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astr0cat99 · 4 years
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Hello! I just stumbled upon your blog and have been reading up since you're a huge Kataang fan and because of your blog, I'm starting to seeing it! (lifelong Zutara fan tho so huge). If you get the chance, how do you think Katara falling in love with Aang is seen throughout the show? I felt it was one sided but i was wondering what was that moment that you knew katara loved aang? feel free to ignore this if u already responded to this & i'll keep searching your blog to find it! Have a great day!
I’ve actually wanted to talk about Katara’s feelings for a while, so I guess this is as good a time as any! I first want to thank you for asking and being open minded. Multishipping is a beautiful thing - and gives bonus more content and Zutaraang is a lovely OT3 no matter which way you slice it. I myself understand the appeal of ZK, even if I’ve always seen them platonically, which I’ve expanded upon here in case you’re interested! 
I think Katara was very interested in Aang from the beginning. She’s immediately fascinated by him because he’s the first bender she’s ever met, and I see him as 12 going on 13 throughout most of the series with her having just turned 14 before the start, so it’s closer to a 1.5 year age difference in my head. They become fast friends and enjoy spending time together, like with penguin sledding. Aang respects her village and their elders (her grandmother), is fun loving in a way that Katara deeply appreciates (“Don’t you see? Aang’s brought us something we haven’t had a in a long time: fun”), gets along well with the children of her village, and isn’t put off by Sokka’s surliness. Aang is also the first person to really support her dream of being a waterbender and offers to fly her to the North Pole.
So if a boy was cute, sweet, around my age, made me laugh, supported my dreams, and got along well with my family/community (which the Water Tribes already put a lot of emphasis on the importance of)? I’d be swooning at least a little already. 
Even before Katara knows that Aang is the Avatar - the person she always believed would return and save the world - she’s ready to throw all of her weight behind him: “Fine! Then I’m banished too.” And Aang steps in to put her needs above his and not make her choose her family over him, even if they’re devastated from having to leave each other. Again, this is only a few days in. Especially because every time Aang shows romantic or vested interest in her in the pilot, Katara is very into it. Hell, she even kinda ogles him with his tattoos when he’s shirtless. 
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Katara: I'm sorry, Aang. Maybe somehow there's a bright side to all this ... Aang: [Cheerfully.] I did get to meet you. Katara: [Smiling warmly at him while offering her hand.]
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And in 1x02, Sokka - who knows Katara better than anyone and her whole life - calls Aang her boyfriend. And although Katara denies, I’m gonna trust Sokka’s gauging way more than I would trust someone who doesn’t actually know either party in question at all (ie. June with Zuko and Katara. And given the war and the Fire Nation colonizing the Water Tribes, seeing a Fire Nation kid waving around a water tribe necklace to hunt a girl down would give me cause for concern about the nature of that ‘relationship’ at the very least). 
Season one continues this ‘slow build’. Even before Aang starts actually showing off for the girls on Kyoshi Island, just seeing them give him attention makes Katara displeased. She was genuinely impressed by Aang riding the elephant koi (“He looks pretty good out there!”) and we know from 1x03 that she loves travelling and finds the world fascinating, like Aang does: “We’re some of the only outsiders to ever see an Air Temple, and you’re thinking about food?” We see in “Imprisoned” that Katara values and admires people who are brave and help other people.
Katara: It was so brave of Haru to use his earthbending to help that old man. Aang: You must have really inspired him.
Then, in Jet, Katara gets her first overt crush. Jet is handsome and tall, yes, but mostly he’s talented, outwardly heroic, takes care of his friends, and as a result is the leader of the group. Katara makes him a hat to show her affection and ends up giving it to Aang (but that’s an offscreen interaction, but still). Gee, I wonder who’s also a helpful, brave, heroic leader...
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Katara: Aang is the bravest person I know. He's done nothing but help people and save lives since I met him. (1x12, “The Storm”)
And even if Aang is still learning to be one, he’s fully grown into it by season three (3x11, “Day of Black Sun Part 2”). Even Sokka, who stepped up to lead the invasion, defers to Aang in this moment. 
