#i love azulon you guys don’t understand

[kibutsulove]

Share your favourite headcannons on Azulon? :)

[Could be unhinged, sweet, anything at all!]

EEP !!! BACKFLIPS

So like…… headcanon one , azulon w/ a prosthetic leg.

Honestly I’ve always loved the concept of fictional characters with prosthetic limbs. So like. Why not put one on Azulon, for the vine. This also implies that azulon went through the pain of losing a leg so YIPPEE deserved

And while I’ve already posted my personal interpretation of Azulon’s mom, i also like the idea of Azulon being stolen from one of the temples when he was an infant. Obviously, since Azulon is a firebender, his parents weren’t both air nomads; his mother or father was probably a firebender themself.

So one of the soldiers was probably like, “yo… this baby kinda lookin like a firebender. might not want to barbecue him, right guys” and the other soldiers he was with went “yuh” and then they snatched him cuz it would be more convenient for the fire lord if he just. Stole a baby rather than conceive one at this age.

And it was funny yk. Azulon turned out to be able to firebend but he fucking sucked at doing it at first. Like. He did the traditional forms perfectly but literally only sparks came out. it’s an endless struggle. Azulon waking up in the morning, training, no flame, eat food, train, train, train, NO FLAME. Might as well just pick at the grass at this point.

His instructors also tried to encourage him. But in the WORST way possible, by like threatening his life. But he can’t know how. so. AND THEN SUDDENLY. some bright adult thought about the fact that he was half air nomad. So what if he learned firebending using air bending forms, cuz Fire is similar to Air. (Though Azulon was probably taught that Fire is more so destructive and more powerful)

SORRY IM YAPPING BUT I JUST RLLY LIKE THE IDEA

And another, i saw one about Sozin naming Azulon after his dragon. And i just think it was really nice. Makes me wonder what happened to it when Sozin started the tradition of killing the dragons for honor.

[smokeys-liveblogs]

(Same anon as the Tylee ask)

I went to a college prep private school on scholarship where lots of the kids were expected to go to prestigious Ivy League universities and let me tell you. You don’t need a war to make the “always perfect” child go off the deep end. I didn’t have parents that expected me to essentially be a school machine but a lot of those kids just had no coping mechanisms for what to do when you aren’t flawless bc that simply wasn’t an option for them and their parents didn’t notice how much pressure they were under just to maintain excellence and make it all look effortless. That kind of sustained stress will come home to roost eventually.

I think Azula’s problem was that her father chose her as his most beloved child. She was talented and her strengths are things that Ozai valued and so she wasn’t abused in the same way her brother was. She had his favor, and what a shame that turns out to be. And because Ozai more obviously bullied (abused) Zuko, Ursa felt like he needed her protection and care more than Azula. Which made her feel alienated from her mother. I’m sure Azula’s understanding of love is more or less a zero sum game since Ozai seems like a zero sum kinda guy and Azula was raised to parrot her father’s beliefs. There is a winner of mothers love and a loser of mothers love and this family breeds rivalry and vicious infighting and so Zuko being the enemy was only natural in a million different ways. Which is extra sad because I feel like there were a few times in Zuko Alone when it seemed like they actually could have gotten along as children. Plus she was right her mother was horrified by her but I’m not sure if I believe that Ursa thought her daughter was a monster. I think it’s more likely that Azula was a child saying absolutely terrible Ozai-ish things and Ursa thought it was a problem but was ultimately powerless to interfere too much in the upbringing of Ozai’s favorite child. Which is very sad.

Being ''loved'' by Ozai was definitely Azula's (first) problem, yes. It was a vicious cycle that you explained perfectly - Ozai praises Azula and shuns (or worse) Zuko, Ursa focuses more on Zuko to even it out, Azula feels neglected by her mother and parrots Ozai even more. Ozai praises Azula for that, and... so on.

There's also another layer in which I am 97% sure that Iroh was Azulon's favorite child, the firstborn, and Ozai absolutely projected his own issues about that onto his children. Zuko was doomed from the start, probably, and the fact that he was so much weaker than Azula was no help.

The thing about children like Azula is that their parents hardly even see a child in front of them, instead only seeing someone that they can shape into a better version of themselves. The child in particular then isn't allowed to be their own person, and represses themselves for however long until it all comes exploding out of them at one point in time. It's... disgusting, really.

[babypandawrites]

Don’t Care

Pairing: Team Avatar & GN Reader  Warnings: Death Mention & S2 Spoilers Word Count: 1,031 Summary: After joining Team Avatar, you have a hard time getting on the good side of a certain boomerang loving Water Tribe boy. 

-Navigation- | -Atla Masterlist- 

Sokka did not like you. 

He made that very clear from the moment you joined ‘Team Avatar’.

You couldn’t really blame him, seeing as you joined Prince Zuko in his journey to hunt down Aang for the past year. As much as you disliked doing it, your loyalties have always lied with Zuko. When you were a child, despite the fact your father was named a traitor to the Fire Nation, Fire Lord Azulon saw promise in you and allowed you to stay. You stayed at the royal palace and trained alongside the young Prince and Princess. Though you were young, you were established as a sort of bodyguard to the siblings. 

When Zuko was banished, you were told to go with him. Less so because of your protector status and more so of the fact Ozai just didn’t like you being around at all. You liked to think it was because he felt threatened by a child, but you were unaware of the true reason.  Then when Azula took on hunting down the Avatar, she recruited you to help her rather than help her brother. You had no right to say no, seeing as your loyalties were also meant to stand with her. 

Long story short- but not really -you’ve caused a lot of problems for the rag tag group of kids. 

It was really quite the surprise when Toph and Katara vouched for you at Sokka’s refusal to let you come with them after the situation in Ba Sing Se. Toph used her… interesting sense to tell the truth to vouch you were a genuine person when you said you wanted to help, and Katara noted how you tried to stop Azula from killing Aang.  He wasn’t happy about it, but he didn’t stop you from climbing atop Appa with them, nor did he try to throw you off the bison. Which you had been pretty sure he was going to do. 

You were thankful he didn’t. 

It didn’t take long for you to become friends with Toph after joining the team. She seemed to be pretty understanding of you, and didn’t have anywhere near the same problems with you Katara and Sokka did. She could sympathize with the fact that you never felt like you could be yourself because of where you lived, how you were raised. Apparently she’d been the same. It was nice to know there was someone else who understood.  “Going against them to help us, even though you’d always been told to be loyal to them- Was pretty cool of you.” The young earthbender punched you in the arm shortly after speaking and quickly added, “If you ever tell anyone I said that, I’ll bury you once we get off this boat.” 

Getting along with Katara took a little longer, however.  “Just because I vouched for you, doesn’t mean I like you.” The waterbender had commented one day, when you told her good morning.  “That’s fair.”  She seemed to be shocked but how much you didn’t care, you guess it surprised her that you didn’t really mind if they didn’t like you.  When she questioned you about it one day, you’d shrugged your shoulders. “I figured you guys would treat me worse.” Was all you offered. Something about that sentence made her feel bad about you it seemed, and once she’d forgiven you for the pretty terrible things you did, the two of you became fast friends. 

Sokka on the other hand, just wouldn’t budge. He was extremely stubborn on the matter. Whenever you greeted him in the mornings, you were met with silence. It was obvious he didn’t have any interest in talking to you, so after a little while you eventually gave up on it. You decided to wait until he came to you, if ever. You kind of doubted he would but, there was no point in trying to force it.  It caught you off guard, when he leaned against the boat railing next to you, after everyone hijacked one of the Fire Nation’s ships.  “Thanks.” Was all he said, after a long moment of silence, before leaving again.  You weren’t entirely sure what he was thanking you for, but you’d take it. It wasn’t a lot, but it was still improvement. 

After Aang woke up, saying he was shocked to see you there was an understatement. If not for his injuries, he would have attacked you. He’d been pretty quick to accept you onto the team after the others explained things to him. At one point you offered to teach him firebending, knowing he had to learn, but he’d turned you away.  “I hurt Katara the first time I tried to firebend… I promised myself I’d never learn. I don’t want to hurt anyone again.”  You’d nodded in understanding. “Let me know if you ever change your mind, kid.”  He thought it was funny that you called him kid, when you’re only a few years older than him. Two, to be exact. 

Safe to say, excluding Sokka, you got along pretty well with Team Avatar. You found quickly they were much better to hang out with than Zuko and Azula- No offense to the Prince. Even if you didn’t particularly approve of his decisions, he was still your best friend. 

One night, in the Fire Nation cave the group currently inhabited, you’d sat by yourself off to the side. Even if most of them we’re fine with you, part of you felt like you still didn’t belong. Probably the part of you that wished Sokka wouldn’t hate you so much.  “Are you going to come eat with us, or mope over here all night?”  Speak of the devil, and he will appear.  You looked up at Sokka in shock, as he held a hand out to help you up. You’d honestly thought he would pull his hand away at the last moment, pulling some kind of prank on you, but he didn’t. He actually grasped onto your hand and pulled you off the ground.  You didn’t know what made him change his mind about you, but as you sat down between him and Aang, you decided you didn’t really care.

[zukka-pegged-by-suki]

ok so guys, remember that “my father always says azula was born lucky, i was lucky to be born” line? yeah, now explain to me why tf are we even considering OZAIs words?!?! like some people use this line as an argument against azula when its literally what OZAI SAID?!?!!?!!?!

Zuko’s good and bad luck, as well as Azulas. Was either of them lucky? Let’s see.

Please read all of it before drawing assumptions.

Zuko’s luck:

- has mums care and affection

- has irohs care and affection

- can get away with being a softie as a child, because he may get disregarded and called weak but lets be honest, azula wouldnt have been able to get away with his behavior because she didn’t have firstborn privilege (which is a thing while azulon lived) or mummy’s protection like he did.

before anyone comes at me i’ll expand a bit on the firstborn privilege. as first born he was instantly considered more important by the masses since birth, that might’ve changed later but before neither could bend that much was still a fact. which means azula wouldn’t really have any recognition for anything unless she surpassed him in every way, which is what became her goal especially when ozai became the one who spent more time with her rather than ursa, anyways lets continue.

- constantly receiving second chances; iroh, the gaang minus katara, katara, azula (even if not from the “good” side), ozai (no matter the intentions, this much is true), iroh again, mai, the entire fckng world.

- he had a guide and help throughout his long healing and learning process.

Zuko’s bad luck:

- Unloving father

- Mummy disappears

- Doesn’t train that hard and surprise surprise, is worse than azula. Because if he had really trained hard, he would’ve at least known the formations wether he was able to firebend with them or not, but he was just clearly trying to copycat azula while tripping over because he didn’t have that much experience doing it. This is something no one can change my mind about. How tf did he expect to excel if he didn’t train enough. This wasnt about luck but hard work which he didn’t put in, too busy playing with mum and the little turtleducks. And I do not hate Zuko, I really love him but this is just a fact and he’s too fixed on blaming everyone else for his own mistakes and problems (esp Azula). Like, im sorry to break it out to you honey, but Ozai hates you because he’s an asshole, and that’s his own fault, not Azula’s.

- Scar and exile time, we all know this.

- Ugly haircut because of dishonor

- Finally achieving his goal of regaining his “honor” but realizing it wasn’t what he wanted only when he was already at the Fire Nation palace having all the glory from Aang’s presumed death.

- Katara’s distrust after his betrayal (bc who would’ve expected that to happen /s)

- Getting zapped in an attempt to save Katara.

I mean except for the things related to Ozai, most of this was all consequences from his own actions.

And I’m sorry but I don’t understand the fixation he has with having Ozai’s love. Unlike Azula, he has had his mother’s love and his uncle’s love. He knows what real love looks like and he has never really seen anything that could imply Ozai likes him, while he has Iroh treating him like he’s his actual father.

I’m not invalidating his traumas in any way and terrible things did happen to him, but why is he so obsessed with Ozai and why would he choose him over Iroh, he’s 16 and has been with Iroh since age 13, he was also with Ursa for the majority of his childhood, make it make sense.

