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justanotherthrowaway1950 · 2 years

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Zuko and Azula Were Raised Differently

A common argument that people make in order to support their claim that Azula was born evil and/or that Zuko was always a naturally good person was that they were raised in the same household in the same way, and yet, even before Zuko got banished, he had empathy and was generally a decent person while Azula never showed any empathy towards others and was well on the path to becoming the monster she becomes later on in life.

However, in my opinion, this argument fails because its central assumption, that Azula and Zuko were raised the same way, is not true at all.

For even notwithstanding WoG statements by Bryke all but saying Azula is a product of nurture, not nature, the comics not only show that Azula and Zuko were not raised the same, but also explains why that is the case.

This is because Azula and Zuko were literally conceived to help Iroh's line's continued dominance from Azulon's POV, or to help Ozai gain and maintain power from Ozai's POV.

However, Zuko appeared to be dud due to lacking the spark while Azula was everything that Ozai wished for in a child. So Ozai put all his efforts into raising her into the perfect conqueror and absolute monarch while essentially neglecting Zuko, only really interacting with him in order to emotionally abuse him for not living up to his standards.

Or in other words, Azula was the golden child while Zuko was the scapegoat, meaning that Ozai not only encouraged anti-social behavior in Azula, but also emotionally abused Zuko, often in front of Azula, whenever Zuko tried to act in a prosocial fashion.

Meanwhile, Zuko’s status as Ozai’s scapegoat meant that it was easier for Ursa, and later Iroh, to influence him down a better path since Ozai wasn't invested in him while it was impossible for Ursa due to being a powerless sex slave and Iroh deeming her too under her father’s influence to try.

In fact, Iroh in the Legacy of the Fire Nation all but says that Ozai neglected Zuko and stoked the competition for his favor between Zuko and Azula while at the same time lavishing Azula with “praise” whenever she acted in accordance with his values.

Also, it is implied in the “Zuko is a bastard letter” that Ursa resents Azula for justifying everything the Royal Family did to her since it appeared that, for most of her childhood, Azula was the child of prophecy that led Azulon to find her family and force her to marry Ozai.

“So are you trying to say that how Azula turned out and all of the horrible things she did was not her fault?”

No, because while I was showing how her environment explains her actions and behavior, it does not excuse them. For she was sane when she committed most of her heinous actions, and even when she is insane, the whole existence of “Ursa” shows that what knows what she is doing is wrong.

In fact, I think it reflects poorly on Zuko and Aang that they agreed to Azula’s terms in regards to the search for Ursa before having the unmitigated gall to lose custody of her.

Especially Zuko since he knows how dangerous Azula is and the threat an escaped Azula presents to the post-war order he is supposed to help protect, and yet disregards all this due to his understandable, but selfish, desire to find Mommy, even though a major part of his redemption arc was learning to put the world’s needs over his desire to have a happy and whole family.

Moreover, I think they are idiots for not dropping everything to bring her in, have a moral imperative to arrest and/or stop Azula again, and would deserve all the scorn in the world if she hurts anyone permanently before they can stop her for good.

“Come on, even if your interpretation of the “Zuko is a bastard” letter is correct, Ursa never let her resentment towards Azula and/or her fear of Ozai affect her parenting towards Azula. For she treated Azula the way she treated Zuko. And if she didn’t, it is because she saw Azula’s latent darkness and decided to save the one child who she could save: Zuko.”

Well, I don’t think Ursa parented Zuko the same way that she did Zuko.

For when Zuko threw bread at the turtle ducks in an attempt to emulate Azula, presumably since Ozai would approve of such behavior, despite not hitting innocent animals being something that should be obvious, Ursa took the time to explain to him why that was wrong in a calm manner that was easy for a 11 year old to understand.

Meanwhile, when Azula burns flowers in the Royal Palace gardens in an attempt to get Ursa’s attention since acting violently gets Ozai’s (positive) attention, Ursa tells Azula to respect the flowers, never once paying attention to Azula saying she burned them because they weren’t perfect, or in other words, I am “perfect”, yet why do you not give me (positive) attention while lavishing Zuko with it?

And while Ursa was more than right to punish Azula by sending her to her room after she burns Zuko for snitching on her, there is never any indication that Ursa ever talked to Azula about why burning flowers is wrong, or why burning them because they aren’t perfect is wrong.

Or in another example, when Zuko fails in his impromptu bending display, Ursa immediately reassures him and praises him for his performance while she says nothing to Azula after her perfect performance.

For while I know that Zuko needed more reassurance, not only in that moment, but also in general, since Ozai had it out for Zuko from birth and Azulon is displeased with Zuko at best while Ozai and Azulon are more than happy with their prodigy/eugenics experiment, Azula is not privy to these dynamics, nor should she since she is a 9 year old.

So it appears to a 9 year old Azula that perfection is not enough to get her mother’s attention while Zuko can be a “screw-up” and still get their mother’s attention.

Or how about when she says out loud what is wrong with that child after Azula disparages Azulon and wishes for his death so Ozai can take the throne, even though she knows that Azula is all but parroting Ozai’s words.

For it might seem obvious to readers and a former peasant like Ursa that wishing for your Grandfather to die so your father can gain more power is utterly vile.

But to a nine year old who has been repeatedly told that such desires are more than ok, and in fact are natural, it seems like from Azula’s POV that Ursa is berating her for no reason other than because something wrong with her notwithstanding her thoughts, like maybe the fact that she is monster….

(Yes, I know we never see Ozai ever directly talk to Azula about his feelings in regards to the line of succession pre-Azulon’s death, but considering the TTRPG says that Ozai made it a point to teach Azula that conquest is all that matters, even though we never see that on screen or on panel, I don’t think it that much of stretch to assume Ozai in private vented his thoughts about Azulon, Iroh, and Lu Ten to Azula.)

And in regards to the argument that Ursa saw Azula’s inner darkness, and therefore rightfully distanced herself from Azula? That is not supported by text.

For it is true that Noriko might have been motivated by self-preservation when she told Azula that, if she was her mother, she was sorry for not loving her enough, it still does not change the fact that an amnesic Ursa knew by looking at Azula’s face and hearing her raving that Azula’s issue was not that she was born evil, but that she never experienced unconditional love and proper guidance from a parent or parental figure.

And during Smoke and Shadow, Ursa expresses her worry about Azula and acts overprotective towards Kiyi because she did not want to lose another daughter on top of acknowledging during her confrontation with Ozai that Azula never had his love, only his approval.

So to conclude, while it doesn’t excuse any of her actions, the truth of the matter is that Azula turned out differently from Zuko because they were raised differently. For Zuko could not live up to Ozai’s standards for what an imperialist, colonizing, absolute monarch should be, and so was discarded by Ozai, thus allowing Ursa, and later Iroh, to be the primary influences in his life.

Meanwhile, Azula was everything that Ozai wanted, and so he poured all his time and attention into her, with Ursa and Iroh being unable to counteract it short of killing or imprisoning him.

So while it may be true that Azula is irredeemable as of current canon, it is because of how she was raised that led to her becoming irredeemable, not because she was born evil.

