#water sibs

[ecoterrorist-katara]

The tragedy of Katara’s parentification

Sokka and Katara were both parentified, and it’s a profoundly life-changing thing for both of them. One of the saddest things in ATLA, though, is how Sokka sort of got to outgrow parentification, but Katara never did.

Sokka’s told to be the man. The provider, the protector. He’s not so good at the former (his hunting failures are a consistent source of comic relief), and he takes failures of the latter very, very hard. He doesn’t manage to save Yue, and that wrecks him. After Yue, he becomes extremely protective of Suki in a way that’s borderline offensive to her. He’s willing to do anything to protect his friends and his family, including something as irresponsible as breaking into the Boiling Rock. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Sokka is the only one of the Gaang who unambiguously kills. The rest of them may technically have clean hands because of cartoon logic, but Combustion Man is very dead, and Sokka is the one who killed him. We don’t know how he feels about it, because the show never goes there, but I have a pet theory that Sokka is so uncharacteristically (remember he was team “leave Zuko to freeze to death”) against Katara confronting Yon Rha in The Southern Raiders because he’s the only who knows what killing feels like and wants to protect Katara from it.

But by the end of the show, Sokka’s in a place where he can start to let go of his need to protect. Objectively, all his friends are unbelievably powerful and can take care of themselves, including his sister and his girlfriend. Suki is the one who saves him in the final battle, representing not only a reversal of his initial cartoonish misogyny, but also demonstrating that he is worthy of protection. And of course, he and his friends saved the world, so there isn’t really an enemy that he has to protect them from anymore. Sokka’s loved ones create the conditions under which his parentified behaviour is no longer necessary. Sokka would still have to take the first step to stop seeing himself as the one who has to lay his life on the line, but at least it’s possible for him.

But not Katara.

Katara had to take on the mom role after their mother was murdered, which meant she was responsible for domestic labour and emotional support. Sokka says in The Runaway that her role was to keep the family together. Unlike protection, that’s always a full time job regardless of the war. We see Katara spending more screen time than anybody cooking, getting food, mending, and generally doing women’s work. We see Katara giving everyone emotional support, including strangers and her enemy. We see Katara putting aside her own discomfort and her own hurt in The Desert because if she falls apart, they all die. Nobody ever showed her that she doesn’t need to be the only one who cooks, or that somebody else can be responsible for the emotional wellbeing of her friends, or that — god forbid — someone else can actually be responsible for her emotional wellbeing.

That’s why I never cared for the Ka/taang argument of “he teaches her to be a kid again!” Putting aside the fact that Katara ends up taking care of Aang a lot more as the series goes on, the whole tragedy of parentification is that you can never again be a child. That part of your childhood, your god-given right, is robbed from you. It is extremely precious and important to still be able to be a kid, but breaking free of parentification is not about seeing yourself as a kid. It’s about breaking free of being responsible for everyone’s feelings and behaviours.

For Katara, that responsibility is not problem of perception, but of reality. Unlike Sokka, who was told and shown that his loved ones are capable of protecting themselves, Katara has zero reason to believe that her loved ones are able to feed and clothe themselves and not fall apart emotionally. Between Toph and Sokka who emphatically don’t want to do this work, it all falls on Katara. Telling a parentified child that they just need to loosen up is akin to telling an overworked mother that she needs to just relax (“happy Mother’s Day! You get a break from chores, which you will catch up on tomorrow because nobody else is doing them”). It doesn’t accomplish anything if nobody creates the circumstances under which it’s possible to let go of responsibilities. A lot of Zutara fans, spanning all the way back to the early days of the fandom, like the “Momtara and Dadko” trope where Zuko also does chores. Why? Because even without the concept and language of parentification, many fans recognized that Katara’s performance of domestic and emotional labour is inequitable and probably very taxing.

