#little Azula flashbacks are my favorite!!

[kigozula]

"I… I won't. I'll be good. I promise," Azula said, her voice small. Ozai, behind her, watched his daughter with amusement.

- Gladiator Chapter 346

The trip was much like those they often set out on, and Azula and Zuko fought throughout it as recklessly as they typically did. The nights, of course, were the better moments, as Zuko and Azula fell asleep, allowing Ozai and Ursa to bask in peace and quiet, watching the stars together on deck. It was a placid, easygoing time, and nothing seemed to get in the way of their tranquility…

Ozai reached down, clasping Azula's hand gently. The girl jolted after him, cheeks flushing with excitement as she tried to keep up with the long strides of the two taller men. Once they stood at a fair distance from the others, near the very bridge and pond Azula had fallen in, long ago, Ozai finally decided to speak his mind.

........

"I can…" Azula said, nervously. Piandao crooked an eyebrow.

"Then you would not ridicule your brother, should you best him in combat? You would not be upset, if he ridiculed you for it either?"

"Why can't I do it if he can…?" Azula mumbled. Piandao actually smiled.

"That's what you understood from that?" he asked. "Not quite the answer I was hoping for…"

"I… I won't. I'll be good. I promise," Azula said, her voice small. Ozai, behind her, watched his daughter with amusement.

[sokkabaddiebender2021]

ok y’all i finally finished the neflix live action avatar and…….don’t hate me……..but i enjoyed it 😭 my standards for entertainment is honestly on whether or not it entertained me, so honestly i question my standards.

first off, the visuals and score was absolutely amazing. the fight scenes were well choreographed, and the bending, which i was super nervous about, looked actually amazing.

i think we can all agree the writing and dialogue was pretty choppy at times, and the delivery could be better at times. but i also think (most) of the energy of the original characters was captured well. katara honestly got done the dirtiest because why was she so…….not passionate??? i’m hoping later on she gets more so because that’s a key trait of katara. i was very disappointed with that :/

what they did to suki too……..i liked her being a little awkward and such because it makes sense but i felt like too much of her character was dedicated to her having a crush on sokka. like where is her attitude, her ferocity?

i think aang was played very well by gordon cormier, especially considering this is a child actor we are taking about. his line delivery isn’t going to be great and yes he is a real boy so he can’t be as cartoony as some would hope but i think he was absolutely adorable.

surprise surprise, i loved dallas liu as zuko. i think there were some pretty whack line deliveries but he really captured the anger and cringeyness of zuko well. his martial arts were also also incredible, his fight scenes were my favorite to watch. the scene with him crying quietly on the bed when ozai banishing him shattered me, his subtle acting is underrated honestly.

i have my beef with ian ousley as sokka mostly because of the controversy and such, but i can’t lie he did play sokka well. yet again, as for the last characters, some line deliveries were iffy but he was still a very believable sokka.

so for the writing, i have LOTS OF OPINIONS. there were things they cut that definitely upset me, and that was just because of their lowkey questionable pacing. as much as i hate the slimeball, i missed a lot of the interesting parts of zhao’s story that they cut like his agni kai, jeuong jeuong (aang’s fear of fire??), zuko SAVING him. i feel like they had something interesting there with building a fake alliance with him and zuko, and they didn’t build more off it. [edit] that so, the dude who played zhao had me losing my shit. his line delivery was hilarious and i just love that zhao just gives that manager no one likes/that one creepy math teacher in high school vibes (only combination i could think of y’all).

the additions to zuko’s story was something i absolutely loved. i found myself actually getting very emotional with a lot of the flashbacks, and the 41st division being his crew 🥹🥹 but then i find myself being upset that we were shown other flashbacks so early (like the death of katara’s mother??).

i actually hate the hate azula’s actress is getting. she’s playing a 14 year old……like a 14 year old?? she wasn’t even in season 1 in the og so ofc she’s gonna not be the same, i’m hoping this means they’re building up her up to her fierceness in season 2.

one last critique PLEASE GET A WIG BUDGET GOOD LORD THOSE WIGS WERE BAAAAD. and also a lot of their costumes looked fake or like plastic this was actually my least favorite part 😭

overall, not as horrible as people make it out to be, i had a good time but obviously the og will always be the higher quality product. i’m just glad the young actors seemed to really be passionate for the project :)

[my-tatteredwingsof-freedom]

God the amount of tiktok/twitter people who severely misunderstand Azula as a character is so exhausting. Did we even watch the same show?

Azula was a victim of abuse just as much as Zuko but in an entirely different way. Ozai pit Azula and Zuko against each other because he realized he could do something with Azula that he couldn't with Zuko; he could mold her into the next version of himself. Azula one hundred percent was most like Ozai even when she was young. Zuko, on the other hand, held all the traits Ozai, and the Fire Nation as a whole, believed were weak; he was compassionate and curious, he believed in being fair and just, and he never saw sense in pointless death which we saw in the flashback of how he got his scar.

Azula, however, was young and already feeling like she was being separated as "different" by their mother; Ursa was not a perfect parent by any means. And Ozai gave Azula the praise and affection that he refused to give Zuko. Ozai celebrated her while Ursa shied away from her. Can you imagine being a little kid and knowing that your own mother viewed you as an outsider, a monster?

Like, i dunno, but parents favoring one over the other and pitting them against each other in everything at such young ages definitely feels abusive to me. Mentally and emotionally. And besides, we KNOW that the Fire Nation's teachings and histories were manipulative; their own historical texts they taught in SCHOOLS were WRONG. It isn't hard to figure that Ozai's parenting, even if he valued his daughter more, would be just as twisted and wrong. What would he have done if Azula had turned on him? If she had spoken out against him or did exactly what Zuko did in the war council? Ozai wouldn't have hesitated to hurt her to prove a point. He already did it to one kid. If Azula stopped being useful to him, stopped trying to please him and be the best at everything, there would be no way Ozai would have kept treating her like she was his pride and joy.

Azula was a victim of abuse and was groomed to become Ozai's successor. The amount of pressure that puts on a kid, especially one who from a young age already felt like a monster in the eyes of a parent that was supposed to love them, is one hundred percent abusive. Azula was the perfect child and it cost her everything. No, she wasn't a perfect person nor a good one. But she was a victim to not just Ozai, but the Fire Nation's corruption as a whole. She loved her brother. That was confirmed by the creators a long time ago; Azula loved Zuko more than anything but she also loved being better than him, than everyone, because that was what gained her their father's favor. It gave her the sense of satisfaction and the security of a parents love.

