wakkass

[wakkass]

💚Teenage Amber💚

On the left is some hairstyle searches

AU itself

Amber, like Sofia, is a very hard student. As a future queen, she's aware of her responsibility for the knowledge she acquires.

Amber manages her workload well and organizes her daily routine.

She likes to combine business with pleasure and apply organizational skills to her studies.

Amber strives to be on top in everything. Perhaps even too much.

For Amber, face is as important as knowledge and skills. To be a worthy queen, she must be perfect in everything, even in appearance.

Lately she has noticed that she can’t fit into dresses, she often sweats, and her hair becomes greasy.

This worries Amber, but she doesn’t give up and skillfully hides it all, and also finds information on how to fix such things (for example, a recipe for a magic potion that makes hair silky).

The fact is that this helps only temporarily, and sometimes it's completely pointless. And the flaws in appearance are getting worse and harder to hide.

Amber begins to think that the problem is with her and that she's simply no longer beautiful.

At some point it reached a critical point. During an etiquette lesson where she was supposed to faint, she actually fainted because she began to malnourish.

Sofia noticed that something was wrong with her sister, and they talked about it. Sofia believes that Amber is the most beautiful and kind princess among everyone she knows, and there is no better queen for Enchancia.

But Amber doesn't think that's enough. She's preparing to become the "face" of her kingdom. How will she show the world all the beauty of her homeland if she herself doesn't live up to it?

This question will be answered by the current "face" of Enchancia - Queen Miranda.

She will tell her daughter about the changes that every girl goes through, and will show Amber her hands, roughened by years of manual labor. Unlike natural maturation, their rudeness doesn't transform over time.

But does that make them ugly? Amber believes that her mother's hands are the most beautiful and perfect. And Miranda will hug her with them and say that Amber herself is also beautiful.

But what if the shortcomings never go away and some of them remain? Well, they will be flaws only as long as she considers them as such. Because Amber is actually the only one who sees them.

Roland will show his daughter his scars, which he received as a child due to too dangerous pranks.

Roland will also show porters of previous monarchs, where some of their external features are visible. They are all different, but they have one thing in common - they all took care of their health.

Roland thinks that Enchancia needs a healthy monarch who will reign as long as possible. And most importantly, the family needs a healthy and happy Amber, so it hurts them to see how she doesn't feel sorry for herself.

Appearance info

Hairstyle:

Amber's hairstyle in the original is a good reference to her status. Personally, because of such curls, I have a strong association with the aristocracy, so I wanted to preserve them.

However, I don't like the performance in the series at all (the one on the left), so I played with the shape of the hairstyle until I reached the final one.

I really like the execution of a similar hairstyle on the right, it’s a shame that the curls ended up looking like sausages -_-

Inspired by various art from vintage manga, I decided on a hairstyle. The structure of the hair is very similar to Aurora’s hair and, as planned, her strands also move easily and naturally.

Cloth:

Read this post for clothing inspiration and references.

< Previous post

#sofia the first #sofia the fandom #stf #sofia the first fanart #sofia the first au #princess amber #princess sofia #queen miranda #king roland

[wakkass]

Oh my goodness, I just found your blog, your art is so cool and you cover such a wide range of fandoms... You're amazing!

Oh thank you very much, it’s always so nice to receive such words 💖✨💖

#wakkass: answer

[wakkass]

💜Teenage Sofia💜

On the right is some hairstyle searches

AU itself

Sofia sleeps through her first lessons and cannot concentrate on her homework, which is why she makes mistakes.

For some reason, Sofia’s energy is becoming less and less; she cannot easily join the busy rhythm of life as in childhood.

She considered it an uneven start to the school year, and therefore didn't tell anyone about anything.

Despite this, Sofia tries very hard to work, but the problem is that she never begins to accomplish anything.

The amulet began to behave strangely: it loses color and turns gray. And most importantly, it doesn't work as it should, sometimes completely switching off and depriving Sofia of her powers.

This causes problems with her missions: she cannot respond to calls for help in time and cannot talk to her friends. It also reminds her of the helplessness she felt when she was stuck inside the amulet.

Sofia is caught between her old responsibilities and her new academic demands, causing her to fail at both.

This begins to put pressure on her, and as a result, Sofia's emotions become uncontrollable, for example, she may suddenly cry or get angry.

