#ren the avatar of disappointment

[creations-of-a-certain-no-one]

Ren's version of some of the behind-the-scenes workings from Simeon's birthday.

That's how the negotiation should go, definitely.

Also

[frumfrumfroo]

I get tired of Zuko being brought up as the archetypal redemption arc (I get why people on the pro-redemption side do it, because he's a cultural touchstone for many people when we're kind of in dearth of villain redemptions, contrary to popular belief). But it's interesting how he lacks many of the elements I find engaging about redemption arcs, partly as a consequence of it being a children's show - Zuko can safely be redeemed because his daddy is the true baddie, so we still have the archetypal 'hero defeats villain' story; Zuko doesn't have a romance, and you can argue he's a villain protagonist in many ways, so the absolute product of his arc is kind of discrete; Azula (though apparently she was intended to be redeemed) still functions as a baddie for him to take down, so it's not like nonviolence is embedded in the narrative (which is what I personally find powerful) - and so on.

If I may add to your post, I definitely agree with you that it's a product of the current cultural/media climate, and comparisons to Zuko tend to not be productive. The anatomy of the fallout is little to do with the emotional arc or verisimilitude of the character's development, and so changing that isn't going to change anything. There are also elements like, Zuko gets to be the 'one' contrastive character who did it correctly - emotionally unbound in the story (his major redeeming relationship is with his uncle, even) - and for many people in the current discourse, from a time of childhood idealism. If I were to psychoanalyse these people, Kylo Ren, for instance, is so uncomfortable as a product of teenage narrative cynicism, maybe even worse because the Sequel Trilogy unearthed the OT. Zuko functions sort of like 'the one female character written correctly' which people bandy about to silence discussions of female character criticism or the presence of female characters, despite the fact this is an extremely limiting and antihumanistic approach (for black characters, for black female characters, for disabled characters, and so on - we want a variety). It's like how the 1:4 ratio of women to men is considered 'even'.

But I would go so far to say that why Zuko fails as a point of comparison is that many elements I view as powerful, moving, and challenging in redemption arcs are simply not there. This makes him feel safer. If Zuko is the 'limit', then you can suppress the discussion surrounding villain redemption arcs this way. Because romance isn't a feature, nonviolence isn't a conclusive feature, Azula can't be redeemed (she's truly crazy and evil), so redemption is a 'yea high' bar of disappointment. This is why I am tired of Zuko as a point of comparison bandied by the anti-redemption crowd, both because it stymies storytelling (there is no limit on what sorts of stories deserve to be told) but because it's actually kind of... not the same thing as what we're talking about. It doesn't go far enough. It barely does at all (and in anime, the villain redemptions tend to go pretty far, so what Avatar was playing off of was, well, playing it safe).

I also think it would be a different story if they had gone for Zuko/Katara with a female POV, but I don't really believe that both of those things were ever the intention. There's not really room for it in the Aang Show where the girl is a prize. But I'm not sure that many would meditate on it with such content if romance were involved at all. Hell, even now there are people who insist that Vader's redemption wasn't one at all because it commits too much - and that's why I think Zuko as an example persists.

I can't speak on the actual content because I was never in the fandom and haven't seen the show, but I'm sure you're right. I also think it's largely to do with these people having seen Zuko's arc when they were younger and it being 'grandfathered in'. As we see with some of the antis in sw fandom being totally fine with anidala or thinking Anakin is a sympathetic and tragic character, but lose their shit at the suggestion Ben is intended the same way despite being a far, far less demanding example. Even though anidala actually was an abusive relationship and reylo is not. etc.

Because they grew up with it and have already accepted the story's conclusion, they retrofit the 'good' and 'hero' labels and are thus fine with Anakin's redemption. The label is more important than any action he could take, because these people are working from an indelible label-based 'morality'. It's a form of Protagonist Centred Morality.

And I'm confident the same is true of A:TLAB.

And yes, there's also the fact that it's apparently an extremely tame and not very challenging redemption, because it's a show for little kids and thus Zuko doesn't kill anyone or do anything that violent. And again, I haven't seen it, but I get the impression he was always at least a bit sympathetic? So you never saw him as a simple and unrepentant villain. I could be wrong about that idk.

It is an extremely annoying thing that people still trot this out as the 'one acceptable redemption arc for all fiction ever', but that attitude has nothing to do with the writing of his arc or his character and everything to do with the people saying this and the circumstances under which they were exposed to him. And it's a self-fulfilling prophecy at this point because he's been given the pass, so even people coming to the show later already have permission to like him and won't respond to him the way they would otherwise.

The anti echo chamber will keep perpetuating this.

[wanaery]

Socionics Type: IEI

Examples & Description 🌌🔮🎭

Intuitive Ethical Introvert, IEI, INFp, Sergei Yesenin, Beta Quadra

Romantic dreamer and visionary. The IEIs principal value in this world are the invaluable gardens of his own imagination, with the aid of which it is possible for him to penetrate into the past and future, to feel the surrounding world in its wholeness, to understand the dynamics of present events, A dreamer and romantic, the IEI is easily separated from reality and taken by his thoughts into the land of images and insights, from which he derives enjoyment and meaning of his existence. He’s drawn to literature containing elements of the fantastical and breathtaking adventures. He imagines himself participating together with heroes of the novels, giving himself up to periods of creative imaginings. His mind, as a rule, focuses on something that is sublime and elegant he may think of a journey around the world aboard an ocean liner (alongside a refined public), of an alluring cottage with a fireplace and white piano, of beautiful transcendent love. Curious: not indifferent to anything that is novel, unusual, and fascinating. Leaves an impression by his unexpected, sometimes extravagant behavior and statements. Has a refined sense of humor. Knows how to comfort a person, how to uplift the mood.

Emotive and charming; may smile even when he is saying something unpleasant. Insistent in his requests when he is strongly motivated. Knows how to pick a good moment to approach a person with his request. Freely manages his own time and that of others. If IEI enters a period of melancholy and disappointment, and this is not a rare occurrence, he will then isolate himself. When the dark period is over, he will once again emerge bright and alert, with positive expectations of the future and of his life. If he is in luck and finds himself in a loving and supportive atmosphere, his best qualities are revealed: the ability to be compassionate and to provide moral support. Being keenly perceptive of the moods of people around him, he when in elated spirits is ready to offer warmth and sympathy.

Possessing high impressionability, the IEI sensitively responds to all forms of art. He especially loves music and poetry, sometimes creates his own artwork, writes music and stories. He enjoys attending concerts and art exhibits, manifests natural literary gift.

Attentive to his own appearance and that of others, aware of its influence. If necessary, dresses elegantly even exquisitely. In a demobilized state complains of about his life and hardships. Likes when he is looked after, when someone is attentive to his worries. Finds it difficult to give up comfort that he has grown accustomed to.

Without strong directives becomes disorganized and demobilized. Cannot focus his attention on a task for lengthy periods of time. In handling money uneconomical and careless: may spend a large sum money on something “for the heart and soul”. May give promises that he hasn’t considered well. Entertains himself to drown out disturbing premonitions. An optimist and positivist, not a weak creature, capable of surviving in harsh environments. Protected and valued as a peacemaker, stress-resistant despite a delicate emotional constitution. Possesses 'psychological weaponry' such as positive self-programming, with a firm belief that all will be well. And usually, things do turn out well.

Examples:

Anaïs Nin

Fiona Apple

Kate Bush

Amy Lee

Weyes Blood

Melanie Martinez

Lana Del Rey

Wanda Maximoff

Kylo Ren

More IEI Examples:

Mitski

Tori Amos

David Lynch

Robert Smith

Jeff Buckley

Sylvia Plath

Chelsea Wolfe

Jesse Jo Stark

Edgar Allen Poe

Soren Kirekegaard

Friedrich Nietzsche

Fictional IEIs:

Wanda Maximoff (MCU)

Kylo Ren (Starwars)

Violet Harmon (AHS)

Luna Lovegood (HP)

Veronica Sawyer (Heathers)

Kat Hernandez (Euphoria)

Raven Queen (Ever After High)

Belle (Beauty and the Beast)

Kiri (Avatar)

Joe Goldberg (You)

Loki Laufeyson (MCU)

The Riddler (Batman 2022)

Arthur Fleck (Joker)

Abigail Hobbs (Hannibal)

Persephone (Greek Mythology)

Rose Dawson (Titanic)

[the-cybersmith]

All of you are wrong, actually.

I think the absolute most wrong person is @juniaships, because of this line:

Enough of this history repeats type shit.

Generational spin off media is, almost certainly, going to deal with the repetition of historical themes. It's one of the most common patterns in media; largely because anyone who studies history will realise that it does, in fact, repeat!

Your argument here is somewhat anti-art!

