Life, Books, Cats

Some are serious, some aren't.  Be forwarned that I have taken my nighttime meds and am perhaps not entirely in sound mind.

Writing!  Writing writing writing so much fun.  I have a Star Wars short thing almost done.  Do not actually know where I will post it as I have completly forgotten all my FF.net details, and also if I log in I will feel compelled to fix all the brokeness in Crashing In Time's formatting and I'm not sure I can do that.

I have come to the conclusion that the reason I adore Billy Kaplan is that he is essentially Luke Skywalker.

Please take the above conclusion with several grains of salt.

I have come to the less pleasant conclusion that Something Needs To Be Done about our justice system, and also that there's very little effect I, personally, can have on that situation.  This leads into various depressing thoughts about whether I can actually do anything with my life what with my inability to engage in meaningful social interaction without panic attack. Is my current goal really archaeology?  Is that feasible?  Can I do that, even, be a grad student and do the grunt work and travel to various locations and probably have to use public restrooms?  And even if I can, is it kind of selfish?

Also it is my twenty-five-billionth career goal this year alone, so, you know.

I like drawing almost as much as writing.  I am making interpretations of all the Guild Wars armors and when I get Flash for Christmas I will make dress up games.  I have been reading tutorials.

Didn't I write this long drawn out comparison between the Skywalker, Bat, Maximoff-etc, and Fire Nation Royal families?  I should find and post that sometime.

Someone a few rooms over is watching movies. 

And I should probably go to bed.

In light of recent Idiot Radio Host developments, but a rant I've been boiling for a while...

The first amendment.  Arguably the most misinterpretated part of American law.  Here are some helpful tips:

1. The First Amendment doesn't mean you can say whatever you like.  You can't howl "fire" in a crowded theater, to give the most obvious example.  You can't call somebody with a bomb hoax.  You can't blatantly lie about your income tax record.  These things are not protected.

2. Free Speech does not apply to just you.  It also applies to the people who disagree and wish to tell you so. 

3. The First Amendment of the US Constitution does not nessesarily apply to an international chatroom or message board.  Really.

4th, somewhat unrelatedly, if you seriously do not understand why it's not okay for white people to fling around the n-word, I have a remedial history class I can give you.  Possibly with a hammer.

Thank you all.

Signing off, Lou.

(PleaseforgivemefortakingaBiblequoteinvain)

Anyway.

Failiness of world, in a few notes.

1. The Last Airbender was cast in a racist manner.  Yes it was.  Katara is not /whiter than I am/.  That is kind of fail on a special level.  I'm sorry if you do not want to face this being a problem.  It kind of is.  That's kind of common sense.  

2. Unrelated: The fact that I am religious and Southern doesn't make me an ignorant bigot. 

3.  Other religious, Southern people: please to stop perpretrating this stereotype.

4. People in fourth block: insulting my best friend is not the new, highest form of entertainment.  He was the first person in years to show overt friendship to me without getting something in return.  Stuff that up your pieholes.

And good things lately?

1. I got to go to a Bobcats basketball playoff game (we got swept) and sit on the same row as Stephen Curry.  During halftime, my father went over to introduce himself.  I'd put in a bit here about hating to do that to celebrities, but, honestly, that's kind of how my dad reacts to anyone who went to his college, whether they starred in basketball there or not.  Also I got a picture with him, and apologized profusely.  (My dad is also obsessed with his new cell phone camera.  Hey, I love you Dad.)

2. I've read several excellent books lately, and reread many more.

3. GENERATION LOST IN LIKE TWO WEEKS!  YAY!  There shall be Booster, and Jaime!Beetle, and Ice, and Fire, and unfortunatelyevil!Max and YAY!

I'm really, genuinely angry.  I mean, really, genuinely angry.  And - I cannot believe I'm saying this in a public post- I'm actually also angry at my dad.  Legitimately and morally.  I don't think that's something I'm supposed to admit, particuarly about something I doubt he remembers saying. 

But, screw it.  I'm mad.

Still mad.  The operative dang word is still mad.

Everybody on the internet went through the brouhaha over the Avatar- sorry, "Last Airbender," thank you, J Cameron - casting.  I was angry then, but it coalesced into a sort of seething rage that's only recently broiled up to the surface.

Race is a touchy subject, and it's a damned touchy subject around here.  Polite people polite company just don't bring it up.  We really, really don't want to remember that two generations ago my best friend and I couldn't have hung out together in public- not that we'd have ever met.  People really want to have a sense of "oh, that's over and done with."  About the only place it's mentioned is the opinion portion of the local newspaper, and while that would seem big, the opinion page of the local newspaper is generally devoted to arguing whether said newspaper is a puppet of the conservative warmongering fascits, or of the America-destroying liberal communists.  Godwin's Law gets broken like the place is an internet forum.

But I digress.

I'm mad about theAvatar casting.  I'm mad that only the villains and possibly one sacrificial love interest are Asian.  I'm mad that Sokka and Katara lost about twelve skin tones.  I was never naiive enough to think they wouldn't cast Aang white, but EVERYBODY just makes me want to splat things even after all this time.  And you know what else still bites me, after months?  The assumption made by the man who taught me that all people are created equal that white audiences are going to relate more to white characters.  "Who's going to be watching and paying for the thing?"  indeed.  The Asian style didn't stop me from falling in love with the show.  It didn't stop anyone from falling in love with the show. 

And then there's that argument I keep seeing, "Would you complain if they cast Harry Potter (or some random chara, doesn't matter) black?"  Guess what?  They didn't.

That's not damn relevant, because they didn't.

And I- you know what, LJ?  I feel personally insulted that someone thinks I need people of my own skin tone to relate to.  Frak that.  Society wants to move on, you know.  And I give this message both to the the Move I Won't Be Seeing, and, unrelatedly enough, to the man in charge of the Company Whose Comics I Don't Buy: When you let people move on, they will.  And when you don't, they won't.

Nothing about this fiasco, or about the promo pics, or about the reviews or the fandom has convinced ME to move on.

I'll tell you that, right now.