#REYUENION

[comradekatara]

would love to hear more of your thoughts on metaspirituality

@madam-melon-meow asked: i'd love to hear about sokka's scientific approach to the spirit world!

i’ve discussed this matter before, but it’s been three years, so i think it’s time i revisit it! i’m very intrigued by fantastical landscapes in fiction that map various real-world religious approaches onto its characters who nevertheless exist in a world where the subjects of their worship/reverence/deification are demonstrably real and coexist with humankind. like, religion as an endeavor relies on belief in phenomena that are fundamentally unable to be confirmed or falsified. the fundamental epistemic difference between a scientific theory and a religious belief is that a hypothesis can be confirmed and disconfirmed, whereas a “god” can only be believed or disbelieved. science and religion are pretty different epistemological projects, especially post-enlightenment science which prioritizes the scientific method (generating a falsifiable hypothesis that is tested to confirm or disconfirm it) as its knowledge engine. obviously, religious approaches to natural phenomena that can be understood through science exist in parallel with each other, and science as a project is fundamentally subjective, limited, and biased, but by virtue of any scientific theory being falsifiable by definition, it separates itself from religion through an acknowledgement that the implications from observable evidence/data gathered supersede the importance of any one theory. 

sokka as a character basically functions as the personification of the scientific method. his arc is about collecting data and adjusting his worldview in accordance with that information, wholly and immediately. the most obvious example of this would be how quickly he adjusts his belief in deeply entrenched bioessentialist logic that purports fundamental differences between the sexes upon meeting the kyoshi warriors. however, there are some areas in which he is unwilling to change his mind throughout the course of the show: his own self-worth (although i do think his noticeably improved mood post-”boiling rock” is an indication that it has, ever so slightly, been ameliorated) and his “belief” in spirits. people love to point out that sokka’s constant and intimate contact with the spirit world (friends with the avatar, has been to the spirit world, kissed the moon, etc etc.) contradicts his refusal to believe in the spiritual; how and why is he a skeptic if he knows for a fact that spirits exist and are extremely powerful? but i think that sokka, as a character who prioritizes logic and science, perfectly encapsulates the tension that i’ve alluded to: what does it mean to be “spiritual” in a world wherein spirits are demonstrably real? 

“believing” in the avatar is not the same thing as believing in the dalai lama, because demonstrable proof that the avatar is a reincarnation exists for everyone to see. believing in spirits is not the same thing as believing in a deity. “believing” in “the spirit world” is not the same thing as believing in nirvana, or heaven and hell, or any other immaterial plane of existence that exists in a religious imagination. sokka knows the avatar. sokka has met spirits. sokka has been to the spirit world. perhaps he does not currently scientifically understand the phenomena he has witnessed and interacted with, but he knows that they are real, and thus capable of being understood with the right tools. I think sokka would take it upon himself to develop those tools (partially out of genuine curiosity, and largely out of spite). 

an exception must be made with regards to “the swamp,” in which sokka’s comically obstinate skepticism is, rather, avoidance of spirits altogether due to having recently acquired trauma involving spirits (at which point a vision of yue literally manifests before him to express the guilt he has yet to verbally acknowledge), and not a rational acknowledgement that spirits exist but are nevertheless incorrectly deified. however, when sokka is not actively running away from his grief, he does not deny the existence of spirits, he simply denies that spirits are too mystical to be understood. if anything, sokka’s frequent contact with the spirit world emboldens him to claim that spirits are cosmologically typical, and thus scoffs at approaching them from a religious standpoint. as the token “scientist” of the cast, sokka’s role isn’t just to deride religion, but to acknowledge the fundamental pitfalls of taking a religious approach to concretely observable data.

obviously, a lot of these tensions are unspoken, relegated either to subtext or interpretative extrapolations that are derived from the text but never actually acknowledged by the text. atla as a show is primarily concerned with aang’s spiritual approach, and sokka’s spiritual approach largely exists to contrast aang’s, rather than as a facet of his arc in its own right. however, in my own vision of sokka’s postcanon continuation, i think that the tension between observable data and deification of the spirit world would continue to rankle him, and i see him developing a branch of theoretical physics to better understand spiritual phenomena, such as the mechanics of bending or the existence of the spirit world. it feels like a natural extension of his arc to me, as i find his (largely unspoken) tension with the spirit world to be extremely compelling.

i also like to think that he reunites with yue in the spirit world in the process and they work on this research together, although i do acknowledge how such a plotline might narratively cheapen the impact of her sacrifice. that said, i’ve given it a lot of thought, and i think the post-canon potential of sokka getting to know yue, and the spirit world, better is compelling enough to me that sort of diminishing the tragedy of sokka losing her is acceptable to me. your mileage may vary, of course, but even if you choose not to subscribe to my particular interpretation/headcanon, there’s still no doubt that sokka will be conducting research and experiments into the nature of bending and spirits as thoroughly as he possibly can, often with (occasionally reluctant) help from his friends, and revolutionizes and develops an entire branch of theoretical physics, mostly out of spite.

