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Hello there! This is my multifandom blog - but mostly Gravity Falls & Star Wars! - where I post my art & writing. I'm more active on IG, so look for me there! I'm a Christian, and my asks are open!

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Iroh's second son. 💜

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Before most of the series, Iroh and Lady Ursa were good but still loyal to the Fire Nation's evil ways. Lu Ten's death must have truly shaken up Iroh's worldview and sense of morality. It's so easy to forget that present-day Iroh is just like what post-redemption Zuko will be. A wise old man whose strength and knowledge come from the hardest kinds of suffering. They lost a father and a son in very different ways. They mirror each other beautifully. Iroh stole an Earth dagger as a gift for Zuko. Finally, years later, through guidance of the wisdom Iroh only learned by losing his son, Zuko returns the blade to its rightful owners. Ironic, considering Iroh had spent the last episode trying to show Zuko how wrong stealing from the Earth Kingdom was. Iroh has so much character development off-screen and likely just as epic as Zuko's. Iroh lost one boy to the war and did his best to protect his other son. That is mirrored so beautifully when Zuko stands up for the little kid who had already lost his brother. The family lost one son. But he can save the one they have left. He can do the same for Iroh's children, too, if only he doesn't give up on his own self and his own honor.

Loved when Iroh loses it & quits the gentle parenting, calling out Zuko's foolishness leading to his almost death & giving as many hints that he can without outright saying it, that Ozai doesn't love him & Zuko is not bound to follow that man like a slave. Zuko acts like what he wants is more important than everyone else's... but it's only a destiny forced upon him by another. For someone as honorable as him, who could be trusted to be more honorable than his beloved, if cruel father? Iroh really just wanted to own a tea shop and be a single dad to Zuko as peasants. And for a moment, Zuko was really happy getting to be Iroh's son and nothing else. Zuko's image of himself was so distorted... & disfigured by his father that he'd forgotten his promise to his mother. To remember who he is. But he will with Iroh's help.

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Jin and Zuko are the most awkwardly adorable couple!! A whole season with Mai as Zuko's love interest still wasn't as good as the 5 minutes of screen time they had together. I just wish we could've seen Iroh spending 10 minutes helping Zuko do his hair. If only he hadn't run away at the first sign of affection. He's so unused to being loved. I liked that Zuko opened the door he'd slammed to tell his uncle he had a nice night. He's such a teenager.

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Spoilery review of Atla: North and South comics! 4 🌟!

Hakoda bonding with Katara over true, real love opening your eyes instead of blinding you like selfish, false love does was so sweet to see. He loves his new girlfriend even after learning of her past because he has seen Zuko change drastically for the better and believes anyone can. He's such a good father, chief, and man. Despite some of his best friends' passionate fear and misguided love for their home, he refuses to ever judge anybody based on their ethnicity like most people in this world do. He welcomes the Earth King and Fire Lord Zuko to better his tribe with friendship. He never jugdes anyone for being scared even when they look silly, and he's been through far worse while still remaining calm. He would even offer his hand of friendship to an evil lunatic because he remembers the good times they once shared. Katara, thinking for a moment that she would see both of her parents murdered in front of her, was such an emotional scene. Even after saving the world and falling in love, it turned her into a little girl again, crying for her daddy. Later, she almost lost her new mother, but the years have made her stronger than the last time she watched her mother die, and she saves her. What a full circle moment.

It was very interesting seeing the repercussions of the war impact child benders. Of course, they'd be too traumatized to let anyone know lest the Fire Nation kidnap or murder them. Katara misses how her tribe used to be so much, but is slowly realizing how she remembered it was in the midst of war. Change feels scary for her because it's almost always been bad. It's hard for her to imagine it getting better. So losing what was her normal shakes her deeply... even if her normal was far from good. I love how Sokka pointed that out to her. He's the funny guy, but he is the best of Team Avatar at looking at things from a different angle and thinking outside the box. He's the leader of their little group and really shows it.

Zuko can never blame anyone for hating him after what the Fire Nation did. After it took him 3 years to realize that his father melting his face was wrong, it hurt my heart how easily he accepts hatred. His hug with Sokka was so sweet to see. Zuko always just looks so, so happy to have a friend. Love how Aang insists on people who call Zuko Fire slurs apologizing!

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Grown up Kataang are the sweetest!!

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So many blame Aang for running away - but if he hadn't, he'd might not have been killed just to escape into his next life, born again. They might have kept him a prisoner for the rest of his life, leaving the world with no heroes at all.

In the S1 finale, even outside his body as a flying soul, streaking through the air like a shooting star, Katara can still recognize him. Just by his soul.

Katara loves Aang better than the world who needs him as their savior ever could. They want him to die for them. She would die for him even if it meant losing the world.

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Spoilers ahead for my review of Avatar: The Last Airbender Smoke and Shadow comics #1-3!

