#it’s her drive and her passion and her inherent ability to love and empathize

[adriancatrin]

the difference between The Painted Lady and Sokka’s Master—what makes one so much more iconic than the other—is that The Painted Lady may as well be Imprisoned (season one), just done-up in Fire Nation attire. we learn nothing new about katara in that ep that we didn’t know from season one. and The Desert in season two CEMENTED katara as the heart of the group in a way that wasn’t even necessary to try to do again in season three.

Sokka’s Master, on the other hand, gives us a whole new look at sokka. Imprisoned and The Warriors of Kyoshi (in season one) are katara and sokka eps respectively, meant to give us a look into their characters and acquaint ourselves with them. season two is incredible because it assumes we already know the characters, and it lets us sit in them and enjoy the ride for amazing arcs through Story, above all else. but early season three brings back the Character episodes. the Headband, Painted Lady, Sokka’s Master, the Runaway (and as a bonus, unlike season one, we also get The Beach for the FN team). each main character gets their own re-establishing ep. great, cool, whatever—what about Sokka’s Master tho?

shhh patience lol i’m getting there. Painted Lady shows that katara is the same, she still cares about the lil guy(s), despite all else, just like she did in Imprisoned. she can’t leave desperate people behind.

but in The Warriors of Kyoshi, sokka thought he was the Shit, and had to have it proved to him that that wasn’t the case (god bless u suki). in Sokka’s Master, however, it’s the exact opposite. his arc at that point brought him to having nearly no faith in himself. Warriors of Kyoshi was about bringing sokka down to earth (being A MAN💪🏽 isn’t the end all be all), and Sokka’s Master is about bringing him back up (what does it mean to be a man? 🌈). it’s obviously a huge shame that the invasion ended up sitting him right back down again in his insecurities. but i imagine if Sokka’s Master had never happened, he wouldn’t have been able to bounce back post-Boiling-Rock, regardless of whether or not he’d successfully broken his dad (and suki) out. he needed the foundation of self-confidence to beat away the doubts later.

anyways, point is.. at least personally the Painted Lady ep has never stuck out to me as special, whereas Sokka’s Master is one of my fave eps of the show. and that’s not because i have it out for katara or anything and held sokka in especially high regard (Sokka’s Master is largely WHY i now hold sokka in high regard—but The Desert ep put katara in just as high a regard in my book, along w probs a dozen other eps that showcase her unique character). Sokka’s Master stands out because it shows us a new part of sokka, but the Painted Lady doesn’t show us anything new about katara. in a show that’s ultimately rather short, episodes that seem like clones the way Painted Lady & Imprisoned do end up feeling lackluster. idk. this isn’t to say i dislike the Painted Lady, i just wanted to get my thoughts out

#atla #katara #sokka #i really wanna stress that this isn’t katara hate #cuz i know a lot of ppl hate katara i guess #i absolutely adore her she’s amazing #but the painted lady feels like a Slog on rewatched #*rewatches #it’s just my— #thoughts #avatar the last airbender #atla meta #avatar meta #have i mentioned how much i LOVE the desert ep? i definitely have but holy shit #what a way to bring back heart and soul katara #literally everyone’s strengths are lost INCLUDING KATARAS WATERBENDING #but her waterbending has never been the most important part of her character #it’s her drive and her passion and her inherent ability to love and empathize #and that’s why she’s the one to pull everyone together and get them Out #ugh #such a good fuxking ep jesus christ #ugh i’m drunk #who woulda guessed #not like that’s all the time or anything pffff #any other zukka alcoholics out there ? ahhhahaha slap me and shut me up i swear

[novalian]

Hey @da-qf I’m bringing our discussion to its own post because it’s now more of a general ‘issues with Clarke’s portrayal in Season 4’ thing which I think is interesting to talk about but I don’t want to clog up the OP’s notes with a topic that’s now pretty tangential to the original post.

You make an interesting point about Clarke’s non-Bellarke relationships being perceived as neglected by the narrative. You’re right to point out that in contrast to Bellamy, who had meaningful and even positive connections with other groups and individuals all throughout the season, Clarke was pretty remote. I actually disagree with you when you say that ‘deep down Clarke isn’t like this’, though – if you mean that she isn’t inherently prone to holding herself apart from her community, or to shutting off her emotions and ignoring her personal relationships unless they’re mission-essential. 