#sokka #postwargaang #reyuenion #analysis #asks #muppet on a spit #madam melon meow #sorry this took me so long would you believe that i actually wrote this the day you guys sent it (back in october) #except for the last two sentences basically #and i just kept putting it off #what's wrong w mee.... #anyway. philsci babeyyyyy!!!!!!

[comradekatara]

spirit world chillin

#id in alt text #avatar the last airbender #atla #yue #sokka #sokkaxyue #spirit world yue #reyuenion #art #mart #extremely self indulgent art for like 3 people hiiii #i know their love story is a tragedy just let me dream ok!!!!!!!!

[comradekatara]

chilling in the spirit world ✨

#id in alt text #avatar the last airbender #atla #yuekka #yukka #?? #sokka #yue #sokkaxyue #spirit world yue #reyuenion #art #mart #sorry for the self indulgent nonsense I am just..... thinking abt them #wait this whole blog is just self indulgent nonsense. what the hell am I even apologizing for #ok well. look upon my works ye mighty and DESPAIR!!!!!!

[comradekatara]

Sry for going insane on your blog today. Anyways do you think Suki would be able to access the spirit world? I'm a Sokka spirit world truther(who isn't) and think abt him connecting with Yue in some way whenever I think about them. I think he brings her things to read, including his own poetry. You wrote about Yue writing poetry, right? I can picture it so well. I bet her calligraphy is gorgeous.

Do you think that Suki could visit her, too? I never saw her as being a very spirit world person... but them interacting is interesting. I have trouble imagining Suki in a role where she's there fully as "Sokka's partner". When she's introduced to Sokka's family she's still foremost a Kyoshi leader. She's a warrior and a diplomat. But when she's interacting with the Literal Moon Spirit, she would be there as "Sokka's partner". Ofc being a Kyoshi warrior is still who she is and her identity, but she doesn't have to carry the responsibilities she has in her daily interactions in the same way. Still, she's meeting the Actual Moon. It's not quite like her interactions with the gaang. It's a weird situation. I do think that it would make Yue really happy to see someone was protecting Sokka for a change. And protecting him in a non-controlling way. In a real way. And she would find the Kyoshi warriors cool as hell after growing up in such a patriarchal society... maybe she'd just really like listening to Suki's stories. :) Since you are a tastemaker(polyam Sukka + Yuekka real), I thought you might have interesting ideas.

Actually, Iroh and Zuko are interesting to think about, too. Iroh could probably get there, ofc... I wonder what she'd have to say to him. Usually, the story focuses on what Iroh says to others(? it's been a while), and I feel like an inversion of that would be interesting... I don't know. Above all else I think Yue would appreciate having someone to talk to, and Iroh's a charismatic conversationalist if nothing else.

Honestly Zuko is mostly just for laughs. Like yeah, he participated in the invasion that led to her death, among many other things. But more importantly, he'd be jealous of the Yue Sokka poetry club. I feel like he'd be a Yue poetry #1 fan. If you take a Zukka route do you think Zuko ever awkwardly looked up at the moon and asked for advice/her blessing? Not thinking she could hear but doing it angstily and symbolically. Do you think Yue could hear him. Lots of comedic potential. Xx love your blog best place for atla content

i think suki meeting yue is something i can't really reconcile as well as i can reconcile sokka reuniting with yue in the spirit world (which even then, is something i think would only happen because of aang's meddling), just because it's so thematically crucial that yue and suki are at separate points in the timeline of sokka's arc to inform his character, and thus the idea of them ever meeting kind of wrinkles my brain. i do think that yue would find suki cool as hell though. so yeah i could see a yue/sokka/suki meeting going really well, but i think it would take a really long time for sokka to agree to that meeting, since i think he'd be really reluctant to open up about yue to suki, even after they reunite.