It makes me so happy to see Zuko get to have a normal family with Kiyi, his mom, and stepdad, as well as count himself so blessed by the family he found in Team Avatar. You can really see how happy they all make him! For all that Azula acts like she's always doing perfectly and better than everyone else, Zuko can't even imagine her happy. Lol, Iroh, practicing making his hand waving extra angsty in order to be Zuko's decoy was just the hilarious kind of way a dad would embarrass his kid!

Iroh and Ursa's relationship is so underdeveloped, but the crumbs we got were fascinating! We know that they wrote to each other and were on friendly terms, but it was so needed for Iroh to get a chance to apologize to her for all his brother and father did to ruin, inflict pain on, and control her life. He was the one royal who gave Ursa hope while she was kept in that palace as a slave of a princess. When Kiyi is kidnapped, no one can understand her pain better than Iroh. It's so hard to see Ursa's trauma of returning to the palace where she lived with Ozai. Zuko offered her old rooms, but of course, she couldn't go back there. Zuko doesn't know the true extent of Ozai's evil. I don't understand why people hate Ursa so much. Was it right for her to forget about her children in exchange for a new life? No, but leaving them was the only way Ozai would agree to let Zuko live. She never abused Azula. Her daughter is an unreliable narrator, twisted up by Ozai into hating those who would've protected her - Ursa, Zuko, and Iroh. I can't blame her for wanting to forget about her sexual trauma even if I don't agree with her forgetting about her kids. She never wanted to leave them with that monster. She was in an impossible situation with no good options, so she did the best that she could. I was so emotional seeing Iroh support Ursa in visiting Ozai for closure. That monster understands now that all of his cruelty and raging don't hold any sway over her anymore. She'll never grovel before him again.

Zuko vouched for Kei Lo so quickly - he understands being a kid on the wrong side and how hard it is to realize you and the people you love are bad guys. Zuko is so quick to reassure Aang when he hears about an awful piece of history that he couldn't prevent in a previous life. I love how exhausted Zuko is by Kataang's lovey dovey moments, lol.

I don't understand why Mai and Zuko ever ended up together with no chemistry, so much fighting, and it randomly came out of nowhere in season 3. I don't really ship them. His thoughts on Tom-Tom being traumatized from his kidnapping were so sad. Zuko has never felt as happy as that little kid chasing a bug because even before his dad seared off half of his face, his childhood was filled with fear. Zuko fights so hard so that no other kids will feel what he did. He's too young to be Fire Lord, really, with his self-esteem finally being built back up after years of abuse and trauma, to now be dealing with everyone hating him no matter what choices he makes. He shouldn't have to make decisions that make him at odds with his friends and have his friends question why he sounds all "grown-up and stuff?" Aang gives mercy all the time, but he's not a politician like Zuko. His role is different than Zuko's, which puts them at odds when Zuko must act more violently than Aang would like. If Zuko didn't, he wouldn't be a good Fire Lord. And if Aang didn't fight for peace, then he wouldn't be a good Avatar. So sometimes Aang has to kidnap the Fire Lord to get him to see another perspective, lol. That's just a part of their friendship. All those months of Zuko trying to kidnap the Avatar, and it's Aang, who ends up capturing Zuko!!

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My thoughts after rereading The Titan's Curse! 5 🌟!

The world feels darker and colder, the kids are older, feelings are growing stronger, and we are reminded why the average demigod has such a short lifespan. This is by far my favorite of the OG PJO series because of the Percabeth YEARNING that tops all other book couples as well as the introduction of the GOAT, Paul Blofis! Even Aphrodite herself sees Percabeth as a love story for the ages. Too invested to the point she sent a lot of angsty hardships their way just for the drama of it, lol.

It's hard to understand what Annabeth's broken family must feel like because it's impossible to imagine Annabeth, Grover, and Percy turning against each other. But that's the pain she must have gone through with Luke and Thalia. What would that have felt like for Thalia to sleep for years and wake up to her brother being evil and her little sister being almost her age? How strange and awful it must be to go to sleep at 12 and wake up at 15. She can't bring herself to admit that Luke is the bad guy now, even as she fears Percy treating Annabeth the way he treated Thalia one day. The war doesn't let these kids remain the heroes they set out to be. Percy wants Luke to die in a way he wishes he didn't want, yet still does anyway. War doesn't just hurt the body, but also the soul.

Poor Bianca, being a single mom and dying at 12 on her first quest. Nico's last request for her was for Percy to take care of Bianca. Her last request was for Percy to take care of Nico. They are each other's first and last thoughts.

I really feel for Chiron in this book, worried if Annabeth's alive. That's his daughter. He's lost thousands of kids over the centuries, but it never gets easier for him. He's the only immortal who really feels paternal to the demigods. He never goes on quests, but he nearly did for her.

For as much as I hate Luke, I can't help but feel bad for him being so rundown and tortured by his groomer of a titan. He inflicts the same physical and emotional pain onto Annabeth that Kronos does to him. Both Luke and Annabeth keep chasing their abuser in the hopes that he will change. He was genuinely terrified of Kronos possesing him when he begged Thalia to join him.

