#i hate that i have to clarify that it's the original atla

[ibrokeeverything]

Just rewatched The Boy in the Iceberg, and man there's something really special in the original atla

In other news, water is wet, grass is green, and the sky is blue

[lynzishell]

The Past 💛 Atlas

I’ve finally reached a point where I can sit down and do some work on Ash’s game on my own. It took a lot longer than I thought it would. Not only because his workflow is incredibly chaotic, but also his design is incredibly complex, far more complex than anything we work on at Rainy Day, but it’s fun to feel challenged again.

I’ve spent every night this week in Ash’s living room while he walks me through everything he has so far, sorting out the design and the mechanics, his ideas for the worlds, characters, storylines, objectives, and so on. Yet, it feels like we’ve only scratched the surface.

We work well together, but we’re also easily distracted, often going off on random tangents and talking about everything from our families to school years and childhood friends to experiences we’ve had or want to have; we talk about how fun it would be to have our own indie gaming company one day, if only we could focus on the actual game for longer than an hour at a time.

Last night a song came on that inspired a whole conversation about music and all the songs we used to sing the wrong lyrics to, and some he still sings wrong just to annoy Lex. We started playing a game where we’d give each other a random word or category and the other would have to play a song they liked that fit. At one point I asked him what his guilty pleasure song is.

“Oh, I have dozens of those,” he said, “uh, but the first one that comes to mind is The Boys of Summer.”

“Your guilty pleasure song is an 80’s song?” I was shocked considering the amount of shit he gives me for the majority of my playlist.

“No no no no,” he shook his head, “I should clarify. The original sucks.”

“Of course you think so.”

“Obviously. Okay, but the one I’m talking about is the cover of The Boys of Summer by The Ataris.

“I like the name, but I have no idea who that is,” I admitted.

He laughed as he pulled up the song and told me, “You’re either going to love this or hate it. I’m not sure which.” When he pressed play, all I could do was watch in awe as he shamelessly enjoyed the song, complete with hand motions, air guitar and lip syncing. At one point he leaned in and sang directly to me, “But I don’t understand what happened to our love. But baby when I get you back, I’m gonna show you what I’m made of!” And then he spun away and started dancing to the chorus.  

Before I had a chance to think too hard about whether he was trying to tell me something through the lyrics, he pulled me off the couch to join him. We sang and danced with everything we had until we collapsed onto the couch, out of breath and wiping tears from our eyes.

When we finally calmed down, he pointed at me, “Your turn. What’s your guilty pleasure song?”

“Oh god,” I covered my face, “I can’t believe I’m going to tell you this.”

“Tell me.” He demanded.

“Dancing With Myself by Generation X. I can’t hear it and not sing and dance around my apartment like an idiot.”

“Oh, I have got to see this!” He sat up excitedly to find the song and turn it on… and then cheered when I began clapping my hands to the beat… and then completely lost it and fell over laughing when I sang along with my eerily accurate Billy Idol impersonation.

It’s become one of my favorite things, making him laugh. He has about a dozen different laughs from a rush of air through his teeth, to an infectious giggle, to a loud belly laugh… but my favorite is when he’s laughing so hard that no sound comes out aside from a series of clicks until he finally catches his breath.

It’s so easy with him, to get out of my head, to just relax and be myself.

Not everything is easy, though. I keep telling myself that eventually my feelings will fade, that it will get easier to just be his friend and nothing more, but if anything, it’s getting more difficult. Sometimes when we’re together, all I can think about is sliding my hand over to rest it on his leg, or to pick up his hand and interlace our fingers, or to reach up and hold his face, turning it toward me so I can kiss him. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about kissing him, his lips, his neck, that inch skin above his waistband that sometimes shows when his shirt rides up just enough, every part of him. Sometimes I let my eye contact linger just a little, desperate for him to give me a sign that he still feels the same way, but he never does. On some level, I’m grateful. It’s better this way. I’d only end up hurting him again.

I hear the front door open and close, bringing me out of my daydream and back to my computer screen. I look over what I’ve done so far to make sure I didn’t screw anything up while I drifted away.

A second later, I hear Dawn enter the room and flop onto my bed behind me and I glance at the clock, it’s only two.

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

“Finished early. What are you doing? I thought you weren’t working on Fridays anymore.”

“I’m not. It’s just a side project I’m working on with Ash.”

“Ooooh I see.”

I roll my eyes and change the subject before she can inquire further. “So, why are you on my bed? What do you want?” As I say the words, I’m overcome by the feeling that we’ve done this before.

“For you to take a break and go do something with me." I'm antsy. "I’m antsy.” Her words come out like an echo from my own mind and my whole body feels fuzzy for a moment.

“Have we had this conversation before?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

“Hm. I’m having the weirdest déjà vu.”

“Maybe you’ve been staring at that screen too long. We should get out and do something.”

“What do you have in mind?”

I’m open to suggestions. “I’m open to suggestions.”

Weird. This conversation, the song playing through my speaker, Dawn laying on my bed, me at my computer… everything feels so familiar. “Where’s your boyfriend? Why aren’t you dragging him out?” Even as I ask the question, I know I’ve asked it before.

“He’s busy…” Having coffee with his ex-girlfriend. “Having coffee with his ex-girlfriend.”

Okay, I clearly need some fresh air, and she clearly needs my support right now, so I save my work, lock my computer, and spin around to face her. “Oh, that’s why you’re antsy. Okay, I can take a break, but let’s go outside. We can go for a jog, that’ll get your energy out.”

“Fine, I’ll go change.”

Prev // Deja vu // Next

[fabuloustrash05]

Did season 5 even have a finale? From how messy and mushed up it was and how the episodes released out of order it was hard to figure out what was and what wasn't cannon at all. Especially from the stuff some have said or talked about how some arcs are left for the fans to decided or whatever. The main problem for season 5 is because when season 4 was over Nickelodeon cancelled it for being too dark and wanted to rebrand immediately. The show was supposed to have more seasons but because it got cancelled the writers had to unfortunately smash everything together before the show ended which explains why season 5 kind of sucks and a big jumble of mess.

I wanna clarify that the supposed reason for why Nickelodeon ended TMNT 2012 is because of low toy sales, not because it was “too dark” considering they allowed shows like Invader Zim and ATLA to be under their name despite the dark and graphic themes they had in their shows.

You are right, they did have 13 more episodes planned, one actually being about the Dream Beavers returning and Raph and Casey team up to take them down, but due to Nickelodeon rushing production and supposedly wanting to start fresh with new toys to sell (money, the answer is always money), the 13 eps were cut and the final season was turned into short story arcs instead of it being a continuations season like the others. But in the end, I think 5 seasons where always planned from the start, they just didn’t have time to do the 5th season any justice.

Btw I’m not saying Rottmnt is to blame, it’s not, Nickelodeon has been fucking over ALL versions of TMNT that they own since they bought the franchise. I mean, they’ve made FOUR tmnt iterations in under a decade. Why? Answer, MONEY!

Now, to my knowledge the original plan for S5 was for it to end with Mutant Apocalypse, that was supposed to be the finale considering how that arc ended with a thank you to the creators of the franchise, but Nickelodeon apparently didn’t like how depressing it was so they rearranged the arc orders in what would air first on TV so Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady became the show’s official “series finale” and instead said Mutant Apocalypse was one of many “alternate futures”, which is something I’ll accept as canon cause I HATED Mutant Apocalypse.

I remember Nick had this racing event going on that they were airing on their channel during commercials, so they made Mutant Apocalypse be the eps airing during that event since they also had a racing theme going on in those arcs cause MA is supposed to be a Mad Max Fury Road parody (so fucking stupid). That was their way of rearranging the arcs without suspicion from fans.

[monstromax]

Bigots Really Want Mr. Rogers to be Transphobic

...But they're wrong

While taking a look at right wing social media spaces, as I often do to keep an eye on what the chuds are up to (and because I am a digital masochist I guess), I came across this video: "Mr. Rogers on Gender Orientation."

first of all what is "gender orientation" even supposed to be gender is not sexuality you numblings

The clip is from a 1980 interview with Fred Rogers on The Tonight Show, where Rogers talks about his song, "Everybody's Fancy," which includes the lyrics "Boys are boys from the beginning / Girls are girls right from the start." Rogers says these lyrics are about addressing small children's fears that they might change into the opposite gender.

The clip's title frames this moment as an example of Fred Rogers being "anti-woke" and speaking "the truth" that gender and sex are binary and fixed. Indeed, the comments on this and similar videos have a lot of people saying things like "Was he trying to warn us???" and "This was once common sense!"

