#puring fong

[berrychanx]

Purin rubber keychain made by Furuta in 2001, for years all we had was the magazine scan of Purin with a red devilish hair and the lingering mystery if the actual keychain reflected that, was an error print etc many theories. And now on 08/12/2024 those questions have been answered, a japanese collector on Mercari Japan is selling a bunch of TMM ruber keychains with this one specifically included. Add here Seller is uncertain about selling the item, so listing might be deleted anytime.

Only Lettuce is missing For the rest of the mews check this post

[lazyveran]

ask about your arranged marriage au you say >:) :evil_hand_rub:

So. to begin with. Why and How is this what happened? is it a postwar diplomatic treaty thing, and Zuko is already too married to Mai to be the one wed? How much Hell did Azula and Katara put whoever suggested it through, and how did it end up happening anyways? What were each of the girls up to prior to the engagement? how do they feel about it? What does the world look like at the time of this AU, both in terms of the big worldwide stuff and the roles and relationships between the Gaang, whatever side characters are around, and their political positions? Be warned: highly likely that I will continue to enquire

you have unleashed the most self indulgent lore dump. thank you so much for asking. my long winded rambles under the cut

the setting of this au has two major changes; aang is never discovered (im so sorry my baby boy) and iroh is a much more active player within the fire nation. essentially, iroh begins consolidating the white lotus almost immediately after azulon's murder. as such, the fire siblings become terribly co-dependant in both ursa and iroh's absence as he's constantly away scheming against ozai. zuko doesnt get burned at 14. he gets burned at 19! and azula kills ozai for it, setting off a domino effect that lands an underprepared iroh on the throne trying to end the 100 years war as per his agreement with the white lotus members (before azula jumped the gun)

the azutara marriage occurs for like 2000 reasons but the main one is that iroh is forced to make several concessions in order to end the war as his ministers are terribly pro-ozai, thanks to ozai's scheming before azula prematurely offed him, and that the northern water tribe refuses to sign and end the war with the FN, unlike the other nations. azula, having been the princess-general ravaging the earth kingdoms in a five-year long campaign, therefore didnt get to show her face in the water tribes, gets chosen as the one to marry into the southern water tribe. as both a savvy diplomatic move to solidify the peace and to work with said wife towards peace with their sister tribe. iroh has no choice but to agree, and azula as a loyal princess with duty to the throne, also has to agree. (she is terribly, extremely unhappy with this due to ursa-parallel related reasons. and its azula.)

katara is chosen both for her position as the daughter of the chief, and for her prowess as a master bender (to match azula's known reputation). katara herself has been working as a sort of renegade freedom fighter away from the south pole, mostly working against the admiral-prince zuko and his three year campaign against the water tribes. sokka and herself work with an elite team, the black tail wolf pack (extremely indulgent name please forgive me) as guerilla fighters against the fire nation essentially. katara is EXTREMELY unhappy about the marriage alliance that her father has signed her off to, but like azula, her duty to her people and to peace overrides her extreme dislike of the situation.

zuko is the admiral-prince, heir to the throne, burned and shamed by the late firelord ozai, and... marrying toph bei fong. NOW PLEASE hear me out on this. stay with me. as part of the peace agreed by iroh, and the fire nation's precarious position now that expansion and pillaging cant fund their economy, an agreement is made with the earth kingdoms to marry into the wealthiest family in the world. its purely an economic marriage, but since the bei fongs are essentially the only homogenous earth territory ''royals'' that aren't strictly attatched to one kingdom but all of them, and have a daughter to spare, well. their relationship is the funniest to me, they're very much a platonic-married-besties situation. zuko himself is conducting a dreadfully obvious affair with mai, and his siege-weapon of a wife does not care in the slighest. in fact she actively encourages it, as being wife to the heir to the fire nation throne gives her freedom away from her family to be herself. there will be rising tensions between the bei fongs and the fire royals, naturally, as well as toph's own character clashing with the 'no fun allowed' fire nation.

azutara's relationship is an EXTREME slow burn, enemies to enemy-wives to friends to lovers. they're both 20 at the time they're married, but both have been child soldiers for years. azula spends a week acting like an arrogant prat and treating her wife like a peasant through politicking power plays before katara just kicks her ass three times over and azula realises theres actually no power imbalance to play off of. she promptly begins acting like mr darcy. katara has to grapple with the very alien culture of the fire nation and stumbles through all the subtlties of both court and royal life, as well as having to deal with her enemy turned wife and the absolute paradox of a woman that azula is. AND negotiating with her hostile sister tribe into trying to broker peace after a generation of war. i think marrying azula is harder than the whole 'world peace' affair really. they're both miserable and angry and cant understand each other but still see each other

sokka will be an intermitten character, as he becomes a diplomat for the southern water tribe as well as a member of the three nations peace council set up in the wake of the war. im trying to add in suki but im unsure on how, perhaps as another representative or something. ursa will have a plotline and azula will NOT be happy about it at all. iroh is frankly wracked with guilt that in order for peace he has to make the last of his family utterly miserable. all their relationships are complicated and messy and everyone's a little awful

i think a really fun aspect of this au is my odd ideas about azula and gender. azula is, in the eyes of the fire nation, both male AND female. female as a princess, a woman who's royal duties involve marriage and so on. but her status as a master fire bender legally classifies her as male. honestly the fire nation cannot afford to disregard azula on gender lines, since she's the most powerful fire bender on the planet at this point. she's a general in the military too, a traditionally male held role, and so azula herself becomes a grey area in terms of legal gender. as such, azula is technically kataras HUSBAND, not wife. and with that comes all the expectations of a husband over a wife in a royal imperial court. very very indulgent of me i fear

i hope this lore dump/word vomit makes some sort of sense. please feel free to ask more abt this au!!!! i have many many worldbuilding hcs for the fire nation and this au <3333

[ao3feed-zukka]

[PODFIC] The Art of Burning

[PODFIC] The Art of Burning https://ift.tt/OGZmvpC by septembersoffspring (10september) Zuko had never excelled at anything. Azula was a prodigy. Uncle always knew what to say. And Father... Father was strong, iron-like. But Zuko had only ever been good at surviving. Putting one foot in front of the other in a grim show of stubborn determination, gritting his teeth and bearing it. Survival was all he had ever been taught. He knew how to do it. So when he was kidnapped by the Southern Water Tribe, he expected to fight as he always had. He didn’t expect to be taught instead how to live. In a warring land, the Water Tribe forgave the enemy in an act of defiance. For this, he was torn from them, and this time, his wounds won't heal so easily. Forced back into nothing but survival, the last person Zuko expected to see was Hakoda's son. Hakoda was a promise of safety. The relentless blue of Sokka’s eyes was a promise of happiness. Zuko could have both if he just reached out his hands, but he found them clutching into fists. After all, he’d been burned one too many times. But hey, at least between Hakoda and Sokka, Zuko could appreciate the family resemblance of pure, asinine stubbornness. Words: 45, Chapters: 4/?, Language: English Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender (Cartoon 2005) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: Gen, M/M Characters: Zuko (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Southern Water Tribe Characters (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Katara (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), Bato (Avatar), Original Characters Relationships: Hakoda & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Southern Water Tribe Characters & Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko Additional Tags: Tags copied from original work, Zuko thought taking on an entire crew of warrior would be a good idea, It was not a good idea, Hakoda now has the Fire Prince as a prisoner, nobody is happy about the situation, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Ozai Being an Asshole (Avatar), no seriously FUCK ozai, Slowburn Adoption, zuko eventually joins the gaang, then there’s zukka, you love to see it, but its SLOWBURN, mid season one, inspired by muffinlance’s salvage, up to like chapter 6, Cultural Differences, Petition to hurl general fong off the nearest cliff, Gay Zuko (Avatar), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Internalised Homophobia via AO3 works tagged 'Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)' https://ift.tt/t5YS2hU December 30, 2024 at 12:01PM

