"I'm going to need a small elite team" (return to Omashu)

"I've plotted out every move of this day, and the only way we win is together" (crossroads of destiny)

"But I thought we were going to do this together" (Sozin's comet)

All of this compounds back to, while she was of course impacted by her mother's view of her which is something she can acknowledge ("my own mother thought I was a monster" / "I know what you really think of me. You think I'm a monster"), the implicit trauma Azula never acknowledges is that she doesn't want people to leave her. She relies on fear to control people so they don't betray her, but to her that has often been synonymous with leaving. It also speaks to some awareness about Ozai's true nature—since Azula could believe Ursa left entirely of her own accord, and Mai and Ty Lee did—as Ozai made Zuko leave. "You can't treat me like this, you can't treat me like Zuko!" is about disgrace, distance, and punishment yes, but is also about separation ("I deserve to be there by your side") and her fear of it... especially because as of this point, Zuko likewise left the family, meaning that Ozai is all she has left. It also shows in Azula's paranoia, with the punishment she doles out to people being banishment—that they have to leave because she says so, that she's self-sabotaging and making them leave before they choose to first ("sooner or later, they all would've betrayed me, just like Mai and Ty Lee did").

This fear of abandonment makes me think most notably of Katara and Aang. Partially because Katara shares this fear, but is also incredibly steadfast. While she would likely hold a lot of resentment and hatred towards Azula post war (the girl did kill Aang) and I don't know if their personalities would mesh well, Katara's loyalty ("if he's banished, then I'm banished too!" / "And we need you" / "I will never ever turn my back on people who need me") and friendship (or more) could be a balm to Azula's abandonment issues. Alternatively, Aang is someone who like Katara — if not more so in some ways — values togetherness and presence ("we've got to stick together" / "we could learn it together!" / "but we just got the family back together"). Being abandoned is something he fears (keeping Hakoda's message) but ultimately something Aang is more willing to undergo and handles a bit better. At the same time, his added maturity here is juxtaposed with his immaturity and tendency to leave / run away, something that Katara doesn't really do except when it comes to certain things.

In the book, prophecies are a big deal. They kickstart and scaffold the Plot of each book. Untangling them and the difficulty of undoing so is a core anxiety for the protagonists. The Great Prophecy looms over their head like a guillotine, and particularly over Percy and Annabeth's relationship in books 4 and 5. Trying to out-think the prophecies—or thinking that they have—often creates more issues. The same message is written over and over again: You cannot know the end. You can't rewrite your fate. You can't change the story.

So what does the show do? It turns everything into a prophecy.

The monsters they encounter are ones where they think they know the story and how it'll end. And to a degree, they're right, but they're also wrong. Knowing more about the monsters doesn't save them from falling into traps. Knowing more about the gods doesn't save them from being tricked. Knowing more about themselves brings them more fear and anxiety, not less; it doesn't solve their problems. They know these stories, the ones told about others, the ones they tell about themselves.

It still doesn't save them. It can't.

Only each other can. And that changes the ending.

Mai and Ty Lee are interesting characters with an interesting dynamic that I feel can be somewhat sanitized in fandom. Some of this is because it seems a majority of Mai and Ty Lee stuff, particularly if you ship them, is post-finale/series, which means their dynamic is at its healthiest as they've 1) had a bunch of character development and 2) are away from Azula.

However, the most interesting part of Mai and Ty Lee's dynamics, as well as Ty Lee as a character, are contained within the majority of ATLA's canon timeline as well as pre-series, so let's talk about it.

Although she is very bubbly, sweet person verbally, Ty Lee is also deeply flawed. In my opinion, her biggest flaws are her need for attention and approval, her indecisiveness, and her deeply competitive nature. These are all things that lead her to having a friendship with Azula, and we see most of them on display in The Beach.

It's not a stretch to say that Ty Lee and Azula are closer than Mai and Azula, and that having Azula's approval matters to Ty Lee in ways that Mai never craves/seeks out. There's social and political power there, and also safety: Azula's approval is good, her attention maybe less so, but it can still feel good, especially when the alternative is being treated like Mai like Zuko poorly.

