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bluespiritshonour · 3 months

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Are you a pro-shipper?

I think I'll call myself ship-neutral.

Like, I don't have strong feelings about ships. I join fandoms because I like character beats in the original—ships are just icing on the cake and I can do without them.

I'm a basic bitch that likes all canon ships. Kataang and Maiko and Sukka in ATLA. Even though I believe it wouldn't have mattered if Maiko and Kataang didn't end up together; they were all so young anyways. Plus it didn't have THAT much narrative significance. They could've hinted at Kataang being a thing in the future and Maiko could have used a LOT of better writing as well. I love them together though, goth babies. But I can accept that they didn't have the best writing. I personally have a lot of problem with how their relationship was written although I do ship them.

But still, I like those ships. And Suki and Sokka are absolutely adorable, I don't have any complains regarding Sukka.

And on top of them you throw Zukka, Zutara, Mailee, Sukko (I guess that's what Zuko/Sokka/Suki is called) fanworks at me and I'll eat them up. But I also wouldn't mind if ATLA didn't have any ships at all and they were all platonic. Anything goes and I don't like all the drama that comes with shipwars.

And I'm an absolute sucker for platonic relationships.

For example I'd take an Azula redemption arc and reconciliation with Zuko over any kind of ship content anyday.

I'd take a “the Gaang realises Katara takes on a lot of adult responsibilities (which they do realise) and tries to mitigate that because she's also a kid like them and she doesn't have to” anyday over some romantic plot. Like, am I making sense?

It's the same with Batman. BatCat or Brutalia? Dickkory or DickBabs? Um, can't I like both? On top of them I have a huge list of favourite SuperBat and GhostBat fics.

But what I'd actually like to see is not the ships but Bruce having some character development and learning to be a good father. Which would never happen so I'm over Batman.

TLDR: I'm ship-neutral. I care more about characters and their relationships with each other, romantic or otherwise. But ships are nice for enjoyment and I don't hate them.

Edit: if this ask was in reaction to my writing “antis DNI” in my blog description then what I meant by that was DNI if you're, like anti-Aang, or anti-Mai or if you constantly compare Sokka and Katara and pit them against each other—or if you pit Zuko and Azula against each other (come on you ain't Ozai!). Like, I understand comparing their characters—that's media analysis. But like, it doesn't have to be a contest. So and so is better than so and so. That kinda thing. I love all the babies. Both of team Avatar and team Azula. They're all well-written, three-dimensional characters.

The only kind of anti I am is anti-Bruce Wayne. He's also a very well written, three dimensional character and he's also a cunt. I know I just contradicted the previous paragraph. So what? What of it?

#atla #batman #avatar the last airbender #shipping #ps: don't drag me into shipwars not my cup of tea #im here for an entirely different reason #it's pretty art and mild character analysis #and before someone comes at me with the fact that canon did deal with the fact that katara takes care of everyone #like sokka acknowledges it and is grateful for her #but id have really liked it if she too learned to let go and be a child #like if slowly she didn't have to do that all the time #she's still caring and compassionate #but the gaang can help her relax #argh I'm bad with words #anonymous letters

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justanotherthrowaway1950 · 2 years

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Did the TRRPG make azula‘s relationship with her mother being the way it is because if azula since the bio stats ursa tried to teach her being peaceful but failed meaning ursa did her best but it was not enough

Oddly enough, the TTRPG does a good job of fleshing out/contextualizing the comics by explaining that Azula does evil not because she was born innately evil, or because she seeks power for power's sake, but because she was indoctrinated from a young age with an conqueror's mindset. A mindset that Ursa could not break due to Azula being Ozai's golden child on top of the fact that Ursa was ultimately powerless in her marriage due to being a glorified rape victim meant to produce kids to further Azulon and Ozai's agendas.

(Yes, Ozai and Azulon's agendas were different since Azulon wanted the Urazi kids to help ensure Iroh's line's continued rule while Ozai, as far as we know, wanted his kids to take the throne and have their bloodline rule for ages.)

