#kyoshi prequel series

[avatar-news]

Update 2: We finally figured out what happened with this whole Kyoshi movie mistake, and it has a pretty mundane explanation lol. Read an in-depth explanation here if you’re interested!

Original post below:

Update: Aang movie is first now in schedule shuffle!

Paramount and Avatar Studios’ slate of animated Avatar movies coming to theaters: Kyoshi (2024), Zuko (2025), Korra (2026)

It’s the post you’ve all been waiting for. I’ve finally compiled, confirmed, and cross-referenced enough sources to feel confident in posting what Avatar Studios’ first three movies are about, in what order, and (with a big grain of salt, okay?) when they’re coming.

You might be aware that there’s been a flurry of Avatar Studios news out of the 2022 Annecy International Animation Film Festival in the last few days-- they revealed that three movies are actively in the works right now, they confirmed my report on the director of the first movie, and they showed the first teaser for it to the press in attendance.

Let’s tackle that teaser first. After checking with a couple of sources who were in attendance, we’re pretty sure that what was shown was General Fong’s fortress, which was first visited by Aang and the Gaang in Avatar: The Last Airbender Book Two: Earth, Chapter One: The Avatar State.

It was either this exact clip/screencaps from the original, or something very similar. That visual was followed by text saying “the Avatar returns” (a popular tagline these days) and the earthbending symbol. Which brings us to...

The first animated movie coming from Avatar Studios is the prequel I reported on before, and it’s a “prequel” because it stars the most recent earth Avatar before Aang and Korra: Avatar Kyoshi.

Next, I can confirm that the second movie will be the one I exclusively revealed last month: a story focused on Fire Lord Zuko.

Lastly, and this is a brand-new reveal, the third movie is set in the era of Avatar Korra, after the end of the animated series.

I should note that these are all very high-level descriptions, for example I don’t know the exact focus of the Korra era movie, although I’d personally be willing to bet it will be Korra herself. But ultimately, I guess I should put a disclaimer that I don’t know that level of detail, except for the specific case of the Zuko movie being about Zuko himself. Technically, I don’t know that the Kyoshi movie will “star” her, but I can’t really imagine it won’t, you know?

AS FOR THE DATES. I debated whether to put them or not, but I decided to make things spicy and go for it this time. I want to make it clear that these are NOT my estimates, they are legit info cross-referenced from at least two sources, but...... it’s really early info subject to change and not meant to be any sort of commitment from anyone. I just figured that by the time we get to these years, no one will remember this post. 😂 Release dates could shift around as they almost always do in this day and age, but it’s just because that’s a natural thing that happens. So with all that being said, you can very vaguely look forward to animated Avatar movies coming to theaters once a year starting in 2024, with the first three being:

Kyoshi (2024)

Zuko (2025)

Korra (2026)

(Obviously those are not the movies’ titles.)

This next part is my estimate: I would personally expect LATE 2024 for the first one. Again, it’s super early. As for the rest: again, big grain of salt. As production goes on, maybe they’ll decide they want to do every two years instead, or any number of things that could lead to the slate changing.

It’s just really important to understand that this is just a snapshot of Avatar Studios’ CURRENT plans-- their NOT announced, NOT confirmed plans. I wouldn’t announce or confirm anything this early either, and there’s a good reason they aren’t-- they haven’t even revealed their first ever movie yet, much less committing to a slate. So please keep all that context in mind; don’t expect them to reveal anything about any Korra movie any time soon-- there are two movies before that that probably won’t even reveal anything any time soon. That being said, this is legit info and not just speculation/guessing, and it also might NOT change. I think release dates are honestly highly likely to change, but I don’t think it would be unlikely if the three high-level concepts of Kyoshi/Zuko/Korra stay the same. Assuming my sources are correct about those in the first place of course. :)

Alright, that’s enough disclaimers, I’ll let you run amok now. And yeah. KORRA’S BACK.

#news #movie #prequel movie #kyoshi movie #zuko movie #korra movie #annecy 2022 #avatar news exclusive

[ot3]

anyway i haven't finished it or started the sequel yet, but the ATLA prequel novel Rise of Kyoshi is significantly better at being an extended avatar universe media than korra is in every imaginable way. it does a much better job of 'aging up' the concerns of the series to be heavier, but treats the world of avatar and its politics with a lot more of a careful hand that korra ever managed. and yes it has lesbianism in that. so if lok let you down go read that instead. there's some really fun stuff there

#loklb

[comradekatara]

ok someone needs to talk me out of writing a xai bau lok prequel spy novel before I keep plotting this out in my head I do NOT have time for this!!!!!

I WILL NOT TALK U OUTTA THIS I NEED THIS BADLY 😫😫😫😫🤯🤯

No fr no one talks about this character and he’s probably really fun to write about 🤗

fine, then!!! you enabled me. 5 months later, but i finally finished outlining this. my take on xai bau's origin story.

if you’ve heard me talk about how I would restructure lok, then you know I find the red lotus conflict to be by far the most compelling antagonistic force in the series. (the equalist movement is poorly handled and thematically hollow, the raava/vaatu conflict is contrived and theologically simplistic, and kuvira just doesn’t really make sense?) that’s why I think a prequel to lok (especially the far superior version of lok that lives in my head) would necessarily be the origin story of the red lotus, centering on xai bau himself. 

