Sun Child: Art!

[weirdlet]

Little Soldier Girl by ~weirdlet on deviantART

Okay, so I'm a little too subtle when it comes to differentiating genderflipped versions of characters- but I like it^^

Comments

[taragreen89.livejournal.com]

nice! I don't think you're being to subtle personally. Armor tends to give men & women roughly the same shape from what I've observed- and if I look at the hip/chest proportions I don't think its too hard to figure out its Zura not Zuko. Awesome picture overall- and I think you drew the baby very well in particular.

[weirdlet.livejournal.com]

Thank you^^

[beboots.livejournal.com]

I agree with Taragreen - armor does blur gender lines. Besides, you have given Zura more of a suggestion of hips, and there's something about the face that makes me think "of course this is girl!Zuko" - maybe it's just something softer, or how the phoenix tail looks more like a ponytail or something from this angle.

In conclusion... Zura = awesome (why do I love it so much when characters are maternal/paternal/parental?), and I look forward to more stuff in the Sun Child universe! :D

[weirdlet.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much^^ Yeah- I had the linework done and was coloring in, and was thinking- 'that's a perfect Zuko mouth, but that's the thing- it's Zuko, not Zura'. So a little color over the lines to soften things up^^

I like when characters are parental^^ I've kind of had a fascination with it and how it interacts with the more 'adventurous' side of fantasy narrative, and I like to think that those aspects of life can combine well with the action and adventure bits.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

Oh, exactly! It's one of the reasons I love the relationship with Zuko and his Uncle - how they can be badass and fighting off enemies one minute, and later have Iroh giving his nephew sage advice (which he may or may not listen to, usually the latter) or what have you. :) You can really tell that Zuko cares for his uncle, despite all his bluster, and that Iroh cares for his nephew in return. :) It's heartwarming, you know?

[weirdlet.livejournal.com]

Exactly! It's like- in a world with war, hunger, orphans, parental abuse and thoroughly broken people, once in a while you want to see the good stuff we're all supposed to be wanting or fighting for. The warm fuzzy moments. The embarrassing but grudgingly sweet ones. Bonds, people!

[beboots.livejournal.com]

I totally agree! You can still fit heartwarming moments in between badass fight scenes with magical kung fu, right? ;)

(But seriously, like Toph pointed out in that one episode - Zuko could have/should have turned out a lot worse than he did. I blame Iroh for the fact that Zuko isn't Crazuko. He kept his nephew grounded with kind words, encouragement and tea. And occasionally music nights and aborted attempts at teaching him Pai Sho.)

[weirdlet.livejournal.com]

*nod* I both enjoy the contrast of positive feelings with harsh circumstances (and vice-versa, when I'm in a schadenfreude mood^^), and the story element of finding interesting people/things/ideas coming out of places between- places between rulers, between land and sea, between law and anarchy, things usually dismissed as good for nothing but those who cling to them manage alright, at least for a little while.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

Heehee- I love the word "schadenfreude". When I explain what it means to people who have never heard it before, they think that I made it up. ;)

Contrast is good! Along with that also comes culture clashes. I love it when fics do acknowledge that these four nations, while similar in some respects, have different traditions.

Ooh... like Miles Vorkosigan when he plays up the Vor rituals/mannerisms! :) (You are the first person besides my immediate family that I know has read this series. <3 )

[weirdlet.livejournal.com]

Miles puts me in my happy place^^ Have you read through the whole of it, with Ekaterin? There's some really interesting stuff with Vor pride and manners and honor there.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

I've only read about two thirds of the books, because school conspired against me. Also, my sister is the one who owns all of the books, and she's working her way through them herself, and so is my father, and they seem to have dibs... D: Conspiracy! They are the first books I'm going to pick up as soon as my final exam is over...

But yeah, Miles is love. :) I couldn't stop squeeing throughout the first like, three books. Non-stop. <3

Equally, culture clash in Avatar fanfic makes me glee as well. :) For instance... Fire Nation manners, and Zuko remembering he has them. ;) I love it when Toph and Zuko are actually forced to use their manners and political knowledge... because although they like to pretend they don't have it (and Zuko is too dorky to ever be a super-sly politician) they were raised to be the perfect young man/lady.

