ATLA/LOK

everything avatar

[wileycap]

I think the most hilarious place to put Post-Canon Sokka would have been the university at Ba Sing Se. I think he would have made a great unhinged professor. Also, in true Sokka fashion, he should have completely dodged fame. Momo is more famous than he is.

He wants to demonstrate to the class how this thing called electricity works, so he's going to be bringing in a Firebender, so everybody be cool, we're all friends here... and in walks Princess Azula of the Fire Nation. One-time conqueror of the city. One of the students is currently writing an essay on how her brief rule of the city affected fruit trade. She says she considers the class to still be her subjects as she doesn't acknowledge any pretenders to any of her thrones, but for now you're exempted from bowing and "Your Highness" will do. It's a really interesting lecture.

"Okay, guys - hey, listen up, everyone - I won't be here next week, me and Aang are going to-" yeah right, sure, Professor Sokka knows the Avatar. Except, of course, the Avatar walks in sheepishly and says that Appa might have gotten into Sokka's hybrid crops, and then you all have to sit there and watch your professor chase the Avatar around with a sword.

One postgrad student is specializing in Water Tribe Cultures. She's currently studying the massive cultural shift that happened in the Northern Water Tribe at the end of the war - oh, and Professor, I absolutely know that you're from the Southern Water Tribe, but it's just that the shift started with Master Katara, and of course I don't think that every person from the South knows one another haha it's just that I need to ask her some questions and I thought maybe you could help me write a letter or write a letter of introduction or...

Sokka looks at her blankly and goes "yeah, she's my sister. KATARA!" which is followed by a faint answering "fuck you!" from Somewhere and to the horror/elation of our postgrad, Master Katara bursts in and is promptly beaned in the head with a rock by Professor Sokka. Her brother. her hero and her professor are siblings and currently brawling on the floor.

Sokka does not teach or study history, but he does sometimes sit in on lectures about recent history. Whenever he does, several doctoral students flock in to sit near him (even if it's an intro course) so that they can eavesdrop on his grumbling. (No matter how they try, an "overheard utterance" is not a valid source according to their professors. No, we have no sources on the Avatar's bison taking part in combat - sky bison are not war animals and...)

He gets regular deliveries with the Beifong family crest on them, and he goes "sweet, Toph must have found some new minerals" and at this point nobody needs to ask which Toph. He seems to have friends everywhere, literally everywhere. Wang was headed out to this massive swamp to study if it's one big organism, and Sokka told him to find some guy named Hue and "don't mind the loincloth." One time the university gets shut down because the Earth King wants to visit. Oh, visit the University? What an honor- Of fucking course not, he wants to visit Professor Sokka, who yells at him and his royal guards for interrupting his day. The Earth King and his many, many royal guards then sheepishly say sorry and file out.

The last straw is when - not a week after he yelled at the Earth King - the assistant head of the Political Science dept walks in to the faculty lounge to find Sokka having tea with a nice normal man dressed in Earth greens for once, and can't resist a little joke. "Let me guess, you're having tea with the Fire Lord." And then she can instantly tell that she fucked up, because both of them go stock still.

So when the two men awkwardly stand up and proceed to introduce the Fire Lord whose portrait she has in her office because she is the assistant head of Political Science as Li, a server at the Jasmine Dragon, she just says "hello Li" and leaves to find a bottle of something strong.

[atlaculture]

Do fire nation ppl actually worship fire/agni? Cuz the vedas actually also worshipped fire and a god called agni. Does that mean fire nation practices early Hinduism/vedas

It's hard to say. We only see the word agni used in their name for honor duels (Agni Kai), with agni (अग्नि) meaning "fire" in Sanskrit and kai (会) meaning "social gathering" in Japanese. The fact that "kai" refers to pleasant and non-violent forms of interaction leads me to think that Agni Kais were originally more ceremonial duels meant to express piety to the deity Agni. However, by the Hundred Year War period, it seems that the religious ceremony had evolved/been corrupted to become a form of conflict resolution with legal ramifications.

