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sapphic-agent · 14 days

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Rewriting the Gaang in LOK

Basically how I would have written the adult Gaang. Pretend the comics as they are don't exist.

Katara: Breaks up with Aang sometime post-finale to do some soul-searching. Travels the world on her own and sees how people are struggling after the war. After talking (beating) some sense into a few government officials, she realizes that the best way to help people post-war is through politics. She becomes an (unofficial) ambassador, helping and negotiating aid for small villages that tend to get overlooked and does this for a number of years. She joins up with Zuko and Aang after they found the United Republic of Nations and becomes Councilwoman Katara, representative of the Southern Water Tribe. She eventually gets voted chairwoman due to her passion to improve the lives of the citizens (and because her fellow council members are too scared to vote against her). She heals on the side when she needs to, but only out of obligation since she can't stand to see people suffer; she puts much more effort into getting raising funds for a hospital full of healers. A few years later, Haru moves to Republic City and is just as awestruck by her as he was the day they met (the pornstache has been removed by divine intervention). They meet up a couple of times; for drinks after work, walks around the city, and they even attend a few galas together. They eventually start dating and get married two years later. They have their first daughter Kya (who's an earthbender), a son- Tyro (who's a nonbender), and another daughter Suma (who's a waterbender). They live a happy, peaceful (if you could call Katara stopping the occasional criminal before the police peaceful) life together where their children are well-loved and as part of the Southern Water Tribe as they are the Earth Kingdom. Aang's death hits their family hard, but they all come together and support each other. Katara personally mentors Korra, even convincing her family move to Republic City so that the Avatar knows the people she's meant to protect (the White Lotus protests, they fail❤️). She teaches Korra Waterbending, but also teaches her empathy and appreciation for other cultures (and that sometimes, selfish world leaders need a good punch to the face, a lesson Korra took to heart even though she absolutely wasn't supposed to see it).

Aang: Is torn up after Katara breaks up with him. He's hurt and confused and doesn't know what to do with himself. He retreats to Ba Sing Se where he talks with Iroh and learns that he unfairly pushed his feelings onto Katara. Wracked with guilt at hurting someone he cares about so much, Aang realizes that he has a lot of growing up to do. He focuses on his job as the Avatar, working closely with Zuko, Kuei, and the other leaders to heal the world after the war. The first time he sees Katara again is when she arrives to help with the United Republic of Nations. He apologizes to her and Katara forgives him, promising they'll always be best friends. His role in Republic City is more or less the same, though at some point he develops feelings for Toph. But he fears doing to her what he had done to Katara, so he tries to ignore them. But Toph, never one to beat around the bush, point-blank asks him if he's ever gonna man-up and confess to her. They start dating, and Lin comes a few months later as a surprise. They have their hiccups- Aang especially needing to reconcile with the fact that there's a chance she might not be an Airbender- but they manage to resolve them. Lin is an Earthender, of course, but Aang loves his little girl to pieces (which is good, because Toph would kill him if she suspected otherwise). Tenzin is born three years later, an Airbender, and Su Yin is born two years after that as an Earthbender. Lastly there's Bumi, a nonbender. There's always the urge to favor Tenzin, but Aang knows he can't. They're all his children and they deserve to be treated as such. So he teaches them all about their culture, takes them all on trips. The kids fight, but Aang is always quick to help resolve it (as it turns out, getting Lin and Su to stop fighting is a lot harder than getting the four nations to get along, go figure). Aang loves his wife and kids and wouldn't trade any of them for the world. He dies peacefully at age 66, surrounded by his children and the love of his life.

Sokka: Fucking hates politics. He'll leave the negotiating and speeches to his sister, thank you very much. If the room of government officials isn't a war room, he wants no part in it. After the war, he spends most of his time in the Southern Water Tribe. He works with his father to rebuild and relearn their culture, and writes frequent letters to his sister. Though, something about his life in the south is unfulfilling. Maybe he misses Suki, but there's something about inventing that calls to him. He can't do much of that in the south pole, so he leaves for the Earth Kingdom, helping villages struggling with heat, agriculture, transportation, etc. In the United Republic of Nations, he becomes lead engineer of the city, utilizing bending to make quick technological advances. He and Suki reunite in Republic City where Suki becomes the police chief. They get back together and have a daughter, Lian. The three of them live a simple life together, until Suki gets gravely injured in the line of duty when Lian is twenty. They decide to retire to the Southern Water Tribe where Sokka takes over for Hakoda as chief and prepares Lian to take over for him.

Toph: When Toph hears that Twinkle Toes and Sparky finally started that fancy new city, she thinks it's the perfect opportunity to cause a little chaos. Closing her metalbending school, she decides to relive her days as the Blind Bandit by founding pro-bending (thanks @ecoterrorist-katara for the idea!). Zuko's a hater and tries to shut it down because "safety," but finds no help in Aang who really, really loves the idea. He goes to every one of her matches and Toph feels both smug pride and... Something else. But she tells herself it would never happen, Twinkle Toes likes girls like Sugar Queen and she was the furthest thing from that. But she isn't totally oblivious, she can feel his heartbeat pick up when he's around her and how he's started to stutter when he's talking to her. So she bites the bullet and they start happily dating. But the arrival of Lin uncovers issues she didn't even know were there. Lin cries loudly and for Toph who relies heavily on her sense of hearing, it's hell. She was also unprepared for how much her body would change. She finds herself not wanting to be around her daughter. But Aang realizes this and urges her to talk to someone. After some arguing, she does. Aang is attentive, so Toph can take breaks when she needs to and Katara and Suki are always ready to get her out of the house when she's overwhelmed. Things with Lin get better and when Tenzin comes around she doesn't suffer nearly as much. Su Yin is similar. It's hard with Bumi because she's older, but Aang and her friends are there to support her. Toph can be distant with her children- her closely monitored childhood always present in her mind- but sees how Aang can be doting and allow their kids freedom. She follows by his example, trying to find a balance between hovering and absence. Aang's death is the worst day of her life- she was there, she felt his heart stop- and she retreats into the swamp for a while to grieve. But she returns to Republic City when Katara begins to mentor the new Avatar. Not to be outdone by Sugar Queen, she becomes Korra's second teacher. It's hard to be around Korra sometimes, but she likes the girl's spunk and attitude, even if she is a brat.

