Phoenix Prince Zuko Phoenix Princess Azula🔥🌋⚡️

“True power, the divine right to rule, is something you were born with!” - Blaze Princess Azula of the Fire Nation ⚡️🌋🔥

[phoenix-king-ozai]

Ozai did love and care about his own family in the past!!!

My thoughts on that horrible & horrendous comic: The Search that Butcher Ozai and Ursa’s complex interesting emotional, romantic, and familial characterization and destroyed the Urzai relationship. Besides destroying my favorite ATLA ship, this comic had piss-poor writing and absolutely stunning ludicrous decisions! Is this very controversial? Yes, I know, however, it is canon to the live action and the animated show! 💯

According to the Comics, Ozai even saved Zuko's life as a toddler from drowning. People like to claim Ozai hated Zuko from the day he was born and that he tried to kill Zuko. THIS IS COMPLETELY NOT TRUE! Ozai said he was going to cast Zuko from the palace for possibly being a non-bender NOT THROW HIM OFF THE PALACE WALLS!

The Fire Nation is an imperialist and feudalist nation based on Ancient Imperial China and Shogunate Japan. Ozai was going to banished/disown Zuko for being not a bender because a Fire Prince having another Fire Prince that can't actually bend fire is a disgrace and disappointment in the militarized Elite Noble Fire Nation culture and society. Sparta for example killed infants with disabilities or Rome simply abandon infants to the street to become slaves if their father didn't want them. So, what Ozai did isn't out of the norm historically or culturally in the Elite circles of Fire Nation society.

Zuko mentions that Ozai and Ursa along with their family used to be happy, and we saw that in Zuko's flashbacks. Yang, just decided to make Ursa a victim because in his mind: URSA IS A GOOD WOMAN! OZAI IS A BAD MAN! SHE MUST BE HELD HOSTAGE BY THE EVIL ABUSIVE MONSTER!!! While Ozai and Ursa arrange marriage does make sense and was confirmed by the creators. It doesn't mean that Ozai and Ursa's relationship was ALWAYS BAD, or SHE WAS KIDNAPPED! Plus, the Urzai relationship is quite normal in the antiquity of Asian societies that the Fire Nation is based on aka Shogunates of Japan and Imperial Chinese Dynasties!!!

Ozai HIMSELF stated in the comics that he tried to be a good father to Zuko and Azula during their young childhood which is canon to flashbacks that Zuko has in the show. Zuko HIMSELF also stated that Ozai tried to be a good father to him and Azula. WHICH ALSO EXPLAINED WHY ZUKO TRIED SO DESPERATELY TO GET BACK IN HIS FATHER'S GOOD GRACE AGAIN AND REGAIN HIS FATHER'S LOVE!

So, in conclusion, Ozai did love and care for Ursa, Zuko, and Azula. Despite, according to the comics he was ALSO FORCED into an eugenics experiment with the granddaughter of his grandfather's old rival and friend. On the orders of his father Fire Lord Azulon and the wishes of the Fire Sages.

People love to give Ursa a pass on how she treated Azula because she was forced into marrying Ozai [which doesn't make sense considering Zuko is also Ozai's child just like Azula] because of Fire Lord Azulon power politically and socially. So, I guess Ozai is justified in how he treated Ursa, Zuko, and Azula simply because Azulon wanted Ursa to be his son's broodmare and for Ozai to train his children to be ruthless powerful fighting soldiers aka human weapons and loyal slaves to himself, Azulon and later Iroh and Lu Ten when they become Fire Lord? According to the logic of Ursa-stans and Ozai & Azula bashers, Ozai simply raised his children how he has been ORDERED to do and had absolutely NO REASON love and care for them personally as a good father and parent should!

Therefore, I get angry when so-called fans and Ursa-stan claimed that Azula had NO RIGHT to be loved and cared for by her own mother Ursa and that her neglectful treatment of Azula is justified because of Ozai's abuse. They like to claim that since Azula is a "rape baby" that Ursa did more than necessary for her daughter, and she has no responsibility to care for her daughter who is becoming more like her abusive husband.