The impression I get of the post-Sozin Fire Nation is that traditional religiosity seems to be heavily discouraged. The Fire Sages seem to exist only to maintain ancient temples and conduct ceremonies; we don't see them present in any important meetings, so they presumably don't hold much real power in Fire Nation society. We see the children of the elites are taught to pledge their allegiance to the Fire Lord at the beginning of each day (or maybe even at the start of each class period), which implies that the position has developed a cult of personality that supersedes any religion in the country. The one village in the Fire Nation that seems to follow any sort of deity religion, Jang Hui (The Painted Lady village), is literally marginalized and mistreated by the Fire Nation authorities.

As for the Fire Nation of the past, it's possible they once worshipped Agni. It's worth noting that Agni is also worshipped in Buddhism as a minor deity, as well as in early Hinduism. Of course, Buddhism descends from Hinduism, so it still ultimately comes back to the Vedas. Especially with many aspects of the Fire Nation possessing a really strong Southeast Asian influence, it's reasonable to assume the Fire Nation's religious history might have went:

Early Hinduism-equivalent > State-Sponsored Buddhism-equivalent > Imperial Cult

I think it's very possible that there are small pockets of the Fire Nation that still practice an Early Hinduism-equivalent, though they probably did so in secret during Ozai's reign.

[ongoing-catastrophe]

We know from the Fire Sages and Aangs memory that dancing was something significant in Fire Nation culture before the war, and given the obvious significance of the Dragon Dance and the Agni Kai and even just dance as a form of social gathering.....could the Agni Kai have started out as a ceremonial dance?

Here me out. You mention the South/South East Asian influences in Fire Nation culture. Well within the Hindu tradition, Kalaripyuttu (the oldest martial art) and Bharatnattyam (a form of classical dance) are often refered to as brother-sister disciplines. They are said to have evolved from each other and the practise of one improves the other, and both (but especially Bharatnatyam) can be considered an act of worship.

(Also dance and martial arts often have complimentary evolutions, which is very cool to me)

Ancient Fire Nation society, where dance and martial arts are seen as complimentary and intertwined, where the Agni Kai is something akin to a Capoeira dance circle, and as the society grows mire warlike the dance aspect fall away and the martial aspect remains. Over time it becomes a rite-of-passage ceremonial duel. Except the society keeps hardening, and soon it stops being a cereminial rite of passage and instead becomes a show of skill and strength, a way to prove that you are worthy of your position.

And of course, Sozin comes along and dials up the "honor" aspect up to a hundred (especially considering the Fire Natiin borrows many elements from Imperial Japan) to the point where losing an Agni Kai no longer means you arent ready for the position you were vying for but instead a deep shame. Its a change that makes the existing heirarchy much more rigid, and rewards good fighters with high government positions regardless of other qualifications, and makes it much harder to question authority.

[atlaculture]

@ongoing-catastrophe

This a great theory. Really good insight into how a religious ceremony could be twisted to suit the needs of an oppressive society. It's also worth noting that the martial art that inspired firebending, Northern Shaolin, is the most influenced by Buddhist philosophy of all the martial arts featured in the show--- The other martial arts being Tai Chi, Hung Gar, Chu Gar, and Baguazhang.

Firebending descending from dance would also explain why Zuko loves to incorporate breakdancing into his fighting style:

I'd like to think the original Agni Kai ceremonies were once an all-day event that would feature both dances and ceremonial battles as a display devotion and respect for Agni and other spirits.

For example, there's a Thai dance known as Fawn Tian (กวางเทียน) or "The Candle Dance". According to Wikipedia, the female dancers pay homage to the divinities that protect the eight cardinal points of the Earth, asking them to pass through the candlelight. This dance could also represent a firebender's self-control and discipline over fire, as it takes a great deal of concentration and restraint to dance while maintaining a consistently sized flame in each hand. Think about how much Aang struggled to maintain just one flame with two hands.

