak and I was just that. Weak and crying and sniveling on the ground. G had to end up leaving because i was such a - ugh.

I put it together and then grabbed Cr and left. We had some conversation and I made sure he knew. Because I am not letting him be the person for that. If it takes a limpia, or him hating me, I will go through purgatory, all nine hells, and back again to make sure he is safe. He’s the only one who saw me for me and understands. He doesn’t ever need to ask. He just knows. We’re at Mami’s and Abuela’s house now and I might actually pray for the first time in years for a miracle.

God owes me that much. And if he won’t give it to me I’ll remind him what I told Ca. If I need a God to believe in I’ll believe in me and become the god I always needed. Cr will be safe. We will eat tamales and laugh, and we will be okay. No matter what.

[skaruresonic]

Metal definitely suffers from OVA nostalgia when Heroes came out, though there are some things

-Chaotix manual (Japan) notes that Eggman transfers Metal's AI to new builds. Incidentally, the term "Hyper Metal Sonic" didn't originate from OVA: it came from Chaotix

Though fans mistakenly interpreted too literally (Kai means upgrade or rev. here) for the demonic transformation

This would, if assumed to repeat, mean Metal has to deal with constant failure, and being aware of such, as well as potentially "death"

-In Adventure Metal noticeably is in a tube in the same room Gamma is activated

While it doesn't do anything in stasis, the development of the E Series in the franchise is actually a huge deal; these are newly mass produced robots with utility already eclipsing Metal's, alongside the upper sentience. For once, competition for Metal, and it languishing to nothing if it accepted that. We already see Gamma come to terms with Eggman's narcissism and simple acceptance of scrapping "defective" models for newer builds, despite false praise earlier

-Heroes this is similarly mirrored for Omega. Omega was well aware it was abandoned as guard, and was aware of later E-2000 robots in Egg Fleet. The idea of Eggman just dumping/rejecting earlier bots for newer ones would be daunting to sentient bots. For Omega, this led to anger at its creator, though thanks to Rouge, used incidentally for the heroes

Feelings of inferiority wouldn't even be just to Sonic for Metal at this point...it'd be to Eggman as well

I didn't know that. That's really interesting to think about.

This would, if assumed to repeat, mean Metal has to deal with constant failure, and being aware of such, as well as potentially "death."

I mean... maybe yes, maybe no. This is where I feel the waters start to get muddy and we wander more into conjecture-ish territory.

It would mostly depend on how much sentience we can assign Metal at any given time; Eggman recovers the CPU, but does he wipe it before he upgrades it? Like is it the robot form of recovering the black box following a plane crash? Stuff like that.

In some games, he shows hints of sentience but not much more, which would explain the differences between him and the E-series. In Heroes he's a full-blown person with emoshuns, while in Rivals 2, he's a silent machine with the barest hints of sentience sprinkled here and there. And in TSR he's just. A walking toaster. So.

Again, the key word is "assumption." Metal has that weird line in the Overlord fight about how he's "no longer afraid of anything," so we have to assume he once felt fear; the most important questions become when, what, and how?

Did he learn to fear death after his defeat in CD? So then, why would he fear it if he knows Eggman can revive him at any time? That would imply he fears Eggman as well, which may be an interesting idea, true. But again, because none of the games hint at anything of the sort, it's pure conjecture on my part.

Also, now that I'm thinking about it: does this imply Chaotix takes place after Sonic 4: Episode Metal? It has to, since the Chaotix manual implies Eggman recovered Metal's CPUs after "a" previous confrontation with Sonic (doesn't have to be the Stardust Speedway race), and... Well. Eggman revived the Metal he abandoned on Little Planet with a huge electric shock.

---

For once, competition for Metal, and it languishing to nothing if it accepted that. We already see Gamma come to terms with Eggman's narcissism and simple acceptance of scrapping "defective" models for newer builds, despite false praise earlier

As much as I hate to cite the Encyclospeedia as a source, if his character entry in the Encyclospeedia is anything to go by, apparently Metal runs "fuzzy logic operations," which allegedly means he runs protocols roughly using the same problem-solving processes as a human being.

However, I have my doubts about that since he seems to operate pretty binarily in the games. His transformation into Neo Metal in Heroes seemed to have begun as an act of pragmatism, then morphed into some form of megalomania along the way. Metal's line of thinking may have been something along the lines of, "I cannot defeat Sonic in base form; therefore I will change it by copying data which will allow me to transform myself." Sounds simple enough.

Heroes is weird, however, because while it almost sort-of implies an existential crisis, that part is mostly obfuscated by megalomania, with all of his talk of becoming the "ultimate overlord" of a "robot kingdom." Absolute power corrupts absolutely and all that. While he transformed himself for the express purpose of defeating Sonic, we don't really know when or how he made the leap from "defeat Sonic" to "take over the world."

It's not that the existential crisis stuff isn't there, per se; just that it's not Metal's main focus.

I have to agree with @beevean here and say probably the one (1) cool idea IDW put forth wrt Metal's character was that he copied Eggman's genius in his search to find his creator. I felt like that idea really had the potential to go somewhere, explore the paradox of Metal's existence as an Eggman robot created to outclass Sonic. Or at the very least, present a solid threat: can you imagine a version of Metal that matches Sonic's speed and Eggman's genius?

---

-Heroes this is similarly mirrored for Omega. Omega was well aware it was abandoned as guard, and was aware of later E-2000 robots in Egg Fleet. The idea of Eggman just dumping/rejecting earlier bots for newer ones would be daunting to sentient bots.

I feel like Metal's reaction to seeing Omega for the first time runs more along the lines of bemusement than jealousy tbh:

He exclaims "You must be Omega!" in a surprised tone before remembering to stay in-character. I'm guessing it's because he wasn't counting on Omega ever being released.

[spicylavender]

I saw someone post about Yao (I literally reposted it right before I'll post this) and it made me want to share something that I went through when I first played TSR months ago. To put this into perspective, I played The Smoke Room before I ever played echo, and I went through Nik's existing route before any of the others, so not only did I not have context on the wider "rules" of the world, I also didn't have any of the context of the other routes. So, I did chose to trust Yao in that initial choice, I had no reason not to at first, and technically still don't. But later on after the mine escape I had I really weird feeling. This was right after hearing the thing in the mine mimiking that little girl. Also, there's a specific way out of the mine from the lower level we were in, and it's the one that both we and Yao know. To get out of the mine, he'd have to go the same way we did. And yet, because we were helping nik, we got separated, and didn't see him again until we all made it out...somehow, having to take the exact same route. After he popped out with the pipe after the William encounter, I was not vibing with him at *all.* what I knew then was that there was something in the mine that could mimic actual people, a...separate thing, maybe? That could physically hunt down someone and directly kill them, and there was a long period of time where we lost Yao in the mine and had no idea what he was doing in that time period. I was, at that moment, completely convinced he'd gotten caught and replaced by the entity in the mine. Right now, I don't think that's accurate at all. I can't think of anything in the echo verse that can perfectly mimic a real person and take there place for an extended period of time like my little not Yao would have been doing at this point in the story, and after getting more insight on that specific voice in the mine in Murdoch's route it's very apparent that the thing I was worried about probably can't do that. Still, in that period of time when I was experiencing the game as a standalone horror story with no wider context on what *could* happen, I had a lot of fun ideas and theories on what *might* happen. I also didn't know that echo explained that the 1915 hysteria event happened weeks after the body in the mine happened, so there was a period of time where I knew a hysteria event will happen, but didn't start immediately when Jack was found, so I was convinced that another body would be recovered that *would* trigger it. The ultimate culmination of that was that I thought that Yao or Nik would (or already had lol) die during the future heist and *would* actually trigger it. I know better now of course, but I'll always fondly remember that idea I cooked up in my head of a future scene in Nik's route of things breaking bad in the future heist, Sam ending up alone in the mine, and finding Yao's lifeless corpse. Only realizing for a few moments that the body is in too rough condition to have died after they got separated that night, before hearing Yao's voice calling for him and Nik from behind him...

[killian-whump]

Well, it’s a good thing he at least tried to address concerns before today.

Because today we all found out:

1. There ain’t one NFT. There’s 1,105 of them. That means that instead of his NFT using approximately 75 kWh (the same amount of energy as an average US household would use in about 2.5 days (source)), his NFTs are going to use a collective 82,875 kWh (the same amount of energy as an average US household would use in about seven and a half fucking years).

2. There’s three tiers. This doesn’t affect the environmental impact, but it does speak to the business tactics of the people behind this project. All along, it’s been touted as an animated NFT of Colin dancing to a song that was chosen by him and the TSR crew. NOT TRUE. Only five of the 1,105 NFTs being sold are of this - and those five “bad boys” are being sold to the highest bidders. The other 1,100 NFTs are not what was promised at all. This is like Apple advertising a new iPhone for weeks, then revealing on release day that only the five richest people can buy the iPhone they’ve been advertising - but everyone else can choose one of these two new iPod models, instead. It’s a bait and switch, people.

3. They’re ridiculously expensive. Not only are the five dancing Colin NFTs going to the highest bidders, but the base tier ones, the lowest priced ones that only provide virtual “perks” and the presumed glory (source needed) of owning an NFT are going to be sold for .1 ETH (Etherium) a piece. You probably don’t know off-hand how much real world money that equates to. It sounds like a low price, doesn’t it? IT’S NOT. Each of the basic first tier NFTs costs $179 US dollars. We’re not even given a price tag for the second tier NFTs... but we can safely assume they’ll be asking a good deal more for those. The third tier ones are listed as having a value of 13 ETH (equivalent to $23,202 USD), so I’m assuming that’s the starting bid. [Edit: Second tier NFTs are $1,334 each. I’ve updated the totals below to reflect that.]

Yes, you read that right. TSR is looking to make over $400,000 dollars off of Colin O’Donoghue’s NFTs.

Listen, I said I would continue to support Colin himself, even though I am not supporting this project. I said I was moved by his attempt to smooth things over and address fans’ concerns. But now I see why he actually did it - because he knew damn well that if we were unhappy already, we’d be seriously disturbed once all this additional shit hit the fan. It wasn’t him listening to us or trying to make things right - it was pre-emptive damage control.

