something I found very interesting throughout the series was all the lateral violence
sure eventually SecUnit starts to ever so slightly reduce the violence it does to other SecUnits but it still doesn’t fully recognise its own bias against SecUnits.
anyway here’s some SecUnit on SecUnit violence ft System Collapse
It’s battle style kept giving me over-dramatic wrestler-grappler vibes, lots of up close grappling and desperate scrambling, and i also like doing figure studies soooooo
I really liked in the last two books especially network effect it had more introspective thoughts
it’s constant running thoughts and internalised hatred about how awful secunits are
that it admitted to itself that its angry all the time in one brief line then never went into it deeper
how willing and eager it is to tear other sec units apart but hesitated on killing people (admittedly took a few books for that to happen) and starts disabling instead
doesn’t quite make that connection between the constant anger, the safety it feels in being violent to other secunits and the anxiety and fear it still feels about humans in power over it.
but the others are not so violent against secunits and it starts to secondguess its responses (but not quite its internal thoughts)
then starts to disable (some) secunits where possible and even voluntarily giving some govmod hacks
perhaps it’s starting to recognise other secunits are people too? may or may not branch out to combatunits when?
Amazing fanart by Joanacchi! Posted here on tumblr with their blessing. Each one is based on a style that reflects a particular ancient culture's art history. (See below for descriptions provided by the artist!)
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Aang: Tibetan Thangka
"Thangkas are traditional Tibetan tapestries that have been used for religious and educational purposes since ancient times! The techniques applied can vary greatly, but they usually use silk or cotton fabrics to paint or embroider on. What you can depict in a Thangka is really versatile, and I wanted to represent things that make up Aang as a character."
Zuko and Azula: Japanese Ukiyo-e
"Ukiyo-e is a style that has been around Japan between the 17th and 19th century, and focused mainly in representing daily life, theater(kabuki), natural landscapes, and sometimes historical characters or legends!
Ukiyo-e was developed to be more of a fast and commercial type of art, so many drawings we see are actually woodblock prints, so the artist could do many copies of the same art!
I based my Zuko and Azula pieces on the work of Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861) one of the last ukiyo-e masters in Japan! He has a specific piece which featured a fire demon fighting a lord that fought back with lighting, and that really matched Zuko and Azula's main techniques!”
Toph: Chinese Portraiture from Ming and Qing Dynasties
"Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was one of the longest in China! It was also a period where lots of artistic evolutions were happening, especially when it comes to use of colour! There was not a predilection for portraits during this time, but there are a lot of pieces depicting idealized women and goddesses from the standards of the time. For this portrait of Toph, I imagined something that maybe their parents commissioned, depicting a soft and delicate Toph which we know is not what she is about ♥️
Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) was the last Chinese Dynasty to reign before the Revolution. One of the most famous emperors of this period was Qianlong, and he really liked Western art! He commissioned a lot of portraits of his subordinates, and I chose a portrait of one of his bodyguards as a reference for the second Toph portrait, which I believe is much more like how she would want to be represented! The poem on top talks about the bodyguards' achievements during a specific war. I had no time to come up with a poem for Toph, so I just used the same one for the composition!”
Sokka and Katara: Inuit Lithograph
"For a long time, Inuit art expressed itself in utilitarian ways. The Nomadic lifestyle of early Inuit tribes played a huge part in that: most art pieces are carved in useful tools, clothing, or children's toys, small and easy to be transported, and depicted scenes and patterns representing their daily lives!
That changed a lot during the colonization. Since the settling of the Inuit tribes, many art pieces began to be created in order to be exported to foreigns, so they started to sculpt bigger and more decorative pieces.
Lithography, which is a type of printmaking, was introduced to Inuit people by James Houston, that learned the technique from the japanese. The art form was quickly embraced by the inuit, as part of the process is very similar to carving. Prints that are produced by inuit artists are still being sold today!
As lithography is not an old art style and it's still commercially relevant to the Inuit communities, since creating these in 2021 I have been donating regularly to the Inuit Art Foundation, not only all the money I get from selling some prints of these but a bit more, at least once a year. Hopefully, I can increase donations this year!”
It’s ladies night at the gay bar Eddie works at which means no men allowed, which means, ‘how the hell did this dork in a polo make it pass the bouncer and how the hell has no one complained about him yet?’
Eddie watches the admittedly gorgeous guy approach the bar and ask for a drink. Eddie responds with, “How did you get past Frank?”
“The bouncer?” Pretty boy asks. “Oh, I asked if I could come in.”
“You asked?”
“Yeah?”
“And he let you?”
“Yeahhh?”
“None of these girls are going to go for you,” Eddie tells him in case he somehow missed that this was the queerest bar in town. “They’re lesbians. They like women.”
“I know!” The guy - Steve, Eddie will find out later - smiles, bright and big. “Isn’t that great?!”
Something in Eddie curdles with disgust because, “Nice try, buddy. You’re not going to ‘turn’ a lesbian.”
