#jet redemption | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

five-flavor-soup · 1 month

Text

This is technically in response/as an addition to a post on the supposed ‘double standard’ in the fandom between Zuko and Jet as Katara’s love interests, but it’s been so long since it was posted and I figured the OP would be entirely uninterested in my word vomit, especially after like one and half years—so, separate post. I added a link for those interested. There's a cut because this got quite long lmao.

In short, the post supposes the argument that though Jet would’ve made Katara kill people (something Zuko very much Did Not Do, no matter what you think about The Southern Raiders), he cleaned up his act after this. Zuko, on the other hand, did lots of Really Bad Things to Katara & Co. with far more frequency than Jet did and got redeemed after a multitude of episodes doing Various Things Moste Evile. To then slap Jet with The Toxic Ex-label and see Zuko as the ‘healthier’ and ‘better’ option creates a Double Standard(™) within the fandom, which is supposedly bad and not an arguably incorrect reading.

But the differences in fandom perception between Jet and Zuko as Love Interests for Katara (one of which canonically, and the other potentially and apparently talked about in the writer’s room) are easily explained, as can the Supposed Double Standard—just by thinking about it from Katara’s viewpoint, or even the audience’s. Because, well, the worst things Jet ‘almost’ ended up doing didn’t happen because of outside interference only.

That’s the important bit here. He 100% would’ve drowned an entire village just to get rid of a handful of Fire Nation soldiers, had Sokka not managed to evacuate everybody. He 100% would’ve grievously injured two people who, as far as Jet and everybody else were aware, were refugees who might not even be firebenders — considering nobody else saw Iroh heat up his tea, he could’ve been wrong — in an attempt to prove his own hunch. Had the guards not been there, had Zuko not been able to fight back with swords, Jet would’ve genuinely attempted to wound them for as much as a puff of smoke. And Jet consistently involves bystanders (innocent or not) in his desperate quest to harm and defeat the Fire Nation: the Gaang (and particularly Katara, through explicitly manipulative means) and the villagers in Jet; Zuko, Iroh, and the people in the teashop in City of Walls and Secrets. Additionally, we don’t see more violence from him because he’s not a main character like Zuko is—though it’s implied that Jet beats up villagers who are supposedly in cahoots with the Fire Nation often, only agreeing to turn over a new leaf when he, Smellerbee, and Longshot decide to move to Ba Sing Se.

Zuko explicitly and frequently doesn’t harm people: that, or it isn’t important to the plot. He doesn’t burn down the village on Kyoshi, he literally only manages to lightly singe it. He threatens people with violence frequently but never actually goes in for the kill. I’d argue that the most explicitly violent thing he does in Book 1 is breaking Aang out of the Pouhai Stronghold—for his own ends obviously, but if it’s spelled like treason and sounds like treason, it’s probably treason. When he thinks of robbing the pregnant couple while he’s on the run, he stops himself of his own volition; when he considers using Appa to catch Aang (this was a point made against Zuko in the post), he’s unaware of what Appa’s been through prior to that point and sees him as no more than an animal used for travel, much like the ostrich horse he stole earlier in the season.

Zuko’s schtick throughout Book 1 and 2 is that he doesn’t want to think of the consequences of his actions. His plans are never fully complete. He doesn’t think of how he’s going to get a chained, notoriously slippery little eel of an Avatar to the Fire Nation, and he doesn’t think about what would happen to twelve-year-old Aang after they got there—which is horrible of him, but it also shows an odd, ignorant kind of innocence that you’d associate with a kid who’s got a hard time telling right from wrong. Like, I love Zuko dearly, adore him even, but kiddo doesn’t think ahead until the Book 2 finale and even that’s debatable. He’ll eventually start thinking ahead a little bit but for the most part, he doesn’t. Not saying that takes away responsibility, because it absolutely doesn’t, but it is telling of Zuko’s character: he’s an ‘act first, think later’-kind of guy, all ‘fuck around; find out; maybe success’. His sole goal throughout Book 1 and 2 is going home, without even thinking on how to get there beyond like, Avatar in my custody => back in Fire Nation with Avatar => dad loves me again. And he says that his only intention is to go home too, in Ep 2 of Book 1:

Aang: If I go with you, [He holds his staff in front of him as an offer, making sure Zuko understands that he does not wish to continue fighting.] will you promise to leave everyone alone? [The camera cuts to a side-view of the area, Zuko's men still surrounding him, spears poised. After a brief moment of hesitation, Zuko erects himself and nods in agreement. Aang is apprehended by Zuko's men, who take his staff . . . ] Zuko: [Boarding the ship up the walkway. Determined.] Head a course for the Fire Nation. I'm going home.