I allowed myself to fall into the seductive belief that Colin just got in a little over his head, maybe didn’t fully understand what he was signing up for, and maybe it was too late to back out now or else he would... hell, I even let myself imagine that maybe poor, innocent Colin was being taken advantage of - that his fame and fandom were being used to make money for greedy NFT bros.

But you don’t accidentally stumble into a $400,000+ profit business venture. You don’t unintentionally lend your voice and likeness to a three part video tutorial to walk your fans through the process of turning their real-world cash into virtual currency that they can fund that venture with. You don’t innocently try to do damage control two days before dropping a metric shit-ton of exactly what everyone’s afraid of onto their proverbial doorsteps.

WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK.

This isn’t what I signed on for.

[markantonys]

I absolutely love reading your WOT recap posts, but I find it increasingly hilarious how nostalgia-tinged they're becoming 😂. I'm fairly confident that you're definitely over-remembering the positive moments from earlier books and forgetting about a fair few negative moments too; but that's a large part of what makes them so enjoyable!

Also lol, Luc and Isam are both Slayer, which has been implied since TSR and known since WH

i'm glad you enjoy reading my recaps! haha you are calling me out and rightfully so! just the other day i was thinking how if i were ranking the books i would put TSR as my favorite, even though at the time i had LOC and TFOH and possibly even TDR above it because i hated perrin's TSR plotline so much. but looking back on TSR now, i have nothing but fondness for the stone of tear beginning, the waste plotline, and the tanchico plotline, and my brain has simply blocked out the agony of getting through perrin's plotline. It's The Nostalgia!

i will say though that even at the time of first reading there were unquestionably fewer negative moments (for me personally, at least) in the early books than in the later books. i distinctly remember finding the early books overall fun and enjoyable to read with only the occasional sections that were boring or annoying, whereas around TPOD Sitting Down And Reading WOT began to feel like more of a chore. i was saying just earlier today that it took me 3 months to read the first 7 books and 6 and counting to read the last 7, which definitely reflects my change in reading enthusiasm! and while i didn't start recapping thoroughly until LOC, with a couple of random recaps in TFOH and TSR, i think if i went back and reread all of them there would be a definite negative turn in my Live Reactions starting around TPOD. hmmm that would be fun to do once i finish the series! although i've written so many very long recaps by now that idk if i'd have the time or energy to reread them all haha

me going with full confidence "i've literally never heard of this man in my life" and then it turns out we've been hearing about him for many books is pretty par for the course jdkfgh i retain maybe 30% of the information that i read in these books. so okay i can be a LITTLE less mad about isam cropping up at the eleventh hour if we did see him before! but i still think slayer has been a massively underused antagonist, every time he showed up throughout the series i was like "oh i forgot that guy existed" lmao

[omegansamurai]

You know what ticks me off about what Bryke did to Aang?

They basically didn’t let him interact with the other characters to make him grow into a better person. It was always about Katara.

Like there was when Zuko and Aang went with each other to the Sun Warrior Island, but all of a sudden in TSR, “Zuko’s bad, and we have to make him bad to let the audience know that he’s not a right match for Katara!”

...Like, didn’t Zuko have a redemption arc? And now he’s bad again? ...Clearly I’m missing something here.

I mean, what about other characters? This show is about character growth, so why not let Aang grow into a better person. I’m not saying he isn’t, but he’s clearly a child with a child-like view. Unless the person LIVED through the whole trauma of a genocide, then you don’t listen to what that person preaches about forgiveness and not kill and whatnot. He hasn’t seen or DONE anything like that. Like he could’ve talked about fighting with Sokka, even Suki. They would tell him how they’d strike first and whatnot and make sure the enemy is down. That would make him question his morals a little bit. I mean, he could just knock them out, not really kill them(kind of like Batman, you know?).

Oh, and Toph...come on, Aang, she’s your age, at least talk to her a little bit! She’d even gone through some tough crap that you can probably ask her about....(and maybe develop a little crush on later) 

But it was always Katara...it’s like, dude, you got other friends, ask for their advice that isn’t LOVE advice. You’re freaking twelve, your mind isn’t that advanced yet to think about actual true love. But of course, romance(!), because Bryke can’t think of anything else interesting.

Honestly, I’m really seeing the flaws with Canon Aang now. We tend to forget that he’s portrayed as a 12-year-old boy in ATLA, when we really think he’s this all-knowing kid that...ran away, got frozen in an iceberg for 100 years, and the next thing he thinks after being awakened is penguin sledding with a cute older girl that he, for the first time, sees after being released in the iceberg? Not only that, but he really didn’t fully control his Avatar State. He didn’t even mention it to anybody else, BUT Katara. And he mentioned it just two times, TWO TIMES, to her in season 3(I think). 

Man, the writing quality on season 3 of ATLA is jarring, and it’s sad that nobody notices it. They automatically say it’s the perfect show. I’m sorry, but from all the flaws in the writing of s3(and believe me, there are FLAWS, not only in Aang) and wasted character interactions that Aang could’ve had with the other characters, BESIDES Katara? You’re just gonna ignore that? Granted, you don’t think about it the first time you watch it, but when you watch it again...and a third time...and maybe a fourth time...you can see the flaws.

And while on the topic of Bryke, apparently, they think the show is about romance. And honestly, I’m starting to believe Aang is a self insert of Mike. He doesn’t even hide it in ATLA and LOK(which I will never watch), without the tattoo on his head, his facial structure is there. As you may know, I hold no high regards to Bryke, especially Mike, but Aang is really becoming evident that he’s nothing more than Mike’s super 13-year-old fantasy self-insert of being the hero who gets the girl. Believe me, I had that phase happened to me too...when I was 13. I mean, granted I wasn’t winning a girl at the time, but I watched a lot of Dragonball Z...yeah, take that to account. X( 

Either way, this fandom has gotten so toxic now on how they think Aang was right and is such a hero, when...they just forgot about HOW his genocide was started(him running away), that he’s just 12 in a war-torn world that only held on to his simple child-like belief that everything would be a-okay if we just forgive and hug and hopefully they won’t stab us in the back, and on how his obsessive feelings with Katara is so unhealthy. And it really is, people. He has a world to save, he doesn’t have time to score a girl, especially at his age. 

And as for him finding someone else who isn’t Katara down the road in life...well, hey, Toph’s right there! And I’m sure she would grow up too to be an even better person in life! I mean, kids mature and age, people! You think Aang is really gonna focus on ONE girl? Come on, Aang is clearly a guy, he’ll grow up and find other women attractive. I mean, look at Suki! XP 

It’s just...s3′s writing later on and maybe in the middle of it is so contrived and unrealistic, it needs to be questioned. 

Oh, and don’t tell me that the Air Nomads didn’t fight back against the Fire Nation Army when they attacked their temples, which three things on that: 

1. When the Fire Nation attacked, what do you think the Air Nomads were gonna do; sit down, drink tea, and negotiate a bit? 

2. I honestly think there had to been MORE Air Nomads laying low in the Avatar world, but that wasn’t explored...thanks Bryke. -_-x 

3. And saying that the Air Nomads were a ‘pure race’ is such a pile of bullcrap. If that’s the case, then Aang escaping from his duties as Avatar the first time around wasn’t so ‘pure’, was it? Since, you know, doing this caused an Air Nomad GENOCIDE. And again, the temples where the skeletons of the dead Air Nomads indicated that they FOUGHT the Fire Nation to the death, which skeletons of FIRE NATION SOLDIERS were littered across the floor!? Gee...sounds kind of pure, doesn’t it?

Okay, well, this is a long rant, so I’ll stop here. But I hope you all get what I’m saying with all of this. Aang needed to grow. He needed to be challenged. He needed his morals and beliefs questioned. It makes him more of an interesting character. Yet Bryke...chose the lazy, uninspiring, and quite frankly, cowardly way out of telling Aang is right and no one questions him on it. He didn’t have guidance from his other friends, just his love for Katara to guide him. Which is NOT good enough, I’m sorry. It’s just selfish. Plain and simple as that. 

Bryke(or Mike to be precise) wanted to be the Hero...but at what cost?

[butterflydm]

wot reread: the fires of heaven (chap 20-chap 21)

spoilers through the fires of heaven

This post is slightly out of order because I queued the one after it incorrectly!

1. The path through Jangai Pass hasn’t been used for twenty years... ah, the Aiel War. Not since the Aiel War. Also, poor Moiraine trying so hard to give Rand all the advice she can.

2. Moiraine DID tell him about Elaida being the Amrylin now but doesn’t reveal how she knows. She also tells him not to trust any Aes Sedai. “No woman of the Tower except herself, Egwene, Elayne and Nynaeve.”

3. Asmodean is the one carrying Rand’s banner (the ancient Aes Sedai banner, this time, as the Dragon banner is flying over Tear). Hilarious image and I love how sulky he is about having to do it, too.

4. Everyone in the border town was killed by the Shaido and Rand remembers a terrible battle that he was in as Lews Therin and then pushes the memory away. “That was one battle he meant to win. If he did have to die at Shayol Ghul, he would die as himself.”

5. Half a month since he left Rhuidean, which means two and a half months since the end of TSR. So it’s a journey of half a month from Rhuidean to Jangai Pass (if going at a swift pace).

6. Rand is sad that he feels like he has to do “what’s necessary instead of what’s right” (re: letting Kadere and his Darkfriends escape because he knows they would give away that ‘Natael’ is also a Darkfriend, if they were brought to justice). THERE’S a theme that will keep coming back. Letting genuinely evil people escape justice because bringing them to justice might prevent stopping the greater evil is... definitely a theme.

7. Mat critiques how poor the town’s defenses were, that they should have had watchers up to give them warning of attacks. Lan and Rand both notice. The survivors tell us that the Shaido killed many but also kidnapped a lot of people as well.

8. A hundred survivors. And Couladin told them not to bury their dead, because he wanted to leave a message for Rand.

9. Mat apparently couldn’t ride well before, but he can now, when he isn’t thinking of it. Horse traders’ kid who wasn’t a good rider. Maybe that made him feel like he didn’t fit in idk?

10. Rand assumes Egwene will want to throw up due to seeing the bodies; and she assumes the same thing about him.

11. Rand just wishes that Mat felt like he could confide in Rand about what happened to Mat in Rhuidean. Rand has noticed all the changes in him and can tell he’s been traumatized by something he isn’t able to talk about. :-(

12. lol, Rand and his terrible Forsaken puns around Asmodean. I mean, most of Rand’s life is depressing AF but at least he has his Forsaken puns.