It got to the point where Sofia yelled at Miranda and ran away in a fit of rage, not understanding why she was even angry.

At first, Sofia believes that the amulet is to blame for her strange condition. Something happened to it and it needs to be fixed. This is a reason to turn to Cedric for help.

However, when examining the amulet, it turns out that it doesn't affect Sofia, but vice versa. That is, the amulet reacts to her burnout due to permanent stress.

Sofia doesn't know the nature of her condition and how to fix it. If this is a curse, then it must be removed, and if it's a disease, then it must be cured, and who else but the royal sorcerer will help with this.

The more Sofia describes the symptoms, the more Cedric realizes that this is not an infection or a curse, but something that he himself once went through - depression.

To avoid this, Cedric does what Sofia once did for him: shows care and attention.

He tries to repeat the same actions that Sofia did for him many years ago, because this is the only way to deal with depression that he knows.

This doesn't always help, since she could suddenly cry, and he didn't know what to do about it. But Sofia felt better from the very fact of understanding and caring for her. What's important is that she was able to let her feelings out.

Sofia asked Cedric for medicine and he took her to the throne room where her parents were sitting. A friend nearby can help in difficult times, but there is nothing more healing than family support.

Sofia was scared to talk to her mother, because they parted on an unpleasant note. Sofia was afraid of making this worse, because she reacted extremely unpredictably to things.

I see their dialogue as somewhat awkward at first, which is why Sofia has a lump in her throat. But Miranda is not angry with her, although it's difficult for her to ask about what is happening. I think this will put pressure on Sofia and she will utter her words of apology quickly and incoherently.

It was amazing how much easier it became for Sofia when she didn't face her mother's anger, but her mother's support. What's happening to Sofia is complicated, but she's still loved and understood. No one will ever leave her alone, no matter how much she changes.

The amulet remains gray until Sofia deals with the amount of work she has to do, causing her to burn out.

In the future, Amber helps Sofia with her schedule and organization of things during the day.

Appearance info

Hairstyle:

I knew that Sofia's hair texture needed to be soft and light, so I was looking for a simple and full hairstyle. I chose between a ponytail and a half-ponytail, and in the end I settled on the hairstyle that I could feel best.

I like how in animation the movement of the tail reflects the personality and mood of the character, this is ideal for a pubescent AU, where emotions and feelings burst out.

Meg and Thumbelina are not only a great visual reference for hair movement, but also reflect facets of personality that Sofia might have at her age. And the hair in a high ponytail emphasizes this perfectly.

Cloth:

Amber and Sofia's costumes are similar because they wear school uniforms. They study together in a specialized educational institution, so I think there is a certain dress code there. It's different from the public school setting that was in the original series, and I wanted to highlight that visually.

At the same time, the palette is different for everyone and reflects the individuality of each student.

I took inspiration from Pinterest where I was looking for simple yet elegant clothes. Asian uniforms have the most variety in silhouettes, so I mainly focused on them.

A small example of the cut I relied on

< Previous post

#sofia the first #sofia the fandom #sofia the first fanart #stf #sofia the first au #princess sofia #cedric the great #cedric the sorcerer #queen miranda

[wakkass]

Some time ago I wanted to draw StF characters during high school. I liked thinking about what they would look like at that age so much that a whole AU was born, which I painted.

During adolescence, a lot changes in a person's life: the environment, attitude, appearance and even one’s own self.

It became interesting for me to confront the characters with this, so the main theme of the AU is the first changes and the unknown that follows them.

As you may have noticed, the sisters are drawn in school uniforms. I think that the routine of high school gave a powerful impetus to the development of the characters' problems, because school is almost the main part of any teenager's life. This is a large concentration of stress, and its consequences are reflected in my AU.

Overall, I hope you enjoy reading this. I have divided the information on the characters and will make their profiles in separate posts. Links will be below as these profiles are published.

💜Sofia💜

💚Amber💚

#sofia the first #sofia the fandom #sofia the first fanart #stf #sofia the first au #princess sofia #princess amber

[wakkass]

Is your design of grown up sofia based off megara from hercules?

You have no idea how timely your question is. Just yesterday I was looking for a gif of Meg for a future post, which I really hope I will design and publish.

But if we talk about the already published grown-up Sofia, then no, she is not based on Megara.

In this post you can see several of my formalized searches. There are more, of course, but they're too sketches and I didn’t want to show them to the public. I simply chose the option I liked best and developed it further.