The two examples given are Avatar and Star Wars, so let's address them.

Firstly, the central claim by OP, and by @rohirric-hunter is that the media featuring protagonists whose kids grew up with parental issues (note that this is not the same thing as being bad parents) must necessarily be written by people who just can't imagine good parenting for protagonists.

The issue with that is that we can actually see it's not the case!

AVATAR:

Tenzin is clearly a really good father! We see that he and his Pema are good parents!

Korra's parents are good parents by all appearances too!

STAR WARS:

Rey's parents, despite being stuck in a totally horrible situation, are exceptionally dedicated to their daughter! Dathan and Miramir literally died for their daughter!

So that pokes a bit of a hole in your theory.

Secondly, let's see how applicable the claims are of the previous generation's heroes being bad parents are.

STAR WARS:

The only person to claim that Han Solo was a bad father was Ben Solo, AKA Kylo Ren, AKA a man with absolutely terrible judgement who should not be considered an authority on the topic of who is or isn't a good parent.

PICTURED: the last person whose judgements should ever be uncritically accepted about anything, ever.

It's notable, however, that his dissatisfaction with Han Solo as a father doesn't appear to be based on anything Han Solo DID, but rather what Han Solo WAS. Note that he has no bad words for his mother, the princess and senator? Note that he reveres his Grandfather, the mighty Lord, almost to the point of worship?

He's obsessed by the idea of heritage and lineage, "You come from nothing, you're nothing", and Han Solo doesn't live up to that standard. Han Solo is a lowborn Corellian who grew up in a slum, and whose name was a fabrication. Oh, the name of Skywalker, the name of Organa, Kylo Ren has no shame for these, but he flinches every time Snoke refers to him as "Solo".

Nothing Han could have done would overcome that, until his son was willing to reconsider his outlook.

Han and Leia loved their son, and by all accounts did their best to raise him well. Yes, in their grief over his betrayal, they drifted apart, but that makes them human, not bad parents.

As for sending him to train with Luke, there's no evidence this was against his will, and if "having your kid with special talents go to a special boarding school that teaches him how to use those talents" makes you a bad parent, I guess Bill and Molly Weasly are bad parents, too?

PICTURED: Fred and George being very disappointed with you after what you implicitly said about their mum and dad.

As for Luke... yes, he absolutely would consider killing Kylo. He damn near took Vader's head off! He's always been one to leap before looking, and sometimes he ends up regretting that.

Also... Kylo Ren did, in fact, go on to commit massacres, become a dictator, murder Luke's best friend. Luke knew he would do these things. Woukd it be moral to kill him in advance? Arguably not. Is it something to dismiss out of hand? No, not unless you're an absolute pacifist, which Luke isn't.

AVATAR:

Something I think it's important to note about Aang and Katara is that neither of them (especially Aang) have a good model for what parenting looks like.

Aang was raised by a whole community, in a monastary, amongst other Airbenders. He has no experience of what it's like to be raised by someone with a skill that they can't pass on to you. He also had duties and obligations besides being a father. He did need to make sure that tgere was at least one Airbender in the world, to teach the NEXT avatar.

Also, let's consider Bumi's own inclinations and desires. He's a career military officer, something that presumably interested him from a young age. Is it any wonder that his father, the ardently pacifist monk, had teouble relating to him? Even with the best of intentions, they were two very different people, with two very different outlooks.

Katara, too, was separated from her parents quite young. She learned a great deal of self-reliance, arguably more than a person of her age should have. Do I think that she intentionally hurt her kids? No. Do I think it's believable that Bumi may have grown up without feeling very close to his parents. Yes.

Being a good person, even being a kind and empathetic person, doesn't preclude the possibility that we'll upset those close to us.

Finally, Toph.

Yes, Toph is a bad parent.

If you think she wouldn't be, you've been frankly blinded by favouritism. She's impatient, irritable, stubborn, and extremely opposed to authority figures, not least of those being her own parents!

The idea that she'd overcorrect to her parent's protectiveness by becoming too lenient? That feels very plausible and in-character.

Good people won't automatically become good parents. Parenting is a skill, and it's a hard one to master if you never had a good relationship with your own parents.

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

[aromanticmara]

random if the tdp characters [whichever ones you feel like talking about] were in the atla universe, what kind of bender would they be If they were a bender? nonbenders? do any of them have avatar vibes?

omg corey i saw this and completely forgot i’m so sorry <3 anyways interesting question ���

rayla: earth. she’s stubborn and strong which is an earth bender thing.

callum: either air or water bender. but mainly air. he’d be clumsy in both tho

ezran: non bender! he is an amazing ruler without the need for bending!

claudia: fire! fire is kinda like the dark magic so i associate it with her

soren: non bender. fits with the theme of claudia being a prodigy and he’s the disappointment in v*ren’s eyes if that makes sense.

amaya: earth! same reason as rayla tbh

ethari: non bender

runaan: water bender

[ninjapotatohead]

Sonic Chronicles, a Sonic RPG from Bioware back when they still had a perfect reputation & is the closest we got to a game based on the comics continuity. It got B's & 80%s from various review sites & magazines. What could possibly go wrong?

Oh God it hurts, please make the hurting stop.

Here's 3 quick facts about me: A. I can play Sonic games B. I can play RPG C. I can't play rhythm games to save my life

Which of these 3 facts would you say is the most important to playing a Sonic RPG? Well it turns out the answer is C because every damn attack & spell requires the player to do some Elite Beat Agents bullshit to work. Made worse that the you-did-it-wrong sound effect sounded more like a you-did-it-right SFX to me, so I didn't realize how badly I was screwing up for the longest time.

In fact, the audio top to bottom is just terrible Shadow's "voice" is the falling-down-the-tube SFX from Sonic Spinball. & the music, Hoolee Moolee the music. Apparently Bioware ran into legal issues with their soundtrack in the 11th hour or some other shit & at the last minute replaced most of the tracks with MIDIs from a fan site. The results weren't pretty.

Story is.............ok. To Bioware's credit, they've done some homework & tied previously unconnected threads from multiple past games together to form this game's backstory & this was probably the last time any Sonic game remembered the Master Emerald. However, some of these callbacks don't really amount to much in the long run. OK, so the Dark Brotherhood built the Gizoids from Sonic Battle, what of it? The gizoids in the game might just as well have elite Brotherhood troops for all the difference it makes. If Gemerl from Advance 3 made an appearance they could've gone somewhere with it but he doesn't so nevermind.

Speaking of the Dark Brotherhood, the other disappointment is that this is like the only Sonic game to incorporate elements from the archie comics canon, except not really. Instead of the Dark Legion/Julie Su/Dimitri, SC has the store brand knock-offs Dark Brotherhood/Shade/Ix. It's like getting Kylo Ren instead of Jacen Solo. I hate to imagine a sequel having substitute Freedom Fighters if Bioware kept going.

Dialogue choices seem to be there for the sake of Bioware tradition, not to actually add anything of note. You can either choose from sarcastic Sonic or serious Sonic, but the results the same regardless. This probably would've been a better game to work in a custom player avatar instead of Forces, Bioware at least could've done more with it. Tails is so insufferable about reminding the player to save the game, he continues to do it even after telling him to stop. That's how inconsequential choices are.

Stats are so weirdly implemented. Damage output is not a visible stat, you can equipped items that increase your damage but they don't show by how much. There's an "Attack" stat that you can see, but it actually refers to the attack's accuracy, which I didn't know for the longest time & was hella confused at why I was doing so little damage. You give party members protection from different elemental attacks, but there is no single enemy in the whole game that even deals any sort of elemental damage so the shields are pointless.

In short, it's a game where every facet of it fails. Crap graphics, terrible audio, lousy controls, half-assed gameplay, weak story, & a cliffhanger ending that'll never get resolved thanks to a lawsuit from a dumbass ex-writer. It may not be the worst Sonic game ever but it was the 1 that broke my heart the most.

Though, to be fair, Chronicles also sold like shit. If memory serves me, there were special "Viral" Chao that were supposed to be given out at special events, but they never were due to poor attendance from the players.

Chronicles is only just barely passable as "baby's first RPG", but it's when the game is shown to someone who's played many better RPGs that the game's many glaring flaws are laid bare for all to see.

[creations-of-a-certain-no-one]

Contell Ren would be much gloomier than his Devildom version.

The Devildom broke something in him - the constant stress of being prey for literally everyone around emphasised his lack of self-preservation and allowed him to disregard his own safety until his new family finally made him consider that aspect again. What this phase left though was his directness and drive to do things instead of being a pushover, with a lot of playfulness and light trolling. Devildom send him through a rollercoaster but also opened him to accept the attention and appreciation he needed from his favourite demons.

