One of the things that really gets to be about that post about how Katara wants to be fun is that she doesn't get that in her relationship with Aang? She constantly has to mother thanks to him. Either mother him while he's having fun and she has to try and get him to take lire more seriously and then she eventually gets left alone to mother two small children while he flies off with the third.

And while Zuko isn't shown to be as exciting as Aang in ATLA, he's shown to be funny. And he's learning to have fun himself. Katara doesn't have to mother him and I would have loved to see them organically learn to have fun together after they defeated Ozai

You've said it perfectly anon. In my opinion, the problem isn’t necessarily that Katara doesn't know how to have fun, it's that she feels the need to be responsible to the point that she can’t have fun.

For a long time I've struggled with that myself. I don't feel like I'm a particularly fun person and that's especially true around people who are younger than me or act more recklessly. I can’t make myself let go of that responsibility for fear that something will happen to the others around me because I wasn't making sure everyone stayed safe. It's a tad bit unreasonable (probably more than a bit tho lol), but it's something that’s really hard for me. You get the comments of "Oh wow you're so mature for your age!" and people thinking that you're a senior in high school when you're actually a freshman just because of the way you carry yourself. All that pressure mounts quickly, cementing that motherly role of responsibility in place.

I’m able to have a lot more fun now that my friends are older and less immature. They aren't going to do something unspeakable foolish (probably) and I don't feel the need to be on my guard. I adore them. I feel like if Aang actually had an arc within the show regarding this, I would hate Kata*ng slightly less, but alas, he does not. Aang is shown time and time again to go along with whatever is the most fun whether that be scamming with Toph, running around Kyoshi with a fan club, or even attending a festival in the Fire Nation when they're trying to keep a low profile. That is the exact behavior that would make me go "I have to make sure no one does anything to get hurt" because let's be real, two of the three things I just listed could have heavy consequences.

One of Katara's biggest driving forces and characteristics is her passion. She wants to fight, she wants to protect the people around her, she wants the people she loves to be happy, she wants justice and equality, and she wants to make the world as she thinks it should be. That is so admirable and I don't think it's a stretch to say that a personality like that is loud and can get tiring to people. I've mentioned it before, but I've dated someone like Aang, someone who didn't like conflict or taking up space in a room when it wasn't positive. It does not mesh well. I always felt like I was just annoying and should get over things-- or even that the things I was upset about weren't a big a deal at all and I was just a drama queen. It really hurts to be stuck in that loop, and to see Aang not fully support that side of Katara is painful. Going with the flow isn’t for everyone. It’s not for me, and it’s definitely not for Katara, aka the girl who brawled with a grown man to prove a point, knowing that she would absolutely lose. You shouldn’t be with someone who isn’t able to support your battles. They don’t even necessarily have to be fighting by your side. They can hold your flowers and cheer you on while you beat the shit out of all of the Pakkus you’ll face in life. 

Aang is shown to be uneasy when Angry, Passionate Katara rears her powerful head, but Zuko is uniquely not. Most of the other characters within the show are at least a little caught off guard when Katara slips from her kind and compassionate demeanor, but not our lovely boy Zuko. I think that scene in “The Southern Raiders” is the perfect example of this. She is yelling and scolding him and instead of retreating or curling into himself, Zuko listens. He’s not inherently afraid because this isn’t how Katara usually is, which may be due to the fact that he’s seen both sides of her with about the same level of familiarity within the catacombs, but either way he’s able to actually think about what she’s saying. Zuko not being afraid of her when she’s not calm and at ease is a very powerful message to me at least because I feel like I can find someone who isn’t afraid of how intense I am. There are people who don’t need me to be more palatable to their particular levels of intensity. The idea that a women does not have to bend her personality to fit her partner’s idea of who she is or what she should be is one that should be more mainstream, and it’s a huge inspiration to me in my own life. A lot of the Zutara fanfiction I’ve read (and I’ve read a lot) is very empowering to me in that sense-- Katara and Zuko are able to unapologetically be themselves with the other and won’t let anyone tell them otherwise. It’s amazing and a wonderful example to girls and women of any and all ages (and anyone else for that matter. Everyone deserves a good partner if they want one).

Everything I just discussed so far is a huge part of the reason I ship Zutara. It's been said before that Zuko is the only member of the Gaang (besides like... Suki lol) that Katara does not mother within the show. It's also implied that Zuko helps Katara be an authority figure in the group, earning them the legendary "Momtara" and "Dadko" titles. I would want that kind of support for myself and since I relate to Katara, I see Zuko as a much better and more equal partner for her than Aang. And that's nothing against Aang! I despise what he became in book 3 but our baby boy in book 1 had so much potential for growth and change. I adore that Aang and I'll never get tired of blaming Bryke for twisting his character into the incel they can only aspire to be.

