#Bato saw that one coming

[purrincesskittens]

Hate to bother you but I adore your Avatar content and wanted to ask do you take asks with prompts? Like how the amazing muffinlance does?

Because if you do I have one I would love to see with your dragon Zuko au especially the wiggly baby fire snake.

Hakoda runs across poachers near the Southern Water Tribe and they drop a bag when they are chased off that has something squirming in it and when he opens it there is a baby dragon inside.

Your not a bother at all I love asks I just don't always get the time or motivation to answer them in a timely manner.

Now for this.... this implies Hakoda has enough forethought and brains not to stick his hand immediately in the bag without thinking to help sooth and calm to frantic creature and pull it out to free it.

He yelps yanking his hand back out with a little fire noodle chomping on his hand his wiggly little body coiled around Hakoda’s arm trying to kill his hand. It takes both his free hand and Bato’s own two to uncoil the baby dragon from around his arm and pry his chompers off his hand. That's when they realize this is a baby baby like a toddler at the most. And then they panic because if this is a baby where is mama?

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

Can you give examples of Aang showing Empathy? Oh wait, you can't.

Actually, I can - because unlike you, I base my opinion of the characters on the actual stuff that happened in the story, not the bad faith takes dumb people on the internet come up with.

Zuko literally only survived past book 1 because Aang was the ONLY person amongst the heroes that gave a single fuck about his well-being. Aang offered to be FRIENDS with him as early as episode 13, even though this dude is trying to kidnap him.

In the first damn episode we see him realize and try to remedy Katara's struggle with no longer being able to act like a kid and have fun. He wants to travel with her so SHE gets to learn waterbending. He willingly lets Zuko take him into his ship because he understood that a conflict could lead to the people of the water tribe getting hurt or killed.

In Warriors of Kyoshi he apologizes to Katara for letting all the praise and admiration go to this head. He makes sure to put out the fires Zuko and his crew started in Suki's village.

He tries to help remedy the Hei-Bai situation, even though he is unsure of himself and even scared, because he knows he is the only one that has any chance of helping - and the thing that allows him to connect with Hei-Bai is the fact that he is ALSO upset about the destruction the Fire Nation has caused AND hopeful that the world would eventually heal.

He thinks Jet is awesome because he wants to help people that are being oppressed by the Fire Nation - and then is horrified when he finds out his intension is to "free" them by killing everyone

He wants to help the two rival groups not only safely cross the Great Divide, but also stop hating each other.

He confesses that he hid the map to Hakoda because Bato, Katara and Sokka are showing how much they appreciate and trust him and he feels unworthy of it after what he did because he knows it'd hurt him if the roles were reversed.

He is so devastated by the fact that he ACCIDENTALLY hurt Katara that he swears to never firebend again. He is also able to recognize the same principle behind his mistake in Zhao's fighting style, allowing him to win the battle against the bastard.

He accepts the fact that the Northern Air Temple is now occupied by people who not only don't belong to his culture but also don't understand it and unknowingly destroyed something sacred to him (and that one of them had been forced to make weapons for the Fire Nation) because these people have nowhere else to go and he doesn't want them to suffer.

He is furious at Pakku for refusing to teach Katara waterbending, because he knows how much it'd mean to her and how unfair it is that she can't learn it just because of her gender.

He is so devastated by the death of the Moon Spirit that the Ocean Spirit latches onto him to avenge it and save the day - and the leve of destruction it causes haunts Aang, even though the violence was against his enemies. And still, he tries to go into the Avatar state again because people are dying and he can't accept that.

After the fall of Omashu, he wants to rescue Bumi, not because he needs a teacher, but because they're friends.

He felt empathy for Toph when she was explaining to her parents how lonely and unappriacted their over-protection made her feel.

He and Katara both feel bad for snapping at Toph during "The Chase" and wanted to apologize for not understanding that being part of a group was a radical change to her, even though she had refused to even try. He also didn't have a problem with fighting alongside Zuko and Iroh against Azula, AND he looked concerned when Iroh was injured.

After Katara comments on the fact he called Toph Sifu but not her, he calls her Sifu while bowing, to show that he respects her both as his master and friend.

The hopelessness and downright depression he was feeling after Appa was stolen only starts healing because he saw a couple being happy with their newborn baby - the same couple he decided to help cross the Serpent's Pass, even though he and his friends had just been allowed to take a much safer route to Ba Sing Se.

His understanding and sympathy towards Jet, even after everything the guy did, was so strong that it freed him from literal brainwashing.

He doesn't want to push his love for Katara aside to gain power because he cares about her too much - and then does it anyway because, even though not making her his main focus 24/7 offers the risk of her being hurt, him neglecting his mission guarantees she'll get hurt.

He is devastated to learn that the world thinks he is dead because he knows he was everyone's last hope - and yet in the end he still accepts the burden of failure because he understood that, at that moment, everyone would be safer if no one else knew he was still alive.

He goes to a Fire Nation school and bonds with the kids, wanting to give them a taste of freedom and joy, as well as trying to understand what the war is like from their perspective. The same episode also has him pull Katara for a dance because he noticed she was feeling left out.

The boy felt empathy for, and understood the mistakes of, both Ruko and Sozin. SOZIN. Aang could see the humanity in the monster that is responsible for him losing his entire culture and everyone he loved.

When Zuko spoke about wanting to control his impulses so he wouldn't accidentally hurt anyone, Aang explicitly connected with that struggle and saw them being teacher and student as fate, and Zuko agreed because that's how deep their connection was.

Aang is not happy about Katara wanting to murder a man, but he still lets her take Appa on her mission and is not disapproving when she ultimately spares the guy but does not forgive him and makes it clear she never will.

He feels empathy for freaking Ozai, to the point that refuses to kill the guy - even as he has the balls to say that Aang's family, his people, deserved to die. He spared that guy - but only after he had a way to do that without it meaning the death of more innocents. Aang, the pacifist, was going to turn his back on everything he believed in just to avoid more human suffering.

So yeah, miss me with your bullshit and don't come back until your brain is developed enough to understand a cartoon aimed at kindergarterners.

[muffinlance]

I saw your “Zuko brings home two dragons and becomes fire lord” story (it was awesome :3). But what if Zuko got hurt somehow and the dragons went apeshit. (Cause they’re friends right?)

(Continued from this prompt.)

Hakoda’s fleet set sail six months ago. Fire Lord Ozai was assassinated in the middle of his own war council, by his own son, two months ago. The Earth Kingdom contacted Hakoda three weeks ago, with the proposal for a joint operation.

The new Fire Lord is traveling his lands, securing allies—rooting out opposition—in the wake of his regicide. A source close to his inner council, one concerned by violence uncommon even by the standards of Fire Nation nobility, leaked his travel schedule. Much of it is by sea.

They skirt the blockade to the South, between shifting glaciers. They work their way north, flying merchant flags. They strike at night. The deck crew is easily overtaken. Understaffed, even. Suspiciously so. But if this is a trap, it’s one they’ve already sprung. And if this is the work of the same traitor that sent them the prince’s schedule and ship plans, then Hakoda won’t waste the opportunity.

“Wait,” he whispers, as Bato catches a startled servant from behind. The kid is young. In his nightclothes. Freshly scarred by his nation’s own fire, in a way that doesn’t say good things about why a young child would be coming out of the Fire Lord’s own cabin in the middle of the night. Wide gold eyes stare at Hakoda over the top of Bato’s muffling hand. 

“Son of a—” hisses Bato, as quietly as a man can, when a child has just bitten his hand. The kid keeps struggling as Bato pins him against a wall. Hakoda shoves the Fire Lord’s door open, and—

Is greeted by an empty cabin, with mussed sheets, still warm from their occupant’s departure.

Hakoda steps back into the passageway, and crouches down to the kid’s eye level. “Easy; we aren’t here to hurt you. Where’s the Fire Lord?”

The kid glowers at him. “Did General Bujing hire you?” 

Footsteps down the companionway herald a much different general’s arrival. “That would be telling,” says Fong. “Excellent work, Chief. We’ll take it from here.”

…Facts click into place, and Hakoda does not like what he’s left with.

The kid is the Fire Lord. 

The Fire Lord is barely thirteen.

And Hakoda is realizing how much of their intelligence on the monstrous patricidal new Fire Lord came through Earth Kingdom channels, and how many details Fong did not find pertinent for the Water Tribe’s easily recruited Chief to know. 

“I think we can keep one kid contained on our ship,” says Bato, who also saw the cell General Fong had specially prepared. It had seemed a reasonable cruelty, at the time.

“I’ll bite you again,” growls the Fire Nation’s tiniest despot, not helping.