#azula #zuko #fire siblings #atla #atla comics #legacy of the fire nation #avatar legends rpg #fire siblings meta #atla meta #atla comics meta #azula is not a demon #azula is not a demon child #azula is not a product of nature #azula is a product of nurture #azula is a victim of indoctrination #azula is a victim of grooming #azula is a child solider #justanotherthrowaway1950meta

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project-catgirlpillar · 3 months

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Its been too Long since i Watched Avatar to have an educated opinion but i'll be honest azula being iredeemably evil seems Like a weird Take to me. Like she's fourteen

#specifically in the context of ozai being portrayed as belittling azula in comparison to zuko in the reboot #and while i don't care about the reboot #it does feel a bit weird to see people go actually she's just naturally a sociopath (and obviously all sociopaths are automatically evil)#for i guess evil daddy genes reasons?#as opposed to her being like. a product of the fire nation and ozais upbringing specifically #anyways akua fans do you think she's an azula?#i feel like there's paralelles there

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comradekatara · 2 months

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Hello, how would you rank the gaang+fire ladies in a best sense of style to worst of sense of style?

oooh fun! wait, is this modern au or not?? just in case, i’ll do both…

toph is the worst, obviously. she has no sense of style whatsoever. she does have her little pom pom opera headband, which is very cute, and honestly her fire nation fit is the cutest one (sorry katara), but i don’t think she actually gives a shit about any of that, she just happens to slay regardless because she can’t not slay. in modern au she mostly wears large shirts and sweatpants and flip flops, and yet somehow she still looks remarkably good “dressed like a slob” (katara’s words) because she is simply beautiful enough to pull it off.

i don’t think zuko has a bad sense of style, i actually think a lot of his outfits are genuinely cute (i esp love his one tank top in book 1 that’s such a look imo), but like toph, he also isn’t really putting effort in, so it’s not so much a “sense of style” as it is in his nature to serve cunt. in modern au he actively tries to spice up his wardrobe (with katara’s help), but then he never actually wears any of the stuff they bought together because he needs his emotional support favorite cardigan and/or black turtleneck. he can pull it off because he looks cute and cozy, but no is mistaking him for an expert in fashion any time soon.

i always wonder how aang found those monk’s robes in book 3, whether he made them himself, and if so, with which fabrics. so in that sense, he’s actually a diy style icon. but in modern au, he literally dresses like roman roy in the finale, walmart boys’ color block t shirt, so i’m docking points even though, again, he does look adorable and it is a Look in its own right. the light up heelys also add or dock points depending on who you ask.

from book 2 onward, sokka has a nice, simple outfit that is a good cut and a good color without being remotely flashy or complicated, and he accessorizes with weapons, which are both practical and spice up his outfit. “like toph, he also doesn’t give a shit about his looks, it’s just a coincidence that he looks good,” one could argue. but i think he knew what he was doing with that sleeveless top. and besides, he was excited by the fact that his bag matched his belt. in modern au, sokka doesn’t give a shit about style until adulthood, because he and katara just focus on their respective domains and thus katara has the monopoly on fashion, but then he starts figuring out his gender and sexuality and the world of fashion opens up for him. that said, his idea of going crazy is like, wearing a couple rings, so he’s still towards the middle bottom of this list.

azula doesn’t really have a sense of personal style, she just wears what she thinks looks best for her circumstances, and since her goal is to intimidate, she happens to slay. but if she was like, a farmer, she would not be bothering with the winged eyeliner and red lipstick and perfect hair, because that is a product of her environment rather than an internally motivated mode of self-expression. so in modern au, she trades shoulder spikes for shoulder pads, and knee high boots for tastefully high heels, but the effect is the same. respect me, fear me, take me seriously in my navy blue blazer.

suki never really gets to pick her own outfits unless you count the fire nation crop top, which is cute but obviously wouldn’t be her first pick in garb. that said, the kyoshi warrior armor obviously goes so hard and she looks great in it, so she’s a style icon just for that. in modern au, she dresses in a way that is deceptively simple but knows that it makes her look really hot to her target demographic (dykes and sokka). she generally just opts for flannel and cargo shorts, but on days where she’s on a mission, she’ll wear a short sleeved loose button up with half the sleeves undone, some necklaces, and no bra. and she’s a hero for that.

mai’s outfit is actually my favorite in the entire show (like, i would wear it), but there’s something kind of cutesy about her hair style that i feel like was probably imposed on her by her mother. like don’t get me wrong, it still looks good on her, but i can’t see her actually caring to maintain something so elaborate without the presence of external pressures. i can picture modern au mai’s sense of style so perfectly, though. soft flared pants, in a silky fabric; turtleneck tank tops; leather jackets: dark peacoats; dyke boots to stomp around in; mostly in various shades of dark red, dark blue, and black. she keeps it simple and classy, and has the freedom to experiment with hair styles more as well. when she’s alone, everyone is envious of her effortlessly chic steez, and yet, when she is with ty lee, everyone’s like “awww it’s cute that ty lee lets that kind of schlubby girl hang around her.”

ty lee puts effort into her appearance for the purposes of attracting specific results. she knows she’s beautiful, of course, but she also wants to be beautiful in a cute way, harmless and inviting. pink is less threatening than red, showing skin makes her seem vulnerable and desirable, her braid is simultaneously perfect and kind of messy. in modern au, ty lee would similarly be attuned to the cultivation of her aesthetic for a similar purpose. she wouldn’t just wear whatever she felt like, but rather would have an extremely curated wardrobe of outfits that all adhere to the same theme of making her look impossibly beautiful but in a cute and harmless way. idk man. there’s something wrong with her, i think, but also that thing might just be patriarchy.

katara is the only character who canonically takes an interest in fashion for the sake of fashion (iirc), and so that immediately elevates her in my opinion. she clearly cares a not insignificant amount about her appearance, and takes pride in looking good (as she should, because she’s beautiful). i love the idea that she got her book 2 outfit in the northern water tribe and was so excited about getting a new fit that she literally wore it the entire season even though it was springtime and she was sweating buckets. she’s so excited about dressing up in ba sing se, or when they steal clothes in the fire nation, or when she gets to take kyoshi’s clothing in “avatar day,” or when she goes to the spa with toph, or when she’s telling aunt wu about her skincare routine. it matters to her! and i think that as she gets older, and more resources are available, she gets to expand and experiment with her wardrobe more, and that’s really fun for her. and in modern au, she’d also love fashion of course, and would have a lot of opinions on how to participate in fashion ethically. her wardrobe would be kind of all over the place because it’s mostly thrifted, but she’d put so much effort into curating an outfit every day before she leaves the house, and she can go weeks if not months without repeating an outfit, not because she has an unlimited wardrobe, but because she’s really clever and thoughtful when it comes to what she pairs together on any given day. and she sometimes makes her own clothing, or modifies thrifted pieces, and that somehow looks great on her too. my point is, she wins in a landslide.

