habeesha:

do you ever just fucking hate yourself for not working hard enough to reach your full potential?? cuz same.

(via kianlawley)

funfanfin:

dentist: open up

me: well…okay. so not only does the narrative of Avatar: the Last Airbender continuously circle around themes of harmony and unity and balance, there are multiple examples throughout the show that support the idea of two opposites coming together to complement each other and ultimately bring balance to the world. Tui and La, Oma and Shu, the various parallels between Zuko’s journey with his fatherlord vs. Zuko’s journey with his uncle, the foils of Azula and Zuko’s siblingship to Katara and Sokka’s… not to mention the entire journey of the Avatar is all about bringing harmony and balance to the world. All these things considered, the importance and thematic possibility that a relationship between the last Southern Waterbender and the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, each from wildly different upbringings (their relationship with their fathers) but still with similarities that bring about a sense of complete and absolute understanding (the loss of their mothers) would have not only completed the show’s purpose of showing how two things, in this case two young people caught up in a war and each struggling with their own personal journeys, can ultimately come together to not only thrive (their complemented fighting styles) but also grow in drastic ways that serve to bring about maturity, kindness, selflessness, forgiveness and, as we see in the finale, unfaltering, devoted, unconditional love. The two of them, red and blue, fire and water, sun and moon, yin and yang, end up having a deeper connection and understanding of the other, and that is apparent in the way they tackle problems together, both offering their entire help to each other as a consequence of this absolute understanding (Zuko helping Katara find closure concerning her mother and Katara offering Zuko help when he’s ashamed to see his uncle again). This also gives them complete acceptance of the other, as we see in Zuko’s immediate acceptance of Katara as a bloodbender, and Katara as the only person that has been allowed to touch his scar. Their relationship development, which is a lot deeper than a simple enemies to friends to lovers trope (though that appeals to many) shows us how two people can fulfill that balance completely and wholly. Add to that the fact that Zutara was not canon and you are left with a tragic “almost” story that leaves you with very real feelings of regret and sorrow because of the way that this couple, canonically could have brought the war torn nations the same balance and peace with their devoted actions and that the people would see, through their example, that harmony was not only possible, it was beautiful and productive, and healthy. The possibilities that would be brought about by having these two characters come together would have not only opened up a world of important themes and the discussion of acceptance and love and the welcoming of differences, but it would have also allowed for a full blown exploration and self fulfilling of the show’s thematic desires. Of balance. Of harmony. Of peace. Do you see what I mean??

dentist: you have five cavities

oatmealaddiction:

So it’s 2020 can we talk about how Avatar portrays femininity as well as just gender in general? 

You have Katara, Toph, Suki, and like 800 other amazing female characters who are out here being warriors and making a point that women can be incredible fighters too, and there’s an episode that addresses this explicitly where Katara duels Pakku and basically explodes his reductive view of women (best scene in the whole thing is when everyone carts her in to apologize to him.)

And there’s a lot about women being encouraged to take part in traditionally masculine spaces, particularly again with Toph and Katara. Katara is great too because the show doesn’t draw a dichotomy between a fighter and a healer. Katara can be gentle and motherly and a good shoulder to cry on, while also being a hundred percent badass. 

But then also the show is really good (albeit a bit subtler) about the value in men embracing traditionally feminine traits and activities. 

Our main character is pacifist vegetarian soft-boi who wears flower crowns and makes jewelry and spends a lot of time talking about his feelings and he is by and far the most morally sound character in the series who is completely at ease with who he is. 

Then you have Sokka who a lot of people have pointed out has an arc that’s basically “chug respect women juice,” and part of that arc includes him wearing the Kiyoshi uniform, something he feels emasculates him, (and which the show makes a joke about tbf) but then they turn it around and make the ensemble genuinely badass. 

And then sweet Zuko who is absolutely someone who is portrayed as caring and sensitive in his childhood (by no small part due to his mother’s influence) who is raised in probably the most toxically masculine environment in the show. The Fire Nation might have women in its ranks, but feminine traits like compassion, mercy, and basically any emotion that isn’t a desire for destruction are seen as disgraceful. It’s notable what gets Zuko banished is his refusal to fight his own father, and how that is labeled disrespectful. 

It’s also notable that the people and places that change Zuko are more feminine in nature. He works in a shop, cleaning and preparing tea. He meets two young women who drastically change his view on Earth Kingdom civilians. He spends time helping a family with children. And through all this he’s there with Iroh, a guy who enjoys music, culture, and natural beauty, who’s sensitive and dedicated to humble acts of kindness for others, and who Ozai dismisses as an embarassing failure. 

And the show ends with Zuko ditching all this toxicity and just being the guy he wants to be. He even hugs Aang at the end, something Season 1 Zuko would never do with anybody. Our boy hugs!

Like the show doesn’t just empower women by letting them fight, it also shows the power and value in emotional vulnerability and compassion that is usually only reserved for women. It empowers women to fight and kick ass while also deconstructing toxic masculinity. 

Tl:dr: Avatar says let women fight, and let men be emotionally open with each other and hug!

siderealscribblings:

The Final Agni Kai is great for a lot of reasons but it’s also a great example of how to write a fight scene because it was about more than who “won” the fight.

Zuko lost that fight, technically speaking. He took a hit for Katara and wasn’t able to defeat Azula within the bounds of the Agni Kai. He got knocked out and would have died if not for Katara. You could make the argument that Azula defeated her brother here but

Originally posted by btsriverr

She didn’t win.

It’s tempting to write fight scenes as a contest of might where characters try and deplete each other’s imaginary health meters until one of them comes out on top but the most interesting fight scenes, to me, are ones where there is more at stake. Where fighting is a method to resolve a dispute of ideologies rather than a contest of physical brawn. 

This was a fight for the soul of the Fire Nation and even though Zuko ended up flat on his ass, electrocuted, with a second scar from a family member for his troubles

Originally posted by prideandpertinence

This is where Zuko won. 

This is where the Fire Lord sacrificed himself for a waterbender and member of an “enemy” nation. This is where he wrested the soul of his country away from a century of imperialist rule. 

Yeah, Azula got him with her fifth level Lightning Bolt spell; big whoop. She won the Agni Kai but when has an Agni Kai ever meant anything? 

From Season 1, the Agni Kai has been shown to be a futile dick-measuring contest between firebenders. Ozai “won” the Agni Kai with his son, but defeating a defenseless child is not a victory worth winning. Likewise, Azula’s defeat of Zuko here was the end of their Agni Kai but it doesn’t matter. 

Zuko doesn’t need to beat Azula to win. 

If this was a video game, this would have been the end of Zuko, but it’s not. It’s the moment where Zuko wrests control of the Fire Nation’s destiny away from his father and sister and reunites it with a whole and peaceful world by intentionally losing to protect a friend. 

The Fire Nation fell when Azula knocked Zuko out. It rose again when Katara brought him back to life. 

Azula won the final Agni Kai but in the end, Zuko won the Fire Nation’s future

kestre1s:

physically, yes, i could fight a bird. but emotionally? imagine the toll

(via thebootydiaries)

sheabutterbitch:

No context for this but focus on the ones who stay

(via kianlawley)

theyweretombmates:

thinking about this here canal village in the netherlands

(via honeyed-heartache)

halalameme:

I just really want to say that the BLM movement is not a 2020 disaster by any means. I know a lot of ppl keep saying that this year keeps getting worse but I think that black voices finally being heard is a sign of improvement