Summoner!Ren wouldn't have that experience that pushed him past his boundaries. He'd be much less energetic, much more withdrawn and guarded. He probably wouldn't be playful at all and would definitely try to stay in the background instead of actually trying to bond. Inherently, nothing much would change in his passiveness or apathy. Any form of attachment would probably be much slower and also... unwelcome. The last thing he wants is to get attached to anyone. But like in case his Devildom original, his defense would fall apart if exposed to The Tsundere of the game, just much less openly affectionately.

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

PS Bryke. You also knew that deep down, you never really cared for Katara as a rounded character, you only saw her as a means to an end.

In your infamous anti-zutara fanart video, you also added in some anti-azulaang content. Believing that Azulaang is even worse than Zutara.

But it's no surprise you'd mischaracterize Azulaang as well as Zutara. In contrary to popular belief, Azula is not just a female counterpart of Ozai. If anything, she's like Iroh during his general/war criminal days. Both of them had plans to sentence the earth kingdom to the same fate as the air nomads if they refused to fall in line. No one can convince me that Iroh immediately had a change of heart after his son died, never lost his sanity many times over, and didn't still have some PTSD that haunted him for the rest of his life. I also stand by the theory that Iroh proved himself worthy to Ren and Shaw after Lu Ten died, not before, and he got the title "Dragon" prematurely because of nepotism. No way would the last remaining dragons entrust a murdering scumbag (at the time) with their sacred knowledge meant for positivity.

Azula is not as power hungry as Ozai, in fact, it's Zuko who takes after Ozai in that trait. Based on the context of the beach and what the spirit showed her in her solo comic, what Azula truly wants is to be normal and have a stable friendship, family life, and even a romantic relationship without any draining pressure and strings attached. Sound like anyone we know?

Zuko and Aang had this dynamic of developing a connection because of Zuko being a descendant of Avatar Roku. The same can be done with Aang and Azula but on an even more personal, intimate, and spiritual level.

Azula would not bite her tongue in situations like this. It would be a big trigger for her and she is willing to relapse in her old violent ways if Aang refuses to let go any thoughts of favoritism or disappointment in their children for not having a certain trait he wanted. She'll also remind him that he has energybending and he should go forth and take full advantage of it.

In other words, Azulaang is the opposite of Kataang and that, ironically, makes it the healthier pairing in comparison.

“That is one happy family.” (post-ATLA pre-LoK headcanon)

But seriously.

Imagine that small, barely-readable moment of disappointment that must’ve passed through Aang and Katara, when they realized that their firstborn child… born from a prodigious air -bending Avatar and the most powerful water-bender to exist in a century… was a non-bender.  

Knowing Katara, she would’ve just breathed deeply and held that child even more tightly and lovingly, accepting the little boy as is.  

But Aang?  

Aang must’ve thought the Spirit World was taunting him. No doubt he would be devastated, thinking that bringing air-benders back into the world would be a lot trickier than he thought.  That guilt he once felt about running away from his people would come crawling back under his skin, all over again.

Katara would comfort Aang, as she always does.

He would be adamant, saying that no, Bumi has to be an air-bender!�� He has to be.  He just needs some time!  Aang would double-down.  He would make sure to give Bumi the same air-bending spirituality and influence to hopefully trigger the boy’s air-bending gift.  As soon as Bumi were weaned, Aang would take him to visit all of the Air Temples for weeks at a time, and Katara would oblige, staying behind in Republic City to work diligently on behalf of the Avatar.  

But there’s only so much time that Aang can be away, because Republic City needs him.  So, Aang would build a fifth temple just off the coast of the city: Air Temple Island.  It would be Aang and Katara’s permanent home base, bringing as much influence of air culture as he can… with air bison and air acolytes to give Bumi all of this immersion in his first few years of life.  

Katara doesn’t protest any of these changes, despite not having much say in them; she doesn’t reject all of the young pretty female acolytes suddenly living in their home, spending time with their son, her husband… because Katara knows it’s for the best.  She knows how desperate Aang is to have their son be an air-bender.  She still gets to know Bumi regardless of his lack of bending, still finds herself laughing with him, teaching him things whenever the acolytes can give her some quality time with her son.  In secret, Katara also tries to connect with Bumi with water-bending… wondering if, just maybe… but that, too, becomes a fruitless search.  

But actually, no– she notices how Bumi loves the water anyway.  She notices how he loves going out into the water near the island, his hands paddling the water-bent boogie board she makes for him.  She wonders if it would be a good idea to visit the Southern Water Tribe regularly in the future, to see if Bumi can connect with that part of his identity… or perhaps visit the Fire Nation to immerse the boy with Fire Lord Zuko’s naval ships, to see if he might someday be a naval commander.

She brings this idea up to Aang, hopeful that he would like this idea, too.  Aang smiles, but he lowers his head in the way that looks defeated, beaten.

Katara would comfort Aang, as she always does.

Five years pass, and Bumi has visited the Southern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation multiple times.  He has grown to enjoy the water, despite not being a water bender.  No, he is still not showing any signs of air-bending. Aang is sad, but still tries to connect with this child.  It doesn’t come easily, since he knows nothing else… since he was raised by air-benders, who laughed at the idea of gravity all the time.  

Aang becomes more emotionally removed, feeling like a fraud parent in front of this child, and finds himself telling Katara how she’s always been great with kids, how she practically raised Sokka, another non-bender... hears himself making so many excuses to not be around Bumi. 

Katara would comfort Aang, as she always does.

He spends most of his time alone, meditating, traveling to the Spirit World to find an explanation as to why.  Why would the Spirits give him a non-air-bending child in the midst of an extinct air-nation?  Months pass by, and no answer is found, and despite being among his air-bison and acolyte kin on Air Temple Island, Aang feels so empty.  Hopeless.  Alone.

Aang runs off to find solace in the other air temples and acolytes, focusing his energy on bringing back his culture with his most devoted followers, once again leaving Katara to speak on behalf of her husband whenever Republic City asks about Avatar Aang’s absence.  She says he will return soon.

He doesn’t come back for a year.

His relationship with Bumi would suffer.  His relationship with Katara would strain.  Despite her emotional distance from Aang, and his neglect to their child, Katara remains devoted to the Avatar (and her husband, for better or worse) so she stays on Air Temple Island raising their son until his return.  

It’s not until she writes to him in the temples: Don’t worry, Sweetie, we’ll make an air-bender sooner or later. Just come home, please…  that Aang is finally compelled to return to Air Temple Island to try again for another kid.  He has a good feeling about it, too, considering that this second child would be born and fully-immersed in Air Temple Island.  

Imagine the surprise, then.  How… in spite of all of that air culture… their second child is born to be a water-bender.  

Katara is beside herself with joy, and Aang smiles, seeing this sweet little girl who shares her mother’s eyes… but he cannot hide his disappointment.  Katara sees it, too, and she fights that bitter, stinging feeling of guilt in her stomach as she gradually builds a connection with her own daughter.  

Aang, you’re a water-bender too, remember? she encourages, and that little fact brings some light in Aang’s disappointed eyes, and he spends time with his daughter, building a connection through his natural water-bending skills.  

But still… that is not enough, and Katara knows. 

She sees it in the way Aang’s eyes aren’t fully present when he plays with his daughter, his son.  As Katara looks at her husband looking at their children playing together, she can tell by his his defeated, weighed-down grin that truly… deep-down…  he wishes they were something else.  

When Aang packs up to travel again to the air temples, Katara doesn’t protest.  When she learns how Aang has been refusing to even mention Bumi or Kya in the other temples, Katara reasons to herself that it must be because of that pain it causes him– that internal shame Aang carries with him as the Last Airbender who cannot bring more of them to the world.  

That’s what Katara keeps telling herself, as she continues to raise Bumi and Kya on the island on her own for almost another year. 

Thankfully, Aang returns to Air Temple Island, refreshed and fully new.  There’s a sense of hope in the air – now that the Spirits blessed him with a water-bending daughter – that an air-bending child might not be so far away. 

And the third time becomes a charm.  

When Tenzin is born, Katara is indeed happy, joyful… and also relieved, by the look she sees in Aang’s eyes, discovering that this child’s silver eyes match his.  Katara is too preoccupied living this specific kind of joy vicariously through Aang… she forgets to be happy about just having this third child. Her child.  

And when Aang refuses to let go of this child… refuses to give up Tenzin for his mother to hold him that day he’s born… Katara doesn’t protest. 

She brushes off her tears as more happy ones than sad ones, because it’s all she can do to live with this man, now.  This man who is also a kid, who is also the Avatar.  Who’s already gotten so accustomed to the world bending to his every want and need, there is now no going back. Katara knows. 

The world is, of course, rejoiced by the first air-bender born in over a century, and no sooner is Tenzin weaned that Aang takes him all over the world.  

