#lok analysis

[sanrielle]

Beifong headcanon:

Suyin knew that Toph had retired to the swamp (and possibly even visited her from time to time) but promised not to tell anyone her location. However, she told Lin once they reconciled. Opal also knew she was alive, but not exactly where. My reasoning for this is the mild reaction Lin and Opal had to Toph randomly showing up, as well as Lin's line, "You know, after Su and I patched things up, I thought, 'Maybe I should reach out to Mom'." Why would she say that if she didn't a) know she was alive and b) had some idea of where to find her? I like this explanation much better than what some people assume, which is that Toph abandoned everyone and made them think she was dead. I don't really understand why people want to think the worst of her. She had flaws but still had a big heart. I think she just got to a point where seismic sense made it too hard for her to live around other people.

[angstandhappiness]

Interesting, and true in a way

Generational spin-off media is like “okay, what would be the most in-character way for the previous show’s protagonist to comprehensively fail as a parent?”

[arieskorra]

hot take: the Avatar state (in its form through Aang) is very clearly a representation of the Great Equalizer (atom bomb) and getting rid of its absolute power was actually a good thing narratively, you guys just like the power fantasy/nostalgia too much.

like, he quite literally becomes an atom

“come on out little boy”

Little Boy was the name given to the bomb dropped on Hiroshima. the Fire Nation mirrors Imperial Japan. “No, I’m not gonna end it like this…”

“Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds” is a line Oppenheimer took from the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred text in Hinduism about the reincarnation of Vishnu, which is what the concept of the Avatar is based upon.

literally begging you guys to engage with analysis of the writing in atla through a historical context 😭

[marching-weirdo]

"zukos character arc is best-

"no aangs flirting skills are-"

"You forgot sokkas hair-"

YALL FORGOT KORRA

SHE WENT FROM THIS

TO THIS

AND STILL GIRLBOSSED HER WYA THROUGH EVERYTHING WHILE ALSO FINDING LOVE AND GAINING BACK THAT MUSCLE!

she also showed a lot of people, like me, that mental health recovery isn't linear. like, girl, that show has problems BUT DAMN IT IF IT ISNT BETTER THAN MoST THINGS YOU SEE

[kaoskuantico]

I will NOT have Caitvi shippers talk about bad writing and slander Korrasami in the 10th anniversary.

I talked about this in another post: https://kaoskuantico.tumblr.com/post/768696997574246400/i-criticize-the-caitvis-writing-because-they

Respect your elders, learn some history. When Korrasami got canon, gay marriage wasn't legal in all states in the USA. Nick didn't even want a woman Avatar as protagonist, at first they only let them have the first season, then the second, and finally the third and fourth got allowed at the same time.

In the fourth season the animation studio had to make that weird episode with used scenes because it was either that, or firing a LOT of their animators.

They removed tlok from tv in books 3 and 4 and could only be watched online.

Korra was a huge representation for mental health, besides being bisexual (yes, BISEXUAL) and from inuit ancestry.

Every time a new wlw relationship gets canon, instead of celebrating we have another ship, some people decide to shit on previous ships on media.

I won't compare Caitvi and Korrasami, they're too different and it will only create fights and unnecessary gaps in the fandoms. Breaking the cycle of violence, I guess.

So I just ask for Caitvi shippers to celebrate their own ship and let Korrasami alone. Without Korrasami, I doubt we'd have the Caitvi's sex scene.

[theotterpenguin]

Katara's Legacy in LOK: "Healer Wife of the Avatar" (part I)

I only recently finished watching all of The Legend of Korra from start to finish. Based on the analyses I’ve read from the time the show was airing, there seemed to be a decent amount of backlash against how the adult gaang was portrayed - particularly Katara. LOK’s fanbase has grown since then, though, especially during the 2020 renaissance, and I was surprised by how many recent positive comments I’ve seen from fans on Katara’s role.

Because if you paid attention at all to Katara’s characterization compared to Aang, Sokka, Toph, and Zuko, it’s clear just how much Legend of Korra has tarnished her “legacy” or lack thereof.

I will be splitting this analysis of lok!Katara into two parts:

First, I will break down her portrayal in the show compared to the other members of the gaang to demonstrate how Katara received the worst treatment from the writers. Though I did have problems with the other characters’ portrayals as well, I don't have time to discuss them in-depth in this post. Then, I will counter common arguments used in defense of lok!Katara’s portrayal on the grounds that they do not provide an adequate in-universe explanation for her character’s drastic change from ATLA.

For part 1, I decided to examine everything we know about the gaang after the original series only based on the information provided via Legend of Korra (excluding poor Suki, who is never mentioned at all). For each character, I will answer the question “What do we know about [character] based solely on their role in Legend of Korra?”

Sokka

Assuming we have never watched ATLA before, what do we know about Sokka based on LOK?

