( ✿ ◕ 3◕)~♪

Because in canon you got this powerful being whose also just a small kid who's really in love with this pretty girl he met once because she is inspirational, brave, and what's there not to love? Sadly she's only interested in bad boys who are older than her but that's alright, kid will learn to be worthy of her! (he's the most powerful being on earth)

You may say he's bald. I'll retort with the fact that he is canonically a bit of a flirt, that he is charming, knows how to talk to people, has a big destiny over his shoulders that he does not want (very important the does not want) and also that he is a bit effeminate apparently.

In mdzs and tgcf, like many modern YA, the other characters are the ones aligning themselves to the morals of the protagonist. In one way or another, the main character is proven right about his decisions, and so the rest of the fictional universe surrounding them ends up following through.

Meanwhile, svsss is about the main character realizing his judgment was wrong, and re-adjusting his morals to fit the universe he's been thrown into better. You could argue that Shen Qingqiu has changed his environment a great deal by simply being himself, but he didn't exactly adjust their morals to follow his instead, he simply changed the course of the narrative to benefit him without having to change the other characters' morals.

Aaah I love this interpretation! Tbh, I first heard of Maiaang through bluemoonscribbler's Samurai!Mai AU here on tumblr, and then went down a rabbit hole to know more and ended up really liking their potential dynamic. I mean, who doesn't like a good golden retriever boyfriend x black cat girlfriend type of dynamic?

But other than this, what I really like about Maiaang is how they could complete each other, Aang is always fun and full of surprises, so I'm sure that for someone like Mai who hates to be bored he would be really entertaining, and for Aang, Mai is someone aloof that can keep him in check without being behind his back at all times. I also definitely see her as the devil on his shoulder, so he would offer a plan, she offers something even more unhinged, and they could have a back and forth... In a way, you could say I see them as this sort of Jinshi x Maomao type of dynamic haha.

One thing I really like to do with atla too is think about every new ship as some sort of new experience for the character after their past relationships (since the avatarverse is not shy to show that characters change partners over time). For Mai, Aang could remind her of how Zuko used to be younger: someone full of hope and with a strong sense of justice. As for Aang, Mai is someone completely different from what he is used to deal with, she is not really sweet and head-strong, but she has this gap between her bored and soft side I can definitely see him dig.