I’ve talked before about how I think the most compelling antagonist in xai bau’s journey would not be aang (although he’s certainly up there, just by virtue of being the avatar), but sokka. as a fellow member of the white lotus, I think xai bau would start off idolizing sokka somewhat, and look up to him as an aspirational figure. but he’d also take issue with a lot of other members of the white lotus, namely iroh, and sokka’s camaraderie with the dragon of the west would lay the foundation for xai bau’s disillusionment, similarly to how ming hua first loses faith in katara upon learning of her partnership with zuko. xai bau gradually goes from seeing sokka as a brilliant balance-bringer and his comrade to seeing him as a ruthless machinator who has the unique and terrifying power of bringing the world to its knees without breaking a sweat (sort of like jianzhu, but even more powerful, because he effortlessly has every world leader in his pocket). 

and xai bau isn’t necessarily wrong in his assessment of sokka’s power: he does have the unconditional trust of every world leader, and he has been known to take that for granted (mostly because he doesn’t actually see them as Important World Leaders, but rather, friends and family). xai bau can’t help but rankle at his steely pragmatism, his condescension towards those he deems intellectually inferior (which is a lot of people, but namely king kuei), and his general air of grouchiness (especially when someone he considers stupid tries to question his ideas). without knowing sokka, truly seeing his kind heart and selfless intentions, it can be easy to assume he’s just a calculating control freak who wants to inflict his will upon the entire world from the shadows. and the more sokka says all the right things to mitigate xai bau’s concerns, the more xai bau is convinced that he’s manipulating him, a schemer with a perfect mask. so he devises a plan. 

i really liked that the dawn of yangchen employed a consistently shifting pov, since it allowed for the reader to understand the motivation of multiple characters who were often at odds with one another. that said, i would structure this hypothetical novel with a less linear chronology (no surprise there if u know me at all lol), by splitting it into three distinct parts: the first being xai bau’s growing disillusionment with the white lotus, penning his manifesto and gathering support in secret, and his plan to assassinate sokka; the second shifting to sokka’s perspective of the same events, how he keeps tabs on xai bau while simultaneously trying to conceal the danger he is in from those closest to him, and finally confronting xai bau about the whole thing; and then the third part returning to xai bau’s pov once he has been apprehended and is taken to kyoshi island to live out his days doing community service under the supervision of the kyoshi warriors. maybe there’s an epilogue from someone else’s pov, like zaheer or ming hua, being radicalized by his manifesto. 

as for a more granular breakdown of the plot, i’ve written up a more thorough outline under the cut. 

PART I – XAI BAU 

childhood: xai bau discovering his parents’ white lotus robes and learning that his family has an entire history of being part of the white lotus spanning centuries, and wanting nothing more than to someday continue that legacy. 

initiation: his parents died in the war, but they were highly regarded members, for which admiration and condolences are expressed by senior members; since he’s the new youngest member besides sokka, sokka decides to take him under his wing, and gets to know him while playing pai sho (it proves a very challenging game, as they are both excellent players). 

membership: xai bau learning more about the individual members of the white lotus, especially emphasizing the ones he dislikes, both for their histories (eg iroh) and their opinions (eg pakku). he’s quickly realizing that this isn’t a place where everyone agrees as he was hoping it would be. unfortunately there are just as many wrong and stupid people here as there are across the rest of the world. 

befriending sokka: at first, xai bau really admires sokka. he’s only a few years older, but xai bau regards him as something of a mentor nonetheless. he thinks it’s so cool that this young nonbender has made such a name for himself through his intelligence alone. and he likes that sokka isn’t afraid to criticize people in positions of authority.

observing sokka: they tend not to talk about their personal lives. sokka only ever wants to talk politics, science, art, philosophy, and xai bau respects that, happily engaging in good-natured intellectual debates with him. but then xai bau walks in on him playing pai sho with iroh one day, and happens to overhear their conversation. they’re talking about the avatar and the firelord as if they’re children who need to be nannied. it disturbs him to his core. 

suspecting sokka: xai bau wants to brush off what they said as a joke, but it nags at him. the white lotus were never meant to be puppeteers of power. he starts asking sokka more personal questions, getting more and more suspicious when sokka brushes him off with flippant jokes. he just wants reassurance that he hasn’t been putting his faith in a villain, but the more he uncovers the more sick he feels. 

stalking sokka: it becomes an obsession. xai bau starts tracking sokka closely, witnessing his interactions with world leaders. the white lotus isn’t supposed to be besties with the avatar. they aren’t supposed to advise the earth king and firelord and water tribe chiefs—and certainly not at the same time. they may keep those powers in check, but they don’t control them. this man has manipulated the entire world into following him, and xai bau is disgusted with himself to think that he fell for it too. 

the first attempt: xai bau decides that for the good of the world, sokka must die. but he also knows that this murder cannot be traced back to him under any circumstances. he finds an ex-yuyan archer who has nothing to lose and hires him to take sokka out. xai bau takes it as a good sign when the man doesn’t return, only to see sokka at the next white lotus meeting with nary a scratch. 

the second attempt: xai bau decides he must take matters into his own hands. he follows sokka into the jasmine dragon and slips poison in his tea. he watches from across the room as sokka sits with toph and iroh, taking small sips of his tea every few minutes. but when iroh gets up to go greet new customers, sokka turns to toph and is like “don’t tell iroh, but i think there’s something wrong with this tea. i’ve only been pretending to drink it to be polite.” xai bau then watches in horror as sokka takes his cup, dumps its contents outside and returns, complimenting iroh on his tea. 