Because while the comics do show that Zuko and Azula were kind of condemned from birth due to Azulon and Ozai wanting weapons, not kids/grandkids; Azula being rewarded for anti-social behavior by Ozai while also seeing her brother and mother get abused in front of her for pro-social behavior; and how Azula tries to get Ursa's attention using the same behavior that made Ozai proud, only to get punished for it, with Ursa not being able to tell her why it was wrong for fear of getting hurt by Ozai, it was all to subtle/not spelled out.

(For the record, I think the comics implied, by the way he grabbed Ursa after finding out about the bastard letter, even making a fist as he first held her, that Ozai physically abused Ursa on top of the obvious emotional and sexual abuse. So Ursa had another reason to fear crossing Ozai.)

Hence why fans use the The Search flashbacks to say that Azula was born evil, when I think they were meant to show how the golden child of a narc is abused in such subtle, unobvious ways that it hard to tell, and harder to help them deal with, especially if the non-narc parent is powerless like Ursa was.

But yet again, this is the same fanbase that has a hard time recognizing and accepting abuse that isn't as blatant and/or in your face as Zuko's, but I digress.

#azula #ursa #ozai #zuko #azulon #ozai is a narc #azula is a golden child #zuko is a scapegoat #azula is a victim of grooming #azula is a victim of indoctrination #azula is a product of nurture #azula is a child solider #Ursa had little to no power in her marriage #Ursa had little to no power over her kids #abuse tw #ask #ask answered #qv99

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thoughtsbynyx · 3 years

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Part 2 of Why I Ship Zutara

(and why Kataang took the short way out)

*this time with pictures* (it’s longer than the previous but worth the read, bare with me)

part 1

GAang Dynamics

(see Katara and Zuko’s portions I couldn’t figure out a way to incorporate them fluidly)

RoyalTeaLovingKookiness explains the GAang’s dynamic as well

Katara is (the G)Aang’s Mother/Older Sister Cont. (and character develpment)

In the GAang. Katara “adopts” Aang almost as soon as she bends him out of the ice

She almost always looks after Aang, keeping him on task, helping him learn, being the rational voice they all need to hear sometimes

With Toph she’s less of a mother and more of an older sister that tries to steer their junior in the right direction (they bud heads and have a couple fights, but manage to have fun together and help with what the GAang needs)

She has to unlearn how to be a kid/teen because she learned to be a mom first

She bears a lot of the emotional work and trauma for the GAang, even before Zuko appears in Book 3

In Book 2 & 3 (mainly) she learns that she is allowed to be fun, immature, and selfish with what she needs/desires (which was something she’s been made fun of & had to apologize for)

She realizes and embraces the fact in Book 3 that she can be an individual person that follows what she wants without having to worry or care about what the others thing she should do (this also happens in the NWT, Ba Sing Se, and various places in the Earth Kingdom) (she becomes more assertive in what she needs/wants)

Zuko: the dad the gAang needed

He’s obviously educated (both in & out of banishment)

(Leadership skillz) He’s commanded a ship at 13

Has worked for a living wage at 16 (as seen by Jet, he can (barely) handle customer service)

When he was accepted into the group, he channels the only responsible adult he knows-- Iroh

making tea, reckless outings to help others, thinking ahead of oppnents and obsticles, letting them vent, providing shelter when they needed cover, dad jokes (”leaf me alone!”), and being a human shield

Look at FrostGaurdian’s post for more

Zuko’s Nature

In the Zuko Alone episode we can epsically see that he’s been in the shadow of his younger sister Azula

Throughout Book 1 he threw tantrums left and right

With his obession (read: hyperfixation) on honor, he was stuck in his “failure” against Ozai when he was 13

/\ \/ he relapses into this thinking when he joins Azula in Book 3

He took advantage of Iroh before they separeted, and even then he searched for his approval and validation

The Warped perception of Love and each other

It may not be obvious but Aang has an idea of Katara in is head that is not like her in the SLIGHEST (see Southern Raiders section)

He even points it out in the comics

Image description:

*13 and 12 year old Aang and Toph are discussing what it’s like having a crush*

Aang: “Believe me, Toph, I know what it’s like to have a crush on someone, it can blind--” *Toph is unamused*

Aang: “ Yeesh, Sorry. What i’m trying to say is, sometimes you can like somebody so much that it affects your perception of them.”

