#i actually think azula could fit this trope well

[seyaryminamoto]

Matching scars is a soulmate's mark and you demonstrated that on Sokka and Azula's hands, does that mean the soulmates concept exist in Gladiator universe?

Uuuuuh... well, that's not entirely the intent there, since in their case, they inflicted the scars upon themselves in a wedding ritual? XD The idea of the rite they did comes from my age-old research into wedding rites for a different writing project, and I learned about the handfasting-including-palm-cuts ritual, which I thought might be an interesting fit for the story (and I think the general fandom likes it too? I've seen a few people referencing handfasting as a wedding rite in their content here and there...). So, as far as the classic "soulmate AU" concepts are concerned... that wasn't really what I was going for when I wrote their wedding rite, but you're very much free to see it that way if you'd like to.

Worth noting that, if you want to interpret it as "they chose to be each other's soulmate", then I'd say that interpretation is absolutely correct xD

Removed from the idea of the marks, though, I just believe in love in a slightly different way than the classic soulmates/fated lovers sort of ideal that has become very popular in fanfiction. For me, love has to be built and nourished above all else. That's why the story I've written is about a love that doesn't come easily at first, but that becomes stronger as a result of the mutual growth of our main characters. Basically, if you say Sokka and Azula were simply eternally fated to be together in Gladiator... well, that's fine by me, but what I value the most is the journey they undergo in order to become the best partners they can be for each other. They make their own choices, they chose each other, and if in doing so, they've voluntarily become soulmates. That's how I'd put it, personally.

Now, then, if you're curious...

My skepticism about the soulmates trope in media is honestly to be blamed in the misuse of the subject in a certain TV show I'd rather not name, where two "soulmates" were actually a very soulless, uninteresting pairing with very little to offer to the story. The female character in particular had soooo much potential and so many other characters she actually had way more chemistry with... and she got forced into a boring relationship with this boring dude with whom all she ever got was drama, drama, more drama, and then he was dead and then the drama was about him being dead.

After enduring that... I'd much rather not fall into the pits of soulmate writing when it comes to basically assuming that a couple is "perfect" for each other just because someone slapped a "soulmates" label on it. Because without the proper work to build up the romance there, without exploring what makes it a strong relationship... it feels like there's no real purpose to the couple being soulmates. It ends up feeling like an arranged marriage, forced to happen by the writer, and not something based on chemistry or character dynamics being fun and important. Of course, there's a LOT of ways to do soulmate AUs and there have been very good ones... but when I think of the basic, common concepts for those, where there's a mark or a sign, and the characters just have no say upon the matter and just accept it as fact because that's how their world works? That's... not my thing. And after having watched the TV show I mentioned earlier and feeling utterly disappointed by the outcome of that storyline... I'd really rather not end up writing anything that feels like that :'D

Even back when I wrote The Reason, where I threaded in the concept of the red string of fate, it was never something overt and that they could confirm was truly happening: it was something they believed had been drawn between them, even a matter of faith and hope that they would be a good match for each other, I'd say. So even if I reiterated that theme every chapter, ultimately, they chose each other and the story is about how they learn to make that conscious choice rather than just about stating they're fated to be together.

So yeah, I guess this is one of my strange controversial opinions about fanfic tropes, I suppose X'D I don't think the trope in itself is bad and obviously it can be written well, brilliantly even... but while I objectively write Sokkla as soulmates in my stories because I always want them together, I only ship them with each other and I primarily focus on their relationship in the content I create, I think the notion of the classic "soulmate AU" isn't one I'll be likely to explore much, personally. If I ever do, the soulmate situation will likely be much more of a background thing than the primordial core of what I'm doing.

Hope that wasn't too convoluted or confusing to understand x'D

#anon #gladiator #theory? #I suppose? #I mean I definitely can say they're voluntary soulmates #as well as each other's biggest stans #but yeah I don't know if their scars work that way #if anything I'd say the chi attunement concept is more of a soulmate thing #where they're connected soooooo powerfully #so much more powerfully than they've realized yet #:'DDDDD #*rubs hands and walks away* #... also more about my thoughts on the trope under the read more if you really waant to know more

[a-master-procrastinator]

Long ass post about the Eternal family not being a copy-paste from ATLA (aka I like the memes but my god can you please stop)

Because some people truly think that Vaylin is off-brand Azula, Arcann is Zuko and so on.

It's. Called. A. Trope. (I mean how often do we come across abusive manipulative fathers in media? Mothers who couldn't much to change anything? Children, desperately looking for their parent's approval no matter what?)

Of course, you have to consider the fact that the writing of ATLA is simply better than of KotFE/ET, so this might have been one of the reasons why people say that.

Spoilers for Avatar: The Last Airbender, Knights of the Fallen Empire and Knights of the Eternal Throne expansions!

Okay, so here's my unprofessional, maybe biased, not super deep take.

(not going to mention that all of them are members of royal, ruling family, kinda obvious)

What roles do they play in their stories? Well, both Valkorion and Ozai are main antagonists, but their presence throughout the story is very different. Ozai is rarely shown in first two seasons, we don't even see his face until season 3. He doesn't have a direct connection to the protagonist, they only meet at the very end of the show, and Ozai's role is to pose a threat to the world, while Aang's is to save it. Valkorion, on the other hand, is constantly on the screen, interacting with the main character, challenging their viewpoint and influencing them directly. His end goal is similar to Ozai's (destroy everything and be the only ruler of the his nation), but with one major difference - he's trapped in Outlander's mind, so to achieve his goal Valkorion attempts to take control of the main character. Their interactions play important role in the story, and we spend a lot of time with Valkorion.

In addition to that, their relationship with children are also not exactly the same. It seems like Azula is Ozai's favorite and Zuko is a failure in his eyes until he meets his expectations, and the same goes with Vaylin, Arcann and Valkorion, right? Well, partially. Indeed, Valkorion and Ozai's treat their sons in similar ways (are disappointed in them until they meet their expectation by doing something that goes against their morals), but when it comes to Vaylin and Azula, it's not that easy. See, Valkorion claims that Vaylin was always his favorite creation (even though we know it's actually his empire), and he certainly seems to take pride in her potential in the Force. But her power is the very reason he's afraid of his own daughter, and in this fear Valkorion literally locks Vaylin away and allows to put her through physical and mental torture just to make sure she won't become a threat, won't overpower him. Maybe he thought of her better than of Arcann, but she wasn't his favored child for sure. I don't want to say that Azula hasn't experienced abuse from Ozai, but for the most part he clearly favored her over Zuko. He has never shown fear of Azula's power and abilities (or at least I haven't noticed), quite the opposite - allowed her to do a lot, as long as she brings results.

I could also mention their slightly different characterization (mostly that we get more characterization of Valkorion, get to learn his motivations, views, philosophy and all that, also he's portrayed as more nuanced, even if he not really is) and role in their respective governments (ozai is one of many Fire Lords and arguably not the greatest, while Valkorion is a god to citizens of Zakuul, their only Immortal Emperor), but those are details, and I think you get the point.

What's similar: role of the main antagonist, manipulative and abusive father, goal of destruction of everything that isn't their nation/empire, relationship with disgraced son.

What's different: presence in the overall narrative, relationship with the main character, relationship with daughter, role in their societies.

Senya and Ursa are even less similar. Yes, they both are mothers who love their children, but have to leave them, but these are probably the only things they have in common. Just as with Ozai and Valkorion's presence throughout the story, Ursa is only shown in flashbacks (for obvious reasons), and Senya is one of major characters in KotFE and (a bit less major) in KotET. Ursa leaves because she has to kill Azulon in order to save Zuko, and later isn't present in the story (I'm aware that her fate is told in comics, but we aren't talking about it). Senya leaves because when she tries to take children with her, they refuse, and she understands that she can't force them to, nor she can help them to break free from Valkorion's manipulations. For a long time she's absent from Arcann ad Vaylin's lives, but at the time of game events she attempts to save her children and stop the madness and destruction they've caused, and it isn't a small part of the story.

I also want to add that their relationship with Ozai and Valkorion are also different, but can't say much about Ursa. I heard that she didn't choose this marriage and suffered emotional (and maybe physical???) abuse from Ozai. I can say with confidence, though, that Senya genuinely loved Valkorion, and strangely enough, he seems to at very least respect her. But, of course, this wasn't the best marriage either.

Plus, we see more of Senya's relationship with Vaylin than Arcann or Thexan, but with Ursa we see her more with Zuko than Azula. Just a detail to remember.

(also Senya is simply a better character but that besides the point, moving on. in this house we stand Senya)

What's similar: role of loving and caring mother, abandoning their family at some point.

What's different: presence in the overall narrative, relationship with husband, characterization in general.

Boy, where do I even begin. Vaylin and Azula are similar in that they are both extremely powerful (one is firebending prodigy, the other is potentially stronger than Valkorion), both are cruel "craaaaazy" (i hate that cliché), both are younger sisters, have serious mother issues (seemingly more so than father issues), both go through betrayal of people they could always rely on, which eventually leads to their downfall. But when I took a look at their personal arcs, it became clear that they aren't the same (unfortunately, Vaylin's arc is very rushed and underdeveloped, but we'll have to go with what we have and my personal view, sorry).

There's a really good video about writing corruption and madness, and I'm going to base my thoughts on it. To summarise it: a good corruption arc should have 4 components:

- the character has a specific goal (or a goal and subgoals);

- in pursuit of said goal they become the cause of a significant event that brings serious consequences;

- as the result of these consequences, character abandons their morals, ideals or a code in pursuit of goal;

- character either will not achieve their goal or will succeed, but it won't be enough to satisfy them.

And then the author brings Azula's arc as one of the best examples of compelling story of corruption (so basically, she represents it perfectly). In short, Azula's main goals are perfection and control, and subgoals help achieve the main ones. In pursuit of these goals, Azula causes Mai and Ty Lee to betray her (by pushing them too far to do something they wouldn't do), which then causes her to become paranoid, which makes her to attempt controlling everything and everyone around her, *breathes* which makes her lose control over herself and ....

Now, I thought if Vaylin's arc could fit into a corruption one, and next part will be based a lot on my assumptions and personal view of her character (plus rushed writing doesn't help), but I think yes (or at least mostly). The difference is in goals, ideals and details.

While the story strongly makes us think that Vaylin's goal is freedom (or control over her life and everything around her) or power and destruction, I think it's actually self-determination (which was said by Tenebrae in 6.2) and feeling safe. Let me explain (and here I thought this would be a short comparison). Sure, when Valkorion caged Vaylin on Nathema, he took choices and control over her life from his daughter. But let's not forget whom Vaylin blames for this (even more than Valkorion): her own mother, and I think this details tell us that the most important thing that Vaylin lost on Nathema is feeling safe. Then, after Arcann brought her home, I assume Vaylin still didn't feel safe enough under Valkorion's rule, still too afraid that he'd simply send her back to that hellish place.

