izziestardust:royaltealovingkookiness:princexuko:okay but look at the differences between these two

izziestardust:royaltealovingkookiness:princexuko:okay but look at the differences between these two statues. that pretty much says everything you need to know about Zuko and his father. Ozai statue shows him as fearful and intimidating. washboard abs, flexed muscles, breath of fire, closed fists… he’s dressed for an angi kai, dressed to fight. (looking up at this statue is probably the image Zuko has in his head of his father right before he burned him.) but this isn’t just how Zuko sees his father, it’s how the fire nation and the world as a whole saw Ozai.if you assume that Ozai approved or had some say in how this giant steel immortalization of himself turned out, we can also assume that this is how Ozai wants the world to see him: as a powerful, merciless ruler that brought change through violence and endless fiery aggression. (also, apparently, as a pretty well endowed guy too i mean damn)and then there’s Zuko and like where do we even begin?? he’s not dressed to fight and unline Ozai he’s not made to look like a wwe champ. and he’s not dressed up all regal-firelordy-like: no cape, no pointy shoulder pad armor things… so it’s obviously not meant to be a sheer display of strength or wealth or power. actually, he’s wearing something that looks a lot more like casual travelling clothes, similar to what he wore while travelling with the gaang and a lot like the clothes in the “old friends” poster. but then the fire!! this is the most important part. look at how he’s holding it. the opposite of Ozai’s, Zuko’s fire is not a means to attack or destroy—it lights the way. he’s holding it out for his people, leading them as they travel together into this new world. the focus of Zuko’s statue isn’t on sheer, shallow displays of power and strength. Zuko’s statue shows the legacy of hope and change he left behind. oh Zuko’s strong, certainly. you can tell that in his stance and the poised way he holds his head, his crown and the beacon of fire. but unlike Ozai, Zuko never relied on physical strength or intimidation, and that is what made him different.we don’t really know how involved Zuko was with this statue, but I think it’s safe to assume that it would’ve had to have his personal seal of approval. i’d like to think Zuko vetoed a lot of designs before they came up with one as subtle but powerfully fitting as this. this is how the world sees Fire Lord (and now Peace Ambassador) Zuko, and how Zuko, in his later years, has come to see himself. and when you think about how goddamn terrified that newly crowned 17 year old was of becoming just like his father…it’s really powerful to see, in the end, that these two, father and son, predecessor and heir, couldn’t have been more different.I had so similar thoughts about this. I’m glad you wrote it so wonderfully, I love everything about it. Zuko’s statue is the embodiment of the gentle, nurturing side of fire, as it returns to the balance, illuminating rather then destroying and it fits so perfectly the kind of person he became. Something else about the way he holds the flame, it reminds me very much of the way he had to carry it when he faced the dragons to be deemed worthy. That was such a critical and formative endeavor for him. That was when he and Aang really became friends. That was when he learned the true meaning of fire and got his own flame back. I really feel like this statue was also designed with the significance of that in mind. -- source link

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