#and i think this is GOOD characterization btw I'm not condemning him for being like this. it makes sense since he's aware of the timeline

[askfallenroyalty]

I mean it kinda makes sense that he would be a bit proactive. His brother is being held at ‘gunpoint’, toriel and the kid he just became friends with are being weird, everyone is in a panic… And the future is uncertain. He probably doesn’t want his brother to die right as they’re about to have freedom, haha.

well I mean in canon, he does jack squat unless you do a full no mercy. He's the judge, not the executioner or the jailor. he knows the anomaly is just messing with time and will rewind time again. Why bother if it's going to be undone?

sure the circumstances are different here, but it doesn't change the timeline issue. He'd be pretty Bummed The Hell Out that he got his hopes up that monsters would be able to find peace on the surface. they didn't even get to leave before humans screwed it up for them. and hey, if Frisk is true to wanting them to find peace, then they'd reset and this timeline is doomed to be reloaded over. So why would anything matter?

There's a detail that Sans doesn't know about that changes everything and motivates him to dig into the truth and be proactive. But even then, I don't see him being heroic like people portray him to be. He's not getting any big fancy speeches and he sure as hell isn't doing any fighting to win here.

i hope that distinction makes sense here. Sans is like an unmoving object while Papyrus is an unstoppable force. So it's weird when I see people portray Sans as the hero when Papyrus Is Right There willing and crying throwing up wanting to be the hero. And then Undyne IS that hero, who is just often misguided but ultimately does the right thing. It's an interesting dynamic! Sans just isn't the hero type, even if you try to put him in that position. Hell, he's never made king iirc? The DOG takes the king's role before he could.

[yellowhollyhock]

Why do people think it’s mean? I am referring to your tags on that 2003 post. I thought the humor was funny I dunno I guess I am not understanding what the meanness is. They are teenagers teens can be jerks.

post and my tags on it were 03 season 6 and 12 season 1 but I'm answering about 03 because I've watched it more recently and more often

First thing: it isn't a criticism of the characters (who are fictional and would be very pointless for me to nitpick their behavior) but a comment on the writing

And specifically how the writing is different because it's from that era. Mean-spirited humor is always a thing, but it was popular and mainstream at that time in particular (and having been a teenager at the time who didn't find it funny or participate and was therefore labeled as--well, mean, I guess in a way, or at least a stick in the mud, I have some strong feelings and biases against it).

(That said, not being a teenager anymore and having a bit more media literacy, I do want to add, humor changes, what's socially polite changes, it's not the end of the world, and by saying I hate what the writers did, I don't condemn them as people, we were all there together and we move forward together. Personally I still find season 6 enjoyable, just have certain issues with it. Which is what I will be focusing on since it's what you asked about)

So, the point: in earlier seasons the boys are mean to each other in ways that are believable, match their maturity level, and serve a purpose in the story to show them responding to stress or teach us about their characters. Sometimes they cross lines simply making fun of each other, but there are always underlying story beats. It isn't just the writers saying 'look this one's dumb let's laugh at him'

Season 6, especially with Mikey and Raph, feels like the writers are using them as comic relief in a very mean-spirited way. Sometimes that's reflected in the way Splinter, Leo, or Donny treat them, but it's also sometimes just the way the plot moves to exaggerate and poke fun at their flaws, ignoring character growth from past seasons.

When Raph used to call Mikey shell for brains and Mikey called Raph ugly, they were being teenagers. It was a thoughtful piece of characterization showing that being close friends doesn't make them perfect, being isolated is hard and they lash out at each other sometimes. Mikey was especially hard on Raph when he was having to share his space with April; it served a story purpose of showing the difficulty for the turtles in letting another person into their life (not something they've had to do often). I'm blanking on times Raph was harder on Mikey but the point is that he wasn't needlessly mean, sometimes it was played for a joke but it also had a purpose in the narrative.