#yourlocalamoeba #asks #the gaang and #modern au #ish #to no one’s surprise the katara section is twice as long as everyone else’s

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mugentakeda · 3 months

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just wanted to let you know i am Eating your dai li lu ten au. long feng doesn’t know how to be Normal towards his new subordinate because everyone in the dai li, including himself, grew up being indoctrinated and turned into human weapons in an incredibly toxic and soul crushing environment (bc i don’t think the dai li only started being Like That after long feng gained control, and i think it’s canon they start training at 13?)…just like the FN royal family grew up being indoctrinated and turned into human weapons in an incredibly toxic and soul crushing environment, so for lu ten there are a surprising amount of uncomfortable similarities…This Is Fine

LITERALLY THISSSS and lu ten is like. his shiny new subordinate. but in order to keep a sharp eye on him obviously lu ten operates as long fengs personal agent. but it develops beyond "I have to have him near me to keep an eye on him". being long fengs Only personal agent makes the way lu ten is treated compared to the REST of the dai li make sense- high clearance, solo missions that take him outside of ba sing se, his room (cell) being personal (its a room. but its a cell. Its still his room. it has a nice bed and lounging chairs and a tea set and scrolls and whatever the fuck else you have in your room) and deep under lake laogai (away from the sun). harsh punishments that are like 2 shots and a blunt away from torture. but the thing is- and this is where the silco and jinx influence comes in- their dynamic is obviously built on manipulation, but long feng doesn't like... actively manipulate him with words or actions. the regularly scheduled chi blocking and dai li-special brainwashing, yeah, but he doesn't add onto it by feeding lu ten ideas or playing with lu tens mind. its not anything like ozai and azula, or mother gothel and rapunzel. its far more casual and trusting. professional, since it is still a boss and his subordinate, but since lu ten is special, there's a taste of domesticity. long feng doesn't make lu ten bust his ass for the paternal mentor side. its like 'dad and the cat he didn't want'. long feng isn't suspicious of what lu ten does on his solo missions. hed get defensive on lu tens behalf if one of the other dai li heads that do know about lu ten being a fire nation prince would imply that he might betray long feng and ba sing se. he doesn't try to push anything onto lu ten because he doesn't have to- everything long feng wants in lu ten as his agent develops on its own, naturally. hes not cold and calculating when hes punishing lu ten for failing a mission, even if the punishments are crazy harsh. he hands over delicate business that could threaten ba sing se's security to lu ten with relief because long feng trusts him more than he trusts the other powerful dai li heads and politicians that are near long feng's level of power in ba sing se- and not even because lu ten will answer to him anyway, or because he has no reason not to- just because he trusts that lu ten will get the job done right. he trusts lu tens productivity and skill not just as a worker, but just as a person. the pride and care is genuine, and it coexists with the fact that he would definitely use lu ten against the fire nation as a last resort defense if worse came to worst. and yeah, long feng notes their similarities and vows that since lu ten is a special case agent, he will be treated by long feng humanly, and with respect and care. it's almost like a parent vowing to not be like their parents before them, but like. dark sided and evil

#IM LIT SO GLAD U LIKE MY NUTTY AU I could talk about it all day really #id highly suggest watching a video with just scenes of silco and jinx from arcane because I feel like it makes more sense then #but silco and jinx have genuine love with no dark sidedness so for long feng and lu ten it'd be like if silco was actually manipulating jin #its not Stockholm syndrome. but it is. but its not. but it is #but that's like the only difference I'm trying to put down. The trust is real and deep and mutual.#dai li lu ten #asks #alicias writing stuff

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ilikepjo24 · 7 months

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Avatar/Sokkla headcannon - Azula is a neat princess that believes in self care and good treatment. And so is her boyfriend. Heck, Sokka is even more of a princess than Azula. He always was a maximalist that wanted to buy lots of clothes,care products and purse- sorry, I meant, manly bags, and now he's finally able to do it because Azula is basically sugarmama-ing him.

She's rich. Royalty type of rich. She never had a spending limit. She doesn't even fully grasp the point and concept of a spending limit. Which means she's not hesitant at all about handing over her credit card/royal seal and letting Sokka run wild on his shopping sprees.

In the bathroom, Azula has a shampoo, a shower gel, a conditioner, a shower gel for the cleaning on private areas, a protective cream for the skin, a protective cream for the hair, a shower gel for the facial skill and foam for her light curls. Sokka has three times the amount of products.

He has a shampoo for dry skin, a shampoo for oily skin, a shampoo for washing the roots, a shampoo for washing the ends, a shampoo for discoloration of the hair, a shampoo for preventing slip ends, a shampoo that brings out the natural glow of the hair, two types of conditioner, a protective cream for the hair, a protective cream for the hair that specializes in protection from sun damage, a foam for his one single curly hair.

A shower gel for average skin, a shower gel for sensitive skin, a shower gel for private areas, a shower gel for shaved skin, a shower gel for babies because it's better for sensitive skin because it's better for sensitive skin than his sensitive skin shower gel, three types of loofahs with different softness levels, an exfoliating gloves, an exfoliating cream, a shower gel for facial skin, a shower fell for shaved facial skin, a hydrating cream for shaved facial skin.

Azula takes around 1 to 2 hours in the bathroom. Sokka needs at least 4. Do you know about those "mental health baths" were people fill up the bathtub and pour essential oils, salts, soaps and bath bombs? And light up some candles and stay there for your with some whine and a book? This is how each bath Sokka takes is like. Azula's taking care of the water bill.

It's not "Princess Azula and Warrior Sokka" it's "Princess Sokka and Royal Funds".

Warning: This AU can become awesomely better if you add some malewife Sokka into the mix.

#sokkla #atla #Sokka is a spoiled maximalist #Azula is kind of a sugarmama #avatar the last airbender #atla headcannon

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balanceoflightanddark · 2 years

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With Me or Against Me

It cannot be overstated of how the effects of growing up in the militaristic, imperial Fire Nation can have on a young mind. Especially if you grow up as the Princess of Fire Lord Ozai. Azula has shown time and time again in the series that she has a militaristic mindset. That she and her friends are soldiers first, people second, often to the point that her ability to socialize outside of her most immediate social groups are...

...limited.

Okay, so what does this mean for the character herself?

Well, I believe one of Azula's problems that's pretty dang indicative of how the Fire Nation operates is...she has a sort of black-and-white morality view of the world. Where everyone who is part of the Fire Nation and a loyal servant of Fire Lord Ozai is an ally, while traitors and others are enemies.

Now obviously this isn't an attempt to condemn Azula since this problem is pretty damn rampant in the Fire Nation. Evidence of this is right in the education system. Remember how in "The Headband" when the schoolteacher claimed that the Air Nomads had an army that was planning to attack? And how Aang called out the bullshit she was propagating since the Nomads were...you know...pacifists?

The Fire Nation was in-universe known to rewrite history to make themselves look heroic and everybody else as enemies standing in the way of progress. A view which they share to all of the other nations. That they're the honorable harbingers of civilization, while everyone else is backwards savages not above pulling some of the dirtiest tricks in the book.

And how the treacherous and deserters are possibly among the most loathsome people you can find.

Azula was more than likely raised with that mindset like everyone else. Even more so when you consider she is the daughter of somebody who did effectively backstab his brother to ascend to the throne. So naturally, she's going to have some trust issues. That almost anyone can be some enemy out for blood.