Zuko: Zuko struggles after the war. The obligations of the Fire Lord are crushing and daunting and the fear of turning into his father feels like it's constantly looming over his head. Mai doesn't understand why he's struggling so much and he can't figure out how to explain it to her, so they break up. She goes to Kyoshi Island to spend time with Ty Lee and figure out what she wants in life. Stressed, burnt-out, and heartbroken, Zuko asks Aang to kill him if he ever starts to act like Ozai, but Aang steadfastly refuses, berating him for even suggesting it. Aang assures him that he'll never turn into his father and that he has his friends to rely on. He follows after Aang to Ba Sing Se, working in his uncle's tea shop as a much needed break. He opens up to Iroh about his fears and Iroh affirms that even having these worries proves that he'll never be Ozai. He spends time in Ba Sing Se working in the tea shop and negotiating with the Earth King when he meets Jin again. She's as carefree as she was back then and Zuko is both envious and in awe of it. But he knows he can't have a relationship with her, he can't burden her with his problems. But Jin is gently persistent, lending an ear when he needs one and assuring him that he isn't burdening her. When she asks him if he wants to be with her, he confesses that he does- more than anything- but also admits that he has no idea how it'll work. She tells him that if they want to be together no one should stop them. A year later, they're married and she's crowned Fire Lady Jin. There are some protests to their relationship from traditionalists, but Ambassador Katara (Zuko is so sure that she was never actually given that title, but he can't prove it) is quick to shut them down citing that the Fire Lord marrying an Earth Kingdom girl is a sign of unity. They have their daughter, Izumi, and she's Zuko's entire world. Zuko's greatest fear is that his children will end up like him and Azula, so he refrains from having more kids. Jin respects this, but urges him to talk to Azula. So he does; his sister curses him out, but seems to enjoy his company in her own way. They'll never have a good relationship, but Zuko doesn't want her to feel alone so he makes time at least once a week. It's shortly after Aang's death that Zuko relinquishes the title of Fire Lord to Izumi, his grief over his lifetime friend far too painful. Eventually, though, Katara and Toph bully him into training the new Avatar. It's not a role for a retired Fire Lord, but Zuko knows that the world needs Korra to be strong and it's his responsibility to make that happen as much as he can. And so, he becomes Avatar Korra's third teacher (if you told him 60 years ago that he'd become the Avatar's most sane instructor, he'd think you were high on cactus juice. But with Katara punching dictators in the face and Toph breaking every rule ever written, someone has to be a good influence).

Occupations if you missed them:

Katara: (Unofficial/Self-proclaimed) Ambassador of the Southern Water Tribe, United Republic of Nations Councilwoman and later Chairwoman, Healer (on the side), Waterbending Master to the Avatar

Aang: Avatar, United Republic of Nations Councilman

Sokka: Engineer and Inventor, Chief of the Southern Water Tribe

Toph: Pro-Bender, Manager of the Pro-Bending Arena, Earthbending Master to the Avatar

Zuko: Fire Lord, Firebending Master to the Avatar

Suki: Police Chief of Republic City (I'm sorry I didn't make a detailed background for her I got lazy, I promise I don't love her any less😭)

Defending my ship choices:

Harutara: Come on, y'all know what I'm about at this point. They're my everything, how could I not have them together? Plus, there's something really poetic about Haru falling for her as an adult the way he did as a teenager: watching her inspire those around her. I headcanon that he's enamoured with the sound of her voice because it's the voice that liberated him and his people and he attends all her speeches

Taang: I actually wasn't sure about this one. I'm not an active Taang shipper, but I do think they'd really balance each other out. Toph is the hard ass Aang needs to challenge him and Aang would bring out the softer side in her. Toph would never let Aang favor one kid over the other and Aang wouldn't let Toph neglect their kids. So looking at it like that, I felt them being together would be best for the story

Sukka: It's not as perfect in canon as people make it out to be, but I still love them. I wouldn't want any different for them

Jinko: This one actually made more sense than I would have thought. Jin is very different from Mai, so I can really see her being what Zuko needs considering where he would be mentally. I like Mai, but I feel Maiko really made her way more one dimensional so her living with Ty Lee and finding herself feels like a better end for her (and if they start dating, that's no one's business). And we've already seen Zuko go out of his way to make Jin happy so it's not like we're getting another Kataang situation. I'm happy with this for them

The Kids:

Yes, I purposely made Kya an Earthbender. And yes, Katara still gives her her mother's necklace. Because that's her firstborn daughter no matter what element she does (or doesn't) bend. One thing I hate is that Bryke made the Kataang kids primarily part of the culture that they bend. That's such a slap in the face to biracial kids, not to mention poor Bumi who doesn't seem to belong to either for some reason until he ends up an Airbender. So yeah, all of the Harutara kids are part of the EK and SWT. Suma is a name I made up because it sounded pretty

I know it's weird to think of Lin and Tenzin as siblings, I felt so odd writing it. But I love them both so I couldn't just not write them. I made Bumi the youngest so he could be spoiled because he deserved better in canon. Su and Lin have a better relationship, but they still butt heads because they feel the need to one-up each other due to them both being Earthbenders (and later Metalbenders). Lin still becomes a cop, but their big fight never happened because Su was never neglected to the point of becoming a criminal. All four kids are taught Air Nomad culture and traditions and taken on trips because Aang is a decent father

I named Lian partly after Yue, since Yuèliàng means moon in Chinese. One of my gripes with LOK is that Katara and Sokka's family are meant to be the leaders of the SWT. Kya or Bumi should be the chief in canon, but Bryke just... Didn't do that for some reason. So fuck it, Sokka's daughter is chief now

Nothing really changes about Izumi, although I'd say she's a little friendlier. I contemplated giving Zuko more kids, but I actually think his decision not to have more kids was one of Bryke's better choices. It makes sense, so I didn't feel the need to change it

Other notes:

The Gaang teaching/helping raise baby Korra is something I live for

The Red Lotus is swiftly dealt with by Katara, Toph, Zuko, Suki, and Sokka when Korra is a kid. They never stood a chance. I was actually going to have Sokka still die during the attack in the SWT and Suki kill Zaheer in revenge, but eh I decided not to off Sokka

The Civil War still happens, but differently. I don't have the patience to go into that, just know that Katara is HEAVILY involved

Welp, that's everything in my brain

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biconickyoshi · 1 month

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Will Korra fall in love with Asami at first sight or will you continue with the original love triangle?

Aaaaa okay so in my AU, it will start out very similarly to canon in that Korra will have a crush on Mako, but he will act uninterested.

However, instead of Asami hitting Mako with her moped, she will hit Korra with it and become instantly smitten lol. So Korra will fill a lot of Mako’s role in Book 1 of this AU when it comes to interactions with Asami, except she’s oblivious to the fact that Asami likes her and will be jealous of her because Mako has a crush on her. Asami will be flattered by Mako’s crush bc she think’s he’s handsome, but won’t be able to stop feeling drawn to Korra.

Korra will also be pretty judgy of Asami just like in canon before she gets to know her. Once she does, by the end of Book 1, she’ll realize that she has a crush on Asami too. Meanwhile, Mako will switch his affections to Korra, who will no longer care bc she’s interested in Asami lol.

