#toph reviews

[tophthedaydreamer]

my thoughts on guardians of the galaxy vol. 3 (part two!)

spoilers ahoy!

At the end of part one, I began discussing the humor, which I'll continue to do so here. As I said before, the guardians just kept arguing but it wasn't funny. It felt serious. And there definitely should be times when they have serious arguments, they're under a lot of stress what with Rocket dying and all. But like, a lot of their interactions felt like this. Even their attempts to be funny kinda felt like annoying incompetence at times. There were few jokes that made me laugh, whereas with the first two I'm usually cackling. Vol. 1 and 2 are hilarious in my book. Yondu at the jewelry shop. Rocket's obsession with stealing mechanical limbs from people. "I'm gonna die here surrounded by the biggest idiots in the galaxy." The dance battle at the end of Vol. 1. The whole bit with Taserface! And the iconic "I'M MARY POPPINS, Y'ALL!"

I think the humor struggles in Vol. 3 because all the funny moments are put on Drax and Mantis. They make for some great comedy, as we've seen in Vol. 2 and the Christmas Special. But they can't be the only ones who carry the comedy, even if they're very likeable. Quill is mostly working through his issues with Gamora's semi-death, which I am glad is treated seriously. But that means he has less funny bits. Gamora is.... low-key annoying because she is a lot more rude than I was expecting. Sometimes I thought she hated the guardians (I understand why she's hostile towards Quill, with him insisting they were once madly in love). It felt a little out of character for her to be this mean, as she's supposed to be Gamora from Vol. 1. Idk, I guess the Ravagers rubbed off on her lol. Sadly, Gamora wasn't very likeable for me, but she did improve as the film went on. Groot exists. He does some cool stuff but mostly sits in the background waiting for the next battle.

Later I realized why the humor felt off is because Rocket isn't present. In the first two films, he's often the one who instigates a lot of the comedy. He bounces off of each guardian really well and is just a fun character. It's no wonder why he's a fan favorite! I understand why he's stuck in a coma, it's the whole point of the story for guardians to save his life, but I'm bummed out he was in it for so long. My sister suggested the idea of him being awake while his kill switch is slowly shutting his body down. There could still be that urgency, but also Rocket funny moments. I think the heist at OrgoCorp would've been a lot funnier if he was around. It could also make for some more drama. It would be interesting to see more and more of his past being dredged up against his will, as he tries to brush it off like it's no big deal, all while trying to ignore the increasingly unstable state of his body. He's not okay, but he's trying so hard to be. Until he finally collapses when the guardians make for Counter-Earth. I love the scene where Rocket reunites with Lylla. It's so powerful, and if I hadn't been watching with my family I probably would've cried hehe. All the flashbacks of Rocket's past was heart wrenchingly well done, holy cow. Props to Bradley Cooper for letting out one of the most primal screams I've ever heard in my life. Baby Rocket is such a tender soul that I wanted to go into the TV, beat up the High Evolutionary and take Rocket and Batch 89 home with me. My maternal instincts were going haywire lol.

I think the third act of the movie is the best part because Rocket's back and the guardians are kicking bad guy butt and saving people (in this case, clone kids and animals!). The High Evolutionary is such a slimy, horrendously vile villain that it feels so good when the guardians beat the crap outta him. We also get genuinely sweet Dad Drax moments ("You weren't meant to be a destroyer. You were meant to be a dad.") as he takes the kids under his wing. And we get some great Rocket moments as he discovers he really is a raccoon and lovingly carries the baby raccoons (ouuughhh my heart!!!). "The name's Rocket. Rocket Raccoon." is such a powerful line. All this time he thought he was a monster, but now he's embracing what and who he truly is!!!! I like how he insists the guardians save the animals too, and they do. And most of all, I love that Rocket lives. I'd read an out of context spoiler when Vol. 3 first came out back in May that Rocket dies. How unsatisfying would it be if he did? It honestly would feel like the High Evolutionary wins if Rocket dies. Movies nowadays kill off main characters for the shock and drama (even if it doesn't make sense). I'm so glad that Rocket is alive and he gets to flourish leading a new team. I'm honestly very satisfied with each guardian's ending. Quill reunites with his grandfather, Mantis goes on a journey of self-discovery, Drax becomes a father again, Nebula builds the home she never had, Gamora finds a new home with the Ravagers, and Groot and Rocket guide the next generation of the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Overall, I rate this movie a 8/10. It has its rough patches, but the final act wraps it up nicely.

(also sorry I forgot about Adam. he's neat. I wish he got more screentime. Everytime I see him I think of Eustace lol)

[whocanbelieve]

Book Review: Toph's Metalbending Academy

Reccomend: 8/10

Yes it expands the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender in a satisfying way. It feels like a happy ending for our characters, even though it's not the end!

Plot: 8/10

Makes sense, flows well, twists feel good, characters feel consistent.

Creativity: 6/10

Not as creative as the plots of the show or previous comics but still very interesting and different than a lot of stuff out there. That unique A:tla spin

Art: 9/10

Really good but seemed different than previous comics? Like maybe they had less time to work on it or something.

[erisenyo]

I posted 9,962 times in 2022

That's 8,564 more posts than 2021!

116 posts created (1%)

9,846 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@honeyedsunlight

@chitsangenthusiast

@lizardlicks

@marriedzukka

@unpretty

I tagged 6,597 of my posts in 2022

Only 34% of my posts had no tags

#gorgeous - 91 posts

#amazing - 82 posts

#fic writing - 73 posts

#adorable - 71 posts

#asks and answers - 68 posts

#boost! - 64 posts

#lol - 62 posts

#this is amazing - 57 posts

#atla - 48 posts

#so cute - 48 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#how long before the fire lord suddenly decides he needs a weapons master again and humbly but firmly requests piandao temporarily relocate?

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

For @zukkaweek Day 3: Spooning/Bedsharing (and maybe some domesticity too) - some friends to lovers, realization of feelings all the way to establish relationship tooth-rotting fluff, inspired by the wonderful @lizardlicks

[There are rules for sleeping with Zuko.