(Added emphasis for my point)

Zuko is not the Big Bad. He’s not The Largest Threat. He never is. In Book 1 it’s Zhao, in Book 2 it’s Azula, and in Book 3 it’s Ozai. Zuko is a consistent threat, yes, but not a particularly large one no matter how good of a fighter he is. Because he’s presented to us as a disastrously hurt and traumatised little brat who we, the audience, are supposed to feel sorry for, and slowly grow fond of. Because we learn in The Storm that the notion of “caring for others is weak” has literally been branded into him. Because he keeps getting back up to fight, but consistently holds back. We are shown that he knows, on some level, that what he’s doing is wrong: the text suggests that Zuko is actively suppressing his morals. And by the time Zuko hires an assassin to ensure the Avatar is dead, we know that Zuko is incredibly unhappy with his choice(s) and is desperate to be safe; that he’s uncomfortable but wants to be comfortable; that he’s incorrect about the source of his fear while he’s back in the palace. The audience is shown this explicitly.

By contrast, we’re shown that Jet is fully aware that those villagers will die. He’s fully aware that, if he manages to prove the two refugees are firebenders, they’ll be arrested and probably mutilated (if the hand-crushing is any indication). I love Jet and his character, but he’s supposed to be the example of poisoning yourself with your hatred, anger, and hurt. He’s revenge that goes too far, because he doesn’t allow himself closure. He knows the consequences and isn’t shown to care for them, as long as his goal is furthered.

And there is the small, but significant, difference between the two characters: Zuko initially just wants to capture the Avatar, is purposefully remaining unaware of what will happen when he does so, and is clearly shown to change, while Jet just wants to punish firebenders and is very aware of what will be necessary for him to do so, with a handful of lines of how he ‘stopped being like that’. And honestly, Jet is far more mature than Zuko is for quite some time, regarding the violence of war—basically as mature as Zuko eventually becomes at the tail-end of his redemption arc. But Zuko’s maturity is at that point healthier, because he doesn’t want to genuinely do harm.

In regards to their separate relationships with Katara, there’s these fantastic points that @sokkastyles made in reply to the post:

The fact that Zuko actually did change and Katara actually forgave him makes ALL the difference. [ . . . ] The thing about Jet is how manipulative he was with Katara. He not only almost made her kill innocents, but he lied to her about the man he attacked having a knife when he was called out, so that Katara would see her as righteous. Someone who is willing to lie in order to make themselves seem good and someone who says they are going to change but then does the same things doesn’t have a good track record, and that’s a more troubling relationship dynamic than someone who acts as an upfront enemy but then sincerely changes.

And:

I do think it makes sense to focus on manipulation being worse than being a cartoon villain when we're talking about personal relationships. I think many people can relate to having someone like Jet in their lives who seems nice but who lies and manipulates to justify their own bad behavior despite repeatedly claiming that they will change. Not that many people will experience being tied to a tree by someone who wants you to tell them where the Avatar is, and it is completely reasonable for people to be more forgivable of things Zuko did as a villain than things Jet did to Katara when he claimed to be a friend.

I actually don’t have anything to add to this, lol. It’s succinct and well-worded.