At the same time, I had a source of inspiration: Barbie princesses from old cartoons, in particular Rapunzel and Odette.

I really wanted to get into their smooth, calm mood, so I took inspiration from these beautiful ladies.

#wakkass: answer #sofia the first #stf #sofia the fandom #princess sofia

[wakkass]

I think I like Cedric the Great better because of how the meaning of the title changes under Sofia's influence. Initially, greatness meant power and authority for Cedric, and he wanted to seize the kingdom to prove that he was worthy. But over time, greatness begins to mean the inner qualities of a person, and Sofia helped bring them out. For her, Cedric was not only a great sorcerer, but also a great friend, because he was great in himself. Therefore, when at the end they call him Cedric the Great, this is not a simple emphasis on the importance of a person, but a presentation of his personal qualities and re-awareness of moral values.

Reblog with your reasons!

@bettathanyou @fantadym @captain-amadeus

#cedric the sorcerer #cedric the great #sofia the first #stf

[wakkass]

So, I continue the theme of adult heroes, and this time the matter affected... adults. It’s one thing to give children mature traits, and another to age characters that are already sufficiently formed in appearance.

Suddenly, it felt quite sad. First, I drew the shapes of the adults' faces from the original, so that later I could literally recreate the aging process, which made me feel like they could never get back. This immersion in the irrevocable decline of youth helped me understand why I like to draw the characters of STF in their distant future.

I like the age range at which the characters are. While Sofia's generation flourishes, the generation of her parents fades. The peak of this contrast is right here, and I feel a bitter taste of joy from such sensations. I feel sad, but at the same time warm from the realization that they're all still nearby and terrible losses are still far ahead…

Wow, I wrote so much about flying heads. But enough about the sad stuff, because I also drew an adult Calista. I imagine her learning magic and practicing with the best sorcerer she knows. I like to think that because of this practice, she and Sofia often run into each other, and they and her uncle have fun after work. I love imagining the little things in life, there’s something relaxing about it.

I also have something to say about Cedric. I see him with a mustache and beard, firstly, because all great sorcerers have mustaches and beards. And, secondly, because it seems wildly funny to me to consider the episode “Substitude Cedric” prophetic

#Imho this spider-man meme perfectly illustrates the relationship between Cedric and Calista #I couldn't help but draw it #sofia the first #sofia the fandom #sofia the first fanart #stf #queen miranda #king roland #cedric the sorcerer #cedric the great #calista sofia the first #princess sofia

[wakkass]

I recently discovered your account after I saw your drawing of Amalia in Katara's dress, and I rally like your take on atla! Your pov is really interesting, and your character design too!

Oaoaoaoaoao thank you very muuuuuuuch. It's very nice :3

#wakkass: answer

[wakkass]

Continuing the theme of grown-up characters, I drew Amber. I'm so proud of her arc of becoming the crown princess and so I really wanted to draw her as the queen (of my heart).

Even though it's not full length, I still played with the details of her outfits because, unlike Sofia, her style is more festive, I think. She seemed to have stepped out of a ceremonial portrait, and this is due not only to Amber’s love for jewelry, but also to her status. I see her as a wonderful queen, so much so that even her appearance is flawless.

#sofia the first #sofia the fandom #sofia the first fanart #stf #princess amber

[wakkass]

I got carried away and drew the full height of the adult Sofia. I liked the sophistication of her outfit, I wanted to keep the overall vibe of the character while creating something unique.

In the process, I started thinking about who Sofia is in adulthood? Who she works for, what her routine looks like, all that stuff.

In my head, Sofia is a royal advisor and/or regent, but with other hobbies. I feel like Sofia's desire to help people and her temperament fit perfectly into this profession. At the same time, she can carry out diplomatic missions and travel a lot. Family and close friends are very important to Sofia, so working at the castle is ideal for maintaining all the important connections for her. Plus, I like to think about how the three siblings make important decisions or do pleasant routine little things together, because the three of them work for the good of the country.

#sofia the first #sofia the fandom #sofia the first fanart #stf #princess sofia

[wakkass]

I recently watched "Sofia the First". I was pleasantly surprised by this touching magical world. All the characters are so cool, the plot and atmosphere touched me to the core. I'll slowly post drawings dedicated to this wonderful animated series.

