me, your friendly neighborhood villain apologist: zuko was never evil he was just 16
like yeah i know he gets a bonkers good redemption arc but like. he didn’t actually need one because if you give a teenage boy a ship and tell the people on it to listen to him the least you can expect is some attempted murder. that’s not on him at that point
I’m honestly dumbstruck because I can tell you at 16 if you gave me a ship, a crew, a wise old man, and a mission to kidnap someone I gotta tell you.
I’d be down for it. I’d probably have gone further.
Wait, this originally happened when he was 13 and I’ll tell you that 13 year old me would have committed atrocities.
13yo me would’ve taken the free boat and straight up become a pirate and the fact that Zuko didn’t is really the biggest plot twist in avatar
AU where Zuko just becomes a pirate.
He still sees the light blast and goes to the South Pole but instead of trying to capture aang he rolls up in his free boat like ‘get in losers we’re going to kill my dad’
Yes, this. I like this.
aang: who??? are you???
zuko: exiled son of the fire lord. did these two get you up to speed?
sokka: wait you’re WHAT-?!
katara: what do you mean, YOU’RE THE EXILED SON OF THE-?!
aang: i mean, mostly???
zuko: excellent. i reiterate, get in losers we’re going to kill my dad
aang: i’m personally not up for murder
katara: I AM! your dad is the reason my mom is dead
zuko: i like the enthusiasm. avatar, you can be moral support
sokka: i’d like to hit the loserlord at least one (1) time with my boomerang if possible
zuko: i’ll allow it on the condition that you hit my sister as well
sokka: deal
Jfhdhhdhd