masterghandalf

I know it's been a while since you posted this, but I'd like to give my thoughts on it.

once the Fire Nation conquers territory, they view it as just another part of the Fire Nation and its people as their people, to be treated as such

It sounds like Vathara wanted to give the Fire Nation elements of the Roman Empire. But even, she exaggerates how unusual Pax Romana was, since conquered peoples were not instantly granted the status of Roman citizens.

So, yeah, the political structure of the Fire Nation is presented as being an unnatural imposition and it’s all the Avatar’s fault, with the war being a direct consequence of this.

The funny thing about this is that the Avatar expanded universe would later establish that the Fire Nation used to be ruled by squabbling warlords before the Fire Lord system was established, much like what this fic says. Except that 1. this happened before Kyoshi was even born and 2. the first Fire Lord is treated as a hero for ending the warlords' constant fighting and making the Fire Nation more politically stable.

the overall vibe is more that the Dai Li are only corrupt because he’s in charge, rather than the whole organization being rotten

Which is weird because in the cartoon the Dai Li are very obviously more loyal to Feng than to the Earth King, since they hesitate when Kuei tells them to arrest Long Feng. In any case, I'd be perfectly fine with one or two sympathetic Dai Li members, to remind people that few if any groups are completely corrupt, but this goes too far in that direction.

she expects her readers to assume that all spirits must be “good guys” and she has to defend a different portrayal, despite the fact that in my experience most of the Avatar fandom considers spirits to be assholes and thinks the world would be better off without them

That sounds weird, because I assumed that the fandom's hatred of spirits didn't become widespread until season 2 of Korra.

Anyway, I hope that part 2 is just as fun to read as part 1!