First, canonically Azula IS NOT a rape baby, would you consider Zuko a rape baby then? And if he is, then why is Ursa so fond of Zuko than Azula or makes more of an effort to connect and help Zuko emotionally compared to Azula?

Second, even IF Azula is a rape baby, it is still not justifiable to treat that child horribly because of the action of its father, grandfather, and fire sages. Azula had no choice in being born the daughter of Ozai and Ursa or had a hand in the circumstances of their relationship!

Ozai's harshness and ruthlessness regarding Zuko have nothing to do with Ursa or Ikem's forbidden love! Ozai wants Zuko and Azula to both prove themselves. Ozai doesn't favor Zuko or Azula. It is about which child will succeed Sozin, Azulon, and his legacy as future Fire Lord. In fact, Ozai doesn't want Zuko or Azula to think that they are the “favorite” child. He wants Azula and Zuko to improve through competition. Because of the “only the greatest of pressures can forge diamonds” & “steel sharpen steel” mentality. Ozai has the mentality of an imperialist warlord. Ozai isn't trying to be the world's most loving and caring father but rather continue and build upon a powerful and dominant legacy that his forefathers had created before him. He wants Zuko & Azula to be cold, ruthless, heartless, vicious, and brutal imperialistic warmongers like him (Ozai), his father (Azulon), and his grandfather (Sozin).

Ozai's distaste and despisement of Zuko have NOTHING to do with Ursa and Ozai's arguments in ATLA Canon even in the Comics Ozai was simply saying that to hurt Ursa's feelings and gaslight her over bullshit letters. Ozai views Zuko as a disappointment of a son, firebender, and prince. His skills in Firebending are pathetic compared to his sister's and his morality from his mother and later uncle is out of line with Ozai and mainstream Fire Nation Elite Imperialists. If Zuko was a ruthless and cold-blooded killer like Azula and was at least just as good as his YOUNGER sister, then Ozai would NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEM with Zuko as his son and heir! Zuko represents everything that Ozai was raised to hate and resent; compassion, morality, and mercy as a form of “weakness”.

Ozai hates his son for incompetence as a firebending warrior which is antithetical to Ozai as the strongest firebender in the series along with him being an Agni Kai champion along with the morality and softness that Ursa and later Iroh fostered in Zuko. The fact that Zuko doesn't conform to their society's warrior culture and morality bothers his father since Ozai was likely forced to conform since his own childhood under his father Azulon’s reign. Ozai probably resents that Zuko has his mother and uncle's affection whereas Ozai as a child probably didn't have his mother, Ilah's love to protect and care for him from Azulon's wrath due to her death in childbirth. Iroh got to experience his mother's love and presence along with his father's respect during his childhood, something that Ozai never had. Ozai resents his first-born Zuko and relates far more with his second-born daughter Azula who is neglected like him. Ironically, Ozai neglects Zuko in turn just like Azulon did him just because Zuko takes after Iroh & Ursa’s personalities in their compassionate and merciful character/nature.

PLUS, ACCORDING TO THE ORIGINAL WRITERS AND NOT THE SHITTY YANG COMICS, OZAI, ZUKO, AND URSA HAD A GOOD EARLY RELATIONSHIP! WHICH THE SEEDS OF THAT WERE SHOWN IN THE SHOW VIA ZUKO’S FLASHBACKS!

[demaparbat-hp]

I sold my soul to the spirits and was rewarded with NATLA.

[applecinnamonade]

me when gorls

[northernwatertribe-blog]

30 DAYS OF ATLA: FAVORITE VILLAN

Azula- Trust is for fools.

[wyllravengards]

» LILY GAO as URSA in AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER Season 2

[soncee]

Water tribe siblings !!!

[wyllravengards]

» LILY GAO as URSA in AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER Season 2

[queen-of-urzai]

nalta URZAI

[wyllravengards]

» LILY GAO as URSA in AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER Season 2

[li-distortion]

AVATAR

– THE LAST AIRBENDER –

i found the art on pinterest and couldn't track down the original artist(s) . i take NO CREDIT for the artwork, merely for the editing that turned the art into lockscreens.

[fire-lady-ilah]

The artwork is by Litarnes on Instagram! I highly recommend you check out their stuff— it’s all gorgeous!