Katara remains with the other two children, keeping this emotional hole in the relationship to herself, but downright refusing to give Aang more children, no matter the eagerness he shows about wanting more air-benders. He talks about it publicly, unapologetically… in written and oral documents…. but whenever Aang tries to place a hand on her shoulder, her back… Katara now shrugs it away.  

When Aang asks her if she’s okay, it’s in that concerned, wise voice of a monk who knows all.  As if this were obviously something to do with her, never about him.  

As usual, Katara says she’s fine, but her arms remain folded, her eyes lowered and distant, all but gone.  

He never asks Katara if she still loves him; that would be ridiculous.  That’s all but assumed; she did marry him, didn’t she? And they had three kids together. 

She never asks Aang if he still loves her; that would be ridiculous.  She already knows the answer.  She’s always known.

No Avatar has ever broken their marriage… according to what Katara has read… and through the stories her Gran Gran always told her, she knows that a marriage is a sacred bond, held for better or worse, before the spirits of Tui and La.  Katara looks at her husband, and then their children… still very young, still considered the Avatar’s kin… and she stays.  She chooses to.  

It’s what she tells herself, on particularly rough days– that she had a choice, and that she made it.  

Aang stops trying to touch her, eventually, and when he takes Tenzin on long-term trips to the other air temples, Katara doesn’t protest.  Whenever he returns to the island, of course she’s there to greet his arrival, but they now sleep in separate quarters.   

When people ask Aang about the possibility of more air-benders after Tenzin, he replies that it’s Katara’s health that is now preventing them from trying for more children, and Katara confirms this with a smile… assuring that Tenzin will be kept safe and protected, with constant vigilance wherever he travels, before he one day has air-bender children of his own.  

In public, Katara still smiles.  In writing, Katara still praises the Avatar. 

When Aang asks her to write a letter to Tenzin for his air-bender legacy book, she obliges quietly, too tired to argue anymore. 

In this letter, she explains to Tenzin what got her to fall in love with his wonderful father, and of course shines light on his fun and kid-like way about living, and how she felt lucky enough to stand by and witness his many deeds for the world and the air-nomad culture.  Katara is too enveloped in this internalized, shameful resentment that has sat and grown for the man who has become her husband… she doesn’t realize she has failed to remind Tenzin in this letter that he is also part Water Tribe through his amazing mother… a woman who stood by the Avatar when nobody else would, who was his anchor of hope and strength when he had none… who taught herself water-bending and became her own hero while waiting for one to be realized.   Katara’s tears stain the parchment of this letter, so much so that she doesn’t notice she didn’t even mention Tenzin’s beautiful siblings, Kya and Bumi, who – while they might not be air-benders – would still love him and be there for him throughout his life. 

The photographs of the family are indeed happy, and courteous… rehearsed, and poised… because this, this is the family that must inspire people.  

Leave it to Katara – the one who always placed others before herself – to always be thinking about that bigger picture.  

After all, what kind of message would it bring to the next generation… a world, still vulnerable by the consequences of war… if they saw the Avatar’s family as unhappy?

[gale-gentlepenguin]

New york superheroes for the ask game

Concept: Live action Avatar | Disappointing | “I dont know what I was expecting” | True Neutral | I see potential | Solid | Excellence | The creation of Penguins Execution: Live action Avatar | Disappointing | “I dont know what I was expecting” | True Neutral | I see potential | Solid | Excellence | The creation of Penguins

Its foreshadowed early that there are other super heroes. Which is cool in a potential world building set up

But unlike with Ren Ren. The super heroes really dont get a lot of development.

Majestia and Knight owl along with their side kicks get the most development but they are mainly kind of lame.

The president being a super hero was fun. That made me laugh.

And Hot dog Dan is a gem and the most american hero ever.

But outside of that... i felt it was very lacking.

I know that they had to cut the special short. So I wont be too hard.

But I wish they did more with it

[shippersinc]

What is your favorite ship from each of the fandoms you listed?

(≧▽≦)We are very happy for the question anon, you all are more them welcome to ask anything, maybe we won't be able to have all the answers but we certainlly gonna try our best (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧ - Sayu

Heyy thank you so much for the question I really hoped someone did so I could write and simp over this beautiful list with these beautiful ships I love so much!! I’m so excited, so here we go, prepare yourself for a long af post! - Alya

Avatar: The Last Airbender Alya: Tokka (Toph x Sokka) My forever OTP Sayu: i'm gonna watch but still not quite there , but o already love Suki

Teen Titans Alya: BB/Rae (Raven x Beast Boy) and Flinx (Kid Flash x Jinx) Sayu: Kid Flash x Jinx 🌹

Young Justice Alya: Spitfire (Artemis x Kid Flash) Sayu: Kid Flash x Artemis ( ◜‿◝ )♡

Over the Garden Wall Alya: Beatrice x Wirt

Infinity Train Alya: Jesslake (Jesse x Lake)

Noragami Alya: Yatori (Yato x Hiyori)

Hey Arnold Alya: Shortaki (Arnold x Helga)

RWBY Alya: Flower Power (Ren x Nora), Whiterose (Ruby x Weiss), Rosegarden (Ruby x Oscar) I’m a mix of don’t see Ruby with anyone, but still find the dynamic really cute Sayu: Still only watched 2,5 but i like Flower Power (Ren x Nora) and Checkmate (Weiss x Blake)

Trollhunters Alya: Stricklake (Barbara x Strickler) and Steli (Steve x Eli)

The Dragon Prince Alya: Rayllum (Rayla x Callum), the way season 3 handled it disappointed me a little, but I still like it

My Little Pony: FiM Alya: Rarijack (Applejack x Rarity) everything to me

Miraculous Ladybug Alya: Marichat (Marinette x Chat Noir) and Lukanette (Marinette x Luka). I actually ship the whole Love Square, but Marichat stands out Sayu: Alya x Nino

The Legend of Korra Alya: Kainora (Kai x Jinora) and Boleska (Bolin and Eska), Ik, kinda weird

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Alya: Leorai (Leo x Karai)

Star vs the Forces of Evil Alya and Sayu: Marcapoo (Marco x Heckapoo) <3

Steven Universe Alya: Sadie x Lars and Lapidot (Peridot and Lapis) platonically Sayu: Ruby x Saphire (ʃƪ＾3＾）

Disney Alya: This one's hard to choose one but if I have to, Tiana x Naveen and Judy x Nick Sayu: ヘ（。□°）ヘ Soo many choices and i don't remember even one(;~;)

Kung Fu Panda Alya: TiPo (Tigress x Po)

Wordgirl Alya: Tobecky (Tobey x Becky)

Doctor Who Alya: I have many, specifics with different Doctor, but generally, it's Thoschei (Doctor x Master)

DC Comics   Alya: Oh boi, hard too, but let's go with Selina x Bruce, cause I'm basic, Gar x Raven, Tim x Steph

That 70's Show Sayu: Hyde x Jackie o((^▽^))o

Detentionaire Alya: Lee x Brandi

She-Ra and The Princesses of Power Alya: Catradora (Catra x Adora) and Entrapdak (Entrapta x Hordak)

Ducktales Alya: Goldie x Scrooge and Magica x Gladstone, Webby x Lena is also pretty cute Sayu: Goldie x Scrooge (◡ ω ◡) Louei is their heir

Carmen Sandiego Alya: Red Crackle (Carmen x Gray)

Barbie Alya: There are many possibilities as well, but let's go with Anika x Aiden, Elina x Nori and Erika x Dominic (maybe Anneliese and Julian too) Sayu: 乁| ･ 〰 ･ |ㄏ Barbie x Ken in life in a dreamhouse(?)

Haikyuu Sayu: Bokuaka (Bokuto x Akaashi)♡(˃͈ દ ˂͈ ༶ ) love them wayy too much

Card Captor Sakura Sayu: Sakura x Syaoran, Sakura x Tomoyo and Touya x Yukito ✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧ Gotta love them all

If you want us to make specific posts about these ships and explore more what we said about them, feel free to ask! =D

[1-800-i-ship-it]

Masterpost (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ

hello and welcome to my blog! about me + ask/submit a post guidelines here! 

(edit: im lowkey cringing at my past self but im too lazy to rewrite this whole thing so enjoy, whoever stumbles upon this) (edit dec ‘24: nvm i cant stand this so im gonna edit this soon/wip actually i just fixed most things xD)

before we get started: bigots, terfs, and the like, please kindly gtfo, i’ll even open the door for you to leave :)

this is a lgbtqia+ friendly blog 🌈 🌈🌈🌈🌈 yes i love this emoji how could you tell

click to help palestine

crips for esims for Gaza

operation olive branch

actionable blm and other resources 

current ask status (will be updated accordingly, when i remember to): yeah so ur guess is as good as mine...

btw if u go through my posts and like everything, its not creepy, it is awesome and i will appreciate you in my notifs v much!

