Friendly reminder to be kind in your comments! This video was not an attempt to force you to adopt this head canon. It's an attempt to discuss autism, to explain why some autistic people see autism in Avatar, and to celebrate autistic representation. You are free to have a different head canon, but if I detect any antagonism or condescension in your comment, it will be deleted in order to keep this a safe space for autistic people who do relate to the character. The vast majority of you have been absolutely wonderful, but as expected, there have been some comments I've had to moderate to keep this space as low drama as possible. EDIT: For all the people watching this now wondering if you might be autistic, welcome! But don't let this video be your only stop! I recommend continuing your journey of self discovery by listening to autistic KZitemrs, TikTokkers, etc talk about their day to day experiences. If they've been formally diagnosed, listen to what symptoms helped lead to a diagnosis and see if their stories resonate with you. You can also check out self-assessment tests to see if you're barking up the right tree or not.
@Ave_Satana666
6 ай бұрын
Peg me
@ravengonzalez7050
6 ай бұрын
I would love to see a breakdown like this concerning Sokka's adhd coding!
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
That could be fun! Maybe that's what I'll have to keep an eye out for next time I watch ATLA.
@AngelTortured
6 ай бұрын
Agreed, the VA of Sokka is also very open about ADHD and has been really cool on the topic of the coding for Sokka
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
@@AngelTortured I didn't realize he talked about it! That's great!
@bluebell560
6 ай бұрын
@@raelynteaguewrites The actor playing Sokka in the Netflix live action has also mentioned having ADHD!
@TheOtherBoobJustDropped
5 ай бұрын
That’s funny that y’all see Sokka as ADHD-coded, I always thought of Aang as ADHD-coded! Always waiting til the last minute, getting really deeply invested in stuff he finds interesting (like all the places he wants to travel or how he was an air bending master at age 12), being hyper and silly and talkative, being hypersensitive to certain things and quick to blow up, etc.
@alejrandom6592
6 ай бұрын
I think Zuko's most autistic moment was when a child told him his "fake scar" was on the wrong side. Like, even though people thinking that, would help him keep his cover, he still got mad. I've been like this myself and I find that scene hilarious
@albasmaranch5620
6 ай бұрын
I'm autistic and have bpd, and I loooove Zuko's character. I relate a lot to him, and honestly his arc is just peak fiction. Also, pretty sure ATLA is one of my special interests. Thanks for the video ^^
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
Oh, ATLA is definitely one of my special interests, so I get it. 😂 Thanks for stopping by!
@sylve2474
6 ай бұрын
Not my most often quoted line of scripted speech being zuko's "that's rough buddy" but often with an "oof" added in front for ✨️spice✨️
@alejrandom6592
6 ай бұрын
3:50 quick note on zuko's sleep, when he sleeps around azula, he sleeps left side down to be more alert. When he joins the gaang and is confortable around them, he sleeps right side down because he feels safe
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
That's a nice detail!
@thatoneinternetgirl7965
6 ай бұрын
Personally, I think Azula is also autistic. We don’t see her as much so it’s not as obvious. She mirrors her father a lot, struggles with cognitive empathy (viewing others as pawns), sticks very firmly to rules and social hierarchy and will force those who step out of it to bow to what she think social hierarchy demands (ie forcing Ty Lee to join her cause she’s the princess and she must be obeyed), she doesn’t really have friends in the traditional sense, more followers and doesn’t seem to think Ty Lee or Mei would stick around if they weren’t on some level forced too, her psychotic break happens when her routine/idea of rules breaks down (Mei and Ty Lee break the rules and show their fear doesn’t stop them from acting against her, a major break from how her world has always worked then her father stops pretending to care about her as more then a pawn or placeholder for his own power and restructures the fire nation hierarchy) and she attempts to stabilize herself by enforcing the rules (ie enforcing her authority over everyone around her)
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
Those are some great observations! I don't want to keep speculating too much about people I don't know and who haven't asked for it, but IF the writers were unknowingly drawing on personal experience with autism, it'd make sense for those traits to show up in other characters too.
@rowandunning6877
6 ай бұрын
is ozai tho? cause it's genetic
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
@@rowandunning6877 I think it's a lot harder to say with him either way, since we see so much less of him in the show. I have seen some people suggest Iroh has an autistic trait or two, so maybe you could make a case for it being on that side of the family? Maybe? Certainly for a head canon!
@nord1756
6 ай бұрын
Azula also could be a sozionpath. I wouldnt directly assume that.
@bbymrn
6 ай бұрын
azula is giving more narcissist than autistic to me
@BecauseICantEdit
6 ай бұрын
I know you're not blaming the writers for the neurotypical-fiying oZuko and Sokka, but I think that it does reflect on the traits being associated with the 'childish' and 'cartoonish' nature of the original and erased in this version due to its desire to be more adult and gritty.
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
I think you're exactly right. ADHD especially often gets treated like a joke, to the point I'm not sure most media knows how to treat it any other way, so if they're toning down the silly cartoonish humour or anything else they view as childish, the autism and ADHD coding goes out the window. It's unfortunate.
@tierefuerimmer9635
6 ай бұрын
@raelynteaguewrites I think Korra shows some ADHD traits and Bolin shows some traits of Asperger's/Autism
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
@@tierefuerimmer9635 It's been longer since I've watched LoK than ATLA, so I don't remember as well, but you could be right! I'll have to watch it again sometime and pay attention.
@wile123456
6 ай бұрын
The special interest point is interesting. It's why the one of the few good changes the netflix avatar show makes is the notebook and avatar figurine collection for Zuko lol
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
The notebook is a decent addition, though I made a comment over on someone else's video that I wished they'd utilized Zuko's notebook a bit better. Aang tells us how Zuko's notebook has been really helpful, but we don't really get shown that much. I thought it could have been neat if, just how each episode of the animated show began with Katara's "Long ago, the four nations lived in harmony..." speech, the Netflix show had instead begun each episode with an entry from Zuko's notebook that gave us relevant exposition, little by little, so that our characters didn't have to have such expositiony dialogue all the time. Each episode could have started with a different entry from the book, and each entry could have set up the central theme for each episode. That way, we'd get to see for ourselves how useful Zuko's book had been, and Aang could feel like he was starting to understand Zuko a bit from reading his book. Anyway. I could talk about this idea of mine forever, but yes to the notebook! I liked it. Wished we'd gotten a bit more of it in the show.
@efwea7743
6 ай бұрын
@@raelynteaguewrites The issue of them telling and not showing, at it again. that is such a good idea, too bad the writers were scared of anything being remotely "childish," so clearly exposition from a book is so much worse than exposition just stated by a 12 year old.
@EnigmaticGentleman
6 ай бұрын
Something I've noticed over the years is almost all the Avatar like cartoons have at least 1 or 2 kinda neurodivergent coded characters. Heck some of the more recent ones have even been confirming it, and basically all the confirmed characters have been positive rep IMO. Really shows the power that one piece of media can have even in seemingly minor details.
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
I've sometimes wondered whether I would ever want the creators to canonize Zuko's autism, if they were aware he could be interpreted that way... Part of me would love it, but part of me would be worried that the moment they start intentionally making him autistic would be when Zuko would stop being good representation and would start getting stereotyped. But they've obviously taken a lot of care in how they've represented other conditions and identities. So maybe it'd be fine?