Who wouldn't want to be the esteemed friend of the favoured royal heir, the (effective) crown princess of the Fire Nation?

Mai is also undeniably aware of this. In the snapshot of their childhood that we get in Zuko Alone, Mai is isolated on two fronts: she sits alone, not participating (competing) in the cartwheel game. She and her crush on Zuko promptly becomes the butt of the joke, something that Azula and Ty Lee make fun of.... and poke fun at her.

We also see Ty Lee go after Mai in The Beach for a very uneven conversational exchange.

MAI: Guess that explains why you need ten boyfriends, too. TY LEE: I'm sorry, what? MAI: Attention issues. You couldn't get enough attention when you were a kid, so you're trying to make up for it now. TY LEE: Well, what's your excuse, Mai? You were an only child for fifteen years, but even with all that attention, your aura is this dingy, pasty, gray...

We also get the sense from Azula ("Here we go") that Ty Lee's childhood and feelings is a topic that's been discussed regularly before, although perhaps not when Zuko was around. Comparatively, Mai's discussion of her childhood seems more somber and singular, flat rather than outwardly angry like Ty Lee's even when Ty Lee has insinuated Mai didn't have it 'that bad' or much to be upset about her (arguably, she had more, but we'll get to that in a second). Zuko seems to confirm it's a rarely discussed topic.

ZUKO: I'm sorry, too. I wish you would be high-strung and crazy for once instead of keeping all your feelings bottled up inside.

Azula also isn't above using Ty Lee both implicitly and explicitly as an excuse/way to keep Mai more in line, both in her own discussions and in how Ty Lee reaffirms the current group dynamic that treats Azula's word more so as law.

This feeds into likely rather than getting emotional needs met in an friendship with Azula (the way Ty Lee does occasionally get directly and also from Azula's validation in general) but with Mai piquing Azula's interest and remaining friends out of her out of some genuine liking, proximity to Zuko, and because her parents encouraged it: "They said I had to keep out of trouble. We had my dad's political career to think about."

All this being said, Mai and Ty Lee are still friends, genuinely. They care a great deal for each other; they are allied in a unique experience of being friends with Azula; and despite being very different, they do get along quite well.

Most interestingly, Ty Lee is one of the few people that Mai openly identifies herself with/through:

The primary other, of course, being Zuko (which Ty Lee arguably clocks, anyway):

AZULA: So you're afraid to care about anything and can't express yourself.

(Mai and Azula also have their own brand of parallels, but that's a post/meta for another day).

Ironically, although Azula declares "Wonderful performances everyone," this is Mai and Ty Lee at their most honest until, well, the Boiling Rock. Similarly to Mai, Ty Lee has her own mask ("you live in your own little world where everything is great all the time") though we know arguably much less about what is her fawning response, what her genuine thoughts are, and how much awareness she has of distinction for either. Where Mai's mask is mostly ironclad, Ty Lee's is far more malleable. However, it is undeniable she is wearing one, and we know that because her mask comes off at the same time that Mai's does:

This is also why both girl's arcs culminate arguably in the same scene and in making parallel choices. Ty Lee becomes willing to shed the merits and safety of Azula's favour in committing treason; she is decisive; she chooses who she 'likes more', just as Mai chooses who she loves more over who she likewise fears.

And it's pretty good, tbh.

That has just... never been how TDP has operated, and I don't get how and why people think we're supposed to take what anyone does in the show as being unilaterally good or evil. Particularly in arc 2; any moral simplicity that was hanging on by a thread in arc 1 has been taken out back and shot numerous times by now.

TDP very rarely calls anything Evil or Good, and when it does, it's always filtered through the characters' biases, and rarely does more then 2-3 characters ever have the same opinion on something for the same reasons. Soren and Rayla, who have inverted character arcs, are some of the only characters to ever use the term villain / good guys or bad guys, and are two of the most staunchly black-and-white thinking characters, heavily to their detriment, I might add, in terms of coping with the increasing complexity of their lives. They have cognitive biases. They're not always right, and are frequently wrong. This is true for everyone in the show.

