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oneatlatime · 9 months

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Haybending

I got bored today and started daydreaming. The results:

In Bato of the Water Tribe, Aang haybends. Obviously he airbends a bunch of hay, but let's dig into haybending a bit.

As I understand it, Hay is a bit of an umbrella term for a bunch of animal fodder-producing plants, which means that haybenders bend more than just one plant; they can bend a bunch. That implies that they are bending what plants are made of rather than a single species or genus of plants. Hay is made of cellulose. Cellulose is what (I think) practically all plants are made of, and there are some bacteria that deal with it (?) as well. Biology class was a while ago.

What things are made of cellulose?

How about natural fibres? Cotton, hemp, flax/linen, burlap. (Not animal fibres or petroleum-based ones.) A cellulose bender could therefore bend all natural textiles (and blends so long as the natural content is over some percentage threshold, but I have yet to see evidence of petroleum or plastics in Avatar). It would certainly be useful in a fight if you could make your enemy's clothes trip them up/detain them. Everyone wears clothes made at least in part of fabric. Unless you rock the all leather look or just never wear clothes, you'd have no way of protecting yourself from a cellulose bender. Imagine the wedgies. Imagine how much easier it would be to put clothes on squirmy toddlers if the clothes were on your side.

What about making textiles? Would a civilisation that could cellulose-bend even bother inventing the loom? Imagine the heights of artistry that would go into cloth where each and every thread was conducted into place individually and simultaneously. I bet they could produce cloth while holding their threads floating in the air. A bender wiggles his fingers and what look like piles of tangled thread soar into the air and arrange themselves into a paisley-patterned button-down. Can you imagine the quality of tailoring you could accomplish if you had power over individual threads? Would you even invent sewing or tailoring if you could shape each individual piece to fit, then join them without seams? Can you imagine the implications for embroidery?

What about paper? Would a cellulose-bending civilisation ever invent ink? They could bend cellulose into paper, then instead of writing/printing text on paper, they could bend the cellulose in the paper into the shapes of the letters. Might not be faster than regular writing, but certainly more economical than how we currently produce braille books. You could literally throw the book at your enemies. Bend whole libraries.

Wood is made of cellulose too. Wood houses, carts, ships, bridges, all would be manipulable. Wooden shaft on the enemy's spear? Tie it in a knot. Woodcarving would be possible without tools. Who needs carpentry when you can bend a house out of a forest? Could you bend a bowl out of a tree and then put it back after dinner? If your cart had wooden wheels, could you propel it? If you're camping in the woods, could you bend a grass or branch hammock and then put it back the next morning? Could you obscure your tracks?

Can you imagine what a beast a rope-bender would be in combat? Canvas is made from hemp or cotton; a sail-bender could ground a whole fleet of sailing ships. A seaweed bender could ground propeller ships. You could knit without needles, crochet without a hook, open the curtains without getting out of bed. You could weave a basket on the spot, so long as you're near grass. Near-infinite biodegradable packaging at your fingertips. You could juggle coconuts without touching them.

And what about applications on plants that are still living? For more benign uses, imagine shaping your garden with a wave of your hand. Make vines climb trees, tree branches go where you need shade, weave elaborate living fences from shrubs. You could make a tree grow in the shape of a chair, then cut it down and use it in your dining room. What about forests? Could a cellulose-bender make a forest get up and walk? If you needed to move your herd to a different field, instead of a sheepdog or a cattle drive, could you just bend the wooden fence with the animals still inside and shuffle it to new ground? Hunting would be easy - just spot what you want to kill and then turn all the surrounding grass into snares.

And this isn't even touching the implications on agriculture.

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #this is some nonsense let me tell you #but nonsense is good for the constitution #avatar the last airbender

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ao3feed-zukka · 10 months

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Talk Too Much

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/p6oOWzS

by thehundrethpoet

“What’s this?” Zuko asks, arching a brow as he takes the napkin he’s offered, eyes flickering over the digits inked in smudged calligraphy but readable. “My number. So you can call me later.” The guy with blue eyes and hickeys along his collarbone says, smiling confidently for a moment. Truly, only a moment. Next thing he knows some insecurity passes by his face and he is crumbling into excuses, talking too fast and too much and this side of neurotic. “I mean, if you want to call me later. I don't want to assume, it's just last night was nice— not nice, hot— no, not hot, good. Last night was good and I like you so— not like you as in love you, like you as in you're nice— not nice, hot— no, not hot— fuck!” His face meets his hands and he lets out a quiet sound of gut-wrenching despair. “You're a rambler, aren't you?” He answers amusedly, good eye crinkling at the edges with a held back smile and bad eye hidden under a dark curtain of hair.

(Or the one where Zuko's one time flings talks like he expects not to be listened to and Zuko listens. Over and over again.)

Words: 35226, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 2 of knit your soul to mine and i will turn you into a poem

Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: M/M

Characters: Zuko (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar), Azula (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Aang (Avatar), Suki (Avatar), Bato (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Ty Lee (Avatar), Mai (Avatar)

Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar)

Additional Tags: god help me people actually liked my first one - freeform, and it’s been three whole ass years, but atla live action looks GOOD, and i finally made it, so here we go aGA I N-, I AM BACK, hide your feelings hide your children, hi terra, I'm sorry this was meant to be your Christmas gift and I am so majorly late, like... by three whole ass years, but it's still my gift to you, it’s just not Christmas, yay (?), pardon a girl her shortcomings, to all of you i hereby promise, no angst just softness..., fine there's ONE (1) piece of angst, but it's just the onE, i think, don't quote me on it, Dorks in Love, Fluff and Humor, Romantic Fluff, Happy Ending, zukka - Freeform, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, Sokka (Avatar)-centric, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Gay Zuko (Avatar), Zuko's Scar (Avatar), Minor Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), minor Kataang, minor bakoda, Uncle Iroh And His Cup Of Tea, Azula (Avatar) is A Good Sister, Azula (Avatar) And Her Asexual Smolder, Poet Zuko (Avatar), Poet Zuko (Avatar) Supremacy, College Student Zuko (Avatar), College Student Sokka (Avatar), the title says everything you need to know, so does the summary, The Author Regrets Nothing, begone fics where these two insist on hurting each other through miscommunication, ( yes i am aware my previous Zukka fic is one such story what about it ), and let's have healthy and good communication!, here we fucking goooooooo

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/p6oOWzS

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #zukka #avatar: the last airbender #atla #zuko #sokka

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ao3feedzukka-blog · 10 months

