#prince netflix deal

[altruistic-meme]

hands - a young royals study 1/?

[ season 1, episode 1 ]

part 1 / part 2

[victoriademedici]

The people that are apart of the Invictus Games have really inspiring stories and I got chills just from watching the trailer but with Harry in it, they won’t be enough for it to do well. I know he founded it so they probably wouldn’t be able to not include him if he didn’t consent to that but it’s sad that it’s going to flop just because of him.

[dmwire]

King Charles Set To Strip Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle's Titles Over Netflix And Book Arrangement

Prince Harry is set to deliver his memoir, named ‘Spare’, next year on January 10, however, two or three’s documentary was delayed by Netflix following backlash to ‘The Crown season 5. A royal author uncovered threats between royals following their gathering at Queen’s funeral. British King Charles III could strip Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and the children of their titles if their upcoming…

[piosplayhouse]

I too watched the hbomberguy video and went straight to Twitter, whereupon I found that James Somerton had mentioned danmei in one of his videos and it made everyone mad, so I went looking and. yeah here's a full transcription of his just completely incorrect coverage of cql and mdzs from "Hollywood's (Gay) China Problem" so you don't have to watch it and give him views:

"The 2019 fantasy series The Untamed, featuring an unlikely bond between a man with magic powers and a stoic prince, started an online craze over the pair's implicit romance, but the show's promotion focused on its portrayal of Chinese traditional culture, a push consistent with Chinese communist party propaganda.

The show was... Queerbait-y. But the novel on which it was based [shows a picture of the fanmade cover for The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation made by fan translator team Exiled Rebels] certainly was not. That featured a very explicit love story between the two main characters, but was self-censored when adapted to meet the censorship guidelines of the Xi Jinping government. But it didn't matter. Like so much queerbaiting before, people saw through the weak veneer of heterosexuality. They "took the bait", so to speak. The series has accumulated a total of 9.5 billion views in China as of this summer, and had also received an international release via Netflix. It was described as a global phenomenon, taking off like no BL series before it, making its way all around Asia and with the Netflix deal, all across Europe and North America as well.

Tencent, the Chinese streaming platform it originated on, saw 2.6 million new subscribers to the service when it was released. And WeTV, an app that lets you watch BL content anywhere in the world, saw growth of 250% while the show was airing. In January of 2020, the cast members planned to embark on a multi-city, worldwide fan meeting tour. Cities included Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, Macau, Kuala Lumpur, Toronto, Los Angeles, New York... But it was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Even the Chinese government has endorsed it. The overseas popularity of these romantic sword-wielding heroes is often highlighted in Chinese media coverage focusing on the massive overseas streaming numbers and its ability to build a growing appreciation of the charm of Chinese culture."

[beannary]

guys drawing donnie doing ballet had me IN THE TRENCHES omg im never doing that again so you all better appreciate it (btw i used ballet reference from the first episode of tiny pretty things which is a show on netflix that i never finished but that I got super into for a hot sec when it came out aslkdjfh)

This is part 22 of The Little Prince Separated AU

Beginning | Previous | Next

(I put the text for Donnie's thoughts under the read more if you want to see it all written out)

Ok Donatello, you absolutely CANNOT mess this up. All you need to do is perfectly change the terms of the deal at the last moment, just like Mama does, even though this is something you have no experience with. No pressure. But perhaps I would have a better chance at success if I were to do things my own way, rather than just doing what mother does best. If I simply build some sort of machine, that can get the job done, that would show her that my tech is valuable and can be of use to her so she would then let me invent more! Alright Donnie, you've got this!

[thethiefandtheairbender]

once again i am asking everyone who was disappointed with natla and wants more good original animated storytelling to watch The Dragon Prince on netflix, particularly if you want complex, flawed, and fleshed out female characters and worldbuilding! Also for consistent motifs/symbols, foreshadowing, and a truly stunning amount of lore.

