#because it's going to be like im watching the final episode of ATLA for the first time.

[theprinceandthewitch]

What keeps me up at night is thinking about how the Wild Witch lured Caleb away from Philip but she wasn't able to stop him from murdering her lover and how it contrasts with Luz (also a wild witch) who lured Hunter (the Grimwalker that looks the most like Caleb) away from Philip BUT is able to save him from being murdered - and for the time being is STILL keeping him safe.

[all-thestories-aretrue]

I am about 1 million years late to this but thank you for the tag @graphitekayla!!!

Rules: without naming them, post 10 gifs of your favorite shows, then tag 10 people. I'm definitely going to break this rule; you can't give me the opportunity to gush about my faves and not expect me to name them all!!

If anyone has followed me for any length of time none of this will be a shock lmao.

Shadowhunters, and more broadly speaking The Mortal Instruments. My first real fandom!!! I cannot overstate the impact the books and show had on my life. I wouldn't be who I am without it. I have an angelic rune tattoo. Magnus and Alec are some of the first queer characters I remember reading about. I remember where I was when they kissed for the first time in the show. You stupid nephilim lives rent free in my brain. This show (and the books) truly set up the trajectory my life is on now, and I will always always remember it fondly. Even with all the drama and discourse.

2. Critical Role, specifically C2. My first true obsession after the decade long Shadowhunters debacle. I stumbled into it to learn how to play D&D (which I now know is a controversy in and of itself lmao). But my friend @midnightellis wanted us to start a game, and I needed a way to learn that wasn't reading the books, so I started C2. It took 11 or 12 episodes, but then I fell in love. I spent the next almost year watching the entirety of C2 which culminated in visiting them to watch the finale together. I was extremely jetlagged. It was basically 8 amazing hours of nonstop crying. I have zero regrets. Except for the fact I still need to get the tattoo I had planned rip. One day!! I promise!!

3. Arcane!!!! A brief interlude between Shadowhunters and CR. There was about 4 months were I was OBSESSED and watched the entire show like 3 times back to back. I have many thoughts and feelings about Jayce. The show is also just so visually stunning. I cannot wait for S2 to drop in November!!!!!! I know nothing about League but I do really love this show.

4. House. Iconic. What else needs to be said? House is very much a comfort show for me; great to rewatch during the winter. I've watched the entire thing almost three times now, and even got my mom hooked lol. It was fun seeing all her reactions to everything before I moved.

5. If I had known what fandom was when this was airing, I truly would have been all over that shit. But I was 8 and didn't have access to the internet. Aang/Katara def my first otp lol. I did, however, ignore a friend that was over at my house to watch the finale, I believe. I definitely told them to go play so I could watch the show uninterrupted. Needless to say, they were not thrilled with that. I'm 90% sure it was the finale now, but I could be wrong about the episode. ATLA is also another comfort show that I could watch over and over again.

6. Shadow and Bone. I am still SICKENED this got canceled. Genya and David are the ultimate romance, and no one will convince me otherwise. I almost stopped reading when I found out his fate. I was devastated. Everyone in this show is also very pretty. I can't believe we won't get a s3.

I'm going to stop here because this is already long enough, and tbh I'm not sure I actually have four more shows. I can only be obsessed with one thing at a time, and the current obsession is Path of Night. And that does not seem to be waning any time soon.

Edit: Lost should 100% be on this list. I think I've watched it at least four times. My family and I watched it live as it was airing when I was a kid. And it still is one of my favorite shows. I know people got beef with the ending but I truly didn't mind it. Even if it's bad or whatever, I think Lost is still 100% worth watching. There are so many little hints and clues that I pick up something different every time, and each character death hits just as hard.

I'm going to tag: @gelatinouscute, @peppedstep, @midnightellis, @discordkittenterumi, @im-a-vampire-now, @zeena-athena , @syntia13treeman , @sapphicfugue , @dr-thumbs-brand-new-spot

If you want to do this :)

[sexybeee]

Only Murders in the Building is the best show ever!!!! I finished season 2 like four days ago (i watched it w/ my sister) and i rebinged season 1 in these past 2 days. There are just so many things I love about that show. Here comes the rant.

Like, in season 1, I love how we really get to know the characters. We not only learn who they are and basic info, we go sort of deep into their backstory while being able to remain perfectly in the present. With Oliver, we learned about his many, many, failed performances, his bad relationship with his son, his constant need for money, his relationship with Bunny, and the love he holds for Winnie. We learn about his failures and his mistakes and how he tries to make up for them. I also love how we see his past as a director really be incorporated in the podcast.

With Mabel, we learn about Zoe, Oscar, and Tim. Lemme tell you, I so need a spinoff mockumentary about those four because they were really well written imo. We get to see her mom, we dive into her relationship with Oscar, and how she was connected to Tim Kono. We see her past rise up as she solves the case.

With Charles, it's mostly Jan. Yet, I love how there's the scene where his neighbor is like "I can smell your omelets; they remind me of Lucy". And when Charles fesses up to Jan about his past dating life, it's so real. And the cartoon images that he sees are such a great way to incorporate his past without trying to force it.

Most importantly, I love how the characters' pasts aren't revealed in one overly dramatic scene. Yes, we may see a lot of someone's past in an episode, but later on more is revealed and explained really well. The writers aren't trying to make the characters be like "im sorry for lashing out at you yesterday, it's just that my mom died 20 years ago and blah blah blah". Like Katara in all of ATLA. Instead, we see the past spread out in a really well balanced way. Mabel's connections with Tim and Zoe are really naturally brought out. And so is Oliver's with Will and the faint glimpses of Charles' with Lucy. (Also, I really love how he makes the omelets for Lucy everyday) Everything is so naturally brought it out in OMITB, it's truly one of the best shows ever written/directed. Huge props to Steve Martin and John Hoffman.

Now, onto season 2. (Warning: SPOILERS)

The finale was so epic. I totally believed Alice mvrd3r3d Bunny and that she stabbed Charles. I was literally in tears for the whole scene. It was a really well written plot, because I didn't expect anything that happened. And, the backstories were expanded even more.

Also, season 2 seemed to be more centered on Mabel, but I love how it still majorly included Oliver and Charles. We dive deep into why Mabel forgets every dramatic thing that happens in her life, and why she flips over the puzzle. I really love her relationship with Alice. It's a strangers to friends to lovers relationship with so many ups and downs. I love how they managed to work together in the end, though. And I love how really go deeper into Will and Oliver's relationship. The whole DNA tests and the "tells" is so well written. I really love Oliver's involvement with the Son of Sam game. Finally, there's Charles and Lucy. I love how Lucy perfectly tied into the whole story. Her being there wasn't really forced or anything. I also love her relationship with Charles. It's really really reminding me of my relationship with my grandpa- especially because they both look alike.

I just really really love OMITB and I'm super excited for season 3 to come out! I even have some predictions. Like, Charles is gonna be blamed for Ben's sudden death like Mabel was framed for Bunny's demise. It makes sense because Charles was the last person to see Ben alive just like Mabel w/ Bunny. IDK, it's just a feeling. I'm hoping we get to see what Charles was upset about, too. He was mad, and if he and Ben were fighting a lot, then he could get accused like Oscar was. I'm also hoping Charles gets another almost fatal injury, like in previous seasons, because (and ik it sounds weird), Steve Martin always makes it really suspenseful and hilarious.

IN SUMMARY, GO WATCH OMITB IF YOU HAVEN'T YET

[nosleepwriting]

What WN means to me:

i watched it initially for Avatrice, ofc i did. one day during lockdown i randomly saw a crack vid of avatrice and decided to watch it. not even knowing if they end up together or if they kiss or if they become canon. i didnt watch the whole vid so i wont spoil everything, which was weird because ever since lexa, i dont watch shows without knowing that the sapphic couple would be together and happy.

did you know where i stopped? i stopped during the part where ava phased out of the wall, breathless and scared, and beatrice was there to catch her. maybe it was the way she looked, the way kristina's eyes shined as beatrice holding alba's ava in her hands that convinced me that yup these two are in love. or at least bea is. this isnt a crack ship. this is real.

so i watched s1. tbh, im one of the people who thought s1 was slow bec if im being rlly honest, i watched it for avatrice. but i wasnt expecting to love ava, that running on the beach scene loving life, alba's acting of laughing and crying and breathless under the stars with the sand below her and the ocean just in front, and watching THAT during the fucking pandemic ???? that saved me from a lot of dark thoughts swirling in my head. i wasnt expecting a family. a real found family that even when mary and lilith were fighting each other to death you can tell that there's love, there's history. there's sisterhood. i wasnt expecting that from a show with 'Warrior Nun' as a title. and not bec i thought it was silly but bec i thought it was one of those female-led show made for men.

long story short, i finished it. search tumblr for a bit for content, then twitter, then ao3, as one usually does and then nothing. i moved on, peacefully. even if that s1 cliffhanger was far from peaceful. bec i was sure there would be an s2 with that kind of ending. i went on with my life and continued to consume other media.

until october 2022. i didnt even knew they were filming s2. i saw the s2 trailer in yt randomly again. there they were. dancing. i was like how did these two go from fighting an angel?-jesus-like-incarnate in s1 to dancing casually in a bar?? i was scared at first, maybe this isnt the same show that i'll come back to bec lets be honest most s2 of a really good s1 most of a time is a let down. but then i saw the "your jealous" "that's absurd" part and i was like yup those two are in love and im going to watch this just so i can see how they do it.

for extra context (i know this is getting super long but i honestly dont care im doing this for me), im reviewing for the boards and getting invested in anything other than my studies would be really bad. i was catious with what media to consume because i need to focus on my studies. even so, i watched the final ep for context and carry the feeling before watching the first episode. the legendary fucking first episode. the hands behind teasing walk, the kiss cheek, the dance, the stare (i dont have to explain this, u know what im talking about) i replayed all of those moments 10 times bec WOW they weren't holding back.

then everything else. the little moments leading to the big ones were satisfying and so perfectly excuted that i cant even watch it with my girlfriend bec she gets mad that i keep repeating the scenes and slowing them down to take it all in. halfway through s2, i knew i was gonna watch it again. and i only really did that for 2 other shows (shera and the wilds s1, atla and tlok dont count bec i rewatch them periodically and not right after finishing) but u know what i didnt do to those other two that i did with warrior nun? i watched it a third time in a bigger screen just so i can see more. i watched in a 4th time with my girlfriend. i watched it a 5th time just so i can move on with my life and i watched it a 6th time because i missed them and i can't. i watched it a 7th time because i won't. and at this point i lost count at how much i rewatched the show. i would stream it during studying just so i could have them on screen and be inspired with finishing so i can watch them.

im just really heartbroken right now. with all this.

