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Queer Atlaverse

@gaylord-zuko

An ATLA/LOK sideblog because why not. Multishipper, mostly zukka and jetko but honestly a little bit of everything. Fic research enthusiast and expert at coming up with too many wip ideas. Some of my headcanons can get pretty angsty so be warned. If you need something tagged, let me know. I’m always open to constructive criticism in my asks and DM’s, but no drama please ❤️ Nsfw is tagged #adult content.
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gaylord-zuko

I made a navigation post for my fanfics!

Multi-chapter:

Ember Island Summer (9/11 chapters) - Izumi-centric Zukka dads/slowburn/getting back together summer vacation fic, first installment of my Izumiverse series. Updated 11/26/21

a long way towards daylight (1/? chapters) - AU where the Fire Nation is an ethnonationalist religious cult and Jet is a cult survivor/anti-cult activist who teams up with Zuko to take them down.

For Sokka, with love (1/?) chapters - modern au road trip fic originally written for Sukka Week 2021, Suki and Zuko join Sokka on a road trip from San Francisco to Alaska for Katara and Aang’s wedding and Suki expresses her (as yet unrequited) love through the playlists she makes for the trip.

ATLA 18+ Big Bang:

They Do Not Sleep - Zuko endeavors to put the souls of the slain dragons to rest (art here by @lilihasalife, beta’d by @oliver-perks)

ATLA 18+ Reverse Bang:

wait for me - Eight months after meeting Sokka and the Gaang, Yue is very pregnant and very sick of being left behind (art here by @trans--jevil, beta’d by @justanotherghostwriter)

Jetko Week 2021:

never believed in meant to be (Day 1: Modern AU or College/Highschool AU)

in our little corner of the world (Day 2: Ba Sing Se or Post-War)

mau loa (forever) (Day 3: Angst with a Happy Ending or Hurt/Comfort)

head lice (Day 4: Gaang!Jet or Freedom Fighter!Zuko)

vagabonds, ne’er-do-wells and insufferable bastards (Day 5: Swords or Vigilantes)

The Illusion of Separation (multi-chapter) (Day 6: Teashop or Reunion)

A Life in the Day (Day 7: Scars or Free Day)

WIPs:

Kalahikiola: The House at Sunrise Point (Period Drama AU)

Jetkka X-Files AU (Working title: Always Something New With These Damn Aliens)

Creatures of the Underworld (Zukka Moulin Rouge AU)

Miss Turtleduck Goes to Republic City (Izumiverse pt. 2) - Izumi spends the summer interning for Sokka, a.k.a. Councilman Papa

Time Makes Me Bolder (Izumiverse pt. 2.5) - all of the Zukka flashbacks/backstory/deleted scenes in chronological order

How The Light Gets In (Izumiverse pt. 3) - Izumi learns lightning bending with Azula

The Place That Binds Us (Izumiverse pt. 4) - Izumi goes to Ba Sing Se University and uncovers even more secrets about her father’s past

...and many others that I am not sharing yet because they are very much uncooked.

#pinned post#navigation post#crogan writes
gaylord-zuko
princessizumi
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flameohotfamily

once little izumi says to zuko she wants to see grandpa and zuko is like, "sure, we can go see grandpa iroh." but izumi replies, "not that grandpa!" and zuko says, "oh, you mean grandpa ikem", but izumi says "no!", and zuko thinks with a horror that his daughter wants to see ozai, until izumi grins proudly and says, "i want to see grandpa aang!!!"

(aang taught her this)

(zuko was really irritated)

#aang is grandpa!#(having evil thoughts about izumi visiting ozai in prison against her father’s wishes…)#fire family#izumiverse
gaylord-zuko
rolandtowen
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rolandtowen

My personal theory about the proliferation of lightning generation between Aang and Korra's time is due to Azula.

Iroh stays in the Earth Kingdom for the most part, Ozai's bending is gone, and Zuko never masters lightning generation.

That leaves Azula. And I think her becoming a teacher would be the perfect completion of a redemption arc. She can take pride in passing on her knowledge, without the abuse she experienced.