Season 6? Oh it's sooo funny how no one wants to go watch wrestling with Raph, something he has literally wanted his entire life, btw don't forget he hates the future, isn't it fun to watch the angry turtle be homesick and isolated? Like Leo and Don are certainly less interested and helpful in that scene than they would be in earlier seasons, but the point is that the writers are being mean. We aren't supposed to understand Raph's brothers as being inconsiderate, we're supposed to laugh at him for being sincere and excited :/

Mikey's intelligence is also a huge example. Mikey is extremely clever and competent, but in season 6 they just constantly make him either pick on Raph or obsess over video games and forgot the rest of his character. Okay, so they flattened him a little, that happened to everyone. But it's worse because his apparent lack of intelligence is constantly made fun of. Donny makes a lot of just completely unnecessary comments that don't serve either of their character arcs, and come across much more as him speaking for the writers (and the audience, supposedly) to mock the dumb turtle.

I hate that extremely.

My brain is not in a good space for more examples. But the principle is that the type of humor popular in that era (which the op referred to) (2007ish to like 2014 I think) is, idk the best way I can describe it is emotional slapstick? mocking a character's emotions or lack of intelligence, almost creating a 'straw man' to beat on. Of course that type of humor has always and will always exist but it was a real mainstream popular thing; we don't usually call it 'literary movements' when it's shows and movies instead of writing but idk how else to explain it.

It's very much a thing in early 2012 writing as well, but I feel that sort of worked better because it landed at the beginning of the show instead of the end, so even though it may or may not have been deliberate (I honestly don't know 12 well enough to say), it worked well to play into their growing up arcs. As opposed to the 03 situation where their social maturity from the first five seasons just evaporated (and after a slow believable buildup too 😔)

tldr: the writers' humor is what I refer to as mean-spirited, not the characters. And yes I do think it's mean to mock the act of having emotions or not knowing enough information or struggling with discipline or being homesick (all things Raph and Mikey were mocked for, not just by other characters but by the narrative in a variety of ways)

[hellbubu]

Right!? Or like, after staging the suicide, wait for them to start picking fights with one another and then kill them all and stage a fatal fight between them. (Cause nothing sows discord better than being suspects in a murder investigation, pretty little liars style lmao). Idk, give two of them guns and shot at the others, something like that.

Forensics were kinda there? I mean, this *ïs* the time period where Sherlock Holmes came to be. But even then! The Queen would have shut this all up! (Imagine if she had sent Ciel to shut up the scandal instead of figuring out what happened; so when he found out he just let it be? Kinda difficult to believe, but if the loophole is there...)

For real!!!! Like, he is dumb, but not THAT dumb. So he has to have malice in him to suggest this (also, why were you telling your underage nephew about these experiments to bring the death back to life in the first place????). I'd completely forgotten that UT saved his sorry ass in the Campania, and was toying with the theory of Druitt being another secret identity for UT. Theory crumbled, but it was fun to play with for a lil while.

Even if Sebastian wanted to, he couldn't possibly recommend someone (except for Agni, who would NEVER leave Soma *cries in spoiler*) half as good as him, unless it's another demon. It'd be hilarious if someone lost his soul cause he wanted an eye candy butler that spoke fluent latin xDDD

Lol, yeah, Ciel totally gives "i'm carrying a weapon for self protection reasons" vibes when he's not busy keeping that smile on his face.

(Also, how did i *just* realized that each prefect has their colour house in their name? Like, I was 'its so lame that violet is the violet house prefect lol' but it never clicked that: Blue-wer, Green-hill, Red-mond. I'm sure Yana thought it was funny and also probably easier for the readers to remember which guy belonged to which house, but still. Really? REALLY?)

Btw, that each prefect and prefect's drudge has their colour house IN THEIR EYES is wilddddd- especially redmond and joanne! Sebastian should be the only one with maroon/red eyes ¬¬ (the eye colour was, to me, another hint that Cole wasn't the 'meant-to-be' prefect of the red house, since his eyes are green)

I doubt we'll get any more characterization for Cole, but it's cool to think about it. How trauma can go in such different directions and people choose to deal with it or deal *it* to others, to get over it.