[atlaculture]

What food from their 'cultures' do you think the gang would like? Real life food

Oh, this will be a fun question to answer! I'll make this an ongoing series for as many characters as I can think of.

Favorite Foods: Aang

Seeing as Aang has always loved traveling the world on Appa, he strikes me as someone who prefers food he can easily carry and eat while in the air. He's more a snack guy than a meal guy, is what I'm saying. He's also shown to be very fond of egg custard tarts and fruit pies, so I assume he also really likes rich desserts. With these considerations in mind, here's Aang's food board:

Momos - Tibetan stuffed dumplings. They're easy to carry around and eat on the go. Plus, they share a name with everyone's favorite flying lemur. I think Aang's favorite momo filling would be cheese with mushrooms or veggies.

Shom-Dae - Tibetan rice pudding. It's made by mixing fresh steamed rice with yogurt and sugar. Tibetan yogurt is made from yak milk, so it's very rich in fat content. Yogurt is so beloved in Tibet that it even has its own festival there, called Sho Dun.

Bhatsa Marku - A cheesy dessert pasta from Tibet. The primary ingredients are gnocchi-like noodles, dried yak cheese, butter, and sugar. I've also seen non-dessert versions comprised of the gnocchi noodles with mushrooms and butter. I think Aang would love both.

Chhurpi - A rock-hard cheese traditional to the Himalayas. It's typically a yak cheese that has been smoked and dried to remove all the moisture content. This allows it to be easy to carry and transport, as it can remain mold-free and edible for up to 20 years. One cube of chhurpi can be chewed on for hours, as it takes quite a while for the cheese to soften in the mouth.

Ngarchur - A dried Tibetan sweet cheese made from boiled yogurt. Like chuurpi, it's keeps well and is easy to transport, although it's not hard.

Khapse - Tibetan fried dough. Depending on how you shape the dough, it can be crunchy like chips or soft like youtiao.

Sanga Balep - A crispy Tibetan pastry covered in powdered sugar. Not much to say other than it looks really satisfying to eat.

I also have a series on possible Air Nomad cuisine here:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Like what I’m doing? Tips always appreciated, never expected. ^_^

https://ko-fi.com/atlaculture

[beifong-brainrot]

Sometimes I wonder if the huge scrutiny and often dislike of Ursa (especially in the comics) is not only because she is an 'imperfect' mother, but also because she is shown through lenses other than 'mother'. Ursa's storyline as a victim of Ozai and the Royal Family seems to make people uncomfy. I don't see it discussed nearly enough as much as the same inane, pedantic discussion of "was Ursa a good mom to Azula/her kids".

And yes, Ursa is a victim, this woman was going through severe anxiety through a whole comic cycle and had a borderline panic attack just being in the Palace. Like. read between the lines.

[That last series of panels are genuinely so well done but also heartbreaking. Also I do like the literary device of presenting her cold hands as a 'tell' for her anxiety and fear.]

She clearly wasn't in a position to be able to refuse Ozai's marriage proposal. She's essentially only being placed in this situation as a breeding vessel to make super cool bordeline-eugenics babies. Despite this, Ozai, probably due to his own insecurities, is extremely possesive and controlling of her. There's a level of degradation and violation here that transcends even the bleak reality of most arranged marriages.

Listen y'all I know Ozai is sexy but let's take the 'oh no I belong to the hot prince haha noo🙈' goggles off, and acknowledge the horror of this situation. A forced marriage is already a form of violence, likely followed by dubiously consensual sex at best, and we know this happened to Ursa at least twice. She's been coerced into a relationship, isolated from her parents, friends and home, and used as an incubator.

This is kinda a crucial aspect of Ursa's character, and you cannot divorce it from her role as a mother. You simply cannot. As much as me may want Ursa to compartmentalise and fulfill her parental duty to the best of her ability, outside pressures be damned, that is a practically impossible ask. Especially since Ozai is right there, and actively sabotaging her attempts at parenting.

Like. I hope we can all agree that telling a child off and putting them in time out for setting their someone's pants on fire is a reasonable. But here, Ozai is actively undermining this parenting decision on Ursa by essentially rewarding Azula for doing this.