Lastly, in addition the relatability and the relationships being different (the manipulative, emotionally hurt, and self-proclaimed anti-hero versus the initially childish, explicitly confused and desperate cartoon villain, plus the girl they hurt horribly), there’s also the problem of Jet not being a main character. Jet is a relatively well-written side character, whilst Zuko is very quickly established as a main-ish character with his own POV (as the writers decided during the conceptualisation that he’d be joining Team Avatar eventually). Zuko’s troubling, self-destructive nature that has been forced upon him and his Tragic Childhood is shown in high definition. The audience is supposed to eventually be okay with Zuko and hopefully like him, slowly adding puzzle pieces to complete the picture of a horrific earlier youth and treatment by nearly everybody he knows except Iroh. Something like this isn’t necessary with Jet, not just because he was already incredibly likeable and understandable from his introduction and onwards, but also because he’s neither a villain nor a main character.

There’s multiple reasons as to why Zuko is often seen as the ‘better’ option, just like there are multiple reasons why Jet and Zuko are compared so frequently—they’re both traumatised teenage boys who ‘rebel’ to get some semblance of control back, but we see Zuko change into a kid anyone would be a little bit proud and fond of and that doesn’t happen with Jet. Double standard or not, Zuko and Jet are different characters who the writers also treated very differently, on purpose. It makes sense to me that the audience would think Zutara is the ‘less bad’ or far better option. We know far more about Zuko than we know about Jet; and Jet’s redemption arc, if we can even call it that, halts permanently when Zuko’s is reaching the height it for him to go into a freefall, ultimately culminating in a genuine redemption. We, the audience, know this. So does Katara.

#atla meta #zutara meta #not tagging this j*t*ra bc its a bit negative and i do not want to infringe on anyone's tag lmao #but i will tag it #jetara critical #just to be safe #jet atla #prince zuko #katara #zutara #the thing about both these ships is that katara can be put down as making an active choice in the narrative #though it wants to punish her for it #she is Wrong. he is Bad Guy. here's Better Guy go have babies #regardless. i feel like post-redemption zuko would be easier for her to choose--because she saw the proof of his change

158 notes · View notes

omgwhatchloe · 5 months

Text

when i see other peoples rdr2 modern aus like working at mcdonald’s and thanksgiving and trick or treating and old fishing photographs…i realise my modern au vision of getaway drivers, night clubs, helicopters, bank robberys, explosions, heists, secret hideouts, flashy cars, prison breakouts, alcohol shots and other stuff must’ve gone really wrong somewhere…

#red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 #modern au #arthur morgan #maybe i just like helicopters #and jets #and maybe i just like gta #if im hating on anyone its myself #and my own au #red dead fandom #john marston #dutch van der linde #ig theyre not in a gang in modern times #maybe i just like making my fake scenrios to midnight city #red dead redemption two #thoughts #au #fandom

177 notes · View notes

innocentimouto · 8 months

Note

Do you think the show/franchise should acknowledge that Jet Is one of Iroh’s victims?

Do you mean because the Rough Rhinos were under Iroh's command (or at least their leader was)?

At first I thought no, just because the show moved on from Iroh's flaws and never gave us anything in terms of his victims. I don't see them doing it, let alone doing it right. Also Jet would get even more hate.

But say they could do it right. Then yes, it would be incredible. Even if Jet still died, so long as it was made clear to characters like the Gaang or Zuko and Iroh that he was one of Iroh's victims, I would be happy.

Whatever opinions there are about Jet's actions in war, he did something. He was resourceful and strong; he could have fled somewhere else or survived on his own (however long that would last considering the war). But he chose to help others.

Iroh never did that. I don't think Iroh helped Zuko either, but say he did. One, that's not great when Zuko was invading Sokka and Katara's home or when capturing the avatar. Two, Iroh still never helped anyone in the war against the Fire Nation until the very end.

It makes sense for a character like Jet to be the one to hate Iroh and make it clear that just because the man is elderly and kind doesn't mean he didn't do horrible things in war and then became content with doing nothing to fix it.

It even fits within the storyline. They met on the way to BSS. Zuko's arc needs to go somewhere. Iroh's arc has been stagnant for a while. Jet's trauma hasn't been properly conveyed. Having Jet bring up what Iroh has done, in detail, possibly with victims from Iroh's siege against BSS, would be a great way to force Iroh to be confronted with his actions and forced to give his thoughts on it.

Does he care? Does he care beyond feeling remorse? Has he ever thought about helping people against the Fire Nation?