[paragonrobits]

i have to admit but thinking of Katara's desire for vengeance in The Southern Raiders as 'letting her be who she really is', I think that's a deeply strange take that sort of requires ignoring most of her actual character (since this also seems to be done pretty prominently by fic writers who also tend to use Katara as a self-insert of sorts, altering her canonical personality and ethics in favor of their own). A big part of The Southern Raiders is explicitly how much her intentions and actions are not things she normally does or thinks; from her bitter cruelty towards Sokka ("You didn't love her as much as I did"), her willingness to use bloodbending on enemies when learning it was such a traumatic and deeply horrifying experience for her (and quite possibly seen as a corruption or defilement of what her waterbending means to her), and her almost killing the man she's after

a key part of Katara's character that I think doesn't get much attention in fandom is her spirituality. Its a character detail mostly expressed in subtle things, rather than something she discusses frequently, but it informs a huge part of her character that produces a spiritual set of perspectives between herself, Aang, Iroh and Toph, which also neatly gives an elemental circle of sorts. All of them have spiritual perspectives and value correct action over the purely pragmatic or 'just whatever get things done sooner'.

as an aside Toph doesn't get this noted as much, but she approaches things from a more spiritual perspective than is generally shown in the Earth Kingdom, resonating with the spiritual and experience aspects of her bending, and considering how she is eager to abandon a wealthy life for a free one (and doesn't seem to particularly like exploiting her family connections unless she really has to), it does point towards a happy life for her being one where she just goes off to vibe in the great swamp with the Foggy Swamp tribe.

But Katara and spirituality. This heavily informs her choices, and a particularly important example of this is in The Avatar State; she is very notably the one most uncomfortable with the idea of weaponizing the Avatar State, trying to convince Aang not to go through with it, because it seems wrong, and that the proper way to do it is to learn the elements in the proper cycle. This is significant in light of General Fong's entire idea here is to defeat Ozai ASAP with the power of the Avatar State, and Katara insists that its wrong to go against the proper order of how the Avatar is supposed to do it.

She is all but explicitly stated to be the deuteragonist of the setting, and leans hardest on a spiritual perspective; arguably even more than Aang, as she's the one who brings these ideas up the most. While Aang's spirituality is ultimately a very central part of his character's identity, spirituality and proper action are the entire road Katara's own decisions move on.

This is where The Painted Lady becomes relevant; I think that episode IS important in, for hypothetical situations for Katara joining the Royal Family of the Fire Nation or otherwise taking up an important position of power within their nation would actually be seen by the common people of the Fire Nation. Namely, that even though they're explicitly afraid of the FN military and resent the pollution of their home, they still immediately turn on Katara the moment they discover she's from the Water Tribe. However, that's not the bit I think matters for this particular thought.

Katara, despite having every reason to hate the Fire Nation's people, sidetracks their mission and goes to some lengths to help out this random town of people she all but certainly knows wouldn't return the favor; she takes on the role of a spirit, helps them get food, spending at LEAST a notable number of days protecting them and reawakening their spiritual hopes, ultimately doing a bit of Werewolf The Apocalypse style heroically eco-smashing against the polluting factory alongside the Avatar (often suggested to basically be the world itself in human form, which is an interesting point in this context; the incarnation of peace, light and harmony greatly values her input and listens to her encouragement).

One thing I don't see a lot of people talking about in this episode is Katara makes a specific statement that I think is a LOT more important than it seems, and it underscores her character, arguably the single most defining single line from her: "I will NEVER turn my back on someone who needs me!"

Their world is, in part, in the situation it is because of ruthless and cold, uncompromising pragmatism. The same sort of 'do whatever it takes to get it done' mentality expressed by Fong is what led Sozin to open the war with the genocide of a civilization of pacifist monks, begin conquering the Earth Kingdom with the firm boot-on-throat of oppression, and systematically bleed out her own people until there's little left of them but a tiny village with most of their Bending capability lost, and their practices forgotten because almost all the people who knew anything about it are gone, literally or metaphorically. Katara completely opposes that sort of mentality.

This is what makes The Southern Raiders significant; not that it lets her revel in who she truly is, but by the fact that her more deliberately cruel and vindictive actions in this episode are deeply atypical of her character; her viciously lashing out at her brother in a way she knows hurts him, weaponizing the power of bloodbending and deliberately trying to kill someone outside the heat of battle are all things more or less opposite of what she normally does.

I think that's likely the point here; driven by loss, her guilt for feeling like its her fault her mother died in front of her, resentment and grief towards the Fire Nation's atrocities that she directs at others around her and most especially Zuko as a living personification of the Fire Nation (and amplified by her anger at his betrayal of them and the world itself in the catacombs below Ba Sing Se), she does the sort of things she would normally fight against.

This is part of how she ends the episode in a gloomy state. While there's a highlight in how she lets go of her resentment towards Zuko in particular and lets her view of him as the FN in miniature fade away, there's no real release of tension, no real answer for her, just the awareness that she couldn't kill Yon Rha because it felt wrong to her, even as much as she hated him and herself and wanted to make him pay for what he did. It wouldn't have made her feel better, even if she had; the dead remain dead, and dealing vengeance is unlikely to make that pain any less miserable.

There's just resentment and grief that just... stays. No matter how much blood you spill trying to give it an escape, it'll stay there. There isn't a relief from it.

To paraphrase Immortal Hulk, it sounds a lot like the implicit idea here is that killing Yon Rha would have hurt who Katara is, and she knows it and why in the end she won't stain herself with someone so... empty. The episode leans pretty heavily into horror and discomfort in the wake of what she does, both from herself and those around her, which i think illustrates the point that this isn't Katara freeing herself, this is her letting the sort of things she hates and fights most than anything in the world make her decisions, to her own disgust and shame.

And in the end, revenge wouldn't really have done much either way. The grief remains, and a world scarred by a hundred years of loss where the only real thing you can do is try to rebuild and live with the grief.

[eagleidiot]

Toph’s Treatment in canon and fanon

one thing I realised is: despite how poorly she was treated by her parents Toph never stopped loving them once, she felt guilty for leaving them behind despite them treating her more like a prisoner then a loving daughter. Toph’s parents were only being protective yes, but they were being damagingly protective helicopter parents not letting her be herself and express herself in a safe way, instead fully embracing her when they found out she could earthbend, they instead hired someone to only teach breathing exercises and stances. Toph is very quick to forgive people and she does not actually hold a grudge unlike Katara does, she just like any other kid and just wanted to have love and affection for who she was, herself, TOPH BEI FONG: Master Earthbender. not Toph the “Bei Fong Daughter”

she was perfectly happy with listening to people she respected, she doesn’t blindly hate authority. She adored Iroh because he treated her no different then he treats others, with undying kindness. She crushed on Sokka because of how he pretty much treated her like a capable person and sometimes even forgot she was blind because he saw her as a person and not “The blind girl” Katara treated Toph like her little sister, which of course at first annoyed Toph but when she realised that Katara loved her, not the fake perfect blind girl she had to pretend to be, she stopped being annoyed and loved her back.

