1. Zuko used to be a villain! (I try to remember this for all characters who are reformed villains/antagonists/whatever the hell Ryouga Hibiki was.) Not the kind of villain his father and sister were...he does what he does for the sake of honor rather than, say, the Fire Nation's superiority. But, still. Dude lit Kyoshi Island on fire that one time. And stole an ostrich-horse because he was an entitled jackass. (Although I bet post-canon Zuko would find some way to apologize/make amends to Song for that.) What I want to know is, how does rebuilding the world work when everyone remembers that shit you pulled? (I am not being sarcastic. I REALLY WANT TO KNOW.)
2. Tenacity, which is a lot like Azula's tenacity. (Although he isn't a prodigy and learned everything he knows through lots of hard work. I also really like that, even after all this work and growth, he isn't able to defeat Azula on his own.) I mean, when his dad sent him to find the Avatar, he wasn't expecting to see him again. Even Iroh treated the whole thing as a vacation. But Zuko never lost sight of his mission, to the point of unhealthiness. (Iroh keeps trying to get him to relax/enjoy this awesome vacation, and Zuko is like: "This is a complete waste of time. For EVERYONE!")
3. His ability to relate to people is...not that good. (Although Azula's is worse.) When I write him, it ends up broader than "socially awkward": here is a story where he trains Aang, and there's a small thread of cruelty in it because that's how his father taught him.
4. His heart really is in the right place. Really.
5. He has many and complicated feelings about his horrible, abusive sister and has a right to ALL of them, even if it makes them a PITA to write together. (Okay, they are a PITA more because I keep going: "OH GOD I'M DOING THIS WRONG" than because of anything either of them are doing.) Like, if Azula isn't there he can get like: "I am the worst brother I should spend more time with her" but if she IS there they get into huge fights and he's like "You are a TERRIBLE PERSON." Which is, you know, trufax. It doesn't help that he's not as good at arguing with awful books as she is. (Some of this is because I have no siblings so my 'this book is terrible' radar doesn't ding as much as with, say, a horribly ableist book). Although this one book was like: "No matter how awful your family member is to you, remember that they don't mean it!" and Zuko was like: "The fuck is this bullshit?" and I'm still looking for ways to encourage this.
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branchandroot
Zuko!
Date: 2012-12-04 03:14 pm (UTC)2. Tenacity, which is a lot like Azula's tenacity. (Although he isn't a prodigy and learned everything he knows through lots of hard work. I also really like that, even after all this work and growth, he isn't able to defeat Azula on his own.) I mean, when his dad sent him to find the Avatar, he wasn't expecting to see him again. Even Iroh treated the whole thing as a vacation. But Zuko never lost sight of his mission, to the point of unhealthiness. (Iroh keeps trying to get him to relax/enjoy this awesome vacation, and Zuko is like: "This is a complete waste of time. For EVERYONE!")
3. His ability to relate to people is...not that good. (Although Azula's is worse.) When I write him, it ends up broader than "socially awkward": here is a story where he trains Aang, and there's a small thread of cruelty in it because that's how his father taught him.
4. His heart really is in the right place. Really.
5. He has many and complicated feelings about his horrible, abusive sister and has a right to ALL of them, even if it makes them a PITA to write together. (Okay, they are a PITA more because I keep going: "OH GOD I'M DOING THIS WRONG" than because of anything either of them are doing.) Like, if Azula isn't there he can get like: "I am the worst brother I should spend more time with her" but if she IS there they get into huge fights and he's like "You are a TERRIBLE PERSON." Which is, you know, trufax. It doesn't help that he's not as good at arguing with awful books as she is. (Some of this is because I have no siblings so my 'this book is terrible' radar doesn't ding as much as with, say, a horribly ableist book). Although this one book was like: "No matter how awful your family member is to you, remember that they don't mean it!" and Zuko was like: "The fuck is this bullshit?" and I'm still looking for ways to encourage this.