Well-respected for his wisdom and leadership, as he was Chief of the Southern Water Tribe, a councilman in Republic City (Representative of the Southern Water Tribe), and the chairman of the United Republic Council

Played a significant role in Yakone’s bloodbending trial - moderated the Council’s deliberations and announced their decision to find Yakone guilty

Worked together with other political/military leaders - Zuko, Tenzin, and Tonraq - to protect Avatar Korra by designing prisons for Red Lotus members that would be impervious to their bending

Toph mentioned they were friends in their youth, describing a time he was stuck in a hole when she was trying to teach Aang earthbending

Sokka, Toph, and Aang seemed to have remained friends into adulthood as they all worked together to defeat Yakone

Fond of his trusty boomerang, which he claimed to have used to win a fight against a man with combustion abilities

Due to his achievements, has a statue built in his honor in front of the Southern Water Tribe Cultural Center in Republic City

Zuko

Assuming we have never watched ATLA before, what do we know about Zuko based on LOK?

Former Fire Lord and co-founder of the United Republic, who worked with Avatar Aang after the 100 years war to transform the Fire Nation colonies into the United Republic of Nations

Zuko and Avatar Aang had a rocky start, as Zuko described a time when he once hired a man with combustion abilities to kill Aang in his youth, but they eventually became close friends

Acted as Aang’s counsel and was described as being the person who knew Aang better than everyone else, leading Korra to turn to him for advice

Good friends with the Southern Water Tribe - worked with Sokka, Tonraq, and Tenzin to imprison Red Lotus members that wanted to kidnap Korra, specifically working with Unalaq and Tonraq to build a prison to hold P’Li

Years later, continued to work against the Red Lotus when they broke out of prison

Investigated the prison break of Ming-Hua, sent word to Lin Beifong to protect Korra, then flew off on his dragon to stop the Red Lotus from breaking P’Li out of prison

Fought Ghazan using his firebending during the Red Lotus break-in

Discussed the Red Lotus situation with Lin, Korra, and the others, before leaving early on Druk (his dragon) to return to the Fire Nation and protect his family

Despite being in “retirement,” remains an active participant in international relations - makes appearances as Prince Wu’s coronation and Jinora’s airbending master ceremony, along with engaging in discussions with President Raiko, Tenzin, and Tonraq about the future of the Red Lotus after Zaheer was imprisoned again

Highly respected and honored for his achievements - Bolin and Mako were impressed to meet him, statue was built in his honor in Republic City

Had a close relationship with his Uncle and his surviving family include his daughter, Fire Lord Izumi, and his grandson, General Iroh II

Toph

Assuming we have never watched ATLA before, what do we know about Toph based on LOK?

Previous Chief of Police in Republic City, founder of the first metalbending police force, founder of the first metalbending academy

Renowned for inventing metalbending, which is utilized for the development of modern technology and innovation in Republic City and the Earth Kingdom (particularly, Zaofu, is regarded as the safest city in the world due to it being made entirely out of metal)

To honor her metalbending achievements, there are several statues of her in Zaofu

Good friends with Avatar Aang, whom she affectionately named Twinkletoes, and was his earthbending teacher

Worked with Aang to arrest Yakone and was present at Yakone’s trial

Acted as a mentor to Korra, helping Korra face her fears and trained with her

Despite her old age and grumpy personality, Toph remained a strong fighter - easily able to beat Korra during training sessions, take down Kuvira’s sentries, and successfully break into Kuvira’s prison using her earthbending and metalbending abilities

States that her fighting days are over due to her old age, but has no problem fighting to save her family when they are captured by Kuvira (twice)

No interest in involving herself in current political problems in the Earth Kingdom, but will defend her family from political forces that threaten them

Strained relationship with her daughters (Suyin and Lin) because of how busy she was with her job, giving them too much freedom as she didn’t want to be as strict as her own parents

Covered up for Suyin’s crimes to save her reputation, leading her to retire early from guilt

Eventually repairs her relationship with her daughters - admitting she wasn’t a great mother but had great kids

Spent rest of her life living alone in a swamp, mentioning she has previous experiences with the visions it produces

High reputation in Republic City - has a statue of her built in front of police headquarters, Asami is impressed by her, Bolin calls her his hero

Aang

Assuming we have never watched ATLA before, what do we know about Aang based on LOK?

Previous Avatar before Korra, negotiated relations between people of all nations to keep peace and balance and served as the bridge between the Spirit World and natural world

Worked with his closest friend Zuko to transform the Fire Nation Colonies into the United Republic of Nations after the war

Lost his entire culture of Air Nomads to genocide during the hundred year war and was devastated - his greatest dream was frequently described as rebuilding the Air Nation and reviving Air Nomad culture

He began to do this by founding the Air Acolytes, who preserved the culture, practices, and teachings of the Air Nomads passed on from Aang

Placed all of his hopes and dreams for the future on Tenzin's shoulders, his only airbender son

Deeply connected to the Spirit World and was an esteemed spiritual leader, hoping his son would one day experience the same

Traveled the world with Tenzin so he could learn as much as possible, but was so focused on doing his duty to the world that he never had time for his other kids, Kya and Bumi, whom he had with his wife, Katara

Kya and Bumi felt like a disappointment to their father for not being airbenders and Bumi never felt connected to his father’s culture until he became an airbender later in life

