#also like a mom i lok at characters and think will you treat my lovely right?

[crowned-peony]

I am fighting the urge not to just pair you with faves, like I am doing research to be the best cupid

[levitatingbiscuits]

I love some of ur atla metas revolving katara sm! People are really hard on her, when in reality she suffered the most in the show. I think people try to use her to prop up sokkas barely existing issues so he's more relevant, and as a way to excuse aangs flaws, but you don't do that.

Thank you! I am, first and foremost, a Katara stan. I'm like Aang straight out the iceberg. 10 year old me saw her and was like OH YES SHE'S THE LOVE OF MY LIFE and that hasn't changed in 13 years.

People tend to play suffering Olympics for this show specifically to shit on katara, even though it's primarily her trauma that the narrative focuses on as a lens through which to explore the war. Tellingly, most of her suffering she goes through alone, without the support she offers to everyone else.

People try to play whataboutism with Aang and Sokka's trauma, even though the show straight up tells us that she is their living emotional crutch and the reason they were able to move on. Katara can't move on. No one helps her move on. When she tries to take matters into her own hands, to heal herself the way she heals others, she's condemned by the fandom (and Aang and Sokka that one time), called selfish and cruel and a million other things.

I especially hate when people bring up the Air Nomad genocide as a gotcha, when Katara is also the sole survivor of a genocide, a genocide she personally witnessed and was in danger of dying in. People forget that bloodbending is very obviously a metaphor for the generational trauma she inherits ON TOP of the traumatic murder of her mother, who died in her place. Katara knew very well that Yon Rha was there to kill her for her bending. Her survivor's guilt is actually worse than Aang's, even though it's less focused on, because she never truly gets over it. She spends the rest of her childhood trying to fill the empty space her mother left. And she SUCCEEDED. For her father, her brother, for everyone else she supported and mothered. For the child she named after her mom, a child that carries on the almost extinct legacy of Southern bending the way Tenzin does for Airbending, even though her importance is just as downplayed as EVERY OTHER ASPECT OF KATARA'S LEGACY INDEPENDENT OF AANG'S. Katara fills that empty maternal, caring role for EVERYONE in the gaang but zuko and herself, then she plays the same role for Korra because she's Aang's successor.

That's why it's so galling that she never got to resolve the bloodbending story herself. Sokka and Aang do it for her while she's busy trying to repopulate the Air Nomads, because God forbid she be allowed to do anything separate from her husband. Legend of Korra shits on Katara almost as much as the goddamn fandom. "She doesn't get a statue because she didn't do anything after the war but mother Aang's kids" is the actual justification bryke gave for no one honoring or idolizing her the way they do for the rest of the gaang in LOK. And God forbid she get a fight scene or even attend her own granddaughter's mastery ceremony. After all, that's Aang's legacy, not hers. She was treated like a convenient broodmare still pining for him 2 decades after his death and training and healing his successor and being neglected and isolated by her kids, because of course she's not allowed to move on and be content without him. Katara is never allowed to heal from her losses. She's always, always left to suffer in silence and deal with her pain alone.

No wonder this fandom props up Aang and Sokka by undermining Katara. The creators did it first :/

People didn't used to be such weirdos about Sokka. This is 100% a result of the ex-klance people latching on to zukka due to the superficial aesthetic similarities. Remember all those Lance stans who would insist that he's the one who suffered the most and would shit on every other character to make him look better? And transplant the character traits of other characters on to him, ESPECIALLY the girl of color popularly shipped with his supposed love interest? (Waterbender/moon spirit sokka is just altean Lance with a fresh coat of atla paint.) That's literally what they did to sokka in the "Renaissance." Before that it was primarily the hard-core kataang/aang stans insisting that Katara's narrative mattered less than the male characters'. I still remember the rape and death threats I got back in like 2018 for arguing that she deserved better than to end up a permanently benched housewife healer propping up Aang's legacy rather than securing her own in LOK. Then the zukkas came along and insisted their misogyny was woke because it was in service of fetishizing a gay ship with barely any basis in canon. (Cmon guys, jetko is RIGHT THERE and their interactions are not exclusively about one guy's various girlfriends. Just saying. Hell, Zukaang has the most basis of any atla slash ship, but people aren't attracted to Aang so they don't bother. Mark my words, the upcoming atla movie is gonna cause a zukaang Renaissance.)

That got long lol. This is probably gonna be controversial but I don't care, I'm right. Appreciate you nonnie!

[firelxdykatara]

Let me start by saying I've never watched Legend of Korra. like, the most I've watched was any bending scenes/fights and all the Zuko and Toph clips (admittedly, I didn't watch any of the Katara clips because..well..honestly I didn't want to see her be so meek). But I've always felt kinda...bad for liking Mako since the few posts I did read made it seem like both Korra and Asami were better off without him and I didn't want to accidentally fall into the category of sympathising with a man who didn't treat women right. Even when I watched what few clips he was in -Mako seemed a little serious but not anything bad- I thought it was just because I didn't see enough of him to see why he was so bad for Korra and Asami.

And then I read your post on Mako and how he had to do anything and everything to take care of Bolin and my heart kinda broke. I don't know if this is right, but it kinda feels like Mako is being treated a bit like Katara's being treated. Like, they both fit the sibling-turned-parental-figure roles and some of the fandom seems like they can't accept that both are still teenagers who...well, still act like teenagers. seriously, I'm gonna be mad if I ever see another 'take' about how Katara is bad for acting more teenager than mother 😤. And the parallels between the non-con kisses that their respective Avatars gave them, with both Mako and Katara shouldering the blame (though in Katara's case it's more of a "she's supposed to like it! She's the Avatar's girl uwu") . It just rubs me the wrong way how neither of them get any slack for acting less than amazing when they both spent years carrying their trauma and shielding their siblings from that same hurt.

Sorry if this is bothering you or if it doesn't make sense; I'm just kinda fed up of seeing people side with the Avatar no matter what the situation was, especially when Korra and Aang were actually in the wrong *coughnon-conkisscough*

You're not bothering me at all, don't worry!

Honestly all of this makes a ton of sense, someone who's never seen the show and only has fandom's word to go on could be excused for thinking Mako's a fuckboy who was intentionally leading the girls on rather than a kid who'd been raising his baby brother alone on the streets since he was eight years old and maybe not the best at navigating personal relationships and didn't know how to deal with the fact that he had feelings for two incredible girls at the same time. That shit's hard to deal with even when you have parents and had a happy and comfortable life and are just in high school trying to get through the day, but you throw that in the mix with 'became a parent at eight years old' and 'struggled to get enough to feed his brother, nevermind himself, while they lived on the streets' and then everything that happened during the series, and it's like, cut this kid some slack maybe????

Also the comparisons with the way the fandom treats Katara are also spot on. Obviously in Katara's case there's also an added element of racialized misogyny, because she's a dark-skinned girl and the only dark-skinned girl in the main cast, so that gets added to the fact that she was also the gaang's 'mom friend' and you get fans unironically calling her a 'bitch' for -checks notes- getting reasonably upset after being pushed to her limit and losing her cool--but in Mako's case, he actually fills the same niche in the krew that Katara did in the gaang, and he gets a lot of the same treatment, which I think winds up coming at him from the opposite side of the fence so to speak. Because he's a boy, he automatically gets the blame for anything that goes wrong with the love triangle--up to and including the avatar violating his boundaries and kissing him without his consent--because Korra and especially Asami are precious girls and could do no wrong.

And the thing is that it gets kinda complicated because Korra did also get a lot of racialized misogyny flung at her by the racist&misogynistic dudebros of the fanbase who hated that a brown girl was now the avatar, but that wound up overshadowing the very real and reasonable criticisms that can be made of her character and her behavior. Especially in Book 2, where she gets angry enough at Mako for -checks notes- doing his job and not wanting to jump to conclusions that she TRASHES HIS OFFICE!!!!! IN A FIT OF RAGE!!!!!! (which of course Mako gets blamed for and a lot of fans will frame that as Korra getting 'reasonably upset' which lol no)--and the fact that this occurs in the same season as Bolin getting trapped in an explicitly toxic and abusive relationship with a Water Tribe girl (who happens to be Korra's cousin) that is played for laughs the entire fucking time makes me think that Bryke just have very troubling ideas about how it's ok for women to treat their significant others, particularly if they happen to be men.

(Although let it not be said that they didn't write toxic relationships from the other side, Varrick spends the entire series mistreating Zhu Li and then at the end he decides he's in love with her and they get married [in a very Western ceremony, incidentally], and nothing is ever mentioned of the awful way he treated her for the entire show.)

So yeah like, it really, really bothers me that Katara and Mako share similar niches in their respective teams and both of them get a whole lot of untoward hatred for -checks notes- being teenagers and having feelings and sometimes expressing them. They both deserve so much better from their respective fanbases, and I think the biggest reason Katara has a bigger and more devoted defense squad is because atla is still pretty widely regarded as the best installment of the franchise and a lot of people just don't care to even watch lok. The bulk of the lok fanbase is anti Mako and it's hard to maintain any resilience as a fandom in the face of that lmao.

But I'm always happy to talk about how much I love him and if I can only turn the tide one anon at a time then that's ok.