[richardsphere]

Rwby Slogblog V8E12 (last for the day)

Ok so there is just no (functional / non-aesthetic) difference between Emeralds semblance and Neo’s then? They both can do exactly the same things? one just has a whoosh effect and one a pink-diamond-sparkle effect? Emerald can just do the same shapeshifting/disguise tricks that Neo can do with the same ease. why did team villain start with 2 identically powered characters?  Dog boy can affect multiple people at once all of a sudden. (im fairly certain that was a limitation he had before. Was the reason Aceops struggled with their fight against team RWBY because whomever he didnt lock down would kick his ass if i recall) Huh, winter going full “single-cut samuraislash” with her saber. ------ Time to hear their plan, and determine if its even a good plan at face value. Ok objectives established: Save Penny, Evacuate Atlas AND Mantle. Now to preamptively adress the people complaining about Jaune’s angry outburst at Ruby in V9: You are right that its Jaune’s idea to use the staff as a teleportation-thing. I believe you are wrong to say that this is the plan he means when he says “it was all Ruby’s plan” that fucked his life. My interpretation of that scene has always been operation “Form Team RNJR because _WBY has scattered to the winds as if were named Summer”. That was the thing he was angry about. Jaune was not regretting the fall of Atlas in particular in that rant, he was regretting everything that happened to him since beacon fell and was wishing he’d never followed Ruby in the first place. This is not important to the plan but i’ve seen enough people bitch about how “teleporters were Jaunes Idea, Jaune is Lying/Factually Incorrect/Shifting Blame” in the last few weeks that i cant not make note here about which plan he actually meant. Whitley is once more MVP with the coordinates/blueprints. Does the spear not need a password too? (i mean obviously Oz can provide that, we know he knows it, but its weird that Ruby doesnt need to shout the name for the Spear while the Lamp needs a name) It seems to be that the plan requires Penny to open the vault, and then use the staff to in essence gamble on the posibility she can survive as a bodyless ghost. Ghosts are real and cannon now. Like it would be one thing if penny was a cyborg but she isnt, she’s a gynoid (I dont like Robot due to its etymological roots.) so this is uncharted territory. It works only because the plot requires it to work. (not saying I dislike it. just being objective) Its not a great plan, but also their only option (because the virus will destroy her eventually anyway) I like Ambrosius’ energy. He’s likeably energetic, but also up-front with the warnings, as well as being willing to explain what information is crucial to his ability to make things. Like he’s not so much trying to warn you as he’s covering his own ass in advance and at least tries not to hide any nasty twists (hence him warning not to fall. He knows more about what the vaults are like. Presumably distant uninhabited “acres” in the everafter).  “one-way ticket”. And there’s the backfiring clause. Weird that penny’s mechanical body is destroyed upon the creation of the gates. (after all “he cannot destroy, only create”) seems like a slightly weird loophole as he is now destroying matter he used but did not himself create. But that ends the set-up for what is probably a 2-episode finale. I already know roughly how this all ends (i watched V9) but its nice to see the leadup. ------- In conclusion, the plan works because the plot requires it, but that is acceptable. And the Vaultgates probably all lead to the everafter. Which means that Alyx was presumably a maiden. And that RWBY can in fact use the Haven-portal to enter the ever-after with Ravens help if they ever need to get some treeleaves/time in the Cakre. 

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

hi! i really like your posts and recently i came across some anti kataang arguments and i would like to see your opinion on that (if you want to answer because you must be very tired of answering those lol)

“i remember perfectly aang forcing himself into katara. not only once, but a lot of times. in that talk they were having during the play it was one of the moments aang was intrusive”

“i saw people saying that katara was jealous of aang with that kids in kyoshi island, which she obviously was not. she was annoyed at them”

“kataang had no development. it feels like a ship made out of nowhere”

“aang is completely obsessed with the idea of katara being his. proof is that episode were the guru tells him he has to let go of her and he choses to break the connection. it’s like: look what i did for you, you should stay with me. aang learning to let go would have been a evolution for his character”

“making them stay together in the end just because aang is the protagonist and has to stay with the girl is boring and adds nothing to the plot”

“he spend years after a girl that never felt the same for him”

hi anon! im very flattered you like my posts 🥰💛 and you’re not wrong that sometimes it gets a lil tiring addressing anti kataang arguments, but that’s because 90% of them are the same foolish rhetoric dressed up in a different costume, lol. i finally have some free time, so i’ll take a stab at these for you!

“i remember perfectly aang forcing himself into katara. not only once, but a lot of times. in that talk they were having during the play it was one of the moments aang was intrusive”

not gonna lie, this particular “argument” made me crack up laughing because they “remember perfectly… lots of times” but can only name one instance 😂 like i am on the floor, because trying to get away with that in a formal essay would earn them nothing more than a goose egg. you need evidence to support a claim, which this “claim” has none of. i mean,, when does aang force himself onto katara?? when katara initiates every cheek kiss they share?? when they are mutual participants in several shared hugs?? don’t get me started on DOBS - the Now or Never Kiss that falls under literally requires reciprocation from both parties, lol. but regarding the ever-so-infamous EIP episode they bring up:

This post talks specifically about EIP and the play’s portrayal of Aang and Katara (and how it cannot be used to define their relationship). This post explains the true source of Katara’s conflict in turning down Aang (i.e. the war itself and the risks the war presents for both of them) and why the EIP kiss did not “ruin” Kataang’s relationship. This post explains how the EIP kiss was resolved through narrative parallels. This post explains how the EIP kiss is so often blown out of proportion. This post explains how Aang did not “threaten” Katara in EIP (with some excellent commentary in the notes, too).

the fact of the matter is that yes, aang overstepped a boundary with katara there. no one has ever contested that because to do so would be to disregard canon, and here’s the thing about kataang shippers: we love atla canon. it gave us everything we wanted and more. (imo, that’s what anti kataangers don’t understand.) the EIP episode can be interpreted as a “low point” for many reasons, but the primary “takeaway” is that the play performed was imperialist propaganda that preyed on the gaang’s insecurities and demeaned them (much to the pleasure of the Fire Nation audience), which had negative consequences, one of which was aang kissing katara largely out of desperation. no one has ever excused that! thus, what i think isn’t clicking with anti kataangers is that aang and katara’s miscommunication in EIP is not a representation of their relationship being doomed to fail. aang made a mistake and immediately backed off without question or hesitation. katara has time to make her own decision and chooses to forgive him. doesn’t it strip more of katara’s agency away to conclude that katara could never ever ever forgive her best friend for a single mistake that - comparatively - could have been a whole lot worse?

(im just saying.)

“i saw people saying that katara was jealous of aang with that kids in kyoshi island, which she obviously was not. she was annoyed at them”

honestly, i have a question for whoever came up with this jfksjdasks. okay, yes, she was annoyed. that’s a given based on her exasperated eye rolls and sighs. but why was katara annoyed with them, hmm?

here’s my thing about katara’s feelings in this ep: jealousy and annoyance are not inherently the same, it’s true. a person can be annoyed without being jealous (obviously). as such, there are essentially two possible interpretations that have validity, although one in my opinion has greater weight in canon:

1. yes, it is possible to interpret katara’s annoyance that episode as being solely related to their delays on kyoshi island. one can reasonably argue that katara’s romantic feelings for aang were not as strong so early in the series (it’s only episode 4, after all, although lbr - she was Looking at aang’s tattoos in episode 1 lmao), and therefore the primary reason she was annoyed at the fangirls is because they were one of the causes extending their stay on the island when katara felt they needed to leave. it’s a fair interpretation.

2. a different and stronger interpretation, in my opinion, is that katara’s irritation was a product of both annoyance at their extended stay and jealousy of the fangirls’ obsession with aang. because here’s the thing about jealousy: it doesn’t have to be some extreme, exaggerated emotion/reaction! when katara gets jealous of on ji in book 3, she makes a single comment about aang and on ji dancing together. when aang gets jealous of jet in book 2 (because of sokka’s teasing), he, too, makes a single comment (i.e. that it would be a bad idea for katara to kiss jet). i bring these two moments up because they explicitly demonstrate within atla canon that reactions of jealousy do not have to be dramatique and outrageous, à la zuko throwing ruon-jian across the room in book 3, lmao. jealousy can be simple! kept to oneself! as such, katara’s disgruntled manner in that episode - which, might i add, is largely if not only shown in reaction to aang with the fangirls - can certainly be interpreted as a quieter form of jealousy akin to several other moments within canon.

more than that, however, if the writers did not at all want jealousy to be an interpretation on the table… why on earth would they have bothered to mention jealousy as a possibility? here’s the relevant excerpt from the episode transcript:

Koko: [Stomps her foot in annoyance and puts her hands on her hips, while another girl happily waves at Aang; irritated.] What’s taking you so long, Aangy?

Cut back to Aang and Katara; the former enthusiastically waves back at his awaiting fangirls, while the latter raises an eyebrow at the scene.

Katara: [Slightly mocking.] Aangy…

Aang: [Enthusiastically.] Just a second, Koko!

Katara: [Sarcastic.] “Simple monk,” huh? [Annoyed.] I thought you promised me that this Avatar stuff wouldn’t go to your head.

Aang: It didn’t. You know what I think? You just don’t want to come because you’re jealous.

Katara: [Close-up; angrily.] Jealous? [More high pitched voice.] Of what?

Cut to a broader shot. Aang moves back slightly, when an irritated Katara resumes to ferociously stuff the basket with more fruits.

Aang: Jealous that we’re having so much fun without you.

Katara: [Irritated.] That’s ridiculous.

(sidebar, but can i just say that seeing “ferociously stuff” to describe putting fruits away is arguably the funniest thing i’ve ever read sjkdhsjalks)

to me, this excerpt alone all but proves katara’s irritation is a mixture of annoyance at the girls’ (and aang’s) behavior/their delayed departure and jealousy regarding how the fangirls’ fawn over aang. katara clearly demonstrates frustration at aang’s seeming lack of concern for their time crunch and how he’s letting his status get to his head (and remember, y’all: this is very early book 1 aang, he’s barely begun to truly reconcile what it means to be the avatar and the last airbender, which is understandable and a-okay! can’t have growth if he doesn’t start somewhere!). that checks out. but next thing you know, katara’s reaction proceeds to dramatically heighten when aang teases the idea of jealousy to her. again: why include this moment if jealousy was never on the table whatsoever as an interpretation for her feelings of irritation? why make katara’s response intensify so strongly if she’s not jealous even a little bit?

in sum, while i don’t think katara’s aggravation is solely fueled by jealousy, the episode itself points to jealousy as at least a part of it. simple!

“kataang had no development. it feels like a ship made out of nowhere”

this take screams willful ignorance, like did they even watch the whole show?? it’s not worth addressing over and over, ngl.

This post and this post explain how Katara’s feelings for Aang develop throughout the series. This post explains how Aang consistently supported Katara throughout the series. This post demonstrates how Kataang is literally ingrained in every episode.

“aang is completely obsessed with the idea of katara being his. proof is that episode were [sic] the guru tells him he has to let go of her and he choses [sic] to break the connection. it’s like: look what i did for you, you should stay with me. aang learning to let go would have been a evolution for his character”

“completely obsessed” h e l p i weep for the lack of brain cells 😭 it is so hard to just say “kataang isn’t my cup of tea” and go?? seriously?? i thought we were past making stuff up to support shipping agendas. lord help us. real quick:

This post explains how Aang never acted like he was “entitled” to Katara’s affections. This post explains how Katara and Aang do not “idolize” each other. This post and this post talk about Aang’s chakra being blocked and unblocked, and how it had to do with fear, not attachment. This post talks about Aang and the Avatar State, explicitly discussing “The Crossroads of Destiny” and the notion of attachment/letting Katara go.

okay, let’s take this claim one sentence at a time:

“the guru tells him [aang] he has to let go of her [katara] and he choses [sic] to break the connection.”

first of all. FIRST OF ALL. can you imagine the hellfire that would have rained down if aang hadn’t chosen to go rescue katara? here is a piece of the episode transcript:

… Right before he is able to completely open the final chakra and master the Avatar State, however, he hears a shriek from Katara and sees a vision of her in chains. At this, he jumps out of the energy sphere and runs away from the Avatar Spirit. The energy bridge that leads him there slowly vanishes behind him until it catches up and falls from underneath him, causing his image to plummet toward Earth. This cuts his connection to the Avatar State, which forces him back to reality.

Aang: Katara’s in danger! I have to go! [Prepares to exit.]

Pathik: No, Aang! By choosing attachment, you have locked the chakra! If you leave now, you won’t be able to go into the Avatar State at all!

