(not) me

Because since a young age, Azula learned to be an accommodating child. She tries to fit herself into the wishes of Ursa and Ozai, who are parents with opposite nurturing styles and ideologies, neither of them was a good moral influence.

"We are brother and sister. It's important for us to spend time together! Don't you think so, Mom?" [Shoots her mother an innocent smile.]

(This is something Ursa wants and Azula knows this would get her her mother's approval. After all Ursa's priorities were Zuko and manners (never morals))

_

"Azula told me everything. She said she was amazed and impressed at your power and ferocity at the moment of truth."

(These are qualities Ozai loves and focus on.)

Both of these examples are strong acts of accommodating.

But there are no fake either, though, which is why I used the word accommodation instead of manipulation. Azula really does enjoy playing with her brother as siblings and she was really happy and proud of Zuko when he chooses her & their father's side, when they fought together as a team in BSS.

This was Azula trying to please demanding, emotionally unavailable parents whom she can't really understand.

This accommodating nature paved the way to her manipulation tendency of people later by her examining less difficult-to-understand (and less threatening) people's rules and play them.

Ty Lee: "Well, what's your excuse, Mai? You were an only child for fifteen years, but even with all that attention, your aura is this dingy, pasty, gray ..."

For all people like to pretend Mai and Ty Lee's relationship was lovey-dovey compared to the one they had with Azula, this line and Ty Lee's sarcastic, angry attitude actually reveal that Ty Lee does not understand Mai at all and silently jealous of her for having a "good life" and even slightly resent her for not being grateful for it.

Mai doesn't talk with Ty Lee about her life or problems.

As for how Mai sees Ty Lee, I didn't want to say it lol but I think these scenes reveal that Mai might think Ty Lee is kinda dumb and childish:

Tl;dr all the three girls' relationships were dysfunctional

Whenever I read yet again that Azula is a monster because, as an 11-year-old, she smiled when she saw Ozai publicly scarring Zuko, I think of, for example, the cute children of 14th-century Italy who amused themselves by attacking prisoners sentenced to execution and literally tearing them to pieces. Optionally, they could, for example, go to the deceased's wife with the severed head and show her this gift through the window. And what's characteristic is that such children's behavior was considered an act pleasing to God by the church. Some priests who observed such reprisals even wrote that they saw divine providence in it. Children are essentially immoral. Morality in children is shaped by society. And the morality of different societies in different periods of history is different. How many people looked on with disgust at that execution?

Literally only Iroh, and even he simply watched, but did nothing or said anything. But he is the eldest son of Azulon and a whole general and the Dragon of the West, but he just watches and that’s all.

I think it stems from the abusive household she grew up in. Not just that she needed to always be the best, but having an abusive parent makes you hyperaware of what you should say or do, and it probably made her good at picking up on things because she had to in order to avoid angering Ozai.

Because as anyone paying attention to Azula’s actions knows: Azula is a ruthless perfectionist. Azula never considers the Dai Li inferior because they’re Earthbenders. Azula even respects non firebenders when Ozai doesn’t. She never thinks of Mai & Tylee as inferior fighters, or Lo/Li as poor instructors or advisers. Zuko gave Iroh a hard time & he was a top tier general & one of the best firebenders, I imagine he’d veritably explode if he had to listen to two old crones that hold no military rank criticize his firebending forms. . And most importantly, even though he was just a “water peasant” Azula never underestimated Sokka’s intelligence , being fully aware he was the strategic mastermind behind the invasion, and preparing a counter just for him.

Also stop trying to turn katara into a parent we have toph call her a mom in ONE episode and suddenly she's team mom which was never the case prior to book 3. Yall are killing me with this bs.

I hate yall media illiterate fucks.

Azula:

water tribe

i tweaked my references as you can see.

other than that, this is actually pretty fun to

Another day, another stupid take.

That's not what this scene says at all. What it's saying is that Azula FEARS being seen like Zuko in her father's eyes. Because she's already seen once before what that means.

Which is also horrible because it leads the siblings who weren't hit but only watched, to think that they didn't have it as bad, cause 'they weren't the ones who were hit at the end of the day'. That's not how it is. Being forced to watch your sib being hit in front of your eyes while being unable to do anything cause if you protest or stand in between you'll be hit too is abuse. The mental and psychological scars that leaves can't be understated. Even in cases where the siblings do not get along and hit each other too, seeing them being abused by their parent is still a terrifying experience.