not me having not 1 but 4 ideas for Logan x Hannah fics...my greed for them is unstoppable. (like i'm sorry this guy's deep in love with his bff girlfriend, and obviously she doesnt feel anything for him, and so they kissed and he yearned and you want me to do nothing with that?? my imagination is endless and i shipped characters with way less odds than that.)
- Hannah meeting Logan first at a party (in...particular nsfw circumstances) she doesnt know he's a hockey player so after the awkwardness/mild hesitation to stay talking with him just after she witnessed him in a middle of a sexual act, they strike up a reluctant semi friendship/emotional bonding, exchanging, going straight to laughing, bantering and soft smiles..mmmh scrumptious (the angsty triangle, Logan and Garrett dynamic - when Hannah has to kiss Logan she realizes she cannot, not because she feels nothing, but on the contrary bc she feels for him too...)
- Garrett has an accident/dies/is in a coma, then Hannah/Logan have a sort of twisted/noir relationship (he never got with Grace in this and it turns out never really got over Hannah either) guilt, semi infidelity, guilt again, angst, they're miserable a lot but they feel like its the only outlet to their sadness (oh my, our best friend died, what shall we do)
- in their 30s, Garrett and Hannah are 'on a break' (they're fully separated but she keeps it hidden for most of time because no one know abt it and she doesnt want it to yet), Logan and Grace are divorced, they both find each other by surprise in Philly..lets say they're due for a long and heated summer full of unresolved sexual tension...
- after 12 years of not coming back to Boston, (she left without a trace the day after the match Garrett lost his temper at) Hannah's in her 30s, she's a music journalist who have to interview a rising singer; when she breaks her car near Logan's repair shop...
listen im not one to gaf abt the age gap of Ella and Belmont (and wont be) i enjoyed their scenes and not parasocial enough to care bc there are intimacy coordinator, a good crew and she talks abt it like a good experience;
but the physical contrast is still fun to pock a bear at bc here is Belmont when he was 20/21 and like, you can see he was a little muscled - though nearly not as much - but the face?? the stark difference between today and 8years ago is funny asf. he looks like a little leaf Hannah could blow with a puff of air
always an andor fan at the scene of the crime thinking the're above the prequels and that Tony gilroy wrote the most 'well rounded' female characters of the franchise you have to laugh (apparently Bix's assault was 'beautifully handled' Vel and Cinta's endings...)
but then they go reducing Padme character to meming gags bc 'she fucked fascism' and i'm supposed to believe they're so progressive and sooo feminist. alright.
AUs
Breakaway by Thugrose (i think there should be more Hockey player Hannah in our life!)
WIP, 11k words, 3/25 chapters, [rated E]
https://archiveofourown.org/works/85989631/chapters/227336556
In between the lines by clairesmh (strangers to lovers mwehehehe)
WIP, 19k words, 5/? chapters [rated M]https://archiveofourown.org/works/85360661/chapters/225455211-
the deal we never made by dfonts (best friends to lovers mwahahaha)
Completed, 33k words, 3/3 [rated E]
https://archiveofourown.org/works/85034201
(i know that not everyone is into abo universe, its implications and how its renforced by gender stereotypes etcetc..so read at your own risks i suppose)
On fire by TheLastSwallowStanding
WIP, 35k words, 11/? [rated M]
https://archiveofourown.org/works/85340986/chapters/225393161
Canon divergence:
Penalty Box serie by PrimaveraSarah @primaverasarah on tumblr (as someone wise once said, deny, deny, deny+ oops i caught feelings in midst of making out my how could that have happened?? )
Completed, 31k words, 3 parts [rated E]
https://archiveofourown.org/series/6125481
- I just can't say I don't love you ('Cause I love you) by Anonymous (or the break up lasts longer and Garrett grovels)
WIP, 11k words, 4/? chapters [rated E]
https://archiveofourown.org/works/85777791/chapters/226709571
- Mr. Perfect by GeorgiaGlass (or the break up + making up post graduation fic)
WIP, 3k words, 2/? chapters [not rated]
https://archiveofourown.org/works/85345866/chapters/225408731
more introspective fics (more complexity than the show/book afford them dare i say):
Show me by yellina
One shot, 3k words [rated E]
https://archiveofourown.org/works/85857371
Passage of Time by simplifiedemotions
One shot, 1k words [rated E]
https://archiveofourown.org/works/85921371
the team learns abt Hannah:
The truth will set it free (both you and me) by AmandaLovegood
WIP, 1k words [rated T]
https://archiveofourown.org/works/85527106/chapters/225951916
Over and over, till it all makes sense by Sebena (Garrett/Logan brotp, communication and more groveling)
5k words, 2/2 [rated T]
https://archiveofourown.org/works/85836181/chapters/226886951
The Family We Make by Felula25 (Hannah opening up to Garrett family/friends abt her trauma)
One shot, 2k words [not rated]
https://archiveofourown.org/works/85594021
Adults/post canon
when you know, you know by hakuna_matata (Garrett taking Hannah's name...everyone should read that )
WIP, 2k words, 2/3 [rated M]
https://archiveofourown.org/works/85045611
The Bitch Is Back by somewhereintheafterglow (kudos to the author for the such a beautifully detailled and nuanced writing abt all the characters/the environment of hockey they grew up in, and the internet culture 10/10 no notes)
WIP, 24k words, 3/10 [rated E]
https://archiveofourown.org/works/85994716/chapters/227351421
You live beneath my ribs now by somewhereintheafterglow (aged Hannah and Garrett...my beloveds)
WIP, 3k words, [rated E]
https://archiveofourown.org/works/85265896
-> she runs. a lot. gained good endurance and lung capacity from it + a stubborness to match. (hidden behind layers of shyness/insecurity)
everyday between 5am and 6am, sometimes after her shifts, she never misses the clock.
(+ when its in the winter, Allie and her have a timer and send a message for the okay.)
she runs to slow her thoughts from getting there.
-> she wasnt able to do so when she was 15yo, trapped and drugged and physically unable to move, so running is a way to make her imagination run wild again, where she's on autopilot, her thoughts are running free and she can write stories she wants to tell the world.
-> when Garett learns abt it, he's a little teasing, a bit worried (alone, early, on the streets/park where anyone could be??) but mostly dubious because she sounds like she could outrun him, and isnt that a little funnyâŠ(un-leaning internalized gendered stereotype lets go)
-> when they do go on the run together though, he asks to take the lead, so she doesnt feel him just behind her / or side by side, more like an easy companionship;
-> for a good hour they run and somehow she manages to outpace him (he's baffled but announces it proudly to their friends the next day and realizes he was stupid to act like a macho man)
-> for both of them the feeling of shame/stress sometimes can come back out of nowhere, when they least expect it - triggers are in tiny things, little things that not everyone is aware of and out of context wont be visible, but nevertheless present: they always have an object that remind them of the other in case it happens when no one is able to help them.
