#like that's interesting!!! it shows how she puts on a facade as a defence mechanism just like josh did

[dangerliesbeforeyou]

me: hmm yeh i kinda get the criticism of this female character, she's not overly complex or interesting but she's Cool so that's basically why people like her which is fine

me 3 seconds later when i hear others shit talking her: actually fuck that, she IS complex AND interesting and i will defend her with my LIFE

[zuzuslastbraincell]

The interesting thing about Southern raiders is that Zuko shows that he still cares and vulnerability for Azula when he says, "Shes not going to make it". But then he says "of course she does" when she saves herself, as though why am I worrying about Azula? She's never actually in trouble. It makes me wonder if there were times when Azula manipulated Zuko's care for her when they were children, by like purposely appearing more vulnerable then turning it back around at him to call him weak.

But if Azula actually didn't manage to save herself, I think it would be the first time in his life that Zuko actually sees Azula in trouble. He would see himself in her. And judging by his worry for her beforehand, I wonder if this would be an extremely traumatic event for him then.

It's interesting too because the last time that Zuko saw Azula in trouble was in crossroads of destiny when he sees Katara beating her. He then goes out of his way to help Azula and take her place in fighting Katara. It seems to show that when they aren't antagonistic, or when Azula isn't manipulating him, he does seem to care a lot for her.

I definitely wonder as well whether there have been times where Azula has been ‘in trouble’, she’s appeared vulnerable, and that has been genuine, and she’s showed him it (instead of hiding it) in order to seek out a response from her brother, but as soon as he responds compassionately she puts the mask back on and goes ‘ha ha, pathetic’. Like, Azula isn’t perfect despite her formidable reputation, she slips up, she has feelings about that, I could definitely envision scenarios where Zuko sees more than he should but after a certain age she builds a defence mechanism of building distance - she can’t be weak, of course, any weakness is a ploy, obviously (and we can see where ‘Azula always lies’ might come from if this is a pattern).

Anyway. That’s an aside. I think you’re right that what allows Zuko to create distance is that he always sees Azula as perfect, she’s lucky, she’s the favoured one, she’s gone x y or z on her side, even if that’s not actually accurate, even if Azula actually works damn hard as well, that’s how Zuko interprets it, because it allows him to create a safe distance and not instinctively trust/reach out to her. Like you say, Azula actually failing would mean that Zuko sees that ‘she’s perfect’ is just a facade that he’s bought into, as you say, he ‘sees himself’ in her at that moment, and I think then all the walls would come tumbling down. I think in such an instance he’d be like, oh of course she wasn’t perfect, of course she was a traumatised kid, of course she’s been let down - I should have intervened, I should have done something, oh my god, how could I let myself believe she was anything but my sister? In fairness to poor Zuko, Azula was encouraged to never show weakness, and made it difficult for him to trust and be vulnerable around her as it would often have negative consequence for Zuko, and it’s understandable, if tragic, that Zuko buys into this false perception of his sister, a perception she arguably projects and encourages others to believe, as someone indomitable.

& yeah the crossroads of destiny is a very good example of how when it came to manipulating Zuko, it wasn’t simply a case of showing him a clear route to regaining his honour for his own selfish reasons, but also Azula played into his sense of compassion (in a twisted way) and duty to others, and this could easily also involve a desire for a better, more loving relationship (I haven’t watched crossroads of destiny in a while I can’t recall if the dialogue references the sibling dynamic in particular). I think what makes Zuko & Azula very interesting is that they both may appear to want to have a good relationship, they both may want to love each other, but it’s intermittent between waves of manipulation/resentment/competition that ultimately prevents them from reaching that, and that’s because of the complex circumstances of how they were both abused. Building a loving relationship is about consistently being able to trust and open up and that’s absolutely something they don’t do, and can’t do, not until Ozai is gone.

[casually-inlove]

Hello, I thoroughly enjoy your in depth analysis on 19 days and wanted your opinion. If you had to classify each character as a personality trait what would it be? It doesn't have to be their best or worse. Thank you!

‘Lo! Anon-san, I’m sorry, I know you asked this question yesterday, but I didn’t have time, so I’m kinda late with replying. Ofc it’s always a pleasure to know that people find shorts bits I write entertaining/interesting.

Concerning your question, it’s very thought-provoking (somehow it made me think of Tarot cards hmm) even though I doubt I’ll tell you anything ground-breaking. 

