#mai defense squad

[jade-kyo]

Mai truly is for us emotionally repressed girlies like

Her whole character arc is like she’s emotionally repressed and was never allowed to express herself so she puts up all these walls and acts like she doesn’t care about anything and is so closed off.

And then her whole arc culminates with her loudly and proudly declaring the love she feels so deeply for Zuko. she expresses just how deep these emotions go, she is willing to die for him. Because she cares so much. Her emotions, her care, her love are so strong that they overpower her fear. Not just her fear of Azula but her fear of expressing herself, of stepping out of line, of standing for what she believes in. Which at this moment is Zuko- she doesn’t even fully understand what he’s doing, but she knows she trusts him more than anyone else. More than the fire nation propaganda and brainwashing, more than Azula, more than her parents. She knows Zuko has a good heart, she loves him for it, and she trusts it.

And that trust and love empowers her to finally express just how deeply she feels.

I don’t know if I’m articulating this very well but as someone who has always struggled to express myself Mai is just so fucking good and powerful to me.

#jadey speaks #atla #avatar the last airbender #mai atla #maiko #pro maiko #zumai #zuko x mai #mai x zuko #Mai #pro mai #mai defense squad #atla mai

[homuraakemis]

I keep seeing anti-Maiko people complain that Mai never had a redemption arc to learn about why the Fire Nation was bad, and that's why she shouldn't be with Zuko. And I think that fundamentally misunderstands what a secondary character is. Mai is not a main character. She is a secondary character. She is there to provide support to the narrative, she is there to fulfill her plot purposes and that's it. That doesn't mean she has no character development, but her character development is mostly related to her function in the narrative. In Mai's case, her main functions in the narrative are being Zuko's love interest, and being a key piece in Azula's downfall. Her character development is related to that: we have a girl who is closed off and suppresses her emotions who gradually starts to open up a little through her relationship with Zuko. We also have her feeling like she's always trapped by fear and by others expectations (by her parents and by Azula), and because of her relationship with Zuko, she is able to finally stand up to Azula. That's her character arc. That's what's relevant to her function in the story. Learning about how the Fire Nation is bad is not relevant to her main plot purposes in the story. There's no reason why it can't happen offscreen after the war, with Zuko teaching her about all the things he saw and learned about the Fire Nation during his travels. She is not a main character, the show doesn't need to focus on every single thing about her character. In case people forget, we don't get a "redemption arc" for Ty Lee either, because this is not important, neither Mai or Ty Lee are meant to be the focus of the narrative, we don't need to see them "learning that the Fire Nation is bad".

Another thing that people don't understand is that not every character has to be a copy of Zuko. People act like the only acceptable way for Mai to learn about the wrongs of the Fire Nation is by having a redemption arc like Zuko, but that's not really the case. It's not even feasible: Mai didn't go through the same experiences as Zuko, she wasn't forced to live as a commoner amongst the Earth Kingdom peasants, she wasn't forced to flee as a refugee, so she never really had the opportunity to speak to these people and see their plight the same way Zuko had. Of course Zuko is the one who gets the redemption arc, because he is the main character for which this arc actually matters to the story, but also because the circumstances of his story allow him to have this arc, while the circumstances of Mai's story don't. But that in no way means she is irredeemable or that she can't learn, it just means she will learn about the Fire Nation in a different way than Zuko did, probably through Zuko himself telling her about his experiences and the things he saw. And there's nothing wrong with that! Mai is not a main character, she doesn't need to have some epic redemption journey. She was a Fire Nation noble, just like Zuko, she was taught the same kind of propaganda that Zuko was, so of course she's going to believe in it and believe that Zuko is betraying his country when he tells her he joined the Avatar. But Mai is also not some cruel person, and she's also not a Fire Nation fanatic. If after the show Zuko told her about all the things he saw, she would listen. And in fact, the evidence we have is that she did listen to Zuko and she did learn about the Fire Nation: in the comics she works with Zuko against the New Ozai Society even after they break up. And if you don't want to use the comics as evidence, we have the epilogue of the show as evidence, in which Mai is shown to be on good terms with Team Avatar and playing Pai Sho with Suki. We don't need to see the details of how Mai learned about the Fire Nation being bad (she is not a main character, it's not relevant to the main story), we know that she did learn, we can fill in the blanks with our imagination.

Secondary characters not receiving a huge narrative focus and character development about every single aspect of their characters is not "bad writing". Bad writing would be if the show focused on every detail of every secondary character, because that would be losing narrative focus. Just because certain people don't like Mai with Zuko and use this as an excuse to say why the ship is bad, it doesn't mean that Mai not having a redemption arc is "bad writing".

