Breaking Astrology Down

Inktober2018 day 19: scorched

Amazing illustrations by twitter:@13033303 

Inktober2018 day 6: drooling

When you are one with the music

Doug Jones Appreciation Thread

as Amphibian Man in The Shape of Water

as the Pale Man in Pan’s Labyrinth

as Faun in Pan’s Labyrinth

as the Angel of Death in Hellboy II: The Golden Army 

as Billy Butcherson in Hocus Pocus

as one of the Gentlemen in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

as Edith’s Mother, Lady Sharpe in Crimson Peak

as Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

as Saru in Star Trek: Discovery

as Abe Sapien in Hellboy

“You will pay for this, Karen.”

Via Cats2K

Here’s the thing about the air nomads.

I introduced a friend to ATLA a few nights ago, and they had only known two things about the entire show: the cabbage meme, and that Aang apparently wants to ride every large and dangerous animal he can possibly find. We got through the first five or so episodes, and my friend noted that Aang is exactly what a 12-year-old would be like if given godlike powers, and that this is literally just what he could do with airbending. He can’t even wield any of the other elements, and he’s one of the most powerful people on the planet, because he’s an airbender.

And that got me thinking.

This snippet from Bitter Work is one of the few pieces of concrete information we get about the airbenders, at least in ATLA. Iroh is explaining to Zuko how all four of the elements connect to the world and to each other.

Fire is the element of power, of desire and will, of ambition and the ability to see it through. Power is crucial to the world; without it, there’s no drive, no momentum, no push. But fire can easily grow out of control and become dangerous; it can become unpredictable, unless it is nurtured and watched and structured.

Earth is the element of substance, persistence, and enduring. Earth is strong, consistent, and blunt. It can construct things with a sense of permanence; a house, a town, a walled city. But earth is also stubborn; it’s liable to get stuck, dig in, and stay put even when it’s best to move on.

Water is the element of change, of adaptation, of movement. Water is incredibly powerful both as a liquid and a solid; it will flow and redirect. But it also will change, even when you don’t want it to; ice will melt, liquid will evaporate. A life dedicated to change necessarily involves constant movement, never putting down roots, never letting yourself become too comfortable.

We see only a few flashbacks to Aang’s life in the temples, and we get a sense of who he was and what kind of upbringing he had.

This is a preteen with the power to fucking fly. He’s got no fear of falling, and a much reduced fear of death. There’s a reason why the sages avoid telling the new avatar their status until they turn sixteen; could you imagine a firebender, at twelve years old, learning that they were going to be the most powerful person in the whole world? Depending on that child, that could go so badly.

But the thing about Aang, and the thing about the Air Nomads, is that they were part of the world too. They contributed to the balance, and then they were all but wiped out by Sozin. What was lost, there? Was it freedom? Yes, but I think there’s something else too, and it’s just yet another piece of the utter brilliance of the worldbuilding of ATLA.

To recap: we have power to push us forward; we have stability to keep us strong; we have change to keep us moving.

And then we have this guy.

The air nomads brought fun to the world. They brought a very literal sense of lightheartedness.

Sozin saw this as a weakness. I think a lot of the world did, in ATLA. Why do the Air Nomads bother, right? They’re just up there in their temples, playing games, baking pies in order to throw them as a gag. As Iroh said above, they had pretty great senses of humour, and they didn’t take themselves too seriously.

But that’s a huge part of having a world of balance and peace.

It’s not just about power, or might, or the ability to adapt. You can have all of those, but you also need fun. You need the ability to be vulnerable, to have no ambitions beyond just having a good day. You need to be able to embrace silliness, to nurture play, to have that space where a very specific kind of emotional growth can occur. Fun makes a hard life a little easier. Fun makes your own mortality a little less frightening to grasp. Fun is the spaces in between, that can’t be measured by money or military might. Fun is what nurtures imagination, allows you to see a situation in a whole new light, to find new solutions to problems previously considered impossible.

Fun is what makes a stranger into a friend, rather than an enemy.

Fun helps you see past your differences.

Fun is what fuels curiosity and openmindedness.

Fun is the first thing to die in a war.

Quick Tips for Writing Interesting Villains

Give them relationships with other characters. Being a villain doesn’t mean they’re isolated

Give them their own set of morals

Give them something to care about

Consider the reasons why they want to hurt the protagonist

Remember that they are human

Don’t make them evil for the sake of being evil

Keep in mind that a villain doesn’t have to do every horrible thing imaginable

Not every villain was abused. Someone who was spoiled is just as, if not more, likely to lack empathy than someone who was abused

Consider how they rationalize their behavior (blame their victims, make excuses, believe that what they’re doing is right)

Give them a life outside of being a villain. Maybe your protagonist is going shopping and they run into their villain and the villain isn’t interested or up for a fight that day. This really depends on the story, though

Give them a past, present, or future relationship with the protagonist. Again, this depends on the story

Consider making your villain likable

Give the reader a reason to sympathize with them

Inktober2018 day 8: star

Questions People Don’t Ask But Should

1. What is your favorite childhood story of yourself?

2. What is the stupidest way you have ever gotten hurt?

3. What was the first PG-13 movie you watched?

4. What was the first R rated movie you watched?

5. When was the moment you felt most badass?

6. What is a band you can reliably always love?

7. What is your favorite form of self expression?

8. What is something from your childhood you wish you still had?

9. Where is your favorite place on earth?

10. What is the longest friendship you have ever had?

11. Is there anyone is your life you wish you had met sooner than you did?

12. Do you believe in ghosts?

13. What is the coldest water you have ever swam in?

14. How old were you when you learned how to swim?

15.  What song do you listen to when you’re sad?

16. Are you an adrenaline junky? 

17. What is a song that takes you back to childhood?

18. What is your favorite word?

19. What is your least favorite word?

20. What scent reminds you of childhood?

21. Were you sad when you found out clouds weren’t like pillows, or did you never think that?

22. When in life did you laugh the hardest?

23. What makes you laugh when you don’t feel like laughing?

24. Do you come from a big family?

25. What is your favorite part of yourself?

26. What is the worst pain you have ever felt?

27. Do you swear often?

28. Do you get confused for being older or younger than you are?

29. What is your favorite way to eat a potato?

30. What is the best compliment you have ever received?

31. Describe yourself in 6 words?

32. What is the worst insult you have ever received?

33. Have you ever taken in any media that changed your life?

34. Have you ever collected anything?

35. Strangest thing you have ever broken?

36. Weirdest food you have ever eaten?

37. Childhood nickname?

38. Most people you have shared a bed with in a non sexual manner?

39. What is something that makes you fall asleep?

40. Did your parents ever accidentally lose or forget you?

41. If you were a superhero what would your weakness be?

42. What food reminds you of home?

43. What is your comfort food?

44. Cold room with lots of blankets or hot room with no blankets?

45. No shoes without socks or no shoes with socks?

46. Do you run hot your cold?

47. Favorite condiment?

48. What utensil do you use the most?

49. When are you most comfortable?

50. If you could be really good at one thing, what would it be?