To see her be reduced to nothing but an insane and heartless killer is so exhausting. What's that quote? "My father is the worst man alive and I am his favorite daughter"?.

Azula was fourteen. She wasn't a good person by far but no child is born evil. But evil is a hundred percent taught.

[atla-confessions]

More a/b/o ATLA stuff because that ramble I made like a few days ago or something wasn’t enough to stop me from thinking about this stupid thing 😭 Sorry if this makes no sense I’m incredibly tired

Firstly, in that ramble I said healthy pups in ATLA present after their twelfth birthday. HOWEVER, I didn’t mention that in some cases, a pup can present earlier than their twelfth birthday due to harsh stress which causes a hormonal imbalance; the spirits assign your second gender earlier than expected so that it can balance your system out again. The earliest a pup can present is ten and a half.

With this said, I believe that Sokka and Katara all presented earlier than expected. In my AU, Hakoda left when Katara was ten and a half and Sokka was eleven years old and. A few months later (around 2 or 3 months) Sokka presented early due to having the weight of his entire tribe on his shoulders. Katara also presented early from a similar reason at eleven years and seven months old.

I know that with this logic, Toph and Aang probably would have presented earlier as well, but Toph was already twelve when they first met her and I don’t know much about her home life, other than the fact it was restrictive. Aang encased himself in ice when he was twelve and from the flashbacks we see about his past, he wasn’t very stressed (not to say he wasn’t stressed at all, of course).

I’m not sure about Azula or Zuko. Azula prides herself on being perfect and honestly? I think she would present the day she turned twelve, right on the perfect dot. Zuko had to deal with the trouble of his father’s… everything, and his mother’s disappearance. I don’t know for certain whether I believe he presented early or not but if he did present early, it was most likely when he was eleven and a half. Again, not sure.

Unfortunately there’s little to no information about Suki’s past (that I know of) so I can’t be for sure about anything nor can I truly talk about her without doubting myself 🙁.

OOH another thing. (If it’s not obvious I just type what comes to my head.) There was definitely a lot of conflict between Sokka and Katara when she presented as an Alpha; it wasn’t easy for either of them and they got into a lot of fights the first few months of her presentation, as newly-presented Alphas are a lot more emotional and angrier until they mellow out. Add a moody, angry Katara with a moody, sensitive Sokka (who is still somewhat new to being an Omega and is also stewing in self-hatred 24/7) and you get Chaos. And angst, lots of angst.

Right. In this AU, Sokka struggles with embracing his Omega side, hating himself for being a ‘weak babymaker’ or something else horribly rude. Because he hates himself for being an Omega, he lashes out at others and exclaims his dislike towards Omegas publicly (much to Katara’s and everyone else’s nerves). He’s not the only one who struggles with his second gender, however. Katara has problems with her own Alpha-like tendencies, much like Zuko.

(I don’t know if it’s obvious but I mostly think about Sokka and Katara with this AU; Sokka’s my favorite character and I love sibling bonding and angst!! *pats Katara and Sokka* these bad boys can fit so much pain in them!)

Anyways. Yeah, I mostly feel like there would be a lot of fights between the water siblings. These fights would be where most of Katara’s issues with being an Alpha and some of Sokka’s issues with being an Omega would come from; they’d both do things they regret. Katara would probably be aggressive without thinking and Sokka would not be able to argue back due to his mind going into ‘Panic! Stay safe from angry and scary ass Alpha!’ mode.

Anyways more than JUST Katara and Sokka. The GAANG!!

The Gaang are all definitely Pack. Like absolutely family-core (save for Kataang and Sukka, or Zukka if that tickles your pickle or whatever the phrase is).

I feel like Katara was very protective over everyone, especially in the first season when it was just her, Sokka, and Aang. She doesn’t see Sokka as weaker or anything, but her mind just can’t calm down unless she knows her brother is safe. Sokka is just as protective though, but shows it in a different way. The only other time Katara was protective to the point it was downright crazy was when Zuko joined. Another Alpha around, a potential threat? Katara would go crazy, scenting everyone to make sure Zuko understood that if he hurt any of them, she’d kill him.

I think Zuko would make sure not to upset Katara in any way, staying away from the others and making himself appear smaller and kinder so that she wouldn’t get the wrong idea.

I think Sokka would be especially protective over Toph and Aang, since they’re both pups (well, until months after the end of the war).

Ok that’s all I’m about to fall asleep. I’ll probs write more lol 😭 Still obsessed with this stupid a/b/o au thing UGH!

X

[kiki-strike]

not to be so not normal about everything but azula and zuko’s relationship and thinking about how it would be after the show is SO INTERESTING. like when they were growing up azula was the “one in charge” and not zuko even though zuko was two years older? (idk what to call that, ppl w siblings ykwim) (see: azula calls him “little zuzu”, azula bullies HIM in a flashback to them at like 5 or 6, etc). i can’t even fathom my (3 not 2) years younger sister being the one in charge, she feels like a baby (loving) to me and always has.

so like. i feel like that sort of speaks to azula’s maturity? which sounds stupid but like. at 14 she was (for at least a few minutes each) the leader of 2/3 of the world (probably much more bc the earth kingdom is huge). while zuko was out there trying to not fail at customer service job. (hard)

and then she breaks down. now i’ve had psychotic episodes before and one of them i was azula’s age but my sister and I’s way of dealing with it was to just. ignore it. not say anything. and then occasionally effy-tony them (idk how else to describe that lol). however. azula tried to Kill Him and then he usurped her throne. that feels hard to ignore.

which really means 1 of 3 things.

1. azula and zuko work their shit out

2. azula continues to be an ass like in the comics (though with what happened to her i. don’t blame her)

3. (my favorite) THEY IGNORE IT.

azula and zuko were clearly raised in a don’t-air-your-dirty-laundry house. they both have the emotional intelligence of rocks and don’t know how to talk to other people like a human being. neither of them would know how to start the “i just went a little nuts”/“i just watched you go a little nuts” conversation. so i think they just don’t say anything.

eventually azula stops trying to kill him (which i don’t think would really take that long; what triggered her episode was being emotionally alone and i think if her friends came back and zuko stayed with her she’d snap back pretty quickly). very gradually their conversations go from “i see you got pretty far this escape attempt. don’t do that again.” to “can i hide in here the councilmen won’t leave me alone and my head hurts” to “and there were CANDLES and ROSE PETALS and i just asked him about how his MOM DIED im so stupid how did i not realize until now”.

i really like the idea of azula staying on house arrest in the palace, at first in her chambers and then on the grounds with a guard, and at first it’s because she’s dangerous but after a while she starts to like it. she doesn’t have all those responsibilities anymore. she doesn’t have to be perfect. nothing bad will happen to her if she isn’t because she already did what she thought of as the worst possible thing to do (losing her fire lord title). and she survived. and she’s not under ozai’s thumb anymore. and it feels better.

basically i like the idea of azula becoming the kid she never got to be. an actual little sister. zuko knows she sneaks out to go to parties in caldera. he doesn’t tell anyone. azula makes a habit of threatening councilmen when zuko needs a break because if HE did it would send a bad message but if SHE does. well that’s just the fire lord’s crazy sister.

idk i just like the idea of them finally being able to be actual siblings to each other. getting into shenanigans. causing trouble. learning how to unlearn things together. changing the world. having fun.

