No thoughts, just this

When I started watching Legend of Korra, I honestly expected it to deal with themes of poverty more. Many scenes in the first season lay a solid foundation to be worked on, but subsequent seasons just ignore it, apart from a quick acknowledgement of Ba Sing Se’s rigid class system in season three.

Like, two characters in the main cast (Mako and Bolin) are orphans who used to be homeless! Why doesn’t this get explored more?

When we’re first introduced to them, they’re working as pro-benders. You might say, “That seems like a prestigious career. I’m sure they’re making lots of money.” BUT, their employer is also their landlord and he uses this position of power to exploit them. They’re a scene where he holds out a wad of cash (the price money they won) and he just keeps deducing things (rent for their apartment, payment for the gym, equipment, etc.) until all the money is completely gone.

This is a real problem in the real world, where lots of workers get a “legal wage” but have to give large amounts of it right back to their employer, who provides them with transportation, board and loge. (Where I live, Eastern European farm workers and harvest helpers are especially affected.)

Because of all the deductions, Mako takes on a second job at a power plant, where he generates lightning. I think this is meant as an analogue to real-life factory work. Likewise, Bolin gets involved in gang crime due to the promise of money. (He is unable to complete the job and get the money, though, because he gets kidnapped.)

Their money problems only get solved when they meet Asami, by chance, who is very rich. The wealth disparity between these characters only gets explored through a few jokes and gags.

In the first episode, we’re also introduced to Gommu, who is described as a vagabond and lives in a bush in a public park. Korra shares a meal of fish with him and they get talking. Korra says that she thought everyone in Republic City was living it up. Gommu chuckles and says she’s got a lot to learn. Right after, a police officer shows up (because fishing is forbidden) and they run away in opposite directions.

Having this right there in the first episode? Having the rich and good reputation of the city contrasted with its poorest occupants? Seeing how the law is not in place to uplift them, but to criminalize them? That seems like a great set up! Too bad nothing was done with it.

Gommu shows up again in one of the last episodes, when the city is overtaken by equalists and the Avatar and her friends find shelter in an underground vagabond camp. Once again they share food, which Bolin names “the best-tasting street gruel [he’s] ever had. Seriously!” while Asami spits hers out.

There are also some more small scenes and details, like Mako wearing the same patched-up undershirt for all four seasons.

Written down like this, it might seem like a lot, but in the end it doesn’t lead anywhere. While all this would serve as a great foundation, it’s not build upon. If there were plans for a poverty-subplot, they got dropped completely.

I wish they weren’t.

I hate these fucking cannibals so fucking much

I’m????

Nintendo Switch Pins made by somergeist

Pokemon Gashapon Machine Charms made by BubbleBunnyArt

​ranboo going from freaking out when dream joked about adding him in october to working (probably) one on one with him on his current character arc.... and dream popping in and out of ranboos stream all day yesterday even though he wasn’t doing lore so it was clear he was just watching because he Wanted to....all those clips of donos ranboo has sent to technoblade saying he makes his days better to techno joining the smp in the middle of ranboos stream making a joke that clearly implies he was watching ranboo’s stream.... tubbo and ranboo going from a cryptic semi-parasocial relationship to tubbo calling ranboo when he’s bored and playing games in call with him.... quackity hyping up ranboo during jackbox games and already being comfortable enough to poke fun at him.... karl watching ranboo’s stream while running around the SMP and later revealing he was in a meeting but was watching ranboo’s stream as well... phil being someone ranboo looked up to enough to ask for youtube advice and now ranboo streams with him... george keeping him in one of his second channel videos.... dream noticing that ranboo was just wandering around during quackity’s “therapy” stream and asking to move to discord so ranboo could join their VC.... sapnap and ranboo being close enough already that ranboo gave him the graphics card at the end of Tales because he already had one and wanted sapnap to have it instead... punz immediately welcoming ranboo to the smp (albeit by killing him but)....dream immediately being comfortable/chaotic around ranboo and killing him twice as a joke when he first joined..... fundy freaking out when he saw ranboo had joined the server.... tommy(‘s character but. still) immediately defending and protecting ranboo three days after he joined............. Do You Wanna See How Hard I Can Cry

