Listen, Natalie.

Lindsey. Just a bunch of fandom stuff and sometimes memes.

[chalamet]

Directed by: Denis Villeneuve

[shayemitchell]

MAL ORETSEV + SMILING ↳ requested by @fleetcaptainpike

[peralta-shellstrop-deactivated2]

I failed to appreciate this during my childhood, but this is absolutely hilarious.

Allow me to elaborate:

[shifuaang]

“ATLA hates revolutionaries.” No, it doesn’t. What ATLA hates is injustice, whether it’s carried out by an oppressive regime with a dictator at it’s helm or a traumatized teen who attempts to flood a town full of civilians. If Jet and Hama’s stories were the sole examples of ‘revolution’, this argument might hold some kind of weight, but they are two characters in a tapestry of many.

Imprisoned shows an entire group of earthbending prisoners rise up against their captors after an impassioned speech from Katara that very much embodies the spirit of revolution. In The Northern Air Temple, refugees organize and fight back against the army exploiting and threatening them, taking back their agency and home. The Painted Lady portrays ecoterrorism in a positive light (albeit with consequences, because rebellion isn’t cut-and-dried), but at the end of the episode, the abusive factory workers are driven away and the fishing village is restored. None of the characters participating in these revolts are demonized in any way; in fact, we are meant to be earnestly rooting for the revolutionaries in every one of these instances. 

ATLA also never says ‘violence is never the answer.’ Zuko chooses to end a cycle of generational violence by joining the Avatar in his quest to end the war. Aang chooses to end a cycle of global violence perpetrated against his people and the world by refusing to kill Ozai. These are heavily debated decisions that the two characters struggle with within the narrative. At the same time that these two are actively choosing peace, there are acts of revolutionary violence carried out elsewhere, both within The Day of Black Sun with the invasion of the Fire Nation Capitol and Into the Inferno with the deliberate infiltration and destruction of Ozai’s fleet of war balloons. 

The fact that Zuko and Aang chose peace doesn’t negate the concept of necessary violence, nor does it paint their decisions as ‘superior’ but, rather, right for these specific instances and characters. Zuko and Aang are motivated by cultural, political, and hugely personal reasons. This isn’t ‘muddying the waters’. This is ATLA refusing to yield to the dichotomy of good vs. evil and exploring the nuances of what it means to grow up during a time of war.

Furthermore, you cannot in the same breath say ATLA was ‘too idealistic’ and chastise the writers for how they handled Jet and Hama. Idealism would be dismissing the reality that some people will not heal from the scars implicated by imperialism. Idealism would be sanitizing every refugee and survivor’s story instead of allowing them to exist as full and flawed human beings who are capable of both honorable and horrific acts. 

At the end of the day, ATLA is one show that was written 15 whole years ago, and it should not and cannot be the sole source of media that has to hold the weight of every perfect political resolution or portrayal of war victims. If ATLA didn’t depict your Marxist fantasy flawlessly, then perhaps start pushing for other shows and films to tackle this issue instead of beating a dead ostrich horse over the head.

[engulfes]

something deeply intimate about being outside early in the morning all alone and seeing the world as she is

[sabertoothwalrus]

other requirements include being a child soldier and having a dead mom

[modelsof-color]

LiuTinglei & Qian Cheng by Ren Haihuar for Elle Men Magazine, Summer Issue 2021

[rosacarolina]

[fyeahmovies]

Welcome to pure mathematics, the land of loneliness.

Incendies (2010) dir. Denis Villeneuve

[bericas]

TOP DOGS WEEK (DAY 3) → FAVORITE BROTP DYNAMIC

we keep an eye on each other. okay?

[jakeperalta]

well I've been afraid of changing cause I've built my life around you but time makes you bolder even children get older and I'm getting older too

[rationalisms]

i think this idea that we can glean a whole and unbiased insight into anyone's life solely from their social media presence is a really weird unconscious bias in general. and i know that's in large parts because of the whole influencer thing and how people have started to monetize authenticity and parasocial relationships, but i think it's good to remind ourselves every once in a while that someone's social media account is only a small, curated and often highly edited slice of a person regardless of how "real" or personable or open they come across. including myself in that because i'm certainly not immune to it lol

[ullathynell]

Ulla Thynell photography

[desolationlesbian]

I’ve never been to Las Vegas but I love it in concept because it sounds so made up. Imagine if you were reading a fantasy novel and they were like “smack in the middle of a deadly inhospitable desert there is a glittering city of indulgence and lawlessness and cheap sin that has specifically engineered itself to obfuscate your sense of time and keep you there as long as possible while they take all your valuables.” You’d be like yeah that’s some wizard shit. 

[d1rtypaws]

Coworker: nice day out huh?

Me, who watched a 2hr documentary about the Hindenburg disaster the night before and is desperately trying to share the information i learned: yeah, a real nice day, not at all like May 6, 1937 in Germany.

[dappermouth]

Black wolf, I think I knew you once.

[sergle]

couldn’t resist making more flower head girls!! 💐🌷🌹