@duskendawne2239
6 ай бұрын
I've always related to Zuko a lot but I found it weird since I don't have any major trauma or bad parents or anything, but now that you showed how Autistic he is I finally see why :) I unknowingly related to Zuko's autistic even before I knew I was autistic
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
Before I knew I was autistic, when me and my friends would decide which character we were most like, I used to tell them I was Zuko on the inside and Toph on the outside. I had no idea at the time that I was describing masking.
@blackpandacat2222
6 ай бұрын
Actually, my favourite was always Toph and then Zuko, as the show progressed. Zuko was the most relatable for me and surprise... I've got my late diagnosis now.😂 I accidentally stumbled over this video and couldn't grasp what it was about Zuko that felt so familiar about him. Granted he's more prone to anger than me, especially in the first third of the show, but ... coming to the point 😅... This head canon is great! Thank you for sharing!
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
Thank you! ♥️ And Zuko and Toph are my two favourites too.
@rhianwriting9411
6 ай бұрын
I absolutely knew who you were going to talk about before you mentioned the name, and I cannot express how satisfying that is.
@pablonatera770
6 ай бұрын
I love this kind of videos that make you want to watch the whole show again only to notice all of these things that went undetected before
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
Thank you! I am always happy to offer more excuses to watch ATLA. Ha ha.
@madrone33
6 ай бұрын
Wow this was really interesting! And it actually puts into words a bit better just why the live action Zuko felt so different from the original. Like you said, I also liked Dallas’ Zuko, but my first reaction to watching it was “Wow, Zuko is so much more emotionally aware in this” lmao. OG Zuko will always be my fav! Thanks for making this video! I’m sure it took a lot of time and effort 💛
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
It did, but my hyper focus makes it so hard to stop myself. 😂😭 Thanks!
@Lau-x4t
6 ай бұрын
Was not expecting Zuko lol- I actually thought Aang because he was in the intro but it makes sense! When you showed the test image with the H and blue I literally shouted HS ANS BLUERED haha Good job with the video
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
Thank you! It's funny, because I thought it might be very obvious to people I was going to discuss Zuko since he's the one so gracefully faceplanting in my thumbnail. But I guess it is Aang front and centre. Lol
@soakupthenoise
5 ай бұрын
I didn't see the thumbnail but I tried to guess who the character was during the intro and I was right, although Toph also crossed my mind.
@Neku628
6 ай бұрын
I've been accused of lying because I take things very seriously, to the point where I unintentionally over exaggerate. That's why people think I'm always lying.
@sayjinpat4life
6 ай бұрын
Going through the samething with my gf
@Bandikit
5 ай бұрын
Though no one has accused me of lying, I have an irrational fear that people always think I'm lying an no one would believe me. this leads to me over explaining myself, and then my mind thinks it sounds like a lie, and wham, the cycle continues
@ThePrincessCH
6 ай бұрын
Disney's animated version of "Mulan" has some these traits, I'm fairly certain most of the Renaissance princesses are autistic coded.
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
You know what? That's a fair point! I remember that post I read about L Lawliet coming to a similar conclusion I did about Zuko-that they'd likely never meant for L to be autistic. But the writer of that post did find it interesting how often writers draw on autistic traits and "quirks" to make their characters fun and interesting. I hadn't even thought of Disney princesses being autistic coded, but the moment I read your comment I thought of some of Rapunzel's social traits.
@ThePrincessCH
6 ай бұрын
@@raelynteaguewrites Rapunzel might be a bit questionable, given that she grew up in isolation.
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
@@ThePrincessCH Oh, agreed, which is what they were certainly going for, but she does share in a lot of thr same Disney Princess traits. Just where my mind went.
@aimfulRenegade
6 ай бұрын
I 100% headcanon Belle as autistic.
@Drekromancer
6 ай бұрын
@@aimfulRenegade Idk whether I'd call her ADHD or autistic, but she's always felt neurodivergent to me. Same with her dad, the inventor! I'll have to look back and check.
@Youdontgetmynamehaha-ho7jr
6 ай бұрын
I wrote a whole essay one time connecting me trying to unmask my autistic traits to Zuko and his character arc before I even had a clue about this head cannon. I had no idea why his character resonated so much with me *watching the video* OHHHH THAT PUTS SO MUCH INTO PERSPECTIVE I knew before I even heard of this
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
I mentioned in another comment that before I got diagnosed, I was sitting with some friends as we all said what Avatar character we were most like, and I said I was Zuko on the inside and Toph on the outside, not realizing I was describing masking.
@tbeedi
6 ай бұрын
hey this video is really awesome !! its great to see smaller creators with such competent and well fleshed out video essays, you really did an amazing job laying all of this out, and as an autistic person as well this is really nice to see! 10/10 you've gained a subscriber !
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
🥰 Thank you so much!
@Justatinybitunstable_p
6 ай бұрын
I am 9 minutes in, and all I can say is that I love this video. You did such a good job!
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
♥️♥️ Thank you! It was so much work. 😭 I'm glad it payed off. Haha.
@regrettablemuffin9186
6 ай бұрын
Do allistic people not practise important conversations first?? Edit: I’ve know I am autistic pretty much my whole life but this video had so many “surprise, this thing you thought everyone did is actually an autism symptom” moment and my head is reeling
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
Allistic people can have pretty much any of these traits too, but they're not likely to have aalllll of these traits. I remember phone calls were really bad for me. I mean, I still hate them, but I remember dreading when I'd get sick and miss school, because I'd have to call my teachers to ask about homework. People talk about practicing conversations, but even for something as simple as asking a teacher what the homework was...I would literally take a piece of paper and write out a whole flow chart where I tried to predict every possible response my teacher could give me and how I should respond to them. I /know/ my allistic pals weren't going that far. 😂
@Hølløwguy-f7q
6 ай бұрын
Me too. I absolutely dread phone calls. To the point where my family complains that i never call them till this day.😅 @@raelynteaguewrites
@Drekromancer
6 ай бұрын
@@raelynteaguewritesDamn. I'd never even heard of it going that far. Thanks for sharing!
@TheOtherBoobJustDropped
5 ай бұрын
As a non-autistic person, I often think about how I feel, and those feelings or thoughts might come out in a later important convo, but I rarely practice conversations, even difficult ones, beforehand
@CheeseNacho_
6 ай бұрын
Raelyn: let's discuss the autistic traits of Zuko me, already connecting the dots: HOLY SHIT
@scrappedmetal
6 ай бұрын
getting back into atla recently (esp with the fandom, ive never really touched it before bc i wasn't online at all when i was into the show as a kid and thus its very heavily associated with no fandom childhood stuff in my mind) and learning that a lot of people hc zuko as autistic has been such a mind blowing experience. like, not only have i never considered it, but like also despite how foundational the series is for me i don't feel like i really had the chance to think about it? just didnt have that framework as a kid. anyways. awesome video. autismmm
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
Yeah, I wasn't diagnosed when at least the first seasons of ATLA aired, so I just defaulted to viewing everyone as neurotypical. Never considered it. Then, when I was diagnosed, Zuko being neurotypical had already been "set" in my mind, and I never reconsidered until I saw that Tumblr. Then I was just like...hoooow did I miss this?
