#the make me insane for the live action avatar i mean...

[opens-up-4-nobody]

:-P

[aangarchy]

Netflix atla live action review ep 1-3

So i was able to watch the first three episodes and i wrote down some thoughts. Strap yourselves in, it's gonna be a big post. There's a lot i don't like, but it's not all negative. So let's get the negative out of the way first, then we'll get to the positive.

The cgi is abhorrent. Especially the green screen stuff where a lot of movement is happening. I'm specifically referring to the scenes of Katara and Sokka in the canoe as well as the Omashu railing system, and anytime Aang is flying on his glider. The bending may be better than the original live action, but it's not good either. Bending for me was always gonna be impossible in live action. I never feel like there's any connection between the moves the actor is making and the cgi element. In animation it's much easier to make the two connect, but an actor is basically staring at nothing and moving their hands around a bunch, hoping post will make it look good. This show also fell prey to the "ball of water is consistently losing water and yet remains the same shape and size" trap. I think out of all the elements the airbending looks the best and the earthbending so far the worst. The Avatar state looked very janky as well, some shots looked like there wasn't even an actor there anymore and it was all animated. And not animated in a good way either, some of the movements were way to wobbly, reminding me of that weird broom flying cgi in the first harry potter movie where the character is flopping about awkwardly bc it's badly animated. The animals also look pretty weird to me, i can barely tell where Appa's face is most of the time. Also for some reason they have momo making monkey noises instead of lemur noises? Like he legit sounds like a chimpanzee? I wonder what that's about.

The costumes are very hit or miss. They're very bright and i've often seen them fit awkwardly on the actors. Suki's headband was practically sliding off of her head while doing a fight scene, and in Omashu an extra's headscarf literally slid off of her head as she walked out of frame. Don't even mention Bumi to me either, that guy looks absolutely insane to me and i mean that negative. I can't suspend my disbelief enough to pretend that's a real guy. I liked Suki's makeup however, and i really like how they did Katara's hair and outfit. We got our first glance at Ty Lee and Mai too, and i like that Ty Lee is basically a carbon copy of her cartoon outfit.

Some story choices are.... interesting. Some of them, i'm not sure whether i like them or not yet. I'm confused as to why they combined three different stories into the Omashu storyline. We have Bumi, Teo and the Mechanist, as well as Jet all piled up in the same city, and somehow Zuko is there as well. The Jet story happened way too quickly, and i'm confused as to why Sokka was so upset at Jet's betrayal when he hadn't even spoken to the guy at all, he didn't even know his name. I don't like the choice of having everyone split up in Omashu. There was a lot of focus on Katara and Sokka and Aang barely appeared. I will say i really loved the no bending fight Aang and Zuko had in Omashu. Such a shame that their choreography barely got any time to shine due to the fight scenes being edited like marvel movies to hide mistakes. This has me excited for the blue spirit episode though!

I don't like the way they revealed that Aang is the Avatar in the watertribe. Why is Gran Gran the one that immediately knows? Just bc she's old? I liked that Aang revealed it himself in the original, but in this one it's just Gran Gran telling everyone who he is and Sokka not even believing her.

Then there's the opening for the first episode. I have very mixed feelings. I like that they showed the bond between Gyatso and Aang, and i liked the way they switched between Gyatso's last stand and Aang falling into the water. I'm sticking to my guns however with saying that we didn't need to see the attack on the airtemples play out. I liked it being this mysterious event that happened so long ago it's become legend to anyone alive today. But now, as a viewer, we have more information than our main characters. It also took away from the emotional turmoil of Aang finding Gyatso's skeleton. In the original, there's still this slimmer of hope, are they really dead? Could some still be alive? Only for it to be ripped away then and there. Now the audience already knows Gyatso is dead, we know what Aang is about to find. They also didn't really linger on Aang's emotions after this, like at all? He buried Gyatso and basically went "alright where to next?"

There also seems to be a lot less bonding time, making the relationship between the characters in episode 1 and 2 very weird. Katara and Aang barely had one conversation in the first episode, and Katara was already talking about Aang changing her life and helping improve her bending after only one day. It feels very weird and forced. It gets better by episode 3, but it was definitely bad in the first two.

I'm gonna say it again but i'm mad about Sokka's sexism arc disappearing. Suki was angry at Sokka for just comparing her skills as a warrior to him, when she hadn't even seen him fight yet. She also starts out as being weirdly enchanted by Sokka just bc he's an outsider. He's not even attractive at all, and they're trying to sell him as some sort of heartthrob. I like their bonding time while they trained, but i don't like how immediately Sokka is hung up on her. He still needs to meet Yue, and idk about you but to me it would be weird for him to already like one girl, and suddenly jump to the next.

I'm not sure why Kyoshi is being Aang's main Avatar guide here? I always figured it should be the Avatar right before you that would do the job, so why did Kyoshi get to Aang before Roku? And why did she already give Aang the speech about saving the world? What else is Roku gonna do? I know we get the Hei Bai story in this show, so what's the point of the Hei Bai story when it doesn't lead to Roku's dragon coming to Aang to warn him about the comet? I'm not mad at this btw, genuinely just confused. I don't understand the point yet.

Onto the acting, once again very hit or miss. So far Gordon (Aang) has been one of the best. He's a very good representation of Aang's character, and i like that he brought out Aang's sassier side right away. Kiawentiio (Katara) so far has been really good too, and i like her chemistry with Gordon. I was prepared for Ian (Sokka) to be much worse than he ended up being, and a lot of jokes in the first episode did end up landing for me. Unfortunately the opposite is true for Dallas (Zuko), i was expecting his performance to be better than what it ended up being. It's not bad per se, but definitely less refined than i was hoping. Same for Paul (Iroh). I don't like the way he delivers some lines at all (especially the Jasmine Tea lines, it's way too forced, i don't actually believe he likes jasmine tea rn. In the original uncle barely mentions which tea he's drinking, and only once asks for jasmine tea bc it's his favorite. Otherwise he always just says "cup of tea" and never mentions the flavor. Idk why but the emphasis on jasmine tea really bothered me lol). I really liked Azula so far. Elizabeth brought a very cutthroat energy, which is precisely what i'd expect from a character like Azula. Daniel Dae Kim was also just everything i was hoping for and more. I'm hoping to see more of him (for his acting... no other reason.......)

Idk why but i was elated at seeing the cabbage merchant and hearing him say the line. Best moment of the whole show so far (and that's saying a lot i think lmao).

The music is very good. Some of the placement of the more dramatic music is a bit awkward? Like moments that i feel should have a low quiet melody seem to have a more dramatic flow which makes the scene lose emotional value to me. Maybe that's just my preference though. I like the nods to the original music throughout the show, especially for Kyoshi, the fire nation theme as well as the avatar theme, and then the exact same credits music as the original. I love the more epic/dramatic version of the avatar theme.

Overall, i am enjoying myself. I wasn't expecting greatness from this adaptation, and so far i'm remaining kind of neutral i think. It's not absolutely horrible, and i'm not cringing every five seconds. Of course it's never gonna compare to the beauty of the original animation. That's always going to remain untouchable to me. And this adaptation obviously does not come close at all. But it's fun, i guess, so i'm gonna keep watching.

[princess-nobody]

Avatar Rant: Two Avatar takes that bother me

(Pssst! This was originally posted on reddit, but I liked it so much I decided to post it onto my this account! Here's a link to the original if you'd rather read it there!)

So, I saw a semi-viral tweet a while back that bothered me because it not only felt like a complete misunderstanding of the point of Avatar as a film franchise, but also just a very childish view of how societies and different communities function. I can't find it though (I didn't interact with it and it has since been buried) so I apologize for not being able to give the best context.

It was your typical RDA sympathizing humanity first take (makes sense, the account that tweeted it was a walking red flag) that claimed that the na'vi were stupid for not accepting human advancement and technology, that humanity should always put its preservation first, and that the RDA were simply prioritizing the well being of their people whilst the na'vi wanted them gone. I want to start by addressing the latter take(s).

The first and second movies make it very clear that the RDA are NOT prioritizing the survival of Earth or humanity. They are a money hungry organization that want to monetize pandoran resources to their dying people in hopes to squeeze out whatever little money they have left. The people of Earth are said to be protesting them for that very reason, every solution to their planet's problems that they have discovered is insanely expensive and inaccessible to anyone below the upper class one percent. The RDA don't care about humanity, they care about profit, which is the exact reason why their actions are so callous in the films.

There are certainly humans that want to preserve humanity, but I truly cannot wrap my head around how you can watch either film and come to the conclusion that it is the RDA that wants the best for humanity. Avatar is not a "human bad" movie, it is a "corporate greed bad" movie, which is reflective of real life environmental issues. The individual is green, the individual recycles and doesn't litter, the individual cleans their local rivers and sea shores. However, the powerplants continue to polute our air, the corporations continue to flood our oceans with plastic, the rich continue to cut corners and burn the air with private jets.

I truly believe the reading of Avatar as an anti-humanity movie is what has lead to people thinking the RDA are the "good guys". It is because they actually believe the RDA are supposed to represent humanity and their will to keep surviving (and that James Cameron is portraying them as wrong for that), when it is clear they are a representation of the corporate greed that leads to environmental damage and the destruction of humanity.

As for the belief that the na'vi are hostile and somehow wrong for not caring to "advance" in the way humanity did, that is just flat out wrong. When it came to the respectful, peaceful humans such as Grace and her team, the na'vi were incredibly welcoming. I mean, Grace built an entire school for them and taught them human language and other human academics, so clearly they aren't against learning from humans. Again, Avatar is clear about the fact that humans as a collective aren't bad, corporate greed is.

However, why should the na'vi "advance" when there is no need to? Innovation is built on the back of necessity, and in a world where there is no need for certain technological advancements, why should the na'vi chase it? Why do they need phones and tablets and video games and McDonalds? They are living just fine without it. This idea that every society needs to be "modernized", even when they function just fine without said modernization has always driven me up a wall.

This entitlement from the western world is what leads colonial brained weirdos to try and go to indigenous islands and force religion or their world view upon them, because they believe that if a society doesn't function like the "modern" world, it is wrong. The na'vi don't need currency, or modern tech, or modern trends or fast food. They aren't perfect, but they also aren't in a desperate situation that would call for innovation or some sort of technological evolution. They are fine, they don't need nor even want it, and it is strange to believe humanity is in their right to force it upon them.

I'll stop this here because it's getting too long, I would love to hear your thoughts. Last time I made a post in this vein I got some really interesting responses, I couldn't reply to all but I'll try and reblog if that means anything!

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

Avatar: The Last Airbender Live Action Thoughts!

-First of all, ya'll need to leave those child actors alone, they are babies and they didn't write the show, nor was it their idea to do it. I have seen way too many people body shaming children; leave them alone they all did well!

-I think Gordon makes Aang just as cute and small and powerful as I always saw him as!! He manages to joke around and be fun even when the storyline is a lot darker and more serious.

-I really wish Sokka was able to be more of his goofy and silly self. I understand why he isn't, and his humor is more sarcasm and dark jokes, but I saw glimpses of him in there! His excitement when he was with the Mechanist, engineering and getting to do something other than be in charge. Also when he has any older brother convo with Katara or Aang. I'm hopeful with time he'll be able to loosen up!