i've talked (and drawn) before about iroh, aang, sokka, and yue having tea in the spirit world together. iroh canonically has been to the spirit world, which is the main reason why i think sokka could with enough dedication. i doubt sokka would ever consider returning to the spirit world until one day aang is all "well i talked to yue in the spirit world the other day. and LEARNED A LOT, I MIGHT ADD" [pointed glare at sokka]. sokka could've sworn aang knew. (katara saw them kiss, she must've said something to him at some point! apparently not???) sokka doesn't think that he can enter the spirit world, he's like the least spiritual guy ever, and his brain is incapable of meditating, but aang refuses to take no for an answer he's all like "she misses youuuuu why are you you're ignoooooring her" so sokka is like "FINE. i'll TRY it." because he feels like if he can apologize to her in person then he should make an effort to do so. (and from then on they're just in a very long distance relationship, and also i think they live together in the spirit world after he dies. i'm such a sap for them i know.)

as for zuko, i think yue sees him as kind of a sad clown (she's not wrong). like the first time she ever really saw him was when katara wrecked his shit in three seconds flat, and then she'd see him yelling at the sky o smite me mighty smiter style. i imagine in that scene she's making this face 😬 . actually i imagine her in the background of a lot of scenes that take place at night, with a big ol bucket of popcorn. but yes i think he would make dramatic speeches to yue and yue would be like [head pat] there there (not that he actually knows that she's listening), but i do think yue would sympathize like she's just as dramatic as he is. internally, perhaps, but dramatic nonetheless (remember when she said to sokka "i can't be friends with you i can't even LOOK at you it's just too difficult!!!!!"), so she'd definitely feel for him. she'd be like "sokka have u considered giving zuko a kiss. just a little smooch, even" and sokka's like "NO WHY DOES EVERYONE KEEP TELLING ME THIS???????" and yue's like "well he recited a sonnet about you at me from his balcony last night. it was actually pretty good."

#comedic potentital indeed #also all the aforementioned posts can be found in the tags #spirit world yue #and #reyuenion #sokkaxyue #sokkaxsuki #sokkaxzuko #(ish) #aang&sokka #aang&yue #(implied) #sokka #yue #suki #aang #zuko #iroh #asks #starstrike #i have a lot of thoughts on sokka and arnooks relationship post-reyuenion #it would be really complicated #bc they mourned her together and now. sokka isnt mourning her anymore #but idk if yue would want to see her father #he wouldn't Get It the same way sokka does #but sokka doesn't want to lie to arnook either #so . it's complicated

[comradekatara]

spirit world tea party 🍵✨

(i had to draw it)

and a bonus sokka/yue closeup just because:

#id in alt text #avatar the last airbender #atla #aang #iroh #sokka #yue #sokkaxyue #aang&iroh #iroh&sokka #aang&sokka #aang&yue #art #mart #spirit world yue #reyuenion #postwargaang #inspired by that one post i made about them ages ago #and also just the plain ol fact that they are the only four characters who go/are established to have been to the spirit world in atla #i think the four of them hanging out together would be rly fun/funny #this is what korra shouldve walked in on in lok #(past avatars can manifest in the spirit world right??? like aang fully couldve been there. i believe it)

[comradekatara]

on rewatch, it stuck out to me that sokka would be an ideal political match for yue. sokka is a proven warrior, son of a chief from the estranged swt (who the nwt wants influence over), and a companion of the avatar. so how ridiculous would it be if arnook's plan in changing the mission was to sacrifice hahn (overestimating his ability to kill zhao) and marry yue off to sokka (esp since it's right after hahn is loudly insulting her)? and how would sokka react to the system being in his favor?

see i have considered this before and i do think there’s a bit of truth to it. arnook should have put sokka in charge of the mission considering that sokka has intelligence and experience that hahn clearly lacks. and frankly, if sokka had been in charge he might have actually been successful in killing zhao and prevented yue’s sacrifice entirely. also arnook is just not very smart tbh. like they are being threatened by a naval fleet. you know, at sea. their literal element. they have the home field advantage by far. they easily could’ve used their waterbenders to construct icebergs beneath the surface that would sink all the ships like the titanic. literally anything except for waiting for them to make an attack on land. but i digress.

i think that arnook would definitely have been willing to reconsider yue’s betrothal if he had known that sokka was interested, but neither yue nor sokka ever felt safe to voice those issues to him due to their very rigid sense of filial duty and what it means to comply with a patriarch. that said, i do think that arnook would be incredibly nice to sokka whenever they interact postwar, which would baffle sokka because he just assumes that this man must resent him for failing to protect yue, which was like, the one thing he’d actually tasked him to do. but arnook sort of treats sokka like a son-in-law and sokka cannot handle it and just avoids him as much as possible. so i guess that makes my answer to “how would sokka react to the system being in his favor” umm. he would hate it actually.

