#atla 2x07

[animoogus]

Yeah, yeah, Zuko can't tell jokes. But it's time we give credit where credit's due and acknowledge "maybe a chicken flew over" as one of the funniest lines in the whole damn show. King.

[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. 

[smokeys-liveblogs]

God, Azula's fascinating to me.

She's got Zuko's dagger, because she wants it, and because she got a shitty present when he got a cool one, but when she hears someone coming, she hides behind the pillar before she can realize who it is, because she's afraid of getting in trouble. Of course, then she sees it's Zuko, and it doesn't matter if he knows, so she comes out. She's just... so interesting. I want to study her.

[smokeys-liveblogs]

GOD.

Okay. Okay. Okay. How the hell do I go about this end-card.

Holy shit. 

Okay so here’s what we know: Iroh was going to have the throne after Azulon died, and then it would go to Lu Ten. Ozai was the second born.

Lu Ten was killed, Iroh was broken by his death, and Ozai saw his chance. Azulon REFUSED to give him the throne, and then allegedly told Ozai to kill Zuko. Azula says this, so take it with a grain of salt. 

Ursa says goodbye to Zuko, and then “disappears” the same night Azulon dies, and Ozai is crowned. 

........what the Fuck. 

(also this was a fantastic fucking episode for Zuko overall and he was the ONLY MAIN CHARACTER EVEN IN IT.......THAT’S SO COOL)

[smokeys-liveblogs]

Teeny

[smokeys-liveblogs]

And she's happy about him failing, but I can't even blame her for that! This is a kill or be killed sort of family, it shouldn't be, but it is, and she understands that and Zuko doesn't. She's at an initial disadvantage, too, by being the second-born, and so it must be very relieving to be better than him. God, fucking Ozai, man.

[smokeys-liveblogs]

This is outside Canon info, so just delete the ask if you don't want it

Ozai was the least favorite child, so it might have motivated on why he so obviously favored his second born over the first

Yeahh there seems to be multiple reasons as to why Ozai favors Azula over Zuko.

1. He is the second born himself, and I’d bet Azulon never paid him a lot of attention for that very reason. Iroh was enough for him, so Ozai was cast aside. Therefore, he knows how it feels, being the secondborn, and so he can both keep Azula from feeling the same while also knowing exactly how to talk to her, what she wants.

2. Azula is naturally talented and knows how to put on a show when Zuko is not. Azulon would probably see Zuko’s failings reflected on Ozai, and Ozai would’ve hated it.

I understand why. Azulon likely got his own parenting skills from Sozin. It’s still fucked up.

[smokeys-liveblogs]

:) :) :) I told you it wild be a fun episode! As for Fire Lord Azulon ordering Ozai to kill Zuko; there is a fan theory that his actual orders were to give Zuko to Iroh, effectively removing Ozai from the line of succession completely, and with his disfavored heir to boot. It makes more sense for a man who just lost a grandchild and heir. Ozai being willing to kill Zuko to prevent it is just straight Ozai flavored bastard.

You were right!!!! Holy hell you were right.

Yeah, that’s an interesting idea, and that idea really makes me think Ursa killed Azulon. As a sort of “you can still have the throne” to Ozai, without bringing harm to Zuko. And then Ozai either had her killed, or she ran.

Neither are great options.