I definately see your point in regards to the politics of The Promise and the Korra side of things at large. On another topic, though, how could Mako have been improved upon as a character because I always thought he was the least interesting character in all of the Avatar universe? Maybe instead of just making him a bookkeeper make him a full on former Triad member?
awww no i kind of love mako tbh. my bland little saltine cracker. i think we need to make room in our hearts for more dull autistic utterly swagless men whose idea of a good time is simply doing the daily crossword while eating plain cornflakes (no milk). but real talk mako’s character definitely had room for improvement. not because he’s boring, but because all the actually interesting aspects of his character were largely relegated to subtext, and he was instead given boring ass subplots like “stupid love triangle,” “being a cop,” “having to babysit an annoying twink,” etc. so it’s not that his backstory needs improvement, but rather that if those largely subtextual elements of his character were actually teased out and explored in meaningful ways, he would’ve been much more interesting to watch, because his purpose in the story would actually have some fucking thematic depth.
in a better show, mako’s backstory, arc, and general narrative presence would’ve served to illustrate how the neoliberal economy of republic city detrimentally affects the socioeconomically disadvantaged. in the ba sing se arc, bolin sees the lower ring and is like “eww gross POVERTY!!!! no wonder dad left.” like my guy you were living on the street as a child forced to exploit your labor for gutter scraps. why is poverty all of a sudden an issue to you (you can claim he’s just in deep denial and/or quite literally an idiot, but still. lmfao). in a superior show, mako and bolin’s presence would implicitly prompt the viewer to ask, why does the presence of a nuclear family structure necessitate security, and why does its absence collapse any sort of social safety net? why were mako and bolin forced to live on the streets once they were orphaned? how does living in abject poverty in one’s formative years psychologically affect their relationship to wealth, power, security, and success? (mako and bolin only tangentially cover some of these questions in their arcs, most notably in mako’s decision to date asami over korra, and in bolin’s obtuse quest for fame.) furthermore, what parallels versus juxtapositions can be drawn from asami’s own complex experiences navigating wealth, paternal abuse, and systems of control as they directly pertain to the beneficiaries of these capitalist structures? in what ways can asami and mako&bolin bridge these gaps across opposite ends of the class hierarchy, and in what ways are these chasms fundamentally untraversable?
i feel like the main failing of lok was that it actually presented some really interesting concepts, but it seemed like most of it was purely by accident and the show had no actual interest in focalizing or even addressing the compelling subtext hidden between bland and/or frustrating scenes oversaturated with obnoxious characters. like mako and asami are ostensibly main characters, but we never actually get satisfying meat to chew on regarding their inner lives and characters arcs, despite them being two of the most compelling characters in the show just based off of premise and lingering subtextual allusions to more interesting themes than were actually addressed in the show itself. so like asami, who i adore mostly for what remains unspoken (her abusive relationship to her father, her ethical contentions with her own capital, her latent homoerotic feelings for korra, etc.), mako is also compelling me for reasons largely unaddressed outside of the occasional “oh well you’re traumatized from all that time you spent taking care of your brother who is only somewhat younger than you as a small child and selling yourself to criminal organizations to have enough to eat week by week, which probably informs your decisions somewhat now that you are technically an adult (he’s like. 18???? also???) so that’s cool i guess. but also what the fuck you’re so sick and twisted for being attracted to two gorgeous powerful women at the same time, you should go to JAIL!!!!!” and then they do. actually send him to jail. -_-
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Yaaay ^_^ hiii
Ummm. Rinniki. I love them. Uh. Do you think that Rinne waiting to kiss until marriage is a genuine thing he's committed to or do you just think he was a massive coward because of how forward Niki asked and now he's gotta commit to the bit. Both are funny but I think the latter is funnier.
OK PERSONALLY.... i do think rinne would be committed to it. i think hiiro would probably be too, if its something thats ever crossed his mind. but at the same time, i also think rinne could be convinced if niki really kept insisting, because if it happened once it's easy enough for rinne to shrug off, but after that i can only imagine it really feels like niki's testing his patience.... tradition vs the love of his life FIGHT!!
but also the one u suggested is so funny too. its like playing a game of gay chicken but niki doesnt even know hes participating in it, he would fully believe it's part of rinne's hometown traditions and just occasionally suggest them kissing but it wouldnt cross his mind that its not true. meanwhile rinnes like (tightens fist) idk how much longer i can do this. its really funny when rinnes portrayed as a huge playboy by people when in my head its more enjoyable to see him as a blushing virgin who doesnt even know how to kiss properly and wants to be with niki forever. he simply doesnt know where to start 😭 whereas niki doesnt think that hard about anything, so wanting to kiss rinne is just Easy. it comes naturally
in either case i think niki would probably be the one to initiate, i.e getting all close to rinne, intimate atmosphere, etc.. but rinne would have to be in just the right mood/mindset to know nikis serious and that he really really wants this, too. there's this beautifully written fic that expresses my thoughts on this really well; the fact that deep down rinne's insecure, too, and he wants confirmation of niki's affections just as much as niki would want his, even if theyre not entirely on the same page (but they can learn to be, theyre very important to each other!)
so rinne being really insistent about wanting to get married first is because he wants to make sure niki really loves him, too, even though its obvious he does — he just expresses his love differently.
something that doesnt change tho is that both of them want kissy. i think spiritually theyre both married anyway
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i made a propaganda document on why people should ship silver and vil (silvil) and i NEED to share it to tumblr. please. the document is 11 pages long and has genuine legitimate, compelling evidence. i NEED u to hear me out. here is the title page, for reference. it’s very good.
THE DOC!!!! READ IT!!!! I PROMISE IT’S WORTH IT
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