Yue: That's his twelfth lap around the deck
Iroh: Fourteen, *sip tea* I stopped counting aloud because it was making him self-conscious.
Zuko: I am thinking!
Iroh: Ah. The most dangerous of activities. *nods*
Yue: You know, in the North Pole, when someone spends all day thinking, it usually means they should do something about it.
Zuko: I am not thinking about anyone.
Iroh: Then your pacing is very dedicated to a completely unrelated subject
Yue: Such as?
Iroh: How to tell a certain waterbender that he enjoys her company without sounding like an angry badgermole
Zuko: I don'tâ*groans and buries his face in his hands*
Iroh/Yue: *Drinks tea*
this is what I was referencing and I am thinking a very excited lady noire, a ladybug that is begrudgingly complying with chatâs shenangians, and whatever else ladybug fusion. this just has big adrien energy tbh. heâs taking his ladies on a date.Â
My favorite joke in Metalocalypse is how as the show goes on it becomes increasingly obvious theyâre naming characters with the sole purpose of torturing Mark Hamill.
Like I just love how you can pinpoint âNinmiltrid Fmiltindrydenâ as the exact moment the joke went from making Mark Hamill say funny but still vaguely name-shaped words to forcing that poor man to pronounce straight up keysmashes out loud.
One Zutara trope Iâve always found fascinating to read, but hesitant to share, is when Katara ends up stuck on Zukoâs ship for an extended period of time. Sometimes sheâs technically a prisoner, sometimes she just canât leave the ship, but the part I enjoy has less to do with the âcaptured Kataraâ aspect and more with the bottle episode dynamic it creates.
What I love is the forced proximity of it all. Zuko and Katara are trapped in the same environment, with nowhere to escape to and no outside influence stopping their interactions. Sure, you get something similar in an Arranged Marriage UA, where they have to interact with each other and stay by each other's sides.
In the boat setting, they canât just storm off after an argument. They canât retreat back to Team Avatar or use their status as an out. Theyâre just⊠there. Together in a limited space. Forced to deal with each other as people.
It feels like an extended version of the Crystal Catacombs in âCrossroads of Destiny,â which is still one of the most compelling Zutara interactions in the series to me. The reason that scene works so well is that, for a brief moment, the war disappears into the background. Thereâs no audience, no reason to pretend, no larger group dynamics affecting their behaviour; just two deeply angry, traumatized teenagers being unexpectedly honest with each other.
The "stuck in the ship" dynamic can recreate that tension over a longer period of time. Katara starts learning about the crew, seeing cracks in her image of Zuko, while Zuko is forced to confront someone who refuses to fear him or sees him as the banished prince. And more importantly, the isolation cuts both ways. Zuko also loses a lot of the power he usually has in an Arrange Marriage settings. Nothing is being used as "leverage" against Katara that gives Zuko more power in their dynamic. On his ship, especially early on, heâs not really âPrince Zukoâ in the political sense; heâs an exiled teenager chasing an impossible task while living with a crew that respects Iroh far more than him.
Thatâs why I actually prefer this setup over arranged marriage AUs sometimes. In arranged marriage stories, the Fire Nation often holds overwhelming structural power over Katara and the Southern Water Tribe. But on the ship, the conflict becomes much more personal and character-driven: Katara vs. Zuko, not Katara vs. the entire Fire Nation.
I guess my hesitation in talking about this trope is that I donât want it to come across as me enjoying Katara being âdemeanedâ or stripped of agency as a prisoner. For me, the appeal is the emotional claustrophobia of the setting; the way it forces honesty, vulnerability, and character development in a way neither of them can easily escape from.
Hot take: I never interpreted this line from Splinter from the Season One finale the way everyone else in this fandom does.
"With the world at stake, the only thing of importance is that you complete your mission, no matter what you have to sacrifice... or who."
You can visibly see Leo's thought process, being "...shit- really?" To "I'll give up my life if it's necessary."
And I kinda get how he would think that...
But I don't think Splinter AKA Hamato Yoshi, who has already lost his first family, would tell ANY of his children that they should sacrifice themselves for their mission.
