#but he also thinks azula is pure evil

[slipperywhenwet0o0]

IGNORE THIS IM RANTING

I sometimes love talking to my dad about anime or movies bc we have plenary of overlapping taste

But then I remember he’s crazy and has THE MOST RIDICULOUS TAKES and kind of bad taste

Like dragon ball is his favorite show on the planet earth, that’s fine, not my speed but more power to you BUT HOW do you love dragon ball but reduce ARCANE to “the show with the crazy blue girl” and continuously drop jjk to watch the some episodes of dragon all super

( I’m pretty sure he’s like me in that if something doesn’t click and he can’t obsess over it he’s not consuming it which would be chill if his taste wasn’t so widely different from mine)

Also like half the time he really doesn’t understand the characters he’s just there for the fights which is chill but as somebody who LOVES Conor’s well written characters it drives me through the roof, like he has reduced shigaraki to somebody who was “crazy from the beginning” bc for some reason he can’t conceptualize the fact that he was groomed by afo and how he perceives the world now effects how he viewed his past

Like kts fine but it’s also not bc those are my baby girls amd fav shows your talking about and you clearly have not obsessed over it like I have and that makes your opinions bad

[azulaaaaaaah]

atla/tlok characters that i think did *it* (but i just can’t prove it)

this is the most unserious post i’ve ever made. (AND I WANT TO PREFACE BY SAYING BY *IT* I MEAN KISSING)

Sozin and Roku

and history will say that they were just great friends…

this is the only one where ill legitimately die on this hill

like i’m 90% sure roku just showed Aang their friendship in the flashbacks to prevent awkwardly explaining to a 12 year old monk that he was romantically and/or physically involved with the person who committed a g*nocide against his people

LIKE CMON WHY IN THE WORLD WAS SOZIN SO PRESSED IN THE BACKGROUND OF ROKU’S WEDDING ??? AND FOR NO REASON?? WHY WAS THEIR FRIENDSHIP SO INTENSE?

sozin i feel loved roku (to an obsessive level) and roku literally dgaf. king shit

Wan and Raava

genuinely what the fuck was going on between these two. like i don’t even have any words

canonically at the very least it was a domestic partnership

S2 korra doesn’t make sense at the best of times. imagine trying to explain the intensity of this pair’s devotion to each other, to someone who hasn’t seen the show- all the while knowing raava is a disembodied spirit practically older than time

she’s the embodiment of everything good and light in the universe and he’s just wan. (and he’s wanough <3)

‘do you think we’re soulmates in every life?’

‘bet’

‘wait that’s not what i-‘

Cabbage Merchant and his cabbages (or at least a cabbage)

yeah i’m not touching this one with a 10 foot pole

Every member of the red lotus squad

ah yes it’s my favourite evil polycule

amidst plans to kidnap children and topple monarchies what else is there to do except… kiss.

let’s be real there’s something so inherently romantic about being apart of an elite, vaguely murderous anarchist squad

they all share one exact bed. it’s canon

(p’li somehow big spoons all of them)

The S2 Nomads

these dudes are the textbook definition of anti-monogamy

like they’re obsessed with love so i fully believe that they think ‘it should be spread amongst others’ or some shit

oh to be a travelling communist nomad in a band, wandering the wilds with my wife, and our several partners

they’re somehow the opposite of the red lotus and yet the same. they all share a single bed/sleep area

The dangerous ladies (but all separately)

i don’t ship any of these particularly and yet can still admit that it’s canon

ty-lee and azula have kissed bc azula probably made up a dumb excuse like ‘oh i don’t want my first kiss with a guy to be… erm… bad’

mai and ty-lee have kissed because they both probably have genuine, vaguely deep rooted romantic feelings for each other

mai and azula have kissed to purely spite zuko (and yknow what ty-lee too)

HOWEVER A KEY ASPECT TO THIS DYNAMIC: azula is completely unaware about the ty-lee and mai thing. it’s uh… better off that way.

Hakoda and Bato

i ship this about 50% but like… it’s got to have happened once right? considering all that down time they spent together on a boat away from the repercussions of water tribe society…

also considering they were leaders i doubt the other warriors were in a position to ever call them out on it

like cmoooooooon what’s a little kiss between the homies every now and again?

hakoda is where sokka gets his rizz/flagrant bisexuality from and i can’t change that guys

[hikaaa-bi]

i find it funny how people praise the owl house for breaking the trend of redeeming the villain when the show instead took the laziest path with dealing with their villain. i mean, i get it. not all villains need to be redeemed and sometimes, it's just fine to kill them off or defeat them. no character is irredeemable, but sometimes the point is that people refuse to change.

but what they did with belos was just lazy. he didn't need to be redeemed, sure, but his ending was way too anti-climactic. he was such a complex character to just be labelled as Pure Evil™ and killed off at the end. he didn't need to be redeemed, but he at least deserved to be acknowledged as the three-dimensional complex character that he is. he wasn't just a disney-esque villain who did everything for power and had no depth to his personality. he was a symbol of religious trauma and how it affects people. he was a horrible person but also a sympathetic one, because i can only imagine how harmful growing up in the puritan era would have been.

like i said before, the show being cancelled is not an excuse. i was so excited to see all the religious and spiritual themes in belos's past, and all the theories that fans were coming up with. hell, some fans did a better job of representing belos than the show ever did. i just feel like it was a whole bag of lost potential. belos could have been one of the most insanely complex and well-written villains but the creators of the owl house wants to impress its fans, so they pull a "haha we're not like other shows because we can't sympathize with the villain!" newsflash: you don't need to redeem the villain in order to portray them as sympathetic. azula from avatar and simon from infinity train are good examples of sympathetic villains/antagonists who don't get redeemed.

it's even more ridiculous considering how rushed and badly written lilith's arc was, even though she cursed her sister, tried to kill a literal child, and almost got her sister turned to stone. you'd think if the show despises redemptions so much, they wouldn't give lilith a lazy and rushed redemption arc like that, only to render her useless for the rest of the show.

[longing-for-rain]

You said the Aang vs. Ozai fight was just an anime battle because the characters hadn’t even met prior to the fight, so the emotional depth is lacking compared to the Final Agni Kai. So what if the netflix series tried to change things by actually having Aang and "Ozai" meet before the war? What if the Netflix show revealed that Ozai was Aang's friend Kuzon in his previous life?

I’m not sure, I think just because of the characters, there would be no way to give that fight the same depth as Zuko and Azula’s.

Because at the end of the day, Ozai doesn’t personally care about Aang. He’s an evil dictator and views Aang as an obstacle—an insignificant one at that, due to Ozai’s racism. Aang doesn’t care about Ozai personally either. He just wants to stop the war and Ozai represents the war. The stakes here are purely political, not personal. It would be more personal if Aang also viewed it as a revenge thing, but he clearly doesn’t.

Any kind of emotional relationship simply wouldn’t exist between them. I could maybe see Netflix trying to pull some bs to make it deeper but I hope they don’t because like I said…there isn’t a lot of room to give these characters a deep connection.

Zuko and Azula on the other hand, had a beautiful and tragic relationship that culminated in their duel. Two siblings raised in an abusive environment who clearly want to love each other but have been pit against one another their whole lives. Zuko always resented Azula for being the favorite and desperately tried to match her strength. Azula feared being put in Zuko’s role so fought desperately to maintain her favorite status, all while holding a secret resentment towards Zuko for being kinder and more loved.