There’s a tense moment as Hakoda’s men, finished securing the ship, gather around him. Just as Fong’s men are gathering around him.

“Very well,” the general concedes, with a smile Hakoda no longer finds affable.

* * *

The new Fire Lord is a man of his word: he does, indeed, bite Bato again.

* * *

It’s dawn on deck. They hurry the prince off his own ship, partially to get away from Fong, and partially to move the boy past his dead countrymen as quickly as possible. The kid’s face had been—

Hakoda had not expected to find the new Fire Lord so young. But it’s even more of a surprise, somehow, to find that the new Fire Lord cares. Not all of the kid’s crew are dead. And it wasn’t the plan, but… Hakoda orders them left that way. Sends his own healer over to save as many as possible. 

“You didn’t use your fire against us,” Hakoda comments, as they stand on his own ship. Fire Lord Zuko’s eyes are fixed on the triage happening on the next deck over. But he takes a moment to look up at Hakoda, and finds a shade even paler than white to turn. 

The healing burn over his own face was a partial answer. The look on his face gives Hakoda the rest. 

“Good,” Hakoda says, even though the kid hasn’t said anything. “Fire shouldn’t be turned on people.”

“Fire is life,” the boy says quietly, in some kind of agreement. He turns back to watching his crew, his people. Those of them that can be saved. 

Hakoda knows that feeling. Has stood that watch. 

It’s dawn, so a streak of red in the sky can go unnoticed for quite some time. Blue as well, as the morning’s colors fade. Until both are rather too close to be ignored. 

Exclamations spread among the crew. He can hear them from Fong’s ship, as well. But it’s the cheering on the Fire Lord’s ship that sends the first chill down his spine. 

The new Fire Lord is barely thirteen. And he hasn’t been scared at all during this; not for himself. 

Hakoda realizes again just how little he knows about the new Fire Lord, just in time for two dragons to land. The blue one dives into the water. It barely makes a splash, but the force of water its titanic body displaces sends his ship lurching under his feet. It surfaces again, the great coils of its body wrapped around all three ships. It’s like something from a drunken sailor’s yarn about sea serpents; the kind that shouldn’t have left any witnesses alive to tell the tale.

The red one lands almost daintily, its four feet touching down on the only ship it doesn’t care about sinking, like a polar bear-ferret perched on a too-small rock. The rails of General Fong’s ship are forced down nearly to the waterline, his crew scattering and shouting. 

Two heads the size of a god’s dreaming loom over Hakoda’s deck.

The boy next to him huffs. “I’m fine,” he says. And then he looks up at Hakoda, with that same confidence he’s had, even when he was tackled by strange men in the darkness of his own ship. 

“The war is over,” says the burned child, with the force of two ancient dragons behind him. “We should negotiate.”

…Hakoda negotiates.

(Read more prompts || Longer ATLA fics || Original works)

[futurecorps3]

I saw your Hobie x latina going going to the club para perrear and I loved it😭🤞🏼😩

BUT

Imagine Hobie going to a cantina with a mexican reader and just drink and hear corridos tristes (el video del vato que dice "porque que te quiero" y le meten el micrófono a la boca😭💀) or rather going to a cantina goes to her house and her family is making carne asada and drinking beer and there's literally a band in the party (soy norteña perdoname😭) and he is like "this food is bussing bussing" because he is British and their food is just "no good💖". At first he is nervous like he doesn't know what to do and at the end he is somehow riding a horse or he is playing with the band, he just loves it, the vibe and the food

(Love how you write 😭💖)

Hobie Brown meeting latina!reader's family <3

Masterlist <3

Ay hermana, soy chilanga we don't have horses up in this bitch😭 I tried to make it more general like Bee meeting your tías and primos but def adding the whole carne asada deal. (For my non-mexican readers, we call people from the city "chilangos" and northern people "norteños" and while we're from the same country, our experiences can be very different!). Also, tysm my dear, hope u like<3

-First off

-Giggling and kicking my feet 🤭

-Bro was persistent in meeting your family, and while you weren't exactly reluctant, you did have to warn him

-"Why not!? I want to meet your uncle Luis or- or Saúl!" He exclaims, recalling the stories you've told about your family members. "I'm not saying no, mi amor. I-It's just-" "What?" He grins, knowing you don't really have a solid argument. He kisses your pout and walks over to your room to get ready as you sigh, defeated by your pretty once more.

-Of course you wanted Bee to meet your family! But we all know how it can get at those big family gathering.

-One thing was meeting your parents, (which went by spectacularly, by the way) but him hanging out with your older tíos and younger primos was a whole other deal

-They aren't bad people, you love them dearly. It was the soft (hard and relentless) teasing (borderline bullying) you were worried about.

-It was easy to understand their humor when you grew up with heavy jokes, but Hobie would be new to all this. Plus, he was the first official boyfriend you'd introduce to the family! They were protective and honestly not afraid to show it.

-"Buenas tardes, Hobie Brown. Mucho gusto" you say slowly as you're both on the way to your tío's house, he repeats after you with a horrible accent. "Roll your r's!" You giggle, looking at him intently while softly showing him how to pronounce.

-He's really trying for you bestie </3

-Yeah he went blank after your aunt opened the door and dismissed his polite handshake with a bone-crushing hug.

-"Ay mija! He's so tall, I can barely hug him right. Pásenle, pásenle, Luis is in the garden with the kids. Welcome Hobie!"

-Bee just smiles and it widens when a horde of kids comes running down the hall and bolt towards you, saying hello to their favorite aunt and the strange bato she brought along.

-"Tía Y/N/N who is this?" Luisa (the youngest) asks, eyeing Hobie up and down with the sass of an old lady, making him suppress a laugh "Es tu novio?" now questions one of the boys, looking up at him amazed. "Hello brats" he smirks, high-fiving each and every one of your nieces and nephews excitedly.

-"You didn't tell me you were a tía already..." "Some of them will be by the age of sixteen, so I'm no rare event."

-Hobie is hard to lose on a crowd; all spikes, leather, chunky boots, and piercings

-Your nephews are thrilled.

-Asking all around about what his pins mean, if he finds it hard to walk with those boots, if he's not too hot with his jacket... you know, the type of questions kids ask.

-You laugh at him, trying to answer one question at a time patiently, and walk over to the table outside where your tíos, tías, primos, primas, cuñadas and some sobrinos were.

-"Y el novio mija?" Asks one of your tíos, already in a deffensive tone "He's inside con los niños, tío. Ahorita viene" you smile and promptly, Hobie walks through the door after the kids.

-The smokey scent of the carne asada filled his nostrils as soon as he walked outside, widening his eyes at how good it smelled. You walk over to him, grabbing his arm and smiling widely at your family

-"Les presento a Hobie, mi novio" you beam and your tíos can tell he truly makes you happy. "Yo no te di permiso, Y/N" one of them jokes, making everyone laugh and Bee follows after you translate for him.

-And he didn't like it but he really cared about their opinions

-He didn't give a single fuck of what other people had to say, but this was your family!!! He knew he was close and for the first time, strived for perfection

-The next few minutes were him trying really hard to memorize all the names, having a hard time pronouncing your aunt Rocio and Rosa's names.

-Everyone laughed at his attempts

-You sit between everyone at the large table, one of your tíos approaching you as you're too busy catching up with one of your cousins. Bee squeezes your hand to catch your attention, but you don't turn back to look at him, instead just squeeze back.

-He nervously places his hand out, and contrary to before, your uncle welcomes it. "Buenas tardes, Hobie" (oubi😭con acento mexa) "Buenas tardes, señor". God, did he rehearse that on the way...

-Your uncle seemed to appreciate him at least trying to talk to him in your mother tongue. He gave him kind of a smile and asked "Wanna help me with the asador over there?"