#surelyjtemple #asks #arnook #sokka #arnook&sokka #sokkaxyue #sokka wants to be punished for his (perceived) failure not rewarded for nothing !!!!! #also in the reyuenion that lives in my head yue does not let sokka tell arnook that she’s just chilling and so sokka feels even MORE guilty #around him knowing that he can see arnook’s dead daughter whenever he wants and arnook cannot. but also he has to respect yue’s wishes! agh

[comradekatara]

non-exhaustive list of things that sokka does after the war ends, in no particular order:

helps to reconstruct the southern water tribe with katara

creates a library in the southern water tribe to preserve items of historical/cultural significance that were stolen from them by the fire nation (since returned, courtesy of firelord zuko)

consistently refers to this library as "[his] baby," startling many acquaintances into believing that he is now a father

invents a bunch of new technologies, including but not limited to radios, wrist watches, and falafel (that last one was specifically a gift for aang)

studies every subject he can possibly learn at ba sing se university whenever he happens to already be in town so as to call king kuei an idiot to his face

teaches extremely sought-after, highly exclusive seminars in which he discusses his research (and anything else that happens to pop into his mind) with a select group of particularly dedicated students

popularizes the field referred to as bending theory, or more broadly, spirit mechanics/metaspirituality, in which he strives to understand the physics of the spirit world, both in terms of how it operates in its own distinct realm, and how it intersects with the material plane, in modes such as bending

finds a way into the spirit world (without having to actually meditate because he's fucking terrible at that)

reunites with yue, who helps him with his research (because she a) was a human not too long ago, and therefore understands sokka's perspective in a way that most spirits absolutely would not b) is a big ol nerd)

befriends a bunch of powerful spirits who think that he is, without a doubt, the weirdest human guy they have ever met (and are, naturally, extremely fond of him)

facts wan shi tong, he who knows ten thousand things, must contend with:

the kid who hit him over the head with a book while yelling "learn this!" (or something equally inane, at any rate) is currently the world's leading scholar on most matters, and actually seems to value knowledge for knowledge's sake a hell of a lot

if he does not unban those water tribe kids and the avatar from his library, he will have to face the moon spirit's (extremely passive aggressive) wrath for all eternity

ten thousand things might not actually be that many things :/

#thinking abt the process of sokka being allowed back into The Library lmao #he personally doesnt care all that much #but yue really advocates on his behalf #also she hears the story about how he hit that big ol owl over the head with a book and high fives him #(she hates wan shi tong he reminds her of all her dads most annoying friends ://) #sokka #wan shi tong #sokkaxyue #yue #postwargaang #reyuenion #sokkademia #also the last bullet point is a joke #to be clear i am aware that it is a saying #and not literal #please dont reply guy me i KNOW its not literal I KNO W #ok thanks in advance!!!!!! :)) #and to be clear the reference to him inventing the radio is relevant bc in lok wan shi tong does not know how radios work #so i think thats a fun little connection to make #anyway...

[comradekatara]

after sokka finally moves past blaming himself for what happened to yue, he moves onto blaming zuko and iroh (seeing as zhao and ozai already received their just desserts). but he also knows that zuko regrets what he did, and he already forgave him for the siege of the north when he decided to forgive him for the rest of his transgressions. whereas he's never once heard iroh express remorse for what happened to yue, even though he was the one who suggested she sacrifice herself. if it weren’t for him, maybe they could’ve found another way to save the moon spirit without yue getting it into her head that it was her ultimate duty! but he doesn’t even seem to care.