-(Speaking of the Mechanist, my boy Danny Pudi was SO GOOD, I love him, him and his little son).

-I wish Aang would practice waterbending with Katara :( those scenes of them practicing together were always some of my favorites in the series. Just beautiful kataang moments. I'm glad they addressed it but I missed those moments.

-I don't understand how you guys can't be having fun watching this, I get so excited waiting for little moments of lore, or when Jet and Katara were fighting in the forest I was sitting in front of the TV like "WHERE'S SMELLERBEE AND LONGSHOT. OH MY GOD NO IT'S PIPSQUEAK!" It's just so much fun! The colors are beautiful, the effects are gorgeous, and the plot and characters are entertaining. Think about the piece as it's own thing and enjoy it!

-Adaptations are just that; adaptations, and things will be changed! I think so far I haven't minded their changes, I understand why they've been made. There are things to criticize, but I think this is pretty well done.

-Zuko is fantastic; I think all the child actors are fairly good but Dallas' pissy attitude and the faces he makes are so so fun! I feel for Zuko and I'm scared of him when he shows up, and he's just as annoying and bratty as ponytail Zuko should be. His physical motions are fantastic!

-TEO WAS SO LITTLE?? Oh my god, like as a kid I thought the cartoon version of him was kinda hot so when they wheeled that tiny baby in I was HORRIFIED.

-Idk why YOU ALL weren't scared of Lizzy Yu's Azula, but her little smile in her intro scene gave me a lil chill. Maybe it's because I was away when the show first came out so I saw post after post about how bad she was, but I just.... Thought she'd be worse?? She did really well! Ya'll better be careful though or Gaten Matarazzo will come for you, that's his girl.

-So far the mushing of plots has made sense to me. Yes, I miss the silly filler episodes and the traveling the Gaang did, but it allows us to sit in a scene longer, and to colorize the world better, when we're in one place and one plot for longer. I think that's important for this type of medium and this amount of episodes. They might be able to justify more next season if this show does well enough.

-I am OBSESSED with Zuko and the 41st division oh my god, what a fantastic and well thought out addition. The reveal, and they're bowing for him when he comes back was DEVASTATING.

-They we're GIVING us Sokka and Katara best sibling moments, I loved all of them. They are so cute, they just mean so much to me.

-I don't feel Appa or Momo as characters like I did in the cartoon. I'm hoping this can change, because rn they surprise me every time they get on screen. I'm like "WHAT- oh it's Momo, he's here." How are we going to feel Appa's loss as much as we did in the cartoon if they continue to like barely be in it.

-Ken Leung SLAYED as Admiral Zhao, I watched him go literally insane as the episodes went on.

-Aang's imposter syndrome and feeling of failure being focused on I will always enjoy, even if I hope he can be silly next season too. His entire character arc this season just made me want to cry.

-Bro the coloring during the the Siege of the North was A M A Z I N G. The way the color faded in and out with fireballs and the monster koi passing nearby, just so pretty. It looked awesome.

-Making Yue a waterbender? The best. Her freezing Sokka in place so he can't stop her? Heartbreaking.

-Iroh and Zuko paddling off looking for bestie Lt. Jee?? Okay.

-They really grew this show up for us adults that watched it in 2005 and focused in on the really painful moments, themes, and details.

[burst-of-iridescent]

atla live action thoughts: episode 1

SPOILERS AHEAD

tw: opinions

things i liked:

love that we're starting from a hundred years ago and seeing exactly how everything played out. iirc in the original, sozin's first move was to colonize earth kingdom territory so the show expanding upon it in sozin making it seem as though he was about to attack the earth kingdom as a red herring so he could wipe out the air nomads instead was a good change

sozin being able to wipe out the nomads because they were all gathered in one place for a festival makes a ton of sense, and i really like that they let us have time with the air nomads before wiping them out. gyatso and aang's scene almost brought me to tears, it was so beautifully sincere and touching

whoever casted gordon cormier needs a medal because THIS. FUCKING. KID. i nearly lost it when he started crying like what do you mean this baby has to save the world???

i am so thankful that they didn't shy away from the savagery and brutality of the air nomad genocide. seeing the fire nation cut them down so ruthlessly was absolutely horrific, but it was the perfect way to start this darker iteration of the story and those ten minutes alone made me feel more for the air nomads than the entire three seasons of the original. and having the scene cut between aang lost in the storm and his people being wiped out???? insane.

the visuals are absolutely beautiful. i think they shot this on a volume stage and holy shit did they make use of it because every establishing shot was gorgeous, especially the one for the southern air temple

ian ousley, questionable heritage aside, is actually doing a great job as sokka. his comedic timing is excellent

the bending actually looks... really good. i love how they're doing the airbending in particular, it definitely feels as though aang is entirely untethered to the earth

katara's arc is... interesting. i'll reserve judgement on it till the end of the season but right now i don't hate what they're doing with the changes to her relationship with waterbending. we'll see where they're going with this.

initially i wasn't a fan of them changing katara pulling aang out of the avatar state, but after reflecting i love that it was the memory of gyatso that brings aang back to himself. the idea that even though gyatso is gone, his love for aang still lives on within him, protecting him, is remarkably powerful and moving. and i think at this point, this version of katara and aang don't have enough of a relationship for her pulling him out of the avatar state to have the same impact it did in the original

THE MUSIC IS TOP-NOTCH. ngl i teared up when the credits were the iconic sun warrior soundtrack mixed with the atla theme

things i disliked/am conflicted about:

aang running away... doesn't feel like it's aang running away. i know he had the scene where he's crying and upset, but it feels more as though he just wanted to clear his head for a little bit rather than fleeing in terror because he was afraid of the responsibility of being the avatar. his guilt over abandoning his people and the world is fairly important to his character, so i didn't love the way they did this scene because it doesn't really feel like an active choice that aang made

gran-gran being turned into into an exposition machine to tell the audience - and aang - everything. really wasn't a fan of her being the one to reveal that aang is the avatar, or that they info-dumped everything about the fire nation and the war in one scene. it also sort of took away the gut punch of aang finding gyatso's skeleton because he already knows what's happened, whereas in the show it hits so much harder because of his blind optimism and naivete leading up to that moment

RIP katara breaking aang from the iceberg because of her righteous fury scene, you will always be famous. live action katara feels a little too passive so far but i hope that'll change in upcoming episodes as we get further into her arc

dallas liu as zuko... mmm, something about it is not working for me so far but i can't put my finger on why. i wouldn't say i disliked it, but i'm not loving it either. his performance feels a little too theatrical, somehow? but it's only the first episode so again i won't be too harsh till i finish the season

the southern water tribe should look far emptier and more isolated to get a real sense of how the war has affected them, imo. here the impact of their parents and most of the adults in the village being gone doesn't seem as apparent as it does in the original when it's literally just a few women and children

overall, premiere rating: 7.5/10

[natlacentral]

Elizabeth Yu is bringing the heat in Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender. 

In Netflix’s new live-action series Avatar: The Last Airbender, the actress dons the role of Azula, princess to the Fire Nation and foil to her brother Zuko (Dallas Liu) and our protagonists of the story, namely Aang (Gordon Cormier), Katara (Kiawentiio) and Sokka (Ian Ousley). Yu brings Azula to life with depth and thoughtfulness that has never been previously explored. Fans of the original cartoon will be pleased to see that their favourite cold, conniving (and downright psychotic) princess will be given so much more to do. In Book One of the animated series, we see nothing of Azula, but with this fresh retelling, we’re able to see the seeds of ambition, what drives her, the fraying away of her psyche, and everything that leads up to that inevitable breaking point. Yu plays it beautifully, through subtle facial expressions, to her graceful line delivery, we’re able to get a glimpse of what life is like for Azula back home in the Fire Nation while she plots and schemes her way into her father’s good books.

Yu knows what this story means to people being a fan of the animation herself. And while the fandom has been hurt by live-action in the past (we’re looking at you, 2010 adaptation), this series is being told by the fans for the fans. There isn’t a facet of this show that hasn’t been given the attention and love that it deserves; like most retellings, The Last Airbenderwill not be beat for beat of the animated original but will breathe new life into a story we know and love. With that in mind, Yu cannot be prouder of the series and hopes that new and old fans alike will love it just as much as she loved making it.     

In conversation with 1883 Magazine’s Dana Reboe, Yu discusses how she’s feeling about her whirlwind success, working on two massive hits like May December and The Last Airbender, what element she would bend, how she handles imposter syndrome, and so much more. 

Life has been crazy for you lately between May December and now Avatar: The Last Airbender. How are you feeling? 

How to put it into words? It’s insane. I feel so blessed. I get impostor syndrome all the time; all the craziness that’s been happening doesn’t feel like it’s happening to me. You know, I have to separate myself from it all. It’s incredible.

I’m sure seeing all the billboards with the shows you’re in must be an out-of-body experience.

It’s crazy. I’m waiting for when I go back home to New York, and hopefully, I’ll be able to see some Avatar ones while I’m there. I’ll probably tear up. [laughs]

Take me back to the audition process for The Last Airbender. Did you know right off the bat, what you were auditioning for? Or did they keep it a secret?

They gave me a completely different project name, storyline, and character background. I had no idea when I first read, but for some reason, something within me was like, ‘That’s a codename. I feel it.’ Once I got farther in the audition process, I thought, ‘I know what this is!’ And then they sent my second to last audition, word for word from the original show, just to see if I could do the original material. And so, at that point I was like, ‘You don’t have to put on a show anymore, I figured it out!’ 

And when you officially booked it?

Albert (Kim) called me and said, ‘I think you know what this is for.’ And I was like, ‘I do!’ [laughter]

Avatar: The Last Airbender is so beloved. What are you most excited to see as a fan? And what are you excited for the audience to see?

Excited to see what we’ve done or what we might do in the future?

What you might do in the future.

Hopefully, if we get to Season Two–

We’re speaking it into existence.

Absolutely! Seasons two and three would be great. The Ember Island episode where they’re all at the beach; that campfire scene has so much character development, it’s insane, I cannot wait to get my hands on it. Favourite scene I’m excited for everybody to see… [Elizabeth thinks for a second] I’m excited for people to see our take on this world and making it more plot-driven. I’m excited to hear what people think about what we’ve chosen to keep in and get rid of and how they think it works. I’m so proud of the way that it’s turned out. But yeah, I’m excited to hear the feedback.

Well, I can tell you my feedback: I thought it was incredible.

Thank you!

Not sure if this is a spoiler since this will be out when the show premieres, but what hooked me was seeing the Air Nomads being wiped out in the first episode. We didn’t see much in the animated series, but this was very graphic, and while I was watching, I was like, ‘Oh, so they’re not afraid to go there.’

That was so important to show because it kind of grounds the audience to be like, ‘Okay, now we know what we’re dealing with, and what the stakes are’, it sets everything up perfectly. 

I agree. And I know the internet is worried about some of the changes that’ll be made, but I thought they served the story well. It’s important to remember this is not a direct retelling. One change I really loved was that Azula was given more to do. You gave her so much depth. Other than the original series, what did you do to bring her to life? And did you touch base with Grey DeLisle at all?