-Oh this was a test

-"Sure thing" he nods confidently even though he's shitting himself at the moment

-When he saw the carne asada let me tell you

-His mouth watered, heart eyes all over and he swore he was about to do that floating thing he's seen spider pig do

-Your tío taught him how to turn the steaks at the right time, after some aceite jumped and burnt him a bit :( your uncle could tell he was trying hard so he took it easy on him

-Personally? You fell in love all over again when he contained his tears the best he could at the smell and spice of the chiles floating so close to his nose <3

-You slapped his ass playfully when serving the food and he just smirked as your uncle side eyed you HARD

-“Bloody hell this shit is fucking amazing babe!” He almost moans when he bites into the taco of asada you made for him

-Your family might or might not know english but they know how bad words sound lmao

-They couldn’t blame him tho, not after he proved to love asada as much as them with the eight tacos he ate ☹️💕

-Him playing with the babies of your family bro :(

-He's so good with kids too

-I'm talking playing with them, having full conversations no matter how silly they got, following their train of thought and even making sure they weren't up to some stupid shit

-Girl, if you don't rail him stupid after that-

-He got along with your older cousins too!!! After all, they shared a similar taste in music and films so there was plenty to talk about

-Your tías chismeando with you about how handsome he is

-Let’s wrap it up, I got carried away and this is too damn long 😭

-He’s talking to one of your tías when the banda arrived at around 9 p.m

-My man is so confused please help him

-His spidey sense went off before the whole fucking commotion started lmao

-When he realized it was a live group playing and singing traditional music he lost his shit

-Asked you all about it!!! “What is that piano thing!?”, “What is he singing about?”, “Can I learn how to play that?”<3

-Eventually (and with no alcohol needed since he refused to risk doing some stupid shit with your family) he ended up dancing with your tía, her patiently teaching him how to move

-He had a hard time with his big ass boots but somehow managed!!

-Hobie was so happy when you went home ☹️ almost asking when you could come back and if you could cook some carne asada the same way your uncle (his best friend, he called him) did

-“Yo te amo mi amor” He smiled big, kissing you softly before falling asleep “Thanks for letting me meet your family… meant a whole lot y’know?” “‘Course corazón, seeing you there with everyone filled my heart with a joy I have rarely experienced”

-And with that you fell asleep, Hobie dreamt of asada and banda<3

[marymary-diva17]

who is she

zuko and mom reader + avatar team

The 100 years war had been very devastating and sad, all four nations had been greatly affected. Nobel families to commoners families had all faced the effects of the war, that had been started many years ago. No one seemed to be spared for the war effects as it kept on ragging on and on.

Zuko “ we can all make camp here” zuko had joined team avatar a while ago, he had gotten feed up with the evil ways of her father and knew he need to be stopped. He had been able to win over them all and from good relationship with them as well.

aang “ wow this place is amazing zuko”

zuko “ thank you”

Hakoda “ good choice young man”

zuko “ thank you sir”

katara “ hey zuko how did you know this home and look at beautiful view you can see everything”

toph “ I don’t think he feel comfortable talking about it” toph could sense zuko had deep feelings about this place.

zuko “ it was my family summer home we will be safe here as we don’t use it that much”

Sokka “ cools maybe we can find some stuff about your father here”

zuko “ ……”

katara “ hey maybe we should sort out the rooms among everyone, and look around as well and hey there town not to far we can go shopping later”

Bato “ that a good idea”

Sokka “ yes and it will allow iroh and his group to meet us here after we sent out a message”

zuko “ my uncle will be able to find us once he read we are here”

katara “ good” zuko had soon left the group to go wonder the place, that once made him happy. He wanted to know if there were any stuff to remember the past.

Later that day

katara “ hey zuko there you are we got started on dinner”

zuko “ oh cool hey where did everyone else go”

toph “ it look around I decided to stay here with katars and suki”

suki “ zuko your home is very beautiful and these flowers are lovely”

toph “ yes and there enough space to move around as well”

zuko “ yes this why me and my sister had many reasons to come here .... when we were younger"

katara " so why did you and your family stop coming here"

zuko " we will stop by sometime but didn't stay here for that long"

suki " oh"

zuko " hey where di your father and other man go"

katara " oh yes they went to hide away the ships so they wouldn't be stopped, we were going to ask you but it seems like you wanted alone time"

zuko " oh that good"

Aang " hey everyone we were wondering around and look what we found"

katara " aang I thought we learned to stop going through other people stuff without permission"

aang " I know I know but this something we couldn't pass up come on guys show them" Soon sokka and Haru had been stopped carrying something in followed by the duke and Teo following them.

sokka " I know what you are going to say katara but you need to see what we found" soon the two guys had put what they were down and leaned it against something.

sokka " zuko why didn't you tell us you had some family portraits"

suki " huh"

sokka " oh yeah get a look at this" sock had soon removed the cover on the portrait soon showing an old family portrait of zuko.

sokka " here is zuko everyone and his sister and father along with some women"

Haru " nice painting zuko we fount this and thought it will be good to share with everyone"

aang " This most be an important family portrait to be covered up in the hall away, we had bene raced and knocked the cover over and saw it"

zuko " you should of left it where is belonged"

sokka " oh come on man we thought it will be good to show everyone we don't know alot about you, and it seems like we know enough about you all"

zuko " I said you should of left it alone ... ahh I'm going for a walk" zuko soon stormed off leaving the whole group confused.

toph " I know I cant see guys but I can sense zuko had become saddened when we came here, and even upset when he saw the painting as well"

katara " it most be about her the women in the painting she so beautiful, I wonder who she is"

sokka " i don't know but now I feel mad"

hair " same here"

duke and teo " yeah"

aang " maybe we should go after zuko and speak with him and say we are sorry"

suki " i don't think that a good idea right now given him some time to clam down" soon night fall had ended as everyone had later for dinner and waited for the return of zuko and everyone else.

sokka " hey I think zuko coming back" the group had looked hoping to see zuko but only saw the older man with the others as well.

Hakoda " hey kids dinner smells good"

katara " thank you"

Hakoda " Iroh and thee other white lotus have come"

Iroh " hello everyone"

Tyro " what what with all the long face"

haru " well there was a situation that happened with zuko"

iroh " what has happened with my nephew"

aang " well we were running around myself and the boys when we came across the painting over there" The group soon looked at the family portrait.

hakoda " the fire nation royal family portrait wow that what the boy looked like all those years ago, it a nice painting"

sokka " well he got mad and stormed off and we think it about the women in the painting"

bato " oh yes her wow who she never in our reports have we heard about her"

katara " she very beautiful but who is she"

Iroh " she is the mother of zuko and azula"

Everyone " ....."

Aang " so that zuko mom"

????? " yes that my mom" everyone soon saw zuko as walked close to them.

sokka " zuko why didn't you tell us she is your mom maybe we can go see her ...."

zuko " we can't she gone" everyone seem to understand what zuko meant by those words.

zuko " one night she was there and then she was gone"

iroh " zuko my boy your brother you will want you to remember her in happy way, not sadness"

zuko " I try uncle but I kiss her still to this day"

iroh " she will be proud of you my boy along with your sister and mai and ty lee alll three of you have gone down different paths in life"

zuko " yes uncle"

katara " zuko we are sorry but if you feel like it maybe you can talk about her with us"

zuko “ thank you” the gang had hugged zuko they knew of his pain of losing someone you love and care about. Zuko did talk to them about you at night, and he seemed happy about talking you and his life growing up. He did make a promise to take his father out of power and restore the fire nation, and make sure a war like this never happened again.

[thegaybluejay]

Just for fun, here are my rapid fire rambling thoughts on the ATLA ships and platonic dynamics hehe (please don’t go full ship wars tho - these are just my opinions as a chill multishipper!)

My Favorite Ships:

• Zukka - My current brainrot and main ship!! I know they aren’t canon but I really love them and their potential okay😭I just feel like their personalities would work so well! Sokka would call Zuko on his shit and Zuko would be good at grounding Sokka when he needs it. Plus I have seen some absolutely breathtaking AUs with this ship! And fire-and-ice vibes except gay! Them <3

• Kataang - Cutiessss!! I love them! They may not be the ship I think about most often, but when I do think about them, they’re adorable! Aang is such a “my wife” guy and Katara absolutely adores him back! Also the last airbender x last southern waterbender dynamic goes HARD! I like that these two are canon!

• Yuetara - Listen I know they barely interacted but THEY’VE ACTUALLY GROWN ON ME SO MUCH LATELY AND I VERY HIGH KEY SHIP THEM! Something about like, Katara thinking about Yue when she bends is so😭Their story would be heartbreaking in the best way!! Sapphic noncanon blorbos <3

• Mailee - These two are SO cute and have so much potential rahhh!! Again, love some noncanon sapphics <3

• Batkoda - Super SUPER cute and silly and fun! The dads fr <3 Bato is either Katara and Sokka’s adopted uncle or their stepdad and I love it for them hehe! This usually pairs well with a “Hakoda adopts Zuko” AU lmao!

Other Canon/Relatively Popular Ships:

• Zutara - A good ship! I see the potential and tbh it’s very very fun to think about sometimes!!! However, some of y’all toxic Zutara stans need to leave my boy Aang alone lmao. Those who are chill tho, I rock with y’all!! Overall, I’m not opposed if it’s done well and I do sometimes seek out Zutara content! I personally do prefer writing them as found siblings tho, especially with the Azula and Katara parallels!!

• Sukka - Canon cuties!! I really like them! Suki my BELOVED <3 She’s so underrated!