Azula’s luck:

- Uh she was born rlly smart i guess

- She had some natural talent and knew to train hard to shape it to perfection, as well as studying a lot about war tactics and shit ig

- Ty Lee and Mai loved her and she loved them back

I mean as far as luck goes, that’s it. Everything else was achieved on her own merit and even if she had no scar, her traumas are just as valid as Zuko’s, neither is worse or better, we do not compare traumas in this house and they were both terrible.

Azula’s bad luck:

- Bad mother (i’ll make a post on why Ursa sucks)

- No second chances

- Mum never said goodbye just like she never said “i love you” lol, except in that one hallucination

- Never has had any real help to heal (i’ll make a post on why the asylum was a trash idea that would’ve never worked)

- Can’t fully trust anyone, not even herself, or will be punished for it

- The only people who loved her, Mai and Ty Lee, “betraying” her (check out my post on that, its under #jinta’s commentary)

- Ozai psychologically abusing her all her life

- Some characters may have been lonely, but she was genuinely absolutely alone. And she knew it.

- Hurt and self-hatred channeled through anger like Zuko did sometimes when he had that shame shave ponytail, but with her, its all the time.

- Even his abuser abandons her

- Everyone hates her but forgives Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee. And it’s so annoying because all Mailee did that Azula didn’t was swap sides almost at the end, if the excuse is that they were being manipulated well Ozai was manipulating Azula so what’s the excuse.

- Is always believed to be lying but usually isn’t (check out my azula always lies post)

- Has a mental breakdown and nobody gives a shit?! Like the first think Zuko thought of was “ooh she’s slipping lemme take advantage of that”

- Has nothing and no one, yay

- Gets thrown into a stupid asylum but not rlly because there are no comics in ba sing se

While Zuko had Ursa and Iroh to protect him and stuff, she was victim of Ozai’s manipulation and psychological abuse all her life.

So when we know Ozai said she was lucky, why tf is anyone taking his word for it??!

Plus when Zuko was born they didn’t know how he would be and Azula didn’t exist so there was no way he could’ve been lucky to be born.

Zuko was very unlucky, but he was also lucky.

Azula was just unlucky.

edit: as bellatrixobsessed1 said, azula had the illusion of luck.

[chaosprince-apollo]

I find it poetic that in some ways Iroh's greatest defeat is ultimately his greatest triumph.

Like I'm not talking directly obviously. We know he was considered to be a great general and after his defeat he was ridiculed and broken because of the death of his son, he had no real place in his own nation due to his failure and outside of his nation he is a war criminal which he is undeniably aware of and he regrets because he knows he wasn't the good guy and his son died in vain. He may act like a buffoon at times but we know and the people in the avatar kingdoms know he is extremely capable and an expert stratergiest (a testament to this fact is people are wary of him and he STILL manages the convince them he's harmless even when the KNOW he's a dangerous man.)

Now to get to my point about why it becomes a triumph. Simple. It's his big turning point or his first big turning point. This failure and subsequent ridicule breaks him away from the expectation of being a great general. Breaks him away from being a model of what a fire nation soldier should be. Iroh is shown to always be a caring father and I truly believe he knew he was doing wrong but that he also loved his nation and the firelord (his brother) and wanted to bring glory/honour not just for himself but for his son. Failing at Ba Sing Se was a blow sure but if he'd succeeded a) more people than had already died would have and being enslaved by the fire nation. b) he'd have never become the man who became one of the cities protectors c) he'd possibly not have been the one to be with Zuko during exile and d) certainly wouldn't have been someone helping protect the Avatar.

Now I say this is one of his turning points because it's also extremely obvious his relationship with Zuko is his other important factor as to WHY Iroh is such a nuanced and well fleshed out character. There's no way Iroh WOULDN'T love Zuko, but his failure and death of his son drives Iroh not only to adopt Zuko as his own but also to understand that Zuko's mission is wrong and is the road to ruin.

Iroh has first hand knowledge what being on the wrong side gets you. He's also one of the only people around Zuko that acknowledges he is literally a 13 year old child (when exiled, 16 during the show) the gaang also make acknowledgement of this but considering they themselves are like 12-15 approximately this acknowledgement doesn't have the same impact as GROWN ASS ADULTS thinking it's okay for the firelord (a powerful force) to fight agni kai against a 13 year old and then exile him for having....an opinion? Like honestly do these people actually know what the agni kai was about and just accept that or are they told Zuko did something terrible...which like even so pretty poor form here y'all (anyway I digress clearly from my point but I have FEELINGS and probably there are other people with in the fire nation that have enough empathy and critical thinking to know that what happened to Zuko was wrong but my point remains) Uncle Iroh is one of if not the only ADULT character that seems to actually be shown as thinking Zuko is a child with feelings instead of that he's dishonoured his family or that he's evil.

(Side note, I know he calls Azula crazy but I also don't think he thinks she's actually evil either but he has no way to help her and even if he tried there's no way in her current mind set she'd ever listen. She wants to be strong and powerful and whilst she's incredibly smart she can't tell she's being manipulated because she's only ever gotten by on manipulation herself and being rewarded for that so it's difficult for her to see her father doing it to her. It's really enforced into her that her brother is weak and worthless because he doesn't have it in him to be like her. In her mind Iroh isn't just a failure as a soldier, he's a failure because he stood by Zuko. Why would she listen to someone so weak and stupid.)

So in conclusion after several tangents. Iroh's failure to take Ba Sing Se ultimately leads to his role in it's liberation and the defeat of the fire nation under firelord Ozai. His defeat helps put him on the side of the people and the avatar and gives him chances to make amends for his true failures (besieging the city in the first place leading to deaths including his own son and the failure to bring a stop to his younger brother's ambition and cruelty)

Another tangent fuck sorry, it's being a little while since I've watched and I'm thinking of things as I type and I am totally aware I might be missing stuff or misremembering things or that maybe I just have a different interpretation of certain events or characterisations. ANYWAY Iroh as the older brother was the one in line for the throne and Ozai tried to convince Azulon that Iroh was weak using Ba Sing Se as the reason (Azulon's reaction to this is entirely unfair, and it's hard to feel empathy for his fate at the time of his death even if, like other people of fire nation royalty, he has potential not to be a FUCKING COLOSSAL WANKER.) [Also a pause here to say there's a solid 11 to 12 hours between my thoughts here cause my friend called for me to pick her up from somewhere cause she finished waaaaay earlier than we were expecting so coherency who knows her lol]

I think the point I was making essentially comes down to Iroh's defeat leads Ozai to confront/try to reason with Azulon that Ozai would make a better firelord than Iroh (whether Ozai was wrong or right is a matter of perception ultimately) Azulon didn't like this and demanded Ozai kill Zuko, which I actually don't remember clearly but I looked at the wiki to jog my memory and it says that's what happened. Which was my point earlier about being a wanker, and sure maybe it was actually going to be some kind of test a la abraham and isaac etc but of course he got murked and also like firelords tend to have this follow through of becoming batshit at some point. Or at least the last few the precede our boy Zuko certainly have questionable levels of empathy for anyone outside of their immediate family and even then ... anyway who remembers Zuko's scar? Anyone, anyone at all. Yeah....

So Iroh defeat = Ozai trying to usurp the throne = Azulon's piece of shit death to Zuko demand = Azulon gets murdered, sorry assassinated = Ozai usurping the throne anyway (although I'm not sure Iroh really fought him on that at all? Someone please clarify) = Ozai being firelord when Zuko spoke up = the whole agni kai business = Zuko having his face burnt by his own father and told he's weak and is given a frankly impossible task = Iroh watching on and feeling shame, disgust, guilt, and honestly I ultimately think he felt fear for Zuko and fear of having to acknowledge more than ever before that his younger brother and even the nation he loves are on the wrong path and that power isn't worth the amount of pain and suffering caused, like I'm sure previous to this he knew, he had to have known because we know how incredibly intelligent Iroh is, and we also know he is part of white lotus (which again someone might have to tell me a timeline on that because the white lotus thing seems to have being going on a while so was he white lotus during the ba sing se seige? The first one I mean? OH THOUGHTS BUT I'LL COME BACK = Iroh and Zuko's pirate adventures uh, I mean Zuko tries to capture the avatar and Iroh drinks tea = Iroh having to watch Zuko struggle at an impossible task to regain honour he never actually lost = Iroh being a scheming old man to achieve the goal of giving Zuko a loving father = Iroh going on the journey with Zuko to befriend the gaang = Iroh participating with other white lotus members to liberate ba sing se = leading to help the downfall of an oppressive regime = Zuko taking the throne in a state of empathy and acceptance.

Like let's be real. Even though Iroh probably would have made a formidable firelord he possibly wouldn't have become the Iroh we know even though that man would have been in there and whilst he'd have remained a role model to Zuko it may not have had the same impact as the journey they DO share.

Okay I know I had more thoughts regarding white lotus things but this is so long and it's midnight and exactly 0 people will read this

Anyway I love Iroh thanks for coming to my Ted Talk

(Any mistakes are because my brain just dumped a bunch of thoughts and proofread absolutely nothing)

[caelum-in-the-avatarverse]

If I'm understanding this right Ozai desires to be Fire Lord, and to that end follows in the family tradition of molding his kids into perfectly apathetic Killing Machines who work to intimidate the nobility, sending them out to the front to better the war effort. LT dies and OZ shows them off to AZ, in hopes of being named the heir by appealing to his dad's logic, but AZ insists that Iroh will remain heir, bcuz Ozai is lazy, has no eye for basic strategy and wants the throne for pure kicks.

Yeah, that pretty much sums up my headcanon.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Tho I don’t think that it’s a FN Royal Family tradition to mold your kids into “perfectly apathetic killing machines.” Pretty sure that was all Ozai. Iroh was apparently Azulon’s favored child, and while he was good at killing, he had a lot of other traits and interests too, even before his heel-face turn. Lu Ten seemed to have a cheerful childhood per that flashback dream. Azulon can come across as apathetic and you could argue that Sozin raised him to be a killing machine, but I figure Azulon is just old and tired of Ozai’s BS and Sozin, being 82 and preoccupied with world conquest at the time of his birth, didn’t have much hand in raising him.

Sure, they’re a family of genocidal maniacs, but I think Ozai was the only one who actually abused and purposely traumatized his kids. And the reason he wanted Zuko and Azula to be perfectly apathetic killing machines is because if they were anything else, anything that might allow them their own likes and goals and interests, it might distract them from what Ozai saw as his children’s true purpose, which is to make him look good and be his political tools.

And yeah, that’s exactly how he was using them in the Zuko Alone flashback, and no, Azulon didn’t appreciate it.

I like to think Ozai is, objectively, the worst leader out of the three wartime Fire Lords. Like, politically. He’s the big bad of the series, but history will remember him as an embarrassing six-year blip of a ruler who didn’t do much and got his butt kicked by a 13-year-old. In Fire Nation history textbooks, he’s a brief paragraph bridging Azulon’s assassination and Zuko’s banishment and subsequent victory. Sozin had a vision and set it in motion, Azulon spent the better part of a century leading the war, heck even Iroh was off conquering stuff, and Ozai......I mean you could argue Ozai did something in the military as a prince, but I don’t see it. Everything Ozai does in the series, he does by lying and tricking and getting other people to do it for him - Ursa killed Azulon, Azula conquered Ba Sing Se, and even War Minister Qing was the person obtaining all the Fire Nation’s war technology. When he actually does do something himself, it’s, like, burning off the face of a defenseless 13-year-old who can’t fight back. Wow, what an accomplishment. He didn’t even face Aang during the eclipse. He got his fourteen year old daughter to do it instead. And despite his bravado by sending away the guards when Zuko came to face him, he pretty obviously considered Zuko a threat once the swords were drawn, because loserlord never bothered to put any effort into obtaining any skills beyond burning stuff indiscriminately.

