anonymous-pride

[anonymous-pride]

Liyue Weapon Series

[anonymous-pride]

Drew my old school love for a fanbook full of our favourite Ikemens haha… this was such a fun throwback! I still love you so much, Mr. Flaming Hot Mess  (´ ε ` )♡

STORE

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A screencap redraw of Katara in The Desert episode - an episode where she really shines 🤧

[anonymous-pride]

Cultural Anatomy: Zuko’s Book 1 Hair

We all know that peculiar hairstyle Zuko sports in Book 1. It’s also a hair style we see on the male Sun Warriors. This hairstyle, like other facets of the Fire Nation aesthetic, is inspired by Thai culture. In this case, Zuko and the male Sun Warriors are sporting traditional Thai topknots.

In traditional Thai culture, the crown of the head is the sacred portal of the spirit of life and is not to be treated lightly, especially regarding children. This sacredness extends to the hair on the crown, resulting in top knots grown over children’s fontanels (soft spots). In practical terms, it discourages careless adults from touching the most delicate part of an infant’s developing skull. The cutting of the top knot, known in Thai as kon chuk (โกนจุก), is seen as a rite of passage and an auspicious event for children between the ages of 7 and 13.

Obviously, these implications don’t quite carry over into the Avatar-verse, since we see plenty of adult Sun Warriors sporting the ‘do. Most likely, the hairstyle is meant to add to the Southeast Asian “flavor” of the Fire Nation.

That said, I do think this cultural subtext adds new dimension to one of Zuko’s most memorable moments, whether intentional or not. When Zuko cuts off his topknot, you can essentially view it through three equally valid lenses:

If you view it through a traditional Chinese/Korean lens, Zuko is renouncing his ties to his father; Confucians viewed hair as a precious gift from one’s parents and to cut one’s hair was seen as an act of disloyalty.

If you view it through a traditional Japanese lens, Zuko is renouncing his status in Fire Nation society and abandoning his title for the life of a peasant. In Japanese culture, a samurai seeking to join a monastery or the peasantry would cut off his top knot and undergo a dramatic decline in social status.

In you view it through a traditional Thai lens, Zuko’s hair cutting is a rite of passage. He’s leaving behind childhood and beginning his journey into adulthood. There’s no denying that Zuko matures a lot after he cuts off his top knot.

All of these interpretations fit the Fire Nation as they are a combination of Chinese, Japanese, and Thai culture.

Stuff like this is what draws me back into Avatar as an adult. The series is a mish-mash of so many different cultures, yet they all meld together in a way that still preserves the context of the different cultures they derive from. The show has a masterful way of integrating real-life cultural motifs and historical events into its own story, and it still manages to work both metaphorically and in-universe.

[anonymous-pride]

you’ve all heard of “faithful translations” now get ready for “unfaithful translations” where i make my translation say whatever the fuck i want because i think the source material sucks ass

[anonymous-pride]

[anonymous-pride]

my mom, dead in the middle of a conversation, slams on the breaks in the middle of a country road so she can pull over and take a picture of all these cows running for cover from the rain and adsfkjlfkdjg and thi dskfjfgj

[anonymous-pride]

[anonymous-pride]

A multiversal fisherman

Make of that what you will

there could be anything in there

[anonymous-pride]

Wanted to draw my angel boy in something fun! ^^

[anonymous-pride]

greek mythology | cursed images

[anonymous-pride]

anyone else find boomer comics funny in an ironic way? like, if some kid actually said this I would think it's fucking hilarious

[anonymous-pride]

Angel designs based on cursed emoji mashups. What emotion do these invoke on yall

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[anonymous-pride]

Feanorings by https://gugugugugao.lofter.com/

[anonymous-pride]

Sauron and Morgoth

Oldsketch

[anonymous-pride]

Annie Stegg Gerard (@anniestegg)