• Yukka - Also canon cuties! They make me sad tho ahhhhh😭😭😭

• Maiko - Also ALSO canon cuties!! They have an interesting dynamic that I can really appreciate! And gotta love Mai <3

• Jinko - Jin my beloved! These two had a super cute dynamic during the one episode they had together lmaoooo, tho I don’t think about this ship too too often.

• Tokka - I don’t mind it if it’s them getting together as adults! But tbh I personally don’t prefer shipping them as teens and I think Toph’s crush was just a typical young girl crush on someone slightly older lol. Definitely not horrible and most Tokka shippers are relatively chill! I like to think Sokka sees Toph as a little sister tho.

Now For Some Of The Crackship-y/Less Popular Ships (based on ships I’ve actually seen):

• Zukki (Zuko/Sokka/Suki) - Power throuple fr and I love some polyamory!! While I mostly lean plain Zukka, this is extremely fun to think about and would be a great dynamic!

• Mai/Ty Lee/Suki - Saw this in a Zukka fic once and it was adorableeeeee! I may not have plans to actively write this or anything, but it’s cute! Another power throuple!

• Jetko - I don’t think they would be compatible long term, but by god they are very very fun to think about in a “Jet flirts with Zuko and Zuko is completely oblivious and they share one kiss before everything goes to shit” way lmao!

• Taang - I can respect it!! I will always love them as chaos siblings personally, but it’s a totally valid and chill ship!

• Katoph - Not a bad ship at all! I’ve only come across like one post tho lmao. Also I do think I heavily prefer them as found sisters, but that’s just me personally! Again, totally a valid and chill ship!

• Azutara - I’m very neutral on this lmao. I don’t despise it at all and it could be pretty interesting?? But tbh really not something I plan to seek out.

• Azulaang - I mean?? I’m also pretty neutral on this one. Aang would be kind to her if she was trying to get help but…idk lmao.

• Tyzula - I see the potential, but I personally think Mai and Ty Lee had a healthier and more interesting and more realistic dynamic. Just my preference tho!

(I think I just want Azula to be in therapy before I reallyyyyy ship her lmao, but NOT THE KIND OF “THERAPY” SHE WAS GIVEN IN THE COMICS)

• Zukaang - I don’t love this as a ship honestly. The canon age gap as teens is sketchy for my personal taste, tho I’ve seen people ship them in “Aang was 16 when he got frozen” AUs and that’s…better and I can get behind it a little! It would be interesting! But I think Roku being Zuko’s great-grandpa just still throws me off of this ship. I don’t have any beef with the shippers tho! I’m very “live and let live” and I have seen so much worse lol.

Can’t Forget My Fav Platonic Dynamics!

• Sokka and Aang - Two found brothers who share one idiot braincell when they interact LMAO! Love them always <3

• Sokka and Katara - The siblings ever!!

• Zuko and Aang - Enemies to found brothers!! Canon besties! I love their friendship and their parallels SO MUCH!!

• Toph and Katara - Absolutely ADORABLE as found sisters!!!! Love them!

• Zuko and Katara - I really like their development in a platonic sense and I think they’re very very fun and lovely found siblings by the end!!!! Zuko is 100% the brother that just “yeah my sister can and will whoop your ass” LMAO!

• Zuko and Toph - Also very found siblings in my head!! Only have a handful of solo interactions in canon but I DON’T CARE! I WILL FOUND FAMILY THEM ANYWAY! I’m a “Toph seeks out Zuko for sibling hugs/cuddles when she’s cold because he’s basically a space heater” truther.

• Uncle Iroh and the Gaang - Zuko needs to learn to share because that is ALL OF THEIR Uncle!!!

• Hakoda and Zuko - I thrive in this section of the fandom!! They have exactly one (1) frame together in canon, but I ADORE Dadkoda adopting Zuko! Something about it is just so wholesome and cute!!! My very very fav ATLA fics are this trope!!#LetHakodaBitchSlapOzaiAndAdoptZuko2024

• Uncle Iroh and Zuko - God they make me so ALSNDKSNXNCNSNSNXNX, y’know?

• The Gaang as a whole - Obvious I know, but I really do love them😭They all bonded sm and I adore their little family!! I eat up fanart of the Gaang cuddling like CANDY omg. And yes Suki is included in the Gaang because WHY WOULDN’T SHE BE!

Anyway, thanks for coming to my TedTalk. If you made it to the end, you get a big platonic kiss on the forehead MWAH!

[wolfinshipclothing]

Rewatching Avatar: the last Airbender (WITH MY MOM!)

Ok so i convinced my mom to watch ATLA with me. she's 68, but with the mind (and the looks mind you) of a 40y/o woman who loves cartoons, so it was quite the blast.

i'll go Book by Book and tell you guys her very amusing (and accurate) thoughts.

So here i go.

MY MOM WATCHES ATLA: BOOK I

-first coment is when she saw Zuko and it was like "ooh, he's hot!" and i was like "he's a teenager" and she was like "he's also not real" so point for her.

-IMMEDIATELY after learning the Avatar has to learn the four elements, she already knew Zuko was going to chance sides and teach Firebending to Aang.

-First episodes were a bit slow but she caught onto it because of the fantasy elements. she had a bit of a hard time picking the whole bending thing. not the bending itself, but the fact that not everyone who lives in the earth kingdom or wears green is an earthbender, but she catch it up quickly.

-she pointed out that Aang's airbending is not very consistent. "Why doesn't the Avatar just blow them away?! he did so in that other episode" and well, its kinda true.

-when it was Haru's episode i said "you're gonna like him". and when Haru showed up she was "ooooh i like him! not as much as the prince tho."

-"you realize its the brother (sokka) who things all the plans, right? he's the brains" she said, halfway through Book One. she's a smart one my mom.

-"when is the earth master going to appear?" "aang has to learn waterbending first" "well but he could appear!" "just wait, mom -.-"

-she is dumbfounded and amazed at the creatures of the Avatar World. "i don't know what the heck that is but is cute/ugly as fuck".

-"this girl Katara is gonna end up with the prince right? Fire and water, perfect match" oh mom. you're in for a dissapointment.

-in the fortune teller episode "but aang's too young for katara! he's twelve right? and she's, fifteen or something?" and i said "yeah, it was kind of a thing at the time" and she said "makes no sense. also, the Avatar is like a superhero. those people... belong to the world, you know? they cant be with anyone". she's pretty wise my mom.

-"I LIKE JET!" then Jet tries to kill the old man "i dont like Jet" then Jet tries to blow up the dam "i hate Jet."

-She thinks Uncle Iroh is the best, specially after he was kidnapping. "He sure knows how to fight" she said. "he's a bit of a goof chummy guy but he gives good advice" (remember this is still Book One).

-she was mindblowed by "the storm". "poor prince. no wonder he's always so mad. still, i like his scar. it looks like a flame."

and i was like "what?" and i realized that, yes, zuko scar sometimes looks like a flame when looked from the side. my mom had to point that out to me T.T.

-"WHY IS KATARA PRACTICING WITH THE WATER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT-?! AND SHE SCREAMING TOO! SHE'S GONNA BE FOUND!" right you are, mom.

-after roku's episode "poor aang. he's gonna do all that, learn all the elements, fight that son of a bitch, and all that before summer? its too much" :(

-during Bato's episode "nah. nah, you can't do that Aang, come on." "he feels left out" "but that scrolls is important right? its about the guys father!" right she was. also she didn't stop laughing at Uncle Iroh flirting with the bounty hunter girl.

-she was having none of Master Pakku bullshit. when katara confronted him she was "hell yeah, show him whats good!" and when we found out master pakku was gran gran old 'boyfriend' "OH, now he's gonna teach her just because she's the grandaughter of his lost love. right. -.-" and i was laughing mad because dont we all know its the truth? XD

-when she saw the fire nation armada she was like "O.O HOW DO YOU EVEN BEAT THAT?"

-and when zuko ship exploded "noooooo! dont kill my princeee, he's so preety! :("

-she doesn't know why sokka felt in love so fast with Yue, and neither do I.

-she got repeatidely frustrated by Aang not taking serious the situations that should be serious, but she shrugged it as "he's twelve".

-at the end of the season, when we see Azula for the first time i told her "i cant BEGIN to tell you how long we had to wait to see how this turned out, because season two took forever to air (we live in latino america)". she was just as excited as i was and wanted to see more.

-as a personal note, i watched this series as a kid and its wild to rewatch it as an adult becase, like, you can apreaciate how well paced and well thought everything is, and how the characters actions NOW reflect what we will learn from them later.