It also helps Zuko's arc. He's still on the Fire Nation's side, but he's seen the other nations are just regular people. Would having Iroh state whatever his views are on this affect Zuko? If Iroh just brushed it all away with a small shake of the head and some words about letting anger go, would that make Zuko uncomfortable? Because now he has faces to possible victims. And Jet is great with words and can definitely hurt people with them, so I doubt he would stay quiet at whatever Iroh would say.

Or would Zuko simply not care and side with Iroh because he's always known what Iroh had done? Zuko burned a village down himself. Only thing he's done lately is complain about poverty.

It could go either way for them, but I think things would be clear with the Gaang. If confronted with Jet's words, and neither Zuko nor Iroh care or offer much in return, I don't think the Gaang would be that receptive to accepting Zuko later.

The Gaang has never heard Zuko say the Fire Nation propaganda he was fed all his life. I doubt they would forget it if he somehow justified the Air Nomads being massacred. I doubt Sokka, Aang, or Katara would be okay if he justified waterbenders being killed.

Calling someone a peasant or trying to kill them is one thing, but hearing someone explain to you why your people were wiped out and that it was right is not something most people will forget.

(Also we can get development with Toph and her thoughts on the war. And Suki wouldn't get her words about her village being destroyed turned into a joke. Also Haru, because fellow earth kingdom kid who most likely heard terrifying tales of the Dragon of the West.)

And seeing their reactions---horror, grief, rage, pain---no matter how behind Zuko could be on his arc, that would stay with him. He's a teenager. He's hotheaded and selfish and entitled. But he's not a monster. He feels emotions. And while I disagree strongly that he had a good redemption arc, by BSS, he at least had some doubts about some things.

It's an established way to bring Iroh's character back to morally flawed, which is good. Too many things are canon for Iroh to be anything better than that. He learned firebending from the dragons, but still continued killing innocent people? He stood by while Zuko got burned? He let Ozai take the throne without ever challenging him despite being the rightful heir and supposedly realizing the war was wrong?

Iroh had the best chance to at least slow the Fire Nation before Aang appeared. The thing about Iroh is that he's always been content to sit back and not do anything. He wanted Zuko to make tea with him within the walls while the war was coming to a close and we're expected to believe he cares about the wellbeing of other nations? About the war itself? Iroh was one of the strongest firebenders in the world. He had a responsibility to at least atone for the deaths he caused, if not outright confront Ozai.

If you meant that Jet got brainwashed because of Iroh and then eventually killed?

I don't really blame Iroh for Jet's death. I strongly side-eye Iroh for acting completely innocent about what Jet was rightfully saying despite Iroh supposedly regretful for his actions in the war and yet not caring at all that he got an innocent kid arrested by police that everyone knew were capable of making people disappear.

57 notes · View notes

karlyuchka · 2 months

Text

Twitter is calling Jet from ATLA Hitler, I fucking can't. Calling fictional characters actual terrible historical figures is already fucked up. But Jet is Hitler and not Ozai or goddamn Sozin? Sozin, who actually ordered an actual genocide? Crazy stuff.

All of the quotes are crazy actually. That's just the most crazy one. Literally one of the most misunderstood and misrepresented characters in ATLA.

#atla #jet #jet atla #twitter #also them somehow linking Palestine to Jet discussion is fucking crazy #my main opinion on Jet is that there was absolutely no reason to kill him #literally what was the reason #“everyone I don't like is Hitler” type of shit bruh #everyone in the quotes simply remember only first episode with him #bro had a redemption arc for god's sake #okay it wasn't really a redemption arc #but close enough #they just don't remember it #ignore this post plz #I just got really angry #rant

5 notes · View notes

p0is0njam · 1 year

Text

so i just unfollowed so many inactive blogs and my feed is dead. if u post any of the following interact with this post and i’ll check out ur blog!

cyberpunk edgerunners yakuza cyberpunk 2077 letterkenny chainsaw man silent hill watch dogs 2 portal mr robot umbrella academy jet set radio doki doki literature club cosplay persona 5 spy x family red dead redemption our flag means death monster factory

57 notes · View notes

sokkastyles · 1 year

Text

You know, what I find funny about the argument that we can't criticize Azula for being horrible if we don't equally criticize Zuko, even though one stopped being a violent fascist and the other didn't, is that this argument also seems to run current with the insistence that Azula deserves redemption because Zuko was redeemed.