Also, it seems to me that everyone is always interested in the adult version of heroes, and drawing them like that is a tradition. So I decided to make my own version of a grown-up Sofia :3

#sofia the first #sofia the fandom #princess sofia #stf #sofia the first fanart

[wakkass]

Finally I returned to my laptop and now I can draw.

I read the manhua "Aisha", and for the first time I sincerely admired a work of this genre. The characters, the plot, the storytelling language, the art - everything is wonderful.

I sometimes like to read various manhwas and manhuas, but for the first time I can put something on par with book literature. I felt like I was reading an illustrated history of the classic era, wow.

I wanted to depict the main characters, and at the same time try to draw on one layer. My usual artstyle isn't very suitable for this manhua, but maybe in the future I'll adapt the characters into a cartoon form.

In the meantime, here are portraits of beautiful girls 💖

#aisha manhua #manhua #aisha #aida #my art

[wakkass]

Hey! First off i really love your art, it has so much expression and personality❤️💕

I saw your post critisizing Kataras look in season 3 and how they don’t let her show her weaker and more tired self, and tend to pretty her up compared to the rest to make her “more favourable to aang” I don’t really agree on that point and want to add my own two cents.

-

Both Aang and Katara have seen each other at their best and worst, mentally, physically, emotionally and totally wrecked from exhaustion and have supported each other through it.

Examples at the top of my head for katara:

-in the waterbending master when fighting pakku her hair gets messy and breathing becomea rigid and at no point lets go of her (fierce and justified) anger towards him, aang watches them and cheers for her through it (“Go Katara!”) Also not forgetting how he doesn’t want to be taught by pakku if he won’t teach her.

-in the chase all the gaang are exhausted beyond point and katara snaps multiple times, when trying to confront toph, aang attempts calming her down but she has her “IM COMPLETELY CALM” reaction and aang decides to back away. I see it as him respecting her anger and frustration and understanding she needs space atm.

-the desert all the gaang are not themselves and katara takes over as the leader in that situation, aang is incredibly distraught and furious about losing appa and it’s katara that manages to get everyone back on track, esprcially aang.

- this leads to the serpent’s pass where aang in return regrets his outburst at the sand benders and understand and appreciates kataras effort for what she did back there for all of them, esprcially him in his pure rage.

-the puppet master, katara forcibly learns bloodbending and is distraught over this fact. It’s a very brief moment in the last few seconds but she breaks down and aang and sokka comfort her without any words said and let katara hurt in that moment without any pressure to get it together.

-the southern raiders we see her at her possible worst and aang sees it too. He fully understand her anger and that she needs this journey to heal but doesn’t want her to lose herself by killing the man because it would destroy her to take a life even if he deserved it. Aang empathsizes with her and he is happy she was able to come to her own conclusion despite the pain thr both felt (her going through all these emotions and him seeing her not being herself at that moment before)

-

Phew sorry that was so wordy lol. Apologies^^”

I also think the show lets her be messy and not “perfect” in scenes without aang too (hakoda and her in S3EP1) but i know that wasnt ur og point.

I totally think the show can be critisized with certain designs tho tbf i don’t blame aang personally for blushing at her when she is really pretty, it is his crush and he is a boy in puberty. He loves her at her best looking times and messiest times (whether thats her emotional or physical state) and always shows it through words and other means of affection.

To end this needlessly long ask I agree with some of what u said but i wanted to add my own thoughts because i couldn’t get myself to agree on others. Sorry for any spelling or grammatical mistakes!

I love analytical posts and how they keep the gears in my head moving. Thank you very much for, firstly, reading my posts, it’s very nice. It’s immediately obvious that you also read the hashtags :3

Thank you for the compliments on my drawings, it’s very nice to hear 💖❤️💖

And, secondly, for writing your post and sending it to me, considering the idea from different angles and complementing it.

I want to say right away: no one is obliged to agree with me for the simple reason that each of us has his own interpretation of this series. It's too ambiguous to have only one true reading, and therefore the difference in points of view complements each other. It's IMPORTANT for us to have different opinions and help each other see different sides of interpretation :3

The phrase itself from the series is wonderfully suitable here, I can’t say it better:

It is important to draw wisdom from many different places. If we take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. Understanding others, the other elements, and the other nations, will help you become whole... It can make you more powerful.

