Kuro Chan

was he already studying for his future before he was announced as the avatar? was he like "okay but I'll be allowed to keep up with my studies right" to the fire sages? because i can't imagine someone who was not already academy oriented suddenly decide to get a desk job after mastering all elements.

just imagine a sixteen year old szeto who is super into history and art suddenly being told lmao you're gonna have to leave your scrolls at home, shave your head and go spend a couple of years with the air nomads.

Considering Szeto was born before his homeland had been consolidated into the Fire Nation, and more importantly, he had been born during what can best be described as The Fire Nation's Warring States period. Which begs the question, what did the Avatar before him do that led to the Fire Islands to be plagued by disease, famine, war, civil war, plots, banditry, raids, piracy, and utter discontent and disorder?

Szeto, as mentioned above, probably wished he could focus on something other than the Fire Islands, but they were so unstable at this period that he couldn't.

But he could've just used the power of the Avatar to fix things

He very well could have. But I do believe the pretext for why he didn't was merely that the peace sustained from him throwing his power about and threatening others into compliance would've only ever been temporary at best and obscenely fragile at worst. It would force his relationship with his homeland to become akin to Konrad Curze and Nostrommo.

Sure, Nostrommo listens to Kurze, but only when he's on the planet. The moment he leaves, the obeisance of his will slackens until it evaporates immediately.

One of the most unintentionally funny things I noticed but

Look at Ozai and Azulon

I enjoy any Avatar content that comes my way, including Reckoning/Awakening of Roku. But presenting Sozin as sexist and trying to imply that it’s systemic didn’t really make sense? With any previously published material on the Fire Nation or even with the Roku books themselves?

Atla:

Azula is the favored heir for the THRONE. Has been from the time she was a TODDLER. She was trained in both combat and military strategy from childhood, just as much if not more so than her older brother. Not only was this the case when Ozai was Fire Lord, but even when Ozai was a Prince and the primary use for his children was to elevate his standing in Azulon’s eyes. Meaning Ozai did not see any detriment in winning his father over with a daughter rather than a son. So, Ozai doesn’t care about gender. Azulon, SOZIN’S SON, doesn’t care about gender. Despite Sozin’s comment in RoR, gender doesn’t appear to be a significant factor in line of succession.

Mai and Ty Lee clearly indicate that combat training for noble girls is not unique to Azula. In fact, considering how restricted Mai is portrayed and how she seems to have chosen to conform to the decorum expected of her station, it’s pretty clear that combative prowess is an EXPECTATION for noblewomen.

The Home Guard portrayed in “The Headband” is predominantly female. The guards at the Boiling Rock, the highest security prison in the Fire Nation, appears to have a roughly even mix of male and female. Admittedly, the deployed soldiers that are given faces/voices seem to be all male. Which could indicate a divide where men are generally stationed abroad while women are generally stationed domestically. But still generall not shy about women in the military and military-adjacent professions. (Obviously, military isn’t everything. But as the show is mostly focused on the war, that’s the majority of what we have to work with.)

Kyoshi:

Rangi and her mother exist. Hei Ran apparently even taught the Fire Lord himself, and as his former teacher is one of the few people in the world allowed to treat him like an equal, not to mention having been chosen to teach the Avatar twice over. Also, in Shadow, Hei Ran and Rangi’s main political rivals are female.

Yangchen:

At a time when each of the 3 more-monetarily minded nations could only interact and trade through one city each, the Fire Lord appointed appointed a woman named Chaisee to manage that city, and therefore the entirety of their immigration and international trade.

Avatar Legends “Era of Roku” information:

Yuyan archers were founded by a woman. One whom Sozin asked to pass on her archery training.

Technically Hundred Years War Era, but one of the pre-made campaigns centers around a female Fire Nation General.

Roku books:

Ta Min is able to go into a career in politics.

Dalisay is a scholar, apparently respected enough to tutor the princess.

Sozin himself, despite the occasional sexist narration, works almost exclusively with female specialists. A scholar with a rope dart, a mercenary, a politician.

Honestly, the vast majority of interesting Fire Nation characters we meet are female. All of them are clearly encouraged to excel (whether for their own benefit or the benefit of those who would use them). Many of them hold positions of power and respect. There is no particular indication of separate gender roles with the possible exception of where soldiers are stationed. So the handful of mental comments that Sozin makes don’t really mesh.