There are high stakes here, and Zuko and Azula’s duel is about so much more than war. It’s personal, and the somber, tragic framing makes that obvious. Then, there is the added layer of Zuko and Katara’s relationship—how Zuko, a Prince who once considered himself above everyone else, set aside his life for a waterbender without hesitation. Then the framing again. Slow motion, emotional, raw, personal. The emotion of Katara defeating Azula and rushing to Zuko’s side to save his life in turn.

I stand by the opinion that the final Agni Kai was the best scene in the show, and that’s why. It perfectly completes the stories of Zuko, Azula, and Katara (although iffy about Azula—I’m still an Azula redemption fan but even so this is an important event for her character). It’s so emotional and intense. Beautiful animation and soundtrack. I’m sorry but I don’t think any iteration of Aang v Ozai could top that.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

So basically there was no plausible way Azula, or any other character, could have been not straight because heteronormativity?

It wasn't because of heteronormativity, it was fulll on HOMOPHOBIA. Cultural homophobia and network homophobia, that were a result of literal decades of full on censorship and legally enforced homophobia on TV and films.

Until 2003, just two years before Avatar, it was totally okay for every state to have laws that were openly anti-gay, and some of them took full advantage of that. We're not talking just "No getting married or adopting kids" here, we're talking "You could get fired because of it. You could go to prison for kissing your partner in public."

Obscenity laws are still a thing today in some states. What are obscenity laws you ask? Basically a legal loophole that allows authorities to go "This thing you did is not illegal, but it offends me personally, so I can treat you like a criminal anyway." When asked to describe what even is obscenity, because that's a REALLY vague concept, one of said authories even said "I know it when I see it" and that was it. That was all you needed then, and if the "criminal" doesn't know their way around legal technicalities, it's all you need now. One dude getting offended at a song, movie or, you guessed, cartoon aimed at children, could make the thing ILLEGAL where he lives.

Nickelodeon would not allow non-straight characters in 2005. There were writters that had been trying to go there since the freaking 90s, and at best it'd result in banned episodes/episodes never got greenlit, and at worst in their shows getting cancelled - likely as a result of decades of the Hay's Code being legally enforced, and still having an effect on TV and film once it was no longer mandatory.

What did the Hay's Code forbid you ask? Oh, just a few things like showing married couples sleeping on the same bed, or interracial romances, or any mention of gay people - unless they were the villain AND the story not only highlighted that they were evil BECAUSE of their sexuality but also killed them in the end as punishment for their sins. That's where the "Bury your gays" trope came from.

Nickelodeon's primary goal is to make money. They were not going to spend money on a show that would result in angry parents, boycots, and episodes or the entire series becoming ILLEGAL in parts of the country.

Bryke themselves said they didn't even think to ASK PERMISSION to make Korrasami a thing until the very last second, almost a whole decade after the original show, because "Any kids network is gonna say no, and if you ask multiple times they might get mad and fire you" was the rule and everyone knew it. And even when they got permission to do it, it was just the two of them holding hands, in a season that was mostly only shown online because of the shows poor performance on actual TV. They didn't get explicit with the "THEY ARE A COUPLE" thing until it gave the show a HUGE popularity boost - aka when corporations like Nickelodeon FINALLY realized "Ooooohhhhhhh, gay stuff is PROFITABLE now, not something that will make us lose money."

It's great that gay characters being straight up illegal/something deeply controversial that could sink an entire series is not the reality anymore (for the most part, again, obscenity laws still exist), but lets not kid ourselves into thinking it was always common to see LGBT+ characters in children's shows.

It's totally valid to reimagine characters from Avatar as being gay or bisexal or whatever you want, but to claim it was CANON is pure delusion AND shows complete ignorance of the history of LGBT+ rights. I'm not even from the US and I know that shit, people, learn a bit of history for God's sake.

Oh, and lets not forget: now that Avatar CAN get away with gay characters, they made Kyoshi openly bisexual. Azula meanwhile continues to only show interest in boys and want only boys to think she's attractive, even after ships like Tyzula became so popular that the voice actresses themselves started to like it. It's almost like the writers ALWAYS INTENDED FOR HER TO BE STRAIGHT, STILL VIEW HER AS STRAIGHT, AND WILL LIKELY ALWAYS THINK OF HER AS STRAIGHT!

We can make headcanons and ship her with whoever we want, but let's not pretend the message isn't loud and clear here. It took years for her to finally be allowed to be written as anything other than just a walking ableist stereotype of a mentally ill person and be treated with any shred of humanity in the comics. Bryke literally said Azula fans are like a cult for feeling sorry for her. They are not interested in almost any reading of her as sympathetic. Not once have they ever so much as acknowledged the popular fanon idea of lesbian Azula.

They're not giving her a girlfriend, guys. It's already a minor miracle that Spirit Temple finally acknowledged she was also a victim of Ozai, and it still ends with her all alone and convincing herself that she is Totally Not Sad about it and will find herself a new group of friends that will Totally Not Leave Her even as she relapses into bad habits. Stop setting yourselves up for failure.

[ur-frndly-neighborhood-memer1]

A THEORY ABOUT OZAI-

Why was Ozai so cruel?

Fire Lord Ozai is the absolutely malicious and tyrannical main antagonist of the Avatar: The Last Airbender. In the series, he comes across as a cruel, ruthless, and a megalomaniac dictator. Which is why he is often considered as a 2 dimensional cartoon villian with no rich background compared to the other villains like Azula, Zuko (formerly), Hama; Amon, Zaheer...

We never really see his inner struggles or anything complex about his character at all. His only motivation is like "Evil for sake of being evil". That's why some fans complain about his character being too shallow and too cartoonishly evil. And this really stands out when we compare him to rest of the characters, and arguably, they're all more complex characters than Ozai.

But... is this really true?

Could there be something more interesting and tragic about Fire Lord Ozai's character? Do we only see the only a small part of the iceberg? Well, let's find out!

There's literally nothing we know about his childhood or his early ages. All we know is that he was married Ursa when he was 30 and Ursa was 21, Ursa was specifically chosen because she happens to be the granddaughter of Avatar Roku. So, they could have powerful heirs for the Fire Nation. And it actually happened because Zuko and Azula really are exceptionally powerful firebenders.

Another thing we know about him is this panel,

They actually look like a normal, ordinary family here and it hurts. They're on a vocation; Ozai and Ursa just sitting calmly, baby Azula playing with sand, little Zuko running to save a turtle-crab... And when when the wave washed over Zuko, Ozai ran to save him.

Could the whole thing be true or Ozai was lying? I personally don't think it was a lie, because Zuko seems to remember some rare memories of his family being happy once and coming to Ember Island all together. Yes, you can say that Zuko could be an unreliable narrator here since he kinda romanticized those memories... But again, it's what happens with memories. Don't we all remember our childhood as purely innocent and happy? Because we like to remember those happy times and often forget about the bad ones. But the bad times don't erase the good memories! Also, in the "Beach", when Azula came to comfort Zuko, she also seemed a bit depressed. It means she was also missing those happy and innocent times of their life. So no, Zuko's memory was correct and Ozai probably wasn't lying either. Their family had some good times once.