Growing out of parentification is about more than just letting go of old expectations: it’s also about finding a new way to value yourself beyond the role you grew up with. I’ve said this before, but it’s very important to acknowledge that just because a kid is parentified doesn’t mean they’re actually good at being a parent. In fact, it’s probably a given that they’re not, because they’re kids performing roles that are developmentally inappropriate! Sokka remains a shit hunter; he becomes a decent fighter but he’s still miles behind his friends. A big part of healing from his parentification is finding another area — strategy, engineering, project management (what else do you call that schedule) — where he actually excels, to which he can dedicate his time and from which he can derive satisfaction and a sense of identity. For Katara, fighting for the oppressed and combat waterbending give her that. Crucially, however, Katara does not stop being a girl when she becomes a warrior. She’s still responsible for domestic and emotional labour. Unlike Sokka, whose protector duties were more or less relieved as the series went on and he found new ways to contribute to the group, Katara continued to perform her old role in addition to her new one (which is depressingly realistic btw, look up feminist theory around the concept of the second shift). Still, it’s important that she found these new ways to value herself and her contributions…

…which disappear in her adult life. Where’s adult Katara fighting for the oppressed? Where’s adult Katara enjoying her status as a master waterbender? Where’s Mighty Katara? Where’s the Painted Lady? Where’s the person who vanquished a whole Fire Lord?

What do we know about adult Katara? She’s no longer a rabblerouser or an ecoterrorist. She did not translate her desire to help the downtrodden into a political role, like being Chief or on the United Republic Council. She’s not known as the best waterbender in the world, only the best healer, even though her combat abilities are what she took the most pride in. Even as a healer, she established no hospitals, trained no widespread acolytes (except Korra, I guess?), and made no known contributions to the field.

What Katara is known for…is being a wife and a mother. The same role she was forced to take on at age 8. One which she performed for the next 80+ years.

[prying-pandora666]

I got an A on my ATLA Report

[orobeori]

When the realization hits that you’ve finally captured the Avatar 💥💥💥

Continuation of my NATLA x ATLA photo-booth series that I hope to make more of, esp of Iroh and Ozai 💪, you can find the first one I did of Aang and Katara here‼️

Been trying to experiment more with how I draw them, and the process for this one in particular was very fun :’] Still not too sure on how I did the lighting lol, i need to study more on how light works 💀

Any duo/trio/group you'd like to see in particular?

[the-badger-mole]

"You didn't love her like I did!"

How would you write a much-needed conversation between Katara and Sokka?

"That's not fair" Sokka said. "Of course I loved her! But Aang's right-"

"Don't you dare!" Katara shouted. "Don't you dare tell me you loved Mom as much as I did and then sit there and tell me that Aang's right about me needing to forgive that...that monster!"

"Katara, I'm just-"

"No, Sokka! You weren't there!" Tears were streaming down her face. "That man has haunted my dreams for years! I can still smell the blood! You have no idea what it's been like for me. Mom is gone! She's gone because of me!"

"Katara, no one thinks that," Sokka tried to pull his sister into a hug, but she jerked away.

"I think that!" she snapped. "Mom is dead because that man was coming for me! I couldn't do anything to stop him then. I can do something about it now. If that's revenge, then fine. I want revenge. He took my mother, Sokka. I still need her, but she's not here."

"I need her, too," Sokka said.

"I know that," Katara scoffed. "I know that because you keep turning to me to replace her. Who do I have to turn to, Sokka?" She was met with silence. After a moment, she nodded her head.

"I thought so," she said. "I need to do this, Sokka. I need the closure. I need to prove that Mom's sacrifice meant something. There's no one else who can do this for her." Silence fell between them once again. Sokka stared at the ground beneath his feet. His shoulders shook slightly, and Katara thought he might be crying, but when he looked up, his eyes were dry.

"Alright," he said at last. "You're right. I-I didn't realize what it's been like for you. That man deserves to die for what he did to Mom. But, Katara, this is a man who had no issues killing Mom in front of you. What do you think he's going to do when you come to confront him?" Katara met her brother's gaze levelly, rage running through her veins running hot and cold at once.

