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thinkingisadangerouspastime · 3 years

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what do you think about the aang is possessive comment? about EIP ruining kataang? also about there being an implied (and nonexistent) love triangle thrown in nearing the end of the series as a tease?

I think fandom just likes to complain, lmao, but I’ll address each of these one at a time!

1) “aang is possessive”

This argument is honestly the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard because it’s just so obviously false?? Possessive is literally defined as “demanding someone’s total attention and love,” which Aang never does? Aang always respects Katara’s position in their relationship, especially after the EIP kiss, which everyone knows was entirely inappropriate and wrong of him. Aang recognizes her hesitation and makes no more romantic attempts towards her after that moment. Not one! Katara is the one who initiates them getting together in the finale because the war is finally over and she is no longer afraid of losing him. I beg people, do point to the “possessiveness” you’re referring to, because the closest we get to any character being possessive is Zuko in “The Beach”:

Zuko: [Side-view of Zuko and Mai walking.] He thinks he’s so great. [To Mai.] Well, what do you think of him?

Mai: I don’t have any opinion about him. I hardly know him.

Zuko: You like him, don’t you? [Mai sighs and walks away.]

Ruon-Jian: What are you doing?

Zuko: [Close-up. Angrily.] Stop talking to my girlfriend!

Ruon-Jian: [Side-view. Walks up to Zuko.] Relax. It’s just a party.

Frontal view of Ruon-Jian. Zuko knocks him across the room into a vase, which breaks from the force.

Yeah, Aang never acts like that. 🤷

Now, this isn’t to say Aang doesn’t get jealous. Jealousy is a perfectly normal and natural emotion, and honestly I’d go so far as to say that everyone has been jealous at least once in their life. What’s key about Aang is he doesn’t act on his jealousy. He doesn’t throw anybody across a room, for one. Sure, he doesn’t want Katara to kiss Jet, so he makes a little quiet comment about it. Pretty normal, and it ends there. Not dissimilar to Katara’s bit of snark about On Ji! Even the EIP comment, which everyone uses to argue that Aang is “possessive” (which again, blatantly untrue, because he does not demand or expect a relationship with Katara as a result of that scene; also all he does is nod lmao and tbh that’s such a healthy reaction to jealousy I mean he doesn’t grab Zuko and chuck him onto the stage like his name is Ruon-Jian, does he?) - Aang literally just gets upset about the implication from an imperialist play that Katara doesn’t reciprocate his feelings. Why?

Let’s be frank: Aang knows, or is fairly certain, that Katara does like him by this point in the series. That’s why he doesn’t ask her “do you like me”. Instead, he asks:

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.

By this point the show, the viewers know their feelings are mutual. Katara knows how Aang feels about her, and Aang knows Katara likes him, too - he just isn’t sure about how ready she is for a relationship. So him getting upset about the propagandist, pro-imperialism play implying Katara isn’t interested in him, when he essentially knows she does like him, is honestly kind of understandable? Imagine if you were watching a really rude movie about your life and it included a scene of your best friend who you’re already kind of in a relationship with saying that they’re in love with the dude who used to bully you and only think of you as their sibling. Like, that’s kinda wack? I’d be a little upset - and definitely weirded out - too.

(I’ve also seen people argue Aang leaving Guru Pathik to save Katara also somehow demonstrates his so-called possessiveness, as if his love for her and her love for him wasn’t established mere minutes earlier to be the love of the Air Nomads reborn. I don’t think the show could have been any clearer about how mutual, powerful, and honest their love is through that scene. Also, he proceeds to let her go to enter the Avatar state at the end of what? The next episode? So again, any arguments that he was “possessive” and “didn’t let her go” are thus moot and entirely inapplicable points.)

Basically, Aang isn’t “possessive” and people who think he is are just looking for an excuse to hate on him, lmao.