Zutara is a ship that has dozens and dozens of reasons to support it. I've seen very few ships with as much backing as Zutara. From the way two compliment each other within the show to the subvert lore the show has that parallels Zutara, there's a lot to love, and to me it also has the appeal of being something a real life person would want in their relationship. They understand each other, they apologize to each other, they grow together, they love unconditionally-- that's all so beautiful.

I know if the Kata*ngers find this they'll shit all over me for "projecting" but I think it's really important for people to relate to the characters they see on screen and see bits of themselves littered throughout. It makes a story more compelling and is infinitely more inspiring. Struggles that I see Katara have are ones I've seen in my own life-- at one point when I was a bit younger I even hated Katara because I saw so much of myself in her. These stories mean more than canonicity and more than what value a writer assigns to the character. It’s very clear that Bryke only saw Katara as Aang’s motivation and prize, which is so harmful! No person anywhere is a prize in any regard to anyone. It’s horrifying that this was displayed to people as ‘romance.” Katara is a character that is so vastly important for female representation (as well as other forms of representation) and as I briefly mentioned, Katara is a character who was very inspiring to me. She is a character that was able to give me more confidence in myself and realize that I am not an annoyance for speaking up when something feels/is wrong.

That was a long ramble and I hope it’s somewhat pleasing to you anon lol. I hope you’re doing well out there in the world <3

Atla live action 😐

Yes yes the QSMP Federation is probably evil or whatever, but more importantly imagine the process for giving the eggs their little signs

Like in universe someone had to make them, so it probably required some mad scientist arts and crafts to design and make each individual sign

imagine someone in full lab coat and goggles laughing maniacally as they carefully attach little egg-shaped stickers to each sign

how did you start transitioning so young? thats awesome tbh

I’m from an open-minded family, and knew a lot of queer people growing up. A lot of the exact timeline is blurry, but i began questioning my queerness when i was 10 or 11. I never considered myself straight growing up, so it wasn’t very surprising that i might be, but i knew i felt nothing like other girls my age and i didn’t know why. When I was 12, I was going through a lot of severe mental health issues. I had been dealing with a lot of them my whole life, but that year was the point that I had to leave public school and recieve a lot of help, and around that time i was able to peice together that the extreme discomfort and depression i was experiencing was because I was transgender. I was lucky enough that i was seeing a therapist who not only believed me, but was able to reccomend officially to my parents that helping me to transition was one of their best shots at helping me with my mental health. My parents were hesistant at first, not really because they didn’t believe i was trans or that they didn’t like trans people, but because i was young and already dealing with so much. But thankfully, they did a lot of research, joined support groups, listened to all my counselers and agreed to help me transition after understanding the risks of not doing so. So i ended up being fully socially transitioned by my thirteenth birthday, and started a new school as a boy that fall, changing my legal name and sex on all documents around the same time. I had already been through a lot of puberty, i was an early bloomer, but i was able to get on hormone blockers about a week after i turned fourteen, and on hrt six months later. After i was on hrt, things slowed down since i was not legally able to get surgery yet, but after struggles both with a deeply terrible surgeon i met with and covid, i was able to get top surgery at 17, which finally allowed me to ‘pass’ since i was extremly large chested and wasn’t able to before that. In the past two years i haven’t done much medically but i do intend on pursuing a few more surgeries in the next few years and hopefully finish my medical transition before im off my parents health insurance. In short: I have supportive parents, good doctors, live in a state with decent laws, enough mental health history to convince insurance im a major risk if they don’t approve my healthcare, and happened to come out within the short window that treatment for trans kids existed but wasn’t as hard to access as it is now. My family is not wealthy, so we were lucky that the insurance my mom’s job gives us happens to be one of the ones that has good coverage for trans healthcare, and our proximity to major colleges makes certain types of healthcare easier to access. I’m aware im a rare case, and i consider myself very lucky. But that’s basically what it is.

thats not leaking blood the colours are just a little stylized 😭 i cant be the only person who genuinely likes that portrait

I said if u squint it looks that way, I understand that it's not the intention bud. And ur probably not the only one but it's certainly a niche opinion. Like I've been racking my brain to think of reasons the artist might want to make it look like he was painting on a meat canvas and none of them are particularly flattering to ol king chuck. The artist wanted the military uniform to fade into the background to bring the man himself into better focus and humanise him. Which. yeah trying to cover over their violent history by humanising themselves is certainly what the royal family are going for these days so shoutout to the artist for getting the assignment ig lmao. And the one fucking incongruous butterfly that was apparently Charles' idea really gets me

Anyway no royal portrait was gonna work for me, in the same way that I'd be pissed if my landlord was like "hey look what I spent ur rent money on" and it was a fuckin statue of themselves, yk? Royal portraits in general are flimsy fuckin propaganda that waste our damn money, and this one is no different to me, it's just a more self-serving version

I was thinking about the fact that it's very funny that my parents had more problems with me being atheist than with me being queer.

