most fandoms are prone to reducing characters to consumable archetypes for the purposes or comedy (or shipping). but what’s amazing to me is that the atla fandom somehow not only reduces characters into stock tropes, but somehow manages to whittle them down into their exact opposites. aang’s whole deal is that he is a wise and prodigious monk who very deliberately represses the depth of his grief so as not to be crushed under the weight of it, and so naturally he is reduced into an oblivious, blissfully happy child. katara’s whole deal is that she yearns for joy and adventure and often reacts to situations before she’s thought through the consequences, so naturally she’s reduced to the overly-serious, sensible voice of reason. sokka’s whole deal is that he’s a miserable hater who’s way too smart for his own good and thus overthinks himself into a hole at every turn, so naturally he’s reduced to a wacky goofy idiot with no tact and no brain. toph’s whole deal is that she’s uniquely thoughtful and perceptive and waits and listens before acting, so naturally she’s reduced to an impulsive chaotic gremlin with all the emotional maturity of a sea cucumber. zuko’s whole deal is that he can’t read a room, has no filter, and loves to monologue, so naturally he’s reduced to a brooding stoic. iroh’s whole deal is that he is tormented by the sins of his past at all times, so naturally he’s reduced to everybody’s favorite perfect and unimpeachable old man. azula’s whole deal is that her undying loyalty and obedience to an egomaniac shall be her undoing, so naturally she’s reduced to a selfish and hysterical woman who just does whatever the fuck she wants because she’s ontologically evil i guess. ty lee’s whole deal is that she is constantly performing, so naturally people always just take her at face value. i could go on. but i think you get my point.
turnnoffyourmind
blakekathryn
theartofmadeline
ellievsbear
yousharknotpass