[weirdlet.livejournal.com]

(Mark is cool too^^) They're awesome... and I think in the next year or so, there's supposed to be a new one out, Cryo-Burn or something.

Culture clash can be such fun^^ Toph and Mai are totally gonna end up being Zuko's political handlers. But Fire Nation comedy-of-manners? I'd love to see that. If you ever read Embers, by Vathara, there's some really good politics and manners and stuff in that, as well as spirit-world and bending stuffs.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

Ooh... political handlers... Right, that's it, that's my new head canon now. Zuko's just a figurehead fire lord - one who dresses in those elaborate robes, suffers assassination attempts, writes letters, sits stoically behind the wall of flame for part of the day, and occasionally performs the dancing dragon before crows of Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe ambassadors. Behind the scenes, it's Mai and Toph organizing everything and feeding him speeches. ;)

Gah! I love Embers. <3 Vathara does some lovely world-building in that, with a darker (but more believable for it) history of Fire Nation/Avatar politics... and just little things, like the troops in recent chapters treating Zuko as an actual PRINCE to be protected... and even details like it being the custom to not use metal but obsidian or other stones on the crown prince? I love little details like that. They make the entire world so much more believable and coherent as a whole, you know?

There are also a limited number of good Waterbending!Zuko fics out there, you know? I didn't even know I liked the idea until I read that fic. ;) Also, the idea of fire being able to heal? Awesome. I mean, we use heat to sterilize, cauterize, soothe, sweat out toxins... It's useful stuff, to a physician!

That's another thing - I love firebending being used for things other than, well, fighting. Even something as simple as lighting a candle, or making candy or what have you. :)

[weirdlet.livejournal.com]

Mmhm^^ The thing that's been in my head forever has been just some innkeeper's daughter in the Fire Nation, opening up the shutter on a lantern and blowing until the wick catches, like in Practical Magic.

politically handled!Zuko- I like to think that he'd come into his own eventually, but it would definitely start out with needing some help. Zuko was raised to be a prince, if not an heir, for the first thirteen years of his life- Toph and Mai just have more of a finger on the pulse and practical experience right now. And he'd have to put on an appearance of knowing what he's doing, otherwise there's gonna be a huge push to return Ozai, Azula, or Any Popular Ranking General on the throne. Iroh might be of help there, though.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

Ooh... now THAT is a nice image. :) You must find some excuse to use it.

And yep - Zuko needs advisors he can trust. In my personal head canon, Fire Lord Zuko only gradually learns to be really good at public speaking. That, or he just incidentally says the right sort of things, because he's chronically honest. Sincerity, when used judiciously, can be a good thing.

I also love the idea of Zuko wearing elaborate, symbolic robes. Just a week and a half ago, the MacTaggart collection was open for viewing at the University I attend - it's a collection of hundreds of mostly Qing dynasty robes (along with a few older examples). They're all ridiculously embroidered with dozens of symbols, and, of course, I immediately thought "damn, the Fire Nation HAS to have a tradition of symbolism like this." My particular favourites were two robes displayed side-by-side - one belonging to an emperor, the other a from a boy emperor. On the one, the five-clawed imperial dragon was clutching the orb of wisdom (or so it was explained to me). On the child's robe, though, the dragons were smaller, and reaching for the orbs, but not quite touching them yet, indicating that they still had much to learn.

[weirdlet.livejournal.com]

Arghle- costuming symbolism... hitting multiple buttons... intellectual!lust engaged...

And I've been looking for an excuse to use that image since- well, since I found out there was a fan-made Avatar D20 supplement^^ One of these days I'd love to run (or preferably, play in) an Avatar D&D game.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

What? They've made a D&D game of it? This is the first I've heard of it! I've never gotten into D&D, but this may be the excuse that I need... D:

But yes, if you're ever in the vicinity of Edmonton, Canada, totally make a point of visiting the MacTaggart collection if you can. It's one of the largest non-private collections of Chinese textiles, like, outside of China. You wouldn't believe how tiny and delicate the needlework is on a lot of these things.

Then, of course, they break out the lotus shoes, and you stare at them for a moment before realizing that hey, those aren't CHILDREN'S shoes... D: Have you ever seen x-rays of bound feet? Quite disturbing. I think I read a fic once in which Toph had that done to her, which I thought was absolutely horrifying. (I'm normally not one to judge other cultures by my own standards, but I draw the line at crippling people, you know?)