13. Rand sets nightly wards to alert of Shadowspawn around the entire encampment of Aiel, now. He needs his angreal to have enough strength to do it, but that’s more than he could do before Asmodean started teaching him.

14. Aviendha straight-up gives Rand Laman’s sword (and fancy scabbard) to try to cancel the ‘debt’ between them that Rand doesn’t feel like they have. The blade itself is Power-wrought, so Rand tells her he will keep it to cancel the debt she feels they have, but he doesn’t need the fancy hilt and scabbard.

15. “Had he been trying to pretend that he was Aiel, he would have thought that she was trying to prove that he was not.” We do also learn that the Aiel have a flower language that they use in gifts and the bridal wreaths.

16. Hearing about the Aiel wedding ceremony is also interesting.

[steambend]

steambend’s end of year fic rec list [2020]

so i thought i’d just collate a list of my favourite fics i read this year. i’ll split it from completed to ongoing, and it will go from general to mature rated fics (each category is also in alphabetical order, because i’m that bitch). i’m sure most of these fics you will have seen or read before, but i wanted to get them all in one place and maybe start an annual tradition on my page!

these are all zutara fics

completed fics, rated: general

beautiful by dyce

zuko cannot stop noticing that katara is beautiful. 

brightest in the dark by soopersara

a less-than-friendly interruption in the crystal catacombs pushes zuko and katara together, and they have to work together to find a new path.

canon divergent from crossroads of destiny

completed fics, rated: teen and up

mending wounds by fictionissocialinquiry

'the fire prince is older. you can see it in the calmness of his expression, the relaxed carriage of his shoulders. he is smiling at her. she's never seen the fire lord's son smile.' while lost in the foggy swamp, searching for her brother and her avatar, katara is haunted by visions of the fire nation's disgraced prince. visions of peace after war, visions of honour and secrets...

stealing from pirates by dyce

without zuko to rescue her from the pirates, katara is captured... and finds that they already have a prisoner in desperate need of her help.

such selfish prayers by andromeda3116

katara's ambition, so long set aside for the good of others, breaks free and sets fire to her soul. or, katara has a vision of her canon future, casts it aside, and becomes a world-changing politician instead.

the color of the stars by bluenebulae

“roads were made for journeys, not destinations.” ― confucius

one moment changes the course of history. katara and zuko are imprisoned by the fire nation army during the day of black sun, and when they escape, they find themselves adrift in the fire nation with no one to rely on but each other. with only six weeks before sozin’s comet arrives and four nations to cross, the pair must track down katara’s allies, save the world—and learn to trust each other.

canon divergent from part 2 of 'day of black sun.'

there are worse things i could do by orosea

she thinks of how this must be so easy for sokka, to be married at home, to someone of his culture. she has nothing against princess yue, the sickly girl is kind, and frankly, far too good for sokka. which is the problem. sokka is in love with her.

and what does katara get? a marriage to a firebender. thrown into a country she doesn’t know, like fish carcass, to the nephew of the fire lord.

for her tribe, she tells herself.

rounding the edges by sadladybug

it can take some grit and hard work to grind out the sharp edges, but the effort can produce something that shines. a zutara oneshot in which katara learns a few new things about zuko, including the fact that he may be very difficult to live without. featuring unexpected teamwork, tense training moments, and more than a few awkward conversations. canon compliant(ish), book three beginning sometime between tsr and eip.

what fortune lent by lewilder

au; the southern raiders' mission aims true and katara is taken to the fire nation as a prisoner of war. as her circumstances and the political climate change, she forms unexpected alliances and makes it her mission to restore her people and find the avatar.

completed fics, rated: not rated

and you feel your heart (taking root in your body) by raisindeatre

"no one is now what they were before the war." - catherynne valente

after everything - the comet, the war, the coronation - katara tries to find the road back to herself. somewhere along the way, she also finds the road to zuko.

ongoing fics, rated: teen and up

in the kingdom of heaven by nautica_dawn

in her later years, katara will look back on the agni kai against azula fondly. in her younger, more immediate years, she wishes she'd turned down zuko's offer.

polar nights by crystalline talisman

in order to arrange a treaty for the long standing war between the water tribe and fire nation, prince zuko is sent to the south pole to arrange a truce by fire lord lu ten, where he is greeted by subzero temperatures, sea prunes, and quirky customs. this of course, is a cake walk compared to the revelation he'll be marrying the stubborn spiritual leader, katara. au. zutara.

the chief and i by jassmarie19

when the fire nation decides to take over the world, it is the temples that go down first (peacefully, and no one suspects a thing). then their eyes turn towards the mainland and all is lost for the earth kingdoms. at this onset of war, the southern water tribe shuts itself off from the rest of the world. it is a challenge at first, but the fire nation decides they have loftier goals than the tribal people of ice and water. they are forgotten.

a century has passed. the fire empire runs the world, emperor azulon at the head with his grandson, the herald of light, prince zuko of the southern isles by his side. fresh off winning the last vestige in the earth kingdom, prince zuko travels to the south to gain the last of the free world. but they come to the southern water tribe knowing nothing but snippets saved before the conquering. the herald of light has a lot of work ahead of him if he is to convince their vexing chieftain to surrender. the fate of the great imperial empire counts on this.

this might as well happen by owedbetter

stranded in a foreign country during a pandemic, zuko has a crazy idea.

ongoing fics, rated: mature

southern lights by colourwhirled

a world where the avatar has disappeared from memory. where sozin’s conquest was successful. where the unsteady order of the empire is threatened as members of the royal family are picked off one by one and lines are slowly drawn in the sand.

one last chance for peace forces an unlikely alliance between a homesick waterbender, a carefree air nomad, a runaway earth kingdom heiress, and the fire lord's inscrutable son. together they must learn to shed old enmities and become the balance they seek to restore to the world.

or:

the avatar has four heads.

x

[[chapter 4: "and always, his eyes, cautiously watching her. even when he thinks she isn’t looking. it drives her mad"]]

waste no more time by owedbetter

'waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. be one.’ - marcus aurelius

no one knew where the painted lady of republic city came from. they only know that one day, she did. healing the sick, fighting injustice where she could, and ruining profiteering capitalist organisations when she could.

and ozai corporations will stop at nothing to put an end to this brand of vigilante justice, even hiring the elusive powers behind blue spirit investigations to seize and desist her from further damaging the chaos her revolutionary care is inspiring among the people... by any means necessary.

a tale of justice, love, and revolution.

and that is it! happy reading guys, and feel free to reblog and add your favourite zk reads of 2020

[zutaraplatter]

Avatar: The Last Airbender Critique

There are already a million of posts like this one, and I might be saying things that’ve already been said a million times but I’ve recently become reheated about the ATLA ending and wanted to let it out -_- No one asked, this is true, and this may or may not be a way to stall from this final project I still have to complete, but here’s 10 things I didn't like and/or would change about the show that likely shouldn’t need changing because they should have been done in the first place.

1. Katara should have apologized to Sokka after TSR

It should have happened and it didn't. In my canon-avoiding mind, Katara and Sokka have a heartfelt conversation where she apologizes for the awful things she said, Sokka says he forgives her and he's sorry if he wasn't as there for her as much as he should have been, which he follows up with "but I'm happy you listened to Aang and took his advice," leading into my next point

2. Katara should have said that not killing Yon Rha was her choice

And thats why it was the right one. Not because Aang already said it was wrong. No no. It was the right choice because that's what she chose. I love my mom to death and can't imagine losing her in any way, let alone the way Katara did. And I can't say for sure that if I was in her shoes that I know what I would have done f that yes I do I would have killed that motherfucker. But I also know that if Katara decided not to kill him, then that was one of two correct choices because they were Katara's choices to make. Not Aang's or anyone else's and this should have been clarified. I know it's a kids show but I said what I said. Next point.

3. Katara should have said more after telling Aang she was unsure at the Ember Island Players

Katara hasn't had any trouble saying how she feels, especially when it comes to helping others and making them feel better, whether she was right or wrong. But she holds back or overly softens blows and seems to even shrivel up at times when it comes to Aang. And me no likey. I had a boyfriend who I adored and admired and just genuinely looked up to. I'm also a shy and anxious person who hates confrontation, but because I loved him, I never refrained from telling him when he was wrong. I might have been a little shaky about it but I did it tho because when you want to be with someone you walk through the grass and stomp through the mud. And I personally feel like either in that moment or later on in an added scene that Katara should have voiced to Aang how unheard and disrespected she felt about his words before TSR and his actions on the balcony. I hate being uncomfortable and my secondhand embarrassment is toxic but I would love to see a scene of this. I always imagined Katara saying stuff like "But I'm not you Aang, and I'm not an Air Nomad," or "Zuko could understand why I needed to go, and I'd hoped you would too," or...I'm out of ideas but you get the idea. And you know what, I know I'm a hard Zutara shipper, but them having this conversation would honestly make me respect their relationship a whole lot more should it be believably written to end on a good note (I don't see how it could be but hey I'm an open minded person and I did think they were cute together once upon a time). Basically, all I'm saying is that Katara is no small voice and she should have been written that way when with Aang. Boyfriends can make you shy but should never make you weak. Period. Next point.

4. No rock! ONLY GROWTH!!!!!!!!!!!

I still squint my eyes whenever I remember that rock that unblocked Aang's chakra. What even was that? The laziest writing possible in my opinion. That's what. And Aang deserved better. What should have happened should have been that Aang started to lose to Ozai. And then as Ozai's about to deliver the finishing blow, Aang has flashbacks of everyone he's trying to save and honor, ending with a very prominent flashback of Katara with the guru's disembodied voice reminding Aang to let go of his attachments to become all he needs to be...then BOOM! Baby boy is back on his feet, chakra unblocked, he kicks Ozai's ass, I'm crying hysterically on the floor, as are the rest of us, and he wins. Then at the end of the series, instead of a kiss, he gives Katara an apology. She accepts, everyone else comes to join them on the balcony, cinematic group hug, camera pan into the sun. I don't know lol. Basically what I'm saying is that Aang did not deserve some deus ex machina. He deserved to grow and become his best self like everyone else got to.