Sokka realizes that fact before he even starts doing it, back in those late days of the war when Zuko catches sight of the fresh bruise blooming over Sokka’s cheek one morning and teases him about getting distracted sparring with Suki, and Sokka doesn’t know how to say that actually, Zuko fell asleep by the fire last night and the reason Zuko woke up there too is because when Sokka tried to shift him to his bedroll, Zuko kicked him in the face in his sleep.] Or, From avoiding bodily injury to getting him to fall asleep in an actual bed, there are rules for sleeping with Zuko. Sokka might just find his way to learning them all.

197 notes - Posted May 24, 2022

#4

Zuko, trying to confess his feelings during a maybe-date: It's not just about the physical stuff. I want, like, all that gooey stuff, too.

Sokka: ...?

Zuko: You know. That big word that's so hard to say.

Sokka: Oh. Worcestershire Sauce

(Was reading "Chaliced Flowers" by @zukka96 and got hit by this piece of comedy)

199 notes - Posted January 18, 2022

#3

Do share your very strong feelings about Ozai eroding the traditional divisions between adult and child.

@eshusplayground ask and ye shall receive in spades haha, I've been thinking about this a lot recently as I think through what adulthood vs childhood in general means across the nations.

TLDR - Zuko and Azula are treated as adults by Ozai and everyone around them, which strips them of the traditional protections of childhood. It's a transgressive act that entrenches Ozai's perceived absolute authority and establishes his ability to essentially punish now for what someone *might* do later.

Keep Reading

247 notes - Posted February 25, 2022

#2

Having Zukka betrothal armband thoughts. The idea that they can hold more than one stone. The record of attempts to get it perfect, from halting chips and rough designs to increasing confidence and the idea that this progression of skill also follows a progression of love and deepening of their bond, and that it is proudly displayed and cherished. The idea that it doesn't have to stop just with a proposal. That stones could be exchanged around major life moments, and also just around major emotional moments--when you are feeling overwhelmed by love for your partner, for the shape the relationship has taken as your lives change. Armbands as a record not just of commitment but of changing and evolving love, of two hearts saying over and over they want to walk together.

517 notes - Posted July 22, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Having thoughts about how Toph found people at the Earth Rumble who treated her as an equal and respected her for her skill and listened to her. How she became the Blind Bandit there and the first people to ever take her seriously were The Gecko and Fire Nation Man and the others.

And then she joins the Gaang, people who also treat her as an equal and respect her skill and listen to her, and she starts calling them Twinkle Toes and Snoozles and Sugar Queen and Captain Boomerang.

She's giving them stage names. Because gaining her stage name was the most empowering thing that happened to her up to that point. Because stage names are earned. Because the people who were kindest to her in her life (by treating her how she wanted to be treated) were people who went by things like The Boulder.

15,237 notes - Posted October 6, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[fyri-writes]

Avatar: The Last Airbender and Philosophy: Wisdom from Aang to Zuko by Johan De Smedt

Aaaa! I was so excited when I learned this book existed. As an amateur philosopher, it lived up to all my expectations and desires. Here is my review.

Avatar: The Last Airbender and Philosophy: Wisdom from Aang to Zuko by Johan De SmedtMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Aaaa! I was so excited when I learned this book existed. As an amateur philosopher, it lived up to all my expectations and desires.It covers so many different aspects of the show and teaches philosophical concepts through the lens of the characters and worldbuilding and considers them…

[fiddletwix]

Yu-Gi-Oh! Capsule Monsters Episode 8: The Fruit of Evolution Review

Plot: The group arrives at a lush forest filled with fruit as the location for their fourth trial. Tristan manages to accidentally find a way to the specific site of the trial. Almost as soon as they arrive, they’re separated by massive walls and ceilings that lock the group into a maze that seemingly loops eternally. This maze is a tough enough nut to crack, but it’s not even the main part of…

[stardust948]

Urzai adopts the gaang AU incorrect quotes

Azula: *Sees Ursa and Katara bonding*

Azula, butting in: Hey Mom! Remember that time I saved you from that cargo ship captain?!

Ursa: Yes, I remember.

Azula: I saved your life!

Ursa: Yes you did. Thank you dear.

Katara: Wow that's amazing!

Azula, examining her nails: Yes it is.

Katara: Would you like to join us?

Azula: No! *leaves*

Azula to Zuko: The peasants stealing our parents!

Zuko: What? No they're n-

Azula: *Turns Zuko's head towards Ozai and Sokka excitedly reviewing the color coordinated schedule*

Zuko: They're stealing our parents!!!

Azula: HEY! QUIT STEALING OUR PARENTS!

Zuko: YEAH GET YOUR OWN!

Sokka: Our parents are dead!

Azula: Get Toph's!

Toph: My parents suck.

Azula: Get Aang's.

Aang: Yeah mine are dead too...

Zuko: WHY IS EVERYONE DEAD?!

[atla-confessions]

on the atla kids having blogs:

yes, but also YOUTUBE CHANNELS!!!

aang posts flipping / parkour videos. sokka films. toph joins in to throw rocks. he also does meditation & deep convos with appa & momo (like those triplets that chat in the car, yk?)

katara has a diy / lifestyle / how to channel. one video it’s how to change a tire, the next it’s how to get yourself arrested using only a rock, a lemur, and an air vent. chit sang features in her ‘how to start a prison riot’ special (she expands on different prisons.)

sokka has a talk show a la fondue for two. she often collabs with iroh’s tea time channel. he also does shopping hauls & vlogs & ratings and reviews. king of epic outros. he does all the gang’s editing. when aang masters the avatar state, he gets previous avatars on his show. wan’s a big fan.

toph’s is just her blind bandit escapades + running scams + does it bend??. everybody thinks her videos are staged. she does collabs with bumi.

iroh made one for zuko back in his ponytail era, and it’s beautiful. zuko’s new channel has his apology video & ‘breaking my silence’ video. he doesn’t really post much, but he’s usually in iroh’s tea time videos & sokka’s talk show & aang’s parkour.

suki has her martial arts channel, sokka makes great montages & velocity edits of her. one of her videos is called “beating up the firelord (not clickbait!!)”. her side gig is rambling on about avatar kyoshi. she also has a mini series of provoking the avatar state just to get hot tips from her idol.

