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”Aang is the one who reminds Katara to be a kid” PUT SOME RESPECT ON TOPH’S NAME!!! Toph brings out Katara’s inner child, not the sunshine rainbow flower crown inner child, but her internal gremlin. Her pettiness and violence and self-centered mischief. Aang is a ride-or-die friend sometimes, but when they’re together, Katara’s priorities are always 1) the state of the world and 2) Aang himself. Like she can be playful but she’s never really distracted from her sense of responsibility.

With Toph, Katara prioritizes much more childlike things, like having the last word in an argument, and whether her friends think she’s cool, and laughing in a day spa, and petty revenge. Only Toph can drag Katara down to her level of immaturity and I think that’s beautiful

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it physically breaks my heart when some ppl can't see why taang would work as a ship. the subtext is there!

thinking about the potential of tophaang again.

the thing about atla is that it was always about balance. aang was the personification of everything toph needed but never had: freedom, flight, not being weighed down or restrained. while toph was the personification of everything aang was not: someone who faced her problems head on, rooted, always grounded. in aang’s first earthbending lesson toph taught him to face one of his biggest weaknesses, which was relying on evasion rather than directly facing problems. and there’s the fact that aang was fated to meet toph, the way the universe gave him signs that he would meet her until he did—from envisioning her in the swamp (someone you’ve lost, someone you loved), “someone who waits and listens”, the fact that their bond would go on to last more than one lifetime. aang needed the grounding toph gave him, and toph needed the freedom aang gave her. yin and yang. air and earth.

aang was the avatar, but he was also a 12-year-old kid who often struggled with the weight of expectations on him, on the fact that everyone’s solution to every problem was always “but you’re the avatar, you’ll find a way.” except that toph never idolised him or coddled him or acted like he was different; she treated him like he was a normal boy, she teased him, gave him nicknames. i’d know your little footsteps anywhere, twinkle toes. she was a grounding presence for aang, a reality check that he needed. aang gave toph what she always craved, freedom, and toph showed aang how to face one of his biggest fears.

earth was the hardest element for aang to learn because it was his element’s opposite, a representation of everything he was not. but toph’s blunt, head-on approach ultimately helped him grow as a person, to the point that earthbending became aang’s second most used element after air. there’s something so poetic about it. and then there’s the fact that they were the same age, at the same maturity level, plus the fact that toph never coddled him so they inherently felt like equals. they made similar jokes, had the same sense of humor. every time toph and aang fought together, they were devastating, in sync without words. two prodigious twelve-year-olds who despite their smallness were capable of incredible power. aang may not have liked toph’s style of teaching when they first met, but i believe that at that point of his life toph taught him the lesson he needed most.

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thinking about the potential of tophaang again.

the thing about atla is that it was always about balance. aang was the personification of everything toph needed but never had: freedom, flight, not being weighed down or restrained. while toph was the personification of everything aang was not: someone who faced her problems head on, rooted, always grounded. in aang’s first earthbending lesson toph taught him to face one of his biggest weaknesses, which was relying on evasion rather than directly facing problems. and there’s the fact that aang was fated to meet toph, the way the universe gave him signs that he would meet her until he did—from envisioning her in the swamp (someone you’ve lost, someone you loved), “someone who waits and listens”, the fact that their bond would go on to last more than one lifetime. aang needed the grounding toph gave him, and toph needed the freedom aang gave her. yin and yang. air and earth.

aang was the avatar, but he was also a 12-year-old kid who often struggled with the weight of expectations on him, on the fact that everyone’s solution to every problem was always “but you’re the avatar, you’ll find a way.” except that toph never idolised him or coddled him or acted like he was different; she treated him like he was a normal boy, she teased him, gave him nicknames. i’d know your little footsteps anywhere, twinkle toes. she was a grounding presence for aang, a reality check that he needed. aang gave toph what she always craved, freedom, and toph showed aang how to face one of his biggest fears.