Unreliable narrators! Tragic siblings! Characters who are allowed to be hypocritical and sympathetic! Neutral and malevolent magic systems! Exploring not only how to break cycles of harm, abuse, and violence, but also why they're perpetuated! Dragons with personalities! Varied queer (lesbian, gay, transgender) and disabled rep (deaf, blind, amputees)! Majority of cast and key players are also all characters of colour, particularly in s4 onwards

It's been 5 out of 7 seasons and we're still unravelling things from the first 4 episodes alone, never mind the foreshadowing.

Tropes:

If you didn't want to be assimilated into my found family, you should've killed me when you had the chance

Someone who believes they are hard to love and someone who loves them like it's breathing

The needs of the many (interrogated) x Deal with the devil

Just... constant recontextualization, god bless

Child kings and queens

A metaphorically cannibalistic magic system that might not be so metaphorical after all

and so much more! I think about "You let him live, but you killed us all" every damn day, and that's just from ep1. Some of the ATLA voice actors (Sokka and Koh the Face Stealer) feature here as well as some of the creative team (most notably Aaron Ehasz, ATLA's head writer)

[jacesvelaryons]

Jacaerys Velaryon Previews

Hey everyone! Wanted to give an update on the fic ideas I've got cooking so far, share my progress and build up excitement on what you'd like me to finish and publish first! (Don't worry I haven't forgotten my ongoing series and requests)

As always, please let me know what you think, I live for any interaction you give me, reblogs and comments who help me be encouraged to share this with everyone.

My requests remain open, and thank you for your patience.

masterlist

requests OPEN

status: just came up with fic idea and made poster, after brainstorming with my muse @hxtd

summary/premise: y/n is feeling the effects of inflation as bills rise and tuition is due for school soon. good thing her friend jace, who happens to just be the grandson of the targaryen corporation chairman and hails from the richest family in existence. he promises to support her with no interest and due date to pay him back, other than to accompany him in return to events so they stop pestering him to find a girlfriend. rule number one? no feelings.

deals with mentions of the dark sides of sugaring, critically looking at sugaring, relying on rich men, nightlife, if you've seen baby (2019) on netflix

status: poster, summary, brainstormed idea

summary/premise: reader is determined to get her husband back after the battle of the gullet. she uses magic to bring him back to life. he looks like jace, if you ignore the scars, and acts just like he did before, but it's slightly off. some horror elements if you squint.

status: around 900~ words, sections written out of what to put, out of my fics the one most written already

summary/premise: like how Otto Hightower made his daughter wear her mother's old dresses to become the future queen, Y/N Celtigar hears of this and tries to see if the trick will still work for newly widowed Prince Jacaerys Velaryon after his late wife Baela passed in battle.

status: poster, summary and idea

summary/premise: Inspired heavily by The Great as poster implies, Y/N Targaryen firmly believes in a prophecy her dear sister Helaena has shared one night, that she was meant for greatness, with a crown on her head as queen. enticed with grandeur for sketches and daydreaming of plans of how to improve westeros and rule, she knows her greatest shot to be queen is to get jace's fancy and convince her father the king and her mother the crown princess that there was no other option for his consort but her. no seduction at first, more teasing and brain games. smut to follow in later chapters if sequels turn the one shot to a series

status: poster, summary, ideas

summary/premise: Reader was always the awkward one at King's Landing Academy, never fitting in, but Jacaerys Velaryon, heir to Targaryen Corp and descendant of one of the school's founders, never saw a reason to treat her otherwise. Until after one summer she shows up all glowed up, teenage features polished after puberty finally kicked in, and she learned how to do her hair, makeup and style herself to what suited her best. Now suddenly all the boys want her attention, and Jace ain't having it, knowing how superficial they were, and well, weren't there before she became the beauty standard.

status: just the poster, idea and summary written up

summary: dealing with post partum mood swings and balancing wife of the heir duties, jacaerys being the most respectful husband and doting father never rushing you, just an angel, smut and all, just loving worship sex

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

The Daily Mail has helpfully listed all the times Meghan’s rebrands and relaunches have failed.