so he conducts an experiment, in which he makes zuko kill a fish with firebending (which he’s pretty reluctant to do, but it’s not like sokka could’ve gotten aang to do it, now could he?) and then gives the fish to katara to see if she can heal it back to life. seeing as she used oasis spirit water to bring aang back to life, it's only logical that she could've used that water to bring the koi back (but noooo, iroh just had to suggest that yue sacrifice herself before they attempted anything else). and lo and behold, katara is able to heal the fish. after sokka’s experiment proves “successful,” katara and zuko are just like, “wait why did you make us do this?” but he doesn’t reply, just walks away as they shrug at each other like, “eh, it’s sokka, what are you gonna do”

sokka has never been one to just sit and stew in his anger. it’s not productive. besides, he likes iroh; he makes good tea, plays a mean game of pai sho, and clearly did a lot for zuko. sokka knows about his past, his brutal victories and his tragic regrets. he knows about lu ten, and iroh’s spiritual awakening. he considers the notorious dragon of the west a friend, and they often have long conversations over a round of pai sho (in which the winner is anybody’s guess) and ginseng tea (which is iroh’s favorite and sokka’s second favorite). so the next time he sees iroh, he looks him dead in the eye as he says, "you're going to teach me how to enter the spirit world."

#sokka #iroh #yue #katara #zuko #iroh&sokka #sokkaxyue #reyuenion #or like..... the prelude #the fact that sokka went to the spirit world but it was pre-yue kills me #like. now that he actually WANTS to go there. he doesn’t know how! #plus aang couldn’t teach him bc he IS a spirit (at least partially) #so his advice wouldn’t help sokka in the slightest #sokka needs someone who is spiritual but human #mystical but logical and practical and can speak in a frequency sokka understands #postwargaang #I see this being like a year after sozins comet? maybe two #depending on how quickly sokka and iroh get close #which is only inevitable bc they are so very similar #also if anyone’s wondering sokkas favorite tea is oolong :) #also yes I know zuko went ‘fishing’ that one time so theoretically he wouldn’t be opposed to killing a fish #but like. cmon #zuko is more of a friend to animals than he is people #he would be absolute shit at hunting #and fishing #and stepping on bugs without feeling guilty about it #aang n zuko solidarity #ok im done now

[comradekatara]

re(yue)niting in the spirit world like

#id in alt text #atla #sokkaxyue #sokka #yue #art #mart #REYUENION #spirit world yue #sokka having a breakdown meanwhile yue wants a kissy #I think abt sokka and yue hanging out together in the spirit world a lot ok... #it’s what they (both) deserve . #oh and to be clear this is NOT yue/suki skdkskskfkg #i realize it could read as such #but if ANYTHING she would be happy to join their polycule #this is categorically yue/sokka though #just so we are clear

[comradekatara]

sokka and yue doing #science together in the spirit world like the nerds they are

#id in alt text #sokka #yue #sokkaxyue #art #mart #reyuenion #spirit world yue #postwargaang #🌕🔭☄️⚗🌙🔬💖 #so brave of yue to be a Girl In STEM #i love that for her and how its literally canon that she loves math & physics & chemistry <3333 #minor character who lives in ur head free whose single defining relationship of the show gets 2 mins of screentime #and yet u still care deeply gang!!!!! #theyre out there.... co-authoring groundbreaking research together....... love that 4 them <3

[comradekatara]

saw your tags about what being the moon entails for yue and it sounded!! so interesting!! and i was wondering what else you had in mind?

yeah I think it’s such a fascinating concept to think about, but of course we don’t actually know enough about the spirit world to actually extrapolate what the experience of spirithood would entail for yue. we know that her physical form in the material realm exists within the white koi in the oasis, but she also inhabits a spirit form that we see when she kisses sokka before disappearing in “the siege of the north” and encourages aang in “the awakening.”

personally, I like to think that she just. lives in the spirit world now. I sort of picture her living in a little house on the moon the way le petit prince lived on his own little planet—that’s just very beautiful imagery to me. I want her to be friends with the other spirits, and get to visit various parts of the spirit world, like the library, for example. I like to think she writes poetry while watching over the world, over her loved ones. I want her to be able to receive visitors, such as aang, who frequents the spirit world often.

I want to think of her as coming into her spirithood, learning to navigate this new mode of existence, as a struggle that is ultimately empowering for her, and not just a burden. yes, her sacrifice was tragic, and her life being cut short was so unfair, but at least as a spirit she has power, and who’s to say she doesn’t also have agency? who’s to say that as a spirit she isn’t finally free to make choices and shape the world around her in a way she never got to when she was human? I think there’s something very lovely & poignant about imagining spirithood as being a form of freedom for her. maybe not at first, but she learns, she grows into it, she shines on.

and furthermore, who’s to say that sokka doesn’t see her again? I think we love to appreciate the inherent beauty in their fleeting, tragic romance so much that we sort of forget that yue.... isn’t actually dead? like yes, she did die in his arms, but also... if everything I just said is true (which to be clear, there’s no confirmation that it isn’t), then who’s to say that sokka couldn’t learn to enter the spirit world and visit her? and I know that sokka really does not seem like the kind of person who could visit the spirit world at will, especially when contrasted with aang, who is inherently a very spiritual person, but I think that a better point of comparison would be iroh, who learned to see and interact with spirits over time.