2) “eip ruined kataang”

The only way EIP could have ruined Kataang would be if all the previous Kataang buildup was either terrible or near-nonexistent. And great news! Kataang was built up very well throughout the series, growing from a close, deep friendship to cute, blushy crushes to a true, lasting romance (pretty iconic of them). Even if someone doesn’t ship them, they can acknowledge that within canon, Kataang had a very strong foundation (it’s one of the core relationships of the show, the other being Zuko and Aang as narrative foils). The implication that one poorly written episode somehow cancels out the previous 56 episodes and the following four is embarrassing.

Now, I certainly wouldn’t have minded if there had been a scene dedicated to Aang and Katara discussing his poorly-timed kiss. I ship Kataang, so there is absolutely no reason for me to be opposed to more Kataang content! But A:TLA has a very clear trend of not showing such discussions on screen - example: Zuko never sits down with Katara and apologizes for using her mother’s necklace to manipulate her; Katara never apologizes to Sokka for her callous comment about their mother - so the fact that Katara is the one to initiate their relationship at the end of the serious clearly demonstrates that she has forgiven Aang for his inappropriate kiss and is ready to be with him. (And I’ve said it before - if she can forgive Zuko for all the shit he put them through, she can forgive Aang, her best friend and the guy she loves, for one poorly-timed kiss.) Narratively speaking, ’twas resolved.

Also, it’s incredibly important to consider EIP within the context of the series as a whole. If someone really feels entirely devastated by that one episode, then… their loss? I’m sorry to hear it? 56 episodes of near-flawless buildup - a slight dip + a healthy, logical finale where Katara chooses to be with Aang because she is at last no longer afraid of losing him = more than good enough for me. People can argue her decision doesn’t make sense all they want, but it actually makes perfect sense when you consider what has been built through every previous episode: she was in love with him! You can’t isolate a single episode and expect it to speak for the series as a whole, after all.

Basically, EIP gets blown out of proportion because some people like to pretend it was the only Kataang episode ever written, lmao.

3) love triangle

I always laugh when I see this because where?? The only love triangle in A:TLA was the one fandom invented. Within the canon narrative, Katara and Zuko were never romantically interested in each other. I don’t care about “shipping-goggle interpretations” or AUs or post-canon or early planning that didn’t make it into the final drafts. If you look at A:TLA, if you look at the creators’ intentions, it’s plain as day that Kataang and Maiko were the only romantic pairings planned for Katara and Zuko. And that’s okay! That’s why fanon exists. But people have got to stop whining about a love triangle and ship teases that just… didn’t occur. If they read Zuko and Katara’s interactions as romantic, well, that’s great and all, but it’s also on them, lol. That sounds so mean oml I’m sorry y’all 💀. I just mean that Kataang was very clearly written into the show from episode 1 and Maiko from Book 2 (or Book 3 if you really, really don’t like the flashback), so expecting Zuko and Katara to get together doesn’t make any sense (to me) when they never had any romantically-coded interactions.

Yes, of course I’ll admit there were a few Zvtara gags, but that’s exactly what they were - gags. There’s three primary instances:

- June calling the owner of the Water Tribe necklace (whom we know is Katara) Zuko’s girlfriend in Book 1. This moment is mainly hilarious because Zuko promptly redirects the conversation to Aang, lmao, but thinking about the context of A:TLA itself? The assumption of the Fire Nation crown prince being in a relationship with someone from the Water Tribe is honestly pretty concerning given how the Fire Nation is an imperialist conqueror and has all but destroyed the Water Tribes (and has certainly worked to sever the connection between the North and South). So, not exactly a great conclusion on June’s part.

- The EIP gag. I ALWAYS laugh at this one because their reactions are so funny? I love the little disgusted nose wrinkles and scooting away. That’s hysterical to me. But again, thinking about the show itself, EIP is an imperialist play full of Fire Nation propaganda. With that in mind, again, the implication that their crown prince was with someone from the SWT, a nation they brought to its knees by killing all of the waterbenders (but one) and thus eradicating so much of the SWT’s culture? Major red flags! People need to consider the implications of EIP as imperialist propaganda, basically, because that’s what it is. Ignoring that aspect means missing the entire point of the play.

