#and of course Zuko is a better person than Ozai and of course he hasn't been anywhere near as powerhungry as his father

[seyaryminamoto]

From what I remember in your story, even taking Iroh's initial biases into account I thought part of his intense hostility leading up to his report to Ozai was that he was truly convinced that Azula's true nature was either no better or even significantly worse than Ozai's due to the Iroh's suspicions arc. Azula herself told Sokka she was worried that by throwing him of the trail of their relationship that she may have brought the worst out of him. Honestly this was probably my favorite exploration of their conflict, because if they were truly able to trust each other and talk they could have avoided so much pain and trouble, but both of them over the course of the story had developed genuine and/or biased reasons not to trust one another and viewed themselves as doing the right thing despite their actions ultimately resulting in the worst outcome. Azula was trying to prevent a known adversary from having ammunition to ruin their lives and future plans, and Iroh believed that he was essentially hindering the fire nation by turning what he thought were essentially two Evil Ozais with a good relationship with one another into enemies. I can't lie that I'm not slightly disappointed that in the latest chapter that this aspect of their conflict wasn't brought up more explicitly in the conversation with Zuko when Iroh was talking about his biases. Was I personally thinking that the dynamic was more significant than it actually was or is that dynamic being saved for a future conversation Iroh may have with Sokka and Azula?

Uuuuuh, as for the last question... I don't really know if I'll bring it up some more since I do think I've had Iroh acknowledge why and how he fucked up in that respect in the past + exteriorized that if Azula had acted differently he might just have done it too? Am I crazy for thinking so? Did I write that or didn't I? That's a complicated game to play when you're almost at 5 million words of a story... 🤣

Azula and Iroh miiiight have one more conversation in the future and maybe this will come up there, but I haven't written it yet so I won't make any promises on that front. Admittedly, I don't expect their future encounter to be particularly fruitful. Iroh is 100% genuine in what he has understood and learned, though, that can't be denied and I always have hoped to portray him not as a super wicked villain but as a character who thinks he understands far more than he actually does, with motivations that push him into making mistakes he very much comes to regret.

This being said, the Azula-Iroh and Zuko-Ozai parallels in this story are and always have been 100% intentional. Those two tugs-of-war have been going on forever, and the crux of them was very much the fact that Azula and Iroh distrusted and second-guessed and suspected each other soooo much... because they have similar natures, similar thought processes, and they're both intellectual, suspicious, hiding what's REALLY going on underneath the surface, and immediately wary when they recognize all those traits in each other too. Likewise, Zuko and Ozai have some REALLY ugly parallels and one of those parallels, already given away by the chapter you sent this ask over, is going to be the driving force of the conflict between those two, much as a similar thing was the driving force between Iroh and Azula, in its own way: the more they fight to push the other away, the harder they reject the other, the more they end up embodying the flaws they see in that other person, to an extent where they could do absolutely TERRIBLE things just out of wanting to push the other one as far away as possible.

So yeah, the point was never for Iroh to feel like some sadistic mustache-twirling villain who wanted Azula to suffer just for shits and giggles. He had his reasons to do what he did. Doesn't mean he was right. Doesn't mean he should've done it. What it means is it made sense in his head due to his biases, the information he had at hand at the moment, and the particularly awful relationship he had with Azula. Likewise, Azula's rejection of Iroh back in "Iroh's suspicions" caused her uncertainty and anguish because she KNEW she had taken it too far. She was afraid of the consequences. A part of her KNEW that if she acted differently, there was a chance, however slim, that Iroh might not have made the choice he did. And that's why this is such a messed up situation! :')

Ultimately, I want my characters to have motivations that just... add up. That can be traced. That, upon looking at their actions and choices, anyone can go "oh yeah, this is why they did whatever they did". This is good when it comes to establishing ultimate goals, and it's also good when you want to put characters to the test: how far are they willing to go, what are they ready to do to achieve whatever they're trying to achieve? How much are they willing to sacrifice for it? And the answers to those questions can be VERY extreme and painful. Just so, we can find characters who decide to back down and simply surrender over their goals when they realize that there are other things that matter more. But it's a manner of game a writer plays when it comes to gauging and figuring out what a character wants vs. needs, what a character will fight for and what it will take for them to surrender, and so on. Fundamentally, that's how I built up Iroh and Azula's chaotic dynamic. Whatever comes from that in the future, ultimately, their biggest problem may just be that they were just too smart for their own good, tried to outsmart each other a little too much, and never allowed themselves to just... accept each other properly. They came close to it once, yes! But... they failed. And it's depressing as hell, but complicated characters will always be challenging this way...

[highfantasy-soul]

NATLA Episode 6 - Masks (4/5)

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

An explanation of what I'm doing here and my history with ATLA.

Of course, full spoilers ahead.

<previous/next>

Daammmnnn these transitions for Zuko in this episode!!!! Right into the Agni Kai.

It's such an interesting choice to have Ozai seem genuinely insulted that Zuko said the general's plan was terrible - like it really was Ozai's plan Zuko had said was bad. He's terrifying in his rage, but it feels more personal in the live-action rather than the cold and distant - almost disinterested anger of the animated series. Animated Ozai always felt more dismissive and annoyed with Zuko, live-action Ozai seems like he truly wants Zuko to be his perfect prince and is angry that he's not.

He hasn't written Zuko off yet - and I think that makes a much more interesting dynamic to watch than one where everyone can tell Zuko will never win his favor. It will make Zuko turning in Ba Sing Se make a lot more sense because we, too, might believe that Ozai might actually welcome him back. In the animated show, it was painfully obvious that Ozai couldn't care less about Zuko and his treatment of him upon his return was ceremonial at best. But here, watching him berate Zuko about his insult in the war council, it feels like Ozai really cares - not in the healthy, good manner of caring, but he's not so distant. He's a very real, present, and active threat.

I like that in this iteration, Iroh tries to intervene on Zuko's behalf. I don't see it as lore-breaking at all (I've seen people say that Zuko was punished for speaking out at a war council, surely Iroh would be punished even more severely for directly opposing the fire lord's actions in front of witnesses) I think Iroh still has a lot of respect in the fire nation and enough status to be able to at least recommend the fire lord change his decision. Ozai allows this because he's not trying to teach Iroh anything, he has a ceremonial position in the nation, but no real power as shown when he immediately steps down when Ozai says he won't change his mind about the Agni Kai. It's still his brother, the Dragon of the West, after all, so I don't think even the onlookers would see it as an underling questioning the ruler - it was a conversation between two brothers, both of which have storied histories for the fire nation.

It's chilling to hear Ozai respond to Iroh's insistence that 'he's still your son' with 'we'll see'. It's what he wants to see here, he wants to see how ruthless and 'strong' Zuko will be when pushed to it as that's what Ozai has been taught makes a 'good' leader. Zuko tries to beg forgiveness, but Ozai orders him to rise and 'learn respect'.

While in the animated series, Zuko doesn't fight back at all and kneels unmoving as his father brands him, I don't think it messes with his character to have him fight back in the live-action. He's not fighting back because he's angry at his dad or is trying to show he's better than his dad - he's fighting because he thinks it'll be what makes his father respect him and think that he's a worthy son. He's terrified and doesn't want to fight, but he thinks obeying his father - showing what he can do - will earn him his father's love.

But he doesn't throw the first punch - Ozai does. Zuko merely stands and faces his father and dodges the fire lord's attacks and does his sick parting of the fire blast. He evades and dodges until he runs out of space and finally tries to demonstrate what he can do. Ozai's nonchalant, relaxed pose as Zuko comes at him with his own attacks shows just how much more skilled Ozai is than his son - this is truly an uneven match - a master against a child.

Ozai dodges Zuko's blows with his hands behind his back, then with only one hand, and easily grapples him and pushes his son back - snarling at him "is this everything? Give me everything!" He has no idea how harmful this 'lesson' is to his son, he doesn't see the trauma he's inflicting - his own childhood has led him to believe that this is actually an accurate test of Zuko's ability. And so Zuko tries to give his father what he wants - his attacks become bigger, more powerful, more ferocious, but Ozai still blocks him, dodges, and lands easy blows on his son.

