leantailean

[leantailean]

Like mother, like daughter.

Mai and Izumi, determined on correcting the course of the fire nation.

[leantailean]

(DONT READ IF YOU HAVENT READ ASHES OF THE ACADEMY YET !!SPOILERS!!)

What do you think if Mai shutting down the idea of being Zukos girlfriend again? I don't think that it solidifies that they would never get back together since they go out of there way to show that their communication skills are better but UGH it feels like they could be taking the friendship route.

It's nothing I haven't read or written in Maiko Get Back Together fics. Mai is a character who expresses herself with extremes, as I think this comic captured very nicely in many aspects, so she's going to be adamant that she and Zuko are never getting back together until the moment they get back together, at which point she'll probably consider them engaged.

I honestly consider this comic to have ended things at First And Goal. It touches on Maiko's issues, has Zuko acknowledge what he has to even though he hasn't quite corrected the behavior yet, has Mai acknowledge Zuko's acknowledgement, and leaves them working well together when the going gets tough. I'm glad the comic didn't get them back together given how little focus their relationship got, but it feels like a sequel or follow-up could do the job with this foundation.

Unfortunately, that's part of a frustrating trend where these comics set things up without giving us any full payoff or consequences. The Azula comic, while also good and solid with its character work, did the same thing. I'm suspicious that these comics aren't allowed to make any significant advancements.

But maybe it's all being saved for a multi-part prequel to the supposedly upcoming Adult GAang movie, an epic that sees the whole cast coming together again to resolve everyone's subplots and set up whatever the movie is doing.

That would be fun.

[leantailean]

Oh, this is such a cute copy of my pro-maiko post!

But anyway maiko ended up together, since Zuko's only daughter and heir to the throne is his and Mai's child (even named after a fountain), too bad! I hope you're living well and comfortably in your delulu world.

But now I know that my anti-zutara posts somehow get into your feed (unless you intentionally look for them), and they upset you so much that you go out of your way to make anti-maiko clones of them, not even being able to find the original picture with the SpongeBob. Can't lie, it's very cute🥹

[leantailean]

Oh, this is such a cute copy of my pro-maiko post, thank you🫶🏻

But anyway maiko ended up together, since Zuko's only daughter and heir to the throne is his and Mai's child (even named after a fountain), too bad! I hope you're living well and comfortably in your delulu world.

But now I know that my anti-zutara posts somehow get into your feed (unless you intentionally look for them), and they upset you so much that you go out of your way to make anti-maiko clones of them, not even being able to find the original picture with the SpongeBob. Can't lie, it's very cute🥹

How I sleep at night knowing that M@i and Zuko have been broken up since 2012 and will never get back together because the showrunners don’t give a shit about them as pairing

[leantailean]

some sketches inspired by this post by @sulkybender that turned into a sort of comic? i just have a very clear vision of how this would go down 😭

handwriting translation under cut

from right to left

image 1:

aang: i guess there IS such a thing as too much meditation

iroh: you are looking Very Handsome, sparkle sparkle, today young avatar

aang: i was about to say the same for you, uncle

katara: NO.

aang: but Katara...

katara: No Ozai Beard.

image 2:

aang: this is it. This is my new look.

katara: oh wow. it looks. um. greeaaaaaat aang.

katara: aang...are you super duper sure that this is the one you want? like, absolutely, no doubt, completely positive?

aang: actually, ive been wanting this style for a while now, to remember Gyatso. he was there for me when no one else was and taught me to be who i am. i know it's silly but, i was to give to the world was Gyatso gave to me, so that I never forget him

image 3:

katara: i wish i could have met him

aang: i wish you could have, too.

[leantailean]

https://www.tumblr.com/demaparbat-hp/777479724789284864/keeping-her-scars-would-tie-in-nicely-with-the?source=share

Your thoughts?

"Why is Zuko the face of the enemy?" Because he showed up at her village, threatened everyone, hunted the Gaang down for months, tried to kidnap Aang several times, and even attacked Katara for daring to offer to heal his uncle. Because he's made it quite clear that he wants his father to wreck the world through war, imperialism and genocide. He attacked the Gaang far more often than any other villain, OF COURSE he's the face of the enemy.