I just went through my brainstorming document to help me answer your question, and now that I’m going back and reading it, I’m really starting to get the itch to start writing for it lol.

#asks #my au #korrasami #lok #legend of korra #lok au #korra x asami #lok rewrite #asami x korra #korra #asami sato

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comradekatara · 20 days

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Ik you went into the whole stupid "nonbenders are oppressed" thing in lok in one of the asks I sent you, but it keeps on making me think about how much I wish i got to see mako and bolin's mixed earth kingdom fire nation heritage play a role in the story. Maybe if lok had the themes of atla it could go into how the two are treated differently for Mako looking more fire nation and bolin looking more earth kingdom. I think it'd be interesting if Korra keeps on hearing Amon's followers yell on the streets about how benders oppress everyone but then notice how Bolin gets treated significantly better when he pretends to be a non-bender fire national/lean into his fire nation heritage by ignoring his bending compared to when he is openly an earthbender which directly ties him to his earth kingdom heritage.

right!!! i am literally always saying this. like it’s sooo weird how lok does not understand what it means to be mixed in any meaningful capacity. neither with the kataangs nor with mako and bolin, they’re each just largely tied to the element they bend with no consideration given to the other half of their heritage. bumi doesn’t consider himself an air nomad until he magically gains airbending, despite his father literally being the only air nomad currently in existence. instead of trying to preserve his familial heritage, he completely undermines all of aang and katara’s cultural values and joins the fucking military. kya doesn’t seem to give a shit about air nomad culture either, seeing as she doesn’t even know guru laghima’s name (and he’s the wisest air nomad who ever lived!). despite apparently being an independent free spirit who values her freedom, she seems 100% affiliated with her mother’s heritage, because waterbender. even though the values of community and tradition kind of conflict with her whole “you can’t tie me down” attitude, so. um. and they never once explore how the value of, for example, hunting as an important cultural tradition in the water tribes may conflict with the value of vegetarianism and doing no harm to any living organism. these are interesting tensions that could have been explored!! but instead, tenzin is merely an air nomad who takes after his father both culturally and physically, kya is a waterbender who takes after her mother, and bumi is a…..cosmopolitan, and nobody likes him.

as for mako and bolin, they don’t even get the privilege of being the children of the avatar and the chief of the southern water tribe (i said what i said), so being mixed race in the neocolonial cesspit that is republic city would be bound to cause some tensions. but instead of actually addressing what the ramifications and complex colonial dynamics of inter/multiracial family structures in a postwar society that is nonetheless still struggling to contend with a century’s worth of global imperialism and the lingering trauma of that violence would be, they kind of just….ignore it. yes, mako is a firebender who takes after his fire nation mother, and bolin is an earthbender who takes after his earth kingdom father, and they live in a city that was once earth kingdom land that now functions as a neocolony of the fire nation, but also, the police force are all earthbenders, and there isn’t any sort of lingering racial/colonial tensions in this city whatsoever! you know how mako and bolin were orphaned as children and forced to live on the street and dumpster dive for food and eventually did labor for a gang because they had no other means of survival? are we going to question or implicate the systems that enabled those abject conditions? no, of course not. look at mako fumble two gorgeous, ridiculously privileged girls! look at bolin do the charleston! isn’t republic city FUN???

#bakedbeanchan #asks #lok crit #in the lok rewrite that lives in my head Children of Mixed Experience get the identity crises they DESERVE 😤😤#but yeah. what a mess #analysis #bumi ii #kya ii #tenzin #mako #bolin #bolin&mako

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sixth-light · 16 days

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Finished watching the Netflix ATLA live adaptation, having gone into it with absolutely no expectations whatsoever or intention to necessarily go past the first episode if it didn't catch my attention. While it was firmly unnecessary when ATLA existed as an entire piece of art as its creators intended it...it's not half bad? Like, talented cast including the newer actors, decent cinematography/costumes/etc, but what worked most about it for me is that it takes a very similar approach to the WoT TV show in regards to its source material.

Namely, it's working with a closed canon and it's very clearly trying to adapt the entire story rather than do a 1:1 adaptation of each section. So, like WoT, it's unafraid to chop and change up the story order, to introduce characters earlier who only came into prominence later in the original work, to give more depth and space to its villains, and to straight-up write new material rather than trying to stick meticulously to the original text wherever possible. It also does a lot of work to tidy up some of the less-well-aged parts of its source, which lands probably 90% of the time. Basically, it's doing the work to keep me as someone who knows the original story well interested by giving me new scenes and things to chew over without losing the essence of the original. If you're going to do a fairly unnecessary high-budget live-action remake of a twenty-year-old cartoon series, that's not a bad way to go about it.

Let it not go without saying that it has also cast Asian and Native actors as well as handing the story over to Asian-American/Canadian writers and directors and that does matter. Unlike WoT it doesn't have a gay agenda, but to be fair the first season of ATLA (original flavour) barely had a romantic agenda period.

As I said: it's not necessary, but it's not at all bad, and I will watch the next season at least on purpose. I think if we're going to be trapped in remake/adaptation hell for the foreseeable future we can do worse than have them made by people trying to give some new dimensions to the story. I also think the people making this show would do a hell of a job with a Legend of Korra live-action show, and that is a story that didn't get its full due originally and would benefit from being made for an older audience. Plus, the gay agenda is right there. If this show does well enough to greenlight a Korra show...I could find some genuine excitement about that.

#atla #atla live action #lok #the bit that aged the least well but still got used #was the whole 'northern water tribe doesn't let women fight' thing #it's an EXTREMELY kids version of sexism and it still played out like one #even though this show isn't aimed at kids #hard to drop without radically rewriting Katara's arc but...yeah

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wilcze-kudly · 17 days

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Horrid ramblings related to the tlok rewrite I have in my head. Book 1, Air but with the Red Lotus as primary antagonists.

So my thoughts are that in this AU, the airbending would come from Vaatu (somehow) I like the idea of Raava and Vaatu being these very eldritchy beings that are able to manupulate the world around them. Raava sacrificed this trait in order to merge with the Avatar, but Vaatu is stil lovecraftian and well

With Harmonic Convergence nearing, perhaps Vaatu is able to exude more influence on the world. It would be interesting to see unexplained events happen more frequently as he gains power.

The Red Lotus are on board with freeing Vaatu, as they were in canon, and Vaatu lets airbending back into the world, knowing or maybe just hoping that Zaheer would get airbending and get his jailbird shit together

I think it would be a fun mystery. No one exactly knows why people started airbending all of a sudden ans this is a mystery that we slowly piece together as the show progresses.