No man, I see this as Splinter telling his eldest and most responsible son that he can let some people die.
He is fully telling him he has permission to kill his enemies. And Leo interpreted it in the wrong direction.
If Splinter found out Leo tried to sacrifice himself, he would break Leo's leg twice over before Shredder ever got to him. That's his son, those boys are his babies and he'll be damned if he loses another family.
I don't care what people will say, I'm standing by this hc:
Splinter was telling his son to kill if he had to.
Lol, I kind of interpreted this in a 3rd different way.
The part: "no matter what you have to sacrifice... or who."
I always thought the "what" was morals, and "who" was his allies. Meaning that, if you have to complete your mission, you will have to dirty your hands and cross lines you would never cross, and let people die for the sake of the mission, even if they matter to you.
HOLY SHIT... The Misfit Class' performance lasted 15 MINUTES. 15 MINUTES OF MOVIE-QUALITY, SMOOTH-BABY-CHEEKED, SPINNING-SHOTS-GALORE GOODNESS. THEY USED ROTOSCOPING, so real dancers actually performed the dances behind the scenes, producing animation so fluid!!!!
There were at least 5 spinning shots. FIVE. CINCO. AT LEAST.
Like look at this. Look at Elizabetta's portrayal of Lilith... This was just the OPENING ACT you guys, and this is just a GIF!!! The music and her singing voice was so enchanting. I wish I had a music background, because they put so many details with the music and instrumentals alone. Speaking of music...
IRUMA SLIDING HIS FINGERS ACROSS THE KEYBOARD!!! The technique??? Like, is he even making mistakes here? Are these really the hands of an amateur? (Legitimate question for piano players). Not featured above, but the particular sequence he also played during Alice's scene is so prettyyyy you gotta see it!!
I'm so proud of him and his ever-growing self-confidence. And the black nail polish he's wearing really adds to the great visuals.
NOW THIS IS A SYNCHRONIZED DANCE
The bodies feel like there's weight to every movement! It doesn't feel like a copy-paste of bodies either? Like you can see their personalities or their dance experience level in the hell dance proper.
From the innocent Aleph (played by Lied) to the bold Khet (played by Sabnock), from the playful intonation of Clara to the icy rationales of Kerori, every Misfit had their time to shine!
I must admit that I don't have much experience with other Music Festival anime episodes. But like, if one's comparing this to the usually stellar and high-budgeted Bones' rendition of BNHA's 4-minute musical band performance... It's evident how much Bandai Namco Pictures CHOSE to give this part depth and substance far beyond what the manga had offered.
To be fair, music performances seem to be Nishi-sensei's bread and butter. (MAKES ME MORE EXCITED FOR THE EVIDOL ARC.) Very happy that every scene of the Hell Dance performance was given so much thought, personality-wise and music-wise and dance-wise and lighting-wise... (GOOD GOD THE COMPOSITING)
(More glazing below. But these are only few compared to the episode experience itself, so watch in full!)
Jazz's movements are so entrancing, like that of a snake that his character usually embodies or is connected to. And the way his arm slips up and over Elizabetta's arm and shoulder, before his hand rests on her cheek. I NEED THE ORIGINAL LIVE ACTION FOOTAGE REFERENCE.
THEY MUST'VE HIRED PROFESSIONALS FOR THIS. THERE'S NO WAY THEY DIDN'T.
Will the next episodes be slideshows with flapping lips because there's no more animation funds? We need to pour more money and views into this anime studio so we get more episodes like thissss
This frame right here is the funniest thing in the entire show
Because it perfectly encapsulates just how fucking done Maul is with this entire situation.
This is supposed to be his rise to power, his revenge rampage, his glory, his new apprentice.
Instead he got about three days of wrecking havoc before having a righteous cop and an inquisitor on his ass, a bratty teenager who is too much like Anakin for her own good and her jock boyfriend to babysit, a bad knee, and a group of mandos one wrong command away from being completely done with his bullshit.