earth was the hardest element for aang to learn because it was his element’s opposite, a representation of everything he was not. but toph’s blunt, head-on approach ultimately helped him grow as a person, to the point that earthbending became aang’s second most used element after air. there’s something so poetic about it. and then there’s the fact that they were the same age, at the same maturity level, plus the fact that toph never coddled him so they inherently felt like equals. they made similar jokes, had the same sense of humor. every time toph and aang fought together, they were devastating, in sync without words. two prodigious twelve-year-olds who despite their smallness were capable of incredible power. aang may not have liked toph’s style of teaching when they first met, but i believe that at that point of his life toph taught him the lesson he needed most.

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All the Toph Beifongs

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old people <3

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some taang for the (my) soul

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this is the main lesson I took from sinners

disclaimer: I did not mean offence with the word "witchy" I know she practices hoodoo, but I've made this meme at 3am and just copied the original meme word for word, I'm sorry if it seems disrespectful

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I really love the reference to the actual enemies-to-friends-to-lovers because it really annoys me when people claim that DE are that. Damon never hated Elena. He hated that he couldn't have her (and unfairly punished her for it), and that's not the same thing.

Bonnie and damon on the other hand, def hated each other lol.

What are your thoughts on Delena and Stelena?

lmfao the time warp this just sent me through, I can't go into this pit again 😂 I feel like I probably have so many rambling posts about both of those ships if you search my blog for DE or anti-delena or something like that, but the short of it is I think delena was trash and stelena was overly sappy but felt way more natural to both characters. I think it makes sense delena was explored but it shouldn't have lasted more than a season and should've very much ended with both characters quickly realizing they don't work and that they were idealizing each other without actually liking each other that much. it could've actually been a really compelling character arc for both of them instead of the stagnant and growth-crippling (and boring) trash fire it turned into. stelena finding their way back together a year or two after the damon thing (and with sufficient time to grow as people in between) would've worked for me, especially if they became really good friends again first and really got to know each other unromantically, and with time it became super clear that they're just two people who genuinely share the same values, love spending time together, and will always be drawn toward each other. and damon and bonnie happening parallel to that and being damon's ACTUAL enemies-to-friends-to-lovers slowburn main ship would've been everything.

jfc I cannot believe y'all actually have me out here talking about this trash show in 2025

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totally agree! It actually disappoints me so bad when people misinterpret Stefan's motivations to get the cure (and ultimately have questionable literacy skills).

It's actually quite simple: we see how much Elena doesn't want this life (through various quotes and from her literally saying in her journal that she'd off herself if it wasn't for Jeremy) -> stefan helps her adjust while also wanting to prioritize her fun (he tells Caroline he's worried Elena isn't enjoying herself) --> looks for the cure privately, not because he couldn't accept her but because he didn't want to get her hopes up.

I mean, even when he gives her the cure at the end of S4 he says it's so that she could have the choice. And the beautiful of Stelena is that she chose to give it to him because she knew how much anguish it caused him. Their love is very selfless.

Stefan loved Elena full stop. Whether she was human or vampire, he loved her.

Do you wanna know the actual reason why he was the one constantly searching for the cure? (even though you should already know the actual reason because we should’ve watched the same show)

do you remember the scene ontop of that hill with the sun setting in the background, Stefan and Elena were up there….

well the whole point of that was so Elena could express how she feels about having vampire blood in her system, knowing she was inevitably going to die in less than 24hrs.

Stefan, who already knew what her feelings were, still wanted Elena to say it, he wanted her to come to terms with it and it wasn’t just about Elena - stefan needed to hear her say it too.

Elena at first was putting on a brave face, she didn’t want to accept that reality (the one where she’s a vampire) Stefan knew that, so he reassured her that it was okay for her to feel that way.

Elena, once she gave in and expressed her feelings about it, said and looked like this while saying it:

“I don’t wanna be a vampire Stefan”

“I never wanted to be one”

So when elena actually did become a vampire, she still had the same mindset, she didn’t want to be a vampire. She valued human life.

