#chins up

[abyssyby]

the lioness does not concern herself with the amt of storage dmg her little tablet will b taking this coming update 😌

[gilirabbit]

[hughbot]

Hello here is my latest patreon post about rereading books, trail animals and my latest comic project.

Free to read public post! No subscription required!

[yannasunflower]

On Aang - ATLA

I really want to express how different my opinions on Aang are now that I’m older and with my most recent rewatch of ATLA. When I was younger, I was hyper-critical of his character and honestly, not a huge fan of him. And that’s not to say he’s my favorite character now - he’s not lol - but I definitely appreciate his character a lot more now and actually genuinely like him. His choice to take away Ozai’s bending makes so much more sense to me now that I’m not a teenage edgelord who didn’t understand that for a character like Aang, all life is sacred, even Ozai’s. And I think now I understand that even if the life you took is “justified” in a mainstream way, it’s still killing a person who was once a child, who once had a mother and father. I’ve realized lately that killing people changes you, fundamentally. Aang understood this at 12 years old better than I understood it at 16. 

I also used to think it was weak writing and in a way, I do sort of think it was a little bit of a cop-out that would have been justified with more lore on lion turtles, but that’s a different conversation. Now, looking at it, rewatching those episodes, I realize that taking Ozai’s bending? Actually the most fitting punishment for an ego-maniac like him. I mean, what is most central to Ozai’s sense of self? Power. His measurement of how powerful he is is what he bases his inflated ego and narcissism on. Power is, to him, the penultimate force in the world. Just look at how he treats Zuko, who is a less powerful bender than his daughter. Power is so important to him, it makes him overlook the traditional patriarchal views he was raised on. And his sense of how powerful he is is influenced mostly by his skill as a bender. That’s why he uses firebending to “teach Zuko a lesson” (read: abuse him). 

To counter an antagonist like him with someone like Aang, someone who values gentility and kindness and fairness above all else, is so radical, so devastatingly beautiful, I can’t quite put it to words. A child who was given too much too young, a character who represents the mercy and simple kindness the world seems to have lost, that is who the writers chose to be their hero. That is also who they chose to face off against a man who has committed atrocities against humankind to the point that he has thrown off the balance of the world. I mean, the symbolism, the POWER of that choice just boggles my mind. And don’t get me started on how they found a way to not corrupt that character. Aang gets to keep his innocence, gets to retain those attributes that make him the person the world needs. That quality of writing is something lacking in a lot today’s shows. The way they made Aang still believable, too, as a character. It’s never a “holier-than-thou” moment with Aang. He just earnestly believes that all people have the capacity for grace and mercy and joy. He is the inner child in all of us, who still desperately want to believe in the best of people. 

Aang is such a powerful character, and his traits, what make him so unique and wonderful, are something lacking in entertainment today and are part of what makes this show so timeless and nostalgic for the people of my generation and older. Aang is a character that, more than anything, helps me hold onto my hope that this world is still full of good, of beauty, of joy and light and laughter. I’m so glad I grew up and realized the importance of a character like Aang. 

[so-i-did-this-thing]

I know it sucks, my trans family, when cultural juggernauts with massive platforms seek to turn the world against us, but take it from an old trans man -- it *is* possible to find people who not only validate, but celebrate who you are. You are valid and loved and deserve to set your boundaries and find happiness. It won't be easy, and your family and friends may radically change, but it is so, so worth it and you make the world so much richer for being in it.

[savagc]

healing is baby steps, it’s ebbing, but eventually the ebbing stops, eventually instead of baby steps you’re running forward again and every day really does get easier. 

follow instincts. 

intuition does not lie. 

truths come to light in time. 

intentions come to the surface in time...every time.

maybe sometimes not quickly enough but when they do...they do.

[ladyandtheghost]

Un-meowed. Unbent. Unbroken. 

[foxsoulcourt]

Current Inbox State (August 2018): ~500 unanswered messages • I answer questions at nigh random • *if you put an asterisk (*) in your ask, I will answer privately. (don’t forget you have to be off...

Ah, a silver lining to the past week’s adventures: several people reached out to reassure me that fandom wank is a thing which happens in every fandom from time to time. One kind, creative person I respect so much pointed me to this blog; even just skimming it (so far) has lifted the fog. In clear language it explains the maddening mean-spiritedness many have experienced. I hope you find it helpful too. Thanks to all who are checking in with one another, publicly supporting people they know or don’t know yet, and are generally being kind + wise. Let’s keep it up. What this blog is: freedom-of-fanfic is an anti-harassment, anti-censorship blog focused on fandom spaces.  It is focused on criticizing and deconstructing the current trend of using moral valuation as an excuse for intimidating fandom contributors into censoring themselves or leaving fandom.