Aang’s acolytes did not even know Aang had other children besides Tenzin

All of this seems to indicate Aang valued the ability to airbend the most in his children, leading to his waterbending/nonbending kids being neglected

Greatest flaw mentioned as his tendency to cut and run when things get tough

Despite all this, he was highly respected and admired by most characters in the show for all his achievements as Avatar and his wisdom

Assisted in the arrest of Yakone with Toph, a friend of his, and used energybending to remove Yakone’s bending

Gave Korra advice along with restoring her bending and bestowed upon her the ability to energybend

His grandkids (Meelo, Jinora, and Ikki) enjoyed hearing stories about his youth, such as his visit to Wan Shi Tong’s spirit library and his time with Guru Pathik at the Eastern Air Temple

Described as natural leader by Tenzin, sweet-tempered by Lin, and was good friends with Iroh

He built the air temple on Air Temple Island and in his honor, Aang Memorial Island was named after him and a statue of him was built

He’s so well-known and respected that there are even Aang-themed carnival games at the South Pole

Katara

Assuming we have never watched ATLA before, what do we know about Katara based on LOK?

Described as the best healer in the world, responsible for teaching Korra how to heal, and mentioned to be a waterbending master

Monitored Korra’s avatar training and spoke to the Order of the White Lotus when Korra was ready to begin airbending training

Declared bloodbending illegal, but was not present for Yakone’s capture or trial

Attempted to restore Korra’s bending after Amon took it, but failed

Failed to heal Jinora when she was trapped in the Spirit World

Tries to guide Korra’s healing process after she is poisoned, but is unable to heal her on her own

Worked to heal the injured after Unalaq’s attack

According to Toph, Katara didn’t get involved in the civil war taking place in her homeland because of her old age

Mentions to Korra she knows what it’s like to go through a traumatic experience but doesn’t elaborate, instead describing Aang’s trauma

Married to Avatar Aang and had three kids - Tenzin, Kya, and Bumi - and three grandchildren - Ikki, Jinora, and Meelo

After Aang and her brother died, she was incredibly lonely, prompting Kya to move to the south pole to be with her. Misses her family that has passed away.

Her kids don’t visit her much, Meelo doesn’t even recognize his grandmother. She cries when Tenzin and his family leave.

Never speaks about her own life, but Jinora asks her once about what happened to Zuko’s mom, indicating they may have known each other.

By reading those summaries, it should be obvious just how differently Katara’s character was treated by the writers compared to the others. Katara’s legacy is reduced to simply being the “healer wife of the Avatar.”

And before anyone tries to twist my words: The problem is not that she is a mother, a wife, and a healer. The problem that is all she is ever allowed to be. Her entire identity revolves around:

Trying to heal people

Being the Avatar’s wife and occasionally offering random pieces of advice about what Aang would do (instead of, you know, giving advice based on her own experiences)

Missing her family

Again, none of these characteristics are inherently negative - the problem is how poorly they are written for Katara’s character. We are told things about her that just don't match up with what is shown in LOK canon. We're told that she’s a world renowned healer, but every time we see her use these abilities, she fails. We’re told that she’s the Avatar’s wife, but he was closest to his friend, Zuko. We’re told that she’s a mother who cares about her family, but we don’t know anything about her relationship with her children (and in fact, we know far more about her children's relationship with Aang).

Katara has no characteristics, no personality outside of her relationship to others - whether she’s acting as a healer, a mother, or a wife (this is some textbook misogynistic writing). She never speaks about herself, never mentions having any friends - only ever speaking about her husband, never describes her life before being a mother or a wife, is never shown to be honored or respected in the way the rest of the gaang is, has no political titles, and has only one post-atla accomplishment to her name. This is in contrast to Aang, Zuko, and Toph - all of whom have children but are never reduced solely to being a parent, all of whom are implied to be close friends, and all of whom have made multiple important contributions to the world of LOK. Even Sokka - who is barely in the show - is shown as having more achievements than Katara. I’m not sure how anyone could see this as doing Katara’s character justice.

I want to end with this excerpt from the book Avatar: The Last Airbender: Legacy - while not from Legend of Korra, this letter written by Katara to her and Aang's son, Tenzin, is a perfect demonstration of Katara's poor characterization post-ATLA. Despite being written by Katara, this entire letter is about Aang. I'm honestly not sure why the writers didn't just have this letter written by Aang himself because there are no insights that Katara adds to it.

The letter starts with Katara saying that she hopes this letter will help Tenzin "feel the pride of [his] heritage and gain a deeper understanding of who [he is]." And yet this letter never discusses the fact that Tenzin is the son of a waterbender and an airbender, never discusses any of the lessons Katara has learned in her life or the hardships she's overcome, never mentions any part of water tribe culture, never even mentions her own brother or father or mother (family is important to Katara, but apparently the writers only think that her family with Aang matters). The letter is entirely about Aang's struggles and triumphs because post-ATLA Katara doesn't matter outside of her relationship to her husband and kids.