Oh, my gosh, thank you for saying that. First, that means a lot to me. I sent Grey a DM but I think it must have been filtered out. I’m absolutely obsessed with her work. She’s so iconic, hopefully, somewhere down the line with the release of this show, I’ll be able to meet her. That’ll be like an absolute dream come true. I’m so excited. I’ve watched all the videos of people meeting her at cons and stuff like that, getting her to read those iconic lines, I’m getting butterflies! 

I think with the success of the show, that’s definitely on the cards! Two Azulas in one room, I don’t know if we could take the heat [laughter]. Circling back, how did you prepare for the role? How did you put your spin on her?

Albert Kim, our showrunner, kept saying, ‘The original show is the sacred text. We’re going to abide by that as much as we can’ I think that just rewatching the show helped and then there are a lot of these YouTube videos where that are over an hour long that go into the psychology of Zuko and Azula. I watched those religiously, I used those as my toolkit. We also had an awesome onset acting coach, Lee Hutton, who helped a lot. The only way to make these cartoon characters really human is to delve into the way that their mind works.

I caught myself a couple of times, throughout the first few episodes feeling (a little) sorry for Azula. She’s trying so hard to do well in her father’s eyes, and seek his approval, but keeps falling flat. You play it so well.

It’s important to note that she and Zuko, at the end of the day, want the same things. You see Azula in this first season mirrors the second season of the animated series, you see her kind of go crazy. You see that slow build-up; she starts out not that crazy and then gets pushed to that breaking point.

Switching it up a little bit; if you could choose an element to bend that’s not fire, what would you choose and why?

I vibe with water. I also think the whole blood-bending thing is sick and swamp-bending [laughter] here are so many different things, healing, too! That’s a big one! That would be iconic. If I could be a healer? It’s so useful in battle because you can continuously heal yourself if you’re hurt. Water is so OP (overpowered). 

What about Azula captivated you?

Oh, good question. I remember getting that dummy audition and the character description was Azula. It just fit her. I’ve never auditioned for a character like that. I probably sent out like 400 Auditions before booking Avatar. I’ve never had a character who was a young Asian woman who was smarter and better than everybody else. She is confident and conniving and is just desperate for power. Who wouldn’t want to play a badass?

You said in an interview with IndieWire that your imposter syndrome was massive. In those moments, how do you talk yourself out of it? Or do you just let it pass?

There’s something very grounding and humbling about imposter syndrome. You know, there’s a balance of being able to reward yourself and congratulate yourself for the work that you’ve done, but also understand that the amount of attention that these projects are getting has very little to do with you and has to do with a lot of other people who have worked on them. It’s a mixture and I think impostor syndrome comes through not knowing where that line is between the two, so I think that’s what I struggle with. I don’t have any ego; I say my pleases and thank yous, I’m not going to be that person, and then on the other side of the coin, I did a good job, and I should be proud of myself. I think that especially spending time with my friends from home and being home with the cats and stuff like that, those are moments where I can look at the big picture and be like, I did a good job I should be proud of myself and let’s move on to the next thing.

What have you learned about yourself working on projects like May December and The Last Airbender?

The number of Asian pros I’ve gotten to work with on these projects is a huge, huge part of my proud-to-be Asian journey. I grew up in a white town and I’m half Korean half white. Before I filmed May December or started work on ATLA, I’d never been in a room with more than 15 Asian people. Also, we filmed in Vancouver and the Asian community out there is huge as well. It was amazing getting to talk to people like me and having these conversations I’ve never had before. And in May December, I worked with other half-Korean actors as well. And having this feeling of family with these people, there are many layers to it; not only being Asian, and presenting predominantly Asian, but also being a mixed kid and having that white side of you and then the Asian side of you. These two projects have been so, so integral to me being so proud and loving that part of myself that I, for the majority of my early life, hated. It’s been amazing. It’s like that’s the greatest gift I could have asked for.

It’s so incredible to see these stories come to life with the proper representation they deserve. With films like May December and shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender hopefully, we’re on the road to seeing more. If you had the chance to work with any actor living or dead, who would it be and why? And what would the dream project be?

I’m really getting stumped by this one [laughter].

Do you want to come back to it?

Okay, can I choose two?

You can choose two.

Beyonce, please. Renaissance. Act Two. I’m waiting for it. And number two would be Andrew Scott. He’s absolutely killing it. In another life, I wish I could go back in time, and watch his Vanya that he did. He did a one man show of Vanya. Oh, and his Hamlet, too! 

It’s good to see him getting his flowers recently. Did you see him in Sherlock at all?

Yes! 13-year-old Lizzy was a SuperWhoLock girl. Do you know what that is?

Of course, I was on Tumblr in those days. I love Doctor Who.

Oh, don’t even get me started on Doctor Who. 

Well, now I have to ask who’s your favourite Doctor? 

Good God, you’re going to get me in trouble. I have to say Matt Smith, but David Tennant is fantastic, too. Like, let’s put some respect on his name. But yeah, I’d definitely have to say the Matt Smith run is my favourite.

Have you caught up? 

I’m not caught up. 

Okay. I won’t say anything. Not a word. Nothing.

I appreciate it [laughter].

Pivoting back – your career is flourishing. What is one hope you have for the future?

Something great about working on Avatar and May December was this sense of family with cast and crew members and the directors and Albert (Kim) showrunner. Both are some of the first projects I’ve ever gotten the chance to work on. You’re able to have this connection with these people. That’s why I love acting; we’re in this together. Let’s make something cool. That’s what makes me want to keep doing it. That’s a goal of mine – to keep making cool things. And I always learn so many new things, all different aspects of my life on every project, I’ve been blessed to be able to work with some amazing people. I just want to accumulate as many of those special moments onset as possible.

And my last question is, what is something you’d like to manifest for yourself this year?

I would like to manifest being booked and blessed, not being too hard on myself, and living my life to the fullest.

[cozymochi]

🌻🌻🌻 give us your Words

THREE CRAZY FLOWERS!??? Lets goooo

🌻- A FEW DAYS AGO me and my roommate rewatched all of avatar the last airbender. I mean, we tried to years ago but we stopped because… Ok this might sound ridiculous but we stopped 5 episodes in cuz it was too good, and we needed hardcore stupid for a while. BUT WE WENT BACK IN and wrapped it up in a few days and it’s still ballin’ as ever. I don’t have much to say beyond that.

🌻- YESTERDAY, I got a Shadow the Hedgehog plushie at a comic store because. Anyway, threw on Sonic X (subbed for a change wooo) a few hours later smack in the middle of season 3 to get some Shadow vibes in cuz he is the original scrunkly. …OKAY im actually done talking about him, If I get started on my sonic bs I never stop BUT

It’s absolutely bonkers to me how Sonic X just like…has virtually no music score????? It’s been a minute since I’ve seen Season 1-2 subbed, but Season 3 has barely any compositions at all. And everything is so….slow? You know how anime used to just…stick to one shot or draw something out for a reaaally long time? That’s pretty much every episode. I chalk that up to the mid animation (it’s crazy that this will be the same studio that would eventually handle 2019 Fruits Basket). As much as I do dislike how loud and tonally deaf the 4Kids score is, I did miss the character leitmotifs a bit. I can only imagine what a combo would’ve been like with proper atmosphere. Every now and then I’d HOPE the music would pop off but there’d be whole ass action sequences and score is just a constant low, droning wubwubwubwubwub noise. Once in a blue moon an Adventure 1 event song might play BUT OTHER THAN THAT ITS DEAD SILENCE or wubwubwubwubwub. ITs Just so baffling to me considering how peak the music in the games are, you’d think that’d be utilized in it’s anime. Tho Live and Learn playing at the end of the Project Shadow arc??? Bruh. Cinema.

…Anyway all that said, the Metarex arc is still pretty peak. And I really think Sonic X would’ve benefitted hard from today’s animation standard, cuz it srsly NEEDS that sense of speed to convey the insane stuff more 😩. Though Sonic X as it was would never be made today in the “let’s be safe and squeaky bclean for the brand” landscape. Not enough hurr hurr chili dog 👹 SEE LOOK IM GOING OFF FOREVER THIS IS WHY I CANT GET ON MY BS—-

🌻- If the “talking about watching every disney film” thing ever comes out, I’m dodging copyright by re-drawing the shots we talk about or make new jokes. “But you could just use screenshots” ermmmmmmmm maybe. But what’s MORE extra than trying to go by memory AND try and show off on a thing 80% of people would only strictly listen to? ;) ….Besides, it’d be different I think. Sorta. I’d hope. It’s still in the early stages.

What if I’m not funny whaT if

[yinorathedragontamer]

Requests

hey everyone, im new to tumbr and i want to try out writing fanfics and headcanons [mainly x reader, though i wouldnt mind writing for a ship]

so far ill write for characters from

buffyverse [buffy the vampire slayer + angel]

dnd honor among thieves

genshin impact

luca

encanto

one piece [live action]

voltron legendary defender [only paladins + allura]

onward

how to train your dragon

tangled the series

tmnt

acotar [more for the first book, i havent gotten very far yet because im busy with school and other things and therefore i havent had too much time to read]

obey me

spider verse

book of life [this movie is so underrated i swear, and the soundtrack is sooooo good, my personal favorite is the apology song, look it up if your interested]

good omens

agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

loki [the series]

heartstopper

fnaf movie

the witcher

tangled the series [i love varian so much its insane]

avatar the last airbender

legend of korra

Percy Jackson show! [and i am so sorry, but ill write for litterly any character from the show EXCEPT Luke T.T]

there are more though its late and i cant think of them right now, but if anyone would like to request anything id love to give it a try.

you can also request for anything that isn't on here if you want since i might be able to write for it anyway, if that makes sense.

what i mean is that even though there is a chance that i cant/wont write for it, there is also a chance that i will so dont be afraid to ask!

i would also like to add that

english is not my first language so if there are any typos or anything you can always let me know

im a beginner in writing fanfic however i really want to get better at it, so if you do have even a vague idea for a request or a trope or au id love to try writing for it

i mainly want to write fluff, since i personally enjoy fluffy fics the best, id also like to write angst with a fluffy ending or just try out angst in general [i know the first fic i posted here is angst but still-] and i dont mind trying to write smut however im not very experienced with writing it [though ofc i do read it] so it might not be as good as you hope i can write for any reader [gn, fem, male, nonbinary, etc]

ofcourse if anyone has any tips or any feedback on any future fics then please do let me know! im open for suggestions to improve my writing skills.

anyway, thats all for now, have a great day!

[wicked-elfie]

Okay so Ariel being black and how that relates to me, Legend of Korra, and my dog…

lots of cursing, please be mindful of that <3

Sorry this is gonna be long as shit, but I’m insanely worked about this, and I know the people I’m writing about will most definitely ignore it or just be mad, but I don’t really care. This is a vent post.

also here’s my dog for reference ofc. wonderful powder sugar donut foot lookin ass <3 be mean to him and i’ll annihilate you

Okay this was just on my mind earlier. As most everyone has heard by now, the new trailer for the live action The Little Mermaid dropped, and some people were angry because Ariel “doesn’t look the same” *cough* she’s Halle Bailey *cough* these people are just racist *cough*

Look, so, I really dislike the live action remakes that Disney seems to be busting their asses making, but I don’t care enough to actually be mad about it. Disney is a Really Shit Company. We Already Know That. HOWEVER!!!! That’s not the fucking point and I want people to stop using that as a distraction from the issue! And whatever, like, these kids get to enjoy these movies!!! That’s cool!