Archived Link

Here, FEMAIL reveals the Duke and Duchess' projects that, for all the carefully constructed razzmatazz of their launch, have so far come to little.

ARO/Roop:

[L]ittle more has been officially revealed about the brand, with no Instagram posts on the firm's official account since March and the website simply offering fans the chance to join a waitlist. But what exactly are potential customers waiting for? Jam and dog biscuits? A source told The Daily Mail in June that the priority is instead the launch of a rosé wine. It's unclear when exactly American Riviera Orchard products will be available.

Archetypes:

The Duchess, who produced only one series of her podcast Archetypes for Spotify before parting ways with the company, had signed with Lemonada to develop and host a new series. However, a source told Eden that there is not expected to be any work broadcast this year. 'The relaunch of Meghan's Archetypes podcast got pushed back to 2025,' the California-based source says….Lemonada is said to be concerned that there would also be 'scheduling conflicts' between the launch of its podcasts and that of Meghan's lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard.

40x40:

It was unclear at the time as to exactly how the project would work, or whether there would be any way to measure its success. But according to The Sun, less than 10 months on, there was no follow-up on the campaign and royal expert Angela Levin said she thought the 40x40 project had been 'cancelled'. She said: 'I think it's very quietly gone into the dustbin,' added that it was an idea of the royal's that 'didn't come off'. There also doesn't seem to be any mention of the 40x40 project on the Duke and Duchess' Archewell website.

Spotify:

Last January, [Bill Simmons, Spotify’s head head of podcast innovation and monetization] blasted Prince Harry, saying it was 'embarrassing' to be affiliated with the same company. 'Shoot this guy to the sun,' he said, according to sports website The Big Lead. 'I'm so tired of this guy. What does he bring to the table? He just whines about s*** and keeps giving interviews. Who gives a s***? Who cares about your life? You weren't even the favourite son. You live in f****** Montecito and you just sell documentaries and podcasts and nobody cares what you have to say about anything unless you talk about the royal family and you just complain about them.'

The couple produced less than 13 hours of content during the three-year partnership: 12 episodes of Meghan's Archetypes show, and a 30-minute Christmas special featuring both the Duke and Duchess.

Pearl/Netflix:

Harry and Meghan signed a five-year agreement with Netflix* in 2020 worth an estimated $100million (£80million) but earlier this year there was speculation that their contract renewal was under threat.

The couple's first launch on the streaming giant was their six-part documentary 'Harry and Meghan' which was released in 2022 and caused controversy with its series of swipes at the Royal Family. … But in May, Netflix dropped Meghan's planned animated series Pearl as part of a wave of cutbacks prompted by the streaming service's drop in subscribers. All references to her doomed animation were wiped from her Archewell website after the series was axed by the streaming giant. A prior description of the series under the Archewell Productions subsection was nowhere to be found after it was cancelled.

*There’s been a lot of speculation over the years about their Netflix deal, but this is the first official confirmation in writing (that I’ve been able to find) that it’s a 5-year deal. This supports my theory that the new push for content (Meghan’s lifestyle show, her cooking show, and Harry’s polo documentary) is a final “do or die” effort to be able to renegotiate their contract and renew their deal.

[theydonthavenames]

Can I just quickly point out how Netflix and the rest fucked with us with the stills and trailer they released. They showed us everything yet we knew nothing and made us believe in exactly opposite of what happened. Have a look.

Didn't we all think here shit oh shit Simon is so happy vibing with his new bf at the party. RIP Wilmon, let Sircus reign. Well in the exhibit above the petty little gay bitch is making his almost-ex boyfriend intentionally jealous af and he was winning at it (or rather loosing as we found out later). And that smirk? Nothing to do with Markus, sorry not sorry.