Then he leaves Zuko an opening. He makes a big swing for Zuko to duck and pauses so Zuko can take advantage of the drop in his guard. He still has plenty of time to block Zuko's attack, even from the position he's in, but he sees his child commit the cardinal sin - he shows compassion. He hesitates to cause pain. And now Ozai is done with the lesson - his child failed. Zuko couldn't bring himself to truly hurt his father - his compassion won out over the brutality Ozai wanted to see from him. And so he's punished. His father holds him down, tells him compassion is a sign of weakness, then brands his son as a lesson he won't ever forget.

Iroh looks away in horror, Azula looks on with fascination, Zuko screams, and there's actually a look of conflicted pain on Ozai's face as well.

Jumping to the flashback Zuko has in season 2, Zuko Alone, of the animated show: I had never noticed the parallels between the way Ozai punishes Zuko for speaking out and how Azulon attempts to punish Ozai for the same thing. Both sons questioned their father's plans for the future and both were punished for it. Ozai's comes much later in life, after he's been fully indoctrinated into the Fire Nation's propaganda that power and force are the most valuable traits one can have and arguing that Iroh isn't fit for the throne because of his 'weakness' after his son's death reinforces this. It also directly impacts the way Ozai treats Zuko when he speaks out at the war council in defense of the soldiers' lives. Ozai's punishment was to know the loss of a child - while he didn't seem to believe that it would affect him as it did Iroh, I think his over-punishment of Zuko was a hold-over from that trauma his father inflicted on him - a similar trauma response Zuko has in the series: he over compensates for the perceived weakness others saw in him.

By brutally punishing Zuko for speaking out against him (just as he would have been punished for speaking out against his own father), Ozai was trying to prove to himself that he wasn't 'weak' like Iroh and the pain of his children wouldn't affect him. Not only that, but he wanted to forge his children into the ideal that he thought he, himself, had achieved: one where they were 'strong' and could stand alone without breaking under the pressures of war (like Iroh did at the loss of his son) or harm done to a family member (Zuko held back and wouldn't hurt his father).

While all of that is subtly in the animated show, you have to really understand the way childhood trauma affects people into adulthood and the cycle of violence that's perpetrated: very rarely are abusive parents that way randomly - it usually stems from how they, themselves, were treated as children. I do like that we got to see more nuance in Ozai's character here rather than the flat maniacal villain shown in the animated series - we DO see conflict on Ozai's face as he burns Zuko, possibly a hint of tears in his eyes. It doesn’t lessen the horror of his actions, it doesn’t make him 'sympathetic', it makes him a real person that we can identify in the real world. It also makes people grapple with the idea that 'bad guys' are rarely the comic-book villains with no hope for redemption that's popular in some genres of media. Not that that's a bad way to show villains, usually those stories (Lord of the Rings comes to mind), other themes are explored rather than the complexity of what leads people to do horrible things, but showing that nuance is also not a bad thing. They're just two different ways to approach antagonists.

A huge part of learning about oppression (racism, patriarchy, homophobia, colonization) is that all those things HARM THE OPPRESSOR TOO. Does that mean that the only reason we should stop racism is because it harms white people? No. What it DOES mean is that understanding that everyone is connected and even when you're 'on top' in the social/economic/political order, you are still harmed by that system too. Understanding that is a very big way we can STOP those systems - by not just throwing out an entire group of people because they happen to be born into the social group that’s oppressing people, but rather understand what's happened to their minds as well so that we can teach them a better way and keep it from repeating with just another group. I know large sections of Tumblr hate that idea - that by humanizing those causing harm we can reduce harm - it's much more satisfying to just say 'that person was born into x group and has upheld x group's supremacy, therefore they're evil and should never be shown a scrap of kindness or understanding'. This isn't a whole ass 'how-to de-radicalize people' post, so obviously I'm not going to go into all the nuances of how to go about doing that or WHO should be taking up the burden of doing that (genuinely, the answer to that question is whoever feels called to do it whether that be allies from that group or those of the oppressed group who are able and willing to 'reach across the aisle', it's 100% up to the individual and I am NOT here to tell you how you need to react to oppressors), this is just a 'lets try to cover some bases in case people take my statements about Ozai and generational abuse wildly out of context'.

We understand in the animated series that Zuko is a product of his childhood and the culture he was raised in - so why does that understanding never seem to extend to anyone else in the Fire Nation? My assumption would be that, as a kid's show, it was easier to digest that there would be one 'had always been good' kid in the Fire Nation while everyone else was just 'born a monster' from the start. Again, like with the Lord of the Rings, that's an acceptable way to portray villains when the themes you're looking to explore aren't central to that nuance, but I really like how the live-action decided to explore what it was like for the Fire Nation royal family in more complex ways. Azula wasn't grinning at Zuko's punishment like a psycho, she was looking on in morbid fascination, learning the lesson just as well as Zuko and perhaps seeing herself taking the place as the favored child for good. A much more interesting dynamic to me than her 'foregone conclusion' of being Ozai's favorite like in the animated series.

[discordiansamba]

Katara apologizes that she couldn't heal Zuko well enough that it didn't leave a scar. Zuko just laughs and tells her he's kind of glad it did. It's proof he's mortal again.

The Fire Nation is about to get the weirdest possible crown prince.

Zuko spends a lot of time with his great-niece. He wants to believe that she has the potential to change. She's only fourteen.

Azula would like Uncle Zuko to stop visiting her already. It was weird enough dealing with him when they were fighting. She's not sure how to handle her great-uncle that looks barely older than she does when they're on friendly terms.

Mai has a crush on Zuko. This drives Azula insane. Really Mai? Really???

azula: uncle. please tell me it's not requited.

zuko: not to be rude to your friend, niece, but that is a whole ass child. please think a little better of me.

For the first time in a century, Zuko gets taller. The rest of Team Avatar responds by throwing a party.

zuko: ...nephew. this is awkward. but can you help me brush up on my defensive firebending?

iroh: of course!

(Iroh is very pleased that his uncle put his lightning redirection technique to good use. And he even taught it to the Avatar! There can be no higher praise.)

zuko: it has occurred to me that I have entirely forgotten how to be a prince. fuck.

iroh: princes do not swear half as much as you do, uncle.

zuko: ....maybe I don't want to be a prince then.

(iroh heaves a long sigh. age does not always bring wisdom, especially when the person in question has been sixteen for an entire century.)

one member of team avatar is tasked at all times with keeping an eye on zuko. he hasn't been mortal in a century. he's still getting used to it. he is absolutely going to make stupid mistakes in the process that could get him killed.

zuko, sighing: I miss spirit world shortcuts.

zuko kicks down the door to azula's prison cell. hey. niece. get up. we're going to go find your mom.

azula: no thank you, I do not want to take a life changing field trip with you.

zuko: you have literally no choice in the matter.

(azula: aren't you angry at her? she killed your brother.

zuko: he was on death's doorstep anyways. a light breeze would have killed him.)

zuko continues his lifelong trend of ignoring ozai entirely.

Something is different about Zuko.

Katara's not sure what at first. She just catches herself thinking that there's something different about him compared to yesterday when he joins them for breakfast. Maybe it's the way he scarfs down more food than usual- normally he tries to eat the smallest amount. It's a weird kind of consideration they've never been able to shake him out of. He doesn't need to eat to survive, not technically- but his immorality just prevents him from dying. It doesn't stop the effects of starvation.

It's only when Sokka asks where Aang is that she finally gets her answer.

"Oh," Zuko says, "-he's communing with a lion turtle, apparently."

"...and how do you know that?" Sokka asks.

"The spirits told me when they visited last night," Zuko says, "-which reminds me. We might need to rework our plan."

"Why?" Katara asks. "Don't tell me Aang's not going to make it back in time?"

"No, he should," Zuko says, "-I'm just ah. not immortal anymore."