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justanotherthrowaway1950

Just to add on, as of current canon, neither Ozai or Iroh ever displayed the ability to shoot instant lightning or modulate its strength, with the later ability implied to have been lost with Xu Ping An.

Yet, Azula in the comics not only independently recreates the instant lightning ability, but also develops the ability to completely modulate the strength of her lightning.

Also, in the canon cookbook, which in-universe is a cookbook made by Team Avatar a generation after the 100 Year War ended, her entry is called, "Azula's Lightning" and she implies that the Fire Nation has a relatively good view of her.

This, even though as of current canon, she is a disgraced princess on the run from her brother.

Like unless Zuko masters lightning generation and develops instant lightning on his own or along side Iroh, it seems like Azula was the one to spread lightning generation and redirection as part of her redemption arc.

(Yes, Azula learned lightning redirection on her own, making her the only other person in Aang's era other than her uncle who can generate and redirect lightning.)

#azula#how the light gets in#izumiverse#canon refs#atla comics
gaylord-zuko
beatrice-otter
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fernshawart

How to write a cane user character

(Written by a cane user)

A few months ago, I wrote a small guide on good disabled characters and why they were good that gathered quite the attention, and I thought that doing another more specific guide this time would be interesting for writers or just people that are curious ! This guide will include general informations, some things to do, some things to avoid and some ideas that might revolve cane users's lives.

Things to know about cane users

Cane users are pretty diverse, and putting us in little boxes usually isn't the best idea if you want to make a character that has substance and isn't just "the disabled one". Here some infos about cane users that might be helpful knowledge !

  • Canes don't have ages. Most cane users in media are portrayed to be old, but truly, anyone can have the need to wield a cane ! I've been using mine ever since I was 17.
  • Can users can have a large variety of problems for their canes. Some canes are used to avoid pain from effort. Some canes are used for balance purposes. Some canes are to make walking less exhausting (works the same as walking sticks !) And sometimes, it's multiple problems at once.
  • Not everyone needs their cane 24/7. Some always need it, some can make small efforts without it but overall often need it, and some people, like me, can spend quite a lot of time without it. I almost never use my cane in my house, and mostly take it outside !
  • People with canes can run. We're not necessarily slow, I'm even faster than a lot of my friends.
  • Not using a cane can come with consequences, but not always. Some people might be able to walk without a cane but then suffer horrible consequences, but for others, canes are just a commodity for specific occasions.
  • Canes don't have to be looked down upon. Look at some characters with canes that look cool as hell ! Arsène Lupin, Roguefort Cookie, Brook ... Their canes serve their style !
  • We can be pretty healthy. Some people can have canes just because they were born with a bent leg and that's it. Our cane doesn't define our health status.
  • Canes aren't a curse. Think of them as something positive. It's a tool to make our lives better. You don't see someone sitting on a chair and think "awh, it's sad that they need a chair". It's more something like "hey it's cool that this chair is here so they can sit down"

Things to do

  • Make them use their cane. And when I mean use, I mean that canes are just funky long sticks usually made out of metal. Have fun with it ! Let them use it as a weapon ! Trust me, one hit in the knees with a cane and you're DOWN. Use it to reach stuff that's too high for everyone ! Have fun. Be creative.
  • Let them decorate their cane. It's an extension of their body ! You usually put on clothes that you like, don't you ? It's the same for a cane. If they like cutesy stuff, let them paint in it pastel colors ! If they like a more flashy style, add some stickers on it ! If they're a fancy person, give them a beautiful crafted cane with jewels on it !
  • You can make them a little shy or uneasy about their cane. Some people don't feel worthy of confident enough to wield one. It's not rare to see people think they're "not disabled enough to do so"
  • But on the other hand, you can do the complete opposite !! Make them proud of that cane ! Make them act like they're feeling pretty and more confident with it ! One thing i like to think about with my own cane is that I look like a cool gentleman. That boosted my confidence immensely.

