#which you know great play on Azula part she knows how to manipulate her brother cause once she released she was losing the Agni kai

[ofswordsandpens]

I fear that "fire bending didn't come easy to zuko" and "zuko isn't a prodigy" (both true) has somehow snowballed into "zuko is a bad or at best average fire bender".... which simply isn't true, especially by the end of book 3

[tev-the-random]

What it Ursa took her children with her? - Pt.1

So I was thinking about that idea I had the other day. And as no one could guide me to a fanfic on the matter, I thought I would try and expand on this idea a bit.

Right! So, if I were to write a full-length story – and I don’t know that I could. Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of time for that right now –, it would go as such:

 Just like in the original, Ozai dares ask his father to revoke Iroh’s birth right, so Firelord Azulon orders him to kill his own son as punishment. Literally what the fuck, both of you.

 And just like in the original, Ursa discovers Ozai’s intentions and makes a deal with him: in exchange for Zuko’s life, she’ll make an odourless, colourless poison for him to kill Firelord Azulon with. Additionally, Ozai demands Ursa to leave the Capital City and never show up again, to which she agrees on the condition that she can take her children with her.

And here’s where things will change: Ozai accepts these terms. There is no reason for him to keep Zuko, and although he can see potential in Azula as a tool for his needs, he can easily think of ways to replace her. If it means he can get rid of the threat Ursa presents (read “he’s scared shitless now that he knows she was a poison-making master this whole time”) and get the throne he wants, he doesn’t give a shit if he has to dispose of the children. And Ursa would be more than relieved to leave that hellish place anyway.

She hurriedly wakes up Zuko, takes a sleepy Azula in her arms and leaves through a secret passageway, as to not be spotted. Ozai watches from a distance as his wife disappears into the night with her children.

The next morning, Ozai puts up a whole act to his father about how he killed Zuko as ordered and how his wife, horrified by what he did, took his daughter and left. Azulon believes this and declares that the man has suffered enough of what he deserved, and that they are to wait for Iroh’s return as if nothing had happened.

(Yes, I do wholeheartedly believe Ozai is capable of fantastic acting abilities and menacing deceit when he really wants to.)

What about the whole thing with connecting Avatar Roku’s bloodline to their own in order to fulfil a great destiny or something? I’ll say Azulon would plan to eventually get Azula back in the picture. And that’s all I’ll say for now.

In the middle of the night, Ursa and her children take a boat to travel to her hometown, Hira’a.

While she goes into a spiral thinking about how her life got to that point, Zuko – who was barely processing anything that was happening – falls asleep by her side, whereas Azula starts to stir on her mother’s lap. She wakes up and silently looks around.

‘Where are we?’ She asks.

‘Azula,’ Ursa calls, snapping out of her thoughtful state. ‘Don’t worry about it. Go back to sleep, sweetie.’

‘What’s happening?’

‘Go back to sleep,’ she repeats. ‘I’ll explain everything later.’

Azula doesn’t go back to sleep, instead pondering about this unusual situation.

Upon arrival in Hira’a, Ursa is concerned about finding them shelter. So, unlike the original, she doesn’t stop after discovering her parents died years ago. She searched for old friends, finding that most of them had left the town at that point. Eventually, she finds the old director of the local acting troupe, Grandma Guchi, who is alive and well, albeit retired.

The old lady is happy to see Ursa again, and even happier to take her in in what seems to be a very difficult time for the Fire Princess and her children.

Guchi breaks the news that Ikem disappeared into Forgetful Valley a long time ago. This isn’t compatible with Ozai’s story, for his assassins couldn’t possibly have found Ikem in Forgetful Valley, could they? Regardless, nobody ever saw the man again.

The moment is interrupted by the sound of Azula indiscreetly opening cabinets around the house.

‘Azula, be respectful of others’ homes,’ Ursa reprehends.

‘I don’t like this place,’ Azula comments, visibly confused by why they’re here, by the fact that – and she noticed – they had spent the past few hours practically begging for a place to stay and by the apparent lack of royal procedures. ‘When are we going home?’

She receives no response.

‘Mom?’ Zuko asks meekly. Part of him hadn’t spoken so far because he didn’t want to overwhelm his mother, who already looked so perturbed. But he, too, was getting preoccupied. ‘What is happening?’

Ursa very carefully explains the situation to them, trying to make it seem as non-terrifying for two kids as possible. So instead of going full “I gave your father the means to kill your grandfather so that you wouldn’t be brutally murdered in your sleep, now he’ll hunt us down if we even think of going back to the capital”, she says Ozai asked her to do something, and the only way to keep them safe after that was to leave the capital.

Azula believes this situation is temporary, and they’ll come back home in due time, even if her mother didn’t know when that was.

Zuko is… uncertain of what to think. He wonders, again and again, if what Azula had said the day before was true; was his father actually willing to kill him? What was it that his mother did? Why did their safety lie in leaving their home?

Ursa is unsure if they’ll stay in Hira’a, but for the time being, she considers finding herself a job there. Grandma Guchi suggests she goes back to working with the local theatre, as an actress or otherwise.

The ex-Fire Princess is then formally presented to the new director of the acting troupe, Noren.

Ursa restarts her theatre life as a part of the production crew.

Noren doesn’t make his true identity known right away, as he doesn’t want to overwhelm her. So he acts as if they just met, and Ursa doesn’t quite notice the overly fond looks he gives her.

He is absolutely delighted to meet Zuko and Azula.

As days go by, the siblings get increasingly… frustrated. This is all new to them. No more servants, no more training, no more studies, no more feeding turtleducks by the pond, no more palace, no more of their friends, no more Ozai… they now have chores to do – which they find a tad bit indignant at first –, but apart from that, life is pretty boring in this remote town of peasants, stuck in this old lady’s house, told to forget their royal identities and customs…

Little more than a week goes by following the trio’s arrival to Hira’a, and word gets around that Firelord Azulon passed away in his sleep, leaving the throne to his second son. As literally no other family member attends to the funeral or to the coronation, Firelord Ozai immediately spreads the idea that he is to be a strong ruler who doesn’t let himself get overwhelmed by emotion, unlike his brother. (Little do they know he probably doesn’t have any emotions at all.)

Ozai took a bit of his time before using the poison so that no one would connect his father’s death to his wife and children’s sudden disappearance. These were two separate and completely unrelated events, and Ozai holds ultimate responsibility for neither.

Azula and Zuko are obviously upset. One would think that after their grandfather’s death, the family ought to stay together.

Azula is the one to reassure her brother. If Azulon wanted Ozai to have the throne after all, it means he was pleased with young man; He probably thought Ozai went through with killing Zuko – ‘don’t you see, Zuzu? That’s why mom brought us here in the middle of nowhere: so that grandfather could see that dad is much stronger than uncle Iroh. But now that grandpa’s gone, it’s only a matter of time before dad sends for us.’ And although they both come to the conclusion that their father loved them, it was also implicit that he needed them. They were his heirs, after all.

But as several weeks go by and there is no sign of them leaving Hira’a anytime soon, Azula starts to get apprehensive. While Zuko kind of likes it here – of course he misses home, but the absence of that watchful eye telling him everything he did was worthless makes him feel a bit more patient –, she is utterly done with the place.

Other kids don’t want to play with her because she’s scary and demanding and burns down things on purpose. She doesn’t want to play with other kids because she considers them to be beneath her.

The first performance of this season’s play comes, and Ursa is glad to see things work out. But of course we have to ruin that, so moody Azula breaks into an argument with her mother. As patient as Ursa tries to be – despite the clever and sassy remarks, this is a child she’s arguing with –, she ends up letting out that they’ll never go back home.

This confirmation is the last straw for little Azula. She can be as precociously mature as it comes, there’s only so much a nine year-old child can take when her entire world crumbles down beneath her. So she runs away.

The girl is determined to return to the Fire Nation capital. But as it turns out, Hira’a is quite far away from Capital City. She can’t firebend her way there, she can’t demand her way there and her manipulation skills only take her so far. By the end of the day, she’s lost, she’s alone and she doesn’t quite know what to do.

Deep down, she’s terrified of the fact she can’t do anything; already at this early age, Azula internalized that she’s supposed to be the “fierce prodigy soldier princess” and forgets that she’s just a child.

Hours later, Noren finds her somewhere in the outskirts of town.

‘Azula! Thank goodness you’re ok, your mother was so worried about you!’

A moment of silence. ‘I want my dad,’ Azula murmurs, almost as if afraid anyone will hear her vulnerability.

Noren takes a second thinking about it, then sits beside her. ‘I know you miss your home and your dad,’ he says. ‘Life is probably very hard right now, and it’s unfair that you never asked for things to change so much. But you know you can count on your mother and your brother, right? They love you-‘

‘No, they don’t. They think I’m a pest.’

‘They don’t.’ Noren sighs before continuing, ‘I know you probably don’t want to hear it from me, but your mother is trying her best to protect you.’

‘I don’t need to be protected,’ Azula retorts. ‘I’m not weak.’

‘Someone wanting to protect you doesn’t make you weak. It makes you loved.’

‘Dad says the only way to be strong is to fend for yourself. Those who don’t have no place in this world.’

‘Maybe he was wrong?’

‘He’s the Firelord!’ She cries.

‘Well, he was supposed to be a father.’

Azula goes silent. After a minute, Noren moves, and the girl flinches – for a split second, she thought she was about to be attacked. But when she raises her eyes, she sees the man was merely offering his hand. ‘Let’s go get your mom,’ he says.

(Excuse me if I can’t help it, but I think Noren is just a Nice Person.)

It takes a little while for them to find Ursa – who was running around the town like crazy searching for Azula –, but when they do, the woman is dishevelled and so, so glad. ‘Are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you? Oh, my dear baby, I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to you! I was so worried!’

If somewhere inside her Azula actually believed Ursa didn’t care, she’s now just… strangely relieved to be in her mother’s arms.

Cut to sometime in the future, maybe a week or so later: Zuko is watching over Azula. He’s messing with some flowers, whiles she’s pensively looking at the sky.

‘Do you miss dad?’ She asks.

‘And uncle Iroh. And Lu Ten. And the turtleducks. And even your crazy friends-‘

‘Ugh, I just asked if you miss dad!’ Azula rolls her eyes.

‘Yeah…’

Silence.

‘I wish none of this ever happened,’ she comments.

‘You’d rather dad had killed me?’ Zuko asks disheartened.

‘Maybe, yeah!’ She stares at him for a few seconds, then sighs. ‘No.’

‘If it makes you feel better, here’s what I think dad would say:’ he clears his throat and starts making an impression of Ozai, ‘you have to fight for your honour! The children of the Firelord cannot be intimidated by weird situations, so always hold your head high! Now be more like Azula, Zuko.’

The two of them laugh. ‘Well, a princess has to maintain her dignity no matter what,’ Azula admits. ‘But I don’t think he would be proud of us meddling with dirty peasants.’

‘Call it tactical espionage,’ Zuko comments, and places his newly finished flower crown on his sister’s head ‘O, princess of the Flower Nation!’

‘Since when do you know how to do this girly stuff?’ The girl chuckles, taking the ornament from her head.

‘Mom taught me. Do you want me to teach it to you? It’s not hard.’

‘I’m a brave warrior, I don’t do this silly stuff!’ Azula says and proceeds to set the flowers on fire, because that’s still Azula.

Zuko has half a mind to snap at her for burning down his hard work, but he puts on a smug smile instead. ‘Ok. At least that’s something I can do that you can’t.’

She pouts at him. ‘Fine. But I won’t learn from anyone can’t even fight properly. So you better learn some actual firebending before giving me any lessons!’

This is only one scene, but please give me more of Zuko and Azula as children getting to close that gap in their relationship that was being formed by their parents. Quality Sibling Time, if you may.

Meanwhile, Ursa and Noren are overviewing the preparations for the last performance of the season. They chat idly, Ursa commenting on how Love Amongst the Dragons used to be her favourite play.

Basically, Noren takes that cue and says something awfully suspicious, Ursa suspiciously suspects and he ends up telling her that he’s actually Ikem. Yes, with the whole “When we were six you kicked me in the stomach and pushed my face into the dirt. When we were twenty-one, you shattered my heart.” Because I love that line. Heartfelt emotions when she realises the love of her life was alive all along.

Somewhere else: a few months go by and Iroh is finally back from Ba Sing Se. Things in his home are definitely different: his son, his father and (supposedly) his nephew are dead, his sister-in-law and his niece are missing and the throne that was meant for him has been passed to his brother, who rules as a ruthless Firelord and only plans to aggravate the war.

A changed man, Iroh sees the impacts of war very differently. A part of him wants to leave the palace behind and find peace; another part tells him that his brother has literally no one else left. So he vows to stay, not only because he takes pity on Ozai, but also because he is aware that, if left unchecked, the new Firelord would fuck things up even further.

Yes, Iroh becomes the Firelord’s advisor. No, Ozai doesn’t listen to half of what he says.

Back in Hira’a, Ursa is slowly getting to convince her kids that this is their home now. Slowly, very, very slowly.

The siblings are becoming closer, as seen by the fact that Azula has willingly been helping Zuko become a better firebender – both of them see firebending as less of a competition now that it isn’t being held against them anymore. But it’s still no common kids’ play. Don’t tell me they don’t “play” Agni Kai whenever they’re bored – and Zuko is willingly spending time with her and teaching her nice, non-destructive things.

I like to think that Hira’a isn’t a place where many firebenders would like to live, considering the jungle just around the corner and the fact that all houses seem very flammable. But I also like to think that there are two local firebenders, one of which is more erratic than the kids and another who is fairly well-trained, but refuses to teach anything to the Firelord’s children. Of course, eventually he cracks and teaches them one thing or another because he can’t bear to leave these demons to their own devices.

Ursa is having some Quality Time with Azula. Although the girl has the innate ability to say some disturbing things, Ursa finds herself to be more patient as time goes by. Now imagine the two of them by a riverbank as the mother is telling stories that have nothing to do with the royal life; imagine Azula excited to show this new firebending trick she learned and performing complicated yet beautiful moves; imagine the Quality Time.