They stare at him in silence for a long moment. Zuko doesn't really look at them, finishing up his second bowl of rice. He only stops when he notices nobody's talking anymore.

"Wait," Katara says, "-if you're not immortal anymore-"

"-did you get released from the whole bridge thing?" Sokka finishes.

"Yeah," Zuko says, "-pretty much. I'm just as mortal as you guys now. No more spiritual responsibilities."

They exchange a look with each other- and then they're all practically throwing themselves at Zuko. He's downplaying it, but this is huge. They know how much he's wanted this- but only Katara was there to see the fear in his eyes when Aang died in Ba Sing Se. She's so, so happy for him.

(They change their plans. Aang will face the Fire Lord alone after all. Zuko assures them he'll be okay. Suki, Toph, and Sokka will stop the airships before they can rain fire over the Earth Kingdom. She and Zuko will return to the Fire Nation so that he can challenge Azula to an Agni Kai in place of Iroh.

It goes well- until it doesn't.

Azula tries to shoot lightning at her. Zuko goes down-

-and he doesn't get back up again.

Katara watches him clutch his heart with fear in her eyes, and she realizes. Oh. He's mortal now. Zuko can die. Zuko is going to die.

She doesn't let it happen.)

[ultranos]

Talking about an AU (any AU) where Urzai have this mysterious third child, a girl that happens to have both a personality Ursa can handle well, and a talent for firebending that Ozai appreciates. How does she perceive growing up in the fire nation royally screwed up family? What is her relationship like with her siblings who only have one parent's favour? Would it come to 1v2 situations?

Interesting. I think for her to exist at all, there needs to be "Something Wrong" with both Zuko and Azula in Ozai's eyes. So let's revisit a nonbender!Azula AU. Where Azula isn't either parent's favorite (not good enough for Ozai, and too opposite in personality for Ursa), but she does catch Iroh's interest enough to give her a chance to prove herself.

This third child would end up being more familiar with Zuko of her two older siblings. And Zuko, who hasn't learned that Ozai's approval isn't worth it, who still strives to be the son Ozai wants, he would have a problem with resentment. Because, like in canon, this little sister took his father's attention. And to make it worse, she took Ursa's, but Zuko of course feels intensely guilty for being resentful of this little girl who makes his mom smile (unlike his other sister). So Zuko swallows his complaints and fears and resentment a lot, because here he doesn't have an adult to talk to about his feelings. (Because for all I hate Iroh's line and dismissal of Azula in canon, he does offer Zuko a kind of validation he desperately needs. And while I wish Iroh did not see caring for children as a bizarre form of Highlander (there can only be one...), Zuko did need an adult on his side.)

Zuko swallows down the poison of his own feelings to keep the parent whose favor he has happy. But the thing about poison is that consuming too much will eventually kill you.

This is still probably better than Kid #3's relationship with Azula. Ozai still pits Zuko and Azula against each other, using Azula as the yardstick to measure the areas Zuko fails in, and using Zuko to show that Azula isn't good enough (because she cannot bend). So it's not a 2v1 situation, not really.

That would require Azula to be around. Because by the time this kid is old enough to start really interacting with her siblings, Azula is all but a ghost in the palace. Iroh convinces Azulon to send his eldest granddaughter away to the military academy, and she only returns during mandatory breaks. It's hard to build a relationship with someone who is only around a few weeks out of the year when you're a small child.

It's probably worse that part of the reason Azula stays away (fills breaks with extra credit where she can, extra training and extra lessons, to the point where she graduates early) is because Kid #3's existence is a raw, gaping wound, and each trip home tears away whatever scab has formed. Because Kid #3 is a replacement. She is the child Azula was supposed to be. And because Azula isn't what her parents wanted, they got a new one. Azula too is full of burning resentment, but unlike Zuko here and unlike in canon, she too has to bite her tongue because she holds neither parent's favor. So she avoids the situation as much as she can.

[a-master-procrastinator]

Long ass post about the Eternal family not being a copy-paste from ATLA (aka I like the memes but my god can you please stop)

Because some people truly think that Vaylin is off-brand Azula, Arcann is Zuko and so on.

It's. Called. A. Trope. (I mean how often do we come across abusive manipulative fathers in media? Mothers who couldn't much to change anything? Children, desperately looking for their parent's approval no matter what?)

Of course, you have to consider the fact that the writing of ATLA is simply better than of KotFE/ET, so this might have been one of the reasons why people say that.

Spoilers for Avatar: The Last Airbender, Knights of the Fallen Empire and Knights of the Eternal Throne expansions!

Okay, so here's my unprofessional, maybe biased, not super deep take.

(not going to mention that all of them are members of royal, ruling family, kinda obvious)

What roles do they play in their stories? Well, both Valkorion and Ozai are main antagonists, but their presence throughout the story is very different. Ozai is rarely shown in first two seasons, we don't even see his face until season 3. He doesn't have a direct connection to the protagonist, they only meet at the very end of the show, and Ozai's role is to pose a threat to the world, while Aang's is to save it. Valkorion, on the other hand, is constantly on the screen, interacting with the main character, challenging their viewpoint and influencing them directly. His end goal is similar to Ozai's (destroy everything and be the only ruler of the his nation), but with one major difference - he's trapped in Outlander's mind, so to achieve his goal Valkorion attempts to take control of the main character. Their interactions play important role in the story, and we spend a lot of time with Valkorion.

In addition to that, their relationship with children are also not exactly the same. It seems like Azula is Ozai's favorite and Zuko is a failure in his eyes until he meets his expectations, and the same goes with Vaylin, Arcann and Valkorion, right? Well, partially. Indeed, Valkorion and Ozai's treat their sons in similar ways (are disappointed in them until they meet their expectation by doing something that goes against their morals), but when it comes to Vaylin and Azula, it's not that easy. See, Valkorion claims that Vaylin was always his favorite creation (even though we know it's actually his empire), and he certainly seems to take pride in her potential in the Force. But her power is the very reason he's afraid of his own daughter, and in this fear Valkorion literally locks Vaylin away and allows to put her through physical and mental torture just to make sure she won't become a threat, won't overpower him. Maybe he thought of her better than of Arcann, but she wasn't his favored child for sure. I don't want to say that Azula hasn't experienced abuse from Ozai, but for the most part he clearly favored her over Zuko. He has never shown fear of Azula's power and abilities (or at least I haven't noticed), quite the opposite - allowed her to do a lot, as long as she brings results.

I could also mention their slightly different characterization (mostly that we get more characterization of Valkorion, get to learn his motivations, views, philosophy and all that, also he's portrayed as more nuanced, even if he not really is) and role in their respective governments (ozai is one of many Fire Lords and arguably not the greatest, while Valkorion is a god to citizens of Zakuul, their only Immortal Emperor), but those are details, and I think you get the point.

What's similar: role of the main antagonist, manipulative and abusive father, goal of destruction of everything that isn't their nation/empire, relationship with disgraced son.

What's different: presence in the overall narrative, relationship with the main character, relationship with daughter, role in their societies.

Senya and Ursa are even less similar. Yes, they both are mothers who love their children, but have to leave them, but these are probably the only things they have in common. Just as with Ozai and Valkorion's presence throughout the story, Ursa is only shown in flashbacks (for obvious reasons), and Senya is one of major characters in KotFE and (a bit less major) in KotET. Ursa leaves because she has to kill Azulon in order to save Zuko, and later isn't present in the story (I'm aware that her fate is told in comics, but we aren't talking about it). Senya leaves because when she tries to take children with her, they refuse, and she understands that she can't force them to, nor she can help them to break free from Valkorion's manipulations. For a long time she's absent from Arcann ad Vaylin's lives, but at the time of game events she attempts to save her children and stop the madness and destruction they've caused, and it isn't a small part of the story.

I also want to add that their relationship with Ozai and Valkorion are also different, but can't say much about Ursa. I heard that she didn't choose this marriage and suffered emotional (and maybe physical???) abuse from Ozai. I can say with confidence, though, that Senya genuinely loved Valkorion, and strangely enough, he seems to at very least respect her. But, of course, this wasn't the best marriage either.

