this was genuinely the sweetest moment of the entire show!
hawk asking for permission to go out to fun uncle sensei chozen😭
Take your time!
I am sure I will be mind blown anyway :3:3
Okay but like, I’ve been thinking about what if Cobra Kai was/had a musical and the only songs I can think of are for Robby.
Either I’m Robby-pilled or he just has the most interesting life out of all of them…probably both.
Anyways, lmk if you wanna hear my hypothetical song ideas for a hypothetical Cobra Kai musical
the dubcon between robby/zara quite actually ruined the show for me. what the fuck was that. robby got drunk to the point he couldn't even form coherent sentences in that one-sided conversation with kwon. then it's implied zara went over to talk to him. then it cuts to him leaving zara's hotel room, clearly still hungover and confused, saying he "can't remember anything".
what the actual fuck is this
The broadswords that Zuko uses are niuweidao (牛尾刀) or “oxtail sabers”. Niuweidao are characterized by their flat and wide blades, flared tips, rounded cutting sections, and noticeably bent hilt; all characteristics present in Zuko’s swords.
The niuweidao actually has a rather unique history compared to other Chinese weapons. Whereas most Chinese weapons were adapted to be used by the imperial troops, the niuweidao was created and used exclusively by civilians. The primary reason for this was that their design was optimized to efficiently cut through flesh rather than harder surfaces; making them impractical for slashing through armored soldiers on the battlefield but perfect for petty robbery and common street violence. Unsurprisingly, these 19th-century swords came to be associated with rebels and criminals.
That Zuko chooses to wield niuweidao as the Blue Spirit is yet another example of his intelligence. After all, no one would expect the Prince of the Fire Nation, with a ship full of military-grade tools at his disposal, to utilize a weapon wielded by the lowest levels of society.
The niuweidao being the weapon of thugs also explains why that one Earth Kingdom jerk had a pair on him as well. In fact, you’ll notice that Zuko only ever uses his broadswords when he’s behaving criminally or rebelliously. Even his dual-wielding breaks from typical sword-fighting convention. The swords are the embodiment of his innate brashness.
This also provides a unique foil to Sokka and his sword. Sokka is often dismissed as a “peasant” and many characters simply write him off as dimwitted goofball. Yet his sword, the jian, is an ancient weapon dating back to 500 BC and is considered to be the weapon of scholars and gentlemen. Sokka’s sword embodies all of his most overlooked qualities: His intelligence, creativity, and honorable nature.
Zuko, by contrast, was seen as the elitist prince obsessed with honor and maintaining the Fire Nation’s imperial legacy. Yet his swords of choice, the niuweidao, are a relatively new kind of weapon from the fringes of society. Their entire purpose is to undermine the established power structure. Zuko’s swords embodies all of his most overlooked qualities: His boldness, his cunning, and his willingness to break from tradition.
Like what I’m doing? Tips always appreciated, never expected. ^_^
https://ko-fi.com/atlaculture
He is such a diva
Everywhere he goes Tanner Buchanan insists on causing a category 5 gender event. And good for him
Updated 9th September 2024 More writing tips, review tips & writing description notes
Facial Expressions
Masking Emotions
Smiles/Smirks/Grins
Eye Contact/Eye Movements
Blushing
Voice/Tone
Body Language/Idle Movement
Thoughts/Thinking/Focusing/Distracted
Silence
Memories
Happy/Content/Comforted
Love/Romance
Sadness/Crying/Hurt
Confidence/Determination/Hopeful
Surprised/Shocked
Guilt/Regret
Disgusted/Jealous
Uncertain/Doubtful/Worried
Anger/Rage
Laughter
Confused
Speechless/Tongue Tied
Fear/Terrified
Mental Pain
Physical Pain
Tired/Drowsy/Exhausted
Eating
Drinking
Warm/Hot
I just really want to know what the fuck was going through these writers’ heads, because the entire Robby/Zara situation is just bizarre. They make a point of re-establishing Robby does not drink, and then they show him having multiple, strong alcoholic drinks he would have zero tolerance for. They show him being so drunk he is unable to talk and barely able to stand. They show him sit back down and continue drinking. They show Zara eyeing this entire situation, and approaching him. Then they flash forward to the next morning, and Robby stumbles out of Zara’s hotel room. He says he can’t remember what happened. Zara kisses him and he stands there unmoving and unresponsive. He stumbles away confused and dazed and sad.