I also just think that iroh and sokka’s relationship postcanon would be very fascinating to explore, since they are so similar in so many ways, and part of their relationship that would prove extremely significant for sokka in the postwar growth I want to see from him is the spiritual aspect of his character, which I find so interesting particularly because he staunchly rejects spiritualism, even as he interacts with the spirits time and time again. and of course, it’s not that sokka doesn’t believe that spirits don’t exist (there’s skepticism and then there’s just straight up ignoring blatant facts, which sokka would also never do), but that he rejects the notion of mysticism, that just because we can’t explain something doesn’t mean it somehow lacks all explanation. so he and iroh would butt heads over this topic while also bonding over it, and while it certainly would take time... I also think sokka could learn to enter the spirit world. (to be clear, we know that nonbenders are able to do so through zaheer in lok, who has ample experience entering the spirit world despite only gaining airbending much later in life. so like. it’s possible!)

and of course, it’s not like he’s heading straight to wan shi tong’s (as much as he does long to visit the library again, there’s no way he’s gonna risk the wrath of that overlarge bird); he’s gonna visit yue. in his mind, he is searching for her because he wants to apologize to her face to face, to know once and for all that she has heard him repent for his egregious transgressions. meanwhile yue is so excited to see him—he’s here he’s actually here!!! and then she’s like.... wait..... what are you.......... apologizing for....... exactly????

because of course she’s heard his previous apologies, said to the night sky, to whom it may concern, but now it’s abundantly clear that not only is he expressing sympathy for her circumstance (though by the time they’ve reunited, she has come to terms with her spirithood, and actually quite enjoys being the moon) but that he actually thinks he must take personal responsibility for it. that he blames himself for not protecting her. she shuts down that line of thinking swiftly & firmly. and it is such a relief from sokka’s shoulders, a burden lifted that was so constant he couldn’t even remember what it was like to live without it. he feels as if he can float. and in the spirit world, he can. he does. they do.

after that first reunion, he starts visiting the spirit world regularly. he wants to explore this vast and mysterious terrain, without the threat of being trapped there like he was due to hei bai, or needing intel on the war like at the library. finally, he can explore the spirit world because he genuinely just wants knowledge for knowledge’s sake, and has the time to relax and pursue his interests, with yue as his guide, showing him around her new home.

without the threat of war, of duty, of sacrifice, looming over them at all times, they finally get to spend time together, to be themselves. they finally get to be free.

#aloera #asks #yue #spirit world yue #sokka #sokkaxyue #iroh&sokka #analysis #DONT MIND ME JUST RAMBLING ABOUT SOKKA/YUE UNDER THE CUT.... #😩😩😩😩😩 #it took me so long to cite everyth #but damn.... this bitch has thoughts ok!!! #sokka is in a very long distance relationship with the moon <3 #suki knows & supports him <333 #etc etc #reyuenion #postwargaang

[comradekatara]

the sokka/yue plotline is extremely tragic of course, but it becomes significantly less tragic when u remember that anyone can enter the spirit world provided they have a deep connection to the spirits (which sokka does... though whether or not he wants to admit it is another story) so with enough determination, sokka could surely be swapping childhood stories while drinking spirit tea on the moon with yue on, like, a monthly basis...

#im just sayin #if iroh could live there #for all intents and purposes sokka could too!!! #sokka #is very spiritual #but he also hates spiritualism #which makes his constant negging of it even more appealing to the spirits #when will sokka notice them back 🥺 #sokkaxyue #yue #man..... I just love them together #bc I’m stoopid #it’s my fatal flaw as an atla fan #yes I’m aware it’s tropey I don’t care!!!! she’s the moon you guys!!!!!!!!!!! #spirit world yue #reyuenion

[comradekatara]