Regarding Katara’s fatigue, I said in hashtags here that it was only shown in two episodes: “The Desert” and “The Southern Raiders.” As you can see, @leanniera gave a few more examples, and I just want to leave them on my wall as part of the theme.

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #katara's fatigue #wakkass: answer

[wakkass]

Well, I almost got it right. It's a pity that these are not fur boots(

After watching the trailer, I immediately ran to draw this cinnamon bun. I'm delighted with how everything looks. For the first time in my life, I really like everything about a modern film adaptation. I really hope that the content will be at the level of the picture.

Regarding drawing, I’m not exactly a portrait painter, so I can’t do a 100% likeness. I hope as a result there is at least a little recognition.

And at this moment I noticed Katara’s shoes. Is it just me, or are there adorable fur boots?

I tried to sketch roughly what I saw, cartoonishly so as not to go into details. Then we'll see if I got it right :3

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #atla netflix #netflix #katara #atla katara #kiawentiio

[wakkass]

After watching the trailer, I immediately ran to draw this cinnamon bun. I'm delighted with how everything looks. For the first time in my life, I really like everything about a modern film adaptation. I really hope that the content will be at the level of the picture.

Regarding drawing, I’m not exactly a portrait painter, so I can’t do a 100% likeness. I hope as a result there is at least a little recognition.

And at this moment I noticed Katara’s shoes. Is it just me, or are there adorable fur boots?

I tried to sketch roughly what I saw, cartoonishly so as not to go into details. Then we'll see if I got it right :3

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #atla fanart #atla netflix #netflix #katara #atla katara #kiawentiio

[wakkass]

I drew Zuko to complement this post.

In general, Katara and Zuko's designs were the only ones that confused me in season 3. So it was important for me to draw them and feel them in my own way.

While Katara's was a redesign of sorts, Zuko's is more of an interpretation.

I like his clothes in canon, this lightness in outfit contrasts very well with the massive armor from season 1. But something in the details was not right, and now I’ll tell you what confused me. I drew the figure without references and screenshots at my own discretion, and here’s what changed:

1. Hairstyle. I'm not a big fan of the season 3 hair, especially the filler strands. Hair in front of the eyes covers the character's face and prevents him from seeing emotions. So I drew his hair from the end of season 2, or at least I tried to. The hair is nice there, the face is open, and the beauty is there.

2. Collar. I drew it from memory, and was extremely surprised when I looked at the original. I see two problems. Firstly, the guides of the two collars for some reason go in different directions, not supporting each other:

Secondly, there are too many thin lines at the neck, which crush the already fragmented collar:

Why are they? Why not make the gold border wider or remove it altogether? They are almost invisible, especially if the character is moved away, so there is no point in them. I didn't remember these strange details. Yes, my version has gold on the sleeves, but it's wide enough to stand out even from a distance.

3. Robe. I remembered that the hem of Zuko's robe was also gold. It's funny that the line is not in the original; it would have nicely separated the color spot of the robe from the pants.

4. Boots. I remember that FN boots have a crease line, and Zuko was the only one whose boots were a single design. This is not bad, but I forgot about it and made a dividing line

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #zuko #atla zuko #prince zuko

[wakkass]

I love the topic of translation into other languages so much, because I myself watch and read everything not in English, but in my native language.

Thank you for sharing the state of affairs in the adaptation into Korean, it was very interesting to read. I really want to share my thoughts on this matter, and also talk about the problems of our version.

Let's start with the fact that, imho, each country adapts the translation to the culture and characteristics of the language. For example, Suki in Russian sounds like a swear word ("the bitches"), so we have slightly modified this name to Suyuki. However, I was amazed that in Korean, as I understood, there were also adaptations of popular dorama clichés. It's not that I've carefully compared our adaptation to the original, but I don't remember that much change. It's amazing how countries present projects differently.

As for the translation problems in my native language, they are rather technical. Phrases can be rearranged and sometimes lose their meaning. For example, the great "that's rough buddy" doesn't sound awkward, which is why the meaning of the joke is lost.

But my favorite thing is the voice acting. I don’t know about you, but it was wildly funny to me because of Aang’s dissatisfaction in the episode “The Ember Island Players” when he was played by a girl, because we had a woman voice him. The joke immediately took on a new shade, it’s funny. But there is also a problem, for example, Zuko's voice, which changes from season to season, and sometimes within the same episode. It feels like he has bipolar and periodically new personalities wake up in him, speaking for him. And also imho in the third season, his voice acting is so wooden that I perceive him as a different character altogether. At such moments, you especially appreciate the work of Dante Basco and the fact that he ALONE voiced this character for all three seasons.