The kids are being home-schooled by Ursa. And Grandma Guchi. And any willing member of the acting troupe. And any local elder and/or master. Truly, they’re getting some street smarts around the here.

Cue to Azula getting to discover something called “childhood”.

Cue to Zuko getting to be appreciated as a human being and loved by people around him.

So one day Ursa and Noren decide to finally get married – as they planned to do over eleven years ago.

Of course, this is a little disheartening to the kids. Ursa doesn’t quite know how to explain Ozai’s Abusive Husband Shenanigans, but they all know Noren is such a nice person and he’s made it pretty clear that he does not intend on trying to be their father – even though he unintentionally acts like a father every now and again. So the kids are sort of in denial for a while.

Zuko is a little afraid the prolonged company will drive Noren to take over his life and start acting cruel/mistreating him. The poor boy is just so used to the table being ruled over by Ozai that he expects Noren to snap any minute, so it feels strange when all the meals together are so… peaceful?

Azula sees all this as some sort of act. She never quite gives up on the idea that Ozai will come around any day now. Until fateful news come around…

(Cliffhanger, dun dun dun!)

(If you can even call it that)

Ok, so… This got kind of long. Way longer than I expected it to get.

My ideas for what happens next are a bit fuzzy – as in: they’re less structured and more like… just loose ideas –, but I still have a lot to talk about, so I’ll split this into a two-parter and get back to you in a bit.

[sokkastyles]

On Azula and Iroh’s relationship, I think their first meeting in the show says a lot.

Azula is calm when she appears to them in “The Avatar State.” Zuko is immediately on the defensive, and Azula’s response is this:

Azula: In my country, we exchange a pleasant hello before asking questions. Have you become uncivilized so soon, Zuzu?

This is such classic gaslighting. Zuko has reason to be defensive but Azula brushes him off and then accuses him of being “uncivilized,” which is picking at an obvious sore spot, the fact that Zuko has been banished and hasn’t been home for three years. In the previous scene right before this one Zuko was lamenting the three year anniversary and the things he’s lost, which emphasizes to the audience how far he has fallen, from prince to exile. So Azula’s words are an insult veiled to sound reasonable and invalidate Zuko’s emotional reaction to seeing her. And then she uses a nickname that she knows will further provoke him to anger, which just reinforces the idea that she’s the logical one and Zuko is being irrational.

Zuko: Don't call me that!

Iroh: To what do we owe this honor?

Azula: Hmmm ... must be a family trait. Both of you so quick to get to the point. [Breaks the shell she was holding with her fingertips, leaving Iroh angry.] I've come with a message from home. Father's changed his mind. Family is suddenly very important to him. He's heard rumors of plans to overthrow him; treacherous plots. Family are the only ones you can really trust. Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home. Did you hear me? You should be happy. Excited. Grateful. I just gave you great news.

Iroh: I'm sure your brother simply needs a moment.

Azula: [Furiously.] Don't interrupt, Uncle!

Azula gets the reaction she wanted from Zuko because she knows how to play him. She intentionally riles him up and then gives him a speech which she knows is what he wants to hear (which is a complete fabrication) about how their father wants him home. I’m also pretty sure she knew that he would react to this news the way he does, although she acts like she’s surprised when he doesn’t know how to respond. Everything she says is designed to leave him confused, and then while he’s trying to process the information, she tells him how he should feel about it. You should be happy. I just gave you great news.

But here’s the thing: Azula may know how to manipulate her brother but she can’t do the same thing with Iroh. What she does instead is this:

I think her reaction here is really interesting, and so is Iroh’s. The transcript says that Iroh is angry but in the screencap he looks shocked, and in the scene in real time he has the above shocked expression, which quickly changes to narrowed eyes, and I think describing his reaction as “anger” doesn’t really do it justice. What he looks like is someone who has just recognized a threat. 

Which of course is what it was. More specifically, I think it was a threat directed at Iroh. Azula never really seems to see Zuko as a threat, here or anywhere else. She is often dismissive of him, and here as well she talks to him in a condescending but cool manner. The only times she gets emotional is when she is talking to Iroh, and she reacts with anger towards him. Breaking the shell was especially directed at Iroh because it was Iroh to whom the shells belonged, who valued them.

Azula came to them unannounced because she wanted to catch them off guard, and she gets the desired effect from Zuko, but Iroh, although his tone is clearly not friendly when he greets her, is polite and calm. She can’t get him emotional the way she can with Zuko, she can’t confuse or manipulate him. She can’t control him, and she hates that.

For Iroh’s part, I think his initial reaction to Azula breaking the shell is one of shock at the sudden violence of her action. Remember that Iroh has not seen Azula for three years, and although I think he didn’t have any illusions about her before (he was sitting right beside her when she smiled at her brother’s burning during the agni kai) this is a pretty direct threat. Azula may have been a cruel child before but now she’s someone with power over both of them who is delivering some subtle (or not so subtle) threats that Iroh is picking up on. Even what she says in her speech to Zuko where she makes it sound like she’s being generous contains some veiled threats which I think are directed at Iroh. Treacherous plots...family are the only ones you can trust. And we of course know that the real reason Ozai sent Azula was to capture Zuko, the failure, and Iroh, the traitor. This is the first episode of book two, right after the finale in which Iroh directly attacked Fire Nation officers in defense of the enemy. Zuko doesn’t pick up on it but what Azula is saying to Iroh is clear...I know what you did.

And then when Iroh responds after Azula tells Zuko that he should be grateful towards her, calmly and rationally suggesting that Zuko needs a moment (which is the opposite of what Azula wants, because Azula does not want Zuko to take a moment to think, she wants to convince him to think what she wants him to think), this is the first time she actually breaks her collected exterior and gets angry. She’s furious, and she accuses Iroh of interrupting, in an outburst that is so sudden because it’s so unlike what we usually see from Azula.

I think Azula knew that Iroh wasn’t going to buy the lie from the beginning, and I think she knew he was the main obstacle to getting Zuko to walk into her trap. This is why in this scene and subsequent scenes she is dismissive of Iroh but also, specifically after this episode, she knows that she needs to separate Iroh from Zuko in order to get Zuko where she wants him, which is what she is able to do in “The Crossroads of Destiny.”

[prettylittlebrownskingyal]

ari how does one provoke u into writing an essay about disaster boy zuko,,, im tryna see sumn 👀

here 👀 we 👀 go 👀 some incoherent but love filled thoughts about Edge Lor— i mean Fire Lord Zuko ((also lots of Azula analysis because she crept up on me this time, eye did not see that coming.))

cuz like, in all of the history of all of the media in all of the galaxies, ATLA has successfully carried out a redemption arc that is not only entertaining to watch but also morally and humanity driven.

but let’s talk about sibling relationships because i am insufferable about sibling relationships 😔👉🏽👈🏽

Zuko isn’t perfect. which— hah, i know— is obvious. but he goes through a journey that allows him to free himself from the conditioning of his formative environment.

cuz honestly (without touching the whole war criminal/fascism bit) he IS a direct product of the family and propaganda run society he grew up in. and with all the Fire Nation kids, he’s been through it.

to extrapolate on this though, i have to mention Azula (and don’t say it, i already know)

there are a lot of analytical takes on Aang and Zuko being each other’s mirrors— and ATLA has definitely written the story that way.

but Azula and Zuko? they’re two sides of the same coin.

their circumstances are identical. their privileges. their opportunities. all basically the same.

its essentially in their differences that they become to wholly different entities.

Zuko is a social pariah.

Azula is a tragic villain.

now me? personally? i blame BOTH Ursa and Ozai for screwing up these kids. and we’re shown that the favoritism expressed by either parent does affect the kid that has to stand by and watch the other.

Zuko is the eldest but Ozai treats him as an inferior in favor of Azula. and its clear that Azula watched Ursa coddle Zuko and reacted in the ways that she knew how. her whole game in the assertion of dominance is to please her father and do his bidding.

she doesn’t have to desire power because she has it at her disposal. she’s a tyrant like her father and often displays machiavellian traits. she’s intelligent. quick. almost unstoppable.

she’s 14 and kicking her brother’s ass physically, mentally and emotionally.

(also hats off to the writers because this is never framed in a sexist way)

Zuko—despite being her big brother— doesn’t ever really have to/get to interact with her like a normal sibling would. take Sokka and Katara for example here.

(also, i can imagine that Zuko watched them love each other so unconditionally and questioned how that was even possible.)

partially, with the way Azula views Iroh, we know that she gains this perception of torturing her older brother from Ozai. (can you tell i’d beat Ozai’s ass up Fire Lord dick face or not i’m throwing hands and he can come C A T C H)

my point here is that Azula is what Zuko could have been. but he isn’t. and this is both a result of concious effort and influence— and yes. i’m talking about Uncle Iroh in all his royal tea loving kookiness.

Zuko has the comfort of having someone look past his cultivated exterior after he loses his mother. (and Ursa’s exit is what really tips the scales for Azula to go on into her tragic villain journey)

and even though his father has undermined him all his life, he holds on to the desire to make him proud. its why he betrays what could have been a new, better life for him at the end of book 2. getting everything he thought he wanted made him realize that he really didn’t want any of it in the first place and that no matter what he did, his father would always be like that™️. this is also good writing!! redemption and changes in behavior especially for a protagonist doesn’t have to be linear. fluctuations make sense, especially as these kids were raised and conditioned in a certain way. like even after he’s cut off at the beginning of book two and he’s out in the world seeing how harsh life is for common folk, he starts to see just how evil his family truly is. that doesn’t deter him from returning to the familiarity of what he’d previously been fighting for.

another thing is, Azula clocked her father’s behavior earlier on. part of why she only really unravels after her friends betray her is that they were all she really had to depend on. Ursa wasn’t there for her. her father never really cared and only needed her around for her talents and she didn’t have Iroh the way Zuko did. she was alone.

what makes this worse is that there are moments when you can tell Zuko and Azula could have potentially been great siblings. its more in the little things here and there— the one that stands out most to me rn is when Zuko bursts into Azula’s room to question her (somewhere in book three) wakes her up and after they talk, he walks away and leaves her door wide open. not to give away the tricks of the trade, but that is an elder sibling power move. oh and outside of playing it up for information or with a mission in mind, they’re both horrible at social interaction ESPECIALLY with people around their ages. this sorta parallels with the way Sokka and Katara are for the most part, personable and easily get along with their peers.

i also just wanna mention that as the chapters progress, we notice a change in both of their appearances. Zuko cutting his hair was quite symbolic of him beginning to cut ties with his past but prior to that, we recognize his previously uncomfortable looking hairstyle as akin to the way Azula doesn’t have a hair out of place when she’s first introduced. As her mental state deteriorates and she gets more attached to the idea of killing Zuko, her appearance and ergo, her hair starts reflecting her inner turmoil. and while this happens, we witness Zuko growing into his appearance to the point where he’s more comfortable with himself— his scar doesn’t bother him as much and he grows out his hair.

adding on to this here train wreck, Zuko doesn’t have any friends until he joins the Gaang. he’s experienced being around Azula’s friends in childhood, but with the way his sister weaponizes manipulation, its safe to say that up until that point, he had no real exposure to friendship. not in a way he could recognize, at least. because we know Mai cares for him and in The Beach episode, we see that Ty Lee does too in the way she insists that she knows him well.

and i’ll be willing to bet that he had no idea siblings could love each other the way Sokka and Katara do. if Lu Ten had survived, he’d have an older brother to rely on. perhaps this would have extended to Azula and the damage that these kids sustained would be much less. ((but that’s a case we shouldn’t crack open cuz i’ll never shut up.))

tl;dr: Zuko and Azula are parallels of each other and also Sokka and Katara, atla is superior media and Ozai is steaming pile of crap.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

What is it about Azula that makes you love her as much as you do? Because I can tell that you love her a lot,she is afterall your background on this blog

Thanks for the ask! I always enjoy talking about why I love Azula! 

I typed something on this a while back (couldn’t find it in my blog archive so I just copied it from the other site I posted it on). It’s kinda dated though. So like it has all of the cringiness of something typed about six years ago lol. I’ll have that under the cut.

But one of the main new reasons that I have grown to love her is that she’s just got so many layers. I talk about her complexity below but I kind of glazed over it. She just has so many facets and she isn’t your typical antagonist. She is an antagonist who you can sympathize with (or at the very least, pity).  She’s an antagonist who isn’t just evil for evil’s sake. And whether or not she is evil can be debated in itself. There’s just so much to be discussed with Azula and it makes her such a rounded, intriguing, and fascinating character.

The other thing that I didn’t really discuss when first typing an article about what I like about her is that to a degree I can relate to her. And also that she reminds me of my sister. I can relate to her very, very much in how walled off she is. I tend to hide my emotions very well and not express venerability. When my brother passed I still couldn’t let myself cry in front of people even though they were crying too. In fact I fight tears even in privet. I relate to her because I am not an affectionate person and my ways of displaying it are weird and different than most people’s. I also don’t really like having people show me affection. Stuff like that. I just really relate to her in terms of her emotional barriers. And as mentioned she really does remind me of my sister, which plays a huge hand in why I get so heated over people writing her off as a lost cause. 

Also I just have a thing for female antagonists in general. But yeah those are the two new reasons (that are far better thought out and articulated than the ones from 6 years ago that you’re going to read below).