[azulas-daddy-kink]

Alright so I know I’ve made some of these points before but now I’m compiling all of my thoughts about Ozai and Ursa’s relationship in one post.

People who do not see Ursa as a victim of Ozai’s abuse and/or delusionally ship Urzai on the basis that Ozai “really loved” Ursa legit fucking scare me.

Ozai did not love Ursa, in any capacity. Ozai does not love anyone. Except maybe himself but he flip-flops on that one, even. 

Ursa did not love Ozai. She was terrified of him. She was taken from her home and forced to marry him - and no, she did not have a choice, not really. Her “choice” was marry Ozai or he kills the love of her life right in front of her. She had about as much of a choice there as Jigsaw’s victims. Starve to death or hack your own foot off, yeah, complete free will.

Then once she married the bastard, she was told she belonged to him, and that she could never see or speak to her family ever again. So romantic, right?

What about this screams “Yes, Ozai, I love you and I can’t wait to have your babies!”

Speaking of, this is more or less implying that Zuko and Azula were conceived as the result of marital rape but y’all ain’t ready for a deep dive into that. Anyone who thinks Ursa could fully consent in this situation needs to have their head examined.

Now backtracking a bit to “she was terrified of him”, let’s not forget this panel!

This is what Ursa looks like when she sees a PORTRAIT of Ozai. A mere portrait. I rest my case.

But alright, I know what some of you are probably thinking. The comics are not canon (except when you want them to be), the comics “retconned” their backstory, or whatever else. I disagree on the last point in particular because that’s not what retconning means. There is nothing, absolutely zero, in the show that contradicts Ozai and Ursa’s comic backstory, or Ozai’s behavior during all of that.

Ozai, in canon, is a genocidal, child abusing, egomaniac. He is shown to have very little regard for others’ feelings, wants, or needs, and only seems interested in his own desires and lust for power. Never once do we see him treating someone with basic respect and consideration, not even his precious favorite, Azula. He manipulates her, he tells her what she wants to hear so that she remains loyal to him but ultimately he views her as a possession - an extension of himself rather than her own person. Which is very typical of narcissists.

Given the way Ozai treats literally everyone else he interacts with, what reason do we have to believe he treated Ursa any differently?

None.

“B-b-b-but what about the fountain?”

Look, I don’t know what it is with this fandom and viewing literally any little thing a character does behind shipping goggles but it is certainly quite annoying.

So here in Zuko’s flashback, we see Ozai standing in front of the fountain, the morning after his father died and Ursa was subsequently banished.

And for some reason, this is used to prove that Ozai loves and misses Ursa which.... what?

A lot just happened over the past 24 hours. Ozai and Ursa murdered his own father for one, and for two, Ozai is coming to the realization that everything he’s ever wanted is now within his grasp. Is it not possible he’s just thinking or clearing his head? I guess that would make too much sense. Is it not also possible that he is mourning the death of his father?

I know, I know Ozai killed Azulon... but it’s complicated. Up until this point, he had desperately been trying to please him. Think of the scene in the throne room, where he’s trying to show Azulon why he is the better son and more worthy of Iroh’s place in the line of succession. And he used AZULA to do it. The child he named after Azulon, his favorite. Declaring that she was “a true prodigy, just like her grandfather for who she is named”. 

Y’all, if this doesn’t scream “Please be proud of me, Daddy!” then I don’t know what does.

It was a bitter pill for Ozai to swallow, I’m sure, that no matter what he accomplished in his life that he would always play second fiddle to Iroh, and that his father would never give him the respect and approval he so desperately craved...

So yeah, gonna go out on a limb here and say this is what Ozai was thinking about. The father he had spent his entire life trying to please was now dead, and he had to close that chapter in his life for good.

Now, before anyone comes at me about the “original series bible”, yes, I am aware that it exists and what it says about Ozai and Ursa. The claim is again that the show and/or comics “retcon” this but I really don’t see how when all that was changed was that she was low-born rather that high-born and/or nobility.

I suppose it’s because people like to cherry pick the line “She was the perfect match for Prince Ozai and soon became his wife.”

Here is the thing about royal marriages - they’re not perfect because they’re love matches, they’re perfect because they are politically savvy and present a certain image to the public.

And not for nothing but these early character concepts and the old Nick website say A LOT of weird shit that never made it into the show or is blatantly untrue but even still, nothing in the above passage disproves the following statement: Ursa is a victim of domestic violence.

Ozai abused Ursa. Full fucking stop. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it...

HOWEVER...

...the point of this was not to say that people can’t ship Ozai/Ursa or that they can’t have their own headcanons or whatever. The point of this was to say that nothing in canon supports Ozai and Ursa’s marriage as being one of love and mutual respect and in fact, most of what is shown proves the exact opposite.

Ship what you want, it’s okay. Just call a spade a spade. None of this is healthy, loving, or wholesome but it IS sexy. Nothing wrong with that.

Now before someone tries to say I’m a giant hypocrite because “ew you ship Ozula, your opinion doesn’t count”, you’re still completely missing the point here. I would be the first to say that parent/child relationships are abuse, grooming, non-consensual, and morally reprehensible. I’m not out here trying to say this is an ideal relationship or that this is okay to do.

And that is the difference.

[seyaryminamoto]

If Ozai hates the very thought of his father so much, how was he able to handle his very own daughter being named after the man?? Did he ever truly love Azula? Did he ever truly love Zuko? And does he truly hate Azula now?

:'D that will be explained in due time through flashbacks...

... I do believe I've said before that it's VERY difficult to say that Ozai has loved someone. Even himself. He's a narcissist who hates himself anyhow. Basically, he believes that all the difficulties he has faced are someone else's fault and responsibility, not his own, that he deserves everything he wants because he's selfish and greedy that way... but he hates himself for a fair few reasons anyhow. So I wouldn't even say he loves himself :'D

Hence, saying he loves Azula is just... complicated as hell to argue for. I've said before that the person he came closest to fully loving was Ursa, and he still didn't pull it off... and his feelings for Azula basically came close to that, but he's waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too fucked up to love her properly.