Aang of course got on her nerves by basically disrespecting her lessons, which in her eyes were fair but challenging, She does not coddle, she doesn’t sugar coat it. once Aang stood to her and stared repeating what she said and did, she showed right back and forgave him. Zuko is a fun case because she barely knew him at his worst but she does know his uncle who has nothing but kind things to say about him, how misguided he was, and how he was so poorly treated. She had a kindred spirit of being in broken homes, but unlike hers, which was out of misplaced love, Zuko was out of pure spite, and the many times she did meet him she could tell by his heartbeat how scared, honest, or confused he was, unlike Azula who was always calm and collected. She even comforted him and assumed him that Iroh is proud of him despite everything he did to betray his uncle. It’s sad how LOK seems to forget how emotionally intelligent Toph is and instead made her forget every other thing she’s learned so far just to basically flush it down a toilet. I do think she’d give her kids the freedom she never had, but to the expense of them feeling alone and uncared for. Do I think she’d be perfect? Hell no, she’s the most likely to make mistakes in this manner, but to think that perfectionist Toph wouldn’t try to figure what she did wrong right away is silly.

[ao3feedzukka-blog]

Burn Like A Fire

https://archiveofourown.org/works/60000391 by HeronTheHeretic Zuko's Agni Kai goes very differently, and suddenly his already miserable life is almost pure torture. After being captured by Hakoda and General Fong and suffering at their hands, what little faith Zuko had in the world is shattered completely. Until he meets a water tribe boy with eyes the color of the deep sea, and his very, very odd band of companions. However, Zuko's scars run deep, and the Gaang and Sokka have their work cut out for them. Words: 1939, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Series: Part 1 of The World on Fire-A Zukka Collection Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender (Cartoon 2005) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: M/M, Multi Characters: Zuko (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Hakoda's Crew (Avatar), Southern Water Tribe Characters (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Original Characters, Ozai (Avatar) Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Aang/Katara (Avatar), Bato/Hakoda (Avatar) Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Dark, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Powerful Zuko (Avatar), Prisoner Zuko (Avatar), Ozai Being an Asshole (Avatar), Bad Parent Ozai (Avatar), Abuse of Authority, Regret, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Eventual Fluff, Not Beta Read October 23, 2024 at 08:19PM

[berrymascarpone]

Finally got some time and motivation to watch the new episodes of TYBW, so I thought I’d write down my thoughts, starting with..episode 2, which I think raises a lot of interesting worldbuilding questions.

1. Ukitake!!!! hope he gets to do more in the anime

2. So Shunsui left some traps...i don't remember exactly if they get Seireitei back at the end but if so I hope he disarms those traps soon…

3. The Quincy used reishi to create their palace? Does this mean they are all made of Reishi? Have they done the thing where they turn their bodies into reishi through some kind of converter like the Karakura gang had to do in the Soul Society arc? Are they all in that undead/not quite living state? Would explain how they've been around for so long without dying like regular humans. Which would also make Ishida one of the only really ‘alive’ Quincies, i.e. someone who hasn’t been made of reishi for hundreds of years.

4. So from what I understood, the Quincies were already standing in the corresponding locations in the Wandenreich when they merged the two worlds (the shadows/Wandenreich with Soul Society/Seireitei), which means the Quincies had to have positioned themselves around where their targets were (especially Jurgem, he appears in the 1st division pretty quickly). Also makes me wonder if some unfortunate shinigami just happened to be standing where a wall was and got, uh, embedded within.

5. “I don’t mind absurdity,” Mayuri says, while dressed as a giant glowing sunflower.

6. Ok, so they came from the literal shadows, and you're telling me all the shinigami needed to prevent this was a shitton of LED lights? And Mayuri told no one, and only modified his own lab? Though, considering how much weird and useful stuff he has in his lab it's probably one of the key places to save, but a heads up for everyone else would've been nice!

7. Love the scene with Hitsugaya accepting Matsumoto's help. Good on him for not buying into all that toxic masculinity that so many people in the Gotei seem to be espousing. Also their combined technique is actually pretty cool, using the laws of physics to give them an advantage. I just wish there was better payoff than: psych! your physics trick has nothing in the face of my pure overwhelming power!

8. Putting aside why BG9 seems to be one of the only Quincies so far to advance to modern weaponry, I'm also kind of surprised that Omaeda and Soi Fong knew what machine guns are. They don't seem like the type to keep up with living world trends like that. I'll just hand wave it away with the rest of the examples of living world culture bleeding into Soul Society.

9. A post credit scene!! With Ichigo!!! He is once again undergoing a mysterious trial where no one has told him the rules (I assume), so business as usual. I don't remember this part in the manga, so I'm interested to see what they add. I assume there was some extra training after he fixed his bankai, and this is it? Irazusando is a pretty ominous name though...I fear that our boy might have some suffering ahead (as usual). Also interesting, because there is a distinct Shinto theme going for the Irazusando (the torii gate, the shide streamers), while Ichibei is clearly a Buddhist warrior-monk inspired character, though I suppose there is a lot of crossover for those two religions in Japan.

[dethharmonic]

Top 5 hot sauce brands

fuuuuuck

5.) Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce

4.) Crystal Louisiana's Pure Hot Sauce/ Louisiana Hot Sauce

3.) specifically High River Sauces' Tears of the Sun

2.) Franks red hot.....

1.) Cholula

[ao3feed-gochi]

A Safe New World

by SaraT

AU. Some characters may be OOC. Several of my favorite anime & a lot of characters. Each character will be mentioned, but only some will be the main focus.

A mysterious being searches the many different universes that are dying or just plain unsafe, & takes the pure or good-hearted people & places them in a new world the mysterious being created for safety & population.

Most of the new members are hesitant at first, but eventually start to relax, make new friends, & even fall in love.

AS ALWAYS I DO NOT OWN TOKYO MEW MEW, DBZ, SAILOR MOON, TSUBASA CHRONICLES, YU YU HAKUSHO, INUYASHA, FRUITS BASKET, KAMISAMA KISS OR ANY OF THEIR CHARACTERS! I ONLY CLAIM THE STORY & CHARACTERS I CREATE!

Words: 3417, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Tokyo Mew Mew, Dragon Ball, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, 幽☆遊☆白書 | YuYu Hakusho: Ghost Files (Anime & Manga), InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Kamisama Hajimemashita | Kamisama Kiss, Fruits Basket

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Underage

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M

Characters: Fong Pudding, Tart (Tokyo Mew Mew), Shirayuki Berry, Meguro Tasuku, Sohma Kisa, Sohma Hiro, Sohma Momiji, Tsukino Chibiusa, Tomoe Hotaru, Helios (Sailor Moon), Peruru (Sailor Moon), Shippou (InuYasha), Kaede (InuYasha), Sakura | Tsubasa, Li Syaoran (Tsubasa), Bra Briefs, Son Chihiro (OC), Piccolo (Dragon Ball), Genkai (YuYu Hakusho), Sohma Kazuma, Kiwi (OC), Taiya (OC), Toto (OC)

Relationships: Shirogane Ryou/Chiba Mikiko (OC), Trunks Briefs/Chiba Misa (OC), Chiba Mamoru/Tsukino Usagi, Sohma Hatori/Kari (OC), Urameshi Yuusuke/Yukimura Keiko, Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha, Honda Tohru/Sohma Kyou/Sohma Yuki, Aoyama Masaya/Momomiya Ichigo/Quiche, Momozono Nanami/Tomoe/Mizuki, Akasaka Keiichirou/Meiou Setsuna, Kaiou Michiru/Tenoh Haruka, Bulma Briefs/Vegeta, Chi-Chi/Son Goku (Dragon Ball), Knickers Briefs (OC)/Mizuno Ami, Hino Rei/Son Gohan, Aino Minako/Son Goten, Sohma Ayame/Sohma Shigure, Aizawa Mint/Fujiwara Zakuro, Sohma Hatsuharu/Sohma Rin, Fay D. Fluorite/Kurogane, Kuwabara Kazuma/Yukina, Kino Makoto/Kurama | Minamino Shuuichi, Hiei (Yuyu Hakusho)/Kohana (OC), Miroku/Sango (InuYasha), Tiencha/Yamcha, Midorikawa Lettuce/Pie, Keomi (OC)/Chiba Mari (OC)

Additional Tags: Family, Love, Alternate Universe, Mentioned Apocalypse, Mentioned Disease, New World, Falling In Love, Love Confessions, Love at First Sight, Making Out, Making Love, Sex, Threesome - F/M/M, Loss of Virginity, New Friendships, Blizzards & Snowstorms, Mention of cancer

source https://archiveofourown.org/works/44895403

[berrychanx]

Purin Fong - Character Development

I love Purin so much, either in the original, manga or the remake. I feel like the remake truly captured her chaotic energy, she’s always moving, she never stops.