- for example, he hates seeing his own violence on the ice on video, reflected at him, it make him want to puke, his mother's voice asking why, and his father's you played good, son; it can make him go into panic attack, thats why he prefers to talk abt these access of violence nochalantly/with an air of indifference, ignoring, supressing - until Hannah of course.
(and listen, ik they're supposed to be 'more' mature, some issues resolved and emotional development at its peak at the end of the book-serie etcetc;
but they're 21. 21. 21 it's still so fucking young. you dont erase years of physical/emotional abuse inside you with a 'you're not and will never be like your father Garrett' - nor Hannah's own trauma, - and ik and love that she's in a good place already in the serie and choose to not let it rule over her life and that everyone handle their past differently - but still. triggers + the generally shitty patriarchal society in which they live in (+ the violence of sport in general), it will impacts some of your choices/acts.
sure, a good support family, friends, a therapist, how society is adapting and evolving and the will/want to get better can do wonder - and did for Hannah! but thats not all linear either.
so in my mind, there are good and bad moments, - and im not saying they should be traumatized or bear the burden of their past like a ball and chain at their feet for the rest of their life either, thats not what i mean by that-
but what's important is how they grow/communicate with each other and how even if/when they dont want to talk (because you dont owe everything to your partner at any given time), they dont stagne in their negativity/distress and let it rot.
-> They both have nightmares sometimes, the other always feels it earlier somehow (yk, its a soulmate thing), always wait patiently for the other to wake up, asking if they're alright, soft voices and a protective streak in it, go to search for cold water or tea, whether they want the soft, reassuring glow of a lamp or the confort of the darkness with conforting arms around to steady the other in the present moment..
-> Garett has a scar on his arm, from when he was 8:
he didnt want his mom to suffer yet again, so he rose (with bile in his throat) against his father, knife in hand and something was said abt pain, strong enough to bear hits on ice, so strong enough for the hits at home or anything else : he cut himself on his left forearm (it changed nothing when his father blamed his mom for 'making their precious prodigy son mutilate himself uselessly and irresponsibly' and she still took the beating after all. he stopped trying anything after)
-> bisexuality:
Hannah and Garrett both had a tiny crush on their bff is like because have you seen them?? okay.
he kissed a boy when he was 15 (from a hockeycamp, that he never saw again - though that could make a good introspective one shot), he never talked abt it to anyone (fear of his dad) - until Hannah.
he asks her back:
-> she felt an attraction once when she met Allie, but never let herself grow into it and thinks clearly about it for more than 30 seconds.
-> Hannah is a musical nerd, and she loves all kind of music (the 'overhated', the underrated, the 'commercial' but also the obscure, the niche, the 'shameful') When she's pissed off at him for a reason or another, she will give him the bands he hate treatment for 1 hour or 2 instead of talking. (it never lasts long)
-> when he was younger, 5 or 6 give or take, his mom was still well enough to be with him and do things, so before he slept, she used to sing him a lullaby to soothe his thoughts and fall asleep. They used to dance around and jump when his father wasnt there, putting on casette and tapes and burned disks she possessed before meeting his father, wild and her spirit not yet battered, where there are many bands/singers she loved.
to be continued...
PS (its a little longish sorry):
- this show weirdly caught my attention very fast like a good chunk of the internet
and i say weird bc I stopped reading YA romance 5y ago and dont feel the same need/want/excitation toward it anymore (yeah, it did become boring to me at the end) but there was something abt this serie oddly charming, funny and yes, cringe at times that was endearing to me.
+ Ella's eyes are so hypnotizing...
(i mean yes the face card and beauty of the women make up 50% reason of why i'm watching this show bc the big abs/muscles?? dont do anything for me - at all - sure, the guys do have their own charm - really love the hairstyle and Garrett's mole -, but i'm not as starstuck as i am for the female cast for sure)
and while i do have valid critics like everyone else abt the show- body/racial diversity brownies point/colorism, the 'puckbunny' term that i really find awful all around etcetc...- -i i wont get into in this post.
Garrett/Hannah really sprung on me all of sudden - i wasnt big into them even though it was their season; but the individual character work potential they have; how their backstory changed them/how *they* worked to fit around it and the literal themes of their characters are fun to enterwine within the whole hockey system - again, i know its a YA romance novel dealing with smut/sexual tension/trope and such but i'm more interested in their inner lives/ friendships and the romance burning slow in the background.
maybe its also the fact they could have made very good slowburn (i rest my case) anyhow, i've became very, very fond of them...and they inspire me a lot (and like i said above, Garrett's mole, his curls and Ella's eyes compel me)
kindly note that I didnt read the books nor do i plan to (barely had the time to watch the full 8 episodes) - but i did skim rapidly and loosely through the first and second one..-
but yeah, those headcanons are from what I gathered/interpreted in the show only, for fun!
Just read the first chapter of this fic that roughly follows this concept (Hannah is an hockey player and Garrett is more nerdy in the general lines..) and i just needed to give my 2 cents on this bc it got me pretty inspired - different take than the og fic though.
warning, its gets a little dark in some places..! mentions of domestic abuse, SA.
Garrett :
- 2 years after his mom's death, he's enduring the hits, the emotional abuse, the stress and the pressure, Garrett flat out refuses to continue his father's legacy. Enough is enough. Oh it makes his dad angry, so very angry and mad, him who spents all his years building something great and his own son is refusing him this very thing?
Garrett ends in hospital and nothing consequent come out of it because of course his father's influence, his money, his connections, and he knows how to charm the right people the right way. (he hates that its something they have in common)
- between is 12-15yo, he is then sent to his aunt, (his mother's sister) in the countryside : he begins hitting the drums, (his aunt has a local band) + his mom is the one who transmitted him his musicality and it helps him to remember positive memories abt them together before. It grounds him a little bit;
- he continues to go on the ice, to skate, and exercising his hockey skills : he refused to continue training for his father, but he still loves the game ( and habits forced on you from when you were 4/5yo tend to die hard )
- there's an old man who comes often from time to time, that he finds a bit ridiculous in the beginning (the macho culture of hockey instilled in him), but from conversations to conversations, opening up a bit and here he is, dancing on ice...
- between that, the drums, the music and his aunt, he starts to get a little better emotionally.
-> its immediately put to a stop when he gets bullied/mocked/physically harassed for it, and his 'professor' get badly injured (in the coma) by hockey bullies (paralleling Hannah's agression) but instead of being put down, he gets angry (violent), he hunts those thugs and beat them up. His father's son he cant help thinking, mournfully, crying.