I see Ozai as, like, that guy whose rich parents paid for him to go to college, and now he’s graduated and doesn’t have a job and isn’t interested in getting one or in moving out of the house, or doing anything really, but acts like he’s the universe’s gift to humanity and like he knows everything and can do anything but until destiny comes calling he’s just gonna chill on his parents’ couch and watch TV. He’s happy to coast on his royal status and all the respect that comes with it. Power is great, but responsibility sounds annoying. Then he gets annoyed that Iroh has more power than him just because Iroh has more responsibilities. That is so not fair. And yeah, he basically wants the throne for kicks, he wants it because he wants it, and if you say “but dude doesn’t responsibility give you hives?” he’ll laugh because being the Fire Lord means you get to be powerful, not necessarily responsible.

I wanna take a minute to say that I love coming up with FN Royal Family headcanons that deepens them as people and shows how awful they are and how ruthless and cunning and determined and intelligent they are, too. I try to write them as intriguing characters and terrible people. But with Ozai, I like to just have him be terrible, with no likeable or redeeming qualities, just as the show portrayed him. Ozai is what you get after a century of war, genocide, and Fire Nation supremacy, the natural culmination of his forefathers’ legacy. My Sozin and Azulon are evil, but also good leaders. My Ozai is evil, but a terrible leader due to his extreme self-centeredness.

Ozai certainly did think he was appealing to his dad’s logic in the throne room. Problem is, Ozai is a narcissist who thinks he’s the center of the universe, and thus he assumes all logic revolves around him. He can’t conceive a reality where what he wants isn’t relevant to the situation. In his eyes, Iroh couldn’t be the next Fire Lord, not after showing such weakness and not having any more heirs, and therefore Ozai was the only logical choice to take the throne. Surely Azulon could see that?

That’s Desperate Narcissistic Ozai Logic. Real World Logic works something more like this: Azulon knows exactly what kind of a brat his annoying secondborn is and doesn’t want him anywhere near the throne, Iroh has an impressive resume as a great leader and Azulon has always planned for him to be his successor, and if Iroh doesn’t have his own kid anymore he is still fully capable of naming his niece or nephew as his heir once he’s had time to grieve. The world doesn’t revolve around you, Ozai; you are indeed irrelevant to the line of succession if I decide you are.

Ozai, of course, didn’t take that too well. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[solatude]

ATLA Unpopular Opinions

I’ve had some thoughts about various aspects in Avatar: The Last Airbender. So, in order of least to most controversial, here we go:

Sokka looks better with his hair up. Sokka’s wolf tail is one of the more unique hairstyles in the show, at least for the guys. He looks so basic with his hair down. The wolf tail adds to his personality, his dramaticness, and humor. How can a water tribe warrior fight with hair in his face? Please also refer to his topknot in Book Three.

Sokka didn’t have as much pull as fans think he does. Pull, in this context, means to attract someone romantically/sexually. First of all, Toph is a child, so I’m not counting her because a 12 year-old crushing on a 15 year-old should be nothing more than that---a crush. Yue and Suki pulled him first, as he fell for them before they fell for him. Suki could care less for the sexist guy who insulted her on her own island; but teaching him the ways of the Kyoshi warriors, plus a kiss on the cheek had him blushing---HARD! He thankfully changed his mindset after that. Yue, while she barely had a choice, had accepted her role as princess and was prepared to dedicate her life to the values of her tribe in an arranged marriage. The amount of times she ran away from Sokka was both tragic and hilarious. But that only made Sokka want her more, she never chased him. To be honest though, he was probably the first guy who treated her normally, despite her status. I think she mainly wanted a friend, but was surprised to find a potential lover in Sokka. Plus he made her laugh. Ty Lee thought he was cute, but Ty Lee thinks everything is cute. That is all. If you wanna talk about pull, Aang had Zuko risking his life chasing him for three seasons (I’m joking, don’t think too deeply about that).

Azula and Katara are almost equal in power. I get that Azula is a firebending prodigy, but sometimes her skills are overestimated by fans and she’s made to seem as though she can overpower everyone. It makes perfect sense that she lost to Katara in almost every fight. Before meeting her, she’s only ever fought nonbenders, firebenders, and earthbenders. She never had experience fighting a trained waterbender, so her losing to Katara shows that even she has her limitations. Whenever she did win a fight against her, it was because she got help from her friends, brother, or subjects. Katara never hesitated to fight her, and being 14 years-old herself, allowed for an even exchange of combat. Let’s be honest, what bender would go up against Azula fearlessly except the one who’s element puts out fires?

Ursa was not a bad mother. Ursa was a victim of an abusive, arranged marriage. For context, Fire Lord Azulon wanted Ozai to marry Ursa because she was the granddaughter of Avatar Roku, and he felt that they would produce powerful heirs to the royal family. Ursa was forced to leave her village, family, and fiance behind for this marriage; because who would dare turn down the request of a Fire Lord? Ursa never really loved Ozai, but he never cared. He just wanted to increase his status and power. Ursa is often criticized for giving Zuko attention over Azula, while scolding Azula and not showing her any love. However, Azula was praised by Ozai, and as a result showed more of an obedience towards him. Ozai showed a great disdain for Zuko. Ursa was simply doing her best to show Zuko how much he mattered. He was living in his sister’s shadow, while being neglected by his father. I also really feel for Azula, because she was only valued for her firebending skills, and she probably had no emotional outlet that she trusted to help guide her. However, I do think Azula was too far along for her mother to really help her. Ursa encouraged Zuko to play with Azula; she genuinely wanted her children to get along like any other parent. I just don’t think there was anything she could say or do to encourage Azula to be less destructive and show remorse for her actions. She should have never called Azula a monster, but she was a woman filled with fear. She feared her abusive husband and the repercussions of speaking out against him, she feared the destructive tendencies of her daughter and the ways she hurt other people without caring for how they felt, and she feared for Zuko’s life for not living up to the impossible ideals of the royal family. Ursa was not a perfect mother, but she tried given the little power she had. Also, to be fair, we only see Ursa’s life from Zuko’s perspective in the show. Azula probably had many memories with Ursa but she most likely blocked them out to hold space for firebending forms and her father’s approval; one of which she never really secured.

Bloodbending is overrated and unnecessary. Some fans claim that Katara should have had a more positive reaction to becoming a bloodbender. However, it was never in her character to be so controlling, especially against another person’s will. Bloodbending is also not as useful as it’s made to seem. Since one can only bloodbend on a full moon, you would have to wait an entire month to even utilize the skill. That’s extremely inconvenient and because you have to wait until nighttime, it’s even less practical. How often does Team Avatar fight during the night compared to the day? They would be sleeping if anything. Also, when your team consists of an agile airbender, a master waterbender, a powerful earthbender, and a weapons strategist, plus Appa and Momo; why would anyone need to bloodbend? Most of the Gaang’s enemies never required that level of power in order to be defeated. Bloodbending is also VERY niche. If this is allowed, should bonebending be allowed since there are minerals in bones? Should soundbending be allowed since sound is produced from vibrations? I admit it’s a really cool ability, but it’s not that important in the grand scheme of things. Also, speaking of Katara...

Katara gets too much hate. I’m not sure if it’s the surge of new fans since the Netflix debut or the repressed thoughts of old fans but lately Katara’s character has been mercilessly criticized. It’s been said that she brings up her mother too often, and that she’s overly emotional and selfish. First of all, Katara was eight years-old (and Sokka nine) when her mother was murdered. During the run of the show, only six years have passed since then, as she’s 14 when she finds Aang. She lives with survivor’s guilt due to her mother lying about who the last waterbender was so that Katara wouldn’t be taken prisoner. Unfortunately, the firebender soldier Yon Rah wasn’t taking prisoners that day, implying that he was going to murder her. Katara mentions her mother only a handful of times, usually to relate to another character who lost someone close to them in an effort to empathize (Aang, Haru, Jet, Zuko). People forget that she saw her mother’s dead body after running to get help. It was definitely wrong for Katara to tell Sokka that he didn’t love their mother the way she did in the Southern Raiders episode, and she definitely should have apologized. But, she was right. Sokka was shown to be closer to his father. She was in extreme emotional pain and instead of being comforted, she was criticized by Aang and Sokka for wanting revenge. How many times has Katara sacrificed something for the sake of others? She barely had a childhood considering she took on a maternal role in her tribe after her mother’s death. She had to deal with Sokka’s sexist comments, she had to suppress her talent for waterbending, and she felt isolated and alone because the one parent that was alive left to fight in the war. When someone needed encouragement, Katara was always there to encourage them. When someone needed help, she never hesitated to assist them. She often put herself in harm’s way if it meant someone else didn’t get hurt. For a 14 year-old girl in a war torn world, she is immensely brave. How many times has Zuko gone on and on about his honor, or lashed out at his Uncle for a seemingly small reason? How many times has Sokka talked about meat? Or Azula and her speeches about controlling and manipulating people? Toph and her rebelliousness? Even Aang’s laid back attitude turned into carelessness every now and then. Every character has a crutch that they attach themselves to, but Katara isn’t given the grace that other characters have been given. Yes, Aang lost his entire nation, and Katara would never know what that felt like. However, Aang wouldn’t know how Katara felt either. Aang was in the presence of children his age and was able to travel around the world to make friends (i.e. Bumi from the Earth Kingdom and Kuzon from the Fire Nation). He was taught to be less detached, so his idea of family is very different from Katara’s. He never witnessed the dead bodies of his people firsthand, though he did see Gyatso’s skeleton later on. Katara grew up in a world ruined by war. She had little to no friends, and the one person she was closest to left her life very early. Her tribe was VERY small and I doubt she had a lot of people to talk to. She had never left the Southern Water Tribe before, so it’s very likely that she was going to stay there her entire life had she not met Aang. She’s been accused of not allowing Sokka to feel sad about their mother, but why should she? It’s not Katara’s job to burden the weight of Sokka’s emotions, especially about their mother. She cannot force Sokka to open up about his feelings, that is something he must do at his own free will. Sokka hides his pain behind his masculinity. He’s protective because he feels guilty about not being able to do anything to help his mother. He doesn’t even remember what she looks like, he could only picture Katara’s face in her place. He felt even worse when his father left and he, understandably, couldn’t go with him. Sokka is not upfront about how he feels, but Katara should not be blamed for that. Overall it may be said that Katara was a flawed character that has recently been more scrutinized for her flaws than acknowledged for her strengths. We can do both, but there’s been an imbalance. She successfully revolted to free Haru’s father as well as other prisoners of the Fire Nation. She guided her friends out of the Si Wong desert despite the obstacles that stood in their way. She healed Aang and Zuko when shot by lightning, ultimately saving their lives and the lives of many other people who have been physically hurt by someone. She even washed Sokka’s underwear and sewed his pants. We can cut the girl some slack if she wants to talk about her mother, can’t we? She’s the glue that holds everyone together. Katara’s emotions make her a stronger fighter. Her trauma has shaped her into someone determined to master waterbending and has allowed her to be more empathetic to those around her. But she shouldn’t have had to go through all of that. She was forced to mature faster in order to survive. Katara can sometimes be arrogant, misguided, oblivious, and doubtful, yes. But she is also resilient, brave, selfless, and generous. That is the duality of her character. She is NOT to be disrespected. After all, as she said to Sokka in The Painted Lady, “I will never, ever turn my back on people who need me!”. And she hasn’t.