Could it possibly be a redeeming quality for Ozai? Perhaps. However, we all know that it didn't last long. And we also know that Ozai was always sort of like that and Iroh comfirms it in "The Legacy of The Fire Nation" novel

And something interesting here... Iroh admits he sort of blames himself for not being a better guide for his brother. Which makes me think... Did Ozai really ever have a positive influence on his life?

You can arguably say Iroh, but i'd disagree. First of all, there's a huge age gap between Iroh and Ozai. And Iroh was a general who was busy with fighting in battle, such as the siege of Ba Sing Se. So I imagine they didn't really have a chance to spend time together and bond as brothers.

Also, Iroh wasn't exactly a positive influence before the death of Lu Ten. He used to be more ruthless and hungry for glory. Yes, he still was a caring guy towards his family, but he only realized the terrible side of violence and terror after losing his dear son... This is when he finally developed empathy towards everyone, not only for his family. So I don't think he would be able to be a better influence for Ozai when they were younger...

And if not Iroh, who could possibly be a good guidance for Ozai? Azulon? Pfft, yeah right! He definitely favored Iroh over Ozai, and was seen to be cold and harsh towards his son. So nope, he was an abusive father and far from being a good guidance.

But... What about his mother? What happened to her?

The only thing we know about Iroh and Ozai's mother is her name, Ilah. And she was married to Fire Lord Azulon. There's literally nothing else we know about her. So, we don't know what kind of a relationship she had with Ozai either.

And that's why I have this theory in my mind! Could it be that Ilah died when she was giving birth to Ozai? And maybe that's why Azulon was cold and cruel to Ozai?

The death on childbirth was a common incident during middle age and in the earlier ages too. Unfortunately, it still can happen in modern world too... But thankfully, it's a rare incident now due the modern advantages.

So yes, it's very possible that Lady Ilah to die on the childbirth. Because we never see her in the series nor in the comics. If she was alive at the moment, she would totally show up on Ozai and Ursa's wedding. But she didn't, which means she was long gone, at least for like 20 years. But since neither Iroh or Ozai mentions her for once, we can assume that she died very long ago.

Could this be why Iroh turned out to be a caring and compassionate person towards his own family? Because he had maternal love and support? Well, he obviously didn't get that from Azulon (even though Azulon seemed to care for Iroh and Lu Ten in a certain level). And that might be why Ozai became a cold and cruel jerk, because he never had this kind of love and support in his life.

And it also explains Azulon's bad treatment towards Ozai, reminds me of how Tywin Lannister despised his son Tyrion Lannister from Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire. Tywin hated his son Tyrion because he was a dwarf and also because he "killed" his mother in childbirth

So maybe Azulon was going full Tywin on Ozai and blamed him for "killing" his own mother.

If that's the case, it makes a ton of sense for Ozai's character! Because he never really had a chance to redeem himself and grow up in a healthy environment. He was being told that he was a killer since he was born and accused with killing his own mother. I can totally imagine Azulon telling him that he is "An ill-made, spiteful creature. Full of lust and low cunning" (Quote from Tywin Lannister), or maybe even calling him a "monster"?

If this theory is true, then it makes sense for Ozai's character and why he became a brutal, ruthless and narcissistic person.

And let's not forget, narcissism isn't only a personality disorder but also a coping mechanism. Narcissists actually have fragile egos and low self-esteems. That's why they fake confidence and a false sense of grandiosity as a self-defense mechanism. The exact reasons of narcissism is not known, but researchers show that both genetic and environmental factors are in it. And it's very possible to occur because of a trauma or abuse too.

So maybe Ozai was crushed under the abuse and pressure of being "guilty" for killing his mother in childbirth, and he found comfort in creating a false sense of superiority.

And this also might be why Iroh and Ozai became distant towards each other. Ozai was probably jealous of Azulon's nicer treatment towards Iroh. So he didn't want to be around him and see how their father treats him better, because it would remind him of the fact that he was the unfavorite child. And from Iroh's aspect, maybe he was devastated after the death of his mother and wanted to distance himself from Ozai for it? Yes, it doesn't really sound like something that the Iroh we know would do. But again, we really don't know the Iroh before Lu Ten's death, but he surely cared about his family so much. And maybe that's why he distanced himself from Ozai because he took away a part of his family? And because of Azulon, Iroh probably didn't have a chance to accept Ozai a part of his family at this point. And when he did, it was probably too late. The damage was done. Ozai already became a narcissistic jerk and a potential tyrant.

So, that's my headcanon about Ozai's evilness. You can agree or disagree with it. If you have different thoughts, please feel free to share them with me

[spirit-meets-the-b0ne]

An Analysis of Ozai’s characterization, rise and descent

Recently I’ve seen a lot of discourse on Fire Lord Ozai. One of the cruxes of the issue being that people look at Ozai from the original series and claim he’s too “2 dimensional” or “cartoonishly evil” and I’m here to say “let’s look through a lens instead”

While there may be some case for Ozai being just another big bad there’s far more evidence that suggests his issues are far more nuanced. The show continually stops at these points of character development to focus on generational trauma and unlearning the negative influences of family/nation.

In that breath of we look at Ozai from the point of view of a nationalist with a narcissistic personality disorder almost ALL of his subsequent behavior makes sense…

• Ozai being controlling of his family members. Even from the start of his marriage he shows signs immediately of trying to manipulate and estrange Ursa from her family.

•His domination and manipulation of his children. Remember although he favors Azula it’s still very obvious that the only reason he does is because of her perceived value. I personally think this could come from her ability to fire bend blue flames, something his father likewise did. Whether it be a genetic trait or a sign of “pure” bending ability it is essentially a trophy for Ozai. A classic narcissistic parent only has value for their child and still demands to be above them - we see this when Ozai names Azula Fire Lord only after making a new greater title for himself (get to that later). Since Zuko showed none of the same promise as Azula - Ozai had already resigned to him being of no value to him and even admits the Fire Sages and his mother are the only reason he’s even here. Ozai only has value on power and much like his intentions to usurp Iroh were always there his intention to “cast [Zuko] of out of the palace” are likewise there for the same reason.

*side note YES there is one time where Ozai does save Zuko’s life but even his account of these events tells all you need to know.

Ozai saves his son (because it would be embarrassing for the FIRE prince to have drowned and Ozai knows this) but Zuko “spends the day” in his mother’s arms.

•Ozai’s narcissism eventually surpasses his nationalism as even Fire Lord is not a grand enough title. A key characteristic of NPD is an “excessive need for admiration.” We see this frequently with Ozai as well as his self importance and entitlement. When he becomes the Phoenix King he assumes a new level of perceived power and admiration. As well as a superiority over his ancestors who started the war. After all they were just Fire Lords, he is much more. He’s a megalomaniac and even taking the most powerful position in the Fire Nation wasn’t enough for him.

To suggest he’s just the ember island version of himself is too reductive. Almost all of Ozai’s behavior under this lens of sociopathy and narcissistic personally disorder track quite easily. It’s not that Ozai simply manipulates and attacks his family he NEEDS to be the most powerful. The perception of weakness and his hubris is the set up for his downfall because the ones he never thought worthy (Zuko and Iroh) are eventually his undoing.

