• TawnyFroggy [she/her]
    ·
    2 years ago

    I'm guilty of writing one culture/area/religion as real world analogues. Mostly because I find it easier to vaguely base the world's shape and climate on ours because I'm too dumb to know how planets can realistically form.

    • CoolerOpposide [none/use name]
      ·
      edit-2
      2 years ago

      There’s nothing wrong with doing that imo, just when it starts to get a little bit too direct is when it verges on being weird. A story almost everybody under the age of 35 loves is ATLA and its corresponding universe which is very much a real world analogue. The difference is that it’s done respectfully and clearly well thought out to ensure it remained that way. (Disclaimer: there are also some quite glaring shortcomings in ATLA though, kindly brought up by @muddi here)

      Frank Herbert’s Dune, the piece of art it is, is definitely riding that fine line of being weird (in terms of naming of course, let alone the MANY other weird things in the story). Of course Dune is a product of its time, but

      spoiler

      a desert people, with an arab-esque aesthetic and language, on a planet being colonized for its one resource, coming across a prophetic leader, and proceeding to launch a religious war literally named a jihad in the name of said prophet, is a bit on the nose lol.

        • CoolerOpposide [none/use name]
          ·
          edit-2
          2 years ago

          I should have mentioned that specifically, because it is actually very disrespectful and you are correct. Of course the show isn’t perfect, and honestly it’s really amazing how so much of it IS very respectful and then they somehow just totally drop the ball like that in regards to Guru Pathik and Indian cultural references, religious influences, etc, which could have been some of the most powerful pieces of story telling and imagery that already naturally fit into the story very well.

          I’ll add a disclaimer in my comment to read yours in addition

      • bigboopballs [he/him]
        ·
        2 years ago

        A story almost everybody under the age of 35 loves is ATLA

        Is it really that popular?

          • UlyssesT
            ·
            edit-2
            26 days ago

            deleted by creator

            • TraschcanOfIdeology [they/them, comrade/them]
              ·
              2 years ago

              The only good thing to come of Korra was the JackSaint videos about its heavy-handed misrepresentation of political ideology, and the fact that a lesbian relationship wasn't portrayed as :awooga:

            • CoolerOpposide [none/use name]
              ·
              edit-2
              2 years ago

              Agreed. I would’ve liked to see what the writers could have created given a real three season budget and timeline though. They really got screwed over having to make each season a stand-alone story.

              The prequel books were actually quite good. Yangchen’s has a ton of proletarian focus and plot, which was very surprising considering how Korra was so lib that it was painful

              • UlyssesT
                ·
                edit-2
                26 days ago

                deleted by creator

                • CoolerOpposide [none/use name]
                  ·
                  edit-2
                  2 years ago

                  I genuinely think the show writes might have been SO railroaded in the Korra storyline that they desperately wanted to go the opposite direction with the prequels. Like from war profiteer who gets to hang around because he’s rich and funny and aligns himself with the protags, to a book with entire story arcs directed by working class politics. It was very jarring because I definitely see where you’re coming from. I probably wouldn’t have read them at all because of the sour taste Korra’s liberalism left in my mouth had I not been given a copy for free

                • robot_dog_with_gun [they/them]
                  ·
                  2 years ago

                  such as the war profiteer grifter sort of just being allowed to keep doing whatever.

                  hey that's just realism

        • FourteenEyes [he/him]
          ·
          2 years ago

          It's an incredible show and one I genuinely recommend you watch if you haven't yet