This being said...

Ozai in the flashbacks, as a lot of you may have guessed by now, is meant to explain how he wound up in the position he's in right now. How a guy who actually resembled Zuko soooo much becomes... well, the very fucked up Fire Lord who ruined his daughter's life and hasn't ever said he's sorry for it because destroying her life was apparently not as unforgivable a crime as Azula's terrible crime of... loving someone. Yep.

So, the flashbacks of Azula's birth will show us an Ozai who bonds far faster with her than he ever could with Zuko. His insecurities got in the way with Zuko, as we've seen already, and then Zuko's nature didn't help matters much, so they were kind of incompatible... but it's fair to say that Ozai tried, as you'll see in the next flashback, which is another of my favorites, actually. His attempts, however, weren't all that successful before Azula was born... and after Azula is born, his brain kind of shortcircuits and Zuko falls 100% to the wayside because This One is the kid he likes.

Azula's name being based on Azulon's is, in fact, a power play by Ozai. One he basically uses to flaunt that his child is, in fact, superior to his own father. You'll see what this means when we get there... but it's an insult just as much as it is a compliment, which means that Ozai actually put Azulon in a VERY uncomfortable position, for the first time in his life... through Azula. Through her name.

The way this flows results in Ozai not really caring, in the end, that he named his daughter after his piece of shit of a father (at least, that doesn't really matter to him through the bulk of her life). He distinguishes enough between them to not associate Azula inherently with his father because why would he? Azula validates him, she boosted his ego because he gave life to an extraordinary child, going against all of Azulon's hopes and expectations that his marriage would be a failure. Meanwhile? Azulon was only ever the person who wore him out, tore him down and made him think he was worthless. Therefore, his bond with each of them is veeeery different. Azula just means way too much to Ozai all on her own, even as a wee little baby, for Ozai to connect Azula to his father all that much. Doesn't help that Azulon actually wanted nothing to do with Azula or Zuko, so it's not like Ozai had to worry about Azula and Azulon having some important connection/dynamic... nah. Old geezer would have traded Zuko and Azula's lives for Lu Ten's in a heartbeat. Don't doubt it.

As for Zuko... yeah I can say for certain that Ozai does not love Zuko. He wanted to be a good dad at first! He tried! But then he stopped trying. He gave up on that bond once he found it so much easier to bond with Azula, especially when Azula turned out to be the gifted child she was. Zuko didn't spend all his life fighting to earn Ozai's love non-stop for no reason: he didn't have it. He KNEW he didn't. Ozai never offered it to him. And while you could argue that in a super deep subconscious way, MAYBE Ozai cared about Zuko because ultimately, he has projected his personal failings as a human being on Zuko, and if he actually bothered to treat his son right, he'd realize he's inflicting the exact same suffering on him that Azulon inflicted on himself...?

But the truth is that he hasn't gone through that thought process at all. Hence, any buried feelings he might have for his son are so damn lost in the chaos of his soul that they're basically non-existent.

As for whether Ozai hates Azula now or not...?

... Honestly? He doesn't.

Problem is, he doesn't realize he doesn't.

Call this the worst possible kind of parental punishment on a child, completely uncalled for, completely disproportionate, absolutely unacceptable... but it genuinely comes from a place that Ozai doesn't want to acknowledge: he feels hurt. Her choices have hurt him.

Azula broke away from everything he believes in, everything his legacy is about. He doesn't like that. He wants Azula to remain his perfect heir, his legacy, to honor every stupid idea he ever had about what her fate would be. Any attempts by Azula to break free from that make Ozai react VERY adversely. But ultimately? He doesn't hate Azula. He can't. It's about as impossible for him as hating Ursa. The concept of hating either of them is just... beyond him. He CAN get mad at them, he can be a dick to them... but he cannot ever fathom hating either of them, not for real.

... He hates Sokka though. I can assure you of that one :') as far as he can tell, Sokka is the instigator, culprit, guilty party behind his daughter's "corruption", so basically, if you're wondering if his rage from Part 2's finale resulted in Ozai despising Azula? Nah, he took all that hatred and channeled it towards Sokka alone. He throws tantrums of the "I'm disappointed in you, young lady" kind in the most gruesome way he could, sure... But he doesn't hate Azula. He's able to hate ANYONE, but not Azula, not Ursa. Those two are the only people in the world he would actually get off his ass for, aside from himself :'D

[likeabxrdinflight]

anyways I did finish episode four but I am stopping here for the night

omashu, part two. this one combines the very ending of "jet", "the king of omashu", zuko and iroh's half of "winter solstice pt 1", and is also pulling stuff from season two here and there. we get a bit of iroh backstory.

...I don't want to talk about sokka and katara's part of this episode because honestly even though these posts are clearly marked spoilers I still don't want to spoil what they're doing because doing so might risk revealing what has genuinely been the most delightful surprise of this entire experience. I do not want it spoiled for anyone.

I will comment on katara though, because she's getting a little better. I'm seeing more and more flashes of the katara I know and love. we're not quite there but I'm a little less disappointed with her than I was in the earlier episodes. there's still things I'm not thrilled with- but I think I need to see all eight episodes before I make final judgment.

okay. so first. bumi. weird changes with bumi. he's definitely still bumi in the sense that he's weird and quirky and plays strange mind games with the intent of testing aang. it's just...not the same test as the original. and I'm not sure I like the change here. I'm not sure I dislike it? it's not an uninteresting change. I'm just not sure I like it, either, because it kind of misses the spirit of bumi's original character. utkarsh gave a great performance though.

the stand out for this episode was iroh though. oh my god, iroh. I said I wanted them to do more with him, to fix the inconsistencies that were there in the animated version and oh my god they have delivered that in spades. we have an earth kingdom soldier calling him out to his face for ba sing se. iroh gets to look one of his direct victims in the eyes and it's phenomenal, paul is killing it. the show walks a very thin line between empathizing with iroh and holding him accountable and I think it manages to thread that needle within the limits of what we know can actually happen in this story.

we also see flashbacks to when lu ten dies, we get more insight into why iroh's so attached to zuko and favors him so much. like we always knew iroh saw zuko as a surrogate son but it's very clear here, and it's clear where and when that really started. they also show a flashback to the moment iroh joins zuko in exile and it's...it's such an iroh kind of moment.

back in the present of course we get zuko saving iroh, and it's very similar to the animated version, but there is something much more tender-hearted in this rendition of these two together. not that the animated version didn't have that, but the live action show knows where these two end up. it knows zuko will eventually betray iroh. by highlighting their bond so much now it's gonna make damn sure that moment hurts. and it's gonna make damn sure not one person isn't crying when they finally reconcile.