Something that of course can be tempered into absolute loyalty to one person such as her father. After all, she can have friends if she wants, but she needs to remember that only her father understands her. That she needs to keep a close eye on all her allies, lest...

...yeah. Even if Azula handled that poorly, the betrayal only just reinforced this "everybody outside of Ozai is an enemy" mindset.

And again, she's not unique in this regard. Part of the Fire Nation doctrine is literally all about displaying fealty and loyalty to the Fire Lord:

"My life I give to my country. With my hands I fight for Fire Lord Ozai and our forefathers before him. With my mind I seek ways to better my country. And with my feet may our March of Civilization continue."

Loyalty to the Fire Lord is one of the core tenets of the Fire Nation oath, along with them claiming themselves to be the marchers of civilization. So it wouldn't be a stretch to say that anybody who opposes said march, be it rival nations or Agni forbid traitors, are naturally enemies of civilization. And so should be met with the same mercy that they would surely inflict upon them.

After all, the Fire Nation is guilty of propaganda, and one of the chief tactics of propaganda is turning their enemies into literal monsters. Azula is just the chief product of this toxic mindset of turning kids into soldiers.

To make matters worse, Azula just became the Fire Lord and Zuko's challenging her to the throne. Who at this point is a traitor in the eyes of the Fire Nation. Also he showed up with Katara. And...guess what happened with the last coup attempt?

One dead Fire Lord, and one mother who gets banished for being a traitor and doing some pretty underhanded things.

Even if Zuko wanted to do things honorably, Azula sure as hell isn't going to accept that. He's a traitor, and traitors cannot be trusted. Something that's practically written in the DNA of the Fire Nation. And if she backed down, there's no telling what he might do to her and the Nation.

Or what he arguably does do in the comics.

The common sentiment is that Azula was power hungry. That she had a grudge against Zuko for being Ursa's favorite. But if her whole childhood is saying that those that betray the crown are monsters that will stab you in the back for showing even the slightest amount of pity...is it pure spite or indoctrination that fueled Azula's fire in the Last Agni Kai?

#azula #princess azula #azula meta #atla #atla meta #ozai's a+ parenting #fire nation #fire nation meta

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the-badger-mole · 1 year

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A is for Ambition

I was having a conversation with a friend on the discord server I'm on about Azula, and this point came up about the sexism surrounding the way she was treated both by the canon reducing her actions to mental illness and by fandom tropes reducing her actions to her traumas. While I strongly believe that both her mental health and her past traumas had a hand in Azula's development, I think a lot of her character and actions (most of them, in fact) can also be attributed to her genuine ambition.

Ambition isn't bad in and of itself, and I think there is a version of Azula that could have used that ambition productively. But she didn't, and narratively speaking, that should be okay. What bothers me most about the idea of a redemption for Azula- and I know I've talked about this before- is that it doesn't take all of her motives for the choices she made into consideration. I don't like the way that dismissing her actions as the result of mental illness and abuse robs her of agency and reduces her to being a puppet. If there was one thing Azula was not, it was a puppet. Frankly, the dismissal of Azula's actions as a result of her mental state and upbringing smacks really strongly of misogyny. As if Azula in her natural state would be devoid of the ambition that made her so deadly. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I think all or even most of the people who want to redeem Azula and use her mental health and relationship with Ozai as an easy way to do it are misogynist, but I think the fact that those were presented as reasons to factory reset her and make her a loving supportive sister for Zuko did come from a misogynistic place. And it didn't start withing the fandom.

As a society, we have a problem letting women be villains without explaining it away somehow. There are scores and scores of stories of women who turned evil (or more accurately turned anti-hero) because she was scorned by a man, or abused, or otherwise hurt, usually by a man. Or she turned evil as a result of something happening to her child (obviously not the case here). Then there are the genre of women who turn evil because they feel threatened by another woman. There isn't a whole lot of space for a woman who wants to do evil things simply because they benefit her or because she enjoys them. The best example of a female villain who was in it for the love of the game that I can think of is the original Maleficent, and then they decided that making her more complex meant giving her a tragic backstory a la a very thinly veiled date rape allegory. There isn't a lot of space for a female villain who cursed a baby because she needed to remind these uppity humans who they were dealing with.

Azula was almost definitely abused by Ozai- and possibly even physically abused- but that wasn't all of her motivation. I would go as far as to say that wasn't even most of her motivation. Azula was a ruthless, cunning, ambitious girl, who enjoyed what she did. If there is going to be any redemption of her, that needs to be acknowledged first. But really, does she need to be redeemed?

#atla #azula #let her be ambitious!#we stan a dark queen #azula was highkey scarier than ozai #love that for her #THE YEAR OF CONTENT!!!!

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shellyseashell · 1 year

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2022 FANFIC REC LIST

Thought I’d do something like this a few times a year where I rec fics I’ve read. Not all of these I read this year, but for my first rec post, thought I’d just share some of my favorites. Also if any of these authors have tumblrs and I didn’t tag them let me know I’d love to tag them, or tag them yourselves!

RIORDANVERSE

Seeker - first of a series, oc fic, about a kid who can sense danger and crashes the great prophecy, series is up to book 3 as of adding it here (July) I am emotionally attached to this series it’s one of the best things I’ve ever read

Phyrrhic - oc fic, twin children of Persephone who acted as spies during the Titan War, in progress. I am so emotionally attached to Calista it’s an issue

Second Chances - oc fic, four demigods die in the Battle of Manhattan and come back to life, in progress. They’re deaths are all so sad but they come back to life and ahshdhdhhdhhdhdhh

HUNGER GAMES

I posted another hunger games fic rec earlier this year with more fics so check that out if you want more

hell has frozen over by @dandelionsandviolets - 72nd Hunger Games. In progress. I love Evelyn so much. Her and Claire are so <3

As Long As I’m Burning by @heathercubedfic - Johanna’s point of view throughout the series, including her Games. 21/48 as of writing this I think. I love Johanna’s characterization so much it feels so realistic

TLC

literally anything by Elwin (@salt-warrior)

I know it’s one of Elwin’s but The Time it Takes to Fall changed me as a person so

THE WILDS

anything by @blinkaftermidnight

Curtain Call by @smileymikey - Toni is forced into a production of Romeo and Juliet, where she meets Shelby, in progress. I love Toni’s characterization it’s influenced how I think of her so much

haunted by @halcyon-hyacinth - leatin ghost hunter au! In progress

LEGENDBORN

I used to say I read basically every legendborn fic on ao3 but I haven’t read bloodmarked so I no longer have that claim. It was fun bragging rights while I had it.

Cariad - Sel and Bree make plans to find Nick, discontinued

Slow Magic - Bree and Sel save Nick, one shot. One of my favorites

Broken Trust - Lord Davis tells Sel the consequences of the second trial, one shot

A Quest is a Dangerous Thing - one shots with a connecting plot

We Deserve It - Nick, Bree, and Sel get together, one shot

AVATARVERSE

Legend of Haruko - story of the Avatar after Korra, in progress, book 4 (of 4) is almost done. I love it so much all the characters are so good and it feels like a natural continuation

The Rise of Rangi by @d7kyoshi - The Rise of Kyoshi through Rangi’s pov (has a sequel for The Shadow of Kyoshi). Absolutely amazing characterization of Rangi I love it so much

Sunstroke by @soupdots - Azula healing fic, 8/?. Azula is very in character and I love her so much

moonsoon season (book: air) by @maisazula - au where Azula is the Avatar. A lot of worldbuilding and really good writing.