Clarke’s capacity to care deeply is one of her most defining traits, but she doesn’t express that as much in her interpersonal relationships as she does in her at-all-costs leadership and her drive to do anything to save her people – which is a labor of love. One of the reasons I think her bond with Bellamy has survived that tendency to isolate in ways that her friendship with Octavia for example has not is that they are genuinely vital to each other’s ability to lead well, and that is not the shipper in me talking but the character analyst. By Season 4, Clarke has accepted that she needs Bellamy as a humanistic counter point to her ruthless pragmatism, to root her schemes in their human stakes so she doesn’t go too far. He has accepted that he needs her to temper his emotional impulses with reason and perspective so that his excellent leadership instincts aren’t buried by his passions. 

I think Clarke’s psychological baseline is still ‘I bear it so they don’t have to’, but with Bellamy she has a leadership justification for allowing herself to be close to him that provides the jumping off point for everything else. I mean, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the person she was arguably closest to this season besides Bellamy was Roan – he played the role of her co-leader at several points, and she’s learned that that kind of partnership requires/allows you to give a bit of yourself. Whereas her other relationships admittedly suffer by virtue of being ‘non-essential’ in a time where Clarke – understandably, I think – considers them a luxury she can’t afford.

I agree we’ll have to agree to disagree on several of your Bellarke points – I don’t think Clarke was out of character or that things moved too fast, but I can certainly empathize with how frustrating it is to see one character relationship given so much attention when your interest and emotional investment lies elsewhere. Clarke/Kane and Clarke/Octavia were pretty non-existent (although neither of those relationships have ever gotten a whole lot of attention, so I don’t think that can be blamed on this season’s Bellarke-focus). I loved what we got of Clarke/Raven and Clarke/Abby, but there needed to be more. And I was equally baffled by Clarke/Niylah. So I understand the sense of dissatisfaction that you feel. 

But I think Clarke’s failure to really emotionally engage with anyone besides Bellamy this season was actually a deliberate and important part of her arc; her progression towards becoming a more Jaha-esque figure. So entrenched in the idea of sacrificing for her people, so consumed by the debate and the rhetoric and the ethical tangle of it all, that she lost sight of (most of) the actual human beings she loves and is fighting to protect. Clarke ending up on that tower alone was a self-fulfilling prophecy in more ways than one. But I think the show knows that, which is why it looks like Clarke will become more of a heart figure in Season 5. There’s an imbalance that needs to be addressed. And as excited as I am about Bellarke next season, I am just as excited to see what I think and hope will be a version of Clarke that re-invests in her other relationships as well.

#gabi makes words about the 100 #i have thoughts about your octavia points as well but it would be overload on this post :p #da-qf #the 100 meta

[littlefawnlily]

[ headcanons and other notables ]

CHARACTER’S SEXUALITY Even though, I hate the phrase ‘bi-curious’, I’d have to say that’s what Lily is. Meaning that, she would easily be bisexual if it were that easy. However, during the time and considering how much her family is already dealing with in regard to ‘hidden aspects Lily was born with’, she hides that part of herself. Maybe it would be different if she actually fell in love with a girl, but as she stands now: outwardly straight. PERSONALITY TRAITS pas·sion·ate ˈpaSH(ə)nət/ adjective showing or caused by strong feelings or a strong belief.

Lily is an all or nothing kind of girl. If she loves something, she loves it hard. If she hates it, she hates it hard. Middle of the road is for the mediocre in her opinion which can sometimes lead to positive and negative traits, the positive one, is her passion. Passion for others, for justice, for art, and music, and the people she loves.

judg·men·tal ˌjəjˈmen(t)l/ adjective having or displaying an excessively critical point of view.

The negative side of her passion is that she tends to make up her mind quickly. She knows what she thinks is right and she knows what she thinks is wrong. End of story. This leads to difficult situations when she eventually changes her mind or realizes that she may have been wrong to begin with.

AGE & DOB: 18, January 30, 1960; She’s an Aquarius, which would usually mean she has an openness, wit, and imagination unparalleled by any other zodiac than that of the Sagittarius. They value a challenge to their intellect, honesty from everyone around them, and looking inward for inspiration and guidance. However, they also tend to be stubborn, sarcastic, rebellious, and very independent.

