#thethiefandtheairbender

[cripplecharacters]

i'm debating giving one of my OCs strabismus exotropia. the work/story is YA SFF. part of my reasoning is he's one of two characters in the group who's the Brains, his specialty being history and languages, and his magic relates to mind reading and telekinesis, and i know too often characters with eye differences are portrayed as the opposite of smart. one of his big hobbies is reading and i know strabismus can affect it bc of focus/headaches, so i thought maybe reading/being fluent in braille could help him engage in his hobby when actual reading is getting on his nerves / refer to his amblyopic eye as his "permanent side eye" as he can be quite critical of others sometimes. his personality is being smug but normally right and very sure of himself (though not without his insecurities), he's seen as a bit of a Pretty Boy (handsome), and is the youngest of his group of friends so they do look out for and protect him a bit more. is there anything else i should look out for, or any way i may be playing into tropes i'm unaware of? he's also queer (gay) and brown (pakistani coded) if that helps any provide context, and has an antagonistic bickering but genuine friendship with another boy (the other brains) that eventually develops into a romance

Hello!

In general, this sounds like a perfectly fine character concept and there's nothing about his personality/portrayal that's immediately jumping out at me. He sounds like a well rounded character, which is something I'm very glad to see!

One thing I would like to mention is that, while braille may be a useful tool for him at times, it's not likely to be a feasible solution for his day-to-day life.

Braille books aren't like regular printed books, there are quite a few differences that make them much more difficult to use:

Size:

Braille books aren't easy to carry around. With the possible exception of some smaller children's books, most are pretty thick and VERY heavy. In fact, many braille books are split up into several separate volumes for this reason.

To put the difference into perspective, let's look at The Fellowship of the Ring (The first Lord of the Rings book).

A standard printed copy generally weighs around 1.5 lbs, give or take a bit if it's a hardcover. A braille copy of the same book weighs over 15 lbs.

This printed copy has 432 pages including pages for spacing, author's notes, etc. The braille copy has 873, not including any non-text pages.

The physical dimensions of braille vs printed books also differs greatly. While a printed copy of The Fellowship of the Ring may easily fit in a small bag or even a pocket, the braille copy is around the size of a standard three ring binder (In terms of length and width at least).

This is all to say that taking a braille book with him out on the go wouldn't exactly be a simple task and, because of how braille is read, reading on the bus or on a park bench or anywhere that isn't a flat surface without disruption wouldn't be a possibility.

Cost:

Aside from the problems with physically reading and using braille books, it's also very difficult to acquire them in the first place. Braille books are EXPENSIVE.

Depending on the availability of the book, the size, and the popularity, a single braille novel can go for anywhere from 50$ to well over 300$ (In Canadian dollars).

The hardcover printed copy of The Fellowship of the Ring mentioned before costs around 25$ (Again, in Canadian dollars). The braille version ranges from around 150$ to 225$ depending on the type of braille.

And if your character wants to request a less popular book, it can still be pretty expensive. There's a wide range of factors that can affect the cost and it varies so wildly that it's hard to get a reliable estimate but they could be looking at anywhere between 5$ - 50$ per page.

Although some libraries may have braille books and there are several virtual libraries for the blind with braille books, it can still get very pricey for them to build up their own collection.

Availability:

In part because of this cost, there is a very low availability of braille titles compared to printed titles.

If your character is into more popular books like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or some of the classics, they'll have little issues finding a copy.

Beyond that, unfortunately, they'd be out of luck. If a book isn't incredibly well known, it's a very slim chance of there being a braille version. Likewise, there's also very low chances of finding more recent releases.

Even one of my old favourites, The Perks of Being a Wallflower -- which was written around ten years ago and is fairly popular, doesn't have any braille copies.

While it is possible to get a book printed in braille for yourself, the costs of it can get quite high (As shown above) and it's not generally an option that people go for.

Durability:

The last point I want to make is that braille books don't last as long as printed books. Although braille is read with a light touch, the braille does get worn down over time.