FIRST KILL

Twelve Years - Cal and Jules see each other 12 years after their break up, one shot

because we are doomed - the raid goes a little differently, 2 chapters? maybe three

THE OWL HOUSE

(not) Oblivious - Luz tries to figure out who Amity wanted to ask to Grom. One shot. They are so so so cute

The mortifying ordeal of being known - Amity sleeps over at the Owl House and is very gay

AMPHIBIA

If I Die Before I Wake - when the Three-Stones-Deity sends Anne back, they send her back 5 years in the future. In progress and I love it so so so much

WILLOW (2022)

Knight of Coins, Page of Cups - canon compliant tanthamore one shots

In the Silence - Kit and Jade talk about what happened to Ballantine. So soft but so angsty.

invisible string - Jade and Kit love each other so so so much. One shot.

sorry to my unknown lover - Kit and Airk talk about their ideas of love. I love them so much I can’t wait until they get screen time together again. One shot.

put your lips close to mine, as long as they don’t touch - Kit really wants to kiss Jade. One shot.

I Suspected… - Kit uncovers the truth of Jade’s past

you’re on my mind - Jade turns down the Shining Legion for Kit. I love them so much. One shot.

and this house of mirrors - Kit joins the Crone. You have no idea how much I want this to be canon. One shot.

WEDNESDAY

indelibility by @foibles-fables - Enid gets scars from fighting Tyler. One shot.

#naia recs fics #riordanverse #the lunar chronicles #the wilds #avatar: the last airbender #the rise of kyoshi #first kill #the owl house #amphibia #willow 2022 #wednesday

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phoeeling · 2 years

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i think every fandom has a big problem accepting character flaws for characters they like, and often idealizing these characters.

darius from TOH was a dick to an abused, indoctrinated-into-a-cult teenager who was just trying to do his job and was only asking to be treated like an equal, all because of his own personal baggage and bias. until hunter proved he had a mind of his own, he was a dick to him. and prior to that moment, the nicest thing he did was ignore him.

ursa from ATLA thought she was levelling the playing field by favouring Zuko, but didn’t take a moment to analyze what the playing field really meant, and because of that she neglected her daughter and unintentionally pitted her two kids against each other in one foul swoop, while iroh from ATLA reinforced that rivalry because he had a similar one with his brother and genuinely didn’t see anything wrong with it.

they both picked sides instead of choosing both, meaning the only one who genuinely tried to fix the messed hole sinking dynamic was azula herself, while Zuko was consistently told by others (starting with his mom and uncle) that his sister was a lost cause, and an obstacle to overcome.

it’s written like that for a reason. these flaws are a product of the character’s life and what they experienced. they create conflict and story and it’s beautiful, because it propels the story in a natural way and lets you watch it unfold. sometimes (in the case of atla) canon doesn’t cover some parts and you have to untangle it yourself.

#atla #toh #the owl house #avatar the last airbender #i see pre-any sport in a storm dadrius fics and I’m sorry but I don’t buy it #and iroh ursa and zuko are often romanticized by the fandom. They’re supposed to be flawed.#that’s what makes the writing Good

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neostriatum · 1 year

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Every soul its particular aspiration

[AO3] [Dreamwidth]

"Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration." - Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh, by Bahá'u'lláh

The scratching of the charcoal grated on her ears. It wasn’t, per se, the sound itself. No, what made her teeth gnash and pulse thrum in frustration was the abject knowledge that such a noise was the product of an inferior product. Her teeth pulled back, An inferior product for an inferior person.

Sokka, offensive person that he was, took no notice of her snarling thoughts as he doodled on his sketchpad, tongue sticking out in concentration. Unfortunately for her, he was much more versed in big brother behaviours than Zuzu, and so needling him into compliance wouldn’t work.

She frowned at him, picking through her observations to figure out what sort of pressure would get him to bend to her will. The answer would come to her eventually, try as the healers might to dissuade Azula from her natural talents. They hadn’t succeeded in several years, and she was loathe to let anyone take away such a core tenet of her personality.

Humming interrupted her, a catchy jangle interspersed with words too quiet to be discerned. Her resolve broke into splintery fragments as she snapped, “Will you stop that.”

The Watertribesman stopped with an abrasive scratch of charcoal on paper, a baffled look on his face. “Drawing?”

“That too.” She was not pouting, she was not.

His idiotic look only strengthened, and Azula dug her nails into her crossed arms to resist lashing out. The bars of her so-called residence would be only a minor impediment, she was sure.

There was a beat of blessed silence. Then, “... Do you want to see?”

“No.”

“Aw.” He looked dejected, but she was feeling too churlish to smirk about it. Shaking the paper out, and releasing a fume of dust that made her frown some more, Sokka continued, “I mean, I kind of wanted to know what you thought.”

Azula blinked. What. “What?”

Indescribably, Sokka brightened, “Yeah! You’re like… scarily smart, and none of the others can figure out what I’m drawing.”

“I’m sure that’s because of your impeccable skills,” She drawled, but loosened her posture anyway in curiosity, squinting at the horrific mess the boy was making. Sokka helpfully displayed his creation to her, a hopeful grin on his face. Harrumphing, she arched a brow, “Perhaps it would be more useful if you drew intelligibly.”

“Hey, I’m intelligent!”

Azula drew in a deep breath, closing her eyes and counting to ten. Exhaling, and disgruntled on an entirely different level that no flames came with it, she said, “Idiot. I meant that you have no skill in accurately depicting what you’re thinking.”

There, that was helpful, yes? It followed the stringent instructions of her healers precisely.

Sokka frowned, and glanced down at his paper in doubt. Perhaps not, she thought, eyeing him warily. Zuzu was predictable when his fragile ego took a blow, but this insolent boy was relatively unknown. It irked her, idly, incessantly, that she didn’t have enough data to predict him.

“Oh.” A response that gave her absolutely zero information, and why couldn’t he be useful? Azula gritted her teeth, even as Sokka looked back up at her. “What should I fix?”

And that- that was unexpected. She huffed, lunging forward and grabbing the paper held tantalizingly loosely in the other’s hands, “Give me that.”

Obligingly, he handed over his charcoal too, watching her curiously. Azula laid the paper onto the floor, grumbling to herself that the miniature-sized desk was nevertheless too heavy to drag over, and smoothed it out over the strip of stone that laid between her cell’s bars and the plush rug Zuzu had graciously ordered to be installed. It was flat enough to be serviceable, at any rate – it’s not like Sokka’s drawings could get any worse.

She made a test scratch on one corner, making a disgusted noise at how unevenly the line was drawn. “What is this garbage?”

“Hey, I made that myself!”

“And you suck at it,” Was Azula’s tart reply as she practically threw it back at him, “What did you use to bind this, a little airbender’s hopes and dreams?”

