Purple Elf Asthetic

Side blog for idk even what anymore. It used to be Voltron then it was TDP and it still sorta is but I also post random meta from other fandoms and fandom in gen. The same as the rest of my blogs but they vibe differently I guess because I still use all not one. I change my blog title and images sometimes. So be on the lookout for that.

[gesu-ko]

That feel when your new friend is actually your mom’s nanny cam.

[charls-lamen]

I find this recent discourse for atla really interesting cuz like look at the end of the day the non canon ship gets more love in fandom typically cuz theres more to explore with it fandom is for what you dont get in canon and all that so historically imo Zutara has dominated in the ship war more people seem to like it. So why the sudden flip?

Well theres been a rise of a respect canon cuz its canon people so that is a factor but i dont think thats the main thing .

I think basically its 2 things

1. There were a bunch of people who heard alot about zutara but hadnt watched avatar or had a long time ago and were not big into fandom who were expecting to see alot more content between Zuko and Katara given the popularity and didnt get it it got over hyped to them when they watched it /rewatched it. And so now fully divorced from the original atla fandom and their experiences the ship doesnt make sense.

You didnt see the voice actors ship it or the creators mention it or even the animation thing where they were all chibi and in school and they made a love pentagon with Zuko Aang katara and the blue spirit who somehow was his own character despite being Zuko.

To be fair you dont have to the source material is enough to interpret things but without that context shippers seem more insane so its a unfair reading of the fan base's attachment to the ship. And of course all all long running fandoms they do start fuelling their interest from fandom more than canon when theres not enough content and it becomes its own thing not really reflective of canon which is fine.

But perhaps some forgot how far theyd deviated from canon in their portrayals while still fueling discourse which both confused those outside the fandom and made them frustrated .

2. They saw the clips of the new movie or all of the new movie and saw Aang as attractive

I don't say this to be dismissive but in fandom it very common that the ships that get popular are with characters who get accepted as attractive or with characters who are considered relatable or are otherwise projected on in some way. Katara Toph Zuko and Sokka were all some combo of this Aang tho wasnt. So Aang ships didnt tend to be as popular outside of the kataang shippers from my experience.

Then we get this poster of Adult Gaang

And this design of Aang in Legend of Korra

And tbh neither were very popular while the other designs were very well received

People hadnt been as curious about adult Aang as a design compared to some other characters (Zuko) so there wasnt a super popular fan design that got latched on to either. So that did not help with the shippability of aang.

But then the movie comes out this the redesign

And people like this look more

And then the movie leaks and people see clips and suddenly

Oh no hes hot now we getting thirst traps

Now you could say hold on now people have made intimate objects and fish and lions and horses redesigned to be hot people.

And thats true.

But there are certain personality types that get those redesigns and they typically aren't the sweet peace loving types.

And now finally in 2026 Aangs shippability is getting a bit of a boom and so the first ship that gets looked at is the one that got the most attention the one that was involved in a ship for over a decade aka kataang.

This is not to say that no one had any Aang ships just that they werent as popular as ships with other members and when they might have been typically.

For example

Aang has just as many parallels and thematic connections with Zuko as Katara does if not more. Their ancestors are linked Katara tried to talk Zuko out of his path in Ba sing Se but Aang tried in S1 when Zuko rescued him in the blue spirit first. Their backstory episodes are told together Aang even cuts ties with Roku in the comics because he suggests Aang might have to kill Zuko.

In many fandoms that kinda thing is the basis of at the very least a very strong friendship that down the line could blossom into a really popular ship that dominates a fandom

Can't really deny that but in spite of that Zukaang didnt get much traction.

And i think it didnt because people just werent that interested in shipping aang at least not the masses but thats changing now and im curious what new ships will now start getting more popularity. Im personally hoping for more aang ships.

[sokkastyles]

I liked zukaang from when I first watched the show, but no, Aang did not try to talk Zuko out of his path in the Blue Spirit episode. Aang asked Zuko if they could have been friends a hundred years ago, while Zuko was unconscious, and was ready to fly away the moment Zuko attacked him. There was never the level of connection and trust there as between Zuko and Katara in the caves, which is also why Aang forgave Zuko more easily when he wanted to join them.

[charls-lamen]

I should have specified this more. They didnt have this long drawn out conversation or anything.

But Aang does see that the guy who busted him out who he just worked together with who just got shot getting him out is in fact Zuko. True his attempt at communication is not as heartfelt or verbose as Kataras but i would say him asking Zuko that question and not splitting after getting him to safety immediately was an attempt at communication.

A much more flawed attempt so very understandable why Katara was more pissed than Aang but still an attempt.

My point was that Zuko aang had moments too the kinda moments that normally get shippers super excited. They had it during the tv show they had it after in the comics. They had it in their themes. The show purposely paralleled them.