Aang hesitates but leaves anyway, leaving Pathik concerned and disappointed.

aang chose to leave because katara was in danger. if he had chosen to stay,, dear god. the vitriol that would have been thrown around. “aang doesn’t really love katara! he chose not to save her!” “aang is so selfish and greedy! he chose power over love!” it’s literally a catch-22. damned if he does leave, damned if he doesn’t leave. #fandomlogic

anyways, yes, sure, aang chose to leave, which at the time broke the connection. he was indeed in avatar state limbo for a Hot Minute. whoop de do.

“it’s like: look what i did for you, you should stay with me.”

logical fallacy: ad hominem, hasty generalization, ∴ not worth our time 💛

“aang learning to let go would have been a [sic] evolution for his character”

i have amazing news for those who perpetuate this take. aang did let her go! he would not have been able to enter the avatar state in COD if he hadn’t! point blank, it is utterly untrue to pretend aang did not “let go” of his attachment to katara. now, im not going to get into the concept of “attachment” here and what it truly meant for aang to have “let katara go” in the book 2 finale (if it was good, bad, etc. etc.). there is a lot of material to work with there that would require like,, an entire post to dig into, if not more. the fact of the matter is that aang did let katara go, and the proof is that he successfully entered the avatar state before azula killed him. the above claim thus sits in complete contradiction to canon and is a moot point.

“making them stay together in the end just because aang is the protagonist and has to stay with the girl is boring and adds nothing to the plot”

“making them stay together” again, is it so hard for someone to just say “kataang isn’t my thing, im gonna stick to fanon pairings, but y’all have fun” i mean that really, really does not seem so difficult to me! also, “making” is a hilarious word to use just because,, atla is a work of fiction. in that respect, the writers “made” everything happen. you cannot escape their sphere of control.

anyways. that’s just funny to me lmao

but no, aang and katara did not get together in a romantic fashion just because aang was the lead male protagonist and katara was the lead female protagonist. i refer back to these posts from earlier:

This post and this post explain how Katara’s feelings for Aang develop throughout the series. This post explains how Aang consistently supported Katara throughout the series. This post demonstrates how Kataang is literally ingrained in every episode.

aang and katara got together because their relationship had been developed since episode 1, duh. reducing their relationship to “lead guy + lead girl” completely disregards the legwork done and the foundation laid for their romantic partnership. like, all someone has to do is rewatch the show 😂 and i hate to break it to whoever created that take, but to say kataang “adds nothing to the plot” again ignores how their relationship is one of the two most important in the show (the other being aang and zuko’s relationship as narrative foils). it is not a cheap coincidence that kataang embodies multiple complementary themes/motifs of atla: push and pull, yin and yang, air and water, oma and shu, etc. etc. their relationship adds emotional depth! how is that not relevant to the plot! atla is a show where just about every relationship is important in some regard (this post touches upon how aang alone transforms all of his friends - think of the bigger picture, then, and how every other dynamic weaves in a crucial thread to create the beautiful tapestry we call atla!).

my point is that kataang is relevant to the plot the way every relationship in atla is, whether or not someone ships/enjoys them. you cannot have a good show without having intimate relationships (emotionally, i mean). can you imagine if someone said zuko and iroh’s relationship wasn’t relevant to the plot?? there is a reason it is such a powerful moment when iroh and zuko reunite in the finale. similarly, there is a reason yue’s sacrifice and sokka’s consequential (and lasting) grief is so poignant. there is a reason it is so heartbreaking when katara and sokka have to leave behind their father at the beginning of tsr. to tie back to kataang, there is a reason it is so hard to watch katara dismiss aang in that same episode. there is a reason so many people are moved when katara pulls aang out of the avatar state when appa is stolen. there is a reason emotional reactions are incited during atla and it is because these relationships are so important!! i don’t care if someone thinks kataang is “boring” - that’s their opinion, they have a right to it. but to insist their relationship wasn’t relevant to the plot? to the story? when in fact it was a key component from episode 1?

are you kidding me?

“he spend years after a girl that never felt the same for him”

“years” lol doesn’t atla take place over the course of a year at most? pretty sure this person didn’t even watch the show 😂 for a third time, i refer to these posts:

This post and this post explain how Katara’s feelings for Aang develop throughout the series. This post explains how Aang consistently supported Katara throughout the series. This post demonstrates how Kataang is literally ingrained in every episode.

i hope i addressed these (nonsensical) arguments to your satisfaction, anon! a lot of them are the same tried-and-failed anti kataang arguments, smh. not to incite new discourse lmao, but it’d be nice if there was at least some variety 😂 thank you again for your kind words, my friend! 💛

[atalana]

[copied over from my cr blog, also this is gonna get long, i’d apologise but im not sorry]

okay, so

this is a rant probably about 7 years in the making, bc when i first watched lok i had not done any music study, i had not done any composing of my own, my knowledge of music theory was at a primary school level and i still thought tv soundtracks were just made by one person composing a whole cache of music and then the audio editors pick and choose what track to place where

(spoiler alert that’s not how film and tv scoring works, i have now done a music composition course where we had to score a short film, among other things, and i have so much more respect for tv composers jesus christ)

but this one stuck out to me even way back then, bc me barely knowing what a leitmotif was was like “hey this one little refrain keeps popping up whenever bolin does lavabending, and i like it, i’m gonna see if it’s on the soundtrack”

it was not, and that’s sort of where i left it back in 2014, but i actually did a rewatch of lok pretty recently out of nostalgia, and then noticed it even more

and to explain why (and this is also a little bit why five’s stuck out to me in tua, i’ll get to that in another ask), let’s cover, leitmotifs, and tv scoring in general

so a leitmotif is basically just a short musical idea that represents something in a piece of music. when i studied motivic development we were encouraged to make that motif four notes or less, and then develop it into something longer (aka a theme), because if you can constantly come back to a really short idea while keeping the piece moving, that’s what makes a piece of music memorable

(you can ignore those rules on purpose but that’s a different essay)

so the most common way that a leitmotif shows up in soundtracks is to represent a character or a location - you play the motif when that character shows up or when you’re in that location and boom, the audience associates that motif with that person place or thing, and you can then use this to tell the audience things without actually telling them. for example, star wars playing the imperial march whenever someone does something darth vader related - darth vader isn’t on screen, but you can feel his presence, because his music is playing

and if we were a film score, where we have two hours to show one particular character’s development, great! we give them a simple motif, and then as they grow as a person we change their motif to reflect what is happening to them, until we end up with something that communicates on a subconscious level how much they’ve grown. we toss in as much symbolism as we can, and we have a really great soundtrack that’s instantly memorable

tv scoring, is harder. partially because of time constraints (have you ever composed half an hour of original music a week, and had to make sure it fits perfectly with every beat of what’s happening on screen? these guys have), partially because there’s a much larger focus on ensemble casts

so what atla and lok do, for the most part, is not score individual character motifs for everyone. this is fairly common in tv soundtracks, instead we score ideas, concepts, and feelings - these’ll come up a lot more and give you more information than just “oh hey this character’s on screen”

the avatar state, for example, has the strongest and most recognisable theme across both shows. i’m linking an atla track in here because it has the best example but you’ll know this shows up with korra too - and with particularly important moments for wan, for kyoshi, etc. they also appear in the opening of both shows, four strong notes that start and end on the same note (in the case of what i’m linking, it’s an F#)

the first part of this track is the more uncertain, pensive theme that comes up when both avatars are feeling doubt/worry/sadness, but then it transitions into the more recognisable four. worth noting though, those are both basically the same motif. if i write them out back to back, you’ll notice they both have four notes and start and end on F#. if i had to guess, four notes four elements, and it comes back to the start because the avatar is a cycle.

korra has a theme for when she’s fighting, but not an individual character theme. the airbenders as a concept have a theme, republic city has thematic instruments, as do some big name characters, like iroh and his tsungi horn (this is also a cross-series thing, he’s always playing it in atla, it shows up when zuko has to make big moral decisions, and when we first meet iroh in the spirit world in lok, it shows up there too, to let the audience know who this is before we properly see him)

so, if korra doesn’t get a single theme and instead has several for different aspects of her life, and mako and asami follow along with the mood of the story like all the other characters, the fact that bolin has a personal leitmotif at all, let alone a solid, developing one, is pretty remarkable!

now, granted, it mostly starts with book 3, before then he was like every other character, but it has clear symbolism through those last two books! and, initially i thought it was related only to his lavabending, since that’s most of when it shows up, but since my rewatch, i’ve started calling it his hero theme

see, when people wanna criticise mako and bolin, usually the comments they get are that bolin’s too immature and mako’s too serious/uptight. but like, that’s how they work, you can’t analyse either of them without the context of the other. since they were little kids on the streets, bolin chases his heart and mako makes sure they don’t die from it, that is their entire childhood. and neither would have got here on their own because mako wouldn’t take the necessary risks and bolin wouldn’t take the necessary precautions. (like. remove either one from the equation and they’d still be working for the triple threats bc s1 and their flashback miniseries make pretty clear that bolin got them out and mako kept them out)

and then book 2 proves it! because it splits team avatar up, and what happens? bolin is totally taken advantage of by varrick and used as a pawn in his evil plan and mako ends up in jail

so what’s book 3, to them? it’s, being able to find themselves without having that codependency. mako no longer has someone to protect, which is what he’s based his whole life around so far - bolin’s doing fine and he’s no longer dating either korra or asami. and bolin’s trying his hand at some of that responsibility (look at how he immediately adopts kai who is explicitly them but younger because he wants to be the older brother for once). most importantly, they find the rest of their family, and stop being defined by being orphans. they don’t have to be that singular piece of a puzzle, they can just be themselves. and that’s where bolin’s character really starts to shine, because that’s when they bring in the bending plot, and bending, perhaps more than any other character, really gets to the heart of who bolin is

if you want more of my thoughts on that i have an essay here, but tl;dr: bolin’s an extremely powerful earthbender, but he’s not a metalbender because metalbending requires you to double down on the earth characteristics and think like an earthbender, and bolin doesn’t, he’s too fluid for that, which is one of his major strengths, so of course he can lavabend

and finally - to his motif itself! (as a note, i’ve put all of these in the same key to show where it repeats, but there’s a variety of keys used in the show)

as far as i can find, it first shows up in s3e8, when bolin stuns p’li with this well placed shot

[Edit: it first showed up in the s2 finale, but again in a simplified version and again with him doing something heroic with earthbending, so we can still start the analysis here]

mako volunteers bolin for that job, because he knew bolin was capable of it. why? because bolin landed an identical shot earlier in the episode, after trying to metalbend, getting frustrated he can’t, and cheating with some extremely well aimed earthbending. it’s just a short refrain and you barely notice it, but it’s the first connection of this motif with the theme of bolin’s bending

it looks like this, and it’s always played on a trumpet, which is part of why i call it the hero theme, because, if you’re looking at music from a western perspective, trumpets were used to herald kings, and then used to represent military glory, and then when superhero themes started happening, they used trumpets too - it’s basically western music shorthand for hero these days

(it’s also symmetrical so that helps with the good vibes)

and he’s saving everyone here, so it’s linked to his bending, but it’s also linked to his heroism

it ties the two together, and they are tied together.

when’s the next time it shows up? episode 10, when the brothers are in prison in ba sing se, and bolin tries to metalbend them out. again, he’s doing this to save people, and this motif gets a few notes added on to the end in a raising pattern - they’re inspiring, but they don’t go anywhere. which is exactly what happens in the scene, because he’s trying to go about this in the wrong way. mako believes in him, but it won’t (and doesn’t) work

it appears in episode 12 when bolin saves everyone from ghazan destroying the temple, in a more fancy orchestral remake of the first version - it’s impressive, but it hasn’t actually developed yet, it’s just his discovery of it

the book 3 finale already has its own fucking amazing soundtrack, i love that entire episode’s score, but it gets its own moment there too, and the first real development!