Plus, we see more of Senya's relationship with Vaylin than Arcann or Thexan, but with Ursa we see her more with Zuko than Azula. Just a detail to remember.

(also Senya is simply a better character but that besides the point, moving on. in this house we stand Senya)

What's similar: role of loving and caring mother, abandoning their family at some point.

What's different: presence in the overall narrative, relationship with husband, characterization in general.

Boy, where do I even begin. Vaylin and Azula are similar in that they are both extremely powerful (one is firebending prodigy, the other is potentially stronger than Valkorion), both are cruel "craaaaazy" (i hate that cliché), both are younger sisters, have serious mother issues (seemingly more so than father issues), both go through betrayal of people they could always rely on, which eventually leads to their downfall. But when I took a look at their personal arcs, it became clear that they aren't the same (unfortunately, Vaylin's arc is very rushed and underdeveloped, but we'll have to go with what we have and my personal view, sorry).

There's a really good video about writing corruption and madness, and I'm going to base my thoughts on it. To summarise it: a good corruption arc should have 4 components:

- the character has a specific goal (or a goal and subgoals);

- in pursuit of said goal they become the cause of a significant event that brings serious consequences;

- as the result of these consequences, character abandons their morals, ideals or a code in pursuit of goal;

- character either will not achieve their goal or will succeed, but it won't be enough to satisfy them.

And then the author brings Azula's arc as one of the best examples of compelling story of corruption (so basically, she represents it perfectly). In short, Azula's main goals are perfection and control, and subgoals help achieve the main ones. In pursuit of these goals, Azula causes Mai and Ty Lee to betray her (by pushing them too far to do something they wouldn't do), which then causes her to become paranoid, which makes her to attempt controlling everything and everyone around her, *breathes* which makes her lose control over herself and ....

Now, I thought if Vaylin's arc could fit into a corruption one, and next part will be based a lot on my assumptions and personal view of her character (plus rushed writing doesn't help), but I think yes (or at least mostly). The difference is in goals, ideals and details.

While the story strongly makes us think that Vaylin's goal is freedom (or control over her life and everything around her) or power and destruction, I think it's actually self-determination (which was said by Tenebrae in 6.2) and feeling safe. Let me explain (and here I thought this would be a short comparison). Sure, when Valkorion caged Vaylin on Nathema, he took choices and control over her life from his daughter. But let's not forget whom Vaylin blames for this (even more than Valkorion): her own mother, and I think this details tell us that the most important thing that Vaylin lost on Nathema is feeling safe. Then, after Arcann brought her home, I assume Vaylin still didn't feel safe enough under Valkorion's rule, still too afraid that he'd simply send her back to that hellish place.

It's when Valkorion is struck down Vaylin finally has a feeling of personal safety, even if she isn't the one on the throne. Why? Because back on Nathema there were two people who haven't turned on her - Arcann and Thexan (yes, this is also a huge assumption, bc the game states that only Thexan visited her, but it doesn't make much sense).

I've always noticed (and I'm not alone in this) that her behavior in Fallen Empire is different from the way she acted in Eternal Throne. Most likely bc of rushed writing, but I see a character driven reason here. In first of these expansions, Vaylin is the second person in power on Zakuul, and with Arcann being in charge, person she can trust more than any other living being, she feels safe - she can test her power, and now Valkorion won't prevent it, she can do pretty much everything she wishes, and the most Arcann will do about this is mildly complain (without blaming her). Really would be nice if we got to see any normal hobbies of Vaylin (like wasn't there something about books or art?), but I digress. She might have some questions about Arcann's tactics, but they get along just fine. The important thing to note is Vaylin not seeking to hunt the Outlander personally, to rule or conquer the rest of the galaxy, or trying to achieve absolute freedom or power. She's kinda there.

This, however, changes when Arcann doesn't allow Vaylin to kill Senya. Their relationship was getting somewhat worse towards the end of KotFE, but this is a turning event Vaylin caused by attempting to strike her mother. By saving the person Vaylin blames for all the trauma from sending her to Nathema, Arcann threatened her feeling of safety. And now Vaylin starts to believing that to achieve safety she now needs to kill people who hurt her (that's why she's so determined to find Senya and Arcann), take the throne and hunt down Outlander (she was manipulated by SCORPIO to these subgoals).

(The following is the weakest, I'll admit, but I hope I can at least express what I see). So, in trying to achieve goals she didn't want before Vaylin loses in self-determination, being either driven by overwhelming anger or manipulated by others (SCORPIO or Commander on Odessen), desperately trying to accomplish anything, or even goes against her morals (like by erasing GEMINI's free will protocols, when earlier she agreed that freedom to choose is important; or breaking the deal on Odessen). All of these result in her downfall.

But even this isn't the end. The key difference between arcs of Azula Vaylin lies in it's resolution, or that Vaylin have a chance to overcome corruption in the main narrative (and Azula doesn't. again, not including comics here, sorry). After death, Vaylin is again controlled by Valkorion in Outlander's mind. First time physically (she can't resist it), second time mentally. This is where Vaylin has to choose - kill brother who betrayed her and Commander who killed her, or go against Valkorion, person responsible for almost all of her pain and trauma. She has t choose by herself, and I think it's a good start.

Now, before 6.2 we all thought Vaylin was dead for good, but that story update hinted at possibility of her coming back to life. What I like to think is that now that she dealt with people responsible for her trauma (helped defeat Valkorion and actually for once listened to Senya), Vaylin can now have a different life, finding herself with support of someone she doesn't hold a grudge against and who treats her well (Satele, I mean).

I'm so sorry for going into details, but I needed this long explanation to present the point (and I suck at explanations). As said before, this is my version of her arc, and most likely wrong interpretation, but even with personal freedom of choice, Vaylin character differs from Azula a lot.

Need I mention that Vaylin relationship with Arcann and Valkorion are drastically different from those between Azula, Zuko and Ozai?

(Also a little detail - with royal family of Fire Nation, Azula is the golden child, while with Tiralls it's actually Thexan, not Vaylin).

What's similar: role of extremely powerful, emotionally damaged daughter with little to no regard towards others, close people betraying them, resulting in their downfall.

What's different: characterization, role in the narrative, relationship with father and brother.

Arcann and Zuko is the most difficult part, but I still believe that calling Arcann just a cheap copy of Zuko is incorrect.

So, they fall into role of less successful son, always getting disapproval from father, being in shadow of more talented sibling, both obsessed with capturing the main character but ending up helping them end the war after going through a redemption arc with help of caring family member. Even both have scars on left side of face. Yeah, seems similar. I still think they are different characters.

Let's start with their relationships with family. In Valkorion section I said that his attitude towards Arcann is similar to that of Ozai towards Zuko, so not going to spend too much time here. However, there's slight difference - Zuko didn't kill his father even he had a perfect opportunity (bc it wasn't his goal), Arcann did (bc it was one of his goals), which says something about their characterizations.

Zuko and Ursa were shown to have a good mother-son relationship, and it played a role in Zuko's character. With Arcann and Senya, we don't really know (not much was shown in expansions). We know Arcann didn't hate his mother, but possibly didn't have warm memories of her either. The reason is most likely, like Senya said, her children wanted nothing to do with her (which is a bit untrue about Vaylin, but okay) and leaned more towards Valkorion. We need to remember that on Zakuul Valkorion isn't just one of many great leaders, he's the greatest, and seen as a god by most citizens, so safe to assume the same would apply to his children as well.

Zuko and Azula's siblingship (i'm out of words) is a bit similar to Arcann and Vaylin's in way of brother knowing that his sister isn't good, but still caring about them (even if not showing). At least it's what I saw. What's different is how Azula treats Zuko, compared to how Vaylin treats Arcann. I think Azula showed compassion or concern for Zuko maybe twice, but I'm not entirely convinced that it was 100% sincere. Vaylin, on the other hand, seems to trust and care about Arcann (with bits of sass and questioning his life choices), and switching to complete opposite after him saving Senya. Also, I don't she ever called Arcann a failure in their father's eyes.

