#Fire nation

[atlaculture]

Yup! Zuko's dual swords are for civilian use and called niuweidao, meaning "oxtail sabers". Historically, these sword were relatively cheap to acquire, due to their thin blades typically being made of low-quality metal that was easy to mass produce:

https://www.tumblr.com/atlaculture/718240438095593472/cultural-weapons-fire-nation-swords-pt-2?source=share

The consequence of them basically being the McDonalds of swords is that they were popular with all different kinds of poor people. The most interesting ones being... theatre troupes! Because these swords were relatively affordable, they were often used for stage and street performances. (And because the tropes of theatre carry into modern cinema and TV, you also see the niuweidao overrepresented in most kung fu-inspired media as well.)

Anyways, I bring this up because Zuko is very much a theatre kid, so maybe his sword skills actually come from observing actors using the sword and imitating them? Better yet, maybe his mother secretly taught him to use the niuweidao to boost his self-esteem? After all, she is a former theatre actress, according to the comics. It would certainly explain why it's a skill he possesses but not Azula/Ozai/Iroh.

It would also explain why Zuko thought he could get away with hanging them on his wall as decorations. It would be like decorating your room with a Phantom of the Opera mask.

The Blue Spirit putting out firebending with a bucket of water is the absolute funniest thing ever done in avatar combat. It just is.

[zukobeloved]

azula

[wileycap]

Not that anyone asked, but the most hilarious way for Zuko to hide his Blue Spiriting when he's the Fire Lord would be...

Minister: The former treasurer is almost certainly funding the Ozai loyalists, but we can't get any hard evidence.

Zuko: [making unbroken eye contact with a random servant] Only the spirits can aid us.

Servant: sir i'm not-

Zuko: [staring harder] We have to hope that something comes out of the blue.

Servant: sir i'm not the blue spirit

Zuko: [leaning close] The Blue Spirit? Ah, yes. That legendary outlaw would be very useful right about now.

Servant:

[missaccuracy]

I find it very funny the ending of Avatar basically has the fire nation go 'I guess we're doing circles' meme but replace circles with anti imperialism after Ozai and Azula are defeated and Zuko proceeds to take over.

LMAO what? Did majority of the populace just roll over without even feeling upset about the 'hard work' going to waste? Especially since Zuko is a usurper by their view, people should've been crying for Azula to take over. Hell even after Aang sprayed Ozai with debender spray, there were still people who wanted him back.

Yeah, it's weird for the Fire Nation to be like: "We finally lost to the Avatar! That's so great!", because while I'm sure there were people in the FN who didn't approve of the war, the majority of the populace was still under a huge amount of propaganda, and such indoctrination would not go away so easily. At first I thought it was just because the show didn't have much time to show the aftermath of the war, but even in the comics, they briefly touched on some of the post-war conflicts in The Promise, and nothing more than that.

Maybe I'm asking too much, but I think there was a bigger opportunity here. They could have shown us a real civil war going on in the FN, new interesting antagonists, maybe even a problem that Zuko and the Gaang need Azula's help with, it would be interesting to see Azula and Team Avatar working together against a common enemy, but the plot we got just seemed a little... boring to me. Which is a shame, because imo all the potential conflicts Zuko could be dealing with after the war had a lot of potential for a fascinating story.

[mfelewzi]

... Really? Man, I always hated that idea of Zuko with a Dragon. I just hope that he had that flying lizard-eel when he was 50 years old, the only Age when he could be mature (when he could abdicate as Fire Lord for Mai's daughter Izumi).

Hii! I was wondering if you could make a post about the etymology of the name Druk (Zuko’s dragon)? I googled it but the result was kinda confusing 😭

What's in a Name: Druk

According to the Korra artbook, Druk is the offspring of Ran and Shaw, the dragons that taught Zuko and Aang the Dancing Dragon forms. Meaning the golden egg that Aang and Zuko found was probably baby Druk.

I bring this up because Zuko's dragon is actually named after the thunder dragons of Tibetan and Bhutanese mythology. Druk is also the Tibetan/Bhutanese word for thunder; this is due to thunder being attributed to a dragon's roar in Tibetan/Bhutanese folklore. In fact, a more literal translation of the word druk would be "cloud voice". Considering the cultural inspiration for the Air Nomads, it's likely that Aang had a hand in naming Druk.