Library books in particular are an unfortunate victim to this. Because so many different people are borrowing the books, they often get worn down much quicker. This can be because of new braille readers using a harsher touch when reading or it could be because of improper storage, either from the readers or from the library itself. It's less likely that somebody will notice when the braille is worn down.

The braille itself isn't the only concern. A lot of braille books are bound differently than printed books are and often use plastic for the bindings, which requires more care than the usual bindings of printed books. I've included an example of what a braille book may look like below.

[Image Description: A braille copy of The Fellowship of the Ring. It is open to a tactile map of Middle Earth. The binding is made of small, circular pieces of plastic, similar to a notebook of sorts. End ID.]

Now, this all isn't to say that he can't use braille books -- these are just some things to consider. And if you do choose to go in a different direction, may I suggest audio books?

Audio books have a wider availability than braille books do and are much less costly. There's also the added benefit of being able to take them pretty much everywhere with you, as long as you have one or two downloaded to your phone.

You could also go with having a balance of the two. Maybe your character uses audio books with his headphones or earbuds during the day and reads his braille books at home so he can give his ears a break from his headphones/earbuds.

Another option is large print books or e-books that allow you to adjust the font size, which could make it easier for your character to read them. There are also other strategies that he could use when reading regular printed books, such as covering an eye or using a bookmark to sort of box in the lines as he reads.

As one quick final note: Reading braille is actual reading! Braille is just another language with a different -- not lesser! -- method of reading it.

Hopefully some of this information helps! If you're interested in knowing more about the specifics of braille books, Blind In Mind's Braille Bookstore has a lot of great resources and their copy of The Fellowship of the Ring is the one I've been referencing.

Cheers,

~ Mod Icarus

[rayllurn]

callum tearing up over rayla || 02x07 & 04x02

[thosefiveadoraburrs]

aaravos for the ask game

i'm fascinated by him and also would lock him in a crate and throw it into the ocean and smash it with a hammer

[kuno-chan]

Kai in his late teens - early 20's.

[blackbullet99]

Kataang is Objectively NOT One-Sided

Get Ready For A Long One!

Contrary to what some people might believe Kataang (the relationship between Katara and Aang) is NOT one-sided, and not to sound a pretentious egomaniac, but this is a literally indisputable fact.

For starters, Aang and Katara, always had a strong connection and were literally each others best friends. It’s not exactly like they immediately started fawning over each other, but, to quote @thethiefandtheairbender

“In the first two days she knows him, aang is cheerful and receptive katara's friendship, is the first other bender she's ever met and volunteers to personally fly her to the north pole, partakes in customs of her people (penguin sledding is clearly common), is respectful to her elders and is fantastic with the younger kids, isn't deterred by sokka's surliness, takes the blame for going on the ship, refuses to come between katara and her family and leaves of his own accord, comes back to save her village and faces the fire nation head on, then gives himself up to keep her people safe, all while also literally sweeping her off her feet at one point, and some people think the tiniest hint of a crush didn't start that day?”

It was made abundantly clear that Aang had a crush on Katara, starting explicitly from “The Fortuneteller”. Aang constantly tries to get her attention, after hearing she’ll marry a powerful bender, but to no avail. However Aang ultimately realizes that desperately seeking attention through aloofness and other crazy schemes is meaningless, and without full realizing, it’s through the simple yet heroic act of saving a village that Katara comes to realize, maybe Aang could be that powerful bender she marries.

I like how in later episodes, even though Aang still has a crush on Katara it’s rarely the central focus, and whenever their feelings are the focus, it’s more tailored to the primary conflict of the ongoing war. Additionally (to quote @katarathinker on Twitter) “Aang's crush on Katara was never a hindrance to their friendship.

They cared about each other, they communicated with one another, they cheered each other on, they helped each other with their shared element, they protected & defended one another”. Even if you don’t ship Kataang, you cannot deny that the two have deep bond unlike any other.

Anyhow, we all know about Aang’s feelings for Katara, I’m not gonna discuss how Aang would literally support Katara all the way, how he not only loves her, but truly respects her as a waterbender, a hero and a friend, or how his love for Katara is as strong as the love for the nation he lost. Let’s look at Katara’s feelings for Aang.

