#cardboard meta

[cardboardqueen]

do you guys ever think about how the definition if perihelion is "The point in a solar orbit where the orbiting body is closest to the sun."

like sure they named the research vessel after scientific initiative but they also named the sentient mom-bot after a cosmological metaphor for intimacy

[starflungwaddledee]

Who wins starstruck or a aroace guy

both of them, because she's also aroace just like me!

actually while i'm at it, here's the little animation i was working on for pride month but never got around to posting!

in my self indulgent aroace worldbuilding i like to imagine that labels for orientations and genders are just kind of... not that much of a thing on popstar, because it doesn't matter at all to anyone. nobody has ever cared about stuff like who or how you love, and 90% of them are picking their own pronouns anyway.

that said, it's still nice to have a little self representation here on our primitive earth internet, where this kind of thing very much does need to exist and we deserve to be proud of it!

[direquail]

One of the many things I find funny and irritating is the slant of a lot of interpretations of Alecto's name (that it's about feminine rage)--on this here wlw internet in the year of our lord 2024, it's easily made to figure as rage against God, or rage against patriarchy, or religious oppression, and therefore an allusion to the idea that she's going to get her vengeance on John for betraying and oppressing her somehow, but like

John is the one who named her Alecto. He's the one who named her that. So, naming her "Alecto" is alluding to the embodiment of John's rage--their rage, since they are joined inseparably (John even explicitly says that when he first perceives her: "You wouldn't stop screaming. You were so scared. You were so goddamn mad").

He says of Alecto to Harrow, "In a very real way, you are [Alecto's] children". At a very surface level, Alecto is (depending on the text or tradition), one of the Furies--famously, in several surviving Greek tragedies, who punish Orestes for the crime of killing his mother. In fact, in Aeschylus' Oresteia, they declare that they are specifically bound to avenge matricide.

So the name "Alecto" alludes to the nature of John's mission and how he sees it.

It also implies that his divine rage, the rage that gives him power, the power that makes him divine, that he either represents or wants to represent, is feminine rage. He was chosen by Earth (which, Furies are sometimes the daughters of Gaia); he is her champion, however he's managed to fuck that up. Once the truth of that comes out, it becomes clear that all of his power comes from her.

And that's why you get statements from Tamsyn Muir like:

“[T]he God of the Locked Tomb IS a man; he IS the Father and the Teacher; it’s an inherently masc role played by someone who has an uneasy relationship himself to playing a Biblical patriarch. John falls back on hierarchies and roles because they’re familiar even when he’s struggling not to. Even he identifies himself as the God who became man and the man who became God. But the divine in the Locked Tomb is essentially feminine on multiple axes – I think Nona will illuminate that a little bit more."

So yes, he plays the role of Emperor and God and Teacher, with all of the things that implies. And I don't think it should be discounted. But he also is (and partly sees himself as) the chosen champion of a goddess, or what is for all intents & purposes for a human like him a goddess. He is her avenger, and while she sleeps, her avatar.

And I don't think we're meant to read him purely as a parasite who's taking advantage of her to gain power for himself, either. Or an oppressive, Kronos-like figure. Especially if you consider Palamedes' theory of the Grand Lysis, even if he was purely motivated by desire for power before (which I really doubt), there are parts of each in the other, now. What was clear and separate before is uncertain and interpenetrated. Is his rage his own, or hers? Is his mission of revenge his, or hers? If he wants power, is that his own selfishness, or her desire to survive?

And does it matter?

[zuppizup]

Finnegrin's Wants

So, I've been thinking a lot about Finnegrin's Wake (what Rayllum fan hasn't and yes, as is usually the case, this is because I'm a-fic-ing in this space), and so I've been pondering what Finnegrin's end game was when it came to Rayla.

Finnegrin is about trying to control everything. His crew, Archdragons, the ocean itself. He of all people knows this is impossible, but he's pretty damn good at working around that. His ship, his crew, and even Scumport marches to the beat of his drum.

So, when it comes to the Dragang, what's his ultimate plan? He wants Callum to give him the Dark Magic spell to take down Domina Profundis, and he seems to think he can bargain for this.

Instead of immediately revealing his trump card with the blood freezing spell, he tries to bargin with Callum, offering freedom for a "simple" exchange.

So, once he realises Callum "completely lost himself" seeing Rayla in pain, why dispose of her? Was it to try and completely break Callum? That runs the risk of only alienating him further, though. Rayla could have been the ultimate leverage. Why not subject her to the freezing spell in front of Callum again? Control him that way?

