#maiko thinkpieces

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Do you ever think about how Zuko spent a significant amount of his teen years at sea chasing traces of the Avatar and eventually on the run as a fugitive when he should have been studying how to run a country—so being crowned Fire Lord at 16 would probably take him a bit of time to adjust?

Plus, he wears his heart on his sleeve, so the more subtle aspects of ruling, string-pulling, and political mind games might be lost on him at first.

But Mai, on the other hand, as a high-ranking noblewoman and a politician's daughter who grew up in court... 👀

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THE MAIKO BIBLE

i don’t hate you too :: why maiko works

There’s the common fandom consensus — and misconception — that Zuko and Mai’s relationship is based on apathy or cruelty and that they fuel this apathetic life view in each other. That their relationship is based on shared misery. Most of this critique is directed, whether consciously or not, towards Mai for her aloof, apathetic attitude, or claiming that she is just another abuser in Zuko’s life. 

All of this could not be more wrong, and here’s why.

The first thing that needs to be understood is that Mai and Zuko are both survivors of emotional abuse. Mai is abused by both her parents and Azula, and Zuko is abused by his father and Azula. Both Mai and Azula acknowledge the abusive nature of Mai’s parents, who are rather like Toph’s, strict and controlling in an upper class lifestyle. Zuko eventually comes to firm stance against Azula and stands up to his primary abuser, Ozai, while Mai eventually stands up to hers, which is Azula. And how these dynamics affect them, and how Azula effects their relationship, is something I’ll get into earlier, but simply put: if you don’t think that Mai has suffered from emotional abuse, then you don’t understand her character, and you frankly have very little sympathy for female survivors who don’t respond to their abuse in ways that you find acceptable or likeable. 

Okay? Okay.

Onto more parallels between them, Mai and Zuko are both are also high ranking nobles in the Fire Nation with a shared base understanding for royal etiquette and expectations. Each character is deeply unhappy as a result of all of these circumstances, and see being taken from the Fire Nation as a cause; Mai is ‘bored’ and unhappy in Omashu, and Zuko is bitter and angry in his banishment, having traversed seemingly most of the Earth Kingdom sea before turning his search to the Southern Water Tribe. Both want a way out; Zuko is presented one by Aang’s appearance and Mai is ‘given’ one by Azula. Each way out is their primary narrative purpose for the first book of each of their characters. However, by the second (Earth for Zuko, and Fire for Mai) their motivations and circumstances have in some ways radically changed. 

To a certain degree, they both wear masks to hide their true intentions. Mai hides behind the apathetic nature she’s largely created as a survival tactic, and Zuko hides behind the Blue Spirit, and both masks are thrown away in a moment of truth, in the wake of a Selfless deed. They’re both the older sibling in their families, seemingly less loved than their younger sibling as well, and both wield sharp metal items (Zuko’s dual swords and Mai’s knives) that represent their natures. 

And with that all said, let’s begin.

[Warning: this got way longer than expected so just… get prepared for like 10k of meta lmao]

BOOK TWO: EARTH

Return to Omashu written by Elizabeth Welch Ehasz

As this is Mai’s introductory episode I’m mostly going to be talking about her, but I will get more in depth to Zuko as well. This episode develops most of Mai’s primary relationships, including foreshadowing her future one with Zuko, showing that it was in the cards early on. 

Keep reading

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headcanon: Kiyi and Tom-Tom help Maiko get back together after Smoke and Shadow

(this post doubles as sort of a director's commentary on my latest fic that literally no one asked for, but I thought it would be fun to do! LOL)

So we all know that Mai and Zuko broke up in the comics... but their last panel together in Smoke and Shadow Part 3 is them holding their younger siblings, which we can argue leaves things on a pretty hopeful note

(and if we REALLY want to push the Maiko agenda, dare I say it's a foreshadowing of some sorts?)

Additionally, at Emerald City Comic Con 2017 (timestamp 17:52), Gene Luen Yang implied that the breakup is only temporary.

Anyway, shipping aside, I love this part in Smoke and Shadow where Zuko worries about Tom-Tom losing his innocence after getting kidnapped by the 'Kemurikage'. We also find out that him and Mai babysat Tom-Tom on one of their picnic dates.

Going off of this, I have a headcanon that the abducted kids would occasionally gather at the palace after the Kemurikage incident to essentially have group therapy sessions (an initiative by the Fire Lord, because he's worried that the kids might be traumatized). This is how Tom-Tom and Kiyi became friends.

One day, they heard that Mai and Zuko are 'boyfriend-girlfriend'. Here's how it went down on my fic:

“You know, I heard from Dad who heard from other guards who heard from the kitchen ladies that the Fire Lord and Tom-Tom’s sis are boyfriend-girlfriend.”  Hearing Guri, Constable Sung’s son, join in on the conversation made Tom-Tom hyper-aware that he probably shouldn’t say anything bad about Zuko, especially now after knowing that he’s the Fire Lord.