This isn't the only video like this. A glance at YouTube revealed that clips of Mr. Rogers singing this song has been making the rounds among right wing pundits like Glen Beck, Ben Shapiro and even the God-Forsaken Atlas Society.

After Glen Beck and his co-host make some hi-lar-i-ous comments about how Mr. Rogers should be dug up and beaten by the left wing mob, they mention how "I think everyone still knows this, but they're afraid to say it."

These clips stuck out to me because of how strangely they try to bring nostalgia into today's culture war on trans and queer people.

I noticed first of all that, even though all of these commentators are shouting about how Mr. Rogers would be absolutely canceled by the woke mob if he were around today, there is in fact no one in the queer community I can find who is actually denouncing Rogers as a transphobe.

No, Mr. Rogers still remains beloved as the quintessential wholesome media figure 20 years after his death in 2003. Which is precisely why right-wing bigots are holding this particular song up now - to say, "You woke moralists are so sick, you'd even hate Mr. Rogers!" They aren't defending Fred Rogers from anything; in fact they would love for people to get mad over these clips.

But of course, there are actually some people getting mad over this, and it's these pundits' audiences. By holding up this media from the past, the commentators and their audience get to lament to each other about the way things used to be, before "gender ideology," when people knew the truth about the world. It's one of the reactionaries' favourite pastimes.

What makes the use of these clips particularly insidious is precisely the fact that they are old media and Fred Rogers is not available to respond to or clarify them. Any objection that someone could make about Rogers' intentions or attitude can be dismissed immediately as second-hand interpretations.

But am I denying that what Fred Rogers said would be called problematic today? Well, no. The original words to that song don't align with modern understandings of gender identity, and the verse that follows about how "only girls can be the mommies" has some sexist undertones about gender norms. If these words were written today, they would indeed be called capital-P Problematic.

So why has the cancellation not commenced? Why no digital woke mob? As hard as this may be for the right to understand, queer people and their allies can understand context clues. While these comments were very much Not Good, most people are aware that Fred Rogers said these things from the social perspective of the 1970s and 80s, with an intended audience of very young children who were learning about their bodies. It's clear from how he says these things that he was not speaking from the perspective of an anti-trans moral panic. It seems likely that Rogers wrote these lyrics the way he did because, like most people at that time, he simply was not aware of the trans experience.

Another major context clue that Rogers was well-intentioned is that

This is FRED WON'T-YOU-BE-MY-NEIGHBOUR ROGERS

The thing that transphobic, homophobic pundits leave out of this discourse, which most other observers already understand, is that Fred Rogers was one of the most understanding and radically compassionate people anyone can think of.

Fred Rogers dedicated his TV show and much of his life's work to showing children - and in fact people of all ages - that they are valuable just the way they are. He featured people of all abilities, races, genders and backgrounds in positive roles on the show.

Most famously, this included dipping his feet in a pool along with a black man at a time when white segregationists were organizing against letting black people share swimming pools with white people.

Mr. Rogers was not afraid to make political statements with his programming, and importantly, he was also not afraid to learn and change.

Glen Beck and company chose to highlight an early recording of the "Everybody's Fancy" song, but what they won't tell you is how that song gradually evolved over the years that Mr. Rogers was on the air. As Rogers spoke to more people with feminist perspectives, he saw some of the issues with the strict gender norms of his original words and began to change them.

Later on, he began to sing a version with these words...

I am not saying that Fred Rogers was perfect. He was a human being and a product of his own time and environment, and he has likely said or done other things that did not age well. He is not immune to criticism or reconsideration.

What I am saying is that Fred Rogers was certainly not acting from the place of sneering, culture war bigotry from which these right wing pundits are acting.

Commenters such as Beck, Shapiro, and the chuds at the Atlas Society have none of the compassion and radical inclusion that made Mr. Rogers a cultural icon. This makes it all the more profane when they take selective clips of his work and use them for purposes that are opposed to Fred Rogers' stated intentions.

And it's no secret that the right is opposed to Mr. Rogers' intentions. In 2007, Fox and Friends aired their notorious segment about how Mr. Roger's message on the value of every child was EVIL.

So, don't let the right try to claim Mr. Rogers or other dead celebrities for their own bigotry. They resented what he said while he was alive on Earth; they don't get to repackage his words now that he is not available to address them.

The right has tried to do similar things with other late celebrities whose views actually opposed their own - people ranging all the way from George Carlin to Martin Luther King, Jr. Thankfully, there are many people who have resisted these appropriations, but it's important to keep pushing back for the people who may not be aware, especially now that conservatives are pushing hard against trans and non-binary people, and the LGBTQ+ community in general.

The right wing wants their transphobic, queerphobic ideas to be more popular than they really are. They want to make trans people and drag queens into boogeymen so that you will vote for right wing candidates and let them gut labour protections and social safety nets. All of this is ultimately in service to capitalist owners who are concerned about keeping their control over an unsteady, changing workforce. Don't let them do it.

If you've read this far, you probably already know that LGBTQ+ people are not your enemy. This pride month especially, it's time to stand in solidarity with queer people, immigrants, the unhoused, sex workers, people of colour, and all marginalized people to make a more equitable and loving world together.

On that note, I'll end with some of Mr. Rogers' real messages to children everywhere...

[byrdiboo]

There is no sexism in Ba Sing Se

By now I think everyone has their opinions formed about the live action ATLA remake but as a non-fan I figured I'd offer my two cents to anyone still on the fence or who might be interested in a slightly less biased opinion. To clarify, I don't hate the show, I actually like hearing my friends talk about the fan theories and how they thought the various heavy subjects are handled, I just never got into it myself. Because my partner is one of those people who did get into it, I've at least seen up to the point of Kyoshi Village in both shows (ep2 Netflix, ep4 original). One of the things I've seen most people excited about is the special effects, especially the bending. I will say, it looks...fine. I'm not up on my fighting styles but the choreography seems decent. The effects are nothing groundbreaking - we've had these water and fire sims for at least 10 years - but it's definitely not awful to look at...when you can see it. Way too much of the show (ie more than 0%) utilizes the inexplicably popular "someone forgot to turn the lights on when filming" lighting technique and "shakeycam meets too-many-cuts" editing with motionblur out the ass for good measure (some of the opening scenes are on youtube, judge for yourself). At least all two of the creatures we get to actually look at look awesome. Perhaps the biggest thing I've seen talked about is the changes to the characters themselves. I will start by saying the actors deserve no ill will, they're clearly doing their best with a subject they love and a script written by people who thought ATLA should read like GoT. Aang and the others have a few goofy moments thrown in to keep people happy but for the most part he plays the part of Main Character Boy while the others are The Support Characters, rather than three children in extraordinary times doing what they think makes sense. This is where my knowledge of Aang and Katara is lacking, but I do want to talk about Sokka cuz his changes (rightly) had a lot of people worried (and a lot of his character arc is pretty obvious from ep 1, rather than revealed past the point I've seen). They didn't just tone down his sexism, they removed it entirely, taking him from an obnoxious but teachable idiot to a generic annoying dudebro. Maybe this is just me, but I was endlessly annoyed that they took away his sexism without addressing the things that made him sexist in the first place. After being told by the leaderly elderly matriarch character about the fire nation attacks wiping out most of the village, we are told Sokka is how he is because he was appointed the village leader at 13 for...reasons. So the village is still sexist enough to declare a 13 year old boy leader over the woman everyone already looks up to, but this didn't affect his character in any meaningful way, I guess? And for those looking forward to the Kyoshi warriors, you can go ahead and put those hopes down. The warriors themselves get minimal action time before Deus Ex Kyoshi-ghost-possession (yes, really) deals with the fire nation attackers for them. As for the love interest, they took what was a solid moment of "sexist gets ass beat by woman, begs woman for training, learns woman can do stuff too, ends up liking and respecting woman so hard she reciprocates" into the most bland "popular girl falls for cute boy at school" complete with eyelash fluttering, shy-can't-look-at-yous, and the most vomit-inducing "training" scene I've seen in a long time. No lessons learned, no character growth achieved, but hey they got rid of sexism or whatever. All this to say, I'm willing to give live action some passes, but personally I don't think this one's even worth a hate watch. I won't tell you to hate it, it does have a few moments of brilliance, but they're the glitter on a turd imo and Netflix doesn't deserve to be rewarded with your watch time. Despite my misgivings, the show is (supposedly) still getting at least mixed reviews from fans and non fans alike, so if you've bothered to see it I'm curious what you thought the remake (or my impression) got right or wrong.

