#fighting back

[just-whump-and-suffering]

My Home Hero Ep 09

[tvneon]

[enbycrip]

I have started a petition to the UK Government to scrap the new transphobic building requirements for every new non-residential building to have separate binary gendered toilets. It’s an ongoing part of the Tory hostile environment that means fewer public buildings will be able to provide ungendered bathrooms, as they are very unlikely to build three separate spaces.

I’m sure you all know how bathrooms are currently a flashpoint for transphobic abuse and violence, but I wanted to raise the fact, as a disabled nonbinary person, that only providing gendered bathrooms mean more trans binary and nonbinary and intersex people who are afraid of facing attack or abuse in them for being perceived as being “in the wrong space” end up having to use accessible bathrooms, even if they don’t have accessibility needs, for safety.

Given how inadequate accessible bathroom provision is, this means more people being forced into using an inadequate number of facilities, which can be really unpleasant for people with GI problems and other reasons they might need to use bathroom facilities very urgently.

Basically, this is a way to screw a whole load of marginalised people at once. I would really appreciate if you could sign and share my petition - I know it’s easy to feel it’s pointless, but given the Tories are such blatant populists, it’s far from the first time they have u-turned when people make noise about an issue.

Please sign and share!

[mah-o-daryaa]

For a show that's progressive, one-of-a-kind, ground-breaking for its time, and relies on "Show, don't Tell" a lot throughout the series, it bugs me how ATLA (or, more specifically, Bryke) preferred to tell the audience that Aang is a master airbender without showing us why. I mean, Toph, Zuko, Azula, and Katara are all shown practicing and improving their mastery in bending (although Katara has become rather overpowered), so why can't Aang have the same treatment?

Yes, Aang may be a child prodigy, and he did get airbending tattoos from inventing the air scooter, but I personally think that inventing an airbending technique (which demonstrates impressive ability and skill) is a way to gain the arrows prematurely, but isn't a requirement. Nothing in the show ever suggests just how far he's mastered his native element, let alone the other three. In the beginning of Sozin's Comet, Part 1: The Phoenix King (3:18), Aang says he thinks he still needs to practice his firebending more (which in hindsight makes sense, as he's just started relearning it from the dragons five episodes ago), and Toph notes that his earthbending could use more work too. Right off the bat, Aang is two elements away from complete mastery of all four, but later on he's seen practicing waterbending with Katara, implying he hasn't mastered it either.

We don't even see Aang practicing his airbending by himself post-iceberg, preferring to show off to random girls (like in Kyoshi Island). He just learns the elements, but doesn't really learn the philosophies behind each element. In this regard, he makes Kuruk and Roku look venerated in contrast. (To be fair to Aang, he had a specific deadline to master the four elements before Sozin's Comet that no other Avatar besides Wan had to deal with, but couldn't he try to make an effort to learn from the other nations?) Additionally, compared to Tenzin and Zaheer, Aang doesn't stand a chance against either of them (even though Tenzin is his son, but since Tenzin wasn't the Avatar, he could focus on upholding the Air Nomad culture and legacy). Even Jinora could go toe-to-toe with him at similar ages. He isn't really that impressive in any of the elements, to be honest; we've seen what a master of any specific element can do in both ATLA and LOK, as well as in the novels.

The main thing people often get wrong is that mastery isn't a final goal; it's a specific mindset. As in Pai Sho, what separates true masters from everyone else is that true masters always look for improvement in their strategy or skills. That's why Aang isn't a real master of the four elements: He always takes the easy way out, never trying to better himself or improve what he can already do.

I think this quote from Zaheer perfectly sums up what I've been saying: When you base your expectations on what you see, you blind yourself to the possibilities of a new reality. Even though it stems from his anarchist beliefs, it is genuinely one of the more insightful pieces of wisdom in the franchise because it promotes progress, a constant theme in life. Toph was able to invent metalbending because she wanted to "see" a reality where she could be recognized for her own talent in spite of her blindness; Zuko could learn firebending from the dragons because he could see a reality where he would regain his honor and fight alongside the Avatar, and so on. By contrast, Aang only takes things from surface-level, not putting any effort into understanding the true meaning of being the Avatar.

Speaking of Pai Sho, guess which Avatar constantly improved his/her abilities? Kuruk. Unlike Aang, Kuruk readily asked his companions, Jianzhu, Hei-Ran, and Kelsang, to continue teaching him, ever after he mastered the four elements that he was required to do, saying they would all benefit from the experience (the "true master" quote I mentioned above was actually said by him). Not only that, it was even inverted; sometimes they taught Kuruk, other times he taught them (which technically makes him the first known Avatar to teach bending to others). He was right, as during their lifetimes, they were the most powerful benders of their respective elements in the world!

