#if anyone has any other questions about this alta post PLEASE send them

[watchmakermori]

You had an awesome post about some of the reasons you love atla! You said sokka has an awesome arc only rivaled by Zuko, could you expand more on that? I love Sokka and would love to hear more thoughts on his arc!

Sure thing! I think in order to talk fully about Sokka we have to step outside of the narrative for a moment and think about the purpose of his character in the first season compared to the last. While I don’t think he was ever purely a comedy relief sidekick, even in the early episodes, that was definitely his primary function. They had lots of episodes and moments where they showed the strength of his logical mindset - he’s the only one to mistrust Jet, he antagonises Aunt Wu, he helps to plan the defense at the Northern Air Temple, he offers valuable intel during the siege on the North - but for the most part, he is just the funny, sarcastic guy who hurts himself a lot and gets laughed at. 

Sokka is at no point a bad character, but his role and worth expands as the series goes on. In the second series, he is the one to pursue the matter of the ‘darkest day in Fire Nation history’ and find out the date of the next solar eclipse. In the third series, he goes on to plan and eventually lead that invasion, despite all of his anxieties about it. He becomes known for his plans, strategy and intuition, and the group relies on him every bit as much as he relies on them. Outside of the first series (with some exceptions), he doesn’t really get treated as Katara’s idiot brother - his mistakes and lack of foresight become key and specific parts of his personality, usually linked to his intolerance for spirituality and magic. It’s worth noting that all of the other characters lack foresight in their respective ways - Toph’s stubbornness and need to rebel come back to bite her in The Runaway, Aang’s pride and avoidance of responsibility are big themes, and Katara is often naively trusting of people who treat her well (Jet and Hama, for example). This is why the Gaang as a whole work so well - no character is lesser than another, and each character’s flaws are another character’s strengths. 

In terms of how Sokka’s actual personality and outlook develop over the series, his attitude to women is probably the thing that gets talked about the most. In the first season, he’s sexist, dismissive, and disrespectful - by the final series, he overcomes that outlook and has nothing but admiration for Suki, Toph and Katara. However, I would argue that the sexism arc is mostly dealt with by the end of the first series, after his interactions with Suki and Paku’s refusal to teach Katara. He is the one to suggest that Aang teaches her instead, after all. 

What I don’t think gets talked about enough is Sokka’s relationship with bending. In the first episode, he’s highly dismissive of the practice (‘magic water’) and doesn’t seem to want to know much more about it. However, as the series goes on and he spends more time around benders, we see a subtle shift in attitudes - as he comes to understand the power of bending, he starts to feel more inadequate next to it. Then we come to Sokka’s Master in the third series, where he hones his own skills and comes to realise that, even if he can’t bend, he still has worth. Sokka’s arc is underlined by him coming to respect the value of bending, but realising it’s not the only form of power. I actually think they could’ve spent more time on this arc, but what the series does offer is still very interesting. It gives Sokka a depth that none of the other characters - due to the fact that they are benders - could tap into. 

Sokka’s arc highlights that you don’t need to be the best in the world at something to still be important, valued, and loved. I respect so much that Avatar managed to put a normal guy among this group of powerhouses and still make him into an indispensable member of the team. He’s basically Fantastic Beasts’ Jacob Kowalski done right.

[mizelophsun11]

Mizeloph's Tale Chapter 3

Pairing - The pairing right now is General Kirigan x OC Sun Summoner and then will move forward to Kaz Brekker x OC Sun Summoner

Summary - The Sun Summoner has been found! The unlikely orphan from Ketterdam seems to hold the most important power. She must figure out how she fits into the world now that everything has changed for her. A new life is thrusted upon her and she will have to figure out how she will take it all in.

Word Count - 1698

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Anna groaned, opening her eyes trying to figure out what was going on. One moment she had been in complete darkness and now she had a Healer kneeling over her. She tried to look over where she last remembered seeing Mal and Alina, she gasped in pain as the Healer continued to work on her.

“Hold on, your collarbone is fractured” she said and worked to heal her collarbone and anything else that Anna needed done

“Wait, Mal.. Alina.. One is a tracker and the other is a map maker, where are they?..” she struggled to speak

“First army goes to medical now please try to stay still” the Healer said and continued to look for anything else that might be broken

Zoya approached them “we have to bring her to General Kirigan’s tent”

“I am not done healing her” the Healer countered

“You can go with her, General Kirigan needs to see her now” Zoya said

The Healier finished making sure that Anna felt comfortable then she was taken to General Kirigans tent. Anna was still slightly out of it, she felt like she had been drained of all of her energy. As she approached the black tent with the guards holding her arms she was amazed by what she saw inside but was also scared. All of this had to be a mistake, she shouldn’t be here, after all she was just a map maker who only had a few years of combat training under her belt.

General Kirigan turned around from looking at the map on the table “what are you?”

“Um.. I am a map maker sir, that's all”

The Grisha in the tent giggled at her response, Anna felt self conscious about her answer but she was telling the truth “Quiet” General Kirigan commanded, everyone stopped laughing “so what actually happened? Zoya? You manned the main sail” he looked over to her

“We were attacked barley two marks in, someone lit a lantern” Zoya replayed the events out loud and in her mind

“And?” General Kirigan asked

“It was her” Zoya answered, point to Anna “she created the light that killed the swarming volcra”

“Our mapmaker.. Is it true? Can you summon light? Where did you grow up?” he looked back over at Anna, with every piece seeming to fall into place, this girl seemed to be at the center of it all

“I don’t remember having a family, I spent a lot of time on the streets of Ketterdam trying to survive, but when I was around 10 Duke Keramsov took me back to his orphanage across the Fold” Anna had never talked much about her childhood, but here she was telling a stranger

“Hmm, and when were you tested?” General Kirigan knew that she had not been tested before, but he wanted to know why from her

“Well, when I was brought over I was past the age of when they would normally test children so on testing day I would be shoved away into a room where they would lock me in there until the testers left” Anna knew that didn’t sound good, but it was the truth and honestly she was glad because then she would not be separated from her friends.