- June part 2. What I said above still applies. Also, they both get embarrassed and hotly deny it, which is kind of the opposite of a ship tease to me? They don’t exchange like an “oh, but what if” glance or anything, lol. And June backs off immediately, so... 🤷

People who interpret that as serious ship teases are, bless their hearts, a little misguided. Those are just funny moments! It’s like Katara and Sokka dressing up as Aang’s parents in “The Headband”. It’s funny! It’s contextual! Sokka and Katara are not romantically interested in each other just because they dressed up as husband and wife (ew), just as Katara and Zuko aren’t romantically interested in each other because there were three jokes about it. I really don’t know what else to say lmao.

Now, I don’t know all about what Bryke did outside of A:TLA in regards to Zuko and Katara’s relationship and fans of it. I wasn’t here for that lol. But I do know that A:TLA built a beautiful, platonic bond akin to surrogate siblings between Zuko and Katara (highlighted by the final Agni Kai with Katara and Azula as foils). Not a love triangle. “The Southern Raiders” was an episode about Katara and Kya, not Zuko and Katara. “The Crossroads of Destiny” paints an aching, gorgeous parallel between Oma and Shu and Katara and Aang, not Katara and Zuko. “The Boiling Rock: Part 2” was an episode involving the loyalty and love of Mai and Zuko, not Katara and Zuko. Katara and Aang had romantic parallels, Mai and Zuko had romantic parallels, while Katara and Zuko - within canon - had strictly platonic development. And honestly, fandom should appreciate that more! How often do we get such an iconic relationship between a guy and a gal that isn’t shadowed by romance? (The answer: not often enough.)

Now, this doesn’t mean don’t ship Katara and Zuko. I don’t care what people ship lmao, and there are some interpretations of Zvtara that I really enjoy (post-canon Zvtara has so much potential,, I die a thousand deaths oml)! But insisting there was some love triangle thrown at the end of the series is a discredit to how well Aang and Katara’s and Zuko and Katara’s relationships were written in A:TLA, and I’m honestly tired of hearing such tomfoolery. A romantic relationship between Zuko and Katara within canon would have completely undermined his entire redemption arc, which further emphasizes that their canon bond was meant to be solely platonic, because why would the writers want to undo what most consider the best redemption arc in animated history? (Simply put, I don’t think they would.)

Also, A:TLA had a very clear history of staying away from love triangles. There’s no Aang x Katara x Jet love triangle. No Yue x Sokka x Suki love triangle. So why would there be an Aang x Katara x Zuko love triangle?

Case in point: there isn’t. Fandom invented it.

So that’s my thoughts, anon! It can be summarized as this: fandom makes up a lot of nonsense that simply rewatching the show can dispute, so maybe we should just start providing episode timestamps to people, lol.

A general note - people are free to disagree with this post, but I ain’t looking to argue, so… make your own post if you want to develop a “counterargument”, I guess? I’m just chillin™ lol I don’t want to fight with people. I can give you my PayPal if you’d really like to engage in a proper academic debate? Anyways. Much love! 💕

#adding the line break after i post!!#katara #aang #zuko #atla #avatar the last airbender #kataang #atla meta #the ember island players #amy answers #anon #amy analyzes

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ellstra · 7 years

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Here’s another fic rec because why the hell not

I posted my first fic rec exactly six months ago, so why not celebrate with another of these? They’re in no particular order (or rather, in the order I read them in, which is very unimportant), please check the ratings and warnings on each of them.

Hey baby, can you bleed like me? by @kyluxtrashpit, 11.5k, E; Kylo is no stranger to being a fuck up, but he never expected to fuck up killing himself. Trapped in a mental health ward with the full belief that there's nothing they can do for him, he finds unexpected solace in his asshole roommate. Heed the warnings if you get triggered by such topics but oh dear lord, it’s so therapeutic and calming to me? There’s a quite complex, vivid backstory to it and I love it.