The ceremonial battles could also be known as war dances (wai khru ram/ไหว้ครูรำ). Imagine witnessing the sword battle above, but the blades are on fire. Being able to pull off a performance would be a display of both appreciation for fire and skill [by not accidentally burning your partner].

I'd like to think that the pre-Sozin Fire Nation valued precision and versatility just as much as power, when it came to firebending. It symbolized how the Fire Nation's values were once much more balanced.

[honeyxmonkey]

Okay, so this post always makes me giggle

But I was thinking just now...

Literally no one in the friend group aside from Aang knows Zuko was the Blue Spirit

So do you think... they're just hanging out in the palace post canon all piled up in one of the rooms reserved for when the royal family wants to chill—and Zuko is voicing his (extremely reasonable) upset about his father for one reason or another

And Sokka just says something like, "So are you gonna just leave him to rot in jail for the rest of his life, or are you gonna give him another punishment?"

And Zuko goes quiet. Thinking. Then he says, "Maybe I should send him on a quest to capture the Blue Spirit to regain his honor"

And Aang just fucking loses it

[devinellekurtz]

When we first met

[bunigumi]

The gaang is back and my inner child couldn't be happier ❤️‍🩹

[mavmalt]

Adult Gaang cuddle pile

[sokka-with-his-hair-down-2]

“the parallels between Zuko and Sokka-” hey HEY. I am grabbing you. The parallels between Katara and Azula. Both the younger, gifted bender. Each one being the inverse of the other: a living, breathing what if. Katara being horrified at what her bending can do when pushed to its limits vs Azula always trying to push hers further. Katara instinctively trusting everyone so easily, even though it burns her sometimes, and Azula saying trust is for fools, fear is the only reliable way but still losing everyone she cares about in the end. Katara yelling at her dad and being hugged in return vs Azula doing everything possible to please her father still being harshly reprimanded, so you know exactly why they both turned out the way that they did. Katara’s trauma being connected to losing a mother vs Azula’s being connected to having a mother. Katara ultimately being the one to take down Azula and standing over her, staring pitifully because that’s who she could have been, in another life. is this thing on

[chiptrillino-art]

(ID in ALT Text)

when you have art block you start with doodles. and after doodles there come headshot/ bust practices and eventually you start doodling them in cool armor and.... here i land whee.

[atlaculture]

I normally don't get excited over armor but the character designs of @chiptrillino always inspire me to want to write more.

Zuko's helmet is inspired by Thai military hats from the Ayutthaya period (1351–1767). His mantle is similarly designed to resemble armor from that period. I believe the demonic-looking face on the armor is meant to depict Thotsakan, the Thai version of Ravana, the fierce and monstrous antagonist of the Ramayana (Ramakien in Thai). Thotsakan is not only an intimidating emblem to emblazon on armor, but also bears a resemblance to the Nuo mask that Zuko wears as the Blue Spirit.

Zuko is also wearing two very interesting necklaces. The smaller necklace is a Buddhist rosary known as a mala or lukprakam (ลูกประคำ) in Thai. The bigger necklace is a Thai amulet necklace, known as phra khrueang (พระเครื่อง). In Thai culture, both are seen as sacred talismans that protect against misfortune and bestow good luck.

Zuko's spaulders have a unique, curly pattern along their edges. This is known as the lingzhi mushroom pattern. Lingzhi, also called reishi in Japanese, is nicknamed "the mushroom of immortality" due to its historical association with long life, vitality, and spiritual transcendence in Traditional Chinese Medicine. In Chinese art, this pattern symbolizes never ending luck and longevity.

Zuko's entire armor design expresses a desire for good fortune and protection.

Sokka's armor is a really cool fusion of Mongolian armor and Native Alaskan aesthetics. For example, his helmet is inspired by Aleutian hunting visors. According to Aleut Native Art:

Visors also denoted status and skill. A short visor had little decoration and was worn by young men learning to hunt. Skilled hunters used a longer visor. The amount decoration shows the hunters' expertise. Closed crown visors were worn only by the chief and high-ranking members.