Things to avoid

  • Don't make it their whole world. And by that, I do not mean that their cane shouldn't be a defining trait of their personality. Think of Toph from ATLA. She is blind, and you usually can't think of her character without describing her as blind. However, that isn't her entire personality trait. Make cane users have a goal in life, friends who enjoy them for who they are and not just pity them, have fun ... Don't just make them the disabled one.
  • Don't try to make the character's life just a plain disaster unless it's the focus of your story and you really know what you're talking about. Having a character who's always in pain, who feels bad about relying on their cane and/or who's angry at the entire world for being disabled is a REALLY tricky subject to use if you don't want them to be either a mass of unhappiness and angst for no good reason or some inspirational porn of the character who inside is deeply tortured but outside keeps up a facade because they shouldn't cry to avoid making others uneasy.
  • Do not, and I repeat, do NOT try to heal them, especially in a magical way. Bad idea. A lot of disabled people's goal isn't to be healed. It's to live a normal life. Making it so the ultimate goal for them is to be healed makes it as if they were worthless as long as they were disabled. Making their situation better physically or mentally is one thing. Curing them completely is really bad. "But some disabled folks want to be cured !" True, true. But if you are able bodied, I'm not sure if you can have the right mind to understand all of the complex details about this situation that leads to someone's life choices and the end result may look like you think the only thing that can make disabled people happy is being freed from their condition. I think it's best to just avoid it altogether. If you need a more nuanced idea, try to give them a solution that still has a few downs ! For exemple, a prosthetic that feels like a real arm, acts like a real arm and basically replaces it perfectly is a full cure. But a prosthetic that takes time to adjust to, needs repairs sometimes and doesn't look 100% like an arm can be a better narrative choice
  • Smaller thing, but don't make the handle uneasy to wield if you draw the character design. You can decorate most of the cane, but if you have chunky spiky decorations on the place you're supposed to clench your hand over, you're gonna hurt yourself. I've seen quite a lot of jewel handles or sculpted metal handles and usually their not good. If it's detailed metal, your hand will end up cramped in little parts and it can hurt. If it's a jewel, it's so easy for it to slip out of your hand it's unpractical.

List of tropes/ideas of scenes/details about canes to help you write new situations !

  • If you walk with a cane during winter, you can't put your hand in your jacket to get warm and there's a high chance your hand will get freezing. So after a long walk, you get an excuse for another character to hold their hand and warm them up.
  • If the handle is metallic, you get the opposite problem during summer. You can burn yourself so easy ! Easy accident if you want someone to help and get closer to the disabled person without it necessarily involving their disability.
  • Canes are SUPER useful when you're walking upon heights. They make things really easy, just like hiking poles on mountains ! I live on volcanoes and whenever we clim on a harsh slope, I'm always the first to get up there. Good moment for your character to get a boost of confidence if they get all the way up somewhere before their friends !
  • The first time using your cane feels magical. If you have chronic pains, it makes you feel like your pain disapear. If you can't walk right, it feels like everything is suddenly alright. The moment where a character chooses to wield a cane can be huge for character development. It's a moment of fear because of the impact a cane has on their appearance, but also a moment of confidence and relief.
  • Canes fall. All the time. And after a while, it becomes fucking comical. Trust me, putting a cane against the wall, seeing it fall and doing it three times again in a row while it doesn't want to stay up makes you embarrassed but also makes you want to laugh because of how stupid it looks.
  • When you get a cane, you stop being invisible. When you walk outside, generally speaking, people don't look at you. They don't care about you. But when you get a cane, people start to stare at you for no other reasons that you have a cane. Half of them are just curious, especially if you're young. The other half has a very specific look. The "oh, you poor thing" look. Which is, trust me, particularly awful to get, especially when you're just existing and doing nothing special. How does your character react to this ? How do they feel about it ?

I believe that is all I had in mind. I may add some more details in the future if I get other ideas, but this should already be a good start. I would be thrilled to answer questions if you have some, either in my askbox or through DMs.

I will tag this post with characters holding canes that aren't necessarily considered cane users but that some people may be interested in writing as such. Feel free to tell me if you'd like to see tags being added !

Edit : I'm highly encouraging everyone to look at the tag section under this post where a lot of other can users are sharing their experiences !!