Hmm. Estoy conciente de que me crié en un pueblo chico en una provincia del interior; y pase de una escuela pública a una semi-privada que tambien era religiosa y eramos poquiiitos por grado (de 20 a 30 alumnos por año, no mas) asi que probablemente sea eso lo que coloree mi opinion. En mi escuela si hubieron algunos casos graves (todavía me siento culpable por no intervenir por mi compañerito, pero mi cerebro de 13-14 no lo veia como gran cosa sino como 'ugh, cosas de chicos' y si los profes no hacian nada...); pero no se, al punto de matar a alguien? Creo que no. Igual, the "hazing" of US sororities (and of course, high school bullying), at least in media, has no equal. It'd be interesting to know if this kinda thing keeps happening on the UK and their universities, tho! I dont even know if they keep the house system at uni level...

The P4 are just idiots. They couldn't stop and think for one fucking second. Like, I can think of various ways to deal with the situation. But, you know, like Shane said, "It’s very easy to condemn from our vantage point in history. And so we do condemn! Wholeheartedly!" We live in a time where I can open YouTube and listen to how a serial killer hides the bodies or some mysterious death that hasn't been solved, so we have a better idea than some Victorian-era rich kids who probably don't even know how to do most basic tasks.

I just googled it and forensics at the time were... something. Like autopsies were done but according to this article it was mostly just approximating the time of death. This one says that they'd examine "the body’s exterior first, then internal organs, and then areas of interest in greater detail, like with a microscope." But I'm still unsure whether or not they'd be able to tell if Greenhill beat the dude up and then threw him off the roof. I'm willing to bet they wouldn't be able to tell because doing the Jack the Ripper investigations (allegedly) "He [Inspector Walter Dew] claimed that this [several photographs of the eyes were taken by expert photographers with the latest type cameras]was done in the ‘forlorn hope’ that the final image seen by Mary Kelly – i.e. the face of her murderer - had been preserved on her retina."

The boys could've gotten away with it easily. And if anyone suspects shit, get Druitt to pay off Scotland Yard. I know that's how he was let go from auctioning Ciel for some cultists or whatever. So he should help instead of fucking over his nephew.

It did click to me when they were introduced but I forget their name. I was calling them other things most of the time. I still forget Redmond and Greenhill's name. I have to think about it for a bit before I remember. 🙈🙈🙈

Yo me crié en la segunda ciudad más grande e importante de mi país. Mi escuela era religiosa pero realmente pocos eran religiosos o, por decirlo así, a casi nadie le importaba la religión durante las horas de escuela. Unos hablaban en la iglesia. Yo me quedaba dormida, parada, mientras orabamos. No es mi culpa q a esos pendejos se les ocurriera tener misa/hora de oración a las 7:40. Antes de las 9 no presto atención, sigo medio dormida. Bueno, ese no es el punto. Había este niño bien religioso que si se tomaba todo eso (las misas, la clase de religión, etc.) enserió y le hacían bullying por eso. Y todos los días los perdonaba y le seguían haciendo bullying. Pero el todo tranqui. Y se seguía juntando con ellos... a mi me hicieron bullying (de chiquita) unos majes mayores. Me salí del equipo de fut por un año pq me tocaba entrenar con ellos (solo habíamos como 3 niñas en fut ese año). Ya cuando se iban a graduar iban a los partidos y me hablaban como si nos lleváramos bien, pero whatever.

Creo que no paso nada peor pq éramos relativamente pocos por grado. Mi grado eramos apenas como 44 en total y en la escuela rica son como 60 mínimo y tienen un año extra pq muchos de esos güirros se van a estudiar a los Estados. La escuela tiene muchas maestras estadounidenses. Creo que por tener tantos estudiantes y un campus tan grande (es como del tamaño de una colonia) cuesta controlar a los niños. Y cuando digo q es un campus grande, me refiero a que tenían por lo menos dos canchas donde la U18 nacional ha jugado, un gimnasio, una como pista de carreras, una biblioteca de dos pisos, etc. Un campus tan grande + niños ricos con grandes egos a los q nadie les dice no = más oportunidades de bullying.