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Talk Too Much

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47954218 by thehundrethpoet “What’s this?” Zuko asks, arching a brow as he takes the napkin he’s offered, eyes flickering over the digits inked in smudged calligraphy but readable. “My number. So you can call me later.” The guy with blue eyes and hickeys along his collarbone says, smiling confidently for a moment. Truly, only a moment. Next thing he knows some insecurity passes by his face and he is crumbling into excuses, talking too fast and too much and this side of neurotic. “I mean, if you want to call me later. I don't want to assume, it's just last night was nice— not nice, hot— no, not hot, good. Last night was good and I like you so— not like you as in love you, like you as in you're nice— not nice, hot— no, not hot— fuck!” His face meets his hands and he lets out a quiet sound of gut-wrenching despair. “You're a rambler, aren't you?” He answers amusedly, good eye crinkling at the edges with a held back smile and bad eye hidden under a dark curtain of hair. (Or the one where Zuko's one time flings talks like he expects not to be listened to and Zuko listens. Over and over again.) Words: 35226, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 2 of knit your soul to mine and i will turn you into a poem Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: M/M Characters: Zuko (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar), Azula (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Aang (Avatar), Suki (Avatar), Bato (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Ty Lee (Avatar), Mai (Avatar) Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Zuko (Avatar) Additional Tags: god help me people actually liked my first one - freeform, and it’s been three whole ass years, but atla live action looks GOOD, and i finally made it, so here we go aGA I N-, I AM BACK, hide your feelings hide your children, hi terra, I'm sorry this was meant to be your Christmas gift and I am so majorly late, like... by three whole ass years, but it's still my gift to you, it’s just not Christmas, yay (?), pardon a girl her shortcomings, to all of you i hereby promise, no angst just softness..., fine there's ONE (1) piece of angst, but it's just the onE, i think, don't quote me on it, Dorks in Love, Fluff and Humor, Romantic Fluff, Happy Ending, zukka - Freeform, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, Sokka (Avatar)-centric, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Gay Zuko (Avatar), Zuko's Scar (Avatar), Minor Mai/Ty Lee (Avatar), minor Kataang, minor bakoda, Uncle Iroh And His Cup Of Tea, Azula (Avatar) is A Good Sister, Azula (Avatar) And Her Asexual Smolder, Poet Zuko (Avatar), Poet Zuko (Avatar) Supremacy, College Student Zuko (Avatar), College Student Sokka (Avatar), the title says everything you need to know, so does the summary, The Author Regrets Nothing, begone fics where these two insist on hurting each other through miscommunication, ( yes i am aware my previous Zukka fic is one such story what about it ), and let's have healthy and good communication!, here we fucking goooooooo June 17, 2023 at 10:54PM

#IFTTT #Zukka #AO3Feed Zukka #Sokka/Zuko

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weebliss · 1 year

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062819

woke the neighbor's kids early to help them with their exams and their grandma made me coffee which I was thankful for because mom's paksiw na isda sa bato (hahaha basta) was bitter. i didn't eat much. also took a bath before breakfast and danced to Lauv because it's a gloomy Friday. Ate breakfast with mom and brushed my teeth while listening to Ebe Dancel. I know I thought of great ideas that time but I can't recall them anymore hahaha. Wore my comfy knitted sweater, black square pants, and newly received pointed shoes. Now I regret not taking a photo of me today wearing them. Head to school still listening to Ebe. His songs make me accept feelings and realities in life and still be hopeful about the future. Daydreamed most of the time. Went to school and helped with the kids' costumes, encoded data, filled out forms, and was about 70% done. When costume was finally realized my cousin cancelled dinner so, I went home. When I was walking to the waiting shed, an ex high school crush called me. I felt indifferent but I said hi in return. The guy was a little bit lost in hs but we were never close, so what do I know? Listened to Ebe and saw mom waiting for me at 7/11. Bought grilled fish for dinner and ate rambutan and lanzones. Now sprawled on my bed and will be scrolling myself to sleep tonight. Also, I just found out there was a double rainbow this afternoon but I was in the office the whole day so I didn't notice :'(

P. S. Supplies in the house will not last us till next week. Must make a list of what to buy. Certainly a little on meat, more on veggies. Hope I can drag my mom through this change of lifestyle.

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zukkatrash · 3 years

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Sokka's favourite sweater isn't actually ugly, but it is really warm and cozy, but still the biggest reason he wears it is that Bato knitted it for him, gifting both him and Katara one for the first [insert atla winter holiday celebrated by the southern water tribe i am shamelessly using as a christmas stand-in, because while i personally cannot stand christmas, it does lend itself for some great interactions when your family isnt a hot mess] they celebrated after the war was over and he had been officially added to the family and Sokka swears that the first time he wore it he could see tears in his Bato's eyes

(his favourite pair of gloves however is absolutely atrocious, ugly and with so many uneven stiches and theres a whole finger missing on one hand but Hakoda tried and Sokka is a good son goddammit!)

(also the sweater Katara got is a very close second place for her, only because nothing compares to the fluffyness of flying bison wool, especially not if its gathered, spun and knitted by your very own boyfriend)

#atla #avatar the last airbender #avatar #bato #hakoda #bakoda #sokka #katara #bato knits #u cant change my mind #ive said it in my bakoda hc posts and i stand by it #he can knit so good and fast and god whyd u think it was a good idea to try to knit gloves hakoda?#gloves are /hard/ to knit and youre not good at it why would you do this to yourself?#why are you doing this to me? im the one having to recount all your rows because you keep getting confused at the pattern #knitting is hard yall #also i really hate christmas and yes i do mention that at every opportunity bc i really cannot stand this holiday #but like tis the season or smth idfk fandom shit is an escape and this way i can redirect all my christmas thoughts to fictional characters #and try to convince myself that i dont wanna have just one fucking christmas with a happy family #no its fine ill just think of Bato finally getting a happy christmas #even tho it wouldnt be christmas but yall know what i mean #okay wow this got kinda personal haha #eh its 5 am tis the hour #eyyy i got bad joke too hehe #alright ill go to sleep now

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mightyoctopus · 3 years

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This fandom has produced some amazing chronic pain Sokka content, which I love, but one thing I noticed is that chronic pain most often shows up in angst fics. Fics where Sokka is angsty specifically because of his injury and the resulting chronic pain, where he is reluctant to use a mobility aid, where he struggles with self worth, where he feels like he is no longer a proper warrior and cannot fulfill his role.

