it's kind of a tradition, right?

Like, before you watch Avatar, you’ve seen all these memes about Katara and her mom, and based on those memes, you assume it’s one of those lines you have to get used to hearing at least once every episode. But then you watch the show and realize that she only talks about her mom maybe five or six times per season and you also realize she only brings her up when she’s trying to comfort someone or empathize with them because that’s how she processes her grief and that’s one way she connects with people.

Or you hear the infamous line, “then you didn’t love [our mother] the way I did” and you prepare yourself for one of the worst character assassinations ever only to see the scene after nearly three seasons worth of context and realize she was kinda right. She’s been the mother, the nurturer, the comforter. She’s been patient, gentle, and accommodating where everyone else has gotten to be insensible and reckless and childish, and the one moment where she allows herself to feel her grief, suddenly she’s this evil bitch and not, y’know, a 14 year old girl whose been thrusted into adulthood in a way no other character has. A 14 year old girl who should be allowed immaturity and raw emotion and anger instead of the patience and grace she’s been forced to extend to every character without even the smallest amount of gratitude or even consideration in return.

Or you see all of the clips where Katara puts Aang in the “friendzone” and you expect to have this wishy washy back and forth where Aang is putting his feelings out there only to have Katara neither commit nor express any clear reciprocation or rejection. Then you watch and realize that, as cute as the ship is initially, that there’s never a point where Aang returns any comfort or grace to Katara despite her always doing this for him to the point of coddling. That for as much as Aang says he loves her, he never seems to outgrow his perception of her so he can recognize her as someone who feels grief, anger, and pain as much as she expresses love, kindness, and maturity. And instead of having moments where he learns to see her beyond her strength or compassion, you’re instead given moments where Aang forces his feelings onto her, both romantic and non-romantic, and Katara is expected to just…shoulder those feelings the way she shoulders everyone else’s.

Katara is the most misunderstood character in the show. As much as people recognize the complexities of Zuko, Sokka, and Azula, they struggle to do the same for Katara because they see her struggles as somehow lesser, and therefore, less deserving of sympathy. They can handle her so long as she’s being endlessly patient and loving and kind, but the moment her endless love, patience, and kindness runs out, she’s suddenly this annoying bitch who can’t shut up about her mother or reciprocate Aang’s feelings. But Katara’s trauma does matter as much as anyone else’s. No, she wasn’t banished from her kingdom. No, she didn’t lose her entire community, and no, she isn’t the only one who lost her mother. But the difference between her and everyone else whose experienced loss because of the Fire Nation is that she’s never given time to process her trauma. Aang gets to lean on Katara constantly. Toph gets to express her feelings to Katara, and yeah, Sokka also lost their mother, but unlike Katara, he isn’t put in the position of being a substitute for everyone’s parent. He even admits that he sees his sister as a mother. The only characters who ever comfort Katara or allow her to vent is Zuko and her father and that’s, like, three scenes in a show where the other characters are consistently given opportunities to seek out Katara for unconditional support.

The fandom interpretation of Katara has been so bastardized that even those who haven’t watched the show know her for this fanon version and not for who she is. She’s such an interesting character beyond her fandom limitations, though. She’s brave, hot-headed, and hopeful as well as gentle and caring. She wishes to learn waterbending, not only because she wants to fight in the war, but because she wants to continue her culture’s practices because, and people often forget this, she also lost an entire subculture within her already fractured tribe. And she wants to defeat the Fire Nation both because of her deep love and empathy for other people, but also because she wants to avenge her mother. But because some of the fans have reduced Katara to a bitch who constantly whines about her mother and friendzones Aang, you wouldn’t know any of this, and it sucks because she’s the only character whose been dumbed down to such an extent.

Book 2 au with Zuko and Katara Lee and Huamei

RADISHN’T: Prithee, which one of you had planned to tell

Of diff'rent flavours gained by simple act

Of brewing tea with water hot, not cold?

MOTHMAN: Egad! you poured the water cold? Wherefore?!

FROG: An answer from you, Radish, I must beg.

RADISHN’T: Indeed I did, dear friends - why does this shock?

Without the guide of others I assumed

That heat was merely added for the sake

Of expediting this solution’s brewing!

Half a decade I have spent, or more,

Not questioning this worldview I had made.

In fact, I am myself a bit surprised

That you might think that I, your dearest friend,

Might have a patience of sufficient stock

To wait until a pot of water boils.

FROG: Three minutes overtaxes patience so?

The microwave will beep when it is done!

CATS'N: My friend, this answer vexes me the more!