PLACE OF BIRTH: Inistioge, County Kilkenny, Ireland

WAND: 10 1/4 “, made of willow wood which is an uncommon wood with healing powers. Ollivander said that an ideal willow wand owner has some unwarranted insecurity of some kind. Lily’s would be that she will never belong in either world that she is a part of. The muggle life is too boring for her. If she chose to be a part of it, she would always have to hide a part of herself, but the wizarding world doesn’t want her or people born like her. It’s a constant struggle of will. Willow wands also have a penchant for non-verbal magic, those wands choose those with great potential and are willing to learn much. As for the core, Lily has a wand with unicorn hair. They produce the most consistent magic, though they aren’t the most powerful. Her wand is described by Ollivander as swishy and particularly good for charm work, which has never surprised Lily as that is her favorite subject. What would surprise Lily is that Willow wood, outside of wandlore, is associated with psychic abilities, intuition, and dreams as she has never been interested in divinations as a subject.

BOGGART:   Mermaids from the Black Lake. One time during her third year, she was out on the lake in an old boat trying to soak up as much sun as she could before it turned too cold. As she was reading her copy of The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle, she started to hum an old hymn her mum had sung to her when she was a baby. Suddenly she noticed a ripple in the water. When she looked to the dark, mirror-like reflection, she didn’t only see her red hair, she saw a pair of yellow eyes staring back at her. They disappeared when she screamed, but Lily has had nightmares about that event ever since. A psychologist might say that meant she was terrified of disappearing quickly with no one knowing what happened to her.

AMORTENTIA: The first time Lily brewed a cauldron of Amortentia she was unsurprised to find that she smelled blackberries, like the ones in her sister’s garden at home. They reminded her of her love of the outdoors and adventure, and the love she had for her family. She was equally unsurprised to smell leather like the tomes from the library that she spent some of her favorite nights at Hogwarts poring over. The surprise came with the last scent; broomstick polish.

PATRONUS: Lily cannot yet cast a fully corporeal patronus. It drives her absolutely mad, because no matter how she tries, she simply can’t seem to fix whatever it is that’s blocking her. Not to mention, Lily Evans doesn’t fail at charms. When she eventually masters the charm, though. Her patronus will take the form of a doe. “The doe is a soft and innocent patronus to have, and those with it reflect this greatly. They have a comforting, almost maternal way about them, and it can draw many to them, and this can cause them to have many friends and admirers. They are social people, but they are not too strong in this aspect immediately, instead being a bit hesitant before getting to know a person. They can sometimes form impressions of others before truly getting to do this, however, and can become stand-offish to these individuals.” QUOTE: “I used to dislike being sensitive. I thought it made me weak. But take away that single trait, and you take away the very essence of who I am. You take away my conscience, my ability to empathize, my intuition, my creativity, my deep appreciation of the little things, my vivid inner life, my keen awareness to others pain and my passion for it all.”

HEADCANONS: • Lily was raised in a Protestant Christian household so when she received her letter to Hogwarts, informing her that she was a witch, she panicked. She’d always been taught that witches, future seers, psychics, and palm readers were possessed by demons. They were evil. But when her parents rejoiced over the news, applauding her and celebrating her skill, Lily was relieved. Maybe all witches weren’t inherently bad. While there are no churches for her to attend while at school, she is certain to be at the chapel every Sunday when she visits home. Lily is adamant that she wants to maintain her spirituality as well as her magic endeavors. She does still struggle with her two contradicting identities and beliefs, though. • Being a child of the 70s, music is definitely a huge influence in Lily’s life. Growing up, she was a huge fan of Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and The Who. To this day, My Generation is one of her favorite songs. However to many people’s surprise, Lily is a huge fan of the punk rock movement. The Clash, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Patti Smith… she has all the records and posters. Whenever she and Marlene have had one too many shots of Fire Whiskey, Lily has been known to paint her face like Bowie and sing Cherrybomb at the top of her lungs to anyone that will listen. • Lily Elizabeth Evans is one of the biggest Quidditch fans you will ever meet. She never misses a match, she makes the best signs, and she loses her voice from cheering every time there is a game. Although she is actually terrified of flying herself, she makes a point to study the matches and tell Marlene and James everything they could improve on for the next match. Lily knows they’re both absurdly annoyed by it, but she absolutely refuses to lose the Quidditch cup. Not to mention, she has a thing for athletes.   • Lily’s magic is at its strongest when she is protecting someone. Although she is naturally a very powerful witch, there is something archaic about her powers. She has a primal urge to protect people, especially the innocent and oppressed, and her magic responds to that innately. She also has a gift for non-verbal magic that she has yet to discover.

#;about lily #;biography #;headcanon