[openyourmindslife-deactivated20]

O P E N Y O U R M I N D

[micahulrichdraws]

All these things on my mind.

[law-of-abstraction]

❈ Grim Aesthetics ❈

[masshomicide]

[recaption]

[eliminated]

[especially]

[especially]

[omnipotentdarkness-deactivated2]

[mydadysgotagun]

[sin-ramyeon-blog]

(“BROLY500!”)

[creativespacetime]

Way….

[sin-ramyeon-blog]

(Taj Tha God)

[sin-ramyeon-blog]

(Okaminokami)

[avatarsymbolism]

I don’t really want to go over stuff I’ve already discussed so, with that said, what the hell is with the consistency with the Katara/Ozai parallels? Like why this, specifically? 

Sure, it fits into Zuko’s arc, and it’s still all about the contrast between Katara and Ozai, but why all this consistency with the Zuko kneeling and on the ground looking up, and a shot of Katara/Ozai from the ground done in a way usually used to show power over an individual and, in this show at least, done specifically with the villains and Zuko pre-redemption (this is especially true of the shot of Katara we get in “Crossroads.“)? Also, the bottom-up shots we do get of Zuko are never quite like this. You could have absolutely gone for the “Katara in TSR is acting like Book 1 Zuko” and “Zuko has unhealthy and obsessive people pleasing habits” angles without making all these weird Katara/Ozai connections. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ehasz, you didn’t have to go this far with the parallels. This is actually kind of creepy. 

[science-fiction-is-real]

Yes, it would make sense that Zuko, being an abuse victim, could very possibly give him people pleasing habits.  I do know from personal experience that the way your parents treat you has a big ass profound affect for every single relationship you have for the rest of your life.  Me personally i don’t get along well with my mom and never have even since I was small.  I’ve also noticed i have extreme anxiety, fear, and resentment of authority in other areas of my life as well.   Gee golly.  I wonder why.

But I think there’s another way to interpret the Katara / Ozai parallel. 

Zuko’s whole quest is to gain honor.

Honor in zuko’s world is a state of being accepted and respected by those in society, especially those who have power over you who can choose whether or not you get to be part of that society.

Pre redemption Zuko loses his honor when Ozai, the authority figure, kicks him out of the fire nation.  So we see him looking up to Ozai, hoping and praying for acceptance.

Post redemption Zuko doesn’t want to be part of fire nation society, he wants to be part of the Gaang.  And the barrier to entry into the gaang, the last one to trust him and the one he needs to win over, is Katara, so he looks up to Katara hoping and praying that she will accept him.

But you forgot the last and most important time we see Zuko looking up.

(in the shot before he was bent down getting the crown on his hair but i can’t find a gif to show that so whatevs.)

Who is Zuko looking up to here?  No one.

He’s looking up for himself.  He is a self actualized mature mother fucker.  He doesn’t need anyone to give him honor.  He gives it to himself.

You can also interpret is he is looking up toward the people of the Fire Nation and people of the rest of the world.  Zuko has to redeem himself in the eyes of the world as a world leader.  It is the people of the world who give their consent for him to be king and it is the people who will hold him accountable for if he is a good king or a tyrant.

[avatarsymbolism]

Well, we don’t see his entire face per say, and he’s not really looking up but you’re right about i’m bowing/kneeling to no one. He asks for forgiveness from al those he feels he has wronged over the years from his father to his uncle and Katara, but when he finally reaches the end of the series, after he’s already redeemed himself and regained his honor, he finally ascends to the peak of of his development within the confines of the series. 

And who else do we see looking up to him? Aang. 

I definietly like that final paragraph It’s really nice. 

[law-of-abstraction]

❈ Grim Aesthetics ❈

[nocte-in-purgatorio]

🔪