Part 2

[solar-wing]

⚣ ATLA/LOK: The Four Nations & Homosexuality ☀️

I'm planning to write for my favorite characters from the Avatar universe again. Any OGs from my first account know I started posting content about ATLA and LOK, specifically Bolin and Mako, WAAAY before I started posting DC and Marvel content among others.

So I wanted to talk about something I found really interesting about homosexuality within the four nations and their attitudes towards it regarding acceptance and whether they embraced or turned away from it. And since we are soon getting a new Earth Avatar series, we might as well start with the Earth Kingdom.

EARTH KINGDOM

First, let's consider the element of the nation itself and what it symbolizes.

Earth is not just the element of strength, but also the element of endurance and rigidity. In simple terms, it's a tough and stubborn element.

Also, Earth is a hybrid element, meaning it can be used in defensive and offensive manners easily.

Concerning its nation, it can be shown how citizens of the Earth Kingdom would more than likely be very conservative and adverse to any change or diverting from societal standards in the norm.

They're stubborn and stuck in their ways, so they may not react the most positively to displays of affection between same-sex couples. But, it can work in both ways.

As mentioned, Earth-benders and citizens, in general, tend to be very stuck in their beliefs, meaning if one were to have a more liberal position on the matter of social and romantic relationships, they would be just as defensive and stubborn in that belief as someone more conservative and traditional.

This goes back to my saying that Earth itself is a hybrid element. A mix of defensive and offensive tactics. Just as much as people way attempt to push their beliefs onto others, they're just as quick to defend their beliefs and ideals.

I'd also argue region/location within the Earth Kingdom is a major factor. If we're talking places like small villages or cities like Omashu in the animated version, you may be met with pushback and intolerance. But, places like Kyoshi Island where its founder was a lesbian so likely had very liberal beliefs concerning such topics. Also Omashu from the live-action since that version portrays Oma & Shu as a lesbian couple, and even Ba Sing Se since big cities are proven to attract a more liberal-leaning population.

But, interestingly enough, in the comics, it's stated that the Earth Kingdom is the slowest to accept change, and their default is still heterosexuality. Obviously, this comes from the rigidness and stubbornness of the Earth element itself. So even if Ba Sing Se has a more 'liberal' or rather "diverse" crowd, doesn't mean that crowd is automatically open to homosexuality. Ideally, the only known place in the Earth Kingdom where you could experience the most acceptance and grace from others would be Kyoshi Island

In summary, on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most accepting & embracing of homosexual relationships and 1 being the opposite, I originally was going to give the Earth Kingdom a 5, but remembering how it's stated in the comics that they are the slowest to accept change which checks out, they got bumped down to a 2.

It is a very big nation and thus has the potential to plant different seeds of belief and opinion, however, it's clear in the show how rigid and otherwise, unshakeable denizens of the Earth Kingdom can be. They have their beliefs, and they strongly stick to them.

Even with someone like Avatar Kyoshi who had to go and make a whole separate Island where she and her people could live in peace and prosperity without certain influences affecting them, they still have yet to come around to the idea that other people live with different interests and beliefs, and that there is truly no 'default' for even one person.

Acceptance Rating: 2/10

FIRE NATION

Starting with a focus on the element itself again, fire is the element of power, as described by Iroh. It can burn things in its path, but can also give life. In simple terms, it's an element of strong will and desire to expand and consume, literally and metaphorically.

Fire is also mainly an offensive element, with the capability of modifying certain offensive moves into defensive ones.

Its nation's citizens and benders heavily share these traits with their element. They tend to be willful and proud, and while that doesn't necessarily equal being close-minded, pride can very well lead to stubbornness.

This is evidenced strongly by the political government of the Fire Nation, with its monarchy power having complete and total influence and control over its citizen's lifestyles and choices. If one Fire Lord feels strongly about something and makes it into law, another Fire Lord can come two generations later and reverse and change it.

This is shown in the nation's history, where homosexuality was actually tolerated (I hate using that word) in the Fire Nation for a long time before Fire Daddy, ahem, I mean Fire Lord Sozin's rule. It was during his reign as Fire Lord that Sozin outlawed same-sex relationships and marriages among the Fire Nation and its citizens.

Some speculate it was due to the clear pressure he faced being the sole heir to the throne since his sister was born a non-bender, something that was frowned upon in the royal family. A potential heir to the Fire throne had to be a firebender, with no exceptions. Therefore, Princess Zeisan was allowed more freedom and control in her life than he was, as evidenced by her embracing Air Nomad culture and being confirmed as a lesbian.

It was common knowledge that Sozin and Zeisan had a very antagonistic and tense relationship with each other, despite them being siblings. They were pitted against each other from a young age which caused a rivalry between them. So, it's completely possible to speculate that Sozin implemented the law to spite his sister who fell in love with Sister Rioshon, an Air Nun.

it's also completely possible to theorize that Sozin harbored homosexual tendencies and feelings himself, especially towards his best friend, Roku we all know was the Fire Avatar before Aang. Again, his being a royal prince and next in line for the throne threw a wrench in this since Sozin was expected to marry a woman and produce an heir. So his potential feelings for his best friend could never be explored due to his duties and responsibilities to his nation.