In many other fandoms this kinda thing usually is the kinda stuff that makes ships really big. But Zukaang never got that big.

And imo it didnt because Aang historically wasnt very shippable to many in the fandom. But i do think the current fandom especially after this movie sees Aang as more shippable. I should specify like from the movie clips not necessarily the movie itself many havent seen that.

[sokkastyles]

But what you actually said was that Aang and Zuko have just as many connections and thematic parallels as zutara, and they don't. I am saying this as someone who ships both, Aang and Zuko don't have the personal connection that Zuko and Katara have. Aang isn't so much trying to connect to Zuko as he is talking about what he wishes could be in that scene, and I'm not trying to diminish it because I do think it's important, Zuko remembers it and brings it up to Aang when he is trying to join the gaang. But it's not on the same level as Zuko and Katara's moment of forgiveness, trust, and vulnerability in the caves, and they don't have a relationship arc the way zutara has.

[charls-lamen]

I count the multiple clashes as a connection i count the fact that Zuko saved Aangs life in s1 as a connection theres a fixation zuko had on aang and a potential for things to be different aang saw in Zuko as a connection. And thematically of course you have the parallels with theit backstory and the narrative purposely giving you that parallel. You have Zukos journey to join the Avatar involve him discovering his family tree involving Aangs previous life.

That kind of stuff is what shippers obsess over especially in action adventure type series like what Avatar has. True Zutara had the bonding when they trapped together and then Zuko having to redeem himself in Kataras eyes and you have the tag team with Azula of course.

But its fandom we are all working with potential for a good story like say in fan art or a comic here. Especially now the series is now long over and the conversation of what is going to be the canon ship is no longer relevant.

So potential wise id day Zukaang has just as much shipping fuel as Zutara if not more especially if you count the whole thing with Aang cutting off Roku for Zuko. I mean they even have matching scars one in the front one in the back at the exact same spot done by the same person and healed by the same person.

It is hard to get more paralleling themes than that. And thats the kinda thing shippers usually love.

But their popularity is nowhere near Zutara or Zukka despite having all those hallmarks of popular ships. And i think its just cuz Aang has historically been less shippable in the eyes of the fandom.

I dont necessarily expect overnight aang to get the most popular ships or anything now but i am anticipating a bit of a bump in new content in fandom involving shipping him. Which would be nice.

Though as soneone else pointed out Zutara has had more backlash over the years not just from kataang shippers but just like in general and so the current backlash could also be an extension of that. But i still maintain that Aang being seen as shippable by more people still contributed.

Although i have to ask i only got on board with Zuko aang very recently but what do you mean they dont have a relationship arc ?

They go from Zuko being obsessed with killing Aang in S1 to being besties by the end of the show. And he might have targetted the whole squad but he did because of Aang.

If Katara and Sokka weren't affiliated with the Avatar he wouldn't have bothered with them So i do still consider that a specific thing for Aang and Zuko when Aang personally starts out as the object of Zukos obsession.

I mean my originsl post was not really about zutara vs zukaang but rather just fandom trends using the lack of popularity zukaang has than one might expect .

Sorry if this isnt how you mean it but it kinda sounds like while you like both ships you think Zutara has more shipping fuel behind it and has more validity. So you are latching on to anything in my original post that might suggest otherwise. In which case i wanna say right now i really dont want to start a which ship deserves to be acknowledged more debate. That really wasnt the point of this post.

[sokkastyles]

The thing is, you are the one starting the "which ship deserves to be acknowledged" debate. You said zukaang has just as much if not more shipping potential. You are the one making the comparison.

And if every time they clash counts, zutara has that, too. If thematic parallels count, zutara has that and it's acknowledged more by the narrative than the Zuko/Aang parallels, which are honestly under-explored in the show.

A relationship arc is where the characters have a relationship that develops over the course of a story. Zuko and Katara have that because they start out as enemies, then potential allies, then reluctant (on Katara's part) allies while Zuko works to gain Katara's forgiveness. This is also worked into both their character arcs, Zuko's redemption arc and Katara's arc of gaining agency and resolving her conflict between idealism/cynicism. Then they spend the climax of both their stories together, defeating Azula, who acts as a foil to both of them, but in different ways.

Aang and Zuko don't have an arc. They are enemies for most of the show, then they become friends, but they don't have a relationship that develops or grows over time. Aang's "we could have been friends" speech establishes them as foils and parallels, but that idea is not developed enough in the story and it's not a moment of real connection between them like Zuko and Katara's moment in the caves when they talk to each other, rather than one monologuing to an unconscious other. Ditto for Zuko's monologue to an unconscious Aang at the North Pole. In order for it to be an arc, these ideas would need to be repeated throughout the story. Zuko does bring up Aang saying they could have been friends, but it's not a huge motivation for joining the gaang, just something he mentions off-handedly. It's significant that he remembered it, but the narrative does not give it the importance that is given to, for example, Zuko trying to get Katara's forgiveness.