Hey, do you have any thoughts about post-war relationship between Aang and Iroh. I think their respective struggles with power and duty (one being the avatar and other the heir to the throne) would be something they would bond over. Also, would they have picnics in the Spirit World (with Yue) ??? Love your blog :)))

thank you! this is such an interesting question; i love iroh and aang’s relationship in the show. i think aang could use more adult figures who are able to fully appreciate both his larger duty to the world as well as the fact that he’s just one kid who deserves a full and happy life. when iroh affirms that aang is wise to choose love over power, he proves himself to be a valuable mentor to aang, who is being told in that moment exactly what he needs to hear, as opposed to all of the figures in his life who consistently dismiss his values and try to wield him like a weapon. even though iroh wants the war to end, he understands that aang must do so on his own terms, or risk perpetuating the cycle of violence. 

i also think iroh would have a genuine interest in air nomad culture, and since part of aang’s post-war duties involve educating the world on the lives of the people they’ve lost, iroh could be a powerful player in amplifying aang’s voice and spreading his agenda of peace, as a former warmonger who has since learned better values (fitting in with aang’s staunch belief in forgiveness and redemption). it would be important for powerful players from the fire nation to demonstrate how whole-heartedly they respect aang (zuko saying “the real hero is the avatar” at his coronation in front of hundreds was definitely a good first step) after the war ends, and iroh is both a valuable ally, and a good friend. 

and yes, aang and iroh would definitely hang out in the spirit world together, just because they can (and iroh has met yue before, technically, so maybe they would hang out all three of them, and a bunch of other friendly spirits too, i would imagine). i also find the concept of them trying to help sokka enter the spirit world particularly compelling, especially because sokka is so fundamentally opposed to spiritualism (and also his neurotic adhd ass has never meditated a day in his life) that it would present, well, a process. but sokka has been to the spirit world before (not to mention spirits are like, obsessed with him) so i do think that with enough dedication, he could access it, once he learns that aang and yue are like besties actually (both out of jealously and a compulsion to apologize to her in person). at some point, sokka acknowledges how fucking absurd it is that he’s having tea parties in the spirit world with the avatar, his moon girlfriend, and the dragon of the west. if only his fifteen year old self could see him now. 

#aang iroh sokka yue squad of the century #aang&iroh #analysis #aang #iroh #sokka #sokkaxyue #aang&yue #iroh&sokka #aang&sokka #yeah why not lets just tag everything #and im only partially sorry for rambling about sokka i just think his relationship to the spirit world is really fascinating #and yes i recognize that iroh is morally complicated but everyone in the gaang loves him so.... #plus aangs forgiveness is a powerful thing #not to be taken lightly #asks #indistinctiveusername #reyuenion #postwargaang

[comradekatara]

Top 3 date locations for Sokka (or you?) to take Yue

for me??? girl..... u know she’s pixels right..... i cannot take her anywhere...... though I guess if I could I think she would enjoy a joanna newsom concert :) as for sokka....

when he took her for a ride on appa, that was NOT, in fact, a date! it was a very casual, completely platonic outing! no romance here!!!! but if it were.... 👀

if given the opportunity, I maintain that they would spend their first official date at a library. second date maybe a museum. some nerdy bullshit like that

I like to imagine that yue shows sokka around the spirit world. I know sokka losing yue is thematically significant and all, but I also think he’d have fun exploring the spirit world (when he’s there by choice, and not captured by a vengeful hei bai, that is), and she’d be a great tour guide. though as much as they’d want to, it’s probably best for everyone if they avoid The Library...

#joanna newsom concert o take me back.... #it was literally the perfect concert #I miss her...... (going outside. seeing people. places. and things) #anyway! #clarafordahwin #asks #sokkaxyue #reyuenion

[comradekatara]

sokka as the father of metaspirituality?? ngl i kinda think it'd be cool if sokka not only went to ba sing se university but also taught a course there bc. sometimes he Does have professor vibes. anyway 👀👀 please elaborate

@sashacore said: would LOVE more details about sokka as the begrudging lead scientist on all things spirit and spirit world related, how does that come about? what's his particular niche or position in that field? (also, if sokka was around in lok, what do you think his reaction would be to all the spirit world portals being opened / how the relationship between humans and spirits changed?)

okay so i received approximately one billion asks on this subject (thank you, by the way!) but these two asks are the longest/most comprehensive so i’m just going to include them, since they also contain follow-up questions. 

i alluded to my thoughts on this matter in this post and this one, which you should read before reading the rest of this response, since i don’t want to rehash trodden ground. but now i’m going to expand on why i think not only that sokka would be the first to apply math to spirits, but also why he would want to. 