because what we hear is not what we’ve heard before. we know it’s the same theme, because it’s using those signature trumpets, but it’s the second part of this phrase, the answer to the question supplied by the first one. why? because bolin’s figured out who he is and he’s starting to use it. it still hasn’t settled yet though, it’s early days and he’s still just turning ghazan’s lava back on him, so again, it raises, leaving it on a question mark

it doesn’t appear in s4e7 when he lavabends as a warning against the escaped prisoners, because he’s using it as a threat, not to help people. but it does later in the episode when he uses lavabending to save them from kuvira. and that’s when we get the first full phrase, question and answer

it keeps the first motif identical, takes out the first note of the second, and ties them together - except now it’s not open ended, now it knows where it’s going - it’s been three years, at this point bolin is confident in both himself and his bending

and then that phrase appears all over the place in the finale, because all bolin does is save people - everyone from the exploding building, he slows the giant mecha with lavabending, he saves opal, he slows the giant mecha again by collapsing a building on it, and most importantly, he’s the one rescuing his brother this time, instead of the other way around (though that one doesn’t get a motif appearance bc admittedly a fuck ton of other things are happening in the soundtrack at the time)

so to that question asked in book three - who is bolin when not next to someone else? well, funnily enough, we saw it in book two as well, just in a warped way, playing nuktuk. it just wasn’t truly him because it was created by varrick, and he needed to get away from varrick too. the question put forward by the narrative is who is bolin, and the answer given by the music is, he is a hero. and i don’t know why bolin is the only one to get a theme like this, but i think it may have something to do with the fact that, while everyone in team avatar has been a hero and saved people, he is the only one who has, from the start, solely been motivated by wanting to help people. he follows his heart, and his heart cares, about everyone. it’s been the driving force behind almost everything he’s ever done. and i love him so much

[squeezetheduck]

Pride Month Multi-fandom Rec list

Happy Pride month yall! As someone who is asexual I know we don’t get a lot of representation in the public media BUT we do sometimes get some really good representation in fan fiction. So, for Pride month I wanted to share some of my favorite fan fics from multiple fandoms that feature some really good representation of multiple different queer identities. As I am ace, there is probably more ace recs than anything else, but I have tried to include some other identities as well. So without further ado, I present to you a multi-fandom rec list that nobody asked for:

The closing walls and the ticking clocks by @i-will-not-be-caged . 5k words (mcu: samstevebucky, ace Sam Wilson)

Ok so Sam Wilson is one of my favorite mcu characters and I am soo happy that he finally got his own show with Bucky but this is a fic from before tfatws featuring an ace Sam Wilson and his two supportive boyfriends: Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. This fic is beautifully written and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a fic full of all those ace feels.

Dear Granger, Love Pansy by onlykatelyn. 6k words (hp: Pansimone, wlw)

I don’t tend to read a lot of wlw fics but this one is soo cute and angsty. It features a pining!Pansy who writes a series of heartfelt letters to Hermione and has Drarry and Blaron in the background. Its overall a super enjoyable read and even won a Drarry award in 2018!

when i’m set alight by @killproof. 6k words (atla: Zukka, trans-gay Zuko & bi Sokka)

This a cute little Zukka fic from Sokka’s perspective that basically follows the plot of the the second half of book 3 and shows Sokka falling for Zuko. It’s fluffy and adorable and features a trans Zuko but like it’s done really subtly and really well I think (also Aang and Toph are trans as well I believe).

(hope that i’m able to be) all that you need by @zukosadragon-ace. 10k words (atla: Zukka, ace Zuko & aro Toph)

Ok so I am in love with the idea of Zuko from Avatar the Last Airbender being ace and this is one of my all time favorite ace Zuko fics. It is sooo soft and features an aromatic Toph Beifong and Sokka being the supportive partner that every ace hopes to find, and anyway its heartbreaking and adorable.

Such Things Are Possible by convenientalias. 13k words (Sense8: Rajalagang, Polyamory)

Ok so If you haven’t seen Sense8 stop what your doing right now and go watch it because it is an amazing scifi show with found family and more representation then you could dream of and this fic basically re-tales the last episode from the perspective of one of the characters in a CANON polyamorous relationship.

The Case of the Missing Cockatiel by gryvon. 14k words (Psych: Shassie, bi/pan/omni characters)

So I don’t think either Shawn or Lassiter’s sexualities are explicitly stated in this fic but Shawn is basically a chaotic bi in canon and defiantly not monosexual and Im pretty sure Lassie is bi/pan/omni in this fic as well. Either way its a great case fic featuring our favorite sassy psychic detectives who somehow managed to get real psychic powers this time. 

I Want You to Love Me (i want you to leave me) by @miniongrin. 20k works (mcu: Pepperony, ace Tony Stark)

I came across the Asexual Tony Stark tag at some point this year and I got a little obsessed because he is such and interesting character to read as ace. this is probably one of my favorite ace Tony fics featuring Tony trying to figure out and come to terms with his identity and a Avenger field trip to a pride parade. TW: Tony as an ace character participates in sex he’s not totally into because of social expectations and pressures that he feels under. 

you belong (to me) by hermionesmydawg . 30k words (mcu: Stucky, gay Buck & bisexual Steve)

So first off this is a NSFW BDSM fic so if that’s not your thing be warned. If you are cool with that though this is one of my favorite Stucky fics featuring a BAMF Natasha Romanov, a supportive Sam Wilson, and as the author puts it an “Aggressively bisexual Steve Rogers.” On top of the BDSM, it is mostly a cute friends-to-lovers fic about Steve, Bucky and their friends trying to live their lives after leaving the Avengers.  

Little Compton Street (One Rainy Night in Soho) by @writcraft & @celilasart. 66k words (Harry Potter: Drarry, mlm)

Both Harry and Draco identify as gay in this fic but I love it and wanted to include it in the list because the fic does a fantastic job of exploring queer history in the UK and puts a magic spin on it. It is also just a well written fic featuring loads of other lgbtq+ characters & fluffy romance with a side of smut. 

[cerinelle-stellarium]

The Avatar: The Last Airbender Standard Problem

In recent years, I've noticed a trend when a promising looking cartoon makes its' debut and begins to gain a fanbase, a number of these fans will start comparing said series to Avatar either becaus they were fans of the original series or have only heard about it but choose to hold their favorite piece of media to that kidn of level, even if the show has yet to realize is' full potential and as noted by this article on TV Tropes, they are usually a combination of the Undesired Champion and the Willfully Blind types of fans plus this kind of mindsets are just fucking terrifying. But, why is this a thing? Come with me as I explore the depths of fandom hell and desiccate aspects of the history of western animation.

Before ATLA debuted, most shows for children in the 2000's were purely episodic comedic adventure types. Avatar was the first modern story focused animated series to tackle themes like genocide, parental abuse, moral quandaries as and racism while it aired on a childrens' animation network. While many know that Bryke created the concept of the series, these same people aren't aware that Aaron Ehasz and Giancarlo Volpe were the driving forces behind the show's emotional/memorable moments and attention to continuity. Withou these two, Bryke pretty much floundered on Legend of Korra (originally set for a single season with the rest apparently written by the seat of their pants partily due to Nickelodeon's deadlines) where Ehasz and Volpe would eventually collaborate on The Dragon Prince which is very well written and has great characterization. Now that Bryke has established their own animation studio within Nickelodeon but witout having hired others who are experienced in handling continuity and proper character development currently, I'm honestly not sure they will be able to reach the heights of the show that made them household names

Avatar's legacy has rippled through an entire generation of viewers and the references in other series can't be denied. But with certain cartoons, those former viewers have sought to create something to emulate the success of Avatar. Case in point being Star vs., Steven Universe and the She-Ra reboot. These shows have tried to tackle racism, moral quandaries plus the pacifist protagonist and abuse, respectively. And yet the apparently first time creators tried to address these subjects in shows directed at younger kids than the age group that entered Avatar in the first place (12-15 year-olds) and weren't aware that these children who watch their shows won't fully understand these concepts until they're older. In their attempts to 'dive deep' in a narrative based show based on their experience watching Avatar, they made some pretty bad story telling mistakes (especially in the case of D*r*n N*f^y). Steven Universe had the protagonist go in without any real plan nor strategy and forgive the people who tried to genocide his own planet not to mention having done so to an untold number of celestial bodies 'just because they're family' not to mention that he gets away with murdering someone in a mental break later on along with a number of other individuals in the series suffering no consequences for their potentially life threatening actions (L*p*s, P*a*l), the She-Ra reboot entirely diregarded the main character's personal growth and development and the story that was built up over 4 seasons just to have said main character end up with someone who put her through emotional and physical abuse since they were children and whose many crimes over the course of the series were never even mentioned at all nor does she serve any form of prison time for it going by the creator's many post-series sketches during the 5th and final season and Star vs. is the worst offender of the lot; taking these two endings, combining them and making things infinitely worse. Overall, these 3 cartoons tried what Avatar did but their creators didn't fully think of the implications that their handling of difficult topics would impact those who watched their creations in the future nor did they realize and understand that full consequences must follow drastic actions taken by their characters and said characters have to face them properly to overcome obstacles in their narratives along with outright acknowledgment that they've made mistakes and are genuinely willing to own up to them. There's also the problem of non-existant world building with both the She-Ra reboot and Steven Universe where the effect of the antagonistic forces on the world at large not to mention various cultures are never even touched upon because the PoV never goes beyond the series protagonist, only scant scraps are present for the fans to wildly speculate on. While Star vs. had a degree of world-building, it was never properly utilized during the entirety of the series run. Shows like The Dragon Prince, Amphibia, The Owl House and Final Space chose to opt for a slow world building approach that make the relevations presented in these shows all the more interesting and catches the audience's attention.

Oldr cartoons that made good use of their runtime to actually care about difficult subject matter to find in-story methods of slowly overcoming them got swept away in the hype that these other animated shows generated and newer series that followed in the wake of these shows tend to have the toxic Undesired Champion and Willfully Blind types of stans migrating to them if there's even a smidgen of similarity between characters, setting and narrative. A number of these recent shows in question, however utilize careful narrative planning in advance long before airing to create distinct stories to use their potential to its fullest. They should never be forced to live up to the standard of their predecessors. Instead they should be appreciated for how well they can handle their subject matter and for doing their own thing that sets them apart from these other poorly written shows. Though, the state of The Owl House fandom is genuinely alarming with the fact that they're comparing a perfectly healthy and trusing not-yet-canon pairing to a toxic and abusive romance from another series (the She-Ra reboot, ugh) just based on it being rivals-to-lovers in addition to orbiting in the same region as the Undesired Champion types, especially on Twitter. I know that TOH has potential to go places but let's see how that goes.

In conclusion, if any one holds up a new show up to the level of Avatar without doing research on the porfolio of the person behind the project, it may be not worth your time. While Avatar may have paved the way for the rise of story cartoons, it doesn't mean that the new shows shoud try to be like ATLA in scope and narrative. It all comes down to the if and how a showrunner handles difficult topics in their work as well as narrative cohesion and the legacy that's left when the series ends. Creating something that will have real impact on those who discover what you are putting your time into is tough and tricky, but as long as you exercise your imagination well to make your concept innovative as well as original, plan and execute story beats, world building and character growth carefully, you can make that dream come true!

[nerdybookworm25]

Rambling about Katara and Zutara

Ok so I’m going to kind of just put my two cents out there on this stuff. I joined the ATLA fandom this past summer and just started watching TLOK (my brother and I just finished Book 2 yesterday). This is a hot debate and I just want to ramble on about my opinions on this stuff. A lot of this will focus on Katara’s perspective because I can understand her better than Zuko or Aang due to personal experience. Im just... gonna... get into it now...