"I hope he fights," she said stonily. "I hope he tries to defend himself. I hope he tries to do to me what he did to Mom. I'll give him his fair shot. And then, I'll end him." A shiver ran through Sokka. He wanted to protest more, but there was a hardness in Katara's face that made him hold his tongue. He just nodded.

"Come back," he said. "I can't lose you, too." A lump formed in Katara's throat, but there were no tears in her eyes. She took a deep breath and hugged her brother. She didn't believe he understood her even now, but he understood enough to not stand in her way. That was enough for now.

"I'll deal with Aang," Sokka promised. He walked her back to where Zuko was still waiting for her. Sokka stood nearly nose to nose with him, and glared with all the heat he could muster. Zuko's body tensed, as if waiting for an attack.

"I'm trusting you with my sister," Sokka said coldly. "Don't prove me wrong, or there won't be a palace, boat or cave where you can hide from me."

"Okay," Zuko said, raising his eyebrow.

"Keep her safe," Sokka ordered. To this, Zuko nodded once, firmly.

"On my life," he swore. Sokka hugged his sister once more, and then turned to find Aang. The airbender was some distance away, and Sokka could see the hopeful smile on his face. He was still hoping Sokka had managed to get through to his sister. A hope Sokka could see dying as behind him Katara and Zuko climbed into Appa's saddle.

"Wait," he said, as Sokka got closer. "Where are they going? I thought you were going to talk her out of it!" Sokka shut his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Aang," he said, "we need to talk.

[sage-nebula]

> opens the official TDP discord

> immediately sees people mocking how M. Night corrected Bryke's mispronunciation of Asian names in the live-action ATLA movie

> closes official TDP discord

[sun-roach]

Please go to sleep 💙 or else I’ll feed Fox the tastiest zucchini dish he’s ever had in his life 😌

BFKDKKDDKNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNDNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSMMSNDBDBSBVSVSVSVSBB

NOVA WHY WOULD YOU EVEN SAY THAT TO ME??? What have i done to you? /j 😭😭😭🧡

Let Fox out of this kfnndndndndn man can’t sleep himself. He got enough sithy things in his life😭😭😭🧡

[ioannemos]

oh lord an uncle i haven't seen since my mom's funeral (going on six years) and haven't like. actually talked to for a lot longer than that messaged me on fb... he and his wife "would love to talk and see how [i am] doing"

and my gut reaction is "bro you haven't given a shit about me for years, possibly decades, why tf are things different now"

BUT

is that true? maybe he's cared this whole time and just didn't know how to start the conversation. that side of the family's kind of a heinous mess. maybe i'm mistaking my depression-induced apathy for a mutual dislike. i mean i'm pretty sure i startled my grandma at my mom's funeral when i barely tolerated a hug from her (oh boy are there some unresolved issues there still) so like. does she love me in some way? i don't want to explore what that would be, given i'm the daughter of her unloved daughter and that's saying something bc my grandma always loved her boys more than her girls...

idk. real life is sticky and unpleasant and i'm having a Real Hard time of things and also tomorrow is my birthday and i... i'm really struggling. i want to... be somewhere else. like heaven.

[randomnameless]

It's kinda funny how consistent it is that every time Rhea brings up Willy during an argument with Edelgard the latter just pretends she didn't hear that part of the speech and focuses entirely on some minor throwaway comment instead for her response lol

Remember how her lines, when you use her in NG+ against Supreme Leader are basically "Willy :'(" over and over?

I mean (and big thanks to @deathbirby for the lines!) :

Rhea engaging against Supreme Leader :"You bear such a resemblance to him.. It breaks my heart that I must defeat you."

Rhea rekting Supreme Leader : "Wilhelm. If only you were alive today."