Hakoda: Everyone who's here today came prepared to risk everything for this mission. They know what's at stake. If there's still a chance and there's still hope, I think they would want Aang to go for it. Sokka: [To Aang.] What do you think? You're the one that has to face the Fire Lord. Whatever you decide, I'm with you. Aang: [Rising, turning his back to the group, determined.] I've gotta try.
Katara is also aware of how much Aang means to her even before the mid-season point: “The world can’t afford to lose you to the Fire Nation, and neither can I,” (1x08, “Winter Solstice Part 2”) as well as afterwards: “And we need you” (1x16, “Bato of the Water Tribe”). 
An episode earlier in 1x15, “The Fortuneteller,” Katara shuts down the option of Aang as a romantic option - when Sokka suggests it in a clearly mocking manner. But by the end of that episode, even when Katara knows Aunt Wu’s predictions aren’t true, Sokka prompts her to make another realization. Now, Sokka didn’t hear the prediction, and Katara knows that it’s not necessarily true - unless she wants and chooses for it to be. And so...
Sokka: Man, sometimes I forget what a powerful bender that kid is. [Katara's expression changes at this, remembering Aunt Wu's words about her future marriage.] Katara: Wait, what did you just say? Sokka: [Casually.] Nothing, just that Aang is one powerful bender. Katara: [Slowly widens her eyes in realization; as if having an epiphany.] I suppose he is.
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It’s not a surprise that she kisses Aang’s cheek for the first time after this episode. The spark in her heart, that perhaps was a simmering ember before, has been fully lit, and it colours all her actions towards him from here on out. Like, their hug in the s1 finale is one of my favourites, because it’s so clearly her seeking out and receiving physical comfort from him as well. She watched him crack under the weight of his duty, cried after he got kidnapped and she got knocked out by Zuko, worried over him when he communed with the Ocean Spirit (she steps forward but Iroh dissuades her) and watched her brother lose the person he loves, too. No wonder she’s rattled and needs him in that moment.
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And I do say love, because Katara uses the word herself in 2x01: “ I'm not saying the Avatar State doesn't have incredible and helpful power, but you have to understand... for the people who love you, watching you be in that much rage and pain is really scary.” 
So it’s no question by now that Katara has a burgeoning crush at the very least and knows she loves Aang deeply on a platonic level. So again, I don’t it’s a coincidence that she’s the one who suggests kissing in the next episode and smiles whenever she thinks about it (and gets offended when she thinks Aang doesn’t want to kiss her, which is super ‘platonic’ lmao).
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After their kiss, she and Aang have their fingers interlaced as well. Two episodes later in the Swamp, Katara is the one who asks this:
Aang: I was chasing some girl. Katara: What girl?
She’s incredibly pleased when he says she looks beautiful after she gets very dressed up.
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When Sokka interrupts Aang’s almost confession in 2x18, “[Katara looks at him, annoyed].” She then hugs Aang goodbye and kisses his cheek, again. When they reunite after she was captured, she hugs Aang twice and says, “I knew you’d come.” Because she trusts Aang to save her and keep her safe as well, and for a girl who’s been abandoned before (as 3x01 shows with her dad and the loss of her mother), having Aang always come back to her and for her is relieving as it is terrifying for her, because it’s unprecedented. (And also what Suki says to Sokka in s3 too, when unlike Aang, Sokka wasn’t even specifically at the Boiling Rock to look for his significant other anyway).
Then, Aang is shot with lightning, and it is all of Katara’s worst fears realized and is, without a doubt, a traumatic experience for both of them. 
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She’s lost her best friend, the person who’s always given her hope and has already changed her life in so many ways, and the boy she’s in love with in one fell swoop. Because when Aang comes back from the dead for her? Beyond it having perfect parallels to their first meeting, and her looking at him like he’s the sun after a long, cold winter, this moment below is the one where Katara knows she is completely in love with him.
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Which is why when she finds out Aang has left the ship of his own volition, it’s just as horrifying and upsetting to her as when Haru was forcibly removed from his home (3x01 and 1x06 respectively). When you watch the camera, she even starts shaking after the immediate realization hits her that Aang is gone.