Sokka frowned, but it was more petulant than truly offended – a part of her breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn’t hollering loud enough to bring the healers running. He squinted at the charcoal for a moment, before copying her test marks. “Well, I did make this by myself…” He murmured thoughtfully, rubbing his chin, “Usually I just nab a few off Zuko’s desk, but he’s making me buy my own because they’re for official purposes or something.”

He waved the charcoal at her, “The good ones are so expensive! Did you know that? I’m not going to waste my money when I can do it myself just fine.”

Azula leaned against the bars, bemused, “You bought the cheap binder, didn’t you.”

Sokka raised a brow at her, “Well duh. Budgeting master here, I’d rather not blow my entire budget on charcoal with how much I use it. Guilting Zuko into buying me ink blocks is enough work already.”

Despite her best efforts, Azula felt a laugh bubble up. “Zuzu’s so gullible, isn’t he?”

The boy nodded vigorously, “Oh absolutely. I have to not do it too often or Katara notices and makes me return them.”

They shared a commiserative silence. Azula used it to ruminate on precisely which face her brother would have made, and it was mildly entertaining to imagine how the waterbender would react. “Hm.”

“Hm?” Sokka blinked at her, looking away from the charcoal he had been staring so contemplatively at.

“You have too much air in your fire,” She said, instead of reminiscing aloud, “The grains are too coarse, and aren’t binding well to whatever wax or resin you’re buying.”

The resulting bout of silence was long enough to make her glance in the boy’s direction, only to see the consideration with which he peered at her.

“What?” It was more defensive than she would have liked, but she assuaged herself with the haughty curiosity filtering over it.

Sokka squinted, and she frowned. When he hummed, she huffed. Right as she was envisioning her revenge in the form of a singed and properly-offended Water Tribesman, he astonished her with the simple question of, “Is that why your fire is blue?”

Azula blinked, “Well. Yes.”

He nodded, as if that answered several problems at once. She paused, and saw in her mind’s eye the path his thoughts made – yes, it probably did. Impressive.

Sokka held out his charcoal, grinning, “Wanna show me how an Azula-made charcoal writes?”

It took several trials and errors, but between the two of them, the perfect stick of charcoal was made. Azula peered over his shoulder as he leaned against the bars barricading her room, a peculiar feeling of peace swelling at the sight of the smooth, liquid marks being drawn on the paper.

“Success!” Sokka crowed, quietly in deference to her proximity, and she felt a matching grin tug at her lips.

“Success,” She confirmed, then leaned to the side, “Now. What was that atrocious thing you were attempting to show me?”

“Huh? Oh, that-” There was a rustle of paper, charcoal stuck unerringly behind his ear and leaving a long smudge that amused Azula immensely, before the original piece of… artistry was unceremoniously shoved back into her direction, “How much of this is from the charcoal, do you think?”

She grabbed the drawings clumsily, the angle off and her complete reticence to ruin her robes with the sub-par material creasing the paper before she could maintain a proper grip on it. Grumbling, she opened the creased mass of papers, turning it a few times before it was at the orientation she vaguely remembered.

The effort made little difference, and Azula stared uncomprehendingly at what laid before her, tongue stilled only by the hopeful look on her co-conspirator’s face. He reminded her unerringly of Ty Lee, all buoyant airs reaching for the stars, and because of that her gaze was applied a bit more ruthlessly upon Sokka’s work in an attempt to glean value from what laid before her.

Pointing at a series of miniature, delicate lines in the assumption that this was some forming blueprint, she asked, “What’s this?”

“Oh! That’s the gear shaft!” He exclaimed, quickly reaching through the bars to grab one of the other papers, holding it up with a flourish, “I drew it in better detail here, the Mechanist at the Northern Air Temple told me it’s good to have separate pages for complex things.”

“Smart man,” She muttered, mind already ticking away as she saw the array of pages in a new light. It was quick work to put them into order, Sokka intuiting what sort of big picture she was going for. “Hmm. What is this, some sort of flying machine?”

He waved the charcoal at her exuberantly, pouting only for the dramatics when she glanced up and plucked it straight from his hand, “Exactly! See, I knew that scary brainy-ness could be used for the purposes of good!”

Azula raised an eyebrow, tone dry despite the notes she was amending in the margins of the designs, “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”

“Fine, fine,” He waved his hand, settling down so he could watch her work. It was flattering, really.

She preoccupies herself with the sketches, giving them a discerning eye while she shuffles them around. The niggle of inspiration is just out of reach, but it’s invigorating, the same spark Agni shows her when the air shifts to make way for her lightning strike- “Paper,” She demands, finger poised still over a path of least resistance, “And charcoal.”

It’s hurriedly shoved into the gaps of her cell, and she wastes no time in flattening out a couple of sheets, redrawing entire sections with quick strokes, words spilling into the margins as she notes design flaws gleaned from her own knowledge of the Mechanic’s work process. Sokka has a particular approach, but it’s obscured by his dubious technical artistry.

Winnowing out the core of his ideas is exhilarating, the flow of ideas evolving from curt questions to more involved conversations as they distilled the truth of this new goal.

It was… good. After Sokka left, promising to bring more reams of paper for the both of them, it was an easy thing to slip into the jetstreams of meditation.

The model in her hands is rough, the wood granted only a cursory polish to not prick her skin. Oiled paper imitated windows, allowing a glossy glance into the interior. Sokka had proudly displayed a cross-section, but it was a unique perspective to view the whole.

A packet of sweets rested between the sundry spoils of their work, and the nostalgia of watching Ran-Cha fold caramelized ash bananas into a dough to make that evening’s dessert made her sigh between shuffling pages, the candied coconut a delicate crunch to the pillowy softness of the bread. Sokka echoed her sentiment, lounging against the bars of her cell with a slice in his own hand, dragon-lychee juice in his other a cool complement to the still-steaming treat.

She settled the scale model to an unoccupied corner of floor, rearranging things so that the cross-section model was aligned to the papers that borne the idea to the world. In this, Sokka’s skill shone through, for the model was a precise replica of the drawings.

“How would it look if we angled the wings, hm-” Azula tilted her head, taking an idle sip of the juice Zuko had insisted Sokka pack (it was, admittedly, her favourite, so she wouldn’t complain too much), “Fifteen degrees? Not twenty, that’s too much.”

Sokka poked his head into the gap to better see the hinge her nail was tapping on. She tilted the paper a little, not minding the perpetual chalk dust any more that indicated impromptu revisions, so the other could see what she meant. He hummed thoughtfully, pulling away to rummage into his satchel for the compass that always accompanied him.

He tweezed the angle of the instrument, squinting at the paper through its gap. “Sixteen? Seventeen, maybe?”

Azula studied the hinge briefly, taking another bite of her bread, “We’ll try sixteen, and see about the pinion.”

“Absolutely,” Sokka agreed easily, pinching the compass to the requested degree and handing it to her to chalk up the new measurement. She sketched the revision quickly, picking up the first model with its articulated wings.

“We’ll need to make a lot of these,” She mused, wondering how it would look if- when they finished this project. A blimp that followed the air to reduce its fuel requirements was surely the next step in air technology.