I found a couple of articles on bullying in the UK. One from 2023, one from 2020, and this one with no date but I assume it's from 2023 as well based on the "Pupil Bullying and Wellbeing Report 2023". So it does seem to be quite a problem.

[tiodolma]

You know that moodboard you reblogged of Merlin and Morgana not being able to sleep? You know what occurred to me?

I'm thinking of season 3. These two with their love/hate thing and UST going on and their fights about evil plans, and you know... What if in one of those heating discussions, Morgana accidentally blurts out that she felt something and a lot of things for Merlin before the poisoning fiasco and then Merlin admitting the same.

And like both are in their minds... 😳 Oh, crap, what did I just said? So, both flee from each other, because this isn't good at all and neither can now sleep because of the whole situation. 😂😂

..... ok meta time

I think morgana has been honest enough even in s3 though (heck through s4-s5). Merlin is the more guarded one.

Based on Colin Morgan’s interpretation in many interviews, Merlin was the one who was self-aware enough that he loved her and deeply cared for her at some point. The show confirms that sort of acting decision coz he’s also always revealing his true feelings for her in front of kilgharrah and gaius. (plus the other character/actors have talked about it)

Meanwhile Katie Mcgrath doesn’t characterize Morgana in that way: that Morgana was self-aware enough that she loved him. I am of the opinion that Morgana was still on her way to falling in love with him when Fires of IDirsholas happened. All we know is that she deeply feels for him to the point where even Morgause didn't seem to know the whole depth of her feelings. KM insists that Morgana only wanted Merlin’s honesty and trust. We can see it In the show. Morgana had always told Merlin what she felt about him.

So if there was one who should admit their feelings then it should be Merlin.

Morgana already laid out everything she felt for him from S1-S3: “you are the actual hero here!” “I am your friend” "i don't feel so alone here," "i trust merlin” "you’re a good friend” “i have magic, merlin” “I now know what i am”. “i am afraid merlin” “i get that you only wanted to protect your friends” “i am upset that i was poisoned and you hurt me” “why should i care about people who dont care about me?” “Uther hates me and everyone like me” “you dont know how it is be be an outsider” “i thought we were friends then why are you against me if you understand me like what you claimed” “how can you hope to understand” “i dont really get you.” “Make me understand, merlin” "you're just a pathetic lowly serving boy to me," "you're a thorn in my side," "you condemned me to live in this poor state."

Meanwhile merlin is always like "i care for her", "i trust her," "she should be told that magic can be a force for good and it can be a gift" "she has a good heart," "she’s my friend," "i know her," "i feel sad for her," "she’s undergoing a hard time," "i understand her most of all," "i shouldnt have trusted her," "i dont wanna be bitter, angry and so full of hate like her," "i will never be like her," "i thought we were the same”

---but he says these only To the dragon and Gaius.

See how they contrast? With regards to to his feelings for Morgana, Merlin is only honest to his bosses, meanwhile Morgana is honest of her feelings for Merlin towards Merlin himself.

Merlin and Morgana were never meeting/fighting on the same ground.

It's honestly heartbreaking, especially since Merlin never holds back on saying the same wonderful words of affirmation to Arthur, to Gwen, to the Knights, to Freya, to literally everybody else.. but he could never say them to Morgana's face.

btw saying only "i understand" and not much else sometimes isn't enough anymore.

....

I honestly do not know what else Morgana could say that will push Merlin to honesty. I think she might as well strip herself naked and he still wouldn't give in (and s4 showed us that he can and will use that kind of weakness against her. he already used her nightmares against her after all).

All I’m saying is that Morgana had always been so so so vulnerable and raw in front of him. Normally that would give an opening to the other person to let down their guard and rely on her. (see agravaine, helios, aithusa, mordred)

But Merlin never did that. He had so many chances to tell her the truth and be vulnerable himself but he never allowed himself that kind of right in front of her. We know that he desperately wanted to but he couldn't because had been repeatedly and ceaselessly warned/conditioned/brainwashed/manipulated that it was the worst idea, that going against his job orders will have consequences.