It's when Valkorion is struck down Vaylin finally has a feeling of personal safety, even if she isn't the one on the throne. Why? Because back on Nathema there were two people who haven't turned on her - Arcann and Thexan (yes, this is also a huge assumption, bc the game states that only Thexan visited her, but it doesn't make much sense).

I've always noticed (and I'm not alone in this) that her behavior in Fallen Empire is different from the way she acted in Eternal Throne. Most likely bc of rushed writing, but I see a character driven reason here. In first of these expansions, Vaylin is the second person in power on Zakuul, and with Arcann being in charge, person she can trust more than any other living being, she feels safe - she can test her power, and now Valkorion won't prevent it, she can do pretty much everything she wishes, and the most Arcann will do about this is mildly complain (without blaming her). Really would be nice if we got to see any normal hobbies of Vaylin (like wasn't there something about books or art?), but I digress. She might have some questions about Arcann's tactics, but they get along just fine. The important thing to note is Vaylin not seeking to hunt the Outlander personally, to rule or conquer the rest of the galaxy, or trying to achieve absolute freedom or power. She's kinda there.

This, however, changes when Arcann doesn't allow Vaylin to kill Senya. Their relationship was getting somewhat worse towards the end of KotFE, but this is a turning event Vaylin caused by attempting to strike her mother. By saving the person Vaylin blames for all the trauma from sending her to Nathema, Arcann threatened her feeling of safety. And now Vaylin starts to believing that to achieve safety she now needs to kill people who hurt her (that's why she's so determined to find Senya and Arcann), take the throne and hunt down Outlander (she was manipulated by SCORPIO to these subgoals).

(The following is the weakest, I'll admit, but I hope I can at least express what I see). So, in trying to achieve goals she didn't want before Vaylin loses in self-determination, being either driven by overwhelming anger or manipulated by others (SCORPIO or Commander on Odessen), desperately trying to accomplish anything, or even goes against her morals (like by erasing GEMINI's free will protocols, when earlier she agreed that freedom to choose is important; or breaking the deal on Odessen). All of these result in her downfall.

But even this isn't the end. The key difference between arcs of Azula Vaylin lies in it's resolution, or that Vaylin have a chance to overcome corruption in the main narrative (and Azula doesn't. again, not including comics here, sorry). After death, Vaylin is again controlled by Valkorion in Outlander's mind. First time physically (she can't resist it), second time mentally. This is where Vaylin has to choose - kill brother who betrayed her and Commander who killed her, or go against Valkorion, person responsible for almost all of her pain and trauma. She has t choose by herself, and I think it's a good start.

Now, before 6.2 we all thought Vaylin was dead for good, but that story update hinted at possibility of her coming back to life. What I like to think is that now that she dealt with people responsible for her trauma (helped defeat Valkorion and actually for once listened to Senya), Vaylin can now have a different life, finding herself with support of someone she doesn't hold a grudge against and who treats her well (Satele, I mean).

I'm so sorry for going into details, but I needed this long explanation to present the point (and I suck at explanations). As said before, this is my version of her arc, and most likely wrong interpretation, but even with personal freedom of choice, Vaylin character differs from Azula a lot.

Need I mention that Vaylin relationship with Arcann and Valkorion are drastically different from those between Azula, Zuko and Ozai?

(Also a little detail - with royal family of Fire Nation, Azula is the golden child, while with Tiralls it's actually Thexan, not Vaylin).

What's similar: role of extremely powerful, emotionally damaged daughter with little to no regard towards others, close people betraying them, resulting in their downfall.

What's different: characterization, role in the narrative, relationship with father and brother.

Arcann and Zuko is the most difficult part, but I still believe that calling Arcann just a cheap copy of Zuko is incorrect.

So, they fall into role of less successful son, always getting disapproval from father, being in shadow of more talented sibling, both obsessed with capturing the main character but ending up helping them end the war after going through a redemption arc with help of caring family member. Even both have scars on left side of face. Yeah, seems similar. I still think they are different characters.

Let's start with their relationships with family. In Valkorion section I said that his attitude towards Arcann is similar to that of Ozai towards Zuko, so not going to spend too much time here. However, there's slight difference - Zuko didn't kill his father even he had a perfect opportunity (bc it wasn't his goal), Arcann did (bc it was one of his goals), which says something about their characterizations.

Zuko and Ursa were shown to have a good mother-son relationship, and it played a role in Zuko's character. With Arcann and Senya, we don't really know (not much was shown in expansions). We know Arcann didn't hate his mother, but possibly didn't have warm memories of her either. The reason is most likely, like Senya said, her children wanted nothing to do with her (which is a bit untrue about Vaylin, but okay) and leaned more towards Valkorion. We need to remember that on Zakuul Valkorion isn't just one of many great leaders, he's the greatest, and seen as a god by most citizens, so safe to assume the same would apply to his children as well.

Zuko and Azula's siblingship (i'm out of words) is a bit similar to Arcann and Vaylin's in way of brother knowing that his sister isn't good, but still caring about them (even if not showing). At least it's what I saw. What's different is how Azula treats Zuko, compared to how Vaylin treats Arcann. I think Azula showed compassion or concern for Zuko maybe twice, but I'm not entirely convinced that it was 100% sincere. Vaylin, on the other hand, seems to trust and care about Arcann (with bits of sass and questioning his life choices), and switching to complete opposite after him saving Senya. Also, I don't she ever called Arcann a failure in their father's eyes.

Now I want to say that their roles in stories aren't the same either. Sure, both are introduced to us as antagonists, but in reality, Zuko was never a true antagonist (we get to learn this somewhere mid-season 1), when Arcann remains the main antagonist for whole of KotFE. Zuko didn't start a war and didn't participate in conquest of other nations too much, his main goal was to capture the Avatar so to restore his honor (and deserve his father's forgiveness). Honestly, I think it's safe to say the Zuko is one of two main protagonists of ATLA. Why does Arcann want to capture the Outlander? Solely because his father's spirit still lives inside this person's mind, and the best solution to keep Valkorion away from the galaxy is not letting the Outlander free (hence the carbonite freezing). And Arcann doesn't want or need Valkorion's forgiveness when he attempts to kill him (or kills him, depending on your choice. anyway, his action directly leads to Valkorion's "death"). And right after that he becomes a ruler of Zakuul and begins the conquest of Republic, Sith Empire and everything he can reach (the reasoning behind this is still unclear to me though; maybe because he was raised with ruling Zakuul in mind and he didn't anything else, idk). Point is, he's responsible for war and main's character imprisonment, which makes him the main antagonist of KotFE. They have it the opposite ways - Zuko starts as disgraced prince, supported by a little group of people, and in the end he's recognized and appreciated by his nation, and Arcann starts as respected by his empire, later becoming less and less loved, until some groups start rebelling his rule, and in the end he doesn't get to rule Zakuul again.

This leads me to their morals. See, Zuko didn't have the worst morals in Fire Nation, even more, he expressed care for loyals soldiers of his nation before getting punished by Ozai. During first season (and about a half of second one) his views on other nations are what he was taught before. However, these views are challenged by travelling in Earth Kingdom, witnessing people suffering from war Fire Nation started and hating its people (you already know all of this), and with this he comes through final stage of redemption when he's back home. Unfortunately, Arcann doesn't go through this, and he's shown to be more ruthless.

Alright, when it comes to their redemption arcs, well let's say they are different (both in quality and the way they go through it), I'm just a bit tired of long explanations at this point. Zuko's arc is one of the best ever put on television, and Arcann's... well, it definitely has potential, but is criminally underdeveloped (there are other people who will explain it better than I ever could).

What's similar: role of disgraced son, living in shadow of their sibling, serious injuries on the left side of face (though with different meanings), obsession with capturing the main character, having a redemption arc.

What's different: role in the narrative, role in their society, characterization, relationship with sister and mother, different end goals (before redemption), paths to redemption.

#ah. ofc it didn't show in the tag bc of the youtube link. ofc. gonna be down bc of this) #hey look at me rambling about something only maybe 2 people take seriously #also i noticed that parental characters are better in swtor and children characters are better in atla. do what you want with this #it's 3:30 am i should be sleeping but here instead writing this #(forgive if i have some spelling mistakes. brain shutting down but i won't be at peace if i don't post it right now) #okay so if you have thoughts on this... you really don't have to waste time on this #i really only wrote this because i was annoyed by some peeps on reddit claiming vaylin is off-brand with a straight face #(and then posted this on tumblr bc i don't want to suffer those people on reddit) #what am i doing with my time #(not gonna tag atla bc it's not really about it) #swtor #arcann #vaylin #valkorion #senya tirall #kotfe #kotet #pauletta's babbling #pls send help #(or oc aks to give me some free serotonin but no obligations ofc)

[balsa-margarita]

F, I, P, and T on the alphabet asks.

Right, so if I had to choose a quote that I love, it would have to be this one from Chapter 18 of Resurrections - it's rather long, fair warning:

“Because she wouldn’t.” To her surprise, it was Suki who spoke, looking quite torn. “When she had us imprisoned - the Kyoshi Warriors - we never tried to get any sympathy or any mercy. You don’t do that in a war.”

You should always expect to be treated as an enemy.

“But the war was over-”

The Kyoshi Warrior shook her head. “It wasn’t ever over for her, though. Azula’s smart, she knew better than to expect any leniency considering who she was.”

“But she shouldn’t have had to, Suki,” Ty Lee replied sadly. “I fought with her, and so did Mai-”

“She said that in the bar earlier, didn’t she?”

“Yeah, she did.” The acrobat nodded to Mai, then sighed again. “And that’s exactly what Security said to us, too, and they aren’t wrong. She was just fighting like the rest of us-”

“Zuko tried to make it up to us, though, and then you guys did too.” There was a considering tone in her brother’s voice, though it was also laced with disappointment and regret. “And I guess we didn’t think that Azula could do the same thing.”

She was the enemy-

Toph scoffed bluntly. “Yes, because all of you were too busy either trying to forget about her or using her as a Pai Sho piece.”

“Azula always thought that the only reason people cared about her was because of her title.” With a tired glare, the knife thrower spun something sharp in her hand, and in her voice. “That’s what Ozai always told her. And she was right.”

