but he's not a kid anymore. Not really. None of them are. That's what war does to people, it ages them before their time.
No, but he IS still a kid. Shit can happen to you when you're a child, and you may lose some some of your innocence, but that doesn't magically make you any older, it doesn't give you any higher ability to reason out complex ideas, differentiate between fiction and reality, or make mature decisions. Zuko, Sokka... they're 15-16-17, not kids anymore. Katara? Edging very very close at 14-15. 12-13 is still a world away from 16-17, and he *is* a child. He still thinks, behaves, and reasons like a kid.
In DOBS, Zuko himself said that starting an Agni Kai with a thirteen year old boy was "cruel and wrong", and that he was picking a duel with "a child."
And that is EXACTLY what the final battle was: Ozai dueling a thirteen year old child.
And the thing with kids is... where do you draw the line of responsibility? Yes, he accepted responsibility of being Avatar. As best as he could. Yes, he tried, and yes, he succeeded, but none of that makes him an adult. And ultimately, I don't even know if "accepting" responsibility really means to a 13 year old what it means to a 17 year old.
And if he hadn't succeeded, I don't think I would have, seriously and honestly, held it against him. Because he's not a grown up, but he is fighting a grown up fight. It's not a mistake that with the exception of Toph, every single ally is older than him.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
No, but he IS still a kid. Shit can happen to you when you're a child, and you may lose some some of your innocence, but that doesn't magically make you any older, it doesn't give you any higher ability to reason out complex ideas, differentiate between fiction and reality, or make mature decisions. Zuko, Sokka... they're 15-16-17, not kids anymore. Katara? Edging very very close at 14-15. 12-13 is still a world away from 16-17, and he *is* a child. He still thinks, behaves, and reasons like a kid.
In DOBS, Zuko himself said that starting an Agni Kai with a thirteen year old boy was "cruel and wrong", and that he was picking a duel with "a child."
And that is EXACTLY what the final battle was: Ozai dueling a thirteen year old child.
And the thing with kids is... where do you draw the line of responsibility? Yes, he accepted responsibility of being Avatar. As best as he could. Yes, he tried, and yes, he succeeded, but none of that makes him an adult. And ultimately, I don't even know if "accepting" responsibility really means to a 13 year old what it means to a 17 year old.
And if he hadn't succeeded, I don't think I would have, seriously and honestly, held it against him. Because he's not a grown up, but he is fighting a grown up fight. It's not a mistake that with the exception of Toph, every single ally is older than him.