[onemoreattempt]

Pinned Post

Intro

You can call me Zen!

I use they/them pronouns:)

I’m a very sleepy, very busy stem double major just trying to talk about their interests.

I’m also audhd!

Current Status: grumpy and still recovering

Current predominant interest: kotlc

Request a frog (🐸) in my asks to receive a frog sticker

My url is bc my previous blogs (readingdreamingscheming and cozywordz) broke :( Probably bc tumblr hates vpns. This was gonna be my last attempt at a tumblr blog, and I couldn’t think of other names at the time. Now I fear ppl won’t recognize me if I change it.

Things I may post about with varied ratios and intervals (ie: my interests):

Books/other media

Kotlc, riordanverse, toh, gravity falls, svtfoe, atla, heartstopper?, tuc, tlc, dropout?, tmbs (the mysterious Benedict society), thg and tbosas, Holly black novels, 36 Questions the Podcast Musical, The Great Comet of 1812, TIG, The Naturals, and probably more.

Honestly, this is mostly a book blog

STEM

mostly neuroscience, psychology, data science, plant stuff, and maybe some physics—also maybe academia

Neurodivergence and neurodiversity

primarily neurodevelopmental disorders, personal experience, and curious musings

Other

You also may get random thoughts, shit posts, ramblings, deep thoughts, and the product of curiosity-driven web searches

animal facts

Sometimes I add ids to posts without ids (I do it when I have time and can confidently describe them)

I also may occasionally post about world events.

What there will and won’t be:

There will be no p*rn or anything close to it. That stuff makes me uncomfortable, so please respect that boundary.

There will be swear words.

There will be no bigotry.

There will be liberal usage of the block button.

There will probably be a lot of Bippy frog stickers.

There will be spoilers which I’ll try to be better about tagging (I just don’t remember when things happen😭)

I probably won’t tag you in things unless I am tagged in something first!

Tags:

favorite/favorites: some of my favorite posts

vent: me trying to let off steam by talking about my problems

onemoreattempt op: original posts by me

🔨🚧🏗️👷🚜🔩🧱🪚⚙️

WORK IN PROGRESS! GRRR CHNK OTHER CONSTRUCTION NOISES!

🔨🚧🏗️👷🚜🔩🧱🪚⚙️

Other:

If I post ab something you don’t want to see on your dash, please lmk a tag I can use, so I can avoid making you uncomfortable in the future!

I’ll try to add tone indicators when I think it might be unclear, but feel free to request I add a tone indicator or clarify my tone! Here is a list of tone indicators I may use (most common in bold) (working on making the post now!)

It has been drawn to my attention that ppl shipping me could become a thing. Please don’t :)

Disclaimer: I also have no obligation to respond to everyone and everything. I mean, yeah, I’ll try, and, yeah, I’ll get most, but, if you refer to the top of this post, you will see that I am 1) double majoring in two different STEM disciplines, 2) disabled, and 3) very tired. If you stick around here for a bit, you will realize there are more numbers and things I have going on, so I will not pressure myself to respond to everything, especially things that stress me out more than I already am.

[marmot-bee-person]

hello!

I’ve done a couple of reblogs, but this is my first post proper. So hello.

About me!

I am obsessed (OBSESSED) with ATLA. Sometimes I am obsessed (OBSESSED) with other shows or books or whatever, but right now I’m obsessed (OBSESSED) with ATLA. This blog will definitely show what I’m obsessed with at any given moment.

Edit 2/16: I’m still obsessed with ATLA but Ducktales 2017 was my hyperfixation a couple years ago and that has now resurfaced

Edit 3/4: more about me!

I mention in the blog description that I have ADHD and social anxiety, am aroace (at least that’s how I identify now but who knows), and I’m a minor (for those of you with DNI about that). I also may be autistic (more information available within the next decade probably) but I really don’t know about that one. Pronouns are she/her (despite the whole thing of my sexuality and romanticism, I am very very cis). Hyperfixations are cartoons (DT, ATLA, sometimes Gravity Falls), UK history (currently dormant), sometimes linguistics (this has never been my ONLY hyperfixation but it will probably get there) and genetics and multiple births (also currently dormant). I write a lot, of… varying quality. I think my fics are better than my original writing but idk. I’m also a shameless theatre kid and love performing (even though it also gives me social anxiety, but it’s fiiiiiiine).

Please call me Marmot! (Edit 3/22: if you’re coming here after i made this edit then you should know that Mushy was my older nickname from when I was @mushy-giant-friends-for-life, i have now switched to Marmot lol) (i don’t really care which one is used… how bout both ig)

Edit 3/25 (i need to make a new post but oh well)

So I’d like to clarify that I hate JKR but I’m not going to stop posting about Harry Potter because of her. She can go screw herself for all I care. But I also refuse to let her ruin Harry Potter for me because yes, it’s not a perfect series and has plenty of shortcomings, but it’s also the center of a lot of my happiest memories, so…

To be clear: trans people are valid. jkr can go screw herself. marmot likes the harry potter books. got it?

edit 3/26 (seriously, new post gah) i blocked anon asks for selfish reasons, which are that i dislike not knowing who’s sending asks.

edit 4/7: my sideblogs are @keyboardsmashandkittycat (for cats) and @marmotmaidofnorway (for history)

edit 4/12: nvm, anon asks are on again

edit 6/2: COMIC SIDEBLOG IS @marmotcomics

[fluffykitteninabox]

I hate the legend of Korra

(but not as much as I used to)

So I hated the legend of Korra when it came out. I think it was the first time I actively hated a show. Like, I've had shows before that I didn't like before this, but this one I despised with my entire being!! 😂

Anyway, a lot of time has passed since then and Korra has ended now and my opinion on it has evolved.

Saying it again just to clarify, my opinion hasn't changed, it has evolved.

I've come to the conclusion that what I hated and still hate about Korra is the world building and the story. I don't like how they handled the Avatar universe, and the plot of every single season sucks ass, either because the premise itself is stupid or because it was executed poorly.

When the show first came out, on top of this I also hated the characters. Because let's be real here, everyone in season 1 except for Asami and Bolin were kind of dickheads. And Bolin was annoying to me, and we weren't supposed to be sure if Asami was good or not, so the entire first season we're just following a bunch of assholes around.

But in later seasons the characters evolve, and they get better, and they become actually likeable.

Korra while still not my favourite character, did grow a lot later in the series. She was "Mary sue-ish" in the first season, but she moved away from that quickly, and she became a really interesting character in my opinion.

Even though the writers had no idea what to do with Bolin, and they relegated him to being the comic relief in the C plot of each episode, he still managed to become a lovable awkward himbo.

Asami was always amazing, and she kept being amazing till the end!

And sure, it takes Mako a while to get there with the rest of them, but eventually he becomes an actual character too! (sorry not sorry to Mako fans 😂)

And by the end of the series I grew to love these characters. I wish they were part of a better story. I wish we had seen them grow closer. They never really felt like a friend group to me, and that's kind of sad.

One of the reasons I ADORE the original ATLA series is because of how it handles friendship and how close the main gang are with each other. I wish the main gang in Korra had the chance to get this close too. I wish we could have seen them be friends.

Perhaps if the writers hadn't wasted so much time on the stupid love triangle, we could have seen the "friend group" being an actual friend group.

Anyway, I still hate the story of LOK, but I adore its characters.

That's all I wanted to say

.

.

.

Actually wait, one more thing:

Asami is a Goddess and is the best character in the entire series ok bye now!

[shaftking]

https://www.tumblr.com/zhanael/737323861598748672

Regarding the post you reblogged about people criticizing kids cartoons, I wanted to point out that OP tagged it #spop and included this addition admitting that it’s mostly about that show. That being said, they missed the point of the criticisms completely. I haven’t seen one person complain that the world was saved with the power of friendship bc it WASN’T. It was saved by a poorly written rushed abusive romance. In fact, the critics actually wanted to see Adora’s friendships save the day instead of her awful romance with Catra since the show is called She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, despite the princesses barely getting a role. And if there HAD to be a romance, it could’ve been with Glimmer, which would’ve made more narrative sense and sent a better message to kids.