@wile123456
6 ай бұрын
Zuka does steal that bird you ride on from the earth nation family who provides him shelter, that's where he is not honourable
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
That is true! Ultimately I think he has a lot of moments he's not honourable, much as he's trying to to be.
@edgbarra
6 ай бұрын
But you can tell that he's not comfortable doing it. He tells himself that it's ok but I think he knows it's not and it upsets him
@AGBULLIT
6 ай бұрын
I like this head cannon. I have two nephews that have autism. I feel like I was undiagnosed as a child. I am introverted. I had behavioral issues, dyslexia, reading and stuttering issues.
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
There are so many autistic adults who missed getting diagnosed and had their struggles misinterpreted, dismissed, or blamed on something else. It's tough.
@Laqqy
6 ай бұрын
I have never related to a character until I saw Zuko through these lens 😳
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
He's such a great character. ATLA is the kind of show where you always seem to find something new the deeper you dig into it. I'm glad you have a character to relate to. Hope you also keep finding other characters to relate to.
@Laqqy
6 ай бұрын
I agree entirely! A true test of time to be talked about and analyzed nearly 20 years later. Excited to see more uploads from you in my subbox! @@raelynteaguewrites
@Breakaway-ic5gj
6 ай бұрын
How the hell have you literally never related to a character before
@Laqqy
6 ай бұрын
@@Breakaway-ic5gj because i don’t tend to overs analyze the deeper meaning behind why a character does what they do. i take a lot of their actions at face value.
@Breakaway-ic5gj
6 ай бұрын
@@Laqqy A lot of characters like Uncle Iroh don't even require an analysis they just drop wisdom straightforwardly, how have you literally never before related to any of those things?
@efwea7743
6 ай бұрын
as an autistic person currently obsessed with avatar, I loved this video! You really went into detail w everything 👌 for some reason, I never pegged zuko as autistic in any of my watch throughs, I mostly enjoyed him being an awkward, angsty teen. (Now I have an excuse to rewatch and look at all his autistic traits!) But seeing them all compiled really convinced me, between him being clumsy and taking things much more literally than I had realized. I think it's really awesome that one of the most beloved characters in this show and that era of cartoons in general has so many autistic traits to the point that it almost defines his character and decisions! Really shows that general audiences can genuinely like autistic characters when they aren't the... monstrosity that is the typical White Autistic Man in the good doctor and other such shows
@vinnyfromvenus8188
6 ай бұрын
I swear to god if I find out I have autism because of this video... idk, I'm gonna freak out
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
It happens to the best of us sometimes! 😂
@TheDreamDetective888
6 ай бұрын
I quietly doubted you when you made your hypothesis, but as i watched, you fascinated and convinced me.🕵️♂️ Great work.
@asinineAbbreviations
6 ай бұрын
I really like this video! I wasn't diagnosed with autism till I was 17 due to family circumstances, and I only really watched ATLA for the first time when I was 16, and although I loved all the characters, I kind of felt a kinship with Zuko? We share some traits, and even the ones we didn't I could still kind of relate too as my brothers had been diagnosed w autism when I was a kid, so I could kind of see some traits which they had in Zuko as well. Honestly the thing that gets me most with Zuko is his difficulty befriending the gaang, and trying to convince them he was good. I've always had so much difficulty making friends. My best friend and I became friends because we shared the same interests - we both liked watching a lets play youtuber - and without her I don't think I'd've made any other friends in school at all. As for peeople saying "well they didn't intentionally code him autistic!", well, death of the author exists? Despite it maybe not being what the author intended, or really even if it was, people are free to draw conclusions about characters and plots in the story. I know Zuko's storyline of messing up and still being able to be a good person hit me hard even as a 16 year old, especially since I viewed ourselves to be somewhat similar. There must be autistic kids out there who watch ATLA, and Zuko - or even another character they see as themselves - and be happy that someone like them is included in a TV series without being made fun of. Which sometimes neurodivergent people are treated with respect, but all too often are made fun of or dramatised to a degree that people can't relate to - two extremes that don't really cover the whole spectrum autistic people inhabit.
@novaflame3945
6 ай бұрын
Neveerrrrrrrrrrr considered this despite having a brother with autism and working full time with some children with autism. Crazyyyyyyy shit
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
It took the Tumblr for me to see it too! And then I was like, "Oh, so THAT'S why I relate to his social awkwardness and his meltdowns and his one-track mind and..." Honestly, I was kind of embarrassed I hadn't made the connection before. 😅
@johnpauloliveros6925
6 ай бұрын
I agree. Netflix zuko is a different person from the nickelodeon zuko. I didn't realise the ASD traits in the cartoons zuko until I watched your video. I appreciate your attention to details. A neurotypical person like me couldn't see the ASD in zuko the 1st time watching😊
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
@@johnpauloliveros6925 I'm glad my nerdy rambling was enjoyable. 😂 Thank you!
@rosieclown8817
6 ай бұрын
I love Zuko as a character! Him and Mai are so cute together too
@vampy7744
6 ай бұрын
this video got me stimming into overdrive im crying tears of joy
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
Joyful stimming! Love it. ♥️
@saphy3330
6 ай бұрын
i feel so called out lol
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
😂 That's exactly how I felt when I first read that post about L Lawliet. I was like. "Oh. Ohhhh noooo." 😂
@brauchereye5305
6 ай бұрын
Could also overlap with his strong "repressed bisexual" vibes, but Zuko is really bad at gender roles, another thing common to autistic people. Zuko doesn't seem to differentiate his interactions based on the other party's gender. He doesn't even seem to notice Azula's friends ARE girls. he is about equally affectionate with both genders, especially his hug with Aang at the very end. He's more affectionate with Mai, but even then he doesn't seem to react to her femininity. Ozai's dislike of him in part is implied to be a perceived lack of masculinity, but at no point does Zuko go "I need to be more manly to please my father." In fact, he's the character for whom gender roles are the least important part of his character arc: Sokka and Katara's season one arcs strongly relate to water tribe sexism, and Suki's arc is bound up in Sokka's; Toph's arc is about rebelling against gender and class expectations; and Aang in season 3 is very concerned with the relationship between masculinity and maturity. You could make Zuko a girl and it wouldn't change the character.
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
Those are good points I didn't pick up on so much, probably because I also am very bad at gender roles, and I'm also more of an ace-spectrum autistic, so I would miss any of those bisexual cues too. 😅 But I like this analysis.
@brauchereye5305
6 ай бұрын
@@raelynteaguewritesAs a bi autistic myself, I fall into pretty much all of Zuko's behaviors I outlined, and from that perspective I definitely think Zuko has some subconscious more-than-platonic feelings for Aang.
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
@@brauchereye5305 You got me thinking... I don't know if the data on this has changed over the years or not, but I remember reading a book on autism after I was diagnosed where it mentioned they'd found autistic kids often had an easier time making friends outside their own gender. They were less likely to have their idiosyncracies as heavily policed when when making friends from another gender. (They found something similar with autistic people living outside their own country---their behaviours were more likely to be tolerated and passed off as "Oh, they're just a foreigner.") I remember when I got diagnosed, the person who assessed me told me I probably had more male friends than female...and she was right. I'm just thinking of Zuko hanging out with an entirely female group in the Fire Nation. So that's interesting to me.