it’s unclear how much scientists in the world of atla know compared to the advances made in science in our world. innovations in technology also depend on resources and bending. for example, in the northern water tribe, since they can do so much with waterbending as it is, they aren’t industrialized in the same way the fire nation is. firebenders and airbenders can’t manipulate their terrain, whereas waterbenders and earthbenders can, and so on and so forth. sokka understands how the water cycle works, and also how to throw a boomerang at just the right angle at which to kill someone, both of which are more advanced concepts than they seem on the surface, especially depending on how your deep your knowledge in those areas goes. 

there are two branches of science that would exist in the avatar world that cannot exist in ours, and these are bending theory and spirit theory (or metaspirituality, as i referred to it in my tags). while sokka shows clear interest in physics and engineering throughout the show, i’ve long been really intrigued by the concept of sokka’s annoyance and skepticism at bending and spirits and all that magic nonsense transforming into a scientific curiosity once he matures. i don’t think it’s necessarily wrong of him to meet spirituality with skepticism, because it’s not like he’s denying that spirits exist, just that they’re necessarily outside our reach. because spirituality in avatar isn’t actually religious in nature. spirits existing is a provable, demonstrable fact, which means mythologizing spirits is all well and good, but they can be understood. their ways seem mysterious because they aren’t understood, not because there exists some inherent mysticism that makes their motivations fundamentally impossible to discern. 

so sokka goes to the spirit world, and he studies it, through a mathematical + scientific lens, and then he goes back, and he studies it some more. how does he get to the spirit world, you may ask? in lok, we see that anyone spiritual enough can enter the spirit world, not just the avatar (ymmv on whether or not you think this makes sense). now, i feel like sokka would be uniquely bad at meditating, adhd king that he is, so that’s out of the question. but i also think that the first time sokka goes to spirit world (well, the second time, since he was trapped in the spirit world in book 1) wouldn’t even be looking for answers on the ways on the spirits. he would just be looking for yue. 

just as sokka studying bending theory would stem from interests in his friends’ abilities, sokka’s real interest in the spirits would begin with the personal, through conversations with aang and with iroh, and through grief. the tragedy of yue isn’t that she died, it’s that she didn’t. she’s always there, in the night sky, glowing and out of reach. her loved ones are mourning someone who isn’t really gone, and she, in turn, is watching her loved ones mourn her. but really, all that happened was she transcended to another dimension. she moved away. just... really far. i think she’d be worth the trip. 

so sokka takes research trips to the spirit world (and also bc he’s in an ldr with the moon – she did say “i will always be with you,” soooo.....) and records his findings. and thus, his research marks the beginning of the demystification of the spirit world. the field of metaspirituality is born, and future scientists refer to him as “the father of metaspirituality.” (he is rarely, if ever, credited with the invention of the slinky, which was his lifetime’s proudest achievement fwiw. well, tied with falafel.) 

i too have often thought that sokka should go to university; specifically ba sing se, since it’s the only one we’re shown, and also because for some reason sokka actually likes that city. or he likes the architecture and the monorail at least. maybe he spends time there under the guise that he’s advising kuei on how to implement reforms, but in his “free time” he’s getting a degree. he does a lot of work at the jasmine dragon, and is iroh’s favorite patron (after iroh gets over the fact that sokka can beat him in pai sho). and he would totally teach while doing research, too, because as much as the leaders of the world request his input, being a professor is totally his calling. but he can do both. after all, he’s very economical with his time when he needs to be. 

i think that throughout his life sokka would bounce from interest to interest over various periods of time (sometimes years, sometimes more than once in a day), but metaspirituality would actually remain a constant. just as katara becoming chief is a natural extension of her arc, so is sokka coming to understand spiritualism. over the course of the show he meets the avatar frozen in an iceberg, gets sent to the spirit world for a whole day, kisses a spirit, and disrespects another. the spirit world clearly loves sokka; it’s time for him to stop (deliberately, stubbornly) ignoring the call. 

and if sokka was present for harmonic convergence/korra’s new spiritual age, he’d either be like “goddammit are you kidding me. now i have to update all of my research” or he’d be like “yay!!! i get to update all of my research!!!” but knowing sokka, it really depends on his mood. 

#imagining sokka's future is so fun because he'd literally do EVERYTHING #politics science art you name it! #anyway #u can stop sending me asks about this now #hehe #i always underestimate how many followers this blog has #sokka #lore #sokkaxyue #asks #sashacore #8eanlord #reyuenion #sokkademia