Toph: “Kind of like how your perception is affected by your fuddy-duddy traditions”

With Katara in the comics it points out the “right kind of love” but referencing Zuko’s sacrifice in protecting Katara

Image Description:

*Hakoda talking with Katara about love*

“So you know that the right kind of love-- the kind that’s real, that sacirfices--that kind of love doesn’t blind you. It actually helps you see“

In both instances it shows that Aang is putting Katara in a pedestal and doesn’t see her for who she is because of the crush he has on her.

The Fortuneteller

*Also even though Aunt Wu tells Katara she’s to marry a powerful bender it could’ve been anyone, not just Aang. Zuko, Azula, or Toph (maybe even be single forever and reject it all together because she’s a master bender) were also candidates. She didn’t get any more specific besides powerful bender*

a lot of the information that I gathered is from wednesdaywildheart’s post

This episode shows how Aang’s crush is just a crush, using Meng as an example

Meng points out how both their names rhyme “that rhymes with Meng!”

The Parallels

Like Aang is with Katara, she’s 2 years younger than he is

The “sparkles” show up when they both see their crush and plays the same music

They have tried to flirt the same way with their crush (and were both brushed off when their crush showed disintrest and indifference)

The Differences

Towards the end of the episode, Meng realizes and acknowledges that Aang doesn’t return her feelings and advances. She even tells Aang that she supports his feelings towards Katara

(This doesn’t happen until Book 2) When learning more about the Avatar State, and the Spirit World from Guru Pathik, Aang had to open all 7 chakras, however he couldn’t open the seventh (the Thought Chakra), refusing to let go of is attachment to Katara, blocking himself from the Avaatar State (which bit him in the butt (or back) when he faced Azula)

(of course this could be because he’s 12, and hasn’t learned the difference between between, lust and Iove, platonic and romantic attraction yet)

Ember Island Players

Catie-does-things goes in depth with analysis of this episode

You can’t tell me this wasn’t one the most Anti-Kataang, Pro-Zutara, Anti-Zutara, Anti-All three of them episode (besides Fortune Teller and Southern Raiders)

Even though the play is a mockery retailing Books 1 & 2, it does give a possible reason why Katara would choose Zuko instead of Aang, (“the Avatar? He’s like a little brother to me!”) and she even used a similar phrase in Book 1 (“he’s a cute little guy like Momo!”)

Aang was lowkey OOC here, when it was stated by Actor!Zuko to Actor!Katara “aren’t you the Avatar’s girl?” to which Aang nods, a grim/serious look on his face (because of this he literally confuses canon with fanon, and at the intermission confronts Katara on a statement she never said herself, instead taking to heart what an actress portraying her said)

Literally one of the very few episodes where these two talk about their feelings toward each other (and it ends terribly)

Because Aang is 12 (and frozen for 100 years), he may not (completely) understand romantic and platonic boundries, getting upset at Katara, and not reading her (uncomfortable) body langauge before kissing her

Direct conversation from the episode:

Aang:“But it's true, isn't it? We kissed at the Invasion, and I thought we were gonna be together. But we're not.” Katara: Aang, “I don't know.” Aang: “Why don’t you know?” Katara: “Because, we're in the middle of a war, and, we have other things to worry about. This isn't the right time.” Aang: “Well, when is the right time?” Katara: “Aang, I’m sorry, but right now I’m a little confused.”

