my lady, the tiger

I wish the take I see most often on hollywood barbie alecto wasn't that john chose that because he wanted a sex symbol because it's missing out on a lot of thematic resonance about how john cannot help but return to frameworks of western imperialism and even at the moment he is seeking comfort in his childhood he ends up with one the symbols of western capitalism and how that relates to him recreating the same systems that harmed him and were destroying the world when he becomes god

#ALEXA PLAY FOREIGNERS GOD BY HOZIER #all that I've been taught and every word I've got is foreign to me #John's experience with imperialism and how inexorably it shaped his life is so fucking important to the themes #Dilworth is a private christian boarding school funded by a charitable trust #founded by an Irishman who wanted to provide a chance for the unfortunate (read: poor) to become 'good and useful members of society' #the student body is almost 70% māori #only 18.5% of North Island identify as māori #do you understand what I'm saying??? #do you see how even when looking for comfort in his childhood he can't escape it? #do you remember how that barbie belonged to his mother before him? #nothing about any of this has to do with sex #that is some real sk8er boi 'can I make it any more obvious' bullshit #is it so much more interesting than that (via @mayasaura )

One thing about me is I would always prefer the found family be unhealthily codependent little freaks than “grow up” and become people that only see each other or talk on special occasions. I want them ENMESHED in each other’s lives PERMANENTLY.

god I just. love ruthlessness as a character trait so much. sexy sexy sexy

this one. absolutely in love with this definition. give me a character who thinks like this and I’ll love them to pieces

The fact that Izzy always, constantly calls him “Edward” honestly drives me insane. Like yeah, he’ll perpetuate the Blackbeard myth because for a long time that’s what Edward wanted, and he’ll insist everyone else calls him Blackbeard, he’ll demand that Blackbeard gets his due respect, but it’s not Blackbeard he’s devoted himself to, it’s not Blackbeard he loves, it’s Edward. 

Me right now, I love her so much. This also includes Baby Luke too btw

Six of Crows thoughts: the scene at the end of the first book is a direct parallel to the parley disaster at the start of the book, which Kaz wins both by outplanning/maneuvering/staging a situation, and by relying on another person’s humanity- that the guard will run because he thinks his mistress is in danger. Over and over again, despite being a pessimist, Kaz relies on the strength of human ties between other people, whether romantic, as between Nina and Matthias, or familial, as between Colm and Jesper. He loses against Van Eyck because Van Eyck is better at maneuvering and outplanning and outposturing Kaz, using the image of respectability- the merchant’s council seal, his place in the community- to provide an image of legitimacy that Kaz buys hook, line, and sinker. But Kaz also loses against Van Eyck because he relies on Van Eyck’s love for Wylan, and because Van Eyck spots Kaz’s concern for Inej and uses it against him. Kaz loses because he expects someone else to be human while he is the monster, and instead finds himself human and someone else heartless. 

“ATLA hates revolutionaries.” No, it doesn’t. What ATLA hates is injustice, whether it’s carried out by an oppressive regime with a dictator at it’s helm or a traumatized teen who attempts to flood a town full of civilians. If Jet and Hama’s stories were the sole examples of ‘revolution’, this argument might hold some kind of weight, but they are two characters in a tapestry of many.

Imprisoned shows an entire group of earthbending prisoners rise up against their captors after an impassioned speech from Katara that very much embodies the spirit of revolution. In The Northern Air Temple, refugees organize and fight back against the army exploiting and threatening them, taking back their agency and home. The Painted Lady portrays ecoterrorism in a positive light (albeit with consequences, because rebellion isn’t cut-and-dried), but at the end of the episode, the abusive factory workers are driven away and the fishing village is restored. None of the characters participating in these revolts are demonized in any way; in fact, we are meant to be earnestly rooting for the revolutionaries in every one of these instances. 

ATLA also never says ‘violence is never the answer.’ Zuko chooses to end a cycle of generational violence by joining the Avatar in his quest to end the war. Aang chooses to end a cycle of global violence perpetrated against his people and the world by refusing to kill Ozai. These are heavily debated decisions that the two characters struggle with within the narrative. At the same time that these two are actively choosing peace, there are acts of revolutionary violence carried out elsewhere, both within The Day of Black Sun with the invasion of the Fire Nation Capitol and Into the Inferno with the deliberate infiltration and destruction of Ozai’s fleet of war balloons. 

The fact that Zuko and Aang chose peace doesn’t negate the concept of necessary violence, nor does it paint their decisions as ‘superior’ but, rather, right for these specific instances and characters. Zuko and Aang are motivated by cultural, political, and hugely personal reasons. This isn’t ‘muddying the waters’. This is ATLA refusing to yield to the dichotomy of good vs. evil and exploring the nuances of what it means to grow up during a time of war.