X

[the-badger-mole]

If the members of the Gaang were all content creators on YouTube, what would their individual channels be about?

Ooo...so I vaguely remember answering a similar ask like two years ago or something like that. I don't know if that actually happened, or if it was a conversation I was part of, or a really vivid dream. If it is something I've answered before, I will not swear that these are the exact same answers as the first time.

Katara: Foraging. She has a very popular, but very niche channel explaining how to find edible plants in the wild. Her fans joke that she is secretly a doomsday prepper, but in reality she is aware of how fast someone can become food insecure or homeless and her goal is to help at least a few people facing that reality get by.

Sokka: Hunting and gaming. A lot of his YT content is cross posted from his Twitch channel. He does a lot of video game streaming, but on occasion, he'll post video he takes from camping and hunting with his dad. Katara joins occasionally (or he and their father will appear in her videos), but it's mostly something he and his father share. Those hunting videos are rare (like less than 5 posts a year), but they are his most popular videos because of how genuinely sweet he and Hakoda are together.

Toph: I see her being really into drumming in a universe where she has a YT account, so her content would mostly be play alongs, or original works. She might even become another Dave Grohl.

Zuko: I don't see him being a YT personality himself, but he's actually really good at video editing, so he might help Iroh, who has a Mister Rogers style show.

Suki: She has a cult following for her self defense videos. She has a series where she shows women simple moves to incapacitate attackers. One day she invites three women who have survived various situations (domestic abuse, a mugging, encountering a random man in the woods) where they used self defense techniques they learned from Suki, and Suki's channel takes off too the point where she can make YT her full time job.

Aang: he starts off doing reviews of vegan restaurants that's getting decent enough views, but then he veers into more militant vegan content. A lot of his subscribers drop off, but the ones that remain are intensely loyal.

[bubblemoon33]

ATLA AU where everything is the same, but everyone has twitter.

Zuko spends a considerable amount of time internet stalking the Gaang, who don't figure out how Zuko magically knows where they are, for most of the show. Post-redemption arc, he mainly argues with people online, and posts about his turtlducks

Aang posts photography of the sky, cool scenery and random things he finds, and inspirational quotes

Katara posts similarly, but with more of a Tired Mom vibe, and some of her cooking. She also is having 7 passionate arguments with people online at all times

Sokka runs a highly detailed good blog, rating and reviewing the different foods they come across

Toph got text to speech and a screenreader set up behind her parents back, with the help of her Fight Club buddies and has caused severe riots and is at the center of a Lot of internet drama. She also has a concerningly Large fanbase.

Iroh posts pictures of his tea everyday, talking in detail about the brewing process, and posts advertisements for his tea shop

[jasmine-tea-latte]

JTL's long but not as long as it could've been review of Netflix's ATLA

So.

I’ve finished watching the Netflix adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender and I have a lot of thoughts. Because despite some of the more questionable changes, I overall enjoyed this as an adaptation.

I wish I could say that I was surprised by the criticisms I'm seen so far, but unfortunately, I’m not. As much as I adore the OG series for being one of the greatest animated shows (or television shows, period), it’s been placed on a pedestal over the years and any adaptation of it will always be held to an impossibly high standard. And for better or for worse, a lot of fans have their nostalgia glasses on when it comes to the show, so any deviation from the source material is going to receive some form of backlash. I say this as someone who clearly still loves the show 19 years later, otherwise I wouldn't be here writing about it, ya know?

Anyways, if I had to give it a grade compared to the OG series, I’d give it a B- or a C+. If I’m grading it as its own thing, I’d bump that up to a B+ or A-. There are some elements (pun not intended) that definitely should have been kept in, and some changes that I thought were done well.

TL;DR – I had fun watching it even during the parts that made me cry, and the parts that made me say “… well that was a decision.” I’d love to see the last two books be adapted as well, if for no other reason than to meet Toph Mothereffing Bei Fong and see all of Team Avatar together.

(Also because I’d LOVE to see The Ember Island Players, especially if they managed to work in a few fun cameos. Can't you picture Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Play!Toph and thee Dante Basco as Play!Zuko, hamming it up for all it’s worth? Shut up and take my money!)

(And of course, the Last Agni Kai for obvious reasons)

So I’d recommend at least checking it out if you’re interested. I’d also like to recommend that if you do, watch it from a pragmatic standpoint that it’s a condensed adaptation, not a shot-for-shot remake.

Some things that I liked, and some that I didn’t are below the cut:  

(SPOILERS, obvs)

Aang – I really liked this version of him, and though his actor’s still young, I thought he embodied the upbeat, playful side well. I also liked that they removed his one-sided crush on Katara, and – don’t shoot me for this – if they went with Kat@ang later based on how they did their characters in this first season, I wouldn’t be entirely opposed if it’s built on actual friendship and not an unrequited crush. (Still Team Zutara for life, but I don’t think that I’d *hate* it if the show went in this direction.)

Katara – I thought her actress did great when it came to portraying the nurturing, sensitive side. What I didn’t like was them removing nearly all of her feminine rage. Let her be angry! Let her lose her temper and be hot-headed! This post sums it up nicely. That being said, I do think she did well enough with the direction she was given. Here’s hoping we’ll see our girl eff some stuff up if we get Seasons 2 and 3.

Sokka – Fantastic and sarcastic. I really liked his actor’s interpretation of him, and it definitely felt more in line with the character we all fell in love with during the OG show.

