#unfortunately zuko only knows how to do the 2nd one

[headcanonthings]

Zuko: Due to several experiences in my youth, I cannot just 'walk up and join a circle of people talking'. Plus it sounds horrible so no thank you.

[cobra-diamond]

The Unfinished 2nd Half of Zuko’s Journey

Zuko’s journey consists of two parts. The first part we saw in the show; it was Zuko receiving his Uncle’s forgiveness and becoming Fire Lord. The second part we did not see; it is his struggle to restore the honor of the Fire Nation.

The True Ending of Avatar

The ending for Avatar was not Aang and Katara kissing in Ba Sing Se in front of a beautiful sunset followed by the word “The End”.

No, the true ending of Avatar was Zuko’s coronation. That was the moment when you knew the Gaang had accomplished their goals, that their journey was complete and that the Avatar world had changed for good; the Fire Nation’s war was over and Zuko was the Fire Lord who was going to restore the honor of the Fire Nation...

... Going to. He had not done it yet by the show’s end.

Zuko: “I promised my Uncle that I would restore the honor of the Fire Nation, and I will.”

“And I will”... Will. It was a new goal that hadn’t been achieved and you can bet your butt it wasn’t over three months later. Now read the next lines:

Zuko: “The road ahead of us is challenging. A hundred years of fighting has left the world scarred and divided. But with the Avatar's help, we can get it back on the right path, and begin a new era of love and peace.”

The road ahead is “challenging”. “Get it back” on the right path. “Begin” a new era of love and peace.

Restore the honor of the Fire Nation... A Goal.

Begin a new era of love and peace... A Motivation.

The road ahead is challenging... A Conflict.

These are the beginnings of an entirely new story for the franchise; a logical continuation of the original cast that does not erase the significance of what came before. It is the continuation of Zuko’s stated Goals and Motivations at the end of the show where he must change and grow in order to become the Fire Lord that redeems the Fire Nation.

It is the beginning of the second half of Zuko’s journey.

Where Aang’s Journey Ends, Zuko’s Endures

Aang’s journey in the show consists of a single, clear goal with a definite endgame: master all four elements and defeat the Fire Lord. Once Aang masters all four elements, he is ready to face the Fire Lord. Once he defeats the Fire Lord, his journey is over. How he masters all four elements and defeats the Fire Lord, along with the people he meets along the way, is what makes the story deep and compelling. This is where Zuko comes in.

The purpose of Zuko’s journey wasn’t clear for over half of the show. Until Iroh spelled it out for him in Avatar and the Fire Lord, it appeared he was a morally ambiguous wild card who could end up on either side. Why Zuko’s inner turmoil was so important to Aang’s journey was not clear.

Indeed, we did not know the full importance of Zuko’s journey until he stood up to his father in Day of Black Sun. That’s when learned why Zuko was important: he was the crown prince abandoning the evil ways of his country to help the Avatar save the world.

So you’d think that when Zuko helped Aang master firebending, defeated his sister in the Agni Kai and was crowned Fire Lord that his journey was over, right? That being crowned Fire Lord was Zuko’s reward for being a sensitive, gentle soul unlike the ruthless, warmongering norm in his family?

That he’d spend the rest of his days slowly coping with his trauma while enjoying endless, relaxing days of romantic bliss with Mai? That he wouldn’t face internal opposition from the diehards and stalwarts of the old regime? That from the start of his reign he would be leading a Fire Nation that was fully accepting of him and everything he stood for… Right?

Wrong.

The Tragedy of the Fire Nation

In addition to the central conflict of ending the Hundred Year War and Aang’s need to defeat the Fire Lord, there were numerous subtle threads running through the show that gave Avatar its heart and soul: the tragic, lasting effects of war on a people and their culture, the effects of foisting too much responsibility on children, the importance of friendship and having people to lean on, among many others. One of these threads concerned the topic of how decent, normal people can turn bad.

In Season 1, it is revealed that Avatar Roku—a firebender—was a respectable, honorable Avatar despite being a member of the Fire Nation.

In the same season, a Fire Sage helps Aang in his effort to connect with Roku despite being loyal to the Fire Nation and Fire Lord and Avatar.

Aang: “If this is the Avatar's temple, why did the Sages attack me?” Shyu: “Things have changed. In the past, the Sages were loyal only to the Avatar. When Roku died, the Sages eagerly awaited for the next Avatar to return. But he never came.”

In The Blue Spirit, Aang laments to Zuko how one of his best friends was Fire Nation and says to his enemy, “Do you think we could have been friends, too?”