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It’s also not a coincidence, again, that Katara starts acting the most romantically towards him after this. She flirts and dances with him at the party, is a little jealous - and one of my favourite things is here in 1x04 and in 3x02, when Aang is having fun with other people, he notices Katara off by herself and invites her to join, and this time they’ve both grown enough that it works. 
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Katara: [Looks away nervously.] I don't know, Aang. These shoes aren't really right for dancing, and I-I'm not sure that I know how to- Aang: [Smiling.] Take my hand. Katara: [Smiles back.] Okay. [...] Aang, everyone's watching. Aang: Don't worry about them. It's just you and me right now.
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Katara also becomes more physically intimate, touching his face in attempts to soothe and connect with him (3x01 and 3x09 to get him to sleep) and is relieved whenever he’s okay, like when he holds off Combustion Man so the rest of them can get out safely.
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Like, I cannot overstate how much Katara loves Aang enough. She breaks and learns bloodbending to save his life. 
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She kisses him back on the Day of Black Sun. She threatens to kill Zuko if she thinks he might hurt Aang. She’s constantly asking and checking up on him. She’s never more pleased than when he laughs at her jokes (mostly at Sokka’s expense) and never teases him the same way she teases Sokka and Zuko. She’s constantly all over him, hugging him and placing her hands on his shoulders. But Katara has lost people before - her mother, her father left because of war, Jet died - and she had to watch Aang die. So it’s no wonder she says she’s confused when he tries to get a straight answer of how she feels about him, which Katara continually dodges.
Aang: On stage, when you said I was just like a ... brother to you, and you didn't have feelings for me. Katara: I didn't say that. An actor said that. Aang: But it's true, isn't it? We kissed at the Invasion, and I thought we were gonna be together. But we're not. Katara: Aang, I don't know.
Like, Aang gives her the perfect way out. She could just say, “Yeah it is true,” or “that is how I feel” or whatever. Aang’s not trying to get her to like him back. He just wants to know what the situation is, because they’ve kissed twice, one time was her suggestion and the second time she kissed back, and they’ve openly and clearly flirted and he’s made her blush, so yeah, so I think it’s totally within reason for him to be like “Hey, can you let me know what your feelings are for me, if you have them?” But Katara can’t let herself fully accept the way she feels about Aang when she knows she could still lose him: “Because, we're in the middle of a war, and, we have other things to worry about. This isn't the right time.” 
And we see this follow her into the finale: 
Katara: Aang won't lose. He's gonna come back. He has to.
Cue Katara pushing Aang’s “It was worse than that; I was gone. But you brought me back. You saved me” and her own admittance that all the spirit water that brought him back is gone to the back of her mind, because losing Aang is too terrible a thought to bear. 
And I can see why. He’s done so much for her and is such an important person in her life. He keeps her grounded, lets her act her age and be a kid again. He supports her (1x01 & 1x02 with her bending and family; 1x06 in freeing the earthbenders even when Sokka doubts it; sides with her in 1x10 about Jet, for better or for worse; 1x18 about her waterbending training; proves he would wreck anyone who hurts her in 2x01 with the Avatar State; saves her life and protects her from falling rocks in 2x02 while also protecting her brother; acknowledging the toll his own mental state has taken on her and being grateful/giving comfort to her as well once he comes back to himself in 2x12; comforts her after Jet’s death with a hand on her shoulder in 2x18; refusing to leave her in danger even if that means sacrificing the Avatar State in 2x19; wholly uplifting her as the Painted Lady in 3x03 - “No, I think it’s great, you’re like a secret hero!” and giving her the space she needs in 3x16 when it comes to her mother’s killer: “You need to take his journey, you need to face this man”).
And I also don’t think people appreciate just how much she trusts him, because like, in the scene I’ve shown below, Katara’s been literally burned by fire before. Having an aversion to experiencing that again, or just the risk of it, would be 100% understandable. But Katara doesn’t even flinch, because she knows Aang will use his aribender to get her out of the way and keep her safe.