I’ll give you some background on me so you guys can understand where I’m coming from. I’m a 15 year old girl with abandonment issues caused by multiple deaths of close friends and family at a young age (my uncle when I was 4, a grandmother like figure when I was 7, my dad’s mum when I was 9 or 10, my great grandma when I was 11, a close friend of my dad’s when I was 13 and many others). I also am the Mum Friend (my friends literally call me “Mum”). I’m the caregiver of the group- the glue, the harmonizer, the therapist, the teacher, the good advice giver etc. (This stuff actually hot me in trouble as a kid and it kind of messed me up). My friends who have seen Avatar have compared me to Katara on multiple occasions and say I’ve got the temperament of a waterbender. You can kind of see where I’d relate, you know?

I do ship Zutara. My brother turned to me during the Book 1: Water- Episode 9~ The Waterbending Scroll and asked, “What if Zuko becomes a good guy and ends up with Katara?” From then on I was on the Zutara hill and I’ll probably die there. It limited ships that I loved from childhood and I thought it would hav been really cool- it would have fit the themes of the show, it would have been a cool thing to see grow and blossom, etc. It had nothing to do with Katara and Zuko being attractive at all- not in the slightest. It also wasn’t me projecting onto Katara. I didn’t really care to notice any major similarities between us until Book Three: Fire- Episode 7~ The Runaway. It was this exchange that changed Katara from my favorite character to someone I could heavily relate to.

Toph: [Sarcasically.] Oh really, Mom? Or what are you gonna do? Send me to my room?

Katara: I wish I could!

Toph: well you can’t! Because you’re not my mom, and you’re not their mom! [Extends her arm at Aang and Sokka, who are sitting on a ledge.]

Katara: I never said I was!

Toph: No, but you act like it! You think it’s your job to boss everyone around, but it’s not! You’re just a regular kid like the rest of us! Stop acting like you can tell me what to do! I can do whatever I want!

I remember bursting out laughing when I heard this. My brother asked me what was up and I paused it and explained that that was a lecture I revived so regularly when I was younger. It really really ended up messing me up. It’s not like I tried to mother anyone- it just happened. I wasn’t controlling it. I didn’t notice I was doing it and I got in trouble. Now things are different and I’ve embraced the fact that I am the designated Mum Freind. Still working on getting over being told off about it in therapy though. Anyway, I think you now can understand where I’m coming from with this “analysis.” Now I’m going to get into it (for real this time lol).

I think I’m going to start with the caregiver stuff. Katara’s mother died when she was very young. It was a very traumatic death. We can infer that Katara blamed herself for this death because the Southern Raiders were looking for the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe- her. That’s a lot for an 8 year old to try to process. Here’s the kicker: I don’t think she ever fully processed it until after Book 3: Fire- Episode 16~ The Southern Raiders. She almost immediately helped her grandmother take up the roll as the woman of the house. She probably didn’t feel like she had anyone to talk to about what she was feeling however true or false that’s what she most likely perceived this to be. When Hakoda leaves for war with all of the men of the tribe, Kanna might be the matriarch and help raise Sokka and Katara but even Sokka admits that Katara became a pseudo-mother for him. Taking care of others doesn’t leave a lot of time to deal with your own issues. Sometimes it feels easier to help others face their demons than face your own.

We continue to see Katara become the glue of the Gaang as the series progresses. She keeps them together in the Si Wong desert after Aang leaves her, Sokka, Toph, and Momo. She’s always the one cooking, cleaning, and mending not because she wants to, but because she knows no one else will do it and it needs to be done. We see her try to coax Toph into helping out around camp when she firsts joins the Gaang. It doesn’t work and this conflict continues for most of Book 2 and the beginning of Book 3. All of this time, she’s making it a point to take care of everyone. When the adults show up after the Boiling Rock, she’s still the one making the dinner and probably does a lot of the other chores as well (except for tea making- this will come into play later).

There’s a running joke about Katara being “Momtara” within the ATLA fandom (more the Zutaraians in the fandom than anything else but it’s a pretty well known concept). We continue to see this when the Gaang is on Ember Island. She brings them all drink during training sessions, watches said training sessions in case someone gets hurt and they need her, wrangles Sokka to the best of her ability, and just generally looks out for everyone regardless of age gap. It’s her natural instinct to be motherly. She retains this quality even after she finds Yon Rha. (Getting closure on her mother’s death doesn’t mean losing what had become a major personality trait).

Let’s unpack that now, shall we? Kya dies and Katara thinks it’s her fault. She doesn’t really talk to anyone about it. A few years later, Hakoda leaves to fight in the war. The Southern Water Tribe recives no letters or news about what happened to their warriors at all. Katara felt like she lost another parent. She nearly says as much during Book 3: Fire- Episode 1~ The Awakening.

Hakoda: You’re taking about me too, aren’t you?

Katara: How could you leave us, Dad? [She attempts to wipe away the tears.] I mean, I know we had Gran-Gran, and she loved us, but we were just so lost without you.

Hakoda moves to comfort her as she turns away.

Hakoda: I’m so sorry, Katara.

Katara: [Embraces Hakoda.] I understand why you left. I really do, and I know that you had to go, so why do I still feel this way? I’m so sad and angry and hurt!

The thing that sets off this exchange is Aang running away for the third time since Katara has known him (the fourth time in Aang’s lifetime). The other times he ran were when confronted by the rude fisherman in Book 1: Water- Episode 12~ The Storm, then again during Book 2: Earth- Episode 11~ The Desert. Aang has a, for lack of a better word, chronic running away problem. I’m not mad at him for it. It makes him an interesting character and shows that he too has flaws (even if they aren’t always addressed but that’s an issue with Bryke). When Aang flys away after waking up during 3.1, Katara is distraught.

Katara: He left.

Hakoda: What?

Katara: Aang. He just took his glider and disappeared. He has this ridiculous notion that he has to save the world alone, that it’s all his responsibility.

Hakoda: Maybe that’s his way of being brave.

Katara: Its not brave, it’s selfish and stupid! We could be helping him and I know the world needs him, but doesn’t he know how much we need him, too? How can he just leave us behind?

Katara feels abandoned by Aang. This is completely understandable. She has every right to be angry at him and feel sad that he flew away. He comes back every time but I feel like if I were in her position, as much as I’d hope my friend would come back and I’d tell everyone that I knew he would, I’d still be afraid that there was an off chance that he doesn’t. This is a natural human reaction to this situation. People were seemingly constantly fading in and out of Katara’s life and that just wasn’t good for her mental health. It couldn’t have been. This also raises the question of if someone has a very serious fear of abandonment, would it be healthy to be in a romantic relationship with someone who consistently leaves? Personally I don’t think so. Be friends? Sure. Date? I don’t know. It doesn’t quite sit right with me.

Katara probably feels abandoned by Zuko too. During the Book 2 Finale: Crossroads of Destiny, Katara and Zuko bond in the crystal catacombs under Ba Sing Se. They relate over their shared fear of being abandoned by those they love (yes I think Zuko has abandonment issues too- among other issues/fears). When he turns his back on her, she doesn’t live him (obviously). She has cared about him enough up to that point to offer to use what is arguably her most powerful possession to heal his scar. She cares. Because she cares about him then, she is downright livid when he betrays her. (Of course the difference between Zuko and Aang with this is Zuko leaves once and comes back and he doesn’t leave again. Aang leaves and comes back over and over and over again).

Katara: I thought you had changed!

Zuko: I have changed!

Katara carries the weight of his betrayal on her mind until she and Zuko go on their life changing field trip to confront the man who killed Katara’s mother. This was her time to finally get closure. She had probably had these feelings bottled up for 6 years and didn’t act on them. When she finally had the chance, her best friend and brother tried to stop her. She lashed out.

Katara: We’re going to find the man who took my mother from me.

Sokka pauses and stands up, surprised.

Zuko: Sokka told me the story of what happened. I know who did it and I know how to find him.

Aang: Um ... and what exactly do you think this will accomplish?

Katara: [Shakes her head in dismay.] Ugh, I knew you wouldn’t understand. [Begins to walk away.]

Aang: Wait! Stop! I do understand. You’re feeling unbelievable pain and rage. How do you think I felt about the sandbenders when they stole Appa? How do you think I felt about the Fire Nation when I found out what happened to my people?

Zuko: She needs this, Aang. This is about getting closure and justice.

Aang: I don’t think so. I think this is about getting revenge.

Katara: [Angrily.] Fine, maybe it is! Maybe it’s what he deserves!

Aang: Katara, you sound like Jet.

Katara: Its not the same! Jet attacked the innocent. This man, he’s a monster.

Sokka: Katara, she was my mother, too, but I think Aang might be right.

Katara: Then you didn’t love her the way I did!

Sokka: [Hurt.] Katara!

Katara gets a lot of flack for this interaction. She says Sokka didn’t love their mother like she did and Sokka I’d understandably hurt. It doesn’t excuse what she said, but people do lash out when they are feeling a lot of emotions and they get defensive when they feel like they’re being ganged up on or attacked (I myself am guilty of this sort of thing). What Katara said was wrong but I have no doubt in my mind that she didn’t apologize to Sokka when he and the rest of the Gaang arrive on Ember Island later in the episode. She is seen walking over to him after she hugs Zuko.

Zuko and Katara go after Yon Rha anyway. For once in her life, Katara is feeling emotions and no one is trying to get her to stop or to push them aside. She doesn’t have to be constantly taking care of someone so she can focus on herself. Katara trusts Zuko more than I think she realizes. I mean she trusts him with a lot and he follows through on a lot of unspoken/subconscious agreements and promises.

Zuko is looking out for her. Zuko has her back. Zuko is allowing her to feel all of these emotions and work them out of her own accord. Zuko isn’t telling her to feel one way or another. Zuko isn’t going to judge her for whatever she decides to do when they find Yon Rha or what she does in order for them to get to that point. Zuko ensures she gets the closure she feels she needs.

When he sees her bloodbend, he’s surprised, but he isn’t appalled. When he thinks she’s going to run Yon Rha through with a giant shard of ice, he doesn’t try to stop her. He lets her be her. He sees a dark side of her in a way that no one else in the Gaang has seen. It’s strangely intimate. Clearly it has enough of an impact to make her forgive him. She knows he isn’t going to abandon betray her and her friend again.

Once they become friends, and even before that, Zuko starts to help out with small things here and there. We see him making tea for all of the kids at dinner. He tells jokes to make them laugh. He teaches Aang firebending. He goes with Sokka to the Boiling Rock to make sure he doesn’t get himself killed or in a prison cell for the rest of his life. With all of this, “Dadko” is born.

If you strip away Zuko’s anger, he just becomes the awkward-turtleduck-first-time-father that we all know and love. There’s more balance in the Gaang with him there to help and become an “authority” figure with Katara. They become the parents of the other members of the Gaang. It’s an interesting shift in their relationship- enemies to unsteady acquaintances to enemies to frenemies to friends. They’re close enough that they show small signs of physical intimacy and they tease each other.

Also if you look close enough when the Gaang walks into the “seedy Earth Kingdom tavern,” Zuko and Katara appear to be holding hands and are near each other from then until the finale episodes. They are clearly just great friends by the end of the show. I mean Zuko also takes a bolt of lightning to the chest for her...

Zuko doesn’t leave when his life gets difficult- not after he joins the Gaang. He made that mistake once and he won’t make it again. Aang was always part of the Gaang but continued to leave (again, I’m not mad at him for it but he never seems to realize the effect it has on the people around him- especially Katara). Zuko also doesn’t all but forget Katara and continue to run around the world. When Zuko fully decides to stick around, you best believe he is sticking around.