Or did he want Callum desperate? Did he intentionally leave him with the slugs hoping he'd break, resort to Dark Magic in a desperate bid to free the person he clearly cares so much for? Did Finnegrin gamble on Callum realising he was willing to do Dark Magic if given the sufficient incentive.

Was he bidding on him coming to Rayla’s rescue, only to fall victim to the freezing spell himself?

Was he then planning to subject Rayla to the spell once again, hoping to push Callum to agree to doing his Dark Magic bidding in exchange for her release from torture?

Did Finnegrin ultimately underestimate just how far Callum was willing to go for Rayla? He has no idea this is the same boy who jumped off the Storm Spire for her with only the desperate hope he knew how to do a spell the might save them both.

How could Finnegrin ever have known that the depth of Callum's love for Rayla would allow him to unlock hidden depths within himself and ultimately understand a new Arcanum?

[lintwriting]

Disney’s Comphet Episode

girl meets world's legacy will most likely be its total flop as a sequel to boy meets world, as well as the worst autism rep ever lol but I'll personally always remember it for how much it FUMBLED THE BAG because it introduced a stupid love triangle.

why were there so many shows in the late 'aughts dedicated to RUINING their shows with pointless ship wars? star vs the forces of evil, danny phantom, and girl meets world are just off the top of my head.

we have these two perfect best friend characters. surprisingly perfect friendship. okay, more like, veering on homoromantic.

(via @forbescaroline)

and then you know what they do with it? They insert the MOST WHITE BREAD ass love interest ever in the form of Lucas.

his defining characteristic is that he's a dreamy goodboy, and there's nothing wrong with that except that he's EXTREMELY boring compared to the oddballs of the rest of the cast, like Farkle or Maya or Riley.

The one thing that subsidizes his bore factor is that all his love triangle ship drama fuels conflict in the show.

he's the straight man--ha, get it? kys

he's dreamy enough to have these perfect friends in conflict over him.

and it kind of ruins the fun of the show.

like, i don't want to see Riley and Maya fight. and they don't even want to fight either. so they're just sighing sadly at each other, meanwhile im over here WHY WOULD YOU EVEN WANT TO DATE LUCAS??

it's giving "she was a girl, he was a boy, can I make it anymore obvious"

like i appreciate a show that demonstrates that girls in competition over a guy DO NOT need to be catty or mean (from what I can remember), but like, this should have been a 1 episode plot AT MOST GOD

they expand on the plot in the most bizarre ways possible too. like i havent watched this show in years, but i still remember this shit.

The premise of the show is that Riley falls into Lucas's lap on a bus in ep 1, so they're basically an end game couple from the beginning. But they have to introduce a shitty love triangle.

So they then have an episode where Maya "acts" as Riley for a day, and while she's acting as Riley, she realizes that Riley doesn't love Lucas and most likely sees him as a brother. which, first of all, is the craziest shit ive ever heard, and second of all

COULD HAVE BEEN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL scene about comphet EVER in a disney kids show.

the DRAMA. the PROJECTION. "she's confused" "feelings you don't understand"

the contrast between what Riley THINKS she feels for Lucas and what Maya feels for Riley. Riley ASKING MAYA "how do I feel, then, maya?" and MAYA's "just tell me what to say" !!! It's the "Good Luck, Babe" of it all!!!!!!!!

it astounds me that this exists in the show! i remembered nothing else about the show EXCEPT for this scene and the terrible autism PSA farkle episode lol.

they use this to fan maya x lucas flames and some drama about maya becoming riley in the last season, which I have zero clue about because all that exists to me is that one crystal clear moment of comphet.

so yeah, while I don't care for sabrina carpenter's music, im extremely happy that she covered chappell roan's "Good Luck, Babe" because it led to this amazing edit that compiles all these moments lol

what a moment. everything, it all has led up to this 67 views edit.

last thing I gotta say, I feel like the drama of "are you becoming me" would've ATE as drama, especially in a sapphic context. like some jennifer's body type shit. instead, it's poorly executed, one-sided, and does harm to both of their characters, from what I've read. BUT LIKE, there's no way it was one-sided. The envy/self-projection thing nor the love!! THEY HAD TO HAVE BEEN RECIPROCAL oh my god i can't Disney was SO CLOSE to greatness WHYYYYYYYYYYY

[a-hobit]

Things I need from TOH if I am to survive it’s ending in the next few months.

