Book 4: Air, the Missing Element
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@camcat1320
Book 4: Air, the Missing Element
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
I love them.
pining zuko oblivious katara Yes this is true
My fanfic is going to be mutually pining but the implications of such a relationship keeps them apart and not expressing their feelings.
Then when the team visits Yu Dao, Katara is inspired by the international couples and families there and it helps her overcome her hangups.
In the chapter before the 4-part finale, it will be Katara that kisses Zuko and then he kisses her back. 🥰🥰
Art and AI - I was wrong
In the past, I made a post about how I found AI to be a nice tool to share my hyper fixation fanfic project with, stop overwhelming my friends and family, and be pushed by the AI companion by it posing questions that made me think deeper on my story. I had received an overwhelming amount of pushback on it and deleted the post. Nonetheless, I read every comment and repost and contemplated over their words. I'm here to say that I was wrong.
I've been watching movies and reading books to gather inspiration for my fanfic, taking notes from literary classics. As much as I'd like to have someone (or an AI in this case) to bounce ideas off of, many of the authors I've been inspired by did it all on their own. They became the greats without assistance from others. If I want to prove that I have good writing skills, I need to do the hard work on my own, making it all the more rewarding when I do achieve my goals.
Markiplier's words in this video really helped me shift my mindset.
Since the backlash, I have stopped using the AI for 11 months now. I don't need it and have deleted the app.
Thank you to everyone that had commented and reposted to help me see the error in my thinking. I'm sorry and I will do better.
Pao Beifong, Toph's older brother
Book 4: Air, the Missing Element (a fanfic)
I made this by taking Bolin (TLOK) and transposing an edited, younger Lao Beifong (ATLA) face onto Bolin's frame. I like Bolin's body frame but I'm not a big fan of his face. Nothing wrong with Bolin, it's just his face gives himbo vibes which works for him but doesn't work for my fanfiction character.
He was given the name Pao because it is taking the P- from Poppy (his mother) and -ao from Lao (his father). The name Pao means "to run" which will be a theme for his character.
In the show, the two boys from the earthbending academy say that the Beifong's never had a daughter but never mentioned a son. By omission, there's room to give Toph an older sibling.
Pao would be the biological son of Lao and Poppy while Toph was adopted in my fanfic. I'm making it so that Pao was 16 when Toph was adopted as a baby. By the time he runs away at 18, Toph would have no memories of her brother. Because of Pao running away, Lao and Poppy hold on to Toph even tighter. This is why when Toph proves she can handle herself, her parents double down on isolating her.
When Pao runs away, he joins a secret society, The Order of Vaatu. The secret society symbol is a red serpent in a spiral pattern as seen on June's arm tattoos. Later, when Captain Yung rises to fill the power vacuum in the Earth Kingdom after the 100 Year War, Pao will become a devotee of Yang and the Earth Empire.
Near the end of the climax of the Earth Empire arc, Pao will realize the Earth Empire are the bad guys and have a change of heart. He'd run away from the inner circle and join the protagonists in their pursuit of bringing balance to the world.
Earth Kingdom Arc - Autocracy
Book 4: Air, the Missing Element (a fanfic)
In writing my fanfic, I believe the 100 Year War has many similarities to WW1 so it stands to reason that what follows after could be similar to WW2. I've been brushing up on my WW2 history and I think I got my key players for this arc.
Yung would be the strong man leader that is able to rustle up support.
Fong would be the war hero that is able to sway the elites to their cause. He'd also be the founder of the secret police.
Gow would be the weapons smuggler thug that loves war and uses fear and violence to control people.
The Mechanist would develop the printing press, moving pictures, and the radio, making him the head of propaganda.
Bumi Junior would be part of a secret society while also being a poet and dramatist that would polish up Yung to be presentable to the masses.
Sen Su (Lee's older brother) would be desperate to prove himself as a soldier by taking on the role as commander of the secret police. He'll also be responsible for coming up with the idea of labor camps for the Fire Nationals as a way to get revenge for his time as a POW.
Pao Beifong (older brother of Toph) would be a member of the secret society and become a secretary and later deputy to Yung. He'll also be responsible for writing Yung's manifesto. Near the end, however, Pao would run away from the group and try to bargain for peace, ultimately joining the protagonists.
Chapter 4, Return to the Southern Air Temple
Book 4: Air, the Missing Element (a fanfic)
Zuko talks to Roku's statue while Katara listens in from the doorway.
I just had another brain surge for my ATLA fanfic! I plan for Aang to have a hero's fall arc because if bad people can be redeemed, the opposite must be true as well. It got me thinking about the biblical story of Caine and Abel.
Caine was a farmer while Abel was a shepherd. Caine offered the best of his harvest to God while Abel offered the best of his flock, slaughtered. God preferred Abel's offering and Caine grew jealous of Abel, ultimately killing his brother.
Aang is a vegetarian and wouldn't intentionally harm any living thing. Zuko was once a villain but has been redeemed. Now imagine if the story continued into a 4th season. What if Aang tries to do his Avatar duties but he falls short, his good intentions resulting in not ideal resolutions? Zuko then comes in and resolves the conflict effectively and people praise him for his efforts and not Aang. Aang would start harboring jealousy towards Zuko, slowly rotting him from the inside. Then at the climax, Aang witnesses Katara and Zuko kiss and Aang suddenly snaps.