All in all , my mom liked it Book I A LOT, and we waited little in watching book II.

its late so i'll talk more about the other books in other posts. let me know my thoughts so i can pass them onto my mom! :D

[woodlaflababab]

hey! can i ask what your thoughts are on sokkaang? why do you ship them?:)

Oh my gosh. Okay, so funnily enough I literally gave a break down to someone yesterday. Sokkaang is my little rare pair gem that I hold close to my heart.

I did write this meta, but that doesn't cover even half my thoughts.

I'll give you the short version first in case you don't want to read my full ramblings:

Sokka is Aang's biggest protector. Aang. The Avatar. Sokka is a nonbender but he don't give a shit bc Aang still needs and deserves protection.

Aang is the biggest believer in Sokka. He thinks all his ideas are genuis, and unironically uses the stupid names he comes up with. He also brings fun to Sokka.

They're smart and wise seperately, but idiots together and I love that. I just think they'd make fantastic partners in all things.

Long Version:

So, I'm a sucker for protective tropes, right? And something that absolutely kills me about Sokka and Aang is that Sokka is a nonbender and Aang is literally the most powerful person on the planet, but it is Sokka who protects Aang. I've always been soft for Aang and more than anything I want good things for him. Too many people throw him at threats, too many people expect great things from him.

Sokka doesn't. He fights Hei Bai for Aang while everyone stands back. He realizes Aang needs them in the Bato episode. His plans to defeat the fire lord are always centered on helping Aang, giving Aang any advantage he can. At this point I'm just repeating my earlier meta BUT

Basically, when I realized this I was just like, "aw, cute friendship"

And then I remembered the fuckin "Toph writes a letter" plan. The two are fucking idiots together. It's hilarious that they affect eachother like this and it's not even like, unrealistic, because of what Aang does for Sokka.

Aang is Sokka's biggest supporter. He usually happily follows Sokka's ideas, he accepts the stupid names Sokka comes up with and uses them unironically. Aang belives Sokka to be a genuis, which means he doesn't question his ideas when they're stupid, he just trusts it's a genuis idea because of course it is, Sokka came up with it. And Sokka soaks that up like a sponge.

People talk about Aang bringing fun to Katara and like, 10/10 I love that, but I feel like it's not talked about as often just how much Sokka changes thanks to the brightness Aang brings. I'm paraphrasing someone elses meta here but I don't remember where I saw it but if you know it lmk, but Sokka literally goes from "You can't fight firebenders with fun" (to which Aang replies "You should try it sometime") to the finale where he gets rid of an entire crew by fucking around all amused at himself. He goes from the most sour character to the joke filled idiot we all know and love. I do believe a lot of that is thanks to Aang's influence.

So, yeah, cute friendship, blah blah, but then I was thinking about post-war them and I realized, despite zukaang being my favorite ship and loving kataang, there's no one I'd rather see travel around with Aang than Sokka. That's always been their dynamic, Aang with the purpose and Sokka with the maps and plans to get it done. I want Aang to be able to continue to rely on Sokka in tough spots, I want Sokka to continue experiencing the world and fun thanks to Aang.

I just don't see Sokka wanting to settle back down and take on the responsibility shoved onto him as a child. He fucking bloomed thanks to being on the road and getting true oppertunities to use his strengths and I want that for him.

And Aang is Not Good at the whole plans and stuff. Sokka is so good at filling the gaps in Aang's abilities and I don't want Aang to lose that. I don't want him to lose the person that says "I don't care if he's the avatar, I'm going to fight his battles with him." I feel like Aang would be lost in some ways without him.

Then I was thinking abt Aang's admiration and belief in Sokka and realized, it wouldn't take much to tip that into a crush, esp for Aang who falls so easily.

And Sokka, we have established, is attracted to people that could kick his ass without ever landing a blow. I can see Tall Aang being Sokka's surprise gay realization.

And I just think, if they were together romantically, it would be so drama free because it would be the epitome of a relationship built on friendship. They'd just be together. No bells or whistles. I feel liked they'd just be chill af about it. They'd love eachother and it'd be as simple as that.

Just, partners, in everything. I love them so much. I'm so alone in shipping this but I have so many sokkaang ideas and they will never not be dear to me. Also, tbh, it helps that Sokka is my favorite character after Aang ksndksnd

[mysticwolfshadows]

Taken - Zutara - Part 13

First / Previous / Next

Katara found her life shifting to fit a new routine. Zuko would come to the South Pole every two to three months. While Katara healed the injured soldiers, Zuko and Iroh met with her father and Bato, and the Earth Kingdom supplies were traded for the few things they had an overflow of.

She realized that some of the supplies from the Earth Kingdom were metals forged into spear heads and arrow tips. Hunts became easier, with more deadly equipment able to fell wild tiger moose and arctic caribou in only a few shots, rather than a slow trailing hunt. For once, they had enough to breath.

Its in the evening, as they feast and celebrate, Zuko tells Katara about his travels. Sokka hovers each night, supposedly still wary of the prince, but Katara has a feeling he just wants to hear about the rest of the world too. Zuko had traveled a fair amount, but was restricted to Fire Nation friendly ports, while also avoiding selling the Southern goods at towns controlled by the Fire Nation. Mostly, he got around it by traveling further inland from Fire Nation ports that wouldn't look to closely at his cargo.

Zuko had been to a small town called Gaipon, where he had sold some lamp oil in exchange for some berry wine and a few crafted spear heads. In a somewhat large city called Goa Ling, he and the soldiers had donned Earth Kingdom disguises, selling the rest of the lamp oil and the crate of arctic crab that the nobles in the area went crazy for. Kyoshi Island was closer to the South, but isolated and rarely went off the island, so they took an interest in anything Zuko had left over on his way back, once they deemed him not a threat.

Before Katara knew it, it had been nearly a year and a half since she had returned home. She vaguely realized that she had missed Zuko's 14th birthday, and that his 15th was close. She mused the thought aloud at dinner one night, and her parents seemed intrigued.

The next time Zuko returned, she met up with him to find the Fire Nation Prince stumbling out of a tent, traditional Southern Water Tribe blue covering him. His face was bright red, his hair redone in a version of a Southern Warriors wolf tail. He seemed embarrassed as he shifted around, hands fisted in gloves at his sides.

"Sorry Katara," her father said as he came out of the tent, a firm hand placed on the back of Zuko's neck, the way she'd seen him do to Sokka when her brother wasn't to keen on following orders. "But Prince Zuko will be spending the day with us."

Before she could get any answers, her father was leading a grumbling firebender to the village wall, joining with Bato and a pair of boys that had just turned fourteen. She wondered what could possibly be going on, and went to Iroh for answers. Of course, the man was good at keeping secrets, and somehow pulled her into a game of Pai Sho. They played for hours, Katara's mind drifting to what her father and Bato could possibly be doing, only for Iroh or soldiers to distract her.

When they finally returned, Zuko was wide eyed and laughing, as if shocked by his own delight. He and the two other boys were dragging a large Arctic caribou behind them. Across each brow was a mark of the tribe. When Katara got close enough, she saw the mark of the trusted painted across Zuko's brow.

"You took him hunting?" Katara snapped at her father. "And ice dodging? Dad! That's so dangerous! Zuko didn't grow up in the South! He could have been seriously hurt!"

"It's fine," her father said, placing a hand on her shoulder to stop her. He turned, and Katara followed his gaze to where more of the older boys were gathering around Zuko, laughing as they seemed to share stories of ice dodging and first hunts. "Zuko has earned a place in the tribe. He has done us a great service, returning you, and helped us still since then." He paused. "He has become someone the tribe can rely on."

Katara watched her friend as a young warrior, a boy who had joined the warrior ranks two years ago, gave Zuko a joking shove. Zuko, despite his momentary scowl, shoved back in a similar manner, setting the warrior into howls of laughter. For the first time in what seemed like years, Zuko seemed almost at ease.

When he looked at her, he smiled, lifting his hand in an awkward wave. She lifted her own hand to do the same, only for someone to say something to Zuko that got his face flaming red and start wrestling in the snow. It quickly devolved into a free for all, all in good fun.

Katara watched on, wishing that Zuko would stay, let himself be happy here in the tribe, where he felt free enough to laugh so openly. But she knew, come morning, he would be off once again, chasing a ghost.

First / Previous / Next

[highfantasy-soul]

What's your take on Hakoda in NATLA?

We didn't really get to see much of him - only about 5 minutes and viewed through Sokka's limited view of the conversation with Bato and Sokka's interpretation of him when he was young - but I like what they've done so far.