Korra hears about airbenders popping up out of nowhere and runs away to Republic City, since she sees this as a perfect opportunity to become the Avatar she was meant to be. At this time the Red Lotus is breaking out and that adds to the tension as we see how woefully unprepared Korra is for this bunch of assassins.

I think it would be interesting to see Korra struggle and fail at airbending while there are randos all over the world getting airbending for free. She can bond with Bumi (who I'm not sure about giving airbending to) lol

I'd have the first few episodes going on in Republic City, but then have Korra and co travel in search of airbenders.

I'm not sure about keeping the pro bending storyline. I know how important it was to the og show, however it would make the storyline incredibly cluttered.

I'd want to highlight the bending brother's connections to the triads too, so I might make them somehow affiliated with the Triple Threats. But then betray them and join Korra in her travels. Because staying in RC after pissing off the triads would essentially be a death sentence.

If the brothers were still in Probending, I'd take inspiration from the storyline of Republic City hustle with the rigged matches. Have the brothers be forced to win/lose depending on how the triad places its bets. Have them be forced to deliberately throw matches cuz the triad invested in the opposing team.

I'm not fully sure how to factor Asami into this, but I had a thought of Hiroshi (who is still an equalist agent but that won't matter until B3) graciously donating resources into the search for airbenders. In order to buy himself into the Avatar's good graces and to have a direct line to the newly emerging airbenders for future evil plans.

Whether Asami is in on her father's plans or not, she acts as captain/pilot of the airship and quickly befriends the rest of the Krew. Gay ensues.

I'd change around the pacing a little, maybe move the Beifong family drama to the later seasons or at least not focus on it as much. But these are minute details I don't really have time to focus on. Maybe introduce Wu earlier. That sorta stuff.

Yeah um. Please don't let this become an actual project. I don't have the strength to write a fic like this. But the concept is tempting. Please tell me your thoughts. I'm super curious about them

#korra #mako #bolin #asami sato #hiroshi sato #vaatu #red lotus #raava #bumi ii #legend of korra #the legend of korra #avatar #tlok #avatar the legend of korra #atlok #lok #zaheer #tlok rewrite tag #is this gonna have to become a tag?

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iwritenarrativesandstuff · 1 month

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You know, for as much as I didn't like all the romance soap opera drama and what happened with a lot of the ATLA cast in Legend of Korra, I can admit that just because it wasn't my thing and bothered me in a lot of instances doesn't make it necessarily bad per se. I just think there were some weird decisions character-wise

However. I did not like what they did with Wan and the Harmonic Convergence, and I am quite confident in saying that it thematically weakened the show and was a wasted opportunity to do something truly special with the concept of the Avatar itself

#storyrambles #it's been a long time since i've watched lok #so bear in mind i may not be remembering everything clearly. but. i do have a rewrite concept for this part. it's very simple.#i'm not going to pretend i'm better than the original writers or anything. but i do think in this instance it's more thematically meaningfu #anyways i didn't actually hate lok (i liked it!!! i love avatar korra actually!!!) and i don't think it deserves the hate it gets at all #it's still a stellar show. i just think it has a set of very particular weaknesses that made it less effective than it could've been #but yeah. harmonic convergence. could've been so damn good.#instead we... get rid of the whole yin-yang balance aspect to make the avatar the big good and lock half of a balanced set in a tree???#:/#eh. i'm not putting this in main tags because it's a criticism and also i really just intend for this to be seen by people following me

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atla-suki · 5 months

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sokka’s treatment in lok was astonishing tbh but i’m actually glad he was dead by the time the series started bc toph being a cop??? aang being an awful dad???? they would’ve ruined him and suki’s characters lbr.

as far as any possible kids go idk we didn’t meet suyin till book 4 we barely saw izumi i think they just didn’t want to make the new series be a atla reunion plus lok was only meant to be one season so they were making that shit up as they went along lmao. and back in 2012-14?? they didn’t know themselves what happened to sukka lmao.

sokka and suki are definitely the type to break up bc of long distance but then find their way back to each other a few years later especially as they settle into their roles in life.

while bryke definitely neglect suki and sokka to some capacity also they do have a soft spot for suki after bringing her back. many don’t consider her to be team avatar but they’ve stated they do so idk ! she shows up a lot in the comics which have obv been created post-lok and it’s been said that they’ll utilise it’s plots and characters in shall see in future projects (crane fish town becoming republic city maybe??? where suki currently is working?? and sokka later lives!!)

i’m p sure suki will be in it at some capacity anyway and that there’ll stick with jennie as she’s one of the few asian og va’s. she’s doing a lot of work atm for avatar studios.

also random but i literally found out today that it’s not bryke-confirmed that mai and zuko end up together. it was a comment on a panel by the old comic writer. it’s not technically canon. izumi is the spit of mai anyway but hmm! interesting!!

btw btw suyin’s father was def a sandbending outlaw who toph had a secret relationship with that couldn’t be public bc of her role as police chief x

oo big ask ok let me break this up into different paragraphs …

fist point - one thing i will admit about lok is that it fell short in incorporating the original characters into the new series in an interesting way with enough verisimilitude (realistic-ness) that it didn’t feel like they were just throwing a popular character into an episode for the sake of it. such as the whole ‘aang is a bad dad’ thing because they under-utilised him as a mentor figure to korra and instead focused on his supposed favourite son (i have thoughts on this re. aang NOT being a ‘Bad’ dad but i will make another post on it if u are interested (or have i alr made one? i’ll make another one.))

i have to agree that they would’ve probably done something shitty to sokka or suki if they were included. especially with the entire first season of lok being about bender/non-bender equality… i can just imagine they’d make sokka say something dumb about the equalist movement being 100% Bad instead of him actually supporting some of their completely valid arguments. idk. i’m sad there’s no sukka but at the same time…. quit while ur ahead yk.

second point - sukka long distance relationship is so real ESPECIALLY during their first few years together. i can see them just kinda calling it off because of commitment issues due to their work, etc. but not ever really losing feelings. they’d be endgame tho🥰

i can absolutely see suki being in upcoming projects! especially since she and the other kyoshi warriors expanded their reach across the nations - it would be hard to ignore them completely if we’re assuming they’re including comic canon into the universe. i hope jenny returns!!

third point - yeah! how crazy that maiko as izumi’s parents isn’t canon confirmed… though she’s so clearly mai’s daughter. i wonder if mai’s role will be expanded in upcoming projects / if she’ll be featured more. hmmm.

fourth - would honestly prefer this to the theory sokka is her father lol. it kinda baffles me that TOPH became a cop.. not bc she opposes authority - there’s something different about enforcing it than there is having to follow it. i can see toph in authoritative positions, and she fits them well. but i think it baffles me moreso because why would toph even work as a COP? isn’t that boring as hell for her?? go do something awesome like probending or professional underground fighting (adult blind bandit anyone?? this would make a good fic) or literally just construction idk i feel like toph isn’t a Hard Worker type that would want to be stuck in such a rigid career.