This is the look of a man who knows he won't catch a fucking break for the rest of his life, and he does not have time to deal with any of it.
i swear to god if people don't start understanding that responding to doylist critique of a piece of media with watsonian exonerations is not an actual rebuttal
somebody saying "hey i don't like that the only gay man in this story is a weird pervert and it portrays gay sexual promiscuity as a moral failing and character flaw" cannot be rebuked by arguing about how the character's backstory or personality traits explain their behaviour. the choices made by a writer are all fundamentally mutable; somebody saying an author's choices should have been different is not going to be persuaded by an argument that takes those choices as immovable fact
It Didnât Really Matter Whether A.ang Was Right Or Not
TW: Thereâs a brief mention of weight loss in this post, so just a heads up for anyone who might need it.
Whenever it comes to shipping discourse in regards to The Southern Raiders, the main topic of a lot of the discussions is whether or not A.angâs philosophy was right or Zukoâs. But frankly, I actually donât think it really matters all that much in the grander scheme of what Katara needed from the people around her in that episode.
Let me use an analogy; Imagine a woman with a husband. She recently just gained a considerable amount of weight, maybe she just had a kid or just general weight fluctuation as you age. Sheâs feeling quite insecure about her body, some of her clothes donât really fit anymore so sheâs just wearing more baggy clothes instead.
Sheâs not going out as much and generally just feels sad all the time. But her husbandâŠâŠdoesnât notice. Sheâs been upset for weeks at this point and he hasnât taken note of anything. Then one day, while sheâs researching ways to lose some weight, her husband notices what sheâs searching and then says something like:
âoh youâre trying to lose weight? Hereâs what you should do, just cut back on all that candy you eat and youâll be good to goâ.
And fine, letâs say he was actually right, letâs say cutting back on candy would help her lose the weight that she wantedâŠâŠbut does this woman love or appreciate her husband more because of it? Does she feel like she was loved and supported as she was having a hard time with her body? Does she feel closer to him at all?
The answer to all these questions is a resounding no, she doesnât. You see, this is my biggest issue with A.angâs approach to Kataraâs situation in TSR. I personally believe in forgiveness and Iâve seen a lot of people whoâve said they believe in forgiveness as well, but for some reason, A.angâs behavior in this episode just annoyed them, and I understand why.
Kataraâs grief over losing her mother was unprocessed all throughout the show. A.ang travels with Katara and Sokka everyday for almost an entire year. All throughout this time, he never once thinks to ask about her mother, what happened, howâs sheâs dealing with it and if thereâs anything he can do to help.
In The Southern Raiders, Katara is very visibly upset during the campfire. Sheâs uncharacteristically quiet, she sent a mean remark Zukoâs way and then walked away to go isolate herself from her friends. A.ang saw all of this and made no attempt to go after her and find out whatâs wrong.
But this wasnât what did it for me, itâs what happened the next day. Everyone talks about A.ang accusing Katara of acting like Jet or comparing his temporary loss of Appa to the permanent loss of her mother, but the first thing that got me annoyed was this being the first line that comes out of his mouth:
Katara: I need to borrow Appa. Aang: [Jokingly.] Why? Is it your turn to take a little field trip with Zuko?
Seems like nothing, right?âŠ..wrong. Even though I was slowly beginning to dislike A.ang in Book 3, at this point, I still believed that he was generally a nice kid. When Katara walked up to him and asked for Appa, it seemed like it was the first time he was seeing her that day, since we saw her just waking up a few moments before. I expected him to say something along the lines of:
âOh hey, Katara! UhâŠ..you seemed upset last night, are you okay?â
But instead he just makes a joke, as though he didnât register that she was upset yesterday, as though he just forgot or didnât care. Maybe Iâm too sensitive, but this elicited a deep frown from me. He then proceeds to say this after Katara says theyâre going to find her motherâs murderer:
A.ang: UmâŠ.and what exactly do you think this will accomplish?