- he comes back to his dad, who used his influence so he wouldnt have any issues with the family of the victims and especially so wouldnt hurt his reputation (yeah paralleling again Hannah and her story, and there's so much to unpack here eheh)
- he blackmails his own son: from now on, if he wants something, then he has to work for the money (eating? clothes? new materials for school?? phone?? you name it, he's alone in this). But if he takes hockey again? no problems.
-> he accepts his father's deal (until he gets his scholarship on his own) under the condition he can do what he wants when training's done. (music, 'a useless and weak hobby', but his father agrees.)
- he gets a job to clean up boxing rings at night when his father believes he's training for hockey; the guy's working here is nice (adding kind ppl aroung him, because i dont want him to turn into a brooding/dark caveman), sees the potential and the emotions rising up - the needs for this rougher edge- in him so he offers to come whenever to train him.
(With his dad, hockey/skating doesnt offer him the same peace nor the same emotional/physical outlet for his volatile emotions as when he was with his aunt, thats why boxing works. )
- there's the playboy/womanizer/flirty side as well, but i dont think he is really. for me the popularity that hockey's projected on him made him act all charming, searching and open to sex, but honestly, he goes to them when bad memories are coming back and it's all too much, when he needs to feel someone that wont leave him for the night.and yeah, he's not into relationship/big love story either )
- of course he gets a scholarship for his music major, and of course his father's furious, cutting him off completely. (he takes it like a punch to the gut, even though he expected the blow. But he had set aside money for this situation + the bit of money his mother left him + his aunt helping him. It's not great but he manages. )
[hockey's not off the table either: he did work hard to comply to Graham senior wishes orders, the problem never was hockey in itself, but what his father did ...maybe he will play again with someone(s) wink wink!]
Hannah :
- Hannah does not get raped, but she gets beaten up and is sexually assaulted.
-> the day before the party, she surpasses and win over the son of the mayor on ice in front of basically everyone, the school students, the professors, recruiters;
(she doesnt get roofied, but he physically subdues her, stripping off her clothes, touching her, humiliating her and physically violent. unfortunately alcohol lowers her defenses and her inhibitions so although she succeds in defending herself, leaving marks and lacerations...it is not enough);
- during the trial, he reports the bruises on her body and the scratches on his arms/face as from an hockey's game. (his friends confirm it);
-> consequences: she has a hard time going to parties or drink - (alone in a romantic setting with a boy)
-> she physically cant step on ice for the 2 next years, (despite a very good beginning in front of professionals and getting noticed by coaches)
-> and has an even harder time accepting the violence happening on it (which breaks her heart because god does she love this sport),
- in her last year of highschool, (after 2 years of therapy, talking with her mother, etcetc..), she decides not let her trauma stop her anymore: she worked on it, had support, her family.
She re-step on the rink, works her ass off and eventually get herself an hockey scholarship with her own blood sweat and tears;
- she obviously excels in every subject in college, (i personally dont think playing hockey would lower her intellectually or would stop her from getting good grades sorry lol she's just a high achieving student like that),
- due to her past, she's not fond of being agressive towards her opponents on the rink; which comes to be a problem during some matches since she plays a foward center position (and since she wants to center herself to play professionally/ and obviously hockey is inherently a violent sport)
(-> she meets Garrett the year she becomes captain of her team in her third year)
in the meantime, she make up for it with her rapidity on ice and skills, studying religiously video of legends such as Vicky Sunohara, Hayley Wickenheiser, Manon RheÌaume (they're all Canadian for most part but i looked some of them up and by god they are goated),;
- she still has to work at Malone for her meals, but thats abt it (she signed off deal with some online brands that helps her with money : she's pretty, she got noticed in school for her talent and being a young prodigy, had a bit of social media presence bc of it/the fact she's her way to play pro - which means more online coverage and popularity...you bet sport brands are interested. );
- at first, she's a little wary of Garrett, as he comes a little roughen up, (from boxing), and well, she doesnt know what he does to earn those on him
( instinctively tho?? she knows he's not violent just for the sake of it and to dominate ppl, and sees bit of emotions in his body's language/eyes mirroring her owns)
- the deal:
- wouldnt change much from the show/book;
she does it for her crush on Justin;
(later on, they circle (literally) each other on ice, skating together, exchanging abt their past, the brutality of hockey, figure skating and he teaches her how to manage and not retreat from the violence. to control it.)
- for him, he realized that music doesnt cut it anymore - and, listen idk if its possible, but lets say it is, (plus he is Garrett Graham after all) he wants to integrates the male hockey team and needs her help?? (he watched her train late at night, when he thought he was the only one here)
[something abt music tying them together make me go brrrr, no matter what AU;
(his mom: Kate Bush, Bjork, Courtney love/Hole, Suede..his father hates it )
Garrett: Nick Cave, Violent femmes, Talking Heads, Joy Division, blink-182/Artic Monkeys, Twenty one pilots, Paramore (he dances to What makes a good man when he's a little tipsy)
Hannah: all genre of it really! she has her preferences, but she's not picky; not like Garrett who dislike 1D hehe:
Paloma Paris (duh), One direction, Florence + the Machine, Mitski, Coldplay, nsync, Britney Spears; Fleetwood mac, PJ Harvey, Nick Drake, Goo Goo Dolls, Duran Duran, Blondie. (some its by her mom, others during these 2 years off the ice, she concentrated on music/singers/bands)
I
im stopping here! i have so much more to add but its getting a little long ..(forgive any irl inacurracies i'm french and dk shit abt american uni/hockey etc.)
(obv i'm thinking abt other characters too! Allie/Dean both being hockey players would be hilarious to me, but in same time i feel her commenting the hockey matches would be soo hilarious. she's funny, a little snarky, witty and grew up with a dad always making unintentional sex hockey puns. She would rock that. - and i have some kinda plot/ scenes in my head for her and Dean)
spiralling again bc @scoopsgf had such great meta, nuanced analysis and headcanons post abt GG characters and literati and she desactivated and now i cant find any reblogs of their account anywhere sigh...
A Statement on Being Anti-Harassment and Pro-Tolerance in the ATLA Fandom
I think everyone in the Zutara community is aware that there was recently some very targeted harassment directed at shippers on Twitter and Tumblr by an account that has now been exposed as racistâif the behavior prior to that wasn't enough to indicate they were not an individual to be supported in any way, shape, or means. The account in question built a following on quote-tweeting, harassing, and serial stalking accounts of people whoâd already blocked her to screenshot their tweets out of context for dogpiling purposes. The following is the final line being crossed: a KKK "joke" next to a Black Power GIF...