To be continued in Part 3.....

some of what will be featured:

Southern Raiders (supposed to be here but this is wayyyy long)

Parallels

(Blue Spirit & Painted Lady, All Book Endings, Red & Blue ships, Lightning and Blood Bending, Oma & Shu)

#zutara #anti kataang #Zuko #katara #aang #atla #let me hyperfixate in peace

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zuko-always-lies · 3 years

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Dark Truths That Post-Comics Azula Fics/Headcanons Have to Handwave or Directly Confront to Be Believable[submitted by justanotherthrowaway1950]

Note: I know that you don’t like the comics and how, among many other things, they butchered Azula’s character. But considering you are one of the leading pro-Azula blogs on Tumblr imo, I am interested to see your answer to my post. Especially since I am currently writing a post-Imbalance fic that deals with the very issues I have outlined in this post. Also, could you please put “submitted by justanotherthrowaway1950” instead of “submitted by anon” on the posts I send to you? Thanks!

I am not a fan of the comics, especially since they use Azula’s mental issues as an excuse to keep her a villain and justify her demonization/abuse.

Thus, I understand the sympathy for comics!Azula treatment, especially considering what happened, and what was implied, in The Search.

But why should anyone in-universe or outside have any sympathy for, or want to help, Azula post-Smoke and Shadow since she has essentially become a domestic terrorist who is an ongoing threat due to her desire to remake Zuko in her image/ancestors’ image?

Especially considering her power buff which makes her all but unbeatable except for, imo, an AS Aang fighting with lethal intent or bloodbenders also fighting with lethal intent?

And before you say this is anti-Azula, how would you feel if it was one of your kids/siblings that got kidnapped; or one of the many people the New Ozai Society hurt, or almost hurt/killed, after Azula started “supporting” them; or one of asylum guards she likely attacked when she broke out her fellow Fire Warriors; or one of the people who got assaulted by Azula/the Fire Warriors; or the world leaders who rightly fear what Azula would do in order to break her brother considering this is the same girl who bloodlessly conquered Ba Sing except for killing The Avatar and effortlessly repelled an invasion without killing the opposing force?

And the above is (partially) why I don’t understand why people think Mai & Ty Lee, or even Zuko, post-Smoke & Shadow would want to help, or leave alone, Azula instead of killing her. Or at least without serious changes of heart caused by new information, new circumstances, and/or Azula changing her course of behavior.

Ty Lee attacks Azula even when Azula is restrained and can’t sleep peacefully once she learns Azula is free. Mai calls Azula a psycho numerous times, is pissed Azula got out of prison, had her bro kidnapped by Azula, has tried to kill Azula multiple times, and her father is in jail because of Azula. And Zuko clearly believed that Azula would have killed him before hearing her plans for him, she kidnapped Kiyi, and made him look like a fool in front of his nation/the international community.

So, in sum, Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee do want to, at the very least, jail Azula and with Azula’s current mindset, the only thing left imo is for The Gaang plus Mai & Ty Lee to confront Azula in an epic final battle where Zuko has to do what he likely would have done at the Final Agni Kai if had Azula directly shot lighting at him and kill her, leaving him broken hearted and wondering, alongside Mai & Ty Lee, what could have been if she hadn’t been twisted by Ozai (and her asylum abuse if Zuko could ever be assed to research why her mental condition got worse).

And yes, a lot of my fics do deal with the post-comics status quo. And yes, I do tend to handwave the issues I do describe.

Though in my defense it is because I have at least one fic planned that tries to seriously deal with the issues I brought up in this chapter and thus I wanted to write about post-comics scenarios without having to write what would likely be a monster of a fic/fic series.

So what do you guys think about my ramblings? Coherent thoughts or hypocritical ramblings of a jackass?

--Submitted by justanotherthrowaway1950

I don’t consider the comics worth my time at all, and, I’ve looked at the transcripts for some of them but have never bothered reading the actual comics.

But in fact there are a lot people who would feel an extreme amount of sympathy for Azula, they’re just not the main characters. Many people in the upper, middle, and lower classes in the Fire Nation and the former colonies would see Azula as exemplary figure, the conqueror of Ba Sing Se and hero of the Nation. The whole “Fire Warriors” thing doesn’t seem to have gotten out in public, and any claims of Azula’s involvement are likely to be seen as Zuko’s propaganda.

Meanwhile, Zuko is a traitor who allied with foreign enemies to seize the throne, with the official story about his and Iroh’s actions during the war being so damning that people are convinced that he must be covering up something even worse.

