We Ride At Dawn

“Sokka used to be so cute, what happened?”

- excerpts from Katara’s scrapbook, p. 1

The artwork is stylized to look like a part of a scrapbook, with "5/03/2003" written in the top corner of the image, a caption reading "Dad and Sokka, Age 1", and pieces of pink floral tape.

Chit Sang was really gonna keep lugging the Warden around like a sack of potatoes until Hakoda told him to yeet the guy.

listen hakoda STARTS OUT with no following because he posts blurry selfies, talks about his kids a lot, hashtags things that don't need hashtagging, has a pfp of some pic of the night sky he found on google images, and just generally doesn't know how to do social media well

Hakoda and Sokka find each other in the early morning. Neither of them are sleeping, really, but maybe helping each other is easier than helping themselves.

Words: 2500, Chapters: 1/1

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Hakoda & Sokka (Avatar) Characters: Hakoda (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar) Additional Tags: Early Mornings, Hurt/Comfort, Father-Son Relationship, Post-Canon, Hakoda (Avatar) is a Good Parent, the hugs that BOTH of them deserve, hakoda dad mode engaged

[ID: a digital drawing of Hakoda from Avatar: the Last Airbender. A bust shot of him is shown as he looks to the side with a neutral expression. He wears a bi flag around his shoulders. End ID.]

[ Description : Anonymous asked "I would give so much to see fanart of Zuko as San and Hakoda as the wolf goddess (maybe with Hakoda as a Seal-Fox?). I can't draw, and I have never regretted it half so much as when I started reading Salvage.

Muffinlance replies "Internet, internet please."

Tags are "Makes Ghibli eyes at all artists reading this" and "salvage."

End of description.]

This is racist because men of colour, specifically black and brown men have been depicted as hyper agressive, violent and animalistic for the sake of white and light poc. Making Hakoda into an animal is racist and making him protect his oppressor is racist and colorist. Fast forward and these artworks from @scarlett-hofferson and @polska-tankietka are posted.

First image by @scarlett-hofferson

[ Description : an image of Hakoda drawn as a big wolf standing behind Zuko.

Below is written "This anon sent @muffinlance an ask that inspired me, and I couldn't resist."

A link to the original ask is linked below.

The tags read : atla, avatar the last Airbender, zuko, hakoda, studio ghibli, princess mononoke, "I went with a polar dog for Hakoda cause I thought it would fit better," "and it made it easier to edit the base," scars art, mine.

End of description]

This is racist and colorist. The fact you didn't have one ounce of critical thought when making this or reflection of how this perpetuates harmful stereotypes towards black and brown men is ignorant and racist.

Second image by @polska-tankietka

[Description : an image depicting Hakoda as an animal, standing behind Zuko.

Below is written : "Some time ago an anon asked, on @muffinlance blog, for fanart of Zuko as San and Hakoda as the Wold Goddess from Princess Mononoke. They suggested a fox-seal hybrid instead of a wold, but I tried for another animal mix. The outcome looks fun albeit not how I thought it will."

There is an image description included in this post. It reads as : "Zuko stands in a defensive pose, facing the viewer. One of his hands is raised and holding his Dao blades (still as one), the other's reaching towards them. He's wearing blue clothes very reminiscent of the war outfit Sokka was sporting in the second episode. Behind him is a big, snarling beast - Hakoda -slowly reading himself to launch an attack at whoever is threatening them. Behind them, if you look closely, lays discarded fur and the Blue Spirit Mask. Around them is just a typical snowy landscape. End of image description included in the post.

The tags read : my art, avatar the last Airbender, zuko, salvage, hakoda, princess momonoke Au, ATLA, zuko mononoke, fan art, foxes and seals are adorable but I wanted sth more fierce, so I tried for a wolf sea leopard mix, the end result is more feline than canine but I like it nonetheless, also I would definitely try to pet this beast, I would be deleted from existence but who cares, this thing has to have the floppies paws and look at them, they are huge.

End of tags.

End of image description]

Not only did @polska-tankietka create art that perpetuates racist and colorist stereotypes, they also used racist and colorist language to describe Hakoda. Calling a canoncially oppressed Native American man a "big, snarling beast" and a "fierce thing to be pet" is racist. Characters of colour are not here to be your tokenized pets for your entertainment. I can't even begin to describe how appalling and upsetting this is to see as a person or colour. Indigenous people have faced genocide, colonization and ethnic cleansing around the world. They still face systemic racism today, right now a mass grave of First Nations children were found in former residential school in Kamloops BC, Canada. There are over 200 childrens remains.

This art is harmful. This prompt is hateful. I am so disgusted that not one person said anything and that it got over 100 notes.

There is still more.

Muffinlance reblogged these artworks. Below are screen captures of the reblog and tags.

[ Image Description : first image is a reblog that muffinlance made of polska-tankietka art. Second image is the tags Muffinlance wrote. The say : "LOVE IT. Hakoda has his murder face on," salvage, zuko mononoke, princess momonoke au.

End of image description ]

Saying Hakoda has a murder face is racist. It ignores the fact that Hakoda has only defended himself and his community against colonizers and people who have committed genocide against him and his community. Hakoda in canon has had his wife murdered, his culture stolen from him. He had to leave his family behind because it was either fight or be completely annihilated. These comments mufflinlance made is incredibly insensitive to indigenous people around the world and the people the Water Tribe are depicted after who still face systemic racism.

This is all racist.

It is colorist because Hakoda is made to defend his lighter oppressor who is a person of color but benefits from light skin privilege. While Zuko gets to remain human, Hakoda is turned into an animal, stripped of his humanity. Just. Because. He's. Brown.

Here is the second reblog below of scarlett-hofferson art where Muffinlance provides an image description.

[Image Description :

A reblog muffinlance has made where they included an image description.

It says, " The iconic Princess Mononoke feral San with giant Momma wolf image, but make it Salvage. Zuko stands facing the viewer, wearing blue clothes with a white animal pelt on his back. In one hand he holds the Blue Spirit Mask; in the other, a blade. Behind him towers Hakoda, who is a giant polar bear growling at whoever Zuko is looking at. The characters are drawn in a very Studio-Ghibli-esk way.

End of muffinlance's image description

Muffinlance's tags say "This is so perfect!? Amazing. Salvage, Zuko Mononoke, Fan Art and Mononoke Salvage."

End of image description.]

Again, making Hakoda, an oppressed brown man into a Literal guard dog for his light skinned oppressor is colorist and racist. Not to mention calling Zuko feral is racist as well. Men of color are not violent. Men of color are not animals. Men of color deserve better than this.

This will be a two blog post since I've run out of how many images I can include. I'll post this first and will include in my reblog of this my responses to @polska-tankietka art.

YOU’RE INSANE

[ID: An edited banner of Bato (Avatar: The Last Airbender). The banner is in three side-by-side parts. The first and third are mirrored versions of a Southern Water Tribe ship with blue sails against a trans pride flag background. The middle part Bato smiling, standing in the aft of a small ship, looking straight ahead. Katara and Aang are visible on the edge of the image. White, pink, and blue text on black boxes says, “This post made by Trans Bato Gang.” /end ID]