5. Aang should have heard differently in The Storm

Katara is a very fate-minded person and this is when I saw potential for her to become a toxic character in regards to Aang. When he admits that he ran away from home 100 years ago, Katara tells him that that was basically a good thing because he was meant to be here and now. Like...no? What Aang did, though understandable for someone so young, was still wrong. Yes he would have maybe been killed but I'm like 10000000% sure they had a plan to protect and evacuate the literal avatar. And what was technically "meant to be" was a new avatar. But hey, what's done is done and kicking Aang while he's down is a no-no in this household. But that doesn't change the fact that Aang needed and deserved honesty. Maybe the fisherman could have said this, I don't know, but I feel like Aang should have been told by someone that although running away was wrong, it's a blessing he and Appa were able to survive and be able to help save the world now with his amazing friends found-family. Maybe this is too harsh, and maybe even outright wrong, but I felt like Aang deserved a truer answer here to support and comfort him.

6. MAILEE!!!!

Do I even need to go into detail?

7. Spiritual sigh*

Don't make me go into detail -_- I will say though that although Aang and Katara are both amazing individuals capable of earth shattering things, they were not a healthy fit for one another. This is evident in the original series and especially in their children from LOK. They both deserved the best but better than one another.

8. ZUTARAAAAAAA

This is a Zutara blog you KNEW this was coming, as it should. There's just too much. There's too damn much. I would give a real paragraph to this too, but, I mean, there's already so much proving that this was the pair. Fics, metas, rants, this site. Scroll through my blog or any of the ATLA related blogs I follow and...dude. These two were meant to be together and I'll mourn the narrative brilliance WASTED for no good reason every day for the rest of my life. No reason these two shouldn't be married with three kids. sob. I will take this part to say thank you to the amazing fic writers that gave Katara, Zuko, Mai, and Aang what they deserved that the writers didn't have the guts to give them themselves. Next point tho.

9. AANG AND ONJI

Good God almighty. Why not this? WHY NOT THIS? I'm putting on my bullet proof vest and I'm going to say this; Aanji is cuter than Zutara. Now before you scorn me or whatever, let me explain. Zutara for me is like steak. No. Chicken parmesan. I like chicken parmesan better. The point though is that Zutara is savory. You know? I don't see them as cute, I see them as Obviously. Aanji on the other hand is like a bag of my favorite candy. They are like a brownie. A cookie. Girl Scout Samoas!...I don't know what words are anymore. This post got way out of hand. I guess what I'm saying is that for Zutara, I scream, but for Aanji, I squeal. I hope that makes sense. But here's the main point I want to make. Onji never knew who Aang really was. And Aang was always, at his core, himself. She very obviously had a crush on Aang for his personality and that was crazy cute and frankly preferable to Katara's "I...guess he is." (you know exactly what I'm talking about) Anyway, I kept wanting more of them together. I wish all the time that we'd gotten to see her again, with a more fleshed out character and all. And in the way that I imagine the show should have gone, she could have been the perfect love interest for Aang, during this episode or way later, even in the comics! Another WASTED opportunity for greatness and I will, again, never recover T-T

10. Iroh get your ass back here

Maybe this is a misguided critique but I hated that Iroh just left Zuko alone in the fire nation at the end of the series. Baby was in trouble in every sense of the word and Iroh was just like "See ya! You got this nephew." I'm expected to believe that? I'm expected to accept that? No no no. He should have at least stayed for a few years to help Zuko stay upright and, you know, alive. And by "upright" I don't mean "good." I just mean been there to support him because Lord knows he needed it, at least in the beginning of his reign. It was cute that Iroh was able to settle down with his own teashop after all those years of violence and mourning and running and this and that. I was more than happy for him for being able to have that peace finally. But I still think it could have waited a little while longer so he could support Zuko.

That's it I guess. I know not everything I've said makes the most sense in one way or another, but I enjoyed putting it together all the same. Thank you for reading and have a great day. I'll go finish my final now.

(Edited for a typo)

[godofevrerything]

How Zutara Should’ve Happened (my take anyways, if Zuko still joined the Gaang in Season Three)

Alright, so I’m a Zutara shipper. Anyways, here’s my rant of the day.

So, if Zutara were to be cannon, let’s say that we wouldn’t change the cannon, other than that. Also full disclaimer, I don’t really like Kataang. It’s cute, and sweet, buuuut I think that they would be better off single or with other people. I personally ship Taang so much-

When I first watched it, I really wanted Katara to end up single. I thought that would be a fitting ending for her story. But hey, she didn’t, and that’s fine.

This is not an anti Kataang post, seriously. If you ship it, cool, I don’t, but everyone had different opinions. Just please don’t come to my inbox and yell at me.

Aight, under the cut bc it got long.

So, if we weren’t gonna change the cannon, Zuko still joins in season three and all. Katara and him would still have a rocky relationship at first, and for good reason, I mean wtf Zuko what happened at the CoTL?

Rant for another day

Anyways-

What I would think is that Katara couldn’t help but notice how Zuko is trying to gain their, and her trust. I mean, she’s pissed but still, she notices. It doesn’t make her forgive him or anything, and it shouldn’t, but she does see it.

Now, I’m thinking little moments. Like when he shoved her out of the way of the falling rocks? Yeah, she still snaps at him, but maybe after she’s a little less fiery. Just a bit.

And then after TSR, things start to change. Of course, we get the iconic hug, but!! I want another scene, when they’re coming back from the trip.

One thing that always bothers me when I read Zutara stuff is that writers rarely address Zukos betrayal in TCoTL. Like,,, maybe I haven’t read the right fanfics but c’mon guys.

I really think, no, I know that Katara and Zuko should address that. I really want a scene, when they’re coming back, while Katara is sorting out whether to forgive him or not, I want them to talk about it. And sorry if it’s OOC- But Like so:

Katara: Why did you do it?

Zuko: ...do what?

Katara: Why did you fight with Azula? I thought you changed, I thought you would’ve fought with us.

Zuko: I-

[ a moment of quiet]

Zuko: I thought about it, and I almost did-

Katara: [turns around to face him] Then why didn’t you? Why did you choose that?

Zuko: I wanted my honor. I wanted to go home, and I thought- I though that if I fought with her, I could get my honor back.

[Katara doesn’t answer.]

Zuko: But Im sorry. I am.

Katara, quietly: I thought you changed...

Zuko: I have, now, I mean.

Katara: Why was your honor so important to you anyways? And what do you mean by ‘wanted to go home’?

Zuko: I- I was banished. Until I found the Avatar, I couldn’t go back.

[Katara turns, studying him, then turns back around]

Katara: ...You couldn’t go back, ever?

Zuko: No.

[She doesn’t speak after that, and neither does he.]

Okay, so maybe that was too OOC, but they did need to have a conversation something like that. A conversation where Zuko explained, at least a bit about why he fought with Azula.

And then, after that, the hug and forgiveness. But that was a turning point in their relationship, and I don’t like that so little fic writers address that.

And then!! I want little moments. Just small moments, maybe a bit more teasing, a bit more concern on Kataras part.

Also, let’s face it: Zuko would be simping. Katara wouldn’t be lovey dovey, no, she wouldn’t. Zuko would be the simp, Zuko would be the one stuttering slightly at teasing and stuff.

Just little moments, nothing big bc c’mon, they’re kids. They’re teenagers in the belp middle of a war.

Speaking of which! I really want one more scene between them. After Aangs noncon kiss in the Ember Island Players, I want there to be a scene where Zuko finds Katara and she vents to him.

Also I’ve been losing my damn mind trying to find a gif series for that bc someone on Tumblr made it and I can’t find it- fkdndd

Okay, but along with a huge chunk of the fandom, it really makes me mad that they didn’t show more of Kataras reaction, and that Aang didn’t apologize. Like wtf Aang.

I would’ve been fine with anyone coming to Katara, or telling Aang that was wrong but- Didn’t happen. They just glossed over that part smh.

But! Say Zuko were to come and talk with her about it. And then at the end, he might ask her why she was confused, Maybe something like this:

Zuko: If you don’t mind, why are you so confused?

Katara: I don’t know! But it’s in the middle of war. It isn’t over, and now isn’t the time for... for romance.

Zuko: But that doesn’t mean that you can’t be happy. I mean, look at Sokka.

Katara: I’m not Sokka.

[They both go quiet for a minute]

Katara: Sorry, Im just... It’s too much to deal with right now, and we have to focus on ending the war.

Zuko: No, I get that. It’s fine.

Katara: I’m just- I’m confused, and now isn’t the time and-

[She pauses, and the two look at each other for a moment. All is quiet.]

Zuko: I.. can go, if you want. If you need some space.

Katara: Yeah, that would probably help.

[Zuko walks away. As he does, Katara is staring at his back, a thoughtful expression on her face]

Yes, yes, I think that would make sense in the romance line. Mirroring when Zuko was staring at Kataras back.

Alright, so everything would be same, up to Katara healing Zuko after the Agni Kai. But there would be subtle differences. She takes his hand and holds it instead of putting her hand on his back. No big “I love you” or whatever. Just holds his hand, and maybe a line like “We- I could’ve lost you!” Maybe.

And then! One last thing, instead of that long Kataang kiss at the end, a scene between Katara and Zuko, talking about their futures.

I’m a really big fan of Water Tribe Ambassador Katara, and it shows.

Katara: So.. Fire Lord Zuko, huh? Finally regained your honor?

Zuko: [groans] Yes, now stop it.

Katara: [laughs] Nope, never gonna stop.

[Theres a minute of quiet]

Zuko: And what about you? Are you going back to the SWT?

Katara: I am. The Northern and Southern tribes... they need to connect again, not become one, but the connection was frayed with the war, and someone has to take a step to rebuild it.

Zuko: What about the Air Temples?

Katara: That’s up to Aang. I’ll help him of course, we all will, but he’s the last air bender. He’ll take care of them, like I’ll take care of the Water tribes.

Zuko: With Sokka too, I’m guessing.

Katara: I don’t know about that, actually. Sokka may want to travel a bit, scope out the world.

Zuko: And you don’t?

Katara: I do, and I will. Sokka and I, regardless of whatever travel, we’ll work together to take care of the tribes.

Zuko: [chuckles] And I’ll be here. I’m going to try to undo the damage the war did. Open up relations again in the Earth Kingdom, sort out the colonies.

