I don’t post much of my own content on tumblr. Actually, I don’t post any at all. But I needed to talk about the ending of The Legend of Korra.

I hadn’t been keeping up with the series at all. With the confusing and awful way Nickelodeon was handling the series, I didn’t even realize that half the series had aired in the past six months.

Series finale spoilers below, if you haven’t seen them already.

So when I saw everyone posting about Korrasami becoming canon, I was really confused. I’ve loved the ship since back in season one when the two of them actually started to get along instead of being pitted against each other, but I couldn’t see how so much of a leap could have happened.

Since the finale, I’ve watched the whole series, one season a day. I just watched the final two episodes this morning. And I rediscovered what I love about this series, and the whole Avatar universe. I’ve cared more for these characters than any other, and I feel so blown away and proud by the way they’ve all grown. And characters I knew nothing about a few days ago now mean the world to me.

But nothing compares to what it felt like to watch Korra and Asami getting closer together. Starting to trust each other deeply with their own fears, worries, emotions. At first, I wished that Mike and Bryan had been able to show the relationship more clearly. Compared to how much Mako was shoved in our faces despite how rocky their relationship was, a lot of things that Korra and Asami do are made to be mistakable for close friendship.

I still wish that they could have showed more, but strangely enough, the relationship development shown as is feels so much more realistic and natural than any other that I’ve seen from Avatar. They aren’t shown like other relationships on all ages shows (like Aang and Katara being so awkward around each other and oblivious to their obvious feelings.) It’s actually two people who form a close bond, and the trust they have in each other is so important to me. It reminds me so much of how I interact with my girlfriend, moreso than just the fact that we’re both women.

The very first episode of Korra premiered on April 14, 2012, which was my eighteenth birthday, Then and now, I considered it one of the best presents I’ve ever gotten, and I’m so thankful for it. Back then, I was about to graduate high school and I was still in the closet, in an awful relationship with an ignorant boy. I’d seen all the promotional art and videos and everything, but when I saw that first episode, Korra became my hero. She was brave, and strong, and she had so much to learn. I wanted to watch her grow into her role as the Avatar, as a leader who would always do her best to spread peace.

If only I had realized back then that she would have the courage to end her failing relationship, and would fall in love with her best friend Asami. If only I had realized that I would be able to do the same thing all in the next six months. Today, I’ve finally seen that my hero can actually be someone like me. So maybe that means that I can be a hero like her.