the third attempt: xai bau hires pirates to kill sokka, promising them that they can keep his sword if they’re successful. but of course, they aren’t. 

meeting june: xai bau happens across a woman who can track anything and take down anyone. this gives him an idea. 

june’s agreement: she says she’s down to capture sokka for a large enough sum. besides, she’s known that guy for a while, and he’s always been an asshole and a nuisance. she says she doesn’t kill people, but that she doesn’t mind capturing someone and then looking the other way if that’s what xai bau intends to do. 

the prisoner: xai bau gets a message that sokka has been captured, and to meet them at a location on the very outskirts of ba sing se. he enters the abandoned, dilapidated shack, and sees the bounty hunter sitting at a table with a drink in her hand while sokka sits across from her, tied to a chair. she assures xai bau that sokka’s been immobilized by nylah’s tongue, and pours him a drink. they clink glasses in celebration of their mission being almost over. 

the confrontation: the second xai bau finishes his drink, he can feel his limbs go numb as he flops to the ground. sokka easily unties himself from the chair and ties xai bau instead, using some extremely advanced knots just to be safe. xai bau can’t speak because the poison hasn’t worn off. june is sitting in the corner sipping her (unpoisoned) drink. sokka patiently waits until xai bau can form words again before saying, “i just want to know why.” 

PART II – SOKKA 

a botched attempt: sokka is walking through the city when he nearly gets struck by an arrow. he barely manages to deflect it with his boomerang. he throws his boomerang in the direction the arrow came from, and then ducks behind a building to take shelter as another arrow whizzes past him. when the third arrow doesn’t come, he assumes he’s hit his target, and follows the trail to where the former yuyan archer is knocked unconscious. 

a confidant: sokka confesses to suki that he thinks someone is making a concerted attempt on his life, and he has a suspicion as to whom. suki immediately suggests bringing in the gaang, but sokka doesn’t want anyone else to know, especially not their friends, and makes her swear not to tell anyone. 

an argument: sokka goes to the fire nation to advise the firelord in an official capacity. zuko expresses his concerns with sokka’s disposition (he seems... off. like, worse than usual). sokka assures him that he is simply dealing with a personal issue and for him not to worry. of course, this worries zuko further, as why is sokka implying that zuko shouldn’t be allowed to help sokka with a personal matter if he wants to? this annoys sokka, and he decides not to visit zuko or katara any more until this matter has been dealt with, and that if he does see happen to see aang and/or toph, he will not tell them anything that could concern them. 

a meeting: sokka sees xai bau again at the next white lotus meeting, noticing smugly that xai bau is doing little to hide his shock at sokka’s presence. later that night, he replaces xai bau’s white lotus tile with his own. 

an old friend: sokka tells june about the guy who’s trying to kill him. he asks her how she’d like to mess with him for a while. she smiles. he hands her a bag. inside is a single white lotus tile. 

a rendezvous: june tells sokka that she tracked xai bau and his next plan of attack involves pirates. sokka takes the necessary precautions by refusing to leave mai and ty lee’s sides until the pirates have been dealt with. 

a trick: sokka and june agree to initiate the next phase of their plan: she will happen to advertise her skills in front of xai bau “by complete coincidence,” at which point he will hire her services. 

a conversation: xai bau is hurt by june’s supposed betrayal. he had really thought that at least one person in this cruel world was not already in sokka’s pocket. since he has nothing to lose, when sokka asks “why?” he tells him the truth. tells him everything. sokka thoughtfully mulls it over before attempting to defend himself. but xai bau won’t hear it. sokka’s excuses only serve to make him more furious, so sokka decides it’s a fruitless endeavor to attempt to clear his name, and instead asks him if he’s any good at gardening. xai bau’s just like “what?” 

PART III – KYOSHI ISLAND

the arrival: xai bau, disgraced and devastated by the revelation that sokka was playing him the whole time, has no choice but to go with sokka to kyoshi island. 

the welcome: xai bau arrives on kyoshi island, welcomed by a friendly and bubbly ty lee. he then meets suki, who is far less inviting. 

the tour: suki teaches xai bau about kyoshi island agriculture and supervises his community service work while bullying him relentlessly. 

the coquette: his first few weeks in the village, xai bau, unsurprisingly, attempts to get to know ty lee better. he ends up spilling his entire life story to her, only to later realize he still knows absolutely nothing about her. 

the avatar: three months later, aang visits kyoshi island. it’s a surprise visit, so the kyoshi warriors have done little to prepare for his arrival. he meets xai bau, only vaguely recognizing him from their previous meetings amongst the white lotus. he assumes that xai bau is a friend of suki's, since suki refuses to say otherwise. with aang completely oblivious to xai bau’s true identity, they engage in a thoughtful, intellectual discussion over the spiritual and political role of the avatar in the world. they both come away from the conversation appreciating the other despite their (frankly, minimal) differences in ideology. 