I think there's a lot of room for the writers to delve into the idea that Hakoda wasn't as hard on Sokka's inventions as Sokka thought he was - a lot of times young people put a lot more weight into their parent's passing comments than the parent really meant (then they incorporate that misunderstanding into their entire personalities) so Hakoda being worried that he'll have to leave Sokka behind so young during a time of war could really have accidentally instilled some toxic masculinity issues into Sokka that we saw him learning to abandon this season.

I also think that people are blowing his convo with Bato out of proportion - he didn't confide those fears with Sokka, he confided in his best friend in private. Parents, especially ones who are about to have to leave their children so they can go off to war - a war that might end up coming to their home with their children, are just people. They have fears and hopes for their children to somehow be ready for this war when they know it's a terrible situation, but a situation that can't be changed right now. Parents are allowed to be terrified their child didn't ace the test that would indicate how well they might survive. They're right to be afraid of putting the weight of responsibility on a 13/14 year old. They're also right to be able to have a gut negative reaction to how their kid performed on a test. That doesn't mean that's Hakoda's end feeling about it, but it's a legitimate fear to have in the moment.

So I think that the way they handled Hakoda in the live action set up a lot of interesting places they could go in future seasons - Sokka's perception of how his dad views him was so important to his character arc this season and I think it'll be a valuable lesson to kids and parents alike when they delve into that relationship more and actually see Hakoda's side of things - and when Hakoda sees how Sokka took Hakoda's parenting.

It's a super common thing for kids to confront their parents about stuff in their childhood and the parent to be gobsmacked and think 'I had no idea that's what you were taking from that interaction' and with how they've deepened Ozai and Iroh's characters and how their interactions with the world impacts the children around them (unintentionally or intentionally), I think they'll carry on that depth and nuance with Hakoda.

[cienie-isengardu]

Zuko’s stealing habits: Additional observation 

I have already talked about Zuko’s stealing habits in second Book and came to the conclusion that, narrative and visually speaking, he stole food and money primarily for Iroh’s sake. Even stealing the ostrich horse from the kind Earth family that fed Zuko and Iroh seen at the beginning of the season (something I did not include in the previous part) was done for pragmatic reasons rather than out of spite or for fun. As in, the ostrich horse gave them additional advantage to avoid or run away from pursuit. Iroh was not happy about Zuko’s choice but he ultimately accepted it and never again scorned his nephew for taking that animal - the later episode showed the ostrich horse was vital for their escape from Rough Rhinos. 

Interestingly, Zuko wasn’t that much prone to stealing and/or appropriating someone’s property in the previous season either. Especially not for a petty reason. The three examples (or as close to stealing it could be) that comes to my mind happened in:

Avatar Return, when Zuko took Aang’s staff that the young airbender used in fight against him and then offered willingly as a token of his surrender in exchange for leaving Katara and Sokka’s people in peace.

On his ship, the Banished Prince said:

This staff will make an excellent gift for my father.

What A) shows he didn’t think of keeping the last airbender’s weapon for himself and B) is a similar gesture done by Iroh, who sent little Zuko a knife of an Earth Kingdom's General that surrendered to him during the siege of Ba Sing Sai.

The Waterbender Scroll, during confrontation between captured Katara and Zuko:

Zuko: Tell me where he is and I won't hurt you or your brother. Katara: Go jump in the river! Zuko: Try to understand. I need to capture him to restore something I've lost, my honor. Perhaps in exchange I can restore something you've lost. Katara: My mother's necklace! How did you get that? Zuko: I didn't steal it, if that's what you're wondering. Tell me where he is.

And yes, Zuko did not steal the necklace, as Katara lost it when she helped imprisoned earthbenders to free themselves and Zuko found it in ruins of the workcamp. But he was willing to use it as a bargain chip and later, to track Aang with the help of June. From this episode he knew the necklace meant a great deal to Katara but for him it was a tool to fulfill his mission. 

The Blue Spirit, we can assume Zuko, as the Blue Spirit, was infiltrating Fire Natin’s stronghold to steal information about Avatar and/or Zhao’s plans, as said knowledge was denied to the banished prince. And mind you, the first time we saw Blue Spirit at the fortress was long before Zhao’s people managed to capture Aang. 

During the first season, Zuko may not have a strong moral opposition to destroying other people’s villages or pursuing Aang from one end of the world to another, or keeping Katara’s necklace but in general he does not steal unless it is necessary. He does not even take trophies from defeated enemies and/or attacked villages (Water Tribe and Kyoshi Island were left immediately once Aang either surrender or escape) with the exception of Aang’s staff that Zuko wished to give his father, no doubt to earn his respect. Which is something fitting the theme of the second Book.  

But the most ironic thing about Zuko’s stealing habits? Iroh’s reaction. Our dear uncle Iroh was not happy that his nephew has no problem stealing - and is stealing to either provide them food and comfort to the level Iroh was used to (book II) or to fulfill his mission of capturing Avatar (book I). I mean, that is a reaction we should expect from a responsible adult and the fatherly figure, right?  However in "Bato of the Water Tribe", Iroh himself was shown stealing perfumes while everyone was busy fighting

just because it smelled nice and there was no one to stop him. And from “Waterbender Scroll” episode we know Iroh had money to buy himself nice things on whim.

But nope, stealing from people that he helped Zuko and June to attack is all right yet he will be upset that his nephew is desperately trying to please his father by capturing Avatar by any means AND Iroh, by providing him food and comfort the older man was used to.

[erisenyo]

Hey there, can I ask how you come up with your OC names?

Anon I am THRILLED you asked because I am about to dump so much in-my-head-only worldbuilding on you, so much more than you probably needed or wanted lol.

As always this is not short, and forgive in advance the butchery I’m about to do of like, all of phonetics and linguistics.

OKAY so generally speaking, when it comes to names I have a set of foundational building blocks/general guidelines for the various countries and I work from there. These are based on phonetic characteristics of the canon names we see, and then from there I'd start layering in additional fun along groupings I've noticed around gender or class or family lines or whatever if I want to take the worldbuilding that deep.

So for example, with the Water Tribes…

We have Sokka, Katara, Hakoda, Bato, Kya all from the South, so I pick out...

Hard K or T sounds being quite common

Primarily A and O as vowels

Vowels being between consonants (ie, being single vowels)

Names being 2-3 syllables

In the North, we see Yue, Hahn, Agna Qel’a, Arnook, Kanna, Pakku...

Some similarities with the Ks and hard Qs

Now we see some softer ‘gn’ and ‘hn’ and L sounds, and the addition of P (which makes Bato’s “B” and Sokka’s “S” stand out)

Some ‘oo’ instead of ‘o’ vowels (so double vowels)

Hahn and Yue with no hard consonant sound at all (and both upper class!)

So that gives us some basic starting blocks to start building up names that sound like they fit within the Water Tribe culture in terms of sounds, as well as some potential regional and class differences to start working with! (Maybe Q sounds are only in the North, and upper-class people have soft consonant names, for example.)

Similarly in the Fire Nation…

The royal family is Zuko, Azula, Ozai, Azulon, Sozin, Iroh, Lu Ten, so...

A lot of Z and K sounds

(Male) names that end in N

A lot of two-syllable names (with the emphasis on the first syllable)

A lot of riffs on each other (Sozin and Ozai, Azulon and Azula, Azulon and Zuko)

Iroh and Lu Ten stand out as having fairly distinct names comparatively, with the “oh” ending and the softer "Ir" and "Lu" starts

Chan, Zhao, and Ruon-Jian are the other upper-class guys we see, which gives us...

short syllables again

N endings (for men) agai

The ‘two word’ name again (so Lu Ten's name naming structure is used elsewhere)

The introduction of “Ch” and “J” and “R” and double-vowel sounds (ao, uo, ia)

We also see Roku and Kuzon...

So very similar names to our royal bunch with those Ks and Zs and oku/uko and uzon/ulon sounds

Also older names from 100+ years ago, and commoner names

Mai, Ursa, Ty Lee as our upper-class ladies gives us...

short syllables again

‘two word’ names again

M sounds!

Mai and Ursa both don't have a hard consonant stop

Some phonetic/vibey similarity with “Mai” and “Ty”

And adding in Chit Sang (another commoner!) (presumably!)...

Another two-word name

Introduces the ‘ng’ ending

Leverages a lot of the consonant sounds we already saw

Uses an “it” usage of the "I" vowel (vs Iroh’s I)

So pulling it all together, in addition to those foundational consonant and vowel sounds, we also see that the royal family has a distinct naming convention that may be rooted in archaic naming styles.