@Rain_Skye
6 ай бұрын
As soon as you mentioned Zuko I connected the dots and was like.. wait you're right. I got diagnosed in December kind of late in my life and it feels good to see why I relate to him so much!
@photolyclayoly8059
5 ай бұрын
I just recently got diagnosed with Asd and I’ve also started reading avatar fanfic to cleanse my palate after watching what just came out. And I’ve been really thinking that most of the characterization of zuko in this fics are very relatable to my traits and anyway, now I’m understanding why I really liked zukos character growing up. Thanks for the video :)
@VikkiLynn11
6 ай бұрын
As someone who sought an ADHD diagnosis, then learned that ADHD is on the Autism spectrum, is realizing that im a LOT like Zuko and his austitic tendencies and therefore am realizing that im probably a lot more Autistic than i realized.
@bch7905
5 ай бұрын
On the note of Zuko's illness due to his moral shift in pertaining to his hyperfocus on capturing Aang (i.e. freeing Appa), it's interesting that his immediate projection of what is "good" is an uncanny uplifted and positive attitude, almost like he is trying to compensate for how he views those with peace of mind (i.e. Iroh) despite still actually being morally conflicted. Then he quickly he disregards his uncle's advice to run from Azula and he instead falls back on his old habits that leads to him being imprisoned. And then later we see Zuko actually gaining true inner peace through his closure with his trauma (Ozai), has a real and permanent moral shift to now helping Aang, and he *doesn't* behave the same as he did in The Guru (and in fact his traits are displayed a little more concretely). I've also always been obsessed with dissecting Zuko's final take on his introduction to the Gaang and how he still ends up following a script, but gets progressively frustrated when the Gaang isn't responding exactly how he expects, even though he KNOWS they don't trust him. Even when he opens with "I know you must be surprised to see me" and Sokka says "not really," Zuko falters and then without a real lead in he starts going through the bullet points to get his point across without much explanation. He also gives an inappropriate correction when Combustion Man comes up saying "well that's not his name" and "he's not my friend" as the vital parts that need to be addressed in that moment. Like, he needs to get the facts straight before they can continue on to the conversation, even though neither are helpful corrections in his situation lol! Then assumes that the Gaang doesn't understand that he is trying to be their ally, so he just flat out says it out of frustration in the end. He is *very* insistent that he needs to be in this group of people who hate and distrust him because it's now his new objective in life and he *must* play a part in it.
@raelynteaguewrites
5 ай бұрын
These are all really great points, and so relatable! I also think about what I mentioned about Zuko not realizing he and Aang were friends, and I think back to this same episode. He first approached them as a friend, and they rejected him. They only later accepted him as a teacher, so it makes even more sense that he doesn't realize they're friends. Why would he, when they specifically rejected his friendship? It feels like he decided his role was as teacher only, and he never reevaluated how the relationship had changed until Aang pointed it out.
@bch7905
5 ай бұрын
@@raelynteaguewrites all the more that when Aang does accept him, he says specifically "I would like you to *teach* me" so I'm sure he understood that being part of the group is under the condition he is just teaching. Makes it all the more upsetting that he fails at the ONE thing he needed to do in order to stay in the group the very next day lol Tbh this whole vid really made me wish we had more episodes of Zuko with the Gaang as a whole (and not just the field trips), the dynamic is interesting on its own, I love reading fic on how the group reacts to Zuko's behavior and habits that perhaps he didn't view as atypical, either under the context of his neurodivergence, how he was raised, coping mechanisms, etc. and how the gang perceives and accepts those. (Bonus if there is ZK involved but that's just me)
@raelynteaguewrites
5 ай бұрын
@@bch7905 I think they could have done a fourth season that could have had time to show more of the dynamic with Zuko. There's a lot I could say that's way too much to get into for a youtube comment, but the short version is as much as I think the show overall is really well done, they did kind of drop the ball a little at the end with Aang and the avatar state. Basically setting up that Aang would have to, by one interpretation or another, give up his attachment to Katara in order to master the avatar state...then never having him do that and just giving him the avatar state back through deus ex machina anyway. Not the best way to handle it. Without getting into all the reasons why, Aang *has* to have the avatar state or some other enormous power when he faces Ozai, or else the themes of the show don't really work. But deus ex machina is a really unsatisfying way to give Aang access to the avatar state again. So, I think if they really wanted for Aang to end up with Katara AND have the great power he needed to have for the finale, after asking all his lives if he needed to kill Ozai at the end of book 3, he should have decided he needed to find a way besides the avatar state to gain the power he needed to defeat Ozai. Then a fourth season could have followed the gAang on their search for a new, ancient power. We could have gotten more of Zuko in the group. They could have introduced the lion turtles ahead of the series finale. And they could have done some more work on Kataang so they actually made sense as a romantic couple. I mean, I'm a Zutara fan myself, but IF they wanted Kataang to be endgame, I think it needed a bit more work. A fourth season could have handled that and given us more Zuko + gAang dynamics. Just one option, anyway!
@BenMDepew
7 күн бұрын
Thanks for making this video! It must have taken a lot of time and effort. I knew I was similar to Zuko, and now I realized I basically am almost exactly like Zuko as I am on the spectrum and have pretty much all the traits Raelyn describes of Zuko. It's like people understand me, but by proxy? Lol. I am really glad Raelyn made thus video. Thank you.
@raelynteaguewrites
6 күн бұрын
@@BenMDepew Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
@Dylanlovesbunnies
5 ай бұрын
I love this video so much. Zuko has always been my favorite character and now I love him even more! It makes so much sense that Zuko has autism and it’s so clear to me now! Thanks for this amazing video 💜🌈
@snqoqo
6 ай бұрын
Secret tunnellll secret tunnellll that was 8 year old me's most favourite song back in the day, as an autistic person Avatar was delightful!
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
No lyrics, but I always loved the agni kai music!
@butterflyenergy2782
6 ай бұрын
this was such a good video! I love learning new things about my favorite characters and this was also a very informative video on autism as well 🙏🏼 So glad I stumbled across your channel 😁
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
Thank you so much! ♥️
@stopjakeproductions7426
4 ай бұрын
I have always related to zuko and sokka which I always found odd until I got diagnosed with adhd. Love them both so much!
@seatheparade
5 ай бұрын
This was such a good analysis, it clicked as soon as you said Zuko even before your explanation cause I have family & friends diagnosed with autism! Apart from Sokka, I've also wondered if Aang has ADHD while watching the series. I got diagnosed for ADHD in adult years too and Aang + Sokka are among the characters I notice show traits of ADHD that are very relatable imo. If you're up for making another vid covering Sokka (and possibly Aang) showing ADHD traits I know I'll be eager to watch!