Like. There is not any ambiguity in what happened here. There is no world in which any of what they depicted qualifies as a consensual interaction, and they went out of their way to show that it wasn’t. But then they just…turn around and blame Robby for it and call it cheating. So why did they even bother? If they wanted Robby to cheat on Tory, they could have had him unambiguously cheat on her. They could have had him sober and knowingly go home with Zara. They could have shown them being both tipsy but not wasted going back to the hotel together. They could have had Zara just kiss him at the bar where Tory could see it. They had so many other avenues if they really wanted to have Tory/Robby “cheating” drama, so why did they do this? The only explanation I can think of is that they didn’t want to completely vilify Robby, so as an out they had Zara take advantage of him. But then that means they know unequivocally it was sexual assault and still knowingly chose to a) include it and b) frame it as anything but. Which is maybe even worse.
With a ton of text about cultural inspiration.
The main book 2 look
I wanted to show cultural differences between the tribes, so Yue's look is sort of Mongolian. There were Mongolian-styled hats in the Northern tribe, and Yue's dress under the coat looked like a Mongolian deel (thanks @atlaculture for all these posts about clothes and everything else!), so it's not much against the canon information.
So she's wearing a deel again with a second layer - there are chinese actors on photos as far as I know; I hope it's okay. One-shoulder silhouette refers to later Aang's clothes because Yue is still kind of a spiritual person (she wasn't a fighter, so I want her to have some other useful talent – not a bender or healer like Katara or a non-bender warrior like Suki). Violet, pink and white were originally her colors, no changes here. Three blue characters would be too much for a group of five, and total white is not practical at all. I like to think that violet color shows high rank in the Avatar universe; in the original series it was only worn by princess Yue, Kanna, the chief Hakoda's mother, and by king Bumi.
Yue's boots here are mongolian gutals/gutuls (the collage is already big, but I used them again for one of Book 3-looks).
Her hair become simpler – just two braids and a hairpiece, to match her previous decorated hairdo. I guess if she's travelling with the Gaang she's not that much of a Moon Spirit anymore (maybe she returned the part of the moon spirit that saved her and was healed other way?), so I decided to forego the moon-referring part. Also it will be easier to do by herself since she has no servants now... The headdress I took from modern Mongolian dancers; the front part is crescent-moon-shaped.
The Ba Sing Se dress
I fell in love with this Ao Dai dress, it's simple, long and elegant. But... it's mostly Vietnamese… and I'm afraid that it's modern and not historically accurate. Also it does not really go together with other Ba Sing Se dresses :( because I did not want to just copy-paste some background look. But there is at least one dress with a tail, thigh high slits and a standing collar on the dress underneath, so... I guess my choice is not that bad? The tail makes her look more royal. The fan is the same which Toph and Katara had. For the palette I chose Yue's white color with EK greens and warm yellow/ochre to match Katara and Toph. The hairdo is copied from the series; I chose one with the tassel on the right, to refer the NWT/Korean accessories.
The Fire Nation disguise
A confession – I don't like FN clothes. I wasn't sure if I would be able to do it properly, so I almost copied that attire (left one) – asymmetry, as a Thai touch, which again matches Aang's Invasion Buddhist-like clothes. The palette keeps Yue's signature white, with some pink of a warmer shade, as they wear it in the Fire Nation. And the "royal" long skirt, 'cause she's still not a fighter. The look is simplified so I could not keep zigzag ornament on her longyi skirt, therefore I moved it onto the top part.