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nomoretumbler · 1 year

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I don’t know if anyone has posted about this but HOLY SHOOT

IM SO FIDNEJFNDKDDKVFK??1!1?1!1!1!1

#CUPTOAST????? AND ALAN??? IN THE SAME ROOM?????#IM SO NORMAAL OH MY GOOOD #ALSO REBECCA AND HAMINATIONS???? MY STORYTIME ANIMATOR PHASE IS SLOWLY COMING BACK 😭😭#IM SORRY FOR NOT HYPING UP KING SCIENCE THAT MUCH ITS JUST THAT I DONT KNOW HIM VERY WELL 😭😭😭 BUT WOOOO #IM STILL NOT OVER CUPTOAST AND ALAN #IM #I #ALSO POSTING THIS SO WE ALL KNOW THAT ALAN IS A FEATURED CREATOR AND WE DONT MISS HIS PANNEL LIKE LAST YEAR LOK #LOL*#IM TOO LAZY TO REWRITE ALL THAT #animator vs animation #animation vs minecraft #alan becker #cuptoast #vidcon #I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT CIRCLETOONS IM SO SORRY #I LOVE THAT GUY I JUST DIDNT SEE HIM 😭😭😭😭

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dont-blame-it-on-the-kids · 2 months

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”Where Blood Meets Metal”

”Where Blood Meets Metal” - Title suggestion by @linnorabeifong

I will only ever have ONE Lin got pregnant and had a kid au and that’s this one.

where Lin ends up being the mother of the Avatar.

I can detail the plot but do I have any of this written???

no.

The Avatar is an oc named Lao.

Aang had been sick for a while, his body just unable to keep going after the stress of living 160 plus years.

They all saw it coming. It was weeks of him on bed rest. Days he hadn’t eaten anything.

It was around that time that Pema started stepping in between Tenzin and Lin.

Wedging them apart slightly day after day.

Tenzin ended up breaking things off with Lin the day before Aang died

So Lin recently broken up with and grieving her uncle Aang (the closest she ever had to a father figure even with his frequent traveling) that night she goes out to get hammered.

Drown her sorrows and forget what was happening around her.

At the bar is where she meets a handsome water tribe man and they end up hooking up

(lmao would be so funny if it is still Tonraq and he was just in the city on business and gets caught up in Lin’s drunken bender night but he still fathers the avatar)

((in another version of this Au this is Amon but before he was the leader of the Equalists))

Lin wakes the next day half dressed in the hotel room with a major hangover and the stranger nowhere to be seen

And she ends up pregnant.

She keeps the kid half convinced it was Tenzins although she knows better. And she and Tenzin get back together under the assumption the baby is his while the little boy grows up.

It becomes painfully obvious Tenzin is not the father. Lin’s features and the strong watertribe features blend perfectly for a handsome baby boy.

First Lao developed water bending. Lin was a touch upset that she couldn't share her element with her son but she knows a few really good water benders and healers and is excited to see if he develops the ability to heal.

Then Lin noticed he was earthbending as well when he was five. And she realizes who she's dealing with now. She cries that night because she knows Aang was reincarnated into her son now and that he was still with her even if in a different way.

She tries to keep it a secret having heard about the white lotus trying to track down the avatar to hide them away in a camp somewhere in the south and the red lotus trying to find the avatar for their own nefarious reasons.

she succeeded in hiding him for a few years but with Tenzin living with them he ends up finding out and reports to the White Lotus that he knows where the avatar is, Lao is about 7 years old Lin should be 40 if I understand the timeline right.

(120ag, she would be 33 when Aang died in 153 ag, lao born at the end of that year makes him 7, now its 160 ag Tenzin would be 41 now and Pema would be 25 now. Yeah i think i’m on track)

Lin is pissed he would betray them and Tenzin feels he’s right because the red lotus is a real threat and they’re lucky they haven't found them yet, lin and Tenzin trying to fight them on their own would be bad news.

The WL show up and there’s a fight because Lin doesn’t want them to take her boy but she loses and they take Lao to be trained and Lin and Tenzin break up for good this time and she hates him so much.

(This would be a year Jinora is born)

Lin tries but is Absolutely Not allowed to see or talk to Lao

They don’t trust she wouldn’t try to take him back and they need to protect him from the red lotus who’s been an issue for a while (they’re right she would have probably tried to hide him in Zaofu if she got lao back and Suyin agreed to it but them not letting her see him is still bullshit)

Tenzin is tasked with keeping watch on Lin both to make sure she doesn’t do something drastic or try to find Lao.

Lin falls into drinking and buries herself with work

Katara tries to help by smuggling letters between Lao and Lin but as the years pass Laos letters start reading more like homework and not actually wanting to write to her. So they slowly stop sending any

Then we get to the start of the series.

Lao is 17, so its 170 ag

since he was kidnapped and held in captivity he kinda has the same spirit and air problems as korra but not as a personality fault (though he does have lin’s stubbornness) but because that connection was basically severed when he lost his mom and was whisked away at a young age

Lao escapes Korra style (his animal companion is a shirshu tho, Akna)

And makes it to the big city.

He actually sees Korra, setting off to find her own in the big city and he helps her out of a tight spot with the triads. (Naga and Akna get along very well)

They both end up arrested and Lin realizes who he is but he has no idea who she is

And she’s not going to push her luck in case the white lotus was still keeping tabs on her contact with him. So Tenzin gets Lao out of trouble and Lao is able to weasel Korra out with him.

Lin goes and breaks down into sobs in a bathroom because that was her boy and he was almost all grown up and she missed everything with him.

Tenzin refuses to tell Lao who his mother is because he needs to focus on his air bending training

Lao keeps sneaking off trying to find any clues as to who his parents are.

And since Lao has a shirshu he tries to track his mom down using scent but they can’t get a clear scent map since the letters are at least five years old and had to go through Katara but because he’s riding a Shirshu around the city he keeps running into Lin and her officers telling him to stop scaring the citizens!

Korra and Lao are fast friends and she joins the fire ferrets and he enjoys watching the matches.

Korra teases him about not “being the leaf” and is always cracking jokes about Tenzin being so serious and is trying to be supportive but also is still Korra.

Mako still gets run over by Asami

The plot kinda progresses the same only with Lao as the avatar with the Krew. He watches the matches because they’re his friends and it gets him away from ATI for a bit.

It’s not until after the pro bending games after Amon attacks and they're all fighting him, when Lin's making sure the kids are alright she cant help but hug him because she almost lost him again and that's when he realizes

but it's only a second and lin pulls back and Tenzin comes up and is asking if everyone is okay

so it's not addressed then.

probably a short scene where he’s talking with the Krew and is all

“How??? How is she my mother??? Woman clearly hates me!?”