In general, Druk's name creates a lot of interesting cultural and thematic connections:

Zuko's Blue Spirit mask is a "Dragon King" mask. The Dragon King is a rain dragon who can conjure up storms. Since Zuko's alter ego embodies a dragon of rain, it's fitting that he would name his animal companion after a dragon of thunder. Zuko clearly likes weather dragons.

Until Korra's time, lightning bending was a skill reserved only for the Fire Nation's royal family. Since there can't be thunder without lightning, Druk's name also alludes to his connection to Fire Nation royalty. It's even possible that Druk is also capable of lightning bending; after all, dragons are the original firebenders.

While Chinese culture attributes dragons to the cardinal direction of east, Tibetan culture attributes dragons to the cardinal direction of west. Druk's name is a subtle nod to Iroh's "Dragon of the West" legacy.

The name Druk is also significant in Vajrayana (Tibetan) Buddhism. Drukpa or "Thunder Dragon Lineage", is a school of thought in Vajrayana Buddhism. Also, the name Vajrayana literally means "The Thunderbolt Way" in Sanskrit, in which lightning is used as a metaphor for the "jolting" nature of enlightenment. Considering that Druk is the offspring of Ran and Shaw, who "enlightened" Aang and Zuko on the true nature of firebending, his name is quite fitting.

All in all, Druk is probably one of the best named characters in the entire ATLA franchise.

Like what I’m doing? Tips always appreciated, never expected. ^_^

https://ko-fi.com/atlaculture

[demaparbat-hp]

Arsonist's Lullaby

[late-draft]

This is continuation of this thread with great ideas that inspired the art: Post

Zuko hasn't (yet??) blocked Azula, not even temporarily

Iroh's photo is blurry because OF COURSE

Zhao keeps editing his stuff

I debated placing "Ozai: Seen" but it turns out he probably wouldn't even be looking at this social media

Please help me name this lame Fire Nation social media for boomers

Zuko's "On a quest" status is pure copium

Next part

[official-sokka]

Don’t forget we invade the Fire Nation today

[queen-morgana91]

Avatar the Last Airbender beautifully told the story of how imperialists lie and have to be called on it and yet somehow certain people missed that message and turned into fire nation apologists

[mayskalih]

fire siblings but make them travel together

[3cosmicfrogs]

I wanted to go a bit more in-depth with this piece that I did for zukka week 2023 because i got inspired to do more insane clothing details. ID in ALT.

Ramble about the influences/inspirations below:

Design inspirations for Sokka's clothing are mainly Inuvialuit and Yup'ik, with Nenets, Tlingit, and Chukchi inspiration for the tassels, patterns, belt and beadwork. I mixed these with the ornaments canon shows us used by the Northern Water Tribe, and also in Legend of Korra. I got particularly excited about drawing from Inuvialuit sources since the tassels we see in canon look like they could be inspired by this. Going beyond canon's animation-friendly colour scheme, I drew from Nenets patterns/embroidery/sashes and Yup'ik beadwork for accent colours. I think in the future I'd like to find ways to incorporate more Tlingit-style patterns since I rarely see them in fanart (which is a shame - they're stunning), but since they tend to be very big I ultimately decided to only include them as a nod in order to keep the regalia recognisable as 'Water Tribe'. I wonder if I could start using Polynesian influences as well?

Zuko's headdress and particularly the shoulder garment and beaded embroidery draw heavily from women's clothing styles of Lê Dynasty Vietnam. The other main influence is men's royal clothing in Tang Dynasty China, and patterns worn by Mongolian Khatun. Since we have a bit more to go on in canon as to what fire nation regalia looks like, I blended that in as well. I got particularly excited about the embellishments on Lê Dynasty clothes because I could give a little nod to Zuko's dragon-fire by adding more colours to the embroidery. In the future I think I'd want to make the Mongolian influence a bit more obvious... perhaps even push the envelope by incorporating some Bashkir designs, though I'm not sure how well that will go.

[xxbimboboyxx]

I am pumping these out goddamn

[prodogg]

Interesting is that Zuko is kneeling here as if he’s submitting himself to Ozai, meanwhile, Azula bends the knee which represents her swearing loyalty to her father.

[thefireprincezuko]

You're So Beautiful When You Hate The World.