Zuko – out of the main cast, I think his performance was the best. He had to step into a major role, taking over from a beloved performance that is still hailed as one of the greatest redemption arcs in modern media with a lot of expectations riding on his shoulders, and I think that his actor knocked it out of the park. It’s different from Dante Basco’s interpretation, obviously. But as I watched each episode, I kept thinking, “there’s our grumpy fire boy.” The scene where he’s throwing the temper tantrum over losing his journal, while Iroh’s standing back and watching? I thought to myself, “this boy is the worst, he’s perfect.” Plus the flashbacks to his life before scarring were done well, and even though I knew what was coming re: the Agni Kai against his father and subsequent banishment, I still got emotional.

Also, regarding the Agni Kai – on one hand, I feel like his absolute refusal to fight back was such an integral part of that scene and understanding who he is as a character. That being said, I didn’t *hate* that in this version he was pushed into defending himself, albeit by holding back. That one shot where he hesitates to attack Ozai, only for his father to use that same move against him moments later… oof.

My ONLY complaint with this version of Zuko is that he didn't say "honor" once.

Other thoughts I had:

🟣 I really liked that we got to see more of the Air Nomads and life at the Southern Air Temple prior to Sozin’s attack. I also liked the explanation the show gave of having all the Air Nomads gathered together for a festival celebrating the comet, which makes more sense if they’re all (allegedly) under one roof.

Additionally, witnessing the genocide itself… I was crying. Especially during the final showdown between Gyatso and Sozin, and the realization that we were witnessing Roku’s (former) best friend slaughter one of his other closest friends.

But why wouldn't they send the children out on the flying bison to escape instead of having them all cornered?!

🟣 I really enjoyed getting to see interactions between Ozai and Iroh, which was one of the biggest missed opportunities in the OG show.

🟣 MY GIRL JUNE. That is all.

The part where she flirts with Iroh was also a nice flip on what happened in the OG show, with his covert pervert crush and all. Plus Zuko’s face when she calls his “dad” cute? Peak Zuzu. Also, poor Iroh hahaha.

🟣 Suki! I really liked the Kyoshi Island episode, plus her awkward flirting with Sokka by kicking his ass.

🟣 I really wish the whole subplot of Kya’s necklace hadn’t been cut, tbh. The flashbacks involving her were good, and as devastating as it was actually seeing her death, it does hammer home the point what a horrifying experience that was (side-eyeing you, everyone making the jokes about Katara always bringing up her dead mother.)

🟣 THE SCARF SCENE. Nice try, Netflix, but I know better than to get my hopes up again from 5 seconds of slow-mo. Did I still screech when it happened, though? Ofc I did!

🟣 The twist with the 41st Division was bittersweet and I may have (okay, definitely) cried.

🟣 Combining Jet’s subplots with the Mechanist’s and putting them in Omashu wasn’t too bad. I do wish the message of “not everyone in the FN is evil” from Jet’s episode had made it into this version, tbh.

🟣 Overall, I liked Jet + the Freedom Fighters. Also, props to his actor for capturing the pretty boy / f*ckboi attitude well.

🟣 Loved Chong and the hippies, of course (SECRET, SECRET, SECRET TUNNEL, YEAH!) and I don’t mind that they were included this early.

🟣 I loved the change to the Cave of Two Lovers and having Oma and Shu be lesbians.

🟣 I feel like if the show’s renewed for a second season and we come back to Omashu, there’s a chance they could revisit the COTL with Katara and Aang this time around.

🟣 The random lady smacking Zuzu with a broom – “how dare you hit that child?!” – was hilarious, and Dallas Liu’s facial expressions of “wtf” and “fml” were a thing of beauty (starts at 1:40 in the video below)

🟣 CABBAGE MAN! I just love that they got the original voice actor, hamming it up and screaming at the sky.

🟣 I LOVED the Blue Spirit episode, and all of the flashbacks, plus the voiceover about masks and seeing past!Zuko contrasted to present!Zuko, as presented in this gifset? RIP my heart.

🟣 The flashback to Lu Ten’s funeral and showing Zuko being the only person to join his uncle, sharing a sweet memory of his cousin while Leaves from the Vine plays? Beautiful. Ditto to the flashbacks of Iroh standing up for his nephew prior to the Agni Kai and the scenes of them getting ready to set sail to search for the Avatar. “I don’t need a babysitter.” “How about a friend?” how about excuse you I did not ask for these emotions how dare you.

🟣 I actually liked the inclusion of Ozai and Azula + Mai and Ty Lee. I also loved the opening of Ep. 3, showing how she was able to infiltrate the team of rebels. RIP to Kevin Tran (in advanced placement), though.

🟣 I loved that Katara rallied the women waterbenders and they were able to help during the Siege of the North. I also liked her reaction when she's talking with Yugoda in the healing huts and realizes why she's been sent there. It gave us a glimpse of the fiestier / headstrong Katara we all know and love, and if the show gets renewed I hope we'll get to see more.

🟣 I really enjoyed them giving Aang and Zuko a few minutes to talk / form a connection after he was unmasked as the Blue Spirit. That was nicely done.

and finally...

Nothing else to add, just chef's kiss.

(gif source)

Anyways! I might make a more extensive list of my personal pros and cons, but for now, I’d still recommend giving it a shot.

[tophthedaydreamer]

my thoughts on gotg vol. 3! (Part one)

spoilers ahoy!

I have to say, the guardians are perhaps my favorite MCU group. The first two movies are beloved in my house, as my family loves the characters, the jokes, and the music. So, there was a lot of hype riding on this one.

To put it plainly, I liked it. But not as much as the first two. Which I'm a little bit sad about. But I feel like things could've gone a lot worse, considering how awful the mcu's been lately.