@faeryb0mb
5 ай бұрын
WAIT THATS WHY I LIKED ZUKO FROM THE AGE OF 8?? OH MY GOD. Edit to add. As someone formally diagnosed with Asperger’s back when I was 9, the eye contact is like this: I cannot focus on multiple things at once. If I’m focusing on eye contact I can’t focus on the conversation. Hence why texting or voice calls are easier too.
@dragoknight589
4 ай бұрын
Same! I doubt my ADHD helps with that either lol
@DiusStarlight
6 ай бұрын
When you talked about stims and started listing examples, I was every example, that's fun
@zorletos
6 ай бұрын
Loved the video! As a high functioning autistic person I sometimes doubt my diagnosis, I didn't see it at first but once you started laying it out it all just clicked, haha. As you said it's important to have these representations and theories and tbh I felt more seen by this video and interpretation than I've felt for a while, esp. when you touched on identity issues with long-term masking. I'll def be checking out more of your channel. 👍
@DespiteEverything42
6 ай бұрын
I've been told I'm autistic but I've always questioned it for certain reasons like I'm a master of facial recognition and expression reading but I also SUCK at assuming emotion. I'm never gonna get a diagnosis because it would significantly affect my career but hey, it's cool to watch videos like this and be like 'haha, I do thate' (vibe reference)
@ChimanaBendor
6 ай бұрын
Wow, that was some information, very interesting and clear. I'm an author and one day I realized, that my protagonist got some autistic signs, not on purpuse but because it felt right for her character. So, the same thing probably happened with Zuko 😂 Thanks for working this out, it helped a lot
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
I realized while making this that I'd unknowingly coded lot of my characters as autistic too!
@ChimanaBendor
6 ай бұрын
@@raelynteaguewrites But I think that's a good way to represent diversity, because even the authors don't have that "stigma" in mind, and the characters feel natural and not forced "crazy"
@brittany1049
6 ай бұрын
I have severe ADHD, and boy do I relate to a lot of these 😂😂😂
@skkygavin9509
6 ай бұрын
I always thought Zuko was Nuro typical when I first watched avatar but I never really thought about it like this just makes a lot of sense great video break down
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
Yeah, I hadn't really thought about it either way. I knew I kind of identified with his meltdowns but didn't consider why until I found that Tumblr. It was really fascinating.
@Fairygoblet
6 ай бұрын
I never did either, but it was so obvious that as soon as she mentioned the possible autistic character in Avatar, I knew who she was talking about.
@skkygavin9509
6 ай бұрын
@@Fairygoblet OK I am so sorry I was trying to say Nuro divergent but AutoCorrect corrected it to Nuro typical cause I use microphone🤣
@Fairygoblet
6 ай бұрын
@@skkygavin9509 I use dictation to period it's all good in the neighborhood.
@Fairygoblet
6 ай бұрын
See ?
@s.q.10-e66
2 ай бұрын
Hello, SQ10E here. I was diagnosed ADHD at 25, and Autistic at 31. I appreciate the video and character break down
@ctv186
6 ай бұрын
Thought this was going to be about Azula,. but as an autistic older brother myself, I can see this for Zuko too.
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
Someone here did comment they thought Azula might have ASD!
@ctv186
6 ай бұрын
@@raelynteaguewrites Ah, saw the other comment too! If circumstance didn't make the siblings autistic, I imagine they might've gotten it from their father, either genetic or by observation; he also seems socially awkward and a bit too obsessed with his interests.
@ArielChacur
6 ай бұрын
seeing you talk about the coding erasure and remembering the actor talking in a interview about how he intentionally wanted to "tone down" zuko because it wouldnt work as well in a live action as oppose to a cartoon made me really sad. he obviously didnt do it on purpose and probably didnt meant all his traits needed to be toned down but still its a shame that one of the reasons this (probably unintentional) erasure might have happened its because the people behind the show in general wanted to make the characters more "adult" and "realistic".
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
And it's frustrating, because there's no reason those traits have to be childish, and in some cases they actually make some aspects of Zuko's arc more believable. Like, sure, in the cartoon, Zuko's clumsiness is played for laughs, but there's no reason it has to be. You want to make a gritty, serious show? Focus instead on how frustrating it is for Zuko to get his stances right, how hard he works at it, and how aggravated he is with himself if he stumbles. I might have to go back and watch the episode to make sure I'm remembering right, but in the Netflix finale, it felt a bit off to me when Zhao taunts Zuko, telling him his father never seriously intended for Zuko to find the avatar and was just using Zuko to manipulate Azula. Then, if I remember correctly, Zuko acted angry, yes, but also surprised. Which feels odd for a more emotionally aware, neurotypical Zuko. I'm pretty sure one of the things the Tumblr brings up but that I didn't get around to mentioning in my video, is that to most people, it'd be pretty obvious after 100 years Ozai didn't have reason to feel the avatar was a real threat. It should be obvious he's sending Zuko on a wild goose chase, and the fact that the original Zuko just took Ozai at his word makes a lot of sense if he's autistically missing those cues. And also....there are some dramatic moments that really worked for me, like Lu Ten's funeral or Zuko returning to be welcomed by the 41st Division...but on the whole I find the writing for the Netflix show actually works much better when they let the comedy in. That comedic fight between Zuko and Aang in episode 3 was gold. Those moments where Sokka gets to feel Sokka -ish are great. That scene in the finale when Uncle Iroh tells Zuko "So, there's no plan then?" And Zuko embarrassedly says "I'm working on it, Uncle" was one of my favourite dialogue exchanges. They don't have to the extreme silliness of the anime-inspired comedy of the original, but a little silliness never made for bad live action television.
@Bruchpilot7L
5 ай бұрын
While watching this video, i was reminded of SO many stories from my childhood that were most likely either related to my autism or my ADHD. It's safe to say that you definitely convinced me of the autistic Zuko headcanon. Also, I think I myself might also still view autism through harmful stereotypes, to a point where in the beginning for the video, i was ready to deny any autism allegations, which is pretty stupid, considering that i'm autistic myself. Also, unrelated to the video, but i think i just realized a big part of why i dont like the liveaction. It's that the characters feel like strangers, rather than friends. There aren't a lot of relationship building scenes and the ones that do exist feel devoid of emotion.
@raelynteaguewrites
5 ай бұрын
I had the same problem with the live action. There aren't really many bonding scenes for the kids, and many of what scenes /could/ be bonding scenes don't feel that way, because the characters are given such wooden dialogue. Like that scene I screenshot where Aang tells Katara and Sokka about Omashu. It could have been a moment for him to gush about a place he loved from his childhood and bond with Sokka and Katara over it, but the dialogue they're given means they don't even feel like real people, let alone real friends.
@HenrikMyrhaug
6 ай бұрын
One thing I have realized is that everyone has different experiences, and different views on the world which cause them to interpret media differently. Everyone has a different head cannon, and many of those head cannons are meaningful and improve the story for the viewer. I personally don't think it is worth it to argue whether a character is written one way or another, but different perspectives can be valuable and improve a person's enjoyment of the story. Zukko being autistic makes sense to me, but I didn't read him that way. I personally don't see him as autistic, but I understand it can be a great interpretation for others to have.
@Sinetheballwoman
6 ай бұрын
I really love this. I really wasn't expecting zuko but like yeah it makes a lot of sense.