Now I want to say that their roles in stories aren't the same either. Sure, both are introduced to us as antagonists, but in reality, Zuko was never a true antagonist (we get to learn this somewhere mid-season 1), when Arcann remains the main antagonist for whole of KotFE. Zuko didn't start a war and didn't participate in conquest of other nations too much, his main goal was to capture the Avatar so to restore his honor (and deserve his father's forgiveness). Honestly, I think it's safe to say the Zuko is one of two main protagonists of ATLA. Why does Arcann want to capture the Outlander? Solely because his father's spirit still lives inside this person's mind, and the best solution to keep Valkorion away from the galaxy is not letting the Outlander free (hence the carbonite freezing). And Arcann doesn't want or need Valkorion's forgiveness when he attempts to kill him (or kills him, depending on your choice. anyway, his action directly leads to Valkorion's "death"). And right after that he becomes a ruler of Zakuul and begins the conquest of Republic, Sith Empire and everything he can reach (the reasoning behind this is still unclear to me though; maybe because he was raised with ruling Zakuul in mind and he didn't anything else, idk). Point is, he's responsible for war and main's character imprisonment, which makes him the main antagonist of KotFE. They have it the opposite ways - Zuko starts as disgraced prince, supported by a little group of people, and in the end he's recognized and appreciated by his nation, and Arcann starts as respected by his empire, later becoming less and less loved, until some groups start rebelling his rule, and in the end he doesn't get to rule Zakuul again.

This leads me to their morals. See, Zuko didn't have the worst morals in Fire Nation, even more, he expressed care for loyals soldiers of his nation before getting punished by Ozai. During first season (and about a half of second one) his views on other nations are what he was taught before. However, these views are challenged by travelling in Earth Kingdom, witnessing people suffering from war Fire Nation started and hating its people (you already know all of this), and with this he comes through final stage of redemption when he's back home. Unfortunately, Arcann doesn't go through this, and he's shown to be more ruthless.

Alright, when it comes to their redemption arcs, well let's say they are different (both in quality and the way they go through it), I'm just a bit tired of long explanations at this point. Zuko's arc is one of the best ever put on television, and Arcann's... well, it definitely has potential, but is criminally underdeveloped (there are other people who will explain it better than I ever could).

What's similar: role of disgraced son, living in shadow of their sibling, serious injuries on the left side of face (though with different meanings), obsession with capturing the main character, having a redemption arc.

What's different: role in the narrative, role in their society, characterization, relationship with sister and mother, different end goals (before redemption), paths to redemption.

[writebecauseyoucannotbreathe]

Ultimate Ship Meme: Azulaang

Rate the Ship -  

Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last? - Until I say so. I can see them being together after death as spirits.

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - Ooooh boy. Azula struggles to understand friendship. I think she'd fall in love fast and hard but take the longest to realize. Aang wouldn't let himself get attached at first because Azula is unapologetic and one of the things I like about Azulaang is how it would push Aang to deals with the nitty gritty gray, not in a The Fire Nation was right all along way but in how even Kyoshi and Roku's conflict resolution let to disagreements. I think it would take Aang longer to fall in but once they reach a semblance of common ground he'd be well aware he's falling in love and would enjoy the ride.

How was their first kiss? - Let's see my fanfics. In Blue it was awkward. In Weightless it was sweet. In Smut it was horny and hate filled. In canon I think their first kiss would be very passionate and then they snap back to reality and Aang would evade while Azula denies so they wouldn't talk about it but they'd for sure be thinking about the kiss.

Wedding:

Who proposed? - Technically Azula. As soon as Aang hears about a Fire Nation wedding, either his friends or he learns about Ozai and Ursa's wedding, his mind would be set on a wedding. He wouldn't say anything but he'd squirrel away relevant wedding information like he'd hear a song and go "I want that instrument to play at my wedding." But Azula would have her life planned out by other people and there'd be a set date where Ozai now Zuko are supposed to comb through suitor requests (it was probably Ursa's role. If she's there she'd talk to Azula directly instead of Lo and Li. I don't think Lo and Li are high enough rank to determine the suitor but I think it would be customary/expected for their input to be asked). Azula would tell Aang something along the lines of "I should be wed." and he'd agree and then Azula will spend an abnormally long time wondering if he married her because he liked her or because it's his duty until she asks him while he's discussing potential baby room colors pre wedding.

Who is the best man/men? - Sokka and Toph. Azula was going to pick Momo but he made a better flower girl. Yes she did this to annoy Zuko (and because Toph didnt want to wear the bridesmaid outfit) it's okay though Fire Lord Zuko was the guest of honor.

Who is the braid’s maid(s)? - Katara, Suki, Mai, Ty Lee. Mai pretends she hates the outfit but she's secretly pleased.

Who did the most planning? - Aang did the most thinking but Azula did the most planning.

Who stressed the most? - Externally Aang. Internally Azula.

How fancy was the ceremony? -

Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.

100% Azula's fault. Aang has no clue what Fire Nation weddings are supposed to be like.

Aang: Wow I can't believe all weddings in your Nation are this big.

Azula: They're not. It's because I'm Royalty and you're the Avatar.

Though I hc that Aang wants to get married in all the different Nations and Azula secretly wants to experience a small wedding so they get married 3 more times with one of them being a very small Air Nation wedding.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - Hmmm I'm not sure. On one hand, Ozai redemption. On the other hand, Ozai death.

Sex:

Who is on top? - Aang. Azula thinks she wants to be on top but she'd rather be pampered and Aang is more comfortable communicating and attending to needs. Aang has no strong preference either way and they do switch but this is their usual dynamic.

Who is the one to instigate things? - Azula but she denies it.

How healthy is their sex life? -

Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

I think it's up to the reader's preference but I can see them being very private (Azula) and naturally talented (Aang) to the point where they assume every couple has sex daily. Hc that Aang and Suki talk about sex freely (ex: When I do __ should I __ or do girls prefer ___? I can never tell with Azula. Why do guys do ___ after ____ ? I've tried asking Sokka but he doesn't give me a straight answer.) Much to the fear of Sokka and Azula.

How kinky are they? -

Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head

Again up to the reader. They both like learning new things and are prodigies so I think they'd end up reading about things to try in bed (Azula) and would try things out to see what they like (Aang) until they learn what they and each other generally like/dislike.

How long do they normally last? - 

Does the Avatar State remove your refractory period? >;3c

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - No. Aang likes overstimulating.

How rough are they in bed? -

Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

Neither can dirty talk. Azula is rougher. Aang likes to take it slow. She sets the pace in the beginning but he decides when it ends.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? -

No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory.

Azula refuses to cuddle in public but in return they cuddle all night.

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - hc them having twin boys at first with one firebender and one airbender because poetry. But Azula really wants a girl so they have a third child she is an airbender with Aang's charm and knack for getting in trouble and Azula's ruthlessness. Amon kidnaps her and instead of easily escaping (Aang's genes) she instead viciously mocks him the way only a preteen can (Azula's genes.) It's traumatic enough for Amon even before the parents show up. Then Aang wants another one and Azula wants another firebender so they do the do and surprise triplets! (maybe it has to do with ejaculatimg in the Avatar State lol) So 6 in total and lets say its 3 boys 3 girls with 3 airbenders 3 firebenders.

How many children will they adopt? - None. Azula is wary of motherhood and I know people like to hc Aang as adopting and while I can see him acting as a father figure to several kids I think he'd greatly prefer biological kids especially airbenders. It's a flaw that was barely touched upon and def not handled well in Legend of Korra.

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - Servants or Aang. After a kid or two Azula would be comfortable enough to change the diapers but it would still be mostly Aang.

Who is the stricter parent? - Depends on the kid. Aang is more lenient with airbenders and Azula with firebenders or girls. I can see Azula being strict with training & studies but not with sharing whereas Aang would have less rules but they'd be more heavily enforced (ex: no airgliding without supervision until you've mastered the safety course)

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - Azula. She's pretty lenient with the term dangerous esp. when it comes to firebending as long as basic safety measures are applied (ex: you can pracrice lightning as long as it's not pointed towards yourself aka dont be Zuzu) but Aang is of the mindset "How are you gonna learn airbending without dangerous stunts?" And after the first few incidents she started stepping in.