#disability headcanon#sokka with a cane#izumiverse#(yes I’m still writing that…slowly)
gaylord-zuko
atlaculture
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atlaculture

Cultural Fashion: Blue Spirit Mask

I’ve noticed many ATLA fans comparing Zuko’s Blue Spirit mask to a Japanese Noh mask, but Bryke have actually confirmed (in the artbook) that it’s based off of a Chinese Nuo mask. Nuo Opera is one of the most popular folk operas in southern China. Its most distinguishing feature is the use of ferocious-looking masks with the costumes. The opera is a religious performance intrinsic to the practice of Nuoism, a type of Chinese folk religion. The purpose of Nuo opera is to drive away disease and negative influences/spirits, as well as to petition for blessings from the gods.

Zuko’s Nuo mask depicts “The Dragon King”, a Chinese water and weather god. That Zuko chooses to wear this mask when he’s being sneaky and underhanded speaks to how clever he can be when he’s not being hotheaded.

First, he knows that dressing up as a dragon associated with water will confuse anyone trying to identify the Blue Spirit. Dragons are a symbol of the Fire Nation, but blue and water are obviously Water Tribe coding. Is this person from the Fire Nation or Water Tribe? A person of mixed heritage, maybe?

Second, a consistent piece of symbolism within the Avatar-verse is that blue dragons are cruel and cutthroat. Sozin’s animal companion was a blue dragon, Azulon’s name means Blue Dragon, and Azula is portrayed as a blue dragon in Zuko’s fever dream. When Zuko chooses to behave in a dishonorable way (from his POV), he choose to don the face of a blue dragon.

Third, the purpose of Nuo opera is to drive away negative influences and petition for blessings. When Zuko first dons the Blue Spirit persona, he’s kidnapping the Avatar away from Zhao. If you were a superstitious FN citizen— which is not an unreasonable thing to be in the Avatar-verse— you might think that the Blue Spirit is some sort of otherworldly guardian to the Avatar. He’s exorcising Zhao’s influence and has been blessed by the Avatar with good fortune. Think about how intimidating a reputation the Blue Spirit must have thanks to the events of that night. Is it any wonder why Zuko chooses to don the mask again in the Earth Kingdom?

Like what I’m doing? Tips always appreciated, never expected. ^_^

https://ko-fi.com/atlaculture

#mmm yes this is my shit!#zuko#blue spirit#of course he’s a blue dragon with pronouns…
gaylord-zuko
atlaculture
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mostly-mundane-atla
caelum-blue asked:

So what kinds of food would Aang and other Air Nomads be able to eat during visits to the Water Tribes? Assuming that their brand of vegetarianism allows for animal products like milk and eggs, but no fish or animal fat or anything that would involve killing a living creature.

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mostly-mundane-atla answered:

Naturally, some of these will be seasonal, but this really depends on if you want only pre-contact circumpolar ingredients and cooking methods

If you want some inspiration from purely traditional foods, and can imagine a way they'd collect unfertilized fish eggs:

  • Wild bird (ptarmigan, grouse, corromant, etc) eggs, raw or boiled. Chicken broth could be replaced with a tea of birch bark, fireweed leaves, or tundra tea leaves to make something similar to an egg drop soup.
  • Roots like those of masru/eskimo potato and wooly lousewort, raw, boiled, or roasted. Could be fried in theory, but as the only fats available would be attached to animal flesh, this would violate vegetarian dietary restrictions.
  • Fish roe (eggs) on their own or ground up and whipped into akutaq.
  • Greens like sourdock, mountain sorrel, and wild celery, dressed in unsweetened syrups of fireweed blossoms or berries instead of the traditional seal oil.
  • Berries such as wild cranberries (lowbush and highbush), blueberries, cloudberries, wild raspberries, and crowberries, fresh or as jam (unsweetend and probably unpleasantly messy with nothing to eat it on) or akutaq.
  • Fireweed shoots, roasted and could be served with unsweetened syrups like the aforementioned fresh greens.
  • Young puffball mushrooms, eaten but not very commonly from what I can tell
  • And, of course, what the entire fandom was expecting: seaweed. With the lack of any proper substitutes for sessame oil or garlic, however, i'm not sure you could get something resembling a Korean style seaweed soup.