the friend group: it’s been a couple years since xai bau was first brought to kyoshi island, and he has settled into a comfortable routine here. he’s gradually been given more freedom around the village, once it’s made apparent that he’s not a threat to anyone there. in fact, he very much approves of their equal, joyful, communal way of life, and other than his distaste for the avatar as a sociopolitical figure, he appreciates and enjoys the kyoshi island lifestyle. then, the entire gaang arrives. it is then that he first meets katara. 

the dream girl: since katara has never taken much interest in the affairs of the white lotus, and knows absolutely nothing about xai bau’s attempts on her brother’s life, she is completely unaware as to who he is, assuming him to be a native of suki’s village. xai bau thinks that she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, and after hearing her scold sokka, he decides right then and there that she is the love of his life. 

the romance: xai bau does everything in his power to get katara to notice him, and soon enough she does. she can’t help but find him charming: he’s tall, he’s intelligent, his parents died in the war, he’s a communist – he’s everything she looks for in a man. they sit on the beach at night after everyone has gone to bed and talk until sunrise. 

the rejection (katara’s pov): katara knows that sokka is immediately suspicious of any man katara likes, but this time he’s adamant that xai bau is no good. he deliberately neglects to mention why he dislikes xai bau so much, instead he’s just like “katara, trust me, you would not like this guy, don’t ask how i know just please trust me when i say that he’s bad news.” but katara is just like “ok liberal.” eventually it isn’t any of sokka’s cryptic warnings, but witnessing suki mercilessly eviscerate him; seeing him so thoroughly emasculated gives her the ick. she kindly tells him that she doesn’t think it’ll work between them, but that she hopes they can still be friends. 

the reality: xai bau is devastated that the world’s most perfect woman rejected him, and then he realizes that a relationship with sokka’s sister would’ve never actually worked out anyway. sokka says as much, asks him what the hell he was thinking. xai bau admits honestly that he wasn’t thinking, he just saw katara and all reason flew out the window. sokka warns him that if katara ever knew what he did, what he tried to do, she would drown him where he stood. xai bau asks sokka why none of his friends and family (with the exception of suki) seem to know who he is. sokka just laughs. 

EPILOGUE: zaheer reading xai bau’s manifesto.

additional notes: 

each chapter begins with “a selected quote” from xai bau’s red lotus manifesto. this provides the most insight into the nature of his writing. the quotes are selected in terms of thematic application to each chapter. 

xai bau grew up in the fire nation colonies. his parents were earth kingdom revolutionaries who died fighting against their occupiers a year prior to the war’s end. xai bau has always felt that the firelord and the avatar never quite did enough to decolonize the fire nation. 

in parts 1&2, sokka is 25 and xai bau is 22. in part 3 after the timeskip, xai bau is 24 and katara is 25. 

sokka is initiated into the white lotus within a year after the war's end. he is one of the youngest members in its history.

their game of pai sho in the second chapter illustrates sokka’s strategy for their broader dynamic: lose the first round, and then use the information about their gameplay he accrued to beat them every time afterwards. making them feel like they’ve won is the easiest way to predict what they’ll do next. 

xai bau believes that power should be in the hands of the people and therefore does not believe in sovereigns or the power the avatar wields, but he does like aang and katara as individuals. he also respects suki, despite the fact that her boyfriend is his nemesis and she blatantly hates his guts. that said, he thinks zuko and toph are huge simps and cannot stand them. 

xai bau writes his manifesto across the course of his life, and despite never leaving kyoshi island, it manages to disperse to every corner of the globe. aang and katata both get their hands on a copy and find it very interesting. there’s no mention of sokka’s name anywhere in the text, so he decides that it’s harmless enough and doesn’t try to halt its production. 

yes, katara is single at age 25 when she meets xai bau. [holds gun to your head] don’t question it. 

I know that I previously said that fc yee would kill a novel like this, but I want to make it clear that this is not how I think he would write and structure it. he is very much a genre writer, and each of his avatar novels has followed the same classical structure of a typical piece of genre fiction, with protagonists and antagonists, rising action, and a defined climax in the third act. that’s not actually an example of the novels I typically enjoy most, nor the ones I want to write. think of this perhaps closer to a novel like notes from underground, which uses its first part to establish the narrator’s psyche, and the second part to entirely reframe his philosophy by showing it in action. similarly, this story would establish a typical conflict for a protagonist and his antagonist, then flip it on its head by making the previous “antagonist” the “protagonist” and showing how everything our previous pov character thought he knew was wrong, and then going back to his pov after he has failed, and finally, watching him adjust to a completely different lifestyle, with entirely different challenges, eschewing the previous establishment of this as a spy novel entirely. my house my rules baby!!! 

working title is how to win at pai sho every time. (if you get that reference, mazel tov.)

#finally finished writing this ! whew #i should make a tag for posts like these #outlines #xai bau #notsosecrettunnel #asks #sokka #red lotus #white lotus #postwargaang #what if i actually wrote this whole thing tho.......... #jk #.......unless?

[bougierthanthou]

Apparently the creators of Avatar the Last Airbender will be making a new series about the next Avatar after Korra. Now after the disaster that was the poor excuse for a sequel called Legend of Korra, I'm not sure a sequel series about another Avatar would be ideal. Especially when you take into account that this Pan Asian world they crafted got increasingly more western in Legend of Korra which is seen in the technological leaps and introduction of film in their world which was reminiscent of I wanna say the 1920s in America. What I'd like to see are prequels about past Avatars anything that will distance us from Korra, PLEASE. They need to adapt the books about Kyoshi and Yangchen, let us get to see the perspectives of Avatars who were willing to kill unlike Aang, both women and one bisexual. Oh and this could also help with the shows past sins of colorblind ethnic blind casting if they focus on casting WITH INTENT. Also for the love of god get F.C. Yee in the writers room the asian man who co-authored these books. For a show about Asian religions and folklore I'm sure they could use more Asian writers.