[stitch1830]

Heyy, how are you? Sorry if I'm annoying you I just want to give a little bit of my opinion about Toph as a mother.

I personally think that Lok did something very weird with their character and how they portrayed her as mother because it's difficult for me to believe that Toph would be the kind of mother to let her kids do whatever they want AND not pay enough attention to them. Like the whole issue with her parents is that they treated her like she was helpless, they didn't pay attention to her and they ignored what she wanted. So I personally don't see why Toph would do the same to her kids, like why would she kind of ignore them by not being very present and attentive.

I belive that Toph would be an amazing mother. With flaws of course, because no one is perfect.

I hope I made myself understandable, English is not my first language and it's difficult for me to express what I think even in my own language.

Btw I love your hcs and the way you think :E

Hi Anon, I’m doing well thank you for asking, and thanks for the ask! I hope all is well with you.

And not to worry! You’re not annoying me :)

First off, I love your thoughts and opinions on Toph as a mother when it comes to LOK. You are right, I too feel that her characterization is a bit off, and I’ve talked only briefly on my thoughts about this as well. I see what the writers were trying to do, but it doesn’t really come off right if we consider Toph’s background and her issues with her parents, as well as her overall characterization.

Like, Toph Beifong is one of the most observant people in the ATLA universe. She understands what people need, she can pick up on changes in mood and tell when people are lying, and she waits and listens on the other person to move to decide what her next move will be. Toph is one of those characters that other members of the Gaang open up to, and she picks up on things pretty fast for a kid.

So why would those traits/tendencies not carry over when she taking care of her kids?

Toph’s seismic sense would most likely alert her and she would know if something was upsetting Lin or Suyin, even if they didn’t say anything to her. And sure, she’s prideful, but that’s never stopped her from asking for someone’s help in the Gaang (one scene that comes to mind is when she asks Katara to correspond with her parents). She’d obviously prefer to handle things on her own, but there have been times where she does admit to fault. So it would make more sense to me if she notices the change in her kid’s mood, try and figure out what’s wrong on her own, and if that didn’t work, turn to others.

And you’re right, ‘abandoning’ her kids would not be a flaw in Toph’s parenting style. You said it—she was neglected and not seen as her true self with her parents, and that led to the strained relationship. I think it’s safe to say that she would want to do the opposite of what her parents did to raise her, and the main point in Lao and Poppy’s parenting failures was that they only saw Toph as their tiny disabled child. So, not understanding her kids wants and needs doesn’t seem right. She reads people and observes their tendencies to get to know them, and that’s how she determines how to handle a situation.

So, if Lin came stomping home one day frustrated about something, I don’t think Toph’s instinct would be “Eh she’ll figure it out, she needs freedom.” I feel like it would be more like “Okay, is Lin sad? Upset? Angry? What does she need next in order to feel better?” And maybe her execution is flawed, but I think at the very least, Toph would ask her kids what is wrong and try and determine what they need to feel better. Maybe it’s a moment to themselves, maybe it’s a conversation, maybe it’s just comfort. But she would need to ask, and then wait for a reaction to determine her next move.

I struggle to come up with an actual parenting flaw with her sometimes, only because I love her character and like the idea of her being this amazing single mom and having a family that breaks the entertainment stereotype of “If it isn’t a nuclear family, it’s gotta look broken.” I guess one that comes to mind would be that she waits and listens too much… if that makes sense. Like, if Lin or Suyin don’t react or respond in a way that engages them with Toph, maybe she wouldn’t push the conversation further. Parenting does take initiative on the parent’s end when it comes to conflict and problems, and I think for those situations, Toph would rely on her earthbending tendencies and wait for the problem to approach her, and then she’d face it head on. An example I can think of is that Lin would prefer if her mother came to her about stuff, especially praise, and maybe since that’s not something Lin would explicitly state or something that Toph can feel, that need would go unnoticed if that makes sense.

Those are my thoughts, hopefully they make sense! And I agree with you, sometimes it’s just so hard to convey feelings and opinions into writing. Lol and I’m sure my thoughts are flawed just because I love Toph’s character so much, but I think she would be an awesome parent, and it’s a shame we don’t get to see that. I do enjoy reading metas about why Toph was portrayed as a bad parent, it helps give me some perspective on character creation and what makes them dynamic. But in my purely self-indulgent ATLA world, Toph ROCKS (pun intended) and she’s a great parent we take for GRANITE (okay I’m done now lmao).

Thank you again for the ask, and the kind words! I’m glad someone out there also likes my HC’s and thoughts lol! Feel free to send in more asks; I especially love a good question/HC about Taang, Zutara, or Sukka lol (also I'm off work today, what else am I gonna do haha).

Hope you have a great day :)

[lunaxmadel]

My thoughts on LOK characters after watching season 3

(FOR FUVKS SAKE I WROTE HALF OF THIS ALREARY BUT MY FUVKING PHONE DECIDED TO SHUT ITSELF DOWN IM SO ANGRY GODVERDOMME)

anyway

Korra: wow... just.... wow... what an amazing season for her. Yes it ended kinda fucked up but throughout the season she grows so much. The character development is off the charts! I'm so very proud of her! What a wonderful girl. I love her with all my heart.

Jinora: I'm so happy so got her tattoos!!! How amazing for her!! (That shit must've hurt dude like one lil tat isn't that bad but all of your body all at once?that must have hurt like crazy) I love that she used her spirit powers so much this season and that she really got to show what she can do!!

Tenzin: HE WAS SO STRESSED THIS SEASON AND I TOTALLY GET IT I MEAN IMAGINE HAVING TO TEACH ALL OF....THAT!! He was so so strong and when he just started fighting and the red lotus bitches started just attacking him I almost cried like what! Anyway hes such a great dad, so proud of Jinora. I would like Tenzin to adopt me, I could use a good dad thank you Tenzin.

Mako: I actually liked him a lot this season! When there isn't any of the girl stuff and he isn't just lying to them all the time hes actually a great character.

Bolin: SUCH A SWEET LOVE OH MY GOSH THIS MAN HAS SO MUCH LOVE IN HIS HEART!! He meets his family once and they're everything to him, he falls in love with Opal and just!!! Loves her so immensely!!! What a dream boat! I said it before and I'll say it again:had he been real I would have had such a huge ass crush on him!!!

Kuvira: we got a little peek of her this season. She seems hardworking and passionate! So I like her so far!

Asami: we got so much time with her this season and I enjoyed every second with her! I love how shes becoming an actual friend to Korra (wink) and is just overall being a great character doing great character things!

Zaheer: HOLY SHIT. WHAT. IVE SEEN PEOPLE ONLINE ARGUE ABOIT WHETHER ZEHAAR OR OZAI WERE A MORE DANGEROUS ENEMY BUT HOW??? ZAHEER WOULD BEAT OZAIS ASS IN A HEARTBEAT!! THIS DUDE IS INSANE!! (And, yk, absolutely coocoo)

Eska: we only got a little time with her but I love her!!! Every line is ICONIC!!!

Opal: sweet! Shes so shy and kind! I love how the avatar creators have such a diversity in character! Shes so sweet and interesting. And you go queen for telling Bolin to just be himself and not act weird! Queen!

Kya: ICON what more can I say? Shes amazing!! She recognized Zaheer and i didnt even recognize him.

Lin: I WILL NEVER FORGIVE HER FOR BREAKING NAGAS BALL that being said.. absolute!! Queen!! Dude her character development was insane!! Good for her!!

Bumi: I KNEW HE COULD AIR BEND AT SOME POINT! I was so shocked that's literally the first thing they show this entire season tho!! I thought that maybe they'd introduce it later. Anyway!! You go Bumi!! Hes so strong and passionate. And hes also super funny!! I really like him a lot

Suyin: I KNEW SHE WAS ALSO TOPHS DAYGHTER!! Anyway I dont trust her.... shes off. Also the red lotus is all about not wanting queens and other rulers and one of the first thing she says is that she thinks queens are outdated. Idk. I just think it's a little convenient how her most trusted lie detector was a red lotus without her knowing

Meelo: MY CHILD!! I love love love Meelo so much!! What a passionate man. He chaotic and lowkey psychotic?? The only child I want

Varrick: we also got very little of him but hes the funniest bitch in the room. This mf makes me laugh my ass off at all times

Pabu: !!!!! HEAD EMPTY, ONLY PABU!!!

Pema: best mom. That's it. That's the post.

Tonraq: MADE ME CRY!!! WHEN KORRA SAW HE WASNT DEAD!! MY DADDY ISSUES HEART WENT CRACK

Ming-hua: QUEEN!! ABSOLUTE ICON!!! I LOOOOVVEEEE HOW THE CREATORS OF AVATAR TREAT DISABILITIES AS SOMETHING THAT CAN MAKE YOU STRONG IN YOUR OWN WAY AND NOT AS SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU UNABLE TO DO ANYTHHNG!!! ( also remember in atla when they were in that crand canyon thingie when the tour guide was like I'm nothing without arms. Yes. Anyway once again men ain't shit)

Desna: also very little lines and I don't remember what he said and if he even said anything but he was next to eska so I'm sure it was iconic.

Ikki: we didnt get a lot of her this season, but she is still my princess!!!

Kai: I LOVE HIM !! WHAT A MAN!!! also Jinora and him???so cute!!