"Subconciously, it was about the scar" No, it fucking wasn't, Katara even says as much when Zuko assumes otherwise, and she only offered to heal it because he made it clear he had a complex over it. Learning about Zuko's abuse is important to understand his character, yes, but not in the sense that "scars mean evil person." He's a bad person because, before redeeming himself, he did things like support genocide.

"From a disability point of view" It's a scar. It didn't affect his vision or physical health in anyway. The only damage it did was psychological. It's the physical manifestation of his trauma, but it did not make Zuko disabled.

"Katara's character is explored through her compassion for others" True, doesn't mean she needs to be permanently scarred just so she can relate to Zuko more (which isn't even a guarantee, see how much "We both are scarred" meant to him when he stole from Song and her mom). It's reducing Zuko's character to just the guy with a scar, and reducing Katara to just the girl that got scarred to match him. It literally removes a turning point for her character - the discovery that she can heal.

"She saw everybody, but Zuko was the only who saw her" Bullshit. Hakoda, Gran-Gran, Sokka, Aang, Toph, and even Haru and his dad are the ones to see Katara for who she is. They saw her compassion, her strength, resilience, stubborness, courage - the good and the bad. Pre-redemption Zuko only saw Katara as yet another obstacle between him and the Avatar (aka his way back home), hence Katara literally trying to leave him behind to die in the North Pole. She's not completely devoid of compassion for him (again, she offered to heal Iroh) but they meant nothing to each other at that point.

"But Zuko was just like her, right? He was a hurt kid who lost his mother to the Fire Nation" No, they were not the same. That's the point of the Ba Sing Se scene. They THINK they're talking about the same thing, but the tragedy is that they're not. Zuko lost his mom due to the meddling of two abusive adults, his father and grandfather. Katara lost her mom to war and genocide - war and genocide carried out by Zuko's family. The same family he's still going to choose over everything else, mere moments later. Zuko does not genuinely understand, and thus empathize with, Katara's situation until their field trip.

"Katara was marked by fire, perhaps in different circumstances, but it's still similar enough to Zuko's own story (hurt by the one who was meant to love you, even if Katara's scar came from an accident and not sheer violence) that I feel like it would make them connect even more easily" Incredibly forced "parallel" since the two situations are not at all alike, and, again, "I have a scar too" meant fuckall to Zuko when he stole from Song and her mom - after they had helped him heal Iroh, something Katara also tried to do.

Zuko is NEVER, ever, EVER going to truly connect with Katara before he lets go of his imperialistic ideas, no matter what situations they're put on together or apart, because THAT'S the core problem here. His racism, elitism and entitlement. Until he gets over that, Katara is not a person in his eyes. The Zuko that was horrified at the general that wanted to use Fire Nation soldiers as "fresh meat" to bait the enemy was the same Zuko that laughed at his uncle's joke about burning Ba Sing Se to the ground.

The pain of non-Fire Nation people doesn't register to him, no matter how simmilar it is to his own pain, because he was trained, from birth, to not see them as human.

[leantailean]

The glow up

[leantailean]

Zuko with little Druk

[leantailean]

I love you "boring" female characters. I love you ingenues. I love you female characters who aren't "modern" enough. I love you female characters who aren't "badass" enough. iI love you female characters who aren't "empowering" enough. I love you quiet female characters. I love you unappreciated female characters. I love you polite female characters. I love you female characters who "can't appeal to modern audiences." I love you frightened female characters. I love you female characters labeled as not complex just for being nice. I love you female characters who get criticism just for not being their tomboy or femme fatale counterpart. I love you silk hiding steel trope.

[leantailean]

My favorite princesses: Snow White and Aurora ♡

[leantailean]

"Why would I show my daughters Snow White when Anna and Elsa exist?"