And while Zuko obsesses over Aang, it's not Aang as a person that is important to him. Imagine the story if what Zuko needed to find to get home was not the Avatar, but like, a magical amulet. The story would be much the same.

Now, you COULD write a narrative where one character starts out as only important to another for what they represent, but then as they get to know the other as a person, they become important. But that isn't zukaang. Zuko doesn't get to know Aang before deciding to join him. His redemption arc happens largely independent of Aang and he develops a friendship with Aang as a result, but it's not an arc that develops with the narrative.

And the parallel scars thing is never actually acknowledged by the narrative. Zuko's chest scar is not even present in the most recent movie.

There is a lot that COULD have been done with zukaang, but honestly, the narrative drops the ball on it. And I'm saying that as someone who likes zukaang. There is a reason why zutara has become so insanely popular, and that's because their relationship is just that well-written.

There are a lot of points in the show where I think the writers wanted to go for a zukaang parallel, but were lazy with it. Like when Aang says he needs to regain his honor after Azula killed him. It's a clear attempt at a parallel. Except we don't see any of that. We don't see what that time that the world thought Aang was dead actually meant, we don't see Aang change because of this need to regain his honor. We see Zuko changing and growing, we see Katara changing and growing, and we see their effect on each other, but we don't see the same work put in for Aang. The show does a lot of telling instead of showing with his character. That's also a big reason why he's not as shippable.

And that's okay! Not all ships have to have strong thematic parallels. A lot of the appeal of zukaang is headcanon for me because the show doesn't do enough of the heavy lifting. Which is just as valid a way to engage in shipping. But I did object to you trying to compare zukaang and zutara in order to prop up zukaang in the first place.

[charls-lamen]

Yes exaxtly theres alot that could happen based on threads that canon started and didnt flesh out that is litetally the bread and butter of fandom especially older fandoms where sticking close to canon has been more exhausted for fan content possibilities and so newer potentials start gaining traction rare pairs start gaining traction. Which you already see happening with Zukka being so popular. It makes sense since the og show ended over a decade ago.

As for themes yes it is there they put it in. You dont need a line telling you by the way zuko and and aang have matching scars created by Azula. Its the very definition of show dont tell. The movie is a leak its possible they would have added it for the official release and even if the current creators overlooking it doesnt mean it had no significance in the og series.

They dont have parallels when Zuko and Aangs backstories are told in the same episodes intercut with each other? Aang and Zuko weren't a strong connection when Zuko finds a way forward by finding out he has the potential to be good by showing his connection to the avatar? So what if was in a trance Zuko venting in the presence of the avatar isnt significant? The guy hes supposed to bring in?

Why are these themes and moments not significant to you?

And if they arent to you and are to me then perhaps you might consider that what you consider weaker themes that dont count as significant might not be as cut and dry as you label them.

But lets ignore all that

Cuz none of my post is really about the true canon potential for any ship or even whats important in canon

But the fandom potential for it and in fandom Aang and Zukos set up is imo the type that typically attracts alot of shippers.

True it wouldnt really while the show was airing not when it lacks the intensity something like Zutara would be more popular then but 16 years later?

Yes definetly now you are looking for good potentials good set ups that didnt get explored as much as you would like or even entertaining set ups that didnt get explored as much as you would like. That would typically be a kind of ship that would take off in fandom zuko aang i mean. Its why imo Zukka took off in 2020 6 years ago and is still popular.

But despite those trends Zukaang had it didnt also take off and imo it was cuz aang just wasnt as shippable then. Tbh he still isnt now but he is more shippable than he was in 2020.

The connections and themes you are overlooking as not that deep or not that strong because its not followed through on is also true for zuko Katara you dont get to see them bouce off each other after ba sing se until Zuko joins up with them in the last season but he's not spending all that time with her.

But having one off episodes with them there is not these seasons of build up between katara and zuko there. Before ba sing se the stuff between Zuko and katara should then be as shallow as the stuff between zuko and aang. Its just all a part of Zukos obsession to get to the avatar then.

But zuko has one obsession for 3 seasons and its the avatar not Katara how is that the basis of shipping?

As for canon ....this wasnt about canon it was about the kinda thing that appeals to people in fandom especially long running fandoms.

I said Zukaang has just as much potential in terms of the kinda trends that happen in fandom that people latch on to.

Not zukaang as just as much potential to be a canon couple. But that was never the conversation and yet somehow the conversation keeps coming here. Its completely irrelevant kataang is already canon and unless you ship it and want to create content about it that doesnt matter in the fan content made.

What is popular in fandom and what was teased the most in canon are not always the same thing over time especially a fandom that isn't as dominantly focused on one ship.