Now, if you want to include things that would have to be imported and cooking utensils and methods that aren't traditional, then you'll see foods that look a little more familiar.

  • Traditional foods can be stirfried in woks and served over rice or used for noodle dishes.
  • Here's where things like hotpot and congee are possible.
  • Flour can be used for doughs and batters or combined with butter to make pastry for frying in plant based oil or baking in ovens to get things like frybreads, cakes, and pies.
  • Milk can be added to foraged eggs to make custards which can be flavored with local berries and eddible flowers.
  • Mushrooms and tea can be used to replace meat broths for hearty soups.
  • Vegetables like cabage and onions can be added, as can protiens like beans and tofu.
  • And seasonings like ginger, pepper, garlic. And other ways to alter the flavor like soy sauce and vinegar (which also allows pickling). Sugar means syrups, jams, and akutaq can be sweetened, and now that bread is an option, can be eaten in combination with more foods.

This also has me wondering if other aspects than food would be given special attention to align with Air Nomand customs. Would they light lamps with plant-based oils instead of animal fat? Would they be sure to have utensils carved of wood rather than antler, bone, or ivory? Would it be seen to that sleeping mats be made of woved grass and stuffed with mosses and lichens instead of the typical skins?

Anyway, if you want to browse through common tundra plants and like two fungi and Inupiaq uses for them, check out this site

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atlaculture

This is probably one of my favorite @mostly-mundane-atla​ posts.

Since the Air Nomads don’t exclusively abide by one specific branch of Buddhist doctrine, I'm going to say that they take the Theravada approach to their vegetarianism. In Theravada Buddhism, like all branches of Buddhism, monks must refrain from taking life.

However, with a few exceptions, Theravada monks also cannot refuse whatever alms food is offered to them in good will, including meat. There's no room for picky eating in an ascetic life. However, an animal must not be slaughtered specifically to be offered to monks and nuns. In other words, if you offered some leftovers to a Theravada monk that happened to have meat in it, the monk would accept the offer. However, the monk would not want you to slaughter your fattest pig for him just because he's an honored guest. It's a subtle distinction.

Anyways, I bring this up because I don't think Air Nomads visiting a Water Tribe village would expect their hosts to change all of their daily practices just for their guests. So long as the fur bedding or the ivory utensils weren't created specifically for the sake of the monks, it would probably be okay.

#I’m imagining aang getting his wt hosts to bend over backwards to fit his veganism only to find out later about this#oops 🫢#atla insp#air nomads
gaylord-zuko
the-last-cuddlebender
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sokkagatekeeper

sokka & katara are soo funny bc katara is always like sokka is SO fucking boring and lame and lazy he doesn't understand the value of waterbending and he is HEARTLESS he must be plotting his next move to sabotage my rebellion against industrialization and colonialism & the search for my destiny of becoming a master waterbender at this very moment . meanwhile sokka's like soo i have the avatar to take care of now so i guess i need to prepare for an invasion to the fn at some point? i should start thinking of building an army, make a list of allies, look for food and save as much money as i can, go after whoever ran away from the group this week, is that weird ponytail guy not giving up yet? sharpen my boomerang, stopping katara's weekly revolution from getting all of us killed, what else.... i wonder if i can train with my sword today. i'll put it in my schedule right between taking lice out of momo's hair at 2pm and evading another capture/assasination attempt at 5pm. are you proud of me, father? [girlfriend dying flashbacks playing in the background] god i wish to read a book

#katara’s weekly revolution lmao#sokka
gaylord-zuko
atlaculture
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atlaculture

What’s in a Name: Fire Nation Children

By “children”, I mean anyone under the age of 18.

Mai - Coal, 煤 (Mandarin). Cause she’s a Fire Nation gal with a dark vibe. She’s also the second character in the show with a coal-themed name. Jet x Mai, anyone? Her name also means “niece” in Japanese (姪); which might explain why they made her the Warden’s niece, despite the two looking nothing alike. Cause who doesn’t love a good pun? Also, it annoys me to no end that they chose to write her name as “Mai”, when “Mei” or “May” would have made so much more sense.