@MrBJE1991
6 ай бұрын
Wooh.... Thank you for all these Characteristics. It is pretty nice to see you looking so much on that. Without wanting to discuss this I´d like to give my own point on this. Basically all these points (-1) are also fitting to me who (as far as I know) is not autistic. While I love feeling this character so close to me I want to say that more often than autism trauma in combination with classic introversion would fit the same shoe.
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
I wasn't sure if by "without wanting to discuss this" you meant your own experience or if you meant you didn't want to discuss further at all. So, if it was the latter, please feel free to ignore the rest of this comment. I'll leave some space after this so you'll have to expand the comment if you want to read more. . . . . . . . . . . . . . It often depends on when the traits developed versus when the trauma happened. It's hard to say with Zuko, since we only have snapshots of his life and not the whole picture. While we do definitely see that Zuko displayed these traits before what the show /focuses/ on as the source of his trauma (speaking out in the war room, agni kai, etc), I don't feel comfortable asserting that was the first occurrence of trauma for Zuko, just likely the most severe. It's pretty clear he has a messed up family, so it's reasonable to assume he could have experienced trauma that altered his behaviour even before then. For useful reference, according to a graphic from Neurodivergent Insights, symptoms that may suggest autism and not PTSD (or at least not solely PTSD) are: strict routine, difficulty with neurotypical social cues, sensory sensitivities, and special interests. If Zuko did, indeed, have a developmental delay with his bending...I mean, bending is obviously not a thing IRL, but a developmental delay would point to autism more than simply introversion. But Ozai isn't necessarily a reliable source either. In any case, I definitely understand why autistic people would head canon Zuko as autistic, but there are so many other reasons to relate to him and other ways to interpret his character too!
@MrBJE1991
6 ай бұрын
Thank you @@raelynteaguewrites for this very open answer. I may have miscomunicated due to English being my second language. What I meant was only that I didn´t want to start an arguement about head canon as everybody is allowed to come to their own conclusion. On facts we share most of our view I believe. It is hard to proof anything without having a full picture of Zukos childhood. I do understand both your reasoning (which was very well clarified by the way) and your motivation as it is very reassuring to see oneself in different characters. Personally I don´t have experience with autism (only had two tests done which both gave me a result one point short of "possible autism") so I can only see it from the perspective of PTSD development. To make my view clear: Living outside of regular social structure, having to compete for approval against his sister while being subjugated by strict rules in the family is already enough to create a routine-driven, nervous and emotionally immature person. Adding trauma of first losing his mother without any reasoning to him and later being scarred and banished by his father was certainly hard and may have pulled him out of any stable relation to others. I do think both our PoVs may fit. Lastly let me say: Zuko might be autistic, but please don´t claim him for you exclusively. 😉
@Behold-my-brainworms
6 ай бұрын
Well this explains why I relate to him so much. Also did not realise that talking to yourself isn’t a thing people regularly do? Like I always assumed neurotypicals did it as often as I do
@Drekromancer
6 ай бұрын
Wow, what an incredibly apt analysis from an obscure channel! I've subscribed, and I hope to hear more from you soon! (I need an ADHD Sokka video ASAP to validate why I relate to him so much)
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
🥰 Thank you so much! ♥️
@lemongrass4769
5 ай бұрын
this is a great video!! i saw the same tumblr post years ago and found it hugely influential on me personally. i love zuko as a character so much! your breakdown was fantastic
@soccer4207
5 ай бұрын
I loved this video. It was really well structured and so entertaining to listen the entire time, so much so that I actually enjoyed listening to all 44 minutes of it without getting tired. Great job.
@dragonslayer3552
6 ай бұрын
... He is literally a teenager... Weren't we all like this when we were teens ? But we all grew out of it just as zuko eventually does...
@Dario-uj6qo
6 ай бұрын
Well, I don't see the rest nor the Netflix versión having the same traits
@dragoknight589
6 ай бұрын
As an AuDHDer I find it funny how two probably-neurodivergent-coded characters from this show share my interest in swords.
@actuallyafrog8270
6 ай бұрын
I know this is an older video but I just wanted dot say that as a neurotypical personI love videos that discuss autism/adhd in media. It’s very educational and I myself have an autistic younger brother so it’s interesting to actually realise how similar his autistic traits are to my favourite characters
@Persephonova
2 ай бұрын
He’s my favorite character in the series and I see so much of myself in him but couldn’t figure out why exactly and then this video was in my recommended and now I understand why I connected to him so hard
@raelynteaguewrites
2 ай бұрын
@@Persephonova I'm hearing that from a few people, and honestly that was my first reaction when I heard this headcanon too. Like, ohhhh. Yeah, I get it now.
@Tekkerue
4 ай бұрын
During the intro I thought this video was going to be about Aang and the Zuko line caught me so off guard it made me choke-laugh. 🤣 Zuko totally makes sense, but that is not at all what I was expecting.
@nara6368
6 ай бұрын
uhm. 2 hours- 10 min in (eventually took me uh 3 hours to finish once I began, but that's fine- exhausting but rewarding!)- I- OKAY I've been fucking loving it so far! So much! Very very excited for the rest!!! I got super excited seeing this video! I've actually been actively searching for something like this, so to see it in my reccs?? Blessed, truly. Also- I too saw that post, along with other posts and ect. and the idea has kinda been stuck in my mind too. I've technically gotten an autism spectrum diagnosis (PDD-NOS/atypical autism), (all/all of my siblings now, we're 4, which is… kinda funny, though they got "aspergers" (the system is kinda… slow on the upkeep) or "autism"). I've kinda been struggling with the diagnosis ever since I realized that's what it meant (ASD) (took me a year), I keep second guessing myself, the symptoms and how other's describe their experiences, comparing myself to my siblings, whether their similarities and differences. Felt like an Schrödinger's autistic. I told myself I wouldn't let myself get too unsettled by it but *cough* yea… no. It may be starting to settling a little now though 👍 Point is, other than this being a really fun video for me (+ more analysis content for my fave
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
I got told I had PDD-NOS at first when I was diagnosed under the DSM-4 too, though my assessor told me other assessors would label me with Asperger's because I was close. I think if I'd been diagnosed even two years later I would have gotten an Asperger's diagnosis, because they were learning more about how autism presented in women. Turns out my atypical Asperger's was fairly typical for a woman. Course it's all just ASD now, which I find much less confusing anyway. Thanks for watching! I'm glad you liked the video.
@gflores8985
6 ай бұрын
During the setup I couldn’t settle on who it might be. As soon as you gave a name, I immediately thought of a ton of moments showing they had ASD.
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
I don't know why I felt such a need to hide it during the intro, like a sort of "Hear me out..." kind of thing. 😅
@maybebearable6910
4 ай бұрын
Bro, this is a perfect reflection and breakdown of what it feels like to be autistic. Sincerely, an autistic
@FjongFleron
5 ай бұрын
Dude I love Zuko cuz I just strongly feel I can relate to Him. And you just told me why. Thank you!
@sebacea7839
6 ай бұрын
I'm convinced And I will probably watch avatar again 💙 with even more good vibes for Zuko
@alejrandom6592
6 ай бұрын
During this video I was thinking it was just accidental that Zuko has these traits, up until the hug part.
