#personal r/ant

[i-am-extremely-mad]

I rewatched TLOK a few days ago and every time I love the show more and more.

That final scene always gets me, no matter how many times I've watched it, even after almost 10 years, especially when some recent supposedly more open yuri anime don't even bother to make a conclusive ending for their wlw relationships.

My honest reaction every single time:

Unfortunately, every time, I get more frustrated because of the constant negative and sometimes irritatingly cynical options about the show that I always come across when I want to enjoy the show.

Nothing can spoil your viewing pleasure more than someone just cynically commenting that they don't like some detail in the show without giving an explanation as to why, and mostly it boils down to not understanding the genre, themes and basic plot, as well as the inability to remember details from previous episodes and seasons.

I was planning to finally respond to some of those posts, but I'll postpone it until the end of next week, hopefully without further delays.

[i-am-extremely-mad]

I have made it clear several times that I do not want TERFs and other bigots to interact with my blog. 

Some fucking TERF:

[i-am-extremely-mad]

Just to make it clear to everyone, I love TLOK not only because of korrasami. I honestly think that TLOK is a terribly underestimated and misunderstood show. That's why I don't reblog from some of the unfortunately more popular fandom blogs, because of their terrible takes on themes and politics from the show. I don't care if they make good art or say something positive about korrasami if they also say something I find absolutely wrong or ignorant about the show itself. Maybe soon I will answer some of them, when I find enough time and patience for it.

[i-am-extremely-mad]

lol lok is fucking shit

This ask has been sitting here since June 21, 2022. So I will finally answer it...

[i-am-extremely-mad]

This is disturbingly becoming more relevant by the day.

It seems that no one seriously understood the possibility of such a situation in real life.

TLOK TV show and Turf Wars comics came decades too soon.

i just remembered the fire nation post-conquest was canonically homophobic

[i-am-extremely-mad]

I've already mentioned before about the disgusting anti Korra arguments made by neoduskcomics, this is example just so you can see what I'm talking about:

Allegedly showing how “awful” Korra was in Book 2 because, among other things, she dared to threaten the judge for giving her father a DEATH SENTENCE. How dare Korra defy the authorities who just SENTENCED HER FATHER TO DEATH! Really? How dare Korra be angry because her father... I repeat... was SENTENCED TO DEATH! I mean, who does that, normal people don't get frustrated and angry and even threaten violence if a member of their family is sentenced to death for a crime they didn't commit? Right? She is so obnoxious!

Also the comic portrayed it as her oppressing non-bender there? Like she's hypocritical for doing the opposite of Book 1? They showed the scene like she threatened the judge with waterbending (that's not what happened at all btw) implying that she was doing that because he was supposedly non-bender (I watch scene multiple times, I still can't find any confirmation that judge was non-bender?). Again, she threatened the judge only because he sentenced her father to death, not because he was supposedly non-bender. But again how otherwise literally demonizing Korra if not making shit up about plot?

Or how she supposedly tried to stop Unalaq by force, when in reality she did it when she tried to break her father out of prison, and only attacked Unalaq to distract him so they could escape because her father wasn't there.

And how she didn't listen to her father not to try anything rash before she attacked the judge on the road. The comic of course completely ignores the fact that Korra only did this after seeing her mother completely emotionally broken. Haters as usual like to ignore this very important context. I'm sorry but I had to get some frustration out of me.

What literally happened, the actual transcript, word for word: 

Hotah: “On the charge of treason, you are all found... guilty. The punishment for this crime... is death.” 

Cut to a shocked Mako and Asami, who stand up. Cut to Korra and Senna, who look on with utter shock and disbelief. Cut to Tonraq, who closes his eyes and bows. Cut back to the courtroom, where Hotah leaves. 

Korra: “You can't do this!” [Hotah glances at Korra.] “You take their lives, and I'll take yours!” [Hotah stops and his eyes widen in shock.] 

Unalaq: “Korra, calm down. I'll talk to him.” [To Hotah.] “I know I promised to respect whatever decision you made, but I must ask you to reconsider. Show these men and my brother mercy.” 