Observations on Treachery, In Which The Charge Against Maj. Armitage Hux is Fully Refuted, Written by Himself. by @irisparry, 5.5k, M; The charge against me is a connection with one Luke Skywalker, for the purposes of delivering classified First Order intelligence. My real crime is an amorous connection with his apprentice, for a considerable time while our true identities were concealed.

Major Armitage Hux writes his way out of hell. Hux's hilarious proclamation that he wasn't guilty of selling information to the enemy, because he was busy having sex with Ben. The language alone is wonderful, and Hux's is so spot on convinced of his own brilliance, it's hilarious.

I tell you miserable things after you are asleep by @huxes, 7.5k, T; Hux and Ben are falling apart. Modern AU. They hurt each other so much and yet they keep getting back together, and it's all fucking beautiful. And sad. Not to be read when you're feeling down.

Swipe Right for Slow Burn Regret by @jinxedambitions, 55.5k, WIP, E; Workaholic Hux doesn’t have time for relationships. He barely has time to grade all of his assignments while also ensuring that his students are the highest achieving in the school. When his friend and fellow teacher, Ms. Phasma, suggests he just needs to get laid, he’s skeptical. She decides some no-strings-attached sex is just what he needs, and no better place to find it than the internet. It’s all fine until he accidentally swipes right on Ben “Call me Kylo” Solo, and they’re a match. With more tattoos than teeth and a profile proclaiming him a "seminary dropout," what could possibly go wrong? Hux is certainly going to find out.A romance about awkward dates, bad sex, miscommunication, and finding love despite one’s better judgment. This fic is...messy. They keep trying to have sex, and something always goes wrong. And it’s as frustrating as it is hilarious, but of course there’s the side-dish of them being perfect for each other oh no. A delightful read.

Laeti Vescimur Nos Subacturis by @generallyhuxurious, 69.5k, E; In order to complete his training, Kylo Ren has been absent from the Finalizer for over a year. Hux considers their relationship to have ended as a result of this separation. When he receives his first direct communication from Snoke since the Starkiller debacle, he expects to be informed of Kylo's return and his own impending execution for daring to touch the Supreme Leader apprentice. Sadly, Hux' life is never simple or straightforward. Snoke ships it. Hard. This is a rather lovely fic that I would categorize as a fairy tale with explicit sex, although there's so much more to it. I recommend this fic if you're in need of some good old fluff with a side-dish of humour and a dessert of smut. Best served with a cup of cocoa snuggled in a blanket fort.

Effective Human Copulation: A Perspective by @moonwalkingcrab, 23k, E; Trying to start a new relationship with your hated coworker is hard at the best of times, nevermind when your slightly senile alien boss seems to take it as his personal science project. You've heard of Snoke's fascinating research log, now get ready to hear the story from Kylo and Hux's POV! This is one of the healthiest kyluxes I read, if I may say so. They even go on actual dates, you won't believe it. Truly enjoyable read that works even better if consulted with Snoke's research.

Mr. June by @nerdherderette, 4k, E; A fill for this Kylux hardkinks prompt: The First Order releases an annual spicy pinup calendar featuring stormtroopers, officers, pilots etc. Hux thinks it's stupid until he hears that Ren is going to be featured in it (bonus points if Hux has never seen Kylo without his mask and robes) [excerpt]:A simple loincloth barely covers the outline of his mouth-watering length, his stomach ripples with muscles Hux never knew even existed, and his chest and biceps are deliciously thick. His hands are enormous and strong—meat hooks that look like they could span Hux’s waist. A simple gold collar encircles the man’s neck, connected to a thin, gold chain. In short, Mr. June looks like someone who had stepped out of a holoporn, and into Hux’s wet dream. Hot, hilarious and a tad bit cute. I don't want to spoil anything so I won't tell you what the best bit is but trust me, you'll not regret reading this. It has Hux so horny he can't function and there are parts written like a really bad erotica, and I don't know why the cringeworthy words sound so great but they do. A delight.

