This panel represents so much to me. This precise and edgy baddie here nearly had an escalating one-on-one against THE Fire Nation princess and firebending prodigy Azula. Skilled enough as a non-bender to team up with her to hunt THE Avatar and his Gang and be a real pain in their butt.
But when it comes to these brats she needs a moment to motivate herself 😂 I feel her so much. Sometimes you are very good in a specific field and then you get out of this bubble and try something new. Something totally different. It feels so uncomfortable that you literally question yourself in the most fundamental way. But hey, Mai is ready to leave her comfort zone and try her best for the sake of a better future, knowing the system failed her and all the other girls she spent her childhood with. Fighting isn’t what is expected from her anymore. Instead, she’s asked to guide, teach and support these girls. So how about leaving the blades at home and dedicating yourself to different aspects of life?
Trying to grow into a role you never thought you could fill. Sometimes discovering who you are means trying things that don’t immediately fit your old identity. That can feel awkward or even embarrassing. But it doesn’t mean you’ve become someone else. It means you’re learning that you’re capable of more than you thought you could do or be. I read here and there that it’s OOC, but tbh a post-war young adult will always be very different from their teenager version. Especially when they didn’t even like the situation they were in due to political or cultural norms. Breaking out of a repressed state isn’t OOC. It’s maybe unusual since the character discovers herself, does stuff that doesn’t align with her old self, but that’s okay. She already chose her own convictions over blind loyalty, even when it meant standing against Azula. That alone shows she was always capable of change. Ashes simply explores another side of her character. It would actually feel less believable if she stayed exactly the same forever after the war ended.
Mai is getting more depth and being fleshed out in a way we never knew her before and I love it. 😊
