Mai I Love You So Much - Tumblr Posts

#pro mai

No one: 

Me: Mai is a fifteen year old girl who already mastered the art of throwing knives and stilettos with precision, making clear marks towards her opponents. As a young girl she suppressed her emotions as a coping mechanism because of her controlling and manipulative parents, and this was set in place by her relationship with Azula. In Zuko Alone, we first find Mai separated from Ty Lee and Azula, quietly sitting under a tree. When Zuko appears, Mai merely blushes, not verbally expressing herself, but unintentionally showing emotions at a childhood crush. Azula spots this and uses this to her advantage, ending up with Mai and Zuko falling in a fountain, showing one of the first signs of a power dynamic between Azula, Ty Lee (who was forced to remain complicit), and Mai. 

Mai’s childhood crush was banished for standing up for a righteous cause, which was defending the young soldiers in the 41st division, which could cause major turmoil for a then twelve year old girl, only giving her more incentive to suppress the emotions she keeps inside to herself. 

Despite all of this, Mai has shown signs of affection towards the people she cares about, even under the eyes of Azula. When she is able, she makes small jokes with Ty Lee, even accepting her hugs, acknowledging Ty Lee teasing her, smiling with Zuko, going on dates with him, and eventually, saving his life and the lives of his friends at the Boiling Rock. 

At the end of the series, Mai is finally able to freely express herself. She is able to show happiness, pettiness, and signs of comfort and love in the finale when she meets with Zuko, which can only carry on after the end of the show. 

To conclude, Mai is a character who went through so much bullshit and suppressed trauma, and is finally able to come to terms with expressing herself at the end of the show, and deserves so much love and attention.