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[twotimestom]

I wrote about this a little last night but I really wanna talk more about how they shifted the focus of Zuko's arc in the live action ATLA and how it does a disservice to both his and Azula's arcs.

In the original, Zuko's quest for the Avatar and his motivating factor there was always about reclaiming what he had lost. His honor, of course, but also his family and his life in the Fire Nation. That's a large part of why the end of season two hits so hard. Zuko had finally been starting to realize that his uncle was his true family and that he could be happy outside of the Fire Nation. But then when given the choice, he threw that away in the hopes of reclaiming what he thought he truly needed to be happy, his family and his home. And then in season 3 he came to realize that he wasn't happy in the Fire Nation and any sense of familial love and affection he had thought he would receive didn't come. Everything that he thought he had wanted hadn't fulfilled him in any way. So he decided to follow his heart, leave it all behind, and do what he thought was right and good, just as his uncle had taught him.

The show ATLA pivots the focus of Zuko's quest to be less about regaining his honor and more about regaining his power. He constantly mentions things like "I'm still the heir to the throne right?" and about him being able to regain his rightful place as a prince of the Fire Nation. He never once mentions restoring his honor so he can go home.

At the same time, the show introduces Azula early to foment this power rivalry between the two, with Ozai pulling their strings. Even Ozai's original reasoning to banish Zuko was shifted from being about respect and honor to being about toughening Zuko up and pushing Azula to be stronger at the same time. Ozai intentionally manipulated this power rivalry between the two of them to try and make them "stronger".

But what gets me is not only was Zuko's quest never about power in the original, but Azula's rivalry with Zuko in the original was also never about power? It was about her mommy issues, and the fact that their mother loved Zuko more than her and viewed her as a monster. That's extremely evident when she starts having her breakdown towards the end and apparitions of her mother start appearing before her. She only ever viewed power as a way to keep people from leaving her, not as something she deeply desired. She never truly got to experience unconditional love as a child, and so the only way for her to feel loved and admired was for her to demand it out of others.

The original Zuko/Azula rivalry was never ever not even for a second about power. It was about love. And that is such a harder thing to write well, a sibling rivalry about love. It's easy to throw a throne between them and have them fight over it. It's much harder to write a story where the two of them are competing over the love they both wish they'd had. Zuko always wanted for his father to love and respect him. Azula always wanted for her mother to love and respect her. Both felt voids within them that they thought they could fill in their own ways, and took out their frustrations out on each other and on those around them.

In the end, Zuko filled the void in his heart with good friends and the uncle who had always treated him like a son. Azula crumbled and lost control the second her friends betrayed her. She had thought she had filled the void in her heart, but it had always had a weak foundation, and the second it started crumbling, it took Azula with it. Her friends never loved her. They only feared her.

This is why Zuko won their agni kai in the end. He had the love of his friends and family on his side, keeping him strong. Love is stronger than fear, that's the message in the end.

So, that's why I'm pissed they're making this more about power. I know there are opportunities in later seasons for them to backtrack this and fix it, but even if they do I feel like the damage is already done. The message is tainted with whispers of power when in the original that was never a thing. It was always always about love.

[twotimestom]

haha yes i watched zerocalcare's new goofy sociopolitical cartoon and i did NOT angrily ugly cry almost the entire way through at the way it portrays the utter complete loss of any perspective in life for young generations, the sense of powerlessness in front on the indifference of most, the criminalization of immigrants and political militants, and the way some of the poorest strata of the population is getting absorbed by a rising neofacist movement that's spurred along by the institutions.

[twotimestom]

I was recently inspired to draw a little comic based on a magnificent scene from The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 🍊 I love this book so much!!

(hang in there Ead)

[twotimestom]

[twotimestom]

why do black people use you in the wrong context? such is "you ugly" instead of "you're ugly" I know u guys can differentiate, it's a nuisance

you a bitch

[twotimestom]

Reminder that Disney and Marvel deserve absolutely NONE of the credit for acknowledging Loki's gender and sexuality.

The people who really deserve the praise and credit are the writers, directors, producers, and show runners who have been pushing and pushing for this for so long. They're the ones who gave us this, Disney and Marvel are the ones who ignored it and erased it for so long.

But thanks to the Loki team, no matter what happens, Loki's queerness is indisputable and can no longer be used to bait us. Remember that.