Iroh should be banned from the Earth Kingdom. It’s not an unpopular opinion that Uncle Iroh is a war criminal, but I just don’t think he should be allowed anywhere near the Earth Kingdom; either temporarily or permanently. Yes he played an instrumental role in Zuko’s redemption, with tea in his left hand and wisdom in his right. However, that does not excuse his invasion of Ba Sing Se. He laid siege to the impenetrable city for 600 days. Surely hundreds, maybe thousands of innocent people died under his commands. He broke the lower ring, home of the poorest members of the Earth Kingdom. The only reason he stopped was because his son, Lu Ten, died in battle; not aware that many citizens also died as a result of his actions. How many children’s lives has his army taken away? How many sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, aunts, uncles, and grandparents have died under his siege? Not only does he get to establish a business and earn money, he is elevated to the upper ring of the city; meanwhile an entire population can barely afford food and stable jobs. I understand that is was for plot purposes, but It’s a slap in the face to allow him to thrive in the city after Aang defeated Ozai. His wanted poster should be everywhere, not just for supposedly betraying the Fire Nation, but also for crimes against the Earth Kingdom. The very least he could do was shut down his tea shop and hand the building over to a family who may need it, and establish a tea shop in the Fire Nation. I’m not saying Iroh couldn’t be redeemed for his war crimes, but it definitely would take more than what was seen in the show for him to be forgiven for them.

Anyways, let me know what you think. This took an ungodly amount of time to write.

[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.)

[awkwardpenguinproductions]

Dragon of the yuyan any of the oneshots or overall what was THAT scene?

“That” Moment for Dragon of the Yuyan

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR PUBLISHED FICS

In Order of Series:

Anchor Point: When Zuko comes face-to-face with the Archers for the first time. MuffinLance had written it from the Archers’ POV, but I wanted to see Zuko’s take on it.

Conflict of Interest: Basically the entire thing, since it’s pretty much only that one scene, but especially that exact moment when Toshiaki realizes that his country’s leader is a monster. This is a guy who who at that point had spent fifteen years drinking the Fire Lords’ (Azulon and Ozai) kool-aid but is otherwise a pretty decent man who can’t even fathom hurting a child, and he’s suddenly presented with irrefutable proof that not only can the man he follows without question fathom such an act, he actually did it in front of his entire court. I really wanted to explore what it looked like when a regular Fire Nation joe with no real ties to Ozai other than the loyalty of a soldier to his sovereign had that kind of realization.

Melee: Definitely that moment when Zuko confronted Zheng. I didn’t really know what exactly was going to happen, but I knew that Zuko had to lose his temper in classic Zuko fashion. I kinda also wanted Zuko to show off his dao by getting cornered by a humiliated Zheng, but unfortunately that scene didn’t make the final cut.

Camaraderie: This was supposed to be what the first two chapters of Stealth ended up being, then I got to the moment where Zuko is standing in front of the calendar and sees that it’s been exactly a year since the Agni Kai and I went “welp, looks like I’m writing angst instead”. Once I had figured out what was going on, THAT scene turned out to be Ryoichi’s apology in the dorm, because I wanted to really drive home the idea that Ryoichi is radically different from every single firebending master Zuko had studied under up to that point (with the exception of Iroh).

Stealth: Honestly, this entire fic was THAT scene for me, because I absolutely love the Blue Spirit aspect of Zuko’s character and I really wanted to play with it. However, a few scenes stand out as THAT scene—

In Chapter 1 The Prank, Zuko and Kai finding the Blue Spirit mask and coming up with the idea to use it to prank Zheng

In Chapter 2 The Dare, the ENTIRE sequence with the tank, from Jiyoti catching Zuko and Kai arguing on top of it to the entire Tank Corps staring up at it on the roof. ROOF TANK

In Chapter 3 The Injustice, both the scene with Zuko eavesdropping on the soldiers and finding out about the 41st’s families not getting their benefits and the scene with him ninja’ing his way into the office for a snoop.

Mission: The end, of course. This entire fic was building up to Zuko witnessing that event and his immediate reaction to it.

Debrief: So I had a really hard time with this one, not only due to the stress of my work routine taking a complete 180 (not being able to take my beans ANYWHERE along with the 4 year old suddenly realizing that wait Mommy’s not leaving the house but the nanny is still here what is going on??? I don’t like this one bit so I’m going to act out because I don’t understand what’s happening is NO PICNIC), but also due to the fact that for a really long time, I didn’t actually have a THAT scene for Debrief. It wasn’t until I read a comment on Conflict of Interest that it finally came to me, and thus THAT scene in Debrief was Toshiaki telling Zuko that he knows Zuko’s true identity. I also really liked how I ended it.

Rebellion: Just like with Stealth, this entire fic is pretty much THAT scene, especially in terms of the series as a whole. The opening line has been rattling around in my brain since before I posted Reconnaissance. I really, really love the last flashback with Atsuko, though. I’ve had that little detail about her in my notes since I developed her character, and it was so, so hard not to just have her monologue about it.

Alliance: In the first chapter the warrior, THAT scene was definitely Sokka and Zuko’s hike through the woods where Sokka was trying to puzzle out Zuko’s language. I love Nerdy!Sokka so much, because it’s such a departure from what his character originally presents as, which is a meatheaded jock. That’s why The Northern Air Temple is one of my favorite Book 1 episodes, just because of the spotlight it gives Sokka.

Pretty much the entirety of the second chapter the waterbender was THAT scene, because half the point of introducing Zuko so early in the timeline is to see how Katara would react to him without all of their canon history getting in the way. I had always intended for her to help Zuko cut his hair, though. Not only am I a super sucker for Zuko’s Book 3 mop, but I think a MASSIVE show of trust from him would and did go a long way with gaining Katara’s trust, even subconsciously.

Nemesis: Once again, this entire fic is THAT scene, specifically of the question, “What would happen if Zuko and Jet were to meet in Jet?” Someone on Tumblr sent me an ask, and my brain caught on fire, and I produced the first draft of Nemesis in about four or five nonconsecutive hours of writing, which is about the fastest I’ve ever gone from beginning to end on a fic. Maybe someday I’ll flesh it out some more, but not any time soon.

Reconnaissance: Definitely the first few paragraphs, which is Zuko’s immediate reaction to Ba Sing Se. It’s pretty much my gut reaction to New York City, which I visit a lot because my grandparents live there. It takes me a few minutes to acclimate every time, and I imagined a Zuko who is used to the wilderness or to much smaller settlements would go absolutely feral in a city the size and density of BSS.

Hope you enjoyed! After the next five or so installments of the series go up, I’ll put up an update of this post with THOSE scenes!

[earlybirds-atla-au]

Another prompt: How does the Blue Spirt go in this AU?

Some of my basic headcanons you ought to know for this one:

Fire Lady Ilah was a member of the Yu Yan Archers

Love Amongst the Dragons is the Fire Nation’s lesbian version of The Princess Bride, with a dragon emperor and empress and water spirit thrown in.

Ursa happily decided that yeah she would jump at the chance for a royal life and accepted Azulon/Ozai’s proposal without fuss. I tend to disregard most aspects of The Search but I do keep some of the worldbuilding it gave us.

“I say we bring in the Yu Yan Archers,” Zhao said, with all the bluster of an untested sixteen-year-old cadet growing up in a nationalistic society that believed themselves superior.

Jeong Jeong arched an eyebrow. “The Yu Yan Archers,” he repeated to Iroh.

“Hm,” said Iroh, and he sipped his tea.

“I’m certain they could take down an Airbender child easily, Avatar or not,” Zhao elaborated. “Their aim is legendary. They’ve proven themselves capable of hitting targets even in hurricane-force winds!”

“Mm-hm,” said Iroh, pouring more tea for himself and Ozai. Ozai glowered at the cup.

“They say Fire Lady Ilah could pin a parakeet-beetle to a tree at fifty paces without killing it.”

Jeong Jeong stifled a wince. He really had to work on his student’s tact.

Iroh hummed. “She could,” was all he had to say on the matter. Fire Lady Ilah, while not a sore subject per se, was still...well. One did not use her in a self-serving argument one was making to her sons, particularly the son whom she’d died giving birth to. Ozai had turned his glower from his teacup to Zhao. Zhao either didn’t notice or didn’t care.

“So, we should call in the Yu Yan Archers,” Zhao said, with a decisive nod.

“A good idea, Cadet, but unfortunately one we cannot enact at this time,” Iroh said.

Zhao huffed. “Why not?” At Jeong Jeong’s look, he added, “My prince?”

“The Yu Yan archers are currently stationed in Nanyue. We were going to need their help with the upcoming campaign there, you see.”

Zhao opened his mouth - probably to tactlessly demand they recall the Yu Yan from Nanyue - but Ozai beat him to it. “I thought you’d deployed all the Nanyue Campaign forces to assist us against the Avatar, Brother.”

Iroh coughed. “Most of them, yes. But I decided it would be best if we left...a token few. To keep an eye on things.”

“To keep Father happy, you mean.”

“Cousin Jyoti is their acting captain,” Iroh said mildly. “I thought you might appreciate it if I kept her out of the way.”

Ozai’s hands twitched ever-so-slightly towards his cheeks as though to protect them before he firmly grasped his teacup. “You just don’t want her sharing her opinions on tea again,” he muttered.

Iroh’s lips were thin. “She’s entitled to her opinions, wrong though they may be.” He had another sip of tea.

~~~

“So don’t freak out guys, but you have to suck on these frogs.”

Bato really hoped that was the fever hallucinations talking, but then a frozen amphibian was shoved into his mouth. It...actually didn’t taste too bad. Maybe that was the fever hallucination talking. He started sucking, because it seemed the thing to do. Kya made a happy noise, so maybe that meant the frogs really did taste good.

“Aang,” Hakoda said around a mouthful of frog, “how was your trip? Did you make any new friends?”

Aang plopped onto Appa’s foreleg. “It was pretty uneventful. I met this nice herbalist lady in that academy, and her weird cat. This whole city’s mostly abandoned, but she refuses to leave while there’s still soldiers in the area who need her. Anyway, just keep sucking on those frogs and you guys should feel better soon.” Aang pitched his voice a bit so that it could be heard all throughout the abandoned hall they were camping in. “It’s the best we’ve got, since I don’t know how to heal with water. Or do anything with water. Except almost freeze my friends in a block of ice with myself for another hundred years!”

There was no answer to Aang’s passive-aggression. He sighed and rolled over on Appa’s leg.

The frog in Bato’s mouth started squirming. He wondered how his life had come to this.

~~~

“Captain Jyoti is requesting permission to what?”

Ursa ignored her soon-to-be-father-in-law’s ranting in the other room to focus on her soon-to-be-nephew. “Whoosa little cutie pie? Is it you? I think it’s you!”

Lu Ten’s mouth opened in a wide smile.

“No, absolutely not!” Azulon shouted. “I need someone competent to keep an eye on the situation in Nanyue! Just because the damn Trungs aren’t a priority anymore doesn’t mean I’m done with them!”

Ursa covered her face with her hands and peeked through a crack between her fingers. The smile dropped from Lu Ten’s face. She gave him a moment to process her absence before letting her hands fly open. “Peekaboo!”

Her not-quite nephew’s smile returned.

“I don’t care how much help the Yu Yan Archers might be against one Airbender! If the entire Fire Army cannot take him out, I doubt the Yu Yan could! I am saying that as someone who married into the clan, I know what they’re capable of!”

“Peekaboo!”

Lu Ten giggled.

“Peeeeeeeekaboo!”

Baby laughter truly was one of the purest noises in the world.

“Besides, I know my niece! She doesn’t want to help! She isn’t even after personal glory! She just wants to restart that argument she had with Iroh last summer solstice about whether or not herbal teas count as tea!”

“Peekaboo!”

Lu Ten’s laughter was lesser this time, though he was still smiling. He was becoming immune to the surprise, perhaps even gaining an understanding of object permanence. Well. That wouldn’t do.

“She told him chamomile is just daisy juice and now Iroh’s refused to talk to her for months. She’s just trying to corner him where he can’t ignore her!”

“Okay,” Ursa said, picking up a blue mask. Lu Ten tilted his head at it curiously. “Let’s kick peekaboo up a notch, hm?”

The toddler’s eyes just about bugged out of his skull when she lifted the mask to her face. And then he started crying.

“Oh, no!” Ursa said, quickly dropping the mask. “Look, it’s still me, see? Peekaboo! Peekaboo! Dangit, I’m sorry…”

“What’s going on here?” Janya asked, swooping over to the couch where they’d been playing. 

“I was just…” Ursa gestured helplessly at the mask.

