#my absolute favourite ever

[burst-of-iridescent]

South Asian and Hindu Influences in ATLA (Part 2)

disclaimer: i was raised culturally and religiously hindu, and though i've tried to do my research for this post and pair it with my own cultural knowledge, i'm not an expert on hinduism by any means. should i mess up, please let me know.

please also be aware that many of the concepts discussed in this post overlap heavily with religions such as buddhism and jainism, which might have different interpretations and representations. as i'm not from those religions or cultures, i don't want to speak on them, but if anyone with that knowledge wishes to add on, please feel free.

Part 1

In the previous post, I discussed some of the things ATLA got right in its depictions of desi and hindu cultures. unfortunately, they also got plenty of things wrong - often in ways that leaned towards racist caricatures - so let's break them down, starting with...

Guru Pathik

both the word "guru" and name "pathik" come from sanskrit. pathik means "traveler" or "he who knows the way" while guru is a term for a guide or mentor, similar to a teacher.

gurus were responsible for the very first education systems in ancient india, setting up institutions called gurukuls. students, referred to as disciples, would often spend years living with and learning from their gurus in these gurukuls, studying vedic and buddhist texts, philosophy, music and even martial arts.

however, their learning was not limited merely to academic study, as gurus were also responsible for guiding the spiritual evolution of their disciples. it was common for disciples to meditate, practice yoga, fast for days or weeks, and complete mundane household chores every day in order to instill them with self-discipline and help them achieve enlightenment and spiritual awareness. the relationship between a guru and his disciple was considered a sacred, holy bond, far exceeding that of a mere teacher and student.

aang's training with guru pathik mirrors some of these elements. similar to real gurus, pathik takes on the role of aang's spiritual mentor. he guides aang in unblocking his chakras and mastering the avatar state through meditation, fasting, and self-reflection - all of which are practices that would have likely been encouraged in disciples by their gurus.

pathik's design also takes inspiration from sadhus, holy men who renounced their worldly ties to follow a path of spiritual discipline. the guru's simple, nondescript clothing and hair are reflective of the ascetic lifestyle sadhus are expected to lead, giving up material belongings and desires in order to achieve spiritual enlightenment and, ultimately, liberation from the reincarnation cycle.

unfortunately, this is where the respectful references end because everything else about guru pathik was insensitive at best and stereotypical at worst.

it is extremely distasteful that the guru speaks with an overexaggerated indian accent, even though the iranian-indian actor who plays him has a naturally british accent. why not just hire an actual indian voice actor if the intention was to make pathik sound authentic? besides, i doubt authenticity was the sole intention, given that the purposeful distortion of indian accents was a common racist trope played for comedy in early 2000s children's media (see: phineas and ferb, diary of a wimpy kid, jessie... the list goes on).

furthermore, while pathik is presented a wise and respected figure within this episode, his next (and last) appearance in the show is entirely the opposite.

in the episode nightmares and daydreams, pathik appears in aang's nightmare with six hands, holding what appears to be a veena (a classical indian music instrument). this references the iconography of the hindu deity Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and knowledge. the embodiment of divine enlightenment, learning, insight and truth, Saraswati is a member of the Tridevi (the female version of the Trimurti), one of the most respected and revered goddesses in the Hindu pantheon... and her likeness is used for a cheap laugh on a character who's already treated as a caricature.

that's bad enough on its own, but when you consider that guru pathik is the only explicitly south asian coded character in the entire show, it's downright insulting. for a show that took so many of its foundational concepts from south asia and hinduism and yet provided almost no desi representation in return, this is just rubbing salt in the wound.

Chakras

"chakra", meaning "circle" or "wheel of life" in sanskrit, refers to sources of energy found in the human body. chakra points are aligned along the spine, with energy flowing from the lowest to the highest point. the energy pooled at the lowest chakra is called kundalini, and the aim is to release this energy to the highest chakra in order to achieve spiritual enlightenment and consciousness.

the number of chakras varies in different religions, with buddhism referencing five chakras while hinduism has seven. atla draws from the latter influence, so let's take a look at the seven chakras:

Muladhara (the Root Chakra). located at the base of the spine, this chakra deals with our basest instincts and is linked to the element of earth.