I know a lot of azula stans don't like iroh. I was never one of them. the bond between iroh and zuko is special, and while I agree it's obvious he showed blatant favoritism and did not do right by his niece, I won't defend him on that, I still can't deny- the zuko-iroh dynamic has always been touching. and I'd argue it's better here. paul is just acting the hell out of his role and dallas is able to bring a softness to zuko's interactions with iroh that betray how close they really are, even when he's angry with him. these two together were critical to get right and they nailed it.

the show is worth watching just to see these two performances. I'm so serious.

[jubilantmedusa]

I finally started watching Legend of Korra. Just finished Book 1.

It was ok? Even though ATLA is one of my favorite shows of all time, I’ve never been super interested in watching LOK, mostly because the more modern, urban setting doesn’t appeal to me per say. But I needed to watch something while feeding my newborn, so here we go! Finally doing it.

Random thoughts:

I like Korra. We love a nice, impulsive hothead. They were smart to make her so different from Aang.

I’m meh on the rest of Team Avatar so far? I was warming to Mako before he got pulled into the love triangles (because who can resist a broody firebender). Bolin I wanted to like but I find him a bit annoying so far. Asami had a few nice moments but was also injured by the love triangle. This is rough because the ATLA characters were just so lovable, even very minor ones.

I am warming up to the older characters. Tenzin grew on me. He had me when he was getting all annoyed a probending refs. (Side note, but if Aang were around he would totally be giving Tenzin a hard time over bending too serious for probending - Aang in center the air scooter, he loved games, he would have probably liked bending games.) Lin is gruff but who doesn’t love gruff? She reminds me of early Murphy from Dresden Files but in a good way.

Given that ATLA had airships and tanks, the fact that there are cars and airplanes isn’t that weird. But it does feel a little weird.

A bender vs non-bender conflict could have been very interesting, but it wasn’t well done and the escalation made no sense. Might expand on this. I have lots of notes for how this could have been improved.

The pacing and the tension of the season wasn’t bad. It just… there were missed opportunities.

Amon’s mask was cool though. He wasn’t bad as a villain.

Tarrlok too. I guess I enjoyed the villains more than her heroes, hmm. His last scenes got to me.

I am so annoyed that season one is about learning airbending, but we spend way more time on pro-bending. It’s basically ignored until the last episode.

Same for the spiritual stuff, which… makes the last scenes interesting.

Like I said… I have notes.

Probending is kinda boring. I can think of way more interesting bending sports. I wanted to like it. But every time it was featured, I just thought about earth rumbles and Agni Kai’s and Katara encasing Azula in ice… we could have such a cooler bending sport.

Tenzin’s kids should be way older. He waited until later in life to have kids, which is a bold move for the last airbender. (But whatever, these are the people who said Roku is Zuko’s great grandfather which makes no sense mathematically.)

I don’t like Tenzin or adult Aang’s beards. Just not a fan.

Katara’s alive. Aang, Sokka, and Toph appeared in flashbacks. Zuko is the only one we didn’t see. But we did get his grandson! Who is around the age Tenzin’s kids should probably be.

I noticed in the avatar wiki that Jinora’s (and all the air kids) ethnicity is listed as Air Nomad and Water Tribe. But they have a mother! And she does not look very water tribe. So I submit to you my first head cannon: Pema has both earth kingdom and fire nation ethnicity. Meaning Aang’s grandchild have the blood of all four elements.

[ilovedthestars]

[wiggles] Azula for the ask game!

Oooooh...

(Send me a character ask)

First impression

Via fandom osmosis: There's a snarky evil fire nation girl. Also, Zuko has a sister. Also, there's somebody named Azula, who always lies. These were barely connected in my mind.

Also, when I started watching the show I kept thinking about this comic, which I'd seen but half-forgotten. It definitely gave me an impression of Zuko and Azula's relationship that was a bit more mixed/positive than what appears in the show.

Impression now

Love to hate her, but also, yikes, poor girl. She shows us another side of how royally messed up the Fire Nation royal family is, and she's a good foil to Zuko. I...don't really like her on a character level that much, though? She didn't leave that strong of an impression on me.

Favorite moment

My favorite moments with Azula are mostly moments of her defeat, lol. I loved seeing Mai and Ty Lee turn against her in...I think it was The Boiling Rock. Realizing that she didn't have total control over those around her! Although maybe I like this more because of Mai and Ty Lee's friendship and bravery than because of Azula, to be honest.

Idea for a story

Drawing a blank on this one. She just doesn't interest me like that!

Unpopular opinion

Idk what's popular or unpopular, but I didn't really like her ending? To me it felt like her final breakdown leaned a little too hard into some uncomfortable stereotypes about mental illness. And also, even though Ozai's mistreatment is very much an acknowledged part of that, I think I expected a kids show like Avatar to give her a bit more compassion at the end for what she went through. (I'm thinking of the ending of She-Ra and how it treated even long-term villains.) Maybe I'm forgetting something, but I think the last we see of her is at her lowest low, and that makes me kinda sad.

Favorite relationship

Azula & Zuko are fascinating as foils. They were both victimized, but she fought for favor by pushing him down. He seems to want to trust her, at least for a while, but knows he can't. She's fully prepared to use him. Even in the flashbacks we see when they're both very young, they don't get along. I wonder if post-canon they ever have the chance to build a positive relationship.

Favorite headcanon

Don't know if it counts as a headcanon, I am fond of the alternate universe in that comic I linked above. It shows a very different kind of secretive and manipulative Azula, one I'd be interested in seeing more of.

[juniperhillpatient]

Zuko Alone Re-Watch

This is one of my favorite episodes in the entire series & I DO have a lot of thoughts on it but I also feel like it is one of the most heavily discussed episodes in the series. So, I'm struggling with having anything NEW to say about it, ya know? Also, full disclosure, this is yet another re-watch post made after a few glasses of wine. I'm blaming Thanksgiving leftovers. (ETA: after typing most of this last night I’ve come back to finish the post now on my phone sober & bored at work)

Anyway, ZUZU IS ON HIS OWN! When 'Midnights' dropped I kept saying "You're on Your Own Kid" was a Zuko™ song but I somehow just now realized that he even has a whole episode about it. Agni, I can't believe Miss Swift is such an Avatar fan. She seriously has more songs about the characters by the day!