Awww such a cute bff moment. Pahahaha. Little did we know we were about to be hit in the face with the biggest cringe moment of the season. I remember one or two souls saying well they look a bit sus cuddling on a bed like that, and the rest (including me) shouted noo! beauty of platonic friendship! We were played my friends. Lol. Just lol.

Look at this sequence. We thought first day back at school? Reunion moment? What is Simon smiling like that for? Well he's about to break our hearts in two and mend us again at the same time. That includes Wille, actually. We had no idea. Neither did Wille. 

The speech makes me lol as well. I don't think anyone was too excited about it. Everyone thought yeah another princely thingy, some shit speech, yawn, whatever. My ass! Who cried at the shitty boring speech? I'll go first 🙋‍♀️

Look at them, some dirty villain-to-half villain deal about to commence. The only dirtiness that commenced was in August's bedroom. And it was actually cute and fluffy af. This must be my most favourite twist this season.

Blue lights in the mirror? Finally August is about to be taken by the police!!! Yeah, party police. Let's move on.

Ohhh Sara baby what's wrong? Are you sad? Is Hillerska treating you badly? Are you having anxiety attack? Did someone hurt you? Listen people, she was horny. For August. Out of all the people. Seriously, wtf Netflix?!?!

I was obsessed with this pic. Aww Wilmon having such a cute couple moment, they're out and proud at Hillerska, not a secret anymore. Nope. Simon just momentarily forgotten he doesn't love Wille anymore and is supposed to move on but then he remembers it and jumps away coz he probably saw Markus looking at them like ???? Still a cute little moment.

Wille on the table, Wille on the table! They all cheer because all Hillerska ship Wilmon too! Not quite. All they ship is their own asses and maybe some heteronormativity. (Is that even a word?) Ugh.

Who's that???? Oh shit that's Markus. Must be Markus. Wille bumped into him at Simon's house 😱 Wille looks sad. I'm so stressed!!! Chill out people, it's only Simon. And Wille's just about to announce he can give up the throne for him. Nothing exciting, you know, just some domestic couple stuff.

And this moment? Looks serious. Simon looks sad? Is he comforting Wille? Has someone died? Well the only person who died at that moment was me okay?

They fucked with us. Or our clowning backfired. Decide for yourself.

[celticcrossanon]

Excerpts of a podcast discussion about H&M

Celta, there’s a podcast called Juicy Scoop, hosted by Heather McDonald, where she has Spencer Pratt on an episode (SP is an American reality television personality and hears gossip in Hollywood) and they discuss H&M. There’s not really any new tea but I thought I would pass it along to you anyway what was said. :)Below are excerpts transcribed by “RBXChas” at https://www.reddit.com/r/SaintMeghanMarkle/comments/1ch2ayp/summary_of_august_2023_juicy_scoop_podcast_re_hm/

Spencer says he has some “real deal” information from a friend who tried to go to TMZ, but if you don’t have a photo, they don’t care, even if it’s a really good story. His source said that H&M do not live together (H lives in LA), and H cannot believe that they need two nannies because he and Prince William only had one. Heather reads that as he is bitching about M as a mom and why does she need two nannies (e.g., complaining about her spending), which Spencer confirms.

Spencer says he has another source at Netflix who says that “the numbers that we heard had a lot of extra zeros for their Netflix deal, so there wasn’t that much money coming in”. He thinks they went too big with their house and wants to see her get back into acting because he liked her on Suits.

Heather asks him if he thinks M will have to go on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. He thinks H&M are not going to make it (Heather agrees) even though he wanted it to work out, but he believes his source (presumably about their living apart). He thinks H will go back to England and “get back in the family” and do the RF thing, only coming to the US to visit, because he thinks he could do so much more if he teamed up with Prince William.