Elena continues throughout early s4 saying that she hates who being a vampire is making her become, she hates the bloodlust that comes with it etc.

Elena tells Stefan all this after she went and fed on a human.

So Stefan (being the perfect guy he is) wanted to help Elena, he wanted her to have the life she wanted - the life that was ripped away from her. Her human life back.

Then, the cure was coincidentally introduced.

Stefan, even though he wanted the cure for himself, wanted it even more for Elena, because he LOVES her, he wants her to be happy. He wants he to feel like herself again.

Stefan searched high and low for the cure because he was the only one who witnessed Elenas meltdowns about being a vampire, he saw how distraught she was. he saw how her spark died. He saw her character break down In front of his eyes, the girl he knew - the girl Elena knew squashed by her hatred and sadness for being a vampire. The one thing she never wanted for herself.

Stefan was the one who taught Elena how to be a vampire, from hunting and the physical aspects of it to the emotional and mental aspects of it, he was there for her, throughout the whole thing, they both had hope that there was a way through this.

He helped her. meaning he didn’t care that she was a vampire, not in a way where it affected his love for her, he only cared because she did. Stefan hated it because Elena hated it.

That’s why when Stefan found out about the cure, he had his mind set on it, for the sole reason that he wanted the love of his life to have the life she desired. And that desire was audibly to be human.

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Fire Lord Zuko and The Painted Lady

(There's an argument to be made that they match in Ming Dynasty? Minus the Painted Lady details I suppose, but I made this for fun.)

I am the artist! Do not post without permission & credit! Thank you! Come visit me over on: instagram, tiktok or check out my coloring book available now \ („• ֊ •„) /

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annie appreciation post✨

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one of my (many) gripes about delena from TVD is that they didn't have to go the romantic route. the so called "influence" Elena has on damon could've been accomplished through a strong friendship (you know, one where he isn't trying to woo her the entire time, where he takes the no on the chin). imo damon is a character who is driven by romance to a fault and his one sided competition with his brother. it would've been so much more impactful for the story if he were to start to really value his platonic and familial relationships. This would've been two great character development arcs for him. I know that he develops this with bonnie later on in the show, but there was really no reason why the same couldn't be true for Elena. Instead of the whole "I got the girl" mess - I think it's absolutely fine and realistic to realize that what (or who) you wanted is not how you thought it would be. It's just not believable to me that they would last for decades or that he would want to be human besides that one off line in the earlier seasons.

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the reality (imo) is that the writers put so much effort into showing us that for stefan it is only Elena (his past lovers even remarked on it, and later on, Caroline is still insecure about Elena). He only gained self-worth and will to live while being with her. They show us, in no uncertain terms, that Elena and Stefan are good for each other. Then, they decided to give the other half of the love triangle a chance (and overstay its welcome). Even with the "build up" of DE, I just never saw the kind of uniqueness in how damon viewed or treated Elena vs his exes or ex-lovers - nor did I think what the writers claimed she did for him was unique to her (i.e. I think any love interest could've been the "good" for damon).

In seeing this, the writers then shoved Caroline/stefan down our throats, which was an incredibly hard sell given that we saw how much and how deeply he love(d) Elena. Plus, they started the ship with the emphasis on having others "convince" Stefan to date her (which is both painful and insulting). The writers just didn't do enough to make it believable - and like you said, it doesn't help that they kept having Caroline bring up Elena.

Caroline's feelings for Stefan really came out of nowhere at the end of season 4/during season 5. During season 1, her interest in him was purely based on superficial things (him being "new" and good-looking) and "the competition" between her and Elena (that only existed in her own mind). Many people say they started to see possible romantic hints between them as early as in 2x02. All I saw was him being friendly and a good mentor towards her. I think they tried to make her some kind of Lexi vol 2, but failed horribly and poured the salt in the wound at the same time.

