#youtube atla

[atlaculture]

Cultural Fashion: Katara's Fire Nation Outfit

Was looking at some of my old posts and wanted to re-do a few of them, now that I'm 4 years older wiser.

Katara's Fire Nation outfit is inspired by the outfits worn during traditional Dai folk dance performances. These outfits are typically comprised of form-fitting tops that show off the midriff paired with flowing skirts or pants that emphasizes the elegant movements of the dancer. The necklace and other accessories that Katara wears are also reminiscent of the costume jewelry worn for these performances.

The Dai minority group refers to several Tai-speaking ethnic groups in southern China (Yunnan province) that are closely related to Lao and Thai people, both linguistically and culturally. They're a great inspiration for Fire Nation fashion. Fittingly, Katara debuts this outfit in the show's dancing-focused episode. Below are some examples of the elegance of Dai dance:

The "Peacock Dance" is the most famous Dai dance:

[kimjunnoodle]

while we’re on the topic, in the og series when Zuko snuck up on Katara and grabbed her wrists and said “I’ll save you from the pirates~” it changed my life forever as an 8 year old

[rifari2037]

Gaang's adoptive parents are on a date!!!!!

And even though bad things happen, they're still sooo in love!!!

Beautiful!!! I might cry!!!😭😭

NB : I can feel that all these photos are waiting for Zutara artists to draw them 😌😌

Source : Re-ANIME Youtube Channel Actor/actress : Yoshi Sudarso and Yasmin Kassim

[eziojensenthe3rd]

Hey if you're are reading this and you're in the us, please call your reps and tell them not to support KOSA because that bill will not do what it advertises and instead will make life on the internet much more dire.

[poisonousquinzel]

little me, we made it.

it took like 15 years, but we made it

[prying-pandora666]

Azula And The Tides: The Most Misread Scene in ATLA

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before:

“The tides scene shows how irrational and spoiled Azula is! She got lucky! She endangered her whole crew for her pride!”

Or any similar variation.

The only problem is it’s not even remotely close to true. Let’s talk about that.

Here is the scene in question for reference:

Seems pretty straightforward, right? I mean, the Captain warned Azula about the tides and she put her ego before reason and made the crew take a huge risk. Horrible leadership and narcissism on her part, right?

Except for one little detail.

Azula was right.

Remember in “The Storm” when Zuko demands his ship chase after the Avatar and his crew warns him that it’s a fool’s errand because they’ll surely perish in the storm? Zuko stubbornly insists his goals are more important than anyone else’s lives, including his Uncle, and demands they drive recklessly into the storm. Sure enough, the crew nearly perishes in the storm, just as predicted, and Zuko is humbled enough to even rescue his Lieutenant that he disrespected earlier in the episode.

I bring this up so we understand how ATLA sets up and then demonstrates its narrative cause and effect. It’s rather straightforward as, after all, this is being written to be inteligible to children.

So what happens with Azula’s ship when she demands they dock right away despite her Captain’s warnings?

The ship docks without incident or injury.

In fact, they dock stealthily enough that neither Zuko nor Iroh see Azula coming and she’s able to surprise them. How would this be possible if the Captain had been correct in his assessment and Azula had just been acting out of ego?

I’ve seen some people argue that Azula just got lucky, like a drunk person driving home in a car. Not that I expect the average person to have extensive knowledge about docking a ship, but it demonstrates a severe gap in knowledge of the subject matter. When it comes to the tides you cannot half-ass it. Either the tides are in or they’re not. Either they’re high enough or they’re not.

And if they’re not, what happens? The rocks you can’t see beneath the waves will shred your ship apart and you will get stuck or outright sink. Best case scenario, if by an act of divine intervention you avoided all the rocks, you’re still screwed because your ship is going to get beached and tip over. Especially with a ship of that size!

You cannot squeak by here. Even with all of our tech and modern day ships, if you don’t respect the tides, you’re going to have a bad time. There is no avoiding this.