Heather says that she has her own source of really good intel, definitely not the same source as Spencer’s. She says that it is true that “they are grifters” and that “they are constantly social climbing and trying to get free shit”. She knows someone who “they did that exact same thing to, met them, asked if they could stay at their very fancy third home” and then “asked ‘can we use your jet’ all that kind of stuff”, that “it’s her, that she’ll like zoom right in, but he’s down for the free shit, too, he’s used to getting free stuff, and he’s used to people wanting to host them”. She says the people who’ve gotten to meet them and are trapped into socializing with them realize H&M have the “stink on them”, so even if they socialize with them, “they don’t even want to take a photo with them” because they “don’t want the world to know that we’re buddies or that you stayed at my house, and by the way you’re never staying again.”

Heather talks about the phone hacking case. She thinks it’s about money and staying in the press. She thinks H should let it go, especially if he is going to divorce M, and just say he is “moving on from this chapter” of his life.

Spencer says that H just needs “a reboot”, that he’s not too old to do it, that “this is like red alert, like you’ve got to turn this around”. Heather and Spencer agree that the only way H can save himself is a divorce, which they both think is sad.

Enjoy the tea!

*

Hi TeaWithBooks,

Thank you for sending that in.

Here is the link if anyone wants to read the entire interview transcription (it is a lot more than the above)

https://www.reddit.com/r/SaintMeghanMarkle/comments/1ch2ayp/summary_of_august_2023_juicy_scoop_podcast_re_hm/

I agree with the conclusion that was drawn (8 months ago?) If Harry is to make anything of his life and redeem himself, he needs to get rid of his wife. Unfortunately, I don’t think Harry sees it that way.

[epsilontauri]

so, i just binge watched all seasons of the dragon prince and i have a an idea how the story could develop and it’s all based on the last two episodes:

callum has one empty cursed coin, and one free-running aaravos. and callum absolutely knows how to cast the coin spell, so the main conflict could be about whether or not he should try to trap aaravos in the coin, especially after he finally got his soul healed from dark magic. he would probably hesitate because he promised rayla. he‘ll put it off as last possible resort, even coming up with the solution that when the dark magic overwhelms and, probably, kills him, he could be resurrected with the last of the quasar diamonds. deep down he wants to put his life on the line as a way to deal with his guilt, and blames himself for getting manipulated into switching the pearls.

eventually they venture out to get the staff of ziard back which is needed for the spell, only to realise that the staff needs a new quasar diamond to work (and also that that’s where the third diamond has ended up and who put a fake one into the crown). i hope this won’t happen because the symbolism would be really bleak for me— finally overcoming your past mistakes that caused trouble and pain, just to be forced to repeat them one finale time with your own life on the line (hello beloved parallels with viren).

there is a possibility that aaravos would try to get the last diamond himself to resurrect his daughter, but i think that’s rather unlikely given the fact that he managed to plan ahead enough to hide one diamond in case he‘d needed to get resurrected— if his plan would be to resurrect leola, he would have hidden two of the diamonds.

another possibility would be that claudia breaks free of aaravos after understanding why her father made the choices he had, and follow his example one last time— except that she survives and gets to make amends with everyone. no she can’t be killed, that would break terry‘s heart and if they decide to hurt terry through the narrative i will set netflix on fire.

anyways, i can‘t wait for the next season.

[anonymoushouseplantfan]

Lol, they’re throwing Spotify under the bus! Talk about burning bridges with Hollywood.

This is a waste of time. The joint brand is not getting a “comeback.”

[meret118]

I really encourage people to check this out. It's a bit like LOTR, but it's more diverse, and deals with far more shades of gray. The show includes characters that are multiracial, queer, trans, disabled and neurodivergent. Unlike LOTR, the villains aren't evil monoliths. We are shown how they ended up that way, and that being evil is a choice that sometimes starts with the best of intentions.

Season 4 is a bit slow, but the rest are terrific, and season 6 blew me away. It's all well planned, with details coming clear even seasons later. They're contracted to do at least one more season, but I think the creators, one of whom is an ATLA creator btw, have ideas for even more. I think you'll like it. :)

ETA: I originally wrote season 5 is slow by mistake. I meant season 4.