Because girls need to see more than one type of female character in their stories. We don't want girls to see "damsel-in-distress housekeeper" as their only option, but its equally dangerous to show them the currently-popular flavor of "take-charge Strong Female Character" as the only acceptable kind of woman to be.

Because Snow White is confident. While the Queen is obsessing over her own insecurities, Snow White is going through her day completely comfortable with who she is.

Because Snow White is skilled. While the Queen's treatment of her is unjust, Snow White's acceptance of her work as a scullery maid makes her, not just an idle princess, but a working woman. She has cleaning and cooking skills that are recognized as valuable contributions to society. She is then able to use those skills when she needs a place to stay--instead of just a helpless damsel-in-distress who has to beg for a place, she is someone they want to have living with them because she has valuable skills to offer.

Because Snow White is kind. She is so kind that animals immediately trust her, that a hardened assassin can't kill her, that dwarves love her. She is sensitive to the feelings of others rather than embittered by her own fears. She is friendly to everyone she meets, showing interest in their lives and concern for their problems.

Because Snow White is a caretaker. Though young and mistreated, she is always looking to care for others. She immediately comforts a lost little bird. When she finds a cottage belonging to what she believes to be lonely orphans, she takes it upon herself to make their home comfortable. She even takes this a bit too far in setting rules for the dwarves' household, which offers depth to her character. She does take charge, but instead of seizing power like the Queen, Snow is looking to serve others and seeks their good.

Because Snow White is brave. After her panicked flight through the forest, she is sharp enough to recognize that her fear made the situation worse than reality, and she consciously decides to adopt a cheerful, hopeful outlook.

Because Snow White is intelligent. She's a good-enough judge of character to recognize a worthy love interest when he appears (and unlike certain princesses, she's right about it). She recognizes when her fear makes things worse than they are and is able to make better plans for the future. She is able to coordinate a housecleaning effort among a huge variety of untrained forest animals.

Because Snow White is humble. She is willing to take on the humblest work in the castle and is not humiliated by it. She asks the animals and the dwarves for help when she needs it. She even recognizes the need for prayer.

Because Snow White is good.

Because she is innocent.

Because she is patient.

Because she is loving.

Because little girls should learn to be all those things, and Snow White is a character who shows them what that looks like.

[leantailean]

One major mistake people make when looking at Snow White is assuming that they were trying to create a Disney Princess role model for little girls to emulate, when actually they were just trying their darndest to create an animated character that audiences would care about.

When we see pure and innocent Snow White being mistreated by her stepmother and later driven into exile, it's supposed to activate parental instincts that make us want to protect her. It shouldn't matter if she doesn't do anything to save herself, because she shouldn't have to. We're supposed to feel the injustice of it, feel sad and angry that she's treated this way, fear that she's going to come to harm. We're not supposed to want to be her, we're supposed to love her, and want to see her get the love she deserves, so we remain invested for the entire runtime of this 80-minute cartoon that they're afraid audiences won't sit through. That's what mattered to the story while they were making it, so applying Disney Princess expectations is ridiculous.

[leantailean]

People forget that in the Disney fairy tale films, wishes and dreams represented hope: specifically, hope for a better future when current times were tough. The movies were made for people who lived through the Great Depression and Second World War. Snow White and Cinderella were survivors of abuse who wanted to be loved, Pinocchio wanted to become and be recognized as a real person, Bambi and Dumbo lost their mothers and had to find their own ways in the world. But these characters all held onto hope via their wishes and dreams.

So it feels a little demoralizing when modern Disney films try to deconstruct "wishes and dreams" as passive acts. They're trying to tell people to pick themselves up by the bootstraps, because nothing's gonna change unless you change something. Which is true, I guess.

But deconstructing wishes and dreams feels a bit like deconstructing hope itself. And maybe I'm reaching with that connection, but it doesn't sit right with me.

[leantailean]

“He kissed a random corpse in the forest!”

“He’s preying on a child!”

“He stalked her!”

Please, please, you guys, I’m begging you to actually WATCH Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

WATCH.

THE.

MOVIE.