I'll start off with the very basic and semi-shallow reason to like her. I think she's really pretty. Of course this is not the only reason as to why I like her and is certainly not the most prominent nor important. But I think she is simply gorgeous. The long blackish-brown hair is great and as deceiving as she. Lol, it's deceiving because it looks short when it's tied up but it really isn't. Well played Azula. I also really love her golden eyes and the way her lips are drawn. She's just a beautifully drawn character. My inner artist loves it. Another of them more silly reasons is because she is simply powerful. I am in love with the fact that she can bend blue fire rather than boring orange. Blue is my favorite color. :P And the fact that she was able to bend lightning before it was mainstream *coughMakocough* is pretty great. To go with her power comes her bravery. She was willing to face off Aang for her father. She went up against the Avatar...that takes balls! She also went up against her uncle and brother as well as a full team Avatar all at once and didn't show any fear. I also admire her smart and cunningness. She is no doubt very clever, not just one of those villains who cackles and laughs (okay that comes in later, but that's beside the point). Azula. Gets. Crap. Done. And she does it well. She doesn't have some mastermind giving her the instructions and the how-to. She is the master mind and she give the orders. Heck, she even manipulated Ty-Lee into coming with her and letting her give orders. And the best part is, when she makes a plan she also helps execute it; she doesn't just send Mai or Ty-Lee or some other lacky to do it for her. In fact Azula usually takes on the hardest part of her plan. Ya know what they say "if ya want something done right, ya gotta do it yourself." Azula definitely puts that in action. I also really love Azula's character because it is complex and well developed with a solid and unique back story. Azula went from this calm and calculated young woman who seemed to have it all to this crazed psychopath whom had lost everything. It was then that it was revealed that Azula is not just some brat who hurts people (and her own brother) for the thrill or just to be a jerk, but because she felt unloved and powerless. Her mother didn't seem to love her as much and so she was left with her father who raised her in all the wrong ways. With no one to show her right from wrong she was lead to hate nations less prosperous than her own. She was raised to be cold and uncaring. All she really wanted to do was prove to her father that she was worth something, that she was powerful and could carry on his legacy. And despite it all, he still pushed her to the side. Azula was left with nothing. And for that I can sympathize with her. I love a charter I can sympathize with and feel for. Anyhoo, along with the betrayal of her only frineds she ultimately went insane.

[hamliet]

Who are your top 10 female villains? And your top ten male villains? Thank you!

Oooooh. Well, in this list I am including antagonists (people I see as conflicted/not committed to like, the bad side, if there even is a bad side, but basically oppose the protagonist at some point). Also, they are in no particular order:

Female Villains:

Cersei Lannister (A Song of Ice and Fire)

She's sympathetic enough so that we understand how she came to be the way she is, yet terrifying and depraved enough that we fear for the characters around her. I don't think that's an easy balance to strike for a character: if you make them likable it's hard to keep audiences from rooting for them, but the balance is struck perfectly with Cersei.

Azula (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

As @aspoonofsugar wrote recently on Azula, I think she is a fantastic female villain. I think she is sympathetic despite her actions, and I wish the story had explored her redemption, which was clearly hinted.

Claudia (The Dragon Prince)

The first three seasons have kind of been Claudia's fall. While as a whole I don't think TDP is very well-written, I do think that Claudia, Viren, and Soren's family dynamic is a polished gem of writing that literally carries the story. I fully expect to see redemption for Claudia down the line, but not until she spirals further and further. At the end of season 3, Claudia resorts to killing someone to save her father's life when she has nothing and no one else left, and she makes this choice after her brother Soren (now redeemed himself) chooses to kill their father in front of Claudia, devastating her. Their choices are clear parallels and both are somewhat negative, somewhat sympathetic. Soren can't kill his past: he has to live with it, and Claudia can't cling to the past: she has to let it go.

Delores Umbridge (Harry Potter)

She is awful and I hate her, but you're also supposed to hate her. Her comeuppance is hilarious ad perfect, and just--I think she's a fantastic villain because she reminds every single one of us of an albeit exaggerated version of a teacher we all know.

Karren von Rosewald (Tokyo Ghoul:re)

Karren is TG:re's best written character in my opinion. Her tragic arc takes place throughout the first three arcs, which imo is also the highest point in the series. Karren just wanted to be loved, and if she had to die, at least she got to die as herself. 

Nora (Noragami)

Nora! The reason I read Noragami is pretty much for Nora and her redemption arc. The fandom hates her for... reasons, but she's always been primed for redemption. Her name is in the title (which yes also refers to Yato, etc.) She's important. I wrote a few metas on Nora, notably here.

Enoshima Junko (Danganronpa)

Despair. It's fun to find a character who is, well, just plain fun, but who is also bored, despairing, cruel, and terrifying. She's unique and a brillaint character.

Toga Himiko (Boku no Hero Academia)

I'm not the first one to say that Toga is BNHA's best written female character, but I do agree that she is. She, like Junko, is fun and interesting, and she has an arc that is compelling. Her actions directly move the plot; she’s bloodthirsty and yet uniquely empathetic and compassionate. 

Yoshimura Eto (Tokyo Ghoul)

Eto's backstory and her motivations were fascinating. She was one of the most complex characters in the entire story, and despite the fact that you understood why her father gave her up, you also understood her pain and justified anger at his doing so. She perfectly illustrated the divide between human and ghoul.

Male Villains:

Shigaraki Tomura (Boku no Hero Academia)

BNHA's best-written male character, imo. His backstory and the current chapters that focus on him are extremely well-done, thematic and full of character development, and detailed artistically. He gets so much focus that I can tell he's important to Horikoshi, and I'm excited to see where he goes.

Dabi (Boku no Hero Academia)

I'll admit there's a lot missing here. Namely, we don't know his identity for certain, but it seems basically certain that he's Todoroki Touya; however, we still don't have his backstory. Still, his fury at the presumed father who destroyed his family and yet has the audacity to be a "symbol of hope" is fascinating to me, and I'm excited to see how he develops as well. (Both Shigaraki and Dabi seem primed for some kind of redemption).

Adult Trio: Illumi Zoldyck, Hisoka Morow, Chrollo Lucilfer (Hunter x Hunter)

Am I counting these three as one so that I can get extra characters? Of course I am. In all honesty I really think all three of these antagonists are really well done, sympathetic and/or likable. They're the shadows of the three MCs they foil: for Illumi, Killua, for Hisoka, Gon, and for Chrollo, Kurapika. They represent the traits the three protagonists (sorry Leorio) don't want to acknowledge in themselves, and therefore their encounters with their shadows are particularly thematic and powerful. Also, one doesn't usually kill their shadow, but instead integrates with it, so I highly doubt the three of them will be killed by their respective protagonist.

Meruem (Hunter x Hunter)

Yes, again, HxH. It has great antagonists. But Meruem's development is literally one of the most powerful I've ever read about. I don't know anyone who starts his story not loathing him, hoping he dies, and then by the end of it, ebfore you've even realized it's happening, you're crying for him and Komugi. His arc explores human nature at its finest, most horrific, and ultimately most beautiful.

Furuta Nimura (Tokyo Ghoul:re)

Furuta's a fantastic villain whom I wish got a better ending (not even redeemed really, but just... something more). He was so damaged by the system of an unfair world that he made it his life goal to become the villain and burn the system down, destroy it no matter what it took--and also hoped to destroy himself in the process, as he was born knowing he would die young and longed for it. I wish he had been forced to live.

Mori Ougai (Bungo Stray Dogs)

Mori's utilitarianism is chilling. He's not exactly unlikable, despite being absolutely morally repugnant, and the Beast AU from Asagiri himself shows us that Mori is certainly capable of a positive life and positive change; however, within the canonical story, I don't see that for him. He's been set up IMO as the final boss of the series, and his habit of targeting the most vulnerable (especially children) to control people is almost certainly going to bite Dazai in the ass eventually.

Eren Jaeger (Shingeki no Kyojin)

I can't believe I'm writing this. I don't know what to call Eren: he's the protagonist, and he's sunk to becoming the final boss. While it's possible he, like Furuta and like Lelouch of Code Geass, is playing the villain, I really hope not, as I think the themes are much more powerful if Eren sincerely believes what he proclaims to believe. He's a kid who has always wanted to fight for freedom and for the people around him, and now we're seeing the dark side of those traits, wherein he's destroying the world via genocide to save the people close to him. He's driven by fear and by anger at the cruelty and unfairness of the world, and he's forgotten the beauty of it. I hope Mikasa can  remind him before the end.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Bungo Stray Dogs)

MY BOY. Look if a character is named after my very favorite real-life author, I must stan. But actually I do think Fyodor is well written and a master manipulator. He's modeled after my favorite character in all of fiction, Dostoyesvky's Demons' Alexei Kirillov. He really seems to want human connection, to live, and has forgotten that empathy is an important and necessary part of both of those. I hope--and think it is likely given BSD's prolific redemption arcs--that he will remember eventually.

Lee Yut-Lung (Banana Fish)

Again,, he's less a villain than an antagonist. Like Ash, the main character, he is a teenage boy betrayed by the people who were supposed to protect him and abused his whole entire life. He's driven by a desperate need to be loved and jealousy that Ash is loved while he is not. His ending, when Sing finally tells him he will in fact be staying by Yut-Lung's side and will help Yut-Lung redeem himself, "because you're in pain... your soul's bleeding, even now" is literally the perfect ending for him.

Jin Guangyao (Mo Dao Zu Shi)

I've written a lot on Jin Guangyao, but he's a walking tragedy. He ties with Wei Wuxian, the protagonist, as my favorite, and the reason is because they are two sides of the same coin--in fact, they're the same side of the same coin. They're not very different, and the fact that he finally at least got empathy in the end and was able to push the person he loved most to safety because of that--well. Brb time to cry.

[elrondsscribe]

Azula and redemption.

So … this is going to be a bit of a mess. I’m undoubtedly going to say a lot of things in this post that I’ll end up re-phrasing later. Apologies, because this got long-ish.

I will repeat that I don’t have access to the Avatar comics, and that I’m not interested in material from them. You may quote me as saying that, as of this post, the comics are not canon so far as I’m concerned. (The same goes for Legend of Korra, but I’ll talk more about that elsewhere.)

The character of Azula is one that a lot of people in this fandom find really compelling, yours truly included. She’s clever and calculating. She plays the long game, and she plays to win. She lets nothing get in the way of her goals. She’s an incredibly powerful firebender, arguably the most powerful we get to see in close focus; and there’s a beauty to her bending that makes her just a pleasure to watch. She’s got some of the wittiest lines. And #girlboss, I guess. She’s the unquestioned leader of a trio of incredibly accomplished young girls. On some level, we have no choice but to stan.

It is also true that Ozai’s treatment of her is abusive, and has damaged her deeply. When he had no more use for her in “Sozin’s Comet: The Phoenix King,” he cast her aside without a second thought, saddling her with a title that he rendered meaningless with his whole “Phoenix King” stunt, thus sending her spiraling into a psychotic break. He might praise her for being “a true prodigy,” but clearly her obsession with perfection was something that he passed on to her, or instilled in her, or both. She also appears to have had the closer and more “affirmative” relationship with him (whereas Zuko’s closer and more “affirmative” relationship was with Ursa), and that relationship has molded her into someone who is, at her core, deeply afraid.

But as much as Azula is afraid, Azula is also cruel. With the exception of her father and master, she seems to value the lives of the people around her purely in terms of what they can get her or accomplish for her. And while Ozai may have nurtured these things in her, I also think that, to some extent, those traits were already there in ways that they weren’t there for Zuko.

Now, a lot of Azula-defenders will say that the glimpses of Azula that we see in “Zuko Alone” should not be taken as gospel truth, that we are trusting an unreliable narrator. But I argue that a nine-year-old Azula who bodily throws Ty Lee on the ground and then points and laughs at her because Ty Lee had the nerve to perform a backflip better than she could is not inconsistent with a fourteen-year-old Azula who is willing to order Ty Lee’s safety set net on fire and all the dangerous circus beasts simultaneously turned loose while she’s suspended in the air (thus endangering Ty Lee’s life and the lives of all the patrons), just because Ty Lee had the nerve to initially say no to joining her. A nine-year-old Azula who sets an apple atop Mai’s head on fire just to get Zuko to embarrass Mai by pushing her into a fountain is not inconsistent with a fourteen-year-old Azula who plays with the life of Mai’s toddling brother in Mai’s presence in order to keep king Bumi captive. And an eleven-year-old Azula who smiles while her father burns her brother’s face is not inconsistent with a fourteen-year-old Azula who is willing to throw lightning at him with no knowledge of the existence of lightning redirection and who is willing to put a bounty on him dead or alive.

I think, like a great many other people in the fandom do, that Azula not only has less empathy than is “the norm,” but also more cruelty (the two are NOT synonymous). In fact, I think that this lack of empathy and relatively high cruelty was part of what Ozai admired and refined in Azula, it wasn’t just her firebending. See, I think people who say that Ozai favored Azula just because she was a firebending prodigy are a little off the mark: if Azula had been a firebending prodigy but had the same kind of “you-can’t-sacrifice-the-lives-of-our-loyal-soldiers”/ “Uncle-deserves-sympathy-his-only-kid’s-dead” attitude that Zuko had, Ozai would have had a lot less to work with. Azula is unquestionably an abuse victim, but she is also herself an abuser: of Ty Lee, of Mai, of Zuko, of the soldiers and servants beneath her.

To be blunt: Ozai may have shaped and encouraged her crueler traits, but I don’t think he put them in her. Not entirely.

Now I wanted to talk about the cruelty issue with Azula because it’s important to how I see a good Azula redemption arc taking place. Now Aaron Ehasz may believe that Zuko is best suited to be the key for Azula’s redemption, but I disagree very strongly. Azula was also an abuser of Zuko, and I think that making Zuko the one to power her through it with Love would be terrible. What’s the point of Zuko so powerfully standing up to his father and calling him out on his abuse if Zuko’s also supposed to be the one to “save” his secondary abuser?

(As an aside: this is also my big objection to Tyzula, which is alarmingly common in fanwork. I mean, Ty Lee is arguably Azula’s most explicit victim, and the one most clearly afraid of Azula. What on God’s green earth made that ship so popular that their voice actresses ended up doing a scene in one proposed to the other?! Was it the scene at the party? Because if so, I think it’s rich that Azula’s one and only canon apology is for saying something rude but probably true, while never apologizing for that one time she endangered Ty Lee’s life and snatched away the circus career that she’d tried to build for herself.)