This works really well for Zutara. They’re both each other’s rock. They support each other and help each other in times of trouble. Do they argue? Yes. Is that a normal part of a healthy relationship- romantic or otherwise? Yes. Do they take care of and look out for each other while also not smothering or suffocating each other? Yes. I don’t know about you but this sounds stable and healthy to me. They balance each other out so well (I’m not going to get too into that because if you’re reading this you probably already know with the whole Tui and La, Yin and Yang, Oma and Shu thing).

Now, this is a big deal for me and it makes me furious, but Katara is forgotten by history. She has no statue. She is reduced to a housewife and healer- things our wonderful water feminist was afraid of becoming as an adult. I mean this girl

This girl

THIS GIRL

She becomes nothing but a housewife stuck in a healing hut who gets forgotten by the world and left behind by her family just... let’s all of that happen? Yeah that’s pretty unrealistic. I think about this frequently and with starting TLOK I have formed even more opinions and have a little thingy (I don’t know what to call it) for what happened to her.

Kya II is everything Teenage Katara wanted to do and be before settling down. Old Katara is everything Teenage Katara was so afraid of become reduced to/becoming.

It’s an interesting way to think about it and I thought I’d share. Now if Katara was Fire Lady, she wouldn’t end up like that. She’d have the power to change the world and continue to fight for what she believed in. She could have helped with the trail with Yakone. Katara has so much potential to not be forgotten or brushed aside and somehow it happened. It makes me so sad. The potential Zutara had to make sure Katara had a genuine legacy was right there at their finger tips and they didn’t use it. What a shame. What a shame.

With all of the things I’ve talked about, I just feel like Zutara would have been better for Katara than Kataang was. I think that’s more Bryke not developing the relationship well enough and instead choosing to be sloppy and selfish in the way they structured the relationship. Yeah this is my rambling on about the issue. Hope it was mildly entertaining! If you want me to write something about how Zuko would have benefited from Zutara, let me know!

[spookyboogie3]

The trope Last Minute Hookup shouldn’t be used for LGBTQ+ relationships.

AND DEFENDING MY LAST POST ABOUT THIS.

I DO NOT hate any of these pairings. A good many of them could have been handled differently by the creators, writers, and networks. But this isnt me hating the relationships or characters or shows. Just going off about how they shouldnt have been tacked on at the end of their respective series. 

As of writing this all of these shows have ended their original runs. Except for Supernatural which is on its last few episodes. And Supergirl, which announced its coming to end with season 6.

LGBTQ characters and relationships aren’t as common in the media as straight-cis characters and relationships. Sure things are improving but a lot of networks and writers still don’t fully understand why representation is important why they can’t keep using the same throwaway tropes they’ve been using for the straight-cis relationships.

You could name any piece of media and find and name one character that isn’t LGBTQ+, but you can’t do this with LGBTQ+ characters. We haven’t gotten to the point where they are as common as non-LGBTQ characters.

I have a whole paper I wrote on why asexual representation is important to have in the media and the same logic applies to any part of the LGBTQ+ or anything that falls under minority.

Back to the topic on hand. The trope of “Last Minute Hookup.”

Its exactly what it sounds like. Characters get to together at the very end of the story. These characters could have a on and off again relationship, lots of ship teasing, the classic “Will They or Wont They?” trope. What makes it different for non-LGBT characters in relationships to do this, we know what these relationships look like. Not to say the that both Non and LGBT relationship cant have similar struggles, however members of the LGBTQ+ community know how hard it is to feel like your identity and self matters and is normal.

I know that the whole “will they, wont they” thing is done for drama and networks and showrunners think if they give the fans what they want that they’ll start losing viewers and they have nothing to look forward to. Which is true to some degree. But most of this comes from the writers not knowing how to fucking write relationships.

Let’s just focus on whats it like to be in a non-straight relationship.

Heres an example: you have an action series, with 2 male leads and halfway through the show, they get together. Cool. Now you have a Battle Couple.

By making LGBTQ relationships happen at the end of a series that’s already had plenty of other non-LGBTQ relationships happen before it, it makes it look like the people in charge don’t care for it or were afraid of backlash. But it’s the end of the series so its not like they can get the show cancelled or anything. (The only people who are going to lash out at LGBT couple or characters are homophobic people, we don’t want them around any way so just make stuff super gay, so they’ll leave)

This is especially a problem when the writer and network have spent the whole series queerbaiting the audience with these characters.

 Side note for anyone is doesn’t actually know what queerbaiting is:

It’s a marketing technique used in entertainment, which the writer or creators hint at but then don’t actually depict sex-same romance or LGBTQ representation. They do this to attract (bait) the LGBT/queer or straight ally audience into the show with the suggestion of representation but at the same time avoiding this as not alienate other audience members *cough* (homophobes) *cough*

Definition is from Wikipedia, not a reliable source says my highschool teachers and college professors but fuck em

The Legend of Korra is a great example of Last-Minute Hookup. Korra and Asami had VERY little ship teasing, and that was in the last 2 books/seasons. Any thing that was perceived as romantic came from the fans wearing shipping goggles. So to a lot of people just casually watching, yes this looked like it came out of nowhere. Nickelodeon had some serious balls to say how brave they were for putting 2 girls into a romantic relationship.

Theres a few problems with this.

A. It never actually aired on TV (to my knowledge). The last 2 seasons of Korra were put on Nicks website.

B. The confirmation that this Korrasami was canon had to come from the creators on twitter because of how unclear it was.

C. The show did the bare minimum when it came to hooking them up in the series. They walk off holding hands (very cute btw). They didn’t even get a kiss. Aang and Katara had a Last Minute Hookup at the end of ATLA after 3 seasons of ship tease and THEY GOT A KISS. Hell the original end of LoK*, has Korra and Mako kissing. *(the first season, they didn’t know they were getting more seasons at the time, no matter what you hear the writers say, they’re full of shit)

D. Anything continuation of Korra has come in the form of comics, which her and Asami are in a fairly well written relationship. Yes, they do kiss. Yes it would’ve been great to see this stuff happen in series.

A show that handles this a little bit better is Adventure Time. Not by much though. It implied several times that Princess Bubblegum and Marceline have history together and its shown more and more in its last few seasons that there is some ship tease happening. However its not until the finale where they kiss, and they are shown in the last minute of the show cuddling together in Marcy’s house. HBO has picked up Adventure Time and has a miniseries called Adventure Time: Distant Lands, where Bubblegum and Marceline’s past relationship is shown.  

I had brought up in my original post about being upset with networks making LGBTQ+ relationships canon in the last season/episode. I originally had Catradora tagged. While Catra and Adora have history together, they did not become official couple until the end of the series.

Yes, I was wrong about the network making things canon in the last episode as they’ve always had ship tease with each other, and it probably was the writers’ intent to put them together by the end. They do technically fall under the Last-Minute Hookup, however.

I wanna talk about Once Upon a Time really quick. Fans of the show were hoping and wishing for an LGBTQ couple for the show as a lot of characters, especially Regina and Emma, have alot Ho Yay moments. The showrunners weren’t going to put those two together, for whatever reasons they may have for that (im indifferent on all the shipping going on with this show). The showrunners thought to put two characters together, and hoo boy did it not make people happy. The characters they put together are Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and Ruby the red riding hood, which would be fine if they had properly been developed.

The entire episode they did this in was a mess. They stopped the current arc during the season 5 episode ‘Ruby Slippers,’ to go over the characters that haven’t been seen in years, Dorothy was introduced and last seen in season 3, and Ruby was introduced in season 1 and was last seen in season 5 before ‘Ruby Slippers’. The characters get together in the same episode the meet in and are never seen again. The characters barely interacted, barely got along, and showed little to no ship tease or interest in each other and BOOM they are in love and together aaaaaannnnndd they’re gone. Other than having One Million Moms, a Christian fundamentalist organization, protest against the show and want it taken off the air (yes this really happened). The fans weren’t please with this development of the characters either.  

(also Mulan was right there and already knew Ruby from a previous episode, and Mulan already is established to like girls as shown by her being in love with Aurora. Don’t know why the writers didn’t just put these 2 together but whatever I guess)

So they tried again in season 7 with MadArcher. The characters of Alice, a version of Alice in Wonderland from another realm (its complicated) and Robin, the daughter of Robin Hood and the Wicked Witch (it’s also complicated). And the writers did a lot better here. Both characters were allowed to have time together and have a history together too and it was done over the whole season. Not just one episode.

Now even though the writers decided to do something different with the last season and it could be detached from the previous 6 seasons, MadArcher is not really a Last Minute Hookup per say but still falls under my thing about it being the last season so who gives a fuck if One Million Moms gets mad us and tries to get us cancelled again.

 I would like to say I have never watched a single episode of Supernatural in my life. I may one day. But as of right now my knowledge of it is coming primary from what ive seen on tumblr. You know a great source for doing research and looking for reliable information among the piles of shitposting.

From what I know from fans, the writers of Supernatural have been queer baiting for years. I mean it’s the CW, I’m not that surprised. What also wouldn’t surprise me, that by the end of the series Castiel is back and he and Dean actually start and relationship or strongly hint at starting one. I actually fear for the writer lives if they threw out a confession scene after years of queerbaiting and potential ship tease (debatable) and they don’t put them together. Fans are going to be angrier than they probably ever have been with this show and the showrunners and writers really would be known for queer baiting.

From what I know about how previous shows have done and if anyone that has ever worked on this show wants to continue living, Castiel will be back from Super Hell (is that what yall are calling it?) and he will get together with Dean. And they will fall under the Last-Minute Hookup trope and my networks make LGBTQ relationships canon last season.

 One last show I want to talk about is Supergirl, which in has been recently announced that the 6th season will be the last. The show started on CBS but moved to the CW after the end of season 1. So more CW bullshit. There is no confirmation about whether the CW or any of the Supergirl writers are planning to do this, its all speculation. Supergirl is more LGBTQ friendly than some other shows on the Network. One of the main characters came out a few years ago and had a girlfriend a season and has had plenty of hookups with other ladies around the Arrowverse. They even introduced a trans-woman superhero in the form of Dreamer.

Let’s talk SuperCorp. Lena Luthor was introduced in the 2nd season and has been a major character in Kara’s life ever since her introduction. Even if she isn’t involved in the plot, Kara always goes to her to talk and check in on her and worry about her. They are best friends. Since the 2 have met, there has been plenty of Les Yay going on. The writers seem to be aware of the fans wanting SuperCorp to be canon and they keep throwing in moments like Kara and Lena struggling together or Kara carrying Lena bridal style.

Why I bring this up after the announcement of Supergirl’s final season to start next year. We may get SuperCorp. Kara has a relationship with William in the show and not a single person likes this relationship. The writers may scrap it and get put Kara and Lena together for the final season. This is a big maybe though. The Supergirl writers and crew get called out a lot for queerbaiting.

   Let me know if you guys have any other examples of last season/last episode LGBTQ+ hookup.

And please let me know if you see any mistakes. This was all done in one sitting so I may have some things wrong.

Also check out the video by @aretheygayvideos on this topic too.

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[moondrop04]

RWBY VOLUME 8 EPISODE 13 SPECULATION AFTERMATH!!!

SPOILERS!!!

SPOILERS!!!

SPOILERS!!!

Hmmmm......I’m gonna be honest......I really don’t know what to think about this episode 😥. I obviously have some thoughts about it, it’s just that I need to go by piece by piece with it to understand what the hell im feelin 🤨. So let’s go ahead and start with this AfterMath.....