Hotah: “Very well. I'll change their punishment. Your lives will be spared, but you will live them out in prison.” [Rebels and Tonraq heave a sigh of relief.] 

Korra: “Thank you, Uncle.”

Again, there is no mention anywhere that Korra will use waterbending against the judge.

What actually happened in the second scene:

Cut to the prison. A guard is patrolling the interior, where an earthbending move causes him to fall into a trench. Sparks fly out of the trench as the guard is electrocuted. Cut to the trench, where the unconscious guard is lying, while Asami, Mako, and Korra climb up the trench.

Korra: “My dad's in there.” [She opens the cell door, only to find it deserted.] Where is he?

Unalaq: “I'm sorry, Korra. You'll never see your father again.”

Korra: “Where's my father?”

Unalaq: “On a ship headed to the Northern Tribe. He'll serve out his sentence there.”

Korra: “Bring him back. Or I'm taking you out and the rest of your army.”

Unalaq: “Remember who you are. As the Avatar, you cannot threaten war. You must remain neutral, or our tribes will never find unity.”

Korra: “You don't want unity. You want power. You've always been jealous of my father, haven't you? You got him banished so you could become chief, and I bet it just killed you to learn he was the Avatar's father. No wonder you kept trying to take me away from him.”

Unalaq: “All I've ever wanted is to help you realize your destiny.”

Korra: “Well, I don't want your help anymore.”

Unalaq: “If you start a war, the dark spirits will annihilate the South. And even I will be powerless to stop them.”

Korra: “I'm done being manipulated by you. You're going to bring my father back, then you and your troops will return to the North.” [Turns away.]

Unalaq: “And why would I do that?”

Korra: “Because you still need me to open the Northern portal.”

Unalaq: “No, I don't. You've served your purpose.”

An enraged Korra throws three fire blasts at her uncle, which Unalaq neutralizes with waterbending. Unalaq throws an arc and a blast at Korra. Korra manages to stop the frozen arc, but is pushed off by the frozen blast. Mako assists Korra with a fire kick. Unalaq manages to dodge the kick and pushes Mako off with a water blast to the face. Unalaq throws another water blast at his niece, but she manages to catch the blast and pushes his against the wall with an air blast.

Mako: “If we get to Varrick's boat, we can still save your father.”

Korra: “Let's go.”

Team Avatar exits the prison, while Unalaq looks on.

Context of the third scene, Korra decided to attack the judge only after seeing her mother emotionally broken:

Cut to an exterior of the prison, cut to Tonraq's cell which Korra and Senna enter.

Senna: “Honey, are you all right?”

Tonraq: “I'm fine.”

Korra: [Determined.] “Good, let's bust you out of here right now.”

Tonraq: “Korra, no. Saving me would start a war. If fighting were to break out, the North would crush the South. I'll be all right. Just promise me you won't do anything rash.”

Korra: “Fine. I promise.”

Cut to the land where Korra and her parents' house is located. Cut to the interior, where Senna is standing before the sink, crying. Korra is watching her from a distance, before approaching her mother.

Korra: [Consoling.] “It's okay, Mom.”

Senna: “I-I hate feeling so helpless.” [Wipes off tears.]

Korra: [Cut to a close-up of Korra's saddened face.] “I know.” [The camera zooms in on her face as she gives an angry and determined look.]

Cut to a cliff where a Satomobile is being driven. Cut to the interior, where Hotah is driving the car. He glances in his review mirror. A close-up of the mirror reveals Korra riding Naga behind his car, gaining on him fast. His eyes widen in surprise. A quick close-up of Hotah's foot shows him flooring the gas pedal. Korra and Naga, however, manage to catch up and knock the Satomobile, causing it to lose control and slamming to the side of the cliff. Naga knocks off the door, while Hotah looks in fear. Korra pulls him up and slams him against the side of the Satomobile.

Why do some people feel the need to tell blatant lies that can be easily proven wrong just to demonize characters they hate? Although sometimes they claim that they actually like the characters, but based on the constant negative criticism against them, I doubt it.