And we can start to build out some ideas around gendered naming, family/honorific naming, and some potential class/pre-unification culture differences, as well as some space to speculate about why Iroh and Lu Ten’s names are so different from the rest of the royal family, too (as well as the ammunition to suggest that Zhao comes from a family of suck-ups lol)

Moving onto the Earth Kingdom (where I truly went wild)…

We start off with Toph, Haru, Long Feng, Kuei, Jet, Bumi, Poppy, Lao, and there's a lot of varability here!

Generally, the names are one or two syllables and start with a consonant

We see more double-vowel pairs (uei, ao), perhaps in the upper class but just as many single vowels

Consonants are hard or soft, and don't seem to group like the Water Tribe or FN royals did around particular sounds

Names end in vowels or hard sounds or softer 'ph' and 'ng'

Those guardrails are fairly wide and broad for feeling out distinct-sounding names, but it makes sense given how huge the Earth Kingdom is and its history of war, displacement, movement, etc.

So for a fic like That Love You've Been Looking For which was super EK-centric and focused on worldbuilding, I ended up breaking it down into broad regions and leaning into place names as well to help articular some basic rules:

In the southwest (Gaoling, Toph, Lao, Poppy), I decided that there’d be a mix of single and two-word names, and that the ‘ph’ ending would be used by women and the ‘ng’ ending for men

On the western coast (Haru, Omashu, Bumi), I went with primarily two-syllable names that follow a ONE-two pattern (PA-lo, BU-mi, CHE-lu, HA-ru) and went with mostly softer consonants

In the north (Ba Sing Se, Si Wong Desert, Long Feng), I went with short multi-word names where each part would be a single syllable

And in the center I was kind of pulling it together from what was left, but I went with names that end with an ‘an’ or ‘in’ sound and echoed some of the place names I was using

So we have some building blocks for the various regions, this time that we can use to indicate where someone’s family could be from and to give each region a more specific feel.

For Kyoshi...

I generally lift the Earth Kingdom rules, but view it as more of a trade-center and melting pot (Suki could fit in WT or FN rules), so it's deliberately a lot looser and with more variation.

And everywhere has a Lee/Li, so none of these rules are hard and fast, and I imagine too that there’s a ton of cultural mixing and fads and trends and whatnot in naming across various regions.

A quick note from a process standpoint--

This approach is very much not trying to find names within various existing real-world cultures. If I'm writing ATLA canon-world, I tend to stick to the idea of leveraging real-world contexts as a base rather than a strict guide. Something I wanted to flag, as there are other ways to go about OC naming that lean much more heavily into researching the naming conventions of various cultures throughout history, thinking about translation and name meaning, etc.

And also, if I need a lot of names, I'll often use the Fantasy Name Generator and look for names that either fit or that I can tweak into the above 'rules.' (Otherwise I accidentally start giving people ship names lol, RIP to Mailee, Maizula, and Yutara, you lived on under new personas)

I also don't always dig as deeply into the way names can signify class or status or whatnot, either. It can be very fun, but sometimes you just need a one-off name so your POV character looks like they actually interact with the people they nominally see every day haha

[zahri-melitor]

Casspoll!

Okay I really had to think about this one and I quickly dipped into the runs I have not touched yet rather than just using their reputations:

Kelley Puckett – It’s Puckett. He created Cass. Some of her very best stories happened here – the first two Shiva fights, delivering a man’s final wishes, Nobody Dies Tonight, Thicker than Water. The absolute heart that Cass cannot allow people to be killed hits hard here. She’s still learning about what a society is.

Dylan Horrocks takes Cass and her growth and lets her mess up and brings Bruce and Barbara more into conflict over what Cass needs, but also allows Cass to be in conflict with them over what she wants. It has the Ivy twofer “The City is a Garden/The City is a Jungle” which I think is Horrocks’ best plot. It has Tough Love, where Bruce and Cass have their conversation over what the Bat means to Cass. It has Cooking the Books, where we see the abrasive side of Barbara’s personality come out and hurt her relationship with Cass. It has Cass taking her first steps into relationships, with her attraction to Tai’Darshan and Kon. It’s a messier, more complicated time.

Andersen Gabrynch has the best conversation of Fresh Blood with Tim over their life goals and their reflections on War Games. He has Destruction’s Daughter/Blood Matters and everything that comes with the culmination of that storyline. He gives Cass her first taste of civilian life. Gabrynch is the ‘how far will Cass go’ writer.

Adam Beechen: you’re all mean! Oh Beechen. He screwed up first time around, no question, but I continue to maintain he did useful things with Cass in Batgirl 2008. He brought in the chance to parallel Slade and Rose’s relationship with David and Cass’. He worked hard to find fixes for the mistakes he made. And if Fresh Blood set up the situation where we saw Tim and Cass become closer and start establishing a sibling-like relationship, then Beechen solidified it to the point that it was expected from that point onwards.

Joe Kelly: oh, Justice League Elite. You are certainly a story. I think the most important thing Kelly actually did in JLE was when Cass stabbed Kendra. It broke her. There is some beautiful writing in JLE surrounding Cass basically sobbing to Bruce over this incident, and Bruce promising her that she doesn’t have to stay undercover, he’ll pull her out, her happiness is more important to him than this mission, and Cass refusing to be extracted. And Ollie remaining there the whole time to keep an eye on Cass on Bruce’s behalf. It’s such a good paternal moment on both Bruce and Ollie’s parts, and they so very rarely get them in concert. It’s also a moment of growth in Cass that is rarely referenced, because as I must repeat, it happens in JUSTICE LEAGUE ELITE.

Bryan Hill: I have heard good things! And immediately on picking it up and going through the first three issues I saw the exact thing I’d enjoyed and wanted more of from Dixon’s 2008 BatO run – Tatsu working with and mentoring Cass – which is a solid recommendation in itself. Will 100% be coming back to this when I get up to this era in my reading.

Becky Cloonan and Michael Conrad: I dipped into #1 and #14. It suffers from the modern era problem of light and bright fluffy content without a solid base behind it. Also the fact that the writers didn’t initially realise that two of the characters they were assigned were ADULTS and were writing them that immaturely is certainly not reassuring. Um. I also know I’m not fully across modern era Cass yet, but #14 seems to miss something that’s basic to my understanding of Cass – talking can be hard but READING is harder. Cass not talking but having reading comprehension showing up constantly? It feels off. (Also I’m fascinated in how an issue like Batgirls #1 manages to be that off while still managing the Cass shower robe scene, which to my eye echoes and references the BatO 2008 Cass shower scene. Suspect they just got lucky and I’m reading too much in)

Mariko Tamaki: okay I have not yet read Shadows of the Bat: The Tower, but I have read Sounds, so I’m basing on that. Tamaki really seems to get Cass, her hand with the character work in Sounds hit some very fundamental parts of Cass’ character and struggles, and I really enjoyed it.

Overlooked: ALYSSA WONG. Wong’s work with Cass in Spirit World not only has been busy recanonising a bunch of things from Batgirl 2000, but is touching on some central aspects of Cass’s view of killing and death in beautiful resonance of things originally established by Puckett. Also it’s given Cass some narrative space back on her own, and while I think Cass’s relationship with Steph is important, I also think she’s more functional and useful to DC writers when she’s not assumed to be part of an automatic pair.

Plus a plug for Scott Snyder for Gates of Gotham and giving us proper insight into the Reborn era Cass relationships with her brothers.

[ultfreakme]

Can I ask your top 5 (or top 7) favorite moments from Avatar : The Legend of Aang?

Hi Anon! Sorry I took so long on this one. This was kinda hard to answer because in my head, I think of ATLA as like, in story arcs rather than in moments, and it's 3 seasons so I felt a bit overwhelmed in trying to pick specific moments. BUT. I have an answer!

In no particular order:

Sokka with Bato when he learned to sail the boat: It was a really good character moment for him. People usually hate that episode and that part but we got info on Southern Water Tribe culture and more details into how Sokka dealt with the war so I enjoyed that.

Katara bending her sweat to slice through prison bars: I mean. Come on. That's fucking badass. I was so shocked when I first saw the scene, my brain broke, it opened up about a billion possibilities. I was finally paying attention in middle school chemistry classes about liquids and molecules because of that scene.

Aang defeating Ozai: That entire fight is AMAZING. It's the culmination of everything we've witnessed up until that point and it all comes to a head HERE. On first watch it's an extremely tense moment because I didn't know energy bending was a thing! No one did! So everyone's thinking oh god oh god he's going to kill him. and then. He takes his bending away. WILD. I was just as shocked and confused as Sokka and Toph. Also we get Aang getting Ozai to kneel to him by pulling down his beard. BADASS.