-(Gateways To Paradise) So far I am okay with with this plan to create portals for the citizens of mantle and Atlas to use to get to Vacuo.

With Beacon, Haven and Atlas academies now in tatters and not heavily filled with huntsmen and huntresses anymore, Shade academy is the only viable option to take thousands of refugees since it is the only one left to provide proper protection from Grimm.

It’s just too bad that that Ambrosius really does listen to every word when being asked a request to create something, huh? With Weiss’s unfortunate wording when asking to create the portals, it looks like when you cross the exit portal to Vacuo there is no way to go back to the “central location” of the portal system. Now Oscar, Ren, Emerald and hundreds of refugees are now trapped inside a sandstorm filled with Bat-Grimm, that are sensing all of the newly arrived negativity. So yeah......that’s not good

-(Sad Day For Clip On Ties) Wow......I was really not expecting Jacque Schnee to die right now 😳. I was honestly expecting him to have at least one more arc as an antagonist with the Schnee family, then eventually die because of his hubris. Damn you James 😡 why did you have to go and ruin some perfect future moments of the Schnee siblings and mama Schnee kicking Mr. Clip On Tie to the curb!!!

-(Learning From Your Failures) Hmmm......I will say that using Jinn’s last question to find out what Ruby and everyone’s plan was a pretty good move on Cinder’s part. I’m a tad bit disappointed that the question was used for this purpose though, since I was kind of hoping it would be used to find out more about Salem’s plans or more about Summer 😓.

Using Watts to cut everyone’s communications to keep them disorganized in the middle of the evacuation was also a good strategic move they used. It’s also quick thinking on Watt’s part to lead Qrow and Robyn further away from the kids by making them chase after Harriet, who is currently flying with Ironwood’s bomb.

Now that I watched it a few times, I can see that Cinder really did take what Arther said to her, and implemented into her plan. She took his insult and literally became a bloody migraine for Team RWBY, just so she can become a big enough distraction for Neo to deal a fatal blow towards Ruby. If this is her way of showing that she knows she’s a pain in the ass, then I guess that’s one way of showing your growth as a character lol 🧐.

-(One Down, Three More To Go) Alright.....time for the most interesting part of the episode......Yang’s fall. Now just to clarify before starting this, I am mostly in agreement that Yang is not dead and is more likely now in some other realm of existence. Though I am too open to the idea that she actually died, which could lead the story plot to either using time travel or resurrecting her back from the dead. We’ll just have to wait till Saturday to confirm what happened.....

Now as gut wrenching this scene was, especially with seeing Blake’s reaction to Yang’s “death”, I do unfortunately have some small nitpicks on the scene. I kind of wished they had both Blake AND Ruby react the same way when seeing Yang fall.

Now I understand Ruby had absolutely no time to process what had just happened because of Neo constantly attacking her, but it just felt off to me that she wasn’t able to have the same reaction that Blake had 😥.

Just to be clear I am in no way saying this to take away the emotional moment from the Bumblebee shippers. Blake’s reaction was on point with her character and as well with her connection to Yang as her partner, so i don’t want any of that changed. As I said before it’s a small little nitpick and if there is the off chance we do see Ruby’s actual breakdown when all three of her teammates eventually fall down, then I’ll give this scene a pass. For now I’m gonna reserve judgment till after episode 14.

-(Neo is becoming Yang’s Kryptonite) One last small nitpick I have lastly about this scene will have to involve with Yang’s “aura break”, when she was struck by Neo. This is a bit of an add-on to a criticism I’ve been having about “some” of the aura breaks within this volume, so I’ll save most of what I felt about it when I do a review on Volume 8 later.

To make a short summary of it I feel that if we seen Yang taking some hits from Cinder before being struck by Neo, then I would give it a pass. Most of the aura breaks we had this volume have been really good, it’s just that some of them (including this one) didn’t feel right to me is all. Again I’m just being nit-picky about it but I just felt that this should be a small criticism that I wanted to give my thoughts about.

-(Why Does This Feel Split?) You know what......I think I know why I feel like that this episode is weird to me.....does anyone feel that episode 13 is just part 1 of an even bigger episode? Like episode 13 and episode 14 is actually one big episode but the writing team decided to split it apart so that the volume would have 14 episodes?

Lmao 😆 I don’t know, I’m just gonna have to watch the finale to see if my assumption bears any weight. Do any of you understand what I’m talking about?

So.........I’m gonna say that this episode was good overall, I just had a couple of a nitpicks here and there that I wanted to get off my chest lol.

I also want to address one thing before I finish up. Since this is the finale of Volume 8 I decided that I will not be doing a speculation post before the episode airs this time around. I do have several speculations that I really want to post for the finale, but I kind of want to enjoy the finale like a normal fan for once lol.

So yeah.....you won’t be hearing my annoying a** until I make an Aftermath post after the episode airs this time around. REJOICE EVERYONE!!! I’m Shutting My Damn Mouth!!!......sniff...sniff....😢

Till next time......BUH-BYE!!!

[cammie-maccloud]

I'm so glad you're finally caught up I've been waiting with this one!

So we see very clearly that the staff can create human "shells" so I would like to bring back my theory that Oz will be getting a hot (not robot anymore unfortunately) body to transfer his soul into.

(And maybe they'll get into Cinder and discover a Pyrhha in there to also give a body to because I never gave up hope on that one)

okay after watching episode twelve i like went bonkers i went to two of my friends (who have been recapping episodes for me <3) and asked them to call and then as soon as they answered starting going off abt my problems w rwby’s plan,

but after that? i started on about the vault of ozpin

like ive been thinking abt ur theory a lot, because like, it’s been proven twice now with penny that aura can be transferred into robots so im with you. i think they should make ozpin a Hot Robot Body and then transfer his aura from oscar into the robot. boom. done.

BUT THEN i was like okay if that works what if they made like a variety of Hot Robot Bods and like, stuck em in one of Beacon’s several sub basements like that tomb with the clay soldiers, so every time ozpin died he could tell his new host to find The Vault and then transfer into a new Hot Robot Bod (tm)

(and then we added the joke that the further into The Vault you go, the hotter the Bods get until there you see him... dummy thicc ozpin.)

anyway none of this can happen bc pietro’s lab is going to be destroyed when atlas falls BUT i am still with u on this . i want ozpin to have a Hot Robot Bod .

[dontforgetthedragon]

vaguely remembered the one post about how the show makes viewers amenable to the idea of zuko’s redemption from the start, so now im finally watching through atla for the first time i decided to try and note down every time the show does this that i pick up on

Book 1

zuko is always placed alongside iroh, who is naturally very likeable

as early as ep3 zuko is pitted against zhao, who is highly unlikeable. as such, the audience is already being encouraged to root for zuko in certain situations

it is also through these early interactions that we first get a real good look at zuko’s need to have his honour validated with his vulnerable “did you really mean that?” to iroh after he tells zhao that zuko is more honourable than him. this is a much more sympathetic way to communicate this than the angry shouting about his honour he also does

in ep7 we are given our first example of zuko chosing to delay his quest for the avatar for the sake of someone else. in this case, he rescues iroh from his captors, giving aang time to leave for the fire temple

this is also in direct contradiction to his earlier threats to leave iroh behind if he didnt hurry up because catching the avatar was too important to delay. thus this moment also communicates that zuko may be more bark than bite, and that maybe he doesnt rank catching aang as highly on his list of priorities as he talks like he does

the zhao-zuko dynamic returns in the fire temple, when zuko is seen tied up along with katara, sokka etc, while zhao lords it over all of them. thus subconciously we may perceive zuko as temporarily on the gaang’s side through a common enemy

ep12 is of course the big backstory episode for both zuko and aang and the way we are shown both stories interwoven with each other connects the characters and makes us more likely to feel similar amounts of sympathy for both. the visuals also really help with this, eg: the fire nation crew’s can fire transitioning into aang and katara’s campfire

and that shared look as aang and zuko catch sight of each other in the eye of the storm as aang’s flying away? really cemented that feeling of connection

zuko’s backstory also completely recontextualises his scar as a mark of his compassion towards the common people of his nation, and his insistence in the worth of lives

despite his loud assertions that no life is more important than catching the avatar, zuko makes the concious choice once more to let aang go for the sake of others – in this case, his crew – thus solidifying what we learned in ep7

and just in case that was too subtle for some, we also get to see zuko risk his own life actively saving a crew member from certain death. yknow, just to hammer the point home that zuko values other peoples’ lives way more than he’s been actively taught he should

just one episode later we get that little friendship speech aang gives zuko while he’s still waking up after being hit by a drugged arrow. from this we see that aang doesnt want zuko to be his enemy.

we can also infer from their location at this point that aang carried/dragged zuko to safety after discovering his identity either bc he didnt want zhao to find out it was zuko who orchestrated the rescue or he really just wanted to talk to him that badly

interestingly enough i think this also counts as the first real step back, what with zuko’s response and aang’s sad “i guess not”

zhao’s underhand attempted murder of zuko has us rooting for zuko’s survival, as well as bc we hate zhao and dont want his plans to succeed, especially since it comes not long after a very human moment on zuko’s ship

in fact, the fact that we’ve been shown so many human moments beteen zuko and iroh and their crew in contrast with a complete lack of anything like that from zhao all the way through the season makes us much more likely to be emotionally attached to zuko and his antics by this point. zhao hasnt given us anything to be fond of

the moment when iroh genuinely thinks zuko may be dead and you can see it on his face. as mentioned before, iroh is a very likeable character and anything that might hurt him this badly feels like an awful thing. ergo: zuko’s death = awful

iroh and zuko’s little moment of scheming aka the moment zuko’s survival is confirmed. i never thought i’d be so hyped to hear a plot to capture aang for themselves but i hate zhao so much at this point (for previously mentioned reasons plus extra) that if aang had to be captured id be much happier if it were by these two (also im assuming im supposed to be riding the high from finding out that the awful thing that is zuko’s death has not actually occurred)

“ever since i lost my son” “uncle, you dont have to say it” “i think of you as my own”

finally, when the water hand grabs zhao and despite everything zuko tries to save him. this is the guy who tried to have him killed and when it comes down to it zuko still tries to save his life. zhao refuses to be saved. this isnt an unusual trope for the climax of a piece of media but normally it would be the protagonist trying to save the antagonist to highlight the protagonists moral superiority, not one of the antagonists trying to save another antagonist. by placing zuko in the position usually reserved for the protagonist, the show implies zukos capacity to become one

[avantguardisme]

i got tagged by @bourgeoix​ to Tell Me Good Things That Happened This Year (last year now i guess) so here are some top 5s of mine from 2020 under the cut!

this will be difficult because i have absolutely no sense of time and don’t know when i did anything this year but i’ll do my best  

movies i watched: (i did have to look up what movies came out in 2020 for this lmao)

emma. (2020) was the last movie i saw in theaters god bless

finally watched someone great this december at my sister’s suggestion and it made me cry!!

almost forgot that the half of it came out in 2020 but oh my god what a good fucking movie (and if you liked the half of it go watch saving face too!! alice wu is a great fucking director and saving face is one of my faves)

i’m like 90% sure i watched parasite this year? anyway it was great & i gotta watch more bong joon ho movies

i really did not watch that many movies this year huh. 

oh wait fuck i forgot about the old guard & enola holmes, which ill group here together as a pair of refreshing action/adventure movies that i really enjoyed!