So there are a lot of people who would be interested in helping Azula, they are just not necessarily people who would lead her toward a better path.

As for Mai, she apparently has no long term hard feelings about Team Avatar using Tom-Tom as a hostage, so a doubt she would hold what happened to Tom-Tom in Smoke and Shadows against Azula long term.

But, in general, Azula can’t control how other people treat her, but she can control how she treats other people. And even in Smoke and Shadow she’s not written as someone who wants her former friends dead. !Comics Zuko is such a toxic personality that Azula should stay away from him, but you can write Azula as saving Mai and Ty Lee’s lives in a difficult situation and otherwise helping them, and maybe casually saying something which leads to them to realize she might have been badly abused in the asylum. And they investigate and find out the truth, which neither of them was really aware of since I don’t believe in writing them as awful people.

If we go with the line that the comics try to push that “Mai and Ty Lee never liked or cared about Azula at all and were only pretending to be her friend,” than there’s nothing to salvage because there never was a real relationship, but we should probably ignore that.

#submission #justanotherthrowaway1950 #Azula #Dangerous Ladies #Mai #Ty Lee

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thethiefandtheairbender · 4 years

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hello! I saw your post on how you stated that you were in the atla fandom for 7+ years. i myself was also involved in the fandom a couple of years back, mostly just watching videos + reading the comics but never really engaging in fandom discourse. now that i am actively taking part in the greater fandom, but also just seeing atla everywhere, I’ve certainly been exposed to my share of... different (interesting or bizarre or downright awful-putting-ATLA-on-netflix-was-a-mistake) takes that came out of the renaissance. i wanted to know your opinion, since you’ve been in the fandom for a while: how would you say that the fandom/fandom discourse has changed in the time of the renaissance? for instance, im seeing a lot more people come out and say that they prefer zvtara as a friendship or surrogate sibling relationship, which is something I’ve never expected but I’m thrilled to discover, as that was my initial interpretation of their relationship.

honestly basically nothing has changed except there’s more aang active stans and less aang hate. one of the main changes i think has been a shift from zu.tara rhetoric in the fandom (anti kat/aang, pro sokka being zuko’s best friend, general mai & aang hate or erasure, conspiracy theories) to zu.kka rehetoric (less mai hate bc she can be shipped with ty lee and f/f uwu :33, ka/taang as a nice sideship, pro platonic zvtara, no conspiracy theory bc like, it obviously wasn’t plausible). you can kinda see the shift from which characters received the most hate (aang, mai) to which characters receive the most hate now (katara). before, aang got in the way of ZK and mai was mean to zuko. now, katara isn’t ship desirable on a massive scale and she’s mean to zuko (and sokka in TSR; hence people trying to act like sokka parented her more than the other way around, because why let katara have good traits and also be flawed, right?). so - yeah, it tracks.

that being said, the slight decline of zu.tara does mean more narrative analyses that was previously clouded by a vitriolic insistence on romance, like a sudden swell of noticing azula-katara parallels and their subsequent sisterly bonds with zuko. there’s also a little more mind for different cultures since sokka doesn’t tend to be completely sequestered into zuko’s political life the way that katara tended to be (ie. remaining southern water tribe chief v.s fire lady katara). there’s no conspiracy theory because it’s pretty obvious that nickelodeon / kids animation wouldn’t have let zu.kka fly in 2005 and it was never on the table - which thank god bc fandom conspiracy theories are some of the most annoying and batshit insane crap i have ever seen.

some things have stayed the same, though. a misunderstanding of how mai operates emotionally which leads to a misunderstanding of how mai/zuko functions as a ship. ignoring zuka.ang in favour of shipping zuko with a water tribe kid who he barely thinks about or barely thinks about him. all characters / other ships being tagged under posts that are actually about the fandom’s top prized ship that is somehow ‘woker’ / more progressive than what canon actually went with (ignoring both the narrative and spiritual point each canon ship makes).

truly an interesting avatar cycle indeed.