The show refuses to condemn murder, indirectly and directly condemns the expulsion of humans from Xadia routinely (Evrkynd being a city for everyone, Ezran arguing with Karim, who is the most wrong about the most things), and shows a variety of viewpoints on all things.

The show understands that the choices people make—whether the same character trait is a flaw or a strength—as well as 'moral' choices are all circumstantial.

Are you wrong to burn people alive? Mostly yes (2x07, 6x08) but also no (3x09). Are you wrong to kill people? Sometimes yes, sometimes no, sometimes whether it's 'wrong' or 'right' doesn't even factor in. Are you wrong to use dark magic, or use the dangerous Staff of Ziard, or coin someone and condemn them to a 'fate worse than death'? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Is lying or hiding the truth to protect someone wrong? Sometimes yes (1x06, 2x03, 3x03, 5x01, 7x04, 7x06) sometimes no (1x02, 2x03, 6x06, 5x08, 7x08).

Are you doing the right thing?

Do you have no choice? Is that true, or is that just what you think, or how you rationalize it yourself?

When is it right or cowardly to leave (Viren, Lissa, Rayla, Callum, Ezran, the Cosmic Council, the offer made to Karim's troops)? When should you stay? When do you decide to share resources (2x05) to your potential detriment or withhold them in the name of protecting yourself and your own people (Xadia and magic)? At what point(s) do you prioritize your own pain and grief, or someone else's (i.e. the Keeper vs Callum vs Ezran)? At what point is someone too dangerous or 'too far gone' to keep alive (Runaan about Harrow, Ezran about Aaravos)? At what point do you decide someone cannot change? When do you refuse to change (Karim, Terry) who you are no matter what happens, and when do you decide that you must (Ezran, Soren)? When is it wrong to use illusions to trick someone (3x09 and 7x06) and when is it more reasonable (2x03)? When should you be willing to sacrifice others (Rayla with her family, Runaan and Rayla with Callum, Soren with Viren) and when should you refuse? When should you sacrifice yourself, and when it is wrong to? Did you betray them, or did they betray you, or both (usually both)? When should you betray or stay loyal to your family? What is the right thing to do?

The show, tbh, doesn't know, at least 90% of the time. It's not interested in knowing. It's interested in exploring. That's the whole point. At most, it says you should work towards harm reduction, but what constitutes harm, and what peace looks like, is also something that greatly differs for all the characters.

Rayla is willing to sacrifice the love of her life, Ezran is willing to create weapons of mass destruction and wield one, and Callum used a torture spell on someone when he absolutely did not have to. The idea that any of the protagonists are meant to be paragons of unblemished virtue who are always 100% right, or that any of the antagonists do not canonically have a good point of contention with anything that's happened and are always 100% wrong, is reductive to everything the show is and explores, because it is Quite Literally not what the show does, ever tbh.

They literally spelled it out this past season as a core theme; I don't think they needed to have a character directly point it out every time a main character did something that was Kinda Fucked Up or Complicated But Understandable to know that the show knows it was Canonically Fucked Up or Complicated But Understandable.

There is not a single character or action in TDP that is always right, and there is not a singular character or action in TDP that is always wrong. Hell, even narrowing it down to "this is 'right' or 'wrong'" feels counterintuitive because it's so subjective within the narrative.

Every choice the characters make is often well reasoned, aligns with their values and world views, and fits into how they work through problems. Every choice has benefits and consequences, for them or for others. That doesn't mean it's Right for everyone involved. That doesn't mean it's Wrong for everyone involved. That's what makes the show interesting. Everything has nuance. Everything has Complexity. I'm not interested in a simplified version of TDP. I'm interested in the show as is.

The narrative of Darius and Brooklynn in "Jurassic World: Chaos Theory" is a poignant and complex one, reflecting the intricate dynamics of relationships set against the backdrop of thrilling dinosaur adventures. The series takes a dramatic turn with the apparent demise of Brooklynn, a key character, at the jaws of an Allosaurus. This event sets off a chain of investigations by Darius and the crew, who are also grappling with being targeted for unknown reasons.