Thoughts like these are not unusual in real life, but it makes me wonder - why would Sokka, specifically, have these thoughts?

Thoughts like these are common in people who were born non-disabled and acquire a disability later in life, *and* who do not have contact with or exposure to disabled people.

Sokka grew up during a 100 year war in a close knit community. There is no way he doesn’t know disabled veterans. (In fact, he canonically knows a disabled veteran in Bato.) On top of that, 20% of the real world population is disabled. If we assume these numbers translate 1:1 to the atla world, that means that at least 20% of Sokka’s tribe is disabled. Maybe the numbers are even higher, due to the war and harsh living conditions.

During a lot of western history, disabled people were abandoned or hidden away, and that is the background a lot of writers come from, but that is not the type of culture Sokka lives in.

I’m sure that in the Water Tribe, all members are treated equally and given the support they need.

I’m sure Sokka has daily contact with disabled and non-disabled people and doesn’t even think about it. (This isn’t even speculation, after Toph and then later Zuko join the gaang.)

I’m sure he thinks of the disabled members of his tribe as just as valuable as himself.

The thing is, if you (as a non-disabled person) view disabled people as just as valuable as yourself, and then you become disabled, you’re still as valuable as before.

There will be new limitations in your life, and there will be practical concerns, but it won’t be a question of self worth, because disabled people are worth as much as everyone else.

That might sound overly simplistic, but take it from a multiply disabled person: It’s possible to just not be ableist. It’s possible to accept yourself the way you are, because there is nothing wrong with you or your disability.

Now, I don’t think it’s bad to write angsty fics in general, especially if it’s a way to cope with your own disabilities by projecting them onto Sokka. But I do think it’s a good idea, especially for non-disabled authors, to take a step back and ask yourself: Why am I including this element in my story? Why do I think Sokka would have internalized ableism? Why do I think the Water Tribe would foster these thoughts?

These are not rhetorical questions.

Like I said, these plot lines are not inherently bad. They can be great for authors and readers alike who struggle with their own internalized ableism, but they can also be harmful. They can perpetuate stereotypes about disabled and/or indigenous people.

So ask yourself, did you include heavy angst and internalized ableism because you feel you have to? Did you even question it, or did you see it as a given? Do you think disability is all about suffering, and Sokka can only be disabled if he suffers on-screen?

Because if yes, I beg to disagree.

We see disabled people living and thriving in atla. Their stories don’t revolve around suffering, and Sokka’s story doesn’t have to revolve around it either.

#avatar the last airbender #sokka #atla #actually disabled #writing #chronic pain #I'm the OP #fandom crit #avatar #chronic pain sokka #disability #disability headcanon #representation matters #bato

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nothing-more-than-hot-leaf-juice · 4 years

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Hi! Do you have any Atla headcanons? (sorry if someone already asked this)

A (very) incomplete list:

Sokka’s bisexual awakening happened at Earth Rumble VI

Zuko is ambidexterous

Hakoda hates Pakku and tells the worst jokes when he’s around because he knows it’ll annoy Pakku (Pakku has to put up with it to stay on Gran Gran’s good side)

During that time when Aang and Zuko we’re stuck in the tar for like 10 hours, Zuko spent 4 of those hours gushing about Iroh and Aang spent 4 of those hours trying to catch up on Fire Nation slang (Zuko was very unhelpful but tried his best and they just ended up making up a bunch of new slang words that only they use)

During the early part of Zuko’s banishment Iroh got him his first Blue Spirit mask bc he’s a shopaholic and wanted to cheer up his theater nerd nephew. Zuko acted annoyed at first because he didn’t want Iroh wasting money but hung it up in his room later.

When they were growing up, Bato was 99% of Kya and Hakoda’s impulse control

Jet and Zuko made out on that ferry ride after they stole all that food at the very least (this is just an accepted thing at this point, right?)

The first time Katara started to not hate Zuko after he joined the gaang was when Sokka found out that Zuko had a thing with Jet and RELENTLESSLY made fun of him and Katara for being fuckboy-suceptible

Suki has ADHD

Suki is PHENOMENAL at knitting

When they were younger, Zuko was actually a lot better than Azula at social events and the nobles found him charming as hell while she was antisocial and had no interest in being liked by people she considered beneath her.

Toph practiced sandbending by making sculptures of her buds.

#the babes are asking #atla #zuko #sokka #katara #bitchmaster pakku #iroh #aang #avatar headcanons #hot leaf content

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princessstevemunson · 3 years

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I wrote a post about Mrs. Weasley knitting Charlie’s dragons sweaters. You know who else radiates that energy? Hakoda!!

Sokka and Zuko are coming from Caldera to the SWT with Druk. They step off the air ship to be greeted by Hakoda holding a Druk sized parka. Sokka is just like shaking his head. “Dad, he’s a fire breathing dragon he doesn’t need a parka.”

Bato laughs and responds “your friend what’s his face can breathe fire but he needs a parka.” Bato never calls Zuko by his name, it’s not out of disrespect or anything it’s just something Bato does.

“Don’t tell me you’re encouraging this.” Sokka puffs.

“Your father insisted I go with him to hunt to get the perfect pelts for his grandson.”

Druk is excited by this and wraps himself around Hakoda.

You can’t tell me that Druk is a spoiled grand baby. I’m sure Hakoda spoiled all of his grandchildren, but Druk is the eldest.

#sokka #zukka #zuko #atla #avatar the last airbender #hakoda #Druk #bato #bakoda #dragon grandchildren are still grandchildren

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unacaritafeliz · 3 years

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Zukki and in-laws

firstly this is a fantastic prompt, i had so much fun with this! thank you!

hakoda adopted suki and zuko long before they ever married sokka. he loves them so much and would protect them with his life. he has the best working relationship with zuko because he knows when and how to rein zuko in and how to have good, productive discussion with him to benefit both nations. is occasionally coerced into things for them by sokka saying 'remember when suki and zuko risked their lives to save you at the boiling rock? not that it matters, i'm just saying'. suki calls him dadkoda unironically. she reminds him of kya.

bato, kanna, katara, iroh, azula, kiyi, the kyoshi warriors and kyoshi herself under the cut!

bato to suki "oh dear, oh dear, gorgeous!". bato to zuko "you fucking donkey!" bato loves zuko really (he's so endearingly awkward, how could bato not like him) it's just more fun to bully him. bato and suki are constantly suffering about how dumb hakoda and sokka's jokes are but how much they love them anyway. he begrudgingly loves going for hunts with sokka and suki and he taught zuko to ice fish. (bato and zuko trans buddies? bato and zuko trans buddies).