- Luz and Hunter specifically but the whole cast to be able to pass between TBI and the Human Realm at any time.

-Luz and Amity to have a “I love you” because I PHYSICALLY NEED IT

- Luz to call Hunter “Hermano” preferably more than once — I NEED THE SIBS TO BE SIBS OKAY

- Willow and Hunter to talk about Thanks to Them and how it both negatively affects the both of them and their trauma because of it

- Hunter to maybe tell Willow he likes her? Idk I don’t put this as a physical need but I desperately want to see them be all couply💥❤️💥❤️😭

- Eda to meet with Hunter again and talk bout their shared  ancestry and how that affects the both of them and their relationship to each other

- Eda and rain to literally get married or I will burn Disney to the ground

- Eda, Luz and King to have their family reunion plus the new additions!!! 

- Darius and Alador to actually interact on screen

- …Philip to stay alive… I’m so sorry but Fr I would be so fucking sad if he dies I want him to suffer living without being able to hurt or manipulate anyone again like in ATLA with Firelord Ozai I just think he’s too interesting of a character with information that only he now has since flapjack passed to be gotten rid of like that

- King lore bby!!!!!!!!!! I am so pumped to see what is going on and how he ended up alone

- badass harpy sisters my BELOVED

- Matty and Guz to meet up again!!

[essayofthoughts]

There's this thing, sometimes, when reading fic - not shitfic, because I do read that and I know what to expect from it, but fic with actual thought and nuance, which cares about exploring trauma and fucked up emotional consequences, evenwhen when they're ugly and uncomfortable and awful -, when you realise that while the fic is willing to have the protagonists be angry but get over it with some characters, they just refuse to with others. And it can make sense to a degree - there's always one character that gets under another's skin, and there's gonna be some disagreements that just, due to individual perspectives, are that much harder to overcome. Even though having them work through it - having a character admit how and when and where they fucked up, and how severely, and the degree to which they recognise this, the internal complex, contradictory fuckery - can be fun! Can be nuanced and messy and delicious.

Then you see the fic says "[X Character] Bashing" and you realise you're never gonna get that. That those crunchy, messy, complex, fun scenes in your head? Will never leave it, because the author has decided that while they'll put in all this engaging messy nuance for (so far) literally every other character... for this single one, a flat one-sided view of a character is all they can be arsed to write.

I dunno, yeah, it's fic and you can write what you like, but bashing has always felt incredibly, astoundingly lazy to me.

[ipsen]

ishida in tokyo ghoul:

ishida in choujin x:

[ammoknightsofficial]

The Splatoon 3 Art Book is raising some very important thoughts and questions in me, specifically regarding that selection of concept art of Deep Cut.

One of them featured Big Man as a Salmonid, and… That got me thinking. Splatoon 3 really fumbled the bag by not making Big Man a Salmonid, actually. I think him being a Manta Ray was the wrong choice to make, especially from our current perspective of the game’s narrative.

In Splatoon 2, Octarians had a very stressed importance. Octo Expansion did nothing but heighten this, and all of this was very gracefully tied together with one of the news hosts being an Octoling herself- one who was trying to conceal her identity as such, which made the themes presented in Octo Expansion feel all the more real. It worked, and it worked really well. Her presence as an Octoling- even as one trying to conceal their identity!- added some much needed insight on the Octarian Experience, and how it feels to live in Splatoon’s society as an oppressed racial minority. It was fascinating. It added a lot of depth to the game’s narrative and worldbuilding.

But in Splatoon 3, Salmonids have an increased importance. With Mr. Grizz being the final boss of Story Mode, Little Buddy- though his presence is discomforting- as your companion character, and Big Run being a recurring element, you’d think they’d have a Salmonid news host to add depth to our understanding of the Salmonid Experience, much like Splatoon 2 did with Marina and the Octoling Experience. It makes all but perfect sense, and it would have worked well to repeat that formula.

But… No.

We just have Big Man, a Manta Ray with a personality and current plot/lore importance as flat as his body. He’s clearly visually alienated from Shiver and Frye, but there’s no element of intrigue to it. His presence doesn’t pose any questions like Marina’s did. He’s just a walking missed opportunity. And it’s sad.