For example supernatural fandom was super into destiel it kinda defined alot of that fan content. But MCU didnt have the same level of commitment to one ship so over time the top ships fluctuated. That doesnt mean of course that the old popular ships dissappeared but new ones entered the picture and shared that spotlight more. Including many ships that didnt have hope of becoming canon.

Atla is more like MCU than Supernatural. But I think with even more potential for fluctuation.

Like we are having 2 seperate conversations im talking fandom trends in a old fandom that is no longer soley taking inspo from just canon but rather maybe from other parts of fandom. And you are talking about potential in the original source material.

For the last few years on Ao3 Zutara and Zukka have been basically top 2 contenders for ships with very close numbers. Canon wise arguably it doesnt make sense for Zukka to be that popular. They dont have the basis Zutara has. Not to shade Zukka or anything I love the ship. But it was a ship that started on fun and vibes not looking and the canon super closely.

But that doesnt matter because this isnt canon. Fandom wise tho zukka is a popular dynsmic that gets shippers excited especially in older fandoms when looking back to source material all the time is less popular. It is unsurprising it fits the trends.

But so does Zuko and Aang but they didnt take off aka the entire point of my original post. Not in the sense of oh no why is Zukaang not liked its my my fav ship ( its not actually) but in the sense of its interesting that its not when typically a ship like that is liked lets examine

[sokkastyles]

Why are these themes and moments not significant to you?

Well, because Zuko's ancestral connection to Roku being a motive for him being good is one of the weakest aspects of his redemption. At that point, Zuko had already known that he had made the wrong decision and was on his way to redemption. The rest could have happened very easily without his connection to Roku. In fact, many fans feel that it cheapens Zuko's redemption because it makes it about Zuko's innate goodness instead of what Iroh had been telling him about how he needs to choose what's right (a motif that is also present in what Zuko says to Katara in the caves, and a much stronger theme in Zuko's redemption.)

The parallels between Aang and Zuko in "The Storm" are also undercut by Aang not having to face actual consequences for people blaming him for running away (because Katara shields him from them) while Zuko actually ends up learning a lesson in that same episode and changing for the better. This is what I mean when I say the show doesn't follow through with the parallels it sets up between Aang and Zuko.

And while fandom is about possibilities, there's also much more to work with when the characters already have a well-written connection, and that's one reason zutara is more popular. You keep saying you want to know why zutara is more popular, yet you don't accept the answer.

Perhaps YOU might consider that what you think about these ships is not cut and dry, and zutara is more popular because it just has much more potential?

[charls-lamen]

What? How is it not? Zuko had a preoccupation with honor and lineage finding out how many terrible things he and his people did was a huge part of his redeption so seeing that the good options were a path too both for him currently and his ancestors that mattered. The connection to the avatar makes sense because for such a long time hes had this tether to the avatar by having this stupid job thrust onto him but now its reframing that.

The point is not Zuko can only be good because some ancestor in the past was good but it gives zuko a more positive direction not just for him but also his lineage and his nation. These episodes are happening as the rest of the Gaang are undercover in the firenation seeing the propoganda they've been fed and seeing that they have the potential to fight back against it when given the chance. That right there is also a parallel.

The consequences Aang faces is not in that episode but later when he finds out that his people are all dead and sees gyatsos corpse.

When did i say i wanted to know why zutara was more popular?

What ive repeatedly said is i had a theory about why aang ships were less popular i think him being considered more attractive in the movie made him more shippable and therefore might have contributed to some zutara backlash as it gave the biggest aang ship kataang more fuel.

But i also said that zukaang had the facets that normally made ships take off but it didnt likely because aang was seen as less shippable and that might change in the future as hes seen as more shippable because of the movie.

The zutara comparison was because zutara is also a ship has similar tropes and some of those themes are similar to zukaang since both focused on their start as enemies. In contrast to Zukka which was more vibes based imo since its had less basis in like their enemies side and more focus on their dynamic together once zuko swapped sides like that's what got the ship attention initially. Though zukka also leans into enemies to lovers in fandom its a popular trope.

In fact i have now repeatedly said i dont want to have a vs Zutara argument and this post was about types of tropes and dynamics that get shipped in fandom and why this one while hitting those qualities didnt get popular even as the fandom looked less at canon specifics. And specifically for Aang ships.

So why would i want to know about zutara? Zutara was just a comparison as a existing ship thats popular and also has popular tropes in fandom and the influx of kataang shippers in the movie which has led to more zutara backlash but the zutara part was not the focus the kataang and aang shippability was.

Ive said this in mutiple replies in so many different ways that ive started to think i hallucinated my responses.

So really I think the question is why are you still replying to my post?

Were you so starved for zutara content that the crumbs on my original post all you saw?

Did you need attention?

Are you bored ?

Did the recent rise in zutara bashing make you irritated so you just felt the need to debate in the nearest post you saw mention zutara with aang in any capacity?