I only have a few issues with the film. Firstly, the soundtrack. I really hate to say it, but it wasn't good and that really sucks! The soundtrack is an integral part of the guardians movies. It brought us awesome moments like the "Come And Get Your Love" opening in vol. 1 and "Mr. Blue Sky" in vol. 2. "The Chain" playing during the Quill vs. Ego battle. Not to mention the sublime scene that is the Yondu + Rocket + Groot vs. The Ravagers fight to "Come A Little Bit Closer". However, I do like vol. 3's usage of "Creep", "No Sleep Til Brooklyn", and "Dog Days Are Over". "Creep" is so perfect for Rocket and it breaks my heart. "I want a perfect body"??? "I wish I was special"??? Bro??? "No Sleep Til Brooklyn" also rocks so hard and the hallway fight scene is really well filmed. Nothing screams guardians more than a wild, epic fight with our heroes to some raging banger tunes. And "Dog Days Are Over" is one of my favorite songs, so I'm really biased lol. It was perfect for the ending to me. It was wonderful and relieving to see the guardians joyously dance after all the suspense. Sadly, none of the other songs worked for me. They all sounded rather same-y. Even my oldies-loving mother didn't like the music.

Another complaint is the humor. Or, kinda lack thereof. Don't get me wrong, I totally understand why this film is darker than the first two. Rocket's backstory is harrowing, and I'm glad it got the seriousness it deserved. However, the stuff in-between Rocket's flashbacks (the guardians' quest to get the key to the kill switch) isn't very funny. Everyone keeps arguing in a very serious tone which kinda stressed me out.

Ok, I will continue this later!! I started writing this at a bad time and I have to pause here. I don't wanna lose what I wrote. Until part two!

[mayhasopinions]

Okay so i've just had an epiphany on a few ATLA ships and how the show could have handled them

I've never really liked Kataang. I found their dynamic really awkward in a romantic setting and the way Aang idealizes Katara and always brushes her off at her worst and how Katara always acts like a doormat to Aang and his treatment towards her always made me really iffy on them as a couple, and the show didn't really do anything about resolving Kataang's baggage.

HOWEVER, Zuko never treated Katara like that. He always saw her as his equal, and accepted her in all of her flaws, and never manipulated or gaslit her in the time they were friends (season 3). To have Katara overcome her frankly one sided and imbalanced relationship with Aang and realise that she deserves better in Zuko would have been super compelling. (if you want a more indepth analysis on Kataang and Zutara as a whole i would recommend watching Sneezy Review's video on it)

So then I was thinking to myself, who would Aang end up with? I think that he would be really good with Toph! Toph isn't a cruel person at heart. She can be snippy and rude at times, but she deeply cares for her friends, and I don't think she would treat Aang badly. Also, if Aang ever were to pull any of that guilt tripping uwu innocent baby man manipulation shit on her, she would not STAND for that, she would not try to appease him like Katara always did. She would talk some sense into him and he would realise what a douche he was to Katara, then setting the reord straight on what a healthy relationship would be, then having that with Toph, solidifying his arc with letting go of his attatchment of Katara and coming out of it a better person.

so bing bada boom all wrapped up in a nice neat lil bow, everyone's happy

[whocanbelieve]

Book Review: Katara and the Pirate's Silver

Enjoyable: 10/10

Reread ability: 7/10

Art: 9/10

Story: 10/10

Loved reading about Katara being a bamf. Loved an insight into all the little adventures the Gaang got into that didn't make it into the show.

[writermai05]

Arsonist's Lullabye

Chapter 5: Life’s distractions 

Summary: The gang gets together to watch Toph's power disc game!

Pairing: Zuko x fem! reader (Live Action or Animated) 

A/N: Not gonna lie, I only skimmed over this to review. We die like men. Anyways, I wonder what will happen next! (Not actually though, as I already have it planned out LOL) As always feel free to leave comments or constructive feedback, as it helps me grow. 

Word Count: 1,692

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Avatar: The Last Airbender, I am merely a nerd who hyperfixates a lot. Lots of divergence from the canon story lol. 

Warnings !: None I think. 

The excitement in the atmosphere sent a buzz down your spine. 

The bus to the power disc arena was pretty short, 10 minutes at the most. Katara had insisted on doing your makeup for the festivities. Aang and Sokka had gotten custom varsity jackets with Toph’s jersey number, 1. You remembered the day at lunch, a mere matter of days ago, in which Sokka had tried guessing Toph’s number, without any success. 

“It’s 1! Man, you suck at guessing.” Toph exclaimed. 

“What!? That’s not reserved for like, the captain of the team, or whatever?”

“No, Sokka. Jersey numbers are so that the announcers can know who’s playing. They’re not based on who’s the best. I chose my own number.”

“So why did you pick one?” Aang asked. 

Toph shrugged, lifting her chin. “Because I’m the best, obviously.” 

You and Katara had packed bags full, just in case anything happened. You didn’t really need half of the things, (in what world would you need sunscreen in fall?), but you never were the type to come unprepared, even for fun school events like this one. You chose a spot under the shaded area of the bleachers, saving seats for the others who would join shortly. Sokka said that Suki and a couple of her friends would be joining them after the band and color guard performed, and Aang had mentioned something in passing about another one of his friends sitting with the group as well. 

You sat on the end, bag saving a little extra space, Aang and Katara on your left. Sokka sat in the row below, legs on the metal seats as well. You basked in the warmth while you could, as the cool autumn air was sure to take over eventually. The band was warming up on the other side of the arena, and if you looked closely enough, you could see Suki in the Kyoshi warrior garb. 

“When is your friend coming, Aang?” you had asked inquisitively. 

The look on Aang’s face was almost unreadable. He looked apprehensive, maybe a little bashful?

“He’s almost here…” Weird, vague, answer. But hey, who were you to judge?

“Alright…Well, I wanted to get some snacks. Anyone want to come?”

Katara shot up, placing her bag down. “I’ll go! We need to get the good stuff, because Sokka always insists on getting cotton candy, and I would much rather get some seaweed cookies.” 

“Cotton candy is good!” You grimaced at the thought. Wind and some overpriced sugar on a stick was not a great pairing. 

“I’m gonna have to agree with Katara on this one.” 