“I’ll bring my kit,” Sokka promised.

It should be odd, to be allowed not only outside, but into the palace courtyards. It should, but it wasn’t, the sight of her and Sokka’s first full-scale model taking her breath away.

She paced around it, too preoccupied with observing how the light shone through the structured, thin metal of the wings and the actual glass windows that could open on their own, so different from the oiled paper of their scale models – the glimmer of Zuko’s dragonlike qi at the edges of the courtyard was overcome by the calculations she was already running in her mind about air pressure and currents and durability.

Sokka was beside her, equally as fascinated, holding up the plans to compare the model. He drew to a stop near the passenger door, the smoothly-oiled swing of it opening its own allure. “Hey, come look at this,” He said, gesturing her to look at the footwell, “Do you think this is enough room for the pedals?”

They had calculated for a conservation of weight, but she grimaced at the cramped space, withdrawing the charcoal behind her own ear to annotate the sheet Sokka handed her. It left a smudge of charcoal blending into her hair, but it goes unnoticed in favour of discussing scaffolding to increase space.

Azula’s breath fogs in the crisp, early-winter air, a parallel to the slumbering coals of her qi as Sokka pulls her toward the tarpaulin-covered model that – they hope – is fully operational.

The metal of the engine is cold, but that doesn’t deter them from debating the exact seconds needed between lighting it and turning the propellers for a full start, though they manage to hop onto the aeroplane before it takes off without them, barely missing one of the spiked towers as Sokka frantically pulls on the levers for steering.

The climb to the horizon is slow, Agni still climbing to full ascent despite the fog gathered in the dips of the caldera. It’s quiet for several tense heartbeats, but as they break past the minimum height their calculations call for, Sokka whoops in excitement.

It’s startling, freeing in a way that makes the war balloons feel hindering, and Azula can’t help her own unbidden yell of happiness when they successfully climb to their own ascent amid the noisily puttering engine.

“We did it! We did it!”

Author's Notes

Take one prodigy and heir apparent of a nation that flung themselves at least two epochs forward in terms of technological advancement and had a fall from grace that was frankly needed, add another prodigy and potential heir apparent of a war-torn set of inter-connected tribes with zero actual resources but his imagination, and shake the bottle until a friendship comes out. Two completely (and, I argue, complementary) different sets of genius in one room ought to come up with something extraordinary, no?

Every time I think too hard about the fact that the Fire Nation has a navy made of alloyed metals with furnaces, and a burgeoning air force also with alloyed metals with furnaces, I'm blown away by how much and how complex of math they need to accomplish this. Really, how does the ATLA-verse look like, knowing algebra and the concept of zero (and possibly negative numbers!) exists alongside metaphysics such as bending and the Spirit World and a literal, physical bridge between realities in the form of a reincarnated person?

#atla #avatar the last airbender #azula #sokka #my stories

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azulas-defense-lawyer · 2 years

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it seems a lot of people in this fandom are convinced that azula had too much freedom, that she is a product of a father who couldn’t say no to her, that she did what he said in order to get away with bad behavior. it’s a take i personally disagree with, because i don't think ozai "let" azula get away with anything, because there is very little she does that he wouldn’t agree with. i guess you could say her behavior towards her friends, but iirc ursa saw azula pull that prank in zuko alone on zuko and mai but didn't say anything as well (correct me if i'm wrong on this), and other behavior such as forcing ty lee to join the fire nation's fight would be something ozai would approve of as her putting subordinates in their place, striking fear into her people, or "inspiring" her citizens. and of course he'd approve of her taking over BSS and killing the avatar, although she gave zuko credit for the latter. i think the only things you could say he "let" her get away with is telling zuko that ozai was ordered to kill him, and lying to ozai about who killed the avatar, because those are actions ozai would disagree with and therefore would've "let" her get away with.

however, with the latter, we can see he held a grudge and punished her in a sneaky way in sozin's comment by leaving her behind and making her a puppet ruler. it was not as straightforward as burning half of a child's face off, but it was still punishment, and abusers tend to punish people they disagree with by sneaky means like this.

in truth, i don't believe azula had a lot of freedom, i think she was restricted by the fire nation's expectations for her, the perfect princess, and her father's standards for her, the perfect daughter. it is often said that ozai expects azula to go above and beyond for his approval, never love, and i agree. azula was raised with the worldview that disrespect and disobedience to superiors is to be punished, and it was right for such actions to be punished (as shown by ursa leaving the royal palace after committing regicide, and by zuko's agni kai). she was shown that failure to fulfill one's duty to the people, a duty which in it's nature is imperialistic, will make you a fool and laughingstock (iroh). so she adhered to this ideology, and her father's demands, and it cost her everything - her friendships, her brother, and eventually her crown. but it is when she disobeyed, when she lied to her fire lord, that she lost her father.

#azula #atla #avatar #tw child abuse #tw burn mention #atla meta #azula meta

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attackfish · 2 years

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NHL, i am a sadist so. In the Avatar!Azula AU, i get a feeling that Azula won't get to become a fully realized Avatar, but what if she did, Avatar state and all? The war continuing on longer? More destruction towards the world and a tons of more angst.

😊

Continued from: [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], and [Link].

Okay but I feel like I need to talk about why Azula can't control the Avatar State, and how this isn't just because it would be a plotting nightmare to justify how our ragtag team of heros could beat an embodied god and also do it without stopping the cycle of reincarnation. Because sure, it's convenient she can't control the Avatar State, but it's also the natural product of the rebuilding of the show itself worldbuilding I didn't do, so no one can blame me for it.

Being able to control the Avatar State is explicitly a product of the Avatar learning to let go of fear, to accept that they are afraid, and to not let that fear control them. Aang's arc is about learning to let go of his fear of losing Katara, and more broadly his fear of losing his newfound friends (like he lost his people). Azula's arc in canon is about her refusing to/being unable to acknowledge and come to terms with her fear of imperfection, loss of control, all tied up in the fear of her father.

That's not changing in this universe. She's dangerous to herself and to the world because she is trying to make her father proud, so he will keep valuing her. If she were ever able to control the Avatar State and become a fully realized Avatar it would only be after she had named and accepted her fear of her father, an event which would surely find her turning against him.

#avatar the last airbender #azula #ozai #posts i created #do you want to ask a question it doesn't have to be a question #azula needs her own warning #noodle lord ozai

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scribbledonausednapkin · 1 year

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Azula Always Lies

Azula & Zuko childhood stories (cross posted on AO3)

An exploration of Azula and Zuko’s relationship before and after Ursa is banished. Fire sibling dynamics including trauma and drama.

Chapter 1: Jealousy

“Did you know I can do all the basic forms now?”

For a seven year old, Princess Azula was already well spoken, disciplined, and manipulative. Her appearance was unwelcome, but unsurprising. Her caramel eyes examined her older brother with intense scrutiny just as their father’s always did. Prince Zuko didn’t want to know why she was bothering him while he practiced his basic forms for the third time that day.