Zuko, hon, seeing flashbacks of your mom as you almost pass out from hunger & heat is sooo normal, baby boy you're doing *great* king. ♫ I know that you got mommy issuessss.🎶

Zuko dealing with those earth kingdom national guard jerks was a whole ass mood. Look, you've either worked with the public or you haven't. If you have, you understand why Zuko's repetitive, deadpan "no" responses to these jerks were so funny. Also deadpan humor Zuko you’re so special to me <3

FLASHBACK TIME!!! Azula threw rocks (or at the very least bread or something) at the turtle ducks & that's mean but not that surprising from a little kid in her environment. Azula & Ty Lee's prank on Mai & Zuko was pretty mean but also exactly what middle schoolers with fire powers would do. Azula, Ty Lee, Mai & Zuko were clearly childhood friends even if there was a lot of toxicity in the dynamic between the four of them. And honestly, I just can't get over how well-written this show is & how well it develops & explores both its protagonists AND its antagonists.

I think that this episode is really interesting in the way that it explores the imperialist culture within the Fire Family. Literally, this show is just SO fucking good, I'll start eating drywall if I get too excited or think too hard about it. Because it's spent so much time - & will spend so much more time - exploring the impact of the war & how horrific it is for all the nations being colonized & attacked. And it ALSO spends time exploring the royal family & the individuals involved & WHY they are the way they are. When Ursa, Zuko, & Azula get news from Iroh joking about "burning Ba Sing Se to the ground'" they LAUGH! This is the goal that is supported & made as propaganda for the Fire Nation, especially the royal family. It's fascinating & horrifying all at once.

The flashbacks are (in my opinion) where the real meat of the episode is, but the present day is interesting too. Zuko learns some important lessons from the family that takes him in & I think the most important takeaway is that the earth kingdom has some kind people who are being hurt by the war & the Fire Nation. It was important for him to feel that hate in the end when Lee wouldn’t even accept his gift of the knife.

I also think that this is (despite literally being an episode about Zuko I’m sorry guys I’ve never denied that I have an Azula centric view lmao) a really good Azula episode. We learn a lot about what Azula’s childhood was like & the dynamic where Ursa treats Azula with disdain & dislike giving Ozai the perfect opportunity to mold Azula into the perfect little weaponized prodigy he wants.

A dissertation could easily be written about this episode but it’s already been talked about SO much so I’ll cut this review mostly short & leave y’all with my biggest takeaway which is that Zuko & Azula actually showed signs of friendship & camaraderie (playing together & laughing right before learning Lu Ten had died, Azula taking Zuko’s hand & dragging him off to spy) even if they were also forced to see each other as rivals because of Ozai & Ursa’s favoritism. It’s so important to understand this to appreciate the show & the character dynamics at play, because Zuko & Azula are so much more than just rivals who hate each other, a hero & a villain. It’s much more complicated & interesting than that.

Also worth noting that the flashback with Zuko & Azula playing together & then learning Lu Ten has died comes right before Lee learns that his brother has died. That’s just good writing.

Iconic Behavior points: Zuko gets 100 for his actions in the present trying to protect Lee & his family. Ursa really should get some for killing Azulon but I’m still so fucking mad at her for how she acts toward Azula… ugh, fine I have to be fair, 10 points. Azula & Ty Lee each get 100 points for the prank on Mai & Zuko. Azula gets 500 points for saving Zuko’s life as a child & having her creepy villain kid sing song moment. I’m on my phone so I’m not adding up the points for the season so far .

Anyway that was an iconic episode & I could say more about it but pretty much every scene is worth it’s own essay (except the stupid doll burning scene, more than enough has been said on that lol) so that’s all I have for now!

[theowritesfiction]

'Zuko Alone'

Ah, this iconic episode. Again, this has been analyzed to death and thousands of metas written about it, I'm not going to get into it that deeply. I'm just putting down my gut reactions as I watch and award Jerk Points where necessary.

I suppose this is the episode that really drills in the idea that Zuko is now on his redemption arc. I'm not sure Zuko should deserve applause for not robbing a man and his pregnant wife, but baby steps I guess. (I really have to wonder how Zuko was not freaking out about his 'honor' when he stole Song's chocobo). Also, Zuko reveals having a sudden sense of dry humor? Maybe a chicken flew over? Boy's got hidden talents.

The meat of the chapter is obviously the flashbacks. The turtleduck pond scene between Zuko and Ursa is sweet. Is this where the Azula throws rocks at turtleducks myth comes from? But Zuko actually throws a whole loaf at the ducks and says that Azula FEEDS the ducks like that. He wouldn't say 'feed' if Azula threw rocks at them. Is it unthinkable that Azula would throw rocks at the ducks? No, it's not. But this isn't evidence for it.

aww cute little dangerous ladies :) they are so sweet. obviously, Azula is a rather mean spirited child, but we know and love her anyway. I love her scheming even at this young age. It's just fascinating the way her mind works, being aware of Mai's crush on Zuko, and creating an opportunity for a bit of a mean prank. I don't believe that Mai was in any danger here, Azula's firebending is too precise, and Mai shows absolutely no fear. She only freaks out when Zuko charges at her. Also, I love Ty Lee just finding the whole thing hilarious.

Ah, good old warmonger Iroh, cheerfully laughing about burning down Ba Sing Se. Let's see, 30 hypocrite points to Iroh. Extra 20 points for sending Azula that stupid doll, and another 10 points for enabling the whole stupid doll discourse. Azula wanting her dad to become the next Fire Lord is completely valid, what's wrong with Ursa for not supporting her husband and Zuko for not supporting his father? Don't you guys know how getting to the top in hereditary monarchy works? Read a history book.

I don't really have too much to say about Zuko's time with Lee and his family. Learning that doing the right thing can be difficult and thankless is an important step on Zuko's journey.

Azula and Zuko's reaction to Iroh abandoning the siege of Ba Sing Se was very interesting. Okay, 9 year old Azula is completely insensitive - big whoop she's 9 - but she's also completely right, and Iroh will be seen as a disgrace and a quitter in the eyes of the whole nation. I imagine that Azula's disrespect for Azulon comes from her being subjected to Ozai's fantasies about how he should be the Fire Lord. So when Ursa berates her and then asks 'what is wrong with that child?' my reaction is - SHE IS YOUR CHILD, you goddamn stupid cow, maybe you should find out? 150 Jerk Points to Ursa.

Ozai showcasing Azula's firebending talent to Azulon and being so proud of her and then frowning when Zuko attempts to impress his grandfather, yeah, top tier parenting is in full force. Just for this, 100 Jerk Points to Ozai. Also, Ursa telling Zuko how proud she is with him for trying, but not saying a word about Azula's flawless performance? Yeah, she's playing favorites too. 50 more Jerk Points.