.....

But as they are in s3? where they are just free to pursue whatever goals they have independent of each other... with how radicalized and extremist they both already are? With how Merlin has already lost at least 4 loved ones for the sake of protecting camelot and destiny (sunken cost fallacy and all that)? nah. I can't see him being honest to anyone, especially enemies who have done and said things he morally detests, anymore.

Personally i think the only way for merlin to finally tell her his truth is to trap both them in some situation where they have to work together, or where morgana’s magic isnt enough , or where they both have no magic, or where the have joint responsibility of another life. THEY HAVE TO BE TRAPPED. TRAP THEM TOGETHER.

[sassydefendorflower]

VIOLENCE BE UPON YE! 4, 13, 24

!!!! HELL YEAH!!

3. screenshot or description of the worst take you've seen on tumblr

Oh DAMN! Truly a choose violence ask game... since I don't do screenshots, and I won't ever put someone's username on a post like this (because I enjoy being catty, but not like that) descriptions will have to do :D

I saw a post asking whether or not Roy Mustang actually groomed Riza Hawkeye like... two minutes ago and that might have been one of the worst FMA takes I have seen in the fandom in some time. And I do have my strives with the fandom as a whole, but that might have just taken the cake (? how do you conjugate sayings???).

Also just pretty much every discussion about the brain "not actually being fully developed until the age of 25" (which is bullshit btw) and the subsequent people infantilizing grown ass adults. But those mostly just make me angry, so...

13. worst blorboficiation

Hm... Tim Drake for DC for sure. Like... every member of the Batfamily suffers from blorbofication, but there is a certain subset of Tim Drake content out there - especially in fanon circles - where Tim Drake just becomes a meek little puppet without any characterization outside of his blorbo-ness. And again... to a certain degree the entire Batfam suffers from this. Dick's Happy Family Man demeanor is an absolutely horrendous crime against his actual character core, and whatever the hell Jason has going on in fandom circles... I don't even want to know.

What was that saying? Fandom is the 5 good friends who share your tastes and the block button? Something like that.

Ed also suffers from it in FMA - I think with him it is the most obvious with all the post-canon content that refuses to acknowledge all the ways in which he grew up during the series? When he keeps his alchemy, automail, height issues and stays with the military... its like... wasn't his entire character arc about growing up? About healing? About accepting loses? About respecting boundaries? About making sacrifices? For me his character loses a lot the moment his character growth is lost - and I would describe it as blorbofication, since his Cool Powers :tm: are what drew people to him in the first place.

24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

Do you have to ask? Shipping, of course.

Tho... FMA has a special spot reserved exclusively for War Crimes Discourse and the fact that fics from 2010 manage to be more complex and in depth about the military state in FMA than many fics from 2023. You'd think the world would be getting more anti-military, but then you read fic in a fandom with present and well-rounded military characters and suddenly everyone wants to suck their dick. Like... I am very much not condemning the porn. Really, I support the porn. I am talking about plot heavy, worldbuilding stories in which canonical anti-military characters, who canonically criticize the military state, are suddenly on board with being soldiers and officers without question. This is also not about stories that tell us about this world from the Point Of View of a soldier - I am talking about the lack of a conversation about what the political system in FMA actually is in fics which deal heavily with the politics of it all.

But yeah... shipping. People going nuts over which FICTIONAL pairing is morally okay to ship. The things I've seen, the words I'm swallowing down because I want to keep my head.

Thanks for the ask!!!