Caroline showed her true colors with her behavior when and after Stefan left Mystic Falls after season 5, didn't want to talk about their situation during the day of her mother's funeral, started to work with Cade to save her kids, turned his emotions off and longed for some space to figure things out after 8x12. Even when they were together, Elena was the ghost in their relationship who Caroline - mostly unreasonably - kept bringing up. So that early thought of competition and her losing never truly stopped in her mind.

I just don't get the appeal of them romantically. It just seemed like they were put together because the writers thought there was no one else left to pair them with.

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THE VAMPIRE DIARIES | 2.02 "Brave New World"

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Kat Graham believes systemic racism is why Bamon never happened. She is correct.

I saw some of my mutuals and fellow Bonnie fans discuss this video and felt prompted to share this. This panel was on March 15th, 2025. Kat believes Enzo was only chosen for Bonnie because he was not as popular as Damon was (applies for Jeremy as well.) While this conversation is about Bamon this heavily implies her feelings towards Bonnie's other romantic pairings that Kat was interested in that were pitched by her male peers.

Klaus loved witches and Greta Martin was devoted to him (the relationship was sexual) Joseph was aware of Klaus attraction/circle of witches and wanted to work with Kat more than what he gotten. Bonnie was vulnerable from the issues with her friends and parents. Klonnie was pitched and would have made sense with the storylines. Klaus attraction and kinship to witches was retconned and ignored. All done to avoid having Bonnie be with a popular character while using those racist motivations in creating that other Klaus ship that became popular in season 3.

The sad truth is Bonnie was never going to get "the guy" or "the girl" because of racism. Those dynamics and relationships for Bonnie was never going to work not because of who Bonnie was or who the other partner was. But, because of Hollywood/TVD's writing room (Julie, Dries, etc..)weren't going to allow them to work for her. Those writers made exceptions for everyone but couldn't with Bonnie or Kat.

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Forgiveness

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kat.aang fails as a friends to lovers dynamic for multiple reasons, but one of the most egregious is that katara’s friendship alone is never once valued by either the narrative or aang.

a good friends to lovers romance bases the will-they-won’t-they on the potential consequences of rejection. what if confessing ruins your friendship? what if by trying to be something different you lose what you already have? not only is this a relatable and interesting conflict that maintains romantic tension without making it seem contrived, it also does something more important: it denotes the importance and meaning of the characters’ existing bond, thus making it a worthwhile, believable framework upon which to build a romance.

but this is never the case in kat.aang. not once does aang worry about what confessing his feelings might do to his friendship with katara, or even entertain the possibility that their relationship could be strained or ruined as a result. rather, the romantic tension in kat.aang is driven by the fear of rejection itself: the worst outcome of this situation is not the loss of aang’s supposedly close friendship with katara, but the dreaded confirmation that friendship is all that will ever exist between them.

katara and aang don’t work as a friends to lovers ship because their platonic/familial relationship is framed as an obstacle to their romance, not a stepping stone. this is made most evident in the ember island players, when actress katara’s re-affirmation of her sisterly feelings for aang (coupled with her interest in zuko) is the catalyst for aang’s confrontation and subsequent violation of katara. katara’s platonic love here is a source of frustration to aang, not comfort; a reminder of what he does not yet have instead of what he stands to lose.

aang wanting “more” than friendship is not inherently bad, and his desire for a romance with katara does not, on its own, invalidate their relationship. but you cannot predicate a romance on friendship all while disparaging the continuation of said friendship in its current state as the worst thing that could happen to the dynamic of these two characters! doing so not only cheapens kat.aang’s platonic bond, it also reinforces the idea that the only type of relationship worth having with women is a romantic one; that friendship is nothing more than a poor consolation prize for the romance women rightfully owe their male friends. it’s a leaf taken right out of the good old Nice Guy misogyny and amatonormativity playbook.

and if even the narrative can’t be bothered to respect or buy into kat.aang’s friendship as the foundation of their romance, why exactly should i or anyone else be expected to do so?