Overall thoughts:

This season!! It left me in tears, I literally completely broke down at the end holy shit!! I cannot WAIT to get started on the next season!!!!!!!!

[7team7]

No one will ever burn you

New dad Zuko reads about the importance of skin-to-skin contact. Fluff!

A/N: I’m not really one for developing OC’s or even reworking the LOK kids a ton but I love the thought of izumi and Kya as fraternal twins or at least sisters so i just picked one of them and went with it :’)

Title is from never grow up by taylor swift because 1) I love her and 2) that song is so good and makes me so emo and is perfect for a kids scenario!!

.

.

Zuko was resting in his massive Fire Lord bed feeling perfectly content because his baby — their baby — was sound asleep against his chest. Kya was only a newborn, so most of her features could mainly be described as squishy, but that chubby cheek pressed against his chest just made his heart sing. Her tiny first curled up beside her was just the cherry on top.

Zuko took preparing for the birth of their baby very seriously. He asked so many questions that Katara had to tell him to cool it on more than one occasion. His nerves were rubbing off on her. He felt more definitive about how he didn’t want to raise their children than how he did want to raise them, so he latched on tightly to any good practices.

When he first heard about the importance of skin-to-skin contact with newborns, he was over the moon. He wanted to be as close to his daughter as possible and keeping her securely in his arms was all he could ask for. Cuddling, he had remarked to his grumpy and heavily pregnant wife, is healthy. She just grumbled because she was dead set on never letting him touch her in any way ever again.

Katara was dozing on her side of the bed and Zuko looked between his wife and their child with shining eyes. Kya was so small she only barely covered his star-shaped scar, but it seemed like she was made to rest right there forever. He only hoped Kya would never have to bear the scars he had been marked by throughout his life. Her skin now was baby smooth, perfectly soft and unmarred.

He couldn’t help but become emotional thinking about that final Agni Kai. He started cooing to the new princess, “I’d do it again, for you, for your mama. Isn’t she so amazing? She healed me and she birthed you.” She had truly given him everything and that would never cease to amaze him.  

One day, he would also tell Kya all about the way Katara helped take down Azula but for now, the healing part was enough.

Kya yawned and squirmed against him before settling down once more. He looked down at her in awe. Everything she did was new and exciting to him. Even when changing her diapers, he felt she could do no wrong. He would be the first to admit that he had been slacking on some of his Fire Lord duties just so he could stare at her in wide-eyed wonder.

“Oh, you are going to be one spoiled baby,” he laughed suddenly. He was already wrapped around her little finger.

Katara stretched beside him and rolled closer. She snorted, “She’s already spoiled. Look at her, she’s barely slept in her own crib yet.”

“You know,” Zuko began lecturing, “skin-to-skin contact is extremely-”

“I know that, I’m her mother. Doesn’t mean she’s not a spoiled princess.”

“Don’t listen to her,” he stage-whispered to Kya, “who needs a crib when you have me?”

Katara’s hand came up to stroke the back of Kya’s dark hair, “You’re a lucky little lady, you have Fire Lord Zuko always on your side.” She had said his title dramatically to make him sound even more important, but it made Zuko frown.

His brow creased and he thought hard for a moment. He was constantly worried that despite his mightiest efforts, he would end up like him. He addressed Kya again, “You’re lucky to have Katara because she’s going to be the greatest mom ever. She already is.” He let out a self-deprecating chuckle, “Sorry you got stuck with me. I’m doing my best.”

Katara regarded her husband with thoughtful blue eyes. No matter how much he had moved beyond being that angst and pride-filled teenager, parts of his past still haunted him. She reassured him quietly, “You having these worries to begin with says a lot about your character, Zuko.” They were both hopeful that this era of peace would allow them many good years with their daughter, but hope wasn’t always enough to keep the nightmares away.

He didn’t want to disturb their sleeping baby, so he dropped a kiss on Kya's head that he would’ve given Katara if he could move. “You always know just what to say.” If she were in a more talkative mood, she probably would have told him to give himself some credit. Still, he worried.

They laid together in peaceful silence for a while longer until Kya started to stir and cry out. “She’s probably hungry,” he whispered. “Sorry, buddy, I can’t feed you. I have to pass you off to your mom now.”

Katara hummed, “You can’t feed her now, but you are definitely on feeding duty when we reach mushy food level.” Watching him grapple with his little princess and her smashed peas was sure to be a treat.

Later, when Kya was finally put in her crib for the night and Zuko and Katara whispered to each other in the darkness of their bedroom, Katara started making a list.

“You can keep her safe. You can clothe her in red and blue. You can teach her all that your uncle has taught you. You can teach her to stand up for what she believes in. You can tell her all about the adventures we went on around the world. You can take her to see a play on Ember Island. No matter what kind of bender she is, or if she’s one at all, you can teach her how to use swords — do not tell Sokka I said that. You can feed her, eventually. You can make her tea. You can love her with your entire heart. That’s a lot of love, Zuko. And you can keep her warm by just putting your skin against hers.”

I can, I can, I can, he thought. And I will.

“Can we do this again tomorrow?” Katara asked before drifting off. She wanted to stay wrapped up in their warm little bubble for as long as possible.

Her words were vague, but he understood the meaning. Even if it was unrealistic, he wished all their days could be spent lazily in love. “Sure,” he mumbled, “routine is supposed to be good for the baby.”

.

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A/N: I have a bunch of half finished zutara pieces that I would like to get out eventually so bear with me pls but I had this draft sitting around and finally got the motivation to finish it umm yup bye bye

[kuviras-eyeliner]

hi can I get an LoK match up please! I’m a bi sagittarius female and I’m 5’8. I’m basically the Mom Friend, and I loooove scary movies, Disney, reading, and animals!! I’m caring and a little on the shy side but I’m loud once you get to know me and I am Super Sensitive. I love cuddling and being warm and also being in the kitchen!! I like cooking, baking, or just making little snacks and treats. I enjoy watching cooking/baking shows and sports!! I like going for a drive and listening to music, especially at night!!!! thank you :3

You seem like such a kind and sweet person oh my gosh-- you’re literally the impersonation of having a cup of hot tea on a rainy day while sitting next to a fire (while playing the legend of korra, of course d;)

Yep, a matchup is coming your way, sugarcakes!

I match you with...

Bolin!

(BUT LOOK AT HOW PRECIOUS HE LOOKS-)

Your ask was literally so sweet, I can’t even fathom just how welcomed this made me feel! You seem like such a caring person that my heart can’t with it right now-- so yes, I match you with Bolin! Bolin just seems like that type of person to stack three loaves of bread on top of each other and say it’s a bread sandwich. I think Bolin would adore you-- considering that Bolin can be quite an extroverted person, I think that he’d support you in every possible way. Most people are convinced that people like (Bolin, Sokka, Lance, etc), are just comic relief, but I think you prove otherwise! I noticed in your ask that the first thing you said was that you enjoyed doing a huge variety of this: I literally love how you say you love anime and you have all these lovely exclamation marks and then you’re like, “I LOVE HORROR MOVIES,” and I think that’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. Ever. I can’t tell you how much this ask made me smile! Around you, Bolin tries to get you to smile as much as possible. He tries to tone down his energy a bit so that you don’t get too overwhelmed, but what can I say, Bolin has two sides! I know I reference stereotypes of every character a lot, but sadly, it’s true. From what I believe, Bolin isn’t just about the one who wears sunglasses just to hide his tears or whatnot, Bolin isn’t just comic relief, but Bolin is truly someone who really cares. I know I do Bolin so much but this specific ask made me go, “AIGHt, WE’rE dOInG BoLiN peOPLE-” I think Bolin would definitely be the one to give you side hugs every two seconds, check on you to make sure that you feel welcomed and safe, and he’d most definitely, undoubtedly make sure that you feel comfortable wherever you are. He’d always laugh or smile whenever you’re around, and he appreciates you more than you’ll ever expect! 

Thank you so much for the ask, they’re always appreciated!! You seem like an amazing person, I can’t believe just how hecking sweet you sound. Stay safe! <hugs!> 

For other people who are waiting on matchups: I see you, and I know you’re there!! I have around twelve left to write, and 9/12 are requesting both LoK and AtLa-- (so call that TWENTY-FOUR PEOPLE, WOW I CAN COUNT-), which is a lot better than before!! Thank you so much for being so supportive. I see you. My goal is to get through 3-5 (often 5-6) a day because it’s so much harder than it looks xD I have a lot of fun writing for you guys!! (It’s like baking. It takes forever to bake, but it’s really fun and in the end, you leave feeling satisfied)

*throws skittles*

I LOVE YALL SO MUCH, FREE HUGS AND SHOULDER PATS FOR EVERYONE

[science-fiction-is-real]

Thoughts on Fire Lord Ozai

Every time I watch ATLA,  I appreciate Fire Lord Ozai more and more.

First of all i am 90% sure he was added to the show just as a treat for the moms forced to watch it with their children.  Dear god that body.  Flameo hotman.  What’s not to appreciate?

But as a character I started to understand the brilliance in his seemingly inane simplicity. 