And these kids: THESE KIDS DO NOT CARE THAT ARIEL IS BLACK. THESE KIDS ARE EXCITED THAT ARIEL IS BLACK. It absolutely DOES NOT take away from the experience of the film WHATSOEVER!

Who’s mad? Well… White adults ofc!

So, now that I’ve got that out of my system (FOR THE TIME BEING) I’m gonna explain my experience.

I had this thought when I came across the drawing someone make of Korra from LoK and Naga. I know some people have their reservations about the show, but please spare me, because as I’m about to explain, this show means the absolute world to me.

So I watched LoK when it had already finished. Probably my freshman year of HS, so I was like 14 (2015- a year after it ended). I had already watched ATLA growing up. I decided to watch Korra when I heard about Korrasami. (this is important.)

Guys, when I say that I related to Korra, I mean in every way possible. And in a way that kinda sucks, because everyone seemed to HATE HER. However, after finishing the show, it’s like I grew with her as well. I somehow managed to not binge it so it took some time, and relate to her arc even more as I Continue to grow.

Korra is hotheaded, impulsive, egotistical but also extremely self conscious, emotional, empathetic, ambitious, funny, caring, and a total fucking idiot at the start of season 1. Makes sense- she’s literally a teenager. I Cannot Express This Enough.

Now, by the end of the show: She’s maternal, she’s thoughtful, self conscious but working on it, learning how to communicate her emotions, still ambitious but learns to ask for help, still funny, still caring, brave, and mature.

Now, of course I’m not the avatar, but we all have trauma, amirite? This show was so cathartic for me to watch. From start to finish, it was an outlet for me and continues to be- a place to just let go of all of those big feelings little me couldn’t deal with as a kid. This show taught me so much about myself.

Physically, I have a lot in common with her, too. Both close with father figures in our lives, both young women with brown skin, and the perfect cherry on top: we both have a big fluffy white dog.

This sounds really stupid, but people… imagine me;

Angry, erratic, emotional, exhausted, brown skinned, queer but didn’t know it, close with my dad (specifically a dad with lighter skin, too), wanting to have control and take care of the things I loved: and I’m sitting there on my bedroom floor, on my laptop, hugging my big fluffy dog and bawling my eyes out as Korra gets dragged to the ground by herself in that one scene in the swamp, and eventually getting to watch her walking into the portal with Asami.

I have never, ever felt more seen in my life, and I don’t know that I ever will feel that again.

Representation is so insanely important. Obviously, mine is a little on the nose, but just skin tone, queer relationships and identities, complicated families… People with different experiences need to see themselves, and people who can’t relate at all need to see it too. I remember my boyfriend and I talked about representation after watching ATLA, and he said, “I don’t think I’ve ever actually watched a show where not a single person was white.” followed up with “I never had to look for myself in media. I was always there.” My boyfriend is a straight white male.

I’ve been on so many rants to this guy about how much these things matter, and he already knows but he listens to me anyways. Korra was life-changing for me. Life-saving.

So excuse me if I’m emotional as I slam my fist on the goddamn table and scream at these angry mf white ADULTS,

This takes ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FROM YOU!

AREIL CAN BE BLACK! IT DOESNT EFFECT THE STORY!

Shit, the Ariel in our high school play was a POC!

Don’t you dare make me list Every Single God Damn character that was written as a POC and adapted to be WHITE ON FILM!

Would it KILL YOU to just Let The Little Black Girls HAVE THIS!

Being in a place of privilege doesn’t mean you don’t experience things like trauma, or inconvenience, or struggle. It means you don’t experience those things BECAUSE OF YOUR RACE. YOUR SEXUALITY. YOUR CREED. YOUR GENDER. YOUR BORN-INTO WEALTH.

Giving people the recognition they need doesn’t take Anything from you.

So please. Please just let them have this. If it really makes you mad, you need to seriously evaluate “why?” because “she’s not the same” is a shit excuse when her appearance has nothing to do with the story.

Fuck

[bondsmagii]

that ask about misgendering reminded me of the huge take in the tma fandom that anyone headcanonning eye avatars/stranger avatars as trans/non-binary is “wrong” because it “reinforces the theme that trans people steal things/spy on people/etc” as if bad people still can’t identify as anything separate from the binary they were assigned at birth

like they ONLY usually have that take too with elias, even when jonathan is a widely-trans-headcannoned character despite doing the eye shit as well. the idea that your gender/sexuality can be revoked as long as you’re objectively (or even subjectively, definitely objectively in jonah “start the apocalypse” magnus’s case) “wrong” is awful because it opens up the “how bad does someone need to be for their diversity to be harmful?” question

and i personally would rather die than live in a society where my trans-ness is delegated by any “woke” person’s judgement of my every action. like my brother in the beholding YOU are the scopophobia-inducing stereotype if you insist on making sure every fictional trans person is morally correct. you have become the very thing you swore to destroy

you are so right anon like... very ironic that these people are worried about perpetuating sterotypes regarding watching people and being inappropriate when that's literally what they're doing to other trans people lol. I've seen trans headcanons for loads of TMA characters and have even written a few fics myself where a character is trans, but it's equal opportunities here.

I am 100% a Beholding Slut and I mean it when I say that (ironically) I have never been more Seen than when it comes to all things Beholding-related. I've even had people tell me that they understand me more from viewing me through that lens. and I am not cis by any stretch of the imagination. telling me that I'm wrong for finding something intensely personal, because of my gender identity? that is absolutely insane. and telling me that I'm perpetrating harmful stereotypes by being this way? I can't help it that I'm fucking nosy, man. my constant striving for knowledge and my insantiable urge to Know has been a part of me since I was a child, and I'm not giving that up just because I don't match my birth gender just to make a bunch of pearl-clutching internet strangers happy. I'm here, I'm disgusting, I'm most certainly problematic, and I'm not cis. deal with it.

also while we're on the subject I get what you mean about Jonah and "objectively" but I have to say that he was 100% correct in ending the world, so happy that he got everything he wanted, and if I'd been the Archivist I would have gone evil with him and also kissed him on the lips.

[ohmygodtheywereparabatai]

Salt Takes: The Double Standard of Child/Adult Soldiers

—

The last thing I want to do is get tangled in ATLA fandom drama, but I choose violence, so short and sweet it is.

This scene.

People race to defend Azula here, claiming she was a child who didn’t understand the full atrocity of what she was witnessing. That she was molded from the beginning to believe her cold sneer and clutched fist were her faith in justice served showing. Then all fingers point to Zhao as the grown adult who displays full-blown sadism.

Cool. So, er, half-assed interpretation and apologism at its finest.

Look, ya big brained. You want to pick apart early psychological development in the Fire Nation princess? Great. You’re onto something. But this scene, at face value, is blatant characterization. Azula has no remorse. She thinks what she’s seeing is deserved. These statements can and should co-exist before further analysis, because the first statement is visibly, directly implied for seven year olds to pick up on and file away.

Kids’ show. Aired on Nickelodeon. 6-11-year-old demographic. Gucci? Gucci.

Zhao, on the other hand, is the bass-boosted version of S1 Zuko. He’s not a child soldier, damnit, but he is a soldier.

When Zuko knocks him down in their Agni Kai, the instinct to, uh, avoid getting your face burned off is overridden because he acknowledges the hand dealt to the loser, stares right back at him, and says - “Do it.”

A bit gorey to imagine what would have happened if Zuko obliged.

When they face off in the North, Zhao makes his position clear: “You're the Blue Spirit, an enemy of the Fire Nation! You freed the Avatar.”

“You should have chosen to accept your failure, your disgrace. Then, at least, you could have lived!”

So aside from the fact that he is, by definition, doing his duty by dispatching a disgraced prince responsible for treacherous action... it’s also his character. Azula is as driven to perfection and loyalty for her nation as she is conniving and vicious. Zhao is as driven to immortalizing himself in history and bulldozing the enemies in the Fire Nation’s path as he is a smug, walking dick. They’re both every inch the product of an imperialist agenda as they are the villains of their respective seasons. They’re bad, they’re rotten, but they’re soldiers.

To drag the comics into this for a moment, the vilification of the other nations began as early as pre-genocide. Soldiers were brainwashed into associating the Avatar and his people with their own doom. It’s no mind-blowing inference that the same notions were hammered into cadet Zhao, or that little Azula was spoon-fed the same story.

Shifting the lens when they’re in the same shot - assigning sadist status to one and victim status to the other, ain’t gonna fly. Try again.

Ahh, and someone was slick enough to point this out, but Iroh’s flinch in this scene, next to Azula’s fist of satisfaction?

Oop!

Perspective is so funny, isn’t it?

Next thing - the godforsaken ‘Zhao is a creep’ angle.

I don’t even want to dig my fingers into this one. This take is so obviously for purposes of Zuko whump that I’m going to spare myself the loss of braincells. While I have nothing against exploring this in fic, don’t even try to tell me it’s rooted in canon. It’s 100% true that interpretations of source material are infinite, but that doesn’t mean all of them are right.

What happened to the creep angle during this scene? Oh, yeah, it sparked hot, steamy Zucest.

I found about two to three sources while hunting down these images alone that (aptly) explained Azula’s sexualization as a “temptress” femme fatale-esque character, and even touched on Grey DeLisle’s sultry voice acting that did nothing for the portrayal of a fourteen year old girl. I’ve got nothing against any ship as long as the shippers are respectful... but hmm, do I spy another Zhao-Azula double standard?

(You okay back there, Iroh?)

Oooohh nooo, it’s the predator eyeing his next prey!! It just can’t be Jason Isaacs’ “wonderful, cunning evil vibe” poured into another role... Do I have to pull up several Lucius Malfoy/Harry Potter oneshots based on the scene where he hooked his cane on his shoulder to show you how asinine this take is?

Azula and Zhao both target Zuko’s insecurities to get a rise out of him. Azula and Zhao are both complicit in the conquering of the Earth Kingdom. Azula and Zhao both believe (respectively) that they were given divine right, that they wield the superior element. Azula and Zhao both grin like maniacs while Zuko is getting his face torched - it’s who they are. They align so closely that exploring the weight of a poisoned upbringing, deadly ideals, and raw firebending power drawn from a different root than the first masters is impossible without owing consideration to both characters. Both their arcs end in fucking insanity. Nationalism does that to people. Talk to me about that next time.

Jesus. I need a cold shower. Thanks for reading.

[azenkii]

 ATLA Fic Rec 

because I've been spending way too much time reading it. Btw, this is a rec for gen fics and zukka fics.

Note: an asterisk after the description means that the fic or series is incomplete. (Sadly, this is a lot of them, but I'm pretty sure most of these fics are still currently updating.)

GEN:

Anything by MuffinLance is a must-read. my personal favourites are Salvage (where Hakoda ends up with one (1) grumpy new prisoner/crewmate/adopted son) and Little Zuko v the World (where Zuko is 12, and it's adorable).