Cue the long shocked silence after that, too. I love this example in particular because it's where the Gaang's heavily built-up sentiment against Azula finally collapses completely, punctuated by a couple of sharp lines from Mai and Suki. It's particularly potent because all of them have been suppressing their perceptions of Azula as human (Mai openly said in the previous part of the duology that she didn't believe Azula would ever apologize, for example) and this is coming back to hit them in an incredibly obvious fashion. In the end it's the culmination of a lot of what you like to call "clue-by-fours" in quick succession from various sources. And yes, I do like that kind of cumulative moment of realization a lot, and this one in particular.

In terms of guilty pleasures, I'd say that writing is a struggle between two tendencies of mine as a writer - there's a part of me that likes to treat things too gently and write terrible one-sided character portrayals out of a desire for softness, and an equally strong tendency to want to create a lot of really tangled misery and personal conflict. So I have to try to make things have real consequences, and also avoid the possibility of going completely grimdark on occasion when the mood tries to strike me. Which is a weird pendulum to be swinging on, but that's the way my mind works.

My writing style leans decidedly more toward the gardener type - I always have skeletonized outlines, but those warp as I write them, and even the way I actually go about writing fits that description. It's very similar to learning a piece of piano music for me, actually, in that I put the "notes" down first and then spend time polishing it down. Though obviously it takes much less time.

As for tropes I can't stand... I have limited time, and there are an eternity's worth of them, really. But the one I'll bring up here are the various types of "savior SO" fics and other weird and unhealthy representations of relationships (which applies just as well to non-romantic relationships too) that are very common in fanfic writing. Even as someone who's never actually been in a committed relationship (or maybe especially as that person, I don't know) these rub me the wrong way.

(I'll also mention, as an aside to that, the tendency to one-dimensionalize characters. Since the “savior SO” trope is just one of the things that gets wrapped up in this.)

#asks #balsa says

[lightdancer1]

One of the unintended aspects of heroic Azula and Katara butting up against each other

Is something that in canon works to help play into Azula's Othering tropes as a villain but in a heroic AU allows for a variety of different interpretations. First, the heroic Azula at least for a time straight up leaves the Fire Nation and stops fighting for it.

So for Katara, who has a trauma but also kind of based on the whole 'they literally tried to exterminate my people and dumped in my lap the burden of ensuring their survival' based hatred of Firebenders to encounter one of the most powerful Firebenders in the world who flees it and chooses not to wield that power to destroy when she easily could.....well, she's brought into facing a world of shades of grey much earlier. Unlike canon Zuko the heroic Azula AU doesn't go out of her way to antagonize the Gaang or fight them, helped by starting off a good guy rather than a bad guy (and by my despising the 'let's you and him fight' trope).

Second. the very reality that her fire is blue is straight up played up in the Dragon-verse as a slight part of why the Water Tribe adapts to her being 'their' Firebender so easily. Her fire is the blue of their clothes and it seems to fit in spiritually in a manner that may be shallow but it does count in the 'not read as a threat' thing. The Firebending of other people who attack them is orange and/or red, Azula's blue mirrors their clothes and in the Dragon-verse is not only that but wielded at their side.

In the other AUs it enables Katara to basically adopt an 'OK fine, that makes one' mentality without actually dealing with the troubling prospect that the armored hordes that destroyed her people might be made of people like her for a while, and that inconsistency ultimately reverberates around in a big way by the second or third book.

Katara's trauma and what it was for her to see her mother killed in front of her by a Firebender is very much a front and center element and directly played up as a foil to Azula's own experiences. And it leads to some bonding experiences for both of them in a separate kind of dislike and distaste of the Fire Nation as it is, which is another reason she has an easier time with the Azulas of these AUs than with other Firebenders.

Azula is not part of the imperialist war machine, nor does she do what Jeong Jeong does where he's not actively fighting the Fire Nation (which in several of my AUs he very much is) and disappear into the wilderness with intent to stay there. So between the different kind of fire, her opposition to the system that did great harm to Katara's people, and their fighting side by side, she forces the heroic side to face much earlier the broader difficulty of realizing the true evil of war. That it takes people who at the start of service might be much like any other and forces them to do great evil and calls it heroism.

Katara is not shown as wrong to despise the Fire Nation or what it's done to Firebenders and to itself, at all. What she is shown as is is having difficulties unless she does get time to actually get to know the person of Azula, in accepting first the individual and then extending it from that to the prospect that other Firebenders might be capable of being like her. Surviving a genocide is not a recipe ofr empathy and it not leading to this is not presented as some excuse to say 'Katara is wrong to think this way.' Because that in itself would be a terrible message to send.

Her arc in this regard (outside the first AU and the Continuation-verse where she instead gets to avoid the stay in the kitchen mothering trope because I actively despise that) is a mirror to the Fire Nation's arc that unlearns imperialism. She learns that hardest of all truths, that people can be brought into doing evil things, to doing them willingly....but that they are still people and in the end in peace, there has to be a way to live with these people after the war.

#atla aus #katara

[thevictorianghost]

I love your ideas for lok rewrite! May I add a few as well? Here's some of my ideas: Korra gets trained by each one of the gaang's bending children. To add to the whole friendship lasting more than one lifetime. Asami gets trained by Iroh jr and Suki and Sokka(no benders!). Asami has a zuko style redemption arc(she was supposed to in be a badguy in the show and idea inspired me). Basically korra and asami are zutara 2.0. Mako and Bolin well

They meet Korra as children instead of like in canon. Mako is gay, and falls for an annoying earth kingdom prince. Bolin falls for Taang's grandchild. Team avatar are all friends in the beginning. Till they find out Asami is a spy for amon(but she has a change of heart because of korra). The gaang got grow old together. Aang and maybe later sokka are just one of the first to die.

The show spanneds over 4 to five years. Start with most of gaang being 13 and 14 and ending when there 17 and 18. Aang died thirteen years ago. Over the show each member of the gaang dies of old age till only Zuko and Toph are left. The last episode they die happy in their sleep. Korra and Asami have a zutara type relationship. Mako and earth king prince distator gays. And Bolin is bi.

Now the villains. Amon stays mostly the same except he's actually a noun bender. He made a deal with a evil spirit in the spirit world who hated the avatar. Korra has to deal with the fact that a lot of what non benders deal with is right but his way of doing things are wrong and not right. Thats how she learns to forgive asami and see her point of few. Also the same with asami. At first she has tons of zuko like angst when it comes to asami and betraying amon.

Awesome!! And of course, you can add other ideas :)

I ADORE the idea of Korra being taught by the Gaang’s kids and grandkids. That’s brilliant! Because that’s what made the Gaang so strong. They were benders and non-benders from the Four Nations working together. Ooh! Asami with a redemption arc could have Azula as a role model? I think it thematically fits more than with Zuko (them being two female characters, essentially). We never did know what happened to Azula, too. And I think she should have a better reason to switch sides than Korra, so Azula could be her Uncle Iroh!

Awww I love Mako and Bolin’s new takes! I love “poor person with royalty/rich person” trope. It’s one of my favourite. And Bolin with Taang’s grandchild!! Yes!!

I don’t want to watch my favourite characters to die, though. Nope, nope, nope! No, thank you. Aang’s death is already too sad for me. I want to see them live throughout the show! 

Ooh, Amon is the guy who wears the mask and wants freedom for the non-benders, right? Well in this version, because the world revolves so much around bending already, maybe it’s the benders who feel exploited. Kind of like in Zootopia, how the predators were the ones being oppressed. The non-benders feel useless because they lack bending, like Sokka did in the show in Sokka’s Master especially, and the benders feel exploited, so the discussion about benders/non-benders’ rights could be more nuanced. Maybe we could see Koh the Face Stealer with Amon! Since he wears a mask!

#atla #anti-lok #zutara #taang #darkcrowprincess

[bellatrixobsessed1]

15-24 on the writing ask?

Also you need to stop being shadowbanned ;-;

This time when I searched me up on my other blog, I showed up? I’ve also been getting a pretty steady stream of new followers, more than I have in a while so I think that it could be a glitch this time.  

15. Tell the author your favorite fic of theirs. What’s your (the author’s) favorite fic you’ve written?

My favorite fic that I’ve written by far is I’ll Meet You At The Bottom. I am thrilled to say that, that one is still getting reviews! It is also my longest fic. Wan High was another one that I think was pretty strong. I also really enjoyed writing Kissing Dead Pearls. Protea has been fun too.

16. Do you research for your fics? If so, how deep of a rabbit hole have you gone down by accident when researching?

Yes. Especially for I’ll Meet You At The Bottom. That one deals with drug addiction so I for a while my fbi agent thought that I was an addict. The drug in question was a hybrid of two real world drugs. I’ve also had to research that for a project I’m working on now alongside stuff about pregnancy. So idk what kind of image that paints lmao.

Most recently I had to research how to plant and transplant strawberries xD

For Protea I was looking up a lot of flowers and what they typically symbolism. Each chapter is titled with a flower that I think fits the theme of the chapter.

I also try to research any mental illness that I work with as thoroughly as I can. 

17. How obsessively do you sit and stare at your fic after you’ve just posted and wait for feedback?

I usually just check once in the morning. I like to start my day that way.

18. Do you have a WIP that you keep telling yourself you’ll eventually get back to, but deep down you know that’s probably a lie?

I have a list of fics that I want to continue as well as a good five pages worth of blurbs from some fics that I’d like to start. The one I keep saying that I want to get back to is my Bellatrix/Regina crossover as well as the Regina adopts Azula one. And a werewolf Regina one. And...

19. Do you edit your fics after you write them, or do you prefer to just hit post and run (because it’s someone else’s problem now)?

Pffft... no. All of my fics come with a no proof reading disclaimer. Like people have spotted some wonderful typo gems. And I’m just like, it be like that sometimes. 

20. What’s your favorite part about the fanfiction writing process?

The daydreaming xD 

No write, only finished product. 

21. What’s your least favorite part about the fanfiction writing process?

The writing xD

In all seriousness, probably the first sentence. Like I have trouble focusing and so it can take me up to a half an hour to actually get into a good flow. But once I get going I can keep going.

22. Do take fic requests? If so, for what characters and why?

I used to. I don’t anymore due to time constraints. I especially can’t take them now since I have five projects going on. I finished 1 of said projects but just added one more. 

Back in the day I used to take literally any prompt for any character in any fandom I was familiar with. Even the weird ones lol.

23. What’s your absolute favorite trope to write?

Hanahaki is so much fun! I also enjoy the ‘ Monstrous Transformation trope (cw: because the image they used is bloody) which is why I like writing werewolf and curse fics. Idk why I enjoy this one but I think that it’s fun to write.

