hey guys! this is now my SIXTH (holy shit) fanfiction monthly update! a little earlier than usual this time, which i am proud of myself for. the updated fics are as follows: flooding waters (tokka/hunger games au that’s a sequel to the girl with the bread),complicated (pearlapis human au with trigger warnings), and the butterfly effect (tokka arranged marriage au also with trigger warnings).
these are the links to ao3 but they’re also up on wattpad! my username is the same. hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!
today i’m sad about that one line from the creator’s commetary about how zuko is a tsungi horn prodigy and the little letter zuko, aged 7, sends iroh in “legacy of the fire nation” where he very politely requests that iroh come home and teach him pai sho tricks, because that casts such a different light on their interactions in book one. it was never iroh trying to push his own favorite things - pai sho and music night - on an uninterested zuko, it was iroh desperately trying to reconnect with zuko by recreating the activities he knows zuko used to enjoy. zuko, aged 7, once begged iroh to come home and play board games with him and now zuko wants nothing to do with him and you know that eats iroh up alive
Like with the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom’s currency comes in denominations of bronze, silver, and gold. However, unlike the island empire, typical EK money appears to be cast into a very uniform shape and size. This mold of a round coin with a square hole in the middle is known in Chinese as fāng kǒng qián (方孔錢) or “square-holed money”. This style of coin was used in China from the 4th century BC until the 20th century AD, over 2000 years. Other currencies based on this coin include the Japanese mon, Korean mun, and Vietnamese văn. Nowadays, these coins are primarily used for good luck charms and divination.
The “round coin, square hole” design is both practical and symbolic. From a practical perspective, the holes in the coins allows them to be strung through a thin rope, making them easy to carry and spend in large quantities. Instead of counting each coin individually, a seller could simply measure the length of the the coin-rope to determine how much they were being paid. This technique was essentially the Imperial Chinese equivalent to the modern day coin wrapper.
From a symbolic and artistic perspective, the design alludes to the idea of Tian Yuan Di Fang (天圓地方) or “Round Sky, Square Earth”. As the name implies, the square hole represents the element of earth and the round coin represents the sky. The two symbols combined represent two contrasting ideas unifying to create a whole, the steady land in harmony with the ever-changing heavens. I guess the ancient Chinese conception of planet Earth was sort of like a piece of paper floating in a dome or bubble.
Anyways, considering the symbolism behind the coin design, it’s a very appropriate form of currency for the Earth Kingdom. Essentially, the square earth centered on a round sky could reflect a nationalistic belief that their country is the center of the world. Certainly, the way that Ba Sing Se is structured and ruled implicitly reflects this belief. It would also explain why the “Round Sky, Square Earth” motif shows up on other objects throughout the Earth Kingdom.
In Part 2, I’ll discuss the history behind the uniquely-shaped gold that Toph’s parents offer for her ransom. Because of course the obscenely wealthy Beifongs wouldn’t pay using mere commoner’scoins…
