Ok but Zuko using the knowledge he acquired during his banishment to help him as the Fire Lord. Like making small talk with Earth Kingdom dignitaries about their local foods that he enjoyed and even misses. Like having in-depth conversations with his captains about sea currents and navigation. Like, in the middle of a meeting with several high-ranking naval officials, pointing out flails in security, like how a person can cling to a Fire Nation ship for hours at a time, or climb aboard using hatches on the upper decks, or disguise themselves as a lower ranking guard with easily accessible spare armour….
Though none of his experiences can prepare Zuko for the long, awkward silence that comes after he admits to doing or at least knowing something illegal and/or completely buck wild
one of my favorite fucking feelings in the world is when you’re having a discussion with somebody about literature and themes and storytelling and etc or even just like, your feelings, and as you’re rambling on about the interpretation of something-or-the-other you have this lightbulb moment where two ideas connect in your head all of a sudden and you couldn’t have done it without the context of another person there and you both get so excited about this new theory you’re developing
like. collaboration. trust. complexity. awakenings. this shit isn’t just analysis, it’s art.
one thing about derry girls that will never get old is that the 4-girls-and-a-boy group dynamic is so much more true to life and universal than the inverse, though the inverse is somehow 900 times as popular in fiction
[4-panel comic. A mouse and an elephant are talking.
Panel 1: The mouse says “Sometimes I think it might be nice to make new friends.”
Panel 2: The mouse says “But I just don’t have the energy to be fun and interesting. I’m so tired.”
Panel 3: The elephant says “First, you are fun and interesting.”
Panel 4: The elephant says “Second, people will understand that you’re tired. It will be fun.”]