Katara: Don’t overwork yourself.

Zuko: You shouldn’t either.

[She laughs, and stops in front of the pond, looking at the turtle ducks]

Katara: Zuko..

Zuko: What?

Katara: [turns to face him] We... went through a lot. And I have something that I need to tell you.

Zuko, sweating slightly: ..yes?

Katara: Relax, it’s nothing bad!

Katara: I..

[Katara takes his hand and smiles. Zukos eyes widen and he looks down at their hands]

Katara: Well?

[Zuko looks back up and smiles at her.]

Zuko: You’re going to visit sometime, right?

Katara: Course I will.

[He smiles again, and intertwines their fingers. It’s quiet once more, then off in the distance, Sokka yells something]

Katara: [laughs] Now c’mon, your Honor. Let’s go.

[She pulls Zuko down the path towards their friends, and all their laughter can be heard. The End comes up, and the credits roll]

So!!

No big ily confession, no long kiss. Why? Because they’re kids. They’re fourteen and sixteen, there shouldnt be an ily, there shouldn’t be an uncomfortably long kiss.

Later, of course. But now? Let’s them just hold hands and tease each other and relax a bit.

Anyways, that’s my Zutara rant of the day, thanks for listening.

[the-last-cuddlebender]

I straight up check your profile daily for the southern raiders analysis you’re working on. 👀👀 where IS IT 😩

bRUH I am so excited to drop this analysis you have no idea (It’s creeping up to 22k+ I am gonna cryyyyyyyyyyyy). The only problem is that my TSR analysis and “Moon theory” are so incredibly hard to structure and articulate. I’m happy you’re so excited for it, though!!! Truly, it’s an honor. I’ll give you a taste of my madness and what’s to come, but be warned: it may be a bit hard to follow because TSR (from how I’ve come to understand it) is about the vagueness of beginnings, endings, and cycles, so there isn’t really a starting point for me to begin with. (So it may seem a tad bit like a ramble in some points that I haven’t fleshed out yet/am summarizing for this ask)

This analysis has me on trails like THIS brilliant nonsense, and I am 1000000000% here for it:

Roku: “The spirit's name is Koh, but he is very dangerous. They call him The Face Stealer.”

Katara: “We’re going to find the man who took my mother from me.”...“That’s him. That’s the monster.”

Lion Turtle: “To bend another's energy, your own spirit must be unbendable, or you will be corrupted and destroyed.”

Roku: “When you speak with him, you must be very careful to show no emotion at all. Not the slightest expression, or he will steal your face.”

Hama: “Congratulations, Katara. You’re a bloodbender.”

(If Katara had killed Yon Rha, she would be giving up her identity--her face. Not only would she have become a killer, but she would be killing what made her Katara)

Aang: “Let your anger out, and then let it go. Forgive him.”

Forgive him--approach him for what he is, not the faces your memories or your heart are having him wear. See him for the pathetic man he is in that moment right in front of you.

Aang’s forgiveness is seeing someone for the sum of their parts. It’s judging them and seeing through into their very soul, just like the Firebending Masters saw through Zuko being the Crown Prince and Aang being the Avatar. That meant nothing to the Masters. What did matter to them was who the boys were right there, right then, right in front of them.

“Why should I hold a grudge against you for something you did in a past life? After all, you’re a different person, now. You’ve come to me with a new face.”

But anyways...

If I can give no other take-away from my analysis and moon theory, it’s that Yin and Yang are not two entities; they are three. I think the fandom’s misunderstanding of it may be why the discourse on TSR (and Aang, Katara, and Zuko) is so black and white (pun intended lol). 

“But Yin and Yang are obviously two things. Don’t you know the symbol?” I hear some people already saying.

Wrong, sir.

It has never been just Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang have never existed as just two things.

They are Yin and Yang and Wu Wei.

(Aunt Wu has her name for a reason, and she has the mark of the wise in her hair for a reason, too...AND she is at odds with Sokka in The Fortuneteller for a reason, too!!!...but that’s for the analysis😉)

Balance isn’t good triumphing over evil. Balance is good and evil. Balance is standing on the flow between two opposites--it’s the compliment that connects them. (The koi fish live in an oasis for a reason.)

I’ll explain what Wu Wei is later in the full analysis (like many things in here), but here’s some of my evidences and proofs for the “Yin Yang trio”:

The Tibetan “Wheel of Dharma”

(I’ll also explain the Wheel and Dharma and etc. later because it has everything to do with Koh and the moon) Long story short, the wheel and its spokes are representative of the 8 steps to enlightenment and the cycle of rebirth. 

Look at the hub of the wheel. It’s a swirl made of 3 parts.

It is also a white lotus

Here’s the colored version of the wheel (as an alter):

Recognize the colors?

BLUE, WHITE (or gold, depending), & RED

These are the “THREE TREASURES” OR JEWELS.

They symbolize DHARMA, BUDDHA, & SANGHA respectively. 

KATARA, AANG, & ZUKO

water, air, & fire

T H R E E

Bato: “Ice dodging is a ceremonial test of wisdom, bravery, and trust.

Bato: “The spirits of water bear witness to these marks...”

Why does Bato say spirit(s) plural? The Ocean and the Moon are only two spirits. The Ocean can’t be two things. Right?

WRONG

Yue: “The legends say the Moon was the first waterbender. Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves.”

The Moon--singular. The Tides--plural (push and pull)

Lion Turtle: “In the era before the Avatar, we bent not the elements, but the energy within our senses.”

The moon pushing and pulling the tide is the moon bending the energy of its world. 

Katara finding balance between “being too weak to do it” or “strong enough not to” is her bending the energy within herself.

It’s two solutions written as a question but said as a statement.

Yue: “Our ancestors saw how it pushed and pulled the tides and learned how to do it themselves”

THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS IS ABOUT AANG AND ZUKO LEARNING FROM KATARA. Katara had already learned from Aang and Zuko all leading up to TSR. That was her studying. TSR was her test.

TSR is Zuko’s and Aang’s studying. Sozin’s Comet is their test.

Bato: “For Sokka, the Mark of the Wise. The same mark your father earned. For Katara, the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us. And for Aang, the Mark of the Trusted. You are now an honorary member of the Water Tribe.”

Aang - Wise (”you’re pretty wise for a kid”)

Katara - Brave (the same mark her mother earned)

Zuko - Trusted (”I was the first person to trust you”)

Sokka - Bato ("I am to have no part in this--you pass or fail on your own.”)

Yin and Yang are nothing without their dance. The Avatar and the Firelord mean nothing if they don’t have a world to rebuild.

The valley means nothing if there isn’t anyone to live in it.

Fighting is useless if there isn’t someone to fight for, otherwise it is “selfish and stupid”

Katara had to have a reason to return from Yon Rha. She needed to have Aang waiting for her. If she didn’t have a reason to stay, then she wouldn’t have a reason to go.

To have a reason to sleep, a person has to have a reason to wake up.

Katara: “Aang. He just took his glider and disappeared. He has this ridiculous notion that he has to save the world alone; that it's all his responsibility.”

Hakoda: “Maybe that's his way of being brave.”

(Bato: “For Katara, the Mark of the Brave. Your courage inspires us.”)

Katara: “It's not brave! It's selfish and stupid! We could be helping him! And I know the world needs him, but doesn't he know how much we need him, too? How can he just leave us behind?!”

(It was, in fact, not easy for Aang to ‘do nothing’)

Katara: “I understand why you left. I really do, and I know that you had to go, so why do I still feel this way? I'm so sad and angry...and hurt.”

Hakoda: “I love you more than anything. You and your brother are my entire world. I thought about you every day when I was gone, and every night when I went to sleep, I would lie awake missing you so much it would ache.”

(AND YUE IS ONE OF THE ONES TO SAVE AANG IN THE OCEAN FOR A REASON)

Thinking and missing: a matter of mind (who) and heart (want). 

Iroh: “Who are you? And what do you want?”

Sokka: “We need to go back. I wanna see Dad, but helping Aang is where we're needed the most.”

Mai: “I love Zuko more than I fear you.”

BUT YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT THE MOON FOR A HOT SECOND???

I’LL TELL YOU ABOUT THE MOON

I’LL TELL YOU ABOUT 2 MOONS

OH

OH REALLY???

OH REALLY, ZUKO

A FEW HOURS YOU SAY?

THEN TELL ME, ZUKO

WHY IS THE SUN GOING UP

WHEN IT IS THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT A FEW HOURS LATER

AND KATARA IS SLEEPING SO YOU CAN’T TELL ME IT’S BECAUSE YOU RISE WITH THE SUN OTHERWISE SHE’D BE WIDE AWAKE DURING THE FULL MOON THAT SHE USES TO BLOODBEND NOT EVEN TWO MINUTES LATER

THIS, MY FRIENDS, IS A HARVEST MOON

WHICH IS THE LAST FULL MOON OF THE SUMMER 

(and looks off color when it rises/falls because of the angle of the rise/fall in the atmosphere...it’s normal once overhead)

AND SYMOLIZES HISTORY REPEATING ITSELF

“We’re going to find the MAN who took my mother from me.”

“That’s him. That’s the MONSTER.”

8 spokes on the wheel

Katara was 8 when Kya was killed

8 steps to enlightenment (the “Eightfold Path”)

8 phases of the moon

8 faces of Koh

“One of your previous incarnations tried to slay me! Be it 8 or 9 hundred years ago” (but time is an illusion, so hundreds mean nothing)

THE OTHER TWO MOONS THAT ARE CONSUMING MY EVERY WAKING MOMENT???:

1.) The WOLF MOON--the first full moon of the new year (a love between the wolf and the moon in the harshest winters...connection is kindof obvious lmao)

2.) THE THUNDER MOON

The Thunder Moon is the full moon of July. It is also known as the Buck Moon--for when young buck regrow their antlers.

Yue: “My hair turned white.”

Zuko: *cuts and re-grows his hair*

Aang: “I have hair?”

The Thunder Moon--the full moon of July--is also the beginning of a certain Buddhist holiday.