But this argument inherently contradicts itself, because if Zuko's redemption doesn't matter, if we should treat theoretical redemption as the same as the real thing, if Zuko should still be condemned despite his redemption, why would Azula's theoretical redemption make her exempt from criticism? If Zuko is still just as bad as Azula after being redeemed, then why would Azula being redeemed even matter?

These people just talk in word circles and think they're actually saying something, but they're telling on themselves. They don't want Azula to be redeemed, they want her to never have to face consequences.

#zuko #azula #this also goes for the discourse around iroh and jet and any other character people like to talk about is or is not 'deserving' redemption

40 notes · View notes

nerice · 6 months

Text

recovery day 46: i don't think i am in active (inflammation) pain. it's hard to tell bc exercises will cause muscle pain (as they do) and ive started to also work out the rest of my upper body bc there are limits to wrist buffness + all my physio guys keep telling me i have perfect range of motion etc it probably rly rly is just a matter of waiting for the body recovery process to catch up..... obv not gonna stop doing the stretches n massages. also should take more time to do progressive muscle relaxation etc just to be safe. i don't think i should've jumped into typing quite that quickly again im just not rdy yet (or keep it to smaller increments of like 10-30mins a day). pining for japan mostly just bc i will be too busy to be on my phone or laptop all the time. it has to fix me it will be my holy grail

#elia txts #wrist redemption saga #also ive been sleeping on the couch bc our mattress is busted which still isn't great #sooo excited for quality sleep in japan. jet lag will fix me i know

3 notes · View notes

p2ii · 10 months

Text

Genuinely think this is going to end up being my joker moment.

#sorry i genuinely think a piece of plastic is a better magical boy than tumblrs favourite wet cat blorbo 😔#not sorry for being right #and to preface: i dont hate him. he was my /favourite/ character when i watched atla (besides jet. aang and katara)#i DO think hes a really well written and interesting character. and his redemption arc was very well done for the story he was in #but GOD if im not sick of him winning evey poll just because he's zuko from atla. (god if im not sick of atla immediately winning polls in #general)#and yes this is hypocritical of me to say being a homestuck. but atleast we have a large group of users annoyed with us enough to NOT want #us to win too. (signless loosing christ figure poll my beloathed)#im gonna make a propaganda post i can feel it in my skin. just have to charge up first #also this isnt to like... shame people who voted for zuko. you do you lol #ALSO SORRY FOR POSTING SO MUCH ABOUT THIS THE HEAT IS GETTING TO ME #psii.txt

4 notes · View notes

mazojo · 2 years

Text

No cap if they actually break up EJ and Gina I will be so devastated

#the one of my few ships ever that is canon and they make them go through whatever this season is. wild.#it’s the camp effect. i fucking hate camps.#i know like 90% of y’all are rina shippers but rip I can’t get over last season ricky being a dick to her 🤷‍♀️ y’all might be forgiving soul #but I ain’t. the whole joking around when he knew how she fell thing still haunts me #(this is no attack to y’all btw I ain’t gonna engage in discourse y’all ship what you like don’t mind me a random on the internet sksksk)#bUT EJ AND GINA ARE THE MOMENT THE LEGEND THE BEST ANTAGONIST TURN HEROES REDEMPTION LOVE STORY WHY ARE THEY DOING THIS TO ME #I would be very surprised if they didn’t break them off in the end such bullshit #i think we should give Ricky a boyfriend. and by a boyfriend I mean Jet. maybe they should date.#still on ep 4. will be back when I hear what do you know about love even if it’s not my ship idc I’ve waited too much for this moment #hsmtmts #anti rina #just in case #ej #Gina