Finally, this isn't a reason for her not to be with Zuko. Some people argue that Zuko would never want to be with Mai after his redemption because of her still believing that the Fire Nation was in the right, but people forget that if there's one person who knows what is like to have been brainwashed since childhood with propaganda about the Fire Nation, that person is Zuko. And Zuko was way more enthusiastic about the Fire Nation being right and the Fire Nation winning the war than Mai ever was. Why would he hold it against her that she believed in Fire Nation propaganda, when he himself knows what is like to believe in said propaganda? The most likely thing to happen is that he would want to teach her about everything he learned about the Fire Nation, he wouldn't break up with her just because she didn't magically unlearn an entire life of indoctrination.

#atla #atla meta #atla mai #atla maiko #mai defense squad #zuko #my meta #my post.

[i-am-suffer]

People really be swearing up and down that Mai is ugly and then simping for Zuko like they don’t have basically the same facial structure :/

they are both POINTY and GORGEOUS okay

#atla #avatar the last airbender #atla mai #pro mai #mai atla #mai supremacy #mai defense squad #atla maiko #maiko atla #maiko appreciation hours 24/7 😤 #maiko defense squad #pro maiko #avatar maiko #maiko

[punkeropercyjackson]

If Zutara shippers want a dark romance,then maybe they should watch something that's not a nickelodeon cartoon instead of acting like children's media not having themes that cater to adults is bad writing

#as an autistic adult with a special interest in kidcore and a discomfort with a lot of dark themes due to trauma:please shut the fuck up #anti zutara #zuko #katara #aang #mai atla #pro zuko #pro katara #katara deserves better #pro aang #aanglove #aang defense squad #pro mai #mai defense squad #kataang #pro kataang #t4t kataang #kataang defense squad #maiko atla #pro maiko #t4t maiko #maiko defense squad #atla geekery #the gaang #team azula #punk katara #summerposting

[jasontoddssuper]

Suki is not the most beloved Atla girl because she's the most feminist one or the most well-written one

Katara is an indigenous girl who is adored and respected by her male love interest who is also a poc like her and shows the trauma that irl brown girls go through while also having a fleshed out personality outside of it(but undoubtedly influenced by it,which is excellent work),Yue is also a native girl who is presented as a beautiful,kind and elegant princess,Toph is disabled and does have a few 'not like other girls' tendencies but is actually gnc unlike a lot of examples of this trope,Mai is a victim of parental abuse that was too subtle for her to notice she was being abused and is never demonized for her trauma responses,Azula is both an amazing villain who is shown to be as just as capable as her male counterparts and a tragic victim of abuse who could've healed and become good in the right hands and Ty Lee is a skilled fighter who dosen't get put down for being a 'girly girl' unless the person doing it is meant to be seen as in the wrong for it

All of that is infinitely better representation for girls and women than Sokka's first love being killed off so he could have a lightskinned gf that barely has a personality outside of being headstrong and 'a girl too' and who's in love with a guy who she had to teach how to not be a misogynist

Suki gets the least hate out of all the girls because she's the easiest to digest for general audiences.She's not a #girlboss for being cookie cutter

#gods i hate her.worst non-antagonist character i'll say it AGAIN #antisuki #atla critical #katara #kataang #yue atla #toph beifong #mai atla #azula #ty lee #antisukka #pro katara #pro yuekka #pro mai #mai defense squad #pro azula #ty lee deserves better #atla geekery #letters from summer

[tachiha3]

"I'm not saying this as a zk shipper, I genuinely think Aang and Mai are bad and they're the only bad characters in the whole show."

#anti zutara fandom #pro aang #pro mai #aang defense squad #mai defense squad #anti zutara #antizutara #There are other characters which are very similar to th- ITS NOT THE SAME OKAY?!1!1!?? #atla #avatar the last airbender #my post

[longing-for-rain]

do you really think zutara shippers are free from misogyny

Not at all; in fact, given how ingrained misogyny is into society I think it is pretty much impossible for any group to be from from it, especially in online fandom forums.

Obviously I love Zutara, but I will admit I’ve seen some horrifically misogynistic things said about Mai, occasionally Azula, and even Katara herself. There is bad behavior everywhere and I’m not going to pretend one “side” is saints. I only hold myself responsible for my own beliefs and interpretations of media. I’m not one to defend other people’s bad behavior just because they like my ship. Plus I really like Mai and Azula as characters.

#like if you think what they say about mai is bad on tumblr you should see the private discords 💀 #its disgusting tbh #mai defense squad #atla #mai #fandom salt #ask #anon

[avatarfandompolice]

So Mai listening to Azula = bad cause it's wanting him to be dead while he's banished, but also Mai disobeying Azula's order = bad cause she's not caring about her nation and only caring about a boy who's her boyfriend. Make it make sense.

anything Mai does is bad for people whose lives revolve around shiping Zuko with Katara

#anti zutara #atla mai #mai defense squad

[hello-nichya-here]

No matter how normalized abuse is in the FN, imo Mai low key despises Ozai for what he did to Zuko. Later as she grows and matures, she'll grow to hate him even more for what he did to Azula. Probably, she already knows and does. Way too many "Mai hates Azula with all her being" fics. Where are "Mai is furious with both Zuko and Azula but is furious with Ozai even more" fics?