[theherosvillain]

in case you were wondering, wren's origin story is basically

[cardboardqueen]

ok so i read The Goblin Emperor recently (absolutely recommend) and it's given me some thoughts about a:tla specifically post canon zuko

he is the very young very new leader of a nation that's very abruptly lost its previous monarch. He's spent the last few years away from court and almost certainly isn't used to using his court manners even if he does technically know them. He's taking the country in a very different direction than his father with bold new political ideas and radical friends. The only heir to speak of is someone he'd really rather not pass the throne to. While he does have some support from his elders he was absolutely Not trained to take the throne and certainly not with so little warning.

sound familiar?

so now I'm thinking of a post-canon zuko fic of epic proportions that goes into as much detail in the world building and politics as TGE does.

Zuko finding a good secretary jesus christ please

Zuko slowly learning how to talk to his cabinet members as an adult, trying to balance being their Fire Lord, trying to be seen as an equal in competency and not a boy king, and acknowledging that he really isn't up to speed.

Zuko learning all the servant's names

Zuko's struggle not to lose himself in the overwhelming force of being The Fire Lord

learning regular teenage emotional regulation but instead of telling your dad you hate him because he asked you to turn the music down you're screaming at your minister of agriculture in front of the whole cabinet and you can't remember why it was important

he was expecting the assassination attempts and even the coups. He wasn't expecting the more subtle attempts to lock him out of his own government

look i know we all love ignoring the political implications of gay shipping, but zuko is absolutely not in a stable enough position to be the first fire lord to get gay married. we're ignoring the opportunities presented by a well suited marriage of convenience. are they co-conspirators in world betterment and shenanigans? does the fire lady get him to take a fucking break for once? is it a slow burn where they eventually fall in love but like, 7years into being married? do they have elaborate arrangements of 'cultural informants' and ladies in waiting that are just a stream of consensual lovers? some options for your consideration under the cut

Yue (in a yue lives au)

most reassuring to an international audience

nonthreatening to a domestic audience

the optics of marrying the NWT princess are great and logical without requiring too many mental gymnastics

has spent her whole like preparing to do something unpleasant for the sake of her tribe and would probably consent to the marriage

politically powerful but a non-bender, very low chance of a waterbending heir

zuko has grown up around girls that could kill him and respects women, the fire nation might be an improvement on the NWT

once she breaks out of her shell she'd be a snark machine

the in world artists would get a kick out of the water/fire symbolism. there would be so many plays and paintings and poems

i understand that her death has symbolic and narrative importance but let me play here

Mai

relatively reassuring to a domestic audience

minimally objectionable to international audiences

marrying into a family that was powerful and favored in Ozai's time would pacify traditionalists without requiring zuko to actually make traditionalist political decisions

Mai can play the court game even if it drives her mad

azula would have an internal fit but they may be able to maneuver it such that it manifests as azula being driven to make Mai the most successful fire lady that ever was

Random Earth Kingdom Noble

afiak neither bumi nor kuei have children. idk what the heir situation is but i know there's an earth prince in alok so idk

'marrying an earth kingdom noble is a very logically and politically sound move' says zuko's cabinet. 'ok' says zuko, 'which one?' chaos ensues

someone tries to propose mai as an earth kingdom noble because her father was governor of New Ozai. the eyeroll is audible

great potential for OC shenanigans

Suki

sokka would throw a fit

potential for lovely zukki ot3 a la many of erisenyo's fics

allying with an important figure from mostly neutral kiyoshi island might translate to a mostly neutral political move and minimize outrage on all sides

she can make very heavy handed speeches about 'if we can forgive him so can you' when the earth kingdom representatives start getting mean

gives her an excuse to stay and keep and eye on zuko (and keep some warriors around to keep an eye on him too)

even if she didn't grow up in court suki is sharp, she'd pick up on the important bits quick and the rest she could pass off as her quaint provincial upbringing

imagine how the fire nation court fashion would respond to the Fire Lady in the Kiyoshi Warrior Gear. the heat exhaustion alone

Toph

objectively hilarious

i don't actually think it fits with her character arc about independence and growth but it's not significantly worse than making her a cop sooo

i really don't ship them so i'm imagining this for practicalities and logistics only but you do you

it would be absolutely hilarious for the bei fongs to go from 'no we have no children' to 'yes we would like to propose that our daughter marry the fire lord' overnight. even funnier if it's toph's idea and she has to wrangle proof that she is actually the heir of one of the wealthiest families in the earth kingdom

relatively reassuring to an international audience

the domestic audience doesn't know what to think. on paper she's a foreign merchant's daughter which is fine. in reality didn't she destroy like 10 war balloons? is that a war crime? she won't stop jump scaring the treasurer?