Because the Prince kissing Snow White is, to me, one of the most heartbreaking scenes in Disney history.

And here’s why.

First of all, the Prince is clearly close to Snow White’s age. He is both drawn and voiced as very youthful. He looks and sounds about 16 or 17, at the oldest. He is NOT a “predator”. He’s a boy who loves a girl, like in any good fairy tale.

Secondly, the Prince meets Snow White early in the movie. She’s NOT a complete stranger to him at the end. And their first meeting is significant. The Evil Queen makes a big deal out of Snow White’s looks, being “the fairest of all”, etc. But the Prince is first drawn to Snow White’s VOICE. He’s captivated by her singing and her kindness to the birds. He sees beyond her looks. He sees past the rags she wears and recognizes that this is a good person, a beautiful person on the inside. Then when she’s startled by him, he’s very polite and soft-spoken, apologizing for frightening her. He’s a total gentleman. Then he serenades her, letting her know how much he admires her. (Words that she has NEVER heard from ANYONE else in her life, by the way.) Then he even smiles at and is kissed by a dove that lands on his finger, hinting he has a connection with animals somewhat like hers.

And then there’s a fade to black. So we actually don’t know if she came out again, if they talked for a while. Maybe they didn’t, but maybe they did. The film doesn’t clearly tell us one way or another. But there is a possibility that they did get to know each other a little there. And if they didn’t, something is still beginning between them. They share warm smiles and affectionate looks. They both feel it, and they both hope to pursue it.

Then Snow White finds out her stepmom wants her dead and has to run away. Which means the Prince noticed her absence.

And the narrative text later tells us that he “searched far and wide” for her after she disappeared. (This guy walked so Fiyero could run, let’s be real.) Imagine the person you’ve been thinking about, hoping to get to know, wondering if they may be the one, suddenly vanished without a trace. And she’s the Princess of your neighboring kingdom. And then the Queen of the same kingdom also suddenly disappears. Wouldn’t you be alarmed? There’s a chance the huntsman may have gone to the Prince’s kingdom for help, and warned him of the Queen’s horrible actions. There’s also a chance that the Queen already had a bad reputation in the area, and the disappearances were a confirmation of what was already suspected. So the Prince nobly tries to find out what happened to his newfound love, worried about her safety. Snow White sings about her hope that she will see him again and tells the dwarfs about him … but the full truth of the situation is that he’s been thinking about her too. It’s a mutual young first love, pure and innocent.

Then the Prince FINALLY finds his beloved… in a coffin. After a “far and wide” search, there she is, apparently DEAD! All his hopes and wishes for a possible relationship with her are dashed. A 17-year-old who once dreamed of reuniting with his first love has just found her dead. He knows absolutely nothing about the poisoned apple’s spell or its cure. He doesn’t know a kiss will save her. He thinks she’s gone. Forever. All he knows is that he has found the girl he loves too late, and he couldn’t help her, despite all his searching. So, he kisses her goodbye. He kisses her as an apology, a sign of regret for lost dreams, a chance that he seems to have been denied. A 2-second touch of her lips to show his devotion. Then he bows his head and grieves.

This moment demonstrates than in him, Snow White has found the genuine love she’s been yearning for. While her stepmother tried multiple times to murder her, now she has someone who genuinely values her, so much so that he searched everywhere to find her when she went missing. Who was so heartbroken and crushed at the notion that she was gone forever that he gave her what he thought was a goodbye kiss, his one and only way of showing what she meant to him before he became haunted by the ghost of her memory, of his failure, of his lost chance at love.

This is a deeply and tragically romantic moment that has sadly been widely misunderstood. Do not slander Prince Florian! He doesn’t deserve it!

[leantailean]

The first few pages of Ashes of the Academy are available on Apple Books - the full comic is out on March 25th!!

Also super cute picture of Mai and Kiyi!

[leantailean]

Might be modern Toph beifong with short hair but idk lol

[leantailean]

Zuko: "Why are we lying on the ground?" Toph: "I like the ground." Zuko: "ok" Gift for @leantailean