36 notes · View notes

the-magnificent-otaku-draws · 4 months

Text

Jetko but Jet is part of the gaang

26 notes · View notes

ilovefredjones · 2 years

Text

the only thing that can save me now is your love

natalie diaz, a brother named gethsemane / tim fedelre, high school musical: the musical: the series / alan watts, what is it like to die / frozen: the broadway musical / x

[ID: black text on a white background. it reads ‘There is no garden. This is my brother and I need a shovel to love him.’

maddox from high school musical: the musical: the series. she is distressed, looking at jet who is off camera. the subtitles read ‘because i’m pretty sure the sibling who is being punished is me.’

black text on a white background. it reads ‘What is childhood like? It's a little like dying, a little like being born. Which is to say, it's nothing you can remember, but you know there was blood.’

jet is talking to ricky, looking slightly uncomfortable. the subtitles read ‘I’ve been a bad guy to her for a long time and it’s eating me up.’

lyrics from the frozen broadway soundtrack. they say ‘Was I a monster from the start? / How did I end up with this frozen heart?’

maddox talking to ricky. in the first frame, she is looking forward, frowning. the subtitles read ‘But we’ve had good days before and...’ . in the second frame, she faces ricky, eyes wide. the subtitles read ‘I just don’t wanna let my guard down and get hurt again, you know?’

lyrics from the frozen broadway soundtrack. they say ‘I can’t be what you expect of me / And I’m not what I seem / But I would love to know you / Is it dangerous to dream?’

maddox clutches a microphone, looking at jet with a soft expression. the subtitles read ‘and I think maybe we’re ready to be happy again.’

black text on a white background. it reads ‘Growing up with a sibling is like being the only people on a stranded boat, constantly figuring out how you can live with them and questioning how you could ever live without them. The only people on a stranded boat. How do you live with them? How could you ever live without them?’. END ID.]

#hsmtmts #maddox hsmtmts #jet hsmtmts #LOOK AT THEM LOOK AT THEM!!!!!!!!#DO YOU NOT THINK ABOUT THEIR DYNAMIC AND WANT TO GO CRAZY #maddox thinks jet existing in the same space as her is her being punished. he intrudes on the only safe and happy place she has #she doesn’t want to get her hopes up. she’s scared of gaining him only to lose him. she doesn’t want him back. she hates him #but she’s her BROTHER. she loves him more than anything and that’s why it hurts so much #and jet hates himself. he never meant to hurt maddox - he didn’t realise he meant so much to her to cause her this much pain #‘no idea you would feel abandoned / you know i would never do that to you’#he hurt his sister and part of him doesn’t want her back. it’s easier to accept he is a bad person beyond redemption. but by god does he+#try to make it up to her. he tries so hard but maddox is hurt and defensive and he recognises that. respects her boundaries.#but maddox wants to be happy again. she wants them both to be happy again.#she asks him can we try again? can we see if we can bridge this gap? i don’t want to lose you forever. i can’t live with you but i can’t+#live without you either.#i absolutely adore their arc this season #and how it mirrors elsa & anna’s #the caption is another frozen ii song that anna sings to elsa :)#they are both lost at sea. they can only save each other

28 notes · View notes

ssreeder · 1 year

Note

Since there is so much different in LIAB, is there a chance for Azula redemption? Certainly she and Zuko will meet again, have a good conversation? Ooooo maybe some Jetzula? :P

Yesssss,,, everything is very different in LIAB! As for Azula redemption, I try to keep everything as close to canon as I can so I guess do you think there will be an Azula redemption?

With everything that has happened so you think it’s enough for to step foot on a redemption path? Idkkkk it’s a tough call…. Hmmmm

As for Jetzula - I’m pretty sure she would light him on fire for fun. So I wouldn’t get my hopes up lol

#I just can’t see azula being interested in Jet #there is a large age gap for her being so young #& also Jet is a ‘raggedy earth kingdom boy with grass in his mouth’ haha #he is prefect lighting on fire material #I guess when it comes ti a redemption I adore adore adoreeee azula #but she is STRONG #she is LOYAL #she is SMART #& she isn’t going to just bail on her position if Crowned Princess for just anythjng #do we think Zuko being alive would do that? idkkkkkk #or that he was in prison and tortured?#idkkkk……. she would probably roll her eyes and think idiot #she isn’t going to know HOW severe it was #unless she finds him first ;)#oh the possibilities #sorry for rambling #liab #ITF #sixseisliu

8 notes · View notes

innocentimouto · 1 year

Note

Was Jet a racist?

