INFP passionate Corgi-girl. Full time eclectical enthusiast, comic artist, illustrator, linguist and cartographer. A lot of different interests, personal aesthetic, curiosities, and miscellanea. Main Blog - Webcomic
MINNOW PIN! TINY SILVER FISHIE!
I'm in love with how these turned out. I want to wear like 10 on a jacket and have a school of fish with me wherever I go. Hard to photograph but they look amazing in person! Sometimes a simple design really stands out~~~~
In my shop!
When Zuko apologized to uncle Iroh in the tent cause he was so ashamed of his actions and what heâd done to the only person who unconditionally believed in his ability to do good >>>>>
So okay, Iâve given this rant before but this is another good time for it.
Structurally speaking, ATLA did something important with Zuko that, in a purely mechanistic sense of narrative development, I think a lot of people donât notice immediately, and that even fewer people who want to emulate what was done with him get.
Which is Zuko is made a protagonist VERY early, and the show goes out of its way to continually place Zuko into situations where the audience empathizes and roots for him.
This happens in literally the second episode of the series, if we count the two-part premiere as a single episode, which I think we should. The A-plot of that episode, âThe Southern Air Temple,â is Aang reckoning with the genocide of his people⌠but the B-plot?
The B-plot is the introduction of Zhao, and more specifically, his introduction in a way that is calculate to shift the audience, whose introduction to Zuko did NOT engender a ton of sympathy to him, directly and forcefully onto his side. They want Zuko to kick Zhaoâs ass.
This continues all through book one and book two. Remember, Zuko is never, ever the main villain of this series. Thatâs initially Zhao, followed by Azula and Ozai. (Plus various temporary players like Long Feng.) Whenever Zuko isnât placed into direct conflict with the other protagonists, heâs always written and presented in a way that is careful, VERY VERY careful, not to make him too monstrous, and to make us root for him. Heâs placed right next to Iroh, who is designed for people to like, and that reflects back onto Zuko; we want Zuko to be better than he is because we want Iroh to have good things.
Put aside for the moment whether any specific character, including Zuko, deserves their redemption. If youâve decided youâre going to do that, you have to erect the proper narrative scaffolding around them, and it extends to far more things than âdid this person not do things that were too horribleâ and âis this person genuinely sorry and is working really hard to atone.â Thereâs a difference between protagonist and white hat, but if you want someone to eventually wear that white hat, you REALLY need to establish them as a plausible protagonist early on.
Yeah, it was made obvious from the get go that Zuko is definitely nowhere near Zhaoâs level of nasty, which in turn means heâs nowhere near Azulaâs and nowhere in the scope of Ozaiâs.
1.)Â
He made a deal with Aang to leave the Southern Water Tribe alone if Aang went with him. When Aang escaped with help from two of those tribe members, Zuko didnât demand they go back and destroy what was left of the tribe as revenge. He didnât even think of it as an option. There was no split second where he went, should I/shouldnât I?
2.)Â
This is repeated. He corners the Avatar somewhere, causes some damage to the area in the ensuing fight, but does not stick around to raze the village/monastery to the ground and kill the people when he doesnât get what he wants. Doesnât consider this a necessary action even once.
3.)Â
The Iroh&Zuko relationship is juxtaposed with the Zhao&Zuko relationship. Both older men have more power over him. Iroh is a retired War General and Prince who is not banished. Zhao is a Commander in favor of the Firelord, who is also not banished. We could tell early on that Iroh is wise and despite being on the bad side, seems to be pretty chill. We took a liking to him immediately. Zhao is the opposite. He is very much like early!Zuko. Impulsive, rude, loud, cocky, etc⌠But why is he more annoying? Why do we root for Zuko as opposed to him?Â
Because we see what Zuko is like with his Uncle Iroh. Iroh does not rub in the fact that heâs banished. He doesnât use that when reprimanding him for his attitude or his failings. That is a hot iron and he knows it. Itâs to the point where Iroh can bend fire in Zukoâs face and Zuko is perfectly relaxed over it and doesnât once believe his uncle will hurt him. There is a lot of faith in Iroh, from this angsty teenager, and itâs very obvious with their interactions.