There are some that are shocked that such an account could ever think weaponizing the KKK as "slander material" was permissible, to which I think we need to be frank and honest.
Can we agree that she thought racism and anti-Blackness was permissible because her echo chamber had defended and downplayed every other form of bullying/bigotry until now?
DONâT ENABLE HARASSMENT. DON'T DEFEND HARASSMENT. CALL OUT BAD BEHAVIOR. DON'T BE A BYSTANDER.
It is very good to see that people are correctly denouncing her now that she has shown herself to also be anti-Black, but this was a clear pattern of escalating dangerous behavior enabled by a negative feedback loop of support. This didn't happen in a vacuum.
If these statements donât apply to you, let them fly. All KAs are not a monolith and should not be generalized as such. But there was a sizable amount that were vocally and enthusiastically supportive, and that enabled an environment of monitoring -> screenshotting -> dogpiling -> rinse and repeat. Various tweets that were screenshots/quotes of my mootsâ tweets (despite them having the anti blocked) garnered thousands of likes and a sizable amount of retweets, in addition to the many accounts who not only commented in support of the antiâs actions but also sought out the original tweet to directly harass the original poster. This is not a case of just one "bad apple".
"BUT the KKK thing is "too far" like the bar was ever supposed to be "Don't invoke a terrorist organization that still kills Black people." That's not a high bar. That's a floor. And it still had to be spelled out."
Very well said, @kore-dani!
This is the sort of environment the anti built/encouraged and many others eagerly took part in until an undeniable line was crossed. It is horrible that explicit anti-Blackness was what it took for people to see the situation clearly: a negative blight with no place in fandom spaces.
An environment of vitriol and toxicity is something that should be impermissible in every fandom. Harassment, hate, and the constant violation of boundaries stand in direct contradiction to the spirit of fandom itself: a community built by fans for fans to come together to create transformative works such as fanart, fanfiction, fan edits, etc.
Aligning with others based on harassment is NOT camaraderie. It is not community. It is not fandom. Rather, it is emulating this meme in real life:
Ingroups, Outgroups, and How We Become Polarized Because of Tribalistic Mindsets
I'd like to use this as a jumping off point to introduce the idea of how important practicing TOLERANCE is. This situation is a clear instance of Ingroup/Outgroup, us vs. them thinking. The following is quoted from EBSCO's "Research Starters" page on Ingroups and Outgroups:
"Ingroups and outgroups are sociological concepts that describe the dynamics between groups of individuals based on identity and social interaction. An ingroup refers to a group that individuals identify with and feel an emotional attachment to, often contrasted with an outgroup, which is the group that ingroup members oppose or view with resistance. This binary categorization fosters an "us versus them" mentality, leading to loyalty among ingroup members while simultaneously creating misunderstandings and stereotypes about outgroup members. The existence of outgroups enhances ingroup cohesion, as members often define themselves in opposition to others. Social Identity Theory posits that individuals derive a portion of their self-concept from their group memberships, influencing how they perceive themselves and their own group compared to others. Ingroup bias is a common phenomenon, where individuals favor their own group over others, which can manifest in positive self-image for ingroup members and negative stereotypes of the outgroup. Political and social contexts can exacerbate these biases, potentially leading to conflict. Understanding ingroups and outgroups is crucial for addressing issues of prejudice and fostering intergroup relations in diverse societies."
The sections on Ingroup Bias, Moral Authority, and Perceived Threat Among Groups are of particular interest, as well as the mention of Gordon Allport's Intergroup Contact Theory.
From The Nature of Prejudice, a work commonly touted as "probably the most read volume in the history of social psychology", the Allport's contact hypothesis essentially states that "tensions between two groups can be reduced if members of one group have positive contact with members of the other." Reading through this study published on PubMed, a database maintained by the United States' NIH, is quite fascinating. The findings are in line with Allport's original claim, and they even discuss how this theory relates to online interactions.
TOLERANCE plays a critical role in successful social contact between different groups. That is further explored here if you're interested. Lest I get more verbose than I already plan to, let's refocus on the topic at hand. Put a pin in the ideas of tolerance and ingroups and outgroups.
Apologizing retroactively for the impact is fine and all, and please hear me clearly when I say I do think many people are being sincere in their denouncement. But we cannot ignore the ill-intent behind the anti's actions including but not limited to serial stalking, harassing, and repeated crossing of boundaries. A situation like this did not just happen out of the blue; it was expected by everyone who knows how to spot bullying and dogpiling behaviors in action.
Quoted from a moot:
âFrom the very start, the intent behind that account was already nasty but they kept hyping that account up. now suddenly they are denouncing them as if they weren't enabling them in the first place. IDK it doesnât come off as a sincere reflection on their end. It sounds like they simply got concerned that this is gonna affect their image considering how some of them are saying âWe now look as bad as ZKsâ. And it shouldnât have taken this long to call out the bullying.â
Again, I'd like to make an effort to say again that I am not generalizing KAs as one hive-mind that all supported this. But escalation to the point that happened the other day was certainly expected by those of us who watched as people defended her as she emphatically doubled down on justifying her harassment of an Iranian Zutara shipper who'd tweeted about a headcanon over perceived inactivity. This Zutara shipper has "Persian" in her bio. Her display name contains a popular Iranian political rallying cry: ŰČÙ ŰČÙŰŻÚŻÛ Ű§ŰČۧۯÛ. It's not hard to make the connection that perhaps an Iranian individual might be offline for...BEING IN AN ACTIVE WARZONE? People went to bat defending the anti for this, by the way, which consequently emboldened her.
Do you see the Ingroup/Outgroup thinking in this circumstance?
It was this constant positive reinforcement from those who actively supported and downplayed the vitriol she was spewing daily that empowered her to decide that the invocation of the something with the historical magnitude of the KKK was even remotely permissible. Others have covered how the anti's defense of "not knowing" what the KKK was does not check out when taking into account the context of its invocation was as "slander material"(their words, not mine)...
For anyone who does the reasonable thing and looks up supposedly unknown words before using them, here's the second result after the KKK Wikipedia page when Googling "KKK":
This series details the work of the FBI to protect the American peopleâespecially minoritiesâfrom the evils of the modern-day Klan.
More resources are linked at the end of that FBI article for those not fully educated on the KKK's role in systematically discriminating against and perpetuating abhorrent and inhumane levels of violence toward Black Americans for the "crime" of existing with different skin tones than the people doing harm unto them.
Do you see the Ingroup/Outgroup thinking in this circumstance?
Not so fun fact, but lynching was JUST made a US federal hate crime in 2022. There were over 4,000 confirmed lynchings between 1877 and 1950. Over 200 previous attempts to outlaw lynching had failed. Nothing about the KKK should ever be weaponized in any manner of supposed âlevityâ. EVER.