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One of the key aspects of their dynamic, beyond how much they give each other hope, is how much Aang’s very existence rewards Katara’s faith. She always believed he would come back and save the world, and he does. He leaves her village and comes back to save it. He distances himself from her after losing Appa and works his way back to her in an overall quick manner and on his own terms, and can acknowledge it: “I thought I was being strong, but really I was just running away from my feelings.” He rescues her from the crystal catacombs. He comes back to life for her. He comes back after defeating the Fire Lord. 
And now that Katara knows she isn’t going to lose another person she loves, that’s when she lets herself be with him. Like I’ve said briefly before, Katara and Aang overcome 100 years of separation, two genocides, a war, and literal death to be together, and they know it.
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Because honestly? I think she’s loved him in some manner all along.
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astr0cat99 · 4 years
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Based off of this post
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astr0cat99 · 4 years
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Lord, this answer got long. I’m a little embarrassed about it, but I wrote it, so it’s getting posted. It’s a literal essay. Sorry but also not?
TLDR: Yes, the show is arguably unfair to Sokka about Kya, but it also follows a pattern where Sokka stays quiet about Bad Feelings and plays by the rules established for his character. Katara, meanwhile, grieves loudly and often, and appears to be under the impression that because Sokka’s grief is silent it doesn’t exist, which also fits her character/interactions completely. Neither of them are right or wrong, but it sets them up on inevitable collisions.
Now. If you want to join me on a cactus-juice fueled descent into madness, proceed below the cut.
Keep reading
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astr0cat99 · 4 years
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makes me CRAZY how well atla illustrates all the different ways countries can be affected by colonization and imperialism…the air nomads wiped out in a relatively brief military campaign. the southern water tribe slowly worn down and violated over the course of decades. the northern water tribe completely isolating and turning to strict tradition in the face of a horrifying enemy. the decentralized earth kingdom being affected in varying ways, with some areas completely untouched but terrified that they’ll be next, some areas in an uneasy peace with the fire nation in exchange for economic domination, and some areas completely taken over. and just the ways that these kind of interplay…like the trauma katara and sokka have as people who live relatively safe from invasion, but with the threat of another raid always on the horizon, terrified that the next one will wipe them out for good, is completely different from the trauma aang has, as someone who lost everything and didnt witness the brutality, only its aftermath, and that’s completely different from the trauma that suki has, with kyoshi out of the war but constantly training in preparation for an invasion, and thats completely different from the trauma haru has, as an earthbender in an actively occupied village. and theres so much more too like theres all these complex and nuanced situations and none are objectively better or worse than the other but it shows exactly how many tools imperialism uses to demoralize and defeat those its directed against
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astr0cat99 · 4 years
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Lord, this answer got long. I’m a little embarrassed about it, but I wrote it, so it’s getting posted. It’s a literal essay. Sorry but also not?
TLDR: Yes, the show is arguably unfair to Sokka about Kya, but it also follows a pattern where Sokka stays quiet about Bad Feelings and plays by the rules established for his character. Katara, meanwhile, grieves loudly and often, and appears to be under the impression that because Sokka’s grief is silent it doesn’t exist, which also fits her character/interactions completely. Neither of them are right or wrong, but it sets them up on inevitable collisions.
Now. If you want to join me on a cactus-juice fueled descent into madness, proceed below the cut.
Keep reading
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astr0cat99 · 4 years
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A few contenders for Avatar’s Spiciest DILF:
1. Gansu
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Pros 
- Zuko-approved (probably)
- protective af
- probably has a mysterious, dark past
- will fight cops
- can fix your roof
- pretty built tbh
Cons 
- his kid was a shit-stirrer 
2. Iroh
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Pros
- canonically the smoothest man in the whole earth kingdom
- 1000% Zuko-approved
- dragon-approved as well
- protects endangered species
- makes great tea
- does the whole firebending breathing thing
- actual royalty
- invented lightning redirection 
- went to prison and got buff
- single-handily broke out of prison
- has fought cops
- enemy of the state 
Cons 
- more of an uncle figure 
- did some war crimes 
- shopaholic 
3. Tyro
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Pros 
- can earthbend
- best(?) beard in the show
- went to prison twice 
- will fight prison guards
- broke out of prison 
- tall
Cons 
- needed some random teenagers to help him break out of prison 
- that beard again, is it the best beard? or is it too santa claus-esque? 