Children are more perceptive than we think and Azula is an exceptionally smart child. She has a fecent understanding of the relationships and power dynamics in her family, and she is aware that Ozai holds more power in the relationship than Ursa.

And I don't want to make Azula out to be this evil, manipulative child. That's not the case. Most children act out and do mean things. That's how they test boundaries. But, Azula has been taught that the boundaries Ursa sets don't matter.

Young Zuko: Not funny, Azula! You're sick. And I want my knife back, now. Young Azula : Who's going to make me? Mom?

This is a flaw in the enviornment Ursa is raising her children in, something that she can't very well control. However, both Azula and the fandom place a huge empathis on Ursa's specific failings. From Azula's perspective, this is understandable. She's veen influenced by Ozai for years, and is not in her right mental state. Of course she will blame Ursa, because if she blames Ozai and the enviornment she thrived in as a child, it would make her ask uncomfortable questions about herself, as well.

From the fandom's perspective, this is a little more murky. Now, fandom spaces aren't exactly the hives of feminism I wish they were, and this is very visible in how fictional mothers are treated, which often reflects on how we percieve irl mothers. Mothers are, more than fathers, expected to give up their identities, to throw themselves fully into motherhood. If they excel at it, they may have the 'privilege' of being percieved as pleasant, supportive extensions of their partners and children. If they fuck up, they're malicious. Their identities outside of motherhood mean very little, neither do the circumstances around them.

This is a panel of Azula blaming Ursa for not allowing Ozai to kill Zuko and therefore leaving. While she speaks of Ozai turning her into a firebending weapon, and someone to be protected from, she blames Ursa for not protecting her from him. No blame is placed on the man, the person in power in this situation. Azula has always been aware that Ozai is dangerous, that he is fully capable of killing his children. She seemed convinced that Ozai would kill Zuko at Azulon's behest, she'd witnessed Ozai burn Zuko's face.

Yet, she blames Ursa. More than she ever blamed Ozai. Of course she does, she's been conditioned to just accept Ozai's perpetual danger as normal. Therefore, he is not in the wrong for causing harm to her. It is Ursa who is in the wrong for allowing it to happen, with Azula being unable to notice the impossible choice that had been placed in front of Ursa.

But the fandom isn't as lost in the sauce as Azula is, and we have access to much more information than she does. Yet still, we only analyse Ursa, discussing over and over if she was a good mother to Azula and Zuko, mulling over her morality constantly. Scrutinising her every word to her children without acknowledging the Mark Hamil voiced Elephant in the room.

Ursa is on trial for any minute detail. While we just accept Ozai as he is and expect Ursa to just. Properly parent her kids regardless. Nkt only properly parent, but also somehow completely and utterly shield her children from Ozai, to undo whatever harmful lessons he is inflicting on them, to be an "angel in the home" when the home is literally her hell. And that's how we get genuises like this, who claim that Ozai is the better parent to Azula. Truly the brightest minds of our generation are coming out of the woodworks on fandom discourse.

[The first line is also false, in Smoke and Shadows its stated Ursa and Zuko stayed in Hira'a searching the Forgetful Valley for weeks]

And this fandom's dislike of mothers being more than mothers is a pattern. Suyin Beifong and (to a much lesser extent) Pema from tlok recieved their lashings and have been called bad mothers and villanised for not fitting their motherly roles perfectly, or having other things going on in their lives (this last one is particularly relevant to Su). However, Poppy Beifong who was complicit, if not an active part of Toph's abuse as a child gets of mostly scott free, probably because she sticks very strongly to her motherly archetype.

If we want to go broader than that, recent hate towards Abuela from Encanto, Ming Lee from Turning Red and Celine from K-pop Demon Hunters for being mothers (mother figure in Celine's case) is very telling of this phenomenon. Compare this to fathers in media, who are allowed to have their complexities and have identities outside of their children without being chided and demonised for it. Nay, they are often praised for being nuanced.