There is a clear aggressor AND clear enabling behaviors on display here that led to a line being crossed that should have never been approached in the first place. I do not want to hear anything about âboth sidesâ in this situation. This is real life and real harmful rhetoric was being spread and propagated all over which two fictional characters from a 2000s cartoon two groups would prefer together...
Whatever business Zutara shippers were getting up to on AvatarSpirit.net back in 2008 does not justify harassment in 2026 of people who had no part in that.
Just as KAs are not a monolith, Zutara shippers are not a monolith either.
I certainly do not condone personal/ad hominem attacks directed toward real people over fictional material. Real people matter more than pixels. Period.
Not a soul is asking you to âconvertâ to ZK over any of thisâjust that you call out racism/harassment when you see it. Even IF the person in the wrong is someone who ships something you ship: CALL THEM OUT WHEN THEY CROSS A LINE. Never be scared to stand against bullying, harassment, and targeting of real people in the name ofâŠpixels. By being a bystander or even worse, an active participant, you are doing real harm to real people in the name of pixels that inherently can feel no harm by any perceived âslanderâ (usually just critique regarding a characterâs writing or functional role in a story). At this point, I will reiterate the importance of tolerance and respecting people's individual preferences.
Critiquing a fictional character does not warrant personal attacks in retaliation. One person's opinion of your favorite character doesn't diminish your enjoyment of your favorite character. You're still allowed to like them. No one is taking your enjoyment away from you by holding a different opinion.
More on Critiquing Writing Choices and People Falsely Perceiving That as a Personal "Attack" to Themselves Later...
But calling real people SLURS over pixels, attempting to claim that a real genocide is somehow on the same level of importance as a fictional genocide, and generally trivializing concepts like colonization, imperialism, racism, genocide, misogyny, etc. to feel as if you can get a leg up in a silly ship war? I just have to askâhow do people genuinely put pixels over people? That type of thinking reaches a level of disconnection from reality that is hard to wrap my head around.
A Singular Example of the Dogpiling Behaviors Displayed by the Anti and Her Followers: A Case Study in Mob Mentality
Read from left to right, top to bottom. This is just one example of how the anti and her followers were moving DAILY on multiple tweets on multiple accounts. I feel the need to call back to this cycle I already delineated:
"But there was a sizable amount that were vocally and enthusiastically supportive, and that enabled an environment of monitoring -> screenshotting -> dogpiling -> rinse and repeat. Various tweets that were screenshots/quotes of my mootsâ tweets (despite them having the anti blocked) garnered thousands of likes and a sizable amount of retweets, in addition to the many accounts who not only commented in support of the antiâs actions but also sought out the original tweet to directly harass the original poster."
Observe that cycle in action here:
Notwithstanding the very casual and unprompted mocking of Zuko's disfigurement/disability from the individual in the second row, let's count how many ad hominem attacks Clarissa was dealt by "mariah" all to defend poor Aang (not a real person who can't feel harm, by the way) from a bald joke. 1 + 2 = 5 for some it appears. Or at least five wrongs make a good argument? Yeah...
"Not really??? There's no way you're this ret*rded and you're racist like"
"The airbender culture is very much a real thing? You're playing slow on purpose and yes I'm gonna call you a t*rd because that's exactly what the fuck you are"
No need to commentate on those. I think they speak for themselves. Let's continue on. The number continues to climb.
Do you see the Ingroup/Outgroup thinking in this circumstance?
I'm going to ask you to put another pin in the idea of being able to differentiate between fiction and reality, in addition to understanding fictional characters are just pixels. We are getting to that, I promise.
Who Is the Other Dogpiler? The Switch-Up!
Are you wondering "Where did this account with the red profile picture come from? They came in swinging for the fences with the whole "cracker" and "misogynistic" attacks LOCKED and LOADED! What does this account tweet about in their space?
Duh...duh...duh...
They're all up in the anti's comments.
But not to fear. As quick as that account was to dogpile and insult a stranger on the order of the ringleader, they were just as quick to turn on the deposed ringleader. On the left are tweets of support left as recent as four days ago. Two days later, it's a completely different story.
Do you see the Ingroup/Outgroup thinking in this circumstance?
I do not wish any ill-will to this individual. They were just the first account that showed up under the original thread that presented as a prime example of why I mentioned this at the beginning of this post:
Aligning with others based on harassment is NOT camaraderie. It is not community. It is not fandom.
A "friendship" is only as strong as the foundation it was created upon.
REAL PEOPLE Matter More Than Pixels
As to why it is dangerous to treat fictional characters as more important than real people...Grab that pin now and buckle in.
If the insensitive obduracy behind attempting to morally grandstand on serious, impactful, real life concepts for the purpose of fighting other people online over pixels isnât already evident, letâs put this into perspective using another real life atrocity that the anti and her followers have weaponized. A real, ongoing, decades-long genocide that everyone around the world is witnessing and has bared witness to since Resolution 181 was adopted in 1947.
More than 73,000 Palestinians have been murdered since October 2023, with 922 having been killed since the "ceasefire" was announced last October. Hundreds of thousands are wounded, and countless more are trapped "in an endless cycle of suffering". Almost two million Palestinians have been displaced in the Gaza Strip, in addition to around 40,000 more people in the West Bank. As of 2024, approximately 134,000 Palestinians and Arabs had been killed both inside and outside Palestine since 1948.
In no world will I care more about pixels than the horrors that real people are being subjected to in Gaza 24/7 for the "crime" of existing with different religious beliefs than the people doing harm unto them.
Do you see the Ingroup/Outgroup thinking in this circumstance?
Do you see the Ingroup/Outgroup thinking in this circumstance?
Some very broad generalizations are being made here considering Zutara shippers span pretty much every demographic you can conceive of. Indicators that the line between fiction and reality doesn't exist for some of these individuals are on display too. Perhaps they need to check back in like Peeta Mellark post-hijacking on whatâs real and whatâs not real. Let's see...Peeta says "Fictional characters are NOT REAL."
Fictional Characters are NOT REAL
If you disagree, respectfully get offline and reconnect with real life. Touch grass. Go to a political demonstration, pick up a picket, and put your money where your mouth proclaims to be online. Real life will always take precedence because REAL PEOPLE CAN BE HARMED. Pixels cannot. Real people come first and prioritising real people has no correlation to being allegedly "insensitive to him [Aang] being a victim of genocide too." No one is denying Aang is a genocide survivor, my goodness. These whataboutisms to deflect from any critique about how Aang was written in the story are just about ridiculous.