Summer by @eralkfang, 2k, E; It still feels like summer outside.Still is summer, technically. But to Hux, summer is home and London and holding himself carefully above the fray, not letting his father’s moods or his mother’s drinking or the people he went to secondary with grab him by the ankle and drag him down. Whereas here, in America, in September, he lets his metaphorical ankles dangle, low enough for American boys to grab at.Although Ben Solo’s the only one who’s managed to grab them and pull him down, like an anchor. Very sweet short College AU smut with nipples and cigarettes and open window and longing. A+ for atmosphere

Ex Machina by sual, 32.5k, E; An AU inspired by Ex Machina where Ben Solo never became Kylo Ren, General Hux is a droid that used to be human, and they might just be what the other needs.Warning for a whole lot of robophilia and cruel and unusual uses for droids. Ben never becomes Kylo, deciding to give his Force training and it's so beautiful. He's friends with Rey and their relationship is so very sweet. And then there's Hux with a marvelous tragic backstory. There’s also a great podfic for it if that’s your thing.

Off Limits by @verybadhedgehog, 4.5k, E; Military man of twinky appearance, previously stereotyped as a bottom, meets annoying xeno-experienced frot evangelist telepath, is persuaded to be less sexually self-denying. Jizz everywhere, job’s a good ‘un.A fill for the Kylux Hard Kinks blog prompt: “For medical reasons Hux can't engage in anal sex but his build always seems to attract guys who expect to fuck him. He's pretty much given up on dating when Kylo is transferred to the Finalizer. Years of interspecies experience has proven to Kylo that there's so much more to sex. Now he just has to bring Hux around to his way of thinking” Hux has given up hope for sex and then Kylo comes and is so considerate and so sweet and so generous. It's about sex, but there's an underlying level of affection and care and it's so beautiful.

Sunny Side Up by @longstoryshortikilledhim, 7k, M; It was supposed to be a fun chef AU but then things escalated. Chef!AU with so many feelings I can't begin to list them. It's Johanna's impeccable sense of humour mixed up very thoughtfully with drama and I'm here for that. Let it be known I needed three comments to fit all my screaming, so you definitely should go check this out. I really can’t rec this fic enough.

Falling in Reverse by @slashedface, 4k, E; Hux and Kylo awake in a pitch black cell. They have a choice on how they meet their fate...but not much of a choice. MCD. Kylo and Hux get trapped in a cold small cell and it's just as angsty as you'd expect, with the delicious side meal of regretful late love confessions.

I Write Siths Not Trajedis by xXDarksideXx (I’m sorry, I have no idea who’s behind it lol), 3k, WIP, M; Hi my name is Kylo Ren I'm 1.9m tall and have an eight-pack (I’m shredded). I always wear all black, usually goth robes with a ripped cape that I got from Hoth Topic and I always wear a mask to obscure my face and voice because otherwise everyone would be distracted by my beauty. Original fanfic about my OC Kylo Ren set after the Original Trilogy!!!1 My Immortal kind of fic, that will make you hate yourself for liking silly things. And laugh. No knowledge of My Immortal necessary but it will make it better.

Starfucker by @agent-nemesis, 2k, E; Kylo Ren follows a suspicious noise and finds a secret room. When he makes it inside, he can't quite believe his eyes. Short but very intense porn. Kylo is not nice at all.

Darkest Temptations by @solohux, 4.5k, E; A vision sends Kylo to see a troubled Ben Solo, and things become complicated. Selfcest fic that is surprisingly...eh, spiritual? It's sweet and gentle and hot and dark and it shows the difference between Ben Solo and Kylo Ren and blurs it by accentuating it. I'm not making sense because the feeling is indescribable, you'll have to go read it yourselves.

#kylux #kylux fic rec #kylux fic #fic rec #why won't tumblr let me tag people ugh

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zephfair · 7 years

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Writing meme

I was tagged by the awesome and illustrious @pttucker and hey, it’s only Jan. 13 so I’m not totally late. I am sorry I AM totally late. >_>

Year in Review

I started 2016 pretty strong for me because I’d been writing here on Tumblr over the holidays when my aunt passed away and I was in dire need of distraction.