[mdhwrites]

I was thinking your takes of how TOH fails at making a bigotry allegory with the witches that I can’t help be reminded of this post regarding Netflix’s The Dragon Prince (I’m not sure if you watched the show): https://www.tumblr.com/chronicallylatetotheparty/757857588414152704/i-think-western-media-has-relied-on-non-human

The writers of both TOH and TDP have far more interest on [insert magical creature]. They’re unintentionally bias that narrative reflects on it.

They make humans look worse than [insert magical creature] for reason that justified (in TDP villagers attacked a dragon who was harassing them for days and TOH have witches eat babies in the 1690s while they have a main villain be against witches and was probably in the same time period). They ignore certain details that make [insert magical creature] look bad and result in messy world building and messages (in TDP there was a reference to the Trail of Tears that the humans have to endure from the elves and dragons and in TOH witches sees humans as inferior).

Amphibia actually doesn’t ignore that the fantasy creatures can be messy. In fact they have Anne deal with being treated like a freak because the frogs never met a human.

They have Andrias and the Core be the bad guys who attempted to take over Earth. They considered humans as lesser beings because they have knowledge, power, and technology humans don’t have.

Amphibia is by far the only recent fantasy story that is willing to let the magical creatures be flawed and their society changed.

So I think you and the blog you cite are actually two very different points. The blog you linked is about lazy recycling of tropes from better media to the point where we have stopped considering what made those tropes powerful and those stories impactful. Anime is also facing a problem of this but when you try to apply it to more allegorical elements, like trying to use non-humans as an oppressed underclass (something even most classic fantasy fucks up in a number of ways) you get some really abhorrent, accidental undertones.

Your complaint on the other hand is... A little hard to tell if I'm being honest, especially since the TOH stuff (I haven't watched TDP) appears to either be VERY arguable (the Isles does not give a flying fuck about humans, positive or negative) or seems to be taking words that I assume either were said as a joke or by Belos, the bigot, about witch behavior in the past. "They eat our babies" is just about as stereotypical of bigot speech from someone who's a moron as you can get.

And I keep trying to find something to grab onto with your point and I'm just struggling. Honestly, it just sounds like the general complaint of 'smart' stories actually being dumb as rocks. The stories that can actually tell a complicated narrative that portrays every side properly in a conflict is extremely rare. This is how you get TOH being so pro-self expression that acknowledging ANY societal requirements, or any amount of engagement with 'the system' is portrayed as negative when like... Luz assaults people in the first five minutes as part of her 'self expression'.

It is preachy and lazy and leaves these cultures with no actual culture because they are there to make a statement. A lot of sci-fi struggle with this because of The World of Hats problem where they want to comment on one type of person so an entire race is just that type of person, like the ever present Warrior Race in all speculative media. It is the storytelling equivalent of writing an analytical piece with the conclusion set in stone. Your ability to make the piece properly will inherently be tainted.

I haven't watched TDP but for TOH, this is how you get Belos' death as it is in the show. Belos claims that humanity has mercy. Has sympathy. That a human is moral enough that if they see someone in agony, they will be compelled to save them, unlike these witches. However, the thesis behind TOH is that witches are good and people like Belos are pure evil. As such, he is written lazily and so are the witches. Belos' speech is 100% just recycled from elsewhere. A final plea to a hero to be saved, with the witch response being a badass one liner or meant to be one that makes them look cool and superior. It plays to the thesis and 'theme' of TOH... Without examining the details for even half a second because if you do, yeah, they're rancid. This race accused of not caring for other people or their lives just agrees with the villain before proving him right by stomping him to death. This isn't saying that Belos should have lived, absolutely fucking not, but that someone who was worried more about their point, who was being careful about their allegories, might have made it so that instead of glee, literally one of them calls murder 'satisfying' which... Dear god why? They might have made it horror, or hesitation or a dozen other emotions that do have this race thought to be monstrous consider reaching out to this man who has hurt them so much. That in his final moments, Belos would be proven wrong because while they hurt him and so they could never forget, they at least provide him with mercy. Genuine empathy that he never gave them despite everything he's done because, you know... They're good people and not what he thinks they are.