Janya chuckled and picked up her son. Ursa pouted at the loss of the baby. “Are these from Love Amongst the Dragons?” Janya asked, looking at the masks Ursa had lying about.

“It’s my favorite!” Ursa grinned. “I thought, he’s too young to understand the book, so maybe he’d like the play masks better… But I guess not.”

Janya patted Lu Ten’s back until he stopped crying. He hid his little face in his mother’s shoulder, one little hand fisted in her collar. “Maybe you shouldn’t start out with the scary water demon mask.”

Ursa sighed. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”

“So no, Cadet Shino, you can go right back to your Captain Jyoti, and you tell my niece that she is to stay at her assigned post, refrain from instigating tea arguments with my son, and, if she is feeling particularly motivated to assist in the war effort, she can bring me the head of General Trung!”

“That’s quite the collection you have there,” Janya said, looking over the masks.

“I’m a lover of theatre,” Ursa said. “I was part of my hometown’s Thespian Society back on Hira’a! We weren’t the Ember Island Players, but we were pretty good!”

“Which General Trung? ANY OF THEM! I’M NOT BEING PICKY!”

“Oh!” Janya said, delighted. “Have you seen the Ember Island Players perform Love Amongst the Dragons? They’re quite stunning.”

“Not yet,” Ursa sighed. “Ozai said he’d take me, but, well…” She shrugged. Ozai getting shuffled off to “hunt for the Avatar” and now actually having to hunt for the Avatar had put a damper on their courtship. Hard to court someone who wasn’t there. Harder still to figure out which ports to address her letters to when the Avatar was proving to be a master of strategic maneuvering and no one knew where he’d go next.

“I’ll remind him,” Janya said. She looked back at the masks. There was the Dark Water Spirit, the Dragon Emperor, the Dragon Empress, the Rodent of Unusual Size, the Dread Pirate Ro Ba, the Shrieking Eel… “So have you ever worn any of these?”

Ursa smiled sweetly. “Not professionally.”

[kibutsulove]

It's really Azulon and Ozai

all their relationships in one photo.how is it ahhhhhh😩.....

+ Ursa 😁

I think she goes to Azulon.....

YEAHH BABY!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!

love these so much…… azulon free him 💔 also corvid ursa, my beloved, shank that serpent bitch 🙏🏼🙏🏼

I love animal symbolism so much you guys do NOT understand. If I ever post a drawing of a golden eagle just know that it’s a reference to ozai. This goes the same for a snake drawing and azulon <- the Azulon’s pet snake post was sort of an outlet for that.

If I don’t draw this ↓ in the next year or so just know that my body has been snatched by a shapeshifter

[flameohs-blog]

Can you do a meta for Zuko on his Uncle Iroh, and the most significant lessons / pieces of wisdom that he learned from him?

META    ↪ ACCEPTING / @proditeur​​

ohh boyyy… i’m gonna have to do yet another rewatch to answer this to the fullest. i honestly don’t have the time to do that right now but i do want to answer this question since my muse for atla seems to be really strong these days. i’m gonna start by splitting this into different sections because i feel like there’s A Lot i could say. i hope everything flows and ya’ll can understand my ramblings lol

zuko & uncle iroh’s relationship

obviously when we’re introduced to the series, one of the first relationships we see is the one between zuko and iroh. u can tell right off the bat that they care about one another a lot, mostly u can tell from iroh more than zuko in the beginning until that changes later on. it’s def one of the strongest relationships we see throughout the series. i don’t rmr if the series explained why iroh had left with zuko after his banishment like whether that was thru iroh’s own volition or if he was driven out by ozai as well. either way, we all know that iroh thinks of zuko as a son after his own died.

i think that’s because zuko and iroh share similarities and iroh sees that. iroh sees the potential zuko has. in the beginning, zuko is an angry individual. he gets mad easily. he gets upset easily. he gets frustrated. we do see other parts of his personality and eventually we do see him change and he becomes more like iroh in a way. here’s the thing, though. while i do believe that zuko learned a lot from his uncle…

i’m going to argue that zuko learned a lot from everyone he ever interacted with as well. not saying that his relationship with his uncle isn’t important because, i mean, it IS. their relationship was introduced to us from the very beginning so of course it’s important. the thing i’m trying to get at is that although it was iroh who was there to guide zuko in a way on his journey, it was actually zuko who helped himself. iroh never rlly told zuko what to do with his life, it was zuko who figured it out on his own. it was zuko who realized his mistakes and learned from them and grew as a person.

zuko as an individual

i’ve written this on my other blog and i’ll say it again: zuko’s redemption arc works because he was never truly a bad guy despite his mistakes with the gaang in s1-2. zuko is written as the initial villain but that’s only cos he’s hunting the avatar who has been established as the protagonist of our series. he treats aang & co as his enemies BUT he treats other people just fine for the most part. and we see that from the very beginning like in the very first episode where he promises to leave the water tribe alone if aang goes with him or in a few episodes later where he foregoes chasing appa (+ aang) bc the most important  task at hand is getting his ship and his crew out of the bad weather and into safety. 

the only reason he’s chasing the avatar is bc in his mind that’s what’s gonna gain his father’s approval. and zuko in the first 2 seasons wants nothing more than his father’s love & acceptance & approval esp since his mother is no longer in the picture. and, you know, i’m sure zuko knows from an early age that his father isn’t the best person and nor is he the best parent but… all that is put aside simply bc of the fact that ozai is his father. they are blood related. and ppl can pretend like that doesn’t matter but when you’re young, when that’s all you have, it fucking matters. i can’t explain it well atm but children want the love & acceptance & approval from their parents. it’s normal. toph is another example of this, she wants those things but doesn’t have them. their situations in a way are similar yet manifests in different outcomes.

zuko’s drive to find the avatar and take him to the fire nation is only because of his desire for his father’s approval. but the thing is that zuko was always torn between his allegiance to his father and, idk, his allegiance to be himself. zuko is not like ozai or sozin or azulon. he isn’t like azula either. he doesn’t rlly share the same ideals they do in regards to the fire nation being #1 in the world or superior to other nations or however u wanna describe it. even if he didn’t get banished, i rlly don’t believe he’d turn into the type of person the previous generations of firelords were. i think ozai saw this in zuko and that’s why he favored azula over him. it was azula who possessed the traits ozai thought was important, not zuko. but what ozai considers weakness in zuko turns out to be his greatest strengths.

underneath all that anger in the beginning, zuko was always… kind in his own ways. and he learns to be open to change and growth. in season 2 when we see him free appa from underground and throw away his blue spirit mask, it’s supposed to symbolize this awakening/change in him. but in the end of season 2, he chooses to side with azula again because like i’ve said before his desire for his father’s approval is greater than his desire for… idk… whatever else. he’s still confused. as much as i wanted zuko to join the gaang earlier, it wasn’t time for him to. we had to wait until literally halfway thru book 3 to see that and it was a lil annoying cos i would have loved to see him join earlier so they could have all had more interactions but!!!!!! i truly don’t believe that zuko throwing away the blue spirit mask was enough, hence the betrayal at the end of s2. someone could be there to guide you or influence you but ultimately your decisions in life are your own. 

lessons zuko has learned on his journey 

a) episode 2x09 - bitter work

there’s a scene where iroh is explaining all four elements to zuko and how each element contributes to different nations’ idk personalities or culture or whatever. and i always thought that scene was beautiful bc iroh isn’t insulting other nations, he’s describing their strengths. and then iroh says: 

“it is important to draw wisdom from many different places. if you take it from only one place, it becomes rigid and stale. understand others–the other elements–and the other nations will help you become whole.”

like i honestly think zuko kinda already knew that but it was never worded to him that way. we see him also learn it on his own when he parts ways with his uncle and he’s off traveling on his own. zuko has also traveled the world for years after his banishment. there’s no way he’s out there thinking the fire nation’s beliefs are the only ones that matter. he’s learned a lot from his travels imo. about himself and about others. 

this is also the episode where iroh teaches zuko how to redirect lightning so, yanno, there’s that. in one of the earlier episodes, iroh reminds zuko about the breath and how that could save his life in the cold and also another time where he instructs zuko to break zhao’s root during a duel or whatever. so def iroh not only offers advice/wisdom thru words but also thru teaching zuko firebending.

b) episode 2x17 - lake laogai

imo this episode was Wild to me mostly cos of the confrontation between zuko and his uncle. zuko’s still thinking of capturing the avatar even though at this point he and iroh are fire nation fugitives and on the wanted list. zuko is still confused and torn between being true to himself and being the son his father wants him to be. it’s iroh’s words that honestly hit a lil too close to home for me too lmao. zuko says smth about how he knows his destiny and iroh says:

“is it your own destiny or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you? it is time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big questions: WHO are you and what do YOU want?”

like i’ve said before, zuko isn’t thinking about what he wants. or maybe he has but it’s not rlly a priority for him. his priority is still pleasing his father and the only way he knows how is to capture aang. he thinks that’s what’s gonna make him happy but…

c) episode 3x06 - the avatar and the firelord

obviously zuko isn’t happy. at this point he’s returned to the fire nation and finally has what he’s wanted for years: ozai’s approval. i’m not gonna say love cos i don’t believe for one second that ozai loved his son lmfao! and nor did he love azula but that’s another story for another day. anyways, zuko thought that “killing” the avatar would make him happy and being back home would make him happy but uh. he’s changed over the years. he’s still confused about what he wants vs what his father wants. 

it’s hard for people to break away from their families, man. it rlly truly is. we as the audience know that that’s what zuko has to do but honestlyyy how many of us irl are kind of in similar positions???? it’s hard to breakaway from family (the ppl who r supposed to support u) when you don’t have other strong connections and lbr zuko doesn’t. he had his uncle and he fucked it up. but anyway this entire episode was WILD and i loved every moment of it. it goes thru the story of avatar roku and his friend sozin. but the plot twist is that roku is zuko’s great grandfather which, tbh, i was not expecting at all LMFAO. maybe it was obvious to every1 else but, man, was i in shock lol. 

the lesson in this episode is that everyone is capable of being good or evil (as aang learns) but the other lesson is that this is kind of what finally pushes zuko to change. i mean he was never truly evil as we’ve seen in the past and he’s made bad decisions but it’s this moment that drives him to come to the goddamn epiphany that, no, he isn’t happy in the fire nation. 

d) episodes 3x10 & 3x11 - the day of black sun

zuko isn’t happy in the fire nation.his father needs to be stopped cos what he’s doing is wrong. and it’s a big fckn risk to defy the firelord and leave the comfort of your home behind… like what if the avatar & co don’t accept zuko into the group? it’s a risk but zuko knows what he has to do and has probably known it for a long time. it’s hard to BREAK AWAY BUT ZUKO FINALLY DID IT. and you know what!!!!!! when zuko stood up to his father and told ozai that now it’s his (ozai’s) turn to listen to zuko……… it was literally the BEST thing ever lmfao. here’s a part of what zuko says:

“i’ve come to an even more important decision. i’m going to join the avatar and i’m going to help him defeat you.”

zuko says “I’VE come to the decision” and i think that’s important cos he came to the decision on his own. like ya his uncle was there for him but honestly like… no one told him to do any of that!!!!! underneath that anger, this is who he is: a kind, compassionate person????? now i don’t even know what i’m trying to get at anymore but i guess just the way he says “but i’ve come to an even more important decision” just gets to me like. it’s important that he made his own choice and wasn’t coerced into it bc that makes his choices more real and genuine. if zuko wasn’t a good person underneath all that anger and bitterness then would he have done this? no, lol. the audience loves zuko’s redemption arc because he never truly bad on the inside, he made mistakes, realized them, made the active decision to do better and be better for others, and does that continuously thru s3 and we can assume after the series ends as well. zuko in s3 isn’t the zuko in s1 and we SEE that and that’s what we love abt his arc.

e) tea

isn’t zuko seen serving tea to every1 in the finale at the very end. like i’m sure iroh taught him how to brew the right cup of tea lmfao!!!!! idk much about diff types of tea but uh there’s diff temperatures u heat the water and how long u steep it and idk guess it’s an art huh

[firenationskydominion]

Chapter 2: The Analysis of Ozai

Prisoner Ozai has been moved to a modern house on a distant volcano island, which is not known on Firenation maps as it’s in another dimension. A force field limits exiting the perimeter around the house. Another force field restricts the movements of the prisoner: he can be touched but when he shows aggression the field stuns. The house has advanced electronics to monitor all rooms.