I think I get why the fandom loves Azulon so much, it's because he acts so outraged about Ozai's suggestion to betray Iroh, and the fandom loves Iroh, so... Azulon is clearly a great guy, right? The great guy then decides that as punishment Ozai should also lose his firstborn son. (300 Jerk Points) Also, sure Azula is very mean spirited, but she IS warning Zuko about Azulon's intentions and telling the truth. She is probably even going against Ozai's wishes on this. But yeah, Azula ALWAYS lies, sure.

Ursa leaving is obviously a very traumatic and defining moment in Zuko's life, as he loses his greatest ally and supporter at the court. I like how for Zuko all the events of what happened behind the scenes still remain shrouded in mystery. Obviously, Azula is being a horrible mean gremlin to Zuko, but come on - it's a sibling rivalry, and Zuko has just lost his great defender. Of course Azula is enjoying what she thinks is her victory lap.

Obviously, this is one of the most lauded episodes in the entire show, and I can easily see why. I am somewhat surprised that Ozai earned fewer Jerk Points than I expected - but he is barely a character in this, he's more of a threatening, looming presence.

Also, this episode just made me realize how much I needed a similar look at the fire sibling childhood at the royal court, only from Azula's perspective. I think we would have gotten something like that if Book 4 had happened...

Jerk Points for Book 2:

Azulon - 300 Iroh - 210 Ursa, General Fong  - 200 Zuko - 120 Ozai - 100 Aang, Bumi, Lao Beifong - 50 Sokka - 40 Pakku - 30

[stitchlingbelle]

Watching Avatar, Part 5

Welcome, me, to season 2! Earth stuff, here we come.

"The Avatar State": And we are immediately making things Complicated in the Earth Kingdom(s), with this asshole General. If we and the Gaang were thinking that being in the Earth Kingdoms would be all allies and smooth sailing, we are now disabused of the notion. Interesting catch about the Avatar state, especially since it doesn't seem like Aang can choose not to enter it-- it's going to be all about not creating a situation where he needs it. I call Foreshadowing. (Would killing the Avatar forever also kill bending?) (Also, has there ever been an Evil Avatar? How were they defeated? I have questions.) Meanwhile, we meet Azula and wow this girl is EVIL. Way to level the Fire Nation threat wayyyy up. Both more competent and more cruel than her brother-- plus incredibly smart and manipulative. Just strolling up and telling Zuko to come home? Sadistic, shows a deep understanding of him, minimum effort, almost worked.

"The Cave of Two Lovers": Light, fun episode with a killer WHAM ending. I feel like Zuko is going to having serious trouble adjusting to life in the Earth Kingdoms. (Iroh's a sweetheart and everyone's glad he's here.)

"Return to Omashu": Loved the epidemic trick, and it's very inline with Sokka's last save-an-entire-population gambit-- if you can't win by force, remove the people from harm, instead. Oh lord, Azula has backup now, even if I don't quite get their whole thing just yet. King Bumi remains a boss, can't wait to see what he does when he decides it's Go Time.

"The Swamp": Not my favorite, it was a little slow. Glad to see some of the continuing emotional threads reinforced, interested to see who Mystery Girl is. Zuko becomes Batman again, but for the wrong reasons. (Did he ever have good reasons? Do we ever find out why he started being the Blue Spirit in the first place?)

"Avatar Day": When this episode started I expected to hate it but it was actually pretty good. Loved the humor of Avatar Kyoshi turning up just to be like, yup, I killed him. (And that whole flashback was a badass and chilling reminder of how much power the Avatar can wield. Seriously, she tore the peninsula apart and created an ISLAND?) Also a great example of the principles of nonviolence on the show-- she could have slaughtered everyone threatening her home, instead she just... removed the problem. Meanwhile, Zuko you suck, how dare you break Iroh's heart like this?

[cabbageslost]

Reacting to live action AtLA - ep 5

Spoilers, everywhere. (But it's getting harder to avoid them everywhere too. Gonna try my best to get this second half knocked out over the next two days so I can stop ignoring the internet. lol)

..

Well, before I start, based on the first half of this book, my thoughts are pretty solidly meh. The fight scenes look cool. I would love to say it's neat to see my favorite characters brought to life, except a lot of them don't feel like the same characters. The characters don't have that obvious bond that was there, and not the layers of complexity that I loved. I think I would be enjoying this more if I hadn't seen the original.. I didn't expect it to be the same, but this doesn't feel like it's the same spirit of the original even. If I had seen only this live-action, it wouldn't have pushed me to need to seek out "more" - fanfic, other people to obsess with lol, etc. The original absolutely did. Maybe the second half of the season can redeem it, but I'm not holding my breath. But onward we go anyway...

..

Katara getting better at bending. I sure hope they still let her wail on Pakku.

The setup for Hei Bai village seems a little clunky.

It is kind of cool to see Ozai absolutely pitting the two fire sibs against either other.

They can see the spirit body? Wait, both of them are with him? Hm, okay.. let's see how this goes.

Wan Shi Tong? Now? WHY ARE THEY BRINGING SEASON 2?? He does look dope though.

Azula is as good at throwing a tantrum as her brother is. Weird to see her cracking now though. Meh. I guess they didn't know if they'd get other seasons, or want to put hints of it in early. I liked it when it was triggered by her support leaving her, but then again Ozai in this is making her feel not good enough where she was golden child before so I guess that could work. Not the biggest issue anyway.

There's Hei Bai. Aaand, they're all split up in the forest. Spirit fog. More book 2 stuff. It's getting pretty obvious why a lot of this has felt rushed despite having about the same run time as original book 1 - they're just pulling book 2 bits in right and left. This flashback though. And holy crap, Koh?

Okay so.. he got to do ice dodging? I liked the ritual including Katara and Aang as a bit of bonding and cementing Aang as an honorary part of their tribe.

Aang's better at this. And there's Koh! All these flashback are definite heartstring-tuggers.

Fog of Lost Souls? So... not the Book 2 swamp? Or.. oh I give up trying to figure out what they're doing. LOL At least he gets to have one adult figure tell him it's not his fault.

Seriously though, going to the Roku temple alone? Leaving Appa to guard the two sibs. They sure like to split the group in this adaptation.

..

Not gonna bother with overall thoughts here. Mainly it just keeps being a cycle of something happening in the show and me thinking "Well that was certainly.. a choice."