And really, all of this over some random stranger tweeting about a personal headcanon, a normal fandom activity...You, another random stranger, don't have to like it or support their headcanon, but to call into question a whole group of people's right to live over a cheating headcanon? Get real. Touch grass. Play Peeta's Real/Not Real game.
Do you see the Ingroup/Outgroup thinking in this circumstance?
Just going to leave this here...
Let's Be Clear, I Don't Hate Aang
I like Aang. I think Bryke dropped the ball with his arc in Book 3. Critiquing how the Deus Ex Rockina to end all Deus Ex Machinas is a weak writing choice that undercuts Aang's character arc and strips Aang's narrative agency from him isn't "hating" or "attacking" Aang.
Just another reminder, Aang is not real. Everything Aang does in the story is dictated for him by real people making deliberate choices. Aang is a pixelated puppet/vehicle/a plot device that the ATLA writing team utilized to craft a story. Just as every other ATLA character was/is.
Say it with me. Critiquing writing choices is not an "attack" on a fictional character, nor does my opinion diminish your enjoyment.
ALSO, SHIPPING IS NOT ACTIVISM
Stop tying your real life morality to which fictional characters you like and dislike. Stop acting as if your ship of choice means that you are somehow "ethically good" compared to the dastardly, evil, and corrupt "others". I'd ask you now to recall the tribal meme from earlier.
Do you see the Ingroup/Outgroup thinking in this circumstance?
Javert would be so proud of us buying into the concept of the social panopticon. Some of you lot are out here policing yourselves and others over thought crimes (aka headcanons). It's absurd to think you can control other people like that. You all make Javert's job easy. SIGH.
Ultimately...
To reiterate, the biggest lesson to be learned from all of this is TOLERANCE. It must be accepted and acknowledged that everyone has their own individual preferences, and that we should respect their freedom to do so even if they are polar opposite of your individual preferences. Donât yuck on other peopleâs yum in their clear eyesight. Don't try to police their preferences. Keep it pushing and focus on yourself. And understand that critiquing the writing choices behind a popular, published work in the public mainstream is not at all equivalent to the targeted tearing down of the output of individual fans in fandom spaces. Don't like a fanart? Scroll. Don't like a fanfic? Close the tab. Don't like an edit? Move on. Don't like someone in a fandom? Block and ignore. Don't want to see a certain topic in your feed? Hit "Not Interested" or block the tag.
A lovely meme made by a lovely moot:
Scroll and block if you donât like something in order to curate your space to your preferences. And utilize Tumblrâs wonderful tagging system. I hope that we can all move forward without constant scrutiny and without approaching one another with an attack-first, consider others as real people with feelings-second mindset. I hope that tolerance can be the word from now on. Happy shipping! :)
One last thing while you're here...
Make sure to drop a like, leave a comment, and repost this modern masterpiece of a Zutara art! Truly one of the most beautiful fanarts I've ever seen.
i know i said i will be making a post on Logan after finishing s1, but man:
- Logan sardonically questioning Zack and Tinga with a 'is everybody in your family a thief' and.
well I dont know Logan??? Maybe when you're a super engineered soldier on the run since you're 10yo with ppl wanting you back to retransform you into a brainless supermachine maybe you had to ressort to shit like stealing a fucking car at some point in your life??!
plus in the context where they literally live in a  dystopian world its just mindblow me that stealing a fucking car is where he seemingly draw the line at. His morality base always coming from his privileged white guy background is fmu.
- the miscommunication again at the end of the episode where instead of talking like an adult, he doesnt inform Max of his pain relapse and rejects her.
- i'm at the beginning of episode 15 and he keeps meeting this doctor from Manticore behind Max back knowing perfectly it could endangers her - and bc he didnt want to admit he was hurt. sigh.
last but not least, unrequited feelings nonewithstanding, boy does that Zack 'brother' of her was yearning and yearning hard. You can see the anger, the jealousy and the care all at once when he goes for leaving TC...(and when he erases the phone number blocking Max from reaching them, her hurting bc of it..t'was good - and actually more believable than her being sad bc of dear old Logan cough)
Zutara shippers pointing out the mysogyny, the sexism, the direspect of real cultures throughout the writing of the show instead of kissing the creators's asses is not being 'disrespectful';
Zutara shippers suggesting how Zuko's and Katara's arcs were mirrored and could have been a good conclusion if they had been canon is not 'being toxic',
Zutara shippers criticizing that the writing and 'development' of the official couples left much to be desired is not being 'malicious'.
You know what is disrespectful, toxic and malicious though??
- Zutara artists being harassed, quoted with toxic comments, compared with 'better' or 'more accurate' representation from other ppl's art;
- writers and shippers whose own Zutara post are being screenshoted across all social platforms to mock and further their harrasment of the Zutara fandom;
- WOC whose sexuality and ethnicity are being questioned and called into doubt;
- making a poll for your little followers and (sexually) harass an ZK user who gasp! has the audacity of not keeping her head down and is actively replying to your insults and harassment.
I could go on and on with numerous examples but thats the irony here: it could go on and on (and it will, of that i have no doubt), it wouldnt matter because it stopped being abt fictional characters a long time ago, now Zutara 'problematic' dynamics is just a piss poor excuse to bully ppl off using morality brownie points and call yourself a good little sjw behind your screen.
currently at episode 13 of Dark Angel and i think i deserve some kind of medal for putting up with Logan/Max eternally suffering will-they wont-they longing gazes and star crossed love scenes
(on another positive note: OC and Max have hooked up in the past!! i fucking knew it! tell me why did their emotional talk in episode 12 after Original Cindy discovered Max's origins had so much more sauce and intensity and depth than any of Logan scenes in which they argue/jumble around their 'confusing' feelings.. )
iâm sure thereâs already a ton of posts about this, but whatever, iâm still making one idc.Â
ATLAâs cultural appropriation, everyone knows about it, the white people donât speak about it, and the asian and indigenous people get ignored. we know the cycle. but i wanted to come here and highlight some of the most prominent examples of ATLA abusing hinduism, as i am kinda sorta hindu (i was raised in a hindu household, i go to chinmaya mission, that kinda shit). i might forget some things so keep that in mind.
this is gonna be divided into 3 main sections, since there are different ways that they disrespect hinduism that i donât wanna lump together.
and iâd say i know a lot about hinduism but that doesnât make me an expert, obviously, so if other hindus have anything to add and/or correct then please do !! and if anyone else wants to share how their cultures were appropriated then please do that as well !!
so letâs get started shall we?
appropriating hinduism
1) the avatar
weâll start with the most obvious example: the avatar itself
i know that there are parts of the avatar mythos that are taken from other cultures as well but the idea of the avatar itself is primarily from hinduism.
basically in hinduism, the term dashavatara refers to the 10 reincarnations of lord vishnu (the god of preservation), with avatar(a) meaning form or incarnation in sanskrit, and das(a) meaning ten. it was said that whenever the world was out of balance, lord vishnu would come down to earth in a certain form to restore balance. Each reincarnation is considered a different life with a different story. the avatars of lord vishnu are often considered the saviors of the world.
so basically, the central idea of the show and the actual name of the show is largely based on hinduism.