So since Sozin couldn't have what or who he truly wanted, no one could, and thus, same-sex love and marriage were banned. And that didn't change no matter where you went in the nation unlike the Earth Kingdom where you could go from village to village and city to city and the rules would be completely different depending on where you were.

Again, fire is the element of power and will. And if it was the will of the Fire Lord to ban same-sex relationships in the nation entirely, then everyone had to fall in line. Meaning the door was opened for more conservative and traditionalist views to be voiced in opposition to same-sex relationships.

While some may have had differing beliefs and ideals, they more than likely had to keep it to themselves, especially among the nobility. This can lead to harboring feelings of anger and resentment, rather than love and acceptance, causing people to react harshly to any displays of such affection and behavior, just like Sozin.

As I said, fire as an element itself is primarily offensive in nature. Reflecting on its people, and especially its governing body, this is clearly shown by the notion that one person's opinion and belief can be pushed onto everyone around him if he or she so decrees it.

With that, the Fire Nation gets a 3/10 on the scale. Again, in the past, they were at minimum tolerant of it. which is not much if we're being honest. Tolerant actually is kind of insulting. But, after Sozin's rule, that tolerance more than likely dwindled and hasn't improved much following his reign as far as we know.

I'd like to think that Zuko as the Fire Lord, having seen much of the world and all its different dimensions and lifestyles people have lived, he'd at some point in his reign reverse the ruling, but that's a far-fetched hope knowing these writers and creators (no shade...mostly).

Acceptance Rating: 3/10

AIR NOMADS

Air is the element of freedom. It's flexible and lacks restriction, moving in any direction it desires. And because of its lack of constraint, it becomes easily adaptable in any scenario, whether it's evasion, offense, defense, etc.

However, the element of air is primarily and almost purely used as a defensive and evasive practice among its population, due to its nation as a whole choosing to live as pacifists. But, do not be misled. As mentioned, air as an element can be just as powerful offensively as it is defense-wise.

Just as their element, the benders of the Air Temples were very open and flexible people. As monks and nomads, they chose to forego many earthly and physical connections, seeking spiritual enlightenment. Because of this, there were never any non-benders in the Air Nomads.

Any child born from an Airbender was an Airbender themselves. Also, due to their style of life and spirituality, they were very adaptive to any situation they were placed in, making them very open to any and all change around them.

While they lived by the teachings of the monks and masters of the Air Nomads, they lived freely and openly, just like their element. The most restriction they had was as children or masters/monks that lived at the temples, males and females were not allowed to live together in the same space.

I'm not sure if this applies to temples as a whole as I've seen conflicting information. Some say the rule applies to temples as a whole, which would mean the Northern and Southern Temples were only inhabited by male Airbenders, and the respecting Eastern and Western temples were inhabited by female Airbenders.

But, I do remember a specific scene from Avatar, during the 2nd season when Appa was lost, and he had a memory of when he was a baby bison, and he and Aang met for the first time. I remember the monk facilitating this was a female Airbender, so that's why I'm not exactly sure what is concrete.

But, it does make sense as in many of Aang's flashbacks to his time at the Southern Air Temple, we mainly only ever saw male Airbenders. Thus, many have speculated that this specific rule would inadvertently encourage exploration and curiosity for these young Airbenders regarding their sexuality as they matured and eventually left the temples as adults and master Airbenders.

Also, on this, no child from the Air Temples was raised by their parents. They were only raised by the monks, enforcing that common belief and practice they all had. While they of course had their own identities, they were all taught the same thing from an early age, if an Adult Airbender met and had a child with someone from a different nation, that child likely being an Airbender would be sent to the Air temples to be raised by the monks.

All that to say, Airbenders would be the exact opposite of conservative. They technically wouldn't even be liberal since, again, they detach themselves from earthly limitations in favor of a higher spirituality.

So, since they don't subscribe to earthly practices or beliefs, they would be the most accepting nation of homosexuality and same-sex relationships. It's not in their nature or belief to judge others either so they wouldn't show any hostility or intolerance to LGBTQ+ people and relationships.

Just like their element, they practice freedom and adaptability to the world around them. And just as air is primarily used in defensive manners, they still will defend their beliefs and practices, they just avoid direct confrontation, preferring evasive maneuvers.

Just a quick note, the Air Nomads are what I like to think of as the example of how this world should have been. I read another column that detailed how the creators of the show ultimately created institutionalized homophobia because they couldn't imagine a world without it, and that's in large part due to the heavy influence of Western, colonial, Christian, and to be quite frank, European imperialism on the show's writing.

It's a fact that's becoming increasingly more well-known. Before European and Christian colonization/imperialism, many cultures and communities were not just accepting of same-sex relationships and LGBTQ+ identities, they embraced it! While there were definitely pedophilic relationships that were wrong and grotesque no matter what time period it was, same-sex relationships were just as normal as opposite-sex ones. There was no "default."