To be honest with you while i like atla alot im a multishipper for it with no ship in particular I love and i like the platonic relationships in it more than the romantic ones. I dont like it when parts of the story are reduced to shipping but i probably am not the ideal type of person for a heated pissing contest here. I dont really have a dog in this fight and you seem way more invested.

I just thought it was a interesting trend and wanted to see if other people had thoughts and they did but unfortunately the one who had the most to say latched on the little bit about zutara and made it into a different post. Is it cuz i tagged it too many things?

I mean i can keep going if you want and block you if i get tired before you do but i think youre probably not gonna be satisfied.

[charls-lamen]

I find this recent discourse for atla really interesting cuz like look at the end of the day the non canon ship gets more love in fandom typically cuz theres more to explore with it fandom is for what you dont get in canon and all that so historically imo Zutara has dominated in the ship war more people seem to like it. So why the sudden flip?

Well theres been a rise of a respect canon cuz its canon people so that is a factor but i dont think thats the main thing .

I think basically its 2 things

1. There were a bunch of people who heard alot about zutara but hadnt watched avatar or had a long time ago and were not big into fandom who were expecting to see alot more content between Zuko and Katara given the popularity and didnt get it it got over hyped to them when they watched it /rewatched it. And so now fully divorced from the original atla fandom and their experiences the ship doesnt make sense.

You didnt see the voice actors ship it or the creators mention it or even the animation thing where they were all chibi and in school and they made a love pentagon with Zuko Aang katara and the blue spirit who somehow was his own character despite being Zuko.

To be fair you dont have to the source material is enough to interpret things but without that context shippers seem more insane so its a unfair reading of the fan base's attachment to the ship. And of course all all long running fandoms they do start fuelling their interest from fandom more than canon when theres not enough content and it becomes its own thing not really reflective of canon which is fine.

But perhaps some forgot how far theyd deviated from canon in their portrayals while still fueling discourse which both confused those outside the fandom and made them frustrated .

2. They saw the clips of the new movie or all of the new movie and saw Aang as attractive

I don't say this to be dismissive but in fandom it very common that the ships that get popular are with characters who get accepted as attractive or with characters who are considered relatable or are otherwise projected on in some way. Katara Toph Zuko and Sokka were all some combo of this Aang tho wasnt. So Aang ships didnt tend to be as popular outside of the kataang shippers from my experience.

Then we get this poster of Adult Gaang

And this design of Aang in Legend of Korra

And tbh neither were very popular while the other designs were very well received

People hadnt been as curious about adult Aang as a design compared to some other characters (Zuko) so there wasnt a super popular fan design that got latched on to either. So that did not help with the shippability of aang.

But then the movie comes out this the redesign

And people like this look more

And then the movie leaks and people see clips and suddenly

Oh no hes hot now we getting thirst traps

Now you could say hold on now people have made intimate objects and fish and lions and horses redesigned to be hot people.

And thats true.

But there are certain personality types that get those redesigns and they typically aren't the sweet peace loving types.

And now finally in 2026 Aangs shippability is getting a bit of a boom and so the first ship that gets looked at is the one that got the most attention the one that was involved in a ship for over a decade aka kataang.

This is not to say that no one had any Aang ships just that they werent as popular as ships with other members and when they might have been typically.

For example

Aang has just as many parallels and thematic connections with Zuko as Katara does if not more. Their ancestors are linked Katara tried to talk Zuko out of his path in Ba sing Se but Aang tried in S1 when Zuko rescued him in the blue spirit first. Their backstory episodes are told together Aang even cuts ties with Roku in the comics because he suggests Aang might have to kill Zuko.

In many fandoms that kinda thing is the basis of at the very least a very strong friendship that down the line could blossom into a really popular ship that dominates a fandom

Can't really deny that but in spite of that Zukaang didnt get much traction.

And i think it didnt because people just werent that interested in shipping aang at least not the masses but thats changing now and im curious what new ships will now start getting more popularity. Im personally hoping for more aang ships.

[sokkastyles]

I liked zukaang from when I first watched the show, but no, Aang did not try to talk Zuko out of his path in the Blue Spirit episode. Aang asked Zuko if they could have been friends a hundred years ago, while Zuko was unconscious, and was ready to fly away the moment Zuko attacked him. There was never the level of connection and trust there as between Zuko and Katara in the caves, which is also why Aang forgave Zuko more easily when he wanted to join them.

[charls-lamen]

I should have specified this more. They didnt have this long drawn out conversation or anything.

But Aang does see that the guy who busted him out who he just worked together with who just got shot getting him out is in fact Zuko. True his attempt at communication is not as heartfelt or verbose as Kataras but i would say him asking Zuko that question and not splitting after getting him to safety immediately was an attempt at communication.

A much more flawed attempt so very understandable why Katara was more pissed than Aang but still an attempt.