I suppose what I'm trying to say here is that we've focused so much on trying to figure out if these women did their best in the situations they were in, if their best was enough, if they are evil for struggling with the odds placed in front of them... that we've completely neglected to take into account the worlds and people around them. I guess it is just simpler to single out a singular problem, a woman whom we can point at and pick apart, rather than try to wrap our heads around the systems and situations surrounding her. Wow, art does imitate life 😍

[kazumikazue]

I hate how those "fans" would say that Ursa was abusive towards Azula like — she was just correcting her child's behaviour ☠️

[xxboygutzxx]

This is how some of yall sound talking about azula

Hate will prob be deleted

[swallovvtail]

avatar: the last airbender (2x03, 2x07, 3x05, 3x11, 3x18, 3x20, 3x21) // avatar: the last airbender - the search // what it means to inherit, by stacey waite // avatar: the last airbender - azula in the spirit temple.

[murglor]

Well, this is incredible and punched me right in the heart. Wow.

[e-k-artnstuff]

Ursa, Zuko and Azula

[chiptrillino-art]

(id in ALT text)

lets look threatening with papa vs. lets look pretty with mamma

[quietmonologues]

I think Zuko not fighting back against Ozai in the original ATLA cartoon and Zuko fighting back against Ozai in the live action ATLA represents the same message and characterization of Zuko. Ozai demanded that he fight. Zuko didn't want to disobey his father. So he fights because he acknowledges that he dishonored his father (by calling the plan stupid). He fights to prove that he is worthy. That his father inviting him to the war council meeting wasn't for nothing. In both the cartoon and live action, he gets punished because he still fails: in the cartoon he fails because he doesn't fight back, in the live action he fails because he has a chance to hurt his father and hesitates. Both show Zuko's heart. But to Ozai, that heart is a weakness. He's too soft. "He's not strong enough to fight his father" and "he's not strong enough to harm his father" tell the same message. And all of that leads to his journey to finding the avatar: to get his honour back, to prove to his father that he is worthy.

Like, I think in fandom if people don't allow for an adaptation to present different interpretations of a scene that tells you the same message (but just in a different way), then fandom will never be happy.

[prying-pandora666-deactivated20]

Respectfully, I disagree. It does change it significantly for a number of reasons.

There was no winning in the original. If Zuko had fought back, Ozai still would’ve called him disrespectful. In the LA, Ozai wanted Zuko to fight back and not show mercy. There was a right answer. The injustice of there being NO right answer in the original hits differently, and informs us what it must be like to serve Ozai. Both for Zuko AND Azula.

Zuko’s visible age difference. It’s one thing for a cartoon character to look older than intended, but we still understand he was only a 13 year old child. Here they have a 20 year old playing young Zuko and there’s just no ignoring that. It changes things to have two adults fighting versus an adult imposing violence on a child as they beg and cry for mercy on their knees.

Most crucially, it was a far more private affair in the LA. This robs us of some incredible world building in the original (show don’t tell). It takes away from the cruelty and humiliation of it all, but more than that it takes away the clear message that every adult in this society is complicit in this atrocity. No one is shocked. Zhao is even smiling. But most people look bored like they’ve been called into a meeting for something that could’ve been a memo. That TELLS us something about the environment these kids are growing up in, vs the LA version where it only tells us that Ozai is an abuser. It takes a societal problem that is inescapable for Fire Nation kids and turns it into an individual problem about Ozai.

It’s very different despite the aesthetic similarities.

I’m all for adaptations finding their own voice. If they’d wanted to do things differently, that could’ve worked!

What bothers me (and some others, from what I’ve read) is that they didn’t give us radical new perspectives or interpretations or angles to consider. They gave us inferior copies of what we already had.

I will hand it to both Dallas Liu and DDK though for the stellar performances!

[quietmonologues]

Hello, thanks for your thoughts!

I don't really understand this mainly because I think the "no right answer" still applies to the LA? If Zuko didn't fight back, he would be punished. Zuko fought back here and he's still punished. There was no way Zuko would "win" in the LA because he respects his father too much to ever hurt him. That's not who he is. The fact that Ozai challenged his son already shows us what it must be like to serve under him.

Never thought about the age but I understand what you mean. But while it's true that Dallas and Daniel are adults here, Dallas still looks like a teenager in the show, albeit an older teenager. And I can still recognize that it's a fight between a father and son. That's still his child. That's still the most powerful man in the nation fighting a kid. It doesn't take away from the cruelty.

