cowboyidiot

[cowboyidiot]

thinking... contemplating... how katara being 'maternal' is so much more complex in canon than people seem to take it as

the first time we meet this girl, this 14 year old girl, she's so pissed at her brother that she explodes an iceberg. she's yelling about how he's a sexist nutbrain and she's embarrassed to be related to him, because he thinks domestic labour is, like, a woman's Purpose, or something. and that's most likely connected to how katara has taken over their mother's domestic and emotional duties since she died. this is just a fact of katara's character - she HAD to become like this because their actual mother DIED. if the desert episode is anything to go by, everyone else in her family was falling apart, and katara had the strength to keep everyone together. so she did, but that's still a sacrifice on her part. it's one of the easiest ways you see her trauma impact her personality. I wonder if katara never really had the time to process her grief the way sokka and hakoda did, and that's why she brings it up so often (although it's still selfless in nature, because 9 times out of 10 it's katara attempting to connect with people by expressing how they've both been hurt by the war and she understands what it's like)

so there's this idea of katara as a mother figure, but even within canon, there's pushback. because she's FOURTEEN. this girl stole from pirates and made a complete mess of things and showed no remorse at the end of the episode. she picked a fight with a master waterbender when she had no training. she's YOUNG, she's so young and passionate and full of fire. and that isn't actually at odds with her caring about people. some of her traits may come from the wisdom of experiencing trauma at an early age, but it's all still HER

katara's conflict with toph is the most interesting part of how all of this is explored, if you ask me. because toph was rich and sheltered, she grew up with her parents hiding her from the world, in a town relatively untouched by the war. toph doesn't get it. she hates feeling coddled, feeling like people think she's incapable and needs to be protected because of her disability, so of course the two of them clash. katara's trauma includes needing to take care of people, and toph's includes being taken care of even though she doesn't need it. it's a recipe for disaster

I'm just thinking about the scene in the runaway where toph tells katara to stop trying to mother everyone, because she's just a kid like them, and sokka has to be the one to explain their family history to toph. how sokka, despite being older than katara, can't remember their mother's face and when he tries all he sees is his younger sister. I just love it. there's so much going on here. katara snapping that sokka didn't love their mother the way she did, almost at the very end of the show, was a long time coming

[cowboyidiot]

maybe top 10 posts ever

[cowboyidiot]

[cowboyidiot]

Just got beheaded ahh feels so much better

[cowboyidiot]

life is bad but at least you’re not Theodore decker

[cowboyidiot]

freudianalyze feminize fetishize fujoshize

[cowboyidiot]

[cowboyidiot]

remmick

[cowboyidiot]

PLEASE give me book recs im losing my mind i need to read something that rewires my brain

[cowboyidiot]

the melancholic brunette in me recognizes the melancholic brunette in you

[cowboyidiot]

you gotta have freaks and gross weirdos in your life it’s imperative to understanding the truth of humanity

[cowboyidiot]

not that anyone asked but star trek control panel moodboard

[cowboyidiot]

Show: Interview with the Vampire (2022)

Song: Cherry Wine by Hozier

[cowboyidiot]

there’s nothing wrong with me plus i don’t have any wants or needs plus i don’t feel or think at all

[cowboyidiot]

wgat does lgbt mean ?

[cowboyidiot]

 Hibiscus rosa-sinensis.

[cowboyidiot]

The Padawan of the Chosen One