  Ozai wakes in the morning, surprised to find himself in a comfy bed in silk sheets instead of his prison cell. He hears beautiful music and birds singing. It’s warm. He thinks: I must be dead, but not reborn. I feel alive, but this is too nice to be hell. A faint beep is heard regularly. It stops when he opens his eyes. He sees a white ceiling, he’s in a wooden bed. Drapes are drawn on one side of the room and a blinking white machine stands beside his bed. A shadow vanishes under the bed. His reflexes kick in. He jumps out of the bed and looks below it. Two blue eyes look back at him. A small animal with blue eyes, a long tail, cream colored with brown paws and snout looks at him. Like a batcat without wings, he thinks. The animal approaches and vocalizes something, then it runs off.

  He gets out of his bed and looks at his worn but toned body. He looks into the mirror. He has aged, but he trained in his cell. He is naked and follows the lights on the floor to another room. He remembers entering the pod and then having faded out. And a kiss. He is aroused but feels horribly sick at the same time.

  He is startled by a voice coming from a round sphere rolling around on the floor. A digital assistant who greets and welcomes him, shows him the bathroom, his wardrobe and the rooms amenities. Ozai is shocked by the advanced technology and confused, but happy to be free and able to clean up and put on proper Firenation clothing.

Please follow me the sphere says and leads him to a darkened room with a screen in the front. The sphere bids him to sit down and watch. A curtain opens up on the screen and the Fire nation throne room comes up.

  Courtroom

  Present Firelord Zuko, Avatar Aang, Judge Kanto, Jury members, Timelord Mya in the defense of former Firelord Ozai.

  JK:       You, Timelord Mya have come forward to demand an inquest into former Firelord Ozais imprisonment. Mya Timelord, would you like to give your opening statement?

  M:        Firelord Zuko, Avatar Aang, Judge Kanto, dear Jury. I have asked you to join me today to offer you a request. I am a time lord. Whenever I see an imbalance in the time space continuum I come and intervene. In this case I saw that the imprisonment of Ozai will lead to a spiral of violence which will plague your world for centuries and which will ultimately lead to the destruction of your civilization. Furthermore there are legal issues with his imprisonment which I want to elaborate in this court. This is why I have made the decision to intervene. I have a proposition for you. Hand Ozai over to me, as a prisoner. I will remove him from your world for the time being until he is reformed.

  JK:       In order to judge on your request we need witness accounts. Do you have witnesses?

  M:        Honourable Judge, I would like to call in Avatar Aang as witness.

JK:       Calling in Avatar Aang.

M:        Avatar Aang, was Ozai the first Firelord to pursue you?

A:         No, Azulon started the quest.

M:        Did Ozai start the Hundred Year war?

Aang:   No. Sozin started the war. It was then continued with great advances by Azulon and then Ozai took over.

M:        So did Ozai kill all the airbenders and the water tribes?

Aang:   No Azulon and Sozin did.

M:        Was Ozai involved in any military offensives before he took over the reins three years ago?

Aang:   No, Iroh led the offensive and siege on Ba Sing Se.

M:        So we can only judge three years in which Ozai took over from his father and brother?

Aang:   Yes, that’s right.

M:        Do you agree that Ozai was not involved in any of the crimes committed by other family members before his reign?

Aang:   ....Yes.

M:        How about the outer rim of Firenation and the colonies. Is there any cultural exchange or economic exchange between the colonies and the Fire Nation?

Aang:   Yes, a few of the cities have really grown in the colonies and are thriving.

M:        So I formally object that we blame Ozai for any failings, which were done by any other Firelord and also acknowledge that apart from his later continuation of the ongoing offensive on Ba Sing Se, his main objective was to increase trade exchange.

JK:       Objection approved.

M:        Then let's see. Ozai planned to scorch the Earth nation, but was defeated by you before he managed to do that.

A:         Yes, that's true.

M:        Crazy guy, wanting to burn a whole country down, isn't it? Like someone on a rage spree burning down his neighbours house. If he had been a farmer, we'd call him mad for burning down his neighbours crops and give him therapy, maybe lock him up in a mental institution. But it’s his bad luck that he's the Firelord and a powerful fire bending master under the magnifying force of a comet. He clearly had a manic meltdown. So we lock him up in a cold cell without daylight. Do you think opportunity facilitated the crime in this case?

A:         I guess so.

JK:       No assumptions, please.

M:        Fine, my angle here is that we are blaming Ozai for an opportunity he only had because he was pushed into that position. He is manic-depressive. The pressure of the siege led him to experience a manic episode. If we judge him, we must also judge the fire sages and all noble people of the Fire Nation who expected him to do something outrageous, to make his mark as the second born pretty boy son. They nurtured and fed his manic state of mind. But this is not a trial of fire nation society, but of one man. Not a monster, not a demon, just one guy who went on a crazy rampage burning everything because for one moment during Sozins comet he could. A man, who had nothing to his name - except being the second born prince. Who spent his youth not chasing girls but training firebending on Ember island and training his abs. Who - without experience or any formal military role - became the Firelord. A man with a troubled family. A guy who perfected his skills of firebending. The only thing that was left to him after his wife left. A craft, which you ultimately took from him.

A:         Yes I did.

M:        Firebenders need sunlight. If you lock an earthbender or a waterbender into a cellar, he will still be exposed to his elements several times a day. But a firebender in a cold hole below earth is particularly cruel. He can’t bend fire, but denying him sunlight is torture.

A:         ....

M:        So why do you all fear him so much still? You have taken all he had. Let me deal with the rest. All I ask from you is to leave him to me. I will take him to another dimension where we will work on his issues. The chances of progress are far better there than here. Furthermore, he won't be able to contact any of his former allies. He’ll be safely locked away.

  As second witness I call in Fire Lord Zuko:

  M:        Firelord, you're the son of Ozai. I understand the pain he has brought on you, like all of us will. But tell me, when you were little, were things different then?

Z:         Well, I suppose yes. I remember him as my father. He was always very strict but we also had good times on Ember island on the beach.

M:        When did things go sour?

Z:         When Lu Ten fell in the war and my father was suddenly pressured by many noble people of the Firenation to become Firelord.

M:        How do you mean pressured?

Z:                     They had all lost family and General Irohs reaction - although very understandable - enraged many of the families who had pulled through similar tragedies.

M:        Was your father used to this kind of pressure?

Z:         No, I don't think so.

M:        Did he have any military role or training?

Z:         No, he was a master firebender and was more into expanding that craft. He wanted to be the best and do new innovative stuff.

M:        So we have a man who is pushed to a spot, where he has no experience and where his hunger for power ultimately backfired. And he paid a big price for his inquest, didn't he.

Z:         Yes, my grandfather, FireLord Azulon asked him to kill me.

M:        And yet you are alive!

Z:         Yes, my mother found a way to deal with Azulon and went to exile for that.

M:        Did you know that your mother had married Ozai on an arranged marriage?

Z:         Yes, but on amicable terms.

M:        Did you know that she was engaged before and who kept up that relationship even after she became Firelord Ozai's wife?

Z:         !!!!!

M:        I am sorry to bring this up. But this was the moment when things went sour for Ozai. She told your father that her former fiancé was your father, but Ozai knew that she was lying. She did it to hurt him. He in turn promised her to treat you like a bastard son, so that you would turn out different than him. He loves her still and he loves you, in a twisted way. This culminated in your scorched face and your exile to get you away from him. He still loves your mother, Firelord. And all he does is a futile attempt to get her back.

Z:         No, this can't all be true!!

M:        I am the Timelord, I see it clearly. I can play it to you, but I want to spare you the pain. Ozai is a conflicted man, full of doubts and a volatile self-esteem, who easily falters under extreme pressure. He is manic-depressive. The loss of his wife tossed him into a manic-depressive cycle. The phoenix king is his manic side. He was left by all women in his life. His mother died young, his beloved wife played him and does so still now. Locking him up is not going to produce any betterment or results.

  JK:       I want to see if there is any base to your accusations. We will retreat to the private chamber and adjourn this session in 20 Minutes.

  Twenty minutes later back in the courtroom.

  JK:       I am reopening the session after the break. The accusations of Mya Timelord were accurate. I am sorry, Firelord Zuko.

Z:         This cannot be....

M:        Things are not always the way they look on the surface. Overcome your own hunger for revenge and take an unbiased view on Ozai.

M:        As third witness I want to call in the brother of the accused, Retired General Iroh.

JK:       Calling in Retired General Iroh of the Fire Nation.

  M:        General Iroh, you fought for years for the Fire Nation?

I:          Yes...

M:        In that function you were responsible for directly slaying hundreds of people during the war. Yet you changed sides after your own son died. It took a personal hit to make you fall, the fate of others never left you unhinged.

I:          It was a bloody war on all sides...

M:        Yet, If you had not gone travelling in those lands during exile, but stayed in FireNation, do you think you would be this amicable towards the other cultures of this world?

I:          No, I don't think I would.

M:        So why do you think that Ozai, who in fact has never left FireNation but was brainwashed by all his family to hate and look down on anything other, should be lenient? He is a product of his upbringing and of his surroundings. Do you think that he might have changed if you had become Firelord and he had gone to exile instead?

I:          (ponders... ) I don't know. He is very strong willed, power hungry, ambitious and has a loose temper. But he might very well have.

M:        So in deed, we have someone who never really had the opportunity to learn other views, who is blinded by his convictions, who has manic episodes and we lock him up in a cell where he simmers in his own soup of prejudice, depression and misanthropy. And we call that progress...?

I: ...

  Zuko:    We cannot let him go like this. Not after all that he did!

M:        We are better than him, aren't we? And dont' forget. He will not be free. He will be in a maximum security facility in another dimension, with me. He will have access to daylight. He will have no contact to other people unless it's in alignment with his parole regulations. So are we better than Firelord Ozai?

Aang:   I guess so. In order to create balance we must adjust the scale. Punishment is not productive, I agree on that.

M:        A dictator is the sum of function inducing fear, appearance and power. You have taken away the function, the fear and the power, what left is just the guy. Let me deal with the guy. You can then focus on rebuilding this world without his shadow. Let his shadow be my problem.

  JK:       The Jury will now retreat to consult with the Firelord and the avatar.

  They left to consult behind closed doors.

  JK:       We are concluding our session with my closing statement and verdict. The jury together with the Firelord and the Avatar have listened to all objections and inquests of Mya the Timelord. After weighing in the testimonies and the evidence we comply with Timelord Mya's request, under the condition that we get weekly progress reports on the developments and any change of his parole regulations are defined by this panel. The jury will drink the potion of lost thoughts and will forget all said today. I herewith sign the sentence.

  Mya approached the Judge and scanned the sentence with a blue stone.

  The film ends and Ozai is utterly confused. What is a time lord? Why Timelord and not Timelady? And why does she take such a great interest in him? He feels exposed and vulnerable. He hates that feeling. He almost wishes to be back in his cell. He sits there clenching his fists, trying to control the anger. Who is she to drag his life into the open like this and his feelings for Ursa, his rage, his sadness, his will to outshine his misery? At least the jury is not going to spill the beans to the public. He gets up, angry and looking for answers.