DHARMA DAY

WHICH CELEBRATES THE BEGINING OF BUDDHISM AND THE FIRST OF THE 8 STEPS (the first spoke of the Dharma Wheel) TOWARDS ENLIGHTENMENT

AVATAR IS ALL ABOUT CYCLES

THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS IS ALL ABOUT BREAKING THEM

I haven’t even touched Jung, Koh, Hinduism, and Buddhism yet

or the fact that Katara and Kya are the only characters in the entire series to wear moons on their clothing and that, together, they form an actual lunar phenomenon

or why the spirit oasis isn’t a complete circle

or the fact that this thing that Aang is told to chase is just like Whaletail Island:

or how important the Great Divide and the Solstice are

AND I’M JUST GETTING STARTED

BECAUSE EVERYTHING IN THE SOUTHERN RAIDERS--RIGHT DOWN TO THE SOUND DESIGN--IS ABSOLUTELY MONUMENTAL IN UNDERSTANDING THE SHOW, ITS MESSAGE, ENERGYBENDING, AND LITERALLY EVERYTHING ELSE

TLDR: Idk how the heck I’m going to arrange or articulate this analysis because it is WILD. Be warned: There is literally no exact beginning and ending to this analysis because the whole point of Yin and Yang is that is has no beginning or ending (...kindof...), so you’ll have to bear with me once I’m done editing it into something that’s somewhat coherent.

These are just SOME of the things I’ve been able to answer with my moon theory and analysis of The Southern Raiders as it currently stands:

Why “letting go” isn’t really letting go (as we understand it...see: Aang’s confrontation with Koh)

Why Lake Laogai and the Spirit World are symbolically the same thing.

Zuko’s advice to the bullfrog is actually a summary of the show, energybending, the origin of bending, and the definition of Aang’s “forgiveness” I stg

Why “Sokka’s instincts” are the reason Katara yells at Sokka

Believe it or not, every time Katara mentions her mother, it is at specific times for specific reasons.

^^^same thing for the moon, lack of moon, moon positioning, etc.

Katara’s mother’s necklace is more important than we realize.

Who the faces of Koh are and WHY they are there.

The true meaning of Jet’s sacrifice.

Why Jet’s episode about the dam explains the entirety of TSR as it pertains to Katara (all the way down to the little girl who runs to get her doll after the dam breaks)

Why Katara actually DID forgive Yon Rha, and the fact that she doesn’t even know it is proof that she did

^^^^^Aang’s definition of forgiveness is completely misunderstood by the fandom, and the way he “forgives” is sososo much deeper than “moving on”, and it is DEFINATELY by no means “doing  nothing” or “excusing” past actions.

The importance of lightning, Zuko, Aang, and Katara.

The absolutely monumental and not nearly talked about importance of Jeong-Jeong like holy crap.

How Katara and Azula are just as much of a Yin and Yang as Zuko and Aang but not in the way we think they are

Why Koh has the Blue Spirit’s face

Why Koh DOESN’T have the Painted Lady’s face.

Who Ni-Ni from Katara’s campfire story in The Puppetmaster is 

How and why Iroh was able to learn firebending from the Masters even though he didn’t have a partner. 

How/Why Azula had her breakdown and why she saw her mother in the mirror

Why “Leaves from the Vine” and “Four Seasons” are the same song, explain Azula’s downfall, and explain the Yin and Yang of TSR.

Why Katara and Sokka are so often mistaken for parental figures.

Why Aang’s flashbacks to the Air Nomads are so important in understanding TSR.

Why Toph and Suki disappear after the campfire in TSR.

How Hakoda, Gyatso, and Kya are all connected.

Why it is so dang important that Azula shows up in the beginning of TSR.

The importance of the Spirit Oasis.

Energybending, healing with waterbending, Aang’s trauma, and Zuko’s scar.

Why Zuko gives Katara the exact opposite advise in TSR that he gave her in the catacombs. 

How everything could be predicted and read by the moon.

WHY YIN AND YANG ARE THREE THINGS AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THREE THINGS.

HOW ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL OF THIS TIES BACK TO THE MOON AND BUDDHIST BELIEFS--AND YEAH THE MOON AND BUDDHISM AND HINDUISM ARE MORE CONNECTED IN ATLA THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE.

AND HOW IT LEADS INTO OUR MODERN UNDERSTANDING OF THE SELF--BECAUSE JUNG TOOK GREAT INFLUENCE IN HIS DEVELOPING THEORY OF THE CONSCIOUS AND THE SUBCONSCIOUS FROM THE HINDU/BUDDHIST RELIGIONS 

^^^^AND ALSO THE THEORY OF THE SHADOW AND THE PERSONA 

The ocean is a deep, dark, unknown place with a lot of hidden monsters (like Yon Rah). Katara needed a light to find her monster, but she also needed somewhere she could breathe when she came back up for air.

If she didn’t have both Zuko and Aang, Katara would have drowned. 

I wasn’t kidding when I said this was a thesis, and what I’ve said and listed here isn’t even all that I have.

btw This all does line up on the traditional Yin Yang symbol we know and see in the show, but I don’t have enough space here for that lmao. That’ll be in the analysis

I hope you enjoyed this little taste, my friend, because I need to sit down for a hot second before my brain leaks out of my ears. Sorry for the ramble. I promise the analysis isn’t like this lol. This is just me trying to summarize as best as I can. 

***Disclaimer: My points are always subject to change since I am still researching. These are the facts as I’ve found and applied them to the evidences I’ve noted from in the show. I’m always open for friendly discussion or any directions to better sources on Buddhism/Tao/Jung!***

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

hi! random question that you’re not obligated to answer (i just love your ka metas): do you think that aang acted like he was entitled to katara’s affection? sorry for the bother if this is a question you’ve gotten before, i’m just curious about your thoughts

Hi anon! It’s always lovely to hear people like my metas 💛 And you’re in luck - I have not gotten this specific question before, though I have answered similar questions, and as such I will probably link those posts throughout.

Forewarning: I use the general you very liberally in this post, so like. It’s not directed at you, anon djhskdjsajs I don’t want you think my sarcasm is in response to your ask (your ask was very lovely!! 💕)

Okay. Let’s get started! The funniest thing about the (nonsensical) claim that Aang acted “entitled” to Katara’s affection is that there is no canon evidence to support it. Opponents more often than not can only bring up one (1) episode as an example of supposed “entitlement” because no other Kataang interactions in the series demonstrate entitlement from either end! Like, wow. Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel. And I’m sure we all know what episode opponents love to propagate, don’t we?

Yep, you guessed it: “The Ember Island Players.”

From the get-go, the fact that people who vigorously oppose Kataang essentially only appeal to the contents of one episode for Aang’s supposed “entitlement” is a major indicator that, in fact, the entitlement is not truly there, and that those opponents are actually misconstruing the entire episode. I mean, if you are trying to make an argument about something but you only have one piece of “evidence” to support your claim, then a) any half-decent teacher/professor would fail you, rip and b) that’s a sign that maybe your claim doesn’t hold water. If you can’t find evidence to support it, then you’re probably looking at your case from the wrong angle. Analysis 101.

As such, I find the “entitlement” claim particularly ridiculous because opponents repeat the same faulty rhetoric over and over! The only people that might be convinced are those with confirmation bias. I’m sure that’s their audience, of course, but it’s still hilarious dfjaksdasks.

Anyways. Here’s the excerpt from the EIP transcript that opponents l o v e to spotlight with their “entitlement” claims:

Aang: Katara, did you really mean what you said in there?

Katara: In where? What are you talking about?

Aang: On stage, when you said I was just like a… brother to you, and you didn’t have feelings for me.

Katara: I didn’t say that. An actor said that.

Aang: But it’s true, isn’t it? We kissed at the Invasion, and I thought we were gonna be together. But we’re not.

Katara: Aang, I don’t know.

Aang: Why don’t you know?

Katara: Because, we’re in the middle of a war, and we have other things to worry about. This isn’t the right time.

Aang: Well, when is the right time?

Katara: Aang, I’m sorry, but right now I’m just a little confused.

Aang tries to kiss Katara.

Katara: I just said I was confused! I’m going inside. [Exits the balcony.]

Aang: Ugh, I’m such an idiot! [Puts down his head on the balcony railing.]

Opponents claim Aang’s behavior is “entitled” here for two reasons:

1) He asks Katara several questions about their relationship status.

2) He kisses her.

Before I get too far into this, we have to consider the context of the episode. Katara and Aang have this conversation after just watching 95% of “The Boy in the Iceberg,” aka Fire Nation propaganda. I have talked about the specifics of the play being imperialist propaganda here, but the gist of it is that this play is meant to demean the Gaang, to portray them as lesser and weaker than the Fire Nation. The fact that the play ends with Ozai’s victory is a stark reminder of this mentality. So: Katara and Aang have just watched this play that preys upon their insecurities and paints them as awful caricatures of their true selves. It is only natural that they would be more tense than usual. The reason I bring this up is solely to inform their conversation on the balcony, however; I don’t think their frustration solely defines what they say/do, but it’s worth keeping in mind, “Hey, they’re stressed and upset, of course this conversation might not go perfectly.”

Now, I have talked about the infamous EIP kiss before and approached all the rhetoric surrounding it like Snopes Fact Checker in this post, lmao. I did discuss in there why the kiss is wrong, which no one has ever argued against, but also why the kiss is simply a mistake: not sexual assault, not entitlement, not an unforgivable decision. I’ve copied and pasted specifically my notes on the “entitlement” claim below regarding the kiss, but if you have time, I definitely recommend the whole post jksdhjasdka (I’m quite proud of it). Anyways! Here’s the excerpt:

Claim: Aang acted entitled to Katara and her affection.

Status: False.

I’ve briefly addressed this already, but Aang backing off when Katara pushed him away is the exact opposite of entitlement. An impromptu kiss is not always indicative of entitlement. It can be, especially if the person being kissed has never expressed any interest in the person kissing them, but Katara and Aang were mutually interested in each other. They’d mutually kissed twice already by that point: in CoTL and during DoBS. The EIP kiss was inappropriate. NO ONE HAS EVER SUGGESTED OTHERWISE. But when you’re 12 and you’re already kind of in this semi-relationship with a girl you’ve been through hell and high water with (who has kissed you twice on the lips and on the cheek multiple times, not to mention it is only you she ever expresses such affection towards), it is not fucking “entitlement” to make a move on her, even when the timing is off. IT’S JUST A MISTAKE. A POOR DECISION. NOT ENTITLEMENT. NOT MANIPULATION. NOT SEXUAL ASSAULT. Full stop.