#bougie speaks #avatar the last airbender

[being-of-rain]

I finished both of the Kyoshi novels! Wow they were really good!

I loved its approach to Kyoshi and her backstory, it sort of takes her opinions and actions in the original Avatar show and deconstructs them: what actions did Kyoshi take to be known for justice above all else? What sort of world did she grow up in to find those actions necessary? And what sort of person was she? Throw in the book’s inclusion of her iconic look, her longevity, and her extremely powerful bending, not just as throwaway references but as part of her story, and this is a really good prequel series.

One of my favourite parts of the books were the villains. They’re some of the best written and compelling villains I’ve read about, honestly. I totally wasn’t expecting the first act of Kyoshi’s story to turn into a full-on tragedy that turned some of the protagonists into antagonists, but it happened and it was so painful and so good. But that does tie in with what’s probably my biggest issue: the major villains of each of the books don’t feel like they clash with Kyoshi enough. In the first book Kyoshi manages to avoid them until the end, and in the second book Kyoshi doesn’t really figure out their true nature until just before the final fight. It just feels like there wasn’t enough of them, because they were so fascinating when they were actually there.

There was some strange pacing throughout the books, with plots and vital info being introduced late or characters being written out early, but like with some other weirdly-paced stories, I don’t know if I find them actually unsatisfying or just surprising because I’m used to a specific kind of story pacing. In this case the books were so good that it didn’t distract or bother me really, just surprised me every so often.

I don’t have much else to say other than gushing about the bits I liked. The writing itself was great, the characters were fantastic and easy to grasp and remember, the use of the show’s bending and wonderful world was just as good as you could’ve hoped. The plot was always addictive, and there was even a specific trope I like of a previous generation of likeable characters whose life stories you find out bit by bit as you learn secrets that change what you thought you knew about them (see also: The Magnus Archives, and probably a few other book series).

So if you’re a fan of the Avatar world, I strongly recommend these books! Even after things were wrapped up satisfactorily by the end of the second book, it feels like there’s still so much potential in Kyoshi’s era and its characters. I hope they’re revisited sometime. In the meantime, I’ll definitely be checking out the Yangchen book that’s coming out by the same author!

#long post #as usual I'm too lazy atm to proofread most of this so I hope it makes sense jsdlkfj #my posts #my thoughts #avatar

[zutaralesbian]

Prime just cancelled my favorite lesbian led show after it was already renewed for season 2, so I'm feeling hopeless about the state of sapphic TV right now. Got any wlw book recommendations?

I heard the news about ALOTO. I’m sorry nonny :(

I’m not gonna lie. I’m not a huge book reader these days. I’m trying to get into it again, but I’m super slow lol. I’ll read a book relatively quickly but then go months without picking one up again. But here are a few wlw books that I enjoyed:

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon: This is a monster of a book (over 700 pages) but it’s sooo worth it. (The chapters are also short, which helped me fly through it relatively quickly). It’s high fantasy with more than one POV character. Kind of like asoiaf but without the raging misogyny. The book isn’t just about the sapphic ship but their relationship does play a big part. They’re also super slow-burn, which I loved. Ead/Sabran literally changed me it’s been months and my brainrot over them is still strong. Can’t recommend it enough. The author also wrote a prequel that I haven’t read yet, but I heard it also has wlw romances in it.

The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir: Gideon the Ninth is the first book in the series, followed by Harrow the Ninth and Nona the Ninth. (And still ongoing). These books will gaslight you multiple times and confuse you, but I still liked them lmao. Lesbian necromancers in space. And lesbian characters who are very morally grey (some more than others lmao) which everyone knows I love. Gideon/Harrow is a great enemies to friends to lovers.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Don’t let the het-baiting title fool you. This book is about Evelyn, a classic actress from the 50’s and 60’s, telling her life story as an old woman to a writer. Through flashbacks we see her rise as a famous actress. And one of the biggest components of her story is her long, secret love affair with another fellow actress. Warning: Lots of period-typical homophobia in this one. This book is very flawed but I still love it.

And I haven’t read it myself yet but I did buy it and plan to: The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee. If you like Avatar, it’s Avatar Kyoshi’s backstory, who is bisexual. And her love interest in this book is a woman.

….And embarrassingly that’s all I have so far. I’m gonna go ahead and mention @tridentarius here because she’s the queen of reading wlw books.

#anonymous #answered

[andtheclockstruckthirteen]

Why are some hating on the Zuko-centric movie???; a rant.

I just saw a post about how the creator thought the new Zuko-centric movie isn’t going to be good because of how overexposed Zuko’s character is??? Lemme just say that the reason he is “more of a protagonist” than Aang is through a lot of focus on him in fandom is probably because I personally think he had one of the best character developments??? Like think about it. 