An Azula redemption just wouldn’t follow the same road as Zuko’s redemption did. It wouldn’t just be a matter of Azula learning that she doesn’t have to be perfect to be worthy of love. It wouldn’t just be a matter of learning that the way her father treated her was wrong and bad.  It wouldn’t even just be a matter of learning that fear is not, in fact, the only reliable way to have relationships with people. It would be a matter of learning to see people other than herself as persons and not tools to get her things. It would be a matter of learning that her own sense of inherent superiority (both national and personal) is without merit. It would be a matter of learning that the suffering of other people is actually Not A Good and that she probably shouldn’t cause it for fun.

(Plus, I’m gonna be honest, I don’t honestly know how possible it would be for Azula to internalize these things because, as I’ve said, the cruelty and tendency towards manipulation seem to be just a part of her.)

Oh, and also: I’ve heard people say that Azula should have had a redemption arc within ATLA, or that an Azula redemption was one of the many things we were cheated in that we never got a Book 4. But I really think a meaningful redemption arc for Azula would take much, much longer than a single season. I mean, it took three books to complete a redemption arc for Zuko, and at the beginning of his, he was in a much more receptive place than Azula is after the Agni Kai. And Azula has more destructive ideas to unlearn than Zuko did.

So, do I think Azula is a “monster,” whatever that means? Do I think she doesn’t “deserve” redemption? No. I’m also aware that she’s just fourteen, and a lot of things can change during one’s teen years. But I do think that Azula is one of those cases where the abused has also become an abuser in her own right, and a meaningful redemption for her is rather a bigger undertaking than some of her fans and defenders acknowledge. And for God’s sake, don’t make Zuko or Ty Lee responsible for her redemption!!

Post-mortem: Also, about the dragons: I get the appeal of the dragons as an element of Azula’s redemption. Especially after Game of Thrones, I’d love to have a functional, badass, not-dead dragon-lady too. But “The Firebending Masters” told us that Ran and Shaw incinerate you if they don’t find you worthy, which is bad news for a firebender who’s all about power and domination rather than guardianship and life-igniting (there’s a better way to say that, I’m sure). If Ran and Shaw were involved in an Azula redemptive journey, it would have to be near or at the end, just to avoid the incinerating.

[avatarsymbolism]

ASOIAF Characters and Their Avatar Counterparts

Alliser Thorne: Admiral Zhao for his harsh demeanor and the way he interacts with Jon Snow. Amory Lorch: Maybe another Zhao. Anguy the Archer: Longshot, for obvious reasons.  Arianne Martell: Katara for her her judgement. Arthur Dayne: Sokka because space sword.  Arya Stark: Toph Beifong because she’s a tomboy and also that one time she went blind.  Asha Greyjoy: Azula, because she is favored by her father and a proven warrior.  Balon Greyjoy: A bit of an Ozai for how he preferred Asha over Theon.  Barristen Selmy: Iroh, because he’s a proven commander, and honorable.  Bran Stark: Aang kind of because of his ‘wings.’  Brienne of Tarth: Mostly Toph. Maybe a little Katara too, but she’s like 99% Toph.  Catelyn Stark: Katara for her judgement and morality. Kind of a more extreme version of Katara the way Arianne is. I guess there’s a water element to it too. Her interactions with Jaime also have a bit of a Katara/Zuko vibe to them. Catelyn has a stronger conviction though and is unwilling to back down.  Cersei Lannister: Azula for her cunning, manipulation, and her ability to play the game. The daughter who wants to be the heir. The queen who becomes paranoid after her brother turns on his father, flees, and joins the enemy. 

Daenerys Targaryen: Sometimes, I put her as a Katara because of her determination but she is mostly Zuko. An exiled prince(ss), the child of a fire-obsessed king, abused at the hands of their sibling and the mother/father of dragons.  Davos Seaworth: The Cabbage Merchant, just for shits and giggles.  Eddard Stark: A lot of characters can fill the role either because it’s convenient, or because of parallels. He can be Hakoda, Sokka, or Tonraq because of their leadership and the snow. But even Zuko could fill this role with how honorable he is...and telling Cersei/Azula that he’s onto them.  Gendry: Zuko. Something about him just feels very Zuko.  Also, Gendrya is Toko.  Gerold Hightower: Someone once headcanoned Iroh as Gerold. I thought it was pretty badass.  Gregor Clegane: Azula, with how he overshadows his younger, scarred brother. “She was born lucky.”/”My brother is a knight. Did you see him ride today?”  Howland Reed: No real parallel, but maybe an Aang for being Ned’s bestie.  Illyrio Mopatis: No real parallel, but perhaps Iroh.  Jaime Lannister: The not-so-kid-friendly version pf Zuko complete with a bit of a redemption arc. We start out not liking him, but we get to know him and our sympathy for him grows from there. He also betrays his king after he learns his evil plans, and loses a body part which ends up being a symbol of the changes he’s gone through. Plus, we have that “I used to be all about honor, but now I;ve changed” thing going on. We even get a nice scene where his dad disowns him after getting called out.  Janos Slynt: Zhao because he’s an assholes. I headcanon .half the assholes as Zhao, basically. The other half are Ozai.  Joffrey Baratheon: He’s kind of a kid Ozai turned up to 11. Maybe a mix of Azula too, but not even Azula would do half the things Joffrey has done. Plus, he’s not as smart.  Jon Arryn: Aang? Again, no real parallel, but I do what I can.  Jon Snow: Katara for the hope and naivete in the first half of “A Game iof Thrones.” Zukp for his angst and brooding.  Loras Tyrell: There's no real, actual parallel, but I like to sometimes pretend that Sokka’s the Loras to Zuko’s Renly or vis versa.  Lyanna Stark: Katara for her iron will.  Mace Tyrell: No real counterpart, but I tend to think of Ukano as a combination of Mace and Tywin. Meryn Trant: Once again--Zhao, because he’s an asshole.  Nymeria: Katara, because she was a fierce female warrior.  Olenna Tyrell: No real parallel, but I feel like she’d be fast friends with old lady Mai because of all the sass.  Petyr Baelish: A creepier, schemier, scumbagier version of Varrick.  Ramsay Snow. Hame turned up to 11 because of just how creepy and sadistic he is. Don’t think about an au where Ramsay is a bloodbender.  Randyll Tarly: Not really Ozai, but a bit of an Ozai with how he abuses his eldest son because he thinks he’s soft. Renly Baratheon: Again, no real parallel, but I like to play around a bit and make Renly/Loras into Zukka. Also thinking about Sokka/Zuko and picturing the scene with Renly telling Brienne telling her not to let the boys see her cry is kind of sweet.  Rhaegar Targaryen. Kind of Zuko. Again...kind of.  Robb Stark: I sometimes like to imagine Sokka filling this role just because. This unfortunately means that...yeah. Zuko in some strange au too, maybe.  Robert Baratheon: Jet because of his paranoid obsessions. But also, some of his interactions with Ned reminded me of Zuko in “The Promise” and “The Search.” It seemed really weird, and maybe even funny, at first, but after reading this, it did actually start to make sense why I’d think that. Just like Zuko, he reconsiders his position, wondering what it would be like if he wasn’t king because it would be so much easier.  Roose Bolton: Azula. They don’t have a whole lot in common, but just imagine her saying “The Firelord sends his regards.”  Roslin Frey: Listen, all the ladies in the Avatar world have a lot of agency, even even ladies like Yue. Therefore, there’s no way a Red Wedding in the ASOIAF universe would play out the same way in the Avatar universe. But, with that said, what if Yue was Roslin or Jeyne Westerling?  Samwell Tarly: A bit of a Zuko with how his father abuses him.  Sandor Clegane: Zuko since they have the scarred and overshadowed by their sibling thing going on.  Sansa Stark: A mix of Katara, Mai, and Zuko. Starts off like Katara with how naive she is, and hopeful. ALso, starts off as kid!Mai too for similar reasons. But she was also more emotive. But then she developed a mask because of all her abuse, just like Mai. The way she’s abused by Joffrey and Cersei is also reminiscent of Zuko’s abuse as well.  Sand Snakes: This isn’t a proper character entry but, listen, the Sand Snakes are the Kyoshi Warriors.  Theon Greyjoy: Zuko, if he were even more of an asshole. Also, like Zuko, he’s an exile whose father prefers his sister over him. He also does a bunch of shit to try and prove how great he is. But again, he is an asshole  Tommen Baratheon: Zuko. Replace kittens with turtleducks.  Tyrion Lannister: Zuko, because of how they’re both outcasts abused and looked down on by their father. They also have an awesome scene where they call their dads out on their bullshit.  Tywin Lannister: A nice mix of Ozai and Azula. The cunning tactician that abuses his youngest son because of some perceived flaw (technically it’s also because Tywin blames Tyrion for the death of his wife whom Tyrion killed in childbirth, but still). Varys: I like to think of him as Iroh with the behind-the-scenes plotting.  Viserys Targaryen: Kind of a mix of Zuko and Azula, but mostly Azula. Or at least, he’s the Azula to Daenerys’ Zuko with how Viserys treats her...kind of.  Ygritte: Jon/Ygritte kind of reminds me of Maiko. 

[boku-no-headcannons]

Todoroki and Zuko Parallel

So, I was seaching tumblr for this, and I’m surprised that I couldn’t find anything, so here, a meta between me and Mod Monoma. Enjoy!

Personality

Both Todoroki and Zuko are pressured to act a certain way and are forced into these roles set by their fathers who both have ridiculous standards for their sons. With Zuko, his conduct needed to be suited for a prince and he was very restricted to excelling (but is also constantly put down). He was also not allowed to make his own decisions and needed to sacrifice himself for the greater good of the kingdom. For Todoroki, he needed to be the better version of Endeavour, essentially an upgraded version of his father. Endeavour’s pettiness and denial against the fact that All Might earned his position as top hero needed someone to beat him. Todoroki was forced to master both of his abilities and be top tier, even as a child. From he was born, up until now (and still), he was expected to be better and stronger than All Might

They both are introduced as stoic, straightforward characters with a very specific goal in mind. While for Zuko, it was to kill the Avatar, Todoroki’s main goal was to become a top hero, something that he has to fight his way through to accomplish.

Later on, as each their stories progress, they become more comfortable with speaking to their friends and family. Todoroki struggled with speaking to his classmates for a long while, until finally getting to know people like Izuku on a more personal level. Soon he was portrayed to be more involved in the class’s activities, much like how Zuko was later shown to be working with Aang in order to defeat the fire nation.

However, they were still keeping secrets from those who are close to them. Due to the unresolved trauma of their pasts, their trust issues become a huge problem for not only them but the people who are close with these characters. For Zuko, it caused a rift in a few of his personal relationships, like with Mai, while for Todoroki it was less of secret keeping and more of an unwillingness to display his innermost feelings and the reasons behind them. In the way that they have been presented, it wouldn’t be a surprise if they shared something important in their current events when it gets so bad that they’re pestered for it (ex. Dramatic backstories and whatnot)

((WHY ARE THEY SO STUBBORN LIKE PLEASE CAN YOU JUST LET US HUG YOU. ALSO- YOU KNOW WHAT’S ANOTHER COMMONALITY?? THE FACT THAT THEY DON’T EXIST. *highkey crying*))

[Family] General Description

Now, since this is just a parallel, not everything is going to be perfect of course. Comparing Azula to Fuyumi isn’t going to work out at all since they’re basically polar opposites. But in general, their family situation is fundamentally similar, with the tyrant dad and the absent mother, along with siblings that were never really there for them. Todoroki and Zuko were both very distant with their family, and didn’t see/get along with their siblings often. For Todoroki, he was separated at an early age, which meant that he could never form complete ties with his brothers and sisters who were rarely around as well. Fuyumi has begun to bridge this gap between them, and he does begin to allow himself to rely on his older sister now, unlike in the past where he couldn’t. For Zuko, on the other hand, Azula was his only sibling, and she definitely wasn’t good for him at all. Their relationship is covered in fractures, but there are parts in ATLA where she does show some sort of concern for his well-being (not before her’s though), like when she pretended that Zuko had killed Aang instead of taking the credit (although she really was setting him up there). There’s no taking back the things that could never happen in their past

Father x Son Relationship

To outsiders, their fathers were considered heroes in one way or another. They prioritized their image and other people over blood, seeing them as simply something dispensable. They were considered villains to the people who actually knew them and oppressed everyone in order to establish dominance.

Both Zuko and Todoroki’s scars were a result of their fathers’ mistreatment, despite being inflicted in different ways. Because of Zuko’s unyielding pressure from his family (more often than not, his father) to progress and become a better firebender than he already was, he overworked himself and eventually fought his father in a match he was almost sure to lose at his current skill level. This is a direct example of his father causing the scar, but for Todoroki, it was more indirect. His mother was abused to the point of finding anything involving her husband to be ‘painful’ to look at, causing her to be startled by Shouto’s sudden appearance and making her throw the boiling water on his face. While Endeavor didn’t throw the boiling water, it was because of him that she felt so startled.

The fathers had abused their wives as well as their sons. We learned this from the manga and we saw it reasserted in the anime. This caused their mothers to be distant and slowly giving them less and less affection. It could be asserted that they were the reason they had become less inclined to trusting others, as they assumed their fathers would stop them from forming meaningful bonds. While they might not have been there physically, there always was the background thought that their fathers would not approve of the friendship, instantly making them less likely to be willing to make friends.

Todoroki didn’t really find the need to seek out his father’s love and approval in the series, but one of Zuko’s main motivations was to impress his father and be once again accepted into the family. In this way, they couldn’t be more different.

