#pitting 2 bad bitches against each other like this for no reason like they're not both fantastic

[thisisadonaldduckblognow]

bangs pots and pans

raph was never any less suited to leadership than leo

raph was never any less suited to leadership than leo

raph was N E V E R any less suited to leadership than leo

idk how many times i can say it before it sinks in that in rise there was never once any point where that was the point being made

if you just like leo’s character better than you like raph’s, that’s fine! if you just like it better when leo is leader, that’s fine! i have no issue!

but we need to stop trying to circle that leadership change back to somehow being about better or worse or ~more cut out for it~ because it sucks to throw the great job raph did through the series under the bus in order to prop up leo’s good qualities. 

they’re both great leaders. they both have strong suits and weak suits in the role, they both have growth and development when they’re in that role. they BOTH make on-screen mistakes in that role and aren’t very good at it at first! not getting a more in-depth explanation about it in the movie or series stinks and it’s very interesting to explore, but seriously. 

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

I saw this post. Thoughts?

“i love azula but i hate how her stans absolve her of the bullying she put zuko through, even going as far as saying that zuko was the abusive one. in the show, the only glimpses we get of what azula and zuko's relationship pre-banishment are through flashbacks in zuko alone. in these flashbacks, it's clear that ozai pitted against each other and that azula often taunted zuko for being the black sheep of the family. idk how anyone could watch those flashbacks and be like "yeah zuko definitely abused azula". i understand being sympathetic towards azula's struggles with mental health and suffering from golden child syndrome, but that doesn't excuse how she treated her friends or her brother at all. acting like it is very dangerous because in real life, it is common for people to justify their awful behavior by talking about their difficult childhood, mental health struggles, etc. and it's perfectly fine to like characters who are awful people. my favorite arcane character is jinx and although i often make jokes like "hehe jinx did nothing wrong, those pilties had it coming", i acknowledge that many of her actions are unjustifiable, but i still like her because i find her to be a sympathetic character because it's obvious that she has self-esteem issues and suffers from psychosis, bpd, and schizophrenia.

difficult childhood, mental health struggles, etc. and it's perfectly fine to like characters who are awful people. my favorite arcane character is jinx and although i often make jokes like "hehe jinx did nothing wrong, those pilties had it coming", i acknowledge that many of her actions are unjustifiable, but i still like her because i find her to be a sympathetic character because it's obvious that she has self-esteem issues and suffers from psychosis, bpd, and schizophrenia. the same can apply to azula, she's a manipulative character who lacks empathy, but she also suffers from golden child syndrome and mental health issues, both statements can co-exist.”

The tags said: #again i love azula but her stans are insufferable #why are we woobifying a colonizing war criminal? #"she only proposed genocide because she seeks approval from her father and is mentally ill" DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF #azula critical #i guess???

1 - If we're talking only about the original show, then yeah, "Zuko abused Azula" is an absurd statement. His biggest "crime" in canon was not really caring about being her older brother - which is understandable considering all the trauma he was struggling to process and the way Ozai made them fight for his approval, making it nearly impossible for Zuko to trust his sister.

If we're taking the Yang comics into consideration, then I'm sorry to say that "Zuko abused Azula" becomes completely true. He locks her up in an asylum that is only making her worse by abusing her (unnecessary restraining and beatings, which his friends also engage in), takes her on a dangerous mission knowing nothing about her condition, and threatens to throw her off a cliff when it all inevitably backfires on him.

Now, is all of that EXTREMELY out of character for Zuko? Yes, but people keep insisting I take those bullshit comics as canon just 'cause Bryke approved of them (and because it constantly says "Azula bad"), even though they're literally just a result of a former DC comics writer not understanding that not every villain is the joker, and I'm not gonna stop reminding them that said comics RUINED the story and thus NOBODY should take it as canon. I'm a petty bitch.