A Fire Nation admiral and firebending master—Jeong Jeong—deserts out of disillusionment with the war.

And Iroh fights Zhao to stop him from destroying the Moon Spirit, to which Zhao does agree, for a moment, until his temper gets the better of him, showing that concern for harmony and balance isn’t a lost concept in the Fire Nation; it’s just buried deep.

In Season 2, Aang rescues the child of Omashu’s occupying governor, ignoring the practical advantages of keeping it as a hostage, and we are explicitly shown how happy this makes the invaders.

In Zuko Alone, Zuko becomes a truly sympathetic character. We are shown how he has always struggled to live up to the expectations of his warmongering family, and leading up to Season 2’s finale, Zuko and Irohs’ disillusionment with their country reaches new heights, showing that the militaristic expectations of the Fire Nation isn’t even embraced by all members of its ruling family.

In Season 3, the Gaang lives in the Fire Nation. We see Fire Nation people, their kids, their towns, their daily lives. Aang is actually excited to be in the Fire Nation because it reminds him how much fun it was before the war.

In Avatar and the Fire Lord, Roku is shown to have been the best friend of the Fire Lord that started the war, but Sozin’s desire and willpower to achieve his goals corrupted him, and in that same episode, Aang comments that friendships can transcend lifetimes, suggesting that the Avatar and the Fire Lord can be friends again. Ultimately, this is proven true when Zuko joins the Gaang, helps them stop the war and becomes friends with Aang.

Toph: “It's like these people are born bad.” Aang: “No, that's wrong. I don't think that was the point of what Roku showed me at all. Roku was just as much Fire Nation as Sozin was, right? If anything, their story proves anyone's capable of great good and great evil. Everyone, even the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation have to be treated like they're worth giving a chance. And I also think it was about friendships.”

Everyone, even the Fire Lord and Fire Nation, have to be treated like they’re worth giving a chance. Even if they don’t ask for it.

But most importantly, at the start of every episode, Katara says the Four Nations used to live together in harmony.

What the show was saying in so many small ways was that the Fire Nation’s war and what its leaders had become were neither normal for the Avatar world nor for the Fire Nation itself. Not even Chin the Conqueror’s conquests of the Earth Kingdom holds a candle to the Fire Nation’s multiple layers of evil, self-interest and disregard for world balance. It was a world first, even for the Fire Nation.

While the existence of the all-powerful Avatar, in theory, helps keep the peace between the four nations, the Fire Nation did not used to be hostile to the other nations. Sozin changed the old Fire Nation, the one that was peaceful and enlightened, that achieved an unprecedented era of prosperity, that convinced Sozin that the Fire Nation was first among equals. The fun, friendly Fire Nation that Aang remembered was lost and it stayed lost for a hundred years…

… And the solution wasn’t to destroy the Fire Nation.

The True Purpose of Zuko’s Journey

Until the series finale, Zuko’s journey appeared to be about him achieving moral redemption for his time spent as a halfhearted, incompetent, semi-accomplice in his nation’s evils. But Zuko did not turn against his father and help the Avatar in order to redeem himself of his sins. No, he turned against his country because he was alienated from it, couldn’t meet its expectations and became disillusioned with its goals. In other words, because it was what Uncle Iroh had taught him.

Zuko’s heart told him that betraying Iroh in Ba Sing Se was wrong and that he needed to right that wrong. To Zuko, doing the right thing meant following Uncle Iroh’s guidance and accepting him as his true father, and to do that required switching sides. Zuko’s redemption was not achieved when he stood up to his father. It was not achieved when he stood victorious over Azula. It wasn’t even achieved when he became Fire Lord at the end of the show. Zuko’s redemption was when Iroh hugged and forgave him. That was the moment of catharsis for Zuko. That was his “redemptive” moment.

Zuko wasn’t redeemed when he showed people he was “good” or “righteous” or “honorable”. Zuko was redeemed when he felt accepted as a son... By his uncle.

Unfortunately, Zuko’s troubles were deeper than his banishment and Agni Kai with his father. In short, he simply didn’t belong in the Fire Nation he was born into.

Zuko was a normal boy born into an abnormal situation that he didn’t have the personality for. He didn’t have the ruthlessness, intelligence, competence, precociousness and raw talent for militarism and totalitarian rule that his sister had, so he failed to live up to his father’s self-serving, power hungry expectations which, in turn, represented the peak of malice, moral corruption and ruling-through-fear that the war had instilled in the country’s leadership.

In fact, Zuko also didn’t live up to the expectations of his country, as revealed by his monologue in Siege of the North Part 2.