And the frown got deeper, why in the world did he listen to Katara say sheâs going after her motherâs murderer and his first approach is to give her condescending attitude? Do you know what kind of context this kind of questioning is used? This kind:
Imagine a kid got a bad grade on their test and gets so angry about it that they decide to go vandalize their teacherâs car. The kidâs mom catches them, the kid reveals what they plan on doing and the mom goes, âAnd what do you think this will accomplish? (places hands on hips)â
He asked that question as though she was being irrational and stupid, he proceeds to immediately assume the worst of her and spends the entire conversation moralizing her situation, judging her and then telling her what she should do and then denied her a chance at processing her grief until she had to go behind his back and attempt to steal Appa.
It was morning when Katara first came to ask, he refused and just let her continue to stew in anger all day until night time. Iâm sorry, but does this mean that even after hearing her very clearly express that she hadnât even processed her grief over losing her mother, he was still just fine with her sitting on her anger ALL DAY?? So, if Katara hadnât tried to steal Appa later that night, he wouldnât have cared that she just went back to suppressing her anger.
What makes him think he has any say in her situation at all? What makes him think he gets to act like some moral authority after he failed to even notice what she was going through all this time? The audacity to not notice what Katara was going through, but then try to tell her what to do?
Because of this, I frowned at every line that came out of A.angâs mouth. The fact that Kataraâs grief was unprocessed and it flew right over his head should have caused him to have some humility and guilt and speak to her with such.
You canât just not notice what your loved one is going through and when they try to fix their situation, you insert yourself into the conflict and act like you have any say after what you did.
Despite the fact that Zuko actually does the emotional work with Katara in this episode, he still didnât believe he had any say in what she should or shouldnât do. And chances are, had he offered his opinion somewhere later into the episode, Katara wouldâve likely been far more receptive towards him.
I expected A.ang to speak with some degree of guilt, humility and carefulness since his friend and supposed âforever girlâ was clearly dealing with a lot and he didnât notice.
Because unlike A.ang, regardless of what you think of Zukoâs intentions, he did make Katara feel like she was cared for and like she wasnât irrational or not thinking straight for wanting to confront her motherâs murderer.
Your heart will undoubtedly be softer and more receptive towards someone who made you feel cared for and loved, then someone who didnât even notice what you were going through, felt no guilt about not noticing and then proceeded to judge you and tell you what to do.
He could be the ârightestâ person in the world and quote the entire air nomad code of ethics for all anyone cares, but no one likes a clueless sanctimonious jerk.
Even at the end, he runs up to her, yelling her name while sheâs very clearly in a somber mood. And then says this:
A.ang: Zuko told me what you did. Or what you didn't do, I guess. I'm proud of you. A.ang: You did the right thing.
The distinct lack of humility and/or guilt over what he did wrong is so annoying. He still continues to speak as though his approval or opinion is in anyway important in her situation.
No, just no. You donât get to not notice what she was going through, completely ignore how visibly upset she was the day before and then act like your opinion or approval of her situation has any weight. You canât just do that.
Have all the wisdom in the world, have all the knowledge in the world, if thereâs no love in the way you treat people even when you disagree with them, then it all amounts to nothing.
And no, the problem isnât that A.ang disagreed with Katara morally. Friends, couples and family members disagree, especially on moral issues, all the time, itâs the way he handled the entire thing. There are ways he couldâve disagreed with her and that wouldâve shown far more humility and care in her situation.
He couldâve started by asking if she was okay after what happened the night before, he couldâve just asked her what she was going to do and let her explain herself instead of telling her what he thinks are her intentions and assuming the worst of her.
If he asked and she gave any indication that she was actually going to kill him, he couldâve then said something like this:
âUh Katara? I know youâre upset, and you have every right to be. What happened to your mother wasnât fair and whoever did it doesnât deserve to get away with it. And donât get me wrong, youâre allowed to do whatever you wantâŠâŠ..butâŠI really donât think youâre going to get the peace youâre looking for this way.â
Then she wouldâve likely responded like this:
âThanks for your concern, A.ang [maybe a smile]. But this is something I need to do, Iâll be fine.â
Simple! Simđpleđ! No conflict, no offensive comparisons, no making things about him, no judging, no excessive moralizing, no pushing her to do what he wants, but instead, far more caring, empathetic and considerate while still sticking to his beliefs. Less moral authority, more concerned friend.