Some say we never see Katara’s POV, and while it isn’t as obvious or blatantly said out loud exactly like Aang’s POV, it’s undeniably that Katara truly loves Aang deeply if you actually seen the show.

Katara clearly has strong feelings about Aang and doesn’t want to lose him, not for the sake of the world, but because of herself.

We see Katara, had feelings for Jet because he was a strong, kind-hearted, heroic leader who fought for what was right. In Jet’s debut Katara believes Aang emobies at least some of these traits as she vouches he be the leader of their group, and Aang does have and grow to embody many of the traits. Not to mention when  both Jet and Aang are accused (Aang in “The Storm”) Katara immediately steps in to defend them, Katara has no problem making fun of others, but she will not let you badmouth anyone she has feelings for, those two guys in “The Blind Bandit” learned that the hard way. Not to mention, Aang is literally wearing the hat Katara made for Jet. 

Katara is overjoyed when Aang finds her necklace, seeing as it belonged to her mother, it clearly meant a lot and Aang knew this. She also kisses him.

Katara outright says in “The Avatar State”, “for the people who love you, watching you be in that much rage and pain is really scary”. She basically was taking about herself and her feelings for Aang.

“The Cave of Two Lovers”, need I say more, Katara clearly wanted an excuse to kiss Aang, she was extremely indignant when Aang suggested otherwise, and she was blushing thinking about it, even when they were out of the cave.

When Aang enters The Avatar State in “The Desert”, she without any hesitation goes towards Aang to comfort him, with no fear, she spends the next episode deeply concerned for his wellbeing, and literally cries tears of joy and embraces Aang after he opens up to her saying “Seeing this family together, so full of happiness and love, it's reminded me how I feel about Appa ... and how I feel about you”.

She literally looks ecstatic when Aang calls her beautiful in “City of Walls and Secrets”.

When she’s in tears over Jet’s death, the simple act of Aang comforting her, is enough to make her smile.

She completely dismisses Sokka’s idea of finding The Earth King and only agrees to the idea once Aang vouches for Sokka’s idea.

When Aang was about to confess his feelings to Katara, she’s annoyed when Sokka interrupts and kisses Aang before he departs.

When Aang saves her in “The Crossroads of Destiny” she runs into his arms, completely having faith in him. When Aang dies she’s completely heartbroken and when she revives him she smiles like she’s seen The Sun for the first time.

All throughout “The Awakening” she’s concerned about Aang. She’s overjoyed when he wakes up, in tears when he departs, and runs straight to him and embraces him when she finds him.

“The Headband”, again do I need to say it. The Dance! Everything about it. 

Not to mention Katara was mad jealous when Aang was dancing with another girl, and again she kisses him.

Katara appreciates Aang calling her a secret hero in “The Painted Lady” and then they commit eco-terrorism like the power-couple they are.

In “The Invasion” both are struggling to find the right things to say. Katara mentions how she’s proud of how much Aang has matured. When Aang kisses her she fully leans in, she’s obviously concerned given how Aang is leaving to face The Fire Lord, but looks on even after Aang glides away.

When Zuko wants to join the team, Aang ask Katara if she’s okay with it, she don’t want Zuko there, but trusts Aang’s judgement, but straight up threatens Zuko’s life should he harm him.

Aang empathizes with Katara’s situation in “The Southern Raiders”, even though Katara is dead-set on finding the man who killed her mother, Aang accepts this and Katara even thanks Aang for understanding before she leaves.

Everyone brings up “The Ember Island Players” as “proof” that Kataang is either toxic or one-sided. But let’s go over what happens, Aang at this point believes he and Katara have mutual feelings, he has some pretty valid reason to believe that, he asks Katara how she feels, he doesn’t demand she returns his feelings he just wants to know. Katara makes it clear she doesn’t view him as a brother like the play suggests, but doesn’t want to pursue a relationship with Aang at the moment because of the war, it’s a heavy situation, Katara’s concerned she might lose Aang like she did before, Aang wants to let everything out in the open before the final battle, should something happen. He kisses Katara on a whim, it was wrong, it was stupid, but Katara knows this and rightly leave the situation and Aang clearly reprimands himself for this, admittedly it would’ve been nice to see Aang apologize to Katara, but he never does anything like this again.