So Sokka's helmet implies great skill and authority. Aleutians, also known as Unangans or Unangas, are the indigenous people of the Aleut Islands in Southern Alaska. Culturally and ancestrally, they are related to Inuit/Inupiat and Yupik peoples.

The flap coming down from the hat is inspired by similar neck flaps found on Mongolian helmets. These neck flaps were typically made of heavy cloth or leather and were lined with small metal plates. Typically, the metal rivets holding the plates in place could be seen on the outside of the flap. This style of armor is known as brigandine in English and hatangu degel in Mongolian.

In general, the structure of the armor is very reminiscent of Mongolian brigandine armor from the 14th-15th century. The fringes hanging from his spaulders are inspired by the fringes found on the traditional garbs of many Indigenous Peoples in North America. The purpose of these fringes was to repel rainwater, allowing the water to run down the strips rather than soaking into the garment and weighing the wearer down. A very appropriate detail for a Water Tribe warrior.

Finally, the wolf imagery on Sokka's spaulder is reminiscent of the wolf depictions often found on totem poles. Totem poles are part of the artistic traditions of Northwest Coast Indigenous peoples from North America, such as Tlingit and Haida. In Tlingit culture, the wolf or "g̱ooch" represents intelligence, loyalty, and hunting skills. The wolf on Sokka's armor is also depicted with its tongue sticking out or "tongue thrusting". In the visual language of totem poles, tongue thrusting represents the sharing of knowledge with others, particularly the younger generation.

Overall, Sokka's armor represents his growth into an intelligent and skilled leader.

[mostly-mundane-atla]

Hello! I am an artist and i am doing a drawing that includes Katara. I saw in ur pinned post about your opinions on people drawing the water tribe women with traditional tattoos and wanted to ask you about specifics about the meanings behind inuit face tattoos. I have tried to look for lots of sources from reliable(hopefully) websites about the meanings behind certain tattoos but most of the things i found were more so abut the process and about younger people getting tattoos to represent new things.

I understand there are a lot of different cultural practices with tattoos but the only ones i was able to find a meaning for were a V shape on the forehead for when a girl becomes a woman(i saw one source say this was when the girl first got her period, no idea if thats accurate.), tattoos on the torso representing motherhood(the source said it was supposed to be reminiscent of a baby carrying method), and tattoos on both thighs gotten(before?) giving birth(I think it said it was for protection?). I also saw some other pictures of tattoos but i was unable to find a representation of what they show(Dots on face, lines/dotted lines on chin, a second V shape on the forehead, etc.)

From what I found about the reasoning behind the tattoos the only one(that i know the reasoning behind) that i would draw katara with would be a V on her forehead(Shes a teenage girl and if that source was correct about it being about becoming a woman then katara would almost definitely have it). Basically I’m asking for sources that can give me information on this(or if you wanted to tell me yourself about the tattoos thats perfectly fine aswell)

Thanks in advance, if i don’t get a response before i finish my drawing I will just leave the tattoos out of the drawing to be safe.

Obligatory disclaimer: I am Inupiaq and thus my knowledge is primarily of Inupiaq culture and though we don't call ourselves Inuit the way Canadian Inuit do, we are often all lumped together under the Inuit label. Keep in mind that when i answer cultural questions, it is primarily as an Inupiaq rather than a scholar of all peoples ever called Inuit.

The chin tattoos are for coming of age in my and I believe most Eskimo cultures. It's a painful procedure that shows the woman's ability to withstand pain, not unlike the pain tolerance building exercises men would practice, and thus, readiness to endure childbirth. I've heard that the lines, often somewhat radial from the mouth rather than parallel, are meant to evoke sun rays. While many duties follow wifehood and motherhood, the most culturally iconic is tending the home's oil lamp, the one source of light and non-bodily heat for the household; thus women are associated with the sun. Allow me to wax poetic about my culture for a minute: how beautiful is it that being prepared to be a wife and mother means reminding everyone your words, your songs, your smiles, are sunlight?