Next, I’m not sure why OP described SPOP as a show with a “pastel color palette about friendship and love and unity” as if these things detract from the bad writing, plus these themes weren’t even handled well. I have no issue with Catra being redeemed and I liked her in seasons 3 and 4. That’s not why the show is being accused of abuse apologism and this isn’t comparable to when Sugar was accused of being a nazi apologist over the SU finale. SPOP was rushed as well (I’m not sure if it got canceled like SU) but Catra’s redemption either should’ve started sooner or the romance should’ve been ditched. SU at least had a much better writing, representation, and messages for kids. It’s funny since imo SU and SPOP are not two sides of the same coin as OP claims. If OP wants shows that are ACTUALLY comparable to SU with “pastel colors, nuanced yet positive and relatable messages about love, fun for kids,” then they should watch MLP and Amphibia instead. Also I haven’t seen one SPOP critic who’s “appalled by anything that is remotely challenging to toxic masculinity” so that’s a load of BS. As for the remaining claims, those may pertain to the SU critics for all I know, but I have yet to see any SPOP critics express such sentiments or behave in such a way. The “hate blogs” for SPOP are really just critical blogs that make valid points rather than “a shit ton of bad faith misinterpretations” and aren’t “tearing [the show] to shreds,” plus the only harassment I’ve seen towards teens over a kid’s show has been from SPOP fans themselves.

This post also included a bunch of nonsense in the tags which I can no longer see since OP recently deactivated their account (in fact the only reason I’m able to share a link to the post is bc someone reblogged it), but they contained more misinterpretations of the criticisms along with slander towards the critics. I’m so sick of SPOP fans continuing to have no critical thinking skills while blindly defending the show and demonizing anyone who dares criticize it. It’s pathetic. Btw to clarify, my annoyance is not directed towards you since ik you reblogged the original post to defend SU (which as an SU fan, I’m grateful for), but I wanted to bring this up.

Literally the lack of awareness of that post. God.

SPOP and SU aren’t the same imo. Ya I’m biased no I don’t care. SPOP did not have the same level of network interference at all and SU still managed to have a consistent characterization for its lead that respected the message they were trying to tell about forgiveness and kindness being the answer. It went out of its way in SU: Future to address that while Stevens efforts and actions of forgiveness and kindness were what led to the end of the war and the Diamond authority tyranny, his actions also came from a place of insecurity in living up to his mother’s legacy and his desires to help people led him to throw himself into danger and get hurt constantly.

SPOP has none of this, it went out of its way to try and be a “nuanced and complex” take on teenagers in a war while poorly balancing it with kid friendly comedy. (Really aping on ATLA in the worst most unsubtle way.) It really showed how the creators really just wanted their fav ship fanservice because of the weird sibling/star crossed lover dynamic they forced onto Catra and Adora. And I get giving characters struggles in their relationships but they wanted their unproblematic yuri or whatever while never addressing the weird baggage and codependency that these two characters had with each other.

And to compare SU and SPOP again, even SU approached its redemptions with more tact and nuance despite my many many criticisms of it. Characters aren’t just wholesale forgiven and brought into the fold of the crystal gems. It takes peridot like a whole season, Lapis is ambivalent towards them even in episodes where they actively work together, Jasper has to go through hell before she even considers Steven and the gems worthy of her time and respect, the diamonds aren’t even properly forgiven by Steven in the entire series and only visit and communicate with him in post series stuff like the movie and future to give him updates on their reformation and fixing the harm they’ve caused and to awkwardly check in on him. SPOP literally just completely ignores that Catra alone literally actively committed acts of war not limited to but including the murder of a main characters parent.

Everyone knows the SU fandom was toxic asf and there was no justification for shitty fans to accuse Rebecca Sugar of being a Nazi apologist for making a show for kids about how being kind but still standing up for yourself can save the world. Because they for some reason didn’t consider that a kids show was never ever going to straight up have it’s pacifist protag eviscerate the big bad regardless of their crimes. *Cough cough* Aang *cough cough* But when you bring up shitty behavior from SPOP fans who cannot take any criticism at all because muh pretty pastel girl ship or even some of the disrespect for the original source material you get from the crew I find it very hard to give it the same grace as I do SU or other deeply flawed shows like Voltron.

[vesemirsexual]

well poor OP did see your rant, and id like to clarify that that rant was aimed at my experience with the Reddit communities around the Witcher the ones where every 4th post is just a rant about negative things they don't like in an adaptation, ( lets be honest the its women, poc or and gay people a lot of the time) I was like we get it you hate the Netflix series, can we please talk about something else in the vast canons of the witcher! and my want for a more positive fandom experience ( my other fandoms like Discworld, ATLA and have terrible adaptations, and their communities don't have to constantly scream about it all the time

I was not talking about fans like you and your mutuals who have super enjoyable and interesting takes and show way more love and positivity for the series than negative takes about adaptations and I follow even if I don't always 100% agree with everything you say, and with none of the bad faith takes from some people

sorry for any misunderstanding, I wrote that out of rage and sleep deprivation and I didn't mention the context because I originally wanted to post it on Reddit before realizing that was a horrible idea so I just posted it to that confessions blog and forgot about it

sincerely - a fan with a love-hate relationship with all witcher canons, fanons, and the fandom as a whole, you make it a bit more bearable

Honestly - this is a very fair response! Completely understand where you’re coming from with adaptions and fandoms. There has been a lot of bad adaptions done, it’s definitely not a unique experience to the Witcher, and my heart really does go out to fans because it’s super frustrating to be passionate about something and see the same mistakes made again and again.

Also yeah, I do my best to stay away from the Reddit communities! Occasionally I’ll scroll to see if there’s anything interesting being said, but Reddit as a whole definitely has an issue with sexism/homophobia/racism/pretty much everything else you can think of. Honestly, I don’t think they would’ve been happy with a book-accurate adaption either; I think a lot of people wanted a game adaption without realising what they wanted was a game adaption.

Didn’t want to dog pile you on the post, so I am sorry that you saw me having a bitch and vent! Sometimes you just need to get it all out and then it gets taken the wrong way without context, I get that ❤️ I hope you get to have some more positive fandom experiences!

[zutaraplatter]

Avatar: The Last Airbender Critique

There are already a million of posts like this one, and I might be saying things that’ve already been said a million times but I’ve recently become reheated about the ATLA ending and wanted to let it out -_- No one asked, this is true, and this may or may not be a way to stall from this final project I still have to complete, but here’s 10 things I didn't like and/or would change about the show that likely shouldn’t need changing because they should have been done in the first place.

1. Katara should have apologized to Sokka after TSR

It should have happened and it didn't. In my canon-avoiding mind, Katara and Sokka have a heartfelt conversation where she apologizes for the awful things she said, Sokka says he forgives her and he's sorry if he wasn't as there for her as much as he should have been, which he follows up with "but I'm happy you listened to Aang and took his advice," leading into my next point

2. Katara should have said that not killing Yon Rha was her choice

And thats why it was the right one. Not because Aang already said it was wrong. No no. It was the right choice because that's what she chose. I love my mom to death and can't imagine losing her in any way, let alone the way Katara did. And I can't say for sure that if I was in her shoes that I know what I would have done f that yes I do I would have killed that motherfucker. But I also know that if Katara decided not to kill him, then that was one of two correct choices because they were Katara's choices to make. Not Aang's or anyone else's and this should have been clarified. I know it's a kids show but I said what I said. Next point.

3. Katara should have said more after telling Aang she was unsure at the Ember Island Players

Katara hasn't had any trouble saying how she feels, especially when it comes to helping others and making them feel better, whether she was right or wrong. But she holds back or overly softens blows and seems to even shrivel up at times when it comes to Aang. And me no likey. I had a boyfriend who I adored and admired and just genuinely looked up to. I'm also a shy and anxious person who hates confrontation, but because I loved him, I never refrained from telling him when he was wrong. I might have been a little shaky about it but I did it tho because when you want to be with someone you walk through the grass and stomp through the mud. And I personally feel like either in that moment or later on in an added scene that Katara should have voiced to Aang how unheard and disrespected she felt about his words before TSR and his actions on the balcony. I hate being uncomfortable and my secondhand embarrassment is toxic but I would love to see a scene of this. I always imagined Katara saying stuff like "But I'm not you Aang, and I'm not an Air Nomad," or "Zuko could understand why I needed to go, and I'd hoped you would too," or...I'm out of ideas but you get the idea. And you know what, I know I'm a hard Zutara shipper, but them having this conversation would honestly make me respect their relationship a whole lot more should it be believably written to end on a good note (I don't see how it could be but hey I'm an open minded person and I did think they were cute together once upon a time). Basically, all I'm saying is that Katara is no small voice and she should have been written that way when with Aang. Boyfriends can make you shy but should never make you weak. Period. Next point.