While Aang and Katara don’t interact a lot in the finale, when the war is over and peace is restored, Katara goes to Aang wanting to be by his side, the two mutually embrace as the lifelong friends they’ve always been, Katara is the one to initiate the kiss, the two are both ready to enter a mutual romantic relationship now the the fighting’s over. Harmony’s restored and life goes on. 

This was a lot longer than I expected. But the point is both Aang and Katara started as strong friends and they grew to develop deep romantic bonds with each other. It was never one-sided, and if anyone watches the show, they would see the strong bond these two share.

[maikingsenseofit]

Being a Maiko fan is not for the weak but my god do the metas, fanarts, and the shippers exemplify the best parts of media literacy and creativity.

Special shoutout to the following folks who I love reading and reblogging: @akiizayoi4869 @hello-nichya-here @zvtara-was-never-canon @an-aspiring-jester @mai-fruit-tarts @thethiefandtheairbender

+many more

[your-blorbos-are-queer]

terry from the dragon prince is a trans man (canon)

submitted by @thethiefandtheairbender

[imminent-danger-came]

Images for Reference:

Tagging @thrandilf (who tagged me), @thethiefandtheairbender, @echoing-interests, and @mysticjrs

[hoothalcyon]

Slash ships to get to know me

Rules: name at leave 5 ships that you love, each from a different fandom.

Thank you to @davidbowielovesyou for tagging me! <3

Runaan/Ethari (Ruthari) - The Dragon Prince

OF COURSE. OF COURSE. my #1 ship ever!! I love them SO much. I've written so much of them purely because of how neat I think they are. They own a part of my heart.

Hange/Moblit (Mobuhan) - Attack on Titan

Heh heh. Genius ADHD scientist and their malewife who literally died for them. Not only are they adorable together but they're hysterical, and they quickly captured my heart!

Linus/Arthur - The House in the Cerulean Sea

Absolute sweethearts who make my heart hurt but also heal it at the same time! Love them so much <3

Bitty/Jack (Zimbits) - Omg! Check Please

Eeeeee hehehe I love them, and have for a long time! Such sweeties (do you see a trend in my ships?)

Phoenix/Miles (Wrightworth) - Ace Attorney

Not much to say here, but I do really like them! The fan art and fan fiction of them is amazing, kudos to that fandom for their awesome talent

tagging @kaia001 @medu-nefer @thethiefandtheairbender

[the-badger-mole]

What do you think of this take that Zutara are narrative siblings? https://at.tumblr.com/thethiefandtheairbender/a-tale-of-two-sisters-an-azula-zuko-and/ywg8pdvfqpj7

Obviously, I disagree. Having a teasing, banter-y relationship doesn't automatically equal a sibling dynamic, and frankly reading it that way is a bit reductive. There's a level of comfort between Katara and Zuko that doesn't really exist between Katara and anyone else, not even Sokka. People can read that incorrectly as platonic if they want, but you can't deny that her relationship with Zuko is a lot different than her relationship with Sokka.

[raayllum]

I’m not sure if you’ve seen anyone comment about how “similar” tdp is to ATLA or even people going far as to claim that tdp is a “ripoff” esp with the Soren, Claudia, Viren arcs in comparison to Zuko, Azula, Ozai. I personally find Soren more similar in characterization (though not entirely the same) to Steve Palchuck from the Trollhunters/Tales of Arcadia series (not sure if you watched or not) and if any character comes to mind about being similar to Zuko, it’s definitely Hunter from the Owl House in terms of characterization and arcs. Idk if you’ve done a meta about this before but I love reading your thoughts (if you’re interested ofc).

So I have done a couple of metas on ATLA x TDP, mostly noting the thematic similarities between them (bloodbending and dark magic, pre-S4's puppeteering too lol!) and between Rayllum and Kataang as developing relationships. Meta comparing "Thunderfall" and "The Southern Raiders" here, meta talking about Kataang and Rayllum (s1-s2 as it was written pre-s3) here.