24. What’s a trope that you’d like to never hear about as long as you live, let alone write?

Good girl/bad boy. I also don’t really care for love at first sight type stuff. I’m not fond of smutty tropes either. 

25. Do you listen to music as you write? If possible, link your writing playlist.

Music is strictly for the daydreaming process. I can’t listen to music while writing or I will write a scene that directly matches the tone and theme of the song. And my playlist is my ipod. And my music style ranges from Jesus Take The Wheel to Let’s Make Evil. From Ashnikko to Bob Marley. Could also be anything form P-P-Pickle to Within Temptation. So yeah, music is a no go for writing xD

[silveryinkystar]

Hey, so I saw that you were open to giving a rec list of Fire Lord Zuko fics, which I’m in love with. If it’s no too much trouble, could you possibly compile some fics for a hungry fandom child? Thanks!

Of course! I adore Fire Lord Zuko stories (which you can probably tell from my tag for him lol) so I don’t mind at all! (also tagging @en-sam-malas because look at all the amazing fic!!!)

Once again, this is by no means a complete list of even my favourites, because the tag has so many amazing stories in it that I couldn’t possibly include them all

the men who hold high places must be the ones to start by klainelynch  

Summary:  Seven years after Fire Lord Zuko ended the war, a young servant accidentally burns the Fire Lord and sees a side of him that he didn’t expect.

It’s POV outsider, which happens to be a trope I really like about this particular brand of fic, and has healthy amounts of Zuko being a considerate ruler and very dad-like to a younger, newer member of the kitchen staff

This Barefoot Estate by JustGettingBy

Summary: The palace staff can't say they're exactly pleased with the attitudes of the royal family, to say the least. Now, after a few wild fights, the old banished Prince is sitting on the throne and leading their nation. What are they supposed to make of it all? OR The five times the palace staff weren't sure what to think about the new Fire Lord + the one time they were.

Another outsider POV along the same lines, but it’s now 5+2 scenes!

a friend indeed by aloneintherain

Summary:  Toph says, “It’s never nice when someone tries to make you feel small. Especially when they’re grown adults who should know better.” Zuko blows out a breath. “Yeah. It’s--yeah.”  Toph and Zuko, protecting each other at cross-national balls.

Some Toph and Zuko bonding, well after canon events. I adore them in canon and it’s a pity we didn’t get to see more of Zuko appreciating Toph’s bluntness.

see your son rising at last by aloneintherain

Summary: When Zuko dashes into the sitting room, it is with the same wide-eyed panic that he ran from Azula’s smoking hands when he was a child. Iroh bites down on a smile. Zuko looks the same, even now, a decade later with a scar blossomed over one side of his face, green and brown robes replacing the solitary reds of his childhood. His hair is puffed up around his face. He looks like a very frightened, very windswept turtle-dove. Zuko dives behind Iroh just as Aang breezes to a stop in the doorway. Five times Zuko hid behind Iroh, plus one time Zuko stood proudly in front of him.

Another 5+1 story, but this one’s kind of cheating - some of the scenes happen before and during canon, and not necessarily when Zuko’s appointed Fire Lord - but it’s so well-written and most of it fits this category anyway

a night at the theatre by aloneintherain

Summary: The director could get on his knees, and talk about honouring Zuko all he liked, but it didn’t erase the fact that the Ember Island Players had trivialised—had actively mocked—his struggles. His friends’ struggles. This man had Zuko murdered on-stage to the rapturous applause of the audience, and now he was trying to smile sweetly at Zuko, and welcome him onto his set, as if there weren’t exaggerated versions of his friend’s outfits tucked away backstage, as if he hadn’t orchestrated Aang’s death at the hands of his father— Fire Lord Zuko meets the Ember Island Players.

This is pure crack and all the best parts of it. Just... read it, it’s absolutely hilarious

moments like this by  MashpotatoeQueen5

Summary: The war is over, but that doesn't mean everything is fixed. The battles are fought and won, but that doesn't mean all the scars are healed. The Gaang has been through hell and back, but that doesn't mean they can't find solace with each other and the help of a good food fight. Alternatively known as that fic where Aang is stressing out and not sleeping again, Zuko finally gets to be a big brother to someone who appreciates him, politics make Zuko's head hurt, and Zuko is far too attracted to angst for his own good. Alternatively alternatively known as Zuko has weird friends but he loves them anyway. Fluff. SO much fluff. There is the GAang, acting as their own little happy family unit. And adorable, sleepy Aang. And kids dealing with stuff. And Food fights.

There’s a bit of political aftermath discussed, but that’s somewhat background compared to all the Gaang fluff

Do You Hear The People Sing? by generic__username

Summary: The Fire Nation has only rebelled once in its long history. They are a proud people, and a loyal one. They do not turn against their own for no reason. They protect their own. Especially their Prince. ~~~ Basically this was a What if the Fire Nation said Fuck Ozai and rebelled AU. along with a sprinkling of world building built in. Enjoy!

I’m absolutely cheating with this one, because it’s mostly during canon and very little of it is actually Fire Lord Zuko, but it’s absolutely brilliant and a must read because it’s FL Zuko in spirit

Thank you for the ask, I loved making this list! I’m open to making more lists (might make another Gaang+Zuko list to accompany this one) if you have specifics, but otherwise all I have to say is happy reading!

#atla #fic rec list #fic rec #fire lord of redemption arcs #you can tell i love firelord zuko from this tag lol #direct thy requests to my ask box if you have any! #no ships tho bc i mostly only read platonic tla fic #asked and answered #ace's recommendations #bagel-rights-activist

[eldritch-elrics]

this summer, me and my brother watched four whole shows. at long last, here is my comprehensive review of all of them!

in the order we watched them, these shows were:

avatar the last airbender (ATLA)

mob psycho 100 (MP100)

demon slayer / kimetsu no yaiba (KNY)

fullmetal alchemist: brotherhood (FMAB)

they were all very very good!

i’m not going to try to rank them, but, as is probably obvious by the state of my blog, my favorite was FMAB :) if i had to pick a least favorite, then, it would probably be KNY—not by any fault of its own, but just because it didn’t appeal to me quite as much as the others. still a very good show!

i will review each show by:

giving a quick plot-based pitch discussing the show’s hook or appeal

discussing one element that i believe it does better than any other show on this list—in other words, a quality that i think it stands out for

discussing one element that didn’t appeal to me or that i had issues with—a criticism

putting forth my favorite character and favorite episode or arc, just for funsies

including various other commentary. mostly positive, as, again, i did really like all of these!

(i’ve tried to make this whole thing free of specific spoilers, but if you’re planning on watching any of these shows and want to go in more-or-less blind, it might be best not to read this.)

first of all, i’d just like to discuss all four of these shows as a whole! it was definitely interesting watching one after another and noting similarities between them.

all of them have siblings in them! which is, perhaps, fitting, as i watched them with my brother

two include a pair of siblings in which one has powers and one doesn’t (at least at first), and part of the narrative involves getting better at using those powers (ATLA, MP100)

two include a narrative centered around a pair of siblings and something tragic that happens to them, resulting in the older one being traumatized and forced to train to become a soldier, and the younger one turning into something (arguably) inhuman. the protagonist’s major goal is to return his younger sibling to the way they were before (KNY, FMAB)

ATLA and FMAB are both fantasy political dramas, which is rapidly becoming a favorite genre of mine

most of these are historical, or historically inspired in some way, which is interesting!

all of these shows are really really good at character building. all the main characters are interesting and complex, and the relationships between those characters are similarly nuanced and very well written. they make you really care about both the protagonists and the side characters!

avatar: the last airbender

pitch: as the ever-growing imperial force of the fire nation threatens the earth and water nations, a kid from the long-lost air nation turns up and it turns out he can control all four elements and he has to save the world and all that. sorry i tried to write this pitch like five times and realized that well at this point i think everyone reading this will know the plot of avatar

stands out for: avatar has possibly the best worldbuilding i have ever seen in a show—it takes the time to introduce us to so many places and aspects of its world, both explicitly and subtly. the main highlight of this is the magic system. by creating a magic system based in body movement, the process of using magic and learning to use/control it better becomes immediately obvious to the viewer. combine that with the philosophy behind each type of bending and the way that characters take bending inspiration from types different than their own, and you’ve got a system that is complex, flexible, believable, internally consistent, and just plain fun! it makes action sequences a blast. i especially liked the moments when bending was stretched to its limits in totally logical ways (metalbending, bloodbending). not to mention the way that bending is seamlessly integrated into the world of avatar! the example that comes to mind is the earthbending-powered transport system of omashu. a whole essay could be written on that topic alone!

criticism: i know this is a sentiment shared by many people, but the first season was kind of boring to me. some of the humor and the plots felt hit-or-miss. of course, it needed to take that time to establish the world, and it does a great job of doing that. it just didn’t hook me until the second season.

favorite character: i love toph she’s so much fun :) iroh is a close second! and zuko is great, too, of course

favorite arc: i loved ba sing se a ton, especially the episode when they get there and everything feels off. it felt so resonant with real life, in a very fun way. there’s a reason “there is no war in ba sing se” is a meme…

other commentary: what can i say? it’s a classic for a damn good reason. the plot is tight, and it does a great job raising tension and introducing new elements and twists. i also love the care put into the antagonists, especially azula, who has a fascinating arc.

mob psycho 100

pitch: a middle schooler and a charismatic con artist team up to smite ghosts using extrasensory powers. thing is, only the middle schooler actually has ESP, and it happens to be really, really powerful. can he navigate the difficult world of middle school while also getting a better grip on his powers—and his bottled-up emotions?

stands out for: the way that MP100 uses animation is excellent. it takes a little getting used to but it’s just so fun, combining all sorts of different techniques to create an experience rich with drama and emotion. it’s playfully exaggerated and self-parodying, adding to the show’s fantastic sense of humor as well as its truly emotional moments.

criticism: the way that ESP works makes suspension of disbelief tricky. it’s a great feat to introduce a character who is essentially all-powerful and still make them interesting (even in fight scenes), but at times (especially the second season finale) it felt like a magic system with too much breadth and too few limitations. this might just be my bias for hard magic systems talking, though.

favorite character: other than mob and reigen? probably teru. he’s loads of fun AND all the season 1 episodes he’s in slap hard

favorite episode: the one where the girl asks mob out on a date as a dare.. it’s super cute

other commentary: thank you mp100 for being the leftist propaganda we all deserve <3

in all seriousness though, this show is a blast!! it does a great job switching between silly and serious in the blink of an eye. i also really appreciate the way that it balances comically huge stakes with much smaller, more personal stories. for example, the conflict between mob and reigen in season 2 is especially well-done. in general the emotions just feel so real? characters whose emotions tie into their powers are an excellent trope, and mob is a wonderful protagonist who exemplifies this really well.