As the story unfolds, it's revealed that Darius was the first to discover the aftermath of the attack, leaving him deeply traumatized. In his struggle to cope with the loss, he continues to send messages to Brooklynn's voicemail, a testament to his profound connection to her. The series also delves into the emotional layers of the characters, showcasing Darius's unreciprocated feelings for Brooklynn, adding depth to their interactions and the overall narrative.

"Jurassic World: Chaos Theory" not only explores the thrilling aspects of its prehistoric setting but also humanizes its characters by exposing their vulnerabilities and the complexities of their interpersonal relationships. The interplay between Darius and Brooklynn's storyline and the overarching mystery surrounding the dinosaurs creates a compelling and multifaceted tale that resonates with audiences beyond the action-packed scenes.

Darius's journey through grief and coping with Brooklynn's loss in "Jurassic World: Chaos Theory" is a deeply emotional and humanizing aspect of the series. The narrative does not shy away from the raw and often messy process of mourning. Darius, who had developed a strong bond with Brooklynn, finds himself grappling with a profound sense of loss that affects him both personally and within the group dynamic.

The series portrays Darius's coping mechanisms through various stages, reflecting the complexities of grief. Initially, he is seen in a state of denial, unable to accept Brooklynn's fate. This denial is depicted through his continued attempts to communicate with her via voicemail, hoping for a response. As the reality sets in, Darius experiences a range of emotions, from anger and bargaining to a deep sadness that seems to engulf him.

(We see Darius' Various Calls To Brooklynn, All From After She "Died") In an effort to process his grief, Darius immerses himself in the mission at hand, using the urgency of survival and the need to protect his friends as a way to channel his emotions. The series also shows him finding solace in the memories of Brooklynn, often reflecting on the moments they shared and the impact she had on his life.

The support of the group plays a crucial role in Darius's healing process. The collective grief and shared experiences with the dinosaurs create a bond that allows each character to find strength in one another. Through this support system, Darius begins to find a path toward acceptance, honoring Brooklynn's memory by continuing their shared mission and embracing the responsibilities she left behind.

-Intro-

Have I made the title sound dramatic enough?

Perhaps!

Perhaps I made it sound like I'm on a crusade to criticize the series. Which, frankly, no... and yes. Yes, and no. In all my honesty, I think the series is one of the greatest manga/anime I've ever experienced, a canvas of cleverly sewn together threads pertaining to characters and their ideas in a way to depict a larger image and convey timeless messages. That's not to say that I'm turning a blind eye to its shortcomings, of course.

However, what I've seen people often point out as shortcoming, most of the time I do not share the view. Let me explain a little, I'm referring to certain plot contrivances and timeline inconsistencies. One of the examples I've seen often brought up is the scene of Gras' sudden death by a random bridge collapse. And I'm not saying it's perfect, by far, in fact if we looked deeper into canon we could find many other such scenes that were a little blown out of proportions for the sake of pushing the plot forward. Those, coupled with a bit of inconsistency when it comes to tying together specific timestamps on specific timelines, might generate more questions than answers.

Why I'm bringing this up, is because I've seen this used as an argument against the realism of the series, to the point of being accused of breaking immersion; and I can totally get behind this idea unless... what if realism isn't the point?

What if the aim of the story isn't to be a hyperrealistic slice of life, a lesson of history, or even about heliocentrism at all? What if the events are merely vehicles to carry messages and symbolism across, the characters are embodiments of voices and concepts, and their dialogues are clashes of philosophies? Maybe what was important was not a rich backstory for any of the characters, or an explanation for whatever happened during time skips, but rather an emphasis on the characters' convictions being won and/or lost according to circumstances. A clever game of tag between ideas, words, played by people of different upbringing and privileges, that brings out both the beauty and ugliness of the humankind. At this point, the story can be set in any time period and on any continent and it would be just as impactul.

My take away is then: even if it might feel that some story elements are either exaggerated or not developed enough, then that's probably the point. Or at least it neither adds nor detracts from the story as a whole. Maybe less time invested into narrative and characterization even helps emphasize all the dialogue and the different life philosophies behind it. So any time I hear critiques such as 'this plot point doesn't make sense' or 'this is not historically accurate', I feel like the point is being missed.