This lens also provides a great backboard for analyzing Azula, it bleeds into why she’s a perfectionist and her own mental instability. Growing up under the boot of narcissistic father explains Azula and Zuko’s (initial) entitlement and desire for recognition. They’re both classists and nationalists at the beginning of the story. Zuko later gets humbled and has his eyes opened but Azula still very much (as we see with her relationships) holds her royalty and rights very highly.

Azula especially caters to her father’s need for admiration and she assumes his fantasies of grandeur. Her subsequent actions of manipulating people seems a learned trait and no doubt from Ozai, she did watch from the shadows as he manipulated his way to the throne. It sets a tone for her as well to dominate Zuko and usurp his birthright, even though Ozai shows he cares only for power not for tradition. She still strives for his approval and acknowledgement of superiority.

And of course the climactic ending of his reign being his power is taken away from him - this is a death knell for everything mentioned above. Thats WHY it’s so impactful what Aang does not only because it aligns with Aang’s desire for pacifism but it’s the antithesis of Ozai’s campaign for total domination. Ozai only ever cared about power and control - to be stripped of his literal fire power reduces him to all he has left - mental control. When he’s imprisoned he is STILL trying to fuck with Zuko’s head by bringing up his mother and these cryptic stories from the past.

Although there’s is the obvious black and white to see Ozai as a cartoonishly evil war lord who has intentions of genocide there’s more to Ozai than that. Hopefully this analysis also resonates with anyone like myself who has/had a parent who shows these signs of narcissism and empathized with both Zuko and Azula because we know what kind of monsters those parents can be …

I’m not saying this is the ONLY lens to view Ozai and if the textual evidence wasn’t there maybe I would say I’m projecting but I think the case is pretty solid for the kind of villain Ozai is. He’s much more cerebral than this audience is giving credit for and it’s his villainy that ultimately defines many of the other characters and their paths.

[lucky-clover-gazette]

The Big Picture

Vio & Shadow-focused Four Swords Manga Adaptation | Rated G

Chapter 4: Quest Updated

“Can you hear me?” asks the voice of Ganon, projected from some kind of unreachable void. Shadow isn’t exactly sure how Ganon’s remote oversight works. All he knows is that Ganon created him, Ganon’s will is truth, and Ganon will appear to him only when the time is right.

Not that Shadow cares, or anything.

“We can hear you,” sighs Vaati.

“I can’t hear you.”

Read the chapter (and very informative author's note!!) on ao3 or under the cut:

Author's Note: Finally, I’m working on this project again! I encourage you to re-read the previous chapters, because I just did a pretty significant amount of revision. The most notable change is the decision to not use manga dialogue verbatim—I’m still heavily referencing the transcription, but changing some language and phrasing to blend with my own style. Also important to note is the change of Vio, Shadow, Green, Blue, Red, Zelda, and Link Prime’s age, which is now 16 instead of 19. Working so closely with the manga, I’ve concluded that it makes the most sense for them to be around that age—mature enough to resonate with adults and potentially develop complex feelings, but young enough where it’s still believable that they would speak/act in line with the manga. To me, the True Manga Canon Links are 14-16 in the same way that, like, Katara, Sokka, Princess Azula, and Prince Zuko are ages 14-16. They’re not living in a world like ours, attending high school or something equivalent; they have very adult responsibilities, while simultaneously coping with teenage angst and the challenge of developing their own identities. And while Vio and Shadow stand out as the characters least believable as any age younger than 14, I do think the others—while silly in an cartoonish way—are not as a whole believable as preteens either. Like, Mabel and Dipper Pines are written as unusually clever preteens, and even they still seem younger than Red. Side note: cartoons are not my only frame of reference for media interpretation, but I am writing this specific thing like it’s a cartoon. Ultimately, I think that while I personally prefer writing a more mature interpretation, these characters can only be teenagers in something meant to complement and supplement canon. That said, I still fully intend to expand on the queer subtext between Vio and Shadow. Their canon arc reminds me a lot of the confusing, codependent, and ultimately life-altering relationships queer teenagers often find themselves in. This adaptation will explore Vio and Shadow’s journeys of queer discovery, both literally and allegorically, because that’s how I personally interpret the manga. Even if you’re not big on shipping these specific characters, I sincerely hope you can respect my interpretation and still find something that resonates. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this very belated update :)

Pure light transports the heroes to a chamber beneath Hyrule Castle. Link has been here before—very recently, in fact—but to Vio it somehow feels new.

“Are you well, heroes?” asks a soft female voice. Vio looks towards the center of the chamber, where a young woman floats trapped inside a magically crystal. She clasps her hands in front of her chest as if to pray.

“The Blue Maiden!” Red exclaims, his eyes wide.

“Did you save us?” asks Green.

“Link,” says the maiden, “something awful has begun. A terrible ordeal. Darkness once again covers Hyrule, just as in times of legend.”

Tell me something I don’t know, Vio wants to mutter, but decides not to antagonize the minor deity who probably just saved his life. .

“The shadow that took us was a phantom hero,” the maiden continues, “created by an evil demon.”

Vio perks up at that. The more he learns about that freak, the easier it will be to defeat him.

“It is a ‘Shadow Link. A dark reflection of you, but more powerful than any mere shadow.”

Vio attempts to process this. How exactly had Shadow Link been created? It couldn’t have been a similar process to himself. Vio is a fractured piece of a person, while Shadow Link is a dark reflection of a whole. No wonder he’s more powerful than the four of them—although combined, maybe the heroes could still stand a chance.

The maiden sighs, recapturing Vio’s attention. “It took all my might to send even that small light through the barrier. His power is not yet at its peak. You must stop him before that happens.”

“We’re no match for him now,” says Red in a defeated slump. “How can we ever beat him?”

Blue draws his sword. “We’ve gotta smash that barrier first!”

“That isn’t possible right now,” says the Blue Maiden. “The Four Sword has been cursed by Vaati. You must re-energize it, fill it with Life Force and the curse will be lifted. Then you can defeat the darkness for good.”

The four exchange uneasy glances. Finally, Green speaks up.

“Blue Maiden,” he says, “where is Princess Zelda?”

“I don’t know,” admits the maiden. “Weak as I am, I can’t sense clearly. But I can faintly sense her spirit… far, far away.”

Green nods, determined. “She’s alive. That’s enough.” It brings Vio relief, too, that this could all still be undone.

“Hold on, Blue Maiden,” says Green. “We’ll be back to save you soon.”

“Be careful, my four heroes.” The maiden closes her eyes tight, as if channeling the little power she has left. “Travel towards the Eastern Sea. I sense another Maiden within the Eastern Temple.”

Vio finds himself nodding, too.

They exit the castle through the dungeons, careful to remain undetected by Shadow Link’s army of monsters. Eventually they reach a path, which according to the sign leads directly from Castle Town to the Eastern Sea. Vio assumes that it’s meant to be followed by traveling merchants, over the course of days.

Red sighs loudly.

“Losing confidence?” Vio asks, almost playfully,.

“Yeah,” says Red, “how’d you know?”

“Because I am you.”

Green stares into the distance, filled with determination. “If Dark Link is our shadow,” he says, “we need to be better to beat him. Be more like father.”

“Yeah,” Vio smirks. “Right now, I’d give us a 50/50 chance.”

“But if we restore the sword we’ll get stronger!” says Red. “And if we can learn some teamwork—”

Blue scoffs, cutting him off. “I don’t care what it takes, we’re doing it.”

