Valley of the Dragons

I repeat, personal list, not a given fact or broad take.

Sokka, Azula, Appa, Jet or minor characters as pfps.

Iroh, White Lotus, Zuko and Toph criticism. (If still grounded in canon characterization and in the correct contexts/not hating just to hate)

Jinko, Jetko, Teoaang, Haruteo, Sukka, Yuekka and Zukka shippers. We chill.

Autistic Zuko and Azula truthers.

Katara, Jet, Hama, Azula, Aang defenders.

Anti-Zutarians and Anti-Maikos.

Those appreciating and sharing about the cultures that inspired ATLA's.

Momo glazers. I'm serious.

Big fans of minor characters.

"Instead of bitching about how character(s) xyz had a moment of anger, hesitstion, fear, sadness or any other negative emotion, I either understood them or even shared their emotions."

Sokka kins.

Those who can't go very long without praising the glory that is the gorgeous background animation.

"I had a shower thought. Here it is."

Those associating songs, artists with or creating entire playlists for characters.

Those putting trigger or casual warnings on posts before showing the content.

Those willing to have civil discussions even with disagreements, being able to share their takes respectfully.

Those sharing the most *random* parts of ATLA (an insignificant line, a background animation, an animation error, appreciation a background character design, wondering about random objects and the world building implications.)

Whatever you call people who act like moots but we aren't moots but we have that vibe going on.

"I have way too many headcanons." No, you don't, keep them coming. Let's hear them.

Anti-comics, Anti-NATLA and Anti-movie gang.

Those who include Suki as part of the Gaang.

Those who didn't fall for Ty Lee's innocent facade.

People who interpret Zuko's hair as dark brown. Idk. Irdk.

Freckled Aang, Jin and Jet truthers.

Anti-Bryke and Bryke crits but knowing where to draw the line between criticism and obsessive hate.

Anti-Gene-Yang.

Those treating Azula's mental breakdown with respect + those made severely uncomfortable that fighting game turned it into a playable skin.

The frequently crossing paths users making playful jabs at eachother.

Anyone who appreciates The Great Divide's animation even if they too agree it's the most skippable episode.

Those sharing goofy screencaps with zero context.

The news updates folks.

Those who do not use terms such as "bipolar, narcissistic, schizophrenic, sociopathic, psychopathic" ect to describe Azula or other characters like its nothing.

Those keeping the Roku-Sozin "historians say they were just friends" jokes alive.

Image ID adders. (I'm sorry, I've tried, idk why it's so hard for me.)

Theater kid Zuko truthers.

"Don't ever talk to me or my 273002 kids ever again" Jet psuedo-big-brother-papa truthers.

The ones who get rightfully enraged over whitewashing.

"The Beach was enjoyable and had good emotional moments but it's not one of THE best written episodes" truthers.

The ones who truly bring the geek energy to the table. I love ya'll.

But to be perfectly honest, I’ve got about a million better things I could be doing than hating on post-canon/Bryke/Yang right now. Like traveling across the ruins of post-Soviet Europe to help a guy find the last living mammoths.

In past years I posted excerpts from the Declaration of Independence on July 4. But I’m not feeling it this year.

I am old enough to remember the Bicentennial observations in 1976. There were celebrations and commemorative events around the country, not just in Washington. Most notable was the flotilla of tall ships sailing into New York’s harbor. There were historical programs, “Bicentennial minutes” on TV, and decorations on local public buildings and fixtures, right down to red-white-and-blue fire hydrants. At noon on July 4 we went out on the streets and rang bells.

The mood of the country is different now. There are fewer events for America’s 250th birthday and the crowds are smaller.

That’s not to say things were better in the United States 50 years ago. The divisions of the Vietnam War years had not healed. There were plenty of people who thought that some Americans should be second-class citizens based on the color of their skin or their gender. Gay, lesbian, and bisexual people could rarely live their lives publicly. Transsexuals (the term used at the time) were even more oppressed.

But in some important ways things are worse today. There are many who maintain that some Americans shouldn’t be Americans at all, based on where their ancestors came from, how they speak, or how they worship. The gains that racial minorities, women, and LGBT people have made since 1976 are uncertain and under threat. And there are still those who think their wealth buys them more privileges than everyone else.

When I quote from the Declaration, I have to omit the slur against the so-called savage Indians, which decries their cruelty in warfare, when in fact everyone is cruel in war. And I have to talk around the fact that many of the men who signed it were slaveholders and the rest condoned slavery. When they said that all men are created equal, they really meant free white men, primarily landowners. But they used broad, general terms for their stirring rhetoric. Later generations found inspiration in what they wrote that went beyond what they really thought at the time.

So this year I am quoting from a later and much shorter document, the Pledge of Allegiance. Its last line, “with liberty and justice for all,” has never been a true description of what we actually have in America. But it is a plainly stated, unqualified goal that we should strive for.