It is also worth considering how the boy’s opinions of their fathers change as the plot progresses. Zuko shows us that his relationship with his father is distant and Ozai is a fearful, oppressive figure in his life. However, the firebender learns that his father is actually less of an allpower figure in his life, and more pathetic than anything else. Shouto grew more and more apathetic to his father, finding that it was possible to not let himself consider his father’s looming presence. He learned that it was possible to become a hero because of his own will, and not with his father’s influence.

While Endeavor found that Todoroki was the perfect ‘product’ of his and his wife’s quirks, Ozai actually felt resentment towards his son, calling him a failure. Endeavor placed a great amount of faith into training his son to eventually become the next top hero. Ozai, however, didn’t find much use in his son’s existence (gottam Ozai) and didn’t invest much time in Zuko’s childhood.

The fathers themselves, are, to put it shortly, complete jerks who shouldn’t be raising children.They not only have hotheads ( ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ), but they show a general lack of empathy for their children. Ozai’s natural inclination is to find use in his children, especially when it comes to their firebending abilities. Endeavor keeps pressuring his wife to bear him children in hopes that one day he will find someone who he considers strong enough to surpass All Might, and Shouto ends up to be that child. They put them through unbearable physical and emotional abuse that causes them to distance themselves and make them wary of getting personal with others. Overall, they’re pretty bad dads (and that’s an understatement)

Mother x Son Relationship

The mother and son relationship of both characters have been a significant part of who they are and because of their past, it had also initially warped them

Now, obviously, both Zuko and Todoroki’s mothers weren’t present for their childhood, and only played the most minor role as they grew older, definitely taking a back seat to ‘terrible parenting’ with their dads driving that vehicle (essentially running both our beloved boys over time and time again), but there is a lot more on that similarity

It wasn’t as if the mothers of both series decided to simply give up on their child. It has been shown that they did originally have a ‘good’ or at least ‘functional’ relationship at first. Unfortunately, that would be changed due to the awful fathers of both Zuko and Todoroki. Todoroki’s mom did not want him to turn out like his father and told him that his ice ability was his, not something that belonged to Endeavour. With Zuko’s mom, she often protected him from Azula’s harshness and defended him when Ozai called him ‘useless’ or a ‘failure’ when he couldn’t firebend in a polished way like his prodigal sister. In the end, with pressure to be a mother and the pressure of simply being there as a trophy wife, they both ended up caving and vanished from their son’s life and being treated less than they actually deserved. They also left due to interefence from their husbands (with Todoroki’s mom being sent to a psych ward and Usra, Zuko’s mom, needing to leave due to a deal made with Ozai for Zuko)

Although this is slight spoilers, both mothers do end up showing up again later on in both series, with Todoroki going to visit his mother after the UA Festival after rethinking his past due to Midoriya’s valiant (and slightly intrusive but pure of heart) actions. It’s not as if everything is fixed, but it is the beginning of their relationship being healed in the very least. For Zuko, his despised sister actually leads him to where his mother had fled too with Team Avatar. Conflicts arise, but in the end, it does lead to Ursa and Zuko having a conversation to correct all the hurt in the past

Both mothers could not handle the abuse towards their children, as a result of trying to be manipulated and bent to the respective father’s will. Todoroki’s mother unfortunately caved to the pressure, but Zuko’s abuse was the unintended consequence of the discourse between Ursa and Ozai. They too were abused by their husbands mentally, if not physically as well.

It’s pretty awful to be honest, but their actions, when misunderstood by their sons, were taken in such a wrong way that also painted them as the villains of their past, which isn’t the case. It was because of other events leading up to the singular event that traumatized both the mother and the son (ie pouring the boiling water on Todoroki’s face and leaving Zuko to fend for himself in the jungle that was the palace). They were blamed for many things as well (turning their sons into something twisted/ wasn’t there to be moral support and protect and love them). Their relationship with their sons were originally terrible, but once the reader/watcher’s eyes were opened, they, along with the characters themselves, could understand why it even occurred. It’s not to say that it wasn’t a shitty move, but being pushed into a corner could drive many people to do things they didn’t think they were capable of.

I hate to say it, but it’s true- they were both forced to marry people they didn’t want to be wed to due to a marriage of convenience. Both men wooed their wives into marrying them with the end goal of simply producing superior offspring, which ended up not fulfilling their selfish expectations in the end (after rebelling hardcore). They got married because of what they could give in the relationship, but with all the egocentricity, their relationship was a huge example of parasitism. Only one side benefitted while the other was harmed in the process. Their abilities and kindness were taken advantage of, damaging the individual and the people around them, in the process

They tried to love their sons to the best of their abilities and it is not their fault that world decided to screw them over and say that ‘Hey, no, I’m sorry. We can’t have a decent parent in the house, so we’re going to destroy that part and create angst and trauma within these seven year olds’

In short, the mothers both tried their best to raise their sons in a way were they would have done much good and kindness to society, but instead, their assholish husbands decided to be dicks and completely fuck up their son’s future in order to further push their stupid ideals and degrading these poor woman to something less than a dollar store toy or a one-trick pony

[Friends] Character Interactions (imperfect comparisons)- Midoriya/Aang

Midoriya and Aang were both shown as the two boys’ rivals. When Shouto first interacts with Izuku, he challenges him to do his best in the Sports Festival arc, asserting that he will win. Zuko’s main motivation during the first book was to find the Avatar and kill him, in order to seek his father’s approval.

Over time, the relationship between these characters changed from hostility to grudging respect as both Midoriya and Aang continually tried gain their trust and understand their perspective. They do end up becoming allies first with grudging respect earned from their actions and eventually friends. Zuko sides with Aang to fight against his father’s oppression and basically his former way of life, while Todoroki, in the manga, rushes off to Midoriya when he’s in need of help and is willing to go with him whether asked or not

When they start to fight with each other, Zuko and Todoroki begin to learn that they are more than what their fathers made them out to be. In a way, Midoriya and Todoroki helped show each other what it meant to be a hero, much like how Aang and Zuko both realized that they had to do what’s best for the outcome of the world.

Midoriya and Aang are both the main characters of their respective series, and are both positive figures in the stories. They both are meant to be inspirational to the rest of the cast, and that definitely shows after they speak to the tragic heroes of each story.

These two stay very positive and are always open to what the other characters have to say. If they can get out of the conflict peacefully, they will, but they don’t hesitate to stand and fight when and if push-comes-to-shove. Midoriya and Aang give Todoroki and Zuko another chance after the initial cold treatment and go out of their way to break down their walls and befriend them

Momo/Mai

So, in ATLA, Zuko and Mai get together at the very end (once again), and although we can only speculate what will happen between Momo and Todoroki, although they have gotten closer from the times that they have interacted in the manga, and I think (personally) that they could be considered as friends or acquaintances in the very least. Well, I’m straying, but Yaoyorozu is the closest person I could think of in joint with Mai

Both Momo and Mai hail from rich and powerful families who have lots of power in the universe that they belong in. Mai’s parents are politicians who are also very much in Ozai’s favour. As for Momo, her parents are heroes who have a great deal of influence as well. Because of this, it’s safe to assume that although they were definitely well off, their interactions with their family are kept to almost a minimum

These characters were initially assumed to be cold and indifferent, or at least in another world compared to everyone else. However, looking past that, they are both extremely loyal individuals who stay true in what they believe in and rarely ever falter. If there is something that needs to be voiced, they are usually the ones to do it. Mai and Momo are strong on their own, but they are much stronger in groups (ex. Team Todoroki and Azula’s group)

Momo and Mai are very resourceful (ha because of Momo’s quirk ;) okay, I’ll stop) and are quick-witted (well, for the most part), and they have a wide knowledge of many, many things. Momo needs to understand and be able to put to use informations about molecular engineering in order to create things using her quirk. They are both really smart and are able to apply their knowledge in all types of situations

Todoroki and Momo, along with Zuko and Mai, met in similar circumstances, although they are pretty different when cross-examining the shows. Todoroki and Momo got in due to their recommendation letters, probably putting them at the top of their junior high classes. Zuko and Mai are in the dominant families that oversee the Fire Nation, which means their commonality would be their blood

It’s clear that Zuko and Mai’s relationship is definitely more romantic while Todoroki and Momo’s is platonic, but both males are willing to help out when they have a problem of any sort. These two (or well, four) work well together as a unit and they’re fairly good with strategy and fighting

Bakugou/Sokka

Sokka and Zuko… didn’t really get along much in the beginning of the series. Bakugou and Todoroki? They got along even less.

Bakugou and Todoroki later, however, don’t necessarily grow closer, but learn to at least tolerate each other. Zuko and Sokka work together a lot to reach a common goal but they don’t exactly consider each other close friends.

These four bickered/fought like there was no tomorrow in the beginning of both series. Like really- never would have anyone thought that they become allies at all

Reluctant acceptance takes place of the mutual hatred and annoyance. They do end up acknowledging each other’s strengths later on and even sometimes helping each other

Although Zuko and Sokka couldn’t be considered good friends in the animation, they were definitely allies and trusted each other. Sokka and Zuko get closer as they get older, with Sokka being the Avatar’s advisor and having a role on the council that had been put together in order to maintain peace (Legend of Korra right there). Although that can’t be said for Bakugou and Todoroki where the anime/manga stands, they are past the simple ‘I despise you’ stage

Both Sokka and Bakugou know about Zuko and Todoroki’s past, although Bakugou hasn’t exactly brought that up with Todoroki yet (because he was eavesdropping during the festival)

They trust in each other’s abilities, and have actually gotten jealous over what the other person has, like Zuko wanting to belong and be trusted while Sokka wanted to be powerful. And well, Bakugou and Todoroki with their abilities and etc

((THIS IS LIKE THE LOVE-HATE BROMANCE. They’re chill but it’s not like they’re going to hop onto the braid train. Oh also, I hc that Zuko and Sokka hang out to complain about Katara and Aang being all lovey-dovey and so they go out on bro-dates. More to come on Bakugou/Todoroki friendship :3 ))

Iida/Katara & Toph

Iida is almost always portrayed as the voice of reason in the series (except during the Hero Killer arc *sweats*) and Katara and Toph try to set others on the right path, while struggling with their own personal insecurities.

In this relationship, Iida and Todoroki both respect each other’s abilities and often seek each other’s help in times in need, like in the Sports Festival arc. While Toph doesn’t interact as much with Zuko in the series, Katara and him both fight comfortably together, despite having incredibly different personalities.

Shouto also worries about his classmate’s mental health. Iida is shown to go through countless struggle after struggle, and Todoroki understands and even helps Iida through these times. In ATLA, however, Katara and Toph are less inclined to show their feelings. Katara sometimes finds it in herself to tell her closer friends, like Aang, her brother, and Zuko, about things that were troubling her, like her worries about her tribe and abilities. However, in the last book (season) of ATLA, Katara allows Zuko to accompany her to take revenge on the person who had killed her mother, while Toph goes out of her way to be partnered up with Zuko in their search for Aang to talk about her family (although Zuko couldn’t exactly console her or do anything about it)

Because of their willingness to grow as not only good people, but also as people that will help others, they are portrayed as strong characters with a very precise set of morals. All three of these characters have honestly been through a lot, and deserve happy endings that they won for themselves, thank you very much.

Well, there was supposed to be another part for what we might see in the future in alignment with ATLA, but we figured it was too long, but don’t worry, it’ll be here soon ;)

[fictionalenneagrambti-blog]

Avatar: The Last Airbender | Azula [ENTJ] [3w4]

Ambitious | Image-conscious | Hardworking | Pretentious (x)

ENTJs are strategic leaders, motivated to organize change. They are quick to see inefficiency and conceptualize new solutions, and enjoy developing long-range plans to accomplish their vision. They are analytical and objective, and like bringing order to the world around them. ENTJs are assertive and enjoy taking charge; they see their role as that of leader and manager, organizing people and processes to achieve their goals. (x)

***Azula’s usage of all her functions is extremely unhealthy.

Te [Extroverted Thinking]:  Azula wants results and will stop at nothing to get them. She is quick to act and expects others to do the same: “But I assure you, if you hesitate, I will not hesitate to bring you down. Dismissed” (“The Avatar State”). Azula is demanding and adept at planning; she is single-handedly able to orchestrate a coup to capture Ba Sing Se and bring down the Earth Kingdom, and is direct and explicit in her commands, leaving nothing to speculation: “This coup must be swift and decisive. The Earth King and each of the five generals must be taken out simultaneously. Long Feng has placed you in my command while we overthrow the government. If I sense any disloyalty, any hesitation, any weakness at all, I will snuff it out. That is all” (“The Crossroads of Destiny”). Azula has a need to dominate in and control every aspect of her life, treating everything as an obstacle to be overcome - even something as simple as a volleyball game (“The Beach”).

Ni [Introverted Intuition]: Azula is always multiple steps ahead of everybody else, which is why the coup she leads of Ba Sing Se is such a success; she is easily able to outmaneuver Long Feng, declaring that she has “plotted every move of this day” (“The Crossroads of Destiny”). She has “a hunch” that the Avatar survived her attempt to kill him (“The Eclipse”), foresight which she uses to arrange for Zuko to eventually take the fall for her own failure once it is revealed that Aang survived (“The Awakening”). Azula is confident she knows her own future and believes she is destined for greatness: “But true power, the divine right to rule, is something you’re born with” (“The Crossroads of Destiny”). She is expertly able to detect other others’ weaknesses and insecurities despite having little to no information on them, which she then uses to manipulate them. For instance, Azula notices “just the slightest hesitation of [a girl’s] left foot” (Se), from which she infers that a “childhood injury has weakened her” (“The Beach”). She uses this information to easily defeat the opposing team. Azula is also able to convince Zuko that their father wants him home, playing on his feelings of worthlessness and longing for his father’s love (“The Avatar State”), and during the Day of Black Sun invasion manipulates Sokka after surmising the connection between him and Suki (“The Eclipse”). She even tells Long Feng that she can “see [his] whole history in [his] eyes (“The Crossroads of Destiny”), and she is right. In addition, Azula is easily able to discern if someone is lying, quickly concluding that the guard suspected of assisting in the attempted escape from the prison is not guilty (“The Boiling Rock, Part II”). When her inferior Fi starts to get the better of her during Sozin’s Comet, Azula’s fear manifests itself as extreme paranoia, to the point of banishing her entire staff because she falsely believes they are plotting against her (“Into the Inferno”).