Also, these EIP people love to call Aang entitled for this kiss, but there isn’t a single peep heard from them about Zuko’s line in TSR where he demands to know what’s “wrong” with Katara, since she hasn’t forgiven him yet when everyone else has. And look. I think Zuko was just frustrated here, and that he, too, made a mistake and is obviously not irredeemable for it, but. If you’re going to argue that Aang was entitled in EIP, you’d better be ready to acknowledge the argument that Zuko was acting entitled in TSR, too. And hell, let’s take it a step further! Call Aang entitled for EIP. Call Zuko entitled for TSR. Call Sokka entitled for choosing to stay at Boiling Rock on the off chance his father would arrive, thus making Suki and Zuko feel obligated to stay behind with him, effectively putting all of them in danger. What an entitled decision, risking his friends’ lives on the 0.01% chance Hakoda would be one of the many, many possible war prisoners arriving at Boiling Rock!

Damn. That sounds ridiculous as fuck, doesn’t it?

And guess what. That’s exactly how the “Aang was entitled” arguments come across. Hate to break it to you. Trust me when I say to do yourself a favor and stop perpetuating that faulty rhetoric!

So that is what I have already assessed, lol.

To be frank, the most frustrating thing I see perpetuated is that the EIP kiss somehow ruined Aang and Katara’s relationship. But when it comes to assessing weighty issues like the notion of “entitlement” in a relationship, the fact of the matter is that you have to look at both the relationship as a whole and the context in which it is situated. Opponents never want to do that, because doing so debunks their entire (baseless) argument, lmao. Katara and Aang are best friends. And by EIP, they have both expressed romantic interest in each other multiple times. (Here is a post explaining the development of Katara’s feelings for Aang, just to put out that fire before anyone sets it lmao.)

So why, why do opponents think Katara would never find it in herself to forgive Aang for a mistaken kiss? Katara is shown over and over again throughout the series to have one of the biggest hearts. She wants to see the good in people. That’s why she gives Jet a second chance (even though a person could argue he did not “deserve” one); that’s why she helps the Fire Nation village in “The Painted Lady”; that’s why she forgives Pakku (once she sees he’s willing to change); that’s why she is the second person in the entire show (excluding Iroh) to offer Zuko a hand of kindness (in CoD)! That’s why she eventually forgives Zuko, even after all he has done to the Gaang (e.g. sending an assassin after them, being complicit in Aang’s death, attacking her and kidnapping Aang at the NWT, manipulating her with her mother’s necklace, to name a few, lmao. bless his heart, but like Jet, someone could easily argue Zuko doesn’t “deserve” another chance - and yet Katara still gave him [and Jet] one. in fact, she gave Zuko multiple).

In other words, Katara is almost always willing to extend friendship and compassion and forgiveness to others - why would she revoke that privilege from Aang after a single error that is comparatively lesser to all the other horrible things she’s experienced in the war? Again, I’m not downplaying how terrible of a decision Aang made. It’s inexcusable. But it’s not the end of the world, and considering the context of the show (e.g. Aang and Katara liked each other and they both knew it), it’s… not some heinous crime. Compared to, oh, how about attempted murder? lmaoo

Even beyond Katara’s innate kindness, Aang is Katara’s best friend. She loves him. The show portrays it as romantic through the seasons, but even if someone isn’t into shipping (which is super valid), Katara and Aang’s connection is one of the primary lynchpins of the show! (The other being Aang and Zuko, the greatest foils of all time.) Katara and Aang epitomize several of A:TLA’s thematics (and aesthetics) because they are complementary: yin and yang, push and pull, Tui and La, moon and ocean, blue and orange, water and air. This gifset and related commentary beautifully demonstrate how even when Katara and Aang disagree, they respect the other’s the decision. So after 60~ episodes depicting Aang and Katara as having mutual respect and love for each other in every form as well as emphasizing Katara’s natural inclination towards kindness/giving people the benefit of the doubt, opponents still think Katara wouldn’t forgive Aang because of one mistimed, inappropriate kiss? What?? Make it make sense, lmao.

In sum, the kiss was a mistake, not an act of entitlement, and it’s absurd to think Katara would hold that against Aang for the rest of his life.

To backtrack a bit, opponents also love to use the fact that Aang asked Katara several questions about their relationship status as examples of his “entitlement.” Just typing that out highlights the ridiculous nature of this assertion, lmao! Let me rephrase it for maximum hilarity:

“Aang was unsure about where their relationship stood? Well, how dare he ask numerous questions to resolve his confusion!”

Like, what was the alternative jskfajksdas if you are in relationship limbo with someone, it is far better to ask them ‘too many’ questions for clarification than to simply assume one way or the other! Kissing Katara was wrong, flat-out, but asking her questions to better understand where they were in their relationship was like. exactly the right decision, lmao. I genuinely don’t see how that could be indicative of entitlement? Especially because, once again, Aang and Katara both like each other and they both know that by this point in the show. That’s why Aang doesn’t ask if Katara likes him - he knows she does. That’s why Katara doesn’t negate her feelings - she knows she’s interested in him, and the blockade between them is not a lack of reciprocation, but the fact that they’re “in the middle of a war” and consequently it’s not “the right time” for them to begin a relationship. Katara has seen Aang die before! She knows he’s facing a near-impossible victory! I can’t blame her for not wanting to start a relationship with him at that point. It would hurt twice as much to lose him again if they were together in a romantic fashion (amatonormativity, am I right?). Again, Aang’s kiss was entirely inappropriate, but him asking her questions about their relationship is a) an example of fostering healthy communication and b) what any therapist would encourage, lol.

Oh, but I’m “forgetting” something, aren’t I? Right. This line:

Katara: Aang, I’m sorry, but right now I’m just a little confused.

If we want to talk about parallels, which I know the A:TLA fandom adores, this line sounds suspiciously like:

Yue: … but I like you [Sokka] too much and it’s too confusing to be around you.

Yue and Katara are actually in similar situations here. Outside forces are interfering with their relationships; for Yue, there is her arranged marriage, and for Katara, it’s the life-or-death nature of the war itself. They aren’t confused about their feelings, as Yue knows she likes Sokka and Katara knows she likes Aang, but they are confused about how to reconcile those feelings with their external circumstances. And can you blame them for that? They are facing impossible decisions (the fate of their nation and the fate of the world respectively). I would be confused, too! So Katara’s response isn’t a reaction to any so-called “entitlement” from Aang; she is experiencing genuine confusion about how to approach her own feelings for him in the midst of a war.

In sum, Aang asking questions about their relationship was a logical step to take resolving his confusion and is in no way related to “entitlement.” Katara’s confusion was not “letting Aang down easy” and interpreting it as such requires disregarding every preceding line of the conversation and its context.

As you can see, Aang’s actions in EIP are not at all “entitled.” His questions were understandable. While his kiss was inappropriate and inexcusable, it was also a mistake, and there is no canon evidence to support the conclusion Katara would never be able to forgive him (her literal best friend!) for it.

Before I end, I’ll touch briefly upon the DotBS kiss, because it is also occasionally used as an example of Aang’s “entitlement” towards Katara’s feelings. Whether you like the trope or not, this moment falls under what is called the “Now or Never Kiss.” TV Tropes actually lists Kataang/DotBS as an example under the Western Animation tab:

“Avatar: The Last Airbender: The fact that he’s finally going to face the dreaded Firelord, and possibility that he might not come back alive from that battle, gives Aang enough motivation to kiss Katara.”

Again, whether you like the trope or not, it involves reciprocation from both parties:

“The Not-A-Couple [i.e. both parties] don’t want to go out without revealing how they [i.e. both parties] really feel. It’s now or never. They kiss.”

Katara and Aang both like each other. When Aang initiates the DotBS kiss, Katara kisses him back. Her lips are still puckered when he pulls away. Furthermore, Katara had initiated a kiss with Aang prior to this incident, in CoTL. Katara was also the one to initiate every cheek kiss with Aang (who is the only character she ever demonstrated such affection towards). So Aang kissing Katara during DotBS follows an established precedent of Katara initiating different kisses, romantically inclined, with Aang. It’s not entitlement; it’s him knowing they mutually like each other and him realizing this might be the last time he ever sees her. Again, you can hate the trope, but don’t blatantly misconstrue its meaning. You’ll sound like Fire Nation propaganda, lmao. (For clarification, jic: the general you. not anon!)

Here is a fantastic post by @imreallyhereforkataang explaining the DotBS kiss in more detail as well as discussing why Kataang’s progression in the second half of Book 3 was, in fact, well-developed, and how Katara and Aang are best friends above all else and know that (which was the core of their relationship from the start).

And a bonus fun fact: in the original storyboard (link takes you to storyboarder Giancarlo Volpe’s DeviantArt with said storyboard), it is noted that Katara smiles after Aang kisses her. Why? Because she likes him as much as he likes her! It was changed by a “higher authority,” according to Volpe, probably to add more realism to the romance (i.e. Katara likes Aang, yes, but as she herself points out in EIP - there’s a war going on, and love is always terrifying to reconcile with war).

(Seriously, though, do read Volpe’s description on the storyboard. Takes you a second to scroll down and maybe a minute to read. Short yet informative, discussing how you can see on the storyboard itself that someone revised the image so Katara isn’t smiling after the kiss.)

Anyways! Opponents’ argument that Katara wasn’t interested in Aang therefore is and has always been entirely inapplicable.

To conclude: the entitlement assertion is laughable. There is no canon evidence to support it. As such, I encourage you to laugh whenever you see it! Pull an Azula, for that matter:

[ID: Gif from “The Beach” episode of A:TLA. Ty Lee, mimicking a guy, asks Azula, “Hey there sweet sugar cakes. How ya likin’ this party?” Azula proceeds to burst into exaggerated laughter, earning stares from everyone else at the party. End ID.]

Thank you for the great ask, anon! Hopefully my response was satisfactory 💛

[herenya-sedai]

reacting to the trailer: characters’ appearances

At the end of the day, Rand’s a ginger, Moiraine wears blue and isn’t blonde, Nynaeve has a long braid, Lan has his hadori, and so on. These are the sorts of details I’d be disappointed -- not to mention concerned! -- if the adaptation wasn’t interested in getting right.