Kuruk also had an intuitive connection to each of the four bending philosophies, which to this day remains unrivaled by any other Avatar, and was also one of the first people to suggest the idea that the four elements are connected (homeboy's literally a younger Water Tribe Avatar version of proto-Iroh, I'm honestly not going to be surprised if Iroh actually learned his belief from Kuruk during the former's visits to the Spirit World over tea and Pai Sho matches). If you ask me, Mone, learning the cultures and philosophies of the four nations is way more important than mastering the four elements, because the Avatar isn't just the bridge between the four nations; he/she is also the symbol of a unified world, and the franchise is saying that only one Avatar even bothered to do that? In my opinion, if we go by this rule, that easily cements Kuruk as the greatest Avatar in history!

Aang, on the other hand, never does this. Instead, he puts the Air Nomads on a high pedestal (which in turn causes him to place Katara on a high pedestal), and doesn't respect or learn from other nations' philosophies. He openly disrespects SWT culture and actively makes sure Tenzin doesn't have any exposure to the culture that Tenzin still belongs too, and worse, he pushes his own culture on other people's throats (remember the time he forced a homeless couple to "give up on hope because it's a big waste of time"? Or the time he forced Katara to not murder Yon Rha?) and values his own nation and values above the rest of the world (like the time he refused to kill Firelord Ozai because "all life is sacred", even though he has actually killed before, but if he doesn't kill Ozai, the latter's going to burn the entire Earth Kingdom to the ground!). That doesn't sound like something the Avatar is allowed to do, but Aang gets away with it anyway because ... hero?

There's actually another Avatar who focused on his/her own nation above the rest of the world. Avatar Szeto, Yangchen's predecessor, became a government official in his homeland, the Fire Nation. Under his tenure, the Fire Nation transformed from a fragmented, disaster-stricken state to the centralized, technologically-advanced nation we know of today. Unfortunately, this led him to neglect the other nations and, shortly after his death, the four nations were caught in a political event known as the Platinum Affair, which Yangchen had to deal with, eventually kick-starting the cycle of the current Avatar fixing their past lives' mistakes, while leaving problems for their future selves to fix. This problem might have even led to the growing ambition of Firelords Zoryu and Sozin as dictators, with the latter starting the Hundred Years War.

Aang not only valued his own nation's values above the others, he also forced said values on his non-Air Nomad companions; signed anti-miscegenation laws and tried to forcefully deport Fire Nationals from the colonies to return the land to the Earth Kingdom, even though they had already blended in with Earth Kingdom citizens, didn't wan to be separated from their families, and Zuko perceived the citizens of mixed heritage as his own subjects; refused to let his family practice SWT culture, even though his children could benefit from being members of both cultures, not just one or the other, and set an example for mixed-race families around the world; refused to teach Kya and Bumi Air Nomad culture because he thought they weren't airbenders and therefore "not real Air Nomads", even though they were just as Air Nomad as Tenzin was, if not more; and forced Tenzin to uphold the legacy of an entire nation on his shoulders. The fact that this was all written by complete accident is the cherry on top, representing just how badly Bryke screwed up.

... On a completely unrelated note, The Other Side of Paradise by Glass Animals (which is also one of my favorite songs) is definitely a Kuruk song. The last third of the song in particular sums up his tragic journey as the Avatar so well, and I always think of him while listening to it.

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hello dear 👋🏻 Nar. I love your perspectives on iwtv . And the books too . There's something I have some problems with & I wanted to ask so I understand it fully .

There are some interpretations that Lestat loves it when Louis throws him around & fights with him physically , although I believe Lestat loved when Louis fought back he could also mean verbally & literary . I think the meaning of fighting back can also be interpreted as Louie's will & Louie's way of dealing with hardships in his Vamparic nature & towards Lestat about his Vamparic nature . But everyone thinks it's physically too because of Lestat's reaction to be thrown on the wall by Louis . Could it be something that Louis believes about Lestat & it's not actually something Lestat would love Louis do to him ?

Now according to Lestat's past about his father & brothers behavior towards him & Magnus throwing him & him getting hurt . Are we sure that Lestat loves it when Louis does that to him ? I feel like when we get to Lestat's POV this is also gonna be a bit different . Like Lestat doesn't like getting hurt or thrown to walls by Louis if it's not something sexual that excites him he might let Louis do that because he wanted to do it to him because he was angry by him .

Ps I know that Lestat himself hurt & throw people on the walls too but isn't the notion different when it's done to himself?

Hey!

Glad you like!

Hmmmmm. so I would think that Lestat... loves any and all attention that Louis lavishes on him in and by itself.