kanna loves suki for being the one to beat some goddamn respect into her grandson - and also for being a badass warrior who isn't afraid to help out with more traditionally feminine past times/chores. she takes a while to warm (lol) to zuko for obvious reasons, but she can tell that he a) loves her grandson and b) is genuinely trying his best to repair the world. sometimes they sit together in silence while he reads and she knits/sews. she always gives them so much food and makes sure they're dressed warmly.

katara loves being officially sisters with suki, hates being related to zuko by law but uses her little sister privileges to annoy him all the time. she shovel-talked sokka on suki and zuko's behalf but mostly because she knows that suki and zuko already knew that she'd kill them if they tried anything <3. suki and zuko are the best in laws because they are nice, smart (apart from liking sokka, widely regarded as stupider than chasing the avatar) and also will spar with her whenever she wants. the three of them gang up to tease sokka all the time.

iroh LOVES sokka and suki. he's happy that his nephew has found people who love him so deeply but the real joy comes from pai sho matches with sokka and tea dates with suki. sokka reminds iroh a lot of lu ten and they make snarky comments about pakku in white lotus meetings. suki makes him atone for his war crimes. iroh often says 'zuko, why cant you be more like your spouses?' but in a loving way.

azula really bonded with sokka and suki during her time in rehab - sokka would read or play pai sho with her so they could hang out without talking and suki would spar with azula which was always very fun. one time she snorted at one of sokka's jokes and he never lets her forget it. learned to kyoshi fight from suki and looked bomb wearing the outfit for real. she always says sokka and suki could both do better than her dumbass older brother but she is secretly very happy for the three of them and looks up to their relationship.

kiyi thought zuko was the coolest person in the world until she met sokka and suki. she truly believes that suki is the prettiest person in the whole world and wants to be a kyoshi warrior when she grows up! she honestly think sokka is hilarious and loves all the things he invents and buys for her! also loves to do art with sokka because she's better than him. she is extremely spoiled by all three of them to be honest.

the kyoshi warriors are always down to both beat and roast the fuck out of their brothers-in-law but they love both sokka and zuko very very much. mostly they love how happy the boys have made suki. they think sokka is extremely funny much to suki's chargrin. they tease zuko every time they guard him but he still prefers them to any fire nation guards. sometimes the warriors swap head gear to try and trick sokka and zuko up but the boys can usually tell (suki yells at them for this).

avatar kyoshi considers suki her daughter and once possessed aang just to shovel talk zuko and sokka (he was trying himself, but it's aang. he loves them. it wasn't very threatening). being threatened by kyoshi was 'equal parts exhilarating and terrifying' according to sokka. she does like them a lot though - she thinks they are fun and nice and they are good friends to aang and good husbands to suki which is all that really matters to her. she thinks sokka should wear his kyoshi uniform more often.

SEND ME A SHIP AND A WORD AND I’LL WRITE UP A HEADCANON!

#i love in-laws #for both zukki and sokkateo #thank you new friend!#asks #jackthunderboltyt

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teamsuki · 4 years

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headcanon that adult sokka takes up knitting. he sits in a lot of meetings and has a hard time sitting still and paying attention but if he’s doing something with his hands it helps him focus on whoever’s talking. people think he’s being rude at first but once he explains it they’re like “oh ok no biggie then” but he has to explain it a lot bc he’s Mr. Worldwide.

he starts off by making shitty scarves for hakoda and bato and gran gran. then he learns how to make hats and he starts making them for the kids in the swt but then he gets better and he makes hats for katara and aang. then he learns how to make socks so he makes them for suki and toph when they come to visit (despite tophs grumbling) (she knows her feet would freeze in the snow and ice but STILL). he declares his magnum opus project to be a blanket for zuko bc it was the first thing he made with the chevron style and he’s v v proud

(zuko snuggles with it every night but shhh don’t tell anybody)

#atla #sokka #atla headcanons #zukka #not me projecting onto my favorite character

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teaandcrowns · 5 years

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Cultural Examinations: Water Tribe

The thing that drew me in the most about the Avatar world is the influence of so many different cultures.

To me, it’s more subtle than just throwing a world-wide mix of cultural analogs together (which is also fun, but will yield a completely different story), and that’s something I very much appreciate.

When I approach writing fanfiction within this universe, I try and take as much care inserting and adding details unique to each culture, as inspired by ones that exist on our world—much as the creative team did for the shows themselves.

When writing fanfiction in such a lush world as Avatar, I do my best to take care and put as many cultural details and cues as the show had visually. This means doing research into the cultures that are analogued or used as inspiration for the ones that appear in the show. Though a fanfic can be written without this, I know that the fics I’ve enjoyed reading the most have all had deeper cultural inclusions and references. It gives both the fic itself and the world its set in more weight and breadth, and I consider that if it’s something I deeply enjoy reading, I should do the work to put the same effort and detail into fics that I add, as well. (Also, enjoying doing that doesn’t hurt, either.)

The Water Tribe is not solely based off of Inuit/Arctic Peoples, but also Mongolian. The parkas they wear are very Arctic in inspiration, but the robes resemble the Mongolian deel.

The Water Tribe is very family focused, as are both of these types of cultures. Inuit/Arctic Peoples are not one uniform culture, nor are Mongolians, though there are commonalities held throughout. The Water Tribe is well suited to this type of connected but not uniform culture, as the Tribe itself is split into two main sister tribes, and also I feel that with the expanse of the antarctic region we see in the show, there would certainly have been more than one gathering of tribesmen before the Fire Nation decimated the population.

Aside from their dress, what else can we know, culturally, about the Water Tribe?

We know they are very close-knit with one another—both within blood family and outside blood relatives. We know that at least half of the Water Tribe people, the Northern, are severely patriarchal, and it seems that perhaps the Southern Tribe was to a much lesser degree. They are a seafaring people, comfortable on the ocean and sailing in community-built ships, and they are a people who feel a deep sense of cultural pride and connection to tradition.

With as family oriented as Water Tribesmen are, it’s easy to see smaller clan-like settlements being the norm rather than a crowded city. Despite the appearance of a large city in the Northern Water Tribe, it’s easy to believe that there are settlements outside that city—or at least were, perhaps before smaller clan units retreated to the city for greater defense and survival during the War.

While Sokka exhibited misogynistic views at the beginning of the show, it’s most likely because of his fragmented upbringing rather than the South holding to as fiercely patriarchal ways as the North. Hama, for example, was a combative waterbender, as were plenty of other women waterbenders fighting against the Fire Nation.