The Water Tribes were most definitely and explicitly sexist. The North more than the South, but the show clearly explored that as being part of both cultures. The Earth Kingdom doesn’t explicitly state anything about gender roles outside of beating them out of Sokka on Kyoshi Island, but it does appear to be implied as a patriarchal society (with the exception of Kyoshi Island itself. Though, considering Suki wasn’t confused by Sokka’s attitude and the island was so isolated, that attitude must have existed to some degree there as well).

The Fire Nation and Air Nomads don’t seem to have that. Ironic, considering the Air Nomads literally separated the temples by gender. But I’m pretty sure that’s mostly to ensure that children are raised by the Temple rather than a Family Unit, and what little we have about their daily lives shows no difference between the men and the women except for where their home base is.

I usually cringe slightly at the trope of "this homphobic man actually is gay and that's why he's like that" because it shifts the blame back onto queer people for the oppression they face, but I think in Sozin's case it is just so funny that I can't help myself. There's just so much wrong with him that internalised homophobia is the least of our worries.

But no, yeah, to me at least one-sided Rozin is borderline canon. To me there's just a question of whether Sozin even knows he's in love with Roku or if he's just trying to marry him in a manly partnership sort of way.

I can see how the reveal of Roku as the Avatar could feel like destiny to Sozin. Him, the future Fire Lord, filled with ambition, and his best friend being revealed as the Avatar? Can't they just be two bros, spreading the Fire Nation's glory to the world, together? Doesn't that image feel almost romantic, in a way?

And then Roku refuses to be a colonialist power couple and Sozin invents being an incel. Also "If I can't be gay No One Can!" *literally outlaws homosexuality* is objectively the most dramatic way to react to unrequited feelings and it's so funny to me.

The fact that Sozin got more characterisation and a relationship with roku than Roku's canon wife is so funny to me. I love Ta Min and I have so many headcanons abt her, but I do feel bad for her. Her Roku and Sozin just give "Your friend Steve" vibes.

Also I'm just a whore for a good sparring scene and this one just felt wonderfully gay to me.

Was almost intertwining your legs like that really necessary guys.

Not only do their eyes glow slightly after they mastered the avatar state, showing how their past lives are always watching over them.

They also all have the scarily accurate ability to forsee danger or to sense nearby threats as if multiple invisible people were hovering around them and alerting them of anything that might be dangerous in advance. The better they get at contacting their past lives, the better this ability gets.

Additionally they know things they most definitely should not know (this one is kind of canon based on how Aang recognized Roku despite saying that he doesn't know where or if he learned it) like which foods from different nations they've never tried they won't like.

Let's talk this guy.

This is Szeto, the Avatar immediately predating Yangchen. Szeto was the first person we ever saw lavabend in the show and quite potentially one of the worst Avatars to have ever lived.

watched Avatar for the first time recently (shameful ik)

here's some drawings i made of Ozai cuz ofc the asshole evil dad has to be my favorite

Thought 1: when the hell did Celebrimbor go feral and also...grow his hair...long enough for braids...?

Thought 2: oh FUCK wrong Feonorian. WRONG FEONORIANS!!

Which leads me to believe that either

A) The whole thing about Simarils burning evil was made up propaganda to help show how evil the sons of Feanor were and justify people keeping their father's creations from them

B) The Simarills did burn evil and in fact burned Thingol, but it was hushed up because it would have called into question the claim he and his line insisted they had to the jewels and made him look really bad. And if that was the case, I would say they probably would have burned the Valar as well if they'd gotten their hands on them.

Especially the fact that Feanor probably didn't consent or even got asked permission

Its was abruptly out of nowhere? Did the other Valar talk about it first? Was it in public?

Hide-and-seek.

My hc is that Maedhros is kinda traumatized by never finding Elured and Elurin in the forest.

he should've favored him so much that he should've never even been with Indis at the expense of Feanor's happiness & sanity and Miriel's choice to return

Finwe didn't love Miriel enough to be patient with her, he didn't love her enough to be faithful to her, he didn't love her enough to put their son's happiness first, he didn't even love her enough to have the bare decency of saying her name correctly

Finwe may have destroyed two lives of people he claimed to love for Indis, and she is just as selfish as him, but he doesn't love Indis enough to prioritize her or their children either

He's flipflopping between choosing to favor Feanor or to favor Indis for the day while devoting himself to neither of them. He's a character that puts himself first every time.