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Azula but Aang cooks them.

Who is the more loved parent? - Appa

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? Azula. When Aang attends the teachers shower him and his kids with compliments ("You're doing so well teaching your kids the values of the Air Nomads. It must be so hard being The Last Airbender"). They do the same with Azula but unlike Aang she sees through it and manages to get an accurate assessment of how their kids are doing.

Who cried the most at graduation? - Aang was more happy than sad. Azula cried before and after.

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - Aang. He is a notorious lawbreaker. Azula would bail the kids and she could do so quicker than Aang in a few cases because of her connections but she'd be mad so their kids would rather call Aang or break themselves out.

Cooking: 

Who does the most cooking? - Tied. Aang at first but then Azula wants to learn and after Aang teaches her since she has less experience she finds more enjoyment in cooking.

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - 

Technically Aang since he's a vegetarian. Azula hasn't tried as many foods and she's used to not making a fuss at the family dinner table to the point of which Aang notices.

Who does the grocery shopping? - Both. Aang has a better eye for vegetables/fruits and Azula is better with prices (it's not about the cost it's about the value).

How often do they bake desserts? - Aang bakes them when he can/weekly. They're fruit based so if Azula doesn't want dessert he gives it to Momo or flings it at a target.

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - Gee I wonder. Aang eats salad Azula eats meat.

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Aang but Azula tends to figures it out. Azula is more likely to plan a dinner but she wouldn't make it a surprise.

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Aang but Azula is a close second. It would be a tie if it wasn't for the bathhouse.

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking? - Accidentally? Aang. On purpose? Azula.

Who cleans the room? - Servants or Aang.

Chores: 

Who is really against chores? - Azula hates cleaning up but she's neater.

Who cleans up after the pets? - Aang.

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Aang.

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - Azula.

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Aang.

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Azula. In the Fire Nation Palace Aang has taken to chatting with Azula in the Royal Spa while he feeds her (and mostly himself) cherries.

Misc:

Who takes the dog Appa out for a walk? - Aang

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - Never. Once they like the room they like the room. If its an event they'll go to a different location for it or leave the Air Temple as is.

What are their goals for the relationship? -

To stay together.

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? -

Aang slept for a hundred years so I'll give it to him.

Who plays the most pranks? - Tie. They've both pulled elaborate pranks as kids.

[hello-nichya-here]

Why does comics!Zuko keep trying to show Azula sympathy/care when Azula hasn't really reciprocated and he himself have taken actions that indicate that he still hates Azula for abusing him, or at least partake in Ozai's abuse of him, thinks Azula's birth has made his life harder, and thinks of her a ghost of the past? In light of Iroh's "She's crazy and needs to go down" line, wouldn't it be better for everyone if Zuko cut Azula out of his life, or at least until she starts trying to act better?

Disclaimer: Comics!Zuko is an insult to the character because his “kindness” to Azula involved abandoning her in a institution that neglected and abused her, and didn’t even think about her until he needed her help. I refuse to accept that Zuko, after all the growth he went through, would accept such a place even existing in his nation, let alone send his sister there, regardless of whether he still had any love for Azula. But I’m going to pretend the comics didn’t botch him (which meant that Azula had every reason to mistrust his “kindness” considering it brought her nothing but misery) so I can clarify some important things.

“Why does he show her sympathy/care when she doesn’t reciprocate it?” Emotions aren’t rational. You don’t need someone to show you sympathy and care to feel that way about them.

“Why does he show her sympathy if it’s shown that he still resents/hate her on some level?” Feelings are complicated, messy and often contradictory, especially for someone as young and traumatized as Zuko (seriously, get that boy some therapy). He and Azula were taught to see each other as enemies, and have acted as such for a long time. Her breakdown after their Agni Kai humanized her in his eyes again and made him want to give her the same chances he was given, but that doesn’t mean all that baggage would suddenly disappear. It isn’t weird for him to care about her, but still have negative feelings towards her (Important: resenting or even hating her doesn’t mean he would be okay with her being a victim of any kind of abuse, and he sure as fuck wouldn’t be the one responsible for her suffering said abuse in the first place).

“She's crazy and needs to go down" That line is a “funny” (in 2005 logic) joke Iroh made about the character who could have killed him. It also gets a gross, dangerous conotation once the finale happens and Azula has a mental breakdown - the sadly still common idea that the disabled and mentally ill are fundamentally broken and need to be locked away or killed. It could have been seen as a moment that aged badly in a mostly great show, and most people would see it as a unfortunate case of the writers not thinking of the implications of saying something like that about a character that was then shown to be mentally ill. Unfortunately, it was said by Iroh, the character fans refuse to admit is also flawed and can be unfair to others - especially to Azula. So, they act like that bullshit is another case of “Wise words from uncle Iroh” instead of seeing it for what it is: a bad joke/Iroh pulling a Zuko and saying something horrible when he is angry. Don’t repeat that kind of ableist shit like it’s some kind of gospel truth.

“Wouldn't it be better for everyone if Zuko cut Azula out of his life?“ There are only two people being affected by Zuko still having contact with Azula: Zuko and Azula themselves. She has no political power anymore, she can’t fight the whole world by herself (and trying to do so could lead to Aang taking away her bending), and she is in a fragile mental state, meaning she is completely dependent on Zuko since he is the family member taking care of her. She isn’t a treat to anyone around her anymore, so their opinion on the matter doesn’t mean shit. Which leads us to:

“Wouldn’t it be better for Zuko if he cut her out of his life?” In my interpretation of Zuko, no. He thought that he had no choice but to his sister enemy forever, or until one of them died (possibly by the other’s hand), but the Agni Kai changed everything for him. On that moment, he saw that this rivalry Ozai forced upon them hurt her just as badly as it hurt him. He saw how Azula destroyed herself to gain Ozai’s approval, and he saw himself in her, because that would have also been his fate if he had not been banished and found people who cared for him and taught him to be better. He loved Azula when they were little, and wishes things had been different. And now he knows that things can still be salvaged between them. He made horrible mistakes too, but he managed to turn things around, so it makes sense that he would want to give Azula as many chances as she needed to become a better person - just like Iroh did to him. Giving up on his “evil” sister, would be giving up on the family they once were, and on the family that he now knows for a fact that they could still be.

“Would this radical decision from Zuko “teach her a lesson” and make her change for the better?” OF COURSE NOT! Why would it? Not only did every adult in Azula’s life fail to protect and guide her, the one defense mechanism she was taught by Ozai was to always find a way to be above everyone else, which meant she couldn’t truly connect with her friends and her brother. Azula ended up becoming such a cold and even cruel character because all she ever knew was isolation. Zuko turning his back on her would just confirm her fears that is fundamentally broken and can never change, meaning she wouldn’t even try because what would be the point? Zuko changed because he always Iroh by his side, even after his betrayal - the most he ever did was give him the cold shoulder for a few episodes, then he went right back to helping him, going as far as to tell him about Sozin and Roku. No one can change if they don’t have someone to help them see what they did wrong, why it was wrong, how to do better, and to support them, even on their bad days and relapses. Especially on their bad days and relapses. Zuko knows that better than anyone, so once he decided he wanted to help Azula, he would keep on showing her that he believed in her, even when he got frustrated, sad or angry.

“Until she starts trying to act better” I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt and assuming you mean that she should act like the best version of herself while still being a complex, flawed human being, like Zuko did, instead of becoming a hollow, empty shell (like Zuko was trying to be in his false redemption in Ba Sing Se, where he went from trying to be whatever Ozai expected of him to trying to be whatever Iroh expected of him, which wasn’t healthy at all). Should Azula try to be better? Obviously, but remember: she is a literal child-soldier who was taught that she doesn’t have to be kind or even see other’s as humans at all. “But so was Zuko!” some people will say, completely forgeting that Zuko spent three years away from Ozai, getting advice from Iroh, and he still was a complete disaster of a person until the second half of book three. Zuko spent 5/6 of the show failing to be better, yet the fandom as a whole loves him. Why is Azula expected to just magically heal when Zuko spent literal years refusing to cooperate? Why does the same fandom that sees Iroh’s attempts to save his nephew from himself as something noble, see Zuko’s attempt to do the same for his 14 year old sister as completely incomprehensible?