Aang standing up and saying there was no 'Air Nation', there was Air Nomads and there was no army: This was my first exposure to the idea of propaganda. I was so shocked, because I didn't even catch that the Fire Nation teacher was saying "Air Nation" and not "Air Nomads" until Aang pointed it out. It is such an impactful scene and influenced me so much. I've often been isolated in classrooms for pointing out certain biases(religious bias, misogyny, teachers favoring people of certain backgrounds). I was not a confident or outgoing kid, I never spoke in class but at these time I just blurted it out and suffered consequences for it but I remember Aang from that episode, standing alone. Correct but mocked. And I find the courage to stand up(ah, kid me was a lot braver, I need to be more brave now).

Hama v. Katara: This entire episode was epic. The sense that something is wrong, the reveal for the true power of waterbending, Hama's past, the FINAL FIGHT. It was heartbreaking to see Katara have to learn to bloodbend and Hama have that victory. Now that I'm older, I appreciate the episode and can empathize with Hama as well. I hate that the show condemned her for doing what she had to do and painted her like that but I think the episode was trying to show that no element is inherently good or bad. They just are. I think even blood-bending can be the good guys' weapon. It gave me a lot to think about more recently and as a kid.

Katara stopping the rain: Do I need to explain? The girl can control the weather. Holy shit.

Toph v. Every Earth Rumble participant: I was terrified, I was hyped, I was losing my goddamn mind. The way she moves, the way her power is portrayed through the seismic waves! Amazing!

Honorable mentions; this is from the comic but the storyline where we find that Fire Nation baited Air Benders through stealing and placing Air Bender possessions. Horrific and barbaric and way too close to reality. The Painted Lady speaking to Katara. Zuko talking to a frog in the middle of the woods.

[aihoshiino]

how did you get into Oshi no Ko? just by the anime?

I think I might've told this story on Tumblr before but I don't remember to what extent so I'll just retell it from the start: insane as it's going to sound coming from fucking tumblr user ai "oshi no posting" hoshiino, I originally got into the series pretty much when it first started and bounced off it really hard!

I have a surprisingly clear memory of how I first found it, too – it was by total coincidence, I was on Bato reading something else and I saw the volume 1 cover pop up and even on a thumbnail level, it just caught my eye and really intrigued me and I went in totally blind. I tore through that entire first volume over the course of like an hour and came staggering out like... the hell did I just read???

The funny thing is, I accidentally fucking documented my first exposure to the series totally by coincidence, not really expecting it to be something I stuck with but just wanting to share this baffling curiosity with my friends so I can literally tell you down to the date when I first came across it

August 7th, 2020!!!! Like, weeks after volume 1 dropped in Japan, lol. And yes, it is extremely fucking funny to see this three year old post from me talking about not being into the series with my current day Oshi no Brainrotted screenname and pfp. We call that growth, baby!

I won't share the rest of the post because it's basically just me recapping volume 1 to the bafflement and confusion of my friends (some of whom themselves went along to become Oshi no Sickos with me lol) but it is again really funny and jarring to see my past self talk so dismissively about a piece of media that has come to be so deeply important to me, but there are definitely some burgeoning signs of me being an Ai Wife Guy in the future with the way I completely slowed down and so lovingly and tenderly talked about her baggage... you've got a big storm coming, bitch!!!

Like I said up top though, I didn't really click with the series even though I followed the fanscans for a surprisingly long time considering I felt really 'eh' about it. In hindsight, I was going in expecting the series to be completely off the wall crazy, constant twists and turns and status quo fucks and when it pointedly wasn't and was never intended to be that, I got kind of confused. Honestly, I think fucking Shonen Abyss is basically what I was expecting Oshi no Ko to be and it was never intended to be that!

I have another weirdly vivid memory of when I dropped it, too, though I don't remember the date exactly – I do remember the chapter, though and it was chapter 60! I wasn't clicking with Tokyo Blade at all and felt like it was kind of plodding and while I dropped it then, I really distinctly remember that final panel of Akane's all-consuming performance and commenting on the chapter that I felt like the story had gotten really boring and getting my ass absolutely thrashed in the Mangadex comments as a result LOL.

The series kind of faded out of my head after I dropped it and I lightly followed the news of the anime premiere when it was announced but I didn't really think anything else of it until I saw the positive buzz and saw friends I thought would be dismissive of it check episode one out, I went "eh, sure, I'll give it a try"

... Uh, I guess the results speak for themselves...

So while I technically didn't get in via the anime, the anime was really important in getting me invested in it! The anime's rendering of Ai and Rie Takahashi's absolutely godlike performance as her were sort of the extra pieces I needed to make things click in my brain and for me to get into the right headspace to get fully fucking engulfed by the series. It's funny how you really do have no idea what sort of things will end up touching you and how deeply at the end of the day, huh?

[marymary-diva17]

My little solider

Sokka and reader

The moon and ocean sprits had not only blessed you with, a wonder husband and tribe. They had also blessed you with a wonderful son, as much as you tried to give your son a normal and peaceful life. It seems like you had been proven wrong as war had come, and now life will never be the same for you and your children.

Sokka “ mama I’m going”

y/n “ huh wait where are you going off to, don’t you want to see you dad off one last time” you were keeping a fire going when Sokka had ran out of the house,today was sorrow day. As the man of the tribe will be leaving for while to help against the war against the fire nation.

katara “ Mama sokka ran off with a sack and war paint on his face, I think he going to join dad” you soon sighed as you looked at your daughter.

Y/n “ kanna can you keep an eye on katara for me”

Kanna “ sure but I saw Sokka running off to join my son and the others”

y/n “ yes it seems like he ready to be warrior at such a young age”kanna had nodded her head and you soon went to go get sokka. You had been able to caught up as he was walking with Hokoda.

hakoda “ it seems like you mama has come to speak with us”

Sokka “ hey mama”

y/n “ hello my little warrior”

Hakoda “ it seems like he wishes to join us”

Sokka “ I want to come with you dad so I can help fight and protect you”

Hakoda “ that is honorable my son but you can’t come with us not yet, you are to young for war and I need you to stay here”

Sokka “ I want to help you fight”

hakoda “ I need you to stay here and look after you mom, sister, and gran gran and helped them when I’m gone”

Y/n “ I know you are strong and brave my son and you will make a fine warrior one day, when the time comes”

Sokka “ …….”

Y/n “ we are going to need brave warriors like you to help around the village, while the older man are away and hey maybe you can teach them some new tricks when they get back”

Hokoda “ yes your mother is right”

Sokka “ I’m going to miss you”Sokka soon hugged his dad, and hokoda had hugged him back.

Hokoda “ I’m going to miss you as well so much that it will hurt, but I know you will be good here”

Sokka “ yes dad” you had given the two some space to talk a bit more, before hokoda and the man had left. You stood there watching as your son made his way back to you holding his bag. 

Y/n “ I’m proud of you my little warrior”

Sokka “ really mama”

Y/n “ yes one day you will become a great warrior and helping the world, it might take some time but I know it will happen”

Sokka “ yes mama”

Y/n “ now come on let’s get home hey maybe you can hunt some fish, for dinner tonight”

Sokka “ okay and I will make sure to protect our family”

Y/n “ I know you will” you and Sokka soon hugged each other, and soon walked back into the village together. Sokka will keep his oath to his father and protect the family and village until they came home, and he will keep the promise once he becomes older and his father left again. 

Many years later

sokka " well we have everything we will need aang"

aang " thank you both for coming with me"

katara " well it will be good to help you after all we have been through"

sokka " wait where is my club I need it"

y/n " here it this" your son and daughter soon looked back and saw your standing there, before you could say anything they soon rushed and hugged you.

sokka " mom we are ..."

y/n " I know I knew one day you both will leave home and go on your own journey, and I can't stop you all from leave"

katara " we promie we will come home and we will see dad as well"

y/n " I know you will here some food for you all even something for aang to ate as well"

aang " thank you y/n and I will make sure sokka and katara stay safe"

y/n " you stay safe as well all three of you" katara and went to go help aang back the remanding of their supplies onto Appa.

sokka " mom I know you I'm not going to war like dad and uncle bato"

y/n " no my son you are going on your own battle to bring peace to the world, you are no longer my little warrior anymore you are you own warrior now"

sokka " thank you mom"

y/n " now go out to the world and bring peace and hope while being brave and smart, look out for you sister and aang but let them grow as well and yourself as well my boy"

sokka " yes mom I promise I will bring everyone home and we will come home"

y/n " I know you will and you make your father and uncle proud" sokka soon hugged you one last time, the kids had also hugged gran gran as well. They soon took off on papa as you and everyone waved goodbye to them. You are happy for you children as they will go save the world but you still worry about them, you knew the spirits will watch over them and soon bring them home and the war will be over.