But otherwise, there are so many things which matter more than the characters’ appearances. So. Many. Things. How well the cast can act, whether they can bring their character to life, and how much the script allows these characters to stay true to their book counterparts; whether I’m satisfied with the extent to which the story stays true to the books; whether the TV episodes are effective and coherent pieces of storytelling... etc.

But the trailer doesn’t really answer my questions about all that. There’s much one could speculate about but I know trailers can be cleverly misleading. (Is that a dream? Is it a flashback? Are those shots from connected scenes? Is that implying that...?) Because it’s not long to wait now, I think I’d rather see these scenes in context before I start Having Opinions about any changes the show may have made.

So, with that disclaimer out of the way, today I’m commenting on characters’ appearances!

Close enough to what I imagined that my brain’s like yep, that’s exactly right:

- Lan (hair style doesn’t quite match the books but the overall effect is so Lan-ish that I’d seen the trailer multiple times before this occurred to me);

- Perrin (the facial hair means he looks more mid-series-Perrin than EOTW-Perrin).

Mostly but not quite what I imagined, doesn’t contradict the books:

- Rand (fits my mental image except, strangely, for his smile);

- Egwene (but I'm really pleased by Egwene’s casting, no complaints).

Doesn’t quite match the books but I can see how it might be what someone else imagined:

- Moiraine (in the books she’s shorter, and I imagine her with shorter hair too... but she still looks reasonably Moiraine-ish);

- Nynaeve’s braid (looks cool, but more elaborate and more tapering -- if not for this, Nynaeve would fall into one of the categories above).

Doesn’t match the books or what I imagined:

- Siuan (she looks older, older than Moiraine, but the trailer made believe that she’s going to nail Siuan-the-Amyrlin’s character and it’s no surprise that the adaptation is going to drop the Ageless look and presumably aspects of Siuan’s story post-TSR).

Doesn’t really match what I imagined: 

- Mat (maybe it’s the facial hair? Once I see him doing Mat-ish things I’m sure I’ll be convinced he’s Mat);

- Tam (I was like, wait that’s meant to be Tam??? and looked up the actor because I was so convinced they’d cast someone a decade older than the character’s meant to be, as they did with Siuan, but nope, actor’s age matches Tam’s. I don’t know if it’s the facial hair or if it’s just the camera angle of the shot we get of him? It’s weird because it’s not like I have a clear-cut idea of what Tam I think should look like).

[wardens-stew]

The Bone Season - unpacking Paige’s card reading!

To pass the time as I obsess about the imminent release of The Mask Falling, I’ve been thinking about when Liss did a card reading for Paige in TBS - and Elspeth elaborated on it in TSR - and felt like going back to it to see what’s been revealed and what we might glean about what’s yet to come. 

1 - Five of Cups (past)

CONFIRMED - Paige’s father mourning her mother

“You lost something when you were very small. There’s a man with auburn hair. It’s his cups that are spilled.” “My father,” I said. “Yes. You’re standing behind him, speaking to him. He doesn’t answer. He stares at a picture.” 

2 - King of Wands (present)

CONFIRMED - Jaxon’s hold on Paige 

“He controls you. Even now, you can’t escape his hold.” “Warden?” “I don’t think so. Still, he has power. His expectations of you are too high. You’re afraid of him.” Jaxon.

3 - The Devil (future); 4 - The Lovers (what to do)

LOW-KEY CONFIRMED - The Devil as the darkness within Paige; The Lovers as Paige and Warden

“This card represents a force of hopelessness, restriction, fear—but you’ve given into it yourself. There’s a shadow that the Devil represents, but I can’t see its face. Whatever power this person will have over you, you will be able to escape it. They’ll make you think you’re tied to them forever, but you won’t be. You’ll just think you are... The next card will tell you what to do when the time comes.”

I looked down at the fourth card. “The Lovers?” “Yes.” Her voice had dropped to a monotone. “I can’t see much. There’s tension between spirit and flesh. Too much.” 

Elspeth and Paige unpack this in TSR:

Two naked figures were on either side of the pedestal, bound to it, and by extension, to each other, by a silver chain. 

“The two figures in the Devil card closely resemble the couple in the Lovers card, which comes next. They could almost be Lovers... The Devil controls them. Manipulates them.” 

The words left a fine sweat on my brow. Controls them. Manipulates them. The Devil could be Terebell. Both Warden and I were chained to her: Warden by his loyalty, me by my need for her money. And we were also bound to each other by a chain, albeit a chain of gold.

“Someone stands over the pair in the Lovers card, too, though there’s no chain.” Elspeth pointed to a winged figure above the man and woman. “I’m not certain what the figure represents in this instance, but... someone is always watching this couple.”

There’s a good deal of evidence that the Lovers refers to Warden, as Paige points out, but she still isn’t sure:

“As a Rephaite, Warden was the pivot between spirit and flesh. We had always felt watched, knowing the consequences of discovery. If he represented the path I should be taking, then by trying to distance myself from him, by telling him we had to part, I had gone astray; I had turned my back on the counsel of the cards.

And yet, he could so easily be the Devil himself... or a puppet-master in its service, keeping me chained to it, to Terebell. Was he meant to be my lover or my downfall?”

She remains ambivalent, but there’s that important moment towards the end, with Jaxon:

“You will understand that all of us are devils in the skins of men. You will become the monster that lives inside us all.”

I started away from him. This wasn't the first time that his words had sounded like a prediction. The Devil. Had it been me all along? Was it the devil in myself - the devil deep beneath my skin - that I was meant to resist?”

She doesn't really arrive at a conclusion, but I think this theory is pretty convincing! I’m not quite sure if it lines up with the idea of the Devil manipulating and controlling the Lovers, though - does it make sense that the dark instincts in Paige are manipulating her and Warden?? It would fit more easily if the Devil were a person rather than something abstract.

I also think there’s more to be said about Elspeth’s observation that “someone is always watching this couple.” Paige attributes this to her general feeling of being watched in her clandestine relationship with Warden, but Elspeth’s remark suggests that something more deliberate and concrete is going on. That��s quite unnerving - the possibility that someone is literally watching Paige and Warden. I think it may be part of the larger role that their intimacy is playing on the world stage, although they’re not yet aware of it.

5 - Death, Inverted (external influences)

NOT YET DETERMINED

“Death is a normal card for voyants. Usually it appears in the past or present positions. But here, inverted—I’m not sure.” Her eyes flickered beneath their lids. “This far ahead, my sight gets hazy. Things are vague. I know the world will change around you, and you’ll do everything in your power to resist it. Death itself will work in different ways. By delaying the change, you’ll prolong your own suffering.”

Ok, I think this is definitely alluding to the possible events of TMF and Book 5 and the furthering of the Prometheus and Pandora parallel. I did some digging about the divinatory associations of the card:

DEATH.—End, mortality, destruction, corruption; also, for a man, the loss of a benefactor; for a woman, many contrarieties; for a maid, failure of marriage projects. Reversed: Inertia, sleep, lethargy, petrifaction, somnambulism; hope destroyed.

The card, drawn in reverse, can be interpreted as stagnation and the inability to move or change.

In the Mythic Tarot deck, Death is depicted by Hades.

Shit is going to get real!! “Death itself will work in different ways” -  This supports @growingstronglikeahighgardenrose‘s theory that Paige might end up going to the underworld in a Persephone/Eurydice parallel and someone will be forced to stay in the underworld for a period of time - likely Warden. The association with Hades also suggests that Warden will be involved, possibly put in some sort of slumber. I could definitely see Paige resisting this change and the ensuing separation from Warden. 

6 - Eight of Swords (hopes and fears)

NOT YET DETERMINED

“The card showed a woman, bound in a circle of upturned swords. She wore a blindfold. Liss’s skin glowed with sweat. “I can see you. You’re afraid.” Her voice trembled. “I can see your face. You can’t move in any direction. You can stay in one place, trapped, or feel the pain of the swords.”

A little info on the eight of swords, thanks to Wikipedia:

The Querent is in a situation where they're afraid to move. If they move, they'll get cut. However, the ropes that bind them and the blindfold over their eyes are their own fears, keeping them immobile. Therefore, the longer they stay, the more they constrain and entrap themselves. Ever been in a situation where you're afraid to say anything, so afraid that you second guess yourself, end up saying nothing, tying yourself in knots? But speaking up is going to get you cut to ribbons? That's this card. The Querent must have the strength to endure the cuts or they will stay trapped. They must move, for the longer they let the situation continue, the worse it will get.

Ok this is pretty far off so it’s hard to make sense of it. But it seems that Paige is going to be trapped and needs to free herself, though she will suffer for it. I have the feeling that this situation will be fairly literal, especially if the Persephone & Pandora myth holds - Paige could be stuck in some weird state maybe in the netherworld or in a dreamwalking state from which she needs to escape. Not sure if the suffering refers to collateral damage - like Warden will be hurt if she tries to escape - or if she herself will be hurt or changed by freeing herself. It’s all pretty abstract and theoretical at this point.

7 - ?????

The big mystery! I have absolutely no clue how this series will end, and it’s pretty difficult to speculate. But it’s worth thinking about what kind of ending would make sense in terms of the mythology and the larger arc of this story. I’m really anxious about whether Warden and Paige and their relationship will make  it through intact - this doesn’t really seem like the kind of series to end super duper happily like somehow everyone’s problems are solved and the world is utopian - but I also can’t see how an ending in which they were separated/dead/irreversibly damaged would be a satisfying one (pls Samantha Shannon just let them be happy!!!). This is mostly just me trying to convince myself that it’s not going to be some Allegiant-type shit - Samantha Shannon is obviously comfortable inflicting pain on her characters, but I doubt she’d do that kind of fuck-you ending where everyone is screwed. I have faith that it’ll be a satisfying and meaningful conclusion. 

Random sidenote, super bizarre and probably meaningless, but Samantha Shannon once mentioned in an answer to a Tumblr ask that there was a pregnancy storyline in TBS when she initially planned it, but she figured Twilight already did the “immortal hybrid baby thing” and eventually decided she didn’t want Paige to have kids. Then she says, “I won’t rule out writing a fun ‘what if’ chapter once the series is over, though. I just wouldn’t make it canon.” SOOOOooo.... what I’m hearing is that Paige and Warden both make it through to the end of the series alive and in a position to have kids?????