[grumbletarian]

this is specifically about Aang for me...

"Aang was selfish to run away"

he's twelve. he was told too early that he was going to have to bring balance to the world.

"the only mistake the monks made was telling you before you were sixteen"

it's acknowledged that he's too young to be dealing with these issues. and he's understandably terrified because all he knows is something really terrible is happening in the world. so terrible that he has to fulfill this destiny earlier than previous avatars. he's losing his friends, and he's losing his sense of self. no he shouldn't have run away. but had he not been trapped in that iceberg, I do think he would have come back. the storm was divine intervention. Aang entering the avatar state was his past lives having the foresight to understand that pausing the avatar cycle would probably save it from ending completely. imagine if the fire nation knew they had killed the airbending avatar, they may have continued with genocide campaigns.

"Aang was selfish to choose Katara over mastering the avatar state"

I would concede on this point if it were actually true. yes, initially, Aang refused to let Katara go in order to master the Avatar State. we could all see that was a problematic move because Aang entering the avatar state was going to vital if he was going to end the war because he was not going to adequately master all four elements before the comet arrived. Aang realized this in the caverns. he and Katara are surrounded by enemies. he knows there's no way they're going to win this fight if he doesn't complete his training, and he decides to let Katara go.

"I'm sorry, Katara"

when it came down to it, Aang was fully prepared to let Katara go and master the avatar state. Azula stopped him from doing it.

So, in my opinion, the deus ex machin with the rock during the battle between Aang and Ozai was necessary. Aang wasn't spiritually blocked from mastering the avatar state; he was physically blocked from mastering the avatar state. that rock reopeded the physical wound, and Ozai's Darwinistic taunting reopened the spiritual wound. so when the moment of impact happened, both were able to finally flow together now that the Chakra was unblocked.

"Aang was selfish to spare Ozai"

Aang dealing with the turmoil of whether or not to kill Ozai is a natural thing for a human being to go through, right? it's hard for us to see that because the other members in the gaang, including Ozai's own son has no issue with it happening. but the difference between Aang and the others is that Aang did not grow up in constant war. he is somewhat removed from the trauma of the war because he's only been experiencing it for what? nine months? from winter to summer? he hasn't had time to cope with war mentality, and that's not his fault! again, he's twelve. he grew up in a time where he could go wherever he wanted and make friends with whomever he wanted. in "the avatar and the firelord" the main message was that anyone can be good or bad.

"avatar roku was just as much fire nation as firelord sozin"

if we didn't have this revelation, Zuko would have been cast away immediately, especially after Zuko's actions led to Aang's temporary death. Aang's upbringing of patience and mercy is what ultimately allowed Zuko in. the rest of the gang didn't have the opportunity to experience a world in which patience and mercy was rewarded. and that's not their fault! they're 10/14/16. that's all they know.

so of course we're at an impass of ideology and experience. and Aang is struggling with it because he knows how the fire nation has prevailed in the past 100 years, but ideologically he believes that violence begets more violence. he also understands that Ozai needs to be significantly subdued.

"Ozai is a terrible person, and the whole world would probably better off without him"

so now we're on the lion turtle, and instead of sticking to his guns about the issue, he consults his past lives. after talking to Avatar Yang Chen, he decided that, yes, he has to kill the firelord. and had he not had the conversation with the lion turtle he would have done so. even AFTER talking to the lion turtle he almost went through with it. but he thought maybe, he could end this war on his own terms. and maybe that is an act in self preservation, but i offer you this: the only thing Aang has left of his people are crumbling temples, appa, momo, and himself. of course he wants to save the world and survive his battle with Ozai. but it's understandable that he would believe preserving the air nation begins with him and the decisions he makes in this final battle. especially when you consider how having no Airbenders in the world led to immense imbalance, and that prioritizing to rebirth of the air nation would actually contribute to the health of the world.

for a twelve year old kid who's lost everything and has agreed to a destiny of helping people, including those who benefitted from the slaughter of his own people, this "selfish" (I really don't get this, Aang knew he himself could die and that his death would mean a permanent end to the air nation. he put it all on the line, not just the people. of ba sing se) decision to spare Ozai is also a step towards a new world order where people don't get what they want be hurting other people. that instead of four separate nations with four separate agendas, this twelve year old child can model patience and mercy to a world population that doesn't very well understand what that even is anymore.

are there consequences to his decisions? prioritizing his beliefs? yeah, the earth kingdom is in dissaray. it was in dissaray before the war.

[in reference to the economic separation of people on ba sing se] "this is why I never came here before. I always heard it was so different from the way the monks taught us to live"

Aang's children? I do think that Aang prioritized Tenzin, and that's not okay. I think this is the most explicit example of Aang's selfishness. but, realistically, rebuilding the air nation was going to be passed down to Tenzin, and there is a lot of nuance to the family dynamic that we don't see. Not to mention that a lot of the pressure on Kya, Bumi, and Tenzin was most likely from outsiders/admirers of Aang. So perhaps it was the combination of Aang's favoritism and the outside world's disappointment of Kya and Bumi that led to their overall unhappiness and resentment. Aang still loved his kids, but he wasn't a perfect parent.

Bumi:... I hope I made you proud.

Kya: Of course, dad is proud of you.

i think that a lot of people equate Aang's passifist nature and his fear to selfishness. don't get me wrong, running away was selfish and hiding the letter from bato was selfish. but these were the actions of someone who was afraid losing everything he'd ever known and of someone so scarred by loss that the thought of losing anyone else was terrifying. those incidents are indicative of a coping mechanism he developed in response to trauma. so no, Aang's character flaw isn't that he's selfish. he allowed himself to be captured by Zuko to save the southern water tribe. he piloted the unagi to put out the fires on kyoshi Island. he tried to sneak away to crescent Island so Katara and Sokka wouldn't have to go to the fire nation ("Winter Solstice Pt. 2"). he saved Zuko from being discovered as the blue spirit. he saved Zuko from freezing to death in the north. he threw a party for fire nation kids so they could have fun. in all of these incidences, it would have been in Aang's better interest to cut and run for his own self preservation but he didn't because he wanted to help people and thought that the best way to solve a problem was to make friends and be merciful.

so Aang's character flaw is naivety and passivism. he believes that there are always more than one way to solve a problem, and he doesn't want to face things head on ("Bitter Work"). the reason we don't see those things as flaws in him is because a lot of times it works out, and these traits are what many of us love about him. we don't want to see his kindness and mercy as a flaw because we think those things are virtuous. it is too simple to say it's selfishness because it is more so about Aang avoiding his problems rather than maintaining his own needs. What some have labeled as "selfish" behavior has more to do with Aang's passifist and trusting nature working against him. and it's the duality of his vice/virtue that makes him so beloved and compelling.

And also, a gentle reminder that WE are seeing him as A TWELVE YEAR OLD CHILD. GIVE HIM A BREAK.

i appreciate some healthy avatar discourse, but sometimes i think y'all need to remember that these are literal kids. they’re going to make mistakes because they are between the ages of 10 and 16 and neither of them have had healthy, ongoing support of a stable family. they were born into a long, traumatic war, and the psychology of that is hard to navigate for adults, let alone children. when we talk about these characters and their motivations, remember who you were at their age and try to think whether you would really do anything differently than they did with their resources and their circumstances.

[seyaryminamoto]

Would Ozai have had enough darkness in his soul to control the bloodlust spear. At face value I decided he's the worst kind of person to find it. But chapters like the latest give me doubts that he has the right kind of evil in him to control it. He is very much a bad man who's ordered terrible things be done, but there's still a tiny speck of goodness deep down in that man's pitiful soul. Maybe the worst possible person to carry the spear was the evil guy who actually found it and not Ozai.