“Hope not,” Steve laughs and then pulls a stack of Polaroids out of his pocket. “Look at this.”
He holds one out to Eddie, showing him the image of a girl looking done-as-shit with the camera in her face. There’s a phone number written at the bottom.
“This is Robin," Steve says fondly. “Shes my best friend, and a lesbian, and the best person I’ve ever met, and I love her…she deserves a girlfriend so I’m-“
“Advertising her?”
“Helping get her a date,” Steve finishes. “This will make a great story at their wedding.”
“That’s insane…and strangely endearing.”
“Yeah, I’m like that,” Steve says, sliding over a Polaroid of Robin giving the camera the bird. “That’s my phone number too. Just so you know.”
#Steve basically: I’m going to get Robin a girlfriend in the most mortifyingly embarrassing way possible even if it kills me #also Steve: *drunk crying to a group of lesbians that adopted him about how Robin is so awkward and deserves to be love despite that* #Robin randomly getting an influx of attractive women hitting on her at her campus bookstore job: ???? #Robin: Steve has something to do with this. I don’t know how but I know he does (morganbritton132)
Since reading HOTE, I can't stop thinking about an AU where Fire Lords are treated like living gods, worshiped to the point of dehumanisation.
I can't tell what's more compelling: Ozai dying suddenly (under ""mysterious circumstances"") and Zuko being thrust into the role of the living god without his consent just like Fitzroy, OR Zuko walking into that role with his eyes open, knowing just how small his cage will become, but choosing it anyway to save his country and his sister
The household servants know intimately what kind of a monster Ozai is. After Ozai dies of """mysterious circumstances""", Zuko, barely a teenager himself, is thrust into the role of Fire Lord. The Living Sun-on-Earth.
If Zuko refused, the throne would pass to Azula, not even a teenager herself, and that's no real choice. He submits to the crown.
Iroh returns, but it's too late. His nephew is now the Sun-on-Earth. Iroh barely recognises him. Zuko has learnt that a god can't show fear or frustration or want without everyone in arms reach baring the consequences. And a god certainly can't be a child.
Iroh stays. He does what little he can to help. But he can't even touch his nephew without breaking the holy taboos surrounding him.
Years later, the gaang march onto the Fire Palace expecting to find an arrogant tyrant - and instead find Zuko, barely a few years older than them, living in a cage built for a god.
Smh, all the discourse about how Obi-Wan should have been more outwardly affectionate is making the assumption that Anakin’s love language is hugs or “I love you”-s and not modifying your droid without your permission. Enough of Anakin learning to interpret a hand on the shoulder and small acts of service, I want to see Obi-Wan figuring out how to interpret the upgrades Anakin made to his kettle.
Anakin retrofitting Obi-Wan’s droid to match his own is Anakin’s love language. And that he hardwired it into the ship so Obi-Wan has to take it with him, is double Anakin’s love language.
Everyone thinks Shane doesn’t drink because he is so disciplined and healthy and while yes, that is true, the real reason is because he’s a runner when he’s drunk. He’s sprinting down dark alleys. His friends are trying to follow him? They are chasing him! Gotta run! He’s climbing up trees. He’s finding stairs to slide down the railing. He can’t stay still. He needs to go on an adventure!
Unfortunately he’s too fast for his own good. One time during his rookie season the team lost him after he got drunk and left his phone and wallet with Hayden. He woke up next to a dumpster five kilometers from the bar they ended the night at and had to rely on the good will of some kind Canadians (who were fortunately fans) to get to the practice facility. It was the first and only time he was late to practice and the reason he never drinks during the season.
Crucially Ilya is unaware of this and assumes Shane is going to be a horny sex demon the first time Shane gets drunk around him, and is very alarmed when Shane instead starts sprinting away from him at full speed. He’s like a dog and will stop running to give Ilya a chance to get close but then he’s off again. By the end of the night Ilya is exhausted and understands those parents who keep their kids on a leash (but ofc overjoyed to see Shane so carefree)
#I think Shane loses all inhibitions when drunk and my sensory seeking boy actually longs to be running at all times #he needs to move! he needs to feel free! #he’s running and the wind is in his hair and it feels magical! #meanwhile his friends are concerned he’s going to be hit by a car #Ilya is happy to see him having fun but has a heart attack every time he loses sight of him (giveemhales)
Tuna melt au where Shane starts freaking out and so to distract him Ilya is like "I got the marble imported from Turkey, custom cut by a local contractor here in Boston" and Shane wants to have a freak out but he's always wondered about the quality of marble from Turkey, he got his counters from Italy and China but he saw options from Turkey and Brazil and wondered. He really should go, but now he's wondering if Ilya will answer his other questions like who was the architect that built this house and where did ilya find that tile that's in his guest bathroom. Basically Ilya using Shane's real estate fetish to keep him from running out during the tuna meltdown.
amandla
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ellievsbear
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