2) chakras
many different indian religions have a concept of chakras (chakra meaning wheel or circle in sanskrit), but hinduism is the one that primarily preaches the system of seven chakras, the version used in ATLA.
chakras connect the physical body to the âsubtleâ body (referring more to the spirit and the psyche) by connecting parts of the body to aspects of the mind. the idea is that through different forms of steady meditation you can manipulate the different chakras and allow the pure flow of energy through the body.
the whole idea of chakras on ATLA is that aang has to unblock them all to let the cosmic energy flow through him so that he can go into the avatar state at will. so yeah, pretty much that whole idea was taken from hinduism.
3) terminologies
these are just a few terms that were taken from hinduism. iâm pretty sure there are more that i canât think of right now but yeah.
âagniâ kaiÂ
iâll be honest i donât know where the âkaiâ part is from, i donât think itâs from hinduism but if it is well fuck me i guess.Â
âagniâ in hinduism is the god of fire, so the creators used it in âagni kaiâ, the name for a firebending duel.
âbumiâ
this is in reference to the hindu word for âearthâ, which is bhoomi. this is also in reference to our goddess of earth, bhoomi devi. also this doesnât really bother me but i wonder if the creators knew that bhoomi is a name typically used for women (as are most hindi names ending in âiâ/âeeâ).
in general, concepts like having multiple complex gods (the spirits) who are capable of good and evil and the reincarnation cycle are prominent in a lot of asian cultures, including (and arguably primarily) hinduism.
mocking hinduism
now we get into the mockery of hinduism in ATLA, because it is very much there.
1) whoever the fuck that baboon guy in the spirit world was
now what the fuck was this.
i mean i wouldnât say this is the most egregious example of them making fun of brown people but lord why did this even need to be there? this random guy from the spirit world has an indian accent ? and is fervently chanting âomâ for some reason, and itâs clearly meant to be seen as comical. also portraying brown people as monkeysâŠâŠ. really.
2) combustion man/sparky sparky boom man
when rewatching ATLA in 2019 i actually had no idea that this was a thing, because the last time i had watched it was as a kid and i didnât finish it.
so lord was i in for a surprise when i sawâŠ
now⊠now what.
if you didnât know, combustion manâs âthird eyeâ is designed to replicate the hindu god of destruction, lord shiva. right down to the vibhuti on his forehead (referring to the three line markings around the third eye).
in hinduism, lord shivaâs third eye is used to reduce people to ashes, though as far as i can recall, not very frequently. the primary significance of the third eye is that it represents the ability of higher spiritual thought and higher consciousness.
the ATLA writers take the ACTUAL significance of the third eye, throw it out the window, and then take its destructive abilities to make a super duper cool and dangerous new firebending technique.
and if that wasnât bad enough, the actual person who uses this technique, and is meant to emulate a GOD who is PRAISED, is a scary, burly, half metal man who is a villain and an assassin. not to mention the design of his facial hair replicates that super duper scary âterroristâ depiction of brown people, particularly of muslims, that white people are so thoroughly terrified of for no reason.Â
this is a parody of a god, and they portrayed him as this terrifying, maniacal fucking assassin who, along with pâli, the combustion bender from LOK, is constantly referred to as a âthird-eyed freakâ. iâve made this analogy before and iâll do it again, this is like making jesus into a hitman.
now onto my favorite exampleâŠ
3) guru pathik
ah, this motherfucker.
i donât really have any problems with him as a character, i mean hell, mustâve taken a fuck ton of patience to handle aangâs âwhy would choose cosmic energy over kataraâ bullshit.
but we all know it, we see it plain as day, donât even try to deny it.
âguruâ literally just means teacher or guide, so i donât really know why pathik needed to be referred to as âguruâ so distinctively from aangâs other teachers and guides, but thatâs just extremely trivial compared to all the other issues with this character.
first of all what is this character design? what is he even wearing? if theyâre trying to replicate the clothes of swamis and priests and stuff this is already wrong, realized people donât dress like this. and why the fuck does he have an indian accent? and why was this indian accent done by a non indian (brian george)?
once again, the poor but extremely heavy indian accent is clearly meant to be mocking, if it wasnât, they wouldnâtâve gone out of their way to get a non indian person to DO an indian accent, and instead they wouldâve just gotten an actual indian person to play the role.Â
and oh yeah, the onion and banana juice. because hindus just eat weird shit right.
whether itâs actually weird or not, the show certainly portrays it as weird. and as far as i know no hindu actually fucking drinks onion and banana juice.
ironic because brown people can absolutely destroy white people in cooking. but i digress.
i know what youâre all waiting for. because the guru apparently didnât have enough fun with guru pathik, so they just had to come back to him in book 3:
where do i begin.
so this is obviously john oâbryanâs super funny and hilarious depiction of pathik as a hindu god.
usually when a god has multiple arms itâs to carry an array of things, from flowers to weapons to instruments, and one hand is typically free to bless devotees (ie. goddess durga and lord vishnu respectively):
but of course white people see this as weird and so they make fun of it, hence guru pathik having multiple arms just flailing about aimlessly (save for the two that are being used to carry the aforementioned onion and banana juice).
then thereâs the whole light behind pathikâs head which is usually depicted in drawings of hindu gods to show that they are celestial.
also what the fuck is he holding? is that supposed to be a veena? because this is what a veena looks like:
and i assume the reason this was added was to mock the design of goddess saraswathi, who carries a veena:
but that right there in the picture of pathik looks more like a tambura than a veena.Â
and it also just kinda looks like a banjo?
but i guess the animators just searched up âlong indian instrumentâ and slapped it on there. actually no, thatâs giving them too much credit, they probably didnât search it up at all.Â
and then the actual scene is pathik singing crazily about chakras tasting good or something while playing the non-veena and itâs all supposed to be some funky crazy hallucination that aang is having due to sleep deprivation. just some crazy dream, just as crazy as talking appa and momo sparring with swords or tree-ozai coming to life.
our gurus and swamis and sadhus and generally realized people are very respected in hinduism, theyâre people we look up to and honor very much. and our GODS are beings that we literally worship. and the writers just take both and make caricatures out of them for other white people to laugh at.