@runaru777
5 ай бұрын
Before the character was even mentioned, I just KNEW who this was about
@lovely__shadow9305
6 ай бұрын
I was diagnosed when I was 14. I didn't realize that all these were me.
@Millenimorphose
6 ай бұрын
Well, this puts my Zuko-obsessed emo phase in 2006 into deeper perspective.
@workingmothercatlover6699
6 ай бұрын
Good points in this video. I'm on the spectrum and only realized that a year ago last winter. I can't afford to be diagnosed properly, but my research and other things point to me being on the spectrum. And I realize that I'm very much like Zuko. My family isn't evil, but it's still my mother who was there for me more than anyone else. When Mom died, it nearly felt like the end of the world because nobody else in my family understands me like Mom.
@MelonLord379
5 ай бұрын
I'm someone who also possibly has both autism and ADHD. Neither has been confirmed yet, but hopefully I can get them confirmed sometime. My therapist has ADHD so I've been looking into talking to her about it. But can I just say, man! I did NOT realize how much I related to Zuko before I watched this video. I already loved Zuko as a character, but this video made me love and empathize with him even more. Both Zuko and I share many of the same symptoms. With one of my symptoms being that I have obsessions. And ATLA being one of them. (But Ig that's no surprise. Lol). I have sm dialog from this show memorized and even have a comfort character. And no, it's not Zuko. It's actually Toph! I actually can relate to Toph a lot. For one reason, I'm a tomboy. I could list a bunch of other reasons but this comment is already long enough. Lol! So I'll just skip to the main reason I relate to her. In the episode "The Tales Of Ba Sing Se," when those girls are picking on her, she tries to act like it doesn't bother her and she doesn't care. But it's obvious that it does bother her, and that she does care. She even begins to cry right after saying, "I know who I am." This really resonates with me because when people are rude to me, and say hurtful things, I may act like I don't care and that I'm not really phased. But in reality, I'll feel the tears brimming. So yeah, thx for this amazing video! Sorry Ik my comment was long. :/ If anyone reads it all, thx for reading! Peace out everyone! ✌🏼
@raelynteaguewrites
5 ай бұрын
Toph is amazing! ♥️
@bluebow5014
6 ай бұрын
Holy shit I am LIVING for this video I thought I’d always loved Zuko best because he was an edgy boi but I am HERE for him being autistic coded All hail the Autistic King
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
I thought I liked him because I tend to like grouchy characters. Ha ha. When I read the original Tumblr post, though, I got so excited I...well, I made a 40 minute video about it. 😂
@bluebow5014
6 ай бұрын
AND ITS SO LIT your video I mean, it’s really good
@OctoAri
5 ай бұрын
I never thought of Zuko in this light before. I am hereby adopting this headcanon. :3 Also @7:10 - the caption “He fails to realize the turtle ducks mom won’t find it funny.” Just cracked me up lol @20:41 - I said S and Red because I have run into wordplay puzzles before where when the tester asks you to identify the colors of words they meant the actual color of the word not the word itself lol (don’t mind me, I’m doing an autism lol)
@raelynteaguewrites
5 ай бұрын
I started off seeing S, but because of the time I spent editing this video and because I know the H is coming, I trained myself to see H first. 😂 I'd go back to seeing things the autism way if I looked at another puzzle with different letters, but it's funny to me how I retrained myself.
@OctoAri
5 ай бұрын
@@raelynteaguewrites for real though!! We are truly the most adaptable chameleons of society lol
@oliviamcneil3101
6 ай бұрын
I can see where anyone who says this about Zuko is coming from, I have autism myself as well and of course it makes sense, some of which might seem a tad unsettling in the least likely ways if you are someone like me, childhood and all.
@truthert
6 ай бұрын
I was expecting Aang to be subject in this video. I was ready to defend him thanks to his situation and life and the moment I was told it was going to be Zuko I nodded to myself. Yeah that might be fair.
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
Yeah, Aang definitely always felt more neurotypical to me, personally. Maybe I'm missing signs because Zuko's presentation is closer to mine than any potential autistic traits of Aang's I'm missing...but I just keep thinking about Zuko lying versus Aang lying. Not that lying in and of itself is a useful indicator of autism versus neurotypicality, by any means, but man, can Aang just lie believably at the drop of a hat.😂 Like, Zuko takes forever to awkwardly come up with the name Lee for himself, and Aang is just immediately "I'm Bonzu Pippinpaddleopsicopolis the third" and somehow even manages to successfully sell that lie. I could never! 😂😂
@gaburysuje6766
5 ай бұрын
I always loved Zuko, cuz of how well written his character is. I related to his struggles and quirkiness cuz I, myself have ADHD. And I also thought that he could be neurodivergent.
@luke2193
8 күн бұрын
Beautifully done.
@iloweceleb55
5 ай бұрын
This was very interesting for me as a person, who is not that familiar with autistic traits, but loves Avatar. I'd like to see episodes on different characters. (Zutara forever)
@raelynteaguewrites
5 ай бұрын
♥️ Zutara forever!
@RobertoSenna-ef2wh
Ай бұрын
I saw people comparing Amethio to Zuko and I used to headcanon Amethio to be autistic, now I headcanon Amethio to be autistic even more! If they get to actually say that Dot and Amethio sre autistic I feel like I'd want to scream of happiness.
@BlazeIsEpic
6 ай бұрын
This was a very well put together video and I thought it was really informative, keep up the good work!
@jaydencparker4968
6 ай бұрын
This was a great character study! Thank you for posting it
@BramVanhooydonck
5 ай бұрын
I always felt Zuko was the most relatable character (other than being a royal prince lol) and never knew why. Now I know he literally does the same things I did at his age, even to the deeper levels! Also i ship Zuko with Jin so much!
@raelynteaguewrites
5 ай бұрын
I would have loved to have some more Zuko/Jin in the show. They were great!
@BramVanhooydonck
5 ай бұрын
@@raelynteaguewrites It's a good thing that May isn't mentioned in Korra. Zuko deserves someone who he can be himself around. Also, happy autism awareness day!
@DarkKing009
6 ай бұрын
Can you explain Zuko and Mai's relationship through the autism scale. Mai is such an underrated character Love that scene "I love Zuko more than I fear you"
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
I'm not sure I understand what it is you're looking for when you're asking me to explain their relationship through the autism scale. I also don't know how much more I would have to say about their relationship exactly. But that is a very cool scene with Mai! Iconic.
@DarkKing009
6 ай бұрын
@@raelynteaguewrites I just thought that's an interesting relationship dynamic and how that would unfold. Mai is fully aware of his childhood abuse but not aware of his autism.