With that being said, what's all this yapping even about? Well, it's my lousy attempt at an intro to my defiance against the direction of the series and I will give a damn about the stuff which I said we shouldn't. I will take certain arcs and events and dissect them to the bone to fill in any timeline vacancy with my own conclusions and interpretation, as logically as possible, while admitting that 'yep I might be reading too much into it'.

Why? Because I'm a motherfuckin' shipper and a gooner and this is my blog I can write whatever I want I have a hyperfixation on painting blank spaces within canon to elevate my blorbos' characterization and the relationship between them (watch out, you'll be reading lots of 'they breathed in each other's direction for 3 seconds therefore they gay' /s).

So I'll be starting a series of takes on certain canon events and clues and even posing questions and inviting to debates, titled more or less as deceivingly as this one. Welcome to Ana's pointless blogs I guess!

(P.S. In case I might seem a little nuts you're probably right I did something similar on Vinland Saga's Thornute, as reference)

Facts:

Grew up as an odd child out due to her neurodivergence & Specific interests.

Abandoned by her parents.

Spent time in foster care & abused 

Felt abandoned by her brother, who didn’t care for her after their parents left.

Got into good colleges regardless of a difficult childhood

Has three doctorates in anthropology, forensic anthropology, and kinesiology

Did work with genocide victims and 9-11 victims

Joined the Jeffersonian

Successful Author 

Forms a bond with Booth. 

Had to do the investigation on her own mother’s murder

Deals with her father, who is a criminal and lied to her

Forms a family with her team at the Jeffersonian, later adding Sweets to this bond.

Is targeted by any serial killers

One of her own interns is murdered. 

Has two children who help continue to open her up to life

Has to live on the run away from Booth 

Loses sweets

Booth is put in jail, and they are separated again. 

They quit their job temporarily but come back.

Booth ends up gambling again, which damages their relationship.

Injured at the end of the story but able to return to work 

Temperance “Bones” Brennan deals with a lot of traumas throughout her life and a lot of love throughout her life. She has been abandoned and hurt as well as surrounded by the love of both her birth family and, just as importantly, the family she was able to build at the Jeffersonian. The people she found loved her with all their hearts and would do anything for her. The way the people she found can open up the hurt heart she had is beautiful. 

She struggles completely reasonably with opening herself up. Having your parents and brother abandon you and then being mistreated by foster parents and peers will make you unable to form close bonds easily and cause damage to your views of how relationships work. 

Brennan’s intelligence and skill at her work are impressive and regarded as some of the best in the world, and she holds this with a sense of great pride. Her ego built around her intelligence can also be problematic because she can use it as a shield against having a real connection. 

Brennan struggles to truly understand and process emotions due to her neurodivergence. Her skill to deal with her emotions is to try to rationalise them. She blocks other people's emotions at the end to not let herself truly bring the feelings in from the outside world. Her own emotions might be turmoil within the walls she built, but she keeps those on the inside. And her own affect can become confused.

Her emotions often come out in fits and bursts. In the beginning, they come out in times like when she has to deal with her parents or when children and animals are harmed. We see that there is a dissonance for Bones with her emotions, not understanding what she is showing and feeling and disliking showing it. Later in the show, when she learns to allow her inside emotions, her affect and others to flow together. 

High intelligence can also create an ego. Brennan experiences this and it causes friction with people who work with her who are of equal stature, like Cam and Clark.  Being Bennan’s version of “smart” can cause her to disregard people who have emotional intelligence. 

 One of Brennen’s earliest close relationships we see is with Angela, a person who seems very different from her. She is spiritual, artistic, flirty, open and leads with her heart. However, they match each other in intensity of love for each other. That’s what matters the most to Angela. Brennan also believes in Angela’s skills, asking her to come work with them at the Jeffersonian. Brenna knows Angela's art and technology skills are good enough to warrant the trust. They also both have abnormal childhoods. Angela, having a rocker father and mother who seemed to have never been in the picture, was adopted, or for some other reason. Angela also helps Brennan with her books. Angela supports Brennan through emotional situations, giving her advice when she struggles to know what to do. Angela is the only person Brennan communicates with when she’s on the run and Angela is extremely angry with Booth when he halts the marriage due to Pelant. She is the first piece of a family Brennan built. 