Like:

"Sure hon, you have a weird perception of your gender and you could possibly bring home women, men or everything in-between... fine, love is love we will take you to the pride and stuff ^w^. BUT WHAT ABOUT JESUS CHRIST HUH?????"

And when I say they had 'more problems' I mean they were like "ow... so you won't come to church on Sundays with us anymore? At least the holidays?🥺"

like idk it's so funny to me

All the Eds have issues in their home lives, but there is something about Edd’s family situation that I just find endlessly fascinating. Just really delving into the complicated baggage surrounding it, and how uniquely fucked up it is.

The fact that there is so much distance and lack of communication between Edd and his parents really brings up a lot of questions about WHAT their actual interactions are even like. I mean, while they are largely absent (even for a show whose whole premise does not include parents being visible), it is implied that they, or at least one of them comes home. Do they even talk to their son when they are there?

I think the thing that really gets me is that, while yes they do supply for their son’s physical needs: a comfortable home, food, etc. the emotional needs are completely neglected. Which speaks to a super specific, entitled suburban kind of disinterest that I find uniquely cruel.

I sometimes feel like animation fans/animators/illustrators/character designers etc. have grown way too dependent on judging art on its surface level "technical skill", or whether the art is "appealing" in a traditional sense.

Not that people don't enjoy more crudly designed stuff at all, but I feel like people fall way too often into comparisons that are ultimately unnecessary. Because what you are dealing with are animations that are doing drastically different things.

Dakota Cole amd c!Tommy comparison time

c!Tommys Chaotic Neutral and Dakotas Lawful Good but they have the same vibes of an excited teenager that gets put into fucked up situations

They both have their Idols and have to deal with them not being quite what they used to see them as.. And they both have the thing where they have such big thoughts but they don't have the words to say them so they stumble through their explanations with metaphors...

Plus the gaybestfriends that they end up third wheeling abd the spider pets

did 90 pages of my reading for three different classes is everyone proud of me :) finished the chapter on judaism for my sacred texts class, read "an apology for poetry" by sir philip sidney for my lit theory class, and did my two chapters of reading from the truth about stories by thomas king for my folklore and mythology class. and wrote a summary paper on that sacred texts chapter. and did my little writing assignment for my french class. all while sick. who is going to kiss me on the forehead and tell me i did a good job

...

ADHD and BPD?

Did you mean

Literal absolute hell on earth

starting to realise i actually don’t really like being called gay even by friends

I saw your “First Impressions” posts on my feed and was wondering what mod do you use for the impressions?

hi there!! i use lumpinou's first impressions mod system with a time delay of three in-game days! for me, it just adds so much to the interactions that sims have with one another!

All of your "fun facts" are either outright brags, kind of weird and personal, or just kind of boring. That's why people don't like doing it.

I mean, I'm sorry you don't like sharing fun facts about yourself, that sucks esp when "fun facts" are a pretty common thing when getting to know people in a group setting.

IMO, the point of a "fun fact" is to help people get to know you a bit and to share something memorable about yourself so you stand out when getting to know a bunch of ppl at once. Sharing something weird or impressive is a good way to accomplish that.

I'm also confused about your logic here. So you're not allowed to say something cool/an accomplishment (that's bragging), you're not allowed to talk about your family (your # of siblings is apparently uncomfortably personal), god forbid you say something weird, and you can't say something normal because that's, apparently, boring. What exactly IS an acceptable thing to say? Kind of sounds like there's no correct answer.

Honestly, if someone hears me share a fun fact in a group setting and ends up thinking I'm weird/full of myself: cool. we've immediately established that we don't vibe. we don't have to awkwardly discover that 10 minutes into a conversation that's going increasingly downhill. we know our personalities clash and we've saved ourselves time. you don't have to vibe with everyone.

Personally, I'm not sitting around analyzing everyone's fun facts. I'll probably forget them in 10 seconds unless they're particularly cool/strange/unexpected. The point is just to get people talking and give them a chance to make an initial impression in a room full of strangers. Unless you say something wildly inappropriate, the worst case scenario is that you're forgettable, or people don't immediately vibe with 0.001% of your life. Pretty low stakes.

I don't know if I've ever initiated fun facts in a group setting, and it's certainly not a hill I care about dying on, but I do think it's pretty wild that you hate them so much that you felt compelled to tell me that mine suck. But, much like a fun fact, this short interaction gave us the opportunity to establish an initial impression of you: you're kind of rude!

Best of luck navigating the dreaded "fun facts" conversation in your future life. Hope you make a better first impression next time, lest strangers think of you unflatteringly for even a single moment.