In your fic future, what does Izumi look like? I ask because Izumi in LoK looks a lot like Mai and her mother Michi (at least to me), so whenever I see a fic where Izumi's mother is different, I wonder how Izumi resembles her parents. Looking at Zuko's new movie design now, I think she resembles her father more, but I'd like to know how she resembles Kiyoi.
So, I actually am of the belief that Izumi looks mostly like Zuko in canon and that she doesn't look too much like Mai. All the attributes you could point to on Izumi and say she inherited from her; like the sharp features, golden eyes, pointed chin and high eyebrows, are also features that Adult Zuko has (and had, if you go off the LOK adult Zuko picture) You are right that she looks like Michi, I can't deny they have very similar face shapes and feature placement. But I am not convinced Mai is Izumi's mother; the way the comics are going, I hold out hope that Maiko is not canon and Mai Lee will become canon.
And I have a bit of evidence to support the Mai is not the mother theory and back up my preference. I haven't seen anyone talk about it, so I will point out something many people seem to overlook in Izumi's design… her hair.
Izumi's hair is wavy. As far as ATLA characters go in their designs, the way she is drawn shows her hair has volume and is textured, like Katara's waves in book three. Izumi has "curls" and I don't think they are styled curls like Asami's could be; they don't seem as manicured. When looking at the still from the show and the original uncoloured design, they seem natural. The way the back of her hair sits and the thickness of it, to me, indicates a bit of frizz or waves.
No character on Zuko's side of the family or "Mai's" side of the family has textured, wavy hair. Michi's has some volume and a style that shapes it, but in other pictures and from a side profile, you can see it is straight. So Izumi has to get her hair from someone. I hold out hope that she could have either a run of the mill ex-colonial, Earth Kingdom, or Water Tribe mother.
Now, as for what I would change about Izumi's appearance in my EOC fic? Not much. She has the hair, and I wrote Kiyoi's mother Miyuna, in the shorts, to need glasses ( just to throw that gene in there) I suppose perhaps she would have a slightly darker tint to her skin. And Izumi's eyes would be dark golden brown to add Kiyoi's dark grey into the mix.