she'd get a kick out of redesigning all the parts of the palace that make zuko sad

the agni kai arena is now her earthbending practice ground, i hope you weren't attached to those tiles!

zuko's cabinet is free of secret loyalists in a week. toph spends her first month there roaming the halls listening for lying hearts

minor concern of earthbending heirs? she gets a kick out of all the anxiety

toph and azula would be hysterical to see interact. like introducing two cats through a bathroom door. maybe they fall in love idk. they almost certainly fuck at least once. their sparring matches threaten to destabilize the architecture and also the rim of caldera city

[berrymascarpone]

Consider:

1) one needs to see Aizen’s Kyoka Suigetsu’s shikai in order to be affected by the illusions

2) Aizen used Kyoka Suigetsu to publically fake his dead body in the soul society arc

3) in that same arc, we are told that captains and lieutenants are not supposed to carry their zanpakuto around in peace times, and therefore

4) it is unlikely that literally every shinigami has seen Aizen’s shikai, despite his attempts to impress them early at the academy

In conclusion, there is statistically at least one low level new shinigami graduate who overslept on the day of Aizen’s practical demonstration lesson and therefore did not see Aizen’s body pinned to the wall, just all the captains and lieutenants and the rest of the Gotei 13 freaking out over nothing, and had to emperor’s new clothes his way through the rest of the arc.

[solidsnakesfiftyhuskies]

the relationship between me and quiet metalgearsolid is just like ursula k le guin and lavinia from the aeneid

[crimeronan]

i think the end of ep 7 plot twist in severance just got me harder than any plot twist in any media has since like..... the first season of htgawm.

[justanotherthrowaway1950]

Three Issues With ATLA S3 in My Opinion

Note: I personally think ATLA S1 is a 9/10, ATLA S2 is a 9.9/10, and ATLA S3 is a 9.5/10. So when I criticize ATLA S3, it is more about complaining that an amazing ice cream sundae is missing the cherry on top than me actually hating on the season.

Most people think that ATLA is a perfect, or at least a nigh perfect, show with amazing character arcs, excellent worldbuilding, and a plot that is executed to a tee even if it is a bit basic.

However, I think there are some issues with S3 that not only prevent it from reaching the level of S2, but also set the seeds for a lot of the issues seen in the comics.

So what are those issues? Well, I always maintain that S3 needed to give us: an Ozai-centered episode so we could see more of his non-Sozin’s Comet amped bending, as well show how he became the feared ruler he is in present, something that could also flesh out General Crown Prince Iroh depending what aspects of Ozai’s past is shown; a Mai and Ty Lee-centered episode to show whether or not they were ever really friends with Azula, as well as plant the seeds for their betrayals and rapid heel-face turns; and an Azula-centered episode after the Boiling Rock that recaps ATLA from her POV so her fall to madness is less of an ass pull jarring and better explained (i.e. was she always “insane” or was it just a stress-based meltdown?).

For example, in regards to Ozai, showing him easily putting down an attempted coup through sheer fighting prowess would have been a great set up for the final confrontation, especially after three books dedicated to repeating the mantra of “Aang can't beat the Firelord without learning all the elements”.

That and the fact that, even if it is heavily implied by the fact that three element Aang, metalbending Toph, who is shortly shown to be at worst relative to King Bumi, and post-training Sokka want nothing to do with Ozai after the eclipse, as well as Avatar Extras outright stating it, it would have been hard explicit proof that Ozai was the strongest bender of his time, and that no one outside of a fully realized Avatar stood a chance against him.

Also, seeing Ozai put down a coup would also solidify that the Fire Nation still has standards despite their loyalty to him. For the coup could be led by a bunch of generals rebelling against the insanity that is burning an entire continent down, one that not only has potential resources to be used, but also is already home to scores of colonialists. 

Or you could have the coup led by power-hungry fools whose desire for power and fame clouds their better judgment in regards to challenging Ozai if you didn’t want to show (somewhat) decent people getting brutally maimed as Ozai burns them alive or shoots them with lightning suffer unclear fates.

For in my opinion, one of the problems with the finale, and especially with the comics, is that it glosses over the fact that there would likely be massive resistance to Zuko taking the throne, let alone ending the war after the Fire Nation all but won it. 