Between the events of the ATLA finale and The Promise Part 2 (which is where Mai breaks up with Zuko in the throne room), I think it's safe to say that Mai would be at the palace for a considerable amount of time. I think it would be funny if the news of their breakup didn't reach ALL of the palace employees---so Kiyi and Tom-Tom took it upon themselves to have their siblings spend more time together.

Another thing I had so much fun writing is this interaction between Mai and Kiyi:

“We already met before. That night in the graveyard,” Mai stated matter-of-factly, causing Kiyi to whip her head up with stuffed cheeks, noodle broth dribbling down her chin. She felt her previously strained smile give way to something more genuine, imagining her younger self.     Instead of scolding her for poor table manners like what her own mother would have done, Mai took out a handkerchief. And, driven by instinct, she wiped the girl’s face—the movements gentle and unhurried.  

Meanwhile, here's my favorite exchange between Zuko and Tom-Tom:

“Do you like my sister, Mister Fire Lord?”  The question took him by great surprise, the fact that Tom-Tom still refused to drop his title never even registered. But despite the unprompted nature of the question, it was one that he could give an answer to at any time of day—and at any stage of his life. “I like your sister very much,” he declared, staring straight into Tom-Tom’s eyes. It was a truth that he has stood by since he was twelve, deeply rooted in the fiber of his being. It was an innate warmth that he believed he would carry forever—one that beats in tandem with his inner fire.  

Near the end of the fic, Mai and Zuko also have a conversation about Azula, and how their messed-up nation didn't give her a normal childhood, while Kiyi and Tom-Tom happily chase glow moths in the background:

“Do you ever look at Kiyi and wonder whether Azula would have been as happy if this country wasn't so messed up?” Mai asked, her gaze curious.  “Every day,” he replied, and generations of siblings being pitted against each other flashed through his mind. “That's why I'm doing my best to give her a normal childhood—with a country that hopefully isn't as messed up.”  “I’m glad that kids today can at least have that much.” She looked at Kiyi and Tom-Tom who were laughing as they continued to chase glow moths, then turned to Zuko with a smirk. “Era of love and peace and all.”

If you've read my rambling all the way to the end, thank you! Here's the link to the fic if you wanna read (please give it some love)

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every day I thank the universe for the maiko renaissance of 2024

Honestly every time when I remember that Zuko loved one girl for all his life, it makes me SO HAPPY. The Girl, with who they were in love since childhood, with who they were separated.. separated for forever as it seemed at the moment, and they tried to put up with the idea that they probably would never see each other again (and Zuko were lying to himrself that he would return and everything would be as it had been, but Mai had a more sober look at things and understood that she had little to zero chances to see Zuko again). The Girl with who he was separated the second time after their reunion, again risking to lose each other. The Girl who sacrificed herself to save him. The Girl who in the end became his wife, his Fire Lady, mother of his kid. Only Girl who made him smile. No other girl or a guy in the whole show can even compare with her and what she was to Zuko. Nor Ty Lee, nor Katara, nor Aang, Sokka, Song or Jun.. Only Mai. They never hated each other.

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I love childhood sweethearts maiko 😔

Do you think that Maiko were in a relationship* before Zuko was banished? Or atleast were aware of their feelings? The getting together after S2 seems to be approached very casually in a way that a new relationship wouldn't be

* relationship here meaning a silly middle school one where they hold hands and cute stuff like that

OH YES I DEFINITELY THINK SO !!

I actually think their relationship would have been kind of similar to how it is shown in s3, being casual but very supportive and loving too (not without some disagreements and silly arguments though of course) but more awkward and childish. I also think they would have been less guarded and closed off with each other, being younger and it being before Zuko’s banishment and all. I think that’s part of why Zuko is often trying to get Mai to open up and express herself more. He remembers when they trusted each other and would confide in each other a lot as children and wanted that security back. This isn’t to say I think he was unhappy with their relationship in s3 or that Mai or, Zuko for that matter, was ever super open with their feelings. I think Mai is naturally a very closed off person and so is Zuko to an extent. What I mean is I think they would probably be the type to complain about things together in a very dramatic pre-teen and/or early teen way. Very emo/goth and dramatic like “Life is a prison. There is a black void inside me. The world is a dark and miserable place. Wanna write poetry and hold hands about it?”

I think they also seem like the type to play harmless pranks on people but specifically more the type that irritate or confuse people and not the like “bucket of water above the door way” type. I feel like they would do shit like make the guards think there was a ghost in the palace or move Mai’s parents’ belongings to weird places in the house and watch them get annoyed and confused about it. Both of them having an interest in blades is something I always thought would have been something they would share with each other. I can see them both practicing their skills together. There’s probably a tree in the palace garden with lots of long slashes in it from Zuko’s dual swords and deep indentations from Mai’s throwing knives and maybe even their names carved in it (twice because Azula stole Zuko’s knife and scratched it out once out of jealousy).

That’s all I have right now, I could probably spend hours coming up with cute and silly little scenarios of the two of them if I tried. Thank you for the ask I love having an excuse to talk about these two.