I immediately thought of someone hating the monarchy. The Fire Nation isn't a minority, and Jet is not a huge danger to them. People try to give Jet more power than he has, so he can seem worse and more dangerous to others.

Which is eerily similar to how minorities actually face harm in the real world.

This is how I see it.

Jet antis: Jet is a terrorist, and racist, he didn't care about his own people, he'll never change. But Zuko is such a perfect boi

Me: Zuko did more though.

Jet antis: Zuko changed and apologized. If he hadn't, I'd hate him too.

Me: I know that's a lie. People go 'poor zuko, he just wants to be loved' in the earliest episodes.

Jet antis: Zuko always had a good heart!

Me: And Jet didn't when he offered protection and a home to other orphans who had nowhere to go?

Jet antis: Jet did horrible things!

Me: Arguably only 1. Zuko did way more.

Jet antis: Zuko made a mistake and changed.

Me: Are you including the terrorizing women and children, burning down a village, trying to give the avatar to the firelord to never be killed, Ba Sing Se? A mistake?

Jet antis: Zuko had a redemption arc. He literally changed.

Me: You say that, but you're so appalled by 1 thing Jet did and are so confident that he can't change over that 1 thing.

Jet antis: Jet was racist. He hated ALL Fire Nation people.

Me: Zuko was racist to the three other nations? That's what all the Fire Nation people are taught... Zuko saw all air temples, corpses most likely, and still wanted to capture Aang? None of that made him think the fn was wrong...

Jet antis: You clearly don't understand how redemption arcs work.

Me: It's not even about Zuko's redemption arc. It's about your inability to think outside of the narrative. You have Zuko and he wants to be loved and he's abused and his uncle just wants to help him. And because you got nothing for Jet, he doesn't get an ounce of compassion from you.

Me: I don't think you're trying to be colorist or an imperialist apologist. But you are. You're refusing to use any sense of imagination or even freaking common sense, about what an orphan would have to go through to survive in a war, simply because the show didn't give it to you. But you throw every trauma reaction you know and then some for Zuko and somehow do not recognize the hypocrisy.

I'm saying all this because I know when people say Jet is racist, they are not thinking about how in wars, both sides ALWAYS hate each other. Especially before easy access to the rest of the world, which atla didn't have.

Also the racist card is only ever applied to Jet and never to Zuko or any other Fire Nation character, despite that being canon. There's great discussions and fanon over how horrible Jet is because of his prejudices and how he can never let it go, and people really dive into real world things with it.

But with Zuko, they just switch to anything is possible and not that it would reasonably take anyone a long time to unlearn that. It's habit, an unconscious thought. I'm not saying Zuko would go around thinking how can I hurt this person in the worst way over their ethnicity. I'm saying Zuko would literally not know what he would be doing wrong.

Everyone around him did it. And that enables people. Especially if it's your father or uncle or adults you're trained to trust. If you were never taught, how would you know?

But people don't associate Zuko and racism. That's Jet's thing. Zuko had a GREAT redemption arc but we're not interested in any discussion of what else he could improve on.

Honestly the way the fandom treats Jet always makes me think of cops/government justifying any harm or lack of basic human rights given to minorities while other groups of people get everything and more. One group faces injustice and people rush to defend why they deserved it/it was unavoidable, and the other group faces injustice and there's public outcry.

Basically fandom tries to do anything to justify the lack of exploration or empathy for Jet in the show because then they have to reconcile with the fact that the Fire Nation should be held accountable and they weren't by the show and that Jet would have a lot of reasons to hate Zuko and Iroh and that maybe Zuko didn't have a redemption arc since everything he did got swept away in a few episodes.

#Jet #atla jet #zuko critical #zuko had a 'great' redemption arc #but we're not interested in discussing anything he could improve on

30 notes · View notes