Furthermore, you cannot in the same breath say ATLA was ‘too idealistic’ and chastise the writers for how they handled Jet and Hama. Idealism would be dismissing the reality that some people will not heal from the scars implicated by imperialism. Idealism would be sanitizing every refugee and survivor’s story instead of allowing them to exist as full and flawed human beings who are capable of both honorable and horrific acts. 

At the end of the day, ATLA is one show that was written 15 whole years ago, and it should not and cannot be the sole source of media that has to hold the weight of every perfect political resolution or portrayal of war victims. If ATLA didn’t depict your Marxist fantasy flawlessly, then perhaps start pushing for other shows and films to tackle this issue instead of beating a dead ostrich horse over the head.

people on this website be like “it’s actually school’s fault that i don’t know how to read because i wanted to write my essay on the divergent trilogy and that BITCH mrs. clarkson made us study 1984 instead. anyway here’s a 10 tweet thread of easily disproven misinformation about a 3 year old news story and btw, who is toni morrison?”

i KNOW most of y’all are lying about being in the gifted program as children because none of you could pass the basic reading comprehension assessment they give third graders today

this post is mean and I never read divergent or whatever the fuck but 1984 sucks and is rape apologism so if somebody wanted to write about divergent or whatever good for them

this reply is like literally exactly what op is talking about lol. like firstly ops point isn’t “1984 is good”, ops point is that analysing complex stories teaches you how to form opinions and think for yourself. and like secondly in 1984 you’re supposed to think damn it’s fucked up that he’s thinking that way about her, i wonder if this ties in with the central theme of “a society like this will fuck you in the head”? (this is the thinking for yourself part). like do you think orwell just put that in for fun? do you think that just because winston is the protagonist you’re supposed to agree with everything he does?

You know I feel like this post just gave me an epiphany for what is wrong with how Tumblr Fandom/Internet Fandom responds to media-or not *wrong* but makes it very hard to respond to anything but a morally correct, and heroic protagonist. 

When an English teacher, or reader, taught or picked up 1984, it wasn’t with the intention they were going to love the protagonist. They picked it up with the intention of reading a whole story and trying to grasp the theme or catharsis from the story. If the protagonist was a *shitty* person it played into the the themes or the story, because it wasn’t about morally judging the book or *liking* or feeling attachment to the protagonist. Sometimes and often times, books were just about gaining another perspective. 

No one read Lolita expecting to endear, or like, or be inspired by Humbert. You are supposed to be upset by his behavior, you don’t read Lolita with the intention of being inspired. You read it to learn more about what the fuck is going on inside someone’s head when they behave like that. How children get sucked into abusive situations. Or read “The Great Gatsby” not because they want to fall in love with Gatsby or Nick, but to better understand and analyze the experience of the 1920s or destitution of the American Dream. 

A lot of internet and fandom culture has changed that though. When we say something like “I love the Great Gatsby” it comes with the idea or association that means you must *love* or relate to one of the characters. And maybe you do, but the first assumption is not longer about the quality of the work or themes, or cathartic impact-it’s about character admiration. And with that character admiration, in tumblr stan culture, or kin culture, or exalting characters with fanart/romance/so on you don’t just ‘admire’ or find that character ‘compelling’ it now translates to ‘you LOVE that character’ or you ‘DIRECTLY relate to that character.’ 

You can’t say “I love how Humbert is written, it’s so fascinating and dark”, without it directly translating you somehow relate to a child abuser or condone his actions. Taking in media has become an act of worship and connection. We no longer watch meant to just see the story as a whole, we watch expecting to connect to a character and if we offer them our “worship” as it’s become, as opposed to just attention or interest study as it traditionally was, it means we are condoning the character or saying we directly empathize with all their actions. 

I think that’s why there is often now so much fuss over *toxic* characters or not. Or whether that classical novel is showing good or bad things anymore. We’re treating the characters as people we should love or want to draw or write about. Sometimes a story is just about getting the the theme or catharsis or learning another perspective. We don’t NEED to like the character. Or we don’t HAVE to like a character to be impressed by how they’re written or intrigued by their behavior. 

I think if internet culture could learn to view stories as small insights into other lives or single takes of one perspective instead of purposeful moral inspirations we’d be a lot less worried about how toxic or not toxic they are. 

not 2 exaggerate but the good place’s thesis of “if the modern pressures of life were removed, we would inherently seek out opportunities to learn and become better and kinder people” is a more interesting and valuable thing to say about society than anything that’s ever been said about cell phones

enough “gaang / member finds out about zuko’s scar” fic. we have progressed past the point of needing “gaang member finds out about zuko’s scar” fic. more zuko finding out how aang evaded capture for 100 years and died in the crystal catacombs and about monk gyatso and air nomad culture (not historical propaganda he would’ve learned in school). more zuko finding out how katara learned bloodbending and how toph was added to the group / invented metalbending, more zuko finding out about sokka’s side of things at the siege of the north fic, please.