So according to AO3, I had that Da Vinci’s Demons Coffeeshop AU right at the beginning of January, followed by the first het fic I ever wrote, a Laura/Riario smut fic that only I and 11 other people liked, but that’s OK because I love those two together so screw the haters lol. I followed that with my second ever het fic, a Laura/Leo/Riario threeway, which was also my first threeway (I think. Probably. Definitely the only one I’ve written that involved het.)

Then in one weekend in March, I managed to write a silly kind of fairy tale and my first attempt at a Riario/Zo story based on a Tumblr prompt. Tumblr has been very good to me for providing crazy inspiration and prompts. I suck at coming up with ideas on my own, as you can tell by looking at my fic.

The only other stuff I posted this spring was some eclectic ficlets and craziness that I put into a collection, (17 already, what?!) most of which were originally from Tumblr, and a Leo/Riario smut fic because I really missed writing those two in-character sexy beasts.

I spent the winter and spring poking and trying to write the band AU, and I finally just said Fuck it and started posting it because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t quite get it the way I imagined it. I’m still so frustrated at myself. But, dudes, I wrote a FOURWAY which is something I thought I could never do. And then when things fell apart in May/June, I threw up the rest on AO3 and ran away because I was just too overwhelmed by RL and everything else.

I did a couple more Leo/Riario/Zo ficlets here on Tumblr, but I want to finish the third ficlet before I post them on AO3. And I did sneak in a little Riario/Zo ficlet before Christmas.

I thought I was going to make a start on finishing various fics I have outlined in other fandoms, and I did post a gen, fluffy Teen Wolf story that got some amazing feedback. I was wowed by the response to it.

I’m not even going to make myself feel badly by adding up my word count. I’m just kinda amazed I did more than I thought.

Goals for 2017

Yeesh, there is so much I want to write, but it only exists in my head and notes strewn through different files.

What I DO want to get done is my Teen Wolf outlines. Creature Comforts was only ever a funny one-shot, but I got so many comments wanting a sequel...even though I’d imagined What Happened Next in my head, I burned through all my jokes and ended it exactly as I’d seen for four years. But now I’m working on the sequel from Derek’s perspective, just because I’m so hugely flattered that anyone wants to read it!

I also have a Derek/Stiles PWP that I outlined four years ago, and I want to get it off my hard drive. Along with the rest of Not Lois Lane which I had a detailed outline for … but it disappeared somewhere when my last computer gave up.

There is the FFVII comedy I have been working on for years, but I am so intimidated by that fandom because I’ve been reading in it for more than 10 years and I idolize many of the writers and know I can’t measure up. But, I want to finish it, if I can make it as funny as it is in my head (spoiler: I can’t).

Then there’s a Aerith/Cloud/Zack fic that I have completely written in my head, but I despair of ever putting it on paper. I don’t think there’s much call for that threesome, but I love them.

I have a file of other mostly comedic Zack fic ideas but again, I have absolutely no courage to dip my toe into the awesome fic.

I want to write Da Vinci’s Demons forever because I love and adore those stupid characters so much, and it’s very heart-breaking to watch our fandom shrink.

I want to finish the third story of the modern AU Leo/Riario/Zo, vignettes from the polyarmory AU, 2—count ‘em 2—Halloween stories that I didn’t get finished for this year and a ficlet from a meme prompt from @idriseleven that I have neglected for months.

There’s also The Epic Of Doom which is too much trouble to write because I’ve already seen it play out in my head.

Oh, and the weird stream of consciousness songfic thingie I wrote that if I ever share will need more hours rewriting than I actually spent time writing it.

Phew. That to-do list looks much more intimidating when written down! ;^_^

If any of my writerly buddies want to do this, please tag me so I can read about your writing triumphs and goals!

#meme #personal #fic to do #*weeps silently*#*weeps openly*

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