Zuko: “She's a firebending prodigy – and everyone adores her.”

Hmm. I wonder who “everybody” is...?

If you think the Fire Nation’s militarism is simply the result of genetic predispositions, I encourage you to read The East Asian Origins of the Fire Nation and Its Villains. It helps shed light on the potential reasons why a “soft” boy like Zuko might struggle in a militaristic culture such as the Fire Nation’s.

So when Zuko finally realized the righteous path and followed it, his story was over, right? He stood up to his father and Iroh forgave him. He showed us that he had a pure heart and was a good person and good, moral people are supposed to be rewarded for their innate qualities, right? What only mattered to Zuko’s journey was that he help the Avatar, vanquish his sister and end the war by royal decree so that a new era of love and peace could begin… Right?

Wrong again. Iroh even says so when he tells Zuko that his journey is not over when they are together in the White Lotus camp in The Phoenix King:

Iroh: “… Someone new must take the throne. An idealist with a pure heart and unquestionable honor. It has to be you, Prince Zuko… And only you can restore the honor of the Fire Nation.”

Until that moment, Zuko had no visions of himself as the ruler of his country, never mind changing anything about it.

Let me repeat that.

Until THAT MOMENT Zuko had no visions of himself as the ruler of his country.

Zuko: “And then... then would you come and take your rightful place on the throne?... I'll try, Uncle.”

Very reassuring words from somebody who believes they’re destiny is to rule a country full of walking flamethrowers. Not. Once more, I encourage you to read The East Asian Origins of the Fire Nation and Its Villains for insight as to why this could go wrong.

To Zuko, the Fire Nation he grew up in is the Fire Nation. As he understood it, his father had to be eliminated, the airships destroyed and the rest of the world defended from what remained of the Fire Nation’s power. Him taking the throne was an afterthought at that point, never mind what to do about his sister.

Perhaps he thought that stopping his father and helping Aang become a fully-realized Avatar would be enough to intimidate Azula and the rest of his country into submission since there did not appear to be a plan to militarily dominate the Fire Nation. However, that’s a topic for another day.

Whatever Zuko thought his endgame was, he didn’t know it, but Iroh knew it. Avatar Roku knew it. The White Lotus knew it and Aang came to know it. Zuko’s journey was not to prove that he is a good person on the inside. It was not to turn against the Fire Nation. It was not to teach Aang firebending. It wasn’t even to defeat his sister and assume the crown. Those were all just means to his journey’s end. Zuko’s journey was, and always has been, to be the Fire Lord that redeems the Fire Nation.

And it wasn’t over when the final credits rolled.

The Two Halves of Zuko’s Journey

Zuko’s journey could be thought of as having two parts. Part one is in the show. It is where Zuko learns why the Fire Nation needs to change and what he needs to do to change it: help Aang, subjugate Azula and become Fire Lord. Part two would be the trials and tribulations that result in the Fire Nation’s redemption, or at least the key events that set it firmly on that path.

Redeeming the Fire Nation, however, is not a process solved by merely wearing the Fire Lord’s crown. It is not enough for him to have a pure heart and have unquestionable honor. He has to make the right choices and answer the hard questions when it comes to weening his country off of war, conquest, colonies and a massive military industry, to say nothing of the culture that supports it.

If “everyone adores” Azula, is everyone going to adore him?

He has to reform the members of the old regime: the generals, admirals, soldiers, nobles and true believers. He has to get the people who are resentful of him on his side. This is not a simple, good versus evil, 3 months later having tea in Ba Sing Se kind of problem. Do you really think Zuko is going to hold mass executions, imprison families and burn books like certain Chinese emperors of old? Or will his “pure heart” and “unquestionable honor” collide with the realities of the post-war Fire Nation?

Will the broken, anemic state of the Royal Family be important? Without old-man Iroh, the ruling family is just him, himself and himself. Will Azula’s ability to create heirs be left to shrivel to dust in the asylum? Ew! Gross!! But that’s a question Zuko has to ask; that’s how power is transferred in his government, and at the end of the show, it’s only him.

Will he even try to get Azula on his side? Does he need Azula on his side? If so, for what purpose? What role will his mother play in the government? Can he simply allow Iroh to be a “multinational agent” via the White Lotus? Will he have to force Iroh to put the Fire Nation first? Will the nobility and military see the state of the Royal Family as a weakness that must be fixed... Or be replaced?

Who will oppose Zuko? Who will follow him? What mistakes will he make? What will he get right?

How will Zuko struggle, how will he change and grow in order to become the Fire Lord that redeems the Fire Nation?