#thanks for asking #anonymous #atla fandom #can u tell i've been here too long #fandom nonsense #Anonymous

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araeph · 6 years

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Hey, im a fan of Aaron ehasz and I love TDP. But when he confirmed that the possibility of season4 was brought out by nicklodeon, all the pro-brykes and anti-zutaras started rejoicing, thus stating their claims of how Aaron wrote mai and maiko moments is true, which I find, is absurd. But at the same time, I'm not sure. Did Aaron actually create mai and dealt with maiko?I hope not.

Yeah, I’m not sure why they thought they were right sincethey had previously considered Book 4 a conspiracy theory and a myth. It turns out to have been suggested at the studio level–and even the oldest accounts of Book 4′s existence concur with Ehasz that it was never put into production. As forthe Ehaszs being responsible for Mαiko, they did indeed write the beginning of the relationship–but did they support it? Did they depict it as healthy and loving? Let’s explore the episodes featuring Mαiko that they wrote, and see how the relationship is portrayed.

“Return to Omashu”(Elizabeth Ehasz): @darkeststar310 accurately summarizes Mαiand Zuko’s interaction as:

Mαi was already raring to go themoment Azula showed up; she even agreed before she knew what their objectivewas. Upon discovering that her task is to assist in hunting down and imprisoning her supposed childhood crush,she voices no objections, nor does her face display any concern or othernegative emotions. She actually smiles. What on earth could have beengoing through her mind???

“Man, it’ll be really great to see my boyfriend again before Icapture him and transport him to prison, presumably never to see or hear fromhim again. I bet the look of horror and despair on his face at what must surelybe an act of betrayal on my part will be really cute. I bet it will be a memoryto cherish as he languishes in prison, while I live out the rest of my life incomfort and luxury. :)”

And as to your last comment, “Friends tend to do things weach other, and since these girls aren’t normal, hunting the avatar seems aboutright” - sure. For a trio of badass, noble Fire Nation girls,hunting down their nation’s biggest enemy would a really great bondingexperience.

Except.

Themission wasn’t to capture the Avatar. The mission was to capturePRINCE ZUKO AND IROH.

“Zuko Alone”(Elizabeth Ehasz), a summary by Peacockarehot:

Mαiblushes at Zuko, and he doesn’t even look her way. If the intention was toportray them as “childhood crushes” why not have Zuko also look at Mαi andblush? … Further, if Zuko liked Mαi, why did Azula have to beg Ursa to FORCEZuko to play with them? This implies that Zuko did not usually play with hissister or her friends. In fact, the only time Zuko notices Mαi in hisflashback, is when he is forced to because Azula puts her in danger. If theintent was to tell us that Zuko liked Mαi, then I can say this episode did notdo that.

“Going Home Again” comic(Aaroh Ehasz): My own commentary:

I’m going to do an entirescene with the genders reversed so we can see this for ourselves. Thisparticular scene is from the “Going Home Again” comic.

Zuko has been recruited byAzula to capture Mαi and deliver her to the Firelord, where she will awaitimprisonment and/or execution. However, before this can happen, Azula makes adeal with Mαi whereby Mαi sides with Azula against her uncle and helps takedown the Avatar. However, Mαi starts having second thoughts, so Azula concoctsa scheme to bring her and Zuko together.Keep in mind that at this point, Zukoand Mαi are not dating. They have one dinner together which is not the resultof a date night, but of Azula and Ty Lee conveniently not showing up. Theydecide to ditch the dinner and take a tour of the city. While walking, theycome across a guy that Mαi has previously gone out on a date with and kissedunder a fake name. Let’s call him Lee, and Mαi’s fake name will be Jin. Zukorealizes this, and gets a mischievous look on his face.

