I think Azulon's problems with Ozai are two-fold- first, he really is sort of problematic in that he's competition for an inheritance that Azulon had thought settled. He didn't have the problem nipped in the bud because he loved his wife and there *is* always the principal of the spare, no matter how favored and sturdy the heir- but it still muddies the waters at this late date. Iroh is a man grown, and even growing older- some people look for the newer models when coronation-time comes around, hoping both to get influence and max use out of a new monarch. And Ozai proves dangerous because he *is* actual competition- he's just that good, and will get *better* as time goes on and he recieves training appropriate to his rank and talents.
Azulon will make use of his son and all his talents, certainly- but he tries to keep it where he can see it and under his control. You don't waste firepower like that, but neither do you like to let others know just how potentially valuable it is, nor give it any ideas.
The other thing is that Ozai's successes tend to be- well- not always socially acceptable. A lot of my basis for writing Avatar characters is half-absorbing things that other people have written that I agreed with, that really felt like they could have happened- things like tearing up a bandit camp with his bare hands. The Fire Nation is militaristic, harsh and prone to socially-acceptable violence- but the trick is the socially acceptable bit. A reputation for brutality can be disquieting- there's a difference between a wily general and a wild beast on a chain. He's probably not as bad as Azula might have been, certainly not as bad as he will be once he loses the love of his life and any restraint to both ego and power, but without being too sure of the details, there have been some incidents in both training and in practice when he's been on assignment.
He's also a jealous and grouchy teenager who can take breathing wrong as a slight, but there is basis for his assumptions.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2009-11-17 11:12 pm (UTC)I think Azulon's problems with Ozai are two-fold- first, he really is sort of problematic in that he's competition for an inheritance that Azulon had thought settled. He didn't have the problem nipped in the bud because he loved his wife and there *is* always the principal of the spare, no matter how favored and sturdy the heir- but it still muddies the waters at this late date. Iroh is a man grown, and even growing older- some people look for the newer models when coronation-time comes around, hoping both to get influence and max use out of a new monarch. And Ozai proves dangerous because he *is* actual competition- he's just that good, and will get *better* as time goes on and he recieves training appropriate to his rank and talents.
Azulon will make use of his son and all his talents, certainly- but he tries to keep it where he can see it and under his control. You don't waste firepower like that, but neither do you like to let others know just how potentially valuable it is, nor give it any ideas.
The other thing is that Ozai's successes tend to be- well- not always socially acceptable. A lot of my basis for writing Avatar characters is half-absorbing things that other people have written that I agreed with, that really felt like they could have happened- things like tearing up a bandit camp with his bare hands. The Fire Nation is militaristic, harsh and prone to socially-acceptable violence- but the trick is the socially acceptable bit. A reputation for brutality can be disquieting- there's a difference between a wily general and a wild beast on a chain. He's probably not as bad as Azula might have been, certainly not as bad as he will be once he loses the love of his life and any restraint to both ego and power, but without being too sure of the details, there have been some incidents in both training and in practice when he's been on assignment.
He's also a jealous and grouchy teenager who can take breathing wrong as a slight, but there is basis for his assumptions.