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Let's see if they don't cancel it here because of copyright.

Anyway. I've had a busy day.

Samten is a character from the Avatar Legends TTRPG. Like the other characters introduced in Avatar Legends, she has a great look that’s filled with all sorts of fun cultural details. My favorite aspect of her design is her weapon.

The pole arm weapon she uses is called a tūhuǒqiãng (突火槍) or “fire spear” in English. As its name implies, it’s a spear whose pointed tip has been replaced with a metal barrel. The barrel gets filled with gunpowder and lead pellets/debris, the contents of the barrel get lit on fire, and an explosion shoots out— giving the fire spear the power of a flamethrower crossed with a shotgun, but with a very short range (about 3 meters or 10 feet). While Samten’s weapon appears to be all-metal, most fire spears traditionally possessed wooden staff-sections.

As you might assume, this weapon is an ancestor to the modern handgun. The earliest account of its invention/use comes from China in the late 12th century. It later spread to Korea, Europe and the Middle East through the Mongols. *cue John Green meme here*

I have to say, for all the issues I have with the writing of Avatar Legends, the official art continues to impress. I’ve been wanting handheld firearms in the Avatarverse for over a decade now and we finally got one! While I completely understand not including western-style handguns in the franchise due to their accessibility in the US, I’ve always felt it was a waste not to include traditional Chinese firearms in the series. After all, with the ATLA-world lacking a Europe-equivalent, it would be safe to assume that their “guns” would evolve to look very different from what we wield in the real world.

Additional Commentary & Fun Facts

I like the little swirly-flame molding on the barrel. It’s really cute!

I like that they made Samten a non-bender of Fire Nation descent. It makes so much sense that she’d be into firearms.

If I had to guess why Samten wears an eyepatch, it’s likely because she lost an eye while experimenting with different gunpowder formulas and pellets for her fire spear.

The fire spear and its many iterations were famously documented in the Huǒ Lóng Jīng (火龍經) or “Fire Dragon Manual”, a 14th-century guide to all gunpowder weapons in China from the 1280s to the 1350s. The bottom black-and-white illustration in the example picture is taken from this manual.

According to the Fire Dragon Manual, chemical warfare was employed in the form of “poison gunpowder bombs”. Some notable ingredients for these special bombs include gun powder, onion juice, ammonia, urine, and feces. Doesn’t this sound like something Sokka would invent to improve upon his father’s “Stink ‘n’ Sink” tactic?

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

they tried making a heart but made a,,, yeah

You have almost the same Vibes.

Let's see if they don't cancel it here because of copyright.

Anyway. I've had a busy day.