The Family You Choose by TunaFishChris is a god-tier platonic soulmate au about zuko and the gaang, so like...go read that right now

The kintsugi series by discordiansamba is an AU where Toph's parents hire Zuko-as-Lee to be a bodyguard for her, and I love it so much. It has some of the best Toph-and-Zuko sibling bonding I've ever seen. *

Dragon Moon by Satirrian is a Dragon! Zuko AU and it's incredible. It also features Bounty Hunter Zuko, so do with that what you will. *

The What We're Given series by Haicrescendo is *chef's kiss*. It's an AU where Zuko flipped his father off early on into his banishment and started living his best life with Iroh. Enter the Gaang. Shenanigans ensue. *

The Internment series by Hannahmayski is another Zuko breaks free from his dad early AU, and it's also really good. Basically, Zuko was never given the option to capture the Avatar, making his banishment indefinite. He sails around with his crew fighting the Fire Nation and it's great. *

The best way to solve your problems (is to help someone else) by hewwodarkness is an AU where kids start disappearing in Ba Sing Se during Book 2, and Zuko takes it upon himself to do a little vigilantism. It's fantastic. *

The Blue Spirit AU series by H_Faith_Marr is an AU starting from, surprise surprise, the Blue Spirit episode. The Gaang takes in Zuko without knowing who he is, and the Power of Friendship™ goes to work on Zuko. *

The the first rule of earth kingdom fight club... series by ohmygodwhy is an AU where Zuko, among other things, fights in underground cage matches, meets Toph early, and realises that his dad might be wrong. It’s pretty funny and really good. *

The The Non-Existent Twin series by FoiblePNoteworthy is hilarious. It's an AU where Zuko poses as his own twin, Li, and the Gaang buys it hook line and sinker. *

The Guilt (The Jet Adopts Zuko AU) series by FoiblePNoteworthy is also really good. Like the title says, it’s a Zuko joins the Freedom Fighters AU. *

The new ways series by blueseam is just a Zuko and the Gaang bonding fic, mostly set in the Western Air Temple, with a side of Zuko not taking care of himself and the Gaang stepping up to the job. If you’re like me and am an absolute sucker for Zuko and the Gaang, go read this.

The Family Matters series by WinterSky101 is a really good fic if you’re looking for Hakoda and Zuko. That’s all I have to say: Hakoda and Zuko.

a nation, held by snowdarkred is a GREAT Fire Nation & Zuko fic - set before and during canon, not after it. Go read it, right now.

Notable mentions: a lot of works by naggeluide are gen and pretty funny, though if you don't headcanon any of the characters as LGBT+ you might not like some of them.

ZUKKA:

anything by Haicrescendo and dickpuncher420. For Haicrescendo, my personal favourite is the Carry On For You series, and for dickpuncher420, it’s love language.

sirens & sleepless nights by Satirrian is a modern AU that just borders on dystopian. Ba Sing Se has been overtaken by the Fire Nation, Zuko is a soldier who broke away from the Fire Nation and got shot for it, and Sokka finds Zuko on the street and brings him inside. It’s amazing, go read it!

do you take this jerk to be (your one and only) by jatersade is a fic that I’m 90% sure is on every zukka fic rec list, and it deserves to be. It’s an arranged marriage AU where Zuko is engaged to Yue, and Sokka is his cultural guide. *

midnight runs and other things by isamagicdragon is a modern AU where Zuko keeps sleepwalking into Sokka’s apartment. Shenanigans ensue. Also, top-tier Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee interactions. *

Unchained Melody by avocadolove is another fic that I see a lot on rec lists, and it 100% deserves it. It’s a long fic (as of now, it’s at 63.8k) and is an AU where Sokka, after getting taken to the Spirit World by Heibai, ends up as a ghost that only Zuko can see. Ft. great enemies-to-friends-to-lovers and an incredible plot. *

Ozymandias, King of Kings by Think_of_a_Wonderful_Thought is SO good. It’s an AU where, instead of being banished, Zuko was sent to work in a coal mine/prison, which eventually becomes the target of a Water Tribe raid after Aang’s return. It can get pretty dark, so watch out for that, and it’s really long (as of now, 168.8k). But trust me, it’s worth it. *

Heart Beat Here by thefangirlingdead is an adorable Modern AU oneshot where Zuko, while shopping for engagement rings with Katara, freaks out when Sokka lies about where he is. It’s a happy ending, don’t worry. One of my favourite fics.

feels like we only go backwards by oldpotatoe and A Certain Slant of Light by JustGettingBy are both amnesia fics where Sokka loses his memory several years after the war. They’re both so, so good. A Certain Slant of Light is finished, but feels like we only go backwards is not.

reality strikes, so bring back the night by zukkababey is a time-travel oneshot where Western-Air-Temple Sokka wakes up in the future to find his older self married to one (1) Fire Lord Zuko. Fluffy and funny. 

maybe i just see you (in everything) by epicbubbles is a really cute Modern AU oneshot with love confessions and just fluff all around. 10/10 go read it!!

it’s the illusion of separation by argentoswan is a fic that has legendary status and it absolutely deserves it. God-tier Modern AU where Sokka ends up working at the Jasmine Dragon alongside his former high school bully, Zuko. (Kind of) enemies-to-friends-to-lovers, and it’s just...SO good. *

say you like your shirt soggy by crosspin is a reallyyy nice 5+1 fic. It’s Modern AU, and it’s pretty short (3.7k), but the amount of yearning that gets packed into that 3.7k,,,,*chef’s kiss*

and they were roommates by flydunes is another Modern AU where sokka puts up an ad for a roommate. Zuko moves in, and Sokka gets a crush. It’s just good vibes all around :) *

like blood from a stone by catalinacat is a Soulmate AU that took a completely different direction with the soulmate trope. The summary does a better job of explaining it than I can. *

absence of heat, excess of destiny by theycallmesuperboy is one of the best soulmate AUs out there. it’s not too long, only 4.3k words, but it covers the entire series and then some. Seriously, go read this.

it isn’t strange, but it’s true by theholyterror is a 5+1 post-canon fic with some of the best pining I’ve ever seen, ft. Ambassador Sokka and Fire Lord Zuko. The 5+1 is times Zuko went out of his way to touch Sokka.  *

like the sun inside of you by ofherlionheart is another post-canon fic, and it’s incredible so far. the first chapter alone is 23k, so it’s already a decently long read. *

the stemverse: earth science zuko au series by acezukos is a REALLY good Modern/University AU. So far, it only has one work (earth system history) but that work is already *chef’s kiss*. The series is incomplete, but earth system history is complete!

rebellion’s such a hushed affair by zeitgeistofnow is a fantastic Modern AU that, like sirens & sleepless nights, borders on dystopian. Actually, I think it is dystopian, but it hasn’t been tagged as such. Anyway, 10/10, go read it right now immediately

Mark Time by foil is a Modern AU where Sokka ghosted Zuko years ago, and they get brought back together by Aang and Katara’s wedding. It’s really good, but the fic has some pretty heavy content, so make sure you read the warnings. *

That birds would sing and think it were not night by HisMomoness is a Modern AU that has Zuko tutoring Sokka, with absolute top-tier pining. Like, seriously, the pining is insane. Superr good

this love burns so yellow (becoming orange and in its time, exploding) by meliebee is one of the best post-canon fics I’ve ever read. It features a civil war in the Fire Nation (that gets resolved about halfway through) and some great Toph and Zuko interactions, as well as some Grade A pining. 

boy problems by burnt_oranges is FANTASTIC post-canon and has sokka and zuko in an accidental arranged marriage, plus some attempted assassinations. It’s great.

zuko vs the homie sexual agenda by parmigiano has Zuko and Sokka pining for each other in Ikea. Do I need to say more?

Friendship Bracelets by peachcitt is a Modern AU best friends to lovers. Pretty short (4.9k), but the pining is immaculate.

isn’t this the vision that you wanted by nebulastucky is INCREDIBLE, I read it recently because it just got completed and it’s *chef’s kiss*. It’s post-canon ft. mutual pining and some reallyyy good ‘and there was only one bed’ scenes.

Real Slow and no one knows anything but us by surveycorpsjean and quidhitch respectively are two of my favourite post-canon Ambassador Sokka and Fire Lord Zuko fics. Go check them out!

The Duke’s a Hazard by naggeluide is a really nice AU starting from the Western Air Temple, where the Duke decides that Sokka and Zuko are now his new parents. They bond over coparenting, and the (kind of) enemies-to-friends-to-lovers is really good. Plus, it’s funny.

Those Who Favor Fire by CSHfic and VSfic is a really good fic of the Spymaster Sokka AU. If you don’t know what that is, it’s an AU where Sokka fakes his death and goes undercover in an organisation that wants to kill Zuko.

Fics I added after posting (so far, all Zukka):

The Road Between Action and Inaction by Donvex is a fic that I can't believe I left out the first time?? It's a modern hitchhiking AU and it's great.

Rituals of the Ocean Floor by Donvex is a nice one too. It's only around 2.2k words, but it's a Fox Spirit!Zuko and Sharkman!Sokka AU, and I just really like the writing style.

by the stars above, i knew we were in love by theycallmesuperboy and The Fate of Nations in Our Hands by sapphic_ambitions are both top-tier post-canon fics. Be warned: by the stars above is a liiiittle bit angsty.

blue's clues by parmigiano is a really good Modern AU where Sokka, a university student journalist, gets ahold of the phone number of the Blue Spirit, a new campus vigilante. He ends up talking to the Blue Spirit to get an interview out of him, and it's really cute!

Honourable mention: the Avatar Zuko series by the_cloud_whisperer is one of the best series I've ever read, and it's really long - it got completed about a month ago, with 493.6k words in total (415k if you ignore the extra work made up of author's notes). It develops all the characters really well, especially Lu Ten, but the main ship is Zukaang. Personally, my biggest problem with Zukaang is the age difference, and Aang is aged up to be Zuko's age (or older, I think? I don't really remember) in this. I kept reading it because the plot was too good to give up, and I do highly recommend it, but yeah.