4) other shit
before we move to the next portion i just wanna mention there are also smaller backhanded jabs that i canât really remember now, but one example was when zuko was all âweâll be sure to remember that, guru goody goodyâ. or when a character would meditate and say âomâ only when the meditation is supposed to be portrayed as comical or pointless. or in bitter work when sokka was rambling on about karma. small things like that. but moving on.
south asian representation, or lack thereof
now i finally get to the âlosingâ hinduism part. by this i mean the lack of actual representation there is of south asians (the region where hinduism is primarily practiced) despite the fact that hinduism plays such a big role in the showâs world design.
i think itâs safe to say that broadly the main cast consists of aang, katara, sokka, zuko, toph, azula, iroh, mai, ty lee, and suki.Â
a grand total of none of these characters are south asian. the writers donât even attempt to add any south asian main characters.Â
there are characters with dark skin, like haru and jet, but a) theyâre not confirmed to be south asian and donât have any south asian features or south asian names, b) theyâre side characters, so they donât count as representation, and c) even if they were south asian and main characters, jet wouldnât even count because heâs portrayed as a terrorist.
the ONLY truly south asian character we get is fucking guru pathik. so yeah. not representation.
i donât get how the creators of this show rip off of hinduism (among many other south asian cultures they rip off of), mock indians, and then donât even have the decency to HAVE a main character who is south asian.
iâve never gotten a chance to compile all this, and this definitely isnât all the creators have done, but i hope this was somewhat informative.
i love this post! it brought up so many good points that have bugged me forever. not trying to take away from them at all, would just like to add a few other things I think were appropriated.
1. A Very Whitewashed Form of Yoga
in Episode 3x9 (Nightmares and Daydreams), there is a scene in which Katara tries to teach Aang how to do yoga. the problem is that theyâreâŠnot actually doing yoga. theyâre stretching, wiggling around, and touching their toes. no, Katara, unfortunately, that does not work wonders when done in extreme heat. and of course, the whole yoga concept is only used as part of a running gag in which all of Aangâs buddies are unable to help him and give him useless ideas. so this devalues yoga, which (when done properly) is actually extremely effective at destressing, and makes it look like something as useless/humorous as Wang Fireâs psychiatry.
2. The Air Nomads
this oneâs way more minor, but still irks me sometimes. the air nomad culture is heavily rooted in Buddhist culture, from the pacifist ideals to the architecture to the robes. and while it can certainly be said that the inspiration was specifically drawn from Tibetan Buddhists and so they are not as dark-skinned as many other south asians, they are still not often as light-skinned as aang/monk gyatso/everyone else in the southern air temple flashback was. and seeing as how it was a southern air temple, it would have been reasonable to see monks with darker skin tones.
3. The Elements
okay before you laugh at me, i know elements are found everywhere. and i know many, many asian cultures place special importance on them. but still, since so many other parts of the show were cherry-picked from Hinduism (the oldest religion and therefore an inspiration for many other religions that share similar values), we may as well discuss this one. in Hinduism, it is believed that there are five elements - fire, water, earth, wind, and space. we already know how the first four heavily factor into the ATLA/LOK universe, and space, or akash, can easily be compared to the avatarâs cosmic energy (or energybending, whatever floats your boat). additionally, it is believed that anyone can connect with these five elements, and by extension, the universe, if they align their chakras properly. if they give up all materialistic attachments, they can even attain nirvana (enlightenment) and become free from the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. sounds familiar.
4. The Spirit World
very briefly touched upon in the original post, but iâd like to expand a bit. spirituality is HUGE in hinduism. many hindus believe in higher powers, akashic connections, and spirits. it is also a common belief that there are multiple planes in the universe, two of which are a materialistic level and a spiritual level. those who have an unclouded connection with their true inner self, their atman, can transcend these planes. so that was appropriated too, in LOK!
Other Issues
I also find it problematic that a negligible amount of south asians were involved behind the scenes. with so many concepts being pulled straight from the bhagavad gita (a holy scripture in hinduism), youâd think theyâd find at least a handful of south asians to help with design/writing so that any issues (esp the mocking stated in the original post) could be ironed out. thatâs not the case. on top of that, as far as I know (and I could be wrong), there was one south asian voice actor. guess who she voiced? aunt wu. yeah, i found it odd too.
another thing that I hate. A:TLA is often hailed as the pinnacle of cultural appreciation in Western mediaâŠby white people. well, that makes no sense. bry/ke has done a shit ton of cultural appropriation in both of their shows, and it needs to be discussed. the conversation is very, VERY mildly better for southeast asian cultural aspects, but itâs practically nonexistent for indian/hindu aspects.
also because the show is old, there seems to be this idea that we donât have to talk about the appropriation. we most certainly do, because that media is still widely consumed today. and with the live-action coming up (who wants to bet we still wonât see south asians) and the avatar studios announcement, itâs even more important than before. while it is true that ATLA was better at incorporating hinduism into their media in a meaningful way, itâs not like there was a very high standard to start with. and in the end, no proper homage was paid, and there was a lot of mocking involved too. itâs easy for people to say âhey aang was the protagonist, and the avatar, and he was following hindu/buddhist ideas, so whyâre you mad? they made hinduism look good!â but they did so in a way that only suited them and their narrative. they had no qualms mocking the same culture that they used for inspiration and that reeks of cultural appropriation and willful ignorance.
I'll make a general and more detailed post on Logan after I've finally finished s1 - (and mostly how I think he's not even a good friend less alone a good romantic prospect to Max)
but first I want to get it out my chest: his singular condescending and moralizing tone when adressing her abt what she should be doing during most of her time, his attitude coming out patronizing either bc of his Eyesonly problems - or his personal struggles paints him as a rich computer boy whining behind his keyboard in the name of social justice at best and a snobbish, self serving white knight at worst.
Bc not only is Max a woc who struggled her whole childhood (who didn't even have one period), struggles that followed her well into her womanhood - (making money in whichever ways she could bc what choices did she have really?),
but her reasons for refusing some of his jobs are like. Valid??
She almost got her ass handed to her just to protect the bad guy from ep1/as a witness, (and had she not do it, he would have died anyway), and just in episode 6 or 7, almost got caught?? (and the fact it's supposed to be the follow up from their 'first/last' kiss to Max being pissed off bc of a missed date is...jarring to say the least)
some anti zutara really reeks of some sort of superior morality posturing in the way they were waiting for a canon 'moment' between the only avalaible (read, single) woman in the gaang with Zuko to immediately jump on the ship, and legitimize their now 'special bond' that somehow always been there in order to have a reason to minimize/erase the meaningful and yes, romantic connotations that zutara had in the og show...
watching Logan/Max scenes are physically painful and cringe but Jessica Alba is very beautiful and badass and the show is interesting enough so there's that