Green’s eyes sparkle in the daylight as he addresses his teammates. Vio can’t help but feel a little inspired. “Then it’s decided,” their leader announces. “Let’s go!”

─────────────────

“You’re late,” Vaati tells Shadow as he shuts the door behind him. The one-eyed demon waits at the far end of the conference table, as usual, scrutinizing the shade as he plops down into his own seat.

Steadying his heart, Shadow rolls his eyes. Reclines slightly, enough to slam his boots onto the table. Shoots Vaati a self-satisfied grin. “Sorry, I was busy. Doing things, in my body.”

Vaati’s eye narrows. The Wind Mage may now be free in the world of light, but he still lacks a corporeal form.

“You’re welcome, by the way,” Shadow adds. “For breaking the seal.”

“Don’t congratulate yourself just yet.”

The air in the dark room begins to crackle, an occurrence Shadow immediately recognizes. He removes his boots from the table and stiffens his posture.

“Can you hear me?” asks the voice of Ganon, projected from some kind of unreachable void. Shadow isn’t exactly sure how Ganon’s remote oversight works. All he knows is that Ganon created him, Ganon’s will is truth, and Ganon will appear to him only when the time is right.

Not that Shadow cares, or anything.

“We can hear you,” sighs Vaati.

“I can’t hear you.”

“Do you have us on mute?” Shadow asks, helpfully.

Vaati scoffs. “He just said he can’t hear you.” Shadow just shrugs.

“I think I have you on mute,” says Ganon. “Hold on, this is—ah. Yes, I see.”

Vaati and Shadow lock eyes, unsure who should speak first.

“I still can’t hear you,” Ganon repeats, frustrated.

“Lord Ganon,” Vaati finally says, “we are both here.”

“There you are. Excellent.”

Shadow preens under his approval. “My Lord, I have good news. The Wind Mage has been successfully freed, and the Four Sword drawn. Princess Zelda is in our clutches. Hyrule Castle has been overtaken by our forces.”

“Our clutches? Our forces?”

Shadow winces. “Yours, My Lord.”

Ganon pauses for a moment. Shadow grips the edge of the table. “It seems you are serving your purpose, Shadow Link.”

Shadow grins. “You should have seen it, Link’s father was so fooled. And the four heroes—”

“Are dead?” interrupts Ganon, and Shadow’s heart falls.

“Not… as such.”

“Explain yourself, Shadow Link.”

Shadow deliberates each word before it leaves his mouth. “They had assistance, my Lord. The Blue Maiden, while contained, used her remaining light magic to repel my presence and transport them to safety.”

“I see.”

Shadow braces himself for his creator’s disapproval.

“Because the heroes survive,” Ganon says, “they pose a great danger to you.”

Shadow hangs his head. “I’m sorry, I can’t control how I—”

“You are not the perfect being I sought to create, Shadow Link. You are inherently flawed, weak to the light.”

And now the heroes know it too, Shadow realizes, ashamed. Despite all of his prior gleeful theatrics, he hadn’t even considered acting unbothered by the light. Not when it scared him so much, not when it caught his so off-guard. Pathetic.

“However,” continues Ganon, “your failure is not in your weakness.”

Shadow’s breath hitches. “It isn’t?”

“Your failure is in your admittance of defeat. You have the power of darkness at your disposal—use it wisely.”

Shadow takes a deep breath and nods. “Yes, my Lord.”

“You will need to travel in darkness to defeat them,” Ganon instructs. “Do not attempt to approach the heroes during the daytime.”

“But then how am I supposed to—”

“Have patience. Observe. Prevent the four heroes from gaining power, but do not make yourself vulnerable again.”

Shadow’s palms itch. He’s not a delegator, and patience is not one of his virtues. There’s no place for theatricality in this mission. It doesn’t sound fun.

“I won’t disappoint you,” Shadow reassures his creator, already plotting ways to disrupt the heroes’ journey. He could still make this fun. He could succeed, despite his weakness. He isn’t a perfect creation, but he can still be the next best thing.

Or would he be the next worst thing, considering the evil of it all?

“Your supervision is appreciated,” Ganon tells Vaati. “And Shadow Link—”

“Yes?”

“I am… proud of what you have accomplished. I look forward to your future successes.”

Shadow breaks out into an almost childish smile. “Thank you, my Lord!”

Ganon doesn’t respond, but his presence still lingers. Vaati and Shadow exchange a tired glance.

“You have to end the call,” sighs the Wind Mage. “Sir.”

“Right,” says Ganon, admitting no fault of his own. “Meeting adjourned.”

[zuko-always-lies]

I went to an argument with an Azula hater who overly praises Zuko for sticking up for the fire nation rookies during the day of his banishment, (which is noble) he thought it was a sign he was pure good and wise from the get-go without having to learn to be first. Where as he gave shit to Azula for not doing the same. I countered that by saying it wasn't a smart choice, she didn't want to piss off Ozai but then he said and I quote: "If there was any good inside Azula, she would have chosen to anger Ozai, like Zuko."

Some people just do not know how psychology works and he's clearly one of those dudes who mistakenly think stupidity equals goodness.

He's obviously never grown up in an abusive lifestyle and I count him lucky for it. I was also lucky and yet I'm somehow more understanding and empathetic.

"Abused 11 year old is absolutely evil because she didn't deliberately piss off her abusive and violent father who is also the only person in her family who ever showed her positive attention in order to object to an amoral but potentially effective military plan at a war meeting she wasn't even present at" certainly is a take.

[theowritesfiction]

'The Crossroads of Destiny'

Aaah, here we go with the epic finale of Book 2, I have been waiting for this.

Azula ordering the Dai Li around like a queen... you know, I'm not even surprised that people watch the entire show and then are shocked to find out that she's 14. Which just makes her that much more amazing, obviously. What really makes this scene for me, though, is Ty Lee just cheerfully making tea for her girls nearby, enjoying Azula's speech and simping hard. And Mai is just loving it.

Aang lying to his friends about mastering the Avatar State... umm no I'm still salty about the previous episode and this ain't helping. 30 more Jerk Points.

Okay, Iroh using his fire breathing trick to escape Azula's trap was very neat. I love how Iroh facepalms when Zuko states that he's going to face Azula. And Azula just plays it so cool. 'You're so dramatic, Zuko.' lmao, he really is. <3 Agni Kai? lol, no thank u. I love this girl. <3

Iroh pleading with Gaang to help him save Zuko... I mean, on one hand I like that he's not proud enough to ask because he cares about Zuko that much. But on the other hand, I am still salty when he claims that there's good in Zuko, while unwilling to see anything but rot and evil in Azula.

I love the little scene when the Dai Li agent reports to Long Feng in his cell, the agent just can't stop going on about how great Azula is. Okay, guy, we get you, she really is that great.

The crystal catacombs scene with Katara and Zuko was pretty much a starting point for one of my early atla fanfics, so I've done my fair share thinking about this scene already. But it would be silly not to acknowledge how defining it is for a large part of the fanbase. I mean, this is the scene that pretty much kickstarted Zutara. And even if I no longer actively ship them, I have to admit, Katara and Zuko just have strong chemistry. Katara touching Zuko's scar, the looks they exchange when Katara leaves, it's all there if you want to look for it.  