She embraces the Monkey Spirit inside her, seeing her being an hyperactive child inside the museum and acting like a monkey was pure bliss to me...funny how no one had the guts to stop her. I  guess she’s just a force of nature, nothing can stop her intense energy.

Reject Humanity ... Return to Monke

I’ve already told my opinion on Purin new transformation sequence which can be found here Despite its introduction being rather short and fast compared to the other girls transformation, I love how it incorporates her animal traits and folclore, seen by using the tail as spring to jump. Seems like something she would do (how that works let’s not question it) To me she stills remains the same as her original counterpart but with a few extras making her more fun

This was something the manga always had implied, that despite Purin living alone wit her siblings they would help her anyway they could.

In small things like cleaning the dishes (Purin Short Story) Like @godtierwallflower mentions is nice to see Purin paying the same attention to all of her siblings in New, unluike in the original where she seemed to favorite the girl. Her working as a street performance to raise money for her siblings is STILL ADDRESSED in her Petit Mew Mew Introduction. And like I’ve mentioned in the episode review.

I’m glad New changed her father background story, to quote GodTierWallFlower they’ve changed  to a vaguer “working overseas” instead of a “traveling across the world to improve his martial arts” because the latter was very rooted in the tropes of 90s anime like Ranma) And he’s behavior of a father makes it more reckless, when he has a dojo back at home ... But still speaking of her father

In New, even if he’s working over-seas, he’s an absent figure in Purin development a growth as a person, his face is obscured, and he’s turned away and distant, looking elsewhere, because that’s all Bu-ling’s image of him is.Meanwhile, her mother is facing them with a bright smile, the same sort of smile and exuberance that Bu-ling wants to have..

It isn’t even clear on whether he supports them financially or not. Bu-ling still does her best to earn her own money, and lives frugally, even making candy instead of buying it.

His role in her life is defined by absence, in a way that her late mother’s is not She feels her mother’s presence in everything, talks to her while she’s going to sleep. She’s may be gone but she still is the one pushing Bu-ling’s dreams and motivating her.

Even now, towards the end of the series, her brothers are always in her thoughts, thinking about their safety and their future.

She even invites TaruTaru to live with them, once the battle is over, her siblings would like him without a doubt.

She’s a great kid, I would love to continue to follow her growth as a character . It would be so interesting to see what Purin becomes in the future. What career she chooses, how her relationship will TaruTaru develop, etc. I wish i had more to say, but there’s still episodes left and I wonder what wait us, specially by the finale.

[unnatural-transformations]

Quantum Groups & Knot Invariants [6 of n]

Some general points first (addressed to anyone who's actually trying to follow these posts). I've not been too concerned with rigor up to this point, and I've generally preferred to take for granted that the concepts I'm interested in are well-defined so that I can focus on some example calculations. But I'm going to try to be a little more formal for these next few posts, because we're getting to the material that I'm most interested in teaching myself about.

From now on, all definitions and all major results will be given as screenshots of LaTeX (with the LaTeX used to generate them given in the alt text). I will reserve plain text for discussion and examples.

This post is all about category theory, specifically about monoidal categories. [Originally it was going to be about braided monoidal categories, but I'm splitting the planned post into two parts.] If you're reading this, I'm to going to assume you know what a category is [and that you're familiar with the concepts of functors, natural transformations, some basic limits and colimits and the general concept of diagram chasing]. I won't, however, assume you know much more than this.

The first book on category theory I ever read was Sanders Mac Lane's Category Theory for the Working Mathematician (often referred to by the implausible claim 'Cats Work' for short). However while this certainly is a very informative book (and its second edition adds a chapter which covers exactly the topic of this post), I do not think it is the ideal introduction to category theory. It would work much better for most people, I think, as a second (or even third) book. Certiainly I'd have been happier with something a little less dense; your own mileage may vary.

Depending on how comfortable you are with pure mathematics, and how much exposure you have to topics like topology, group theory, vector spaces and abstract algebra, I would recommend instead [in roughly decreasing order of assumed mathematical sophistication] any one of Emily Riehl's Category Theory in Context, Tom Leinster's Basic Category Theory and Brendan Fong and David Spivak's Seven Sketches In Compositionality (the last of these is an introduced to applied category theory so actually builds up to introducing monoidal categories). All three books have been made available to read online for free by their authors.

Monoidal Categories

This post will mostly consist of definitions and examples. (There will be a handful of results, but I won't bother to do more than sketch the ideas of the proofs.)

Let's start with a definition.

Note that I refer to a category as a collection of objects and arrows. It is somewhat more common to speak of objects and morphisms, but to my ears the word "morphism" is a little too suggestive of a map between sets. Of course the objects of many categories are exactly sets (with some additional structure), but many non-concrete categories also exist and several will be important to us in what follows. Therefore I prefer the slightly more neutral-sounding word "arrow" (although, of course, I still talk about "isomorphisms" and not "isoarrows", so perhaps this is a distinction without much of a difference).

The definition above can made simpler if we focus on strict monoidal categories (as, in fact, we will often do).

As Paul Halmos is meant to have written, "a good stack of examples -- as large as possible -- is indispensable for a thorough understanding of any concept". Let's look at some examples now. We will come back to some of these as we go on.

The motiviating example is the category of (finite dimensional) vector spaces and linear maps between them. The tensor product is the usual one for vector spaces and the unit object is the underlying field itself.

More generally, if R is a commutative ring, the category of (finitely generated) R-modules (and ring homomorphisms between them) is also a monoidal category.

The category of sets (and functions between sets) is another example. The tensor product is just the ordinary Cartesian product, and for the unit object we can pick any singleton set.

In fact any category with finite products (like the category of sets) can be made into a monoidal category if we can choose the tensor product to be some product in the category and we choose any terminal object to be the unit.

There is a category Δ called the simplex category with objects finite sets of the form {1,...,n} with the usual linear ordering and arrows the ordering preserving maps between these sets. Consider the category whose objects are the objects of Δ together with the empty set and whose arrows are the arrows of Δ. This larger category can be given the structure of a monoidal category if we define the tensor product of two sets {1, ..., m} and {1, ..., n} to be the set {1, ..., m, (m+1), ... , (m+n)} and define the tensor product of two maps on these sets in the obvious way. The unit object is the empty set.

There is a category C whose objects are finite sets and whose arrows are the bijections between those sets. In enumerative combinatorics, a species is a presheaf on C [i.e. a functor from C to the category of sets]. The category of species has presheaves as objects and natural transformations as arrows. C becomes a monoidal category with tensor product the disjoint union and unit object the empty set; and the category of species becomes a monoidal category with tensor product the induced Day convolution. The category of species is a categorification of the concept of formal power series, and the generating function associated to the product of two species is the product of the two generating functions associated to the original species.