“Y/n, You always agree with Katara-”

“As she should!” Katara responded, taking your arm in hers, and dragging you down the stairs of the bleachers to the food stalls. 

The pair of you giggled as you waited for your food. There was something about Katara that had such a magnetic pull. Like as if she herself was a force of nature, and not in a water bending master kind of way. Katara’s kindness was like the gentle spray of salt water, refreshing, and uplifting to the one’s around her. With the dichotomy of this passionate, sassy, woman, combined with the kind and motherly girl, you had become quite fond of her in the short amount of time. 

Grabbing your seaweed cookies, you made your way back to your spot, but not before Katara halted in her tracks. 

“What is he doing here?” She had asked, but not before storming off, straight where you guys sat. It took you a second to see what she had seen. Squinting in the direction of your spots, you saw Aang, Sokka, and a familiar boy with jet black hair, in a black bomber jacket, red sweater, and black jeans. Zuko.

~

Zuko called it. This was indeed a bad idea. 

“What are you doing here?” Sokka had asked, standing up straight.

“Sokka it’s okay-”

“No Aang! It’s not okay. Why are you here?”

“Sokka, I invited him here!” 

“You what?” Sokka cried out. 

Zuko turned to face Aang. “You didn’t tell anyone I’d be coming?” He asked, exasperated. 

Zuko felt a hand grab his shoulder, turning his body away from the other boys. 

“Why are you talking to us?” asked Katara. 

“I Invited him!” 

“Why??” She seethed. 

In the distance, he watched as Y/n ran, seemingly carrying a bag of what he assumed were snacks. 

“Maybe I should just go-”

“Yes!” “No!” Aang and Katara exclaimed at the same time. 

Y/n finally made it back to the bleachers. Out of breath, and still holding the snacks. 

“Hey guys! Maybe we should work this out a little quieter, preferably before the band plays.” She huffed out. Zuko almost smiled at the sight of her, all red in the face. 

Katara puffed out a breath of annoyance, taking her seat beside Aang once again. Sokka followed suit, sitting down and turning his body to face them. Y/n handed the cookies off to Aang, sitting down. Like she had done before in class, Y/n moved her bag away from next to her, instead placing it on the ground in front of her, patting the now empty spot and signaling for him to take a seat next to her.  Zuko breathed in, in an attempt to calm himself down. 

“I know I was a dick in the past. And I know saying sorry won’t fix it all. But, I wanted to let you all know how sorry I am…start somewhere small.” He looked down, rubbing his rough hands together anxiously. 

The silence was palpable. 

“He already apologized to me. I invited him so that we could hopefully move past everything.” Aang said. 

Sokka sighed. “Look, if Aang is cool with you, then I guess it’s fine. That doesn’t mean I’m going to just, like you right away.”

“I understand.” 

Katara stayed silent, staring at Zuko with a cold gaze. She turned away, facing the field. 

“The band is about to perform.” She muttered. 

Immediately, all attention was off of Zuko and onto the field. The music of the band blasting through the air. The way that the color guard spun and threw their fans was hypnotizing. Zuko’s mind was elsewhere, drifting away. The far away look in his eyes coming back as he dissociated. Before he knew it the band was done, and the crowd was cheering, roaring in approval of their show.

Suddenly Zuko felt the warmth of someone’s touch in his left hand. He looked down as you squeezed his hand, a silent questioning of “Are you okay?” Your eyes were locked on the retreating members of the university band. He squeezed back twice. “I’m okay.” He had meant in reply. While he kept his gaze downcast, you looked out of the corner of your eye to check on him. The scars on his hand that you had felt before were like sunshine warming your palms with its embrace. You let go shortly after, not in any rush. 

As the band and color guard members came into the stands you spotted Suki, still in uniform, but all makeup wiped off. Behind her stood a shorter girl with long hair put up in a braided ponytail, and a girl who was not in uniform with jet black hair in space buns, and a normal black sweater and jeans

“Suki! That was amazing!” You called out to her. Sokka immediately jumped up from his seat, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend in a giddy, almost childlike way. He littered her face with many pecks, making Suki smile. She gently grabbed his face, kissing his cheek. 

“Thank you, Y/n. These are my friends, Ty Lee and Mai. Ty Lee and I are both in the colorguard but Mai plays clarinet in the marching band.” 

Zuko’s reverie came to an end at the familiar names. He looked up to face the two girls in which he once knew. 

“Zuko? Is that you?” Ty Lee asked, eyes widening in excitement. Mai simply raised her eyebrows. 

The gang turned to look at the three of them.

This was going to be a long game. 

~

It was kind of funny how you all know nothing about sports. Especially power disc, as nobody was aware of the fact that only two people at a time would be playing. As you all waited for Toph’s turn to play, the gang took turns asking questions and genuinely getting 

“So how do you guys know each other?” Suki asked curiously.

“We all grew up in Imperial City. Mai’s father and Zuko’s father worked together, and I went to school with Mai and Zuko’s sister.” Ty Lee responded. 

Zuko perked up when he heard the name of his little sister. 

“How is Azula?” He asked. 

Azula? As in Azula from your sociology lectures Azula? Maybe it was just a coincidence. 

“Yeah..She’s-”

“We haven’t spoken to her since senior year.” Mai interrupted. 

“Oh. Why?’ Zuko asked. He was confused, considering the three of them were attached at the hip when he was still living in the fire nation. 

“Well, you know, she can be a little abrasive-”

“She was being a bad friend. Constantly berating Ty Lee, and I had enough of her stuck-up bullshit.”

Okay, so perhaps it was indeed the Azula from your class. But why would Zuko not know details about his own sister? Why wouldn’t he know that they literally go to the same university?

“Next up on the field we have player number 1, Toph Beifong from the University of Ba Sing Se!” 

“Wait, everyone Shut up! It’s Toph’s turn to play now!” Katara exclaimed. Everyone quickly hushed up, waiting excitedly for Toph to come out. 