So in simple terms, the Air Nomads accept and embrace everyone, no matter who they are or how they live. As long as they don’t wrong and harm others, and even then, they see everyone as equal and deserving of respect and love. And that's what our society should be based on. Of course, they were killed off in an entire genocide, which, say what you will and think what you think, but the one culture that accepts and loves everyone as they are being killed off...ironic, don't ya think?

Acceptance Rating: 10/10

WATER TRIBES

Finally, water is the element of change. Like air, it adapts to its circumstances, but more fluidly and gracefully. Yet, unlike air, it relies on the flow of energy, turning its defense into an offense and back. In whatever scenario that sees fit, a Waterbender can change their liquid offense into a solid defense, or turn a solid offense into a gas defense.

This clearly makes the water an element suitable for either an offensive or defensive strategy. Its unique ability to change its form to fit its circumstances gives its user an extreme advantage in combat or any other risky scenario.

Now, even with this in mind, ironically enough, the people of the Water Tribe are not the most in sync with their element as far as when it comes to living standards.

While yes, in combat, they adapt and adjust accordingly to their needs and goals in the fight, in regular practice, they're more conservative and less open to change than you would initially believe.

Also, as confirmed in the LOK comics, while the Water Tribes are not openly homophobic, they are still lacking in accepting and embracing the concept that there is not one rule that applies to all when it comes to who they love. Which, when you think about it, checks out.

The Northern Tribe operated heavily off a patriarchal society as we saw in the first season, and it took Paku nearly getting his ass whooped by a teenage girl who was the grand-daughter of the woman he loved but refused to wed since it was arranged for them to start to change their ways. Even if the Southern Tribe was a bit ahead of their Northern counterpart in this sense, they still suffered from the restricting roles they placed on themselves concerning gender.

Giving props to Fire Nation and Air Nomads, they never had restrictive rules on who could fight in battle, even if the Nomads as mentioned tended to avoid conflict. However, the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes both practiced and thus, were limited by their rules that men were only allowed to serve in the army and in the guard.

Of course, we've already discussed the Earth Kingdom is the slowest to accept change, but for the Water Tribes, this is a bit unnatural, and if this is how they act regarding gender, it says a lot about how they would react when it comes to same-sex relationships.

So, it's understandable why Kya advises Korra and Asami to keep their relationship to themselves. But, I personally don't believe they should. Creating change means people are going to be uncomfortable. Oh well, boo-hoo, they'll get over it.

But, this does at least check out with the hybrid offense/defense nature of water bending. People of the Water Tribe will stand their ground and defend what they choose to believe in and love. And while they may not openly go out of their way to push their beliefs onto others like those in the Fire Nation, it doesn't mean they don't still have ways have doing so. Like water, I imagine their approach to such a subject can vary.

With that, Water Tribes get a 2.5/10. They're ahead of the Earth Kingdom in the sense that they've realized excluding women from fighting hurts them more than it helps them. Also, it's highly plausible that if a woman can learn how to fight, a man can learn how to heal, but I digress. However, they're still lower than the Fire Nation since this is less of a government-forced ideology and more of a societal norm they place on themselves.

Acceptance Rating: 2.5/10

I like doing analysis like this. If anyone thinks of other topics to discuss and do a deep dive into, send it in my asks!

[paragonrobits]

i've had the pleasure of playing Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver's remaster, and as one of the most foundational games for me overall, its given me time to think about stuff. its more or less how the game works; its fundamentally an exploration/puzzle solving platformer with action elements, with the best example being that most of Raziel's upgrades aren't making him stronger but allow him to traverse in new ways, and its gotten me to think about something I've had on my mind ever since i played Soul Reaver 2 back when it released in 2001 (i think):

the exact circumstances of Raziel's rebirth as a wraith, and exactly what's going on with him, is incredibly murky because the only real source Raziel has to go on is enormously suspect and explicitly lies all the time to your face, and that's the Elder God.

The Elder God claims to have spared Raziel from complete dissolution and acts as a benefactor, but Raziel is shown to be deeply suspicious of him around Soul Reaver 2. At first I thought that was a shocking swerve back in the day because the Elder God had always been helpful by the standards of the series, but it bears reminding that Soul Reaver wasn't able to do everything originally planned for it, with many of the unfinished aspects showing up in SR2 and Defiance in some respects (and also i recommend looking up the cut content, it is very cool); crucially, the ending would have had Raziel darkly asking the Elder God if he actually DID save Raziel and remake him as a wraith, or if Raziel was altered by unknown circumstances and the Elder God just took credit for it to manipulate Raziel for its own purposes.

Tellingly, the Elder God simply laughs, and ceases to communicate with him. Afterwards, Raziel would go back in time in an attempt to correct his course. This suggests that the Elder God was always meant to be ambigious and untrustworthy, and almost certainly did NOT have any involvement with whatever Raziel has become.

And the thing about it, the very thing that kept bugging me as I played through the game as a kid and now as an adult, is that Raziel is hardly unique, as a vampire wraith.