Like, he hates being ignored. He hates people reading and paying him no attention (hello, Gabrielle...) And Louis canonically withholds to exert control (not just over Lestat, but generally, over his life, over his hunger, over his emotions, etc., though he later knows very well how to handle Lestat as well.)

That clashes, obviously, in a rather unfortunate way, to put it simply.

So when Louis focuses on Lestat (in whichever way!) and maybe even lets go?! That is what Lestat wants.

He wants Louis to be fully realized, using and accepting his powers, and his life... and (ideally) focused on him.

So that is what I would say plays more into the "being thrown around and enjoying it" than any memories of Magnus or his own upbringing might. (For example, in the above scene: there would be pride also, because Louis can use that power.)

And as per that scene we saw in the teaser: I think it is important to remember that this is likely in Louis' mind - and it is canon Lestat starts to laugh in the most improper moments^^ So it will really depend on what Louis is imagining Lestat to laugh about there... and why.

PS: BTW is it just me or are these the same clothes????

[the-garbanzo-annex-jr]

by David Suissa

We shouldn’t underestimate this threat of making lives hell, those of Jews and of their supporters alike. It’s human nature to want to be cautious and avoid confrontation, especially if we think that confrontation can turn violent.

The problem is that the more we cave to this intimidation, the more haters will be encouraged, and the more Jews will censor themselves. And once we limit our voices, what do we have left?

To her credit, Dr. Kira Stein of UCLA protested the decision to move the event online, noting that “Antisemitism, particularly in the form of anti-Zionism, is intimidating both faculty and students on campus. By backing down to anti-Jewish threats, antisemitism will be emboldened, and things will get worse.”

Instead of caving, we should fight back with a two-fold strategy: One, continue to combat the harassment and intimidation of Jews using all legal means at our disposal; and two, continue to stage more and more events while insisting on better and tougher security.

What is not an option is to give in to the intimidators and censor ourselves. Any time Jews hesitate about expressing themselves out of fear of triggering Jew haters is another victory for the haters. As a friend mentioned recently, Jew haters would love nothing more than to move Jews and Jewish voices “underground,” perhaps because they know the power of our collective voice.

Indeed, if there is one freedom Jews have valued in America, it is the freedom to speak freely and without fear. That freedom to express ourselves is not just good for the Jews but for all freedom-lovers who understand that this freedom is the soul of our country.

As I saw the thousands of pro-Hamas demonstrators trying to block the president’s motorcade as he arrived for his State of the Union address, I was reminded that, once again, this problem is bigger than the Jews.

[rustandsky]

Though I drowned for ten years, I'm still rising Stronger for my pain and suffering My body was broken but my heart's reborn I'm freer than the sky

[bloodybosom]

[witch-of-fanart]

Gangreen Reunion page 15-16

DAMN SNAKE!

[fourseasonsfigs]

600, or a musing on resilience and love

Hello all you wonderful figthusiasts! Today is the day that I hit 600 fan figs on my spreadsheet total (not all in hand, the vast majority are in some stage of production or transport), and I wanted to take a minute to stop and celebrate what is, by all accounts, an incredible number.

This is less about me (and my perhaps fiscally-questionable use of disposable cash) and more about the fact that more than 600 individual figures of Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan were produced and made solely by fans. That this many actually exist in the world. What this is about, above all other things, is about love, and resilience, and the awe-inspiring, unstoppable combination of both.

I don't normally talk about the current situation with Zhang Zhehan and Chinese entertainment, because this blog is meant to be a little island of happiness and fun for us that love this show, love these two actors, and love seeing cute renditions of them. But 600...well, 600 feels powerful. It feels like something worth talking about.

This fandom has had half of our vibrant, beautiful soul ripped from us in the nastiest, cruelest, most contemptible way possible. This is greed and evil in the most overt form I've seen in the world, and it was horrifying to watch it unfold that August.

As overseas fans, we at least can still see Zhang Zhehan's past works, post videos and photos of him, and freely say his name as much as we want. The Chinese fandom cannot. Zhang Zhehan has been so comprehensively erased from Chinese media that he cannot even use his own name. The fandom can't even search for his name online, his pictures and videos have been removed, and any of the shows or movies that feature him that remains still available has him (literally) scrubbed from the screen.

This is what I see when I search for Zhang Zhehan on Taobao, Weidian, and Xianyu:

The Chinese fans have taken matters into their own hands, and stood up and fought back and refused to forget him. The fig makers, the doll makers, the merch makers - all of these incredibly brave, loyal, and loving fans have gone out there and dedicated thousands and thousands of hours of their own time and their own money to keeping his memory fresh, his work front and center, and his light constantly burning.

They took him from the fans, but they can't make the fans let him go.

