#OH Ya good point nour

[sokkagatekeeper]

@kyoshialone asked: this ask is asking u to make the post about ur thoughts on how the characters ppl stan affect how they view all of atla ? :)

ok so this is in reference to me saying that i've realized that i have a categorization system for atla fans in my head that is based on which character they stan because oh god have i spent too much time reading bad atla takes out of morbid fascination (and yes i have seen every single one of these takes at least once with my own two eyes). this isn't necessarily gonna line up with who someone's favorite character actually is (if the shoe doesn't fit, don't wear it), and it definitely doesn't line up with how much i love each character, but these are sets of beliefs that i associate with people who describe themselves as “stans” of certain characters.

disclaimer that this is (obviously) gonna be reductive and prescriptive. there are many common bad atla takes that i'm leaving out, but. god. i don't hate myself enough to be fully comprehensive with this. & i'm limiting it to atla tumblr, not other places where fandom exists; fortunately i have not observed enough fandom on other sites to have a good sense of how they differ from tumblr (i have blocked the few months i spent on atla tiktok out of my mind. also no one uses tumblr lmfao it's easier to do this with a site that has a small userbase). under the cut because it's time to offend every single atla fan in one post let's do it.

wait one more thing: don't rb this pls and thank u <3 i am genuinely not trying to be mean or start drama; i'm just complaining about bad interpretations to my followers who i assume already at least mostly agree with me. if i were to make a genuine effort to change atla fandom culture i wouldn't go about it like this lmao

sokka stans: the best atla fans no notes 👍 (like i said, this whole thing is kinda prescriptive. the idea of a “sokka stan” in this sense is somewhat defined by having good takes. but still, almost everyone whose atla opinions i fully agree with considers themself a sokka stan, so.)

katara stans: people who (incorrectly) believe that claiming that katara was always responsible, rational, and considerate is a good way of engaging with her character. momtara truthers. zutara shippers who believe that shipping katara with zuko is somehow liberatory for her. also probably think that katara is bi (which isn't inherently bad like the other things, but it is annoying 2 me, and sometimes people talk about katara being bi in ways that set of sirens in my brain.)

zuko stans: “aang critical” people. do i even need to say more. actually i will say more. some of these people's stellar (/s) takes include that: katara should've ended up with zuko because zuko is better than aang; aang was weak/selfish/immature for not wanting to kill ozai; aang was given a deus ex machina solution (because the writers loved him too much to have him grow as a character); in the southern raiders, aang was being immature and trying to force his beliefs onto katara. and more!

suki stans: ok there are two subcategories here. first is people (who usually ship zukka) who “stan” suki by reducing her to a badass amazing bi girl with very little depth, who has a girlfriend with similar amounts of depth. the second is people who are actually interested in exploring and expanding upon suki's character, who usually are actually invested in sukka (as opposed to how everyone else recognizes that sukka is a good ship but don't really care about it). that second group is cool. i am not one of them but they're great.

toph stans: do toph stans....... exist??

aang stans: ok aang stans are honestly the most fascinating group of people in all of atla fandom because they often have very interesting and insightful takes on aang (if i see a good aang take on my dash that wasn't written by someone i follow, 9 times out of 10 it was written by an aang stan) and they generally understand most of the characters (except for sokka they don't understand sokka at all, which makes sense because these people are so invested in aang as the thematic lead of the show that they think that the fact that sokka's philosophy on... basically everything contradicts aang's philosophy means that sokka is wrong, which. in reality, sokka and aang are both correct in different ways. anyway.), but then they'll also say absolutely batshit things like that the more people you ship aang with, even if these people are far too old for him or entirely romantically incompatible with him, the more you love aang. it just baffles me how people say with their whole chests that the 12-year-old and the 16-year-old should kiss. also they (from what i've seen, and also i think this is mostly a reaction to the aforementioned zuko stans) will defend every single writing choice made in atla. i mean, i think atla is a very well-written show but... it does have flaws..... which brings me to:

jet stans: ok like. jet stans have their hearts in the right place. they often have very good ideas. they're rarely, if ever, overtly racist or misogynistic (which is unfortunately more than can be said for most of atla fandom). they care a lot about being critical of atla, which of course is good, except that these (mostly teenagers, not adults tbf) often seem to think that “be critical of the media you consume” means “nitpick and try to find flaws that don't exist, largely for the sake of woke points,” when it really means “critically engage with the text,” something that many of them don't really do. i tend to see well-intentioned but ultimately pretty myopic takes coming from jet stans.

azula stans: where to start.... azula stans usually misunderstand azula's character (in that like... they idealize her in a way that is so contradictory to the themes of her arc. for example, when they say that she's a more powerful firebender than zuko, they're sort of right, but the way that they act as if being a better firebender has moral value is. pretty much exactly the reason why azula had a breakdown lol), minimize her contributions to the fire nation's imperialism (we all remember the pacifist azula essay, and also the way that they often act as if being abused excuses her from responsibility as if ozai turning his daughter into a weapon wasn't itself a form of abuse), misunderstand ty lee's character (by which i mean. the entirety of “tyzula”), act like the concept of “deserving a redemption arc” is a coherent analytical framework (it isn't), refuse to see nuance in ursa, start sentences with “unpopular opinion” (even if the opinion isn't unpopular... like it gets on my nerves more than it should when i see posts like “unpopular opinion: azula wasn't a heartless monster” or “unpopular opinion: zuko was a shitty brother” like... yeah... most people agree with you there....), and misunderstand zuko and azula's relationship (i've literally seen takes about how azula kept trying to mend their relationship and was kind to zuko in ways that he never was to her.... lol. i mean not that zuko was a good brother but. they were both shitty.)