[choose violence ask game]

[loopy777]

Non-Review: Free Comic Book Day 2021 - The Legend of Korra (Also Featuring Avatar: The Last Airbender)

With all the hype around 'Suki Alone,' it looks to me like most of the fandom missed that an additional Avatar comic with a story from each cartoon's era was just released for Free Comic Book Day. You can read them for yourself on either Dark Horse Digital or Comixology where it's mislabeled as being for ages 17+ (free accounts are required for both), but I'm sure one of the reasons you all love me is because of my willingness to jump in between you and these comics like the deadly bullets they can be. Well, I'm happy to die (metaphorically) for the sake of (a little anonymous internet) love, so I'm doing a full snarky review for each ten-page story. Also, I'm bored, and it's more fun to make fun of mediocre stuff than to praise stuff I like.

It's time for me to review "Free Comic Book Day 2021 - The Legend of Korra (Also Featuring Avatar: The Last Airbender)" or more specifically "The Legend of Korra: Clearing the Air" and "Avatar: The Last Airbender: Matcha Makers."

CLEARING THE AIR

The cover makes this look like a story about Jinora and Ikki having a sibling conflict. That's a lie. The Air Sisters arguing is merely the inciting incident for Tenzin telling a story of his youth. I should note that, as inconsequential as the Air Sisters stuff is, it's actually written very well because it posits Ikki as a victim of circumstance and Jinora as a bully who terrorizes her little sister with threats of getting thrown in jail by Metalbenders for an accident, cementing the characterization from the cartoon. This is not sarcasm. I really do think Jinora is presented by LoK as a Holier Than Thou little snot who just so happened to be naturally gifted with magic spirit-powers, but for some reason the rest of the fandom doesn't agree with me.

Anyway, Tenzin comes in to find the arguing (and Meelo just running amok for the fun of it and so far these characterizations are perfect), and rather than telling Jinora to shut her stupid face, he delivers a tale of his youth about conflict resolution.

So the meat of the story is how, when Tenzin was "a few years older" than Jinora, a pair of vandals got onto Air Temple Island and burned some graffiti into the spinning-panel things that Korra will destroy out of frustration during her Airbending training. Literally, the vandals are depicted as scorching the wood with enough smoke to be seen across a plaza. Tenzin goes after the vandals and they flee across the bay back to Republic City proper (one of the vandals is a Waterbender with a surf-plank). Tenzin pursues, catches them, and attacks them hard enough to smash some dockside crates. They are all then arrested by Metalbenders and dragged before Chief Toph. She's going to let Tenzin go (yay Toph!) and throw the vandals in jail (YAY TOPH!) and makes this face, and this entire comic is worth it:

However, Aang arrives and instead arranges to forgo the jail-time in favor of an Air Nomad Conflict Resolution Ceremony. This is nice and in-character, but I'm totally with Tenzin that these vandals should have been thrown in jail. They literally burned insulting graffiti into antiques from a genocided culture. But instead, Aang demonstrates conflict resolution by having Tenzin explain why he's hurt and what needs to be done to redress the wrong. And so the vandals help Tenzin scrub the graffiti off the panels with water and rags and mops- how, I don't know, since they were literally burned.

They also do a ceremony thing where they each take turns bending their element into a central space between them to 'clear the air' (GET IT GET IT HA HA IT'S ALMOST LIKE A PUN BUT NOT), so it's a good thing they were all Benders because this is kinda racist. This fixes all the problems and everyone is friends. Yay!

In the present, though, things are not so nice, because Tenzin's kids are still screaming at and provoking each other. Korra comes in with Asami at the end to ask what's going on, and Asami says nothing, so I still think everyone is characterized with perfect consistency with the cartoon.

I made this sound silly, but (aside from the spinny-panels getting cleaned with a little water and elbow-grease, which doesn't matter because Korra will eventually blow them all up anyway), I actually like this one. It has Tenzin demonstrate how much he's always had to work to be the Perfect Air Monk that everyone expects him to be, and Aang acknowledges how this is unfair but that Tenzin will never let him down no matter what. It also has Katara come in at the end (for just one line, boo!) to acknowledge that this was an especially easy little conflict for Tenzin to practice on and he'll eventually face worse. I found it a nice adult moment in a story that's otherwise clearly aimed at 8-year-olds.