- let Haru grow that dumb mustache 
4. The Mechanist 
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Pros 
- best(?) eyebrows in the series 
- chaotic energy 
- raised Teo, aka the literal definition of sunshine 
- King of Accessibility 
- biomedical engineer 
- made some cool submarines 
- has gone to prison 
- has fake fingers 
- will have snacks on standby at all times 
Cons 
- gentrified a genocide site 
- made some airships for the fire nation 
- has that Count Olaf hair going on 
- worst(?) eyebrows in the whole series 
- some randoms kids had to force him to grow a spine 
- does he have a name? who knows? 
5. Hakoda
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Pros 
- Cheekbones™
- gives good hugs 
- beat up a tank 
- where Sokka got his Hair™ from, you know what I’m talking about 
- protective AF 
- single dad 
- Zuko-approved 
- tripped a prison warden after being in prison for 5 minutes 
- said ‘fuck cops’ 
- dad jokes 
- supports both of his kids equally unlike *glares at his unroyal majesty bitchlord Ozai* SOME PEOPLE 
- went to prison and escaped within less than 2 days 
- I mean… is it really a competition? 
Cons 
- is bad at starting prison riots 
(in no particular order, added entries will be considered, but we all know what’s up)
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astr0cat99 · 4 years
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Could y’all imagine Sokka stanning the Blue Spirit the same way that Flash from Spider-Man: Far From Home stans Spider-Man and all of the shenanigans that would ensue ???
Sokka: The Blue Spirit struck again !! Serves those fire nation bastards right.
Zuko: *enters a room*
Sokka: ‘Sup dick wad
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astr0cat99 · 4 years
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avatar + texpost 5/? 
1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 / 11 / 12 / 13 / 14 / 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / 21 / 22 / 23 / 24 / 25
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astr0cat99 · 4 years
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Special Airbending Techniques.
[firebending] [earthbending] [waterbending]
Latest addition:
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astr0cat99 · 4 years
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Special Firebending Techniques.
[airbending] [earthbending] [waterbending]
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astr0cat99 · 4 years
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astr0cat99 · 4 years
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Special Waterbending Techniques.
[firebending] [airbending] [earthbending]
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astr0cat99 · 4 years
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Special Earthbending Techniques. 
[firebending] [airbending] [waterbending]
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astr0cat99 · 5 years
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First Kiss Redux by Twokinds
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astr0cat99 · 5 years
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Hi, I really like your background! Is there any chance you can send it to me?
The header is in here: http://www.davidschermann.com/bigger-than-us .One of my favorite photoshoots of all time
If you’re talking about the flowers https://herlifethoughts.wordpress.com/2014/12/30/21000-night-roses-to-behold/
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astr0cat99 · 5 years
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study moods by subject
chemistry: a seat in the first row, diligent note taking, falling asleep in a textbook, color coded sticky notes but with no real system, fingers running across old ink
literature: studying in bed, a cat snoozing on the pillow, orchestral movie soundtracks playing softly, rereading passages that were absentmindedly passed through
math: strong cups of coffee, graph paper planners, crowded lecture halls, a furrowed brow, warm sweaters, that one special spot in the library
history: clicking pens, stacks and stacks of books, annotations in the margins, study sessions spread out on the floor, flickering candles, working in complete silence
biology: colorful illustrations, well worn flashcards, reusable water bottles, always breaking pencil lead, carefully drafting important emails
art: getting lost in readings, pastry and a coffee, receipts repurposed as bookmarks, love for rainy days, in class hand raising anxiety, a whirlwind of a backpack
world languages: early mornings, a deep seated quizlet addiction, studying with friends, practicing presentations aloud in an empty room, fidgeting in chairs, detailed study guides
engineering: hands running through hair, cups of tea either drank while they’re too hot or entirely forgotten, typing quickly, the sound as hallways fill in between classes
music: stretching fingers after long periods of writing, 11:59 submission for a 12:00 deadline, celebrating the completion of a task with something sweet, deep respect for teachers
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astr0cat99 · 5 years
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| Sea of Stars |
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