Se [Extroverted Sensing]: Azula is swift to take action and seize opportunities, taking over Ba Sing Se in a matter of days. She is a firebending prodigy, and is quick and agile, demonstrating an ability to use her environment to evade attacks from her opponents even when she cannot firebend (“The Eclipse”), or when she is greatly outnumbered (“The Chase”). Azula uses physical evidence to feed her Ni conclusions, such as when she observes the weakness of the girl playing volleyball (“The Beach”) and when she picks up on Suki’s questions about Sokka in prison (“The Eclipse”).

Fi [Introverted Feeling]: Azula is uncomfortable with her feelings at best. At worst, they bring about her downfall. She is socially awkward and does not know how to deal with other people’s emotions (“The Beach”), which leads her to underestimate the strength of Mai’s feelings for Zuko, feelings that ultimately result in Mai’s betrayal (“The Boiling Rock, Part II”). Azula has a disdain for those she perceives as too invested in their emotions, such as when she criticized Iroh for breaking down after his son’s death (“Zuko Alone”). However, try as she might, Azula cannot completely suppress her own emotions, either; she never truly moves past what she perceives as her mother’s mistreatment of and lack of love for her, even admitting that “it still hurt” that “our mom liked Zuko more than [her]” (“The Beach”). Eventually, the bitterness that Azula still harbors toward her mother is what contributes to her descent into complete paranoia and madness (“Into the Inferno”).

Enneagram [3w4]: “Almost isn’t good enough!” (“The Avatar State”). Azula is a perfectionist, and though she won’t admit it, she is terrified of failure and rejection. Nevertheless, Azula projects an image of perfection and always maintains a cool and composed persona, expressing complete self-confidence in the face of others’ insecurities (“The Beach”). She becomes the daughter that her father wants her to be, and she does everything in her power to preserve that image, including casting her failure to kill the Avatar on her brother (“The Awakening”). Azula wants to be feared and respected, admitting that she loves it when people worship her (“The Beach”). 

✘✘✘  8w7 is a common enneagram typing for Azula, and while I do think she has 8 as a strong second fix, in my opinion she is too concerned with the outward image she projects to others to be an 8. Yes, she wants power, but more than that she wants to be worthy in the eyes of her father, as shown by how upset she is when Ozai does not allow her to join him in destroying the Earth Kingdom, and how quickly her fears are assuaged when he gives her another “important” job (“The Phoenix King”).

[redrobin-detective]

Zuko and Azula's Relationship

Unpopular opinion: most people agree that Azula's downfall began with the betrayal of Mai and Ty Lee but I'm going to stand here and say it really started with the betrayal of Zuko during The Day of Black Sun.

Zuko and Azula have always had a bit of a troubled relationship but we see in Zuko Alone that they did get along somewhat as children. I don't see Azula as being someone who's needlessly cruel, ok maybe under the right circumstances, but she is someone who is willing to be cruel with reason. Have you ever been in a situation where you idolized someone and, once you got to know them better, you realized they were a disappointment? I bet that was the beginning of the breakdown of young Azula and Zuko's relationship. Young Azula would have loved her doting, attentive big brother but as she surpassed him, she began to see he wasn't as great as she'd originally though. Azula probably became bitter at Zuko for not being the excellent big brother she'd envisioned while, at the same time, building a lot of her self-confidence on being better than Zuko.

So Zuko is banished and Azula is able to disassociate from him so to speak. Out of sight, out of mind. He was a failure of a Prince and brother, she and her father don't need him. 3 years he was just an idiot on a ship looking for the Avatar, I can see her being able to separate Book 1/2 Zuko from the brother she had known and loved (at least a little bit) as a child. It's why her early interactions with Zuko are so strict and formal, she's in control because Zuko is just another problem to be dealt with. With a straight face she can pull out the childhood nicknames because, despite knowing that this is her brother, 3 years is a long time to separate oneself. But then we get to Crossroads of Destiny.

Remember how I said Azula was able to push Zuko aside because he was such a disappointment? Well suddenly he's not anymore. Yes, he's still emotional and wishy washy and she can play him like a fiddle, but fighting alongside her Zuko is fearsome and ferocious and he works pretty good along side Azula. Together, they're able to take out the Avatar and control Ba Sing Se. Now Zuko has proven that he has what it takes to be a Fire Prince; he's ruthless and loyal and strong enough to be allowed to return home. We know Azula talked to Ozai before Zuko's return, I'm 100% certain it's Azula who convinced her father that Zuko was worth keeping despite not 'capturing' the Avatar. Because Zuko has earned a bit of her respect and has redeemed himself in the eyes of their father, she now feels free to rekindle the sibling bond they once had. I'm not saying this was always a healthy bond, Azula having been cultivated into the cunning, relentless Princess we love, but we can see the relationship is important to her in her own way.

Throughout early Book 3 we see the complex give and take of the relationship. Zuko is clearly very conflicted over his choices and his morals which makes him even more temperamental and angry than usual. And we see Azula actively trying to help him through this several times. Because some part of her does love Zuko and she's trying to steer him away from Uncle (treachery) and back towards her and Ozai (strength and loyalty). There are several reasons why Azula likes having him around. One, someone else within the Palace besides Ozai she can interact with must be nice after 3 years alone. Two, Azula clearly gets a kick out of manipulations and Zuko is a barrel full of monkeys in playing right into her head games. Three, again, Azula measures a lot of her esteem by being better than Zuko and by 'helping' him, she can feel superior. And we see Azula's (and Mai's really) efforts do help settle him down during those episodes and they seem decently close, at least from Azula's perspective.

Zuko clearly states he never felt comfortable around Azula during those times, probably too many bad memories from his childhood and Book 2 which is reasonable. I don't want to say Zuko doesn't care exactly but I think it was easier for him to let go of Azula than it would've been for her. And thus the first cracks in Azula's shell begin to show when she hears from Ozai that Zuko has commit treason. Because Azula thought she had Zuko pinned, both in being able to predict him and keep him in his place. She had mocked and threatened him yes, but she's always done that, she also comforted and reassured him. She made an effort to try and please/get along with Zuko and he still left, just like her Mother. Now Azula doesn't know who or what to trust. She put a lot of stock in her ability to intimidate and make people do what she wanted, and yet two people she had loved have left her. This is only exasperated by the Boiling Rock when her two, possibly only, friends chose Zuko over her.

So much of Azula's pride was being better than her brother. She was a better heir, better bender, better at everything. And yet Ursa loved Zuko more, Mai did and Ty Lee took Mai's side. Zuko was supposed to be the failure and yet he thumbed his nose at their father and ran off with the Avatar to help defeat him. Zuko was always predictable and now suddenly he wasn't and it drove her (quite literally) insane. That attack of hers in The Southern Raiders was incredibly half-cocked and sloppy by Azula's standards in every way. But she was angry and emotional and once again Zuko was able to get the better of her. She fought terribly and it almost cost her life, but she had to save herself while Zuko was saved by the Gaang. Zuko always had an easier time making and keeping friends while Azula struggled and that just twists the knife deeper.

I'm wrapping this up now I swear but as we creep closer to Sozin's Comet Azula is really losing her grip on everything. Everyone is betraying her and the straw that broke the camel's back is Ozai's dismissiveness of her skills and place, treating her like another pawn instead of an equal. From there the slippery slope becomes steeper and she falls right down it. By the time Zuko confronts her, she's already half-gone. While Zuko has found himself through hardship and exile and enlightenment; Azula had put faith in her brother to be as pathetic and docile as she remembered. Zuko breaking away from that is what helped start her breakdown, a fundamental part of her life (being better than Zuko) had crumbled leaving the remaining structure unstable and, therefore, she collapsed.

TL:DR- Azula's downfall was first caused by Zuko's betrayal because she'd built a lot of her life around Zuko and Ozai's encouragements that she had to be better than her brother. When Zuko suddenly became worthwhile, she made an effort to be a sister, had cared for Zuko as best she could given her own abusive childhood because she probably did want a sibling who knew and understood her. By betraying the Fire Nation, betraying her, Zuko not only broke out of control which is how she defines relationships but also broke her heart in a way that only Ursa had been able to do. Two family members she'd loved but who called her a monster and left her, that destabilized her a lot. Mai and Ty Lee's betrayal cracked her further and Ozai's thoughtless cruelty led to her complete breakdown.

[theironweasel]

Code Geass: With Characters Quantity does not equal Quality.

Spoilers for both this and Avatar: The Last Airbender!

I don’t think I’ve ever been quite as conflicted about a piece of fiction than I have after finishing Code Geass. First, before I get into all my issues with the show I want to share an experience I had watching it. Midway through the first episode I almost stopped watching it because I was getting sick of the racism in-show. Don’t get me wrong I’m totally willing to have racism as an issue discussed in a show, however, it didn’t come across as realistic. It just came across as undeserved smug superiority in the villains which is something I can’t stand and there was a lot of it in the first episode, I’ll also address this attitude of the Villains. It was toned down after the first episode, but part of me wishes I had given up because Code Geass is a very flawed show and I’m not sure the time investment was worth it.

The Humor: This is probably the worst aspect of the show, as the humor is really silly and lame and usually results from situations no sane person would create or be involved in, mostly involving idiotic stuff at the school. And for a show this serious, it could have benefited from some quality dark humor which would have fit the tone better.

The Music: There were a number of great tracks in this show lending to the emotional and epic moments, though I wish the editing was a bit better so the tracks could really take over the scenes.

Recap: I never thought that you could make a recap pretentious but Code Geass manages to do it. Some of what the narration says applies to what's going on but it feels less like it’s trying to say something interesting and more like it's just trying to SOUND deep.

The Fights: While there was some cool factor in the fights I found the different mechs to be rather generic. While there were different designs and powers, I never felt they were distinct enough or had enough personality to make most of the fight scenes very engaging.

The Pacing: This is probably the strongest aspect of the series as it is pretty good about building up tension and having events lead into each other pretty well. I will say the season 2 reset kinda hurt things but it did manage to get things back on track pretty fast.

The Plot: This is a bit of a mixed bag as many aspects of the plot are pretty strong but some really don’t work. The weakest of these was probably the Princess Massacre. I get the thematic implication of power corrupting a person, however, it was an accident and not a bad calculated decision, so it just feels contrived, especially since it was so close to being an ending. I feel this was done a lot better with the first F.L.E.I.J.A explosion because it was caused by the command Lelouch gave to Suzaku as he didn’t fully think through the consequences of this command into the future and his murder of Euphemia. There was also the season 1 cliffhanger which I would imagine annoyed the shit out of people at the time. This is something Avatar never did so the best comparison I can make is to the famous Star Trek TNG Best of Both Worlds cliffhanger, which I felt worked better for two reasons. One, it was a conclusion in some sense as it answered one of the big questions of the first episode of whether Riker could handle the responsibilities of Captain. Two, when the next season came out the story immediately continued instead of leading into a soft reset of the status quo. Also, there was the whole Ragnarok Connection (Which by the way, whenever someone said it made me think of the Rainbow Connection, so that took some of the drama out of things.) I’ll just say it right here, it made no goddamn sense. So God is the unconscious mind of humanity and killing it will somehow stagnate humanity, bring back the dead, and end lying maybe? Seriously even the wiki doesn’t really seem to understand it, the best I could get is that it would combine humanity into a single will, but I still don’t get how any of these things have to do with each other. In the end, the whole thing comes off as rather confusing and pretentious with all the metaphysical crap and the moralizing. This is unfortunate because it was a major plot point that the whole show was leading up to and leads into the final arc of the series.

The Villains: Ok I’m just going to come out and say it, the villains suck! One of the problems is CG’s rather fluid nature regarding its villains as a good number of the characters have done something awful and a number of villains don’t really seem to be villains anymore by the end. I appreciate the ability to turn villainous characters into gray or even good characters, but given the lack of character development for even some of the more central characters, it doesn’t work out well as often the villains are no longer villains because plot. Then there is Schneizel who at first seems like a charismatic and even somewhat reasonable villain who is willing to work with his enemies if it serves his interests. I even would have been fine if it had just been a part of a larger chess game to gain power, but then it went that extra step to make him a genocidal maniac who wants to kill billions of people to achieve world peace? Seriously, this makes Koko from Jormungand look sane by comparison. The best comparison I can make is between Princess Cornelia and Princess Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender. Both are skilled, arrogant, self-assured soldiers who believe not only in their own superiority but in the superiority of their nation. While there are some significant differences such as Cornelia having a soft spot for her sister whereas Azula is almost a sociopath and cares nothing for her brother and whose only weakness is her absolute belief in the power of fear. (Yeah the 14-year-old from the kid’s show is the far more hardcore villain, while Cornelia is willing to kill people in battle, Azula is willing to straight up murder people.) Cornelia only wins against Lelouch when the men under his command refused to listen to him, and the battle is rather minor in the grand scheme of the story. Azula is able to conquer Ba Sing Se, the world's greatest city, kill the Avatar and defeat his friends all by manipulating the city’s own secret police into following her. But I think one of the best examples I can make is between their introduction scenes. While each of these characters has a brief scene or two where we see them before we get a proper introduction to them, the real intro scenes are where they show how serious they are about their jobs and how they deal with what they view as incompetence. Cornelia greets her sister but reminds her to refer to her by her title, which shows that she is serious about her job but is otherwise unremarkable. Then she points her rather stupid looking gun at some bureaucrat and scolds him for being corrupt and incompetent then screams at him to capture Zero. Azula enters by telling her royal guard that they are going to capture Zuko and Iroh and that she understands if they have mixed feelings about it but if they hesitate she will kill them. This establishes how serious she is about the job and it’s unnerving given how young she is. Then when she is told by the captain that the tides would not allow their ship to land when they want she responds with a couple of questions. “I'm sorry, Captain, but I do not know much about the tides. Can you explain something to me? Do the tides command this ship? You said the tides would not allow us to bring the ship in. Do the tides command this ship? And if I were to have you thrown overboard, would the tides think twice about smashing you against the rocky shore? Well, then, maybe you should worry less about the tides who've already made up their mind about killing you and worry more about me, who's still mulling it over.” Throughout the whole scene she never raises her voice or takes aggressive action and for most of her talk with the captain she is not even facing him and even plays with her hair a bit. Hell up to this point the only indication of how dangerous she is was a line about her being a firebending prodigy at the end of the last season. But one thing tells us how dangerous she truly is when she turns to face the captain and when she glares at him beating a hasty retreat it's with what Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood referred to as “The Eyes of a Killer.” She doesn’t need to shout or take violent action in order to intimidate those around her. In fact, it’s scarier because she doesn’t need to do it, she is so confident in herself that all she needs to do is put a thought in someone's head and they will do it because they know the cost of defying her. I think this is something anime generally tends to struggle with: Subtlety. From humor to characters to dialogue it's something the genre doesn’t always handle well. Not always obviously, The Devil Works Part Time had humor that was rather subtle compared to other anime, Cowboy Bebop had great subtle atmospheric touches, and Trigun was capable of having characters with subtle nuances and emotions. Code Geass was not that great at subtlety in really any capacity outside of some character aspects for Lelouch and a few others. Though I will give Cornelia the credit for throwing a knife into V.V.’s head mid-sentence which was both smart and funny.