Zhao is not trustworthy from the start. Weâre shown this by how both Zuko and Iroh are hesitant to interact with him and donât want to linger in areas he has control over, for too long. They even lie to him despite him obviously having more favor in the Firelordâs eyes than either of them do. Zhaoâs personality opposes both Zuko and Iroh. And as we like Iroh, we want him to win and have nice things, as stated above. But Zuko&Iroh is a package deal. And as Zhao reveals himself more and more to be nasty even if itâs subtle, we want Zuko to win even harder.
And even when Zuko wins and heâs in the prime position to do to Zhao what Ozai did to Zuko for also âspeaking out of turnâ⌠he doesnât do it. He walks away. He is the bigger man in that scenario. And Iroh further puts shame onto Zhao when he goes against the sacred rules of the Agni Kai because he canât handle a loss to a banished teen. We are shown that Zuko follows rules and has honor, which is reinforced by Irohâs, âeven in exile, my nephew is more honorable than youâ. Irohâs Word is basically Law at this point. Sf he says it is so, then he must be right and the audience accepts that. He knows Zuko better than us and hopefully weâll get to understand more as the story progresses.
Already by the 3rd episode, weâre shown that Zuko is in no way the worst person from the Fire Nation. In fact, weâre given a sort of scale now from the four major Fire Nation people we know of. IrohâZukoââ-ZhaoâFirelord.
Weâre also hoping that Iroh rubs off on Zuko enough for him to also become wise and learn to chill out.
4.)Â
When âThe Stormâ finally rolls around, weâre pretty invested by then in the Iroh&Zuko relationship and that episode gives us so much more info into Zukoâs character and we are shown that Iroh is right. He has honor and he cares for others. And yet itâs obvious the Firelord doesnât because we see Zuko do the right thing(protesting the plan to treat new recruits as cannon fodder) in the wrong place, and then his face gets burned off by his father because of it. And further, heâs banished for refusing to fight his own father. What sane parent wants to do battle with their own child? What sane parent banishes their child for speaking out of turn at the defense of their own peoplesâ lives? What the fuck is wrong with the Firelord?
Zuko was punished severely for showing compassion and having a kind heart. And Iroh(and the ship crew even) is properly mortified by the punishments his nephew received for it, which in turn affects the audienceâs perception of this situation. Iroh doesnât like it, itâs especially bad then.
Now we start wondering why does Zuko wants to go back to the guy who burned his face off?! Iroh, talk some sense into him! PLEASE!
Halfway through S1, they got us to the point of wanting Zuko to have a redemption arc.Â
Making the audience want a character to be redeemed is also very important in this. We were shown he has redeemable qualities. We want that pay off! Do it justice!
âIt just means you have to work double as hard as most people!â
Well maybe I donât WANT to work double as hard as abled people!! Maybe I deserve a BREAK!! Maybe Iâve been working MORE THAN double as hard for MY WHOLE LIFE and itâs led me to immense burnout & caused me to develop several MORE disabilities!! Maybe I should be ACCOMMODATED so I donât have to KILL MY BODY AND BRAIN over trying to do what abled people can do!! Maybe I DONâT have to work double as hard!! Maybe if thereâs the option to let me NOT work double as hard, I should have it, because Iâm already working double as hard JUST TO SURVIVE!!
Why do you think disabled people deserve less rest than mentally & physically abled people?
I record this message in the 21st century, specifically in the year 2025, fully aware and in sound mind. I hereby testify, confess, and declare that a criminal entity ruled by violent gangs has revived the horrors of Nazism, and has even surpassed them. For over 700 days, it has committed one of the greatest atrocities of our modern age, in a place called Gaza. They murdered our children before our men, our women before our youth. They destroyed homes, displaced families, and starved the innocent. And this brutal campaign has not stoppedânot even as I speak these words. The world today counts more than 8.2 billion people, Yet not a single force has been able to stop the bloodshed, or protect the defenseless.
I call upon every free soul, every conscience still alive, Spread this message far and wide.