General Kirigan nodded, he was angry about the treatment Anna had when Grisha testers came to the orphanage she had grown up in, but he would fix their mistakes now “If you have never been tested, let us just make certain” he walked up to her taking his claw ring off his pinking and onto his thumb “roll up your sleeve” he summoned shadow into the tent

She rolled her sleeve up, there was nothing she would have to be nervous about. In the moment, she didn’t feel scared, it was as if General Kirigan made her feel less afraid with his presence. Anna had only felt something like this once but, that had been a long time ago when she had a certain boy at her side until he had disappeared. He pulled her sleeve up just a little bit more and used his claw ring to cut her arm and from that wound a burst of pure light came out lighting up the tent and going through the top, everyone in the camp would be able to see. Anna could not believe what she was seeing, pure sunlight was coming out from her arm. General Kirigan smiled at her, seeing the amazement in her eyes, after a bit longer he closed off the cut which stopped the light from coming.

“Ivan” General Kirigan called for him “take her to my coach, I want as many armed guards with her at all times until she is safe behind the walls of the Little Palace”

“Yes sir” Ivan called a few guards over and they ushered Anna out of the tent and towards General Kerrigan's coach.

“Wait, I want to see my friends before I leave, please!” Anna had not seen them since everything went down inside the Fold, they had been taken to medical already by the time she woke up

“No, we have to get you to the Little Palace right now, the sun is beginning to set and there is no doubt every enemy who knows of your existence will be after you now” Ivan kept trying to get Anna to the coach, but she kept trying to fight them

As they approached the coach there was a Healer standing there where he went to make sure Anna was completely healed and took care of the cut on her arm. The Healer then took off his Kefta and gave it to her, she didn’t take it right away but he insisted. It would keep her safe during her journey to the Little Palace.

“Please I just want to make sure my friends are alright” Anna pleaded one more time before they left

“Like I have said, we need to leave now, we must start our journey, we can’t waste a moment. You don’t understand that by now every Shu Han assassin and Fjerdan spy will be after you” with the sun beginning to set in the west and to avoid any danger they would have to leave now while they had some natural cover

Anna knew that she could not fight Ivan and the guards off forever and was about to get into the coach when she saw Mal and Alina trying to make their way over to her “Mal! Alina!” she stepped down and went to run to them but was stopped by another Heartrender

“Miss Mizeloph we have to leave now” Fedyor commanded holding onto her arm

“Anna!” They yelled trying to get closer but where stopped by guards

“Please I need them” she was exhausted, this day had been very draining for her and just a few minutes with her friends would mean the world to her

“I am sorry but you cannot, we must leave now” Fedyor with the help of Ivan were finally able to get Anna into the coach

Once she was shoved into the coach and it started to move, Anna found the back window and pulled the curtains back. She yelled to her friends as she saw them trying to get past the guards to catch up, but there was no way possible for them to get close as the coach left. Once they got farther away from Kribirsk Anna sat down and looked at the two Heartrenders. She sighed and held the Kefta close to herself, so much was running through her mind. Only moments ago she was just another map maker, to now discover she was the legendary Sun Summoner. As the coach continued to move, Anna looked out the window to see the rising moon in the sky, lanterns had been lit to be able to see where they were going.

“So.. I know you are Ivan, who are you?” Anna looked back at the other Heartrender

“My name is Fedyor, and I am sorry about earlier, but we had needed to leave, it is dangerous for you now out in the open and we could not waste a moment to get you to Os Alta behind the walls of the Little Palace”

“Yeah.. I just, this isn’t normal, people coming after me like this. Even in Ketterdam I was never really sought after” Anna went back to looking out the window

“Well they will, if you are truly the Sun Summoner you are the key to taking down the Fold and the Fjerdan and Shu Han will make sure that they will give it their all to make sure that does not happen” Ivan said while looking out the window

“You are after all a hope to our country, it was Grisha who created the Fold and if one can destroy it then maybe.. We could finally be free of its burden, we would no longer be hunted because of who we are'' Anna looked at Fedyor once he was done talking to see that he had a small smile on his face, for him there was hope

Anna looked between the two men and knew that there was so much more to being a Grisha that she did not understand. Just yesterday she had been complaining about how the Grisha at Kirbisk wanted more space to train. However, they had not always had those luxuries, they had once been hunted and in reality they wanted to be treated like others. Grisha could practice the small science at their will, there should be no reason for them to be called witches and hunted until they are all dead. Now that Anna was Grisha she feared that she would now be hunted, always with a pair of eyes over her shoulder to try and survive. She sighed and realized that this would be a long journey, it would be a good idea to get some shut eye before her life changed forever at the Little Palace. Anna closed her eyes and was able to fall asleep pretty quickly, she had started to feel safe with Ivan and Fedyor, knowing they would protect her.

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Author Note - I would like to send another big thank you to everyone who has liked my story and left a post! I also wanted to address a question someone had and thought it would be good for everyone to know, Anna is the only Sun Summoner in this story. Just incase anyone else was wondering about that there is the answer. I will be continuing to post chapters and if you would like to be added to the tag list please let me know! I would be happy to add you!

Tag List - @rika90 @itsemy01 @hotleaf-juice @teatimeforusreaders @benbarnes-supremacy @graciefullygracie @aleksanderwh0r3