There are figures of Lugh (Mercury), a snake on a tree where mistletoe grows, an eagle (symbol of Jupiter), a crow flying above a table
And the scene here. A male figure, reclining on a bed, holds a cornucopia in one hand and a torc in the other, while wearing a torc around his neck. He is flanked by a deer and a dog. No doubt a classicized version of Cernunnos, had he kept his own antlers? The damage that the goblet suffered makes it impossible for us to know.(Museum of Gallo-Roman civilization, Lyon)
Hey, remember when you finished ATLA and sat there sort of dazed and realized...oh wow, I am completely obsessed? And then when you found out that Kataang got married when they grew up and everyone lived in Republic City together and raised kids and you IMMEDIATELY, FULL-STOP, ran to the internet for fan fiction because you wanted...No, you NEEDED to know what happened in between?
How did they get there, was it happily ever after always? Did they have a wedding? A million questions. Tales of Republic City by DJNS answers them all with the highest caliber.
Let's talk quality. I'm going to review A LOT, if not all, DJNS' ATLA stories because they're probably the best there is. Many, many people have attempted to write the entire swath of time after the show, and very very few succeed.
ToRC is so thoughtfully in character, it's easy to mistake it for canon. If the 2025 movie comes out and its basically the plot of ToRC, I won't be losing any money.
What I love most about the tales is that the stories are vignettes, but are also an organized stream, like looking into the gaang's photo album after the war. It's not completely sugar-coated, either. There is struggle, there is hardship. As ATLA itself pointed out-- Aang is the vessel of unfathomable power, but he's still just a human. ToRC keeps the faith with this concept, and shows Katara, Aang, their kids, their family, being unapologetically human.
You'll be swept in. DJNS' stories are immersive in totality. I read this fic the same way I read Goblet of Fire on midnight release-- shut in my room with red eyes, binge eating cheeto puffs and cursing myself for needing to blink too much.
The torc was a symbol of wealth among the ancient Gauls - a piece of jewelry that remains popular among Gaulish Polytheists today - just check out how awesome these members of the community look in theirs!
“The torc or maniakion has been the subject of several studies yielding different conclusions, but it is generally accepted that it was introduced to the Roman army by the Gauls and Persians. The Romans adopted the torc, but progressively gave it a more specific significance as a military decoration and then as a mark of office.’
“Maniakion – The golden torc in late Roman and early Byzantine Army” by Zsolt Mráv