[twotimestom]

ANTHONY MACKIE as SAM WILSON in The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (2021) | One World, One People

[twotimestom]

ok ok ok ok so we agree sam is one of the best characters in the mcu and he can 100% wield mjolnir right?

[twotimestom]

“They queerbaited us with Sambucky and now they’re making Bucky flirt with a woman to no homo it” “Please don’t force a romance on Sarah and Bucky I’m done with heterosexuality” oh my god shut the FUCK up. I say this as a self-diagnosed delusional Sambucky stan, but y’all need to remember that this is a disney show we’re watching here. They’re never going to make sambucky canon, it’s 100% not happening and I’ve known this since day fucking 1. 

Sarah x Bucky on the other hand? Literally the FUNNIEST outcome, I have never wanted anything more in my goddamn life. POV you are Samuel Wilson, you spent two years hunting down this creepy urban legend killing machine because he turned out to be your best friend’s long lost love from 70 years ago, became an enemy of the state for him, then immediately after you got him back your best friend fucked off to the 1940s to marry somebody else. Now you’re left with this…. Guy. You don’t exactly know what to do with him. He’s kind of alright, a little annoying, and you put up with some of his not that alright moments because he’s technically your best friend’s widow, you tease him about once being a creepy urban legend killing machine on a daily basis and he lets you. Life goes on. Five months later he marries your sister and now he’s just living in your house raising your nephews and using his creepy urban legend killing machine powers to carry groceries for your family. Literally HOW do you react to that. HOW the hell do you react to that. Sam Wilson is a good person that doesn’t deserve to have any of this happen to him, but I, on the other hand, am a terrible human being, and would delight in his misery. I repeat, I have never wanted anything more in my life, and if y’all blow this for us I swear to god. I swear to GOD. 

Listen to me. Hating on Sarah x Bucky will NOT make them reconsider canon Sambucky or bi Bucky, what it WILL achieve. Is to have them pull that Endgame shit again and send Bucky back in time to the 1940s and reunite with Redhead Dolores, whom he’s secretly been in love with all along. So you guys better pull your shit together and shut it down before it’s too late 

[twotimestom]

Don’t flirt with my sister.

[twotimestom]

“let’s hear it for Captain America!”

(PRINTS)

~~

Reblog, don’t repost

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[twotimestom]

On Sarah Wilson...

I know parts of fandom have a hard time digesting who this woman is, so let me lay it out. This is a woman whose parents died, whose husband died, whose brother was blipped for 5 years (which meant he was dead to her too, for those years) and was a single mom, with two boys running a business while also giving what she can of herself to the community. She’s been focused ENTIRELY on doing what she can for her family and community. But she’s also emotionally intelligent as we saw in the conversation with Karli, (who honestly lost me in terms of benefit of the doubt or any kind of goodwill when she threatened both Sam and her boys), with that answer about not giving af about the symbol of country that doesn’t give af about her?  Yep. She’s responsible.  

She’s a great mom.  

She loves her boys and brother. But she’s also soft…  After fixing the boat, she couldn’t bring herself to sell it.  She makes secret lunches for the kids in the neighborhood whom she knows have a homelife where they don’t always get meals. She donates any extra-catch from fishing to the local food bank or shelter. So, this woman is given some actual “How are *you* doing?” type of attention, and not in a creepy way from some random stranger but from her brother’s visitor… An actual Avenger.  …Her brother’s friend.

So, actually *seeing* who this character is, the last thing I’m thinking about is how *she* can help her brother’s friend with his trauma and recovery. Nor, do I assume he’s giving her attention because of his friend. That would be shitty in the extreme and I don’t think this good old-fashioned, clearly raised right guy, who protected Steve all those years ago and offered him a home after his parents died, saying and meaning “I’m with ya til the end of the line”… would do that. Sarah got coy yall, she smiled hugely and was so flattered.  This woman who has carried so much on her back for years, but still smiles like sunshine. The kind of person who would only pretend to see her, *really see* her for any other reason than her… Would be a complete asshole. …Just saying.

[twotimestom]

#growth

[twotimestom]

― CHOSEN FAMILY, RINA SAWAYAMA

[twotimestom]

#i love them your honor

[twotimestom]

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier incorrect 9

[twotimestom]

REMINDER: Sam Wilson is a literal ANGEL and he deserves the world!