rae

I love seeing that, for once, there are more reblogs than likes

Five thousand years ago, the Sumerians called the night ngi, the stars mul, and the moon Nanna.

Four thousand years ago, the Akkadians called the night mūšu, the stars kakkabū, and the moon Sîn.

Three thousand years ago, the Hittites called the night išpanza, the stars haštereš, and the moon Arma.

Two and a half thousand years ago, the Greeks called the night nux, the stars astra, and the moon Selênê.

Two thousand years ago, the Romans called the night nox, the stars stellae, and the moon Luna.

Kings and queens and heroes looked up at them. So did travelers coming home, and little children who sneaked out of bed. So did slaves, and mothers and soldiers and old shepherds, and Sappho and Muršili and Enheduanna and Socrates and Hatshepsut and Cyrus and Cicero. In this darkness it didn’t matter who they were, or where they stood. Only that they were human.

Think of that tonight, when you close your window. You are not alone. You share this night sky with centuries of dreamers and stargazers, and people who longed for quiet. Are you anxious? The Hittites were too: they called it pittuliyaš. Does your heart ache? The Greeks felt it too: they called it akhos. Those who look up to the stars for comfort are a family, and you belong to them. Your ancestors have stood under Nanna, Sîn, Arma, Selênê and Luna for five thousand years. Now its light is yours.

I REALLY want to quickly compare this to Aang s2 e19 when he kind of did the same thing. When Aang met with Guru Pathik and refused to open his last chakra, that was because he couldn’t let go of his crush on her. He wasn’t being asked to kill her or even remove her from his life. The last chakra was about earthly attachment and he was being asked to let go of the feelings he had for her that *were* earthly attachment. When he said “no” and left, the sacrifice he made, the same sacrifice Zuko made, was selfish. He was willing to throw away his ability to truly become the avatar along with the chance for peace and ending the war all because he didn’t want to give up his crush.

Zuko, on the other hand, was the opposite. His sacrifice was for Katara as a PERSON and as his friend. His sacrifice was to save her life because he deemed it more important than his own, in spite of how he was meant to become fire lord. He made that sacrifice because he valued her life and because he trusted her to be able to fix everything even if he did die. Compare that to Aang who sacrificed everything not for Katara, but for his feelings and the chance to have a relaitonship with her. Aang who, unlike Zuko, didn’t make that sacrifice trusting Katara to be able to fix everything, but rather stubbornly believing that he could just muscle through.

There’s another really important parallel: Katara healing Aang after he was shot by Azula’s lightning when he tried to go into the Avatar state and her healing Zuko after he was shot by the same lighting. I find this bit really interesting because when they were shot by lightning, it was because both of them were trying to protect Katara. In the s2 finale, Aang realized he had to give up Katara and unblock the Avatar state in order to protect her. For Zuko, it was rather the opposite. He, unlike Aang, had to jump in front of that lightning, and it was his connection to Katara that allowed him to do that.

Guess I have enough stuff for another sketchdump? ahah!

I have all the four guys “pinuppish version” (this is as close as I might be to a drawing series whitout getting bored) all in one place and this makes me happy. Also yay new stuff! And I have an headcanon on George’s favourite T shirt. Don’t agree? Fight me!