What would a TV show about Katara or Sokka be like? Them living day to day because their entire village is made up of elders, mothers and children? And thats not counting the fact that a lot of their character development happens during the war when they are exposed to things that they wouldnt be exposed to at the South Pole. Sokka’s sexism is mostly mollified by meeting Suki (at the very beginning, which develops with the more strong women he meets who proves him wrong). Katara’s naivety and bottled up rage is dealt with during the entire series as she is exposed to the realities of war and meets people who challenge her previously black and white perspectives. 

What would a TV show about Aang be like? Him living like a regular Airbender in which he doesn’t undergo any struggles because he hasn’t found out that he is the Avatar and hasn’t had to face any of the moral challenges he faces in the show as a result of the war? It wouldn’t be too good for those who are looking for character and plot development, it would fit more in a show TV show season acting as a prequel for all the main characters involved in the TV show.

What would a TV show about Toph be like? Her living a boring life by day and winning Earthbending fights by night? That would get pretty old quickly because it doesn’t change until she meets the Gaang as a result of the war. 

What would a TV show about Suki be like? Her training the Kyoshi warriors day in and day out? I admit, this could have potential if they develop how Kyoshi Island stays out of the way (as a neutral port) but still watches on in fear, wondering when they will be invaded by the Fire Nation. But other than world building, it wouldn’t have too much potential to show of Suki’s character development that she has as she is exposed to the war and undoubtedly loses her innocence and naivety. 

The only interesting characters I could think of would be those in the Fire Nation, because those character’s character building isn’t reliant on being exposed to the war during the timeline of the actual show, because they have been exposed to said war for literally their entire lives. 

Zuko, Azula, Iroh, even Mai (I would say Ty Lee but I feel like she would be a bit too over the top and naive for some people to handle a whole movie or TV show about, as again, her character development is shown when the Fire Nation gave is falling apart at Ember Island) would be perfect for a solo show because their character development started long before the tv show’s timeline, which is showcased in the flashbacks. 

We could see how Zuko’s internal struggles between making his father proud by doing what was expected of him to contribute to the war and listening to his mother’s words of kindness and mercy (as these two things are the literal polar opposite of each other). We could see Azula and Zuko struggle with their own relationships with both their parents (Azula and Ozai’s toxic realtionship of manipulation and corruption, Azula and Ursa’s relationship built off fear and inadequacy) and each other (Azula’s desire to prove that she is better than Zuko because that’s what their father did to pit them against each other). 

We could see Mai struggling to fit in with high society before becoming the bored and (almost) emotionless character we know through the show. 

We could see Iroh’s development going from someone whole-heartedly supporting the war tearing the world apart enough to lead a massive military expedition to claim one of the last Earth Kindgom strongholds, to joining an Underground rebellion to end the war. 

There’s so much potential for both worldbuilding and characterisation within the Fire Nation before the show’s timeline that it seems stupid to criticise the writers for choosing a character most people like, with already spectacular character building (still one of the best redemption arcs I’ve ever seen, cartoon be damned) from the Fire Nation over a 12-year-old monk who doesnt really make any effort to acknowledge and fix his own mistakes? 

(Not to mention Aang’s only really explored characterisation for me was his morals and attitude regarding his duties as Avatar and ending the war. I saw no real person character development other than his moral development?)

That being said, I don’t know how the creators are going to handle it in terms of being accurate to characters and handling deeper topics carefully and accurately and from seeing small references and snippets to the comics, my faith isn’t too strong in them to be completely honest with you all. 

Anyway I might make a separate post about the potentials of the Fire Nation worldbuilding pre-canon later, but for now, thanks for reading this stupidly long rant!

#avatar the last airbender #fire nation #water tribe #air nomads #earth kingdom #zuko #katara #aang #iroh #suki #sokka #azula #mai #ty lee #worldbuilding #atla #prince zuko #personal rant #thanks for coming to my ted talk #look i just love the posibilities for the fire nation in terms of world building #sue me #the propaganda #the indoctrination #the personal conflict #the familial conflict #its too good #im obsessed #its kinda a problem

[poeticmoonspirit]

You're now in charge of Avatar Studios, what media do you produce first?

I personally would love a prequel movie about Jet. There's so much we still don't know about him and how he became a Freedom Fighter. Yeah we know his parents were murdered but he was 8 when that happened. What happened in between that time? That's the stuff I get curious about.

Secondly, an Avatar Kyoshi show. I'd really like that. She might actually be my favorite avatar if I'm being honest.

Saving the best for last! I'd definitely make some kind of series explaining why Zutara makes sense in the Avatar universe.

Thanks for asking, this was fun!

#anon asks #good question! #atla #pro zutara

[calcliffbas]

So, I know it’s probably been a while for you, but I was recently rereading your White Lotus Zuko series, and I noticed you mentioned being willing to elaborate on your reasons for sticking so close to canon. I’ll admit, the way you stuck close to the events of canon in basically every way was a source of some major frustration when I first read it, and even now, it’s something which unfortunately brings it from a 10/10 to a 9.5/10. Why did you choose to have Zuko’s different choices have ultimately no effect?

Ohhh yikes, I’ve been dreading this ask. The long and the short of it is under the cut:

The simple answer is that the White Lotus Zuko series only really came about because I'm a Zutara shipper who wanted to see what their relationship could have been like if Zuko was a good guy from the start. It really was that simple when I first began writing ‘No Reason You Can’t Do It’.