Characters: Ok this is the weakest aspect of the show, the vast majority of characters in this show range from boring and shallow to insufferably stupid and annoying and there are WAY TOO MANY! I’ve stated how the anime I’ve seen often has a problem with too many characters such as both Fullmetal Alchemist series, Drifters and a few others. But Code Geass is by far the worst in this regard both in quantity and quality. To be honest I can’t remember at least half of their names which is not something that should happen after a 50 episode series. We range from completely forgettable characters like Ohgi whose connection to Kallen was barely looked into and whose love arc makes all the impact of a wet towel. Then you have annoying people like that whiny loudmouth rebel whose name I can’t even bother to look up. Rival and the council president are almost completely forgettable other than the president's habit of doing ridiculous shit that no one in their right mind would do or put up with. Then there’s Nina, the perverted, psychotic, genius, moron. Yeah, talk about someone whose characterization is all over the place. Compare: Robert Oppenheimer, after witnessing the result of the Atomic Bomb he had helped create thought of the line from the Hindu text The Bhagavad-Gita “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” Not only as a reflection on the awesome horror that he had unleashed onto the world but also questioning the meaning of that text as an argument for doing one’s duty and detaching oneself from the consequences which he found he could no longer do, that even if he believed it was ultimately the right thing to do he would have to live with the consequences of what he had done. Nina: “I didn’t realize how many people would die!” I get that she is supposed to be seriously unhinged, the creepy table masturbation scene made that abundantly clear, but that's not insane, it's just stupid. Then there are characters with aborted arcs like the Chinese pilot who is supposed to be dying but never does. Even some of the better characters are mostly better just because of the VAs like Lloyd who is mostly amusing because the Voice Actor is great at sounding condescending and aloof in an amazingly camp way. Or Tohdoh simply because he’s voiced by Steve Blum, who also seems to have a barely there arc with Suzaku that goes nowhere. Kallen is probably the best of the characters aside from Lelouch and Suzaku as they at least have an episode where they look into her character, and while it isn’t done that amazingly I’ll give them props for trying on that one. There’s also a trend of weird moments where characters have a reaction or do something that doesn’t make a lot of sense. Such as Kallen’s reaction to discovering Zero’s identity, I could understand a large amount of shock, but she collapses and then runs away, which I never really understood. Or Charles who insists that he really cared for his son despite treating him like dirt which totally wound up biting him in the ass in the end. There is also the problem with Shirley, who for a while just comes off as the boring love interest until her dad dies and suddenly she becomes much more interesting because she has an important connection to Lelouch that affects both their characters, though it would have been nice if they had established her relationship with her father beforehand. Then her memory gets erased returning her to boring status and would have been picked up on immediately if the school characters weren’t rock stupid. But they are so I can actually buy it. And then when she gets her memory back, making her interesting she almost immediately gets killed. It’s like Rollo killed her because she was threatening to become more interesting than him. When I was discussing the problem of too many characters with my dad he offered an explanation I had surprisingly not considered: Filler. While I was used to pointless scenes or plot points being used to kill time. I had never considered a character let alone many characters being used simply to fill up time and that's exactly what many of these characters feel like, just ways to generate plots that can fill a few minutes per episode and this sadly rings true to me given how little impact many of these characters had on the main plot or the main characters yet are present for so much of the story. Hell, there was one character in season 2 who was the son of another character who Zero killed in the first season who we only see twice and the second time is for like 5 seconds as he dies proclaiming he failed to avenge his father. WTF was that? At least Hahn from Avatar: The Last Airbender was an important plot device as Princess Yue’s fiancee and the show comically acknowledged how useless a character he was by making the weakest villain of the show only have to do half a second of tai chi to dispose of him before continuing with his monologue like nothing happened.

Suzaku: While I often got annoyed at how dense he seemed to be about how the system was never really going to change from the inside, he did work well off of Lelouch and his ultimate fate was very well done. I just wish he had more tolerance for Zero as the necessary evil to pressure the system to change from the outside.

Lelouch: This is probably the strongest element of the show as he was a pretty interesting character to start with and by the end of the show he had made a believable descent into basically being a villain. It hit me how well the show had done this when Schneizel reveals everything Lelouch had done to the black knights and at first I was with Diethard in that his actions were more important, but looking at all the people he had manipulated and killed some of whom were even close to different people it hit me how screwed up Lelouch had become.

So I said I was conflicted about the show but I’ve been for the most part pointing out negatives so where does the real positivity come in?

The Ending: This may be one of the most interesting and brilliant endings I have ever seen. I’ll start by saying when I got to the end of episode 21 of season 2 I almost wanted the show to just end with Lelouch and Suzaku seizing the throne because the whole mood was great with the crowd chanting “All Hail Lelouch!” and the implication that both have just straight up become villains, while I’m glad it didn’t and I’m sure it would have pissed off people more invested in the series, I still think it would have been a decent ending. However, that was overshadowed by the real ending of the show which was amazing! It perfectly wraps up the arcs of both Lelouch and Suzaku, condemning them both to the fates they and the world deserve. Lelouch the ultimate rebel must die as the ultimate dictator and Suzaku the Paladin must forever be his own worst enemy. It absolutely fits the themes of the show and gives us Lelouch’s ultimate scheme. While there may be logical problems with all this, from an emotional, thematic and character perspective it all works wonderfully! I wish they had given us fewer hints so that we truly thought that Lelouch and Suzaku had become evil and believed taking over the world was the right thing to do, as it would have made the end even more effective, but there were way too many hints that made it clear they had some sort of plan. I thought they were somehow going to use the Sword of Akasha to make it so Geass never existed but this worked way better. I just wish this ending was for a better show because Code Geass has too many faults to make this one of the greatest endings of all time, which it could have been in my opinion. We often see stories where it is great up until it bungles the ending. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a story with a fantastic ending undercut by the rest of it. However, despite everything, nothing could take away that ending from Code Geass… EXCEPT ANOTHER SEASON!!!!!! WHY!!!?? Ok, I get that the show is popular but why would you ruin that ending by making another season almost a decade later? For people who like the show a lot more than me that ending has to be the best of all time so it would be even worse for them. Unless they have a damn good story to tell with Lelouch of the Resurrection and they somehow make all the characters super interesting I don’t see a point to this asides from filling a demand from fans. Seriously how could it get any more epic or poignant than what we got at the end of season 2? I will probably watch the last season unless I hear it’s total crap but if I was a fan I would imagine I would refuse to watch it unless I heard it somehow gave us a better ending than season 2 did because that ending was near perfect. And please don’t tell me that there was always a plan for this, it’s almost a decade later and any lingering plot threads by the end of season 2 were pretty damn minor, hell Avatar: The Last Airbender’s penultimate scene was massive sequel bait and that just got resolved in the follow-up comic series.

In my opinion Code Geass is a flawed anime with a few very strong elements but it ultimately wasted a lot of its potential by giving us mountains of filler characters, unremarkable villains, awful attempts at comedy and fumbling a few important plot points. If there were an anime that could be totally remade from the ground up I think Code Geass would be an excellent candidate because the basic story and main characters are excellent but redoing the other aspects right could make one of the best Animes and stories of all time.

[tev-the-random]

What it Ursa took her children with her? - Pt.2

As we were saying:

Little over year has passed since the family arrived in Hira’a, and fateful news gets to them: Ozai remarried. His new wife is someone who is honoured to marry the Firelord and doesn’t mind the fact that his head is so deep up his own arse- anyway, and they are expecting a child, who is to be the Firelord’s legitimate heir.

Azula’s hopes and dreams are shattered. At age ten, she is quite literally being replaced in her beloved father’s life. It’s like she’s never even existed, and she can’t help but wonder what she did wrong.

Zuko is also upset, of course. All those years when Ozai told him he was unfit and worthless come flooding back. But somehow, he already expected things to turn out like this. Unlike Azula, he wasn’t so deeply feeding on hopes that things would go back to normal. He sees it more as a situation that was out of everyone’s control.

He convinces Azula it’s not her fault, and these kids will still be trying to understand and defend their father later down the road. There must be a reason for all of this, right? They start thinking of a reasonable scenario…

Ursa just feels sorry for the poor woman who has to deal with Ozai now.

So we get a timeskip: about three years came and went. Zuko and Azula – treated as kids and not as weapons – lead a peaceful and happy life whenever they’re not thinking of their father and everything they could be doing out there.

They have become known local troublemakers in their spare time. Kids know better than to challenge them, people know not to leave flammable goods out in the open – a strict policy regarding fireworks has been established after a chaotic incident – and failure to keep an eye on them this one time led to… well, let’s just say that the town is still unsure of whether or not they’re is being haunted by evil spirits.

They aren’t allowed anywhere near Forgetful Valley, but bold of you to assume they never tried. In-jokes arise.

‘No, I’m serious: that tree’s face looked exactly like yours, Zuzu. You really should befriend it,’ Azula mocks, remembering a particularly ugly tree they encountered in their adventure.

‘Sorry, I wasn’t looking at it. I was busy looking for whoever it was that asked you,’ Zuko retorts. ‘Since Forgetful Valley has all the kinds of crazy stuff.’

‘Maybe we should go back and look for your impulse control, then.’

‘None of you are going back in there,’ Ursa reprehends. ‘It was very irresponsible of you. Forgetful Valley is a dangerous place, you could have gotten hurt!’

‘Your mother is right, you know?’ Noren comments. ‘I’ve been to that jungle before, and it’s definitely not a playground. But I swear…’ He makes a dramatic pause. ‘I once saw Ursa’s sense of humour in there.’

The kids burst out laughing while Ursa sighs. ‘Since you can find such amazing things in the valley, dear, why don’t you go back there and find yourself actual funny jokes? I’m sure my sense of humour will be around the same corner.’

*More laughter*

(IDK, I write crappy comedy, ok?)

They still have a bit of a hard time making friends. I wouldn’t say they are shy, but they definitely have a talent to say the wrong things at the wrong times, and it’s hard to make deep connections. Sure, they would play with other kids from time to time, but in the end, Zuko and Azula are each other’s best friend.

They’ve cleared an area by the beach that any Hira’a resident knows to stay away from when they’re training.

Azula discovered a great passion for theatre. Not only are her acting skills fantastic, she also seems to be naturally aware of what makes a good scene. People say she’s Noren’s Little Assistant.

She hates being called Noren’s Little Assistant. She would much rather be called Ursa’s Little Star, because goddamn is she a good actress and she needs everyone to know that.

Zuko is more of a plant-lover guy. Unfortunately, he hasn’t inherited his grandmother’s green thumb, and despite Ursa’s best efforts to teach him, it seems like everything he touches dies.

He has grown to show a way with animals, however. Any variety of frogs and toads love him; lizards of all kinds are attracted to him like he’s a magnet; furry animals big and small adore him and any type of bird-like creature seems to think he is the best human being in existence. But his favourite animals are still the turtleducks.

Back in the palace, Iroh eventually learns of Ozai’s bullshit and how he got the throne in the first place. And you know what? The time has come for Iroh to draw a line in the sand. He confronts his little brother, who confronts him back by telling him that, should he try to tell anyone in the Fire Nation the truth – that Ozai was a top-grade traitor who actually had no right to the throne –, no one would believe him. Since his brother won’t be sensible, Iroh decides that’s it: he’s fucking out.

Now a fugitive from the Fire Nation, he somehow winds up owning a lovely traveling tea shop called the Jasmin Dragon. Most people don’t even suspect he is the fearful Dragon of the West, because he’s just so nice?

You can bet he serves blends of tea from all across the nations.

The tea shop is also a good cover up for his exchanges with the Order of the White Lotus. He gives and receives information, and does his best to help villages to either defend themselves or evacuate during Fire Nation attacks.

One day a member of the White Lotus travels to Hira’a for one reason or another and finds Zuko and Azula. This person then sends a letter to Iroh.

Iroh comes to Hira’a to visit the family. He’s glad to see they’re ok, even if he can’t stay for too long. But long enough for some Quality Time – these kids have grown so much!

Iroh doesn’t know of Ursa’s part in Azulon’s assassination, and only assumes she knew of Ozai’s plan. But now, it’s time that her children learned a couple of things, and he is willing to teach them, so that when the time arrives for them to meet their destiny, they should be able to choose wisely and face whatever comes their way. So he asks the children to accompany him in his travels.

