I realize that power-wise Kresint is literally just a waterbender, even her name is a play on 'Cresent Moon'. And I think I subconsciously knew that when creating her. But I also based all characters off family members and assigned powers based on a multilayered criteria of personality, what would fit story wise, and what I thought would be funny, and picked names as anagrams with a letter or two added/removed/changed to help it flow. And I hadn't watched or even thought about Avatar in years at that point. Like yes, thanks to Netflix I've re-watched it several time since then, including with the cousin Kresint is based on, and I even jokingly call her my little waterbender. Kresint is also my 'thousands of hidden blades' knife thrower akin to Mai.
But surprisingly these were not some of my MANY intentional fandom references in this series, this one was completely subconscious.
She got water powers because somehow, even as a teenager, if this cousin has even a quarter of a glass of water, she ends up drenched head to toe, sitting there sputtering in confusion because "I was going to drink that..." but muscle memory insisted that she needed to be drenched. Because she's the girl who will starfish in a kiddy pool fully clothed, simply because she sees water and needs to be soaked. Because she's the kid who's favorite prank is to randomly put a few drops of water down the back of someone's shirt, and then falls over laughing at how funny it is. Because she's the kid who can be having the worst day, but will instantly perk up at the suggestion of swimming, and is always impossible to get out of the water because "I live here now." (until you point out that she can't read if she never leaves the water.) Because she's calm and cool, but a fridged tempest when provoked just like the ocean.
She has healing powers because she's the kid who always has bandaids in her pocket, and knows how to help even if she doesn't have the typical treatment for something. Because she's one of the biggest clutses I've ever met, and yet she rarely actually ends up hurt, and even then no where near as much as she should be. Because she's the one kissing the little kids' 'boo-boo's better before sending them back to play. Because if you're having a bad day, you go to her for a hug, and suddenly EVERYTHING is better.
She has water and healing because they just work together. Because I needed a healer and she made the most sense. Because I needed someone the same yet opposite to counter and compliment my own/Axandrela's fire, and she was the obvious choice. Because I had an idea in my mind for a scene where Xan’s fire and rage are out of control and literally burning her up from the inside, where she needs to be calmed, doused and healed all within seconds, and a hug from this cousin was the only thing I could think of that could calm me that fast.
And Kresint has a million knives, often stolen from other characters, because this is something 110% taken out of reality.
I make alot of intentional fandom references in this series. Because the people many of the characters are based on are major geeks. Because these fandoms have had a significant influence on both my life and storytelling style. And because its easier to adapt other fictional works to exist as such in a story than to create a million additional stories of your own to be merely referenced briefly. But this reference, as perfect and blatant as it is, was not intentional.
Though Vedon - Kressie's brother just older than her - wielding a boomerang was totally intentional. Since he's an aerokinetic it works really well with his powers too. We tried to convince the cousin he's based on to have fans as weapons as well, but apparently they're "too girly"
TLDR: Kresint is essentially a healing trained waterbender with as many knives as Mai. Vedon is an airbender with a boomerang, who thinks fans are 'too girly' of a weapon. Only the boomerang part was intentionally meant as a ATLA reference (the fans were intended as a reference to Kagura from Inuyasha, but he turned them down)