If you thought the reward for finishing hard work is not having more hard work to do, then you’re probably not an adult.

That is the unfinished second half of Zuko’s journey, that we didn’t get to see.

But don’t worry; the hard work ahead for Zuko is the basis for Season 4.

[imthepunchlord]

Me Rewatching ML: Gamer

Tikki helps Marinette remember her schedule, or at least aims too as much as possible. 

Marinette’s home is right next to the school. 

25, Tikki hangs outside the purse again.

Tikki doesn’t recognize the video game’s music, suggesting that Marinette hasn’t played UMS around her. 

There is a move in USM called the Kitty Paw. 

Marinette’s unaware of this competition, so it probably wasn’t too broadcasted around the school. That or it just went over her head and she’s been more focused on other things. 

Adrien bleps when playing. 

Kim brags about his baefriend, is surprised to see Max lose. 

Max needs a few seconds to calm down at the face of his loss before he can be a good sport about it. 

It looks like Kim is giving Adrien shade XD

Alya, who is usually a huge push for Marinette to spend time with Adrien by any means, even skipping out on responsibilities Marinette wanted to do herself (Climatika with Mari wanting to babysit Manon); doesn’t approve of Marinette making a choice to try and spend time with Adrien. Evidently it’s due to her thinking Marinette won’t be serious about representing the school. 

Bustier appears to be a common host for a lot of the school projects. She really likes to be involved with her students. It’s really nice to see. 

Marinette is determined to beat the score in five minutes. She is confident that she can. 

Adrien is up to see what Marinette can do and is the only one to move and let her have the chance. 

Kim is unaware of Marinette’s gaming skills.

It appears Alya is too, being unsure about Marinette going for this. 

Max assumes Marinette doesn’t know how to play. Marinette is quick to correct him. 

Love seeing her play with her dad, he so huge and she so smol. They both furrow their brows when getting into the game and haunch forward. They both also move their arms around when getting into the battle, Marinette has a victory dance and Tom dramatically flops on the couch when he looses. During this time Tikki must just hide away in Marinette’s room. 

Max doesn’t seem too sure about Marinette’s skill but is up to face her. 

Kim is the first to cheer Max on.

Marinette is well practiced, suggesting that she and Tom play often, and under a time limit of five minutes, she is beating Max in possibly one. Adrien awed, as are Alya, Kim, and Rose. This backs that Alya is unaware of how good a gamer Marinette is. 

Even in gaming Marinette plans out her moves. 

Victory dance.

I say she beat Max in about a minute or two. 

Kim is the only one not cheering for Marinette. 

Max really doesn’t take loosing well. That suggests to me that he hasn’t lost often before, and by Kim’s bragging, perhaps Adrien was his first loss ever, and then Marinette is his 2nd and she beat him even faster than Adrien did. 

Marinette does feel guilty about making Max sad. But is over it as Adrien proposes practicing at her place. 

Alya is very set that Marinette represents their school well, this matters a lot to her, more than being the ultimate wingman. It’s kinda curious, I can see her caring about representation and having a good reputation, but with most of the season having her a huge Adrienette supporter, this is kinda odd. 

Max is very upset with his loss to Marinette, declaring that it’s a travesty (false and absurd). This probably is his 2nd loss, and it’s a sore blow to loose quickly again and in a shorter amount of time. And possibly due to Marinette being a girl, which socially is uncommon and Max himself assumes Marinette didn’t know what she was doing. I’d blame Max’s akumization on him being a sore loser about this than on Marinette, and not knowing how to really cope about losing aside from bad mouthing the outcome, even more so seeing that he thinks he should be in it and deserves to be in it. Those are proud thoughts right there. 

26, Tikki hangs outside the purse again, this time scolding Marinette for joining the competition just to spend time with Adrien. And personally I’m not really seeing the issue? I know Marinette’s not going in represent the school, but I don’t get the impression that Max was doing the same. By how he talks, he was doing it to show he’s the best and thus far isn’t taking it too well to not being the best. 

I can agree it’s a selfish choice on Marinette’s part, but this is also a huge step for her too. Up at this point, if the list I’m watching really is the most likely the canon of the s1 episodes; this is Marinette’s first real effort on her own to try and spend time with Adrien, with no one suggesting or pushing her to act on this. It is unfortunate that she made Max upset, but that comes with competing, you win and you lose. But over all, this is a big step for Marinette confidence wise, she’s making the move on her own for once, and I don’t see this being a bad way to spend time with Adrien, playing games together. 