A.ang is the reason for the conflict between him, Katara and Zuko. This didnât need to play out the way it did between the three of them, but it did anyway and itâs primarily because of him.
I like how at the end, she doesnât show him any appreciation, thank him for anything or give him any credit for her decision. She doesnât even crack him a smile, and yeah, thatâs because he doesnât deserve it.
By the end of this episode, Katara felt closer to Zuko than she felt towards everyone else. And understandably so, he did everything right with her in this episode. And fun fact, Zuko was the only character Katara smiled at in this episode.
And the funny thing is, A.ang was never this judgmental in the first two seasons, Kataraâs most emotionally heavy episode is when they decide to make him the most judgmental heâs ever been. What exactly were they thinking??
Iâve always jokingly said that A.angâs behavior in this episode was either written by a woman with the intention of actually portraying him as inconsiderate, judgmental and self-righteous or by a highly tone-deaf and clueless man who genuinely thought that the way A.ang was being portrayed would be appealing to Katara or the audienceđ€Ą
I have my criticisms of A.angâs morality, I donât agree with coerced and premature forgiveness in traumatic situations and I disagree with his absolute pacifism and his view on revenge and justice, but before he even revealed his moral positioning, I was already displeased with him.
He didnât treat Katara well in this episode to me, and maybe Iâm just too sensitive, but Iâm pretty sure anyone would be upset if theyâre friend acted like this. I hope he enjoyed Sokka calling him wise and Zuko (inaccurately imo, but thatâs a take for another post) telling him that he was right, because he really wasnât a good friend here.
And I already know what the defence is going to be, âHeâs twelve!â. Katara started mothering her older brother around eight years old, is it too much to ask a twelve year old to act like a decent friend? And if heâs too immature to know how to properly handle an emotional situation such as this with Katara, then heâs too immature to be in a romantic relationship with her.
His approach to Kataraâs situation was really bad, then the next episode (EIP) had him agreeing that Katara was his possession (when actor!Zuko called her the Avatarâs girl), throwing a nice guy tantrum at the thought Katara only seeing him as a friend, saying the dumb play wouldâve made him go into the Avatarâs state, him ignoring once again how visibly uncomfortable she was having this conversation and then proceeding to force a kiss on her.
Then in the episode after EIP, the first part of the finale, his last spoken interaction with her was him yelling at her for something that was not her fault. If Ka/taang was written with a consideration for Kataraâs perspective at all, even if Katara started to have some feelings for A.ang, they would know that having A.ang display all these behaviors BACK-TO-BACK in the last half of the show, with no apologies and no attempts to make up for what he did wouldâve drained every last drop of interest out of her.
They spent the last half of their show doing everything in their power to make Ka/taang as unappealing as possible and then acted surprised as to why so many people rejected it.
i keep laughing at the way that eridian culture in the movie and eridian culture in the book are not contradictory at all, if you accept that movie rocky is just a total FREAK
grace: boy i sure can't wait to meet other eridians haha!
rocky, putting on a shirt for the first time in four years: rocky has something to tell grace but does grace promise not to be mad, question?
this is gonna sound like a stretch but do you happen to know where i find the fanart where (if my memory isn't botched):
aang and azula are on a sofa, getting high together. azula is lying on the right-hand side, aang is reclining to the left. he's looking at azula. he has a finger gun pointing upwards, with a small flame. azula looks back at him, a long smoking pipe in her hand. the sofa is full of red cushions and the whole scene overlooks a sunrise/set.
i believe it was based off a vintage painting depicting much of the same.
i know this sounds very random but i've suddenly remembered it. i tried looking for it in my archive so far i haven't (i had an infernal no-tagging phase). atp i don't even know i had reblogged it. or if it even exists.
I believe it was @katydoodles who made that fan art, and it was referencing a painting by Jack Vettriano called After Midnight. You should find it on her homepage. Try searching for her Azulaang fan art posts. They'll be tagged Azulaang and digital art. Hope this helps.