@twilightwillowglade7214
6 ай бұрын
I suspect I'm autistic, I've suspected it for a while, but especially after my nephew was diagnosed. He's not as related to me as normal because my brother is my half brother, but a lot of the things he does, I used to do at his age and still do now as an adult. I have been diagnosed with mixed ADHD leaning toward inattentive. But there are so many things, like being a stickler for the rules, even if I disagree with the rules. I also tend to struggle with change, like when my dog passed away, I fell sick for a few days, couldn't keep anything down, didn't have much strength for anything. But one thing that sticks out a lot is that when I was in kindergarten, I went on a field trip with my school and on the bus, I had the window seat. The teacher told us that on the way back we were supposed to switch spots with our seat partner, but my seat partner didn't want to switch and wanted me to have the window seat and I got really upset to the point I was hysterically crying and a teacher had to hold me the entire way back to the school. I also have a lot of hyperfocuses and special interests that I obsess over. Like the Legend of Zelda, more specifically Twilight Princess. That's been a special interest of mine for thirteen years now and I will always love it. I even started loving the color green because of it. But thanks to the ADHD I will hyperfocus on special interests for several months and drop it like it never mattered. Right now I'm interested in Dick Grayson from Young Justice, Teen Titans, etc. So much so that I've been writing basically non stop for days for a fanfiction I'm writing. I find I'm often misunderstood in what I'm saying so I get upset when I try to explain something in my head, but it doesn't come across how I want it to, almost like I don't have the words to describe it. I do struggle with lying, I always have, and my parents can usually discern when I am, it's to a point that I don't even bother trying to lie. I say "I think" a lot because I'm not entirely sure what I'm saying is accurate and I don't want to tell someone wrongly. Which kind of bit me in the arse as a middle schooler because I was being bullied and I tried to tell what was happening but due to my ADHD I couldn't remember it exactly and because of my suspected autism, I couldn't just come up with something along the lines of what they said because it wouldn't have been completely accurate. There's so much else and it makes me really consider I might have it. Though I don't know if I believe in the "self-diagnosing" thing because I don't think it's fair. I could have it, and from my research about it and similarities I share with autistic people, like sensitivity to sound and noises, being awkward in social situations, listening/watching things on repeat that I love (I have watched Death Note I don't know how many times, L is our baby, we must protec), and what also kind of drives it home for me is that when I was about ten years old, my brother met is wife in college (he's eight years older than me) and she thought from the very beginning from meeting me that I might be autistic, even asked my brother if I was on the spectrum. And now, years later, her son having been diagnosed autistic, she sees it so much more in me. I know you can't diagnose, but I would be curious what you thought, if you bother reading this, I know it's long winded and knowing me with ADHD, reading is NOT my strong suit...
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
As you say, I can't really diagnose. I can say many of the things you describe could be in line with autism. Getting really upset over not switching seats, for example, felt like something I might have really struggled with as a kid. If you have ADHD and autism as well, a common experience for people who have both is to have really intense special interests, but to have those interests change. /Typically/ if you're just autistic, you're more likely to have one special interest that lasts a long time, even life long. But if you have both, like me, that's where you're more likely to see intense special interests that change over time. There is validity to self diagnosis, what with professional diagnosis being notoriously out of reach for so many people, and the fact that there can actually be downsides to having a diagnosis (like not being able to move to other countries, or potentially having people try to use your diagnosis against you in court). If you find yourself needing supports, you're likely to need a professional diagnosis for that, but even if you have a diagnosis, supports are usually very limited and often need to be fought for. For those reasons, much of the autism community considers self-diagnosis valid. Particularly if you're doing a lot of research first and taking self-assessment tests that have decent accuracy. If you hang out in autistic communities online a lot and find you feel like you've found "your people," as it were, then there's a decent chance you're at least neurodivergent (which you would be, with ADHD) and maybe autistic. Again, not really my place to diagnose, but if you feel it's important to have an answer, then I would recommend doing further research, listening to autistic people describe their experiences, and trying out a handful of rigorous self assessments.
@twilightwillowglade7214
6 ай бұрын
@@raelynteaguewrites is there any self-assessments you'd recommend?
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
@@twilightwillowglade7214 I got diagnosed before these would have been up, so I can't attest to them myself, but from what I understand, embrace-autism (dot) com/autism-tests is supposed to have good, accredited self-assessment tests. If you take multiple tests from them, and more than one of them suggest autism, your chances of really having autism are pretty decent, as I understand it.
@twilightwillowglade7214
6 ай бұрын
@@raelynteaguewrites thank you! I'll look into this!
@radicalpasta7040
6 ай бұрын
For me, a character who I head canon as autistic is Shigeo from the anime Mob psycho 100. Its a show about a kind kid with incredible psychic powers. Shigeo has severe difficulty "reading the room", he is considered odd by other people at his school, he has trouble with making friends and social interaction, he has one particular skill (psychic powers) he is very good at, he generally has a blank expression and has difficulty expressing himself, his morality is very ironclad (he is almost a passivist when it comes to using his powers on others) and one of his main powers is essentially a psychic meltdown. Canonically, he has these difficulties because of trauma and him repressing his powers but I always kinda head canon him being neurodivergent. Seeing this character in one of my favorite shows helped me to realize I am autistic as an adult. This, in turn, lead to my autistic little brother getting diagnosed young and getting the help he needs in school. One reason I think we need more good neurodivergent rep is because it can help people realize things about themselves they hadn't put together.
@tamrynlaw5544
6 ай бұрын
Love this! Makes even more sense now why I loved his character so much.
@typo1345
6 ай бұрын
guys... i think I might be autistic. I hit a huge number of the points brought up here edit: oh nope, I have ADHD and that note in the video said it shares symptoms with autism, so that makes more sense
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
Maybe! But to be more sure than a fun video on KZitem can make you, I'd recommend listening to autistic KZitemrs and TikTokkers who talk about their experiences. (Not just those "5 signs you might be autistic" videos---those can sometimes be misleading or contain bad information---but to videos where autistic people describe aspects of their day to day life or, if they've been formally diagnosed, what symptoms helped lead to a diagnosis.) You might discover you're not autistic, but if you are, you will likely find you share similar experiences with these people. Or, if you're neurodivergent in another way, you might discover that too.
@typo1345
6 ай бұрын
@@raelynteaguewritesoh I actually just saw your note saying adhd shares symptoms with autism, I was diagnosed adhd when I was 12. So that cleared things up
@Oakleaf012
6 ай бұрын
I had never really thought of Zuko (or avatar at all) through a neurospicy lens but boy was I nodding along through this entire video. Like yeah. Wow. No wonder I love Zuko. Audhd high five
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
High five!
@jillianbetts4306
6 ай бұрын
Your journey of finding out you are autistic is very very close to my own! I prided myself on being the helper and never the helper. So when it was brought up when I was about 12 that I could be autistic, I denied the hell out of it. I refused to go to therapy because I thought my mom just wanted benefits or something for having an autistic kid. I also opened up to it when I saw a post about L. Lawliet
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
Wonder if it was the same post! I think there ended up being a few of them around, but it was an eye opener for sure.
@AtlasNovack
6 ай бұрын
Very well made video essay for a show I will love until I die. Subscribed and thumbs up.
@raelynteaguewrites
6 ай бұрын
♥️♥️ Thank you so much! I will also love ATLA until I die.
@AtlasNovack
6 ай бұрын
If you're into podcasts, I run a comedy one called Generation DAN about generational differences. We'd love to have you on to talk about autistic/autism coded characters in writing if you're up for it!@@raelynteaguewrites
@mikakestudios5891
6 ай бұрын
Came for Zuko. And now I want to watch Amazing Attorney Woo
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