2 - I wouldn't say that Azula's mental health struggles and desperate need for Ozai's validation are the ONLY reasons why she was cool with imperialism and genocide. That was 90% a result of literal indoctrination that the entire nation has been under for an entire century. Mind you, that doesn't absolve her (or anyone) of responsibility either, but it is dishonest to ignore these factors and go "she was just bad". Much like her brother, Azula needs both a brutal reality check of "You're the bad guy, sweety, get your shit together and stop being awful" and for the people around her to understand "This a traumatized, brainwashed TEENAGER we're dealing with here."

You can hold somebody accountable for their actions without dismissing their reasoning for doing what they did. The entire fandom does it by acknowledging how being abused by Ozai sent Zuko on a downwards spiral in which he was constantly hurting himself and others, WHY is it suddenly impossible to do that when it's Azula's turn? Why is "she's just evil" the only acceptable explanation for all that she did when that directly contradicts canon?

[lying-on-floors]

In Defense of Lori Grimes...

Listen, I've been rewatching TWD and I can only think of Lori Grimes.

I am a Lori Grimes defender for life and I don't care for your criticisms of her. The beginning of the show established that she was a woman going through marital issues. She already voiced how she felt guilty for the way she talked to Rick earlier that day and then found out her husband had been shot and fell into a coma! I don't know if y'all have ever known the grief of losing a parent and have had to watch how the grief affects your remaining parent, but I have. See, I was 5 when my dad was first arrested. My brother and I stayed with my grandma a lot because my mom was rarely home. She went out with friends as a form of escape from everything going on. Yes, she still loved us and she loves us now and we love her, even if it's really complicated and confusing at times. She just wanted to forget.

Shane wasn't much more than a distraction for Lori, an escape. And I am going to remind y'all that Shane took ADVANTAGE of her and her vulnerability. Everything people like to criticize Lori for is rooted in misogyny, like a lot of hate directed toward female characters.

Now, I am going to go over some of the common criticisms I have seen regarding Lori Grimes and I am going to disprove them.

"Lori Grimes was a bad mother."

No. Just No. She was a wonderful and loving mother. She loved Carl so much and she loved Beth. She would've loved Judith. All the times Carl acted bratty, understandably, she never once hit him or degraded him but reatherscoldde him and told him to do better.

AND I AM NOT PUTTING DOWN MICHONNE! I love Michonne and I love Lori. You can love both women and praise them for their roles as mothers and wives without pitting them against each other and it's sad that it is such a common practice amongst fandoms.

2. "Lori Grimes was a bad wife."

No. She was a loyal, supportive, and loving wife. As soon as she saw Rick was alive, she set immediate boundaries with Shane. She told him it was over. She told him she didn't want him to involve himself with her or her family EVER again. Shane didn't like that. He believed that HE OWNED HER and fucking assulted her! Like she is her own person and doesn't belong to anyone.

She supported Rick up until her death. She was his left hand. He went to her for everything, like he does with Michonne. And I love that he does that.

3. "Lori Grimes is selfish."

Okay? And? She's human. She's going to behave selfishly at times. And don't bring up her not wanting to have Judith at the beginning of her pregancy. She didn't need to tell Rick because it was her choice. She told him because she loved him. Rick even told her he would never make her have a child she didn't want but Rick helped her to look positivly towards the world's future. She had very valid reasons for not wanting to have a baby in the apocolypse and even if she had no reason other than not wanting to go through child birth, especially without medicine readily available, that's STILL VALID.

4. "Lori Grimes was a bitch."

This is the last one I'm going to address. Lori Grimes was not a bitch. She was a strong and powerful woman, who didn't take anyone's shit and set strict boundaries.

All I can say is that fandom hates women. Women of color also get a lot of shit, like I'm not denying that AT ALL and I will defend every last woman throughout the TWD universe, even the villians. Just because a woman wasn't submissive or she was antagonistic DOES NOT MEAN SHE'S DESERVING OF ALL HATE!!

In conclusion, I love Lori Grimes and the women of TWD. They're always overshadowed by the men around them and it's time they have the spotlight and praise they deserve.

Only comment if you want to uplift the women of TWD and the world. If not, die. <3 XOXO <3

[deadpanwalking]

awhile back you said you thought Les Mis was the most overrated piece of French literature, or something along those lines. Did you just find it too preachy? Or dislike Hugo’s writing style?