Swadhisthana (the Sacral Chakra). located just below the navel, this chakra deals with emotional intensity and pleasure and is linked to the element of water.

Manipura (the Solar Plexus Chakra). located in the stomach, this chakra deals with willpower and self-acceptance and is linked to the element of fire.

Anahata (the Heart Chakra). located in the heart, this chakra deals with love, compassion and forgiveness and is linked to the element of air. in the show, this chakra is blocked by aang's grief over the loss of the air nomads, which is a nice elemental allusion.

Vishudda (the Throat Chakra). located at the base of the throat, this chakra deals with communication and honesty and is linked to the fifth classical element of space. the show calls this the Sound Chakra, though i'm unsure where they got that from.

Ajna (the Third Eye Chakra). located in the centre of the forehead, this chakra deals with spirituality and insight and is also linked to the element of space. the show calls it the Light Chakra, which is fairly close.

Sahasrara (the Crown Chakra). located at the very top of the head, this chakra deals with pure cosmic consciousness and is also linked to the element of space. it makes perfect sense that this would be the final chakra aang has to unblock in order to connect with the avatar spirit, since the crown chakra is meant to be the point of communion with one's deepest, truest self.

the show follows these associations and descriptions almost verbatim, and does a good job linking the individual chakras to their associated struggles in aang's arc.

Cosmic Energy

the idea of chakras is associated with the concept of shakti, which refers to the life-giving energy that flows throughout the universe and within every individual.

the idea of shakti is a fundamentally unifying one, stating that all living beings are connected to one another and the universe through the cosmic energy that flows through us all. this philosophy is referenced both in the swamp episode and in guru pathik telling aang that the greatest illusion in the world is that of separation - after all, how can there be any real separation when every life is sustained by the same force?

this is also why aang needing to let go of katara did not, as he mistakenly assumed, mean he had to stop loving her. rather, the point of shedding earthly attachment is to allow one to become more attuned to shakti, both within oneself and others. ironically, in letting go of katara and allowing himself to commune with the divine energy of the universe instead, aang would have been more connected to her - not less.

The Avatar State

according to hinduism, there are five classical elements known as pancha bhuta that form the foundations of all creation: air, water, earth, fire, and space/atmosphere.

obviously, atla borrows this concept in making a world entirely based on the four classical elements. but looking at how the avatar spirit is portrayed as a giant version of aang suspended in mid-air, far above the earth, it's possible that this could reference the fifth liminal element of space as well.

admittedly this might be a bit of a reach, but personally i find it a neat piece of worldbuilding that could further explain the power of the avatar. compared to anyone else who might be able to master only one element, mastering all five means having control of every building block of the world. this would allow the avatar to be far more attuned to the spiritual energy within the universe - and themselves - as a result, setting in motion the endless cycle of death and rebirth that would connect their soul even across lifetimes.

#atla #atla cultural influences #hinduism in atla #welp i thought this would be the last part but i ended up having more to talk about than i thought #so i'll save the book 3 inspirations for the next post #including my absolute favourite combustion man #and by favourite i mean kill it with fire why did you ever think this was okay to do writers

[somegrumpynerd]