[battleangelaelita]

Alas, Oedipus

Zuko and Azula obviously have had a very combative relationship, but this idea that Azula is Zuko’s abuser is just utter nonsense and there’s nothing in the show that demonstrates that. In Zuko’s flashbacks, she’s his bratty little sister who annoys him and is the favorite for his father’s attentions, and he’s got a chip on his shoulder because she’s more talented at the things he thinks matter in life.

Very shortly after that, Zuko gets banished and they don’t meet again for three years. When they do, he’s a fugitive, and Azula goes out of her way to try to take Zuko alive and unharmed. Manipulative and deceptive, but it was the way to spare his life by pinning all the blame on Iroh. That’s more or less the what she ends up doing at the end of season 2 anyway.

In the first half of season 3, they’re occasionally at odds, and Azula still doesn’t fully trust him, but she gave him credit for killing the Avatar, and rather than share with her this secret that could harm them both, Zuko tries to quietly take care of it himself. They mostly do what maladjusted brothers and sisters do, until Zuko betrays her.

Yeah sure, Zuko made the right choice, but that’s Zuko for you. He’ll do the right thing in the end, but only after exhausting all other alternatives. Their antagonism is limited to a few fights where they’re on the opposite side of a war. First in Boiling Rock Pt. 2, where Azula at worst just resigns Zuko to being killed by the Warden ordering them to cut the cable. If Azula really were as ruthless as some people believe, she would have cut the cable herself, or lightning bent them.

Only after this results in Mai betraying her, and Ty Lee stopping Azula from doing something she’d regret does Azula actually voice any intention to kill Zuko. Who is not only an active traitor from her perspective, but also induced the two people she trusted most to turn on her. Not a lot of real room for umbrage on Zuko’s part for this, he only just found his moral compass like four episodes prior.

After that is the Last Agni Kai. Azula is poised to be crowned Fire Lord, however diminished that title has become under the pretensions of the self-proclaimed Phoenix King, and Zuko’s come to usurp her. Of course it’s a fight to the death. Azula is the only one who expresses any regret that it’s come to this. She might be lying, she might not be, but Zuko our hero can’t seem to find any sense of the tragedy that their tyrannical father had brought them to this.

From what we saw in the show itself, they’re both abuse victims of their father, and their mother is ultimately unable to really help either of them. I am not so anti-Ursa as some when it comes to Azula. Obviously they didn’t have the best relationship, but it’s very easy to see why with Ursa being forced to leave like that Azula could come to the belief that Ursa didn’t love her or thought she was a monster.

With that settled, let’s talk about where we actually see real abuse. The sequel comics. And it’s not Azula doing the abuse. It’s Gene Yang abusing my patience.

Everything about the asylum, the treatment of Azula and other patients there, how Zuko treats with her years later when he finally lowers himself to visit is Kafka-on-stilts deranged. It’s a nightmarishly abusive, and no one seems to think anything wrong about how anyone is being treated there. I’ll save my gripes about how out-of-schema a 19th/20th century European sanitarium is for the Avatar setting is for another time, but suffice to say this is a world where the supernatural is real and people talk to disembodied spirits, so locking someone up for hearing voices is ridiculous.

Gosh, is it so surprising that Azula, having spent years in a waking nightmare attended by people who make Nurse Ratchet seem a standard of care would have no positive feelings at all towards the man who put her there, and would lash out at him at every given opportunity. But the comics have to rub salt int he wound.

Immediately preceding this, Azula was bouncing in and out of hallucinations chiefly about how she felt unwanted and unloved, and might have even gotten grips on it if Zuko hadn’t violated her trust and taken the letter off her, feeding into her hallucinations. And in the ensuing fight, Zuko goes off on a rant about how she’s done nothing but torment him his entire life while holding her over a cliff.

The only thing interesting about this mess is that in the world of the comics, Zuko is still not ready to deal with the abuse he suffered from his father, and thus all the negative feelings he has for Ozai get transferred to Azula, a safer target for hate than the man he spent so much of his life looking up to and wanting to please. It’s a very human response of course, but the problem is that so many readers, who should know better, take such a Zuko-centric reading of the story that they end up misdirecting the father-son conflict into a brother-sister conflict.

Freudian concepts are obviously of limited utility, but they do hold immense value in the realm of literature, hence the title of this post. Everyone loves a good joke about that motherfucker Oedipus, but people forget often that in both the psychoanalytic concept and the myth it wasn’t even primarily about the son’s relationship with his mother: it’s about the son’s conflict with his father. In psychoanalytic terms it was the sublimation of the conflict with the paternal figure and methods of child rearing that we would pretty universally call abusive, with attachment to the less violent and more caring mother figure. In the myth, Oedipus’ father Laius literally tried to murder his infant son due to a prophecy and thus, as was standard in myth, inadvertently conspired to make it so.

What then is the existence of the Promise and the Search comics but the importation of more of the Oedipal into Avatar, by contriving more reasons for why Ursa was out of their lives permanently, more reasons for her to be a purely put-upon victim, to create a reason for her to not re-emerge once Ozai is overthrown and her son is safely on the throne? More attachment to the mother on the pedestal, so no one stops and thinks about how fucking awful of a father Ozai is.

[smokeys-liveblogs]

I know you watched that episode two days ago but I have thoughts I must share. I am forever enamoured with tiny Azula. It’s just. She is a child. She is tiny and she is competitive and ambitious and manipulative and scary but like. She is also very much a child. Like, I have a little cousin who says provacative shit like Azula did all the time. Sometimes children purposefully push buttons to see what they do and I can’t help but see tiny Azula as exactly that. Not to mention how echo-ey everything she says feels. Like, when I was a child I once made a joke about a family friend dying and all the adults immediately shushed and scolded me. And I remember being so confused because my family enjoys dark humour so they made jokes like that all the time. Why was it suddenly an issue with me? I obviously didn’t want anyone to die, I was just mimicing what I saw. And like. I can’t look at a 8(? In that flashback I think? I don’t actually know) year old Azula and see anything but a child who just says what she hears and immensely enjoys the effect it creates.

Anyways this ask was brought to you by me being sad about the Fire Nation royal family all the time.

YEAH okay so I also have some Thoughts about this because that was my exact thought process. She was teeny, and she was clever, and she was clearly a daddy’s girl, for better or worse (which is definitely for worse). You bring up a great point - that a lot of what she says felt “echo-ey” and I’d agree with that. A lot of what she says feels very Ozai-esque, which is the point, but it hurts my heart, because, like, she’s tiny. 

Being Dad’s least favorite is more taxing mentally, and more painful physically, as we’ve seen with Zuko’s scar. But I have to wonder if in the long run, being Dad’s favorite is worse overall.