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other blogs: @1-800-get-sherlocked for my Sherlock BBC stuff (semi inactive) and @1-800-blurambles for misc reblogs and other stuff :D

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About me: 

Name: bluris, you can also call me blu/blue or Your Majesty, any works (I’m kidding about the last one pls don’t call me that), “hey you,” that-person-who-doesn’t-know-what-they’re-doing is also acceptable, as well as That Mess™ and ofc master procrastinator 

Pronouns: she/her/hers 

Age: adult by definition, theoretically a 10 year old

Qualifications: Professional Shipper, Master Procrastinator, Major: Disappointment (BS), PhD in Bad Life Decisions

Excels in: keyboard smashing, fangirling, typos, MS excel

Fandoms: Tower of God (mostly this blog), ORV (Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint), ATLA (Avatar: The Last Airbender), TLOK (The Legend of Korra), DC (help me im being pulled into the dc universe (edit jul ‘22: yeah im done for)), Link Click (時光代理人/shi guang dai li ren), Inception, Spy x Family, Heartstopper, Arcane, Free!, Buddy Daddies, Yuri on Ice, Sherlock BBC (mostly on sideblog @1-800-get-sherlocked), a lot of other webtoons/some anime that would take too long for me to list (BUT IF U WANT TO KNOW WHAT I READ...I’D BE HAPPY TO SEND U THE WHOLE LIST (edit jul’22 i literally made a spreadsheet), and some Percy Jackson + Hunger Games (throwback to when I was really obsessed with THG years ago haha), and I’m about to be sucked into a lot more...rip me haha

Interests/Likes: fandoms listed above ^ screaming about fictional characters, yelling about my ships, fics, webtoons, art, food, coffee, books, music (classical, cpop, kpop, pop, rock, rap, always down for new music recs) econ, environmental science, soft blankets, dogs, getting annoyed at UI updates

Ships: khunbam, joongdok, superbat, shiguang, arthureames, zukka, korrasami, wuko, kazurei, viktuuri, johnlock, everlark, buncha others, if i somehow have the motivation to list them later on, i will but anyway ship and let ship!!

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Things I do

I write poetry and make gifs sometimes! (edit: emphasis on sometimes...) most gifs on @1-800-get-sherlocked but I did make some for ToG here + the occasional shitpost or something cursed, i also scream in the tags a lot

Other hobbies: playing piano (arguably the only legit skill i’m actually good at lmao), swammer, <- please feel free to send me music/swim memes i would love them; wasting time, constantly engaged in a battle with ever-decreasing storage space and a desktop covered in too many screenshots (i should change my header to this tbh (edit 12/24: my friend’s roommate saw it and almost fainted), reading, binging, eating, sleeping, being a potato, overthinking, getting myself into fandoms i never expect myself to get into...

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Ask/Submit a Post Info: 

Guidelines:

TL;DR: just be respectful 

no derogatory, racist, discriminatory, etc stuff, you know the drill :)

Answered Asks (also tagged under “bluris answers asks”)

no worries if you repeat an ask, I’ll just link it back to one I answered already ^^ likely won’t happen though  

Long ask? u can send it to Submit a Post instead; if u want to stay anon just lmk (or go to a web browser and put in a random email, that makes it anon too)

please specify if you want a long/short answer, default is rambling (no one has specified yet so i suppose yall gud with rambling huh xD) i put this so that short answers can get answered quicker lmao 

if you want your ask to be answered privately, please lmk! 

you can request:

gifs from me for Tower of God or Sherlock BBC (preferably ask me on @1-800-get-sherlocked for a sherlock gif) please specify the time range (if it’s longer than 30 sec i will have to split it up) and any text you want me to add  

headcanons are okay too! but no incest etc, will not write extremely explicit content but a little is fine

if you need help finding ep number of something i can do my best to help (naming my screenshots will now come in handy wont it xD)

this is just stuff ive mostly been asked before, but if u have smth else u wanna ask, by all means go for it! 

edit: NOT caught up on tog (both webtoon/anime...) (sorry!! tryna clean up my current screenshots first...) (edit 12/24: tryna start rereading at some point ahh)

Extra: 

I love getting asks! send them my way :P 

fic/books/movies/shows/anime/webtoon etc... recs are welcome too! i might not get to them quickly but i do mark them for later and i do my best to get to them and i will write feedback later (again i do procrastinate a lot so...im sorry if i dont get to it very soon :’))

and yes sending asks in response to ask game posts is great

u can send me random stuff too lmao i dont mind 

basically feel free to send me whatever, i do my best to answer!

Note: as per my procrastinator header, yes, I do procrastinate, so don’t feel like you are being ignored if your ask isn’t answered right away, it might be bc it requires me to gather info/thoughts which sometimes takes me a while to do! or i often save things in drafts and forget and then remember later 😅

if you think your ask might have been eaten, u can send another ask asking about it, and i will respond with either a) it’s been eaten or b) im working on answering the ask, it just takes me a while sometimes

lastly, I reserve the right to not answer an ask

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Misc:

Want to be friends? just send me a message/ask/submission! :D (just to be clear i dont mean this in a creepy way) as ez as 1-2-3 (also I’m literally not intimidating at all dw (how does one be intimidating? help /j)), even if we’re not mutuals it’s perfectly fine :D and anon is ok too dw ^^ i would love to talk to you! <3 *

fun fact I actually have multiple friends I made through this method so just letting u know...it works :P

I love getting tagged in stuff, feel free to do so <3 (btw if i dont reblog soon its just cause i have it in drafts, again, procrastination) 

love it when ppl reply to posts or add stuff in reblogs or scream in the tags!

ask to tag cw/tw, etc...; pls tell me if theres smth i should tag, i wont mind and i’ll be glad im aware of it now 

if i’ve made a mistake, pls lmk

im open to being a beta reader :D

theres probably something im forgetting but oh well if i remember i’ll add it later

that should be it~

hope you enjoy your stay! <3

*if you need someone to talk to, i will always be open to listening! however, i am not a professional, so if you really need help especially ASAP, please check below the cut for resources (phone numbers, apps, tips, etc...) you can reach out to! i want you to be able to seek the help you need <3 

warning: there may be triggering words under the cut, proceed with caution (i didn’t use tags on purpose bc this is under the cut and i gave a warning + want to make sure ppl can see resources)

Phone Numbers

International suicide hotlines:

http://www.suicide.org/international-suicide-hotlines.html

National suicide hotlines (by state):

http://suicide.org/suicide-hotlines.html

post on what to do when you are thinking of suicide

7 cups:

there are free trained online listeners to talk to those who are struggling, and also a paid therapists option, please check it out ^^

https://www.7cups.com/

Wysa, an app where you can talk to an AI penguin that helps with your thoughts, sign up for online therapy, access resources for emergency situations, and much more

https://www.wysa.io/

Trevor Project:

https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

If outside America:

https://www.thetrevorproject.org/trvr_support_center/international/

App that helps you avoid sh

panic attack tips 

how to report suicide/self-harm concern on posts  

100 reasons why not to kill yourself + a lot of phone numbers for basically any country

Lastly, a self care masterpost with many resources on it

shoutout to my wonderful friend @cannottranslate for sending some of the resources mentioned above ^^ thank you dango <3 

[nilnether]

My general rule for this is that if character embodies some popular/cool/resonating tropes and is underdeveloped it's going to generate fandom. If they are dead and generic/underdeveloped it's even better because they can be filled with whatever favourite character traits people would like them to have (Neteyam is notoriously OOC). They are your toys now.

And, of course, they are prefect for shipping. Canon no longer can hurt you there. I saw your new post (just replying here first) and I feel for the person who wants Spider with a male Metkayina. It's like Finn and Poe Dameron and Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes and can only end in disappointment. You are right, it's so very unlikely Disney would have a main character in their biggest current franchise be not straight (also Jack was like 12 when he filmed A3 with other actors - there is no way there will be any romance stuff until after time jump in A4). But if you ship Neteyam canon no longer applies. It's your AU and you're calling all the shots. You are not going to see the hopes dashed on screen. And if it's popular enough it can almost feel like canon.

And yes, we all do it. Speculating on what happens next makes fandom fun. And it's so cool when your theory proves to be true. But some things are more likely then others. That Spider one seems pretty likely since there are so many different sources for that particular development (and so many people were imaging this for Spider even before spoiler it seems a lot of people find it likely already). All of the shipping ones seem pretty unlikely (Spider/Kiri is probably the likeliest but it's still like half/half and not before time jump). But even things that seem likely may not come to be and willingness to admit it is saves you a lot of heartache.