This was probably known between the Tribes, which would be the reason Kanna left the North and her arranged marriage to find her own path (and husband) in the South. The fact that the North did not keep in contact or appear to offer any real help to their Southern tribespeople during the Fire Nation attacks (despite the claim that the Northern Water Tribe leader headed both tribes), could also be evidence that the North did not exactly approve of the South’s views. Then again, the lack of help could also be because of the risk across such a great distance to send help, but Water Tribe people have a deep sense of kinship toward one another, even if they never met (see Foggy Swamp Tribesmen Huu, Due, and Tho welcoming Katara as kin). I am of the belief that it’s the disapproval of the more liberal Southern views rather than simple complex and risky logistics.

Both Inuit/Arctic Peoples and Mongolian peoples have the same tribal/clan-like sense of community, and are welcoming into their homes. One of the traditions of the Mongols is a host offering tea—it is so ubiquitous that a host would not think twice about offering tea and the guest would not think to decline. It’s simply good, expected hospitality.

This reflects nearly directly in the Water Tribe. The Northern Water Tribe hosts a great feast to which of course Aang, Sokka, and Katara are invited; Hama immediately sets about making a personal feast of traditional Water Tribe fare for all the kids without question; and the Foggy Swamp benders share their fires and food with the group as soon as they discover they’re distant kin. Even Bato unquestionably makes Aang an honorary Water Tribe member after Sokka’s Ice Dodging—not because he’s the Avatar, but because he’s a close friend of Sokka and Katara.

On the same token, Katara, Sokka, Hakota, and Bato all express deep sorrow, akin to physical pain, upon the separation of them from family. For Hakota, it’s being separated from his children for so long; for Katara, it’s the loss of her father and her mother, which still affects her years later as keenly as it did when she was eight; for Sokka, it’s mostly the loss of growing into the brotherhood of warrior tribesmen on top of losing their father for years; for Bato, it’s the loss of that same brotherhood, established for years, that he feels most, however temporary it may be.

What seems the most tragic about the Water Tribes, however, is their loss of culture. It is especially so for the Southern Tribe, which by all exhibits seems to have some significant differences from their Northern cousins. Even this is reflective of both Arctic Peoples and Mongolian cultures, though primarily more in the former. A lot if heritage has been lost, by assimilation of other, more dominant cultures—such as post-AtLA when the Northern Tribe sends benders and tribesman to help their sister tribe—and by simple loss of elders and people and their knowledge. It’s a shame that Hama wasn’t able to impart more cultural heritage knowledge to Katara and Sokka before her confrontation with them. With all that, it’s easy to see how people have internal conflict about moving forward after the War is over—is it really okay to make new traditions and technological advances that ultimately have an effect on culture, or should a greater effort be put into relearning and preserving?

This theme of traditional culture versus progress at the (potential) sacrifice of those traditional ways being in conflict in both the world’s nations and in individual characters is a repeated one that I feel is one of the more important themes to the entire series. The Water Tribe still struggles with this even into the story of Legend of Korra, some seventy years after the end of the Hundred Year War.

It doesn’t wholly define the Water Tribe, no, but it does have a hand in defining it. Every culture experiences its own growing pains in the aftermath of the War, and we can see that it’s not something that even a generation and a half has been able to solve.

It’s easy to see both sides of the argument, especially for the Water Tribe. Half their people were lost, it’s time to move on to newer and better things. But at the same time, half their people were lost, they should honor the memory and keep tradition alive, especially when that tradition seems to help preserve the very balance of the world.

I don’t think there’s a true right or wrong answer of one side over the other, but that, as with another integral theme in the show, of balance. With the Water Tribe, being who they are, I feel that so long as they are able to maintain their sense of community and family (blood or extended), they will always be able to adapt with change and make it work to their advantage.

There are, of course, a lot of cultural details that I like to add when I write fic concerning the Water Tribe that are by no means in any kind of canon. What I feel fits and gives greater depth into a world may differ from what another author may decide. I don’t uniformly migrate details over, either—I pick some that I feel would fit with how the Tribe is presented and how it will add to and impact whatever story I am writing. So long as it meets all the criteria—does it honor whichever culture it comes from? Does it fit into the Avatar world? Does it add to and/or impact or deepen the story itself somehow? Does it feel Water Tribe enough?—then it gets added in. Like an artist would do with visual clues that don’t immediately stand out but enhance the scene and world anyway, I believe adding these cultural details achieves the same effect in fanfiction.

#avatar the last airbender #avatar: the last airbender #atla #a:tla #the water tribes #the northern water tribe #the southern water tribe #// meta tag #this is an old post #so forgive any datedness or incompleteness of it #i know a lot of people have talked about stuff like this #but this is just my own take #because i enjoy it

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ao3feed-zukka · 4 years

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a daydream believer and a homecoming king

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2CasUKs

by cj_thedepressedgay

Zuko is quiet. He doesn't have many friends, he's quiet in class, he spends most of his time with one earbud tucked into his ear. Then he starts tutoring Sokka.

Sokka is the opposite of Zuko. He's the linebacker of the football team, he's got plenty of jock friends, but also a tight-knit group of people that he would trust with his life. He's always cracking jokes in class, but he has dyslexia, so his teacher recommends him to a student tutor, if only to help him with reading comprehension. That's how he meets Zuko.

When their worlds collide, Zuko feels years of carefully built walls crashing down around him, but maybe he's okay with letting Sokka in?

Words: 1801, Chapters: 1/7, Language: English

Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M

Characters: Sokka (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar), Suki (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Aang (Avatar), Toph Beifong, The Gaang (Avatar), Azula (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar), Mai (Avatar), Ty Lee (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Bato (Avatar)

Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Suki (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Aang & Toph Beifong & Katara & Sokka & Suki & Zuko, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Aang/Katara (Avatar), Bato/Hakoda (Avatar)

Additional Tags: Fluff, Angst, Coming Out, Getting Together, First Kiss, Slow Burn, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Gay Zuko (Avatar), Trans Zuko (Avatar), Lesbian Suki (Avatar), Lesbian Azula (Avatar), Pansexual Aang (Avatar), Lesbian Toph Beifong, Everyone Is Gay, (except for Katara), ((we stan kataang tho)), Bato is the stepdad that you never knew you needed, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Sokka loves that part of him, I gave Zuko a cat named Duck, because I want to put this one scene in eventually, Appa is a big fluffy dog, Momo is a smart bitch of a cat, Sokka plays football and Zuko deals with his emotions, (sokka does not deal with his emotions), they're both gay for each other, as well as inarticulate idiots, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, almost forgot that one, Alternate Universe - High School

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/2CasUKs

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #zukka #avatar: the last airbender #atla #zuko #sokka

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bellatrixobsessed1 · 4 years

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The Art Of Remembrance (Part 2)

The sickly feeling is growing in the pit of his stomach. Having fully slumped onto him he can hear and feel that her breathing has grown shallow again, irregular. The rise and fall of her chest is becoming increasingly inconsistent. Some dark part of him wonders if he should care. He tells himself that it might not be her at all, that it wouldn’t make sense for Azula to be anywhere near the tribes. In that vein he couldn’t chance letting someone innocent die.