I remember a blogger made a meme about Supreme Leader being pissed that Rhea always talks about Willy when she talks to her, and well, that's not completely wrong? lol

But yeah, more seriously, if Supreme Leader really thinks Rhea doesn't value human life at all - because she is a Nabatean (note how she adds "Child of the Goddess "女神の眷属" at the end of this sentence in the jp text, that Treehouse obliterated for ~reasons~) - it is actually very telling : the very same Supreme Leader, faced with Rhea expressing grief/ or thinking fondly about Willy, thus, valuing at least Willy's life (even if he is long dead), aka a human life, doesn't react at all.

But that's a very Supreme Leader thing, she will bulldoze through her path, even if you dangle evidence in front of her eyes that she operates on wrong/faulty premises, and never reconsiders or self-reflects. Rhea very obviously still cares about Willy? Well, Supreme Leader dgaf, Rhea is a Nabatean, and Nabateans don't value human life.

[ladye-zelda]

What is your favorite region in a Zelda game? Mine is the Lanayru Desert/Sand Sea in Skyward Sword.

Ooooo, I think that is my favorite region as well!!

A close second I think would be... hm, my mind keeps going back to the Zora Waterworks in TotK. I love the atmospheric music in that area, and it really gives an "ancient" sort of feel that I wish was consistent with the rest of the game. It's hauntingly beautiful, and the waterworks themselves were a fun challenge. It has a lot of lore potential, which I love

[suzuki-sibs-bar-and-grill]

What are your weaknesses

I'm not telling you that.

You'll use it to hurt me.

(MARI cannot answer, due to her being tranquilized. Again.)

[Meanwhile, with the little Sunny and Aubrey...]

Well, I guess I'm kinda clumsy and hot-tempered sometimes...

I don't have any weaknesses.

[prying-pandora666]

Water Sibs Appreciation Post

I made one for the Fire sibs, so it only seems fair to make one for the Water sibs too!

Katara and Sokka both have meant everything to me at different points of my life, and I’m sure I’m not the only one!

So let’s have a positivity post celebrating them! Whether it’s discussing their impressive feats, their moments of cleverness or compassion, their realistic flaws that make them feel so human, or what they’ve meant to you personally.

I love the Water sibs! How about you?

[thedragonagelesbian]

Good idea or bad idea to boot up da2 rn tonite to start a belladonna 'do' hawke playthru.................

[berryblu-arts]

Pt 2!!!

Some glow stage doodles, mainly Nat/firefly + Ara with a lil cat ^^, I was honestly having kind of a bad art day on these hahah, but eh, might as well post em :3

Some Iris sibs ^^, they're actually Akemi's neice and nephew, that family is a disaster lmaoo

[gazelessmenagerie]

( I may be sunburned but I am free after I had a nice roll around in the fine sand of Rez dirt. It's been a very long time since I was out there and I honestly needed that return back to my roots a bit even if I'm in pain and waiting to molt my skin off now anflsdnlkg )

[recurring-polynya]

Only because I spend 1M hours trying to figure out the most expensive/hideous sunglasses that Byakuya would actually wear, only to for them to have a not-very-google-able name, here are Byakuya’s Tom Ford Special Editions from this could be permanent, you know.

I am extremely proud of these because I think they perfectly straddle that line of “Is he pulling them off??” (Rukia is his sister and they really do cost $3000, so of course she’s going to drag him)

I mean, this was the copy from their press release (as quoted in Fashionista):

Inspired by the enduring elegance of 1950s eyewear, Ford has created a new frame for women [5257] and a frame for men [5260] made of the finest quality gold-plated metal with precious water buffalo horn on the front and the temple tips. These gently retro-influenced frames represent the highest levels of design and fabrication in eyewear. Subtly luxurious and crafted with meticulous workmanship, the two styles are some of the most refined ever offered by TOM FORD EYEWEAR. Each frames and its leather case is presented in a luxurious, Bakelite box with a soft brown lining. A certificate of authenticity and a special cleansing cream and chamois cloth are provided to care for the water buffalo horn, which may appear slightly different on every frame due to its organic origin.

[kagender]

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times for everyone least favourite time of the day...... IT GOD TIME!!!!