My pet theory since seeing the movie is that Spider will become something I call Holy Ground for Quaritch and Jake. It references the Highlander franchise when the characters kill each other in combat for power but are not allowed to do it on holy ground so the heroes and villains can talk without killing each other. If it just sets up the final fight or leads to cooperation depends on story. I figured that the change from Spider being adopted to him being stuck in limbo of not quite belonging anywhere was to keep him in that middle ground (and I don't think he's been adopted at the end of A2 - he still seems to be not quite there as he attends the funeral with the family but lacks the mourning stripe they have). I think in Avatar's case it may help humans and Na'vi relations and ability to see the other side as more than just enemy. Spoilers seem to back me up on this one too. But I could be totally wrong about all or parts of it.

There is always a chance that the author of the story will stumble and the story will loose luster for you and leave you with only your headcanons. Or they try to change something because of leaks or people just figuring it out and it can be very detrimental (Game of Thrones showed what happens when they go for shock value instead of story telling). But Cameron doesn't seem to be that kind of storyteller and it looks like he knows exactly what story he wants to tell so I doubt he'll change it because of that. And he certainly knows how to tell stories.

There are always things you would love to be explored (I would love exploration of identity for recoms as manufactured beings but I know this is not that kind of story) or hate to see in fiction (I was so against Rey/Kylo Ren as I hate those tropes but that wasn't what destroyed the Star Wars sequels for me) but ultimately when it's not your sandbox you have to live with what the author chooses. If you are prepared to let go of your headcanons it's much easier to enjoy the story as is. And then fill in the blanks. I'm really hoping that since Cameron has the whole arc already planned it's going to be as engrossing as it was so far.

Which recoms do you think Spider bonded with the most? What would some of their interactions look like? Would Spider ever try to pry embarrassing information about Quaritch from them, would he ask about his mom, or just joke around?

I've seen a lot of fanfics, both AUs and canon universe, that expand on Spider's relationship with the other recoms, and that's really great and fun to explore, especially when Wainfleet becomes like an uncle to him.

But to be completely honest, if we're talking canon to the story of Avatar, I don't think Spider really had much of a relationship with any of the recoms other than Quaritch even though he did spend a lot of time with them. At the end of the movie, when Wainfleet shot Neteyam, Spider was running right next to him, and Wainfleet didn't seem to care if he hit him at all. Then after Neteyam's death, there's another brief scene where Wainfleet has a clear shot at Jake, but Spider is standing in front of him and would get caught in the crossfire. Wainfleet was ready to shoot Jake even if it meant hitting Spider too, and he only stopped because Quaritch told him to. And then right after that, Spider showed Jake where to ambush the recoms on the boat with zero hesitation. Spider didn't kill any recom himself, but his help made it a lot easier for Jake and Neytiri to almost wipe out the whole squad.

They spent months with each other, but when it came down to it, Spider and the recoms were willing to kill each other. Quaritch was the only exception, and even then, he had a long moment of hesitation before he could admit to himself that he did love spider more than he hated Jake. So even though in the og script and deleted scenes, we see Spider make fun of the recoms a little bit, I don't think Spider ever got comfortable enough with them to joke around or ask about such a sensitive topic like his mom.

Sorry if this is a boring answer, but I'm trying to stick to canon. And even though I don't think it's realistic to canon, I still LOVE fics that flesh out the recoms' relationship to Spider more! Fics are for bending canon anyway!

[princepondincherry]

Wish RWBY was better? Try ATLA

To start: Yes, I’m aware ATLA and even LoK probably have much larger fandoms than RWBY already. I think they also have more content and were produced with a larger budget, which means we have to give RWBY some slack. It doesn’t mean criticism isn’t valid.

Since Avatar came out on Netflix, I watched both shows, and I can’t help drawing parallels with RWBY since they’re both animated shows I’ve loved about badass kids/teens with magic powers. And Avatar is SO MUCH better. For instance, inter-party conflict. The Gaang argue ALL THE TIME, and it’s just presented as the normal state of affairs, not some dramatic, crazy detail when one sibling has a slight disagreement with the other sibling. And as much flak as the Mako relationship drama gets in Legend of Korra, at least it had substance to it. We still don’t really know what the problem is with Ren and Nora. Oh, and The Last Airbender handled an unwanted kiss forced on someone who didn’t think it was the right time for romance SO MUCH better, with an immediate, “I SAID I was confused!” and the instigator having a scene right after where they called themselves an idiot, instead of the Renora kiss being presented as romantic or something.

Now I kinda want to write a list of things I feel Avatar does better. There’s a poorly-argued word vomit below the cut:

- The dead mother thing--Salem mentions Summer once with no details, and Ruby completely breaks down? What? Like, grief is fine, but this has literally no foreshadowing since the songs don’t count as full canon, and it made no sense given Ruby’s established (ha) character and the situation. Katara would have flown into a rage, and it would have been so much better.

- Arguments with adults on your side--Pakku was set up as an asshole teacher from the start, and he when confronted with the consequences of his misogyny, he changed his ways for the better. Zuko arguing with Iroh is never intended to have Zuko be in the right. Korra argues with Tenzin all the time, and usually they’re both right, but have to come to a better understanding of each other’s perspective that helps them grow as people. In fact, this conflict drives a lot of the story for the first two books of LoK. Unfortunately, RWBY seems incapable of this sort of nuance. Qrow is just drunk until he isn’t, but then later gets Clover killed, and Ozpin is supposedly just awful.

- Arguments with adults who should be on your side but aren’t--Long Feng SHOULD be on the same side as the heroes, defending the Earth Kingdom, but he isn’t for pretty stupid reasons. But, unlike Ironwood shooting people like a maniac, Long Feng is against the heroes for stupid reasons that (mostly) make sense in-universe: he wants to remain in power. (I still don’t understand why he didn’t just quietly explain that he had the real power in the city, not the king, and shuffle the kids off to whoever was running the military defenses that allowed him to pretend there was no war. I guess he thought if he just gave them the cold shoulder long enough, they’d go away?) Whatever problems there were with Long Feng’s storyline, at least he was consistently written as a bad guy. In contrast, Ironwood is inconsistently written as a good guy who has all the trappings of a tyrant but doesn’t act like it AT ALL, except when he occasionally does something extreme like shoot Oscar. He’s written (I guess unintentionally?) as a subversion of the military tyrant, except when he suddenly acts like one again. It’s like they were shooting for a Tarrlok (sketchy government official who’s both bad for the obvious reasons AND worse than he appears beneath the surface, even though he often works for the side of good) but actually wrote Suyin (someone who could easily be a totalitarian dictator, but decided not to be because of her moral principles, and is actually nice), except occasionally she attacks her allies for disagreeing with her.

- Costume design--I loved Ruby’s, Weiss’s, Ozpin’s, Qrow’s, and a few other original costumes, and Ruby’s had some very solid costumes. However, Volume 7 was terrible. The animation looked weird on Weiss’s braid, Jaune’s hair was awful, and a bunch of them weren’t really dressed for the weather. In contrast, the Avatar characters change outfits whenever it’s appropriate. You know, like real people. (If this is a “3D animation makes outfit changes harder than 2D animation” thing, then maybe 2D animation is just a superior art form when you’re on a budget.)

- Consistent power levels--Katara starts weak and gets stronger. Aang starts as only an airbender and consistently gets better at everything else. Toph invents metalbending and gradually gets more proficient with it. In contrast, RWBY’s Volume 1-3 feats are often better than their later feats, and Aura strength blatantly depends on plot. Yang’s gotten *slightly* better at fighting, Weiss learned a new skill and promptly got her butt kicked by focusing on it too much, Ruby supposedly learned hand-to-hand combat but really just did a headbutt, and RWBY SOMEHOW beat the most premiere team in Atlas after training with them for a few weeks. Sure, Toph, Katara, Azula, Aang, and Sokka are all ridiculous prodigies, but they’re established as such from the beginning. Katara still loses soundly to Pakku before he trains her. (Despite the memes about her kicking the ass of the patriarchy, he’s obviously going easy on her and still crushes her.) Aang gets beaten by Ozai without his OP special ability. Azula gets beaten easily the one time we see her go up against an adult (Iroh, on the ship in the beginning of book 2). And Toph is more like Pyrrha than anyone on Team RWBY. Honestly, this is one of my weaker points, but I still stand by the fact that the Avatar kids’ victories felt much more earned.

