life-giving media in this trash fire era: a list

[glass_icarus]

Inspired by a recent exchange with rydra_wong, I thought it would be nice to make a list of life-giving media content that's been helping me get by! I noticed upon my latest rewatch of Nirvana in Fire that the comfort reading/media consumption I do to cope with politics these days is distinctly different from the comfort reading/media consumption I do in response to general life stress. There's a specific flavor of schadenfreude involved in the former which leads me to look for plots involving political takedowns and reforms for great justice, for one thing, though I will also settle for characters resisting and/or getting justice in a less socially comprehensive sense. *g*

My political coping list is much less extensive than my general comfort list, but here are a few things I've been leaning on:
♥ Nirvana in Fire/Lang Ya Bang - I would rewatch this show anytime for any reason because of the amazing characters, but it is especially satisfying as political coping because of Mei Changsu's beautiful takedown schemes (also, there is an explicit hierarchy of court corruptness being dealt with)!
♥ Captive Prince - similarly satisfying, but to a lesser extent. I love Laurent's plotting, but Mei Changsu eclipses him in terms of layers, let's be real.
♥ Black Panther - the most comforting parts of this movie for me are Shuri, Okoye, and Nakia, tbh. I love soft-hearted T'Challa, but those three are what I watch for these days.
♥ A:TLA - this is also a general comfort thing, but for political coping I like turning to the latter half of Zuko's character arc and, uh, pretty much every episode where Katara gets angry, because she's glorious when pissed off and never gets punished for it. I also like all the fights with Azula; they're quite cathartic for me!
♥ Kristin Cashore's Graceling series (er, I forget if that's the actual series name? but all three books!) - I like these because in addition to the various trash fires and takedowns, they don't shy away from the parts where everyone is also coping with the traumas involved during and afterward. There's a raw generosity and kindness in Bitterblue, especially, that I really appreciated post-November 2016.
♥ V for Vendetta - clearly explosions are not a solution to shitty government, but some days there's only so much bullshit I can take before I just want to watch it (fictionally) burn.
♥ The Matrix - same as above? xD
♥ The Handmaid's Tale - I started rereading a couple of weeks post-Kavanaugh, but it was a bit much then (also, I was away that weekend and got distracted by people). I think it would be good to revisit another day, though.
♥ Janelle Monae's entire discography - not only is she an incredible musician, her music videos (Many Moons, Tightrope, and Dirty Computer especially) are such amazing portraits of everyday #resistance.
♥ In the Heights soundtrack - maybe Hamilton would be more satisfying (I still haven't seen it), but literally all of this is immigrants surviving, thriving, and going about their everyday lives, and I desperately need more immigrant stories. (I would cite Allegiance too, if I owned the soundtrack!)
♥ By The Still Waters - I love and have been rereading this fic so much, because it is all about choosing and dealing with the consequences of your choices. Also OMG, what an incredible character piece! (Spoilers for Dragon Age 2 and Inquisition.)
♥ LOTR - for all those comforting Dire Moments with Frodo, Sam, Eowyn, etc., haha.

What are the things you've been turning to? Any recs?

Comments

[rydra_wong]

I have to add Sifu Hotman's Matches since I know it's been an anthem for quite a few of us.

More to follow!

[recessional]

Such an Important Song.

I've been thinking about the verse about ancestors lately, and also how given that the memes of culture and history are as important to who we are and what we're doing as the gene of our bodies, our ancestors are not only our biological forebearers but our cultural and social forebearers.

[rydra_wong]

Yes yes yes. And we have very powerful forebears to invoke for inspiration.

This is an impressive rollercoaster ride of a post, through tubas and filking to the abrupt final turn in the last sentence which made me suddenly verklempt:

http://birdrhetorics.tumblr.com/post/175082033508/birdrhetorics-roccondilrinon

Talking of non-biological ancestors, I just got to introduce executrix to Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore! \o/

[recessional]

It's also one of the reasons I'm actually very fond of the framing of Carrie Fisher as Space Mom, or the (obviously very carefully thought out) avuncular way Mark Hamill interacts with the fanbase, and that KIND of thing - especially for parts of society who often do have a serious rupture with their biological family of origin over their right to exist or to choose how their own lives work.

My favourite iteration of it was the Hidden Almanac invocation of her as one of the saints Rev. Mord studies in his hagiographic work, with a feast day on the 28th of December:

This powerful figure is portrayed as a woman haloed by twin suns, holding a dog. She is the patron of suffers of mental illness, scriptwriters, and generals. The details of this saint’s life have been conflated with many legends, but most accounts agree that she drowned in moonlight at the end, and the world mourned her passing.

[rydra_wong]

Belated note: it does of course delight me that "Sifu Hotman" is an ATLA reference.