[i-am-extremely-mad]

A disgusting suggestion I got from Pinterest. Uh why did I even sign up for that site? Because I was just looking for some pictures a few months ago? I'll stop with that site after this shit:

That race was just child's play, Korra was acting like a big sister here and that scene was there to show that Korra doesn't take the role of Avatar seriously yet? Also, she's a teenager?

She ditched Tenzin because she was manipulated by her uncle who convinced her that he could teach her much better about spiritual things. She also apologized to Tenzin for that. 

It was completely obvious her uncle started a civil war?! Starting with the whole occupation by the Northern Water Tribe?

She mostly disagreed with Mako, mainly because his advices were of no use to save her tribe?

The context in this scene. She literally sided with her tribe, which was under occupation by the Northern Water Tribe. If anyone upset the balance, it was her uncle. She stood on the side of the oppressed tribe, on the side of her tribe, which was deprived of its independence. How dare she take a stand, how dare she defend her own tribe from occupation!

This is like arguing that we should not have taken sides when Nazi Germany invaded Poland! Or in the case of the Avatar, not to take sides in the war between the Fire Nation and the rest of the world. Seriously WTF?! The conflict had already escalated, her tribe urgently needed military and political support to defend its independence. How she dared the desperate act to get help for her tribe.

This isn't even the worst anti-Korra take. I've seen posts criticizing Korra for daring to threaten the Earth Queen (in the context Korra and the others were defending the new airbenders from Dai Li agents), threatening the Earth Kingdom airship crew (and in the context she and Asami had just managed to break free from them) or threatening Red Lotus that she was going to kill them all (in the context of the scene where they were going to start torturing her and after that try to kill her) or when she "threatened" Tarrlok to release her friends from prison while he tried to blackmail her into submitting to him if she wants him to do it.

I found an uh... old neoduskcomics "sarcastic" comic on Tumblr and DeviantArt showing how “awful” Korra was in Book 2 because, among other things, she dared to threaten the judge for giving her father a DEATH SENTENCE. How dare Korra defy the authorities who just SENTENCED HER FATHER TO DEATH! Really? How dare Korra be angry because her father...I repeat...was SENTENCED TO DEATH! I mean, who's crazy does that, normal people don't get frustrated and angry and even threaten violence if a member of their family is sentenced to death for a crime they didn't commit? Right? She is so obnoxious!

Also the comic portrayed it as her oppressing non-bender there? Like she's hypocritical for doing the opposite of Book 1? They showed the scene like she threatened the judge with waterbending (that's not what happened at all btw) implying that she was doing that because he was supposedly non-bender (I watch scene multiple times, I still can't find any confirmation that judge was non-bender?). Again, she threatened the judge only because he sentenced her father to death, not because he was supposedly non-bender. But again how otherwise literally demonizing Korra if not making shit up about plot?

Or how she supposedly tried to stop Unalaq by force, when in reality she did it when she tried to break her father out of prison, and only attacked Unalaq to distract him so they could escape because her father wasn't there.

And how she didn't listen to her father not to try anything rash before she attacked the judge on the road. The comic of course completely ignores the fact that Korra only did this after seeing her mother completely emotionally broken. Haters as usual like to ignore this very important context. I'm sorry but I had to get some frustration out of me.

[i-am-extremely-mad]

A few days ago, the YouTube algorithms suggested a video with an old meme of SpongeBob laughing at Korra as she fell. The video was over four years old but most of the comments were either from a few days ago or a few hours ago... and of course unfortunately there were haters who couldn't resist leaving their toxic comments about how horrible Korra was or even worse... ugh... It just unfortunately confirmed to me once again how terribly underrated and misunderstood show TLOK still is and how terribly underrated and misunderstood Korra is as a character.

[i-am-extremely-mad]

Someone left an unnecessary rude comment in the notes:

geekmonkeyscience “Would be funny if the ones in the comics actually resembled the characters from the show. To bad they don't, ROFL.”