- Bad Fights--Yes, I know, heresy. I actually think the best of RWBY’s fights (RWBY vs. Torchwick’s mech, Ozpin vs. Cinder, Pyrrha vs. Cinder, RWBY vs. the Nevermore, Qrow vs. Tyrian) are somewhat more exciting, visually interesting, and (sometimes) emotionally charged than even the best of Avatar’s fights (Aang vs. Ozai, Zuko vs. Azula, Kya vs. Zaheer, Korra vs. Zaheer, Tenzin and his siblings vs. Red Lotus, Suyin vs. Kuvira). But my actual point is that RWBY’s bad fights are BAD, whereas I can’t even think of what the worst Avatar fights are. Sokka vs. Zuko in episode 1 was pretty bad, but that was more of a gag than a fight. Umm...Big Glowy Korra vs. Unavaatu was kinda cheesy, but I still liked it. Meelo fartbending vs. the Equalists? Idk. Meanwhile, RWBY has the Scuffle of Haven, that time Ilia seriously hurt Sun somehow, Qrow vs. Tyrian vs. Clover (visually impressive, but made NO FUCKING SENSE), Oscar landing a massively-telegraphed blow on Neo...well, okay. Maybe there weren’t that many awful fights. I still think I came away from more RWBY fights disappointed, but I can’t really argue my case very well.

- LGBT representation, normalized to the time period--Yes, Korrasami never got past handholding in the finale, but somehow Yang and Blake haven’t either? Even though it’s 2020? Actually, this is a symptom of a larger problem:

- Romantic relationships being ignored--Why won’t RWBY explicitly confirm anything? The RWBY cast are closer in age to the LoK cast than the ATLA cast, but it feels the other way around. Kataang was both heavily present in ATLA the whole time and by no means taking over the plot. And, okay, there was Jaune/Pyrrha, but she’s dead now, so the most-developed ship is Renora. Who held hands, then didn’t talk about their relationship at all for a full volume, and then had a nonconsensual kiss handled worse than the Kataang kiss in Ember Island Players. I’m glad there haven’t been any Romantic Plot Tumors in RWBY, but something would be nice. Or just don’t bring it up at all if you’re never going to develop the relationships.

- Sibling relationships--Yang and Ruby were great as sisters in the early volumes, but lately it’s just been Yang deciding to yoke herself to Ruby’s judgement, until suddenly she’s not anymore. I feel like they barely talked in Volume 7.

- Villains--If Salem wants to kill everyone and collect the Relics, why hasn’t she? She’s invincible! Ozai at least was still human, but he left to handle things himself as soon as he got a power-up. More vaguely, I just find Avatar’s villains more interesting than RWBY’s most of the time.

I’m aware that some/most of these are unfair. It’s more intended as an incoherent rambling to get my views out of my head than as any sort of persuasive argument.

[itsclydebitches]

Am I the only person disappointed that Salem wasn't a Pure Evil Abuser Fire Lord Ozai/Emperor Palpatine(Star Wars)? When the Big Bad is female there's always a "But actually!" catch to absolve/forget all of their crimes like the Grimm's Corruption or the Brothers following Greek tragedy rules not literally any other Divine Rules. seriously in the age of Rep female on male abuse gets treated as comedy at worst, black at best. and serious? NOPE! Salem Humanoid grimm plz. *hugs everyone*

Excluding the specific issue of ignoring/making light of women abusers (which yeah, isn’t something I’m pleased that the story or the fandom has glossed over), I think the problem lies more in the lack of women villains compared to men. I’ve discussed before how well written (that’s subjective) villains are usually complicated villains and how you complicate a villain is (usually) by humanizing them in some way. Thus, the more villains you produce the more chance there is to get a good balance between that “Irrevocably evil they’re just That Bad” characterization and “Evil can be complicated and they may be a victim too.” Star Wars is a great example. There are a TON of male villains that immediately pop into someone’s head when they think of the franchise - Darth Vader, Palatine, Darth Maul, Snoke, Kylo Ren, Dooku, Boba Fett, General Hux, presumably all of the stormtroopers, etc. - so you get this nice combo of Evil For The Sake of Evil (Palpatine) and more Sympathetic Evil (Anakin). Meanwhile, I admit I’m no expert on the series, but off the top of my head I can only think of Phasma and Ventress so... that doesn’t leave nearly as much room for that balance. Same with Lord of the Rings. By giving us a nearly male-only cast we have the space for both Sauron (evil-evil) and Gollum (corrupted-evil). Avatar has pretty great gender balance from the get-go, resulting in Lord Ozai (evil) and Zuko (manipulated) and Azula (a mix of being manipulated like Zuko but never rising to the chance to be better like he did). 

Basically, you need to include women in your stories before you get a significant number of women villains and you need to actually make more of those women the Big Bad (not side-kicks like Ventress and Phasma). That way it’s not getting only three (3) prominent  women villains over a five year period and getting annoyed that they all happen to have Tragic Backstories. With low numbers it feels like that’s the only thing women are allowed to be. However, if you give us 15 prominent women villains instead, suddenly that particular trend is diffused. I mean, I can name 50 culturally influential villains who are men off the top of my head but honestly? Women are a little harder. I think Harry Potter does a good job of giving us both Bellatrix and Umbridge, neither of which are sympathetic. We have straight-forward cartoon villains like Ursala or the Wicked Witch. And then yeah, we have the villains who are around so long and are such an integral part of the story that it’s pretty much inevitable that they’ll seem sympathetic at some point, like Cersei Lanister or Poison Ivy. But that’s not a lot. Not compared to what men have anyway. Here some readers are no doubt thinking, “But there’s also - !” and yeah, of course other women villains exist. But how long did they stick around? What audience were they aimed at? How prominent are they in the story? How big did those stories get? Sure, Umbridge and Bellatrix are absolutely fantastic, but they’re also just two villains next to (again, off the top of my head): Voldemort, Snape, Mr. Malfoy, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle, Grayback, Quirrell, Pettigrew, most of the other Death Eaters, Sirius for a time, Grindelwald, Crouch Jr., Lockhart, Kreacher, Karkaroff, and Fudge. To say nothing of how often non-humans like Aragog, the dementors, or the bassilisk are assumed to be male. That’s not a very fair comparison. 

So I think this is a larger problem to tackle. It’s not just the issue that “women villains are only allowed to be ___” but rather that women villains simply don’t take up the same space in popular culture that the men do, thereby perpetuating ideas about what they’re “supposed” to look like because we have such a small pool to draw from. Sure, someone can point to this fantasy series they adored and show how it possesses a huge range of women villains. That’s great! But are a lot of other people reading that series? Has it achieved critical fame? It’s the men that tend to dominant American popular culture  - Voldemort, Darth Vader, Sauron, President Snow, Hannibal, the Terminator, Thanos, Loki, the Joker, Moriarty - rather than that one woman villain that yeah, people loved, but she wasn’t apart of a story that made it big. Or she only lasted one movie. Or she was only aimed at kids, etc. I think those expectations for women villains absolutely exist, but we also need to make more women villains to begin with before we say definitely that we “only” have this version of them. It’s a two-fold issue that needs improvement. 

[therainrogue]

🎾 Sportember ‘20 {30/30}

🏀 𝕀𝕟𝕥𝕣𝕠𝕕𝕦𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 / Introduction

Hello hello and welcome to my masterlist for my Sportember set! ^~^)/ If you want to check out the original post, please click here. I’m really excited for this event and I hope a lot of people decide to join this event with me!

I’m going to list the prompts and the characters I’m thinking about writing for that prompt. If you’d like to suggest someone for one of the prompts, feel free to send me an ask, but keep in mind that I may not follow through with your suggestion!

Prompts with [✓] have already been written and are waiting to be posted, so the character will not change.

I hope you enjoy this set, thanks so much for reading (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)

xoxo Rain

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🏐 WEEK 1; Sports or Song Lyrics

↬ Sep 1st - Greatness / “We’re not nameless, we’re not faceless, we were born for greatness.” | Kaede Okumura, Prince of Stride | fluff _ ficlet

↬ Sep 2nd - Cult / “Do you wanna start a cult with me? I’m not vibrating like I ought to be, I need a purpose.” | Masaharu Niou, Prince of Tennis | slice of life, school, friendship _ one shot

↬ Sep 3rd - Sparking Eyes / “Promise me you’ll never leave my side. Show me what I can’t see, when the spark in my eyes is gone.” | Asashi Azumane, Haikyuu!! | angst, school, romance _ one shot

↬ Sep 4th - Fable of Stars / “I’ll be more than just a fable, I’ll be written in the stars.” | Chenle, NCT | slice of life, fluff, au _ one shot

↬ Sep 5th - Price I Pay / “You will never know, it’s the price I pay. Look into my eyes, we are not the same.” | Chikara Ennoshita, Haikyuu!! | slice of life, angst, romance | one shot

↬ Sep 6th - Hidden / “I’m the poster child of denial, there’s nothing I can’t hide.” | Ren Mihashi, Ookiku Furikabutte | slice of life, angst, fluff _ one shot