Annabeth's mortal family's home is so cozy, safe-feeling, and full of love. It breaks my heart how they didn't know how to let it be like that for her. They love her so much, but not enough to prioritize her above their own lives.

What I loved about Thalia and Percy is that they feel like besties-in-law forced to be friends because of their shared love for Annabeth. As much as they bicker like siblings, they do love each other like siblings. She hadn't known real peace since the time she died to save her family, but Percy and Artemis helped her find it again in life instead of death.

"Perhaps not all men." Three thousand years and the first male to change Zoë's mind was Percy Jackson. That's why I love him.

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Orpheus & Eurydice 💘

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My spoilery review of Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender movie!! 5 🌟!!

What a phenomenal masterpiece of art! The Gaang's closeness, cartoonish behavior, and callback inside jokes from the show were PERFECTION! Easily my favorite movie of the year!! I loved the focus on Aang's trauma and healing as well as the ending with him realizing his culture can survive amongst people even without the air powers. Katara's wisdom, Sokka's creative genius and panicking banter with Zuko, Toph's exuberance over her powers and life in general, Aang's love and teasing of his former enemy Zuko, and Zuko finally feeling like a full team member, happy and healed among his found family were so awesome to see again!! I loved how close they all still felt even if they lived far apart. They still complain to each other about annoying chamberlains and call Zuko "Flameo Hotman" via text with scrolls carried by birds! I do wish, though, that the conflict wasn't between benders and nonbenders. They had no issues in the original show. It was the four nations that were at war, and benders did not lead anything except for Ozai. I loved the Gaang getting to do the old intro as children and then as adults! My favorite part was easily the 1 second clip in the credits of adult Zuko sitting with Iroh, drinking tea. Through all of their angst and hardships and suffering, Iroh really managed to raise Zuko into an honorable man who healed and found love even after all those years when Iroh didn't know if he'd ever be able to rid him of Ozai's influence and pain.

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Review of Avatar comics: The Promise arc! Spoilers ahead!

While it's in character for Zuko to be depressed and anxious enough for him to ask Aang to kill him should he ever turn evil, after how Ozai himself was spared, it is horribly out of character for Aang and Katara to agree to his request. And that moment when Zuko really thought Aang might kill him? Oh, man, alive. It's so sad to see Zuko a year later still unable to sleep every night, convinced that someone will yet again try to kill him. That Ozai is closer to him than Iroh is not good for him at all. I really wish Iroh had stayed closer to his boy. Just because he's Fire Lord doesn't mean he no longer needs his real dad. Zuko is only 17 or 18, but he looks more haggard and tortured than he did in the show. Even after the happy ending, Zuko is still lonely enough to go crawling back to the father, who burned his face off for scraps of love and advice. I am very upset with how out of character Aang and even Toph, Katara, and Sokka were written - do they even care about their friend? But I loved how Zuko's story wrapped up. Still passing out whenever he does a good deed, lol. He was so relieved when others confirmed he did the right thing but was willing to do the right thing even when he stood alone and against his best friend. He's finally able to block out his father and the Avatar, relying on his own morals without feeling inherently unworthy or bad to make his own choices. And he wants to live again!

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I love how Sokka is both the silliest and smartest. He is brilliant with engineering, providing a creative way to fight and show his culture without bending. He wants to be a warrior like his dad, just like so many children in the culture his is inspired by. He is the most goal-oriented and the real leader of the Gaang. Usually, the silly guy hates work, but his life passion is their mission. He and Zuko both just really want to be a man by their culture's expectations. Sokka is the most invested in freeing their people and defeating their enemies.

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Suki needed more screen time! 😭😭

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love how we only see the fire lord's face when he 'forgives' zuko and stops considering a failure. like, the instant he becomes reachable to his son he becomes available to us as an audience too

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Zuko never wanted to be bad. He was always chasing honor. He just got the definition of that from an evil person he was born trusting like every child does. He was dressed up as a soldier, made to be the villain. He became adept at killing while horrible at conversation or social cues. And it took everyone around him, enemies and heroes the longest time to realize they were looking at a kid. Only Iroh always saw him that way. Zuko always wanted to be good. He just had to choose between being good and his father's love. Iroh lost both his sons in Ba Sing Se, but one of his little soldier boys came marching home. The fact that he actually lost his son gets lost a little since we see him with Zuko. But it's hard to imagine that he lost a boy he loved like Zuko before. Wow. What an unbelievable amount of pain he felt. And he still has the courage to do it all again, raising another child.

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I love them so much. 💖

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The song Eternity is about a child morning their parent, but with this immortal elf and human child, all I can think about is how someday Fern will be an old lady while Frieren looks the same. 😭😭 Eisen and Heiter must have been so impacted by Frieren crying at Himmel's funeral to send their children her way years later when they needed a mentor because they knew that while naturally Frieren journeyed alone, she needed a party more than she knew.