It boggles my mind why people assume Azula is the one in the wrong here and not the Captain who is later shown to be so incompetent that he spoils the mission. He was talking down to her and she rightfully put in his place. Cold and ruthless as her method may have been, she was making it clear that she is not to be talked down to or to have her authority questioned. An important skill for a young leader. Look at the comparison with Zuko who couldn’t wrangle his men. They were about to mutiny and would’ve if Iroh hadn’t intervened! Azula has no Iroh to fall back on. She has to manage on her own. And she does! In this same episode we are shown that Azula is a perfectionist who can’t tolerate a single hair out of place. But somehow we are supposed to believe she is also reckless and incompetent? I don’t think so.

We also know that Azula canonically attended the Royal Fire Academy for girls. This wasn’t some preppy finishing school, it was an intense military academy with survival training so deadly that Rangi described having to eat worse than rats to make it out alive. We know Azula excelled in school. Why wouldn’t she know something as basic as how to read the tides? That’s seafaring 101.

Combine that with the fact that all their best naval officers probably perished at the North Pole and it’s easy to glean that this Captain isn’t exactly their A-Team.

So what IS the point of this scene if not to show Azula being irrational, egotistical, or incompetent?

Remember our comparisons to Zuko? The point of this scene is to show how much better and scarier of a leader Azula is. It’s a simple way to convey to the audience that unlike Zuko, Azula *can* and *does* command like a true military leader. She is therefor a more frightening and dangerous opponent for our heroes to face than the already dangerous Prince they’ve been battling since the previous season.

I don’t think this misinterpretation would’ve ever spread so far if some fans weren’t dead set on trying to tear down Azula for the simple crime of being better at things than fan-favorite Zuko.

And I say this as someone who adores Zuko.

[neatotito]

Mind-blown and honored to be included in this sick as fuck Indie Animation AMV! Give it a watch!

[carolofthebell]

My latest obsession:

@rubydianarts animatic of Get in the Water from Epic: the Musical with Hama!

It’s perfection

[book4air]

So... who broke it?

Showrunners: @somethingwithther @prying-pandora666

Animated and Edited by Melissa Palalcios

Adapted by Lucía Lobosvilla

Music by James A. Reilly

Sound Mixing by Sam Gabriel

Voice Cast Aang - @somethingwithther Katara - Stephanie Pines Toph - @muslimsupersaiyan Sokka - Grant Corvin Zuko - Cade Watts Suki - @queen-mickey-the-sass-master Azula - @prying-pandora666

Based on the "The Fight" clip from Parks and Rec

[badly-drawn-doflamingo]

Knowledge is POWER!

This comes to mind when I see him…

[atla-polls]

As always please reblog. @zuko-always-lies

[tuktukpodfics]

The Problem With "Dao Swords": My love-hate relationship with pleonastic translations

An essay that no one asked for.

A lot of fanfics call Zuko’s broadswords “dao swords.” As a Chinese to English translator, this phrase makes me pause every time. Here is my humble opinion on “dao swords” and other pleonastic translations:

What the heck is a pleonastic translation?

I’m so glad you asked! “Pleonasm” is a fancy term for a redundant phrase, like “black darkness” or “burning fire.”

A pleonastic translation is a phrase that puts the source language and the translation back-to-back. A common example is “chai tea” which literally means “tea tea.”

“Dao swords” is a pleonastic translation. “Dao” 刀 is the Chinese blanket term for blade. The phrase basically means “sword swords.” Sounds pretty silly, right?

Pleonastic translations are bad?

I think it depends on your audience, the text purpose, and how special the word is.

In advertising, pleonastic translations can help increase a product’s searchability. Ex: “Longjing Dragonwell tea” would appear in a Google search for either “longjing” or “dragonwell.”