4. No rock! ONLY GROWTH!!!!!!!!!!!

I still squint my eyes whenever I remember that rock that unblocked Aang's chakra. What even was that? The laziest writing possible in my opinion. That's what. And Aang deserved better. What should have happened should have been that Aang started to lose to Ozai. And then as Ozai's about to deliver the finishing blow, Aang has flashbacks of everyone he's trying to save and honor, ending with a very prominent flashback of Katara with the guru's disembodied voice reminding Aang to let go of his attachments to become all he needs to be...then BOOM! Baby boy is back on his feet, chakra unblocked, he kicks Ozai's ass, I'm crying hysterically on the floor, as are the rest of us, and he wins. Then at the end of the series, instead of a kiss, he gives Katara an apology. She accepts, everyone else comes to join them on the balcony, cinematic group hug, camera pan into the sun. I don't know lol. Basically what I'm saying is that Aang did not deserve some deus ex machina. He deserved to grow and become his best self like everyone else got to.

5. Aang should have heard differently in The Storm

Katara is a very fate-minded person and this is when I saw potential for her to become a toxic character in regards to Aang. When he admits that he ran away from home 100 years ago, Katara tells him that that was basically a good thing because he was meant to be here and now. Like...no? What Aang did, though understandable for someone so young, was still wrong. Yes he would have maybe been killed but I'm like 10000000% sure they had a plan to protect and evacuate the literal avatar. And what was technically "meant to be" was a new avatar. But hey, what's done is done and kicking Aang while he's down is a no-no in this household. But that doesn't change the fact that Aang needed and deserved honesty. Maybe the fisherman could have said this, I don't know, but I feel like Aang should have been told by someone that although running away was wrong, it's a blessing he and Appa were able to survive and be able to help save the world now with his amazing friends found-family. Maybe this is too harsh, and maybe even outright wrong, but I felt like Aang deserved a truer answer here to support and comfort him.

6. MAILEE!!!!

Do I even need to go into detail?

7. Spiritual sigh*

Don't make me go into detail -_- I will say though that although Aang and Katara are both amazing individuals capable of earth shattering things, they were not a healthy fit for one another. This is evident in the original series and especially in their children from LOK. They both deserved the best but better than one another.

8. ZUTARAAAAAAA

This is a Zutara blog you KNEW this was coming, as it should. There's just too much. There's too damn much. I would give a real paragraph to this too, but, I mean, there's already so much proving that this was the pair. Fics, metas, rants, this site. Scroll through my blog or any of the ATLA related blogs I follow and...dude. These two were meant to be together and I'll mourn the narrative brilliance WASTED for no good reason every day for the rest of my life. No reason these two shouldn't be married with three kids. sob. I will take this part to say thank you to the amazing fic writers that gave Katara, Zuko, Mai, and Aang what they deserved that the writers didn't have the guts to give them themselves. Next point tho.

9. AANG AND ONJI

Good God almighty. Why not this? WHY NOT THIS? I'm putting on my bullet proof vest and I'm going to say this; Aanji is cuter than Zutara. Now before you scorn me or whatever, let me explain. Zutara for me is like steak. No. Chicken parmesan. I like chicken parmesan better. The point though is that Zutara is savory. You know? I don't see them as cute, I see them as Obviously. Aanji on the other hand is like a bag of my favorite candy. They are like a brownie. A cookie. Girl Scout Samoas!...I don't know what words are anymore. This post got way out of hand. I guess what I'm saying is that for Zutara, I scream, but for Aanji, I squeal. I hope that makes sense. But here's the main point I want to make. Onji never knew who Aang really was. And Aang was always, at his core, himself. She very obviously had a crush on Aang for his personality and that was crazy cute and frankly preferable to Katara's "I...guess he is." (you know exactly what I'm talking about) Anyway, I kept wanting more of them together. I wish all the time that we'd gotten to see her again, with a more fleshed out character and all. And in the way that I imagine the show should have gone, she could have been the perfect love interest for Aang, during this episode or way later, even in the comics! Another WASTED opportunity for greatness and I will, again, never recover T-T

10. Iroh get your ass back here

Maybe this is a misguided critique but I hated that Iroh just left Zuko alone in the fire nation at the end of the series. Baby was in trouble in every sense of the word and Iroh was just like "See ya! You got this nephew." I'm expected to believe that? I'm expected to accept that? No no no. He should have at least stayed for a few years to help Zuko stay upright and, you know, alive. And by "upright" I don't mean "good." I just mean been there to support him because Lord knows he needed it, at least in the beginning of his reign. It was cute that Iroh was able to settle down with his own teashop after all those years of violence and mourning and running and this and that. I was more than happy for him for being able to have that peace finally. But I still think it could have waited a little while longer so he could support Zuko.

That's it I guess. I know not everything I've said makes the most sense in one way or another, but I enjoyed putting it together all the same. Thank you for reading and have a great day. I'll go finish my final now.

(Edited for a typo)

[vietzuko]

if we used to share a discord server, this post is for you!

hello! i am going to try to do this as anonymously and non-confrontationally as possible. i do not want this to be a spectacle or call out post, but i will say that i am quite disturbed by the way situations have transpired on the server. 

in case you didn’t notice, i left! when i left, i wrote a little goodbye post in #general, which has since been deleted. either the mods deleted my goodbye or they banned me from the server (which automatically would delete my message). in case you didn’t see it, here was my goodbye message:

hi everyone, i’m leaving the server. if you’re a POC who is interested in joining an ATLA server where POC can talk about ATLA and critically discuss race, feel free to PM me for a link! otherwise, this is goodbye. see you all around.

i won’t rehash everything that happened in the events leading to this, nor will i name names in this post. if you were on the server, you probably saw what happened publicly or you can message me personally, either here or on discord. if we know each other through the server and you want some clarity over names/events in this post, please PM me. 

if you are a POC in the ATLA fandom who is concerned by the events of this post and you would like me to clarify which server i’m talking about, please PM me.

i just wanted to share the very long message that i sent to the mods (on their prompting!) because i feel that it shows my perspective on what transpired.  unfortunately, this message did not result in any meaningful change, except for me getting banned/my messages removed from the server. i suppose that’s a type of meaning! haha. 

anyway. here’s the message. cw for racism, yellowface

hi MOD 1 (and presumably the other mods who will read this message)! thanks for reaching out. i’ve had some time to dwell on the situation and discuss it with other people in the server who witnessed it and reached out to me personally. this is going to be an unbelievably long message, so i apologize in advance and thank you for your time in reading it.

i think the first thing i’d like to do is give some context for the incident and to give my perspective on why i said the things i said.

i have PMed a mod about a racist incident in the server exactly once. it was when i first joined, and i saw a picture of a white person in yellowface in the cosplay channel. i didn’t know any of you personally yet (and this was before some of you even joined on as mods). i have since told SERVER MEMBER 1 about this incident and i’m pretty sure they mentioned it to you because i noticed you’ve changed the yellowface rule. but i think that the context of me pinging a mod about a racist incident and then witnessing another (although less egregious) instance of racism by the mods might explain why i am, in general, hesitant about talking to mods about racism on the server. i am just trying to live my life and experience as few micro-aggressions as possible.

i also think the fact that i regularly educate and push back against white people’s racially harmful messages in the server is also important context. i realize none of you likely know this, but about every two weeks i receive an unsolicited PM from a different white person apologizing/asking for forgiveness/asking for reassurance/asking further questions about their racism on the server. i’m glad people are learning from me, but this is a huge amount of emotional labor that i put into the server and its members because of course i have to reply and explain things and tell them not to worry and thank them for apologizing, etc. i know that these messages aren’t your fault, nor am i asking you to do anything about this. but it feels important that you know the price that i (and perhaps other poc in the server, although i can’t speak to that) pay in order to share space with you.

MOD 2 has even messaged me personally to thank me for educating people in the server and responding to racist messages, saying: “really appreciate how much effort you put in and everything, i was trying to type something up but floundering badly.” it was a nice message, and i appreciated it a lot! it also led me to believe that the mods would prefer if i engage with racist messages myself, rather than ping them, because it felt like i was just going to be more able/willing to articulate a response anyway.

so when SERVER MEMBER 2 messaged the zukka channel “thought that lives in my head rent free: Sokka's hairstyle in canon is just a warrior's hairstyle and has meaning because of that. Sokka wearing the same hairstyle in a modern AU is undisputably queer-coded” and nobody replied for a while, i assumed that it was because they had seen what i had seen-- a racially insensitive message that totally ignores sokka’s indigenous heritage and the history behind indigenous hair-- so i decided to step in with what i thought was a balanced response. 