The sad thing is, those shoes were GORGEOUS. Embroidery-wise, anyway.

But seriously. Costume symbolism = awesome. I love the cut of the robes of the Fire Nation royalty, but because of the medium (animation, so they have to be drawn over and over again...), they have to be coloured relatively plainly, you know?

[weirdlet.livejournal.com]

Not an official D&D supplement, but something that the people on the Order of the Stick webcomic forums cooked up- I can link you if you like.

And yeah- footbinding is one of those 'my brain refuses to fully contemplate the horror of having to endure such a thing' squicks for me- respect to different cultures' mores and standards aside. I like to think that in the Avatar world, it doesn't happen, or at least is not prevalent now.

Sometimes, I think half the reason I get into fandoms is because I see opportunity to draw fancified versions of their base-model clothes^^ Haven't done much of it yet for Avatar, but not for lack of wanting.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

Link? Yes please! (Woohoo! Another thing to distract me from homework! ;) )

I don't think that footbinding WOULD happen in the Avatar world. I think that bending does serve as an equalizing factor amongst the sexes, because really, it seems like it appears just as often in men as in women, and physical strength (which men TEND to have more than women) doesn't necessarily correlate with strong bending (like in the case of Azula and Zuko, or especially in extreme cases like The Boulder and Toph). Women seem to be just as capable of asskicking as men in this universe, so I think that it's straight up harder to "oppress" them, if you know what I mean. They wouldn't stand for it.

Plus, you know, benders have a lot of respect, it seems, in their respective cultures, and if there's something out there (like footbinding) that would harm their ability to bend (because it's all dependent on their forms, which involves footwork and strong stances) then, ipso facto, it would not become popular with the "elite" (benders) of society, thus wouldn't become popular at all.

That's my logic, anyway.

[weirdlet.livejournal.com]

http://sites.google.com/site/avatard20/ Is cool^^

Yeah- a lot of settings where magic or simply superhuman talents can pop up, it can be harder to oppress groups that don't believe the press about their place in things. At the same time, though- social pressure can be pretty powerful. In Ba Sing Se, they don't seem to go to extremes of female oppression, but I get the distinct impression that they wouldn't think it ladylike to be rough-and-tumbling with the boys. Women of a Certain Class, and those who want to be considered as worthy as they are, don't do such things because it treads in places that traditionally are men's responsibility.

Every once in a while, though, I'm sure someone comes along, breaks all the rules, and thoroughly scandalizes everyone^^ And who's to argue with her spirits-given gifts?

[beboots.livejournal.com]

You do have a point about the ladies of Ba Sing Se. Although, your statement really does apply to those of the Upper Ring. We saw very few Lower Ring ladies - and Jin seemed like a go-getter. ;)

But yes, your point also applies to female roles in the Northern Water Tribe. They have waterbenders, but they aren't allowed to fight, right?

[weirdlet.livejournal.com]

*nod* I'm sure they're allowed to fight to defend themselves- but they aren't trained to do so, because that treads on Man's Turf, man's responsibilities, and the male arts. It may be as innocent as starting out as a way to divide up the work into the spheres they're most commonly used in, but as time goes by, it becomes tradition and hidebound, and binds more than it frees. A woman might have the talent- but she also might have 'it's not right for me to do so' hanging over her head.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

I agree. Tradition is a strong motivator. Why do we do this if it doesn't make sense? Because it's TRADITION, duh. It helps perpetuate actions long after their meaning has been forgotten. (I'm not thinking of a particular example or anything, but man that sounded bitter. I actually love many traditions. ;) )

Speaking of traditions... Am I the only one who loves the look of white Fire Nation mourning robes?

[weirdlet.livejournal.com]

Nope^^ I really liked that they did the white-for-mourning thing.

Poor little Zuko, looking utterly traumatized and adorable in his white clothes.

[beboots.livejournal.com]

I know! That look he has - like, a growing realization... "wait, this... maybe possibly doesn't actually seem like a good thing?"

[weirdlet.livejournal.com]

Addendum- one of the things that goes through my head a lot when I think about things I like to see in my fiction (and in real life). Life thrives in the breech. Even in adverse circumstances, when everything's gone wrong or a place is hard and terrible, people keep going, live their lives, and find their small bits of happiness.