The longer answer is that I was still (am still?) a very new writer, really not all that confident in my ability to craft a plot and a narrative, and I was more interested in (and had more fun thinking about) the characters and their relationships than the plot. That’s what I liked most about writing Book 1 and Book 2, and one part of Book 3 I really enjoyed writing the climactic scene when Aang unlocks the Avatar State, because that’s when we see how much his friends have helped him on this particular take on his coming-of-age journey.

I could have had the story go differently, yes, but when I was writing this fanfic, I’d just left a job that I hated only to find myself in another job that I hated in the middle of a global pandemic, and I wanted to write something that brought me joy. And like I’ve said before, I didn’t want to write a canon-divergent series so much as a canon-adjacent series; I wrote the story for me, and I enjoyed the fact that sticking close to canon meant that I could try my hand at writing Azula, Mai and Ty Lee. Plus, I was able to bring in more Asian influences such as Zuko’s Japanese poetry or Iroh’s Korean proverbs, which was hands-down my favourite part of 'You Have To Stand Firm’.

I’m sorry to hear that you were frustrated by the way the series went, but I mean, if it’s canon-divergent AUs you want, I wouldn’t say Zuko’s choices had no effect. I wrote a 90k Zuko-centric prequel set in the 18 months between ‘Seventy-two to nil’ and ‘No Reason You Can’t Do It’, and I’m kind of fond of my Mai-centric spin-off, which was set up pretty nicely by the ripple effects of ‘You Have To Stand Firm’ and ‘Who Knows What Happens Next’.

Maybe once I’ve worked on some other stuff and real life slows down a bit, I might go back and write an alternate Book 3 where Zuko fights Azula in the Crystal Catacombs to allow Uncle, Katara and Aang to escape. When they get back to the Wani, Sokka and Suki are fully prepared to go back and break Zuko out. Just before they leave, Iroh hands Sokka a bag to give to Zuko. In full view of everyone, Sokka opens the bag and pulls out a Pai Sho set, a couple of boxes of ginseng, and a Blue Spirit mask. Annnnd that’s how Aang and Katara and the SWT warriors find out that Zuko’s the Blue Spirit. Great job, Sokka.

On the ship’s brig, Azula taunts Zuko by telling him that she’s heard rumours that pirates have sent a mercenary after the Avatar’s waterbender and the Blue Spirit after they sunk their ship. Once Sokka and Suki have broken Zuko out, they decide that it’s too dangerous to risk leading Azula straight back to the Wani, and instead decide to go across the Earth Kingdom as a distraction, a la Sokka and Zuko’s plan in Book 1. Whilst they’re looking for the Kyoshi Warriors, Combustion Man catches up to them - he’s after the Blue Spirit, and he thinks Sokka’s the waterbender!

Cue Aang learning the elements from Katara, Toph and Iroh, the older kids doing White Lotus things, and more ZK pining than ever. But would anyone read it after such a long hiatus? I probably wouldn’t.

#thanks for the ask! #weepingslimethingoperator #white lotus zuko

[kokocactus]

i will take a cash grab prequel/origin story over a cash grab remake any day. its so much easier to seperate it from the original story AND! it allows the directors/writers/actors to have more fun and creativity and be INSPIRED from a classic rather than having to be aligned with it or be faced with awful backlash. this is also bc i hate remakes so much ESPECIALLY LIVE ACTUON FROM ANUMATION!! it will NEVER look the same. you cannot have the same story beats and effects and such and not having those beats makes it seem like a warped copy. did i think WONKA (2024) was a masterpiece? no. did i enjoy it more than a remake with timothee as gene wilders wonka? absolutely. because it got to be creative and its distant enough for it to be a different universe in my head. same with Cruella (2021), it took a classic story, and expanded apon it through inspiration and made it a new story. i know it got clowned on when it first came out bc of the whole “cruella hates dalmations bc they killed her mother” rumour when it first came out. but it is genuinely a good movie. also it helps that cruella isnt evil in it lawl. also prequels get the opportunity to have a fun little reference to the original and make it a plot point!! rouge one was cool bc it leads directly into a new hope and the hobbit referencing gimli in legolasses sass. i know people think the prequels fate is sealed bc you already know what happens in the original movie but like. thats FUN! you can explore how or why the character got to that end!! but i also like rewatching whodunnit movies to pick up on clues throughout that i missed the first go around. so long rant but! i enjoyed wonka, and remakes fill me with rage… looking at you atla live action adaptation… BOTH OF THEM!!!! if they wanted more mature audiences do a fucking dragon of the west series with iroh!! or kyoshi for christ sakes…

#blub blub 🫧 #rambling #shows #prequel

[tarakaybee]

Ok, I don't get what a lot of you are saying, the Netflix A:TLA was pretty decent, not mind blowing like the animated series was, but not as awful as everyone's been assuming. It starts a bit rough and shaves off some somewhat important story bits, but it's pretty solid. It also contains references to the canon of the YA novels about Kyoshi and Yangchen, which are references specifically tailored to me and me alone, I have come to assume. Also, can we all learn from the Star Wars prequels and agree to be cool if we don't like the acting of the younger actors?

[avatar-news]

Animated Avatar prequel and Zuko theatrical films in development

I can finally reveal the first concrete bits of what I know about Paramount and Avatar Studios’ epic upcoming movie & show slate. A rumor has been going around recently that one of their movies will be a prequel; I got the go-ahead from my source to confirm that this is true. I can also exclusively reveal the concept of one of the other movies in development: a Zuko-focused story.