SERVER MEMBER 2 then replied with a cheery “Fair enough! I will defer to your greater knowledge,” which i couldn’t tell was sarcastic or not, but i decided to be generous and to believe they were genuinely thankful for my reply, so i responded with a “you too can have great knowledge. i only know things because i read things. anyone can read things and learn,” which is something i firmly believe and also a way to divert the conversation away from SERVER MEMBER 2’s mistake, which i felt was the most dignified solution for them. i suppose this message could be read as aggressive because i didn’t use exclamation marks? but that feels unfair and ungenerous because i genuinely did not mean this message in a harsh way.

then SERVER MEMBER 3 jumped in and asked a few questions, which i read as a request for clarification, so i tried to continue to explain my point. it felt like SERVER MEMBER 3 wasn’t understanding what i was trying to explain, or at least i wasn’t able to articulate myself well enough, which was making me a little tired and stressy (and i was also thinking about my own race and queerness in stressful and triggering ways), so i decided to tap out of the conversation. 

me: dude i love u and i respect u and i truly believe that u are trying very hard to understand, but this conversation is making me kinda heated

SERVER MEMBER 3: I’m gonna step back from it because it’s not my conversation to insert myself into, which is what I did initially and apologize for

me: i think it's so important to engage + ask questions & i appreciate that u respect my opinions on these things, but i think i'm just. i have said what i need to say and now must sleep. much love to all.

to me, this felt like me expressing that i was feeling tired and upset and leaving the conversation, while still attempting to reassure SERVER MEMBER 3 that i still admired him as a friend. i felt like the conversation had ended peacefully!

i hope this helps explain why MOD 3’s message came as such a surprise. 

“the escalation to defensiveness and accusation regarding the original (relatively benign) statement was unnecessary and exaggerated. There’s an atmosphere of purity policing that’s been growing, which is why I took away the squick channel, as I assumed that a space that encouraged no repercussions was facilitating irresponsibility aggressive arguments. “

i truly didn’t believe i was being defensive. i was very careful not to accuse anyone of anything. in fact, i tried as far as i could to coat my language in “i” statements-- “i would personally not choose…”, “i would just. stay away from…” in order to avoid “accusations.” i was also trying very hard not to be aggressive, and i (and other poc that i have spoken to about this) believe that the idea that my messages were aggressive is racialized. just because a poc is upset about racism, it doesn’t mean they’re attacking you personally! 

i feel so hurt that my messages were wilfully interpreted in this way, instead of being read generously and from a more compassionate perspective, especially since i voiced my own upset and discomfort during the conversation. it distresses me to think that me expressing negative emotions is seen as aggressive, rather than a cause for empathy or care, and i do believe that this is because of my race.

if a mod had asked me to take the messages to the DMs or to squick or even just let me know that someone was interpreting my messages as aggressive, i would have changed my behavior. (like i said earlier, i spend a HUGE amount of energy coddling white people on this server. i am very used to it.) 

instead, i got the shock of 45 minutes after the fact, being publicly chastised and labeled as aggressive and being told that my conversation was “something nasty or unwanted.” 

the idea that SERVER MEMBER 3 was de-escalating a “clearly escalating situation” feels untrue to me. i was ready to move on after i sent my message to SERVER MEMBER 2, but he kept engaging me on the subject! (no hate to SERVER MEMBER 3 on this.)

i think one of the most painful parts of this whole situation is the implication that i was attempting to “purity police,” as though i am a person who picks fights just because i want to feel good about picking fights?? or to act holier-than-thou???? i do not do this. if you have witnessed ANY interaction i’ve had with a racially insensitive white person on the server, you will know this. 

i am simply a person of color trying to live my life. i do not want to fight about racism. i want to chill out and watch my cartoons. unfortunately, sometimes, someone will say something that i consider racially insensitive and i will do my best to engage and explain why i find this insensitive. that is all. (it is important to note that most of the time, when i see racially insensitive things on the server, i do not say anything because i am tired and it is a lot of effort to engage. i truly only engaged this time because nobody had replied to the message and i was just like, oh, fine, i guess i’ll educate, since no one else has!)

this whole incident has honestly made me really hurt and disrespected. i have enjoyed my time on the server and i have made some good friends there. however, it feels clearer and clearer to me that the server is a space where white feelings of safety (not being criticized for their racist content) are prioritized over poc’s feelings of safety (not having to witness and experience racist content). i sincerely considered myself to be an active and enthusiastic member of the server, maybe even friends with some of you, but it feels to me that all of our previous positive interactions have been displaced by this idea of me as an aggressive, overzealous purity cop who calls things racist for fun. 

i don’t even know how to repair my relationship with the server after this because i really do feel horrible and sick about the whole thing. i have spoken to other poc who also expressed their concerns about the way the mods handled the situation, even if these other poc weren’t directly involved, and some of us are considering leaving the server, if we haven’t already. (i would also like to note that these people reached out to me, unprompted, to make sure i was doing okay after what they and i interpreted as a micro-aggression by the mods. like, we independently read the situation in this way.)

(also, not sure if this matters, but i talked to SERVER MEMBER 3 the morning after the incident because i wanted to make sure he was okay, and we both ended up apologizing to each other and having a really good and productive talk.)

thanks again for reading this. i hope that you’ll be able to better understand my perspective on what occurred. i truly appreciate the work that you put into the server (especially as someone who also puts work into the server lol), and i know it’s difficult to mod a large server (i also mod an atla server!), but i continue to feel hurt about this. i know it’s hard to read tone over server messages, but i really wish that my (and SERVER MEMBER 4′s and SERVER MEMBER 5′s ) server messages had been read with greater compassion. 

...

and that’s all folks! i’m going to be remaking my blog soon, partially because this whole experience has exhausted me and partially because i have been meaning to anonymize my internet presence for some time.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

Now THAT is something that I REALLY hate when religious peoples (ESPECIALLY the Xtians) do. They’ll look for a moment, ANY moment in which an even AGNOSTIC person engages in with supposed ‘religious speech’ (Like ‘fucking hell’, ‘goddamnit’, ‘I pray that you’ll . . . . .), and than they will just GRILL you for what you meant by that. When all that ANY non—religious peoples means by using those words is that religion has become a HUGE part of society.

 -And by default SOME of it (holidays as another example) have just naturally entered into the vocabulary and lifestyles of the secular/non—believer population. Nothing more and nothing less. I hate it so much as for how absolutely DESPERATE so many religious peoples are to ‘prove’ that somebody who is NOT religious, actually is a religious person.

Ask them about their belief in Thor when they book an appointment on Thursday. Or the Roman god Mars when they come for a visit in March.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_the_days_of_the_week#Germanic_tradition

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorian_calendar#Months

When they look at the world on an atlas, worry about the chaos in the world, panic about something, go to a museum, call someone a narcissist, fear opening Pandora’s box, describe their trip as an odyssey, something as being their Achilles’ heel, a herculean effort, or the tantalizing food... they must be affirming belief in the Hellenic gods.

https://reference.yourdictionary.com/resources/roots-english-words-greek-mythology.html

For that matter, hell itself is derived from the Norse goddess Hel, and her eponymously named domain.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hell#Etymology

“Pray” originates from Latin, meaning “petition” - which makes it kind of funny when believers sometimes pretend that their prayers aren’t requests for special favors and to alter the world for their convenience, but instead to commune with their god. That is, “petitionary prayer” is a tautology.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer#Etymology

If the use of common language is the best they can come up with, they’re on really pathetic ground.

You can also point out that you exclaim “oh god!” or “Jesus Christ!” at things that are completely unbelievable, making their use entirely consistent with non-belief. Or clarify that you were addressing Ra, Zeus or Quetzalcoatl when you exclaimed “oh god!”

It’s a classic trope of the religionist to try to present themselves as the default. And it’s a classic trope of the ignorant religionist to think that the world both revolves around and that everything “good” originates from their particular superstition.

You’ve seen this before where they think that morality didn’t exist until their god sent an instruction manual, and everybody was just stealing from, raping, murdering and eating everybody else. Especially when they think the world is only 6000 years old.

[itsclydebitches]

Ok so jumping on this train - the shift in Penny's portrayal just... bugs me so much?? Like, when did we ever get indication that James saw Penny as property and not her own person? What happened to Ciel? What about the team she would've had at the festival? When did things change? Why? What prompted it? We don't know. No one mentions it. Penny doesn't express any particular discomfort until "Cordially Invited". We're just expected to accept that it's a thing now.