ty lee stans: uhh i don't really see many ty lee stans but if you actually understand ty lee's character i am very likely to trust your opinions on atla in general.

mai stans: people who would make maiko amvs set to mitski's “me and my husband,” because they ship maiko. unfortunately. yes i have in fact seen at least one m&mh maiko edit made in support of maiko. tiktok is a dark place. to be clear, mai stans do actually care about mai, and, unlike most atla fans, understand that mai is an extremely nice & kind person but... they do not show their love for her in good ways. imo.

and again, don't reblog this. as always, good faith criticism is welcome. love and light to you all <3

[thedaysuntold-blog]

28th of May, 2018|5:37 am

TWO DAYS SINCE WE FINISHED SCHOOL Well, technically 3 if we are going to count today as a new day, but to me this is just the night of May 27. Even though the sun is coming out right now, it is still the night of 27 to me. That makes me wonder; Are our days counted by the hours or by how long we have been awake? Well of course, by the twenty-four hour cycle, unless you have a different concept of what a day is. I am just stupid, I guess. I have been wanting to create this journal-thing since school finished, but God bless I never did, special credits to my mom's old phone I am currently operating. I still remember the last day of school, oh God did I cry a lot. And the most embarrassing part was that I was the only one to cry. I wonder how hideous I looked haha, with all the stress-acne that has been hitting me, the lack of sleep, and my very well known low self-managing. Add to that an ugly crying face. But that isn't the only thing that took place on the last day. Well, I skipped so many events that I might as well start again; It was sunny but not too hot, something between spring and summer. Me and my brother were waiting for the bus, after a night of not sleeping. It felt so strange sitting in that almost empty bus, after getting in ofcourse. Then Sandra got in, as well as Bader and his siblings. I have a long time without seeing Bader, i was glad I got to see him for one more time. If only Baha2 joined, so the we-sit-at-the-back squad would have been complete. This also made me realize how much I missed Sabine, the sardine. I remember walking with Bader when we arrived since there was no one and my brother had better things to do, like talk to his girlfriend. It was so awkward, but I could tell Bader was trying to make me comfortable and open some conversation. I really appreciate that from him. So I stood there in front of the "Wade3 El 3adi" building until Ramsey, a big baby, came. We chat a little, still kinda awkward. BUT THEN LEILA CAME!!! I want to mention how I am completely obsessed with the fact that she exists?!? Woah such a wholesome human being?!? Anyways later on Georgio joined and I honestly had so much fun with them there. I love those two so much, I cant believe I grew so fond of them. It's strange how when I first met them I wouldn't have thought that they would become such an important fragment to the puzzle that is my life. Then we went up and solved the physics exam which was honestly easy, then nothing important occurred at reccess, and finally the gold test. Our last ever high school exam. After this we are officially adults. No more moments in class, no more uncontrollable laughter and playing around. Perhaps no more innocent happiness. The gold exam, coming from Miss Khawla herself, was expectedly long. I remember writing her a very heartfelt note at the very end, just like I did with Miss Iman. Miss Khawla was so happy and she told me through her smile; " Ya albi ya n/a". I really used to hate her but somehow at the end she didnt seem so bad. Maybe she didn't mean to be so evil, afterall. Later I went down to meet Safafa and he told me that Iman was looking for me. Iman is someone that has been my best friend for the past few years, she is my soul at this point. I dont know what I would do without her. And then I started crying of course cause I might not get to see her or anyone again. I just couldn't swallow such a heavy pill. Then everyone was consoling me, and Nour was so nice to me?? She is so nice haha. I hugged almost everyone and told each how much I loved them and how much they meant to me. If anyone is going to die, they better know they are hella loved. I wish someone could make me feel loved too. But then Iman exists, so no need for that. Something very cute was that Dean came to me holding a golden marker, and told me to write on his uniform, and he pointed at the location on his heart and said:" I saved this spot for you, Mohamed." And I don't know but I was extremely touched. Man, he is really someone, not a someone, but rather an all capitals PERSON, who I really treasure. He just makes me happy, that dumb kangaroo. "You know what I am going to write." I said as I wrote: "Don't let anyone kill your sparkle." Which is something I have been telling him ever since I befriended him last year. He is special to me you could say. I need to mention how awkward it was writing on his left boob. I also saw my cousin shaking his head at me because I was crying, looking disappointed. All because I cried, wow such disgrace to manliness! I really get the vibe that he doesn't really like me. The most important thing is that I gave Iman my uniform as a present and memoir from me. She also hugged me twice, and her hugs are so soft yet so tight, she has the most ideal hug I've ever had. I will just say those for now, I deserve some sleep. It's 6:32 am. Goodnight. I hope i keep up with this journal. Memories are something so fragile yet so sharp and cutting. People with good memories must be the saddest. But at least we learn how to live with the broken glass that is the past.