Tourist destinations often use pleonastic translations to help foreigners navigate. Ex: “Nanzhan South Station” on a map helps foreigners know what the place is, but also gives them the Chinese pronunciation so that they can communicate with their taxi driver.

In literature, a pleonastic translation is a succinct way to introduce a culturally significant term without a footnote or distracting tangent. A lot of translators will sneak in a pleonastic translation the first time the word appears in a text, and then use the untranslated term alone every time after. Ex: "He slouched on the kang bed-stove. His grandmother sighed and took a seat on the kang too.”

Is "dao" a culturally significant word?

No.

Dao is a super mundane word used to describe any kind of single-edged blade, from butter knives to ice skates. It feels weird to keep such a normal word untranslated. Using the Chinese word emphasizes its foreignness. They’re not just swords, they’re special, Chinese swords. 

Yes, words take on different meanings as they pass from culture to culture. That’s how language works. But English is also a unique case. Because of imperialism. I think English speakers have an obligation to avoid exotifying every-day words.

Also, English is a global language. Chinese speakers are reading your translation, and…I dunno...“sword swords” feels off putting. Disruptive.

But I want to acknowledge the real-life culture behind the swords

Giving credit to the cultures that you're borrowing from is an A+ idea.

...I don't know how to do this in a fantasy setting.

Zuko’s swords and fighting style is based on oxtail sabers (牛尾刀）and Shaolin dual broadswords (少林双刀). @atlaculture has a very cool post on oxtail sabers. But calling his swords "oxtail sabers" doesn't work because cows don't exist in atla. Shaolin is a type of martial arts that originates from Shaolin temple in Henan, China (Shaolin itself literally means “young forest”). But you can’t call them “Shaolin broadswords," since Shaolin does not exist in the Fire Nation.

It’s quite a pickle.

Maybe just use a footnote?

So what should I call Zuko’s swords?

I don’t know.

I think you can just call them broadswords. That’s what the TV show calls them.

Dao by itself could work too if you need to differentiate Zuko's dao from Sokka's jian (double-edged blade). Readers can probably figure out what dao means from context.

If it’s not clear from context what dao means? *sigh* ..."Dao swords" it is, I guess.

To end on a happier note, here is a video of Chang Zhizhao busting some sweet moves.

[ameba-from-space]

I need to know this, do English speaking atla fans know that in the Brazilian dub of the ember island episode when aang says he wanted to sit in the spot zuko was sitting zuko says "you can sit in my lap if you want" like is that something yall know

[queen-morgana91]

Damn Aang avatar state will always be superior AND scary, especially without control, and this post from @atlalore is so true....

There is a reason if Aang was so scared of this power, a power that almost killed Katara and Sokka

The uncontrolled Avatar State is the "secondary villain" of the whole story. It represents Aang fully allowing himself to be consumed by the cosmic power of the Avatar and allowing his childhood to die. The show is not just about Aang "growing up" and accepting the responsibility of being the Avatar.

It's about growing up, AND not sacrificing your values and childhood. It's about balance.

THIS OST NAILED IT

[prying-pandora666]

“B-but! Azula isn’t shippable! She’s crazy and incapable of love!”

As if all the evidence in the show and comics wasn’t enough, here’s some storyboard panels Bryke showed at a con once.

Yes. That is Azula x Haru.

Source:

[atlaculture]

From the video description:

The music video was filmed in Siberia, Krasnoyarsk Territory, on the Chulym River. 30 km from the village of Pasechnoye (the capital of the Chulyms). This is the birthplace of the members of the OTYKEN group. Chulyms are the smallest indigenous peoples of Siberia. According to one version, the Chulyms are the ancestors of the Japanese Ainu and the indigenous peoples of North America. According to another version, the Chulyms are an ancient Turkic tribe.

The song OTYKEN - STORM talks about the difficulties that people face while traveling to the East.

Anyways, if Suki and Yue ever started a band, it would definitely look and sound like OTYKEN. ^_^