*through my tears* this stupid motherfucker won’t stop falling in lava smh

ok but here’s my exile!innit design- wilbur’s coat (now with a patch because thats way cooler) and wilbur’s beanie, cus it’s cold. the “your tubbo” compass as a lil necklace around his neck, with Your Tubbo engraved on the back. dumbass has too many burn marks because he keeps accidentally falling in lava. dark circles under his eyes because he hasn’t slept at all since he’s been exiled.

please somebody help him.

delta airlines - ranboo edition

I will tolerate any treatment. Like I play Minecraft sometimes, and I’ll put up with anything. I’ll get whitelisted on some garbage server – you know, I don’t wanna name an actual server so let’s just make one up; let’s call it “Dream SMP.“  So I’ll get whitelisted on “Dream SMP” and I’ll show up at the server and I’ll go, “Can I get some friendships, please?” And they go, “No. It’s delayed nine traumas.” And I go, “Okaaay!” And then I go with the rest of the cabinet on the trial-less execution campaign. And then I come back from the trial-less execution campaign and I go, “Any updates?” And they go “Yeah, we stole your only grounding device. Because we hate you. Now take this memory book that’s fake, go! Fetch!” And I go, “Okaaay!” and I go over to the panic room and go, “Can I have a stable mental state, please?” and the Dream voice goes “NO!” And I go, “Okaaay!” And it goes, “You’re a little traitor boy, aren’t you?” And I go, “Nooo,” and it goes, “SAY IT!” and I go, “I’m a little traitor boy.“ And then I go over to the Dream SMP help forum, which is an oxymoron, and I go, “Can I please go into retirement in the Arctic?” and they go “No! In fact, we’re gonna frame you for blowing up the community house, and you’re gonna go to jail for thirty years!” And I go, “Why are you doing this to me?!” And they go, “Because we’re the Dream SMP, and life is a fucking nightmare!“ 

can we take a second to appreciate just how the dream smp members’ acting keep on getting better and better?

when the first sad-ist animatic dropped, a lot of people were impressed at dream’s “white flags” speech and eret’s “it was never meant to be line”.

then the election happened, and we were all blown away by just how powerful schlatt’s presidential speech was.

then wilbur’s corruption arc started, and the fandom went insane over just how stunning wilbur’s villainous breakdown was.

then there was the finale, which was fully packed with memorable scenes accompanied with incredible acting - we all exploded from the sheer amazingness of techno’s theseus speech and wilbur’s button room scene.

then the exile arc began, and we were startled by how much both dream and tubbo’s acting have improved; both of them suddenly putting a lot more effort and emotion into their scenes, resulting in some very iconic yet emotionally hurtful moments.

midway into the exile arc, and tommy received a lot of praise for his brilliantly accurate portrayal of mental illness, to the point where a lot of people were genuinely worried about him, even though he has stated that it was all just roleplaying and he was actually feeling great.

then ranboo took us by surprise by roleplaying more on his streams, and suddenly everyone was buzzing at just how good he was at portraying anxiety attacks and fascinating his audience with a premise as simple as losing a book solely because of his great acting.

and last but not least (for now), just when we thought wilbur couldn’t get any better, he topped his best performance yet again with ghostbur’s breakdown when he found out that friend died, as he cried and lashed out at philza, putting himself once again on the number one spot of best actor on the dream smp.

and this haven’t even mentioned all the amazing moments by fundy, quackity, and niki (who are also amazing actors who play their roles really well), and some other moments by other characters as well.

if there’s one thing that will definitely only improve overtime in the dream smp, it’s the incredible acting that makes you forget sometimes that this is all just a minecraft roleplay server.

yes they are friends ys yes yes- click for higher resolution <3

Techno to Phil: Don’t risk your life for me

Tommy to Tubbo: We get the discs, or we die trying

You’re a daycare worker, watching over toddlers, when the imminent end of the world is announced. It becomes increasingly clear none of the kids’ parents are going to show up as the end inches nearer.

daniel howell for attitude magazine, november 2020

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