My shaylas
art by cookie
Cultural Practices: Fire Nation School Instruments
I'm honestly surprised I didn't get around to doing this sooner.
The instruments played at the Fire Nation school in "The Headband" (Book 3, Episode 2) are mostly Chinese, with the exception of the Mongolian horsehead fiddle. If you click on the name of each instrument, it'll link to a YouTube video showcasing their sound.
Xiaoruan
The xiaoruan (小阮) is a Chinese plucked string instrument. The xiaoruan has a straight neck with 24 frets on the fingerboard and 4 strings. Its strings were traditionally made from silk, with the number of strands of silk determining the thickness of each string. As you can imagine, this gave the xiaoruan an aristocratic association, historically. This makes it a very appropriate instrument to play in an elite Fire Nation school.
Xiao Tanggu
The xiao tanggu (堂鼓), meaning "small chamber drum" is a traditional Chinese drum meant to be played vertically with two small drumsticks. The membrane of the drum is traditionally made from buffalo hide. The xiao tanggu is used to produce more higher pitched sounds than its full-sized counterpart, the da tanggu (大鼓) or "large chamber drum".
Dizi
The dizi (笛子) is a Chinese transverse flute. It is traditionally made from bamboo. One aspect of the dizi that makes it unique from other wooden flutes is the existence of the mo kong (膜孔). The mo kong is a special covered hole that lies between the between the embouchure and finger-holes on the flute. The cover of the hole, called the dimo (笛膜), is made from the tissue-like membrane of bamboo, which gives the dizi a buzzing-sounding timbre.
Pipa
I've wrote at length about the pipa before, so I'll just quote from that post. The pipa (琵琶) is a traditional Chinese lute. The teardrop-shaped, four-stringed pipa is quite an old instrument, being over a thousand years old. The Fire Nation school children play their pipas in the very traditional, millennium-old style.
Morin Khuur
I've also written at length about the Mongolian horsehead fiddle or morin khuur (ᠮᠣᠷᠢᠨ ᠬᠣᠭᠣᠷ), so I'll be quoting that post as well. The notable characteristics of the horsehead fiddle are its trapeziform sound box and its carved horsehead scroll. Both the string of its bow and the two strings of the instrument are made from horsehair, with one string being stallion tail hair and the other string being mare tail hair.
Upon further inspection, I think the ruan (Chinese lute) that the Fire Nation kids are playing is a xiao (small-size), rather than a zhong (medium-size). Compare:
Realistically, you'd probably give the smaller version to a bunch of 12-year-olds.
Watching legend of korra for the first time ever and I'm convinced it's just ragebait for atla lovers
Yes it is. I'm only watching it to find the puzzle pieces of the lost 4th season of ATLA.
Anhelo/longing
collection of ember island zutara doodles!!
A plotter’s guide to writing scenes
If you’re anything like me, you know where you need your story to go, and you’ve planned out every beat. You’re so big and smart, you’ve figured the whole thing out.
But when you sit down to actually write the scenes, it feels like smashing dolls together and hoping for the best.
Outlining has sucked the dopamine right out of the story.
Congratulations, you’ve played yourself.
But all hope is not lost.
I, too, was in your shoes, until I realised that what I really needed was to stop looking at the big picture and focus on the scene.
First, think of your scene in terms of start, middle, and end. Just picturing it in this way instead of “stuff happens” is going to help.
Now, before you write, answer these questions:
Describe the scene in one sentence. What’s going on? Make it as simple as possible. What does the POV character want in this scene? What stands in their way? What changes by the end of this scene?Now, put it all together: “In this scene, ___ tries to ___, but ___, and by the end ___.”
What emotion do they feel at the start? At the midpoint? At the end? What triggers the shift? And most importantly, what is the hidden emotion or thought that they won’t admit/say out loud?
What does the character believe about themselves or the world at this point? How does that belief (false or otherwise) shape their behaviours and thoughts? Does anything in this scene change that belief?
Tension and power dynamics are often the spine of a juicy, well written scene. So think about this next. Who is in a position of power at the start of the scene? (this can be anything - information, magic, status, love, fear). What leverage do they have? Who thinks they are in power? Does that power shift?
Now, make sure you sprinkle in some sensory detail. Focus on specificity. Write down visual, sound, texture, smell, even physical sensations that are filtered through your character’s experiences.
And finally, why can’t the character just leave the scene? What’s keeping them there? If the answer is nothing, then you might want to rethink the stakes in this scene
TIPS FOR WRITING SLOW-BURN DESIRE <3
A collab done with the amazing and super talented matereya <33 Who is one of my sweetest and most supportive friends and who made my lines 100000x better.ahhHH i can’t express how much i love itttt Mati, you’re for real the queen of lighting. Thank you so so much for art-trading/collaborating with me. It was so much fun and I had a blast coloring your lines!
They are literally hot 🥁🥁📀