So by showing that there were already people in power who disagreed with Ozai, I think it would have helped make the transition from Ozai to Zuko less jarring by showing that Zuko already had a base of support within the Fire Nation, or at least that there are people willing to deal with him if only to increase their power and status.

“I wouldn't have liked a direct Ozai episode since I liked the mystery behind him as a character, especially since The Beach and The Promise hinted he somewhat loved his kids and wife due to taking them on vacations, allowing Zuko and Azula to play with each other, saved a toddler Zuko from drowning, and even put his hand on Zuko’s shoulder in approval at least once. So even if I agree with you that Ozai needed more screen time, instead of a direct Ozai episode, we instead should have gotten more hints that Ozai may have loved his family, including Iroh.”

Well, in regards to the hints that Ozai loved his family, it is pretty clear after the comics that whatever positive moments Zuko remembers is just him being nostalgic for the times before Ozai became “worse” after Ursa's banishment, especially since it is only at the end of The Search when Zuko learns the truth behind Ozai and Ursa’s marriage, and thus realizes that Ozai always had it out for him from birth.

Meanwhile, Ozai’s rare moments of mercy could easily be explained by Ozai not wanting to alienate his spare, for even after burning and banishing Zuko after realizing that he was not even worth keeping around, he still kept him alive as an insurance policy in the case that Azula ever failed, something that also served to push Azula to reach her full potential at all costs.

Besides, my comments were not about not humanizing Ozai, but instead trying to justify Ozai’s position as the big bad of the show. For Ozai is supposed to be the culmination of a hundred years of war and corruption in physical form. 

Hence why a war that was started by a leader seeking to “spread” the Fire Nation’s prosperity ended becoming an ego trip lead by a tyrannical manchild who not only abused his family to the point that he burned and banished his loyal son for “disrespecting him”, but also was willing to burn down his nation’s present and future colonies just to sate his god complex.

So I wish we saw more of Ozai’s unhinged ruthlessness in action. 

For part of the reason why Ozai is a lackluster big bad, in my opinion, is because despite expecting the "big bad" behind Zuko, Zhao, Azula, and the rest of the Fire Nation to display unmatched strategic genius, or at least unmatched physical prowess, you never really get to see any of that outside of the Day of Black Sun, and even then, Ozai only survives the day because Zuko decided killing Ozai was Aang’s destiny, not his.

And no, Sozin’s Comet is not a good showing for Ozai because, on top of the fact that he foolishly decided that burning the Earth Kingdom was a good idea, not to mention failing to take into account the possibility that the Avatar and/or his brother would attempt to confront him during the Comet’s passing since he doesn’t have legions of soldiers to hide behind, everyone out-of-universe knew Aang was going to defeat him. 

But not because ATLA was a children's cartoon show, but because the final episodes had the Gaang debate whether or not Aang should kill him or not. 

Like how can you be a credible final boss if the real challenge is not defeating you, but instead how to defeat you without forcing the protagonist to kill you?

And yes, I know that Aang’s struggle to uphold his people’s values while also upholding his Avatar duties is the true struggle of Sozin’s Comet. 

But what I am getting at is that despite the entire series building up to the Aang vs. Ozai fight, it is undermined by the strong implication that Aang could have killed Ozai at any point if he wasn’t so committed to his Air Nomad values.

Like why spend an entire series hyping Ozai as this nigh-unstoppable juggernaut that only the Avatar can beat, only to have the main conflict in his fight against Aang be Aang’s conflict between his Air Nomad values and his duty to the world?

Thus, that is the crux of the problem with Ozai’s lack of screen time in S3. 

For in an effort to keep Ozai a mysterious, badass monster, they kept him hidden in the shadows and limited his screen time, as well as his interactions with the main cast, including his own children, to the point that when he finally starts to play an active role in the story, he is no monster, but instead is just a misshapen shadow.

But moving on, in regards to Azula, I always maintain that we were missing an episode in S3 post-The Boiling Rock that tells Azula's life story up to that point from her POV so her caring about Mai, Ty Lee, Ozai and Zuko is better established, as well providing better foreshadowing for her fall to madness and/or show her dealing with her canon mental illness(es) and have it get worse as people start "abandoning" her like Ursa did. 

Especially since for most of the show, you get the sense that Azula is more likely to betray Ozai to temporarily sate her insatiable hunger for power rather than fawn over him, for the popular theory, at the time of the show’s airing, that Azula would usurp her father and become the surprise big bad of the entire series didn't come out of nowhere.