It's my understanding that a forehead tattoo is applied to a woman after marrying and having children, to sort of indicate that she is a matron of the village.

Thigh tattoos, I've been told, were so that the first thing a baby would see of the world is beauty. Almost like decorating a nursery, but one's own body. I think thigh tattoos are underrated by fans who go for a more real world inspired look, and their meaning has such a tenderness to it that i think is underrepresented in depictions of our cultures.

[xxboygutzxx]

Sorry for lumping you with the general term inuit!!

Thank you very much for this information, do you believe that Katara is of the age where she would have the chin tattoos for coming of age? Or is it more-so reserved for women rather than teen girls?

I also forgot to ask about finger tattoos when i sent that ask, I wasn’t able to find any meanings behind them but I was thinking of maybe(if the original culture fits for kataras experiences) that i would put lines on her fingers that would wiggle like waves. Of course if that’s already a thing in inupiaq culture, or other inuit cultures(if you know) and it means something entirely un-applicable then i wont add them.

Again thank you so much(and if you get tired of educating me yourself i am very open to websites and articles that also give me this information)

[mostly-mundane-atla]

I think Katara wouldn't have gotten her tavlaģun (coming of age chin tattoos) until a bit after the series. It was a way of showing a girl was of age to consider marriage and her reaction to being asked if she was betrothed was that she wasn't ready for that. (I like to headcanon Toph being there for her tattooing, holding her still so they wouldn't get messed up.) Yue would have, tho, considering her being on the brink of marrying.

I'm not familiar with finger tattoos personally. I am aware of women's forearm tattoos that reach the back of the hand. This is more of a Yup'ik practice but you also see a bit of it in Inupiat of the Bering Strait region. I believe this was meant to look like the tattooed woman's homeland.

I completely slipped over your request for sources the first time. I'm sorry. My favorite is the essay Tatoos of the Hunter Gatherers of the Arctic by Lars Krutak, linked below

TATTOOS OF THE HUNTER-GATHERERS OF THE ARCTIC | LARS KRUTAK

Krutak specializes in tattoo anthropology and studied at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where he worked with the Saint Lawrence Island Yup'iit for his thesis on their tattooing practices. His writing on Eskimo tattoos is not only informative but more respectful than I'm used to from articles and academic papers on us.

Of course, if you intend to include tattoos, i hope other aspects of the visual culture are present, too. One cultural practice does not good representation make.

[xxboygutzxx]

Thank you so much!!! this is great information and i will read the essay asap. If you don’t mind me asking, what other cultural practices would you suggest for me to include?

[mostly-mundane-atla]

For stuff worn on the clothes/body:

-geometric trims with sharp dark/light contrast (think checkerboad, zigzag stripes, harlequin-style diamond or triangle patterns; if you wanna lean more Water Tribe theming, consider icebergs and wolf teeth and crescent moons for inspiration)

-animal talismans carved of ivory (tend to be a bit blocky, details may be inked in to show better, kept on a string, typically depicted land and marine mammals like bears, seals, walruses, etc. Atlaverse animals like their version of penguins might be fun)

-traditional hairstyles and jewelry (found in photographs from I'd say 1900s-50s for Inupiat and Yupi'it in my experience, not sure about Greenlanders and Canadian Inuit)

-kuspuks for clothes made of cloth instead of skins (more atlaverse kuspuks is always a good thing)

Home goods and decor/housing design elements for background details or posing props:

-traditional oil lamps, or camp stoves for a more modern (Legend of Korra era, maybe?) but still pre "suburban homes with factory made cooking range ovens in every village" style.