I used Thai dancers jewelry and... flip flops? idk how they are called in Southeast Asia (don't like Sokka and Katara's FN shoes at all, why the design is so complicated?).
For covering her hair I used a turban, inspired by Myanmar turbans; a white one, so if some hair will show, it won't be too noticeable. Also Yue could still be easily recognised on screen/page by her white head. The long end of the fabric on her right resembles burmese hairstyle silhouette.
The Invasion-and-till-finale look
For her dress I used a deel (again); the sleeveless jacket is an hommage to her original design and has some Korean vibes, like Toph's Ba Sing Se dress (at least I hope so). Katara and Sokka's season 1 looks have Korean influence, so I guess it's okay. Gutals are from her Book 2 main look. I have a soft spot for them.
My favorite thing is her hair :)))) It's a mix of Inuit/Mongolian braids and a hairpiece, also from the Book 2 look. This time there will be more braids. Two on the front – I wanted to keep them from her original hairdo, but now they are braided together (I saw this on the Alaskan Inuit/Eskimo women photos). On the back there are five, inspired by a Mongolian hairdo for young unmarried girls, who wore multiple braids. I decided to make five, because Alaskian Inuit language uses this amount for counting and with two front braids it'll make seven, which is a lucky Mongolian number. And in theory a limited number should be easier to animate.
The post-canon noble look
After the final battle I thought Yue will come back to Agna Qel'a and become a more active political figure. I chose a white kuspuk (blue color is still for Katara and Sokka), showing that she is ready to lead her tribe after this journey, not the passive perfect princess she was before. "She is associated in canon with the masculine yang of the yin and yang and the moon which, in most Inuit and Eskimo cultures, is considered masculine as well. While white kuspuks are associated with men and specifically family patriarchs, a feminine kuspuk in white makes plenty of sense for Yue's character" – @mostly-mundane-atla helped me a lot with the cultural meaning of the clothes (I am so grateful!). Also it's an hommage to her total-white Moon Spirit look. And I changed her hair again to Greenland updo with two tied braids on the front – more complicated than the simple braids she wore during the journey. It looks formal.
NWT is less Inuit-inspired and has a strong Mongolian touch (to make them look more "modern"? dunno) but I guess the formal wear for the spiritual princess could refer to older traditions. Which should be the same with SWT, 'cause SWT was originally a part of NWT – or so I heard. For example, Kuruk, the NWT Avatar who lived about 400 years ago, has nothing Mongolian in his look.
All the looks are simplified to match the style of the original cartoon. I know there should be more details and embroidery, but my goal here was to draw something (at least theoretically) applicable for animation. And no Hahn's betrothal necklace of course.
Also I want to mention here other great Yue designs, since they are the inspiration behind the overall idea of the post – the moon looks and "Yue joins the Gaang" outfits by amazingly talented @chiptrillino.
P.S.: an important note
This is my first attempt ever to design outfits that could fit the world of A:tLA. I am not Asian or ingenious, not an expert in their cultures or costume history at all, not a professional character designer. I am just a fan who tried to create designs with respect to real cultures and people. Nothing here was supposed to be offensive in any way. If something still is – please inform me so I could fix it as soon as possible.
I hope, as a fan, I have the right to draw fanarts looking for an inspiration in the cultures that inspired the original cartoon.
If you see mistakes in my post, be it in drawings or a text, also feel free to tell me. I will deeply appreciate it.
I don't remember if I posted this so here.
They are so cute omg!!(i low-key didn't know they were dating or even together at all but suspected it.)
Blows my mind how the writer of cobra kai hayden had said that there was no sexaual assault like um no he couldn't consent so shut the fuck up
✭𝐒𝟏𝐄𝟐𝟎: "𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐈 𝐚𝐦" - 𝐙𝐮𝐤𝐨✭
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