Also a more opinion based piece on why I could get behind Rayllum but have never really been a romantic Zutara fan (I see them far more as narrative siblings, which is still one of my favourite metas I have ever done)

I am a big Trollhunters fan (reblog more about it on main @thethiefandtheairbender and various other cartoons like SU, HTTYD, OTGW, Infinity Train, etc) and I adore Steve, but I don't think I'd really compare Soren to him, simply because while I love Steve and his development, Soren's development is undeniably deeper and more pyschological, I think.

That said the ATLA character that reminds me the most of Soren is Sokka. Goofy, prone to joking regardless of if the situation calls for it ( "Mind if I watch you two jerks do your jerk bending?") just to get a rise out of people, lmao, sometimes overly confident or reliant on their battle prowess, and desperate to prove themselves to their fathers. Sokka's attitude particularly in early book 1 reminds me of Soren's in s1, as well as their more skeptic attitude and relationships with their more magically inclined younger sisters

For Callum, he reminds me the most of Katara and Mai (again, true before S4, but interesting to see how much he shut down the way Mai largely did due to her family relationship, so again, kinda fun that worked out). Caring sibling, fast and harsh temper, strong in magic but untrained, artistic and precise (hi Mai), ride or die for their loved ones above all else, even above morals. For Rayla, she's basically running parallel arcs to Zuko and Aang in a lot of ways: grumpy, banished, immediately protects the sibling duo she encounters, facial markings, guilt complex galore (hi Aang). Rayllum is a good blend of all their personalities tbh

For Claudia, she reminds the most of Azula, and Katara, and Zuko, due to her loyalty to her father, willingness to do anything for her family, and being marked by the same sort of dual visual storytelling that Zuko's scar had.

And Hunter from the Owl House was definitely one of my faves! I think he falls into a category a lot of more modern day redemptions do, though, in terms of not letting their character actually be messy enough for long enough that it feels like maybe redemption isn't in the cards (hi Claudia my beloved, you excellent subversion sweetie). Or they go too far and don't give enough reason for a character to effectively redeem themselves (eyes SPOP with a long sigh). And just to clarify, I do think Claudia will have a redemption arc, but I appreciate how we're going about it thus far.

It's funny bc in some ways while Zuko has never been my favourite archetype (particularly for male characters), my protagonist in my og work is a bit like him: lost, angry, easily resentful, and she's my baby.

I think I'm just kinda over arcs of "Oh my father figure is Bad / imperialism is bad"? Because 1) Zuko did it so well and 2) I wanna see stories that go beyond those things or do new things with those concepts (please no more "rich white lesbian girl with a mean family" arcs I am. so tired). I think that's why I like TDP so much, because dark magic thematically and its explorations of self destructive behaviour add a lot of layers and interesting aspects to all the dynamics that I don't see most other media for this age demographic kinda taking advantage of, tbh

[rayllurn]

02x06 Heart of a Titan | 02x07 Fire and Fury

[ellakomskaikru]

What do you think of this take that Zutara are narrative siblings? https://at.tumblr.com/thethiefandtheairbender/a-tale-of-two-sisters-an-azula-zuko-and/ywg8pdvfqpj7

Hello anon!

I really disagree. There are many scenes that happen between Zuko and Katara that are anything but sibling-like. This meta here explains it better than I can:

It’s one thing to see them as platonic but claiming that they are narrative siblings is just a reach. It seems like the link to the post doesn’t work so I reblogged it again so you can read it.

Thanks for the ask!

[tiny-katara]

What do you think of this take that Zutara are narrative siblings? https://at.tumblr.com/thethiefandtheairbender/a-tale-of-two-sisters-an-azula-zuko-and/ywg8pdvfqpj7

anon, i have to know why you asked so many of us this!

i don't really have a whole lot to say other than that it's a bad faith argument that ignores the obviously non-sibling interactions between zuko and katara. like the two have chemistry whether it be intentional or inadvertent. it's foolish to deny that. it's fine to not like it, but dismissing zutara as a whole is just silly. it honestly reads as desperate pleas to discredit a ship that isn't even canon and it's really funny that people feel the need to bend over backwards to claim these things.

my recommendation for next time you want to see an anti-zk post slammed is to just send the ask to one or two blogs and allow people to reblog it and add their thoughts. it's just disappointing that i can't offer you anymore! i think my lovely platonic wife @burst-of-iridescent gave a lovely response to the ask you sent her and i have nothing to add to what she said so perfectly. thanks for the ask tho!