Who is he trying to fool, even if it is Azula, he doesn’t feel right letting her die either.

Katara comes back with a bundle of clothes. “Katara, watch her for a minute, I’m going to find dad.”

Katara’s brows furrow. “You’re what?! Look at it out there!” She gestures to the window. “You’re the one who told me to stay inside.”

“She’s not going to make it without dad, I don’t know how to take care of her.” He lifts her bundled form onto the sofa and lays her down. “I don’t think that waterbending can fix this.”

Katara kneels down and inspects the firebender. “Sokka, I can’t lose you. Dad can’t lose you.” She watches him disappear into the other room.

“You’re the one who always wanted to stop and help people out. Even if it could have gone terrible for us.” He calls.

Katara sighs. “How are you going to find your way home? I can barely see the tree a few feet away from the house.”

“With this.” He reemerges with an armful of rope, netting, and cloth. “Dad and I keep them for fishing and hunting. I’ll only go as far as all of this can get me.”

She bites her lip. “Be careful, Sokka. I’ll see what I can do for her.”

Sokka nods as he tugs his parka on and then his gloves, and another set of gloves, and--this time--a pair of snowshoes.

“If you get too cold, please just go to the nearest house and stay there. Losing two people is worse than losing one.”

And two alive is ideal, he thinks. He draws his hood over his head and casts a final look at who he assumes is Azula. He hopes that he has bundled her up tightly enough to keep her alive a little longer.

He takes his first step into the snow storm. With a piercing slap, it shows him exactly what his task is going to be like. The cold is already intolerably biting. The wind screams at him, a shrill banshee wail with a frosty breath. He refuses to look back at the house. The warm house with the blazing fire...he shakes his head and takes another step. He’d last seen Hakoda at the center of town, which isn’t all too far from their own home. By the time he makes it to the first house, his teeth are chattering considerably and his fingers are pulsing. “Gran Gran?”

“Sokka, what are you doing here?”

He almost asks her the same before he remembers that she had volunteered to watch their neighbor’s children while they vacationed in the Fire Nation. They certainly chose the right time. “I’m trying to find dad, I need his help.”

“Sokka…”

“It can’t wait, someone is going to die.”

Kanna shushes him. “Not in front of the kids. What’s going on Sokka?” She whispers.

Quieter he replies, “I found someone in the snow and now I need to find dad. I’m going to stop in each house to warm up until I find dad. When I find him we’ll go as far as we can and if we start to get cold, we’ll take a break in the nearest house that will let us in.” He hopes to take as few of those as possible. “Do you know where dad is?”

Kanna nods, “Four houses over with Bato.”

.oOo.

“...Gonna be fine.” The voice is distorted.

“...warm....” Under the distortion she can’t tell if the voice is male or female.

“...back soon...and…” Nor if there are one or many people speaking.

She fades in and out but she can’t seem to ever wake herself in full. Even if she could she knows that she is too weak to do anything. Her body feels numb. Or maybe she doesn’t have one at all. Maybe she is already in some sort of between state, well on her way to the Spirit World.

She tries to open her eyes again but they are so heavy.

She can’t feel…

She wants to feel…

“Careful!” It is a different voice. “Be very gentle.”

There is only blackness but she finally does feel something. That something is warm and it is on her forehead. She is starting to feel more things; a tingling in her right hand, a pressure on her left, a sense that something is horribly amiss.

“Not yet! Don’t let her wake up yet.”

Like that she slips away again.

She tries to fight it but there is no fight left in her.

She is warm, very warm. Warmer than she has been in ages. She savors it with everything she has. Out in that tundra she had feared that the cold would never leave her, would wrap its icy fingers around her bones perpetually. Her cheek rubs against something fuzzy...or furry? It doesn’t matter, they are nearly the same in sensation.

She doesn’t yet open her eyes because her head still spins. She rubs her fingers over the fuzz...the fur?

She inhales and opens her eyes. The light is glaring. She tries to sit up but her head is still dazed. The dizziness within it sends her head back down. She fights to stay awake but her fight brings no fruition.

“She’s really hot.” Says a voice. She feels a hand on her head. “We should give her some water.” The voice is female.

Azula forces her eyes open, she squints against the light but only for a moment before the woman eclipses it. She utters a question but her moving lips make no sound. The once soothing warmth is now uncomfortable. She tries to sit up again but she is tangled in blankets.

She doesn’t remember how she has gotten here.

She doesn’t remember a lot of things.

She needs to remember.

She needs to…

“You’re awake.” The woman notes. “Sokka was really worried, we weren’t sure if you would.”

She stares at the woman.

“Here, have some water.” She holds out a waterskin and helps to unravel the blankets. “Gran Gran has some seaweed stew cooking, I promise that she’s a much better cook than Sokka.”

“Sokka?” Azula murmurs.

“He found you in the tundra.”

Azula’s brows knit as she puts the pieces together. Some of them anyhow. “How bad was it?”

Katara winces and exchanges a look with someone behind her. Azula steals a look at this person and decides that he must be Sokka.

“It’s...not good.” The man replies.

“Why?” She finds that she doesn’t have the patience for guessing games. “Just tell me how bad it is.” Perhaps she shouldn’t be so cross with the people who have saved her. She lays back down again, rolls onto her side, and presses her cheek into the cushion.

“You got frostbite and hypothermia. And now you have a fever.” Says a third person. An older man.

“Look at your hand.” The younger man adds. She isn’t sure if he is Sokka or if it is the older man.

Instead of asking, Azula holds her hand out in front of her and flexes her fingers.

“The other one.” Says the younger man. Azula holds up her left hand and flexes her fingers. Her four fingers. She swallows hard, feeling queasy.