When you find out years later that you accidentally named one of your henchmen

Image ID: A multi-panel comic featuring au sanses. Panel 1: In Killer's original universe. A dark figure stands in the foreground while Killer is sitting back in the snow, covered in blood. Killer says "wh-what are you?" Panel 2: The dark figure is Nightmare but only his smile is visible. He says "I am Nightmare, guardian of all negativity in the multiverse ...and I have a proposition for you, Sans." Panel 3: Nightmare's hand is outstreched, he says "Come with me willingly and I'll take you out of this desolate and barren universe and let you loose on many others." Panel 4: Killer is looking back at Nightmare warily, a thought bubble shows he is thinking "other universes...?". He says "...in exchange for what? What do you want with me?" Panel 5: Nightmare's tentacles are reaching out towards Killer. He says "I feed off the fear and misery and hatred in this world, stirring these up will keep me powerful enough to fight against the guardian of positivity. In short," Panel 6: Nightmare is looming over Killer now, his tentacles surrounding him. He says "I just need you to be a good little killer." The word killer is in red text. Panel 7: Killer is grasping Nightmare's hand, having accepted his offer. Panel 8: Now in a different au, Nightmare stands beside Killer as he taunts Dream, who is out of frame. He says "You're outnumbered now Dream, I have a killer with me this time." The word killer is in red text again. Panel 9: Dream is lying on the ground looking hurt and ruffed up. Killer is standing in the background, looking ready to continue beating Dream up. Nightmare says from out of frame "You should know better than to turn your back on a killer by now." The word killer is in red text again. Panel 10: Nightmare is standing by Killer again, looking smug. He says to Dream, who is not shown "You'll need more than that pathetic bow next time you meet with my killer here." The word killer is in red text again. Killer is looking towards Nightmare, pleased with this. Panel 11: We are now in Nightmare's castle, present day. It is revealed to be Killer telling these events to Dust, who looks bored. Killer says "-and the name stuck, so that's why I'm called Killer now." Dust says very quietly "did I ask" Panel 12: Nightmare is standing in the corner behind them, he looks very surprised and concerned after hearing all this. Text with an arrow pointing to him reads "Didn't realise he had done this." Killer from out of frame says "he doesn't really call me his killer anymore tho" with a frowny face. Dust, also out of frame, says "that's nice now shut up" End ID.

#UTDR #UTMV #My Art #Truce au #Killer Sans #Nightmare Sans #Remember when I said I wouldn't have that comic done? Sike I finished it earlier #Anyway you ever accidentally name a guy and don't realise until years later when he brings it up #Killer loves it because he feels special for getting his own name that's not just his au #(and also because he wants to be Nightmare's favourite and this is his evidence) #Nightmare hates this. He did NOT mean to name his henchman like a pet he feels awful #Maybe down the road Dream can convince him how much Killer loves it and he'll let it go #Killer absolutely hates being called sans he doesn't want to think about his old life #So the new job and name were kind of just what he needed at the start #Anyway I'm rambling. I just thought it was interesting Killer was one of the few to not be named for his au #And given the name it might be something Nightmare had a hand in #He also helped him find his signature look with the inverted clothes colours but we'll get to that another time this is already too long

[ghosthosters]

”Ariiiighttt!”

#im so so happy w this!! #absolutely My favourite drawing ive done.. well.. Ever!! #total drama #total drama island #tdi #noah tdi #td noah #td owen #nowen #art #fanart #artists on tumblr #Can be taken as Shippy or Not #total drama ridonculous race

[chalkscrub]

babygirl doodles from a little while ago

#my art #oc #mockley #anthro #my favourite of the bunch is the top right #just kidding it's the one directly in the middle. the one that looks dumb #everyone will be glad to know that there are two wood pigeons nesting in our garden at the moment #making for a total of 3 ugly as hell muppet babies that i get to look at. they always pretend not to see me as if that makes them invisible #you're fresh out of luck baby pigeons. i will be gazing upon you lovingly until you move out #one pigeon is nesting in the grapevine and scared the absolute shit out of me by bursting out when i tried to harvest my beautiful grapes #i looooove late summer/early autumn. fruit season baybeeee. freakin apples and plums and damsons and pears and grapes and greengages baybee #anyone here ever tried a greengage???? probably the best fruit in the world and no one cares about it. SICKENING. #i assume most of my followers r from america and maybe don't have greengages but you should aim to try one at least once in your life #preferably after plucking it from the tree with your own hand. and also stealing it from someone else's tree #just kidding i would never advocate scrumping haha....unless....?

