Vid: Azula's Jar of Hearts

[attackfish]

Disclaimer: The music for this vid is Christina Perri's "Jar of Hearts". The footage in this vid comes from Avatar: the Last Airbender, which belongs to Nickelodeon, as well as to Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko.

Summary: This is what Ty Lee wishes she could say

Creator Commentary:  This vid is about the relationship of Ty Lee and Azula, but it does not celebrate that relationship.  I have previously talked about my own experiences with abuse within a supposed friendship, much like Ty Lee and Azula's and as such, I will always portray Azula's relationship with Mai, Ty Lee, and Zuko as the abuse it absolutely is.  Mai and Ty Lee's actions at the Boiling Rock were tremendously brave, and a true triumph.

Azula's Jar of Hearts

Comments

[veleda_k]

Oh man, this was so good. What a fantastic look at Ty Lee (and Mai). And Azula gaves me chills in this vid, which means you got her right.

Those decisions by Mai and Ty Lee--"I love Zuko more than I fear you" and Ty Lee coming to Mai's defense--are some of the bravest in the entire series.

[attackfish]

That is the one moment, that I, alone in my room on my computer, watching A:tLA for the first time, actually physically cheered, loud enough to scare my parents. The way Azula treats Mai, Ty Lee, and Zuko is the truest thing in any fiction in any medium I have ever come across to my own experience, and seeing them not only stand up and say no to Azula, but to do it to protect her other victims, Zuko for Mai, and Mai for Ty Lee, meant more to me than anything else in the series.

And I have since learned that there is a significant chunk of Azula apologists who think that what they did showed that Mai and Ty Lee weren't her real friends, and if they were really her friends, she wouldn't have gone crazy. And I'm like, wait, leaving aside for the fact that Mai and Ty Lee weren't Azula's real friends, because they were her victims, and because friendship requires trust, and caring, and choice, all of the things Azula denied them, Mai did what she did to save Zuko's life. And her uncle's life. And also Sokka, Suki, Hakoda, and Chit Sang's lives. And Ty Lee did what she did to save Mai's life. Azula was getting ready to bend lightning. And really, Mai and Ty Lee should have thought about Azula's feelings before they saved the lives of the people they cared about. Okay.

Sorry. I might have some pretty intense feelings there.

[veleda_k]

Wow, I hadn't heard that particular defense before. Ty Lee and Mai are actually supposed to feel bad for saving peoples lives? Do people think it actually would have been preferable if Azula had killed Sokka, Zuko, and the rest? Because that way she wouldn't get her feelings hurt?

[attackfish]

Yep. Well, they're the big meanies who drove Azula crazy, of course. Yeah. Never going on AvatarSpirit again.