Ursa doesn’t want to let them go. They’re children, they should be here living a peaceful life, not meeting some grand, dangerous destiny! What if something horrible happened to them?

Iroh understands the pain of losing a child. He doesn’t want to make Ursa spend her time worrying about losing two, so he respects her decision and soon leaves the town.

But the siblings are not about to just sit here when they know they’re destined for something greater. What incredible knowledge did their uncle hold? Did their father have something to do with this? They always knew there was more to their fate than just living in Hira’a for the rest of their lives, and this is their chance; it’s now or never.

Zuko and Azula are about to sneak out and follow Iroh when Noren spots them. But instead of trying to stop them – he is well aware that he can’t – he gives them two masks and some advice about never forgetting who they were.

Why yes, I am saying that they eventually take the masks and become partners in crime, Zuko as the Blue Spirit and Azula as the Red Spirit, because parallels.

They catch up with their uncle and adventures and shenanigans issue as Zuko, Azula and Iroh cross the Earth Kingdom.

Now imagine this trio: two of the most awkward firebending teenagers travelling with their old tea-loving uncle, who spits proverbs like he’s made of them. The possibilities for both hilarious and heart-warming moments are endless.

Iroh thinks himself a matchmaker. Whenever he thinks he sees some romance going on, he encourages his nephew or niece to make a move. His flaming cupid arrows do more damage than good, yet he only has good intentions at heart. Teens all around the kingdom encourage you to stop, sir.

Their new life is even more humbling than in Hira’a, since they are constantly travelling. But they manage, and they know their uncle is nothing but wise… even if Azula is still quite arrogant and manipulative, and Zuko is impatient and hot-headed, which can lead to a lot of conflict.

Iroh teaches them both how to create and redirect lightning. Zuko is better at redirecting than Azula. Creating it, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated, and both of them get their fair share of explosions while learning. Neither of them really gets a hang of it – although Azula is better at it than Zuko, that’s not saying much – for they still have a lot of identity-related turmoil inside them that won’t let them grasp the energy.

Guess who else teaches them? Other members of the White Lotus. Both Zuko and Azula get some swordsmanship Skills™ from Piandao, some different (and somewhat unwillingly taught) firebending technics from Jeong-Jeong and a lot of things from Bumi, including but not limited to: creative thinking, the art of patience, strategic planning, dealing with pirates and a surprising amount of rocks-related knowledge.

Bumi adopted Zuko and Azula and gave himself the role of Second Uncle. You cannot convince me otherwise.

So one day, little over a year after the siblings joined Iroh, they wind up in a city where this big circus is performing. Uncle Iroh decides to take his niece and nephew to see it. And oh, aren’t they surprised by who they see performing?

Even though Ty Lee was essentially the only one between her sisters to befriend Azula – and consequentially, the only one to periodically spend time in the palace with her –, Zuko and Iroh still have a hard time distinguishing her from the six other girls who look exactly like her, uncertainly calling her all different names before Azula snaps ‘you idiots, that’s Ty Lee!’.

The acrobat is so glad to see her friend again, because damn: it’s been nearly four years since they last saw or even heard from each other! And Zuko, I thought you were dead? This is such a neat reunion, there’s so much for them to talk about! And sure, the circus has to leave soon and so do the siblings, but Ty Lee reassures them that, if they ever needed her, she wasn’t hard to find. This isn’t the last we’ll see of Ty Lee.

Azula doesn’t let it show, but she resents Ty Lee a little bit for choosing to abandon her noble life. She really wishes she could have had a choice.

Uncle Iroh tells the siblings stories about the war that would have some day mesmerized them. But now, his opinions about those events and what he did as a prince general have changed; that, along with what the family sees in their journey – all the horrors brought to innocent people – gives Zuko and Azula a new perspective on what they used to think was a greater good. It will still take a while for Azula to understand that no, these people are no lesser than her and for Zuko to understand why any of that matters.

Iroh eventually tells them the truth about Azulon’s death. Or at least, what he knows of it: their father killed Azulon, banished them, took the throne by force and planned to gain more power at the expense of everyone. This is a lot to take in, and the siblings don’t quite believe it.

After four years thinking about it, Zuko and Azula decided to take their mother’s early words – they went to Hira’a to be safe – and formulate what for them was a reasonable scenario. They believe that Ozai never actually wanted any of this to happen. The whole family had to have been in danger, be it due to some political, social or personal threat, and Ozai wanted to take it all by himself to protect them. So he sent his wife and children away, concocted a plan with Azulon to cover for them and, once Azulon died and left him the throne, remarried to keep appearances. To Zuko and Azula, this makes perfect sense. And they thoroughly convince themselves of that.

They initiate an argument, thinking that Iroh is jealous of Ozai.

Their uncle sees these children are starting to stray from their path, but he knows this is a necessary journey for them. They will never be able to deal with reality unless they face it.

The siblings leave Iroh, planning to head straight to the Fire Nation capital and find out what really happened. Maybe now that they are older, it would be a perfect time to come back home; they surely could defend themselves from any threats.

Of course, they’ll be very disappointed to know that Ozai was just a bitch and never actually cared for any of them.

I don’t have a full formed idea about how their reencounter with their father would go down, but I say Ozai would officially banish both his children from the Fire Nation for trying to cause a commotion – which could easily be perceived as a threat. Not only that, but Zuko and Azula are the children of a traitor; cue for Ozai revealing what happened that night four years ago, confirming that he was the one to kill Azulon with Ursa’s help.

I also think that, after that day, the Firelord would have discreetly helped spread rumours about Ursa that would drag her name through the mud in the Capital – was she cheating on Ozai? Was she selling Fire Nation information to the Earth Kingdom? Was she planning a coup against the Firelord? Her crimes change from mouth to mouth. In the end, no one would take Zuko or Azula back unless Ozai wanted it. But he doesn’t. Not now, at least…

But Ozai also decides to play with his options: he plants a seed of doubt in his children’s minds; should they prove themselves useful later on, it would only take pulling a few strings for them to come crawling back to him. So he tells them that they needed to prove themselves for everyone to see that they weren’t traitors like their mother. They needed to prove their worth so that he could accept them.

Ozai goes a step further with Azula and tells her that, before his demise, Firelord Azulon had a plan. A plan to bring her back and put her in the leading, prestigious role she was always meant to get. But they needed to wait for the right time. There is a right time, Princess Azula. Your hopes were right all along, they will come for you eventually if you prove yourself.

The siblings have a lot to think about while they’re leaving the Fire Nation. They idolized Ozai so much all these years. But the undeniable truth came crashing down on their heads, spoken by the man himself. What would they do now? They didn’t think it possible, but their harsh actions made things so much worse: they couldn’t come back to their mother, they didn’t have many hopes of running into Iroh again, they can’t even set foot in their homeland anymore; Zuko and Azula are all on their own.

Maybe it’s time to turn a new leaf. It starts with them being fairly neutral, not completely loyal to either the Fire Nation or to the rest of the world. During this period, they would argue a lot about what to do or where to go next, getting separated and going their own ways before destiny makes them stick together again, over and over.

They manage to get a few deals and own a few favours here and there, become known thieves as the Spirits, and maybe meet up with Ty Lee’s circus every now and again. Life is hard.

But there is one thing that is about to be a beacon in their darkness…

Time to catch up to the show. Oh, you thought I wouldn’t go there?

Part 3 coming right up!

(I know I said this would be a two-parter, but it got ridiculously long, so I split it again. Three-parter now.)

[boltspat]

royal   family   +    undertones . warnings: incest ,  (  child & child on child )   abuse / neglect , paedophilia .

don`t take this post as literally anything but an analysis on the royal family & specifically the roots of these incestuous undertones .

now , this post inspired this one now .               it`s a wonderful post about azula`s sexualisation & really , if you haven`t read it , you should .

i want to talk about her relationships with her father & brother .    her relationship with her mother deserves an entire post of her own , honestly .      let`s start with ozai .

to be completely honest , i`ve overlooked ozai & azula in this light for a long time . his abuse is very blatant with zuko & some may argue there`s no abuse when it comes to azula .    the desire to be perfected in her father`s image , receive endless amounts of his praise , listening to every barked order       that is not simply a FAVOURED CHILD .    as the linked post said , azula`s way of avoiding her father`s abuse was / is to be TOO PERFECTED for him to be angered by .   when he so much as says he doesn`t want her to accompany him , she impulsively blurts out these incredibly entitled & codependent statements . she truly believes she should be by his side , she deserves she`s  EARNED IT . again , the post mentions grooming  &  azula is an eerily perfect image of that . her worship of her father & her entitlement to be by his side do give a sense of a sexual relationship .   a very obvious fact but one that is very important : azula`s entire personality , since a young child , has been more akin to ozai`s ; has only been tuned to his over the years with simply added desperation for his approval .     take that as is . it`s not uncommon for young girls with abusive fathers to find safety in being perfect for him & unfortunately , very often to the point where they would find a sexual relationship all the more safe . such an intimate bond , there couldn`t be a way for him to harm her .     (    despite   it   hurting   her   regardless    )        to not only share this intimacy with the one you worship , but the same beloved bloodline          it`s a disastrous & cruel form of abuse that was implicated in such a way that , looking back on it , really disturbs .

now , on to zuko . which , personally , was always a bit more blatant than the implied relationship with ozai .               even as a child , i remember feeling the tension in their interactions , i felt the implied darkness that i always just wrote off as the antagonist     ( azula )      being , well , a villain .  but it would come in the oddest moments.  simple conversations , a regular scene trying to depict azula as a liar ... would still have this undertone that i never put a finger on until i was older . let me be clear . when i say tension , i don`t mean sexual tension     (     in a way , yes , but you get it )              i mean the tense atmosphere you feel well two people know a secret but intend to keep it that way until the day they die . that kind . the kind where you don`t see it , they don`t speak of it ; but you can safely assume every action is some form of    ‘   i know something you don`t know   ’   for the viewers . body language is key  &  almost all of their interactions are heavily physical .

anyway , let`s talk about how this fits into her abuse but also doesn`t . abuse is synonymous with sibling incest , no matter what; when you hear of two siblings in such a way , your mind goes ‘ poor things ’ .     in this case , you think ‘ poor zuko ’          &  it`s justifiably so . azula is one of his abusers .  of the two it`s easy to see who will gain the initial sympathy .

her abusive behaviour revolves around power play , her ego & zuko`s weaknesses . all these things create how she manipulates & emotionally / mentally drains zuko .    she`s stronger , she knows more , she has their father`s love , she drills into his head that she never cared their mother favoured him ; which makes her BETTER THAN HIM , since he did care his father didn`t love him as much as azula .    zoning in on his weaknesses / insecurities are not difficult for someone so close to home .  it`s also not difficult when the victim already thinks lowly of themselves due to the abuse of yet another family member .      her ego is fuelled by this simplicity , by his simplicity . now , that`s all obvious . but let`s go back to the fact that AZULA is the one presented as the one initiating an incestuous narrative .    the temptress , siren , succubus , what have you .      (    might i add no young teenage girl would come up with this on her lonesome , which further adds suspicion to her relationship with ozai    )

this in mind , we see her as the one touching zuko , circling him like a vulture , as she belittles him or those he trusts /  loves , as she speaks nonchalantly about traumas they endured , as she lies to him .    we see her getting the envious glare from his girlfriend / her best friend . we see her on her bed in a revealing robe in the darkness of the room as he stands still , angrily asking for her intentions .      as he attempts to fight the abuse .             one could say his lack of movement , lack of argumentative dialog , lack of retreat of her touches , lack of reaction to the tone of her voice   (    which is in itself suggestive in most scenes   )           the lack of escapism of the additional implied sexual relationship between them ; it may be the same kind of endurance he has for the verbal , physical & emotional abuse he`s suffered from his father as well . i could go on but this is the gist of it . it`s abuse , it`s wrong         but partially , both are aware . one believes it`s perhaps deserved , perhaps NORMAL due to past abuse & dishonour of his family , the other may have simply learned another power tactic from her worshipped father .

now . i want to end this with just a few things . don`t take this next part as an attempt to normalise or romanticise incest , but rather as why the royal family is more prone to being called out for these implications than any other sibling - type relationship in the entire franchise .

i see a lot of people point out the ‘shipping’ is mainly of the royal fire nation family .   there are a few reasons i`ve thought of as to why this is such an obvious implication now .

firstly , katara & sokka , bolin & mako            are not abusive to one another . they have their regular sibling kerfuffles but none have attempted to murder or kidnap the other . let alone have such suggestive scenes with one another .

secondly , unhealthy relationships , coping mechanisms , defence mechanisms , family practises ; they`re all to be expected of the antagonists . right ?  the protagonist siblings would never show that kind of body language , they`d never attempt to ignite such a relationship in hopes of fuelling their own ego , they`d never partake in these things . you don`t hear katara lying through her teeth in such a soft , low voice at night while circling around sokka in her private quarters         touching his chest just steps away from her bed .    it`s an entirely different living situation & upbringing , despite their similarities of familial loss & coping .

& lastly , they`re royal .   olden royal families did practise incest .  they did see it as a way of keeping the bloodline clean .    (     which is brought up by the abusers quite often & embedded into the victim`s mind .  that blood is thicker than water , you`re born with this & that , you`re worth is gone if you dishonour this purified bloodline     )

something i want to bring up here ... there was a certain screencap of something said about ursa .  taking this into account , you wonder if maybe mental illness within this family tree stretches out further than just ozai & azula . 

why do i bring this up ?      well , to simply put it i`ll just quote barristan selmy about the bloodline that still believed in incestuous breeding :

“    Targaryens have always danced too close to madness. [....] madness and greatness are two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born, he said, the gods toss the coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land.    ” 

TL;DR :    this is my pov as to why there`s so much royal family incest about & why i can`t simply narrow it down to just fans that fetishise siblings , it runs deeper than that & with that in mind , it affects the children in the situation in an even more sinister way than the abuse we DID see .