I’ll add more fics if I remember them, but this is what I had bookmarked. Also, shameless self plug here because I also write ATLA fic @ azenki on ao3

[bloodbenderz]

humaniterations (dot) net/2014/10/13/an-anarchist-perspective-on-the-red-lotus/ this article from oct 2014 is very dense — truly, a lot to unpack here, but I feel like you would find this piece interesting. I would love it if you shared your thoughts on the points that stood out to you, whether you agree or disagree. you obv don’t have to respond to it tho, but I’m sending it as an ask jic you feel like penning (and sharing) a magnificent essay, as is your wont 💕

article

i know this took me forever 2 answer SORRY but i just checked off all the things on my to do list for the first time in days today so. Essay incoming ladies!

ok im SO glad u sent me this bc it’s so so good. it’s a genuinely thoughtful criticism of the politics in legend of korra (altho i think its sometimes a little mean to korra unnecessarily like there’s no reason to call her a “petulant brat” or say that she throws tantrums but i do understand their point about her being an immature and reactionary hero, which i’ll get back to) and i think the author has a good balance between acknowledging like Yeah the lok writers were american liberals and wrote their show accordingly and Also writing a thorough analysis of lok’s politics that felt relevant and interesting without throwing their hands up and saying this is all useless liberal bullshit (which i will admit that i tend to do).

this article essentially argues that the red lotus antagonists of s3 were right. And that’s not an uncommon opinion i think but this gives it serious weight. Like, everything that zaheer’s gang did was, in context, fully understandable. of course the red lotus would be invested in making sure that the physically and spiritually and politically most powerful person in the world ISNT raised by world leaders and a secret society of elites that’s completely unaccountable to the people! of course the red lotus wants to bring down tyrannical governments and allow communities to form and self govern organically! and the writers dismiss all of that out of hand by 1. consistently framing the red lotus as insane and murderous (korra never actually gives zaheer’s ideas a chance or truly considers integrating them into her own approach) 2. representing the death of the earth queen as not just something that’s not necessarily popular (what was with mako’s bootlicker grandma, i’d love to know) but as something that causes unbelievable violence and chaos in ba sing se (which, like, a lot of history and research will tell you that people in disasters tend towards prosocial behaviors). so the way the story frames each of these characters and ideologies is fascinating because like. if you wanted to write season 3 of legend of korra with zaheer as the protagonist and korra as the antagonist, you wouldn’t actually have to change the sequence of events at all, really. these writers in particular and liberal writers in general LOVE writing morally-gray-but-ultimately-sympathetic characters (like, almost EVERY SINGLE fire nation character in the first series, who were full on violent colonizers but all to a degree were rehabilitated in the eyes of the viewer) but instead of framing the red lotus as good people who are devoted to justice and freedom and sometimes behave cruelly to get where theyre trying to go, they frame them as psychopaths and murderers who have good intentions don’t really understand how to make the world a better place.

and the interesting thing about all this, about the fact that the red lotus acted in most cases exactly as it should have in context and the only reason its relegated to villain status is bc the show is written by liberals, is that the red lotus actually points out really glaring sociopolitical issues in universe! like, watching the show, u think well why the fuck HASN’T korra done anything about the earth queen oppressing her subjects? why DOESN’T korra do anything about the worse than useless republic president? why the hell are so many people living in poverty while our mains live cushy well fed lives? how come earth kingdom land only seems to belong to various monarchs and settler colonists, instead of the people who are actually indigenous to it? the show does not want to answer these questions, because american liberal capitalism literally survives on the reality of oppressive governments and worse than useless presidents and people living in poverty while the middle/upper class eats and indigenous land being stolen. if the show were to answer these questions honestly, the answer would be that the status quo in real life (and the one on the show that mirrors real life) Has To Change.

So they avoid answering these questions honestly in order for the thesis statement to be that the status quo is good. and the only way for the show to escape answering these questions is for them to individualize all these broad social problems down into Good people and Bad people. so while we have obvious bad ones like the earth queen we also have all these capitalists and monarchs and politicians who are actually very nice and lovely people who would never hurt anyone! which is just such an absurd take and it’s liberal propaganda at its best. holding a position of incredible political/economic power in an unjust society is inherently unethical and maintaining that position of power requires violence against the people you have power over. which is literally social justice 101. but there’s literally no normal, average, not-politically-powerful person on the show. so when leftist anarchism is presented and says that destroying systems that enforce extreme power differentials is the only way to bring peace and freedom to all, the show has already set us up to think, hey, fuck you, top cop lin beifong and ford motor ceo asami sato are good people and good people like them exist! and all we have to do to move forward and progress as a society is to make sure we have enough good individuals in enough powerful positions (like zuko as the fire lord ending the war, or wu as the earth king ending the monarchy)! which is of course complete fiction. liberal reform doesn’t work. but by pretending that it could work by saying that the SYSTEM isnt rotten it’s just that the people running it suck and we just need to replace those people, it automatically delegitimizes any radical movements that actually seek to change things.

and that’s the most interesting thing about this article to me is that it posits that the avatar...might actually be a negative presence in the world. the avatar is the exact same thing: it’s a position of immense political and physical power bestowed completely randomly, and depending on the moral character and various actions of who fills that position at any given time, millions of people will or won’t suffer. like kyoshi, who created the fascist dai li, like roku, who refused to remove a genocidal dictator from power, like aang, who facilitated the establishment of a settler colonial state on earth kingdom land. like korra! she’s an incredibly immature avatar and a generally reactionary lead. i’ve talked about this at length before but she never actually gets in touch with the needs of the people. she’s constantly running in elite circles, exposed only to the needs and squabbles of the upper class! how the hell is she supposed to understand the complexities of oppression and privilege when she was raised by a chess club with inordinate amounts of power and associates almost exclusively with politicians and billionaires?? from day 1 we see that she tends to see things in very black and white ways which is FINE if you’re a privileged 17 yr old girl seeing the world for the first time but NOT FINE if you’re the single most powerful person in the world! Yeah, korra thinks the world is probably mostly fine and just needs a little whipping into shape every couple years, because all she has ever known is a mostly fine world! in s1 when mako mentions that he as a homeless impoverished teenager worked for a gang (which is. Not weird. Impoverished people of every background are ALWAYS more likely to resort to socially unacceptable ways of making money) korra is like “you guys are criminals?????!!!!!” she was raised in perfect luxury by a conservative institution and just never developed beyond that. So sure, if the red lotus raised her anarchist, probably a lot would’ve been different/better, but....they didn’t. and korra ended up being a reactionary and conservative avatar who protected monarchs and colonialist politicians. The avatar as a position is completely subject to the whims of whoever is currently the avatar. and not only does that suck for everyone who is not the avatar, not only is it totally unfair to whatever kid who grows up knowing the fate of the world is squarely on their shoulders, but it as a concept is a highly individualist product of the authors’ own western liberal ideas of progress! the idea that one good leader can fix the world (or should even try) based on their own inherent superiority to everyone else is unbelievably flawed and ignores the fact that all real progress is brought about as a result of COMMUNITY work, as a result of normal people working for themselves and their neighbors!

the broader analysis of bending was really interesting to me too, but im honestly not sure i Totally agree with it. the article pretty much accepts the show’s assertion that bending is a privilege (and frankly backs it up much better than the original show did, but whatever), and i don’t think that’s NECESSARILY untrue since it is, like, a physical advantage (the author compares it to, for example, the fact that some people are born athletically gifted and others are born with extreme physical limitations), but i DO think that it discounts the in universe racialization of bending. in any sequel to atla that made sense, bending as a race making fact would have been explored ALONGSIDE the physical advantages it bestows on people. colonialism and its aftermath is generally ignored in this article which is its major weakness i think, especially in conjunction with bending. you can bring up the ideas the author did about individual vs community oriented progress in the avatar universe while safely ignoring the colonialism, but you can’t not bring up race and colonialism when you discuss bending. especially once you get to thinking about how water/earth/airbenders were imprisoned and killed specifically because bending was a physical advantage, and that physical advantage was something that would have given colonized populations a means of resistance and that the fire nation wanted to keep to itself.

i think that’s the best lens thru which to analyze bending tbh! like in the avatar universe bending is a tool that different ethnic groups tend to use in different ways. at its best, bending actually doesn’t represent social power differences (despite representing a physical power difference) because it’s used to represent/maintain community solidarity. like, take the water tribe. katara being the last waterbender, in some way, makes her the last of a part of swt CULTURE. the implication is that when there were a lot of waterbenders in the south, they dedicated their talents to building community and helping their neighbors, because this was something incredibly culturally important and important to the water tribe as a community. the swt as a COLLECTIVE values bending for what it can do for the entire tribe, which counts for basically every other talent a person can have (strength, creativity, etc). the fire nation, by contrast, distorts the community value of bending by racializing it: anyone who bends an element that isn’t fire is inherently NOT fire nation (and therefore inherently inferior) and, because of the physical power that bending confers, anyone who bends an element that isn’t fire is a threat to fire nation hegemony. and in THAT framework of bending, it’s something that intrinsically assigns worth and reifies race in a way that’s conveniently beneficial to the oppressor.

it IS worth talking about how using Element as a way to categorize people reifies nations, borders, and race in a way that is VERY characteristic of white american liberals. i tried to be conscious of that (and the way that elements/bending can act in DIFFERENT ways, depending on cultural context) but i think it’s pretty clear that the writers did intend for element to unequivocally signify nation (and, by extension, race), which is part of why they screwed up mixed families so bad in lok. when they’ve locked themselves into this idea that element=nation=race, they end up with sets of siblings like mako and bolin or kya tenzin and bumi, who all “take” after only one parent based on the element that they bend. which is just completely stupid but very indicative of how the writers actually INTENDED element/bending to be a race making process. and its both fucked up and interesting that the writers display the same framework of race analysis that the canonical antagonists of atla do.

anyway that’s a few thoughts! thank u again for sending the article i really loved it and i had a lot of fun writing this <3

[thebad---catholic]

Why I don’t think Azula should’ve gotten a healing/redemption arc

k so I made this meme a couple weeks ago

and I got a lot (a lot? Like 10 but that’s a lot for me) responses disagreeing with my post, which is fair because there’s really only a tiny subset of fans who fit into the “if you stan villains you’re a bad person” category, and Azula’s character (like most other things in atla) is fairly nuanced. I won’t dive into her personal psychology so much, just why I was satisfied with her arc as a viewer.

Note: I’m only speaking within the context of Atla. I haven’t read any of the comics or seen Lok so for the sake of this lil post those don’t exist.

Not enough time

Plain and simple, Azula didn’t have enough time for any sort of healing or redemption. She would’ve needed at least 2 seasons based on what Zuko went through. Adding more seasons for this purpose would feel kind of pointless. Maybe they should’ve explored this in other media but not within atla as the story works best as a tidy three season bit.

Along this same vein, I’m not viewing the show the same way as I would irl. If we’re being realistic, Azula was a horribly abused mentally ill 14 year old who most definitely should’ve gotten treatment. But this is a cartoon, where standards are a little different, which I’ll talk more about in a minute.

Iroh used to be a bad person/If Zuko changed so could she

This one is more complicated for me, but basically I view it like this. In the show, Iroh and Zuko display goodness before their redemption.

We see this with Zuko especially. He is banished for trying to protect the lives of fire nation soldiers from certain death. Twice he spares the life of his rival Zhao, even after that rival tried to kill him. In season two, he saves appa, risks blowing his cover to light lanterns for Jin, saves a town from mercenaries, and even when he’s robbing, he spares certain people (the pregnant woman for example) and mostly targets the wealthy. Zuko, even at his worst, had hard limits on his morality.

Iroh is more subtle. The most clear example comes from the flashback in “Zuko Alone” where Iroh gifts Zuko a dagger from the earth kingdom that he notes is of superior craftsmanship. This, to me, shows where the start of Iroh’s arc comes from: his appreciation of the other nations. It’s been noted before that Iroh has also mastered all four elements, even though he can only firebend. Redirecting lightning comes from waterbenders- likely learned before Iroh “turned good”. Even as their adversary, Iroh respects the people of Ba Sing Se for their resilience. (This again contrasts Zhao, who was so deranged he murdered the fucking moon just to win.) Finally, the dragons. Iroh is known as the dragon of the west even to people from Ba Sing Se- this means that he spared the lives of the final dragons before Lu Tens death. Like Zuko, Iroh shows mercy even when on the wrong side. Lu Ten’s death breaks Iroh because it forces him to finally come to terms with the fact that the fire nation is built on a lie. Fire nation superiority is a lie, and it’s one he’s known for a long time.