[wileycap]

Selected Excerpts From The Fire Nation Royal Palace Servants' (Unofficial) Handbook

Or: Revisions To Normal Protocol After The Ascension Of Agni's Exalted Flame, The Dragon Of The Sun, et cetera, Fire Lord Zuko

1. Agni's Exalted Flame, The Dragon Of The Sun, et cetera, Fire Lord Zuko should not be referred to by his full titles and styles, no matter the context. This appears to annoy him. "Fire Lord Zuko" and "Lord Zuko" are acceptable, as well as "your majesty" and "my Lord".

1.1 "Lord Hotman", however, is unacceptable.

1.2. Even if the Avatar specifically requests you to address Fire Lord Zuko as that.

1.3. In fact, any attempts by the Avatar, the Lady Beifong, the honorable Tribesman Sokka or even Master Katara to get you to address Fire Lord Zuko by anything other than his proper title should be disregarded.

1.4. Referring to Ozai of the Fire Nation (titles rmvd, dishon.) as "The Loser Lord", however, is acceptable.

2. Fire Lord Zuko is aware of the concept of mortality, but does not seem to understand how it relates to His Majesty. Following activities should be discouraged: Free climbing, glider usage, contact with exotic animals larger than a turtleduck (or smaller, if the animal is known to be venomous), amateur theatre productions, cooking, sailing, spelunking, botany, please see full list in the Matron's office.

2.1. It should be noted that His Majesty's belief that mortality does not apply to him does not appear to be completely unfounded. After several "close calls", it has been decided that upon his demise, Fire Lord Zuko should lie in state for at least two weeks.

2.1.1. We do not want another incident.

3. The turtleducks in the Western Pond do not need to be fed by the servants any more.

3.1. However, the turtleducks should be rotated out at regular intervals in order to prevent overfeeding.

4. At any official social functions, at least three servants should be vigilant in case His Majesty tries to tell a joke.

4.1. It should be noted that there is no concern for His Majesty's jokes being offensive, crass or otherwise contrary to good taste. They are simply very bad. His Majesty always ends up embarrassed.

5. Any children left unattended in the Royal Palace for more than 15 degrees can be retrieved from the Fire Lord's office.

6. Should His Majesty go missing, the following places should be searched: roofs and any high places, cellars and secret passages, the fur of the Avatar's sky bison (which is surprisingly deep), and every place that an ordinary five-year-old would think to hide in during a game of "Hide and Explode."

6.1. All of the Imperial Firebenders as well as any soldier who wears a mask during the course of their duties should be questioned.

6.1.1. Important note: Some of the soldiers who are especially close to His Majesty can perform a passable imitation of him. Efforts should be made to prevent an uneducated soldier from, say, conducting a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture.

6.2. After the recent incident, that list is expanded to include the Kyoshi Warriors and any other groups that might wear concealing full face paint.

6.3. If all of these measures prove ineffective, a letter should be sent to The Dragon of the West, Prince Iroh, asking His Highness to return His Majesty.

6.4. If a ransom note is delivered, it should be immediately checked against the handwriting samples from the honorable Tribesman Sokka as well as Avatar Aang, before any other actions are taken.

6.4.1. Replying "Good luck, he's your problem now" to a ransom note is absolutely unacceptable.

6.4.1.1. To further drive home the point, the Royal Archives are required by law to preserve every single piece of royal correspondence. That thing will end up in a museum.

This handbook will be updated should it prove necessary.

[sailorluna15]

idk if this is considered an unpopular opinion but I hate when I see fics on Azula redemption or Zuko's reign and it's written in a way that makes it seem like the Fire Nation hates Azula. Azula was the pride of the Fire Nation and royalty, the Fire Nation wouldn't have hated her. If anything, they would've felt like it was some sort of injustice that Azula was removed from the throne. Y'all have to remember that Zuko was seen as a traitor of the Fire Nation. If anything, people would've hated HIM in the beginning and even towards the middle of his reign.

Deconstructing colonialism takes a long time. Truth be told is would take DECADES for the Fire Nation to dislike Azula and even after decades, she probably would still be socially acknowledged for her prowess and dedication to the Fire Nation by many.

It would go something like this:

"Yeah, Azula capturing Ba Sing Se was bad, but you can't lie, she did in 3 days what General Iroh tried to do in 600. That's fucking amazing."

That's how people talk about some conquerors now, why wouldn't they talk about them like that in ATLA?

FYI: I deleted the last paragraph of this bc I didn't like what i wrote. I stand on everything else tho.😭