They're a common enemy in-game. When a vampire is killed, but their soul is not consumed by Raziel, they become a wraith that floats around the Spectral Realm as probably the most dangerous recurring enemy. As long as their body is intact, the vampire wraith can always return to that body, becoming far more powerful; among other things, gaining the ability to auto-drain Raziel's health, implicitly devouring his soul much as he does to them.

Exactly as Raziel operates.

This is more explicit with the most powerful of the vampire bosses, Raziel's brother Dumah, who alongside the second eldest (Turiel), were the ones who executed Raziel. Dumah has been killed by human hunters and impaled by spears, but his spirit is still around, and once those spears are removed, he is a nigh-unstoppable juggernaut that requires environmental tricks to kill for good. Possessing his body, becoming stronger than before, and vampire wraiths apparently being a fairly natural power for vampires to manifest if killed but not permanently destroyed, all points to Raziel's nature as a wraith not actually being that unique.

So what's different about him to being a walking paradox who, alone of all beings, has free will?

The setting establishes that older vampires are more powerful; Dumah is incredibly strong because his spirit has endured the Spectral Realm for so long. Most vampire enemies vary from needing a few hits to take down, with fledgelings far weaker, and this implicitly shows their toughness because the HUMAN enemies you fight will immediately die from a single hit from the Soul Reaver, or at least two melee weapon hits. It's not that vampires are weak, they're really quite strong, and Raziel is no exception. Raziel, furthermore, was the eldest and most powerful of Kain's lieutenants, and he was submerged in the Spectral Realm for a VERY long time. The specifics are unclear, but it has at the very least been centuries, enough that the landscape is rather different and vampires have mutated into completely inhuman forms. Raziel may be the most extreme form of a vampire wraith, as he honestly doesn't seem that different from the regular wraiths you fight, he's just older and far more powerful.

And this brings us to the actual thought I had here: Raziel's status as a fate-destroying pawn of prophecy is not actually related to him being a wraith, but because of the Soul Reaver.

The title of the Raziel games is rather specific; Raziel IS the Soul Reaver, the most powerful weapon in the first Blood Omen game, devouring the souls of its targets. And the ravenous, insane sentience IS Raziel; he winds up within it, consumed and merged into the blade, driven mad and feral by the long eons within it until, as time passes, it merges with the Raziel we initially play as, far in the future.

It is emphasized that this is a paradox. Its the same person, within the blade and BEARING the blade; an impossible situation, and this may be what causes Raziel to break fate. Kain, during a moment of genuine sincerity, tells Raziel that his ability to defy fate is because of his remaking. He is also fully aware of Raziel's doom; for all of Kain's ambition and desire for power, and his disinterest in a particular moral concern like Raziel has, he is genuinely trying to free Raziel from that doom. So, does this mean that Raziel becoming a wraith is the remaking Kain alludes to here?

It's important to note that in this series, no one really has the full picture. Kain might BELIEVE he knows the specifics of Raziel's remaking, but its hard to be sure if that's actually true or if he misunderstands it; as we see here, vampire wraiths are a known phenomenon and while quite powerful, they don't really seem to have that same kind of reality-breaking property, which may instead be due to Raziel's status as a walking paradox.

[ot3]

genuinely the worst atla take i've seen since reading forums in 2008

[tamras-shieldmaiden]

I haven't done much writing as of lately, so I kinda want to make up for it with a headcanon. This one is short, but I believe it provides an explanation out of many of why Kuvira’s troops were so loyal to her to the point of daring to challenge the Avatar in an effort to rescue her, and I think it all goes back to her days in Zaofu as captain of the guard.

Our dashing captain of the Zaofu guard

We found out through Suyin that Kuvira rose through the ranks quickly, and from what we could infer from book 3, she successfully performed the duties of leader of the Zaofu Guard, fulfilling and even exceeding expectations due to her youth. Despite her meteoric rise, she had the support of her troops, something that came into play in unexpected ways for Suyin when they decided to follow Kuvira in her effort to retake and bring order back to Ba Sing Se. One thing that might've helped in fostering cohesion among Kuvira and her troops is the fact that despite having been taken by the Beifongs, she wasn't one of them, so her colleagues could see her as one of them. After all, she had risen from their ranks, and after her promotion, she had insisted she wanted to continue to train with them, making a departure from what was customary and what was initially taken as a breach of proper officer behavior. Instead of exclusively at the officers' table, she would walk around the mess hall and choose a random table to eat among the troops during meal times. This allowed her to listen to them and gauge their morale, showing that despite her sudden promotion, she still found their support and feedback valuable. With time, the guards noticed how some of their suggestions were taken into effect, cementing the impression that their commander paid attention to what they had to say.

Given her success and the positive feedback from both troops and officers alike, Kuvira continued implementing this practice until her army and her goals were too large to make it feasible. However, whenever she stopped at a local garrison during her travels, she always sought to make time to join the troops at dinner to get to know the men and women who were aiding her in her goal of uniting the Earth Kingdom. By doing this, she continued to inspire her soldiers, earning their loyalty, for better or worse, as the idealistic captain who left Zaofu with lofty goals became a power-hungry dictator with an iron grip and an ambition that led her to her eventual downfall.