But I have to say... Katara claiming that she was saving the spirit oasis water for 'something important' when offering to heal Zuko's scar now just makes me think back of Lake Laogai and become angry. The writers did Jet dirty, and they also did Katara dirty by implying that she would let Jet die and not consider him important enough to save his life? Screw that. We all know that Katara would have stayed behind and saved Jet. This is a shameful plot hole.

And I do love the twist of Aang dying because Katara is unable to save him because she healed Jet or Zuko prior to Azula's lightning blast. I love it when a character as hopeful and pure is sent spiraling towards full emotional breakdown and descending into darkness, as I believe watching Aang die would do to Katara. It's a tempting scenario for me to explore.

Iroh's conversation with Aang as they make their way to the catacombs... Iroh validating Aang's terrible decision not to unlock the Avatar State, you don't know what you're talking about, old man, so stop flapping your gums. 40 Jerk Points for terrible advice.

I love the scene of Toph and Sokka trying to alert the Earth King. Azula is like... I'm not even going to lower myself to fighting those two. She just ends the fight by threatening Kuei. But I love how she lets the girls have a bit of fun with Toph and Sokka. I still love the Sokka/Ty Lee flirting. Sure Sokka, you're 'involved' with Suki. You've spent less time with Suki than you have with Ty Lee. The triple-cross of Long Feng is perhaps the most iconic Azula moment. I think it's very interesting that Azula invokes the divine right of rule as her political legitimacy, when I don't think that Zuko ever refers to it - even if it IS the only reason why he has any claim on the Fire Nation throne.

Zuko making his choice... I'm trying to see how it could come across as Azula manipulating him into making the 'wrong' choice, but... she really doesn't. This decision is all Zuko. Okay, when Azula promises Zuko that he will have his father's love, she is obviously saying what Zuko wants to hear. But at the same time, Azula has a very warped understanding of what their father's 'love' even is. She thinks she has it, but we know she doesn't, not really. It's all conditional, and Zuko coming back home as a fellow conqueror of Ba Sing Se fulfils these conditions so... it's not that Azula is even lying here. And unlike on my first watch of the show, I'm not even mad at Zuko for his betrayal. It's so understandable to me now that I can't even give him Jerk Points for it.

Okay these are some of the most iconic fight scenes in the show between the four kids. Zuko for once is able to put up a good fight against Aang. Azula fighting Katara means everything to me. <3 I had forgotten how well matched those two are and Katara almost gets the better of Azula. <3 Azula using her blue flame jets to completely destroy Aang. Zuko and Azula teaming up to overpower Katara... just amazing scenes. Zuko and Azula working together are so deadly. <3

The scene of Sokka and Toph liberating Bosco is so sweet and funny. Ty Lee trying to teach the bear how to hand walk <3 Mai not even bothering to put in any effort to defend a stupid bear. Yeah, she's soooo afraid of Azula punishing her, right?

Iroh turning traitor and allowing Katara to escape with Aang was a decision that has always fascinated me, because I think that Iroh is a more complex character with more complex motivations than to just decide 'well I've finally realized who the good guys are and so I'm going to go against my nephew and stand with them'. There are myriad of other explanations. The death of the Avatar would mean the loss of hope and likely collapse of all remaining resistance. Maybe Iroh simply did not wish something like that on Zuko's hands. Or maybe he's playing a long political game.

I think the final exchange between Azula and Zuko is almost wholesome? Azula has absolutely no reason to treat Zuko decently here if she didn't want to. I don't think Ozai ever ordered Azula to capture the Avatar, so she doesn't need Zuko as her fall guy for that, because that wasn't even her task. Wasn't her task to bring back the Fire Nation traitors, Zuko and Iroh? Task achieved. She did not necessarily have to bring them both back in chains. Capture of Ba Sing Se also wasn't Azula's goal. She just saw an opportunistic chance to do it and acted upon it. And now she has a massive success under her belt with which to further endear herself to Ozai. Again, why should she share this success with Zuko, unless she actually wants her brother back?

Anyway, I've rambled long enough. This was a great conclusion to Book 2, and I'm looking forward to Book 3! In the meantime, here are the final Jerk Point standings for Book 2, and we congratulate Iroh with a well deserved victory!

Jerk Points for Book 2:

Iroh - 600 Long Feng - 560 Aang - 320 Azulon - 300 Ursa, General Fong  - 200 Zuko, Toph - 120 Ozai, King Kuei - 100 Sokka - 70 Bumi, Lao Beifong - 50 Pakku - 30

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

I’ve done some thinking about the southern raiders episode and I realize that Aang is ultimately in the right.

Katara chose neither revenge nor forgiveness but that choice can only work for so long.

It’s not just Yon Rah who’s done wrong, it’s the entire Fire nation military, each soldier has done worse than the other. Zuko was given the most difficult task he could’ve imagined, he is to redeem his warmongering country, his family name and make peace with the other nations he went to war against.

One of the main themes about ATLA is redemption. Some of the writers wanted Azula to have a redemption arc with Zuko as her Iroh, her upcoming solo comic having that chance. While I am always down for that along with Azulaang endgame, I say that she’s done a little bit worse than Yon Rah. By the time of season 2 finale, Aang and Katara were practically family. Watching Azula zap Aang in front of her clearly devastated her and she most likely had a flashback of watching her mother die. The fact Aang was the world’s only hope for ending the war and the only who can possibly match Ozai only added insult to the injury. Azula’s devilish smirk doesn’t help either. She was the one who suggested that Ozai commit the same level genocide as Sozin on the earth kingdom, an act Sokka considered pure evil. She tried zapping her in agni kai, only for Zuko to jump in front of her and she acted vicious and maniacal to both of them. albeit also slower and sloppier.

Iroh has done even worse than Azula.

To see Katara willing to forgive them both would make her choice to hold a grudge against Yon Rah for all time seem utterly pointless and tiring. I’m not saying she should search for him again and say she’ll forgive him. I’ll let circumstance determine their reunion.

Forgiveness isn’t something that should be scoffed at. While, on hindsight, its one of the actions that is considered to be almost impossible to do, regardless of the circumstances. Forgiveness is one of the greatest and humblest actions to commit due to the fact it removes transgressions and guilt from individuals and remedies the venomous state of rage and hatred within oneself or others. Another important factor is that forgiveness can aid individuals to grow and escalate into happiness, as well as helping the person move forward without any anger, especially without the need of seeking vengeance. In fact, it can also heal both the person's mental and physical health.

We can’t deny that Katara and Zuko acted disrespectful to Aang and looked down upon what he’s ever known. Sokka was more respectful and even agreed with Aang but Katara had the audacity to accuse him for not loving their mother.

Where Aang falls short, however, is the fact that Sozin, the man who singlehandedly slaughtered most of Aang’s people, is already long dead, and the sandbenders only kidnapped Appa, they didn’t kill him. He had no real reason to feel what Katara felt. There’s also the fact that Katara is the one who’s indirectly blocking his final chakra, she’s the reason why he can’t control the avatar state, and he’s not used to seeing Katara’s angrier side and probably wanted Katara to forgive for his sake but not her own and Katara knew it.

No one can change the past. The way I see it, if wrong-doers are no longer a threat but are still alive than all we should do is pray for them, hope that they can do better, be better. If we treat them like animals they’ll gladly be animals, we treat them with respect, we’ll get respect back.