But it’s because the WL is like breathing down her neck about not distracting the avatar and is keeping an even closer eye on her incase she tries to take him back again.

The krew kinda agreed that there had to be a mistake or Lao was wrong, but it was weird she hugged him. But Tenzin confirms Lin is his mother.

after that it would be a touch awkward at first. Lao was expecting a mother but found Lin… rough and cold. Literally the iron mother in the monkey experiment lmao

At least to start. Her walls come down some over the course of the show like they would naturally but he learns to pick up on the small signs she gives.

And she learns who her sweet baby boy grew up to be.

Then the plot moves forward and we get to the sacrifice and taking down Amon.

Amon, because he knows more from intercepting the communications in the city, makes Lin's de-bending public. The next day at city hall a big crowd, broadcasted it on the radio, to make sure Lao knows. He got his mother.

Lao is Furious because she was supposed to be with the airbenders!

The krew have to hold him back. And if he could enter the avatar state he would have.

(I have my many hc for what happens to Lin in the four days to a week it takes for Iroh II to show up and help)

Korra still loses her bending, Lao loses the connection to the three elements like in the show.

But Amon escapes, does not try to take his brother, but gets outta there and is rebuilding his Equalists in another city where he established they would all meet up in should the benders oppression prove unmanageable in the city.

they all get to the south. Lao tries to pick a fight with Tenzin for leaving Lin behind and Lin’s just so tired, trying to recover and upset because she failed everyone and lost everything and now her son is suffering because of her.

(Also sprinkle in my hc that the scars left damage to her eye so she can’t see out of that eye and she lost her seismic sense to make up for it. Depth perception is off, she gets startled easily when people come up on that side, and she keeps running her shoulder into door frames and corners on accident. And that since she lost her bending her sense of touch is numbed. Things don’t feel right and she sometimes grabs things with too much pressure to make up for it and has dropped several glasses, also my hc that Zolt gave lin the scars not Suyin /X/X/)

Then he and Korra go off into the snow on their own and he gets to meet with Aang and restores their bending

(I also have my hc that Lin gets to see Aang again when the bending is restored and he thanks her for protecting the air kids and reminds her that he’s so proud of her and loves her so much T-T)

then it kinda fuzzes out because B2 is a bunch of love triangles he’s not involved in and origin story but he never loses connection with the other avatars because that was always a poor choice! Maybe he still needs to save Raava but the previous avatars are a part of her, she promised to preserve them so they come back with her.

and in B3 he’s with the family!

Suyin is PISSED she didn't know

so Lao is getting to know his relatives and finding the new air benders.

she's not happy she can't manipulate him that well. (he's too much like lin)

He learns metal bending rather quickly (i mean look at his mom) and even starts to pick up on the seismic sense that lets people be truth seers.

After the attack he realizes how dangerous this is and doesn’t want his mom in the line of fire again. So he and the krew sneak off.

That Naga jumping at Lin scene But with a Naga AND Akna! 👀

Lin doing everything she can to find them

Lin has to watch him fight the red lotus and get poisoned

Then B4 happens where they don’t know where he is and they’re all worried.

and Toph is upset Lin didn't tell her about Lao but understands and is all like "welcome to the family twinkle toes."

BUT imagine Amon comes back with an even bigger army of Equalists and had stolen or had his spies infiltrate that mech Kuvira made and then he controls it

After the explosion Lao and Amon are in the middle of the city and Lao is stronger now, not That naive “half-baked avatar” he was in B1.

Amon is stronger too and gets hits on Lao’s side to chi-block his bending but Lao falls into the avatar state and bloodbends Amon whos like Shook because It's most definitely not a full moon and he hasn't been bloodbent since he was a boy with his father.

Lao is so angry with him as he sees the chaos and destruction of his city, remembering how sick Lin was and what Amon’s done. He may accidentally tear Amon’s organs apart within his body with the bloodbending.

“How?” Amon would cough up chunks of his heart and lungs before collapsing to the street.

Everyone is like “Do we arrest the Avatar for bloodbending now?”

Korra and Asami still get together

Mako is with Rina(oc) with his twins.

(My hc is that Mako gets with Rina around B2 and has the twins in B3 so with the time skip they’re like 3 almost 4 now? And Mako is PISSED that Wu is keeping him from his family 24/7 and then after the fight he’s injured and can't find his wife and kids, i have more posts with friends under Firecrackers but they have different timelines for it lmao /X/)

I do like the Bolin/Opal ship.

And I don’t have a love interest for Lao rn

But after the series he lives with Lin in her house for a short time before getting an apartment and Lin gets her son back as well as basically adopting Mako Bolin and Asami

UNOFFICIAL ending - He’s devastated when Lin’s killed a few years later in an altercation she shouldn’t have even been a part of but was called to the scene and Lao was a minute too late to get there. (she’s like almost 65ish)

Total Bending Abilities for Lao

Water - Healing, bloodbending

Earth - Metal, seismic sense / truth seeing, (Lin also teaches him how to sculpt lmao)

Fire - Electricity, that cool flame blade

Air - energy bending

Image

Art of Young Lao by @mgthejerkbender

#I want to write this so bad #but its just a LoK rewrite lmao #Avatar Lao Au #hc #LONG POST #If i've talked with you before about this its a lot of the same #with some added plot points #and commentary lmao #tw gore mention #everything subject to change #my mind is too full rn #I've had this AU for years now #lao is my precious baby #i love him so much #B2-4 are a blurr for me #i may update after i've watched them again

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teratocore · 1 year

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The more time goes on the more beef I have with LoK gonna be honest.

I think my basic crits of the series is that it lacks the nuance and maturity of the original series and it goes out of its way to demystify the original series for stupid battles and kaiju nonsense. Like it has some interesting ideas but it puts shock value over actual worldbuilding and characters. Whatever though bc revolutionary representation moment or something.

#personal #atla #avatar the last airbender #legend of korra #lok #idk what the crit/anti tag is for this #lok critical #I guess???#I don’t even hate korrasami most of my issues about it are far beyond shipping nonsense #it as in the show as a whole. not gonna rewrite the last tag

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sillyfudgemonkeys · 3 months

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The new Atla live action removed the sexism outta Sokka. TT0TT

Noooooo stop. Save the rewrites for when you're fixing Korra. Atla is fine just the way it is. Maybe add more Azula stuff but why would you remove his sexism???? It's a key part of his char that needs correcting wtf is gonna happen now????