My point was that Zuko aang had moments too the kinda moments that normally get shippers super excited. They had it during the tv show they had it after in the comics. They had it in their themes. The show purposely paralleled them.

In many other fandoms this kinda thing usually is the kinda stuff that makes ships really big. But Zukaang never got that big.

And imo it didnt because Aang historically wasnt very shippable to many in the fandom. But i do think the current fandom especially after this movie sees Aang as more shippable. I should specify like from the movie clips not necessarily the movie itself many havent seen that.

[aravosinhighheels]

I think youre on to something with the shippability of Aang but id also want to point out that Zutara backlash, not just Kataang vs Zutara but Zutara backlash in general has kinda been ongoing for a bit now. I think also ships in general with similar dynamics in general have had this backlash.

You know like girl who super smart and in opposition to Guy associated with the villain side who might be kinda a dick. Like Reylo or Dramione they are popular for sure but there is also alot of backlash against these ships.

[chongoblog]

People talk a lot about how a lot of insightful and powerful quotes come from stuff like Shadow the Hedgehog or Mewtwo and I love that but I still cannot get over that “hypocrite that you are” is completely original

[chongoblog]

Some motherfucker woke up one morning and decided to speak the words of an unknown god through Micholas Fucking Mouse

[become-potatoes]

Dolores: Bruno is actually a really complex member of our family. You see, he had a a very humbling gift that made people only see the worst parts of him because of his visions, and now he-

Camilo: AYO OUR UNCLE HAD MOTHERFUCKIN RATS

[podcastenthusiast]

Okay hear me out. I feel like a lot of the way Julieta acts as Mirabel's mother is a direct response to how Alma has been as a mother, specifically to Bruno.

Julieta fears that Mira could lose her way in the family like Bruno did. She sees Alma blaming Mira for things that aren't her fault. She sees Mira struggling with being different than her family, feeling like she has no place and might be harming them by being herself. Old patterns repeating.

So she tries so hard not to push Mira away. She's constantly praising her, expressing her love, and validating her feelings (but what Mirabel actually needs more sometimes is to be heard and taken seriously even when her ideas challenge the family).

I'm not saying anyone is a good or bad mom because it's more complex than that. But basically, she's the opposite of Alma. Yet by focusing so much on Mirabel, she doesn't realize her other daughters are hiding their own struggles.

[visibilityofcolor]

it’s just people will go above and beyond to make tragic stories for problematic white characters to the point where they redeem said white characters completely but i guess abuela is evil

[aravosinhighheels]

I'm more on tiktok nowadays and Ive noticed alot of the people who really hate abuela very much relate to one of the grandkids and admit to having to have dealt with a similar trauma with a similar parental figure. And they either see alot of that parental figure in abuela and cant not dislike them, or they just need more of an arc with her for her apology because you see the impact she has on Mirabel and Bruno.

And they just need a bit more catharsis for that whether they've been through a similar trauma or not . I do think white characters get indulgences poc characters dont. But many times this may happen in more fantastical stories that may not hit home as hard or be so personal an issue.

Not saying Abuela should be a villain or is one in the movie. Or saying that she wouldn't get as much hate if she wasnt white.

But I do think many people find a comfort in seeing her being called out or the impact of her actions being focused on more than the reason behind them. For many people this is due to their own trauma and I see alot of poc especially talk about this. Like how they related hard to the movie because their own family doesnt talk about this kinda thing ( its actually why I related hard to it) and how they have an abuela equivalent person in their own family who never takes accountability or is very dismissive of the damage they have done.

But imo fandom in general likes talking about the things they want to see in fandom in the same way they talk about their direct interpretation about the work. So their take away might be more nuanced and they might want to see more fandom content dealing with the consequences of Abuela's actions, or seeing her in a negative light. So they'll do things like really unflattering unfair headcanons. As opposed to saying this could be a interesting idea. And emotional indulgences of a fandom and analysis by the fandom becomes less seperated.

TLDR

Even if they understand that she's not the villain and she is sympathetic there is a comfort in calling her actions out both by others in the fandom and in fanworks. And I don't think that indulgence is that problematic.

Though I do understand the frustration of that being the constant state of the fandom and few people discussing Abuela in a more nuanced way. And I do see the problem in that.

[acoolguy]

what game devs think are tough choices in games: you have to kill this person or spare them

what tough choices in games actually are: this armor will make you more powerful but it’s ugly

[aesthetic-uni]

the toughest choice in any game: you have an elixir that can heal you completely but you only have 86 of them what if-

[madtriggerz]

White person on tiktok: Hey my partner is a poc who I love dearly. I participate in their culture and heritage out of respect. My in laws are supportive of me dressing in their clothes and participating in holidays with them, in fact they insist I do so.