↬ Sep 7th - Long Way Down / “Life is walking on a tightrope, with nothing but a blindfold. It’s a long way down.” | Morisuke Yaku, Haikyuu!! | angst, fluff _ one shot

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🏐 WEEK 2; All Rounder Prompts

↬ Sep 8th - Adversary | Yuuichirou Tajima, Ookiku Furikabutte | slice of life, angst, fluff, school _ one shot

↬ Sep 9th - Announcement |  Kunimitsu Tezuka, Prince of Tennis | slice of life, fluff, friendship, college au _ one shot

↬ Sep 10th - Massage |  Shinji Watari, Haikyuu!! | fluff, slice of life _ one shot

↬ Sep 11th - Goals |  Satan, Obey Me! | angst, fluff, friendship _ one shot

↬ Sep 12th - Bet |  Gintoki Sakata, Gintama | fluff _ one shot

↬ Sep 13th - Guardian |  Yuu Nishinoya, Haikyuu!! | angst, school, friendship, fluff _ one shot

↬ Sep 14th - Professional |  Lev Haiba, Haikyuu!! | angst, slice of life, fluff, school _ one shot

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🏐 WEEK 3; Sentence Prompts

↬ Sep 15th - Fun Times / “Come on, it’ll be fun!” |  Ryouta Kise, Kuroko no Basket | friendship, comedy, fluff, slice of life _ one shot

↬ Sep 16th - It’s Not / “That’s not a sport.” | Neito Monoma and Hiryuu Rin, Boku no Hero Academia | fluff, slice of life _ one shot

↬ Sep 17th - Tryhard / “Why do you try so hard?” |  Mr. Compress/Atsuhiro Sako | fluff _ one shot

↬ Sep 18th - Hurt / “I don’t want you to get hurt.” | Choutarou Ootori, Prince of Tennis | fluff, slice of life, high school au | ficlet

↬ Sep 19th - Helpful / “Let me do that for you.” | Issei “Mattsun” Matsukawa, Haikyuu!! | fluff, school, slice of life _ one shot

↬ Sep 20th - Paid / “I don’t get paid enough for this.” | Aoyama, Aoyama-kun is a Clean Freak _ fluff, slice of life, family _ one shot

↬ Sep 21st - Dislike / “I dislike sports.” | Takanobu Aone, Haikyuu!! _ school, fluff, slice of life _ one shot

↬ Sep 22nd - A Reason to Win / “I’ll win - for you.” | Jisoo Kim, Blackpink _ slice of life, au, fluff _ one shot

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🏐 WEEK 4; Angst or Fluff Prompts

↬ Sep 23rd - Protection | Russia, Axis Powers Hetalia _ slice of life, au, fluff _ one shot

↬ Sep 24th - Supportive | Sakaeguchi Yuuto, Ookiku Furikabutte _slice of life, fluff _ ficlet

↬ Sep 25th - Encouraging | Mineta Minoru, Boku no Hero Academia _school, slice of life, friendship _ one shot

↬ Sep 26th - Security | Marui Bunta, Prince of Tennis _ slice of life, fluff _ ficlet

↬ Sep 27th - By Your Side | China, Axis Powers Hetalia _ fluff, romance, au, slice of life _ one shot

↬ Sep 28th - Disappointed | Sokka, Avatar the Last Airbender _ fluff, au, slice of life _ ficlet

↬ Sep 29th - Kindness | Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Haikyuu!! _ fluff, slice of life, school _ one shot

↬ Sep 30th - Not Enough | Sawada Tsunayoshi, Katekyo Hitman Reborn! _ angst, au, slice of life _ one shot

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🏈 𝕾𝖕𝖔𝖗𝖙𝖘 𝕬𝖓𝖎𝖒𝖊 𝕸𝖊𝖓𝖚 / Sports Anime Menu

I am not biased toward sports anime.

I am not -

✰ Prince of Tennis - 5 ✰ Kuroko no Basket - 3 ✰ Haikyuu - 6 ✰ Oofuri - 2

Damn it.

I am so biased toward sports anime (；一_一)

I’m kind of shook that I did more Haikyuu than I did Prince of Tennis but I’m gonna just blame it on how I’m currently watching Haikyuu so of course I’m more obsessed at the moment! Plus, there’s plenty of time to switch the characters around so let’s see if these numbers change ヾ(⌐■_■)ノ♪

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🏈 After Completing the Set:

✰ Top three anime I used:

Haikyuu!! (9/30)

The Prince of Tennis (4/30)

Ookiku Furikabutte (3/30)

✰ Top three sports quotes used:

Haikyuu!! (15/30)

Kuroko no Basket & The Prince of Tennis (each 4/30)

Eyeshield 21 (3/30)

Yup, totally not biased at all  (⌐■_■)ノ♪

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[creations-of-a-certain-no-one]

“Drank a truth serum by accident. Do not interact.”

That’s what he sent in their group chat.

The demons thought Ren was embarrassed of all the cute things he’d undoubtedly say to his precious demons. They expected the sunshine boy to flood them with praise and appreciation so they all immediately ran to interact.

What they didn’t expect was a scowl on his face, his bright sunny smile gone and an annoyed “tch” he let out immediately after seeing them do exactly the opposite of what he asked.

“I told you it’s a bad idea,” Satan sighed, looking at his dumbfounded brothers.

“But you came anyway.” Ren shot him a judgemental stare.

Satan decides it’s best to be honest too.

“I couldn’t miss you roasting them.”

Ren didn’t even comment on that. And Asmo missed the cue entirely, completely ignoring Satan’s remark. “We want to know what you think of everyone!”

“Tch. It’s a truth serum and not answer every question serum and I don’t want to talk.”

“Did something happen?”, Lucifer studied Ren’s face with slight concern, not used to Ren being this snappy even to him. “You seem upset.”

“Oh, I look upset now then, deal with it.” He shrugged. “Drank a truth serum. And then some clowns immediately decided they’re going to ask me questions I don’t want to answer.”

He shot them a disdainful glare.

“Are you… always like this?” Mammon asked in a quiet voice.

Ren looked away with discomfort. “I’m sorry. I can’t control it now.”

He didn’t deny it. As regretful as he sounded, it was still true.

“Have you been lying to us?”, Belphegor asked the question everyone had in mind. Or almost everyone.

“Listen…” Ren sighed and rubbed his temples. “I... I am very on edge now. I will gladly spend time with you all, just… later, after this shit wears off. I will. I want to. My time with you has been the best time ever.” He blurted, almost losing control over the potion. “Really. I mean it. But…” he let his hands fall to his side, completely defeated, “today’s just a horrible day. I already messed up so much and because of that stupid potion I can’t pretend I don’t care. I can’t even smile through it like I always do.”

“So… you’re not angry with us?” Levi asked reluctantly.

“No, not specifically with you, I wouldn’t say so. If you refrain from asking invasive questions for now, that is. I just… don’t think I can handle anything at the moment. I don’t know how anymore.”

“And it’s infuriating?” Satan helpfully added.

“And it’s infuriating,” Ren agreed.

For a few seconds everyone contemplated all Ren’s coping mechanisms being both completely dysfunctional as well as entirely and impressively down just because of one truth potion. Save for Beel, who had been always most perceptive of people he cared for and for whom the whole ordeal was much less of a surprise. But now for each of them the boy’s frustrated scowl seemed now rather miserable than scary.

“If that’s how it is, I have an idea!” Asmo’s voice voice a bit too high not to be fake optimism. “You need to relax, and what’s better for that than a beauty session!”

“A good book, obviously.”

“A nap.”

“Exquisite classical music.”

“A thrilling game!”

“Shopping and some big wins!”

“Something delicious to eat.”

Ren looked at them arguing about who spends time with him again, but for once didn’t even try to diffuse the situation and present any solution.

“You know what?” he said finally causing the brothers to glance at him anxiously. “I want it all. Asmo, you’re really good at taking care of people so let’s start with the beauty session.”

They decided to stay in, as letting Ren into a casino would be counterproductive - his poker face and bluffing ability were unfortunately turned off. But with Mammon’s room having both a home cinema and a console, Mammon didn’t complain to become the most important person of the plan and host the evening. Upon completing their strategy, brothers scattered to prepare their part of the emergency measures to help Ren survive the time he couldn’t lie to himself.

The next day Ren was his sunny self again, smiling all over the place, chirpy as ever or maybe even more after a whole day of being spoiled rotten, but brothers paid more attention to keep him as spoiled as possible from now on, since the idiot doesn’t even say anything if he needs rest.

MC! Monday Prompt #4

MC! Monday Masterlist

MC accidentally drinks a truth potion around everyone. Seeing the opportunity, Asmodeus asks MC what they think about each and everyone one of them. What does MC say?