Ty Lee - Many different possible meanings, depending on the characters used. My favorite combination is 炱李 (Mandarin), “Soot Plum”. Doesn’t that sound like a fruit that would exist in the Avatarverse? They have already ash bananas, after all. Plus, I think “Soot Plum” would be a really cute name for a Fire Nation baby.

Chan - To flatter, 谄 (Mandarin). “Okay, look, if you want a boy to like you, just look at him and smile a lot and laugh at everything he says even if it’s not funny.” - Ty Lee. Also, am I the only one who thinks they chose the name Chan because it sounds like “Chad”?

Ruon-Jian - Coastal Splash, 壖溅 (Mandarin). More likely, he was named after the Ron Jon Surf Shop franchise, and his name then got reverse engineered to look like pinyin (Chinese-spelling), which happens to correspond to some relevant characters.

Kuzon - A completely made up name. (No cultural origin)

Hide - Fire Rising, 火出 (Japanese). He’s very short-tempered.

On Ji - Secret, 暗记 (Mandarin). She promised to keep Momo a secret when Aang was hiding him in school.

Shoji - Hot Earth, 暑地 (Japanese). It’s worth noting that Shoji is the only Fire Nation character depicted with green eyes. This would imply that he likely has some Earth Kingdom blood, which would explain the name. He was also likely born in the summer, since the character 暑 is used to describe hot weather.

#fire nation names#mai#ty lee#kuzon#no id
gaylord-zuko
atlaculture
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thispatternismine

Okay, this is starting to get silly

First Zeisan, now this. Did Bryke send out some sort of mandate to all artists that all Fire Nation characters must dress like the Firelord?

Like idk who this is but it sure ain’t Hei Ran. You’re telling me this practical lady who is always down to fight is gonna be sweeping around in long flowing robes & flappy sleeves & a fucking tassel on her hairpin? That a character who has a rigid sense of honour & status is wearing 3 shoulder spikes (something only seen a very, very small number of people in the royal family & nobody else is shown wearing) & looking way fancier than the highest status person in her whole nation, especially during a tense political situation where there’s a dispute over the throne, complete with confirmation that the wannabe usurper flounces around in very Firelord-ish robes to flaunt his claim. Yeah, I’m gonna call serious bullshit.

WTF happened? ATLA had characters wearing interesting costumes with strong cultural influences that made sense for them, & the only problem was that they had to be simplified for animation, so a lot of intricate detailing was lost. And now they have more freedom to go wild on details we’re getting ‘just do Firelord robes for Fire Nation characters don’t bother thinking about what makes sense’. Especially when it comes to art of characters from the Chronicles of the Avatar books, which have such excellent worldbuilding.

[Source: AvatarWiki Twitter]

Source also has images of Jianzhu & Tagaka, whose designs are… okay, I guess?

Tagging @atlaculture​ idk if you have any thoughts on this design

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atlaculture

Yeah, I’m not a fan of Hei-Ran’s design either. To be honest, it’s a bit generic-looking— it kind of reminds me of a half-baked nation swap drawing I doodled years ago. It’s very much the stereotype of what people associate with fancy Fire Nation people: Lots of gold detailing, layers of shoulder spikes, big ol’ sleeves, and fancy hairpins. While the elite of the Fire Nation will have some of those details in their design, the only person who has all of those details is the Fire Lord. So Hei-Ran is way overdressed for her actual status.

I don’t necessarily have an issue with putting her in a fancy outfit, since she used to be headmistress of a school and maybe the TTRPG wants to emphasize that, but her current design isn’t really expressing that to me.

I’d probably give her a design similar to the school principal from “The Headband”:

image

He feels fancy and important without going overboard. Alternatively, since the clan name Sei’naka appears to be Japanese-inspired, you could give her a design inspired by Japanese female samurais (onna-bugeisha). Her academy’s fighting style is supposed to be the basis for the Kyoshi Warrior’s hand-to-hand combat skills after all.

#ooh! lady samurais!!#hc accepted that is what hei ran looks like#no id