Speak up. Act.
Support my people. Support my family.
Let your silence not be another weapon used against us.
Silence is complicity.
Solidarity is a duty.
Donate to my family and my little boy, donation links below the post or by clicking here
Short video of 700 days of war
Donate heređ¸:
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Chuffed: Click here
My campaing vetted by/ @90-ghost here @gaza-evacuation-funds here My number in post 6
Someone needs to tell parents everywhere that a child never complaining is NOT a sign of a mentally healthy child, and it is, in fact, the complete opposite of that.
Transphobia is about to be signed into law in the UK. We can fight this.
I am begging the UK trans community and its allies to attend the Mass Lobby at Parliament on June 25th, 11am-4pm, organised by Trans Solidarity Alliance.
Last year we broke the record for an LGBT+ mass lobby of Parliament. Will you help us break it again? Join us on 25th June 2026 to demand be
The new EHRC Code of Practice pushes trans people out of toilets, hospital wards, and community spaces. It normalises gender policing based on appearance and stereotypes. It becomes statutory guidance in the UK by the end of June.
Trans people are now legally their assigned gender at birth and must join gendered spaces accordingly, but if they are perceived as their lived gender, they can also be ejected from those spaces. The guidance says: either break the law, or donât pass too well.
A mass lobby is where you invite your MP to discuss your concerns with you in-person. Ask your MP to:
Demand full parliamentary scrutiny, debate, and use their free vote on the EHRC Code of Practice.
Support any motions rejecting the EHRC guidance. As of June 4th, Labour MP Nadia Whittome has submitted a prayer motion - Early Day Motion 240.
Write to Bridget Phillipson, the Minister for Women and Equalities about our concerns
Your MP does not have to be an ally, they do not have to respond to your email for you to show up and greencard them (details below the cut.) What matters is that as many people as possible show up.
I cannot stress this enough: Showing up in person matters. It is much more effective than petitions, emails, and letters.
It is a horrible, stressful time, and I am so sorry if you're trans and live in the UK. But I was at last year's mass lobby and the line for greencarding alone stretched around the back gates. It was a record breaking mass lobby and made us impossible to ignore. Let's do even better this time. Details under the cut:
Worried about what to say?
Bring your personal worries about transphobia being signed into law, and trans friends being excluded from public spaces. You are a living person who deserves dignity. Remind your MP of that. You will also get guidance and brochures from Trans Solidarity Alliance that outlines our demands. This is mine from last year.
Money issues?
Trans Solidarity Alliance provides a travel bursary that you can sign up for via the link.
Got a refusal or no response from your MP?Â
Come anyway! You can request a same-day appointment with your MP through a process called greencarding. They will come and see you if theyâre already in Parliament. Even if they donât, theyâre made acutely aware of your cause because you showed up in person. This is my greencard from last year.
Here is the EHRC Code of Practice in full. It's a tough read, but some highlights are:
Organisations canât provide trans-inclusive, single-sex services, or they risk being sued for discrimination.
e.g. domestic violence support for women including trans women, menâs rugby group including trans men (12.68).
Trans people will have nowhere safe to pee.
If youâre a trans man, businesses can't allow you to pee in the men's, and you can also be ejected from womenâs bathrooms if youâre perceived as a man. Vice versa for trans women. EHRC suggests a âthird spaceâ bathroom, which is discriminatory and unworkable for most businesses. (13.130-133)
Sports organisations must exclude trans people from single-sex competitions (13.73).Â
A womenâs only sports competition must exclude trans women because of their biological advantage or face potential lawsuits (13.74), but a trans man who has undergone testosterone treatment can also be excluded based on fairness rules (13.81).
Trans women are stripped of the legal definition of âlesbianâ, and therefore no longer have legal protections if theyâre discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation. (2.50, 2.92).
Here is the Good Law Project's better explanation of the EHRC Code.
I have also made a PDF printout of QR codes for the government petition, email your MP tool, and mass lobby link to pass around your communities. DM me and I'll send it to you.
The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock @stridingcorgi - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
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