there probably wouldn't be an Agni Kai in this universe, since Zuko wouldn't have been breaching royal protocol, just making some unwise statements
Good point! (heh, can you tell that my instinct is always to cling to canon, by my fingernails if need be!). And in fact I seem to remember reading somewhere that going off to search for the Avatar was a traditional rite of passage for Fire Nation royals (or, well, since Sozin, I guess). So Ozai could absolutely spin it as a great opportunity and a coming-of-age duty for his son, even if it would be entirely evident to those in the know that he was essentially shoving Zuko unceremoniously offstage. And, yes, a scar-less Zuko would require a lot less suspension of disbelief when it comes to him being inconspicuous and unidentified. Though, mind you, it did seem to work quite well in terms establishing his bona fides as a victim of the Fire Nation, so there’d be that to work round...
And as you say, given that his father BURNING HALF HIS FACE OFF didn’t really bring it home to Zuko that he was the ugly duckling, everything remaining a matter of whispering campaigns and nuance might just serve to tangle up the family relationships even further.
perhaps the Avatar is portrayed as the relic of an outmoded belief system
I love this idea – and as you say it would absolutely tie in with a quasi-theocratic Fire Nation, with the Fire Lords claiming some special link to ‘the superior element’ – I’m fond of the idea of them claiming descent from some Fire spirit or what have you, myself. Though I’ve also come across some mention of the position of Fire Lord starting off as just head Fire Sage (which is so suggestive for Fire Nation history, oh man), which vaguely works against my spirit-descent idea, but would work really well in terms of giving Mai a pretext to claim the throne – she could say she was returning the position of Fire Lord to its pious roots (while, naturally, hanging on to all the power it had accumulated in the meantime...).
And speaking of Mai, yes, you do have a point that it might be EXASPERATION with drawn-out, torturous politicking in the wake of Ozai’s downfall which would see going ‘right, enough of this’ and seizing the reins. Especially as she seems very much a creature of power and privilege despite herself, and would I imagine want to ensure she had a place near the top of the Fire Nation court carved out for her – and if being Fire Lord was the only way to ensure that, well, I can see her stepping up. And she’d be hella good at delegating, too, I imagine – quite unlike Zuko. And I can entirely see her just making off with the Fire Lord’s seal until such a time it became officially hers!
Heh! Poor Earth King, I feel that would be a marriage of convenience and a half! But also quite plausible, though I can see there being massive internal opposition – shades of Mary Tudor getting hitched to Philip, though of course Mai would be actually politically astute, which might make all the difference. And in terms of succession, I guess, actually, that once the nobles had sucked it up and accepted a non-bending woman on the throne (I mean, quite apart from the thorny question of Fire Nation gender equality, it’s canon that the last five or so Fire Lords have been men, going by the giant wall-o-Fire Lords in the palace), they might just be willing to be grateful for having an heir at all, full stop.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-10-01 04:21 pm (UTC)Good point! (heh, can you tell that my instinct is always to cling to canon, by my fingernails if need be!). And in fact I seem to remember reading somewhere that going off to search for the Avatar was a traditional rite of passage for Fire Nation royals (or, well, since Sozin, I guess). So Ozai could absolutely spin it as a great opportunity and a coming-of-age duty for his son, even if it would be entirely evident to those in the know that he was essentially shoving Zuko unceremoniously offstage. And, yes, a scar-less Zuko would require a lot less suspension of disbelief when it comes to him being inconspicuous and unidentified. Though, mind you, it did seem to work quite well in terms establishing his bona fides as a victim of the Fire Nation, so there’d be that to work round...
And as you say, given that his father BURNING HALF HIS FACE OFF didn’t really bring it home to Zuko that he was the ugly duckling, everything remaining a matter of whispering campaigns and nuance might just serve to tangle up the family relationships even further.
perhaps the Avatar is portrayed as the relic of an outmoded belief system
I love this idea – and as you say it would absolutely tie in with a quasi-theocratic Fire Nation, with the Fire Lords claiming some special link to ‘the superior element’ – I’m fond of the idea of them claiming descent from some Fire spirit or what have you, myself. Though I’ve also come across some mention of the position of Fire Lord starting off as just head Fire Sage (which is so suggestive for Fire Nation history, oh man), which vaguely works against my spirit-descent idea, but would work really well in terms of giving Mai a pretext to claim the throne – she could say she was returning the position of Fire Lord to its pious roots (while, naturally, hanging on to all the power it had accumulated in the meantime...).
And speaking of Mai, yes, you do have a point that it might be EXASPERATION with drawn-out, torturous politicking in the wake of Ozai’s downfall which would see going ‘right, enough of this’ and seizing the reins. Especially as she seems very much a creature of power and privilege despite herself, and would I imagine want to ensure she had a place near the top of the Fire Nation court carved out for her – and if being Fire Lord was the only way to ensure that, well, I can see her stepping up. And she’d be hella good at delegating, too, I imagine – quite unlike Zuko. And I can entirely see her just making off with the Fire Lord’s seal until such a time it became officially hers!
Heh! Poor Earth King, I feel that would be a marriage of convenience and a half! But also quite plausible, though I can see there being massive internal opposition – shades of Mary Tudor getting hitched to Philip, though of course Mai would be actually politically astute, which might make all the difference. And in terms of succession, I guess, actually, that once the nobles had sucked it up and accepted a non-bending woman on the throne (I mean, quite apart from the thorny question of Fire Nation gender equality, it’s canon that the last five or so Fire Lords have been men, going by the giant wall-o-Fire Lords in the palace), they might just be willing to be grateful for having an heir at all, full stop.