Hodgins and Brennan have a less defined relationship, but are close, going through many things together, like being buried by the Grave Digger. They are both supportive when the other goes through hard times and work to catch people who put the other in dangerous situations. They respect each other’s work in their fields. He is Angela's husband and the father of her child, making him Brennan's family that way, but their friendship also makes them necessary for their family to work. 

Cam and Brennan butt heads to begin with. Brennan does not like feeling like she is out of control in what she considers to be her space. Brennan has a deep need for control due to all the out-of-controlness she experienced as a child. She feels intellectually superior and more important. Brennan learns to see Cam as a necessity within the system. They come to not only respect each other but also consider one another to be part of the family. They invite each other to family-style events like weddings and celebrating child births. They come to help each other during hard times. 

Brennan originally had a relationship with Zack Addy as her first intern, whom she shows a great deal of love. He is much like her, showing neurodivergence to an even stronger extent than she. He is very much like a little brother to her. When he betrayed them, it affected her; she talked Zack into helping them. She proved to Zack that he loves Hodgins more than his overall beliefs. She still shows affection for him, even touching foreheads. When they see each other again, we see Zack kidnap her in an effort to prove his innocence. She sides with him being framed for the crime, and helps get him exonerated. Her love for Zack shows that her ability for familial love existed even before her long-term relationship with Booth. 

The group of Interns she has over time means a lot to her, and she cares deeply for them. When she loses parts of her memory at the end of the show, she remembers things about them as they mean so much to her.

Arastoo: He is part of the Family as the husband of Cam and she shows great respect for him as a scientist as well as a person for the trauma he suffered as a young person.

Clark: He becomes a Doctor and they clash once he takes charge of historical anthropology. She comes to respect him after seeing his work. While originally finding their family dynamic non-conducive to work, he becomes friends with the whole squad. Clark comes to help when they need it. 

Daisy: She is one of the interns Brennan seems to like more than the others. Taking her with her when she leaves on a sabbatical later taking her on her "bachelorette party”. She is also more folded into the family as the Fiancée of Sweets and mother of his child. 

Finn: Brennan and Cam are willing to take him in as an intern and Jeffersonian employee with his background in crime. Brennan finds his background to be non-pertinent in most situations. This shows her logic-focused worldview can be part of compassion.

Fisher: His sardonic pessimism and her general flat faculty can comically conflict. He also once offered her his sperm, which she turned down. For the most part, they get along generally well, Fisher even loving her novels. 

Fuentes: Doesn’t get along with Brennan to begin with, as he is flirtatious and arrogant. 

Jessica: She helps Brennan learn about social media.

Oliver: Probably the intern she gets along with the least, like most, she thinks his know-it-all and blase attitudes to be grating. But she also often states his genius status is warranted. 

Vincent Nigel-Murray: She sometimes shuts down his fact giving, but he is well-liked and cared for by Bones; his death affects her deeply, being a catalyst for her relationship with Booth. She awkwardly brought a flower to put on his casket. 

Wendell: He is helped out by Brennan to be able to stay in the Jeffersonian because she respects his work and she cares about him. She also shows compassion when he has cancer.

Sweets is a psychologist, so originally, she dislikes him because she doesn’t like his profession. He needs science to fit her rigid view of “logic”  to trust it. His usefulness in helping re-solidify her and Booth’s working relationship isn’t something she finds necessary. Sweets ends up finding his views of them smashed funnily when he learns Booth and Bones first met they almost had sex. 

Over time, Sweets and Brennan learn to respect each other, and as they work together if she never loves psychology. On a more personal level, Gordon Gordon points out that Sweets is imprinted on them like a baby duck. Brennan and Booth deeply love Sweets as a family member.  They take him into their house, Brennan expressing when he leaves that she wasn’t sure about bringing him into their house, but then was very unhappy about him leaving because she actually loved having him around her; she does care for protecting him. Losing wounds her family.