Chapter Text
Here is my concept art for Kiyoi's various looks throughout the series and some to that are just for fun or coming up later.
Probably easier viewed on Tumblr here: The Element Of Change Tumblr Blog
I won't post anything other than The Element of Change Content on there so feel to follow to see the art first and some more meme like post (like my end notes for each chapter).
Book One and Two looks for Kiyoi:
Yeoman Uniform for the Fire Navy
This is the uniform Kiyoi wears while she's a part of Zuko's crew. It is almost like a standard uniform, but Kiyoi's uniform does not have the spiky shoulder and neck guard that the more combatant crew have. She has her document caddy strung over her shoulder and her writing utensil belt, which has pens, ink, stamps and wax for sealing documents as well as a roll of receipt paper. Here like for most of Book One and Two Kiyoi's hair is styled in the pragmatic crown braid style.
Earth Kingdom Refugee
These are the clothes Kiyoi wears while she's in the Earth Kingdom as a fugitive with Iroh and Zuko. She wears a plain green tunic over khaki trousers, which are stained in mud at the bottom because of wading in rivers to fish and gather clay. The edge of her sleeves are stained too from making pottery. A wide straw hat obscures her face just to keep her safe from the sun, as there is no need to hide her face as no one seems bothered to add her face to a wanted poster. The sword she carries at her hip is Earth Kingdom style, a straight two edged blade, that Zuko stole from the Earth Kingdom soldiers that attacked her. The large woven basket with a strap to go over her shoulder is what she uses to carry her wares into town to sell.
Mika the Server at Pao's Family Tea House
Here are Kiyoi's everyday clothes while in Ba Sing Se as Mika. (may be Mao Mao inspired if you squint). She is wearing her teashop apron here, but her hair is still in a crown braid style.
Book 3, Part 1 Looks for Kiyoi:
Mika's Best Dress
This is the outfit Kiyoi wears during the Tale of Ba Sing Se: The Tale of Kiyoi, when she goes to the opera with Iroh, it is an emerald green Ao Dai. A simple, slightly ornate dress for a special occasion. It is also what she is wearing in The Crossroads of Destiny, as she wore it to serve tea to the "Earth King" and the tunic/dress top is what she wears in the first few chapters of The Element of Change, although then her hair is braided. But I went with her night at the opera look here as she wears her hair down around Iroh (aww.) Also, her hair is a bit less voluminous and wavy here to show 1. she is still sick and recovering from starvation and from being stabbed. 2. She has not had Katara to show her how to look after her hair and do a "curly hair girl" routine.
Early Book 3: The Headband
Finally, we see Kiyoi's precious pendant. A single golden dragon koi is visible on the red ceramic. This is her outfit stolen from the Fire Nation steam laundry. She wears a loose, dark red tunic with wide sleeves, and her signature "waist-tie trousers." The trousers are a simple charcoal grey (although they look brown with the background) and inspired by hakama style pants. The wide legs (seen in the next set), are cinched in with the Fire Nation navy greaves (seen in the first set). Also... look at her water skin the gaang got her! The fire lily brocade on the canvas strap and a small tassel with beads to attach the cork to the skin, it's so pretty.
The Day of Black Sun
This is our first look at Kiyoi sporting the Water Tribe Blue! Yay! it is mentioned as a throwaway line in the Element of Change and later in the Day of Black Sun: Kiyoi Alone that she was given a Water Tribe shirt to wear, this was to avoid friendly fire. (as the author, I head-cannon that the shirt was given to her by Hakoda, as Kiyoi is taller than Sokka at this age) she also has Water Tribe greaves and wrist wraps. This is also the first depiction of her with a Fire Nation sword. This is the sword she has with her in the Fire Nation that is confiscated by Mai and Ty Lee, along with Kiyoi's beautiful water skin, which is still MIA by the way :( . This curved-blade sword would have come from the commandeered ship's armoury.
Book 3, Part 2, and the Fire Court:
Later Half of Book 3, Travel Clothes
This outfit is the same clothes from the previous set but with some notable changes. In the previous set, you might have noticed that the waist tie trousers leave a slit open down her hips (although her skin is covered by her tunic tucked in over it) No? You didn't notice? Well Kiyoi certainly noticed, and later in the season, when Zuko shows up, she covers this area with another layer of clothing (gee's it's summer Kiyoi). She got some more casual shoes here as they spend most of the later part of book three at the Southern Air Temple or Ember Island. Sadly, her sword and water skin were lost on the Day of Black Sun along with a lock of her hair. But she gained a new hairstyle. We see her braids Katara did with the ivory beads Sokka and Katara gifted her that have a little blue crescent moon on each of them. These clothes then become her "travel clothes" that Zuko mentions her wearing when she tries to run away in chapter 21.