But if you are certain about your message, entirely unquestioning... Why would you do that? Not when you can do the 'subversive' thing despite the fact that these tropes exist for a reason and subverting them might not happen a lot for a reason. That some plot beats are just mandatory for the sake of making your point function. It is being a confident dumbass about your story because you're never going to blink as far as questions on how well you did go.

But do you know what happens when you don't blink? Irritation, which sure seems to be how people feel about these mixed messages. See you next tale.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[eponastory]

Alright let's break this silly argument down a bit shall we?

First off, yes, everyone in the Gaang has trauma. We know this, and we don't disregard that. We know that Sokka and Katara have trauma. We know Aang has guilt over what happens with the Air Nomads when he ran away. We know Toph has baggage because her parents kept her confined because of her disability. That's all been established.

Comparing trauma does not work in anyone's favor because it's different from person to person and the way that it's treated. Hell, there are FOUR types of PTSD and not all of them have to do with existential circumstances. Some of these types have nothing to do with being in a situation that causes panic.

But it's how we deal with our trauma that sets us on the path to healing.

In Katara's case, she had some pretty severe Survivors Guilt. Not necessarily PTSD, but it could be argued that she does have that. It changed her life irrevocably and that is something she had to deal with. She does get to deal with it in TSR but this leads to conflict between her and the group because there is this perception of her that isn't really her.

Sokka has to rise above his issues with being a non-bender and feeling left out. I also feel like he hides a lot behind his humor to deflect how he really feels about things. This is what happens when you have anxiety about meeting expectations. He has expectations he has to fulfill, and it never goes right. He's afraid of disappointing people he cares about and doesn't want to let them down. He isn't a failure, but when he does actually do something amazing, there is Imposter Syndrome. We don't see it much, but we do in NAtLA.

I'm not going to talk about Aang. I refuse.

Toph has been sheltered her whole life because she is blind. She is at home with herself, but she doesn't like anyone to do anything for her. She eventually learns that it's okay to have help when she needs it and that it's okay to have friends. (Not comparing trauma here, but she has the minor character arch out of all of them)

Zuko is... a lot to unpack. At the beginning, we know next to nothing about him except that he is the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, and he's hunting the Avatar to reclaim his 'honor'. He's hot-headed, but we never actually see him hurting anyone. He threatens, but he doesn't want to hurt people. That's the first sign that things aren't all they seem with Sifu Hotman. Throughout book one we get to know him a little better and see that he is Banished from home because of a 'misunderstanding' and he was also brutally abused by his own father. In the Netflix Adaptation it's more nuanced at how Ozai is playing his children against each other for his own benefit. It sucks but it's also good writing (some of the best writing is done with the characters of the Fire Nation) but anyway, we get an understanding of where Zuko's trauma comes from.

He has been emotionally abused by his narcissistic sociopath of a father because Zuko didn't have that 'spark' in his eyes at birth (not the entire reason but I'll get to that in a bit). Azula was the Prodigy, so Ozai put all his focus on to her. Then, his mother literally killed Azulon to save Zuko's life, but he doesn't find out until later. All of that plus the Agni Kai against his father is why he is so invested in finding the Avatar. Ozai seemingly took everything away from Zuko, but Zuko still loves his father and his people.

So why is he chasing the Avatar? Because he wants to go back to everything he knows. It's not just about getting back something that was never really taken away, it was all about getting back everything Ozai took from him.

Zuko never lost his honor, but he had everything else stripped from him and was humiliated for it.

He eventually grows through this and begins to heal himself with confronting Ozai on the Day of Black Sun. That was when he said 'fuck this shit I'm doing this my way' and that royally pisses Ozai off.

So if you don't like that our argument has better standing than yours, I suggest you go take some creative writing classes and learn about character development.