#silly talks #i love korra #i prefer korra over atla tbh #but i know it has issues and I think it can achieve a lot better results #if we got some good rewrites/tweeks #partially cause Korra didn't know where it was going half the time #and kept getting screwed by the network #but a live action lok and rewrites can help weave the narrative and connect the seasons a lot more ;w;

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sapphic-agent · 11 days

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i love your team avatar rewrite! can you talk more about kids?

You don't know how happy this makes me🥹 I'll break it down like they're OCs (even though the only technical OCs here are Tyro, Suma, and Lian).

(Link to the original Gaang post: https://www.tumblr.com/sapphic-agent/747738712838995968/rewriting-the-gaang-in-lok?source=share)

Kya (major changes to canon):

She/Her

Earthbender (Lavabender)

Firstborn child of Katara and Haru

Green eyes, brown hair; resembles Katara the most

Temper like Katara, but lacks her caring and nurturing nature. Blunt and to the point like Haru. Can come off as rude, but that's not her intention. Her mouth got her in constant trouble as a child. Loved probending as a child and looked up to Toph

Probender (later Manager of the Probending Arena)

Lesbian

*Notes: I like canon Kya just fine. But similarly to Katara, I feel like LOK really just didn't bother to do much with her. She's mainly there to give Tenzin a reality check and reaffirm that Aang was a shitty father. So I really just built her up mainly from scratch. You can resonate her with canon Kya or think of her as a completely different character. Katara was always going to name her first daughter Kya, so to me it makes no difference. Also, I made her a lavabender instead of a metalbender to match her temper*

Tyro:

He/Him

Nonbender (Chi-blocker)

Firstborn and only son of Katara and Haru (middle child)

Blue eyes, brown hair; looks a lot like Sokka

Calm demeanor like Haru, but empathetic and softhearted like Katara. The most sensitive of his siblings, but also the nicest. Learned Chi-blocking from the Kyoshi Warriors after visiting Kyoshi Island for the summer. Very interested in law and politics from watching his mom

Attorney, President of Republic City

Sexuality undetermined, closest guess is pansexual

*Notes: Tyro loves his sapphic aunts (Mai and Ty Lee). I like to think of him as that friend that's always there for you, even when they're going through hell (but not parentified like Katara). Why did I make him president? I don't know*

Suma:

She/They (I know I wrote daughter, but she doesn't mind being referred to as daughter or sister by her family)

Waterbender (Healer)

Youngest child of Katara and Haru

Blue eyes, brown hair; looks like Haru (same complexion as his mother)

Finds it hard to understand emotion, doesn't pay attention (spaces out when people are talking, can't focus on classes that don't interest her in school, etc.). Comes off cold, even to her family. Most assume they don't care about anything. It was a shock when she chose to become a Healer, but her patients usually love her

Healer at the Republic City Hospital, Head Healer at the Republic City Hospital

Aromantic

*Notes: Suma is probably way closer to canon Kya than my Kya is. But they're also a lot less emotionally invested in people than Kya. They're definitely on the spectrum in case you couldn't tell*

Lin Beifong (basically the same as canon):

She/Her

Earthbender (Metalbender)

Firstborn child of Aang and Toph

Green eyes, black hair; resembles Toph

Grouchy, tough, and a hardass like Toph, but has a strong sense of fairness like Aang. Bosses her siblings around. Butts heads constantly with Suyin because of this. Studied under her Aunt Suki to become an officer

Republic City Police Officer , Republic City Chief of Police

Bisexual

*Notes: As you can see, I didn't change much about Lin. The biggest thing is probably that she didn't become a police officer to impress Toph, she did it because of her own sense of justice. I love that for her*

Tenzin Beifong (basically the same as canon):

He/Him

Firstborn son and second born child of Aang and Toph

Airbender

Gray eyes, black hair; resembles Aang

Tries to be calm, but has a short fuse. Feels like he has to live up to being the only Airbending child of the Avatar. Can be distant with his family because of this, especially Aang. Finds it hard to connect with his siblings

United Republic of Nations Councilman

*Notes: Tenzin is way more of a black sheep here than the golden child in canon. Him and Aang having a hard relationship because of the expectations placed on him is one thing I'm very proud of. I think he feels like he has to be this perfect son and feels like he can't approach Aang about it. And Toph is a less than understanding person, so he can't really talk to her either. His biggest regret is never opening up to his father before he died. So he suffers in silence (lmao)*

Suyin Beifong (basically the same as canon):

She/Her

Third child of Aang and Toph

Earthbender (Metalbender)

Brown hair, green eyes; resembles both Toph and Aang (has the complexion of Toph's father)

Free-spirited and fun-loving like Aang, but extremely stubborn and hates rules like Toph. Very clever and innovative, a troublemaker as a kid. Clashes with Lin heavily due to her issues with authority and competes with her. Leaves Republic City (of her own volition) to travel the world and creates Zaofu and the Metal Clan

Leader/Founder of Zaofu, Head of the Metal Clan

Demisexual

*Notes: I'll be honest, I love Su and think she's over hated in canon. Maybe it's because I see a lot of myself in being the youngest child and having a bossy and condescending older sister. But anyway, her backstory is one of my favorites in the show, so that's why I didn't feel the need to change it too much. Also, her choosing to travel the world similar to how the Air Nomads did is a nice touch with Aang being her father. Although, a fight with Toph might have been what made her leave, I'm not sure. Demi because I can't see her loving anyone she doesn't share a deep, personal connection to like Bataar*

Bumi Beifong (slight changes to canon)

He/Him

Youngest child of Aang and Toph

Nonbender

Gray eyes, black hair; resembles both Toph and Aang

Extremely intelligent ("mad genius"), but absolutely can't take anything seriously. Prankster, the bane of Lin and Tenzin's existences. Looks up to Aang and is very close with Su, drives Toph crazy. Very interested in combat, war, and strategy

Soldier in the Second Division of the United Forces, Commander in the Second Division of the United Forces

Gay

*Notes: Nothing you guys say or do will ever convince me that Bumi isn't a man kisser*

Lian:

She/Her

Only child of Sokka and Suki

Waterbender (+Chi-blocker)

Blue eyes, auburn hair; looks like Suki but has Sokka's complexion

Playful personality, loves bad and corny jokes. Easygoing for the most part, but knows when to get serious. Trains with the Kyoshi Warriors like Tyro does

Firefighter, Chief of the Southern Water Tribe

Pansexual

*Notes: I love Lian a lot. It's so weird that Sokka of all characters didn't have kids. Out of everyone, I would think it would be Toph. So I obviously gave him one with Suki. I don't think I said so in the Gaang post, but yes she's a Waterbender. Also, why are both her and Tyro pan? The Kyoshi Island affect, it's something in the water*

Izumi (basically the same as canon):

She/Her

Only child of Zuko and Jin

Suspected Firebender, unconfirmed

Amber eyes, brown hair; mostly resembles Jin

A calm, rational person. Loves history. Painfully non-violent because of that history. Her heart is to the Fire Nation and repairing the damage her country has done. She also has a deep love for Ba Sing Se because that's where her mother is from. Some might call her reserved before they get to know her, to her friends she's one of the nicest people ever

No one knows if she's actually a Firebender or not, she's never confirmed or denied it even to her closest friends. Doesn't feel the need to. Looks at it like a political strategy; no one can say she's favoring benders or nonbenders. She is a master swordswoman, though

Archeologist, Historian, Fire Lord

*Notes: I decided not to choose if Izumi's a bender or nonbender. I like the theory that she keeps is secret in canon as a political move. I don't know if they kept it vague in canon on purpose, but I like it that way. I kind of based her off Nico Robin from One Piece*

That's pretty much it for the Gaang Kids! I'm pretty proud of how everyone came out. Hope this satisfied you!