For that “missing” episode, combined with the distinct lack of post-show material with Azula’s POV front and center, heavily suggests that Azula’s fall to madness was due to the writers realizing that it would otherwise require an asspull, or Aang in the Avatar State directly confronting her, to defeat her. 

For example, if Azula didn't go insane, there is no way Katara and Zuko could have gotten to her during Sozin's Comet since she would have had the Imperial Firebenders and the Dai Li by her side. Not to mention, even if by some miracle they did get to her, she would have refused any Agni Kai challenge by Zuko like she did during S2 before using Sozin's Comet to kill them in a 2v1.

Moreover, Azula going insane allowed them to avoid having to answer the question of what type of punishment did Ozai's fourteen year old second-in command truly deserve on top of allowing them to use Azula as an antagonist in future works without having to deal with the obvious question of why doesn't Azula (attempt to) slaughter everyone between her and the throne if Aang doesn't show up and defeat her in the Avatar State.

“Ok, that sounds nice and all, but why would you spend time humanizing one of the most vile villains in the entire show? And even in the case that she is a product of nurture, how would you be able to maintain the victim and victimizer dichotomy that Azula would have?”

First of all, when I wish that they spent time showing us Azula’s POV, I don’t mean that I want her to get reduced to some “uwu soft baby” who did nothing wrong but be indoctrinated and abused, for that would be taking away all agency from Azula, as well minimizing the harm she caused not only as a friend and sibling, but also the harm she caused as a leading agent of imperialism and settler colonialism.

Or in other words, what I wanted was not justification, but (more) explanation.

That and an explanation for why Azula was able to generate lightning during Sozin’s Comet. For even if she has severe ASPD, she did not have the inner peace to generate lightning during Sozin’s Comet if Iroh’s words during Bitter Work are to be taken at face value.

And second of all, I think it would be easy to maintain the victim and victimizer dichotomy that Azula has if she were to get narrative focus just like it was easy to keep such a dichotomy for Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee, Jet, and Hama when they got narrative focus, however little it may have been for some of them.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Personally, for example, I think Azula started suffering from a childhood schizoaffective disorder after Ursa left and Ozai had her start doing henious things like torture agitators. But as long as she had her friends and Zuko, she could manage the symptoms. 

However, after they left she started to become worse. 

Hence, why she seeks out Mai and Ty Lee for her small, elite team, as well as "redeem" Zuko the moment it is possible: because she wants them in her life. And hence why Azula is so normal and happy in the pre-DoBS part of S3. 

But after Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee, and Ozai all "betray" her, she finally becomes actively psychotic since there is no one to keep her mind occupied.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, even if you disagree with my particular headcanon take on what Azula’s life was like outside of the events we see on screen and/or on panel, I think it is easy to maintain the victim and victimizer dichotomy that Azula has even if her POV were to get focus in the story.

So moving on, in regards to Mai and Ty Lee, I think we were missing an episode that not only clarified the nature of their relationship with Azula, but also planted seeds for their eventual betrayals, as well as their rapid heel-face turns.

For while the comics heavily imply that Mai and Ty Lee were never friends with Azula, only coerced subjects who were not in a position to push back against her for most of their lives, it would have been nice to get explicit confirmation that they were never really friends with Azula.

Or if they were friends at one point, show that they started to dissociate themselves from her, at least emotionally, after Ursa left and Ozai started to mold her even harder, or after Azula made clear it after reuniting them that she valued achieving her and Ozai’s goals over their well-being, as well as that of their loved ones.

Also, it would have been nice to see them not be a hundred percent ok with the war since not only is Mai seen with the Gaang during the closing scene of the show while Ty Lee joins the Kyoshi Warriors despite their past, but also due to the fact that they are staunch allies of the Gaang in the comics, with Mai only slightly wavering due to Zuko alienating her and Ukano taking advantage of the fact that no daughter wants to send their father to prison for life to prevent her from squealing on the New Ozai Society sooner.

For even if they may have hated the way Azula treated them, and could not turn against her without suffering severe consequences, there is evidence that they enjoyed fighting in the war. 

Moreover, there is evidence that might have even believed in the Fire Nation’s imperialist ideology depending on how one interprets their taunts towards the Kyoshi Warriors as they were taking them down, as well as the fact that Mai is upset at Zuko when they meet up in the Boiling Rock partially due to the fact that he committed treason against their country.

Not to mention Mai seemingly being swayed by Ukano’s speech to her about how Zuko is willing to “strong-arm” and alienate everyone in the Fire Nation, including her, his one true Fire Nation friend.