@geekmonkeyscience What the hell are you talking about, the characters in the comics actually resembled the characters from the show? If you can't clearly recognize that these are Korra and Asami, that's your problem. Korra makes almost the same expression here.

this is so funny

[i-am-extremely-mad]

Noah fence, but Amon is more of a nazi than Kuvira, she's militaristic nationalism but she doesn't have his focus on genocide and racial purity

I am not offended, at the end of the day in both cases it is about fascism, just in different forms. The main difference is that the Equalists operated from the street level, while Kuvira used the power of the state and the military to achieve her goals.

The propaganda is similar, in the first case claims for some kind of equality, which is funny when non-benders like Hiroshi Sato are successful bourgeois, while benders like Bolin and Mako, despite being popular athletes, barely made ends meet, (but they are somehow privileged here, just because of the fact that they are benders?). Why the idea that the Equalists are communists became popular in the fandom will never be clear to me...

Or in the case of Kuvira that they will make the Earth Kingdom great again, there is also the fact that Kuvira imprisoned Earth Kingdom residents who are not native to the country, it's not exactly genocide, it didn't come to that, but it definitely went in the direction of the Avatar version of racial purity and the temptation to restore the status quo.

And there is the whole belief that TLOK is supposedly pro-imperialism and pro-colonialism (but also pro-democracy as something negative?), and it couldn't be more opposite than that, especially when you start to see Earth Kingdom also as a colonial power, all those states that were under Ba Sing Se's control for perhaps thousands of years, which only at the end of TLOK, got a chance for independence (this would also explain Omashu and King Bumi).

Did I mention how TLOK has become alarmingly more relevant than ever in the last few years, especially after a certain world leader decided to start his own little war over the return of alleged old lost territories and old glory?

[gayestshakespearecouples]

Thought it'd be interesting to review the original list of how many submissions each couple recieved in light of how they've done on the first two rounds. It really shows how insane some of the poll results have been. Apparently recieving 4 submissions exactly was the golden number to ensure success?

[ravenfeet222]

hi meruemer!!!! trying to interact and become buddies because. i want to have CAA friends and you’re so nice .. thank you for the nice comments on reblogs ^_^ i’m super interested in knowing. do you have any fav CAA episodes… or any moments that have never left your brain

Hello omg!! You’re very welcome for the comments, your art is just wonderful <33 they all look so soft and holdable in your style,, and thank you for the ask as well! I have crazy social anxiety and sometimes I need people to literally grab me by the head and be like “I WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU” so it’s definitely helpful. I’d love to be friends! :D

This is such a difficult question to answer because I could probably say that the entire arc has not left my brain once since watching it, however I do have some clear favorite parts! My absolute favorite episode in the arc (and this is probably very predictable) is ep 134 for the interactions between Meruem and Pouf. It just makes me so so emotional to think about how Pouf was insanely devoted until the very last second, he tried so hard to do what he thought was the right thing :[ I also love the characterization for Meruem in there! How it was stated he could simply pry Pouf’s secret from him using his version of spiritual message, how he had essentially every reason to kill him, yet he respected Pouf’s devotion enough to overlook it all </3 I wish SO BADLY that that scene was even more in depth, I NEED to know what was going on in Pouf’s brain after all that!

Also this scene produced my favorite panel, which is this one!

I could go into detail abt why I love it so much but I think this post would get too long,, just know I that need this plastered on my forehead and it makes me want to collapse and die (lovingly)

Some other scenes I adore include the part in ep 112 where Pitou comes upon Meruem holding Komugi after she’s hurt by the dragon dive bc MY GOD the mood is set soo well, and I just can’t leave out the Meruem and Komugi death scene in ep 135. That shit made me BAWL, when the credits started I just turned to my friend who I was watching it with for the first time with and we were both sobbing :’] I don’t cry because of shows very often!!

[i-am-extremely-mad]

It also comes from the fact that even people who love the show also don't (completely) understand the genre and themes the show deals with, as well as Korra's character and her arc. 