Azula doesn’t display any of these traits. The only time in the entire series where she apologizes is after she insults Ty Lee, and I’d argue it was an act of manipulation, as she quickly uses the apology to receive praise from Ty Lee. The beach episode is the only soft side we ever see to Azula, and all of her interactions can still be interpreted like my example. Was the comment about Ursa thinking she was a monster a slip of her mask or an attempt to “perform” like the others? We know Azula is a liar, so was she lying when she said ursa was right, or that it still hurt? Or both? And, mind you, I do love how this episode explores azula more closely, but I don’t believe being a nuanced villain makes you a redeemable one. Even as a child, Azula is cruel and takes pleasure in hurting Zuko, and animals, and her friends. She’s a master manipulator who makes friends through fear and intimidation. Imo, the only reason she doesn’t actually kill someone is because Avatar was technically a kids show, though that sure as fuck didn’t stop her from threatening multiple peoples lives. There is no action of Azula that signifies an ounce of good in her.

She was abused

1) a tragic backstory isn’t the be all end all of whether or not a character’s redeemable, and 2) So was Zuko. And probably Iroh and Ozai, and probably Azulan. The fire nation royal family is fucked up. Even if Azulan was a “good” father to Ozai and Iroh he was still a dictator who was grooming them to take over.

Having Azula be a puppet in her fathers game was an incredibly mature route for atla to take. Once again, it adds depth with a realistic take for Azula’s villainy. Very rarely are individuals born evil (enter nature v nuture debate here). Some of the worst people to ever exist were victims of abuse and neglect to varying degrees. Once again, though, this doesn’t suddenly render Azula open to redemption. And from a storytelling perspective, there’s parallels between Ozai and Iroh and Azula and Zuko.

Ozai continued the cycle of abuse, Iroh broke free from it, Zuko ended it, and Azula was broken by it. These are all things that happen in real life.

She’s 14

Oddly enough this is the argument that baffles me the most. I know I just said a whole lot about real life vs fiction, but I’m gonna pull the fiction card on this one. I can suspend belief with these characters and their ages. I don’t think any 12 year old could function after waking up from a coma and finding out his entire people were slaughtered and that he only had like, six months to save the world, regardless of his upbringing and power set. I also don’t think any 14 year old could lead a trio to infiltrate a city state, outsmart the shadow leader of said city state, and manipulate and entire little army for her favor.

There’s just a point where you have to suspend belief. The characters of avatar are fantastic, but are not realistic portrayals of people in their age group. Azula could be 14 as easily as she could be 25 and nothing about the narrative would change. The same is true for the rest of the main characters- even Aang, as youthful and fun loving as he is, also has more emotional maturity than anyone in the gaang, and more than most adults i know. If you want a realistic example of a child working through trauma, try Lilo from Lilo and Stich. Not anyone from Atla

Not everyone needs a happy ending.

This is ultimately what it comes down to for me. I like Azula as a villain. I like Azula as a villain who stays a villain and who is driven insane by power and paranoia. I like Macbeth. Azula is a tragedy- and that’s what I like.

So there ya have it folks. That’s my take. I’m writing this at five am with very little sleep, so please forgive typos and whatnot. I feel like maybe I haven’t explained everything the way I wanted to, but I can’t stop thinking about this, and the great thing about this show is that it’s fun to keep thinking about.

[jayisa]

The Proposal + The Party (wip) + First Kiss (wip)

Tsukkiyama ATLA AU

I’m really proud of some of my improvements these last few months! This AU has been bouncing around in my head for ages haha so I’m slowly drawing out the story. Maybe one day I’ll properly write it! Also ik it’s unlikely for an air representative to have such fancy clothes but idc yams in flowly robes gives me life uwu also most air nomads have shaved heads but since Tadashi came from the water tribe he wouldn’t be expected to shave it until receiving his airbending mastery tattoos, which he will never receive bc he eventually defects and runs away with Kei before finishing his training. Anywho read on for more details on each piece, tho two are still in progress felt like it would be fun to post some together. Also there is a specific reason why Tsukki carved yams a betrothal necklace and not vice versa

This AU starts in Avatar Roku’s time around 20/25 years before the air nomad genocide. Tadashi and Kei were both born in the Northern Water Tribe and were childhood friends. Kei comes from a very prestigious noble water bending family, a very recognizable one at that with very uncharacteristic fair white or blond hair as a result of a strong spiritual connection central ancestors had, in addition many members are predisposed to having a powerful bond with the moon. They are a very small clan, but very powerful, and they are often found in important occupations like taking care of the spirit oasis. Akiteru is the heir to most of the family’s titles, giving Kei decent leeway to do what he wants, though there are still many expectations as a member of such a traditional clan. He will be expected to be highly educated on local and global affairs and expected to partake in a politically beneficial arranged marriage later in life as is customary in the northern tribe.

Tadashi on the other hand is an only child of a small family of no import. His mother and father ended up working for the Tsukishimas so he was around the place a lot, and being the same age meant the two became fast friends around the age of 7. Tadashi’s earnest goodnatured attitude was a candle to Kei’s more icy exterior. They become really close friends, both pariahs in their own right. Kei could be popular on his family name and his burgeoning waterbending talent, but his rude attitude and disdain for expectations make him disliked but grudgingly respected. Tadashi is derided for his lack of bending and lack of status. Before befriending Tsukki he was often picked on. Finding comfort and understanding in their odd symbiosis, they lived in their own little world.

A huge shock came to their friendship when they were 12, Tadashi discovering his airbending abilities. Turns out his mother was once an air nomad, born and raised, but with fairly weak bending abilities, thus never receiving mastery tattoos, who choose to abandon that life when she fell in love with a water tribe man when a journey threw her off course. Because marrying across nations is very uncommon and slightly stigmatized, especially during the tumultuous decade before the start of the Hundred Years’ War that marked increased division. Thus Tadashi’s mother completely abandoned her old identity in order to fully assimilate into the culture of the Northern Water Tribe and never mentioned it to her son in order to protect him from any additional scorn of being the result of a internation couple. Since her airbending abilities were so weak and her husband was a non bender she figured it would never be important.

Quite a shock when Tadashi’s abilities suddenly bloom at 12, fairly late for bending to manifest but likely a result of not growing up amidst the spirituality of air nomad culture that is so essential to airbending practices. Some sort of minor public spectatcle occurs due to Tadashi’s uncontrolled new abilities, leading to the tribe’s leadership demanding he be sent to the northern air temple to become an air bender. Another result of expectations for a harsh division between nations due to the polarization of the Fire Nation’s aggressive actions leading up to the hundred year war. Kei is upset because his only true friend is leaving and does what he does best and decides to get icy and push him away. Tadashi is terrified to leave behind the only culture and family he has ever known to go to a completely new place, and he is hurt. They leave on these complicated feelings. Kei continues his waterbending training and his studies full force to avoid his feelings, and a complex relationship with his brother and family further drive him to avoid expanding his social circle as expectations loom. Tadashi travels to the air temple and is very nervous about the whole thing. Determined to move on and make the best of things, Tadashi is pleasantly suprised by the fun loving nature of the air nomads. He quickly bonds to his mentor Shimada, and becomes fast friends with fellow new air apprentices, Hinata from the Fire Nation and Yachi from the Earth Kingdom, who also discovered a hidden nomad heritage when their bending abilities bloomed. Tadashi trains, and while he is no bending genius he works hard to improve. He pays particular attention to his studies and this makes him a prime candidate for later diplomatic missions as tensions worsen between the four nations.

The Party:

This is the earliest chronologically, basically representing the first meeting Yamaguchi and Tsukishima have after many years apart. After 6 long years Kei and Tadashi meet again when a diplomatic convoy of air nomads is sent to the Northern Tribe. There is a big party with diplomats from each nation. This is about 7 years before the start of the war. The fire nation is there on formality and treated with the most distrust while the other three nations are fairly friendly and willing to let loose with each other. (The fire nation convoy will consist of some other characters, possibly Kageyama and Oikawa? Still working that out) I’m thinking that Asahi and Daichi might be an earth kingdom princes with bodyguards Noya and Tanaka, who become good friends with waterbender Suga. The diplomatic trip is meant to last around 8 months. Anyway this drawing is meant to represent Yamaguchi and Tsukishima’s first meeting at 18 after so many years. Fancy clothes, endless formalities, both considering the other insanely attractive... and they are both drawn in by each other’s familiarity and confidence. This is the first spark of something new between the witty remarks and coy glances. They have no clue what hit them.

First Kiss

Jumping ahead of a lot of yearning... I mean truly a ridiculous amount of dancing around each other for maybe 3 months they finally kiss. Complicated by the impending arrangement of Tsukishima’s marriage to another prestigious young waterbender, Kiyoko, who Tsukishima greatly respects but is in no way attracted to. They keep their blooming romance a passionate secret to prevent political disaster for the nomads and Tsukki’s family. It’s really hard for them to keep their hands off of each other and there are plenty of close calls. There is some jealousy on both sides due to the uncertainties of their relationship. Yamaguchi discovers a betrothal necklace Kei is carving and is painfully reminded of the marriage expectation. Luckily both make strong connections to new friends and slowly their relationship becomes known to this close circle. For a bit they worry about what would happen if Kiyoko finds out, but later they discover her affair with the earth kingdom bodyguard Tanaka so she gets it.

The Proposal

wrote this out and then tumblr didn’t save it so y’all get the quick version bc it is almost 7 am and no I have not slept. Now they are in the Northern Air temple for the tail end of the diplomatic mission. Kei carved the necklace for Yamaguchi, not Kiyoko as he had assumed. In a secluded garden on the island Kei proposes to Yamaguchi with the betrothal necklace. Though made for and worn by women, their relationship already defied infinite traditions and Kei knew how much it would mean for Tadashi to have their relationship carved into stone. They agree to run away to be together after wrapping up the diplomatic mission. Then more stuff happens I have not gotten to yet lol. There will def be a lot of side ships. If anyone has any ideas for side ship plot lines def come chat! I’d love to hear if ppl like this AU idea

[hopeless-deerie-fanfics]

MC who’s panic response when in danger is to say kinky shit (eg: harder) and the brother’s reactions

Masterlist and requests info as well as the fandoms I write for is the pinned post on my page, so go check it out if you like this! Had some fun with the prompt because hey why not XP

WARNINGS: NSFW, SWEARING, KINKS, MINOR SPOILERS PRE EP.10, MAJOR SPOILERS for pre ep.20 for Belphie’s one, so avoid that one if you arent there yet. Lemme kno what you think and enjoy!

LUCIFER

-          This poor man

-          He thought he could handle the human exchange student

-          Honestly so far things have been going quite well

-          And then he gets angry and you step in between to stop him from hurting his brothers

-          Part of him is impressed you even have the guts

-          But he is Very Angry and you should move if you don’t want to get hurt

-          He takes a step closer and grasps your neck, about to make a warning threat

-          When suddenly you just scream at the top of your lungs, fear wide in your eyes

-          “HARDER DADDY”

-          *Lucifer.EXE has stopped working*

-          You broke the poor man

-          Gobsmacked is the only word to describe the expression on his face

-          He’s so shocked that his anger dissipates and he turns back into his regular form

-          At which point you collapse to your knees heavy breathing

-          “fuck, fuck, um sorry, uh when I panic I just blurt out anything to try and throw people off and uh, well normally kinky stuff seems to work”

-          Lucifer just blinks

-          Then smirks

-          “Come to my room later tonight, a punishment is in order for distracting me from disciplining my idiot brother”

-          Your heart is pounding a mile a minute, face flushed, and from the look on Lucifer’s face he knows it

-          Yeah good luck looking him in the eye for a while without immediately remembering and getting super flustered

-          You did this to yourself hun

-          When you do go to see him that night you expect something hot, but he just sits you down for a two hour long lecture on ‘appropriate use of language’

-          Of course once he has drained all the excitement from you, just as he dismisses you, he runs a gloved finger across your jaw, tilting your face up to his, standing a little too close for comfort

-          “What darling, were you expecting something else when you came here?”