“But why did we need an episode stating the obvious though? For it is like you said, it is heavily implied that Mai and Ty Lee were never friends with Azula and were like Zuko in that they were good people trapped in a bad system that heavily indoctrinated them from birth. So it makes sense why they changed quickly, with Mai’s actions in the comics being driven by Zuko alienating her like a dumbass and Ukano putting her in a no-win situation.”

Well, that all may be true, but it still doesn’t change the fact that their heel-face turns essentially come out of nowhere, with hints that they might turn being subtle enough that viewers might miss them on their first viewing. 

For example, the look Mai and Ty Lee give each other when Azula tells Kuei it sucks that you can’t trust the people closest to you, the dirty look Mai gives Azula when she orders Mai to leave her and Zuko alone despite Mai and Zuko having a picnic date, or Ty Lee’s advice in regards to getting boys being essentially what she does to placate Azula.

Nor is there ever any hints, unlike with Zuko for example, that they disagree with the Fire Nation’s imperialist ideologies. So showing that they too don’t like the Fire Nation’s imperialist ideologies before their betrayals would have made them quickly become friends with, and staunch allies of, the Gaang make more sense.

Especially since as far as we know, unlike Zuko or Iroh, they never underwent de-Sozinfication due to experiencing life as peasants who are also enemies of the Fire Nation.

(Yes, I am aware that Ty Lee probably got de-Sozinfied by interacting with the Kyoshi Warriors in jail, and that in the “Sisters” comics, she all but says she joined the Kyoshi Warriors to help the world heal from the Fire Nation’s imperialism. But it still doesn’t change the fact that this is only implied, and thus is a mostly headcanon interpretation of Ty Lee’s post-war actions.)

Not to mention the fact that Mai refuses to squeal on the New Ozai Society until Kiyi is kidnapped and seems even swayed by Ukano’s pro-Ozai/anti-Zuko speech.

For the fact that Mai behaved the way she did, even though she knew that if Ozai returned to the throne, it would mean the Fire Nation would restart the war of conquest she now knows, or at least should know, is wrong, implies that she never got fully de-Sozinifed, or at least to the extent that Zuko or Iroh did for example.

So to conclude, I personally think that Avatar is a masterpiece and is one of the best works ever produced in Western Animated history. But it does not mean that it is without its flaws, for I think S3 was missing episodes focusing on Ozai, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee that would not have only enhanced their characters and role in the narrative, but also would have prevented a lot of the issues present in the comics.

For in regards to Ozai, would it have been too hard to show us interacting with his kids? Mai and/or Ty Lee? Iroh in his cell? Or show him actively being Fire Lord outside of his war council meeting? Or have him take down a coup attempt, showing why the only person other than Iroh who stands a chance against him is a fully realized Aang?

In regards to Azula, would it have been too hard to delve into her background so that not only does the question of whether Azula is a product of nature or nurture not plague fandom and the franchise for years, but also clarifies what exactly is her issue(s)?

And in regards to Mai and Ty Lee, would it have been too hard to delve into their backgrounds so that not only was a definitive answer given to the question of whether they were ever Azula’s friends, but also so their heel-face turns, as well how hard they turned, wouldn’t have been so jarring?

No, hence why I think ATLA S3 has three issues that prevent it from being on the level of ATLA S2.

[teethless]

tags

you're what / shocked and disappointed ? i'm evil › ic.

a tussle like that is good for the soul › hc.

getting killed made me feel alive for the very first time › study.

i don't want to be this good looking and athletic / we all have crosses to bear › visuals.

i wasn't lurking / i was standing about / totally different vibe › aesthetics.

creature of the night here yeah ? › answered.

love isn't brains children / it's blood › meta.

i. you're all i bloody think about / dream about / you're in my gut / in my throat / i'm drowning in you › buffy.

i. whatever souls are made of / his and mine are the same › drusilla.

i. i'm sorry i can't save you from everything › dawn.

i. she never treated me like a freak › joyce.

i. it's almost like your my father-in-law in'nt › giles.

i. i'd bite you in a heartbeat › willow.

i. i'm insane / what's his excuse ? › xander.

i. my money's on the witch › tara.

i. had a thing / didn't last › anya.

i. captain cardboard ! › riley.

i. plenty of room / good company › fred.

i. he's a breath of fresh air isn't he ? / good thing i don't breathe › andrew.