It’s another one of those cases where I can kind of see how RWBY started to set that conflict up... but in the end skipped over 99% of the work. In “A Minor Hiccup” Penny runs into Ruby, weeks after their fight at the dock, and after failing to convince Ruby that it’s all a misunderstanding that she thinks she knows her, Penny admits that yeah, she was there, and she only left because her father is incredibly protective of her. She then goes on to say that she was told not to talk to anyone, particularly Ruby’s group, but it wasn’t her father who told her that. The two then stumble upon Ironwood’s presentation and the timing of that arrival, combined with Penny’s suggestion that they go elsewhere, heavily implies that Ironwood was the one to tell her to keep her distance. Indeed, when two guards spot Penny she takes off. She’s not supposed to be out on her own, let alone chatting with Ruby. 

This could indeed function as the beginnings of a “Ironwood only sees Penny as a weapon” plot line but the problem is that, at this point (in the very same episode) we’re shown why Ironwood and others in the know would want to keep Penny from getting too buddy-buddy with anyone: she’s a robot. The first person with an artificial aura. She is a dubiously ethical experiment that hasn’t been announced yet and is, literally, classified. That is the presumed reason for telling Penny not to make friends. Because (as actually happens) if she gets close to someone she might spill the beans... and not everyone is as kind-hearted as Ruby. Even ignoring what her reveal would (did) do to Atlas’ reputation, others might try to use Penny for their own gains. You know, like exactly what happened in Volume 7. 

However, this reason is then deemed null and void when Penny is cut in half at the tournament, revealing her robot status to the entire world. 

So when she’s resurrected in Volume 7 Ironwood’s original motivation - a motivation that hasn’t been touched on in five years - is gone. Penny is the beloved protector of Mantle. Ruby is in the know regarding not just her, but every other secret Ironwood is keeping. Penny’s secret identity has been obliterated and Ruby is in on every classified bit of info the show has, so why shouldn’t they be friends? We’re not told. What we are told though is that friendship is a Big Good Thing in Team RWBY and non-existent on Team Ironwood, even though we a) are given no new motivations for why this mindset supposedly exists and b) see the exact opposite: 

The Ace Ops claim they’re not friends but we see them being friends with their team, Team RWBYJNR, and Qrow throughout the volume

Penny says Ironwood won’t let her be friends with people (why?) but here she is chatting with Ruby while Clover is right behind her and she’s clearly friends with Winter. She gets to show the group around, wake them up every morning, participate in missions like an election party that, as the title suggests, was really just meant to be a night off. It certainly doesn’t look like Ironwood is concerned with Penny keeping her distance. 

Via his subordinates, Ironwood is implied to be anti-friend yet he’s the one hugging Qrow and throwing the team a license party. He extends both trust and friendship towards them the moment they walk through his door, despite doing so on a stolen airship 

Team RWBY is supposed to be the epitome of friendship but they’re lying to their main ally, ignoring Ozpin, meekly going along with Ruby’s secrets despite disagreeing with her, not fighting as a team, and have two members going behind all the others’ backs

If I had to choose a friendship here based on actions rather than meaningly words, it wouldn’t be with Team RWBY. That extends to Penny and her relationship with Ironwood too. Volume 2 (again, five years ago) implied that Ironwood wanted to keep Penny secret, but that’s not the same thing as not viewing her as a person. Her lack of friends was a direct result of her status as a classified experiment. Whether we agree with that decision or not, it is logical, and that motivation was removed on Volume 3. You can’t jump straight from, “Ironwood doesn’t want Penny blabbing her status as a robot to random first years” to “Ironwood only views her as a weapon” and expect me to buy that. Especially when everything we’re shown implies the exact opposite. Do weapons get to go to parties for cake and selfies? Are weapons presented as the defender of a city, clearly building on Ozpin’s advice to have a symbol of peace? We’re never shown this supposed perspective of Ironwood’s until the series randomly decides it should exist and even then the evidence is... pretty flimsy. Ironwood says, “Penny is completely under my control.” Is that a horrible way to phrase things? Yes. But that doesn’t necessarily mean Ironwood doesn’t think she’s a person. Does Penny look upset? Yes. But she looked upset the moment Jacques asked if they were “safe” with her around. Based on the actual canon, it feels to me like this is a flaw of Ironwood’s that’s easily addressed. There isn’t evidence that he thinks a robot with an artificial aura is beneath him, only that he doesn’t know how to talk about Penny in a more respectful manner. He doesn’t act like he really thinks she shouldn’t have friends, he just doesn’t know how to express caution without giving a firm, blunt, either/or order. This could have all been solved with one conversation between them where Penny lays out the language she’d like Ironwood to use (reflective of many minorities’ experiences: “Hey, I know you don’t actually think this but the way you referred to me is very derogatory”) and Ironwood clarifies his status on friendships among peers. Instead a single line somehow got blown up into, “Ironwood has no respect for Penny and doesn’t care about her at all.” Which then somehow became, “Since Ironwood hates Penny it makes perfect sense that he’d shoot Oscar. He clearly hates kids.” Which... we’re missing a couple of steps there lol. 

[wherehumorcomestodie]

🔥 - a popular ship from one of your favorite books/movies. 🔥 - a fandom you're not in.🔥 - a fandom you are in. 🔥 - a show/movie that you watched (liked or hated, doesn't matter). 🔥 - an overrated celebrity. 🔥 - a common theme in role plays (probably older ones, since...). 🔥🔥 - miscellaneous.

a popular ship from one of your favorite books/movies.: I’m gonna go more broad with this one than was intended: I dislike..... basically all canon ships. Harry/Ginny, Harry/Karrin, Eragon/Arya, Lucifer/Chloe, Jake/Amy. I just can’t get invested in them no matter how hard I try.

a fandom you're not in.: Legend of Korra was one hundred percent just a cash grab. AtLA didn’t need a sequel, and it certainly didn’t need one that far in the future, that also spat in the face of everything the original did.

a fandom you are in.: Wizard101 is the most toxic main stream fan base there is. The game itself is amazing, but holy shit, it’s not at all worth trying to interact with other players.

a show/movie that you watched (liked or hated, doesn't matter).: So this one might actually get me killed. The original, John Carpenter Halloween? Completely overrated.

an overrated celebrity.: God this was a hard one. I wanted to rant about Jennifer Lawrence, but like, I haven’t seen a lot about her recently? Like, thank god, but also... don’t think I can call her overrated anymore. So, uh... I really don’t get all the love for that guy who plays Kylo Ren, whose name I can’t remember. I don’t really have anything against him, but people act like he’s the second coming of Hollywood because he has anxiety, which, uh.... a lot of people do? Hell, a lot of actors do? His performances are okay but pretty one note, and he’s really not that attractive, and I still see him making top ten lists. It’s weird.

a common theme in role plays (probably older ones, since...).: So, firstly, I want to clarify; I was guilty as fuck of this too, this isn’t some holier than thou thing. But looking back, the trend of people addressing their/other characters was.... pretty cringey. And so many people did it? It was like one of those collective unconscious things, which would be fascinating, but also.... honey(meaning, me) why??

Misc 1: I’m getting really fucking tired of this trend of “”quirky”” main characters talking directly to the audience. I can’t say definitively that it’s Deadpool’s fault, but I’ve noticed it a lot more since that movie, and fuck Deadpool anyway, so it’s all his fault.

Misc 2: People talk all the time about these new streaming services killing streaming, but I’m more worried about gaming right now. Like, I don’t like video games, but they’ve pushed our tech so far, I have to acknowledge how valuable they are. Anyway. Go into your phone’s app store, and it’s fucking.... 90 percent “idle” games. You know what an idle game is? It’s exactly what it sounds like. You don’t fucking do anything, you just install it and let it play for the most part. And that’s gonna fucking kill gaming as we know it. It’s also just boring as fuck.