-          He’s smirking, and you’re melting under his gaze

-          He knows what he’s doing and is relishing in your squirms

-          Sadistic bastard

-          (but you love it)

MAMMON (read lucifer’s first)

-          By this point mammon has already sprinted off, half of him thanking his luck at getting away scot free, the other half completely bamboozled (and kinda turned on) at what you said to get Lucifer to stop

-          Of course the moment he sees you again he’ll burst out laughing

-          Now that his life isn’t in immediate danger he can process the humour and oh man

-          You really said THAT

-          To LUCIFER

-          And LIVED

-          Maybe he should try it next time he’s about to get strung up by his ankles

-          Nah it wouldn’t be worth the punishment plus his brothers would make sure he would never live it down

-          Would be hilarious though

-          But seriously, he’s pissing himself laughing

-          Internally though, he wants you to say that again, this time to him

-          And if you do?

-          Man oh man, he will melt into a pile of blushing spluttering mess

-          “H-Hey ya, ya can’t just go around sayin’ that stuff!”

-          *pause*

-          (under breath) “say it again, but louder”

-          “What was that mammon?”

-          “I-I said I GOTTA TAKE A SHOWER” *slams door as he runs away*

-          It won’t be long till he’s back beside you, honestly just use this method any time you want a 5 minute break

LEVIATHAN

-          Oh he was PISSED

-          You beat him at the *clearly RIGGED* quiz and he wasn’t having any of it

-          How could some measly normie possibly begin to understand the complexities of ‘The Tale Of The Seven Lords’ when you had only watched it for the first time last week and hadn’t even read the hundreds of manga that feed into the backstory!? What about the Extended Cut!? The Holiday Special!? The Japan Only Release of the secret episode where Henry gets possessed by an ancient cheese spirit and trapped in the fridge realm and the Lord of Corruption has to go and rescue him in a daring feat only ever seen by 17 pairs of eyes in stop-motion clay!?

-          Rage coursed through him, and now in his demon form he stepped closer, ready to strike

-          At least that was until…

-          *anime girl voice*

-          “CHOKE ME WITH YOUR TAIL ONII-CHAN”

-          …

-          Cue silence

-          You could hear a pin drop

-          Levi is BEET RED

-          Drops out of demon form and stares open mouthed, wide eyed at you

-          Asmo’s the first one to let out a snicker

-          Then Satan

-          Then Mammon

-          Levi’s panic response is ‘Retreat to the bathtub-bed’ so that’s what he does

-          Because Hoooooo he’s suddenly got a bulge in his pants and he *DOESN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT*

-          HOW did this stupid normie human NAIL Ruri-Chan’s voice from that one tentacle hentai he watched, had they seen it!?!? Were they secretly an Otaku like him!? Were they real life Ruri-Chan dressed up in a human costume!?!?

-          And how did they know one of his kinks-

-          HOW IS HE SUPPOSED TO PROCESS THIS INFORMATION!?!?

-          THAT IS NOT NORMIE BEHAVIOUR!!

-          He will avoid you till the end of time until you go to him and explain and apologise

-          But he will never see you in the same way again

-          And if you two end up getting physical at any point in the future he will use this to your advantage

-          Knowing what you like makes him feel more comfortable

-          Poor baby needs reassurance though

-          And you bet he’ll blush the whole time

SATAN (read Levi’s first)

-          He was actually snickering at Lucifer’s expression when you said …*that*… to Levi, because he has never seen the eldest look so shocked and appalled

-          Do it again human, keep going, drive Lucifer insane and let him watch

-          He was shocked initially of course, but quickly morphed it into pleasant surprise

-          And curiosity, if there’s one thing this man seeks out it’s knowledge

-          And in this case, knowledge of just how many things he can get you to say in Lucifer’s presence to infuriate and/or horrify him

-          He isn’t all that phased by what you said

-          But he will tease you about it

-          Only when Lucifer is around

-          He likes watching the irritation in his eyes as you stutter over your words

-          Or better yet when he Kabedons you to the wall and you yelp out an incoherently horny mish mash of words

-          That is until one day he does this and your words ignite something in him other than his usual supressed anger boiling deep beneath the surface

-          “M-MASTER MAKE ME BEG”

-          Well, if you didn’t know what he was into... you do now

-          His pupils immediately widen and there’s no missing it

-          Something about the way he moves closer to you screams predator cornering prey

-          He breathes and whispers softly against your neck

-          “Say that again”

-          You’re shell shocked

-          “u-um.. m-master-“

-          He nips at your earlobe he doesn’t care who’s watching

-          Of course Mammon walks in and screams as he throws himself between the two of you shrieking incoherently

-          But next time you’re alone, looking for a book in the library…

-          …

-          You and Satan may be a little, lets just say, preoccupied, with something other than books.

ASMODEUS

-          Need I say anything here

-          The only one who is 100% down with this straight off the bat

-          Not even phased in the slightest

-          “Oh, so that’s what you’re into huh~ hmmmm you have good taste” he practically purrs into your ear

-          He’s running his hands over your hips, tracing your neck with his tongue

-          The others have to tear him off of you but when they do he simply smiles and winks at you

-          “You know where to find me if you want to play out your fantasies sweetie~!”

-          If he catches you alone you know he will take that opportunity to do what ever it is you yelped out

-          And of course he will pry to try and figure out more things you’re into

-          Purposely make situations where you are more likely to blurt out yet another kink

-          If you do go to him?

-          Well, he’s the avatar of Lust for a reason

-          And you will come to know just what that entails

-          He will ensure you are completely satisfied, no leaving you all fired up and no place to go

-          Good luck ever sleeping alone again

-          Or ever sleeping again without him occupying your time and your bed first

-          You will be busy every night, and will need to learn to avoid secluded closets and quiet rooms alone with him if you don’t want to get railed in public

-          If there’s one thing Asmo appreciates, it’s Voyeurism

-          And if you get caught, don’t think he’ll be stopping any time soon

-          More likely than anything he’ll ask them to join if you’re comfortable with that

-          But the pampering and aftercare he provides is second to none

-          This man practically worships your body through sex

-          If you didn’t know he was once an angel, well, you do now

BEELZEBUB

-          Big beefy teddybear boi just wanted a midnight snack

-          But he found a midnight snacc instead

-          So he is shoulders deep in the fridge hunting for goods

-          You come in to get a glass of water not noticing he is there

-          So when he leans back, lapping up a full tub of custard pudding and swings the door of the fridge closed with a loud *thunk*

-          You whip round in shock and your brain decides to betray you

-          Or perhaps bless you, it really depends how you see it

-          “WHY DONT YOU EAT ME OUT LIKE THAT”

-          …

-          Wide eyes

-          Pupils dilated

-          A new hunger is present and the avatar of Gluttony won’t stop till he’s satisfied

-          He finished the pudding in a second flat and immediately made his way over to you, leaning close to your lips

-          But he hesitates

-          “Did you… mean that?”

-          He asks

-          He is hesitant but hopeful

-          Clearly trying very hard to resist the urge to not ask permission and just dig in

-          But he can see the blush on your face and tell that it was not something you meant to allow to slip out

-          And come on, who could resist his big round eyes gazing down at you

-          If you nod he’ll take it as enough of an answer

-          I hope you don’t mind some public action because this boy is far too focused to cart you back to his room

-          Up on the counter you go, legs spread, bottoms discarded

-          If you’re wearing a skirt it is pushed up

-          He licks up your thighs first before trying his meal

-          This… well, you will be there a good while, he just can’t seem to get enough

-          And once you have let him have a taste, the more he cannot have you, the more he will crave you till he’s begging you to let him try once again

-          The only way he’s stopping is if somebody interrupts you, and it will take a couple tries to actually pull him away

-          He’s a strong boy but he tries so hard to be gentle

-          And if you’re embarrassed he’ll take you to his room and tuck you in, taking the couch out of fear of crushing you unless you insist that it is absolutely, 100% ok to share

-          But if you do let him share…

-          Don’t be surprised if you wake up to him trying you for breakfast

-          It’ll be the only time he’s ever late to breakfast

-          Eventually somebody will come and find you two and once again, it will take a few tries to pull him away

-          But then he’ll give you a beaming smile like sunshine

-          “You’re delicious, let’s go get some more breakfast, huh?”

-          And lead you to the kitchen

-          Diavolo forbid you can ever again look at a kitchen counter without getting turned on

BELPHEGOR ( SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 20)

-          So, it’s not like it was a normal day to start with

-          What with, ya kno

-          Belphie breaking out from the attic

-          And going ape shit

-          And trying to kill you

-          So of course, in what could have been your final moments, your last words, the thing they would read at your funeral or put on your gravestone

-          Your brain really said ‘hm, how do I want to be remembered, as this very angry, vengeful demon stands over me ready to slaughter me?’

-          “IF YOU’RE GUNNA FUCK ME OVER AT LEAST MAKE ME COME FIRST”

-          …

-          Belphie doesn’t know if it’s the rush of emotions or the heat of the moment or the fact that those are the worst last words that have ever been conceived by a living being

-          But he just

-          BURSTS out laughing

-          Completely breaks

-          He’s on the floor

-          None of the brothers know what to do

-          One minute he’s about to kill you, the next you say… *THAT* and then his reaction is to start rolling around on the floor, tears streaming down his face, uncontrollably laughing so hard that he’s clutching his sides in pain

-          And what do you do?

-          What do you say?

-          “… wow I cant believe that worked”

-          Absolute fits

-          He can’t contain it

-          He manages to supress his laughter for a short while once he finds out about Lilith’s connection to you

-          But at this point he was already gunna keep you

-          He can’t bring himself to kill anyone who would voluntarily go out with those words, it would be WAY more fun to spectate such a lunatic, not to mention the abject horror across Lucifer’s face is more than enough to sate his hunger for revenge for enough time to process and calm himself down

-          But he’s not going to forget this, human

-          You just wait

-          …

-          3 days and you find out that he has teamed up with Mammon and made TSHIRTS

-          TSHIRTS that say what could have been your last words

-          Not only that, they’re selling them at Majolish and it’s a best seller

-          And he’s rubbing it in your face

-          Yeah

-          You will never live this down

-          At least he seems to be getting along with most of his brothers now

-          Who knew you being a horny idiot with no verbal filter would be the thing that saved your life?

-          Certainly not you

-          All of Devildom knows what you said

-          And you can bet Solomon bulk buys some t-shirts and sells them in the human world too

-          He’ll wear one until Simeon manages to pry it off of him, saying it’s inappropriate to wear around Luke

-          That won’t stop him from teasing you about it too though