-dance masks and accessories (like the long gloves used for the Wolf Dance)

-support poles with tools and kitchen utensils hanging from them, if you're going for a traditional sod house or tent

-parchment skylight window, again, for a traditional sod house

-scrimshaw pieces worked onto tusks or baleen

-carved dolls or animal figures (traditionally outgrown toys were given away, but as culture wore away from assimilation, they might be kept as art pieces or sentimental mementos. Maybe 100 years of war would cause the same shift)

-a ball sewn of skins, perhaps with a design worked on it (even adults would pass the time with ball games)

-an ulu and/or traditional foods (and maybe a side of rice and a cup of tea alongside it because atlaverse)

-eskimo yoyos or a pair of baby mukluks on a string hanging on the wall for maximum nostalgia in the Inupiat and Yup'iit audience

Consider these suggestions as one of those paint swatch samplers. Don't feel pressured to use all of them, let alone all at once, but consider that you may end up liking some more than you thought you would. I, personally, don't mind traditional tattoos from my culture being used in martial arts fantasy nicktoon fan art, but they should have some visual context to be at home in

[die-auster]

This Yue needed a more interesting hairdo.

And vitiligo for the beautiful moon again. Credits to @atlaculture for the reference, I absolutely loved it. The perfect choice for Yue.

[atlaculture]

The hairstyle suits Yue so well! I love the pattern on her collar as well.

[atlaculture]

Fire Lord Portraits Pt. 2: Azulon

Part 2 of my Fire Lord Portraits series! And it only took me 5 years to get around to it.

The two notable details of Azulon's portrait are the flower that he stands on and the turtle beneath the flower. The flower under him resembles a peony. Like the peony flower, the petals in his painting are short, layered and frilled. In Chinese culture, the peony is nicknamed "The King of Flowers" and is associated with prosperity. This is primarily because peonies were a popular motif in art from the Tang Dynasty, widely regarded as a golden age for China. Assuming that Fire Lords choose the symbols in their painting, this would indicate that Azulon likely viewed himself as someone who led his country into a golden age of prosperity. Admittedly, he likely did enrich the Fire Nation by extracting resources from the Earth Kingdom through military occupation and the colonies. Also, the peony is the symbol of the Keohso clan, the bloodline that Azulon hails from, so it can be inferred that he was very proud of his lineage.

According to the Avatar wiki, the commentary track for "The Avatar and the Fire Lord" (S3E6) clarify that the turtle represents "...an animal that lives both on land and in water, signifying his military successes over both the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes."

Turtles also symbolize longevity and tenacity. This is actually pretty appropriate, as Azulon's entire reign was spent leading a world war for 72 years. Not to mention, he still managed to make it to age 95 and would have lived even longer if he hadn't been murdered. Considering how much leading a warmongering empire ages most people after only 8 years, Azulon managing to command an active military for over 70 years definitely showcased his longevity and tenacity.

Finally, there's also the myth of the World Turtle:

The World Turtle, also called the Cosmic Turtle or the World-Bearing Turtle, is a mytheme of a giant turtle (or tortoise) supporting or containing the world. It occurs in Hinduism, Chinese mythology, and the mythologies of some of the indigenous peoples of the Americas.

Considering the Fire Nation's goals were ultimately to either dominate or destroy the other nations, depicting their leader and representative of their country standing on top of a turtle as if he is the world is pretty good symbolism. And if you're looking for the symbolism behind the scarf and halo, click here.

Also, his turtle has a really long neck and tail. Maybe it's a hybrid snake-turtle?

[atlaculture]

Cultural Calendars: Earth Kingdom

Years

Since the Earth Kingdom's biggest cultural inspiration is China, their traditional calendar would likely be the Chinese lunar calendar. This calendar is made up of 12 months that alternate between 29 and 30 days, as the actual lunar cycle is 29.5 days long. This leads to the Chinese lunar year being shorter than the solar year, resulting in a 13th "leap year month" occurring every few years to re-align the lunar year with the solar year.