Can it be true that thou dost boil by nuke?!

FROG: Are you in turn, my friend, so shocked to know

That I have not the patience, like our Root,

To boil upon the stove our favour’d drink?

CATS'N: It takes less than a minute!

FROG: On what plate?

Perhaps your dinner cooks atop the sun?

CATS'N: How long can take your stove to fill the task

Of boiling but a single cup alone?

FROG: In minutes?

CATS'N: Yes!

FROG: I counted seven, once.

CATS'N: Perhaps you ought to have your timepiece checked!

If on a middle heat you place the cup

You soon will have the scalding drink you crave.

Two minutes, in a mug upon the plate

Or even less, if you should have a pot.

FROG: You cause me tears - is this how thou dost live?

You place upon the iron stove a mug?

A mug, ceramic, filled with water cold?

How do these flames, though medium in height,

Not shatter like a glass this fragile thing?

Surely, then, your kitchen is bewitched

With magicks far beyond the mortal ken!

(The FOUR realise they have wandered into the THRONE ROOM. The ROYAL COURT watches with fascination.)

Following my previous post about my trip to China, here are some useful phrases/vocab. I'm focusing on stuff I didn't learn in class or from textbooks—I learned most of these from experience.

借过（借過）jièguò - excuse me (trying to get past someone)

让一让（讓一讓）ràngyíràng - make way; coming through

安检（安檢）ānjiǎn - security check, short for 安全检查（安全檢查）

过安检（過安檢）guò ānjiǎn mean to go through security.

预约（預約）yùyuē - booking / reservation / to book / to make an appointment

In China, some museums require a reservation ahead of time.

扫码（掃碼）sǎomǎ - to scan a QR code or barcode

我扫你（我掃你）wǒ sǎo nǐ - I scan you (your code) 你扫我（你掃我）nǐ sǎo wǒ - you scan me (my code)

Shopping

结账（結賬）jiézhàng - to pay the bill

柜台（櫃檯）guìtái - sales counter; front desk

收银台（收銀台）shōuyíntái - checkout counter; cashier's desk

刷卡 shuākǎ - to pay with credit card

刷 means brush/swipe, but I've also heard this used for tapping with your card.

付现（付現）fùxiàn - to pay in cash

袋子 dàizi - bag

提袋 tídài - bag (with handles)

I'm not 100% clear on what defines 提袋, but it seems like 1) has handles and 2) typically nicer than a standard plastic bag.

纸袋（紙袋）zhǐdài - paper bag

试穿（試穿）shìchuān - to try on clothes

试戴（試戴）shìdài - to try on hats/glasses/etc.

Food

几位？（幾位？）jǐwèi - how many? (people/seats for your table in a restaurant)

堂食 tángshí - to eat in (at the restaurant)

In Taiwan you'll probably hear 内用（內用）nèiyòng instead.

外带（外帶）wàidài - take-out

打包 dǎbāo - to pack up leftovers

取餐 qǔcān - to pick up food

completed a portrait series of all the human children of the big three from pjo/hoo 𓏲*ੈ✩‧₊˚

loved loved loved experimenting with a new style and interpreting these characters with a new design!

On 19 September 2023, Azerbaijan started bombing Artsakh, which was already under blockade since 2022. 20 civillians were killed and more than 200 were injured. By 3 October 2023, 100.617 Armenians have been forcibly displaced.

love your writing <3

12. sneaking away to a hidden corner to share a secretive kiss, secret relationships, percy/annabeth

“You could at least pretend to be listening.”

Annabeth’s eyes shift towards the voice, and she really hopes no one notices what she had been looking at. She finds Piper staring back, accusatory but slightly amused. After being friends for as long as they have, she’s used to Annabeth’s inability to focus.

It’s hardly her fault. It’s hard not to stare at something so perfect, like it’s delicately crafted from gods, like it had been sculpted for months or years until it became impossible for any one thing to rival it. But she’d rather not be caught staring at it, because then they’d know, and that was certainly not what she wanted.

All it takes is one more look at it, and she finds Percy with a sly grin on his lips. Poor guy tries to hide it, but he’s always been an open book, so she knows he saw her eyes on him for far too long.

So, yeah. The thing had actually been a person, and that person had actually been Percy. And, sure, she doesn’t mind him catching her eyes lingering because it’s not like he doesn’t know about the little game they’ve got going on, but none of their other friends do, and she wants to keep it that way. For right now, at least.

“Sorry,” Annabeth says, glaring when Percy makes kissy faces behind everyone’s backs. “What were you saying?”