There was in audience in the LA though. But I think I understand what you mean here, we only saw Azula and Iroh's reactions. Seeing how others reactes would have worked. We do get that guy from the war council meeting sneering in Zuko's ear. It's not much.

You say they gave as "inferior copies", but they weren't "copies" to be fair, and I don't see a point in having a live action adaptation if it just copies and pastes from the original. Nothing really in this adaptation was a "copy", a lot of things were remixed, squashed together, or reinterpretations (some okay, some bad for sure).

The adaptation is definitely not perfect and has some issues but I don't consider this scene to be one of them. I appreciate this interpretation because it's a change that doesn't mess up Zuko's character to me.

[phoenix-king-ozai]

Ozai's harshness and ruthless regarding Zuko has nothing to do with Ursa or Ikem forbidden love! Like the ATLA comics wants to be the case. Ozai wants Zuko and Azula to both prove themselves. Ozai doesn't favor Zuko or Azula. It is about which child will succeed Sozin, Azulon, and his legacy as future Fire Lord. In fact, Ozai doesn't want Zuko or Azula to think that they are the “favorite” child. He wants Azula and Zuko to improve through competition. Because of the “only the greatest of pressures can forge diamonds” & “steel sharpen steel” mentality. Ozai has the mentality of an imperialist warlord. Ozai isn't trying to be the world's most loving and caring father but rather continue and build upon a powerful and dominant legacy that his forefathers had created before him. He wants Zuko & Azula to be cold, ruthless, heartless, vicious, and brutal imperialistic warmongers like him (Ozai), his father (Azulon), and his grandfather (Sozin). It seems that Ozai favors Azula due to her being a prodigy and second-born child. However, it is also because Zuko doesn't live up to the imperialistic standards that Sozin created, Azulon established and Ozai enforced.

The point that I’m trying to get at is! Zuko not agreeing to the Agni Kai and kneeling infuriated Ozai which led to Zuko’s scarring and banishment because of Ozai’s dissatisfaction, disappointment, and disgust in Zuko’s fear, terror, and unwillingness to duel his father aka a member of his family. Zuko’s terror and desire to not fight his father also conflicted him in the Agni Kai causing him not to act against Ozai. This is the main reason Zuko’s fight with Azula was so impactful. Zuko didn’t want to fight his family yet had no choice regarding his father and sister.

However, Zuko’s flashbacks showed that Ozai did make an effort to try to be a good father and husband to Ursa and their children. The good memories of the Fire Nation Royal Family on Ember Island hurt Zuko and Azula during the Beach episode. This is why Zuko desired Ozai's love, respect, and admiration from him. If Ozai was only a cruel bastard to his family and son why would Zuko want to go back to his father and homeland to be abused again?

Ozai's distaste and despisement of Zuko have NOTHING to do with Ursa and Ozai's arguments in ATLA Canon even in the Comics Ozai was simply saying that to hurt Ursa's feelings and gaslight her over bullshit letters. Ozai views Zuko as a disappointment of a son, firebender, and prince. His skills in Firebending are pathetic compared to his sister's and his morality from his mother and later uncle is out of line with Ozai and mainstream Fire Nation Elite Imperialists. If Zuko was a ruthless and cold-blooded killer like Azula and was at least just as good as his YOUNGER sister, then Ozai would NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEM with Zuko as his son and heir! Zuko represents everything that Ozai was raised to hate and resent; compassion, morality, mercy, weakness, etc. Ozai hates his son for incompetence as a firebending warrior which is antithetical to Ozai as the strongest firebender in the series along with him being an Agni Kai champion along with the morality and softness that Ursa and later Iroh fostered in Zuko. The fact that Zuko doesn't conform to their society's warrior culture and morality bothers his father since Ozai was likely forced to conform since his own childhood under his father Azulon’s reign. Ozai probably resents that Zuko has his mother and uncle's affection whereas Ozai as a child probably didn't have his mother, Ilah's love to protect and care for him from Azulon's wrath due to her death in childbirth. Iroh got to experience his mother's love and presence along with his father's respect during his childhood, something that Ozai never had. Ozai resents his first-born Zuko and relates far more with his second-born daughter Azula who is neglected like him.