“We had to amputate it, it was already dead.” Noted the older man.

All she can muster is a soft and hazy, “But I needed that.”

“You’ll still be able to firebend and whatnot.” Says the older man. “I’ve seen men and women with greater injuries…”

She isn’t quiet listening anymore. She wonders just how much more she will lose. Her eyes linger on her left hand. She thinks that maybe she should shed some tears, but some how she can’t manage. Instead she runs her undamaged fingers over the bandage until the woman says, “don’t do that you’re going to hurt yourself.”

Azula withdraws her touch. “Am I missing anything else?”

“We were concerned about your toe.” Answered the younger man. “We decided to let you keep it though.” He laughs. She doesn’t share his sense of humor.

“I’m going to see if Gran Gran has you stew ready.” The woman gets up. The older man follows her.

“What were you doing out there?” The remaining man asks.

“I was getting away from them.”

“Them?” The man questions. “Who are they.”

She shrugs, “I don’t know. They’re them.”

His eyes seem to light up with realization. “You need to go back there, it’s for your safety and everyone else’s, as soon as...”

She throws herself off of the couch and sends the both of them to the floor. She holds a small flame to his throat. It flickers orange as it licks dangerously close to his flesh. She hears footsteps and knows that she hasn’t got a chance. She is already feeling faint. She crumples to the ground again.

“What’s going on?” It is the woman.

“She tried to get up and she fell…”

She has to give him props for covering for her.

She wakes up on the sofa once more. Her entire body screams and scolds her for dealing it more abuse. While her body shouts, the man is quiet. She doesn’t think that he realizes that she has come to. She gives a soft cough and he turns around.

“Sorry, I thought that you were someone else.”

“Who did you think I am?”

“My friend’s crazy sister.” He shrugs. “She’s dangerous...and completely nuts.”

Azula eyes him blankly. “Oh.”

“I’m Sokka, who are you?”

“That’s a good question, I’ll let you know when I figure that out.”

Sokka laughs, “you can just say that you don’t want to tell me.”

Azula massages her temples. Her head was already pounding a good one and this man is somehow managing to hike it up a notch. “They did something to me...that’s why I had to leave. I think that they did a lot of things to me…”

His smile fades, “you were serious? You really don’t know your name?”

“I know my name and that I escaped from an institution.” She replies. “But I don’t know the person behind that name. I don’t remember that person.” Azula watches his expression screw into the image of concern.

“Your stew is getting cold.”

“I just told you that I don’t remember anything and that I escaped from an institution and you want to talk about rank-smelling stew!?”

Sokka flinches. “Look, eating makes me feel better when I’m all bandaged up. I’m just trying to help.”

Azula exhales and her face softens. She holds her hands out. Sokka gives a half smile and sets the bowl in her hand. Truly the smell is unbearable, like fish and stale ocean water. But her stomach is empty and she can’t particularly afford to be choosy. She reluctantly has a spoonful. The texture is slimy and gushy against her tongue. She forces it down and bunches her face in disgust. After the third spoonful Sokka snickers, “if you hate it that much you can just ask for something else. We can fry up some fish.”

She puts the bowl aside. “How long were you going to make me suffer?”

“Three more spoonfuls but then you did that thing with your face and I decided to show mercy.”

“I’ll remember this, Sokka.” She vows. “And I don’t have a lot of memories, so it won’t be hard.”

He bursts out laughing again. “Just make sure you store that memory next to the one of me dragging you out of the tundra.”

“Yeah, that one is a blur.”

He leaves the room and in his absence she takes in her surroundings. The place is rather cozy; skins and furs line the walls and floors. They hang above the fireplace alongside a few pots, pans, ladles, and mugs on hooks. The fireplace is glowing warmly. She slowly gets to her feet and wanders closer to it, dragging with her a trail of blankets. She holds her hands out in front of the fire, taking special care to look everywhere but at the bandaged stub. The room is rather cluttered, the previously noted furs are spread out atop each other in a seemingly random array, some overlapping one another. She sees books and scrolls throughout the room and a chair pushed up against the wall. It has another blanket tossed over it. There are a few shelves lined with herbs and decorated with animal tusks and teeth. In another corner is a rack of weapons that ranged from primitive spears and clubs to rather intricate swords and modern hunting tools.

“Cod or salmon?” Azula jolts at the sound of his voice.

She shrugs. “As far as I’m concerned, I’ve never tried either.”

“I’ll cook them both.” They sit in silence as the fish sizzle and pop. It doesn’t smell all too bad, not compared to the hellish odor that her other meal emitted. He hands her the cod and she takes a regrettably large bite. Her face bunches up again.

“Alright, how about salmon?”

She takes a significantly smaller bite. “I’m starting to think that I hated seafood.”

He chuckles. “You’re definitely Fire Nation. Here, we had some fruits imported from your homeland and dad managed to get a moose-lion.”

“Why didn’t you mention that before?”

“Wanted you to try something new.”

She picks out a mango and savors the taste as Sokka begins cooking the moose-lion meat. She still feels dizzy and nauseous. She tries not to think about that too much. “Why did you help me? You could have died.”

“That’s kind of what me and my friends do.” He shrugs. “Besides, if I didn’t I would have never gotten to see all of those priceless faces.”

She lets her face go deadpan again.

He shudders, “alright, that’s a scary face. You look way too much like her when you make it.” He pauses. “You said that you know your name?”

“Only because they kept saying it to me.” She confirms.

“What is your name?”

She tosses the mango pit into the fire. “They’ve been calling me Azula.”

#Avatar #Azula #Sokka #Sokkla #Fanfiction

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shelleyrobbinsus · 5 years

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Beating the heat as you travel to the tropics

Itâs hot. Damn hot.

Itâs so hotâ¦ I just saw a chicken lay an omelet.

Itâs so hot, even my sweat is sweating

I swear to youâ¦itâs so hot, I just saw two trees fighting over a dog!

Ok, you get the point â the thermometer is registering some absurd numbers.

Of course, you may be reading this in the dead of winter in your hometown, where it gets dark at 4:30 pm, your car wonât start until noon, and you wake up with icicles on your nipples.

But, simply hop on a flight to the tropics and youâll be met with sunshine and high temps nearly all year long.

While that sounds like paradise, where you can lounge on the beach and get your tan on, the reality is that the heat is no joke in many climates, something that absolutely affects your health and can even be dangerous. If youâre staying in a hot climate for longer than a week (which you spend by the pool or in the ocean), youâll probably have to deal with obscene temperatures in day to day life, which certainly isnât as fun.