[faunina]

happy TWO YEAR anniversary to everyone who attended the destiel wedding!

and happy valentines day to the rest of you guys <3 click the image for a surprise!

if you’ve ever seen that one post (i’ll link it in the replies) about the parallels between the rodeo scene in 12x11 and the movie “urban cowboy” and it entirely broke your brain, then this post is for you. and also i’m kissing you on the mouth

[ID. Digital art of Dean Winchester done in black and white. He’s is laid back on top of an electric bull. One hand rests on his hip while the other hovers in mid-air, fingers slightly curled, and he seems to be looking at it. When clicked, the transparency shows Castiel standing behind him. Castiel is holding Dean’s hand to his lips, while his other hand supports the back of Dean’s head. Castiel has a visible halo and wings that he has curled protectively around Dean. End ID.]

#destiel wedding anniversary #destiel #destiel fanart #spn #spn fanart #dean winchester #castiel #ficta et picta #a personal blogging experience #PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SURPRISE ONLY WORKS IN LIGHT MODE #if you clicked the picture and nothing changed then you're using the app/website in sth other than light mode and thatll just not work sry #anyway shoutout to tumblr users nottherealdean and sagegarnish ill hopefully remember to add their post in the replies in a minute #but thanks to them i have not and WILL never be normal about that scene. #nearly TWO YEARS this concept has been swimming in my head and now FINALLY i had the skills and idea to fully COMMIT #also im ngl this is one of those pieces that i only meant to quickly sketch out and then work on later #and instead it turned into a one-time five-hour sorta hyperfocus tunnel job #and i was so IMMEDIATELY pleased with the outcome and i still am. this has absolutely become one of my favourite destiel fanart pieces #that ive ever made. <3 these idiots are ruining my life and its chronic

[semiotomatics]

idk if i have anyone following me who's into AJR but i just saw this post on r/AJR and i am LOSING IT:

#AJR #the maybe man #TMM #I HOPE THIS IS TRUE BECAUSE IT SOUNDS FANTASTIC #seamless albums are my absolute favourite #ever since dcfc did it with narrow stairs #god i hope this is true #this has been an original post #personal spewage #beautiful music

[frayed-symphony]

Since it's launch day for #TalesofSymphonia I can finally share my @talesfanzine art! It's an illustration for @darkhymns-fic 'With Tea, Stew, and Character Creation'. Zine leftover sales will be starting March 15! Read the story here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45115171

#tales of symphonia #tales of symphonia remastered #lloyd irving #genis sage #raine sage #colette brunel #kratos aurion #noishe #dirk #zelos wilder #sheena fujibayashi #presea combatir #regal bryant #myart #fic #friends #darkhymns #we worked so hard on this #please give the story a read too! #i think this might be one of my absolute favourite things we've ever done #tales of fanzine #infinite horizons #tales fanzine infinite horizons

[neproxrezi]

why am i getting all the uninteresting blazes from people who think their insta / tiktok success will be replicable here. you are on the mentally ill ageing blogger website held up by weird trans furries like the sky above atlas. you can't be an influencer on here the website collectively owns $4

#im getting so many basic bitch tweets and dancing videos #and all the replies r just 'this is not the website you think it is' #thank you for paying to support the website but it does not have the clout you seem to be seeking #dibi #my favourite blaze so far was the worst poem ive ever fucking read #and op deactivated within 24 hours. #absolutely ruthless

[waketoearth]

happy birthday to the cutest cutie ever :(((

#enhypenet #malegroupsnet #kpopco #enhypen #jake #enhypen jake #heetual #my favourite boy in the whole world icb.. i hope he has the absolute best day ever with all the love and happiness in the world #let's spend the next 32 days being the same age very well and happily <333 #z.enhypen #z.jake #z.gif #bday

[skylarbee]

the day am fans realise that miles/milex shippers are less problematic and harmful to the fandom than lv/her supporters will be one of the best days of my life

rant incoming because I'm going insane:

i will never ever understand why am fans have so much beef with milex shippers.