But to see Tikki against it, for Marinette upsetting someone unintentionally just to spend time with her crush... it really seems Tikki is against Marinette being selfish, to always put others before herself, to be a constant giver and supporter. It’s what a true LB should be, but there is a drawback to being a constant giver and there can be a point that you just give too much and you can only support and make so many happy all the time and not have something for you. It is ok to be selfish, especially for your own personal happiness and comfort. You’re no good helping others if you yourself are spread so thin or you’re unhappy, when you don’t allow yourself to give into your own wants, it can be damaging. Something Plagg seems to get as he does encourage Adrien to give into selfishness (Lady Wifi, thinking he should’ve looked despite that breaking LB’s trust). There is a middle to being selfish and selfless, and with Tikki and Plagg divided as two opposing sides, it makes sense that they would have opposite views on selfishness. 

I don’t think Marinette is entirely at fault for giving into her selfishness, she has been struggling this whole year so far to spend time with Adrien but largely just fumbles with him. It’s not a solid choice on her part, but this is a big step in her development. She is confident and comfortable enough to try and move to spend time with her crush. It’s not ideal, I can agree, but this is a step forward. This also provides Max a chance to learn that losing is a part of life, and by his reaction, it is something he needs to learn. 

Adrien stands poised before Tom and Sabine. Tom taught Marinette everything about gaming. 

Adrien is surprised that Marinette talks about him. Most likely to him thinking they’re not the best of friends due to her behavior. 

Shipping parents ;3 also it’s so nice to see Tom accepting of Adrien and not the jealously protective dad. It is an amusing trope but it’s nice to see it not done for once. 

Accidental hand touch, mutual shyness. So awkward. Looking at each other when the other isn’t. 

By Marinette’s reaction and frustration with her parents, suggests to me that this happens a lot. That maybe every time Marinette brings over a new friend and it’s their first time meeting that friend, her parents are super excited and invade Marinette’s space a lot to feed said new friend, involve them and learn about them, to a point that Marinette has a hard time hanging out with said friend alone. And Tom offers to be included here so there is a chance that in her household, Marinette may not often get a lot of solo time with new friends that she brings over and it’s frustrating for her. I’m guessing anyway.

And with how Max is as an akuma, pushed by his emotion and what drives him, yeah he is someone that is very proud. 

Marinette is such a chill player. And it’s a shame Alya isn’t able to see that yes, Marinette is able to focus on the game. 

Omg, Marinette looked ready to murder Tom. 

Adrien longs for cookies, but they’re out of his reach. 

And it looks like between the two, Tom is the worse invader. Quite the social butterfly. 

I wonder how long ago Marinette made that charm. I speculate before she got the earrings since she has gotten luckier after Tikki, and with her dealing with bad luck before, that would push for her to have the charm then. 

Tom is shipping them so hard. 

I want a quiche now. 

While Marinette’s reaction to the akuma is “oh shit that’s not good”, Adrien seems to give it a “seriously?!” glare. He is also defensive seeing an akuma with his “civilian” friend. 

Adrien’s the first to react to danger. Is a little flustered to wind up close to Marinette. 

Adrienette hand reach. 

That has to be one of the more serious faces I’ve seen Adrien make before he transforms. He isn’t too pleased this time. 

Thus far, this is the biggest effort Adrien makes in getting a civilian to safety. It looks like he took Marinette a street or two away from Gamer. 

Marinette isn’t impressed with Max. 

Chat is touched by Marinette’s concern for Adrien, and of course just has to show off this whole Marichat sequence. 

Chat is surprised that LB knows UMS. LB is defensive, most likely because Max also assumed she didn’t game because of being a girl. Chat though is happy to find something they both like. 

Animation error, HM shouldn’t know what the ring looks like untransformed. 

Chat mimics Tom. 

CATBUG ROBOT. Love it’s design. 

Pacific Rim vibes. 

ZUKO SPIN. :OO if this is a reference to AtLA, could Marinette possibly be a fan of atla? Pleeeeeeeaaase? 

I think she just shouted Lady Bombs. 

All the references, bless this episode. Now I feel like I’m watching Super Smash Bros. 

Tatsukitty. 

Catoukin. 

Now Alya is up for supporting Marinette playing with Adrien. Girl I’m getting mixed signals here. Also Max is still being a bit of a sore loser, still being proud. I can’t quite say if Max really learned anything this episode, I suppose so over all but still...

Actually I wound up seeing the storyboard for this ep and I wish this one scene had stayed in, where Adrien moves to give Marinette’s charm back but Nino pulled her away before he could and he pockets it, deciding that he’d give it back later. Why couldn’t that stay in?