[ly0nstea]

I think the weirdest thing about Azula haters is that there's never an end point for her suffering.

Like, even if you do concede that azula is evil and bad and a monster, there has to be a point where she's suffers enough to equal out the harm done, vs. harm received after all, that's the point of a punishment. Retribution, otherwise it's pure sadism (and azula antis would never get sadistic pleasure from her suffering...).

But that threshold for azula is either miles high or non-existant. Let's compare harm done between Zuko and Azula in the show (off the top of my head), absent of whether they were deemed right or wrong, just purely based on if harm is caused to people without justification. So, attacking aang for not training hard enough is harm done, but attacking Zhao in the Agni Kai is not harm done because it was agreed to and they both signed up for it.:

Azula: toppled the tyrannical government of Ba Sing Se and left it in the hands of someone not seemingly fit to rule a nation (Joo Dee), was a major nuisance in Zuko's personal life for about 5 years (6-11, no one is telling me 5 year old Azula did any meaningful harm to Zuko, even 6 is really pushing it imo), caused fear in her two friends, major damages to the walls of Ba Sing Se and the toppling of the walls of Ba sing se, almost killed aang once and attempted to harm him several times.

Zuko: burned down Suki's village, leaving plenty of people either without homes, or with damaged homes. Stole an ostrich horse from someone who did him no wrong, turned against his friends (both the black sun betrayal, but also during the beach zuko is incredibly antagonistic to Mai and Ty Lee), multiple prison breaks, grave endangerment of his own men, betraying Iroh, tried to kill aang a dozen times, and capture him, burning tophs feet, endorsing kataras bloodbending of a fairly helpless old man, tried to attack aang because he 'wasnt taking training seriously enough', hiring assassin's and bounty hunters.

Now, even saying that zuko was in the show more, and therefore had more chances to cause harm, even accounting for that i think it's safe to say that he caused a lot more harm than Azula did. Now, how much harm (retribution) did they receive to thematically offset this harm. Note: Zuko's scar both of their respective abuse from ozai does not count here, as it wasn't any form of retribution, as neither had done anything wrong at that point, and you can't be punished for a crime before you commit it.

Azula: left by her father, left by Zuko, left by Mai and Ty Lee, spiralled quickly into a total and complete mental breakdown.

Zuko: had an ethical crisis so bad it made him physically ill, felt a lot of guilt, was shouted at by the gaang.

To simplify them down, azula was left by everyone she knew and had a total breakdown, and zuko felt really really really bad.

I think it's safe to say Azulas punishment is leagues greater than Zuko's, so why is he a bastion of redemption? Well, because his character arc is carried by his backstory, a lot of the reason we think he deserves the throne, and is a good person, is because of mostly the Agni Kai with Ozai, however, his actions in the show paint the opposite picture.

So, when it comes to justice, punishment, i would say azula has earned her redemption arc, while I'm still not convinced that an end of series zuko even had a real, full redemption anymore.

[low-budget-korra]

My controversial opinions on Avatar #3

-Katara and Azula are best parallel in the Avatar verse. And yet so overlooked.

-Uncle Iroh failed Azula and I it was because of two things. First is misogyny and second and maybe the most important one, he saw his son in Zuko. He already was closed to Zuko because he was the male nephew, but after Lu Ten died, he saw in Zuko a chance to be a father again.

-Since we are talking about her. No, Azula wasn't pure evil or a psychopath. She did care, she loved, she suffered, she feared, she felt empathy...and even with all the manipulation Ozai did to her, sometimes she was able to show all that. And stop comparing her to Kuvira. Azula was a 14'old who was abandoned, manipulated and emotionally abused. Kuvira is a grown ass woman who knew better.

-No, it wasn't Suyin duty to rule The Earth Kingdom after the queen death, or wherever some of y'all demanded. Her duty was with the Metal Clan. And I know it may be selfish and all but her duty and responsibilities was with the Metal Clan. And especially in that time of caos, is logical she would choose to stay and take care of her city. She could have helped? Sure but I'm being realistic here and even tho I don't agree I also don't think is her fault that Kuvira raised to power like I've seen some people commented

-This one may trigger some people but here we go. It bothers me how most of the Korrasami fandom go way too fast assuming that Korra is the masc/butch of the relationship just because she is tomboyish. Like yeah, let's ignore that she literally wore dresses on the show and seems hella comfortable with wearing them. And that Asami was way more close to wear a suit than Korra ever was.

Personally I think Asami gives more masc energy than Korra, I think Korra is something in between. Like, def not a femme but still not a masc.

And also bothers me that some of people in the fandom treat Korra like she was a savage. She is always being portrait as this brute, super impulsive, aggressive and dumb. And it feels racist u know?! Especially because we know she is smart and caring and sweet and def not a savage. So why people keep portraying her that way? Stop treating Korra like she was just a pile of muscles, she ain't, she is way more than that.

Ps: It's okay to do shit (fanarts and fanfic) with Korra losing it for a moment, or wearing suits and be masc wherever. This is to the people who only portrait her like that, ignoring the canon

-99% of the characters in tlok are developed or have at the very least a closed arc. Don't compare them to tla characters because tla have the double episodes to develop them, and don't compare with shows that don't have half of the characters tlok had. Considering the time and number of characters to work with, they did a amazing job.

When development ain't the same as time screen. And with tlok, half of the development had to happen off screen, with them just suggesting stuff too us complete in our head. And development happened either you like or not. The same goes with them being deep or not, I think they are, but again, a lot os things is suggested and not showed to us. That's why people keeping saying tlok characters aren't that deep or that they didn't have development

[galraluver]

I think this would be hella easy request to do.

Simply headcanons of Lotor having younger sibling that is pure embodiment of Azula from Atla. Also thanks for making attention thirsty request. ♥️

It's been a long time since I've watched Avatar, so I'll try my best

_________________________________________

~ Lotor is excited to have a little sister at first, but as you get older, he doesn't like having you as a younger sibling

~ You started out as such a cute, sweet baby who liked following him around everywhere

~ You've often tried getting him in trouble for bad things that you've done around Galra Central Command

~ And succeeded

~ One time you stole something important from your mother's lair and blamed it on Lotor, just to get him in trouble

~ It worked, and Lotor was grounded for two months

~ You're every bit as evil as your parents; Zarkon and Haggar

~ Haggar is very proud of you

~ Zarkon is too

~ You're the real reason Lotor got banished and he hates you for it

~ No one cares that your only half Galra; even Sendak and Throk like having you around

~ You help your mother in her lair and help your father conquer planets

~ You're pure evil and completely heartless; people often fear you more than your parents

~ Even the Paladins fear you, which makes Zarkon and Haggar even happier with you

~ They’re shocked when Lotor tells them about you

~ After his parents, you're Lotor's worst enemy

[hello-nichya-here]

A frequent anti-azula argument I've seen lately is that they say she's pure evil because she smiled along side Zhao the day Zuko was burned and banished. What's your take on that?