Luckily, the fandom still has the other half of it's soul, and continues to celebrate Gong Jun and his accomplishments, and his own fiercely loyal and great heart, and celebrates the love and affection and care these two souls have for each other. Zhehan promised Junjun forever on May 5th, 2021, and the fandom honors and helps keep his promise.

Think about it. Six-hundred-plus fan-created figurines of the two of them. I don't even own all the fan figs - there's absolutely more than this, I'd estimate closer to 700.

There's Wenzhou figs, of course, but random side character in a long ago TV show? Check. Main characters? Check. Appearance(s) on a variety show? Check. Ad campaigns? (Lots of) magazine shoots? Check check. Casual airport outfit? Workout pose? Douyin moment? any number of Weibo posts? Livestream? not just one, not just two, not just three, renditions of childhood photos? Check check check.

And the figs are still coming. I have a whole list of figs in sketch form sitting in my Weidian cart, waiting to be opened for deposits. One after another, fig makers dipping deep into their precious hoards of recorded shows and magazines and photos and videos of Zhehan, designing one fig after another. Every time Junjun wears some fancy new designer outfit, fans are hard at work pairing that look with a complementary one from Zhehan's archive, determined to keep these two front and center in a country where they can't even type Zhehan's name into a search engine without it being censored.

My respect for the Chinese fandom and the fan creators is immense. They have souls of steel. Every time I hold one of these figs in my hand, and marvel at the cleverness and creativity and all the fine little details, I feel the strength of that connection to them, that iron determination, the fierce will to persevere, that pride and joy, and the love that can't be stopped. 坚强 indeed.

Yeah, 600+ figs is a trauma response, no question. For the fan makers and the fan buyers. But it's a response, all right. Today I have 600 and more tiny (giant) shouts of, you can't stop us, we're going to keep loving and celebrating and remembering him no matter what happens.

It's incredible. I don't know why 600 is the number that really hits me - I had thought it would be 500, but I blew past 500 without blinking in a frenzy of late night and early morning fig drops, and then it was Gong Jun's birthday, and a tidal wave of love and figs, and now here I am. I was at 598 yesterday and already today I'm at 612. I'll be at 700 before I know it, with a lot of remainders starting to be released and the Spring Festival coming up.

I have less than 200 fan figs actually at home, and it's ... a lot. My husband asked me a while back, staring at my display shelves, so, what's the end game here? and I just looked at him, and said, I don't know.

I really don't. I have to believe this is totally unprecedented, but then again, what happened to him is totally unprecedented. The only thing I know that if the fans keep making them, I'm going to keep supporting them.

So here's to resistance, and resilience, and love. Here's to the fans staying strong, and here's to Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan. It's going to be a glorious sunrise on the mountaintop when it comes.

[sexbutalsowar]

Two figures decend through the long stretch of hallway beneath the arena.

"You can't be serious, Dani. They'll kill you."

"No, they won't, Alexi. I'm going to save her."

Alexi grabs Danis's arm, stopping him in his track. "Please, her crime isn't even that serious in the grand scheme. Most lawyers in the court could have it thrown away after she serves at least a month."

Danis eye furrow with anger and frustration washing over his face." A month! Are you insane or just blinded by your inability to see what's happening around here!."" She was protesting HIM, the king she's the perfect example to the masses as a show of dominance of what happens to those who protest his rule."

Alexis eyes softened, they knew they couldn't convince Dani to stay.

But they tried anyway.

"Please my love, this is suicide. Just stay here with me, I promise I'll do everything in my power to stay her trial and free her you just have to give me a chance."

Wet tears fell from Alexis eyes,"if you go out there, I might be chosen to fight you, and I'll win my love. Then no one will be happy, not her, not me and not you. Just listen to me for once and stand down."

Dani, for just a moment, lowered their guard and looked deeply at Alexis face. Behind his eyes was a mixture of disappointment and sadness. But that was only for a moment, and then suddenly, his resolve rushed back to him.

He jerks his arm and body away from Alexi in rejection. "There is no love between us. Never has been never will be. And if this is a fight for mine and my love life, then may the best fighter win."

With that, Dani walks to the arena entrance in preparation for the fight.

Alexi falls to their knees, knowing what's to come.

[naszircrockett2002]

The Former Prey by Makata

[stafftodoaboutnothing]

Interview with Palestinian West Bank freedom fighters group Jenin Battalion

From Al Jazeera

(note that this is from March 2023 so before israels' current attacks on Gaza)

[andreai04]

No gun, no sword, no army or king will ever be more powerful than a sentence. Swords may cut and kill, but words will stab and stay, burying themselves in our bones to become corpses we carry into the future, all the time digging and failing to rip their skeletons from our flesh.

[seaside-writings]

Prompt #462

"I am respected by all,"

"No, no, you're not; you're not even feared by all,"