i have been in SO many fandoms throughout my life, I've been obsessed with SO many bands whose members are shipped to the point of insanity, and it was never a problem. sure, some people didn't like the ships, but why are so many am fans acting like this is something unique? bts, mcr, dan and phil, harry potter, I've seen fucking everything. every other fandom in the world are just this obsessed with their ships, trying to prove that two men are fucking, posting theories and so on. shipping was always a thing in fandoms and always will be, especially if we're talking about male celebrities and teenage girls.

having said this, the kind of fandom i have never been in is one where grown ass women bring this much toxicity to the community and behave like children. there are hundreds of celebrities whose girlfriends are not liked by the fans, but no girlfriend ever engaged this much with the haters, probably because they realised that it would only make things worse, and the fans would hate them even more.

we could've had some peaceful end of the tour content, but no, we have this instead. every few months something has to be done by a certain someone in order for people to pay attention to her, and so that in the end fans will forget the reason they're fans and engage in stupid shit like this, defeating the whole purpose of being a music fan.

all this drama is slowly making me not want to have anything to do with am or the fandom anymore. if not for miles and him being connected to am, i would've stopped giving a fuck about alex years ago (technically not through his fault, but then also because of him). this whole thing just makes me sad because miles does not deserve to be associated with these people and the fact that he will never be able to get rid of them is so not it.

#look i could talk about this for hours but it makes me so angry it's best to just stop #i saved the spiciest things for the tags #matt used to be my favourite but now i cannot even stand to hear his name #such a disappointment i really thought he was better than this #which also makes me question what the hell alex sees in him #and then again alex is probably not the best person in the world #which i guess we knew ever since the absolutely disgusting behaviour towards taylor and him being friends with ppl like josh homme #and cameron avery #sigh #it's just a shame that his music is really good #(anyone looking to buy some am vinyls? 😂) #oh miles the things i endure for you #i have such a love/hate relationship with alex it's crazy #one second i love him the other i never want to see him again #which then makes me think about how different things would be if he had a different girlfriend #she really ruined absolutely everything #(not) sorry #rant #alex turner #milex #louise verneuil #arctic monkeys

[fluffyartbl0g]

my totally inaccurate headcanon is that chopper was originally intended to be in horn point for most of post timeskip

AAAAAAAAHRGEGH I LOVE UR HEADCANON THOUGH T - T!!! Chopper’s horn point is actually such a good more grown up design for him though…

LOOK AT HIM??? HE ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE A TEENAGER RATHER THAN 12 YEARS OLD!!!! Maybe make his horns a bit shorter and then he could be walkin around and chattin with all the straw hats like this all the time. I’m just sayin- I’d be totally down for him to be in this form a lot more often.

#ask #one piece #tony tony chopper #great ask great opinions over here #horn point would absolutely be my favourite chopper form if defense point wasnt the best thing ever

[nemmet]

thinking about be cool scooby doo fred on this delightful evening. he's afraid of widths. he gets emotional over a drumkit. he knows how to apply eyeliner perfectly. he's a sleep deprived, paranoid, manic danger to himself and others. he becomes enemies with a goat. his shoulders are so tense that they can break a chair. he goes to jail twice. where on earth did he get the funds to give the mystery machine all those high-tech upgrades. he hired a guy to make his epiphanies look more dramatic. the exterior of his house is an affront to god. he cannot take care of himself to save his life. he is a middle aged dad stuck in the body of an eighteen year old. he has childhood trauma related to halloween. he accidentally parked his van on a space shuttle. he is consistently aggravated by daphne’s commitment to the bit. he really needs to let go of those tiny red shorts. he's a court jester. he represents the order to his criminal father's chaos. he has control issues stemming from this but tries to overcome them for the sake of the gang and always apologises when he goes too far and knows that even when they wind him up it isn't a threat because he loves and trusts them so much and they care about him in turn even before he fully opens up to them about his childhood and—