Momo

To me, one of the most notable qualities that define him as a character is his ability to persevere. Let’s face it: life hasn’t been kind to him. He’d faced prejudices based on people’s ignorance regarding his father, he’d faced having everything taken away from him — people theorize that the restaurant where everything went south belonged to the Mo’s, meaning that they were relatively well-off and thus had lost both their status and money. We can also gather that Mo had been ostracised and isolated by his peers, which supposedly led him to fall in with the wrong gang — that one of She Li — where he had been treated like shit and ostensibly made to participate in questionable things. Even now he has to deal with his family debts and debts collectors that go hand in hand with that. Despite all that nasty stuff he doesn’t break down, doesn’t become a completely embittered ball of hatred. Doesn’t stoop to debasing himself either — that’s something commendable. The thing is that his perseverance often takes a form of withdrawing into his own shell. While it’s a perfectly understandable defence mechanism, it’s also a double-edged sword: Mo doesn’t trust easily, doesn’t see the need to let anyone into his life. His views of others are skewed and tinted by his often tragic experiences. Moreover, he’s obstinate in doing so. Once his views are set in stone, he’s reluctant to change them. With that said, I do believe that he represents tenacity mixed with obstinacy. 

He Tian / He Cheng

With He Tian, I’m a bit on a fence, ahaha. I’d say that one of the key traits that define him for me is his self-will, his streak to do things as he sees fit. Given his history of acting haughty (bossing Mo around), it’s both a flaw and a boon. Nevertheless, I do consider it to be his strong suit. He had a spine to see that his family (father presumably) is up to no good. He had a spine to break away from them, to realize he’s his own person. He had a spine to start living on his own — again presumably at a very young age. While some may say that he’s always had everything handed to him on a silver platter, it still takes a LOT of balls to start living on your own when you are fifteen or younger, and it takes much more to rebel when your family dabbles in criminal activities. I should also point out that despite being headstrong and willful He Tian’s also selfless and kind, even though it may take on twisted forms. There’s also something else that defines He Tian for me, and that is his ability to put on a facade, to grin and bear it. OX has shown several times that he’s lonely and suffering deeply from his past traumas, yet when he’s out there, he never shows the world his pain. Nobody knows how much hurt is hidden behind those eyes. Again, it’s neither good or bad; still, it takes a strong character to keep on smiling despite feeling dead inside. This stoicism is a trait he shares with He Cheng, though HC takes it up to eleven.

Zhan Zheng Xi

We see so little of his inner world which is definitely a shame. For me ZZX embodies moderation. He always seems to be reserved in things he says, things he does, in things he wears — and he’s completely fine with that. Also, he gives me an impression of someone committed to being organized and punctual. He’s the one to keep his head cool whenever the duo encountered Mo, to the point when he de facto refused to twist Momo’s balls. In general, he seems to think a bit before acting — but that is not to say that he’s always the mature one. However more often than not it was ZZX who prevented (or tried to prevent) Jian Yi from doing foolish stuff. So I think that moderation suits him well, as banal as it may sound. 

Jian Yi 

He’s the one that is most amiable and open among the other boys. I believe it stems from him having a lonely childhood — we saw that other children often bullied him too, and unlike Momo, he didn’t have his mom there for him most of the time. We also know that Jian Yi longed to have a company — to have physical proof that he’s not alone. And this is partly what drives him to ultimately forgive his wrongdoers and to hold no grudges against them to the point of becoming buddies. We see it happen with Momo and that girl who had a crush on ZZX. So he could definitely embody amicability. However, there’s another trait that he seems to represent, at least to my mind. And that is giddiness. He’s effervescent, very lively, always in motion, nearly always acting on his whims. His mood is very protean too — you could argue that his ability to change his attitude towards those who wronged him is also a part of his mutability. Again, this is neither a good nor a bad trait, yet it makes Jian Yi very flexible when needed. In that regard, he’s the opposite of Momo, who’s slow/reluctant to change. So yeah, for me Jian Yi represents the ability to change and adapt. 

Regarding other characters, like She Li or brother Qiu, I think I’d like to have more input data before assessing them. I’m sure that both of them are fascinating and simply didn’t get the chance to steal the spotlight yet. Again all of it is just my opinion. It goes without saying that OX has put an incredible effort into creating multifaceted characters that are so much more than they appear to be at a glance, and they simply cannot be described with just one trait.