The first time i watched the show I noticed that Fire Lord Ozai actually works as a villain.  He’s extremely scary.  I had nightmares about him when I saw the show for the first time.  I was 19 when I saw the show for the first time by the way.  The way he’s framed, the way they keep him in the shadows, the way the other characters react to him, Mark Hamill’s stunning charisma.  Like this is a scary motherfucker.

The second time i watched the show I noticed that Fire Lord Ozai is uhm... a few logs short of a bonfire.  He doesn’t have a backstory.  He doesn’t really have that many scenes or dialogue.  We don’t learn anything about his beliefs and values.  We don’t explore his relationships with the other characters in depth.  He kind of exists to look scary and throw his weight around.  And as a second time viewer this made me feel a bit cheated.

Legend of Korra after all had villains with clear beliefs and values.  They were humans first and villains second.  they had backstories.  They had arguments that were used to develop the story’s themes.  They weren’t exactly well-done characters.  The writing in LOK is uhm.  also a few logs short of a bonfire.  But they were at least interesting.

Ozai has pretty much no personality what soever.  He is as generic as cartoon villains could possibly get and still work as a story telling element.

The third time I watched the show, the fear and the disappointment had worn off, and I could appreciate this sexy sinner for who he really was.  Like, honestly what’s not to love.  All he needs is a toe-tapping musical number and he could easily fit among the ranks of any of Disney’s most entertaining baddies.

The CHARISMA.  

Dear lord.  The snark.

“Maybe he can teach you the ways of tea and failure.”  DAMN.

this motherfucker RIPS OFF HIS CLOTHES.  IN MID AIR.  AND THEN BURNS THE CLOTHES.  AFTER HE JUST GOT COORDINATED IN THOSE CLOTHES LIKE 20 MINUTES AGO.  NO.  FUCKS.  GIVEN.

He’s just having so much fun.  He loves his job so much.  I kind of want to be him, you know.

Or at least be one of his palace mistresses and get pregnant with his bastard child.

But none of these things really explain why Fire Lord Ozai as a fictional character created as a tool for telling a good story ascends to the level of brilliance.

Why is he brilliant? 

A lot of fans of the show are okay with the fact Ozai has the personality of a hamster with the fact that he does his job.

His job is to provide conflict for the characters to overcome, to raise stakes, to create tension.  That’s what villains are supposed to do, and Ozai gets it done with efficiency and effectiveness as if he were being payed to do it.

I like to argue that Ozai is not so much a character in his own right but more of a symbol.

Ozai is hyper masculine, solves problems with aggression when it really isn’t appropriate to do so, loves war, seeks power.  He basically is the embodiment of the Fire Nation cultural values that caused the nation to engage in a hundred years of senseless imperialism.  He was raised with those Fire Nation cultural values.  He adopts them in his own life in how he treats his children, and he leads his nation in acting them out when he assumes the throne.  He IS the Fire Nation.

I also think it’s worth noting that the imagery surrounding Ozai is unambiguously Satanic.  He has an ugly goat’s beard.  He wears red and black.  He sits on a throne surrounded by hell fire.  Contrast him with Aang, who is a devine entity that the world has been waiting for in hopes he will deliver them from evil, who is undoubtedly a Christ hero.  

But what I really love about Ozai, what really just gets my goat, and makes me laugh my ass off, is that he is REALISTIC.

Think about the people in the real world who cause pain and suffering to others.  Think about their “Tragic Back Stories.” You will find that a lot of the real world’s super villains, your Trumps, your Bezos, your Ted Cruzes and Kavenaghs, are normal ass dudes with normal ass up-bringings.

They weren’t beaten as kids.  They didn’t suffer unspeakable traumas.  And if they did suffer such fates, that isn’t what drove them to their villainy.  They chose villainy as a profession.  They worked hard for the opportunity to become villains because of the wealth, power, and prestige it would bring.  And they dress up their villainy with titles like “President, or Judge, or CEO.”

These assholes in real life are not Kuviras or Amons or Zaheers.  the are Ozais.  They are motivated by power and money.  Not ideology or perverted sense of duty or a need for revenge against the world.

Fire Lord Ozai is exactly the person you think he is.  He is the dumbest Jock in the entire school.  He has spent his whole life getting by on his good looks and his daddy’s money.  And due to the shear dumb luck of being born into a ridiculous amount of privilege, he was placed in command of a military superpower.

And you and I can name a lot of people in real life who are exactly like him.

And that, my good dudes, is why Fire Lord Ozai is brilliant.

[livi-asdfghjkl]

twenty questions

tagged by my favorite middle sister @freckledpianoman

1) What do you prefer to be called name-wise? livi

2) When is your birthday? april 25th

3) Where do you live? the US

4) Three things you are doing right now? writing this, stressing over school, biting my lip to shreds ♥

5) Four fandoms that have peaked your interest: stargirl, runaways, atla, and lok (though i haven’t gotten around to watching lok yet)

6) How has the pandemic been treating you? i kinda hate my mom just a teeny bit but other than that i guess i’ve been fine.

7) A song you can’t stop listening to right now? mr. loverman

8) Recommend a movie. train to busan is pretty good also ponyo is super cute. tangled is also great

9) How old are you? a minor

10) School, university, occupation, other? unfortunately i am in school

11) Do you prefer heat or cold? cold because i like snuggling up in my blankets and i hate being to warm

12) Name one fact others may not know about you. i stole my entire personality from my sister

13) Are you shy? yeah. i won’t start conversations because i always think that everything i do is annoying to the people around me.

14) Preferred pronouns? she/her

15) Biggest Pet Peeves? when i send someone a message and their answer is a completely unrelated meme. i appreciate memes but i also wanna have an actual conversation with you.

16) What is your favorite "dere" type? kuudere or bakadere because i love himbos and i love characters who act like they don’t give a fuck but actually do care.

17) Rate your life from 1-10, 1 being crappy and 10 being the best it could be. probably like a 6 or something

18. What’s your main blog? this one

19. List your side blogs and what they’re used for.

i don’t really have any of my own but @hournitenation is for the hournite server

20. Is there something people need to know about you before becoming friends? i doubt myself so please maybe like confirm that you don’t secretly hate me and that i’m not annoying and that you don’t find it bothersome when i talk to you

i know i say this every time i’m tagged in one of these but idk who to tag so if you see this you can just do it i guess  lol

[superfluouskeys]

heya!! for the ask thing: 1,2,6,7,17,19,21,22,24,36,39,44,45

WHOOOOOOOOP THANK YOU FOR INDULGING ME FRIENDDDD!!!!!

1. What was the first fandom you got involved in?

Hmmmmmm well.  I wrote my first proper fanfic for Will and Grace, I was kind of marginally involved in the Big Bang Theory fandom back before the show was a giant trainwreck, and I’d say the first fandom that really took over my life was OUAT!

2. What is your latest fandom?

God what is time what year is it.  Nothing super-recent has really captured my attention--so the last new thing I got into would have been either Steven Universe or Mass Effect?  And the last subset of a thing I got into was definitely Dragon Age II hahaha

6. List your OTP from each fandom you’ve been involved in.

Okay this took me awhile but I think I kinda listed the fandoms I’ve been involved in

OUAT: OMG I made a 2 am shitpost to this effect but like while I love the idea of Swan Queen, Dragon Queen will always be my personal OTP.

WH13: BERING AND WELLS obvi

Steven Universe: I’ll go with Lapidot since it’s like the only non-canon one hahaha  i knOW HOW TO PICK THEM

Dragon Age: Origins: Morrigan/female Warden -- II: Hawke/Meredith bc I am Garbage(TM) -- Inquisition: Cassandra/female Inquisitor (((or Solavellan bc i love to suffer)))

Mass Effect: Shepard/Aria T’Loak and Renegade Shepard/Samara bc again, as we’ve established, I LOVE TO SUFFER

Supergirl: SUPERCAT 5EVER but I also love SuperCorp from afar since I no longer watch.

Disney: MALORA 5EVER but also Cinderella/Tremaine because I am The Worst.

Harry Potter: There’s one I won’t admit to bc that’s how trashy it is and I’ll admit to Bellamione and HermionexMcGonagall so you see where my baseline is.

ATLA/LOK: Toph/Suki, Korra/Kuvira, Korra/Lin, Lin/Kya, and don’t get me wrong I love Korrasami I just like to torture myself with non-canon trash

7. List your NoTPs from each fandom you’ve been in.

OUAT: The obvious ones but the latest is Golden Queen hahahha like I don’t even watch anymore but what a disaster.

WH13: Myka/Pete like what an utter disservice to the entire show tbh never over it.

Steven Universe: Not really into Jasper/Lapis, which I realize is a bit out of character for me, but I do still like a lot of the art for them.

Dragon Age: Don’t think I’ve seen any for Origins.  For II: Meredith/Orsino hahahaha I have it blacklisted and it still finds its way to my eye sockets.  Fenders also isn’t my game.  Inquisition: Cassandra/any man bc I headcanon her as a closeted lesbian sorry not sorry, and uhmmm there are some characters I just really dislike so them with anyone is unpleasant to me hahaha.

Mass Effect: EDI/Joker hahaha sorry not sorry he’s super gross about her like I’d be whatever about it if not for how unnecessarily misogynistic his dialogue suddenly becomes.

Supergirl: The obvious one.  Which sounds like a confectionery treat.