Since a year in the Avatarverse is implied to be 360 days (as opposed to our world's 365.25 days), that means the Earth Kingdom has a "leap month" every 5 years.

Months

As for what the individual Earth Kingdom months are called, they are officially known by their order in the year (e.g. first month, second month, third month, etc.). Since the EK is a vast and diverse country, their month names are intended to be as simple and intuitive as possible. However, different areas may also have their own regional names for the months of the year.

Regarding weeks, the Earth Kingdom follows the xún (旬) system aka 10-day weeks. I'll just quote the Wikipedia entry:

As early as the Bronze Age Xia dynasty, days were grouped into nine- or ten-day weeks known as xún (旬). Months consisted of three xún. The first 10 days were the early xún (上旬), the middle 10 the mid xún (中旬), and the last nine (or 10) days were the late xún (下旬). The structure of xún led to public holidays every five or ten days. Officials of the Han dynasty were legally required to rest every five days (twice a xún, or 5–6 times a month).

In short, the first 10 days are called "Early Week", the second 10 days are "Middle Week", and the final 9-10 days are "Late Week".

Unfortunately, due to the time-sensitive and labor-intensive nature of agriculture, peasants could only rest/bathe every tenth day, rather than every fifth day like a government official. Thus, a lighthearted way of noting that someone seems tired or lazy is to say "They look ready to work a bureaucrat's week".

Days

Similar to its months, the Earth Kingdom refers to the days by their order in the week, rather than naming them. For example, a person might say "Today is Day 3 of Middle Week." Since the EK is a vast and diverse country, they try to make their timekeeping as simple and intuitive as possible.

[atlaculture]

ATLA Writing System Pt. 1: The Opening

Wanted to do a series of posts showcasing my appreciation for the writing in Avatar: The Last Airbender franchise. To the say the series went the extra mile in its use of Chinese characters (Hanzi) is an understatement. Allow me to explain:

The everyday writing system of the ATLAverse is Traditional Chinese. This writing system is used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan in the current day; It was also used in Mainland China prior to 1956--- nowadays, they use Simplified Chinese characters.

However, the series will switch writing styles when it wants to highlight the "ancientness" of something. For example, in the show's opening, each element is written in either Bronze Script (over 3000 years old) or Seal Script (over 2000 years old).

Water, fire, and air are written in Seal Script. Earth is written in Bronze Script. As a point of reference, here's how these concepts look when written in Traditional Chinese:

水 (Water)

土 (Earth)

火 (Fire)

氣 (Air)

Also, the symbol on the left and right sides of the world map is a stylized way of writing "longevity". I go more in-depth about the character here:

...longevity is an appropriate symbol for the Avatar world. Not only are the world and the entity of the Avatar quite ancient, but our protagonist is literally 112-years-old.

And the texts at the top and bottom of the map? They translate as...

The powers are divided into four The world [all under heaven] is restored by one The bottom text is a slightly re-worded quote from The Analects of Confucius: Avatar Map Quote: 天下一匡 (The world [all under heaven] is restored by one.) The Analects of Confucius: 一匡天下 (Through one, the world [all under heaven] is restored.) Same characters, but different word order.

In Part 2, I'll highlight some interesting uses of different Chinese scripts within the actual show. ^_^

[chiptrillino]

67?

(ID in ALT text) i know technically this can't be considered a wip. but it is wip to me because to this day i can't still pick ONE to post and i keep going back and forth.. and so it got doomed to stay in my folders just like this?

[chiptrillino-art]

(ID in ALT text)

found the time to dust off and colour some sokkas! at least some concept to make sure our boy is well-dressed and protected through the episodes in season one. (i am not entierly sold on all though... hm...

you may also like: zuko, sokka, ty lee, suki,

[atlaculture]

These are SO good! @ w @

The wolf headdress Sokka in the first picture should've been Sokka live-action warrior look. ; _ ;

[memopmiff]

Azutara nation are we alive??!

[astraios-art]

Rewatching atla for the 100th time, here's some doodles