Sure, it's not like she has a good understanding of what normal parenting is. Like you said, she's a neglected brainwashed kid, whose parents didn't love her unconditionally. But you can see when she talks about her childhood that she knows she wasn't raised the way a normal child would. She might even be angry with her parents for that and very jealous of Tom Tom.

If she didn't know Zuko, she wouldn't care if he got banished. But Zuko was her childhood friend and her crush. To be fair, we never saw Mai nor Ty Lee talk about Ozai. We don't know if they respect him as a person or as a ruler. But despite her messed up childhood and personal growth that she's yet to go through, I believe that she knows what he did was hella wrong, even if Zuko and Azula deny it themselves at first and blame it on themselves as a result of gaslighting and abuse.

But yeah, she's yet to realize just how fucked up it was. Zuko was not a perfect, understanding partner. Niether was Mai. She doesn't really understand Zuko, why what's happened to him affects him the way it does. It can be noticed in book3.

"I justed asked if you were cold. I didn't ask for your whole life story."

I'm gonna defend Mai here. She might not be perfect, but she does understand why Zuko is the way and he is, and even understands it despite not liking it. The quote you brought up happened right after Zuko did what Zuko does and just vent about his struggles out of nowhere.

Could Mai have dealt with it better since, again, Zuko is a traumatized teenager who grew up in an abusive home? Sure. But that doesn't change that Zuko needs to learn some basic boundaries, like asking "I need someone to listen to me for a little while, is that okay?" before venting at people.

#asks #mai defense squad

[kibbeul]

wlw mlm hostility

#project sekai #prsk #prsk art #shiraishi an #akito shinonome #vivid bad squad #theyre so funny. homosexual audacity unit #this may be ooc btw #in my defense ive only been playing for like a week #my art

[probablygayattorneys]

My therapist: So. You didn’t get that job you applied for. How are you feeling?

Me:

#apollo justice #apollo justice: ace attorney #technically I know this isn’t from that game #but I’m not sure what it is from #it’s a picture I took last may #and isn’t it all from the *~apollo justice trilogy~* #queue takumi defense squad

[forevermore05]

Zuko and his protectiveness over Katara backfired on the show

I think we're all quite aware of the fact that Zuko is canonically very protective over Katara

Exhibit A

When he saves Katara from falling rubble in the Western air temple.

Exhibit B

When he protects Katara from flames in that same episode when she is about to blood bend that fire nation soldier.

Exhibit C

The famous Agni Kai where he take lightning for Katara

Now why are these so significant? I think these are big gestures are to show Zuko's efforts to make amends after what he did to Katara. It could be argued these are very extreme ways of making it up to her because these came at the cost of his life. But this also goes to show his character development, as he is willing to protect Katara from danger. For me, one of the reasons why I ship them is because of his protectiveness. It's refreshing to see a character that has always been there to help and to be a support system to others be protected by someone else. I think it can be very fulfilling as a viewer. This effort that was made to write their relationship was so genuine, and it felt so heartfelt as the viewer, that it just made their dynamic one of the strongest in the show. Whether that be romantically or just platonically, their dynamic is probably one of the best in my opinion.

Now, with all that his protectiveness towards Katara immediately evaporate after the last Agni Kai which was pretty shocking, as they didn't get time to be able to talk about what happened. I feel like it removes a piece of genuineness from the show that the characters care for each other. And of course I know a reason why this could have happened is because, well, Kataang and Maiko exist. I think what made their dynamics so strong is because of their protectiveness for one another. Especially, Zuko's protectiveness over Katara. When it was removed in the comics, it felt like a bond had been destroyed because a big part of their dynamic was protecting each other and being there for each other, and having that level of communication. They were protecting each other through their communication and through their support for one another.

How I feel like it backfired on the show is that it created a bit of an emptiness in both of the characters. Especially when they interacted, it felt more distant in the comics, and it felt as if they were strangers. Zuko's writing, which leads to him being protective over her, is so poignant in their relationship that once it is removed it creates a hole in a way it makes his character feel more hollow in his relationship with Katara. It feels like an effort to create a divide and an erasure of their past and how significant his taking lightning for her was. A show that is built of meaningful character relationships took a piece of its own heart out and of its own show and stabbed it in front of all of us when it came to the erasure of Zutara. So they could push the canon ships. They were willing to remove that important element of character relationships for 2 poorly written couples.