Disney: Can’t think of anything egregious really?  Oh, well, Maleficent/any man, surpriiiiise.

Harry Potter: Miss me with Ron/Hermione 2kforever

ATLA/LOK: Same with Aang/Katara tbh like obviously later in life they worked fine together but in the context of the show it always felt weird and forced.  Same with Makorra--I always forget about it when I rewatch the first seasons until theeeere he is at the end of every episode hahaha.

17. Who was your first OTP and are they still your favourite?

The first time I remember like Shipping Something it was Katherine and Robyn from Desperate Housewives hahaha.  Like I just remember being so shocked and thrilled to see the Sexual Tension playing out before my eyes on a show I was allowed to watch bc my mom liked it, that I would watch RAPTLY and try to pretend not to care hahaha.  

First like earth-shattering OTP though was probably Malora, like I just started writing it as a thought experiment and then suddenly it took over my life, and that’s how you know!

19. Is there a ship which you wished you could get behind, but you just don’t feel them?

TBH if anything is canon or too popular I’m unlikely to care that much about it, even if I like it in theory hahaha bc that’s just the kinda pretentious snob I am.

21. What was the first fanfic you ever wrote?

Technically the first fanfic I ever wrote was a character exercise for a show I was in, like a way of writing an ensemble character for myself so I had a through line in the show and whatnot.  There were a couple of other self-inserts that mercifully never saw the light of day so those are burdens I can bear alone.  The first for-real fanfic that ever saw the light of day was a GracexKaren fic that was also kind of a disaster.

22. Is there anything you regret writing?

I don’t regret writing anything, since it’s all practice.  There are a couple of things I regret posting, though hahaha, and it may soon be time for another small purge of a couple of things I’m not proud of.

24. What fic do you desperately need to rewrite or edit?

Before I touch literally anything else I need to finish my rewrite of Early to Bed hahaha.  Other than that, aside from Prisoner eventually, I don’t have any immediate plans to do major rewrites of anything.

36. What’s your favourite genre to write?

A N G S T

I think I do a good job with the situations where people are longing to connect but terrified to reveal too much of themselves, or that murky time in new relationships of any variety where people are testing the waters with one another, which lends itself to angst and a lot of buildup hahaha.

39. What is you greatest strength as a writer?

I think I get away with a lot of shit bc I can turn an eloquent phrase, and I think I write good dialogue because I put a lot of effort into capturing how characters speak and think before I write them.

44. What ship do you feel needs more attention?

For non-DA....always here for more 1959 Maleficent/Aurora, Effie/Katniss, my new babies Mirana/Alice, annnnnd Korra/Kuvira hahaha!

45. What is your all time favourite fanfic?

hjbgfcdxvghjn all time???!?!

These 5 I recced awhile back are definitely my go-to’s.

[knightofbalance-13]

http://dudeblade.tumblr.com/post/158821156544/rant-on-yangs-nonexistent-recovery-arc

I wanna preface this before I begin: I really do think yang needed more screentime this Volume. She got shafted in Volume 1 and 2 and here it was a souring experience to see her sidelined. Now I am not blaming Jaune: That guy had about a third of the screen time to himself than Yang. If I were to blame someone in the series, I’d blame Blake for hogging an entire episode to herself or Tyrian for taking up ending time that could have been used for Yang. But my honest opinion? I’m optimistic: If the writers show that Yang ahsn’t gotten over the PTSD in latter Volumes I will actually be very happy. Nothing is more insulting than underplaying the lasting effects of a mental illness, making it seem easy to get over. I didn’t get that vibe from Yang considering she had to be depressed for around nine months considering it was fall when we saw her after Beacon, it was winter after that and a minimum of six months have passed since that point. It’s entirely possible for Yang to recover in that span of time, especially if Volume 4 was told out of order.

I am saying this now to put what I am about do in context: I am a Yang fan, my main complaint with V4 was that she got too little screentime and I have an aversion to mental illnesses being downplayed. By all rights, I should agree with @Dudebblade right?

Well...

IF YOU WERE TO USE THE SAME TECHNIQUES SHOWN IN RWBY ON A PTSD VICTIM, YOU WOULD BE CALLED OUT ON YOUR INSENSITIVITY!

This isn highly hypocritical as Dudeblade has in the past said that Taiyang was wrong for breaking down after Summer’s death....his team leader...and the mother of his second daughter and caretaker of his first...after losing Raven, his first love and mother of Yang...all in about four years time...leaving him a single widower of two, a job meant for to people at minimum. It’s hard raising a kid I know, I’ve been hearing my mom state the hardships for years. And quite frankly, I wasn’t that hard of a kid I didn’t go around challenging demonic wolves or attacking bars and as much as I love my mom, Taiyang is a better parent than both of them and suffered even more than her. And Dudeblade calls this insensitive but not a widower. Yeah, he’s not allowed to talk.

I don’t give a shit if the arc was “Too hard” to write. You set yourself up to make a recovery arc. You should deliver. If it wasn’t as easy as you thought it was, then you should tough it out, and do it. Otherwise you failed to deliver on something that you promised.

You promised to be my friend and then betrayed me three times. Again, Hypocriticial.

It’s like if the RWBY writers promised that there would be LGBT representation, but refuses to point them out… Oh wait… That’s actually what’s happening right now.

You now, I have an LGBT friend named @mageknight14 and he’s just as sick of this as I am. I am starting to think they SHOULDN’T have an LGBT character if you keep bitching. You don’t hear me bitching for Asperger’s representation even though Autism is synonomous with “Brain damamged” in the world and the closest thing I have to a representitive is Sheldon Cooper.

Alright, something I’m going to have to do, is to compare this show’s PTSD recovery arc, with another show’s recovery arc. Not to be a dick or anything, but the only other well-known show that did a PTSD recovery arc well, was Legend of Korra. Not to compare RWBY to a show that has had an entire team of writers, professional animators, a previous series that was well-received, and an epic premise to undermine it or anything, but hey. Miles did say that the Season three of LoK missed the line by an inch, and found it “Meh” (Yep. Bringing that one back.)

Oh so people’s personal opinion is something you are allowed to judge them on? Okay then, you like Raven ergo anything you have to say about parental characters ever is disregarded. And unlike you who has stated their opinion as fact, Miles stated his opinion as ONLY that. And if you’re gonna pull that, how about I start comparing your DB chronicals to Miles’ writing? Let’s see: Pandering to LGBT demographic with Tifa and Yang, crappy reasoning for not using Goku or Superman which hasn’t been addressed, under usage of the Villians, under suage of Vegeta, directly copying and pasting Godzilla Vs. Gamera ect. Doesn’t feel to good huh? Maybe next time you could learn some empathy?

Hey, if Miles wants to criticize a show, and claim that “missing the mark by an inch” makes the finale “Meh”, then I can say that missing an entire plot by a light year is INFURIATING.

And I can point out the bullshit in your crap without an inch of regret or remorse. Funny how that works.

It’s almost as if it was the most insulting piece of shit that I have had to watch since reading poorly written fanfics that were clearly meant to troll people.

You emna like basic pandering, random and lazy fourth wall breaks, expecting us that Deadpool would be friends with you, under using 90% of your cast, making some deity look after you and making Yang and Guts look similar when they share like three basic things together? Or how about yang remembering Carolina ahs Pyrrha’s voice but the snarky AI in her suit that sounds like her father? Nope, nothing to see there. Also, TYang knows RT but doesn’t know a single person from RvB because...plot?

I’m getting off-topic here. Legend of Korra Book 4 handled PTSD with an ENORMOUS amount of seriousness, respect, and time. Not only was this a case of a timeskip being used in a manner that was actually the right way of using it, but they showed that Korra was struggling. While she could always blame it on the mercury poisoning, it showed that Korra wasn’t merely “moping” (I will never let that line go), it showed that she was terrified. She wanted to get better, but she had to go at her own pace.

Yeah and tehw riters of Korra had a shit ton more experience, payment and less pressure considering they could coast off of the original’s success. Which they kind of did seeing as I have heard a shit ton of non-LGBT people call bull on Korrasami.

Okay then, I will never let anything yousay go then as well. Have fun with that: My specialty is turning one’s words against them.

In fact, she had to be the one to decide to get the mercury out of her system. She wasn’t guilt-tripped into doing it, she did it because she was ready. It had nothing to do with someone calling her a burden. It was because it was at that moment, that she had recovered. There’s a reason why this episode stands out from most. It was because, through the help of Toph, Korra managed to overcome her fears and doubts, and remove the mercury herself.

Okay...is Yang Korra? No? Then they will NOT handle this situation the same way. Unless they are carbon copies of each other or at least have the same basic experiences, your point DOES NOT stand. And since you just expect us to take your wrd for it after insulting Taiyang, Miles and later on you will use Shane and Monty to attack RT, I have no good will.

Hm, let’s go through this again shall we?

Terrified...Guess that Adam dream or the PTSD flash never happened...

Choose to get the Mercury out of her system...Not how the body works...And taiyang didn’t stitch it on neither did Yang have to deal with her fault at letting her sister be in danger. Yeah, If Taiyang is a bad father for breaking down, Yang is a worse sister because she broke down longer, with no one to help Ruby, over less pain and had support all unlike taiyang.

And is RWBY over yet? ... No? Then I’d bet you’ll be eating your words sooner than latter.