The time period the prequel movie will be set in is not confirmed-- basically anything before Sokka and Katara free Aang from the iceberg can be considered a “prequel”, so it’s not necessarily directly connected to the original. It could be Wan, Kyoshi, Iroh, etc. (just guesses).

The time period the Zuko movie will be set in is also not confirmed; we don’t know what age he’ll be in it or anything like that yet. However, this does implicitly confirm that, yes, the Avatar franchise is officially revisiting the existing characters/eras in animation-- Avatar Studios won’t only be working on new, unrelated time periods.

These are just two of the animated projects in the works, and trust me, there’s a lot more exciting stuff where that came from. I’m hoping I can post one particular animated streaming series soon that should make a lot of people happy. But something really important to keep in mind is that it’s still really early and a lot could be different by the time stuff actually starts coming out in a couple/few/#soon years. This is just a snapshot of what’s being developed right now, and plans are definitely still in flux as Avatar Studios gets going in earnest. I’ll be sure to update if either of these two specific movies changes.

So there you have it, the first story info for the new animated Avatar content in development! Can’t wait to share more when I can as Paramount and Avatar Studios’ plans solidify. 🪨 (Not a hint, just a pun.)

#news #movie #prequel movie #kyoshi movie #zuko movie #avatar news exclusive

[pigeonriot]

. 🕯 🕯

. 🕯 🕯

🕯 kyoshi 🕯

🕯 animated 🕯

🕯 series 🕯

. 🕯 🕯

. 🕯 🕯

#atla #tlok #avatar studios #avatar the last airbender #kyoshi #avatar the shadow of kyoshi #the legens of korra #bryke #summoning circle #please work #kyoshi animated series #avatar kyoshi #avatar aang #avatar korra #kyoshi prequel series #this looks good in the mobile version but no bets for the pc version lol #my post

[lesbianbending-moved]

i miss Her (avatar kyoshi)

#waiting for shadow of kyoshi and wonderinf why we never got a kyoshi prequel series #atla #lok #avatar kyoshi

[thealexchen]

Would you like for ATLA and LOK to have another sequel? Or a prequel based on Avatar Kiyoshi and Roku?

And I know Kiyoshi has a book, but would you still like to see it animated?

It's so fun to get an Avatar-related question! I personally would prefer a series about Roku or Kyoshi, or even a brand new Avatar between Wan and Yangchen. It would be nice to see more of the adult Gaang or the LOK characters, but LOK was already divisive enough with how they characterized the older characters.

I think animated Kyoshi novels would be awesome, but if it was animated in the exact same style as the cartoons and geared toward an older audience, I feel like it would slightly disrespect the all-ages appeal the original cartoons had. I think the Kyoshi novels work so well as novels because they can specifically be marketed as young adult books, so if they were animated, I'd like to see a new art style as a way to establish that it's for older audiences.

#anon #answered asks #avatar the last airbender #the legend of korra #the rise of kyoshi

[zuzuslastbraincell]

if the atla characters watched star wars:

sokka: nerd. original trilogy fan but has a soft spot for everything (including terrible spin-off novels). cried when it came back to the big screen but now has a vendetta against disney for life. owns several comcis, t-shirts, has seen every episode of the animated series. will also argue about it at length, and *loves* to complain about it, like any good star wars fan.

katara: grew up watching the original trilogy *a lot* with sokka. apathetic to the rest of it. didn't see the new movies (she's not a nerd) and constantly dunks on sokka for being into it. has a big soft spot for leia for obvious reasons.

aang: was introduced to it by sokka (& katara). thinks luke is neat, adores all the weird aliens, return of the jedi is his favourite, has profound things to say about the themes. likes it a normal amount!

toph: initially watches it with sokka because she wants to impress him. ends up loving it on her own terms. impersonates chewbacca roars with terrifying accuracy. favourite character initially was leia but she becomes a big luke fan over time. loves to watch the prequels because they're absolutely terrible in the most compelling way, akin to a bad horror movie, and has a funny rant pre-prepared about why it's actually the best trilogy (mostly just to annoy sokka).

suki: has seen star wars and thinks it's pretty cool, tries to play down how much she likes it, acts like she's not a dork (she is) (sokka thinks this makes her the coolest girl in the world). she's mostly got a soft spot for the original trilogy. tries to do a star wars themed couple's haloween costume with sokka once but they have a spat over who is going to be han solo (suki doesn't budge so sokka makes the world's best leia costume). will have dumb arguments with sokka about how many kyoshi warriors you could hypothetically fit in the millenium falcon. kinda meh on the new trilogy (it sucked) but very avid watcher of the mandalorian.

zuko: has never seen a star war. what's a star war? will mix up characters names on purpose and likes to point at random aliens and ask if they're baby yoda. people do not realise he joking (at first) because zuko says it with such genuine sincerity. absolutely *vexes* sokka that zuko refuses to take star wars seriously because the drama and the themes *would* appeal to him on an objective level, the music is fantastic, etc. etc. zuko refuses to engage seriously mainly because it's kinda funny to wind up sokka at this point.

#sorry this is the last star wars post... i promise #zuko #sokka #katara #aang #suki #toph