[myqueenmarceline]

2022 Fic Roundup Meme

Tagged by @bright-elen (I know you didn’t really tag me but I want to participate lol)

Word count for the year: 24704

Number of stories posted to Ao3: 6 (+4 longer term stories I updated a lot)

Pairings written for: Marceline/Princess Bubblegum, Root/Sameen Shaw, Asuka Ruo/Fudo Akira

Fandoms I wrote for: Adventure Time, Person of Interest, Devilman Crybaby

Most popular story: In terms of stories I had already started it’s Siren Song (bubbline) and in terms of stories I started this year it’s Human Maintenance (Shoot).

Story I'm most proud of: Outside of my multi-year bubbline sagas I’ve been working on for ages, I am pretty proud of Finding Pride. I’ve always loved some of the queer headcanons in the Adventure Time fandom, and I wanted to do my own story about it.

Funniest: Maybe Unfortunate Interruption? I don’t write a ton of humour/comedy.

Kinkiest: My Bubbline Kinktober is literally PWP with some hella kinky shit and switching.

Saddest: Wicked Stirrings is the most intense/angsty, but in terms of this year, it’s probably Human Maintenance.

Least popular: The Missing Scene, an extremely short Devilman fanfic I originally wrote ages ago and cleaned up/polished to post. I’m not mad about it TBH, it’s fairly short and angsty without much payoff.

Favorite opening line(s): Maybe this is cheating because it was written years ago, but I still like the opening line to Siren Song.

Favorite closing line(s): Finding Pride and Human Maintenance may have sappy and somewhat cliche closing lines, but I still love them.

Top scenes from anywhere you would choose to have illustrated: I would love to have some scenes from Siren Song illustrated, like Bonnibel trying to observe Marceline scientifically but being distracted by how hot she is, Bonnibel meeting Hunson for the first (terrifying) time, Marceline calling Bonnibel her mate, etc. An illustration of Marceline, Princess Bubblegum, and Finn with their respective pride flags for Finding Pride would also be incredible.

Story I haven't yet written, but intend to: A Valentine’s day themed story for Marceline and Princess Bubblegum in my Open Eyes series, and an extra one shot for Mutual Pact of Non-Affection that is currently in Development Hell.

Fic-writing goals for 2023: Hmmm, I typically try to set word count goals for myself rather than specific fanfic-writing goals, since I have other projects I work on. But for this I will say that I want to actually finish one of my multi-chapter fanfics I have going. If I do succeed, it will probably either my Bubbline Kinktober (not a full 31 days, but the oneshots I intended to write) or Wicked Stirrings, which is already fully outlined and just has to be written and edited.

Tagging: @thethiefandtheairbender, @hermannsthumb (I really like your writing but if you aren’t interested I understand), @gaybybirth, and @sweetums0kitty

These tags are only if you want to do the thing, no pressure or anything :) If you message me, I can also remove your name from the tag list.

[likealittleheartbeat]

Hello! Do you have any blog recommendations?

@irresistible-revolution and @thethiefandtheairbender and @avatarsymbolism and @vomara all have some really beautiful and thorough atla analysis that I recommend reading.

I don’t actually follow many blogs cuz I compulsively read my feed until I’ve read through every post I’ve missed, and I’d rather spend my time looking up things about my own interests than getting updated about other people’s, so I keep it really spare.

Outside of blogs, there’s two lecture series available to listen on podcast that aren’t atla but have been really influential in my readings of it and my approach to the analysis of fiction in general: Amy Hungerford’s “The American Novel since 1945” for Yale and Emma Smith’s “Approaching Shakespeare” lectures for Oxford and both incredible examples of how to analyze the motifs and historical backgrounds of texts, and go into the same themes of religion, race, gender, sexuality, and impermanence that atla explores.