Late afternoon waned to evening in the west courtyard of the palace in the Fire Nation’s capital. The prince’s footsteps made firm slaps against the cream stone as he punched forward with strength, keeping a low stance on bent knees. His ponytail swung sharp in the air while beads of sweat slid from his hairline down his nose and into the crevice of his eye, stinging his tear ducts. Focus, that is what he needed to do.

“Are you ignoring me?”

Azula frowned. Her arms crossed in front of her red and black tunic, her feet pointed out, her shoulders drawn back like a military general: she always demanded attention. Two perfectly aligned black tails of hair swung softly on either side of her face and she pursed her lips as Zuko’s tensed hand sliced through the air.

“I’m busy Azula,” Zuko replied through gritted teeth as he continued his form to completion. A measly flame popped out from his fist, nothing like what he wanted to happen. Like what was supposed to happen.

“Ha.” Azula laughed and Zuko jerked to her scowling. “Busy with what? Baby flames?”

“It wasn’t a baby flame!” Zuko’s face turned red and he clenched his fist stomping down one foot in frustration. Azula smiled, licking her lips like a predator eyeing its prey.

The princess stepped forward purposefully, stopping for only a second to take a breath before and nod before she began the same motions Zuko had practiced just moments before. She was quick, precise; each movement was powerful as she brought her weight forward with confidence. Quick breaths in through her nose partnered with well timed exhales through her mouth went parallel to her bending exertions. Then she went further, extending the formation and coupling it with the last basic form all young firebenders must master. Small flames flicked off into the air as she continued without hesitation. She gave kick high into the air, perfectly arched and it curved above her head before sweeping back as she braced herself on her front foot. With her knee locked and stance strong, she bolted her arms together in a pushing motion ahead of her. A large crackling flame shot out of her palms soaring forward until it seared against a blood red column by the gate.

The sunset laid golden shadows over the courtyard as Azula’s flame sizzled from existence.

“See? It’s easy.” Azula returned to the straightened stance of a practiced royal. She was a natural with her element and her role in society.

Zuko huffed in his position in front of her, face flushed, but eyes wide as he watched his sister’s effortless production of golden orange flame. There was a hollow feeling digger deeper into his gut and he swallowed any emotion threatening to show off in front of Azula.

“Yea, for you,” Zuko looked down at his feet in disappointment. He kicked the barely visible dust, feeling the small particles cling to the bottom of his bare foot. Everything came easy to Azula.

“Oh dum-dum, it’s not hard. Why don’t you try again?”

The seven year old smirked. Zuko gazed off to the side of the courtyard, eyes trailing up to the sky, a blend of yellows, oranges, and reds; a smear of thin, wispy clouds gave it a grainy appearance overhead.

“What good would that do?” His voice was singed with venom and emptiness. Azula’s brother shot her a parting glance, turning away and stalking back toward the palace doors.

“I’ll tell you what you’re missing.”

“How would you know?” He shot, feigning indifference, but in actuality he was curious to what she meant. Still, his annoyance kept his feeling walking forward.

“I’m the expert arent I?”

“You’re not an expert.” Zuko rolled his eyes.

“At least I’ve mastered all the basic forms,” she retorted. He stopped.

He took a breath thinking of his father’s disappointed face when his golden eyes watched Zuko’s attempts at firebending. Then a flash of what they looked like when Azula hit a perfectly timed kick. He turned around to her satisfied glare.

“Fine.”

He repeated his forms, concentrating so intensely the creases in his eyebrows felt stiff and unmovable. His breaths were short and pointed. Still, nothing more than an ember appeared when he punched out toward the gate. He sighed and his shoulders dropped in disappointment. His eyes found Azula’s which were crinkled in amusement.

“So?”

“Hmm,” Azula took a small step to the side, eyeing him from head to toe. Her body found its perfect posture yet again, arms clasping behind her.

“See, the problem is, you should never tried in the first place.” The edge of her lip quirked up in victory.

Her brother panted, still recovering from his attempt at a fire fist. As he realized he had been played by his younger sister, yet again, he winced; a half groan half yell reverberated from his throat and his foot turned sharply in the opposite direction guiding his heated being away from Azula. He should have known better.

Anger bubbled in his belly as he stomped toward the palace doors. Zuko was trying to do what his mother said and leave when his sister got like this. Azula was a girl. Azula was younger. He should be the bigger person, she was only seven.

“Where are you going? Too embarrassed to say anything? Why don’t you just admit you’ll never catch up?”

She was quick on his heals as he took his first step on the short palace stairs.

Her tone? Arrogant. Her hovering? Suffocating. Her throwing her perfect prodigy naturally gifted glorious flame having hands in his face? Insufferable.

“Fine! You’re better!” Zuko turned around rapidly, arms flailing as he rounded on his little sister. She stepped back as he barged forward down the single step back into the middle of the courtyard. “You’re better! Is that what you want to hear? You’re better than me, Azula! You win!”

Azula had maintained the space between them as Zuko shouted at her. It was what she wanted he knew, but he couldn’t help it. She knew just how to get under his skin.

“You don’t deserve to be firstborn.”

The little girl replied loudly with a smile on her face, bronze eyes narrowed. Her hands moved to her hips, hinging forward as she taunted him.

Zuko exhaled deeply, brows knitted, teeth grinding.

“Even father thinks so.”

Without a thought Zuko lunged at his sister in rage and shot a fist through the air. A bright orange flame, much stronger than any he had previously conjured, exploded from his clenched knuckles, hitting Azula square on the shoulder.

—

Zuko awoke with a throbbing headache. The room was dark, but as his senses regained themselves he could feel the damp sheets under his back, a chill washing over him. His eyes were still heavy with exhaustion, but he could faintly hear a familiar, soft voice strained in a argument with a low and commanding sound that shot terror through him like electricity.

“He is just a boy, two hours in the sauna was far too long,” his mother pleaded by the door way. He kept his eyes low, but just over the edge of the thin red blanket covering him, he could make out her form, a silhouette in the dim light.

“If he wants a flame so badly, he will have to earn it.” His father’s voice was oozing with disgust.

Earn it. Yes, now he remembered. The heat of the sauna burning him from the inside as the clock ticked away minute after minutes. At first, he had tried to use it as an opportunity to center himself; maybe if he concentrated he could achieve true flame. He had finally done it thanks to Azula’s teasing; his anger had made him stronger. He meditated cross legged as long as he could on the wooden planks of the sauna floor until the dryness in his mouth spread to his throat and then his lungs burned with every breath. His vision had blurred and the black edges had taken over as embers stung his every pore.

“That is not what this was about.”

A deep scoff.

“Azula told me what happened. The boy can barely produce a puff of smoke, so he attempts to bully his sister out of jealousy. He is weak, pathetic.”

A gentle shake the shadows head.

“No, you’re wrong-”

Her breath hitched, scratchy and quick. Zuko stiffened lowering the edge of his blanket as he forcefully pressed his body deeper into the mattress. From this more open position he saw the black shadow of an arm protruding from his mother’s throat.

“I am never wrong.”

A gasp. His mother was released as quickly as she was seized. There was a light cough before she replied, voice low and firm.

“Fine, but do not be sure that your daughter is telling the truth. Azula lies; she always lies.”

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