finally, on a more critical note—there are so many characters in this show! and it feels like only a handful are fleshed out? however, this may be due to the fact that it’s not an adaptation of the entire manga (which i haven’t read). there’s a lot more to go! more characters to dive into! so i probably shouldn’t try to critique it in the same way as a finished work.

demon slayer / kimetsu no yaiba

pitch: demons kill a boy’s family and turn his sister into a demon, so he decides to try and figure out a way to turn his sister back into a human. what follows is a demon-killing adventure that’s in equal parts harrowing, poignant, and hilarious.

stands out for: there’s not much i can say about this other than “please just take a look” but the art and design is phenomenal. it does a much better job of integrating 2D and 3D than a lot of other animated series, and overall it is just so so pretty! all the character designs are complex, memorable, and fit the characters perfectly. the color choices are interesting and satisfying. i also really like the sound design? not often that i notice that in a show. i’ve watched so many KNY amvs by now lol it’s just amazing animation

criticism: the narration style leans too heavily towards tell instead of show. this is mostly an issue with the first few episodes, but i got super annoyed by how much the show would narrate every single one of tanjirou’s thoughts instead of letting us infer those thoughts through his actions and reactions—the latter, i think, would have been more emotionally impactful. sometimes silence speaks louder than words! tanjirou was also not the world’s most compelling protagonist in my opinion, though i think that mostly has to do with my own tastes.

favorite character: *holds up zenitsu* I Just Think He’s Neat. i actually kind of lost it when he first used his powers, like… damn i love characters with weird relationships with their magic like that. i also think the narrative about how having a solid foundation is sometimes more important than knowing a ton of different moves was really powerful. and he’s just funny! pathetic boy i love him

favorite arc: really just the whole spider arc. fucked up man… i love it. they pulled off that last twist so well, and all the family stuff was so weird and complex and emotional…

other commentary: it’s just a really solid and very well-written show! the team of tanjirou, zenitsu, and inosuke is so much fun… bro bonding :) i also quite like the horror elements; it’s fucked up but in a good way. finally, this is very specific, but the demon that can alter buildings/rooms through drumbeats? appealed to me very much. it’s a cool and unique power!

fullmetal alchemist: brotherhood

pitch: two kids do some fucked up alchemy and end up getting parts of their body stolen by god. now they’re on a quest to get their bodies back, but find themselves wrapped up in crazy government conspiracies and alchemy more powerful than they ever could’ve imagined…

stands out for: plot. by this i mean less overall concept (though the overall concept is pretty great too), and more that the pacing and progression of the story is extraordinarily tight. for the most part (the first few episodes are a little weak but i’ll let it slide), it does an excellent job establishing its premise and building on it logically, adding layers and layers that extend naturally from what we already know. everything has a reason for happening; everything is revealed in good time and all the twists are super satisfying. there’s great balance between exciting moments and quiet moments. it’s just very good at being a story!

(fun fact: i’m reading the manga right now and so far it’s even better paced than the show, which is super interesting! it’s especially good at how it lays out pieces of the backstory and then fills everything in later in a really satisfying way.)

criticism: this is incredibly specific but it’s what comes to mind as something that bothered me: winry’s character arc was really disappointing. for most of the series she’s a pretty strong character, but in the end it feels like she gets pushed aside, defined only by her relationship with ed. what happened to her wanting to take action more? that was a specific desire she expressed—wanting to be less passive! since she’s such an important character, i wish she could have had more presence in the last season other than as a sounding board for the elric bros’ emotions. (even though her one scene in the last episode was really good and emotional…)

favorite character: other than the elric bros, absolutely ling. he fits into multiple of my favorite character archetypes (fun, silly, bastard, gets possessed…) and he’s just overall a delight. plus his relationship with greed is really really good. bro bonding at its peak!! (my other favorite is pride. i will not say why because spoilers. but if you know me.. you know)

favorite episode: this is really really hard to choose but i’m gonna go with envy’s death because. holy shit.

other commentary: i’m a really big fan of the complex and nuanced way in which FMAB breaks down militaristic, imperial regimes from the inside. many of the characters have done awful things, and the story forces them to grapple with that and accept that all they can do now is be better in the future. the moral complexity is just really good! characters with flaws—we love to see it!

finally, parts of this story seem so so catered to Me Specifically that it’s no wonder i got so into it. like just the entire premise? the way that so much of the conflict is built out of identity crisis and exploring the nature of consciousness and human vs inhuman? beautiful. i love ed and al so much

*

if you made it all the way to the end, thank you so much for reading!! glad to have finally gotten this done (3 months late…) and put all my thoughts down. i hope this inspires someone to try watching one of the shows i discussed!

#avatar the last airbender #mob psycho 100 #kimetsu no yaiba #fullmetal alchemist #my post #long post #then for my own tagging purposes.. #atla #mp100 #kny #fmab #i really hope some people read this! i put a lot of thought into it

[imreallyhereforkataang]

Hey you don’t have to answer this if you don’t want but do you not have issues with zut*ra? The parallels gifset you made was from a zut*ra saying that it was Aang’s fault Azula hit him. I really like your blog but zut*ra fans shit on Aang at every opportunity. Why put up with that?

Hey yourself! Appreciate that you censored Zu/tara, there.

Do I have issues with the ship. The way I see it, there are two ways to view romantic Zu/tara. One is simply given their canon personalities and dynamic -- acknowledging both characters' values, their motivations, their still-significant relationships with other people -- and then imagining Zuko and Katara trying something together in the future/an AU. The second is to view romantic Zu/tara in the ways it's commonly depicted in popular fanon; things associated with yin/yang notions, etc.

I don't really take issue with people shipping Zu/tara in the former case, because that’s often not affiliated with the unpleasant tendencies of aggressive Zu/tarians (and, keeping canon in mind, hopefully defuses the appeal to some common trends like Fire Lady Katara). I'm sure there are people who like to play around with the ship just for fun, like any other non-canon ship, not because they actually think Katara and Zuko are soulmates in-universe (or maybe they do but they're chill about it) but because their characters offer a premise that seems like an interesting idea to explore. And some people ship things casually, without thinking about it too hard or meticulously weighing characterizations. I don’t personally have a problem with that. Write fics, make art, play around and have fun while respecting the characters -- that's what fandom's supposed to be. Do I think Zuko and Katara are romantically compatible? No, and context is one contributor, but if people find a way to make it work for themselves, or they want to rewrite some elements of canon while staying aware that they are, in fact, rewriting canon, or if they want to focus more on what than who and would admit to doing so, then I understand. Some people are just more drawn to different dynamics, and they can still be respectful and maybe even appreciative of how the story actually played out regardless.

It becomes another scenario for me when people claim that Zu/tara was "robbed" in canon or that it had more development than the canon ships -- essentially, when people are adamant about applying their fanons to what we know in canon. Honestly, the depiction of Zu/tara that most people call for in the actual work does not sound like it involves Katara and Zuko at all. I often find people remolding Zuko and Katara to fit an aesthetic/dynamic/trope that, again, matches more with what they are than who they are, if anything, and then proceed to call that interpretation canon or "missed potential." When people forget canon, when people neglect Katara's trauma, when people dismiss her justifiable anger as "sexual tension," when people ignore how little Katara actually saw of Zuko's journey in comparison to the viewer, when people make claims that attraction had anything at all to do with Zuko's motivation to forge his path in becoming a better person, plus a whole lot of other things I've heard, that's bothersome. (In fact I'm probably going to write about Katara's anger, particularly in the back half of book 3, in the future, and why it's neither "OOC" like some claim nor indicative of attraction, though sometimes it's funny to me how fandom's driven me to think this is an actual debate worth having.)

I'm a fan of Katara and Zuko's canon relationship. They make a kickass duo and they demonstrate a great story about redemption/forgiveness, but it doesn't amount to a love story. In fact I would argue that making it about love (ignoring the fact that they never had feelings for each other) detracts from the story's effectiveness, because it would suggest ulterior motives for Zuko and that Katara had superficial reason to forgive him more easily. You may have noticed I tag platonic Zu/tara as "aang's yangs," because that's ultimately how I view them as a pair. In my eyes, they're the deuteroganists of AtLA, and since Aang’s the protagonist they branch outwards from him and reflect different parts of his journey while still standing on their own. Of course, their own story together is important as well, but I honestly feel like most of every argument for canon romantic Zu/tara is actually better suited for either Ka/taang or Zu/kaang (I could give an example but I'll refrain for the purposes of this ask).

Oh my, and double standards. Double standards everywhere. Such cold takes. Just today I was laughing over a brief "Aang is an abuser" /evidence/ post so ridiculous that it's impossible to take seriously. I suppose that's indicative of how I view Aang and Mai slander these days -- I know I'm on the correct side of the argument, if these complaints even warrant one, and so I've come to not let them weigh me down much too often, but I'm very probably going to hold a bad impression of you if you believe those sorts of things. And I don't think I'm being unnecessarily rude in saying so -- some people really just go to outlandish lengths to promote a ship whose merits are based on speculation and whose potential issues are traceable within the canon work. And if someone disagrees and says it could work, and that they want to play around with it, they can go ahead and explore the dynamic for fun, for sure. I just don't enjoy people who are aggressive/insensitive about it.

Rest assured -- and you've probably seen from the sort of content I reblog -- Aang is my fxcking cinnamon apple. I’m probably not going to bother engaging with people not worth spending the energy on, but of course I’m going to show support and love for my boy in spaces where that’ll actually mean something, and perhaps that can spill over into other areas by sheer number. It’s way more likely I’m going to judge someone for dissing Aang than for shipping Zu/tara, so if I reblogged a gifset from someone who shits on Aang, I probably wasn't aware of who the OP was outside someone who made a gifset for something I wanted to reblog. I’ll be honest, though, Anon, I’m really not sure which gifset you’re referring to, because I know I reblogged one recently, but I looked through the OP’s blog and didn’t find anything myself besides the fact that they ship Zu/tara. They even made a gifset for Aang. Suppose it’s just something I’ll have to watch out for.

Appreciate that you like my blog! As well as that you didn't want me to feel pressured to answer, that's kind of you. Sorry for the long response.

#irhfk replies

[secretlyatargaryen]

I found the bad Zuko discourse that was like actually Zuko's redemption arc isn't good because he still acts like a trauma victim even after switching sides and remember when he didn't like Song touching his face and didn’t want to join Jet’s freedom fighter team just because these people assumed their situations were the same?