Given any field K there is a category whose objects are the positive integers and where for any m and n the set of arrows from m to n is equal to the set of n by m matrices with entries in K. Concatenation of two arrows X : p -> q and Y : q -> r is given by the usual matrix multiplication: Y○X : p -> r is the r by p matrix YX. The tensor product acts on objects by multiplication and on arrows as the Kronecker product. The unit object is the number 1.

Sticking with categories whose objects are the integers, recall that any preorder (S, ≤) can be thought of as a category where there is either one unique arrow between objects s and t (if s ≤ t) or no arrows. In particular, for the category (Z, ≤) where Z is the set of integers and ≤ is the usual linear order, we can define a monoidal structure where the tensor product acts on objects by addition and which sends pairs of arrows a -> b and c -> d to the arrow (a+c) -> (b+d) [clearly a ≤ b and c ≤ d implies (a+c) ≤ (b+d)]. The unit object is the number 0.

For another example, we can return to the braid group from earlier posts in this series. The braid category is the category whose objects are the natural numbers [ie the set {0,1,2,3,...}] and the set of arrows between two objects m and n is empty (if m≠n) or equal to the set of braids on n strands (if m=n). In this second case concatenation of arrows is given by multiplication of braid diagrams in the braid group The tensor product acts on objects by addition and on diagrams by (horizontal) concatenation. The unit object is the number 0.

Somewhat similarly, there is a Temperley-Lieb category (over a field K(δ)) whose objects are also the natural numbers. Unlike the braid group we do allow arrows between distinct objects: the set of arrows between m and n is empty if m+n is odd, and if m+n is even it is the set of K(δ)-linear formal sums of (m,n) Temperley-Lieb diagrams [generalizing the diagrams we introduced earlier in the obvious way to allow the number of marked points on the top of a diagram to be different from the number of marked points on the bottom of the diagram]. Concatenation of arrows is given by the same rules for concatenation of TL diagams we described previously (using δ as the factor when we remove a closed loop). The tensor product and the unit object are defined just as they were for the braid category.

Combining the last two ideas there is a larger category of framed tangles whose objects are (isomorphic to) the natural numbers and whose arrows may be represented as a tangle diagram. By a tangle diagram we mean something like a knot diagram except that (i) the number of points on the top of the diagram need not be the same as the number of points on the bottom [though the total should still be even] and (ii) while each point should be connected to at most one arc, there may also be any number freestanding closed loops that are not connected to any point. Two diagrams are considered identical if they are equivalent under regular isotopy and a particular variant of the first Reidemeister move. As a monoidal category, the tensor product and unit object are defined in the same way as for the braid group and Temperley-Lieb category.

If G is a finite group and K a field then there is a category of represenations of G over K. The objects of this category are pairs (V, ρ) where V is a vector space over K and ρ is a representation of G acting on V. The arrows are the intertwiners: the linear maps from U to V which commute with the action of the representations. The tensor product is the usual tensor product on vector spaces and linear maps and the unit object is the pair (K, 1) where 1 denotes the trivial representation of G (for which all elements of G act like the identity).

Although we will not define "quantum groups" for a few posts, another example of a monoidal category -- the example, in some ways, as far as this series is concerned -- will be provided by the category of representations of a quantum group. These behave, in some sense to be made precise later, like the category of represenations of a group (although, despite the name, "quantum groups" are not a type of group but rather a more general object).

It will be important for this series to be able to talk about fuctors between monoidal categories that preserve the monoidal structure.

For example, the forgetful functor that maps group representations (V, ρ) to the vector space V can be made monoidal in the obvious way (here the natural isomorphism η is just the identity and so is the arrow ψ). Equally the free functor from the category of sets and functions to the category of R-modules is monoidal.

The definition above is not too difficult but there is a lot of notation to keep track of. We would prefer to work with strict monoidal categories -- which make a lot of the diagrams we will draw simpler, if nothing else -- but sometimes this is not possible. For example, in the category of sets and functions with tensor product the Cartesian product (A ⊗ B) ⊗ C is not identical to A ⊗ (B ⊗ C). The former is by definition a set of the form { ((a,b),c) | a ∈ A, b ∈ B, c ∈ C } while the latter is a set of the form { (a,(b,c)) | a ∈ A, b ∈ B, c ∈ C }. However these sets clearly are isomorphic in a very intuitive way.

We can show, however, that every monoidal category is equivalent to a strict monoidal category. We first recall the basic notation of equivalence before giving the relevant definition of monoidal equivalence. It is tempting to want to work with isomorphisms of categories (i.e. isomorphisms in the (meta)category of categories) but this is a little too restrictive. Instead we define an equivalence of categories as, in effect, an isomorphism up to isomorphism.

For example, the category of all finite sets and bijections between them which we introduced previously is equivalent to the subcategory whose objects are exactly the empty set and sets of the form {1, ..., n} and which has only trivial arrows. The appropriate pair of functors map any set of cardinality n to the set {1, ..., n} and, conversely, map the set {1, ..., n} to itself. The definition on arrows is obvious. More generally any category is equivalent to its skeleton: the category whose objects are equivalence classes of objects under isomorphism.

It is sometimes more useful to give a direct characterization of the sorts of functors that can form part of an equivalence of categories.

In light of this result it is common to talk about a single function as "an equivalence". What is meant is the pair of functions and a natural isomorphisms, but these can be recovered from either of the two functions.

We have seen that it is possible to give different monoidal structure to the same underlying category. Therefore, for our purposes, it is not enough to know that two monoidal categories are equivalent. We need a notion of equivalence that respects the monoidal structure we are interested in. Fortunately this turns out to be straightforward to achieve: it is enough to make the (functor defining the) equivalence a monoidal functor.

For example [check this!], the category whose objects are positive integers and whose arrows are matrices with entries in a field K and the category whose objects are finite dimensional vector spaces and whose arrows are K-linear maps can be shown to be monoidally equivalent. (This is, in essence, why linear algebra works as a subject.)

We end this section with two closely related results, both due to Sanders Mac Lane. I won't post the proofs here (unfortunately I think we're hitting the limits of what it's possible to do without proper LaTeX support), but they are fairly straightforward.

The key result is the following lemma:

The proof of this lemma amounts to checking that the given data really does define a category, and that this category is strict monoidal.

The proof uses Lemma 8. We construct a monoidal functor L that embeds our monoidal category C into its category of endofunctors and show that it is full and faithful. We then consider the restriction of this full subcategory of this category by taking only the objects in it which are isomorphic to L(c) for some c in C. This restricted functor is essentially surjective on objects by constuction, and hence L is an equivalence (by Theorem 6).

The strictification therorem in turn allows us to prove the following

This theorem tells us that the original pentagonal diagram for associativty that appears in Definition 1 is in some sense the only such diagram we need to be explict about. All other reasonable (or 'well-typed') diagrams, built up from the defining natural transfomrations α, λ and ρ in sensible ways, will also always commute. The point of all this, in short, is that we can afford to be sloppy with parentheses when talking about monoidal categories [and going forward we very often will be].

Next time: we will actually introduce braided monoidal categories (as well as the related notion of a ribbon category). We will also reformulate all the above in the language of string diagrams and spend a bit more time on some examples.