[matt0044]

Fandom is weirdly incurious.

That seems to be a fandom phenomenon in where the CinemaSins mode of thinking limits the imagination. As in everything in the fantasy world must be detailed and explained to us with little ambiguity to it. Otherwise a fan’s inference is just meaningless.

Hypocritically these same viewers would call out the show for any such exposition so clunky and obvious in intention to educate the viewers.

See… one of the things I liked about The Legend of Korra fandom back when the show was airing (despite Nick’s best efforts) was that fans thrived with making analytical text posts out of the blanks the show left. The Fridge Brilliance page for the show could be overblown but it was clear that the staff wanted to invite viewers to take a closer look.

For every ATLA purist, there were those who read Korra’s Season 1 arc as opening her Chakras and culminating in achieving the Avatar State. Many who saw Mako as a person who did hurt others but without realizing and honestly being more of a dork at the end of the day.

Basically they used their imagination. Headcanons and theories are the backbone of fandom. Some are weird ideas while others take stock of what the show presents us and make reasonable deductions.

Yet for the other side of the coin, it’s always “Here’s how it doesn’t work for me” yet they hesitate to ask, “Why does this hit the spot for others?” There’s a lack of curiosity to look outside their bubble despite insisting that they’re not closed minded.

Like CinemaWins released his video on The Rise of Skywalker, a unilaterally hated movie, and explained why he liked it. He also explained his understanding of why others didn’t like it and it was so much better than the millionth video of somebody thrashing it.

Even if you don’t like something, that doesn’t mean opposite perspectives aren’t valuable. Craftsdwarf on YouTube has videos exploring Sword Art Online and takes it seriously compared to a lot of the hatedom that formed around it.

I don’t fully agree with them myself but it was so much more refreshing than the dime a dozen hate pieces. There’s a market for positive stuff out there but negativity, by its more unfiltered nature, draws more attention by “saying the quiet part outloud.”

I highly recommend Zoe Bee's eye opening video essay: "YouTube and the Death of Media Literacy." It touches around the thirty minute mark how some ambiguity, blank spaces if you will, in a story isn't a bad thing actually.

[sanrielle]

I love headcanoning Lin with rough edges, even while she's healing and building healthy relationships post-canon. I love to see realistic growth with constant backslides. She's a certified grump and while, yes, she was wronged, she's also not blameless.

She held a grudge for thirty years, despite ample opportunities to hash things out. Her mom was distant and didn't give her the attention/approval she wanted. Her sister was a teenage brat who got caught up with the wrong crowd and made a big mistake. Neither are unforgivable crimes. In fact, those are pretty common sources of family drama.

Lin pushed everyone away for decades because she's stubborn as hell (affectionate) and refused to acknowledge her own flaws. She accused Suyin of being exactly the same as her teenage self (objectively false) because Lin herself wasn't willing to grow and bloom. She was just angry all the time. Maybe even angry at herself, deep down, for not even giving her family the chance to make amends.

What an amazing, complex character. I adore her. I love her rough edges and her unshakable sense of justice and her self-sacrificing nature. I love Toph and Suyin, too. Flawed people, tied to each other with invisible strings, pushing and pulling because they can't get on the same page. They're too different and too alike at the same time.

[avatarcompanion]

I also got this one along with the novels. I read it digitally before, but it's nice to finally get it in print (I want to get all the new comics in print eventually).

I remember there was some discussion about Korrasami being the front page when not all the stories are about them, but flipping through it... I does have a lot of Korrasami lol.

All in all it was a great anthology with substantial character focused stories imo. Basically just it's equal parts Korrasami AND airbenders, which you could never make me hate.

[sh3nlong-promakh0s]

zaheer is a great villain omfg or like chaotic neutral character love him loved s3 of LOK

he is genuinely scary as shit and chaotic, i still can't really pin him down to having a single motivation other than his ideology of freedom, sort of like the joker but anyway he rules

[dannydevitosthiccdog]

I'm not mad at Katara for talking about how the fire nation killed her mother, I'm disappointed she doesn't learn her lesson.

EVERY SINGLE TIME she tells anyone about her mothers death, it blows back in her face or Sokka's.

Haru. Jet.. I'm sure there's more. But I'm very sleeby (I don't mean Haru, I meant Hama, autocorrect)

Jet tried to make her angry enough to destroy a whole village with little kids and innocent people in, he tried to manipulate her.

So fucking many people use that VERY PERSONAL INFORMATION to incite anger and hatred.

Need to say this first. I DO NOT SHIP ZUTARA

The only person not to use this information against her is Zuko. Even as the morally questionable boy he is, he doesn't use that information against her.

[kaoskuantico]

Reminder that "the avatars look like their previous life's partner" theory has always been a fan theory that was stretched too far. Most of the "proofs" don't even match. The only ones barely similar are Korra and Katara, and that's only because they're both from the Water Tribe.

It was never canon nor made any sense.