Here's a video of all the voices from our dub if you're interested. Katara and Azula are one voice, as are Aang and Toph. Luxurious knowledge.

I don’t remember any really important problem right now, like sexism, so I don’t know how relevant my answer is to the topic of the post. But I wanted to share the features of our translation because this topic interests me :3

watching atla in my "first" language really hit different to me.

fiction and storytelling, even for ones that were originally made here, especially for ones that weren't originally made here, all of them were always more natural for me in english.

for atla, when i watched and rewatched, read and reread the series, the comic, the fanfictions all in english, the characters felt like characters more than the representations that they hold. when i turned on the series in korean, out of curiosity, the entire dynamic felt shifted in this intricate way that are both personal yet distant yet i felt like i was yanked up by this unfamiliarity i was supposed to be familiar with. if that makes any sense.

like. the characters were more the representatives and statuses such as the wordings and cultural tones but the parts where the translators failed to catch the tone of the characters themselves but rather they have compartmentlized and integrated into the labels of the statuses, those that we were more familiar with what we were relayed on the history classes. especially the words that dealt with royals. the words that referred to "father", the words that referred to "king". the words that referred to "high priests", "physicians", and "my lord". when in english (at least to me) it felt like the statuses were first and foremost used as tools to add up flavor to the character, in korean (at least to me) it felt like the statuses were first and foremost used to establish the solid grounds and frames what they would play out into in terms of the fictional politicary, and the characters added second to just slightly differentiate the framework between the royals.

(high chance that i may be rather heavily biased in this since i did only watch (made to watch) most movies and animations in english since i was at a very young age, and that habit turned into a purposeful one as i grew older, so i have a very limited range of feel of how "scripts in korean" could vary in terms of The Feel. when i watch a fiction in korean that i have already digested through thoroughly in english, the foremost automatic reflex is "wait that's not right" and more than often my brain tunes the rest out as if it was a fight or flight situation. i always thought the translations were poor, a lot of them may actually are, but even when they might be decent.)

in korean i suddenly felt the weight shifting onto the race of the characters, as if they had suddenly turned "asian" in terms that i felt (or thought i felt) more "familiar" with, in a way that reasonated way too personally- not on the "me" level but on the "national" level. especially the ones- the titles of the statuses- around the imperialism words.

(to be blunt, it felt weird and uncanny in this very specific way that the real life history drilled into you(me) to memorize (and failed to) was suddenly yanking you by the collar and making itself known the fabricated imperialism and the actual imperialism that had happened in the personal-not personal-national way at the same time shoved in your face and the titles of not only said imperialism but also the status pyramid in general which you now barely acknowledged reeked out of the mere words that the characters used.

for example, resulting in the brain functioning from

"this person is azula"

to

"this person is an imperialist(political) princess(raw) loyal(in patriarchy) to the(her) fatherlord(as in the actual term used by the children of the high king, who was referred and (made) reverred as the "father" of the nation via confucianism (patriarchy + family, organizations == family at its core == therefore any organization especially enforced by the nation == loyalty to the king(lord) == loyalty to your father >>> individuality))"

and suddenly you(i) feel the characters like formatted boxes and yes the characters are still there but the tone is just not there anymore, and this may be just me after only watching the last 3 episodes in this language, but i felt like aang became(as in framed into a mere box of) a {kid}, sokka became a {kid}, toph became a {sister}, katara and suki became {companions}, zuko became a {guy}, azula became an {enemy the crazy}, and ozai became an {enemy the fatherlord}. and nothing else. no lingering spices of the characters. the weight of all the statuses and namesakes clouding over (all) the flavor.)