  The sphere offers to show him the house. Ozai follows. The house is modern with wood set in nature. Exotic plants and birds are outside the windows. The sphere takes him through a long corridor to a large living room with a high fireplace and gallery on top lining the room. He imagines the magnificent fire and instinctively poses his hand to ignite. Then he remembers his loss of firebending. The room is decorated with antique Asian and Polynesian artworks. Many dragons, which remind him of home. Wherever he walks the beautiful music follows him. The room smells of jasmine and sandalwood. Two beautiful blue-eyed cats are roaming around and a crow watches him attentively from the gallery. On one side, he sees a door to a dining room and another one to a vast library. He goes into the library and sees that most books are not in Kanji. On the mantle are little pictures of Mya and others in silver frames.

  The dining room is empty, but a fruit bowl makes him realize that he’s no longer sick and how hungry he is, so he grabs an apple. The other fruit look unknown to him. He leaves back for the living room which has a french window to the terrace.

  Ozai is met on the terrace in front of a infinity pool by Mya. She is wearing a sheer blue and green gown over a bikini. She has flowers in her hair. He gets hard immediately seeing her like that.

  M:        Welcome to the island, Ozai. Thank you for being my guest.

O:        I saw that ridiculous trial. I did not think that you despise me that much... dragging my life out like that. I thought you‘d fight honourably.

M:        I don’t despise you, I am trying my best to understand you. I wanted you out, I got you out. Sometimes a good result requires bad methods. I am not an angel. I wanted you to see it. No secrets, full transparency.

O:        So what is this all about? What am I doing here?

M:        We are here to work on your issues. I did not mean to hurt you. I am sorry.

O:        So you think I am a crazy man?

M:        You’re an overambitious man who did bet on the wrong horse. You took a plausible path, albeit not the most ... humanitarian one. We have opposing views on a few things. But we can work together.

O:        Tell me, what am I doing here? Am I your slave? Who are you to distort my life like this.

M:        Your story, dear Ozai, does not end in a dim prison cell. You still have a big role to play - a role which will dwarf being the Phoenix king- and to redeem yourself. I will guide you on your journey.

O:        I am leaving...

M:        Make no mistake, my love, you are still a prisoner. But in a more agreeable jail. If you try to run a force field will contain you. Same for violence. But you are free to move about in and around the house, if you follow my instructions. Our conversation is recorded for further parole hearings. So consider well, if you prefer the cold dark cell.

  Ozai seems to be mad, but then he closes his eyes. When he opens them he’s much calmer. He looks around, sees the vastness of the sea, the mountain rising at the other horizon, the surrounding exotic jungle. His spirits rise. He smiles. There are flocks of birds flying over the sea and the scent of flowers is in the air. And the sun is shining full force. He takes off his cloak, stands in the sunlight, showing off his abs, with his eyes closed and fuels in on the sunlight.

  M:        Are you enjoying the sun?

O:        Yes, I feel the sun on my skin! Finally! I feel much stronger. Much more alive.

M:        I am glad to hear that.

O:        You call me a madman and yet you kissed me...

M:        You looked very... kissable. You’re interesting. I am not afraid of you, although maybe I should be.

O:        How did I get here?

M:        Sorry, I had to sedate you for transport for this location. You‘re not supposed to know where you are.

O:        We are not in Fire Nation territory?

M:        No, we’re not. I’ll tell you more in due time. Let‘s just soak in the sun, shall we?

  Both lie in the sun on loungers in silence for a while.

  M:        Do you ever get sunburnt?

O:        Never...

M:        We should record a session for your dear son.

O:        Spare me with requests from my son. I don‘t want to think about him now. I want to feel alive again. I want to look at the sea, at the sky, the sun and at you! I want to feel the energy and feel alive from core to shell.

M:        You look quite alive to me. Alive enough to answer my questions.

  Ozai felt a short tight squeeze on his chest from the force field. He gasped for air, looked at Mya in anger and then complied.

  Session 4:

  M:        What would you do at home on such a lovely day?

O:        We were at war. I did not have the luxury to enjoy sunny days.

M:        Before you became Fire Lord?

O:        Training outdoors, firebending and Agni Kai against other firebenders. Family. Maybe Ember island.

M:        And as Fire Lord? How did a typical day look?

O:        I was woken by a servant, prepped and dressed. Then I had breakfast, sometimes with my generals or my daughter. Then strategic meetings. In the evening I’d meet with influential families to gain their support for the war.

M:        How did you relax?

O:        ???

M:        You’re so intense, there must be a way in which you let off steam... Making love to beautiful girls and/or boys?

O:        I won’t answer that (embarrassed)

M:        You cannot just pile on without letting off some steam...

O:        Fire bending... training forms... Agni Kai...probably.

M:        Now without your bending powers you must be quite stressed out.

O:        I meditate.

M:        Do you achieve balance?

O:        I feel the rage.

M:        Too much energy?

O:        I don’t like being confined. I was now confined for two years.

M:        Let’s try something. Follow me. Sit down to meditate. Don’t be afraid, it’s nothing to be worried about.

So, are you calm and relaxed?

O:        I can’t relax.

M:        Give me your hands. We will make a journey in your mind.

O:        No, thank you. I have no intention to. Last time it left me shattered when I woke up and had to face the grim reality of my prison cell.

M:        Fair enough, then let’s just sit together and enjoy the sun, enjoy being alive and have some good tea.

O:        Where is the tea?

M:        Would you like some? I have some exquisite Gyokuro tea...worthy for a celebration on your first day with me.

  Mya goes, gets the kettle, sets up tea in a tiny Japanese tea set. Ozai watches her and is feeling very hot. But he also feels that he‘s restricted by the force field, which creates an invisible pulsating cage around him.

  M:        Your tea, Lord Ozai.

O:        Now I feel alive.

  We drink tea silently. Awkward silence. He looks relaxed and musters something akin to a smile. I feel like kissing him, but I restrain myself.

  Then I pour him a cherry blossom tea. He closes his eyes and enjoys the smell. When he opens his eyes I see desire in them.

  He slowly drinks tea and watches me with his sly ember eyes, like a fox eyeing his prey. His hands reach forward to touch my breasts. He is surprised that there is no stun. I move towards him and whisper in his ears that I’ve stopped the tape and his cage. His arms grab me and we kiss. He drags me to his bed. He undresses me slowly until I am naked. His lips and tongue are on my neck. I feel his breath on my skin. I feel his tongue in my mouth, the heat from his body. The smell of his body. I feel his possessiveness and the frenzy of a madman, the fire and the danger. I taste the salty taste of his sweaty skin. We make love and I enjoy every bit of him until I lose myself. When he did he had gripped the mattress of the lounger, which was now scorched.

  O:        This feels so good, you feel so good, I have been waiting for this for so long...

  He smelled the burnt linen and opened his eyes.

  O:        Did I do this?

  He looked at the lounger incredulously.

  M:        Remember, Aang said you can‘t bend fire to harm others. So if you find a new approach to firebending, your powers might come back. Sex might be a first clue. We might call it Firefucking or maybe fuckbending?

O:        Then let‘s fuckbend ten times a day... he whispered and grinned ear to ear. For the first time since I knew him, he seemed happy.

  He was exhausted and I covered us up with a blanket. I took a shower and then I jumped into the pool and he followed me.

  O:        the water is warm!

M:        Yes, I know you folk don‘t like cold water.

He pinned me against the edge and kissed me. He looked tired.

I was getting aroused again, but I worried about him, so I got out.

  M:        Prison surely strained you. We’ll do a health check to see if you have any imbalances.

O:        What health check?

M:        Heart, BP, Blood, the usual.

  We went to the medical bay.

  M:        Are you cold. You look queasy.

O:        I am not used to stand around like this, exposed in front of a pretty woman.

M:        We’re not being naughty now, sorry. O: My dick thinks otherwise.

M:        Don’t worry, the check will be over soon and then we can continue our fuckbending research.

  Does medical check.

  M:        Your body has suffered in jail, but we can patch you up.

  Moves to desk, mixes a protein drink.

  M:        Drink this, it will help you recover your strength. You’ll need all of it for our journey.

O:        Is the journey spiritual or are we really going away? I am starting to like it here.

M:        For the time being we’re here, but our time together is a journey.

  We went to the dining room, both hungry like wolves. The sphere had already served different dishes. I was amused to see that Ozai put huge amounts of hot sauce on everything.

  After dinner I pulled him into his bedroom. I kissed him and he took me slowly from behind.

  I lay in his arms and he caressed my face.

O:        You‘re such a strange girl...

M:        No one called me a girl since ages...

O:        Why did you really save me?

M:        You‘re too hot to rot in jail... and then as I said, the world is in turmoil and I need your help. I‘ll tell you all about it tomorrow.

We went to bed and he fell asleep at once.

  Ozai woke up, me in his arms.

O:        You‘re still here.

M:        Yes, I have been watching you sleep.

O:        Why would you do that?

M:        In sleep we are unmasked. I see your pain, your fear of abandonment. You still love her, don‘t you?

O:        Did I say her name in my dreams?

M:        ... She hurt you, left you, married another guy she was dating behind your back. And yet, you love her still. You‘re a good guy, Ozai.

O:        (laughing) No one ever called me that before!

M:        It‘s true. You‘re hurting. Your whole self esteem came crashing down when she ditched you for a farmer. I feel your sadness.

I kissed his head

M:        I mean it. You‘re so loyal, that it breaks you. You got played and everyone needs to suffer because you can‘t punish those who have hurt and abandoned you.

O:        Whenever I see my kids, I see her.

M:        And in her you see your loving mother who also left you so early. You‘re haunted, you need to let go, move on, build a new life. All the violence in the world will not turn the clock back. I know you feel like destroying everything, but it’s not a solution. We’ll fix your broken heart and your complicated life. We‘ll work on it, here.

O:        Is that the journey?

M:        Part of it. Remember: you now have the freedom to just be Ozai, without the Firelord burden. People here will like you for who you are, not what crown you wear. You don‘t have to induce fear to be loved and respected.

O:        Can you bend time? Make all this go away.

M:        I so much wish I could. Doesn’t work that way, sorry.

I hugged him and whispered that I’d stay by his side.

O:        Until you leave me too.

M:        No, my love, you will leave me eventually, but I will always remember and preserve you in my heart.

Ozai closed his eyes. Then he suddenly grabbed and hugged me, held me and kissed my head, then my lips.

  O:        Mya, you’re a gift from the gods!

M:        Ozai, some people consider me a God.

O:        Oh, I just fucked a goddess, my goddess of fuckbending.

  Mya left to shower and to get dressed. Ozai let the hot water pour over his body. When he got dressed, Mya was already gone. Ozai went out to find her.

  He stood in the living room and saw Mya on the terrace. She was sitting at a table. The cats, a black squirrel and the crow were listening to her attentively. Then he noticed that all the shrubs around her were full of songbirds. The ground was full of spiders. She let the crow fly, it let out a craw and was answered by a thousandfold other crow voices. The cats and squirrel ran, so did the wave of spiders. All songbirds flew out and darkened the sun for a brief moment, before they also flew away.

  She turned around.

M:        Ozai, you are here.

O:        What was this?

M:        My messengers flew out. I need to know about the state of the worlds.

  Mya smiled and approached him. Ozai felt uneasy. This was a type of magic that he had never seen in his world. He was weary of women with mystic powers, he had been burnt once already...

  M:        We have had two wonderful days, but now it is time to get to work.

O:        What are you talking about?

M:        I have to hand in a report with your progress and we need to make quick strides. Follow me!

  Mya led Ozai through the garden downhill over stone steps. At the bottom of the path they reached a road and next to it was an arena with stone figures.

M:        This is the place where we will rediscover your firebending - without carnal pleasures. You can train here.

O:        But my bending is gone.

M:        We will see. I want you to be ready to use your craft when your bending powers return. I can also show you some new tricks. Clench a fist, yes, but stronger. Don’t let go!

  Mya pointed with one finger and then hit his nerve superfast. His fist sprang open involuntarily.

O:        Aah! What was that?!?

M:        Speed, element of surprise and detailed knowledge of human anatomy.

O:        My hand is still sore!

M:        I use this if my opponent has a dagger.

O:        Honourable warriors don’t fight like this.

M:        Not all foes have honour.

O:        ...