Person with a white savior complex: OMG THATS NOT OK YOU ARENT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT ITS NOT YOUR CULTURE YOU VULTURE THATS NOT OK EVEN IF ITS YOUR PARTNERS CULTURE ITS APPROPRIATION

[madtriggerz]

I’m sick of y’all white ppl with savior complexes thinking you have the right to gatekeep all aspects of a culture you don’t even know the nuances of. Y’all need to shut up.

I had to see so many videos this week of white ppl having to explain on tiktok that they were celebrating Lunar New Year with their partners and their in laws. The fact that ppl have to explain the very concept of embracing the culture of someone they care about to y’all is fucking embarrassing.

Do you know what would’ve been worse than this? The white person not participating in their partner’s culture at all. That shit would’ve been 10x more disrespectful.

Y’all need to fucking step back and learn how to spot context clues because this shit is ridiculous.

[salmonandsoup]

Cultural celebration/participation is not cultural appropriation.

[aravosinhighheels]

I can't tell you the amount of times I've seen a white person go off one someone for cultural appropriation while poc of that culture are standing in the side lines going...wait I'm not offended by that? That's not appropriation? This is fine? Hell I've been that poc on the side .

And it's not a great thing because white people are so loud about cultural appropriation ( which often isn't that they are just virtue signaling) that the term starts to be associated with white people trying to seem woke.

So when actual poc start bringing up cases of real cultural appropriation that sort of thing gets pushed into the people trying to seem woke category instead of this is a real problem category. Repeated misuse of the word has watered down the impact of it. All because some people want to be dramatic and feel righteous more than they actually care about any real issue or person.

[aravosinhighheels]

Should I just change my url to purple elf aesthetic? I mean I barely reblog voltron now 🤔

[queercodedwizard]

Me, a lesbian: *ships two guys in a TV show/movie/book because they have good chemistry and there are not very many developed female characters to ship with guys or with each other*

Person: You’re just shipping because you want to see two guys get off ‘cause its hot

Me: BITCH

[aravosinhighheels]

Any time I see a gay ship get popular everyone handwaves it as ugh straight girls just like it cuz it's hot. Ignoring all non straight shippers and non girl shippers.

But lets ignore that for a second because sometimes the shippers are straight girls. Regardless of what reason they say they like a gay ship it always gets the retort you just think it's hot. That's the reason why you like it.

Because of course there's no other reason a gay romance could appeal to a straight person. Because they aren't gay. But this argument will never be made for non straight people liking straight romance.

They can't just like it because they found one or both people hot. It's just they related to the feelings of love. Because when it's straight romance it becomes a universal feeling right? Give me a fucking break. You aren't being woke and pro LGBT you're just being homophobic.

But sometimes they do just find it hot sometimes it is just because they find the two sexy. Look at all the sexy fanart!

Ya well think of how much sexy fanart canon and fanon guy x girl ships get. If it's a canon ship it's official art too not just fanart.

You think they are drawing Selina like that for any reason other than to make her look sexy for the audience? Course not. But there is no one saying that people only like Batcat only because they find one or both of these two characters hot.

Even if you like this particular panel alot they won't say you only like the ship because it's hot. Because there's alot of chemistry and history and a dynamic explored between these two. And sexy fanart doesn't discount that whether you like it or not. But it does for gay ships.

People talk about fetishsizing/sexualizing women alot too in art because it's a reoccurring thing. But sexy art of women isn't bad because it exists in some form somewhere.

People complain because it's the default. Women can't just be drawn with a normal shirt it must be in a way that shows off all countours and angled in a titillating way and that's more the default. It's a industry problem they are talking about. Not even one character in particular.

With gay ships though someone will find a kink smut fic and be like here see? Smutty Fanwork! Proof that this ship is just fetish fuel! Are there smutty fanworks with straight ships? Yes. Are there people who only ever write smutty Fanwork about straight ships? Also yes. Are people sexualized or fetishized in these works? Yes. But it never invalidates the ship. And existence of sexy art or fic of a gay ship attracts more righteous fury than its straight equivalent in my experience.

Now I'm not saying these things are never a issue in fandom and should never be called out. Because there definitely should be. But there is a definite double standard I see in fandom for what gets called out and what doesn't.

And let's be honest here most of the time you see this kinda thing it's someone saying this about a ship they don't like. Very often when there is ship they do like that involves a character of the ship they don't like.

It's not like every time you see it but this moral posturing is so often just used as fuel for a ship war that any sort of legitimate criticism about trends in fandom are side eyed. Which is bad because as I said there are things here that I believe can be harmful and are worth calling out. But heres the thing , most people don't actually care about the homophobia, or racism, or sexualization or abuse, or any other actual serious issue they bring up in fandom. They just want to be righteous about disliking a ship. And if they have an alternative ship they like more that's less popular they want their ship to seem "good" and the popular one to seem "bad".

That's why even though fetishization of lesbians is equally big if not more of a problem in both fandom and media in general you see way less discourse about it. Because alot of the major fandoms have m/m as their most popular ships. For a multitude of reasons but a big one is male characters often get more love from canon writers.