Anyway, I told y'all that tumblr hates abuse victims and they only tolerate Zuko because he's from a beloved series and now that everyone is rewatching the antis are gonna have something new to complain about.

Also just saw a post that was talking about people woobifying Zuko “just like Ursa does” and???? It’s amazing that people think Ursa focusing on protecting the child that was being the most neglected and most hurt in a family dynamic that harmed her as well (and in which she also had to protect that child from her other child) is somehow “favoritism.” You can blame the writers for choosing not to focus as much on Ursa’s relationship with Azula or other ways in which Azula fits into misogynistic tropes of hysterical (”crazy”) and overly sexualized young girls, but in-story I think the reason why Ursa didn’t focus very much on Azula was because she didn’t really have any power to influence her since Ozai was the biggest influence in Azula’s life. Ozai abused both his children but his abuse of Azula was much more subtle than his abuse of Zuko, which was a much more overt attack on Zuko’s personhood and self worth that culminated in physical violence twice in the story. That doesn’t mean Azula needed her mother less but I think there was more Ursa could do for Zuko in that situation. She couldn’t really do much to counteract Ozai’s grooming of Azula when he had all the power in that relationship. The most she could do was try and protect Zuko from being actively harmed.

And like, I feel like a lot of people misunderstand what was so incredibly heart-breaking about that scene where Azula sees her mother in the mirror and cries. I don’t think that Azula’s mother never loved her or at least, wanted to love her. I think maybe Azula thought this in order to cope with her mother’s absence in her life, which was created by Ozai. I think Ozai isolated Azula from her mother long before her mother’s banishment, but also remember that when Ozai tries to manipulate Zuko by bringing up what happened to his mother, Zuko reacts with surprise that Ursa is still alive. I think both Zuko and Azula thought their mother was dead. In Zuko’s flashback we see him ask Ozai where she is and he doesn’t answer. Imagine then, these young children, their mother disappears one day, the same day that their grandfather dies and their terrifying father becomes lord of the country. The obvious assumption is that their mother is dead and their father has killed her. I think both Zuko and Azula tried to distance themselves from their mother after that. I think the reason we see Zuko’s memories of his mother come up in the narrative when they do is that I don’t think he thought much about his mother after her disappearance up until he started being confronted with the realization that his father’s worldview was wrong. Before that, he focused on his father and winning his father’s acceptance. Because the other option, focusing on how his father is both directly responsible for what happened to his mother, and directly responsible for violently mutilating him, is terrifying. Zuko thinking about his mother telling him to remember who he is is part of his arc in the story because he did forget who he is, and almost lets his identity be absorbed by his abuser.

That’s also why it’s so terribly sad when Azula breaks down and cries when the image of her mother tells her she loves her. Because we see how Azula craved but was never allowed to have her mother’s love, and that’s not her mother’s fault, nor is it Zuko’s, it’s her father’s.

We could also talk about how Zuko being older meant that he had more opportunity for his mother to influence him as well, and probably remembers her better than Azula does, which is why he couldn’t totally forget her or have his image of her warped by Ozai like Azula does, and holds his father more responsible for what happened to her, even if those feelings are repressed at the beginning of the series.

#jenny watches atla #abuse cw

[seyaryminamoto]

I feel like i'm gonna regret asking this but what is hiby

Oh. Ohohoho, oh. I recently answered this to someone else (not on this blog), I suppose there are so many newcomers in this fandom lately that HIBY has become slightly less known than it used to be.

HIBY stands for How I Became Yours, the most polemic and catastrophic fancomic in the history of the Avatar franchise. If you thought any of the official comics were problematic in any sense, woah boy, they’re goddamn flawless masterpieces compared to this thing.

Every possible angle of HIBY is problematic. Spot-on accusations of tracing were the main reason why Deviantart took down Jackie Diaz’s profile and comic from their platform. I heard Nickelodeon also got involved legally, not 100% sure on that front, but if true, they cracked down on her because she attempted to profit off this clunky mess of an inconsistent story by claiming it was somehow an official sequel to ATLA. To clarify, this last thing is something I was told, I can’t find actual sources to confirm it… so maybe I heard an exaggerated account of the tale of HIBY and it never went that far. Nevertheless, this comic didn’t need to escalate into a legal problem to be absolutely abhorrent.

In regards of art, HIBY somehow keeps discarding the asian-inspired setting seen throughout ATLA and instead favors showing the characters in European castles and outfits that don’t fit anywhere within ATLA’s world at all:

Katara is basically wearing a red version of Belle’s dress from Beauty and the Beast, if I’m not mistaken. The architecture of the place they’re at is so European it’s baffling (if I’m not mistaken, this is supposed to be Toph’s family’s house :’D). Also, it’s blatantly obvious that the background is a photograph, so she could’ve just as easily looked for photos of asian locations instead, but she picked european architecture because yes. Yet more blows against the possible artistic merits someone could offer this comic (if there’s any).

Now, though, the BIGGEST problem in HIBY is, of course, the story:

To recap: ATLA ends with Aang and Katara kissing at Ba Sing Se. Whatever problems someone may have with their relationship, or Mai and Zuko’s, or Sokka and Suki’s, it’s unquestionable that those three ships were canon by the end of the show.

Jackie Diaz’s SEQUEL COMIC doesn’t acknowledge this finale: somehow, Aang is in love with Toph but they’re not together despite there’s literally NOTHING in their way, since Aang and Katara weren’t together at all, according to Diaz. And Katara? Oh, she’s pining endlessly over Zuko, who somehow married Mai…

… Despite wanting Katara too.

… Despite he literally knocked up Katara back when the war was ending, which resulted in a miscarriage because of Mai’s wicked schemes~~!!

Can someone please explain to me in what world does it make sense for Zuko, FIRE LORD ZUKO, to be in a relationship with someone he doesn’t want, when the person he does want is RIGHT THERE, AVAILABLE, when there’s no real political consequences to ANYTHING that happens in this comic? You could say “oh no the Fire Nation people wouldn’t accept a Water Tribe woman…” … but then Zuko ends up with Katara anyways and the only problem is that Mai wants to kill them for that :’) so… no excuse works.

Basically there’s no real plot, the whole thing boils down to “I want these ships to happen and I need them to face hardships even if they don’t make sense”. The main hardship is that Mai doesn’t want her HUSBAND to carry out an affair with Katara. Zuko’s response to Mai’s obvious and reasonable complaint about their illicit relationship is to TURN VIOLENT WITH HER. And he’s the good guy :’)

Mai has a non-existent older brother Sho, who looks like a BLEACH character with Ozai’s hairstyle, and together they will try to kill Katara because, welp, someone has to give them trouble, I guess. In all fairness, the only character with a relatively logical flow of thought in this damn trainwreck is Mai. I mean, “my piece of shit husband married me for political clout, got his mistress pregnant, I didn’t want the kid to be a problem for me so I induced a miscarriage in Katara by poisoning her, probs just wanted Katara dead altogether but whatever, I only got the kid. Then Zuko threw me away despite I’m his legal wife and I’m really pissed about it so I want Katara dead” is the smartest writing in this entire comic. And no, that’s not a compliment, it’s still stupid as fuck but that’s how much more stupid everything else is. 

So, the happy couples are, like I said, Zuko and Katara, who get together despite Zuko is married to Mai, Aang and Toph, who somehow weren’t together despite there’s nothing in the way, AAAND… 

… Sokka and fake!Azula. Because I refuse to acknowledge that thing as the Princess we all love and adore.

Frankly, I consider it a miracle that HIBY didn’t destroy our ship completely when it was posted online, seeing as it was amongst the most talked-about fanmade content in Avatar’s fandom at the time. If people no longer associate Sokkla with HIBY immediately, we’ve definitely done a good job saving our poor ship’s face and showing it’s got a fuckton of potential compared to the shitfest that comic portrayed.

Why is Sokkla so problematic in HIBY? Because of fake!Azula, of course. Why is she fake!Azula? Because she’s got plot-convenient amnesia! Turns out that, for some reason, Azula forgot all the events from ATLA (let’s be real, so did Jackie Diaz so it’s not just her) and she shows up in this comic as a completely different character, so much that, upon hearing about the TERRIBLE THINGS SHE DID AND WAS, her reaction is…:

Fascinating, am I right? :’D She’s nice, sweet, shy and as good as brain-dead. And as she’s so sweet and cute now, somehow that becomes absolutely appealing for Sokka. And he falls for her, she falls for him, they bang dramatically, and so on and so forth…

Eventually Azula sacrifices herself in the final battle when Mai and her brother try to kill everyone and oh no! Sokka’s love interest dies again! Such a shocker, however, that Sokka goes to the Spirit World to save her, and unlike Iroh he succeeds… but what does Azula look like post-Spirit World shenanigans?

… Yeah, okay, fake!Azula calling anyone her “little angels” is just proof of how IC she is, if you had any doubts still.

But isn’t it FUNNY. Isn’t it HILARIOUS. That Azula not only undergoes an atom-deep brainwipe that turns her into a flat non-character, but that after dying she’s revived with WHITE HAIR, dressed in blue clothes and whatnot…?

My interpretation, and honestly, I don’t know if there’s any other possible interpretation… Jackie Diaz wanted Sokka to be with Yue :’) She fucking wrecked Azula’s character to turn her into a fake!Azula, who would eventually turn into fake!Yue after being resurrected because oh that’s just perfect to close off Sokka’s storyline, isn’t it? Only, he’s not with Yue nor with Azula because it’s neither of them. Just as it isn’t really Sokka either, or Katara, or Zuko or Aang or Toph.

Now, revisiting this trainwreck, there is a throwaway line where Ty Lee, in her (I think) only appearance in the story tells Katara that Suki and Sokka broke up. So um, Suki does exist, officially, in this comic, and she did date Sokka but it ended, and she’s back in Kyoshi Island with her team. 

Which elicits the question… why the fuck is she Mai’s maid?

I assure you, if you decide to delve deeper into this mess, you’ll absolutely find a lot more things to laugh about, to be outraged about, and to facepalm about while you wonder how on earth would someone, ANYONE, create something like this and not die of cringe looking at the finished product. It’s baffling to me.

At any rate, if you’d like to torture your own eyeballs reading this comic for yourself, there’s a Tumblr blog that gathered HIBY perfectly neatly for all curious eyes eager to torture themselves with this OOC fest. If you want more details than I care to remember about this catastrophic mess of a story, there’s always the TV Tropes page, which I think illustrates everything rather well. 

