And suddenly, you're nineteen. Too big to lay in your mother's lap, too tall for your old hiding places. Your childhood home seems smaller than it used to; there are cracks growing in the baseboards.

This season has brought me a sense of loneliness I've never had before. The days grow shorter, the heart grows fonder. What haunts me most is the idea that I will never return to the younger versions of myself again. When was the last time I trick-or-treated? When was the last time I saw all of my friends in the same room? Will anything ever feel the same? No, no it will not. Autumn is my favorite time of year: the season of brilliant, defiant beauty in the face of decay.

you gotta be as gay as possible on the computer otherwise alan turing died for nothing

Makes my heart ache with joy that I'm growing up side by side my childhood hero 😭 Like damn, shit Does get better taking photos of yourself Does get easier! it all comes with time and love.... God..... The secret is kindness...... gassing up your friends/mutuals...... them hyping you up in return.... growing at your pace but toeing the line out the nest.... it all comes with living methinks.....

Thank you guys for likin the recent selfies I’ve been takin :D it’s really boosted my confidence with those ones so I may take more >:)

i'm getting tested for autism !!!!! omg !!!

Joo Dee Has an AMAZING Name

So I was working on my “What’s in a Name” series for the Earth Kingdom, specifically researching Joo Dee’s name origin. I initially thought Joo Dee’s name was meant to be a joke, since it sounds like such a mundane English name (Judy). However, the more I looked into her name, the more depth of meaning I discovered. Allow me to share these discoveries with you:

The name Joo Dee literally means “Local” (局地) in Mandarin Chinese. It’s a very fitting, if somewhat uninteresting name for a tour guide. However, when you break down the hanzi (Chinese characters) of her name, she becomes both an ominous and tragic figure of Ba Sing Se.

The characters used for her name mean Bureau (局) and Earth (地), respectively. So when writing her name, you literally read it as “Bureau of Earth”, which sounds like a label you’d slap on a piece of government property. Keep in mind, Joo Dee is not the name of one person, it’s an identity forced upon droves of brainwashed women. They’re not just figurative tools of the government, they are literal tools of the government and are never allowed to forget that through the name given to them.

The American Equivalent to this would be:

“Hello, my name is Cia and I’ll be your DC tour guide! ^_^”

“Oh, Sia, that’s a pretty name…”

“It’s spelled C-I-A, short for Central Intelligence Agency! ^_^”

“Wait, you work for the CIA?”

“No, I AM THE CIA. ^_^”

And then you find out she’s a victim of Project MKUltra.

And that is Ba Sing Se in a nutshell: systematic and casual dehumanization with a thin veneer of affability.

:D

We're approaching 10k followers...

Just wanted to thank my followers for liking and reblogging my content for all these years! ^_^

What’s in a Name: Earth Kingdom Pt. 2

The Earth Kingdom is so dense with names that this post only covers the first five episodes of Book 2.

General Fong - Galloping Horse, 馮 (Mandarin). In Chinese culture, the horse represents speed and an unyielding spirit. Fong is the general that wanted to force Aang into the Avatar State at all costs, so his name suits him perfectly.

Song - 송 (Korean). A very common Korean surname.

Chong - Bell, 鍾 (Cantonese) or Repeat, 重 (Mandarin). Both characters are pretty fitting for a character who likes music and being redundant, but I’m 99% certain he’s just named after the famous American stoner, Tommy Chong.

Lily - A type of flower. (English). The lily represents a long-lasting and happy marriage in Chinese culture, so it’s a very appropriate name for Chong’s equally as spacey wife.

Moku - Many possible meanings, depending on the characters used. I think it might be the on’yomi (Sino-Japanese) reading of the character 木, which means “wood”. This would be the most appropriate name for a hippie and implied stoner.

Oma - Mysterious Carnelian, 奥瑪 (Mandarin). Carnelians are a type of semiprecious stone. Oma was one of the first human Earthbenders, so she is very much a “mysterious rock”. Also, Oma sounds like “eomma” (엄마), which is Korean for mother, and she is the mother of Earthbending.

Shu - Relax, 舒 (Mandarin). Oma and Shu designed “The Cave of Two Lovers” so they could have a place with which to relax together.