TLOK is DieselPunk fantasy (reason why there are cars, airships and RetroFuturistic technologies like Mechas) and main theme is conflict between tradition and progression and what place Korra as a person and Avatar have in this new early 20th century like modern world. 

TLOK have two story arcs, Book 1 is more or less self-contained mini series, while Books 2, 3 and 4 were simultaneously in production (confirmed by the creators themselves: https://bryankonietzko.tumblr.com/post/50462033888/for-some-reason-this-tight-rough-for-the-second) and make a 3-part story arc that is basically a REVERSE ATLA story arc.

Korra's character arc is reverse of Aang's character arc, Aang's arc was to learn to be the Avatar, Korra's arc was to learn to see herself as a person and not just an Avatar, that it's okay that the world doesn't depend only on her, that it is no weakness or shame to sometimes depend on others or seek advice and support and comfort from others, and that sometimes she can go on vacation with the love of her life (especially after she already saved the world).

In all seriousness though---

Korra got a ton---and I mean a TON---of hate, for daring to be a headstrong, non-genderconforming woman of color. So forgive me if I don't react well to "korrasami doesn't deserve it"

Korra already fought through enough misogyny and racism while it was actively airing. She already got enough criticism for not being the "target audience" of 8-12 age males who buy action figures. She already got enough criticism for having flaws as a woman, for not "acting ladylike". She already got enough criticism for not being white or white passing in a show that has ZERO white characters. So when you come at korrasami fans with "they don't deserve it"? Don't be surprised when korrasami fans look at it with a lens of suspicion, because korrasami already fought through the criticism, already fought through being stuck in the "dead slot" air time in nickelodeon (which they were moved to in season three, when the show runners actively started hinting at a wlw ship), already fought through being pulled off air and onto online viewing only, in 2014, for those of you who are a bit young. (Obergefell vs Hodges, the Supreme Court case which legalized gay marriage nationwide in the US, happen on June 26, 2016). "They only held hands in the finale" because that's all they could get away with at the time. They were the FIRST. Bubbeline came later. Rupphire came later. Catradora came later. There are still no notable mlm ships in children's media, so the work ISN'T done. Korrasami fans "screech and yell" at you for not understanding because you accuse them of "queerbaiting" without understanding that they were the FIRST in their time to OPENLY hint at being gay on a a children's television network. In a time, for most intents and purposes in the US, being gay was still ILLEGAL.

And by the way? The Owl House, a recent, animatec children's show on Disney, was recently canceled for not being "the Disney brand". It features a bisexual woman of color (in an EXPLICITLY wlw relationship) as the main character, not unsimilar to Korra. Misogyny is not dead. Homophobia is not dead. Know your history, and know the work isn't done.

[lexeees]

🫥🫥🫥🫥

[i-am-extremely-mad]

Since the OP has ensured that I cannot directly respond to his post:

https://www.tumblr.com/thatoneguy56fanfic/717973770556620801/canon-never-heard-of-it-but-thanks-for-helping

thatoneguy56fanfic

Ngl, that discussion about Mako yesterday has me wanting to write more post S4 Makorra content purely out of spite.

i-am-extremely-mad

#ao3 writer#legend of korra#fanfiction#makorra#I can’t stand Mako-haters#dude deserves more love from this fandom

Here's a better idea instead. Watch the whole show again so that next time you actually use what actually happened in canon as an argument. Here's how to best watch and understand the show:    

https://i-am-extremely-mad.tumblr.com/post/705097614657470464/fandomsandfeminism-im-still-not-really-over

I will address his response in this way:

thatoneguy56fanfic

Canon? Never heard of it.

But thanks for helping to bring this post more notes. Hopefully it’ll reach more Makorra fans so they know that there’s still people in the fandom that still ship them.

#there is no canon in Ba Sing Se #Mako is a good character and I’ll say this till I die

Hmm @thatoneguy56fanfic, only 17 notes so far... I don't believe that there will be much more. It's not like they'll be popping the BIGGEST bottles anytime soon.

[gurorori]

jus read an article dat made my blood boil Literally i feel a fever comin