So… that’s HIBY. While I don’t think it should be sentenced to oblivion (we had best never forget the lowest lows the fandom has reached, else someone might be tempted to outdo them), this particular fanwork is quite the trainwreck in just about every regard. I really don’t think there’s anything worth salvaging in it. So, if you wanna read the whole thing (I’d be surprised if you would xD), knock yourself out in the blog link I posted up there. Otherwise, have a nice day if you still can after reading my answer to your ask :’D

#anon #hiby #granted by the time I arrived here #this shitshow had already been done and gone for a while #so I had to ask too #but I saw more signs of it than I suspect most people do these days #which is honestly... a wonder #I'm happy for it #let the fandom be cleansed of the dark stain that is this garbage comic

[meg-noel-art]

003 Catra

Alright! My feelings on Catra as a character are a little complicated. I tend to find myself in the minuscule side of the fandom when it comes to most of my thoughts about her. But, maybe hear me out and let me know what you think of my answers:

1.) How I feel about this character:

This is such a huge question. Catra is a super interesting character in the sense that I think she sort of falls into the same realm as big complex bad ladies like Azula. But at the same time, she doesn’t totally succeed for me in that realm, because at the heart of it, Catra (eventually showed us in season 4) and the writing have both stated, ‘her heart’s never really been in it’. Now, I would really argue this point based on a lot of various scenes throughout the show, but I do agree that she’s maybe never had the same vitriol or wherewithal as a villain like Azula--who was so dominating and heartless that it didn’t really matter if you sympathized with her as a character or not. She was just a fucking capable cool badass that acted as a narrative foil to Zuko. 

I don’t think Catra pulls it off in the same way, although I feel like that’s where they were trying to take it. Catra is a good character in the sense that we need to see way more complex and messy female characters in media. She’s definitely complex, definitely messy, definitely sympathetic in some ways. But she’s also a really terrible person. And, in my opinion, not just after Adora leaves the Horde. She’s shown in episode one to be fairly selfish and self serving and petty. That just gets exacerbated as she gains power.

I’m hoping season 5 gives Catra a chance to show that she has a modicum of desire to be a decent person. But right now, she’s a disaster. I’ll get into what I hope canon does with her later.

2.) Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character:

Realistically, I don’t ship anyone with Catra. I don’t think she’s ready for it, nor will she be ready by the end of the series. I think she’s certainly had cute interactions with some characters. Before season 3, I really liked Scorptra. Scorpia struck me as the kind of person Catra needed. Someone who genuinely respected her for who she was and treated her well. But, Catra didn’t appreciate it in the same way. I think Catra needs to go through a lot of personal growth before she’ll ever truly be able to fit into any kind of relationship. But when she does.... Perfuma x Catra rights. That would be cute as hell.

3.) My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: 

I dunno if I feel super strong in the idea that these two had a ‘friendship’? But Double Trouble was someone Catra really needed in her life. She needed that absolute roasting wake up call. And DT was not afraid to dish it out. Considering their easily swayed loyalty, it’s hard to say if DT ever really considered Catra a friend (I think they did in their own way) but I’m certainly glad they met and ended the way they did.

4.) My unpopular opinion about this character:

I have a lot of unpopular opinions about Catra. And I’m pretty sure my above points have made most of them clear, so I’ll just fill this one in with I don’t ship Catradora. I believe firmly that Catra and Adora loved each other at one point, as much as they could in an environment like the Horde. But I also believe their relationship has changed so drastically, been broken so many times, that it could never go back to the way it was. 

And it shouldn’t. 

That’s now how relationships work. This story about Princesses has proven to be anything but a classic fairytale. I’m sure Catra and Adora will have a reunion, and they’ll both want to at least know each other again. But a romantic relationship feels so far-fetched to me at this point, when you add up how many times they’ve just been literally trying to kill each other. I don’t find that romantic or cute. The enemies to lovers trope has always been a looser way of describing characters as ‘rivals’, not necessarily two people genuinely out for the others lives. 

Anyway.

5.) One thing I wish would happen in canon:

Okay so, my ideal ending for Catra as the series wraps up next month. I want her to work together with Glimmer to escape Horde Prime. I’m sure the two will talk and realize their mistakes through one another. I think Catra should willingly join the Rebellion’s fight against Horde Prime. After it all ends, I’d like her to apologize to Adora, certainly. But it would also be really fucking cool, and a great moment of growth for Catra if she could see what Adora has built, the family she’s made outside of the Horde, perhaps the love she’s found, and be genuinely happy for her. And to tell her that she is happy for her. I think it would be super fucking healthy and a great arc for Catra is she was able to let go of Adora, in the sense that her obsession for her attention/the need to be better then her goes away. If she could truly see Adora as a friend that has found happiness outside of her and be content with that, I would BAWL. 

I think she should go back to the Crimson Waste on her own and try to find herself and carve out who she wants to be. Huntara is there, and I can actually see her being a really good role model for Catra. They both have the same attitude, but Huntara has a sense of duty and honor that she could easily imprint on Catra. Plus, they’re both Horde. They’d swap stories. Huntara would be the kind of mentor who would easily tell Catra she’s proud of her, and I think she needs that.

So yeah, ultimately, Catra taking time to just find and love herself would be my ideal ending. I think she’d discover she was right all along, she’s never ‘needed’ anybody else, per say. She can be strong and independent in herself, but having people who care about her is a definite plus and she can depend on them too.

6.) Favorite friendship for this character:

If and when Catra is able to grow and say she comes back to visit the princesses, I’d love to see her and Mermista interact. I think they’d be snarky buds and that would be super cool. I also loved Noelle’s concept of her and Netossa. Same vibe.

7.) My favorite crossover ship:

N/A, sorry Catra.

Those are my thoughts! Lemme know what you agreed/disagreed with! We’ll see her how arc ends up soon...

#catra #anonymous #asks #she ra #spop #she ra and the princesses of power

[myfandomrambles]

An Analysis of Villianey

( This is Part 1b, Part 1a here)

Section II: Tragic Backstories

This is another super common way to make villains sympathetic. Giving someone a terrible childhood is a short cut to make someone feel bad for someone. Tragic backstories are super common and sometimes making the villains the most compelling character in really good ways. Both to make the characters truly a person who is empathetic or just understandable. There are three ways I think this can be done really well.

You can make them a redeemed character like Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender), Megamind (Megamind) or Peridot (Steven Universe).

An anti-hero/grey characters who don’t join the light side but acts heroically but on their own code. Wade Wilson (Deadpool), Dexter Morgan (Dexter), Punisher (Marvel), Harley Quinn (DC)  or Don Vito Corleone (The Godfather)  

A  bad guy who remains bad at the end, we know why they are bad but aren’t ever fixed. EX: Merrin Meredith (Septimus Heap), Morgana (BBC Merlin), Voldemort (Harry Potter),  Bane (DC), Or Davros (Doctor Who)

One important thing about writing these stories is to be done right you do have to choose the end game. How the character acts in relationships during the story changes which outcome is compelling and even feels possible. Things to consider:  rather they have any guiding belief system if this backstory includes trauma how the heal from that, their relationship to the power system, and how much they change their actions to move towards saying sorry and becoming better. Not every character is written in a way where a character can become better, or even should. The Diamonds (Steven Universe) keep having their characterization, actions, back story, and relationships altered leaving a confused story arc. The Diamonds are also on a list of characters who should not be redeemed because of the severity of their actions. They are written as space fascists no matter how sad they are it’s problematic to pretend the trauma of a dead love excuses attempted genocide.

A revolting part of this trend is tragedy porn. Stories of violence, poverty, mental illness, child abuse, disability, domestic abuse or sexual assault are exploited for shock value and making money from real pain. This is used to create a reason for a character to be broken or evil. A cheap gritty story of how our villain got there instead of writing an interesting motivation or taking into account the cultural and psychological damage of associating trauma and mental health with villainy. This also plays into the trope of mental illness being dangerous or a problem of morality. If it’s just because they are too broken you can kiss it away and fixing the trauma fixes the problem of horrible acts of violence.  If you do write traumatic backstories as motivation for their actions have the behaviours actually track with trauma. Catra’s (She-Ra 2018)  trauma is inherently tied to her motivation as the villain and essentially to her role as the deuteragonist of the narrative. But they show how and why this trauma matters, and choose to display the abuse in a way that while explicit and horrific isn’t exploitive and the refrain from showing realistic physical abuse that too clearly mirrors real life trauma. Her narrative of becoming the antagonist makes sense with her history of indoctrination, betrayal, fear of violence, and psychological trauma. It mirrors the narrative of the hero as well throwing off their primary abuser in both instances making it possible for this story to not demonize trauma. Another important thing to keep in mind when writing these kinds of narratives is to do research and represent any mental illness at least mostly accurately.

Another frustration is when people use these backstories to form a “well they could never have done/known better” and therefore they did nothing wrong mindset. This an oversimplified reading of good storytelling and the reading for poorly written characters. The idea that no one could ever know better is used in defence of characters like Kylo Ren (Star Wars), Azula (Avatar: The Last Airbender), Billy Hargrove (Stranger Things), Draco Malfoy (Harry Potter). However this excuse really only extends so far it tracks best with children when we see them alter perspective when exposed to other ideas and when the behaviours mirror what was done to them. Abuse and trauma don’t always make angry violent people and the majority of people who do become angry hurt people but not murders. Then you do have indoctrination but there is a reason the Nuremberg defence doesn’t excuse everything.

This excuse also falls apart somewhat when you can point to another character [or real life person] in the same or similar situation who did change. This whole way of viewing things become an exercise in letting people who have hurt others go without their actions analyzed and without being held responsible. In a literary analysis standpoint it’s lazy and in reality, it is dangerous to do this with anyone who was hurt in the past. Empathy and understanding are always important, understanding why people end up where they do is key to life. Some people do horrific things with no trauma, and who did know better searching for a sympathetic reason doesn’t help make things better. And even more so those who have been abused or manipulated and did wrong should be helped to work through trauma and learn to understand and change from they have done in the past not have all of their behaviour excused with a handwave. People shouldn’t be taught that abuse forgives abusing, later on, they should know they never deserve to be treated poorly and they can’t love abusers better.  And of course, this is often applied enviable around factors like race, gender, power level and perceived hotness.

Anti Heros I think are criminally underrated wanting them to either be good or be bad. We romanticize the ones we should see as good [usually hot people] or demonize the ones it’s easier to see as all bad. Anti-heroic characters are hard because the lines differentiate these from redeemed people and real villains are connected to personal morality. But making them black and white is rationalizing when they make choices that are truly harmful as part of their “good” actions. Making them all bad strips the way they are often societal outsiders and the way they learned in the stories to move and act in life. This is the grey morality people claim to want in characters, and claim to see in their faves but people don’t appreciate it when they happen.