In fact, I did a little research for ya thanks to Google, and here heat sickness has some serious physical manifestations;

When your body temperature rises due to external temperatures and sun exposure, your body starts working hard to normalize your internal temp, with your heart rate increasing as it tries to send more blood to surface areas. But, when that happens in extreme or prolonged cases, you have less blood for normal functions like muscles, internal organs, and brain activity.

Believe it or not, but an average of at least 600 people die each and every year in the United States alone due to extreme heat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Incredibly, extreme heat and high temps kill more people every year than floods, tornadoes, lightning, hurricanes, and earthquakes â combined!

No bueno.

Even 80-90 degrees will tire you out if youâre not acclimatized, but once it hits 90 degrees F, heat exhaustion becomes a possibility. When itâs over 100 degrees, heat exhaustion is very likely, and heat stroke is coming.

Luckily, we have some great tips for you to deal with the heat.

Stay in the shade: It sounds obvious, but youâll be amazed at the temperature difference between straight sun and a little bit of shade when youâre in the tropics. It feels like the temperature is 20 degrees lower in the shade.

View this post on Instagram

Chilling with the legendary Bato Bato at the waterfalls on Camiguin, the #Philippines.

A post shared by AllWorld.com (@allworldonline) on Dec 15, 2018 at 12:01pm PST

Hydrate: No, beer doesnât count. Ok, it counts if you drink it with ice and a lime like I do. But seriously, make sure you chug A LOT of water every day while youâre in the tropics, especially since your body will be adjusting and you might be dried out from being on an airplane, too. Gatorade is fine, but itâs all sugar, so drink a âNatureâs Gatoradeâ every day â coconut water.

Slam a glass of (clean) water in the morning, before you eat each meal, and carry around a water bottle with you at all times when youâre out in the sun or outdoors.

AllWorld travel tip: DO NOT rely on your body to tell you when itâs thirsty and needs fluids. Most people donât feel thirsty until their body loses fluids equivalent to about 2 percent of their body weight!

Avoid alcohol: Itâs tempting to reach of the booze while youâre on vacation or living the dream in the tropics, but that might dehydrate you more in the long run, and can exacerbate the effects of alcohol. Plus, thereâs NOTHING worse than a Booze Cruise sunburn/hangover/dehydration sickness. If you will drink, try to keep it to light beers and slam a water in between each beer.

I should mention that coffee can also dehydrate you, but I would never suggest you stop drinking the java. Thatâs crazy talk!

Waterproof clothes: Iâm a sweater. No, not like a big fuzzy warm thing your grandma knitted for you, but someone who sweats A LOT. After eight years living in hot and tropical climates, I can manage the heat but the humidity just kills me. Anyways, instead of sporting awkward and unsightly sweat patches on everything I wear as I walk around all day, I wear dry wick clothes whenever possible or, my personal favorite, basketball jerseys. They repel moisture, dry super quick, donât get mildewy â and keep you cooler because they breathe.

Sport a hat: It may sound simple, but it works â wearing a baseball cap or one of those big goofy beach caps actually keeps you way cooler because the sun and heat will be off your head, and it also creates partial shade.

Dip it in water: When youâre on a boat, the beach, or just walking around and absolutely melting with the heat (and you donât want to jump in the water), take your ball cap or hat and dip it in some cold water, whether itâs ocean water or putting it under a tap. Then, put it on soaking wet and all. It actually cools you down a huge amount and the wet hat will keep your head cool and lower your body temperature for about twenty minutes until it dries.

Bandana or towel: Since Iâm a profuse perspirer (making up words again) in the high humidity of the tropics (or whenever I have to talk to a woman I like. Eeeek!), I carry around a bandana or a little white towel with me at all times. Not only is it great for dabbing at sweat, but it can be put over my head for shade, used as a fan, or used to dry off for any reason. I fold the bandana and throw it in my back pocket so itâs always there.

Early and late: If you pay attention to the comings and goings of the locals in Central America, South America, Southeast Asia, or other hot regions, youâll notice that they come out early, waking up at dawn (or before) to start working, cleaning the house, heading to the beach to exercise, or whatever. Theyâll be active until about noon and then retire to eat lunch, nap, and lounge in the shade or indoors. That will continue during the hottest parts of the afternoon, for two, three, or even four hours while only the tourists are milling about. Then, as it starts to cool and the sun starts to go down, the locals come out again. This goes on well into the night, thereby splitting the day into two scheduled to accommodate the heat and sun.

Fan yourself. It may seem obvious, but fanning yourself really does help get some air circulating around you. Itâs not just the airflow that helps, but the fact that the breeze actually dries the surface area of your skin, effectively helping to cool your body temperature. You can use just about anything to fan yourself, but carrying around a fold-up fan will really come in handy, even if youâll look a little like Madam Wong.

Or, go electric Of course, we want aircon, and if not aircon, then to be near a fan. Whenever I go to a restaurant, hotel, bus station, etc. when itâs way too hot, I try to spot the fan and sit somewhere in its range. But I also bought a great little portable fan on eBay for like $3 thatâs powered by plugging it into your iPhone port. It works extremely well for such a small size, and is a lifesaver when itâs scorching out!

Get in the AC You want to run around sightseeing, hitting beaches, and doing fun stuff outdoors all day while youâre on vacation or traveling. But take the time to sit indoors in some nice cool air conditioning a few times each day, giving your body a break from the heat and the opportunity to cool off. Your hotel probably has AC, but coffee shops usually keep the aircon blowing or even walking through the local mall can cool you off.

When you swim/sightsee etc.

Sleep Being in extreme heat â especially when youâre not used to it â can be extremely taxing on your body. One of the best ways to give your body the chance to rest and recharge is to get some extra sleep. Donât be afraid to take a nap or two (or three!) during the day, which will help you beat the heat when you wake up.

Eat light You donât want to eat huge, heavy, and rich meals when youâre in the tropics or hot climates. Instead, snack throughout the day and keep a lot of fruit, salads, and healthy fare in your diet.

Cold shower Throughout the day, take a few cold showers. Or, even better, draw a cold bath and soak in there for a while. Itâs the absolute best way to drop your body temperature quickly in a short time.

Use the hotel mini-fridge No, Iâm not recommending that just stick your head into the fridge to cool off. But, you can take the washcloths they provide in the room, wet them, roll them up, and stick them in the fridge or the freezer. Then, take them out and put them on the back of your neck or head when youâre heading out into the heat or coming back in.

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