Hmmmmmm... frankly, I would say Ozai isn't on Rhone's level of corruption, which really isn't a compliment for him.

Let's just say... Rhone embraced his own darkness in ways Ozai hasn't. Strange as it might sound to say this, Ozai is deeply immature, incapable of reflecting on his own mistakes in the ways Rhone could reflect on his own and simply keep going because understanding the gravity and darkness of his choices just didn't stop or faze him. As far as he was concerned, none of it mattered. Meanwhile, Ozai really doesn't understand his mistakes in that way, at least, not where we are now. And once he does understand them better and reflects on them... he will shockingly be able to regret some of those mistakes, and not simply because he's at a disadvantage by his own making.

It's complicated to determine if Ozai still has anything genuinely good inside him, but as I've always said, my take on him is that he's a dark mirror to Zuko. Where Zuko learns to make better decisions, Ozai does not. When faced by similar crossroads, Zuko might not always make the right decisions... but in contrast, Ozai constantly, persistently makes the wrong ones. So, much as Zuko has the potential to become a darker, worse person, Ozai has the potential to NOT go as dark and yet he often makes the choices to avoid being a decent human being :'D he's a lot more complex than even I anticipated, which means he also has been more infuriating than I ever thought he'd be xD but everything seems to go back to the messed up upbringing he endured at Azulon's hands. I was thinking about it just yesterday but the reeeeally messed up dynamics of that family practically have made it so the biggest villain in Gladiator is... Azulon. Who's already dead. Which means you can't really defeat him since he's already been defeated...

And yet, because Azulon's shadow still grips Ozai so strongly, no matter if he's dead (because Ozai is basically trailing on Azulon's footsteps and furthering the man's campaigns anyway), Azulon's legacy is still thriving in Ozai, no matter if Ozai hated his father enough to want him dead. The generational chaos in this family is soooo messed up... and that's why part of the story is about ensuring Zuko DOESN'T end up following Ozai's footsteps without his awareness, the same way Ozai has with Azulon.

... And I got completely sidetracked rambling there, but my point is basically that Ozai has many complications going on inside him, such as a profound lack of self-awareness and enough regrets to his name, which are constantly piling on and on, that I really don't think he could be a more dangerous wielder of the Bloodlust Spear than Rhone. Rhone, actually, is the most powerful person to wield it because his darkness basically kept the Spear in a subservient position. He never lowered his guard with the Spear, so even when the Spear was tempted to turn on him when he was bleeding heavily, Rhone still managed to keep it at bay by sheer willpower. Ozai... as much as I don't want to undersell him as a villain and whatnot, really wouldn't be able to do that.

All in all, it's difficult to judge who would be the worst person to hold the spear. Rhone is almost the best person for it, in a sense, because he's the only one whose mind was dark enough that it wouldn't be overcome by the Spear. Problem is, of course, that he was a terribly amoral person, so his ability to tame the Spear is relatively meaningless considering what he'd use it for...

That being said, I'll go out of my way to say that the worst person altogether who could have wielded the Spear is actually General Shaofeng :'D he's not on a superior level of acceptance of being a fucked up individual like Rhone is, no... but he's proudly fucked up, proudly self-serving, and he wouldn't shed a single tear if he massacred half the Fire Nation by mistake if the Spear takes control of him, of course, as long as it doesn't choose to kill him too. Murdering heaps of people wouldn't mean anything to him, even if it's his own nation. All he really wants is power, and if he could have used the Spear to obtain that power (such as by slaughtering those who held the power he wants, or controlling everyone through fear of the legendary weapon), he wouldn't have hesitated to do it. He would have been more destructive than Rhone, he would have been more amoral than Rhone, the Spear would have absolutely controlled him as it pleased... he's really about the last kind of person anyone would want to see wielding the Bloodlust Spear.

[wingsfreedom]

I see, thanks for explaining. However, I think I agree and disagree with you.

I agree she's not the strongest Firebender, while I do believe she has the potential to be. And for better Fire Lord thing, it's matter of opinions, I also think, if she was ok and has better vision of the world other than something to conquer (outside the Fire Nation's Perspective) she'd be very good at Fire Lord business, leading is her natural place.

Also Long Feng is not only one character she was able to read, she read Mai in the Beach, Ty Lee when forced to join her team, Zuko almost in every occasions. She was able to read the Gaang intellectually, when she figured out their locations in the Chase, anticipated their movements in the Day of Black Sun and how they would come back, the innocent prisoner in the Boiling Rock who wasn't lying and so on... est. It's true she may not always can read people (which is natural) but she's still very talented at it. She's people person as she puts it. And she knows the reason behind Mai and Ty Lee's betrayal; is that she controls them by fear, as we saw in the mirror scene.

She may not always know what's going on in Ozai's mind, in the Phoenix King scene his decision was sudden after all. And Azula felt quickly that she's not good enough, which is true, she had failed a lot. She was not even important to know anything about his plans or coronation, even though she was supposed to be the new "Fire Lord", which is unimportant title anymore at that point. ("Take my old car cause I bought new" sort of situation)

Second, people were acting like she has killed thousands of people when she didn't. The argument is she has chosen not to kill many, from the Kyoshi Warriors, to Ba Sing Se citizins, to the invaders of the Day of Black Sun, to the servants -when she was paroniad and believe they're going to kill her- she didn't use it as exuse to kill, they got banished instead which wasn't exactly a great idea but that was better than start slaughtered of "betrayal" or something.

As for Aang point, people could argue on this forever, both arguments are equal and valid, LoK is canon, thus the lightning hasn't killed Aang argument stand. Also she did pushed to the corner when Aang entered the Avatar State. Reports surely told them the last time the Avatar entered the Avatar State, he destroyed an entire Fire Nation fleet and make thousands soldiers drown into sea. So the Fire Nation campaign succession or dangerous enemy's life in underground erea? Not chance at all.

Of course, murder isn't justified in any way, but this is war. Azula capable of murder if she thinks it's justified in battalion, but she's not a sadist/manic killer like many like to claim. She's a trained soldier after all.

Third, Azula does show remorse of her actions. The the way she fear-control others, was the only thing she thinks of at lowest point. Yes, she feels loneliness but she regret her actions, she's confused as "Ursa" puts it, she finds it hard to trust the people around her, so she uses power and fear tactics to basically force people to be her friends (which root to unhealthy relationship with both parents). That Ursa hallucination is part of Azula, it's not something came from outside her, it's her conscience, maybe it's Ursa's good influence, but still it's part of her. Both good and bad are parts of Azula.

Forth, Ursa and Azula's relationship is complex issue. Ursa tried to correct Azula's behaviors, which is true, but she also did emotionally neglected her. Of course Azula's not flawless (no idea when this come from b/c it's indeed abused and not why I liked her in the first place), but also saying Ursa is flawless and never did she hurt her daughter in any way is also absurd. For me, the worst part in this story is that Ursa sometimes unconsciously encouraged Azula's behaviour. Ursa, despite complaining a lot about Azula’s odd behaviours, often causes and/or reinforce them, e. g such in the rose scene in The Search, she comes to loathe them and punish Azula for them without understanding the core of her actions; that was getting attention of her mother who was focusing on Zuko (most of the time, her favorite).

Ursa's inability to empathize with Azula, to understand her wishes and desires, and Azula's reluctance to mend their relationship, only drives them further apart. And I believe Ozai may play a good hand in this too.

Anyway, this is my read on Azula. I love her flaws and all, but disagree with you on some points. You may also disagree with me as well, which is fine. She's a fictional character after all.

PS: I take it you may like characters being evil, it what make them badass to you and that's how you enjoy them. It's fine, but don't treat your opinions on Azula as the most valid while others fans' interpretations are less vaild or distorted, and how their read on the character is wrong and make you hate the character herself when those fans have well-thought opinions themselves.

I love Azula. I’m pretty sure tumblr is set on making me hate Azula. Please. Please. No.