Their stories get prioritized their relationships get more weight especially their relationships with other men unless it's primarily a romance. And often there are just more male characters. In most fandoms canon just gave you more to work with in the m/m field than f/f or even m/f. And yes its shitty canon writers gave you so little to work with for female characters. But that's not on the fans nor is it their obligation to fix it. This is a hobby for most not their job. Lack of representation is on the actual paid writers call them out.

Now that's not to say sexism is never a factor in fandom or shipping because it definitely is. So is racism. But those aren't the only reasons. They aren't always the biggest reasons either. And if the canon romance had two lines of dialogue about a story primarily focused on a epic bromance maybe, just maybe, this m/m ship is popular for reasons other than sexist racist straight white girls fetishizing gay men. And that isn't negated just because you find some racist sexist straight white girl somewhere likes this ship because she finds both guys hot and writes kinky erotica about it.

[kokokoart]

[scheppke]

Thanatos/Ares, gentle touches and soft looks 

[autumn-sacura]

Hades game fanart. Thanatos and Sisyphus, based on Greek mythology. Zeus ordered Thanatos to take Sisyphus in Tartarus.  Sisyphus slyly asked Thanatos to demonstrate how the chains worked. As Thanatos was granting him his wish, Sisyphus trapped Thanatos in the chains instead.

[razielim]

Paid tribute to the venerable and ancient Shotor civilization for @barbitone.

[kalystara]

(I think?) I figured out what will come out of the cocoon

Some time ago, the voice actor of Aaravos tweeted this, and I found that very strange.

Why would Aaravos have a different voice after he/his temporary body comes out of the cocoon?

But as I was finishing the concept art book a few days ago, the dots connected when I read this.

I am 100% sure that they wouldn’t DARE make us get our hopes high about ever seeing a Star dragon unless they were actually planning to give us one in the show at one point.

But just a few pages later, they’re telling us that there are no other star beings besides unicorns and startouch-elves.

So I naturally came to the conclusion that the caterpillar will morph into the first startouch dragon ever, thus justifying the voice change too.

And just for the sake of testing my guessing abilities a bit farther, I’m predicting that the dragon will be snake-like, with 4 horns and translucent butterfly wings that have long flowy tails

Let’s see how it turns out!

[action]

It’s Not Too Late to Make 2020 Count

The 2020 U.S. election is right around the corner. Tuesday, November 3, is the last day to cast your ballot. We’re almost at the end of this seemingly endless election cycle–but don’t break out the bath bombs yet. There’s still work to do, like making sure you cast a vote that counts. Here’s some info that’ll help you do just that:

Who should you vote for? Well, that’s up to you. We’re not here to tell you how to live your life, just to make living it a little easier. Find out here where the presidential candidates stand on key issues like climate change, healthcare, and racial justice. Sure, the presidency gets the top billing, but those smaller, local elections affect you as well. Use this state-specific ballot guide to help you fill out your entire ballot. 

It’s not too late to vote early. In some states, the early voting period ends Saturday, October 31, aka Halloween. Like this election cycle wasn’t scary enough. Learn more about your state’s early voting deadlines here. If you still haven’t registered to vote, @whenweallvote makes it easy to explore all of your state’s voter registration deadlines in one place. Find your polling place ahead of time. Waiting until Election Day to look up your polling station is like waiting until the day of the show to buy tickets to a MCR reunion tour. It’s not a good idea. 

If you voted by mail, your job isn’t over. To confirm your absentee ballot has been accepted by your state’s board of elections, use @resistbot for status updates. No, that’s not a text from your crush: it’s Resistbot! Unless Resistbot is your crush…in which case, maybe you should just check the status of your ballot online.

There’s something in the air

If you consider yourself anywhere from barely to extremely online, you’ve been bombarded with misinformation—and you might not even know it. At Tumblr, you control the conversation. As a result, we need you to help us shut down the spread of misinformation. 

With one of the most contentious elections in U.S. history only days away, we’re asking all users to be watchful of what you see and read online. Use our Election Integrity Guidelines to help you identify and avoid sharing potentially harmful information. To combat misinformation within the Tumblr community, we’re also asking users to read more about media literacy and report misinformation or abuse of any kind right here. 

Good luck out there, Tumblr. Don’t forget to #Make2020Count.

[staff]

✨Tomorrow is Election Day in the United States. If you’ve already voted by absentee ballot, check the status of your ballot using @resistbot. If you’re voting in-person tomorrow, make sure you know where your polling place is. ✨

[charls-lamen]

If you are in the US today is election day . If you haven’t already please go vote!

[rabidfangirlteehee]

Unless you are voting for Trump. Then election day is January 21st 2021 but its fine if you don’t go. I mean record voter turnout this time and its cold just stay home.