M:        Show me some forms, I want to learn.

  Mya and Ozai spent the day practicing forms. As a Timelord Mya had the unique talent to empathize so greatly with people that she would literally replicate them and their abilities. Ozai was a great firebending teacher and more patient than Mya would have expected. After an hour Ozais hands started to smoke and a small flame showed. He was very excited.

  O:        My power is returning! But, how?

M:        You are using firebending for altruistic reasons: you are teaching and helping me. And you’re a motivated teacher. As the Avatar said: to not use it for evil purposes or against others.

  After hours passed, Mya had also managed to produce some smoke and Ozai left again for the house.

  In the evening Mya wrote her first report.

 Report 1: Week 1

This is an account of prisoner Ozais progress.

  Ozai is a deeply conflicted person who has detachment issues and who resorts to rash decisions when under extreme internal or external pressure. He has a manic-depressive disorder. In his manic episodes, he shows megalomaniac tendencies, while his depressive side is more subdued. In those episodes, he tends to make self-harming decisions.

  Without the shell of his function as Firelord there are traces of kindness. His empathy needs cultivation.

We have these points, which I want to stress in him:

Detachment and inner balance

Cultivation of empathy

Balance

Coping with stressors to avoid triggers

Developing maturity

Sense of self

Responsible decision-making

 The same evening, cozied up in his arms in front of the fireplace, we also recorded another session:

 Session 5:

 M:        So, we’re back on tape. Ozai, how are you?

O:        Fine. I feel good.

M:        Zuko was worried about your dignity. All intact?

O:        You showed me that nasty trick and my hand feels dead... other than that all dignified and good.

M:        Anything you want to say?

O:        I wish that you could also talk to Azula, but I worry for your safety if you did.

M:        With her I would take on another approach, not one that might remind her of her mother.

O:        I tried my best when they were small, but being a father and a firelord at war, it is hard not to confuse both roles. One gets used to ... violence.

M:        Everything was meant to fail from the beginning. And all parents fail their kids. They’re both alive and fierce.

O:        Zuko hates me. I am concerned about Azula. My wife... I should have protected Azula from her scheming. I was totally focused on myself, Firenation and the siege on Ba Sing Se.

M:        Are you convinced that Zuko hates you? Does it make you sad?

O:        Sad?...

M:        He‘s the one pestering me about your dignity and your wellbeing...

O:        ... I wasn‘t aware of that. It pleases me to hear that. But that boy is just too soft to stand the hardships of being a Firelord. All those Agni Kais I had to fight against usurping generals to strengthen my position. Some of which I had considered personal friends! All those hours I had to learn tactics, strategy, negotiation skills... only to find out that sometimes brute force was the only viable solution. He hasn’t fought or learnt one of these lessons. His days are numbered.

M:        Here, a jasmine tea flower. Let me pour you a cup. Close your eyes, feel it.

O:        A symbol of love?

M:        Of love and redemption.

O:        I guess I could use both...

M:        You can get love from me, redemption is yours to make.

 Ozai was tired after the recording. I sat next to him and took his hand.

 M:        Things will improve.

O:        There are still people who consider me the real god given Firelord. Zuko should have killed me to take the throne.

M:        He cares too much about you to do that. Do you still want to be Firelord?

O:        More than anything else.

 I caressed his face, those beautiful warm coloured but cold eyes. He closed them. Was he yet revealing too much? He seemed sad. We sat next to each other for a while. Then he looked at me, got up and left. I found him in his room. As I wanted to enter, he bid me to leave.

O:        I am your prisoner. I want to be alone. Give me some privacy to meditate.

M:        Of course.

 I retreated.

 He sat down to meditate, but he could not concentrate. He had to think about her all the time. He was falling for her and he did not like much of what she said, although it felt true. He missed her touch, her voice, her body... he thought about her all the time. He was falling in love. His heart was on fire.

[science-fiction-is-real]

Problems with “The Search” and how i would fix it.  part 1.  Ursa

“The Search” is like the Star Wars prequels for the Avatar Universe.  Its a story we waited a long time to see, but when we got it, actually disappointed a lot of us.  Some of you liked “The Search.”  That’s fine.  I’m not here to shit on you.  But I personally found it disappointing, and when I find a story disappointing, my writer’s instincts kick in, and I immediately want to figure out how I could have done it better.

So here are my main problems with the Search, and how I would fix them.  Let’s start with the main character, shall we.

Ursa, her problems, and how I would have done it better

Ursa is a problem in the comics because the Ursa we got in the show was an entirely different person.  Lets compare and contrast.

Ursa in “Zuko Alone” was a REALLY COOL character.  After only five minutes of screen time, she immediately became one of my favorites.  Her name is literally “Mama Bear” and she tells us herself that she would do anything to protect her children.  With Zuko and Azula she is a loving nurturer and stern, steady guide. (Yes, many fans criticize how Ursa treated Azula, but that’s a different argument for a different post.)

But while the Ursa we see directly on screen is kind and gentle, it is implied that Ursa behind the scenes is a political animal, a bad ass who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty, a power player who pulls strings and changes the course of history.  When Azula tells Zuko their grandfather is dead, it is strongly implied that Ursa has straight up iced a bitch.  She killed a man.  She pulled a Lady Macbeth.  On a kids show.  That leaves an impact.  And we respect her for it.

Ursa in the show is a badass.

Ursa in the Comics is a sloppy mishmash of many different ancient and vaguely misogynistic tropes.  I can understand the story Gene Yang and Bryke were going for in “The Search.”  They wanted to create a tragic figure out of her. Comics Ursa was swept from a world in which she was happy to the evil and twisted world of the Fire Nation Royal Court.  She gets caught up in an abusive relationship she can’t escape, as well as some political plots she wants no part of.  Eventually she is torn away from everything she loves, leaving her with no choice but to desperately go to memory wiping face spirit for some relief. The Search reads like a greek tragedy, with Ursa as the ever suffering maiden at its center.  While Show Ursa was a Lady Macbeth, Comic Ursa is an Ophelia or a Desdemona, someone who is 100% sympathetic and lovable, but who ends up being destroyed by a great evil beyond their control.

Ursa in the Comics is very much a victim of circumstances who has very few chances to exercise agency over her life.   It bothers me how determined the writers seem to strip Ursa of her agency.  Ursa in the comics has no control over her life.  Every decision is made for her.  Her marriage is arranged.  Her husband pulls the strings and micromanages her life, and when he is done with her, he is the one who makes the decision for her to leave.

Real women in real life are faced with similar problems.  Women in many cultures don’t have much control over their own fates, so there is absolutely nothing wrong about portraying a fictional character suffering the same circumstances.  But the writers seem to take it a step further by taking away ALL her decisions.  The main reason we admired her in the show was her decision to kill Azulon.  In the Comics, that decision is given to her husband.  Ursa only is allowed to passively hand him a vial of poison.  Gene and Bryke take away Mama Bear’s kill count.

But what enrages me most about Comics Ursa is what she does when the writers finally DO give her a chance to make decisions for herself.  When exercising the little agency she does have, Ursa makes no effort to improve the quality of life for herself or her family.  In fact, she behaves with the emotional maturity of a 12 year old child.

Her main rebellion against her abusive husband is to write letters to her old boyfriend she knows won’t even be sent.  She makes the confusing decision to lie about her son’s parentage.  She does this, not because it will improve her situation in any way, but because she knows it will hurt her husbands feelings.  That is the only reason she gives.  Even though you could argue Ozai deserves it, it still seems cruel and petty on Ursa’s part.  Not only that, it puts her boyfriend’s life in danger, it puts Zuko at risk for abuse, and, later, it forces Zuko to needlessly endure the trauma of having to question his own origins.  I truly have no idea why the writers would include that story line.

But the icing on the shit cake is when Ursa completely abandons her parental responsibilities all together.  When Ursa, again not by her own choice but because she is a victim of circumstance, is separated from her children, she makes no effort to get them back, try to help them from the sidelines, or even honor her children’s memory.  She elects to have her memory completely erased, forgetting she has children in the first place.  The explanation the writers give is that Ursa could not bear the separation, and since there was nothing she could do to improve her situation, the only way she could be happy was to wipe her memory.  Ursa, and the writers, forget how cruel this is to Zuko and Azula, who now will never have a chance to get in contact with her even if they are freed from their father’s grasp.  

But the real problem with the amnesia story is that it just isn’t something an admirable main character would do, a really shitty attitude for a main character to have.  Giving herself amnesia is a way for Ursa to give up.  She just gives up?  Really?  She would rather forget her responsibilities all together than fight an uphill battle to carry them out?  REALLY?  Even if she had decided to passively endure missing her children without doing anything about it, that would have been better.  The writers turn Ursa into the worst possible thing a main character can be, a quitter.  And it makes me want to punch a wall.

“Mama Bear” indeed.

SO.... HOW WOULD I FIX THIS..........

The first thing I would do give Ursa more choices in her life.  Characters can be very interesting when we see how they act when they don’t have many options, but I won’t do that to her right away.  

Ursa marries Ozai by choice.  This doesn’t necessarily have to be because she “loves” him, it could be because of politics, or to help herself or someone else.  Whatever her reason, she actively chooses to take up the mantel of being a member of the royal family.  It is not forced upon her.

Maybe as the story goes on, as the corruption of the Royal family becomes more and more evident, as Ozai becomes more and more abusive, we can back her into a corner a little, take away some of her options.  However, in my version of the search, Ursa is a strategic thinker as opposed to the emotionally reactive child we got in Bryke and Gene’s version.  Her response to her abusive husband is to do things she knows will protect her children, whether that be trying and failing to separate from him, placating him as best she can, or seeing her bravely pick up the pieces of the damage he leaves behind.  Watching characters keep themselves sane when they are under stress can be an awesome thing to behold, lets have ursa do it in ways that aren’t petty, selfish, and pointless.  I’m going to show her being brave, willing to rock the boat when she needs to or willing to be a stabilizing rudder when she needs to as well.  My Ursa would be a force for good.

Another thing is I want to show Ursa showing a little bit of the string pulling and tide turning abilities she was shown as having in the show (or at least how i interpreted it)  She is a princess of the Fire Nation for heck’s sake.  Let’s see her get stuff done in the royal court, or try to at least.  Lets see her actively protest her husband’s ambition and ruthlessness in how he does his business.  Lets see her take an active understanding of the world around her.

I would of course give the Azulons murder back to her.  I understand why they gave the kill to Ozai--because they can’t have a good guy kill someone in a story made for younger audiences.  But Avatar never shied away from darker themes in the show, so why should they in the comics.

One interesting theme they sort of hint on in the show is that the Fire Nation corrupts what would otherwise be good people.  We get the sense that Ozai was corrupted by his father, and Ozai corrupted his children in turn.  We are told that the people in the fire nation are not bad, but the culture of war they live in compells them to do bad things.  I think it would be really interesting watching Ursa deal with the reality that she has been corrupted by the Fire Nation.  She is not a killer, but circumstances drew her to be one.  Its an interesting theme, and I want to use Azulon’s death to highlight it.

When it comes to the aftermath of Azulon’s death, I don’t think it matters if Ursa leaves of her own free will or is kicked out by Ozai.  Either one makes sense.  But I want her to do something productive when she leaves.  I want her to make plans about getting her children back, or bringing Ozai down, or at least living to fight another day as Aang puts it to us so eloquently.  One idea I had is that she could operate an underground railroad to help political enemies, detractors, and dissidents escape the Fire Nation unharmed.

There are some things I might change that aren’t necessary for the story but I think would be cool.  I would like to make Ursa a fire bender.  I always assumed she was when I watched the show, since she is the grandchild of the motherfucking Avatar and both her kids are kick asses.   Maybe we could even have her and Ozai get into a badass fight scene at some point.

Of course, Ursa isn’t the only problem with “The Search,”  But that’s a topic for a different post, which I will be following up with soon.

Do you have any thoughts on Ursa, “The Search,” or ATLA comics?  Go ahead and comment.