Although they were excited to watch Toph play, questions filled you and Zuko’s heads. Where is Azula? Is she okay now? If Zuko Mai, and Ty Lee grew up together then do they know what happened to him? Why did he move away? How did he get that damn scar?

As Toph absolutely dominated her opponent in the round of power disc, You and Zuko were left with more questions unanswered. 

[psychicpinenut]

netflix atla review

i decided that i wanted to see it through anyway so i finished the netflix atla. here are the things that made me want to hurl rocks at my tv (i might not remember a lot of things because i stopped watching after ep 4 and only continued this week so this might get rambly as i try to recall things)

let me start on the cast. no offense to these kids but my god. one of the things i hate the most is when you can tell an actor is acting. the whole time you could see that they walk up to their mark, stop there and recite the lines like they're in a high school play. and i get that they're young and probably don't have too much experience but i just keep thinking about the original voice cast who were children as well at the time of recording and they're some of the most talented actors i've ever heard. but then again i know they had to not only find people who resemble the characters but can do martial arts and act. so whatever, i hope they'll grow more during this. the only actor i liked was dallas liu who is the oldest of the main cast (i believe he was around 20 when they filmed this) which is probably why he doesn't have a chronic case of child acting.

constantly making up and/or changing lore:

why can aang only speak to past avatars in their shrines?

roku is sidelined in favor of kyoshi (who for some reason is extremely aggressive towards him) who can see into the future apparently because she gave aang a vision of the northern water tribe being destroyed instead of sozin's comet coming.

aang somehow being "lost" to the ocean spirit at the end which is ???

sokka and katara can enter the spirit world with aang

koh keeping his victims like some fucking spider and only gives them back after aang gave some stupid totem back. they also brought him so forward that he doesn't tell aang about tui and la which was the entire fucking point of looking him up in the first place

yue is a fox? in the spirit world?

wan shi tong is there also in the spirit world

i'm guessing they're already abandoning the ancient library storyline because they already intoduced wan shi tong and zhao was shown that he found out about tui and la from the fire sages in roku's temple. which is going to be interesting because that's where sokka finds out about the solar eclipse but i guess they'll come up with some other solution like toph can sense the moon moving through her feet or some shit

tui and la becoming mortals for only one night?

zuko having extensive research on the avatars should mean he knows that roku is his great grandfather but we're either leaving that one out or he's just not good at research

they took out sokka's sexism, thus eliminating any chance of character development, in favor of putting in actual sexism perpetrated by the show itself. suki is made into this small town girl, rapunzel type of character who needs sokka, the man, to bring the world to her and expand her mind. and then instead of sokka being grateful to suki for teaching him, she's the one that's thankful for ... going there? and bringing the world to her? because strong women mean they can punch right?

constant references to book 2 in the first season

they made so that aang didn't actually run away from his responsibility as the avatar - which is a pretty important part of his arc as that guilt follows him through the entire series - but that he only took a little trip to clear his head. which makes everyone accusing him of disappearing seem dumb and unfair

which leads me to bumi. why the fuck would bumi be so pissed at him? the whole episode he's antagonizing him and yelling at him to go do his job as the avatar meanwhile he's holding him hostage and making him do his challenges. like let him go so he can do his job maybe?? stupid

the entire ep 3-4. they really just shoved like 5 episodes together into one which i get because they don't have time to do everything but they did it so badly and the messages from each episode disappeared in favor of the CGI fight scenes.

like what do you mean sokka barely even got to interact with jet? that's the episode where sokka is proven to have good instincts and leadership because he saw jet for what he was.

why are teo and his dad here? what about aang's massive grief over the industrialization of his wiped out culture?

why would jet try to kill bumi? they completely obliterated the moral dilemma of jet wiping out a fire nation village because he sees that as justified even though he's killing civilians who happen to be fire nation.

for some reason they had sokka and katara go through the secret tunnel which is kind of fucking weird. i don't mind if they cut the kaang romance line but it is going to be interesting once it comes to the earthly attachments and some plotlines that revolve around aang having a major crush on katara. also what do you mean the badger moles sense "emotions"? toph is about to sense people's emotions in her feet and learn bending that way

they mary sue'd katara. she's bad at waterbending until she isn't and suddenly she's a master just from self taught basic waterbending she learned from the scroll gran gran gave her?? which is another thing they robbed us of because katara going to great lengths to steal the scroll shows how determined she is and desperate to learn waterbending but here she just gets handed the scroll. she's timid and lukewarm the entire season, the only time i can recall her even raising her voice is when she's arguing with sokka over jet. she gets mad at pakku for not letting her fight which is stupid because girl who is gonna stop you? go and fight?? you should be getting mad at pakku for not even trying to teach you waterbending. then she brings the entire untrained female population to the fight because girl power™. despite all of this, she's proclaimed a master without any actual training and beats zuko's ass purely because she's So Good. like at this point she shouldn't be able to hold her own against zuko without the full moon's help because as soon as the sun comes up zuko easily overpowers her ("you rise with the moon i rise with the sun"). which didn't happen here because she's a self proclaimed master now apparently

aang didn't bend a single waterdrop the entire season. it's book 1: water. it's called water. where's the bending aang? too busy doing another stupid walk and talk

stripped of iroh telling zuko he thinks of him as his son

stripped of one of the rawest lines i've ever heard on television: "my father says she was born lucky, he says i was lucky to be born"

which leads me into azula's character. they brought her in earlier just so her role in the whole season can be her groveling at ozai's feet, seeking his approval, trying to outdo zuko. which is insane cause she already outdoes zuko by a mile. she's a prodigy. they make it look like ozai favors zuko over azula which is so fucking insaaaane it made me so mad. she already knows she's better than zuko, she doesn't need her father's approval. also why isn't her fire blue.