[andiatas]

Opinion piece: It may appear as if she is selling something that is not really hers

The interest and the money are there because she is her father's daughter.

Photo: NTB

Modern royalty is not easy to define. This is partly because it is full of paradoxes.

On the one hand, being royal is deeply personal. It binds a Royal Family together in a way no other families [can] experience. It also means that the royals have to live with a significant interest in who they are and what they think and feel. Who they fall in love with and marry. How they raise their children.

On the other hand, being royal is something very impersonal. You have not become King, Queen, Prince, or Princess because you have achieved something. It's a role you've been assigned through a genetic lottery, and it's a win that brings disadvantages as well as advantages.

Patrick Jephson, who was Princess Diana's private secretary for many years, has written several books about royalty. In his book on Meghan Markle, he points out the importance of distinguishing between the fame you've worked for and the fame you've been born into or married into.

A princess, writes Jephson, will always be listened to. She can say obvious things from a podium, and the applause will faithfully follow. It can be challenging to accept that this goodwill is not really personal. It would be there for anyone who filled the royal role dutifully and kindly.

Jephson's point is relevant to the debate about young royals in general and [around] Princess Märtha Louise in general. There was a reaction when it became known that the Princess and Durek Verrett had sold the rights to their wedding to Netflix and the celebrity magazine Hello.

The two are far from the first famous couple to make such a trade. When movie star George Clooney and lawyer Amal Alamuddin married, they sold the rights to the wedding photos to the British Hello and the American People. The couple made it known that the money would be donated to charity. So did former spouses Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie when they sold their wedding photos to People.

By emphasizing that the money would not go to themselves, the couples also gave the impression that they were selling the rights primarily to retain control over publicity and avoid paparazzi in the bushes rather than to get even richer. Not all brides and grooms with similar deals have been equally generous.

Artist Nick Jonas and Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra also sold their wedding to People. In addition, they received so much sponsorship from commercial actors that their wedding was mockingly called "sponsored content" on social media.

But it causes a stir differently when a Princess does the same thing as movie stars. It has to do with the impersonal part of her position. Unlike the other celebrities, it can appear that the Princess is selling something that is not hers.

The interest and the money Hello is willing to pay are ultimately there because she is her father's daughter.

In the Norwegian royal context, the Märtha case is unique. But in Great Britain, there is a comparable example. When Peter Philips, Queen Elizabeth's eldest grandson, married Autumn Kelly in 2008, he also sold the image rights to Hello.

The Queen was not informed in advance. When she realized what had happened, she must have intensely disliked it. The Daily Telegraph later quoted a source at the Royal Court as saying, "It will never happen again. In retrospect, it should never have happened in the first place."

Princess Märtha Louise is far from the only European royal who creates challenges for her family. Heirs to the throne across Europe have rebellious brothers and sisters who feel they spent their entire upbringing conforming, enduring a distressing attention to many of them.

Several of them, such as British Prince Harry and Danish Prince Joachim, have reacted strongly when they feel that the institution is still trying to control them after they become adults. This is understandable. But like the Norwegian Princess, the royals learn that the gold dust from the castles cannot be completely washed off.

It is not difficult to sympathize with the young royals who experienced growing up under tremendous pressure. The celebrity press can be harsh and harsher in many countries than in Norway, and the style was more invasive in the nineties than today. However, in addition to the disadvantages, royalty brings significant advantages.

Princes and Princesses grow up in a family financed by the public. They experience doors opening for them and invitations pouring in. They regularly have personal meetings with men and women who are changing the world. And they always carry with them something extremely marketable, something many people want a piece of.

This is part of the art of being a modern royal if you don't have a throne waiting. It is a matter of discretion. It's about seeing which doors you can enter and which you should leave closed if you don't want to provoke reactions and make people wonder if this monarchy thing was really such a good idea.

Translation and editing for clarity by me of an opinion piece by Inger Merete Hobbelstad for NRK, published Aug. 30, 2024, at 13:40.