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fluffykitteninabox · 1 year

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I hate the legend of Korra

(but not as much as I used to)

So I hated the legend of Korra when it came out. I think it was the first time I actively hated a show. Like, I've had shows before that I didn't like before this, but this one I despised with my entire being!! 😂

Anyway, a lot of time has passed since then and Korra has ended now and my opinion on it has evolved.

Saying it again just to clarify, my opinion hasn't changed, it has evolved.

I've come to the conclusion that what I hated and still hate about Korra is the world building and the story. I don't like how they handled the Avatar universe, and the plot of every single season sucks ass, either because the premise itself is stupid or because it was executed poorly.

When the show first came out, on top of this I also hated the characters. Because let's be real here, everyone in season 1 except for Asami and Bolin were kind of dickheads. And Bolin was annoying to me, and we weren't supposed to be sure if Asami was good or not, so the entire first season we're just following a bunch of assholes around.

But in later seasons the characters evolve, and they get better, and they become actually likeable.

Korra while still not my favourite character, did grow a lot later in the series. She was "Mary sue-ish" in the first season, but she moved away from that quickly, and she became a really interesting character in my opinion.

Even though the writers had no idea what to do with Bolin, and they relegated him to being the comic relief in the C plot of each episode, he still managed to become a lovable awkward himbo.

Asami was always amazing, and she kept being amazing till the end!

And sure, it takes Mako a while to get there with the rest of them, but eventually he becomes an actual character too! (sorry not sorry to Mako fans 😂)

And by the end of the series I grew to love these characters. I wish they were part of a better story. I wish we had seen them grow closer. They never really felt like a friend group to me, and that's kind of sad.

One of the reasons I ADORE the original ATLA series is because of how it handles friendship and how close the main gang are with each other. I wish the main gang in Korra had the chance to get this close too. I wish we could have seen them be friends.

Perhaps if the writers hadn't wasted so much time on the stupid love triangle, we could have seen the "friend group" being an actual friend group.

Anyway, I still hate the story of LOK, but I adore its characters.

That's all I wanted to say

Actually wait, one more thing:

Asami is a Goddess and is the best character in the entire series ok bye now!

#if you have any fic recs about team avatar 2.0 bonding as a friend group #or a rewrite that you think handled the plot in an interesting way #feel free to share #legend of korra #atla #lok korra #lok asami #lok bolin #lok mako #team avatar

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comradekatara · 3 months

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Who first suggested the book club: Mako or Jinora? And who picks the books?

i think it probably started organically as a natural progression of jinora getting to know mako better. they're on a roadtrip (airtrip?) across the earth kingdom in search of new airbenders and they're both a little bored and irritated. mako has no escape from the budding bestieship of his two gorgeous ex-girlfriends who he fumbled. badly. jinora has no escape from her generally chaotic extended family. they're both introverts who need space that they cannot find on a relatively large but still altogether much too cramped airship. mako walks in on jinora reading a book on the history of ba sing se. he apologizes for interrupting her, but then he's like "is that book interesting?" and before he knows it, jinora is rambling about the history of dai li and the various earth dynasties, and mako is listening intently trying to absorb all of it. normally jinora's interests are shot down as being (ikki and meelo) "too nerdy" or (tenzin and pema) "extraneous to her air nomad studies" (even though, she argues, air nomads have historically been very worldly, and besides, she's part water tribe!) so when mako seems to actually appreciate knowledge for the sake of knowledge, she lends him her book after she's done with it. and for a while, that's how it goes: jinora finishes one of her books, and then she gives it to mako to read, and they discuss it. their conversations primarily focus on their literary pursuits; neither has an interest in discussing the interpersonal drama currently surrounding them.

then, jinora develops a crush on one of the new airbenders. and suddenly jinora regrets befriending this teenage boy who won't stop barraging her with his motherly concern and disapproval. "he's not good enough for you," "he's untrustworthy," etc. etc. everything they read somehow turns into a didactic lesson, even as jinora directs them to books on the most mundane, innocuous topics possible (mako is actually fascinated by the mechanics of the omashu mailchute system, but he still somehow manages to turn it into a moralizing tale about how careless disregard for authority can lead to life-ruining danger). eventually, the red lotus becomes more of a threat than mako's obnoxious presumption that he knows what's best for her, and their attentions are diverted elsewhere. gradually, mako's opinion on kai turns around, and he gives jinora his approval (not that she needed it, he's literally just some guy?), so they can once more go back to reading and discussing literature without any distractions.

jinora is usually the one selecting the books, since she has more free time to read, but mako lends her some books of his own. there is no obligation for it to be a formal thing, since mako is on air temple island frequently enough that they don't need to create an official schedule to plan for their meetings, but for some reason they still do because mako prefers to live a highly structured, ordered life. they meet on the second and sixteenth of every month, and exchange notes on their primary takeaways from each book – what they were most interested to learn, whether the author was convincing in their rhetorical style – and then they deliberate over which book to read next while drinking tea. they have a strict "no 'personal life' talk" rule. occasionally jinora ventures to suggest that they read a work of fiction together next, but mako always swiftly shoots her down. he is here to expand his mind, not to rot it with fluff! jinora would be annoyed if she didn't find it charming being friends with the world's most boring guy. and eventually she does manage to tease out his entire convoluted backstory with korra and asami, as well as some of the least unpalatable details of his childhood, and some of his more exciting moments as a detective. jinora's just like "damn, no wonder you don't read fiction. your life is already five different genres of insanity." and mako's just like "yeah. do you have any more of those plain, unsalted rice crackers? they're my favorite food."

#loopy777 #asks #mako #jinora #jinora&mako #idk if that's a tag i've ever used but they're my favorite implied totally offscreen friendship in lok #they share books and he disapproves of her boyfriend!!! it's adorable!!!!!#in the lok rewrite that lives in my head this is a prominent subplot and is explored with the full depth it deserves

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