[ao3feed-zukka]

Burn Like A Fire

Read now on Ao3 at https://ift.tt/aLulWP9 by HeronTheHeretic Zuko's Agni Kai goes very differently, and suddenly his already miserable life is almost pure torture. After being captured by Hakoda and General Fong and suffering at their hands, what little faith Zuko had in the world is shattered completely. Until he meets a water tribe boy with eyes the color of the deep sea, and his very, very odd band of companions. However, Zuko's scars run deep, and the Gaang and Sokka have their work cut out for them. Words: 1939, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Series: Part 1 of The World on Fire-A Zukka Collection Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender (Cartoon 2005) Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: M/M, Multi Characters: Zuko (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Hakoda's Crew (Avatar), Southern Water Tribe Characters (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Original Characters, Ozai (Avatar) Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Aang/Katara (Avatar), Bato/Hakoda (Avatar) Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Dark, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Powerful Zuko (Avatar), Prisoner Zuko (Avatar), Ozai Being an Asshole (Avatar), Bad Parent Ozai (Avatar), Abuse of Authority, Regret, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Eventual Fluff, Not Beta Read Read it on Ao3 at https://ift.tt/aLulWP9

[nono-bunny]

Thoughts from watching the ATLA live action!

Took a bit of a break because writing these while watching takes a lot of time, actually, but! I'm back on my bullshit again, let's go!

Episode 3:

Jet? Is this Jet? Truly wish I could tell, it would be nice if I could fucking SEE ANYTHING!!!

Oh I do think it's just some rando rebels, but looks who's with them, oh my god! Dang dang diggity dand-dang, it's the best villain of the show! Me recognizing her so fast is 100% a matter of me being really impressed with the way she looked in all the official stills and being really hyped to get more of her because of how much I love Azula rather than it being obvious btw, I kinda tried not to watch any pre-release stuff to not get biased in either direction when it came to the actors, like mostly I just read a couple of interviews whenever they popped up for me, so. Genuinely this is gonna be probably one of the only times I'll recognize a character based on face alone when they first appear without their classic outfit (which? Idk how much of that is gonna happen anyway lol), I just!!! Really liked the casting for Azula purely based on the visuals (as I know literally none of the actors in this show, I just know Ozai voiced General Fong and obviously the OG Cabbage Merchant is reprising his role), like I know a lot of people wanted her to still look like a vicious femme fatale or whatever, and like, I get it, OG Azula is hot, we ALL had a crush on her as kids, but. It's vitally important to remember she's a kid, and more than anyone her casting should reflect that given how often I see people say "we should just let villains be villains" when it comes to her. She's a villain, alright, but she's a tragic one, and the entire reason why there are so many Azula "apologists" (like myself) rather than Ozai ones is precisely because of her age and circumstances. So like? Going into this show knowing that one of their prime directives with Azula is to make sure that aspect of her character is abundantly clear was genuinely a real comfort on a personal level. I'm looking forward to seeing her be cruel, but I'm also looking forward to her not being treated as "irredeemably bad to the bone". Anyway! Azula!!!

Oh shit this is a fire nation civilian coup??? Genuinely was sure this was how they skip ahead a bit and reveal that as soon as Ozai heard about Aang he sent out Azula to Omashu for some reason, but her being a domestic spy for him is actually so cool. Tbh I always kinda wondered what she was up to before being sent out, like? Was she still in school? Obviously Mai and Ty Lee weren't, was she there alone? So this is a cool way to show her finding ways to be active even before being given her first big task abroad! Btw, as much as a part of me loves Spymaster Mai, if I'm being honest that job was absolutely made for Azula ngl, she's killing it!! Can't wait for fics showing her reprise that role in Zuko's council after the war lmao (I already read some with a similar vibe and they're always enjoyable, but now Spy Azula is back and I want more!!)

Fire Palace secret entrances canon?!

I don't actually have too many comments on the whole failed infiltration scene, I mostly just think that aside from being very enjoyable, it was also a masterful way to introduce and estabilsh characterization for everyone involved! I do really like showing that there's a rebel presence in the Fire Nation, and how quickly its plans gets snuffed out. It has probably existed ever since the war started, and Aang has only reignited their efforts. There's something I find really interesting here about how Iroh and the rest of the Order of the White Lotus, who seemingly do nothing for so long, are ultimately the ones to succeed- like, is it about patience? Unity among the nations? Strategic placement of the rebellion leaders and their importance? Ultimately, a bunch of old noble men organizing a worldwide network working with The Chosen One were the ones to succeed in their rebellion attempt rather than the many disillusioned (probably) poor citizens that came before them, and like? I get WHY, but. It's genuinely very depressing how realistic that whole thing is. Idek how coincidental it is, me immediately thinking of The Order here when this is an episode that introduces one of the most prominent people in its ranks, because like? That one interview that's about the LA showrunner "being relieved he didn't have to adress Katara's romance" or whatever was actually about a whole lot more, and one of the things they talk about there is explicitly how the way they built up the episodes was by looking at the original and grouping up stories with similar themes- specifically how both Jet and The Mechanic ultimately do terrible stuff because of the war (he put it much more aptly in a way that really made sense but I can't remember the exact phrasing atm) and like? Another theme there is also rebellion vs compliance- so it makes perfect sense to me that this episode also shows the domestic side of that, y'know?

Yo fr Azula's actress is fantastic here??? I just KNOW people are gonna hate how she's more nuanced here, but personally, I loved how it seems she's a bit conflicted when Ozai kills people she knew, yet ultimately lets the sadistic glee and the "I defended my family and my country today" side win out, ending with a smile. It's good! It's compelling! It's... Very different from the way the original show was very subtle about showing how Azula was also suffering right up until the very end- it was still there, of course! She isn't having a good time in the flashbacks to their childhood! It's shown through Zuko's pov though, which inherently makes her seem better off than she actually appears to be, and like. On the whole Bryke really threw Azula under the bus A LOT, even when it doesn't match what we're shown of her, and because her suffering and struggles were less visibly obvious ig it was easy for them to forget/ignore how she was hurt by her situation too. A lot of Zuko's arc comes at the expense of stopping to think of Azula as a human, forgetting that she's also still just a child, and? I like that the LA refuses to ignore that. Her play here was how easily she convinced others the war tore up her family, and you're forced to remember- it did. She's off the mark with who she believes was at fault here and who was wronged, but ultimately... She genuinely has lost so much here, including her childhood and innocence- she was left alone with only bad influences, and when THIS is the kind of thing her father has her do and witness on the daily? Of course she turns out the way she does!!! And given how much people tend to miss that Azula was both a villain and a victim, yeah, I'm fucking glad they're highlighting the victim part!

Okay I officially don't like how Aang teaches Katara bending philosophy. It's weird, it feels off, and while I do like that he seems to be in tune with the whole "the four elements aren't really separate" thing with the way he approaches explaining air bending philosophy to a struggling waterbender... I do kinda feel like it would've hit harder if he had done it while nailing this form like in the show- him just getting it because he's the Avatar and has past life experience feels hollow, but him getting it because he gets the philosophy would actually feel earned, and I wish that happened. I know he doesn't really touch waterbending this season, and like, I know they gave him a reason (an emotionally charge one that makes sense), but. This is a scene that really called for him to try, and he... Doesn't. I wish he did. It makes them seem so much more distant from each other, and next season he's obviously gonna have to get over this and start learning with Toph, so what gives? Is the plan to have him start learning both at the same time and remove Katara's experience as his teacher from the equation in Bitter Work, only show what works best when both attempt to start teaching him at the same time using different styles of teaching? I don't get it. This just really feels too Katara focused in a way that feels a bit jarring because they still inserted Aang into the scene when really... He just takes out a lot of the emotional weight this scene could've had without him interfering- it just feels like a weird time for an expositional trauma flashback. I don't get what this scene was about! I'm guessing Katara is gonna nail the waterwhip later in combat like in the original, but it was just kind of a weird mish-mash of three plotpoints (Aang's refusal to learn without Gyatso, Katara's trauma, and Katara struggling with her waterbending) in a way that didn't really work for any of them? Aang was cute, but. He really felt out of place in this scene- it's literally one taken from the original, but when they take out the reason he was there and instead turn it into a "oooo isn't Katara so tortured by her past" it just kinda... Feels obtrusive to an otherwise cool scene of Katara practicing