Grand Advisor Lady Kiyoi
Here is Kiyoi's Grand Advisor robes (entering her Padmé Amidala era). The Grand Advisor outfit consists of a shoulder caplet that sits over the large over-robe and a dragon-patterned stole draped over her shoulders. The dragon patterned stole is (in this fic) is a design reserved exclusively for the Fire Lord's Grand Advisor. Underneath these extra items; she wears the traditional red court official robes with gold accents and a detailed beaded rope belt with tassels. But while it's official, it's not entirely traditional. Kiyoi forgoes the full-length robe, opting instead for a short robe with long, pleated trousers that create the illusion of a floor-length robe which gives her more freedom of movement. Also not traditional is the fact that she isn't wearing a stupid Jafar style hat (which is a cannon part of the attire for the grand advisor) She doesn't wear it because she thinks it looks stupid... and also she can't give Zuko advice wearing it because he keeps laughing and can't take her seriously. You can still see the two beaded Water Tribe braids, and that she’s still wearing her classic pendant. Her long, wavy hair is loose, a visual sign that she's at a point where she's comfortable in her own skin, not trying to hide who she is (oh no it all went wrong). This is a look of confidence and self-acceptance, a moment in time before things regress and her mental health declines.
Kiyoi's Gala Dress for Zuko's Birthday
This is it; this is THE DRESS. The outfit is made up of several layers, starting with a white muslin dress visible beneath the kimono (I know it is more Hanfu-style, I'm sorry) The kimono is burgundy with a dark blue paisley pattern. Cinching it together is a wide pink sash - an obi with a few extra layers and a beaded rope belt added for contrast. She is wearing makeup :) pearl dust covering her cheeks, carefully applied by her Aunt Riza, and her hair is styled in a braided side bun with the single now infamous hairpin holding the bulk of it in place. The pin is in two parts. It may be hard to see, but there is the carved ivory and enamel flying-dolphin-fish pin, and then the tail is a gold and enamel stopper that would stop the pin from slipping. It was a gift carved by Hannoka that Miyuna gave Riza. And speaking of fathers... where has Kiyoi's pendant gone? It seems she has replaced it with a garnet necklace. Hopefully it's only for aesthetic purposes, and it doesn't mean anything too deep that she is wearing one father's artwork made for her mother and not the others....
Extra and upcoming Chapter's Looks for Kiyoi:
The Ember Thief -Deleted concept
This was a funny concept I had for a deleted scene from the early days of Kiyoi's time with Zuko. The core idea was a one-sided rivalry between the Blue Spirit and a new character I called the Ember Thief. This character was originally a 'fox spirit' who wielded a sai.
In this version, when Aang is captured, unbeknownst to Zuko, he isn't the only one planning a prison break. The Blue Spirit arrives at Po Hai Prison, only to be met by the Ember Thief, who is also there to rescue the Avatar. The two grudgingly work together to free Aang. However, once the Avatar is out of the prison, they turn on each other, fighting to secure Aang for themselves.
During the fight, the Blue Spirit is hit by an arrow from a Yu Yan archer. Originally, I planned for Kiyoi (unaware of his identity) to leave him behind. It would have been Aang who implored her to help, and Kiyoi would reluctantly agree to try to gain his trust. It's only then, as she helps him, that she recognises Zuko under the mask.
Realising she had been prepared to leave him to die, and desperate to keep her own identity a secret, she would try to convince Aang to leave Zuko near his river boat, letting him recover on his own. Aang, however, doesn't want to abandon him. Kiyoi, still driven to capture the Avatar for Zuko while hiding her identity, claims she was sent from the Northern Water Tribe. She would even waterbend in front of Aang to prove it, urging him to come with her to her ship.
Aang tells her he can't leave because his friends are sick and need a frozen frog to help them. Kiyoi lies, promising that her ship has a healer who can help them. Aang agrees and follows her into the forest, on the road toward where Zuko's ship is docked. As they walk, Aang is his typical talkative self, relentlessly asking questions: 'Are you a master bender? What's your name? How many people are in your crew? How did you know where to find me?' Kiyoi tries to stay silent, but Aang is persistent.
