#uhh i dont think im gonna tag this bc i just fundamentally cannot stand fandom discourse

[terriblygrimm]

you know i really like how in tlok aang didn’t seem that happy. obviously he still obtained recognizable aang traits (like the silly sushi portrait) but i like that he generally seemed very weighed down and serious - at least that’s the vibe he gave off in those action sequences in book 1.

it’s contrary to crybaby fandom, but i appreciate the approach they took to growing these characters up in lok. it was a REALISTIC take on children who grew up fighting for their lives in a war. children who witnessed catastophe and evil at every turn, crushing pressure and a shifting tide. toph, the chaotic rebel became a COP.. it’s just so fucking poignant. the understanding and crushing realism she mustve contended with as she got older. war made her hard, unforgiving, but ultimately (and to the most extreme extent) only seeking to protect and serve. it’s just like for most, the loss of innocence takes hold, and that carefree childhood attitude usually (and unfortunately) dies at the hands of “real life” as one gets older. and same with aang! he was obviously still aang, but he clearly suffered at the hands of being the avatar. it wasn’t this fun walk in the park. and that was reflected in his personal life. he grew tired, understandably & naturally exhausted with seeing so much ongoing battle in the world. i mean he dies at 66 (which is sooo sad/cool) so of course he’s gonna seem tired & run down at 40.

and that goes for all of them really- sokka becoming a judge, an arguably “adult” take on “sokka holmes” and enacting justice in its final form. but still, on the flipside, possessive and damaged enough to think he knows best. katara with her healing inside of her home, a shut-in, too tired to take action anymore. she has just taken to healing instead of fighting those battles. and zuko god bless him, continued on to be his best gay self with a mf dragon, but even still, the first chance he got he left the world leaders to go make sure his daughter was safe, knowing it was more important than anything, more important than the safety of the world, contrary to young zuko who put all of his honor in action.

and at the same time, it still had them all linked together. friends made in war will last forever. their allegiances were to each other above all else.

and don’t get me started on the amazing interpretation of their children harboring resentment towards them!!!!!! i loved that. i’m not an active part of the fandom and i never will be, but it SEEMS like the general consensus was disappointment bc ppl believed everything was gonna be happily ever after? but that’s not what war does to ppl. their entire growing psyches were formed under pressure, in fear and impending doom. that is going to be reflected in their later life! they weren’t great parents, they weren’t great partners or never ended up with someone. they made mistakes because they’re fully realized ppl- and their kids suffered in part because of it. that’s the cylcle of war. they did the best they could and mf they did a good job, but as we saw in lok there was still so much to do as a fallout. (sidenote i thought lok was overall meh, but i can still appreciate what it was trying to do & loved seeing an extension of the atla universe regardless!!)

so basically it was just CHEF’S KISS. and keep in mind i havent read any comics or anything so i dont know ~the full story, but based off what could be interpreted from tlok alone, it said so much on the original gang and i loved it.