[undine66770]

Full Version of my Current Work, “The Quest”(unknown chapter)

"What's that over there?" shouted Yang to DV, over the engines of their respective motorcycles. "It looks like an inn," responded DV. "Which is just what we need, because it's starting to get dark." Yang's lilac eyes strayed to the building up ahead, before the two eventually stopped and got off their bikes, putting their kickstands down. Ye Olde Crystal Inn, the sign read. "Well, we've got nothin' to lose. C'mon." DV went to open the door, and to hold it open for Yang. They were in a town in Raoz that was completely new to them, so they didn't know what to expect. Inside though, was rather relieving - it seemed to be made of timber, with brick walls. Upon glancing around for a while, Yang made the conclusion that the building seemed to a barracks one time. There were various arms and armor in different areas wherever she looked. "Cool," she said in surprise. DV took a glance around the room himself, taking in all of the patrons and newcomers in the building, talking the evening away. Surprisingly, it was a large amount of people...A few people in a group near a large table fixed their eyes on Yang and DV. "New people?" a female elf said in curiosity. "Looks like it. I don't think they're from here," a male human responded. "Hail, travelers! Take a seat." The blonde and dark-clad looked to each other and shrugged their shoulders, before heading over and pulling up chairs for themselves. "Whereabouts are you from?" the elf asked them. "The realm of Eludin has lots of countries indeed." DV rested his chin in the palm of his hand, resting his elbow upon his table. "Aeredale. The royal happens to be my brother." "And I'm originally from Patch, a large island to the west of Vale, one of the kingdoms of Remnant," Yang chimed in, then gestured to DV. "He's my boyfriend." The female elf and male human shared a look, before the two frowned. "Aeredale?" responded the elf. "I hear there's a rumor of the royal, your brother then, sir," she looked at DV before continuing, "...being captured and sent away to Izheim." Dark's red eyes hardened, and trailed downward. "It's... It's not a rumor. It's true. And that’s why we’ve came from Aeredale to Raoz... and from Raoz... We’ll make our way through the other countries to Izheim. And I’ll get him back, no matter the cost." There was a silence between the group, before the female elf’s ears twitched. “Hold on. You, hailing from Aeredale, plan to head to Izheim?” she asked DV incredulously, seemingly concerned. “Did you forget that Aeredale and Izheim have been on bad terms for years?” “How old are you?” the male human butted in. “You look...young...” A sigh, and DV fixed his gaze back up to the two. “I’m 21. Yang just turned 20.” “21?!” squeaked the elf. “You are too young to be going to a country that has bad relations with yours! It’s a huge risk in itself.” “Maybe, but if I have to risk my life for my brother, then so be it.” “Good gods. This has to be most reckless traveler I’ve ever seen, Niserie!” the human said with his mouth agape. “Niserie?” Yang spoke up again. “I’m assuming that’s the elf’s name?” She took a moment to take in the other’s appearance: Long, auburn hair with hazel eyes - she seemed to be wearing some sort of leather armor, too. “Yes,” Niserie responded calmly, “that is my name. Niserie Reythana.” “Well, er... mine’s Wulfric. Wulfric Lytcott,” the male human said afterward.  “It’s nice to meet you all, but...Look,” DV interrupted with a frown on his features. “I get that Izheim and Aeredale hate each other. Okay. And I appreciate your concern, alright? I do. But that won’t stop me from saving my brother!” “I understand,” Niserie responded in resignation. “I understand. I would do whatever was necessary to save my own family, too.”  “How much does a night stay cost? Yang and I are heading off tomorrow...” “‘Bout 5,000 Klutk,” the innkeeper piped up from the other side of the room. Yang’s lilac eyes widened. She knew Raoz had their own currency and whatnot, because she’d been there before, but 5,000 for a one night’s stay? Per person? “That’s outrageous!” DV groaned, rubbing at his face with his hands. “I don’t have that on me. Come on, dude.” “I do,” Wulfric offered with a slight smile. “I’ll pay, but on one condition.” “Shoot.” The smile on Wulfric’s face only increased. “You let us help you.”  The dark-clad raised an eyebrow. “Pardon...?” “You let us accompany you on your quest,” Niserie clarified. “Going from Raoz to Izheim is no easy feat - it will take a long time to get there.” So now, DV would have him, Yang and her teammates (wherever the hell they were), and these two? “I don’t know you,” he responded with a frown. “How can I trust someone I don’t know?” He did have a good point, but Yang couldn’t help but speak herself. “They seem to have good intentions, and they look like they’re on our side. Obviously, if they were concerned about you.” “Please let us accompany you,” Niserie insisted. “I can lend my blade and my archery skill. Wulfric can lend you his magic spells, and also heal wounds. Plus, not only that, we can get to know each other on our trip.” Now DV was intrigued... So the elf chick was a swordswoman, and knew ranged as well, and this guy was a mage of some sort, and a cleric? Even better, a healer, it seemed. Dark took a moment to look at Wulfric: A tall young man, with gold hair and deep blue eyes, wearing plate mail armour.  “So how about it?” Wulfric stood up, holding out his hand. DV sat there, before he stood from his seat as well, and grasped Wulfric’s palm, giving it a small shake. Yang couldn’t help but smile at the action. “Alright. We leave at sunup,” DV decided, watching as Wulfric went to go pay for each individual’s rooms.  “Ah, wait!” Yang stepped forward to Wulfric. “Hey... um... We... actually have others coming... 3 more. They’re, um. Close friends of ours. Moreso mine. One of them is my sister, well, half-sister, but still.” That didn’t seem to be an issue, as the male also seemed to pay up front for the to-be newcomers. To be honest, now that everything was settled, once Blake, Weiss and Ruby got there, all DV wanted to do was just crash. That was the longest bike ride he’d probably been on. He was exhausted - and there was more to come... Just when he thought he was ready to go upstairs to call it a night, the inn door opened again and his red eyes redirected their attention toward the entrance. It was who he and Yang were waiting for: Blake, Weiss, and Ruby. “About time you showed up,” Dark told them with his head tilted to the side. “What took you guys so long?” “Ruby wanted to look at every single store possible in the square,” Weiss responded, giving the red-clad girl a side-eyed glance. “Granted, she’s never been to Raoz like Yang has.” Niserie turned to look at the girls, intrigued by their appearances. “You don’t seem to be from here, either...” “Neither do you,” Weiss noted. “But you’re right. We’re not from here. I’m from Atlas in Remnant.” “I’m from Patch!” Ruby grinned-her normal chipper self. “And Blake over there, she is from Menagerie, a landmass in southeast of Remnant.” “Well, it’s a good thing you two are here. These two,” DV gestured toward Niserie and Wulfric, “their names are Niserie and Wulfric. They’re goin’ with us to Izheim. Just figured I’d get introductions out of the way, ‘cause it’s late. I have yet to witness their skill at fighting, but they seem to be skilled enough. We leave at sunup tomorrow. Any questions?” When he was met with silence, he turned toward the staircase. “Well, I guess I’m gonna call it good for the night then. If you need anything, just holler. Feel free to stay up if you want, but just know we’re headin’ out early, as I said.” “Good night, then, DV,” Weiss said politely. “I’m sorry we’re late. Sleep well. And I promise you-we’ll do our best to help you save PV. I know how much he means to you.”  On his way up, he turned back at Weiss’ voice, giving her the smallest of smiles in return. “Thanks.” And with that, he went up to find his room. The dark-clad, upon making it upstairs, opened the door to his room after unlocking it with the key, stepping in and dropping his luggage bag near the bed and tossing his key onto the nightstand, as well as grabbing his phone out of his pocket and placing it there, too. Curious, his red eyes gazed around - the area itself seemed sizable enough; but he didn’t dwell too long on the matter, going to turn the lights off, then flop forward onto the bed, stomach first-and not long after, he was out. Especially since the bed was also big and very comfortable!

~~~~ Bzzzt. Ding. With a grunt, DV opened a single red eye. In the corner of his vision, he saw his phone, also on the nightstand-lit up with...some sort of notification for something, he’d assumed. Sighing in a frustrated manner, he shifted and tried to drift back off. It almost worked, but he was awoken again by yet another bzzt... Ding. Groaning, he sat up and reached for the phone, squinting at its brightness. Throughout the nearly blinding light he could make out two messages... and the time, 2:15 AM. Did you make it to Raoz safely? I know it’s late, but I’m concerned. First text. DV, please answer me. I know you may be sleeping, but I need to know you’re okay. Second text. Dark’s eyes slowly accustomed to the phone’s light, before he realized-those texts weren’t from just anyone - they were from Vitas! Aw snap, now he felt terrible about not answering. He stared at the messages for a moment, before sliding to respond. -Yeah I’m fine. We made it safely. You woke me up though. The hell are you doing up I was concerned. Why else? -Dude I’m serious. I’m glad you’re safe though, so I’ll let you sleep now. Let me know when you head out. Be careful. Please. -Careful shmaremul! DV. -Alright okay I will geez Good. Sleep well. And with that, DV proceeded to set an alarm on his phone for sunrise - 6:41 AM. Then, he laid back onto the bed again, sprawled out, and tried to drift back off. He had no idea what the next day would bring. That, or the entire quest. But he hoped, no, prayed, that PV was okay and that they weren’t too late. Whatever they had to do, he’d do, just to save that gold buffoon’s tush. Again.

*FIN.*