RWBY just rushed it. Yang wasn’t given time to actually decide to put the arm on, her father heavily implied that she was a burden, she overheard it, and felt guilty (Seriously, how did she hear that? Is she some kind of rare half-breed or something?).

Like all children are: it’s a fact of life get use to it. Whether or not the child or parent think that way, iyt is a fact. Just as well: We only have your word on that. You, who have proven you are projecting your own parental problems onto Taiyang. yeah, you are the definition of Unreliable Narrator.

But hey, let’s take a look at Berserk. Let’s see what would happen if we were to use RWBY’s techniques on Casca. Hey, Casca! I know you got assaulted by the man you used to love romantically and everything, and that he violated you in ways that we probably couldn’t even begin to comprehend, but how about you get over it? - And now, I have been bifurcated by Guts for saying something like that. Why? Because Casca from Berserk has PTSD! She’s not going to magically get better by getting some heals or shit like that! She has PTS FUCKING D! You either treat it with respect, or don’t set yourself up to write it out to begin with.

Pardonnez-moi, mais vous n'avez aucune idée de ce que vous dites.

Okay then, let’s use your method of parenting on Guts shall we?

HEY GUTS! DUDEBLADE SAID YOU’RE A TERRIBLE FATHER FOR BREAKING DOWN AFTER TEH ECLIPSE AND CASCA’S RAPE, THAT YOU DESERVE EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU, THAT YOU ARE NEVER GOING TO BE CONSIDERED GOOD AGAIN AND THAT YOU ARE WORSE THAN YOUR OWN FATHER AND GRIFFITH!

Oh look, he’s pretty pissed. Hope you enjoy having a crossbow shoved up your neither regions.

Also: Is Yang and Casca the same person? Have they faced the same troubles? Do they even share one event in the past? NO. So how about you stop using stupid examples and I might stop Guts from shoving his sword up your uretha?

Then Tai said, “Looks like you lost some brain cells along with that arm of yours.” Keep in mind that both Port and Oobleck were shocked at this. It shows that Tai crossed a line there, and in all honesty, if Yang hadn’t laughed, they would have been scared shitless for Yang’s mental health. Something that they didn’t really consider. These are supposed to be her teachers and parents, but they don’t do anything to actually help Yang get better mentally. Not to mention that Miles and Kerry said that writing the PTSD recovery arc was “too hard.” is rather insulting considering NOTHING HAPPENED! I don’t give a shit about that. I don’t give a single shit if it was “Too hard.” or not. You have to do it in a respectful manner, or you become one of the most insensitive people ever. to the point where I think that this becomes appropriate:

Oh so you’re insensitive for telling one joke but not for directly insulting someone when they are trying to help you? Because Yang did EXACTLY that! remember this line?

“I lost a part of me, it’s gone and it’s never coming back. You can’t possibly understand how that feels.”

She says this to man who lost both of his lovers, lost his team, nearly lost his kids twice with one comatose and the other depressed and hurting him for trying to help, had to wake up every day for six months wondering if his brother in law, daughter and friends were all dead. It’s like bitching about a hangnail in front of Guts: Not comparable in the slightest. If I were Taiyang I would have walked up to her, got in her face and recounted everything that I have lost to her and make her see just how much she actually lost.

Not enough? How about Ruby, her younger sister who lost more than her, was comatose for it and preserved still? Or Qrow, who lives with misfortune over his head 24/7? By far: Yang is the BEST one off so by your logic, she has no right to complain and neither do you!

Yeah. People who treat PTSD as insensitively as the writers did should be fired from breathing.

... You are telling them to die over a fictional character...

You know what is even more insulting dudeblade? Using suicide baiting right in front of a formerly suicidal person. Fuck you in every sense of the word.

Before anyone says any bullshit about how Red vs. Blue had the character ripping on each other, so that this is “okay.” - I’d like to point out that in the scene where Doc’s split personality O’Mally, roasts Grif for having to take care of his sister because his father left, and his mother was in the circus. Nobody really laughed. And when Doc snapped out of it, he apologized. None of the Reds or Blues ever hit that close to home, and when it did happen, they treated it seriously. It wasn’t a joke, it wasn’t a punchline, it was an actual serious thing.

Yes itw as a joke. It’s called Black humor and the narrative treated it as  afailed attempt at Doc’s peace which was the real punchline. And the same guy also insulted his own sister several times throughout the BGC.

And what about getting shot by a tank, being told you’re worthless, being said you won’ta mount to anything, being forced off to die several times and take the blame for everything? That’s the entirety of the BGC’s thing.

And it was treated seriously as a way to break the ice and unlike Grif, YANG WAS OKAY WITH IT. And unlike Doc, Taiyang KNOWS YANG. HE RAISED HER! How convenient for you to not mention these factors huh?

The really infuriating part was the fact that it started off so well. Yang nearly had a panic attack when she dropped the glass, she was having nightmares about Adam, she openly said that she felt as if “A part of her was missing, and it wasn’t coming back.”, she had gotten used to using only one arm- It was going so well! At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if the current writing team for RWBY would be unable to write a respectful, and realistic PTSD Recovery arc to save their lives. The writing’s become shit since they booted Monty’s wife, Sheena and Shane off the team. I’m sure they REALLY appreciate it.

(Growls deeply)

You wanna know what is really fucking sick, as in, I can NEVER forgive, that I have deemed people horrible for, that has truly made me hate them?

Using a person’s death or mental illness for their own gain, usually attacking friends and family with it.

Like you have done with Monty and Shane.

I hoep you’re happy because you have crossed so many lines. I hope you’re happy being hateful and pessimistic because you know what? You are no better than those people at Yang Haters Haven for threatening Ben and Chad’s lives. In fact, you are WORSE than them. You are essentially digging up Monty’s corpse to beat his friends, his grieving friends who shared so much with, with it. Congratulations, you are what you hate. Except they can always say “I never used a dead man for my own gains.”

I have no respect for you, no hope for you, no kindness for you.

You are worse than most people in the rwde tag and that is saying a lot considering their suicide baiting and death threats.

Enjoy the fucking hole you dug for yourself, I’ll be sure to fill it up and put you out of your misery never.

[benjaminhunter]

T, U, V

under the cut for length!! ty for asking !!!

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending?

fast and hard headcanons, huh.. you’ll notice how my vocaloid hcs are short because i have so much of them but i don’t want to list them all.

(voca) 

all vocaloids know sign language

rin & len kagamine are both genderfluid and most vocaloids/utaus are pan, no one is straight (god forbid);

lui hibiki has aphonia and ring suzune is Deaf

v flower is agender and refers to themself with they pronouns and gendered terms like “Im fuckboy??” or “im just some country girl”

v3 & v4 flower are selective mute

fukase has a skin picking disorder

miku append solid has an eating disorder  (just a heads up i don’t want to treat this as a cute headcanon like an accessory or a fashion statement, its literally headcanons because i project myself on characters i love the most ! ok !)

miki is an alien, can float, makes funny beeping noises when excited

ia is an alien, can float

piko has prosthetic legs

gakupo is a gay trans man

sachiko is a trans woman

all len units are big narcissists and want to date each other somehow

yuzuki yukari is a lesbian

yuzukari on is good at video games, yuzukari lin is not

anon and kanon both are flirty jerks and woo all the girls (especially rana)

OTOMACHI UNA LOVES DRAGONS

cocorobo eats dirt. she straight up sucks dirt

(dr) 

komaru wears socks in bed (and during sex hfsdhskdfjsds); 

touko smacked mitarai in the face once; 

shsl impostor is nonbinary; AI nanami isn’t a different person from dr3 nanami but in fact nanami reincarnated;

when tenko held hands with a girl for the first time she had to lie down for twenty minutes and broke down crying in Gay Joy 

(lok) 

kuvira has a swarm of beauty spots on her stomach and hearing the name beifong associated with her makes her skin crawl; 

kuvira fell in unrequited love with korra and probably will always be in love with her, always there for her if she needs a hand, mako-style

lin was married to another woman and is a widow now

bolin and opal’s kid is an airbender

when katara dies, bumi didn’t make it in time to see her one last time and he has to live with that guilt for a while and disappears in the spirit world for like. two years; and then asami and korra go look for him because Bumi Is Their Friend? and a sweetheart

rohan is gay

(aa)

phoenix is bi, maya is bi, edgeworth is gay, mia is bi, athena is pan, apollo is bi, trucy is gay, klavier is pan, ema doesn’t care, rayfa is Fucking Gay My Dudes, nahyuta transcends gender and is bi, simon is gay

kristoph isn’t all black. he’s terrible and murdered people but my hc is he didn’t physically / mentally abuse his brother like so many think he did

hc that manfred von karma is mentally ill (ocd ?) and while that doesnt excuse his actions, its one of the reasons he put his children through so much abuse

i ship cy/ke/squill in a weird way, in the way that they adore each other, they require physical touch (like athena needs to rub her head against simon’s shoulder) and could sometimes kiss yeah,and they sometimes speak in unison and if asked, they’d probably marry each other, but they aren’t in love?.. they don’t.. have romantic love? platonic love only. if that makes sense

rayfa is smitten with trucy and maya.