Aang then comes upon a frozen pond along the way and starts digging for frogs. Kiyoi, frustrated and so close to her goal, attempts to knock Aang out from behind. But Aang feels the shift in the air and sweeps a gust of wind at her, throwing her against a tree and knocking her unconscious.
Aang, uncharacteristically fed up, says he's sick of selfish bounty hunters and liars. He scathingly asks why a Waterbender would want to turn him over to the Fire Nation. Kiyoi, barely conscious, hears his words. This scene was intended to be a mirror to Aang's 'do you think we could be friends?' speech. But this version is the opposite, forcing Kiyoi to reflect on her deceitfulness and question why a Waterbender would help the Fire Nation. Unusually, Aang leaves her there, but doesn't unmask her, instead going back to check on Zuko.
Kiyoi wakes up the next day and sneaks back onto the ship. Iroh, who had been worried sick and was about to send out a search party, scolds her. Kiyoi lies and says she was visiting a shrine and stayed too late and had to sleep in an inn. Zuko, who was also worried, hides it by gruffly saying he'll leave her behind next time. Kiyoi, remembering that she nearly left him behind the previous night, feels a pang of guilt. Zuko would never realise that the mysterious Ember Thief was her.
Ultimately, I decided against this scene. I felt that, given Kiyoi was trained by Zuko in sword skills, she would have recognised him as the Blue Spirit immediately. Also, introducing another character into the prison break scene would have complicated the narrative and detracted from Zuko and Aang's poignant interaction. It didn't add much to Kiyoi's character besides showing that she's a badass, which we already know. It also seemed unrealistic for Aang not to discover her identity and bending sooner, which would have created a continuity error with the earlier chapters of the story.
Instead, I chose a different path: Kiyoi meeting the Blue Spirit as her rescuer and immediately recognising him, and him believing that she dosen't. This was a more impactful way to include the Blue Spirit, as being someone else on the outside and wearing masks is the only viable way for Kiyoi to form a relationship while hiding her bending. The scene plants a small seed in Kiyoi's subconscious—seeing Zuko as a protective and romantic figure without guilt, with the illusion and freedom to pretend he is a stranger. This initial impression, along with the subsequent events on cactus juice, is a more powerful way to involve her with the Blue Spirit. Also, the fact that she knew his identity... and reveals that she knew it was him to Zuko while on cactus juice and then forgets it, is a very important fact for up coming chapters.
The Ember Thief Costume- Kiyoi in disguise
Not letting the idea go, I decided to keep the Ember Thief as a famous character from a Fire Nation play of the same title. The character represents someone who wants more and loses everything to get it—the very opposite of Kiyoi's own character. This play is the one Zuko watches with Mai, providing a layer of dramatic irony after Zuko's choice at The Crossroads of Destiny. Kiyoi will at some point in the near future don a disguise and take up the mantle in a more theatrical way than in a covert way. This colourful costume is so overt; it is covert, one might say.
Baby Kiyoi
Awww, it's Kiyoi before the horrors. Here she is probably about 8 years old. She hasn't water bended yet, her mother still does her hair every day and she might have just started fire bending lessons. She certainly has been told her father's fable "The Rug Weaving Prince" and has been learning how to do pottery with him and can't wait to see Hanokka next summer.
Kiyoi's Riding Outfit
This is a grander, more ceremonial outfit for Kiyoi than just her usual riding gear. The design is based on Yabusame (ceremonial Japanese horseback archery). Her mother practiced Hound-back archery, and this outfit is most likely very similar to something Miyuna would wear, but perhaps with different colours. Here, Kiyoi has a new sword, a katana style sword with a flame pattern scabbed but blue handle wrap (I wonder where that comes from?). As well as the blue riding robe, there is a more subtle nod to her heritage in her arm guard. A stylised dragon-koi version of Tui and La is her crest. She is not sporting the owlcat of the Szeto clan or the red dragon-koi of the Ben Kuzo clan. The moon phase decorates her sleeve above her leather gloves. The animal skins at her side (I have no idea what animal would have skin like that; let's go with tigerdeer) are like chaps to protect her legs. A traditional riding cap tops the look, framing her face, but don't look too hard at what it's made of. This is the look she would wear for an official display or event, showing off her skills and her elevated status... and of course, Pebo's skills as well.