Captain Yung (Omashu Soldier) - Brave, 勇 (Mandarin)

Tong (Chin Village Mayor) - To supervise or manage, 董 (Cantonese). I think there are two reasons they gave him the Cantonese pronunciation of the character/word: First, James Hong is of Cantonese descent. Second, the Mandarin pronunciation of the character kind of sounds like “Dung” or “Dong” in English.

Chin the Conqueror - 秦 (Mandarin). Chin the Conquered is based off Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of a unified China. Like Qin, Chin was a prideful warlord who unified the many disparate states of the land into one nation, only to have his reign cut painfully short. I’ll probably make a separate post about why “Avatar Day” is such a brilliant episode in terms of worldbuilding and nods to Chinese history.

thinking about how zuko stealing the ostrich horse is an allegory for the japanese occupation of the korean peninsula and how beautifully direct the metaphors are in this show. the fire nation was capable and powerful, but became selfish and went scorched earth. i love eastern mythos and spirituality so much it makes life so much more magical ^_^

avatar was a big part of my coping during the pandemic. it was really nice surrounding myself in this world in the summer of 2020 that upheld the values and culture that i saw being tortured and misrepresented in real life. it made me proud knowing things like this could be so popular in american audiences, that the forest fire we watched from the hill would not be the final blow.

Are there any cultures that were only used for small details/themes throughout ATLA? Like the places a viewer wouldn't pick up immediately as having an influence on the show.

What immediately comes to mind are the many touches of Korean culture throughout show. As ATLA was animated in South Korea, it’s not surprising that many of its animators and designers would want to add little Korean Easter eggs throughout this Asian-inspired world whenever they can.

For example, the squat statue that Aang accidentally crashes into in the opening sequence and similar statues guarding Aunt Wu’s village are inspired by Korean protection and fertility totems known as Dol hareubangs (돌 하르방) or “Stone Grandpas”. Cute name, isn’t it?

Fire Nation bridal fashion is heavily based on traditional Korean bridal practices, from clothing to hairstyle.

Book 1 Sokka & Katara wear warrior’s hanbok.

The Northern Water Tribe wear Korean good luck charms.

Long Feng and the Dai Li wear Korean hair ribbons.

The example that most people are familiar with is when Zuko & Iroh stay in a very clearly Korean-inspired village and steal an ostrich horse from a kindly herbalist family. I’ll probably make a more detailed post about this Korea-analog village similar to my Vietnam post.

Mininalists and maximalists alike care deeply for their material possessions. Not only for their number of them, but their condition. We grieve annotated books and lay to rest rings with scratches. What do they change? The appearance? The aesthetic? Rich and poor alike see material objects as something to be kept in good condition, but beyond protecting functionality, is instinct. Like we would with a child with a scrape or a dog with a limp we see what we cherish as it once was not. As if it truly broke. But what is "broken"? The word "damage" has a negative valence, but what of a stuffed animal loved to shreds? But what of a cherished pair of shoes with frayed aglets and faded color? We say change is loss, but what do we lose? A sense of novelty. A mint condition; the facade of an untouched object, an untouched life. Something loved is something worn. Does chipping a bowl change it's shape? Does a small tear change a book's words? Immerse yourself in your belongings' aging. Like a cracked bowl repaired with gold to reveal a sprawling tree, let them age to show that you loved them. Let go the idea of pristine, unloved belongings. Forget the impermanence of possessions and appreciate the longevity of human compassion, where we love until death do us part.

people born in 2000 should be like 12-14 now. but they’re not. that’s how fucked up our world is now

so excited to get my hair done soon :D

Thank you guys for being so kind :) my hair was always something I struggled with when it came to like presentation and this is one of few times where I’ve like really liked it :D

ouuuughhh local insomniac makes day shift individual angry by being alive and breathing and moving in my house ouuuughhhh empathy is hard aawwwaaaaoaoiuucucuccvhgh

Anxifnentt.... Lesstdtd my eye edtwitch that's gotta be like 60s..... 68 at most........ what

Watching ancient danish movies and found this gem

Watching ancient danish movies and found this gem

also bc you learn to work the night shift. who's this, under the bellows ? argh. it's me

i'll be okay when my vision leaves, being an insomniac has taught me that life goes on when things that are symptomatic of life can be taken away without being lifeless

i'll be okay when my vision leaves, being an insomniac has taught me that life goes on when things that are symptomatic of life can be taken away without being lifeless