Okay so. This scene bothered me so much that I thought I had to take another look at it through a different lens than "this is a weird change from the original" because that's not a charitable thing to do and kind of the opposite of what I'm attempting to do when watching this show, so I rewatched it through the lens that usually DOES make me like this show- what were they trying to say here, what did this change mean? Initially what really bothered me and caught my focus here was Aang's presence and effect being so different than the original, so I tried ignoring how weird it was that he was still in the scene, and just... Focused on what he added to it- which is when I was finally able to get it, I think. So! I think this is actually the show's depiction of Katara's anger, believe it or not! When she attempted to focus on her emotions, she instead kinda defaulted to her memories- of her fear, and helplessness... And anger- which is when she "explodes" her water. Rather than channeling her emotions, she let them control her, and was thus immediately thrown out of balance. This actually kinda checks out with the original show? A more technically skilled or disciplined Katara is actually usually INSANELY powerful, as she channels her emotions to get the water to do what she wants... But the show literally starts with an emotional Katara who has no real skill or control over her powers accidentally doing some really powerful uncontrolled bending. Like? Going by that logic, I can kind of imagine that what makes a master bender is control- that sort of explosion isn't really something that happens to Katara after the NWT, same with season 1 vs season 3 Zuko for the most part actually! And given how Aang, a master, mentioned that his training mostly covered control... I think that's maybe what they're getting at here? Idk, but this also being the Jet episode, aka an emotional one for Katara, really makes me think that this scene was meant to be its own thing with its own message, but just... Had the unfortunate luck of looking A LOT like the scene for The Waterbending Scroll. Anyway I spent genuinely way too long thinking about it so! Moving on!

Cute Sokka and Momo moment!! Followed by primo Water Tribe sibling moment!!

Zuko and Zhao actively working side by side is an incredibly intersection dynamic, I really like it!! Also poor Zuko desperately trying to hold on to the way he thinks he should act...

Why does Jet get to have his instincts while poor Sokka is reportedly removed from this arc?? Yeah so I'm going into this episode very skeptical given how much I like Jet as a Sokka episode but. I'll try to not be too biased, after all it makes sense that he'd be busy with the Mechanic! Still a shame, hope it's been exaggerated a bit.

Oh my god this is still a really fun group dynamic with Jet ngl

Cabbage Merchant!!!

Omg Teo is so cute! And The Mechanist blowing shit up inside a city rather than just in his own place is actually so funny, imagine all the bureaucratic nonsense he must constantly elicit! He must be such a pain to deal with lmao

What?! The Mechanist gets a name?! I'm shook!! Not really lmao, fr he needed one, it's genuinely such a relief. Sai The Mechanist!!

Oh wait this wasn't Sai's fault? I legit thought he just exploded an experiment or something so I wasn't worried, this gives the scene a much more sinister vibe because it's either Jet or legit somehow firebenders!

Yesss go off Teo, fantasize about dropping bombs on your enemies! Lmao that was both a horrifying and hilarious scene somehow

Katara being just... Completely indifferent to the aftereffects of the bombing felt incredibly off. Aang's attitude, while admirable, is strange given that like? Truly, how does he think he can help here? This is... A lot for an Aang that only knows airbending, a Katara that doesn't yet know how to heal, and a Sokka that has yet to show any aptitude for invention. This episode feels like it should've happened just a tad later, or alternatively, have been just a bit lighter and/or right outside of Omashu. It'll probably still work, but. Again, this is... A lot, really fast, and the characters don't feel like they're quite ready for it yet- I hope to be proven wrong, of course, I inevitably will be! But... Idk, again, this is just. A LOT.

So... Ty Lee never runs off to the circus here, or will that happen between seasons 1 and 2? What about Mai? Will she leave with her family to Omashu/New Ozai in season 2? Genuinely interested how they'll handle the change of circumstances here. I like how these two keep their personalities, and I like the fear mixed with loyalty we can see from them already, but... This is a pretty big change that strips them from a lot of the characterization inherent in the circumstances of their first appearance in the original show, so I hope they manage to make up for it and maybe expend on these two a bit more, as they truly deserve it. They too look really young, which is a good thing and works well with Azula!

Speaking of Azula, once again, I adore her characterization here! Bitter, self assured, effortlessly cruel... A villain, but one that I'm sad to see in that position. She's "softer", or maybe I should say she doesn't have quite the same amount of edge, and... I like that about her, because I feel like she's going to earn it throughout.

Damn, Teo is like. REAL angry here as opposed to the mostly naive and peaceful version we see in the original. I don't... know that I like this episode and what it's doing with everything going on too much so far tbh, actually, a lot of it feels barely recognizable, which isn't a crime, it's just... This episode introduces so many things that I don't know that it manages to do ant singular one justice?

Why is Katara the one first finding out about Sai, and why is she not referring to him by name? This all feels so disjointed istg!! This should be a Sokka and Aang focused episode, so why is Katara so prevalent here? The way they shuffle the roles here makes no sense!!

This is... Not the point of Jet? What are they doing here with him? Why is he sparing a traitor? Since when did Jet discriminate between enemies? Or are they going for a "only firenation people are his enemies" kinda thing? Also, where are the freedom fighters? So much about this bothers me, and I get it, I get that they had to merge plots, but. This creates completely different vibes for everything and everyone in a way that wasn't really an issue with the first two episodes. This merger is really doing a disservice to everything, it's just... Depressing and disjointed, and everyone feels ooc for both the original and what was established so far. This is an episode so filled with characters I cannot imagine any new viewes being able to keep up or care, and frankly, I can't either.

Okay the rest of the freedom fighters are here and I am healed. Still kinda pissed about how strangely righteous Jet is rn and how the whole Air Nomad conservation conversation is just. Not gonna happen but. It's cool to see the little guys!

Cool fight scene overall but. God I really wish Aang and Sokka were there, this feels so disjointed for a third episode!! Why are they all separated right now, it hurts the show so much!!! Even if they're all off getting the parts of these episodes that were most relevant to them, the others had a place there too, and. Genuinely hurts that Sokka is just. Cut out of the Jet arc

In other news I hope to god Sokka is being an unreliable narrator, because Hakoda does actually have an interest in engineering (bombs, at the very least lol), but I guess maybe Sokka hasn't really seen that, huh? Hoping this is a set up for Sokka coming into his own and developing real confidence, rather than just rewriting Hakoda and Sokka's relationship. Like, that Sokka doesn't think Hakoda cares about this stuff because he never tried to talk about it with him, and that they'll later bond over it or something.

Sure would've been nice to get detective Sokka in this episode!!!! God I genuinely do think that after the setup for the episode, all of the scenes work nice, but I just. This episode really, really suffers from the separation of the trio, and even though they do a good job at making the different plots work together... This could've been a great episode but it's just. Too much stuff going on, there are like five fucking plots and characters we're following and while they both mesh well and work individually, it's also just that... Theoretically it works, practically it's really difficult to follow, especially as a fan of the original that's already a bit confused by where they're going with all these changes.

Genuinely so weird for them to make Katara's memories of her mother about the sun, aka, the firebender's source of power. Like?? How am I NOT meant to think about Zuko rn??? This scene was so needlessly Zutara coded istg, it's bizarre!! It was a good scene and in line with what I thought they were going for which gives me a lot of hope in terms of Katara's characterization!! Still wish Sokka and Aang were there though.