I think it creates a level of ingenuity in this show. That is not shocking as many of Katara's other love interests met the same fate of ingenuity, whether that be Jet or Haru. Where she's never able to show her feelings about these people. Which I find quite strange seeing how the show aims to create depth and talk about feelings that actually provoke feelings in you. They don't actually go in-depth with what the leading lady's thoughts are about other people. For all the sake of keeping the focus on Kataang it costs the good writing for Katara to be able to feel complex emotions about the other male interests in her life. And it leads to a rough ending for a strong dynamic like Zuko and Katara that shows their desperation for Kataang at the cost of good writing especially for Katara.

#avatar the last airbender #zutara #zuko x katara #katara #zuko #zuko deserved better #katara defense squad #anti kataang #anti aang #anti maiko #anti mai #anti bryke #bryke critical

[vlackevil]

Michael Dante Dimartino and Bryan Konietzko confirms their favorite relationship on season 3:

Janet: What is your favorite dynamics or relationship to see develop in season 3

Mike: It will controversy, but it’s Aang and Katara relationship, you know, go to blossom to its full potential.

Janet: Great answer, but guess what: Canon controversy

(EVEN DANTE BASCO ADMITTED LOVES MAIKO)

Dante: Everyone likes zutara but i means watching Zuko and Mai I’m vibing.

(HELL YEAH FOR MAIKO)

#kataang #aang and katara #katara and aang #aang x katara #atla #avatar the last airbender #otp #avatar #pro kataang #kataang defense squad #zuko and mai #anti zutara #michael dante dimartino #bryan konietzko #pro maiko #atla maiko #maiko #dante basco #janet varney #braving the elements

[i-am-suffer]

#atla #avatar the last airbender #atla mai #atla zuko #atla maiko #avatar maiko #pro maiko #maiko defense squad #atla ships #ship dynamics #relationship dynamics

[punkeropercyjackson]

I do NOT think it's fair for Zutara shippers to hate Zukka for a chunk of the fandom popularizing bad tropes and being mean-spirited like sorry not sorry but you're calling EVERY Zukka shipper misogynistic racists and queerphobes as if you're not the ones who came up with 'Fire Lady Katara' and 'Momtara x Dadko' and mocked Aang for trying to emphasize with Katara's mom dying with her by comparing it to him and Appa being the only living beings from what happened to the Air Nomads and call him all sorts of vile appalling shit that should NEVER be said about a fucking 12 year old because he's feminine and silly and not the perfect love interest 24/7 and takes pride in his tibetan heritage AND stripped Katara of all her accomplishments and nonconformity and layers and anarchism because you see her as worthless if she's not Zuko's arm candy while also making degrading comments about her sex life because she had kids with a guy you don't like with added anti-biracial kids propaganda as a bonus AND are so unsympathetic to Mai because she's Zuko but a girl so you're not into her that you unironically think she's a wench plus don't even actually care about Mailee seeing as it has way more evidence than Zutara on every level yet you only see them as a sidedish to prove you don't hate women AND even Zuko dosen't get speared because mans deadass ended the series with everything he'd ever wanted INCLUDING being a better dad than Ozai was to him to AANG but none of it matters apperantly because he choose what was best for himself after 16 years straight of abuse instead of some random ass crush you THINK he had for not even technically a year.You do NOT get to talk shit about Zukka stans,they're just a normal noncanon mlm ship fanbase with a small side of bad eggs,Zutaras are an entire rotten eggs ile from a supermarket that's been abandoned for almost 20 years because it never actually opened but old people who complain about 'kids these days' keep thinking it'll open one day despite it being announced a million times it never would and saying it's elder abuse in response

#i hate you zutara shippers💔💔💔 #anti zutara #zukka #t4t zukka #pro zukka #zuko #sokka #katara #aang #mai atla #ty lee #kataang #pro kataang #t4t kataang #kataang defense squad #mailee #pro mailee #t4t mailee #pro maiko #aang and zuko #punk katara #tenzin #kya lok #bumi lok #dadko #atla geekery #trans #autistic girl summer #💌 #summerposting

[jasontoddssuper]

Very infuriating that Aang and Mai are seen as the bad atla love interest's when S///uki's 'pick me gf' ass is right there

#aang is one of the most based characters i've ever met and mai is a great example of how to write a female abuse survivor #meanwhile s///uki unironically says stuff like 'eyeliner sharp enough to kill a man' and there's colorism going on bc of her yue and sokka #yue should've been in the gaang instead of her she had so much potential but nah instead they just killed her💀LAAAAAAME #aang #mai atla #aang defense squad #mai defense squad #pro aang #pro mai #kataang #pro kataang #kataang defense squad #maiko atla #pro maiko #maiko defense squad #antisuki #antisukka #atla geekery #letters from summer