(I'll be answering this ignoring the theory that Iroh is misremembering/imaging that reaction from Azula due to his own bias against her because the intention was definitively for us to take Iroh's versions of events as 100% true)

People who use this as evidence that Azula is pure evil ignore some VERY important context:

1 - Forcing a child to witness someone being abused is also a form of abuse. Ozai didn't just punish Zuko with that Agni Kai, he made him an exemple of what he'd do to those who displeased him, and the fact that he had Azula, his second child and now heir, watch how he treated an heir that failed to meet his standards just screams "That could have been you." On top of that, copying their abuser's behavior is a survival tactic many abuse victims use (be they aware that this is what they're doing or not) so Azula's reaction is likely not based on her true feelings about what's going on right before her eyes, but rather on what she thinks will lead to less trouble with her father (who, again, just prooved he has zero issue with being extremely cruel to his own kids)

2 - The Fire Lord has basic God status on their Fire Nation. Zuko got in trouble for accidentally, indirectly insulting him. After Iroh tells the crew about what Ozai did, they're still loyal to him. You do NOT go against the Fire Lord. Ever. In any way. If he says someone deserves to get half their face burned, then that IS what they deserve - even if that person is the Fire Lord's 13-year-old son AND your brother.

3 - Violence is ridiculously normalized in the Fire Nation (pretty understandable considering they caused a war), and Ozai made sure to force Azula to get used to the idea of looking at the disgrace, and even death, of her relatives not as a tragedy, but as a victory (see her reaction to her grandpa and cousin dying)

4 - Azula buries her emotions so deep within herself that she can often convince herself she doesn't feel them (see her acting almost happy when her mother was gone, yet clearly still struggling to process her feelings about her years later). If she didn't care about Zuko, not even a tiny little bit, she would not have brought him home or warned him to be careful so people wouldn't think he was plotting with Iroh. Again, he reaction isn't based on what is being done to Zuko, but on what she fears Ozai might do to her.

[thecelestial-art]

ok but like, here me out,,,,, avatar high school au but its just me projecting my personality and trauma

my instagram

Aang

Freshman

He's trying his gosh darn hardest

The group baby

Appa is a therapy dog so he spends the day with gyatso in his classroom :)

Hes a saint bernard 

The best man

Despite katara being the ‘mom friend’ he runs the god damn show

Momo is a shit head sphinx cat 

The gang dropped movie nights for “knitting nights” so they could all learn to knit him sweaters

Hes very fashionable

he hates it

sokkas best friend

Aang makes costumes so when halloween comes around momo is very scary as dorothy 

Track and field babey

Does not curse

He has a hard time keeping up with world events

Straight (i'm not wrong)

he and toph have an ongoing tradition of going in full dress to waffle house before school dances. 

it got to the point where now all the workers know them by name

they also accidentally crashed a white lotus meeting and just kept going

Azula

Band kid

Sophomore

Rich girl with 2 friends

Pre eng

i know most schools dont have this program, but mine did and holy shit. those were some overachievers 

The most annoying mf on the planet

Not a single teacher likes her

The know it all that will fight if you don't agree with the facts

She was the ww2 kid

Capitalist in the worst fucking way

Closeted lesbian, when she figures that shit out she gets a lil better

The one who can drive

Mai

Bisexual

She's really good at math?? Like shes the gay who can do math

But cannot drive, bitch failed her permit more times than she can count

She nearly went to an all girls boarding school at one point

Sophomore

Colorguard!!

She has beat the shit out of people she's walked in on making out in the bathroom

Genuine friends with the faculty??

She takes programming/coding as a filler class but she's pretty good and continues to pursue it.

Her tumblr looks sick as hell

has caused a teacher to cry

Ty lee

Bisexual

Lesbian earings actin mf

Sophomore

Cheerleader

She is the nicest mother fucker and everyone loves her

Despite acting like an airhead she's really science orientated

When she takes biology she passes with flying colors

Very invested in social justice

She would never hurt a fly but she will fuck you up

The one with a healthy relationship with her father

has comforted a teacher she found crying in the parking lot

Iroh

Now runs the jasmine dragon where zuko works after school w/ katara 

Knows every single kid who comes in and tries his hardest to make sure everyone feels appreciated

Former war criminal

In a book club

The white lotus? Yeah this is the white lotus

Idk if it would be the same as the show, or if its just an old person shit talking group

Zuko

Junior

His dad got full custody of him and his sister when he divorced their mom

But at 13 he got kicked out for another bullshit reason and ever since Iroh has had custody of both of the siblings

But bitch boy ozai has visitation rights but only wants to see azula

Theatre kid!!

I mean he was gonna join jrotc to appease his dad but he figured his shit out before he really joined

A republican turned leftist

Hes queer he just doesnt know which label to use

Himbo rights

He and katara are best friends idgaf about ships but they are bros

orchestra kid! (yes this is me self projecting bc we have similar trauma) 

Violist 

Teachers have no idea what to do with him bc on one hand he's very reclusive and on the other his sister has the worst opinions so they don't know

Katara

Sophomore 

Still the mom friend but this time she goes to therapy

Bc she literally raised her brother after her mother died?? And then became a parental figure to her FRIENDS???

Biggest political activist, genuinely does her best at educating herself and others about civil injustices

Also really obsessed with cults and true crime

Choir kid

She takes AP history, english, and second language classes

Is trying her hardest in math and sciences

Huge stuffed animal collection

Student council vice president

she originally ran for president but jets gang voted him in as a joke

The teachers pet

Swim team bitches

Best friends with the school janitors

This is my au so fuck off she and zuko are chaotic friendgroup parents and annoying best friends i love them

and maybe something more???

 who fucking knows theres a betting pool in the white lotus and so far aang is winning 

Sokka

Junior

Bisexual

Gym and History teachers LOVE him

On the swim team and the fishing team

Started crying when he took his drivers test

Goes to gsa w/ toph and loses his fucking mind

He's the reason suki’s car is disgusting

In all advanced/ap classes in math and science

Was the kid who carries a portable speaker around until suki put him in his place

Still has to use his hands to figure out left and right

Yue

Technically she doesn't go to school with them she goes to a nearby private school

She met the gang at a football game and has been invited to every group outing since

Junior!!

Very invested in world politics

When she joins the group at school events she ends up making friends with all the staff

Debate team kid!!!

She's not a rule breaker she just knows their limitations ;)

at one point missed school for like 2 months and everyone thought she died

turns out it was just fucking pneumonia and sokka is one dirty liar

Suki

oh? you mean yue’s best friend bc we dont respect pitting women against each other in this household?

Junior

Bisexual icon!!!

Oh god what sport would she do??

Probably basketball??

Or she would just do martial arts outside of school

And have a ‘female empowerment’ club or somethin

100% believes in self government in society and that the current gov exists purely on the theory that all humans are inherently evil

Bitch for bernie

Her car is DISGUSTING

She asks if she can hit peoples juul and then throws it in the trash

The gym coaches really like her but she fucking hates them

Is very close with her school counselor??

She never wants to run but she keeps getting elected to homecoming court

Toph

Freshman 

Former homeschool bitch

Joined the wrestling team and the fishing team??

She doesn't even like fishing she just thinks it's hilarious 

Very good a pottery and that's her arts credit

She and iroh have lunch together every thursday

If she catches wind of you putting gum on desks they will find your body in a ditch

She makes sokka and suki take her to prom 

She hates it she just likes to fuck with people at prom

Sometimes she just tells people she doesn't believe in something bc she cant see it

has been wearing the same sandles for the past 3 years bc “they’re reliable”

Cryptid hunter

Goes to gsa bc its better than any fucking reality tv show

Has nearly burnt the house down making ramen