The Zuko and Azula parallels in this episode!!!!

I don't like that they made Jee actively go against Zuko, ngl.

Good fight between Sokka and Katara!! Once again Sokka is the one who brings out the usually hidden facets of Katara, I genuinely love the way this show portrays their bond!! As much as I like and miss the Sokka we see in Jet that never appears here given how he... Never meets Jet, I do really like the way this became a three way perspective battle with no one really being wrong. Everyone has reason to believe what they do, and this doesn't make Katara look like just a lovesick fool or Sokka like a jealous asshole (which I don't really seem them as but. I've seen people who do)- the original lessons they learn in Jet are kinda... Removed unfortunately but this does make everyone generally look better as a result lmao. I'm not happy about what this episode did, generally speaking, but. This is a good way to reunite everyone imo, it's fun!

I. Didn't realize The Scarf Scene was in the Jet episode?! Holy shit the implications... Zuko trying to hold on to Katara as she's seeking Jet,,, What the fuck were they on about here unless it was some Zutara high??? What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck?????? I am. Not okay. Genuinely why was this here, why does this exist at all, this is so weird!!! I get it now, y'all, I get it.

Holy shit this whole action sequence is fantastic!!! This episode REALLY struggled to set things up in a believable and natural feeling way but I'm glad it stuck the landing in terms of the resolutions!

In other news, yeah, so that dramatic "My Cabbages!!" scene is not gonna make sense AT ALL to anyone who hasn't seen the animated show, huh?

Holy shit Iroh sacrificing himself for Zuko like that is!!! Incredible. He's gonna get out scot free even if caught because of Bumi, so like... There's that, but! Still Incredible. My poor boy was SO confused by it too, Iroh is likely just gonna go have some tea with Bumi for a bit lmao

This was a good way for Aang to get captured though!! I'm guessing Sokka and Katara are also implicated with a plot against Bumi? Honestly it'd be... Incredibly strange if we don't see the characters from this episode in the next one but I'm kinda getting the feeling we won't given that it's the Bumi one? But neither plot has really reached any sense of closure, so... Hoping they do next episode? Idk, all around just. Really strange to have all of this happen in Omashu but. Whatever lol, this episode mostly redeemed itself at the end haha

[instantebookmart]

An Invitation to Applied Category Theory: Seven Sketches in Compositionality by Brendan Fong, ISBN-13: 978-1108711821 [PDF eBook eTextbook] Publisher: ‎ Cambridge University Press; 1st edition (August 29, 2019) Language: ‎ English 348 pages ISBN-10: ‎ 1108711820 ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1108711821 Category theory reveals commonalities between structures of all sorts. This book shows its potential in science, engineering, and beyond. Category theory is unmatched in its ability to organize and layer abstractions and to find commonalities between structures of all sorts. No longer the exclusive preserve of pure mathematicians, it is now proving itself to be a powerful tool in science, informatics, and industry. By facilitating communication between communities and building rigorous bridges between disparate worlds, applied category theory has the potential to be a major organizing force. This book offers a self-contained tour of applied category theory. Each chapter follows a single thread motivated by a real-world application and discussed with category-theoretic tools. We see data migration as an adjoint functor, electrical circuits in terms of monoidal categories and operads, and collaborative design via enriched profunctors. All the relevant category theory, from simple to sophisticated, is introduced in an accessible way with many examples and exercises, making this an ideal guide even for those without experience of university-level mathematics. Brendan Fong is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research explores how we use pictures to represent and reason about the systems around us, and how to understand the world from a relational point of view. These topics find their intersection in applied category theory. David I. Spivak is a research scientist in the Department of Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has found applications of category theory ranging from database integration to knowledge representation, from materials science to dynamical systems and behaviour. He is the author of two other books in category theory. What makes us different? • Instant Download • Always Competitive Pricing • 100% Privacy • FREE Sample Available • 24-7 LIVE Customer Support

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[PODFIC] The Art of Burning

https://archiveofourown.org/works/61807165 by septembersoffspring (10september) Zuko had never excelled at anything. Azula was a prodigy. Uncle always knew what to say. And Father... Father was strong, iron-like. But Zuko had only ever been good at surviving. Putting one foot in front of the other in a grim show of stubborn determination, gritting his teeth and bearing it. Survival was all he had ever been taught. He knew how to do it. So when he was kidnapped by the Southern Water Tribe, he expected to fight as he always had. He didn’t expect to be taught instead how to live. In a warring land, the Water Tribe forgave the enemy in an act of defiance. For this, he was torn from them, and this time, his wounds won't heal so easily. Forced back into nothing but survival, the last person Zuko expected to see was Hakoda's son. Hakoda was a promise of safety. The relentless blue of Sokka’s eyes was a promise of happiness. Zuko could have both if he just reached out his hands, but he found them clutching into fists. After all, he’d been burned one too many times. But hey, at least between Hakoda and Sokka, Zuko could appreciate the family resemblance of pure, asinine stubbornness. Words: 45, Chapters: 4/?, Language: English Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender (Cartoon 2005) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: Gen, M/M Characters: Zuko (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Southern Water Tribe Characters (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Katara (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), Bato (Avatar), Original Characters Relationships: Hakoda & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Southern Water Tribe Characters & Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko Additional Tags: Tags copied from original work, Zuko thought taking on an entire crew of warrior would be a good idea, It was not a good idea, Hakoda now has the Fire Prince as a prisoner, nobody is happy about the situation, Hurt Zuko (Avatar), Ozai Being an Asshole (Avatar), no seriously FUCK ozai, Slowburn Adoption, zuko eventually joins the gaang, then there’s zukka, you love to see it, but its SLOWBURN, mid season one, inspired by muffinlance’s salvage, up to like chapter 6, Cultural Differences, Petition to hurl general fong off the nearest cliff, Gay Zuko (Avatar), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Internalised Homophobia December 30, 2024 at 03:01PM

[eduebookstore]

An Invitation to Applied Category Theory: Seven Sketches in Compositionality by Brendan Fong, ISBN-13: 978-1108711821 [PDF eBook eTextbook] Publisher: ‎ Cambridge University Press; 1st edition (August 29, 2019) Language: ‎ English 348 pages ISBN-10: ‎ 1108711820 ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1108711821 Category theory reveals commonalities between structures of all sorts. This book shows its potential in science, engineering, and beyond. Category theory is unmatched in its ability to organize and layer abstractions and to find commonalities between structures of all sorts. No longer the exclusive preserve of pure mathematicians, it is now proving itself to be a powerful tool in science, informatics, and industry. By facilitating communication between communities and building rigorous bridges between disparate worlds, applied category theory has the potential to be a major organizing force. This book offers a self-contained tour of applied category theory. Each chapter follows a single thread motivated by a real-world application and discussed with category-theoretic tools. We see data migration as an adjoint functor, electrical circuits in terms of monoidal categories and operads, and collaborative design via enriched profunctors. All the relevant category theory, from simple to sophisticated, is introduced in an accessible way with many examples and exercises, making this an ideal guide even for those without experience of university-level mathematics. Brendan Fong is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research explores how we use pictures to represent and reason about the systems around us, and how to understand the world from a relational point of view. These topics find their intersection in applied category theory. David I. Spivak is a research scientist in the Department of Mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has found applications of category theory ranging from database integration to knowledge representation, from materials science to dynamical systems and behaviour. He is the author of two other books in category theory. What makes us different? • Instant Download • Always Competitive Pricing • 100% Privacy • FREE Sample Available • 24-7 LIVE Customer Support