iroh being the one who kills zhao. this one pissed me off so badly because in the original, as the ocean spirit takes hold of him zuko reaches out to zhao to try to save him.... that man tried to have him KILLED. and zuko still tried to save him. but zhao's arrogance didn't let him take his hand and that was his demise. that single act tells us so much about zuko and they just??? took that out??? so iroh can just murder him?? instead of it being the ocean spirit's revenge for killing its partner? instead of giving us that glimpse into who zuko is as a person? i'm going insane

don't even mention the fact that zuko fought back against ozai during the agni kai. he was literally banished because he refused to fight him. he got the scar because he refused to fight him. that's who zuko is!!!! and then they show us that he, a 13 year old boy who is still fairly inexperienced at bending, could have defeated ozai but he chose not to?? i'm sorry???

during the meeting where he spoke out against their plan, they made it look like he only spoke up because the general taunted him and not because he thought what they wanted to do was morally wrong.

now tell me which line hits harder: "compassion is a sign of weakness" or "you will learn respect and suffering will be your teacher". yeah...

yue bringing sokka to the spirit oasis to heal momo?? it was so fucking stupid and unserious that they were cradling a cgi lemur that i was in tears of pain. i almost gave up there

sokka constantly talking about wanting to be a better warrior and bossing katara around but doing absolutely fuck all to prove himself was insane. sokka was just standing around the whole season making bad jokes (cause wow they made sokka unfunny somehow) and flirting with women.

there was no goofiness or lightheartedness to aang. he took everything so fucking seriously it actually hurt to watch because they blew things out of proportion that didn't need to be. why was he so afraid of his normal bending power? not even his avatar state power but just his airbending. constantly angsting over his responsibility and how he's failing as the avatar. jesus fucking christ.

since zuko never stole katara's necklace, june had to use some fuckin random fabric she found on one of the trees that could've belonged to anybody??

zuko was able to capture aang after june found him instead of getting his ass whooped and paralysed so when zhao basically forces him to hand aang over to him, it's easier to guess who the blue spirit is as zuko makes a whole scene about it earlier

truly the one thing i really liked was the addition that the 41st division was the crew he protected at the war meeting

circling back to the first episode where we start out in the past and we get to see the whole genocide of the air nomads instead of finding out along with aang. we also get to see how he ends up in the iceberg so we don't get his story paralleled with zuko's backstory like in the storm. i mean whatever but the aang and zuko parallels were always dear to me.

hated zhao's actor. instead of him being intimidating and scary, he was acting like a frat boy and talked like tom cruise's character in magnolia. just simply annoying

jet telling katara to just stop being sad about her mom and she stops being sad and suddenly she can bend again. and later when he tells her she can bend because he helped her, she straight up denies it because it was "all her" like i gotta disagree there cause no, it was definitely him who helped you.

icing on the cake was when zuko walks into a bar and the patrons there reference like 4 storylines that they skipped over

so anyway... that's all i could think of at the top of my head and i hope they fuck up less in the upcoming seasons god willing

[biconickyoshi]

I know taatfp come first, but I just want to let you know that your zukaang tgcf au definitely has a waiting audience.

As someone who ship zukaang and is in mxtx fandoms, I remember thinking "what brought this on???" when I first saw your fic but I was and still am curious about the premise. Then months later while brain rotting about how Zuko seriously worshiped Aang, the answer slapped me in the face and I could finally put one and two together.

So yeah, I have a mighty need to see where you want to go with that tgcf au

Aww thank you so much!! :) I’m happy to hear that, especially since that fic is not nearly as popular as TAatFP. I definitely have a lot of interesting ideas floating around in my head for TFoTLA, and I’ve got a whole document with a bunch of stuff brainstormed for how each AtLA character would fit into the world TGCF. I just need to figure out a direction for it lol.

Even though I don’t have any more chapters written yet, here are some of the plot ideas I have so far:

- Instead of butterflies, Zuko can summon silver dragonflies. E-Ming can also be split in half to be his broadswords.

- For the Ghost Bride Arc, Ju Dee would be Xuan Ji, General Fong would be General Pei. Haru would be Pei Jr. “Kya”, “Lin”, and “Bumi” (Katara, Toph, and Sokka) would be sent by Suki (Ling Wen) to help Aang for this mission.

- For the Banyue Arc, Meng would be Banyue, and she and Haru would have been friends long ago. This is where Zuko, appearing as his 16yo scarless self, would first show himself to Aang. This is also where Aang would eventually meet Mai and Ty Lee (Ming Yi and Shi Qingxuan), disguised in their male forms at first.

- For the Ghost City Arc, Sokka, Ty Lee, and Jet (Lang Qianqiu) go with Aang to Ghost City, where Aang sees Zuko’s true form for the first time as The Blue Spirit ghost king, the way he looked when he died at age 19. Aang and Ty Lee find Mai in a dungeon on Zuko’s property, injured.

- Don’t have a lot written down for the Fangxin Guoshi Arc, other than Jet is pissed bc he thinks Aang killed his family. Aang and Zuko meet the Yellow Calamity, Ozai (this story’s Qi Rong lmao)

- There’s a lot of arcs I haven’t written anything down for, but for the Blackwater Arc, it’s gonna be: Azula (the Shi Wudu equivalent, but not related to Ty Lee) sabotaged Mai’s ascension (by somehow making her family go destitute), and Azula and Ty Lee ascend together. In this fic, Azula would have had feelings for Ty Lee and been jealous of her closeness with Mai. Eventually, Mai would die and become a ghost, but like HC in the novel, still be able to ascend even after death. So she does, and Azula is like WTF but she can’t do anything about it, and Mai isn’t aware that Azula was the one who ruined her life. However, Mai eventually finds out and plans her revenge on Azula, but it won’t end as tragically as in TGCF lol. Azula would be the one to get her divine status revoked and banished to the mortal realm following this, while Mai and Ty Lee would remain gods.

Now that I’m reviewing all of my brainstorming stuff, it’s making me want to work on this AU again 😭 But I really need to finish the next couple chapters of TAatFP first lol.

We’ll see if I have the brainspace and energy to work on TFoTLA in my free time once I finish that, though…