The art is good. It's simpler than the LoK cartoon, with flat colors, but it captures the story and has enough liveliness for everyone's character to come across in their look and body-language. The brief action-sequence where Tenzin attacks the vandals is well done, moving quickly but showing the full flow of the fight and every move Tenzin makes.

MATCHA MAKERS

Apparently, "Matcha is finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea leaves, traditionally consumed in East Asia" according to Wikipedia. I had to look that up. I'm curious how many people understood the full reference in the title, especially since these comics are aimed at kids too young to be allowed on the internet.

This is a very simple story about Iroh in his tea-shop in Ba Sing Se. He has an assistant/waitress named Feng, a new character who wears glasses, ruining the hopes and dreams of all the fanfic-writers who were so sure he'd rescue Jin from the Lower Ring. A frequent patron of the tea shop is an elegant, older lady (very clearly Upper Ring material) named Li-Mei, who cannot go a single panel without giving Iroh a HEY BIG BOY look. She is very clearly smitten. Also, I feel the need to clarify that she knows his name is Iroh, so apparently Ba Sing Se is okay with the Dragon of the West serving tea to their wealthy. I don't say that as a criticism, I'm just noting it.

That night, Iroh meets up with his friends- the Pokemon-style spirits that we saw in Legend of Korra. (I don't know if they're the actual spirits from LoK, or just new spirits in the same style. This is because I would sooner grind matcha into my eyes than rewatch Book Spirits.) He serves them his special blend of tea and talks about how he's totally into Li-Mei but isn't going to pursue it because he's feeling old and doesn't want to take a risk. At this point, I could stop describing the plot because between the title and what I've said so far, I'm sure you could figure out every single plot beat that will follow.

The next day, the spirits trip Feng so that she drops Li-Mei's tea and Iroh needs to bring a replacement, and they've drawn hearts on top of the replacement tea with foam or sugar or milk or whatever. I don't know because I've never bought tea in a place that will even put the bag in the hot water for me. Iroh gets out of the situation without starting any love-affairs and runs into the back to tell the spirits to knock it off, dudes, they're totally embarrassing him! The spirits respond by giving him a flyer for a romantic restaurant. I don't know how they got it, so I can only assume that some Upper Ringer had their mail diverted.

Iroh refuses, so when Li-Mei orders more tea and he brings it to her, the spirits hover just out of her sight and threaten to smash the furniture. I am not making that up. They literally threaten to smash Iroh's furniture unless he asks the lady out. He submits to their tyrannical threats, Li-Mei happily accepts the date, he happily accepts her acceptance, and the story comes to a close. Iroh thanks his spirits friends for opening him up to new experience, but hopes that next time (so I guess Iroh is signing up for Tinder after this?) they won't threaten his shop.

At best, I can describe this story as 'harmless.' But it's been a long week and I just got a bunch more extra work at my day job that I really don't want to do, so I'm going to go ahead and call this story 'dumb.' It's rote, leans towards humor without actually being funny at all, and turns the spirits of the setting into Pokemon. And not even the cool dragon kind.

The art is strangely stiff. The coloring is soft and nice, but the drawings seems more 'assembled' than actually drawn. I swear there are even a few panels that reminded me of 'How I Became Yours' with janky poses, horrifying expressions, and just enough resemblance to the original cartoon to make me think a screenshot was partially traced and then ruined. (I'm not accusing the artist of tracing, BTW. I wouldn't even condemn the artist for tracing if they did. I'm just describing that HIBY feeling I got.) It was so stiff that rather than hear Iroh's dialogue in Mako's rich tones, I instead imagined Greg Baldwin doing a stiff Mako-impression with no naturalism to the delivery.

This story is definitely worthy of its "Also Featuring" billing. I'd rate it below Gene Yang's Mai and Suki FCBD short stories, but above everything else he wrote for Avatar.

So there you go. Overall, this is very middle-of-the-pack for Avatar FCBD stuff. It's very much of the nature of the 'Team Avatar Tales' stuff, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Iroh story was a leftover from that project. On Free Comic Book Day, you often get what you pay for.