#i finished the show earlier this month and MAN do i have feelings about this guy #i was working on a piece based on the finale but had to put it on hold for dtiys stuff #i'll return to it when i can!!! #needless to say i adore this fred #i wasn't sure of him at first due to my attachment to the goofier freds of recent memory like wnsd and sdmi #but bcsd is an absolute joy in his own right and one of my favourite freds for sure #it's a nice change of pace to see him mostly in the neurotic straight man role #but the writers still give him silly moments aplently!! night of the upsetting shorts might be the funniest sd episode ever made #also his character development in learning to work through his control issues and trust the gang more is subtle yet rewarding #and the finale. i promise i cried a normal amount. at a show called BE COOL SCOOBY DOO #anyway goodnight coolsville ohio please watch bcsd it's unbelievably good #scooby doo #fred jones #fred scooby doo #be cool scooby doo #nem misc posts :] #scooby doo and nemmet too!

[thstarsofsilver]

alex sawyer thinking that willow and alfie would still be dating makes my walfie heart SO happy

#userfiz #mine #textpost #tv #hoa #alfie lewis #willow jenks #walfie #i adore walfie so much. they are absolutely soulmates #i personally cannot see any reason for walfie to break up ever #genuinely one of my all-time favourite unproblematic happy little couples #alex sawyer #house of anubis

[captainkirkk]

Sometimes I forget that all of ao3 doesn't run off hurt/comfort fic. I search up a graphic tag on ao3 expecting to find "whump and then respectful, cathartic recovery" fics and instead I just find dead dove porn that makes me wish god didn't give me eyeballs

#don't get me wrong: it's absolutely my fault for not remembering my exclusion tags #me looking through the ao3 torture tag: wow i hope there's no torture in here :) #anyway 'recovery/aftermath of X' tags are my favourite thing ever and i wish there were more #recovery fics are my jam #i can only read really specific dark fic and only once in a blue moon #my posts

[helpmyinterestsareverywhere]

A recent development

#/jk /jk #no-one will ever replace the green girlboy failure in my heart - my love for him is too strong to be overtaken <33 #but i have infact missed this sweetheart - id forgotten how silly he is <33 #can you believe he wasnt my most favourite-tist thing in the world when i first watched prime empire?? #i actively wasnt that fond of him 🧍‍♂️ #i would like to go back to past me and shake her very aggressively by the shoulders because WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH HER #HOW COULD I NOT LIKE THIS LITTLE GUY #i love him to bits and pieces now dont worry #(slowly realising this is a theme with me though - during rewatches im really liking the characters that I was NOT fond of the first time) #(happend with Okino - with FugiDove - with SORA!! <- absolute tragedy on that one what the hell was i thinking) #im having fun watching my favourite season :3👍 #hmiae rambles #ninjago #lego ninjago #ninjago lloyd #lloyd garmadon #ninjago okino #ninjago prime empire #prime empire

[dexter-erotoph]

i havent mentioned how unreasonably happy i am about this….. id say im like one of eyes’ biggest fans i love them so much

#i love how much of Kind of a dork they are in sm2 #and i am kinda scared we won’t ever see them in that kinda light again considering that they’re like a big thing that from now on only shows #up in serious dramatic moments AND the increasing tone shift of the show #but like. any eyes screentime is good in my book they are so fucking cool #i cant explain in words how much i love it Especially in horror(-ish) media #when there’s just something that’s absolutely fucking huge AND THE FACT THAT EYES IS LIKE #THEYRE HUGE BUT THEY ARENT LOUD OR FAST OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. ITS SCARY IN THE SAME WAY AS LIKE #BEING UNDERWATER AND SOMETHINF DEADLY OR LIKE POISONOUS FLOATING TOWARDS REALLY SLOWLY #AND THATS SO FXJXK IN G COOL TO MEEEEEE #MY FAVOURITE THING EVER #FOR LIKE. CONCEPTS FOR MONSTERS #and i just loveeeeee all their like hundreds of tentacle things and the big shiny eyes and the fact that they look like a little broccoli #AND THEIR TOOTHY SMILE IS SOOO CUTE 2 ME I LOVE EYESS #they’re like a weird fucked up dog to me. it’s a shame that their husband died #(moloch