Constant manipulation of tragic backstory to say a character didn't really do anything bad, or they deserve redemption excuse also strips away truly tragic stories like the life of Inspector Javert (Les Miserables). Fall from grace stories can be really interesting like Walter White (Breaking Bad) or Harvey Dent (DC). Because sometimes life does eat someone up and they can’t find it in themselves to act in a different manner. Tragic stories are still okay, villains aren’t always going to be the good guys because they are meant to be just that villains. That is how they were written and how the best fit in stories and tell the story wanting to be shared. Sometimes villains made to many choices to hurt other people to be capable of total transformation to hero. These characters can still be three dimensional and interesting but they aren’t people who “done nothing wrong”. They did do something wrong and in the story that is fine, it’s what works in the narrative. Not every person can be healed with forgiveness and a hug.

The concept that Deserving redemption is tied to how sad their life was before but it isn't, it's based on the actions they do during the story.  a careful narrative that shows the path a person took to get the right place, the ways they changed and what influenced it is much more important. Let's use Tony Stark (Marvel) most of Iron Man 1 and iron man 2 are dedicated to him trying to be a better person, to use his remaining life to make the world better and atone for his wrongs. Tony Stark starts off as an unrepentant war criminal allowing the way he was groomed to ignore harm and gain power as an excuse to never address any of what he did was harmful. He drowned his trauma with addictions, shallow relationships. Yes, his trauma as a kid and during the narrative are driving pieces but why he is so heroic, why his phoenix narrative is one of the best in history is the choices he makes with what to do with that pain, he uses it to be earth's greatest defender. You do have some snapshot redemption stories that are good namely Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader (Star Wars) but I think [save the ret-cond Anakin force ghost] this wasn't so much meant to be proving he is a good person, but just acknowledging that no one is truly dark or light side. Anakin’s life is more told as a Shakespearean fall from grace, but even if this arc comes out of nowhere it works because the actions are narratively and thematically done correctly.

People who are obsessed with redemption also often don’t do a real analysis of societal structures, cultural history or context. It’s not that they really are deconstructing societal factors, or understand trauma, mental health or what really causes crime and antisocial behaviour when they try and justify via trauma and no other choice. I think starting to create and analyse content on a wider more holistic standpoint would be a good exercise to apply empathy to real-life crimes of desperation, end the killer = crazy myth, and stop letting people blame hate crimes on white kids being bullied.

[other posts on this topic: Zuko and good redemption arcs, trauma and justification of violence, Catra, Adora & trauma part 1 & 2, the diamonds still suck ]

#topic: #analysis of villains #meta #media criticism #abuse and media #trauma and media #abuse apologism #exploitation #fandom #type: #my post #txt #cw: #abuse #violence #rape mention #character: #tony stark #catra #zuko #yellow diamond #blue diamond #anakin skywalker #other: #redemption arc #ableism #abuse culture #fan culture

[seyaryminamoto]

I've seen A LOT of people thinks Azula is one of the best villains created ever. Can you please list the reasons why? I'm interested.

Well, I’d think it’s kind of obvious, but if you would like to know…

Azula is a really successful character, and that makes her an even better villain. She defies a lot of typical villainous tropes because of many reasons I’ll explain later, but first of all I will insist on one thing: she is a CHARACTER, and not simply a villain. She’s not written merely as a foil in the way of the protagonists, even if she indeed serves as a foil. But she has her own goals, her own strengths and flaws, and as the story progresses you discover the complexities of her character that make her, by far, the best villain in the Avatar franchise. Yes, some people might say she’s not the best villain of all time, I’m not going to force you to agree on that if you like anyone else better, but the reasons why she stands out so much begin right here.

So, first off, she’s a character. She’s not omnipotent, she’s not undefeatable, she’s someone with a mission and who stops at nothing to achieve it (stubbornness of this kind is usually seen as positive traits in main characters, but it’s seen as terrifying in villains). She sets herself up for failure in some ways, as she has unstable and unequal relationships with her friends and everyone else around her, and she has unresolved issues with her mother and her father, not to mention a tumultuous relationship with her brother. So with both her strengths and flaws in mind, Azula feels like a villain who fits in the world we’ve seen so far. Nothing about her is particularly over the top, her bending skills are above and beyond everyone else’s because that makes her a bigger threat, yet Iroh can bend lightning too, for instance. It’s not presented as something unthinkable, even if she is extraordinary for it. She doesn’t really disrupt the rules of the Avatarverse for having blue fire, or for bending lightning, so she’s basically perfectly plausible in this universe.

Azula raises the stakes. Azula gives both Aang and Zuko a brand new villain they both struggle against in their own ways. Azula is out to capture them both, and she will do whatever it takes to succeed, so with her arrival into the show, the characters are somewhat split into three groups in Book 2: the common factor is that she’s always their enemy. A girl who only travels with two other girls can fight and chase both your show’s protagonists and keep them on their toes all along. Have you thought about how awesome that is?

Now, why do I say she defies villainous tropes? Well, I only just reblogged a fun post where they pointed out that Azula strikes Aang down when he’s in the middle of his Avatar State transformation. How many times have you watched shows where this happens? I watched plenty of magical girls shows as a kid, and I am a known Digimon fan: how many times didn’t I joke about how villains should just take out the good guys when they’re wasting 15 seconds of screen time, more or less, by transforming and acquiring all their powers? If you were anything like me, these tropes take you to a point where you have to knowingly suspend your disbelief and simply accept the lack of logic in the matter.

But no, Azula strikes. She sees Aang is floating up there, all extraordinary with his Avatar State mojo, and she decides there’s no point in fighting evenly when he’s in full power. She decides to take out this threat in whatever way she can, regardless of how underhanded and morally wrong it may be. But isn’t that the kind of behaviour you’d expect in a villain? The kind of thing that suits a bad guy, the thing that makes them a serious threat?

A huge thing that makes Azula absolutely extraordinary in my eyes, and it makes me think of Iago from Othello often: Azula plans and succeeds, at least in Book 2 and half of Book 3. She works hard, she doesn’t always win, things go wrong at times and yet? At the very moment where it mattered, Azula got what she wanted, just as Iago got what he wanted. No kidding, Iago gets caught, but not before he destroys Othello in the exact way he intended to. And THAT is what makes a villain worthwhile. The villain’s goal can be something as simple as stealing candy from a child, but if he succeeds and gets away with causing exactly the effect he intended to, regardless of what it costed, that villain is miles better than your average “I want to destroy the world because the writers were giving the hero something to fight against” villain.

So, Azula’s biggest scary factor is that she can be successful. And she’s NOT a big hazy bad guy, like her father, or all other Fire Lords: she’s out in the field, fighting her own battles, planning her strategies and making everything fall into place if she can.

As I said before, she CAN fail. She does, lots of times. But the show does something LOK, for instance, never really did: Azula wins in Book 2. In LOK Amon’s cause allegedly helps fix the bending privilege problem, and Unalaq gets to bring the spirits back, and Zaheer nearly makes Korra disappear forever, and Kuvira somehow gets to fix the Earth Kingdom in her own way. But… they’re all defeated. Zaheer and Kuvira end up in jail, Amon and Unalaq even DIE. None of these bad guys got to actually succeed, their causes apparently did, in roundabout ways, but not them as individuals. 

Azula, on the other hand, succeeds in every level. Azula succeeds where so many others failed, even being the only character who ever came remotely close to killing Aang. She takes over Ba Sing Se with a plan that comes into place right in front of the viewer, and if you love her you relish in this (as I did), if you hate her you are horrified by how EVERYTHING IS GOING HER WAY. It’s not merely her cause that succeeds, the show doesn’t try to tell you that Azula’s victory is good in some roundabout way. Azula is portrayed in a bad light, as a villain, as a real threat to the heroes, and to the values the show is presenting. And she doesn’t wait around for others to fulfill her orders: she goes out to take care of things herself, even fighting without her bending if that’s is how she can protect her nation and father.

As a comparison: how many times in Book 1 did any of us ever really think Zuko was going to succeed at capturing Aang? I, personally, never really thought he was going to do it, not only because of spoilers but because Zuko didn’t feel nearly as threatening as Azula did. Was it because of his temper? Was it because of humorous situations written around him? I don’t really know, but Zuko, as annoying and persistent as he was, and as often as he showed up in pursuit of Aang, never seemed likely to get what he wanted. And he didn’t, despite he had a few chances for it. The writing always frustrated his attempts to capture Aang, or to set traps for him… basically, Zuko always failed when it mattered most.

And Azula failed, plenty. But she didn’t simply fail: she changed her tactics, found new ways to handle the problem, and eventually when Book 2′s ending arrives you’re left with the feeling that this girl simply cannot be stopped. She’s not like Zuko, who worked hard but it never paid off. She’s not like Zhao either, who also made his efforts and found new resources but still failed more often than not. She’s not simply a bending powerhouse like Combustion Man, nor was she like Long Feng, who, yes, was successful for most his life but we only get to meet him when things start to go wrong for him. And she’s also not like Ozai, who was indeed the ominous final boss waiting to show himself at the very end of the story.

So, Azula manages to be a character while being a villain, something rare in mainstream media (seriously, this is the problem of every single Marvel film except for the original Thor. This is why none of their villains are truly memorable or meaningful). And she also manages to be a successful villain, rather than another of those “scary” ones who really seemed to be about to succeed but were stopped at the very last minute: no, she gets what she wants, kills the Avatar as far as she knows, captures her uncle, brings her brother home, and takes over Ba Sing Se. She hits the jackpot, pretty much, but it wasn’t a matter of luck: it was a matter of skill, of adapting to the circumstances and working hard for the sake of her mission.

And that’s just Book 2. In Book 3 she keeps up the efficiency until the betrayal, foiling the brilliant Invasion plans and succeeding at stopping the heroes yet again. By the time her breakdown happens, it’s source really goes back to Azula’s own flaws and problems, to character issues that, although present, were yet to be explored. Yes, it’s terribly convenient for Zuko that his sister would lose her mind exactly when he needed her to, but even then, Azula’s downfall serves to enhance her character’s complexity. It could have been handled better, but as it was, it allowed the viewers to see how damaged she truly is, deep down, and that, again, is what makes her a character and not simply a villain.

That’s more or less the gist of it, but there’s other reasons too, no doubt. All the same, Azula sets a hard bar to match for many villains in mainstream media, and only a handful of them have reached it (if they have, I don’t know how many have overcome it). And that would be why saying she’s the greatest villain of all time has become such a popular thing to do as of late :’)

#anon #azula