Mαi: Oh … Hi, Lee … Um … Er … This isjust my friend, my friend from … the circus. Yeah … He’s the knife thrower.Lee: Really?Zuko:[Pushing Mαi.] Here. I’ll show you. Gostand over there, Jin.Lee: [Folds his hands.] Hah! I hope he’sbetter at throwing knife than you are at juggling!Zuko: Hmm … Still not quite right … [Putsa frozen fish on Mαi’s head.] Better. [Zuko picks one ice from the fish case,throwing it toward her.] You see, it’s all in the wrist, really.Lee: [The ice pierces through the fish.]Wow! That was amazing!Zuko: You wanna try, Lee?Lee: [Excited.] Oh! No, I couldn’tpossibly … Well, maybe just one. [Mαi doubts, as Lee throws the icicle.] Mαidodges, slips, and splashes into the water fountain.Zuko [leaning over Mαi]: Now we’re even.[Seconds later …]Zuko: [Running.] Ha ha!Mαi: Are you crazy!? You could havegotten me killed!Zuko: Whatever, Jin.

That scene makes youuncomfortable, doesn’t it? It feels wrong for Zuko to be so domineering. Butbecause Mαi is a girl, she is let off the hook when the comics scenehappens, and is even praised for keeping Zuko in line, handling him, putting upwith him, etc. And if this were illustrated, it would be even worse.

“The Awakening”(Aaron Ehasz): From a metaby @theadamantdaughter:

Mαi: Aren’t you cold? Zuko: I’ve got a lot on my mind. It’s been so long… overthree years since I was home. I wonder what’s changed. I wonder how I’ve changed. Mαi: [yawns] I just asked if you were cold. Ididn’t ask for your whole life story.

So,after three years of distance due to Zuko’s banishment and a very tumultousdecision to help Azula, Zuko wants to express his concerns about returninghome. A home where he was abused, burned, and banished. A home where he has noreal allies. A home where his abuser is acts freely and cruelly. Obviously, heassumes his girlfriend would be interested in comforting him, but Mαi immediately shuts him down.

Inany functioning, healthy relationship, you would expect this flood of feelingsand thoughts to met with sympathy or input or at the very least… a hand on theshoulder and a comforting hug. Instead, Zuko is basically told to shut up, toput up, to push the feelings away because they aren’t important enough to bebothered with. She disregards him and ignores him. …

I seea lot of Mαiko shippers claiming that this is cute, that it’s just Mαi ,or at the very least, Mαi was joking. Any way you choose to delude yourself -it goes to show how little they understand each other.Mαi, who later in theseries and the comics, hounds Zuko about not being emotionally available,doesn’t understand, in that moment, that Zuko was trying to be open with her.

Plus, it’s a bit ridiculous that Zuko can’t delveinto his feelings whenever and wherever he feels like it with his supposedgirlfriend.Mαi should’ve immediately prompted him to keep talking, to keepsharing, to tell her what he needed to feel better. …

Idon’t care if they knew each other since they were kids. Zuko is not thatlittle boy anymore. His entire world was destroyed by his father, and then byhimself, and Mαi seems incredibly uninterested in the man that Zuko is now.She’s not even interested in hearing about the man Zuko is now.

Ok, now onto the next …

Wait, what? That’s it?

A smile at the thought of hauling Zuko back to the Fire Nation as a traitor, a glance and a blush from a ten-year-old girl that is ignored by her eleven-year-old crush, a rescue from a burning apple that Zuko would have done for Ty Lee as well, a date that was a setup by Azula and which culminates in Mαi literally committing assault on Zuko while encouraging Jin to do the same, and a boat ride during which Mαi yawns at Zuko when he tries to lean on her for emotional support. Did I miss something? (Seriously, if I missed something, I’ll be glad to add it in.)

I’ll finish off this summary with Peacockarehot:

I can’t help but get the feeling that Mαiwas intended to be a very different type of “love interest” for Zuko. I believe that she was originally going to be one of the many relationships Zuko had in the Fire Nation that were intended to be “toxic” like Ozai and Azula.Just judging by the way she was introduced to the story and her first in-show interaction with Zuko, I am going to argue that the decision to make her the endgame lover of Zuko was something that was decided very late. First impressions in stories are very important and Mai’s first impression is not flattering to a pairing the audience would feel supportive of.

Nice work, team!

#anti-maiko #anti maiko #tw: abuse #long post

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