(though the added weight is kind of interesting when considering the characters derived from the feel of both languages i guess)

-

below is a rambling thought of how i think this would've turned out if atla was published in here, perhaps, in the form of kdrama which seems to be the most popular medium on broadcast tv lately, especially if it was pushed for nationwide publishment.

this may be biased since this post is coming from me only, so you may ignore the rest of this post if you don't want to read a wall of condemnation of what i personally (therefore not an exact official fact) think of kdramas (regarding sexism) + how the characters would've turned out if atla was one. i won't fight you if you decide to fight me or engage in Formatted Discourse because i'm a cowardly little shit who throws up a wall of rant when braindump is required and runs away irresponsibly

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i'm not someone who had watched that many kdramas, but kdramas are the thing that turns up everywhere whenever the tv on the house is on (on the few times it is actually on) and this is from my viewpoint from all the glimpses i got from the kdramas. kdramas, which seem to love so much the gender roles and how the plot "tears them apart" when ironically, the established grounds themselves are made to very heavily, both blatantly and subtly rotate around the gender stereotypes and the set of the power positions- man on high position, woman on the hardworking helping side at best. and there's always some type of "romance" going on. the arrogant male tries to get the girl, but the girl eventually makes him learn his place.

oh and let's not forget the age gaps. i am not saying that age gap relationships are inherently bad but the notion of the "age gap where the man is much older than the woman" in itself seems to be a very popular trope in kdrama in the majority. especially especially those of which the background is set in the past like the chosun dynasty where the patriarchy was domineering its highest, when the man was always older and of higher-status than the "court receiving" woman with no exceptions, where the man always protect the woman in the end when it came down to drama-typically life-threatening on either side. i get that the "man status" is one of the things that the drama made as "that's just how history is" but (for me) it always felt like the setting deliberately focuses on the gender split and runs with it while having the effect of romanticizing and glossing over the entirety of it. man always "helping out" the woman via his status that the woman is inherently made impossible to reach, the label never quite really being approached in contrast to the advances that men always had.

so back to the subject. if atla was to be created first in here, similar to a kdrama, therefore having more parts to be glossed over by the media producer, the executives, the broadcast approvers, and their enforcements for "mass media taste" on top of the traces of patriarchy seeped everywhere that never really went away.

azula would have more limitations of what she could do, such as not really having full control of her ship or her army, somehow being distanced in some way she knows but cannot grasp, having a second in command that does all the actual command-in-power- even if the show lets her do all the fighting- due to the inhibitions as a female that she never had in the series. most importantly, scenes of her would no longer have that iconic "fear aura" she always had and controlled, entirely by herself, while still wearing the label of evil. her preciseness and manipulation closely nurtured and delicately yet forcefully groomed by her father, the entirety of her complex character, would be watered down to an overbearing snotty control freak who can't really do anything. and when she duels zuko, she would be fighting for the power she never was really given. zuko's win would be cloaked a heavy shade of patriarchal win.

katara would be framed as a righteous lecturing damsel in distress. she would show skill, she would be taking down dozens, but her selfless passion and enthusiasm would be made thwarted to "catch" the attention of stereotypical prying males. she would be pinned down by a manhandle and there would be a dramatic, perhaps romanticized, male rescue. she would be fighting more stereotypical men targetting her than doing her actual part of saving the goddamn world. in the series, the one "blatantly patriarchal" society she had to face in the northern water tribe overturned in quick succession due to a usage of a plot ticket of acknowledgement of personal loss of a high master due to the patriarchal norm as well as an acknowledgement of katara's skill and resilence. i can't even start to imagine how it would've turned out if atla were to be produced in here.

toph would be framed a "loudmouthed little brat", as a guy who captured her in a metal box had said it. she would be strong, she would be vigilant, but she would be ignored, she would be babied more, and she would be made to either simply shrug them off, or be condescended as if she was nothing but a child when she does show her anger. her rightful anger would be treated as nothing but a simple child's fit. either that or her gender would have been replaced entirely, as she was made in the ember island play scene, but with more region-typical stereotypes laced along the way.

all of them would be made to wear some lipstick and makeup.

all of them would be made to wear tightly fitted clothing on their higher torso, in some way.

all of them would be regularly commented of their appearances in some way.

all of them would abruptly find themselves in the face of blatant sexism as if it was an obvious topic in a conversation.

i would continue to scrutinize over how suki, aang, sokka, hakoda, and ozai would have been, but i'm not sure i honestly could, at least in terms of accuracy, with my current state of experience and knowledge on kdramas and korean media culture as well as the limited time i have. (and i really don't want to compartmentalize my time further watching tv dramas for "culture studying" sake)

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so uh. thanks for reading? i guess. if you did. through the entire wall of ramble text. which i doubt. congratulations. i wouldn't read it too

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #language #translation #Youtube