wow lana and angel are still dating after all these years

lana and simon are buddies. aura and lana… hooked up also

(plvsaa) 

layton and phoenix flirted. it’s canon. it happened

darklaw’s scar on her right hand comes from when she dragged espella away from the belltower the night of the Great Fire; 

rouge & foxy are dating, rouge & barnham are cousins, darklaw is related to aura & simon blackquill,

espella and maya dated in the past, 

espella is a lesbian, rouge is bi, barnham is bi, eve is bi (leaning more towards girls)

darklaw has avpd and is psychotic

espella is Not Neurotypical (ptsd / psychotic) + suicidal (!she has all my Mental Illnesses because i said so) and this one headcanon i’ll fight for it in your local supermarket parking lot

(zero escape)

diana, phi and sigma all live in a big apartment after ztd; its strange because they’re technically all related to each other but they’re all the same age so sometimes they get really drunk and then diana is like “fuck im supposed to be the mom” and then passes out

diana and sigma don’t get together asap because theres a lot of dancing around and phi watches them with a quirked eyebrow over the breakfast table because they both are So Straight it’s annoying

eventually sigma builds Luna and the four of them live together and it’s actually a Lot Easier to live with such a positive presence who’s here to comfort them

SIGMA PINCHES DIANA’S CHEEKS EVERYDAY AND HE SQUISHES PHI’S CHEEKS WHEN SHE LOSES AT MARIO KART, DIANA PINCHES PHI’S CHEEKS AND LUNA WILL PINCH SIGMA’S CHEEKS. THERES A LOT OF CHEEK PINCHING

phi drags luna to a bar once and tries to get her drunk or just see if a GOLEM can dysfunction with alcohol but mostly its just phi downing shots of vodka while boys and girls come to flirt with luna

carlos explains to akane he’s dating someone, akane is overjoyed and want to meet them, and almost drops to the floor when she sees carlos is dating her brother aoi   (junpei laughing in the distance)

sean jOINS A CIRCUS

mira actually kills eric. sorry eric. She then goes to follow sean around while he’s following the circus. they adopt gab

eric isn’t actually dead but he’s away from mira because them being married is an horrible idea. What The Fuck Was Kotaro Uchikoshi Thinking

tenmyouji is Cool Grandpa and quark is good at soccer (???)

alice and clover are dating

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites.

lin beifong, because she’s lin beifong, thats why. touko fukawa because shes so strong, you know. v flower because… i really love flower’s voice and design and to this day they help me figure my gender out

V - Which character do you relate to most?

kuvira. has ambition but crippled with visions of grandeur and recklessness, full of regrets and bitterness and knowing she betrayed someone, all the while burying deep abandonment issues inside of her. damn.

[groundramon]

I’ve been thinking abt that one Sonic Boom scene I reblogged and i applied it to some other things I’ve been thinking about and

I never, ever want my stories/tv shows to be known as “that show that has gay characters in it” or “that show with a black lead/a lot of main characters of color”

Dont get me wrong, I’ll shove in LGBT+ characters into every nook and cranny of my shows that the network allows me to, I’ll try to show as many cultures and races as I can (in a respectful/educated way though, so I have a lot of research to do <D), but I dont want my projects to be known for that.  I dont want my projects to get outrageously popular because I included a trans character.

Because all I’m doing is treating these things as though they’re the norm.  I’m not doing it for brownie points, although I guess I’m doing it to give minority kids characters that they can relate to more.  But that’s only half of it; the other half or so is just...rounding out the score.  Making the hollywood catalog of characters a little closer to real-world numbers, even if at the end of the day im hardly making a dent in the years of homophobia, transphobia, racism, and sexism that this industry has built itself upon (just like all of American tbh but anyways)

I want my projects to be successful, dont get me wrong.  I want people to be able to enjoy the representation on my shows as well.  But I dont want to be given a free pass to write a shitty show because of it.  And I ESPECIALLY dont want people calling people who dislike my show a homophobe or a transphobe by default.

I dont want to ride off the coattails of people who were braver than me and have gone through more than me.  Quite frankly, another reason I dont want my shows to be know as “that show with the gay guy” is because that...that sounds suspiciously like I’m profiting off of other people’s struggles.  I guess I’m trans so it doesnt really apply there but I still almost feel like I’m just using LGBT+ identities as some kind of stepping stone to promote my own show.  Like how companies use allyship to promote their own brand.  Even if the people behind the company really do care about LGBT+ people (which theyre probably 95% at least indifferent about it, if they dont actually care) the company doesnt.  And a show is just as soulless as a company; a show cannot be an ally for LGBT+ rights, it can only advocate for them or use them to further its own agenda.  Just because I’m trans and an LGBT+ advocate doesnt mean shit in the context of the show.

But like, I cant control how other people see my stories, so if that happens then whatever.  If people say I’m profiting off of LGBT+ identities, then that’s their problem.  All I’m going to do is insist that people should look beyond the themes i present and the representation I enjoy putting into my stories, and actually look at the shows themselves for what they are.  If people dont then fine, they can enjoy my shows however they want to.  I cant police how people enjoy my content.  But I, for one, will always tell you that I want my stories to be critiqued and judged for what they are, factoring out the fact that i show some “progressive” tendencies in my writing.

Highlighting the fact that I have a black gay character is just counterproductive to the idea of normalizing these things.  Saying “oh yeah, my show is so progressive, we love showing all things LGBT+ and being as diverse as possible!  Keep watching to see more gay characters along the way!” is just...counterproductive.

I cant tell you how mad I get when people treat “oh, we have a black character!” as progressive.  Like I happened to be in the room one time when my mom had The Bachelorette on and I heard the announcer say “we are proud to announce our first black Bachelorette, [insert her name here]!” and I was immediately filled with rage.  Oh WOW, I’m so happy that in 2017, you’ve FINALLY had a black Bachelorette.  It’d be one thing if you just happened not to have a black bachelorette until then (I believe the female suitors in The Bachelor have been black in the past? so I’d be willing to choc it up to coincidence) but the fact that you ANNOUNCED it like it was some kind of great act of progressiveness just proves that you actually ARE bigoted racists. (It also doesnt help that one of her suitors that was announced when they said that said to her “I’ve heard once you go black, you never go back” and she just laughed awkwardly and?? oh my god i hate reality tv, not because its dumb but because of shit like this)

And the thing is, you can enjoy something with LGBT+ themes without solely liking it for said LGBT+ themes.  It’s purely coincidence that 3/4 of my favorite shows (LOK, SU, and GF - the only one that doesnt have them is ATLA which...kind of makes sense given that its older, but LOK did it later and was the first to do it as far as kids shows are concerned sooo) happen to have gay relationships in them.  Like I certainly appreciate that Asami and Korra are bisexual (both because lesbians and because of that twist ending for the love triangle bullshit, lmao), I certainly appreciate that the alien race in SU is technically made up of lesbians (or pan girls? either way, still lesbians), but that’s not why I like either.  In fact, it’s far from why I like either; I dont know if it even factors into my love for either show, but i know it doesnt significantly.  I would still like either show just as much were it not for the gay themes.  And that’s what I want my stories to be.  Sure you can appreciate the representation (and god help me do it right/respectfully), but I want you to like it without that, too.  Because otherwise...I’m just profiting off of other people’s struggles, and you dont sincerely like my work for what it is.

My primary goal is to create a good story with enjoyable characters that you can relate to.  Part of creating enjoyable characters is exploring all sides that humanity has to offer (within reason) - but that’s only one small aspect of one half of my goal.  And I really hope that shows in my work, and that people can appreciate the show(s) for what they actually are, not just because it agrees with their political morals.

[stitch1830]

🎩

I'm fine and dandy,

Mind i ask your opinion on what became of the Gaang in LOK? I know the Toph being a cop thing ruffles some feathers and some don't accept Aang was a bad father.

HAT ANON HI glad to hear you are fine and dandy on this exquisite day of the week. And OOF this is a loaded question, but I'll do my best! :)

So I feel like there are a couple ways to answer this question based on your shipping preferences, but for the sake of this I'll try and answer everything based on what is considered canon. So ATLA, comics, and LOK.

I'll also preface by saying that I get why there are some controversial takes in LOK... I think they were trying to make the characters have more depth and show that even our favorite characters have flaws, even when they're adults. I just think that in some situations it was OOC and it leaves a bad taste in your mouth when you see where the Gaang went from the start to the end of ATLA, and then to see glimpses of their adult life and only seeing the trashiest parts.

Aang: If he's with Katara, it's not surprising to me that he's not a great father. Like, he has very strong opinions about his culture and while Katara is just as passionate about her upbringing, there isn't a ton of evidence of Aang accommodating the children's upbringing to also integrate SWT traditions in their lifestyle. I don't think he was outwardly trying to be a bad dad or anything, but his desperation to pass down Air Nomad traditions to an airbender overshadowed his primary need to be a father to all three of his kids. It's also really hard to see him as still this happy, lovable nice guy who treats everyone with kindness and respect when we know that he practically ignored 2 of his kids... But basically, his 'bad takes' as a dad were left unchecked, and his actions were probably defended by his wife as opposed to having to face them.