tv shows i watched:

harlots!! on this blog we love 1) women 2) period dramas 3) charlotte wells in particular

oh i think this year i finally rewatched all of atla! i saw almost every episode as a kid (normally several times and not necessarily in order) and even tho i remembered the show really well it was really cool to see it altogether! and find out i had missed watching TWO whole episodes as a kid

great pretender, but i mostly just liked the first season. fucking gorgeous show overall tho even if it kinda loses its balance thematically in the last arc

queen’s gambit (this is truly the year of my giant crush on anya taylor joy huh)

unsure if this technically counts as television but i got very into dimension 20 this year! especially fantasy high, but i’m also working my way through unsleeping city and crown of candy right now, just very good dnd actual play stuff overall

songs i listened to: (this is not my actual top 5 songs on spotify wrapped bc that’s embarrassing, more like my faves of the year)

ambrosia by rosie tucker

boreas by the oh hellos

i know the end by phoebe bridgers

high in the garden by sorcha richardson

nana triste by natalia lacunza & guitarricadelafuente

books i read:

earthsea! i think i started these this year, i’m currently on the farthest shore & genuinely all of them are so good, stan ursula le guin

the priory of the orange tree by samantha shannon!! yes this book is like 800 pages yes i did read half of it in like a week. i also didnt realize there was gonna be so many gays goin in and boy was i extremely pleasantly surprised

obligatory inclusion of a reading i did for class, but la vida es sueño by calderón de la barca honestly kinda kicks ass, i did a whole paper on one the soliloquies in there and the verse is just good y’all

oh also gender trouble by judith butler which i read a good bit of for my theory class and lives rent free in my brain at this point

uncensored picture of dorian grey by oscar wilde, which im like 90% sure i read early this year and not last year, but time doesnt exist who cares really. love that fucking prose tho, and i think the themes are more clear with the inclusion of basil as an explicitly gay character tbh

good things that happened to me:

got into grad school??? and started grad school???

related, but i wrote a 17 page term paper somehow too, which is a thing i apparently can do now

and i moved across the country and live in an apartment now! and i have so many plants! and a full size bed! and a desk and a bookshelf!

oh shit i almost forgot this was the year i finally got an adhd diagnosis! and now im all medicated and shit its fucking amazing

and i’ve started writing a lot more! not just papers for class and stuff, but also some more fiction which maybe i’ll actually finish one day lmao

uhhhhhhhhh idk who to tag since i dont interact much on here much anymore, how about @romanarcadia @waitingforgalois @equalseleventhirds @yourladybrie @starsighns and literally anyone else who wants in u can say i tagged u :)

[luobingmeis]

Pls give us the AtLA rant, I have a mighty need!

askjskjsdkjdskj i copy and pasted my rant from last night bc imo the raw energy of “i am genuinely shocked and angry (in a good way)” is something i cannot recreate right now

so here is the rant i went on in my groupchat + the secret side conversation i had in DMs bc, in my 3 person gc, 2 of us are watching it for the first time and i already knew some stuff going in so i didn’t want to spoil

it’s all under the cut bc it’s long as fuck (like almost 2k words if not more) 

but basically i go into my own type of avatar-state while talking abt zuko!!!!

(I HAVEN’T STARTED BOOK 3 YET, PLEASE NO SPOILERS)

groupchat:

but i just finished book 2 and it took a completely different turn from what i thought it was going to like i am actually in shock and have officially reached my point of "zuko what the actual fuck" because the choice to do good was right there after everything he and iroh went through and after all that he saw and letting aang go multiple times and he was starting to be happy in this new life and saw that he and iroh could be free and he still went back to azula for his pride and honor, turning against aang and katara after he and katara could have finally reached a moment of understanding

but like what the fuck i am more mad at s2 zuko than i was at s1 zuko bc, in season 1, the avatar and his honor was the only thing he thought about, but in s2, he met people who had their lives ruined by the fire nation!! and he worked with them!!!! iroh was showing him what it was like to live completely free, doing what he wants!!!! and he was starting to understand!!!!! but im so pissed and so fucking shocked bc, this entire fucking time, i was like "oh yeah the end of s2 is going to be when zuko joins, right? bc i mean book 3 is fire, so zuko has to teach him fire bending" but no, he willingly chose to keep pursuing the avatar after fucking everything he has seen, after knowing how people were affected by the fire nation, after everything iroh did for him

and he knows what he did!! he knows!!!!! he told azula that he betrayed iroh!!!!!!! he fucking knows

when iroh showed up to fight both him and azula, i was fucking losing it bc iroh's love has been so unconditional for zuko, he supported zuko through everything and even helped him try to capture the avatar at times, but that was the final straw

zuko willingly walked into world domination. he doesn't even fucking trust azula! he never has! but she brought up his pride and honor, and she's powerful as all hell, and he sided with her! after everything!

i really thought he was learning that his quest for the avatar was fruitless! it's not going to bring him happiness! his life in the fire nation will never return to normal

aang has saved his life so many god damn times, him and katara were reaching a point of understanding! they fucking talked about how the fire nation took both of their mothers

and i'm so floored bc this was all willing

when zuko was exiled, he had no choice! it was either find the avatar or have no home. but he was finding a home! he finally seemed so happy with iroh! it really seemed like iroh's teachings were getting through to him! that he was learning what he really wanted (freedom)! but he still went back to the fire nation except this time he chose to. he looked at the people he was starting to understand, at the man who has been a better father than ozai ever could, and willingly chose to turn away for the sake of pillaging and conquering and "honor" in a family that doesn't care about him

at first, i was like "this has to be a trick, right? he's fighting them now so that he can backstab azula later, right?"

but when katara said to him "i thought you changed!" and he said "i have" i was fucking besides myself

im so angry but im also fucking exhilirated bc this i did not expect

i would've put so much money on there being a meaningful moment of zuko stepping up alongside aang

like, i was so sure this would happen

i was convinced

but holy shit

and fucking!!! zuko knows what iroh went through at ba sing se with the loss of his son (and probably the realization that what the fire nation was doing was fucked up) and zuko still turned against iroh

after everything iroh did for him! iroh was the only person who stood by zuko's side during everything. he pleaded zuko's case over and over, he seeked out the gaang bc he needed their help and he was so sure that zuko would make the right decision!!! he saw zuko let the avatar go before, but when zuko was faced w/ azula's assistance and the avatar right there, he just went back to his old ways except worse bc this is willing

and like

am i discounting the manipulations of azula and ozai? no!!!

that definitely had a hand in it, bc azula has been dangling honor and ozai's love in front of zuko the entire time

but i really thought that the end of s2 would be when zuko sees past all of that

except he turned back to the family that doesn't even love him, betraying the only person who truly cared for him and loved him unconditionally and wanted the best for him, and now he has a direct hand in the collapse of ba sing se and world domination

like okay let it be known that this is some of the best writing ive seen and im fucking obsessed and im living for this and it's so fucking good so my anger is fueled by excitement and shock

and also i fucking love negative character development

like. i love zuko. and literally i think that's part of this too bc i was so sure that he was going to make the right decision

and instead i had to face the dawning realization that he wasn't

and now he and azula are teaming up to end the earth kingdom

like i thought i knew where this was gonna go and now i'm genuinely lost (in a good way)

and like i haven't even touched upon aang's chakra being locked bc he went back to katara

(also don't even get me started on the painful irony of iroh telling aang that sometimes it's better to choose love and friendship over power)

(like really don't get me started because i'm about to combust)

after everything iroh did for zuko!!!

after the gaang has saved his life!!!!!!!

and the best thing is, it was shocking but still not out of character

that's the beautiful thing

this was always an option for zuko

it's the point of the crossroads!!! you can go either way!!!!!!!

i just thought he was gonna go...................... the other way

and like literally the fact that he sided with azula after obviously not liking her basically his entire life (or at least his adolescence) is so fucking telling for how he made this decision bc. unless there's some behind the scenes stuff, he saw the avatar and his pride and his honor so clearly, and he saw how powerful azula was becoming, and decided that he would still take it even in the face of azula's manipulations and violence

if that makes sense

if you can't tell, i'm kinda reeling right now

like, apparently zuko wants his honor/power so badly that he'll side with azula!!!

after they spent an entire season fighting her

but also....... azula finally gave him that option of working together. before, it was always azula vs. zuko

now, though, azula was offering a world dominating olive branch

so now like im thinking....... what if that happened earlier? would zuko always have turned? or is it just because everything he ever wanted was so close to him?

and it's wonderful bc it's still so in-character. like, even siding with azula, it's not bc he suddenly cares for his sister or whatever, but it's because he chose honor/pride/the fire nation over freedom/giving up what he always wanted. i don't think he was choosing azula, he was choosing his pre-written destiny over making his own

god is any of this making sense i am literally so fucking shocked

i literally need like 3 episodes solely on iroh at this point bc you know what probably fucking sucks??? losing his first son to the war in ba sing se, and then losing his nephew (who he saw as another son) to starting war in ba sing se

like? that has to feel like a fucking slap in the face ten times over

especially bc iroh left the fire nation with zuko (and probably for zuko), most likely giving up his full title there

and like? the fighting sequences are so cool but it was so fucking heartbreaking to hear iroh tell aang "you go on ahead! i will hold off both of them!" because like. iroh can't wait any longer! he thinks (and knows) that zuko is making the wrong choice, but he can't wait any longer! he can't stand by while zuko dominates an entire city and say "oh, he's really complicated, he's going through something"! because zuko did go through it and he came out of it and he still made that choice! iroh probably feels like all his patience, all his efforts, all his teachings and love, went to fucking waste! because it didn't get him anywhere!

like, iroh probably still loves zuko but he probably feels so fucking betrayed and hurt and disappointed because, after seeing zuko let the avatar go before and seeming so happy, he probably thought that zuko was changing for the better! and now, he has to fight his niece AND his nephew! this no longer is zuko insulting some other general or his crew that iroh can fix by explaining what happened w/ ozai and how zuko is very conflicted! this is a situation that zuko willingly walked in, even after hearing and knowing all of iroh's teachings!

anyways! poetic cinema

like also pls dont think im ignoring everything else in the episode, like aang's chakra being locked was fucking wild and that entire episode was so good, with the fight sequences and everything abt azula, and toph’s metal bending, just forgive me bc im a little uhhhhh distracted by a twist that i genuinely did not expect

i feel bad for how focused i am right now on zuko but also how can i not be bc that feels so connected to literally everything else

also tho on a brighter note, true serotonin was when appa finally returned :')

it's so wonderful that appa broke out by himself. he did it all on his own! no one else was there. at all :)

(im kidding that was actually a very important moment in zuko's character)

(or at least i thought it was going to be)

(well actually it still is, but it's come to the question of "you can always say what you're going to do in a situation, but what happens when you're actually faced with it?”)

DMs:

i know that zuko gets redeemed, right? like i know, in the end, they will all team up

but the fact that it didn't happen now

holy shit

like.......... a whiiiiiiile ago on tumblr, i saw a post that was like "zuko has a great redemption but he needed to work for it bc he did awful things" and like? tbh yeah i got that s1 zuko was the antag and he did shitty things but like...................... this feels so much more poignant

like zuko literally has a direct hand now in the collapse of the earth kingdom

literally not to be dramatic but this is like. taz-reveal levels of shocked right now.

i thought i knew the zuko arc

bc i know he gets redeemed!!

so, after watching this season, i was thinking "oh okay it's gonna be this season! makes sense!"

but.... deep down

deep down..............

a part of me was kinda like "so is season 1 zuko....... it? is that the end of his antagonisms? is season 2 meant to be his redemption? i dig it, but i thought it would be more...................... dramatic"

well!

got what i wished for!

and i am in the best kinds of hell

like i almost feel bad bc so much other stuff happened in the finale (like, for example, aang's chakra being locked, which i screamed at, it was so good) but like. i genuinely did not expect this.

like. holy fuck.

like, now i really understand why people say that zuko needed to really work for his redemption bc he and azula are tag teaming the end of the earth kingdom