It frustrates me when Azula discourse is either like

A) “she’s only like that because she was abused, she was robbed of redemption”

or

B) “she’s an evil monster who should burn in hell”

She was indoctrinated by her father and Fire Nation culture to value power and hate above anything else. As a 14 year old, she obviously deserves to unlearn that ideology and heal from that abuse. But the fact that she wasn’t able to escape that life (a consequence of both her own destructive, violent choices which can’t be excused by abuse and how no one tried to reach out to help her) is what makes her story a great tragedy.

She’s supposed to contrast Zuko’s arc of discovering the evil of the fire nation and how it’s damaged his identity. Her identity was far too centered around fear and power to make the same realizations he did. Yes, it’s sad and heartbreaking, and you’re supposed to feel sympathetic towards her, but her story is better with a tragic ending. I like to think Azula heals someday in the future, but remaining a villian within the show’s enclosed narrative makes her so much more compelling.

Do you ever think that when Azula says “It’s terrible when you can’t trust the people who are closest to you” and Ty Lee and Mai share glances, they are not only thinking about their actual loyalty towards Azula, but also towards each other? 

They don’t even meet eyes, but they are thinking, who would you side with? I think both have made up their mind of siding with the other if the need arises, but they don’t know if the other thinks the same way

i see a lot of posts on here about Zuko’s parallels with every member of the gaang - and that’s true - but I hardly see any posts about how Aang really made every member of his friend group into their best selves.

His faith and friendliness to Toph gave her the courage and a way out of her abusive home. He helped her have an avenue to explore and work through emotions and stuff with her parents. Can you picture the Toph we meet in “The Blind Bandit” sitting with Appa and trying to make a conversation the way she does in “The Library,” just a few episodes later? Toph wanting to know if friendships can transcend lifetimes, and then knowing that they do. Toph learning to let the people who love her, the real her, help her. Toph hearing Aang say, “We just got the family back together,” and never disputing that they are one. 

Aang changing Katara’s life by being someone who believes in her bending, that she deserves to have a teacher and willing to back up her dream 100%, even if that means jeopardizing his own training. Aang validating her as a fellow waterbender every step of the way (“or two waterbenders” “sifu Katara”). Aang helping her be a kid, again, and to have fun, but also showing her the world he loves. Aang comforting her after Hama and Jet and knowing she needs to face Yon Rha, and also not wanting her to hurt herself in the process and always giving her the space she needs to work through things. Aang, helping her roast Sokka every step of the way, too, and working to be a part of their family.

Aang helping her and Sokka by stripping away their false ideals of maturity to actually be mature. Sokka, “there’s no time for war with the fun going on,” becoming goofy and respectful and trying to cheer Aang up. Aang taking his ego down a couple of notches but also always supporting him as a leader, and Aang being someone Sokka respects to defer leadership to “whatever you decide, I’m with you.” Aang reassuring Sokka about his dad and Yue and the invasion. Do you think Sokka added rainbows to pictures before he met Aang the smiley optimist?

And god, Aang and Zuko. Aang saving his life even in scenarios Zuko had given him plenty of reasons not to. Aang believing they could have been friends. Aang being the reason Zuko gets to join the Gaang and redeem himself. Zuko’s life changing radically the moment there was actually an Avatar to chase, and he had a path forward on which he could learn his father was wrong for the first time? Aang going along with Zuko wanting to meet the dragons, and learning from them. Aang giving Zuko a new purpose of being his teacher and his friend before the war was over. Aang sparing Ozai to also spare Zuko’s conscious that his best friend didn’t murder his father. Aang, someone who would have every damn reason in the world to hate Zuko, helping him let go of his anger, to find a new drive, to be “best friends,” lifelong friends, and to rebuild the world together.

speaking of obscure atla ships, katara/yue has untapped potential. they’re both princesses of the water tribe… the symbolism of the moon (yue) and the ocean (katara) as yin and yang… similar themes of duty to family/nation…

think of the hijinks of sokka and katara competing for yue’s affections! at first, katara just agrees to help out her brother and be his wingman, but then after becoming yue’s friend to put in a good word for sokka, she realizes that SHE wants to date the princess too. the sibling rivalry!

this is an AU where yue survives of course. or maybe she’s brought back by some spirit world magic? it’s also the zukka timeline, so don’t worry, sokka gets his gay happy ending too.

the ideas “azula was a victim of abuse who was manipulated and hurt by ozai” and “azula had a hand in a lot of trauma for zuko due to her awful treatment of him” can and should coexist