Katara: This one hurt lol. Again, it's not surprising that when she's with Aang that she chooses to settle down and be a wife and mother and healer. Aang's the Avatar, he's busy, their two oldest children are really rambunctious and are craving attention, so it's gonna be Katara to give them the love and care they need. But based on what we see in ATLA, it's just sad that we don't get to see or hear about any changes she made in the world or fighting. She really does seem to be ushered off to the side, left to retire in SWT after Aang dies. It's also sad/crazy that her strength and ability to stand up to disrespectful or ignorant people goes away when she's an adult. And I feel like this is glaring in her relationship with Aang and then also when Korra is finishing up training in the SWT. The other masters are whining that Korra isn't ready and Katara says she is and then the men keep complaining and whining. Like, no way would ATLA Katara let that go without her giving her two cents. Yes, she does help Korra leave, but she definitely would've said something to those old hoots. It's also weird that her strong resolve doesn't show up when she's raising her children with Aang. Why didn't she confront him? And if she did, how come nothing changed? Maybe it was too late, but idk. Katara doesn't seem like the person to let things go after she stood up to the problem once. Essentially, I'm upset that Katara was this strong and powerful female protagonist in ATLA, but not really hear about her amazing strides in the world in LOK (because if she did change the world, they didn't mention it... sad).

Sokka: Hmmm, he's not really ever shown in the show except in one flashback (because he's dead tears), but from what it sounds like, he didn't have any children, didn't sound like he ever really settled down, nothing like that. I think it would be sad if Aunt Wu's fortune was true and he never really ended up happy because of things he did. Would that be considered OOC? I don't think so... He was the goofy guy and the brains of the operations, but he seems like the guy that is afraid of being happy or ruins things when he is happy. My only reasoning for this is when he lost Yue, it changed him on some level, and at first he tried to push away Suki when she was initiating a kiss. Pretty light and lame reasons, but it's something....

Suki: MY GIRL SUKI NOT MENTIONED THAT'S SO OOC. Lol. Like, why didn't she randomly pop up from time to time? Are the Kyoshi Warriors just not around? I don't like that she wasn't in LOK, not even in a small flashback or anything. She was friends with the Gaang and it seems odd that no one mentioned their dear friend that helped save the world with them even if she passed away or anything. And also I don't think a casual statement about her settling in the suburbs counts as canon lol.

Toph: Okay. I don't hate that she's a cop. It's not really in character, but I don't hate it. If all of her friends settled in Republic City, and they all had their own responsibilities to deal with and asked Toph to run the RCPD, I think she would say yes out of loyalty to her friends, maybe out of boredom. I'm surprised she was in the role as long as she was, though... She was starting to get bored of her metalbending academy after a year or two once things were running smoothly, so she seems like the kind of woman that would search for the next adventure. But if she had to be a cop, I think she'd much rather be the one enforcing the rules at the top as opposed to following the rules, but... yeah. In a canon universe I struggle to come up with a long-term career for her, so I made my peace with the cop thing. Many of my friends haven't though lol, which is okay! Another thing I didn't like was how she was portrayed as a bad mother. Not that she was a bad mother (as much as it would suck, I can kind of see her being a bad mom), but they way she was a bad mom didn't really fit her character. She was neglected as a kid, doesn't seem right that she in turn would neglect her kids by giving them too much freedom. Also! My least favorite thing was how she had a 20/30 year rift with her girls, and then it was suddenly resolved. Like... No we need some more context to the conflict, and we need to see work being put into the resolution if we're going to bring this up. If Lin held a grudge against her family for 30 years, a short "sorry I wasn't a great mom, hope you don't hate me" comment isn't going to make her forgive them lol. I do like how she was portrayed as a single mother to two girls. She doesn't really seem like the type to settle down, and it was a nice surprise to see her have daughters from different men. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and it would've been the perfect opportunity to show those differences and show that there's more than one way to have a positive upbringing (Like, let's see the cloudbabies and the Beifongs both happy even though they had two very different parental upbringings? Just... there was an opportunity is all). And yeah, she seems like the one that would never settle down or have a family, so it would've been interesting to see her handle motherhood and her job! So I'm okay with that bit.

Zuko: Okay Zuko seems chill in canon, but who's his wife? Where she at? He got a partner or anything? We may never know... But it's nice that he appeared to have a happy life with good kids and grandkids... And yet I'm confused as to why Korra preferred to go to Zuko instead of the Avatar's wife for advice on what Aang would have done when choosing between saving the Air Nomads and turning herself in to the Red Lotus?? Like, I know Katara was in the SWT, but they have phones now, you're telling me they couldn't have called Katara? Why wasn't Katara the first person they thought to ask about the situation? I know the logistics would've been difficult considering Katara is holed up in the SWT, but why did everyone say that Zuko knew Aang the best? Why didn't his wife know him the best? Thoughts to ponder.

Okay. I wrote a lot and there's probably more that I do and don't like about how the characters were portrayed... But I think what it all boils down to is that there was an opportunity to still get depth in these beloved characters without us being frustrated with situations that are OOC. Then again, that would make it less about the Krew and more about the Gaang... It just seems like a bit of a slap to the face when we see glaring problems with the Gaang's characterization, and yet, we get no explanation. It does allow for canon writers to play with the 70 years in between, but idk. I much prefer AU's where there's time and opportunity to explore the characters as their best selves I suppose. Honestly, with my disinterest and disliking of canon ships, I don't see the bad takes in LOK as OOC, but it makes me wonder how different things could have been if other ships were made canon (thank goodness they weren't, we're not pigeonholed into one type of story, but still).

Does this kind of answer your question? Lol, sorry if not. My thoughts are all over the place with this one! Thank you for the ask, though, Hatty. Hope you have a great day! :)

[lunaxmadel]

My thoughts on lok characters after watching season 2

Thoughts on characters before watching | after season 1 | after season 2 | after season 3

Korra: SHES THE FIRST IN THE NEW AVATAR LINE??? HOLY SHIT bro I love her so so much it's insane shes a queen and I love her thank you bye

Jinora: MY QUEEN MY PRINCESS MY GODDESS BRO JINORA IS INSANE YOU GO MY CHILD TALKING WITH SPIRITS AND STUFF YOU GOOOOOOOOOOOO shes deadass such an interesting character and it kind of explains how Iroh could see Aang on the dragon when he was in the spirit world bc apparantly some people can see the spirits while others cant. Anyway Jinora was AMAZING in this season. I love how they made her real mature and proper yet didnt forget she is also still a child and I think they captured it amazingly

Tenzin: I love how he finally figured out he isn't his dad but hes his own self. Such a beautiful message to take to heart and it fits this season's entire message perfectly

Mako: ....same as last time sadly. I like him and I think hes very interesting but the lies man. I love how hes a cop now and he knew what was going on from the start like yes KING but like Korra's gone for 3 secs and hes all into Asami again but then Korra returns and hes like ah right yes let's now switch the switch again flip flip and just yk get back with her betraying Asami again.... bs

Bolin: still love him. I would die for him. So precious. I love how in his feelings he is and how everything just goes right to his head. I love him

Asami: still strange vibes but it's getting better. They're handling her traumas really well and I love that shes just a hard working, enthusiastic business woman! You go queen! (Still in my dreams bro shes gorgeous)

Eska: THIS BITCH IS HILARIOUS OH MY GOD EVERY LINE THAT COMES FROM HER MOUTH IS ICONIC

Kya: so different from what I imagined! Sass queen. I love her a ton

Wan: WHAT A MAN ABSOLUTE KING

Bumi: I LOVE LOVE LOVE BUMI SUCH A BUMI HES AMAZING what an absolute interesting character I love him, I love how he is with the kids and I love how airheaded he is

Unalaq: so last time I thought he was Amons brother bc i just got lost in the characters but now i know hes not so. Anyway what an asshole. Who in his right mind thinks he can be an evil avatar and think that's a good idea? And he doesnt give a shit about his kids? Ok.

Meelo: I love Meelo. My child

Varrick: I LOVE VARRICK I KNEW HE WAS A BADDIE WHEN WE FORST LAYED EYES ON HIM BUT OH MY GOD HES MY HERO MY LOVE MY ABSOLUTE ANGEL MAN I LOVE LOVE HIM

Pabu: wasnt as present in this season but I would still die for him

Pema:BEST MOM HER CHILD IS A GHOST AND SHES JUST LIKE "BE CAREFUL SWEETIE" LIKE YES EVERYONE DESERVES A MOM LIKE HER

Hiroshi: still an ass. I like how well they're treating Asamis trauma regarding him

Tonraq: absolute daddy. Literally

Desna: also love him. He knew when his dad went crazy and kinda started doubting whether or not he should still fight for him. We stan an observant man

Senna: I love Senna. Beautiful queen. Amazjng mom. So sweet. I love

Ikki: SO SWEET WHAT A LOVELY LOVELY CHILD MY PRINCESS I LOVE LOVE LOOOOVVVEEEE YOU

Naga: STILL MY BABY BABY

Iroh: what a king. So ready to help Korra. The moment she asked.

Overall thoughts so far:

Oh my gosh this season was great. I love that we learned how the avatar came to be and why the avatar is so different and special from all the other people. I love the characters we got introduced to this season (Varrick is my love) and I love what they did with the already existing characters. Overall this season was great and I'm very much enjoying this series as a whole. I cant wait to start on season 3!!