#;trust is for fools. fear is the only reliable way. (interactions - azula)

[damagecompiilation]

tag dump - azula

#;out of worlds #;trust is for fools. fear is the only reliable way. (interactions - azula) #;my own mother thought i was a monster. she was right of course but it still hurt. (character study - azula)

[akiizayoi4869]

Commentary from The Search and Smoke and Shadow

From The Search:

G: Azula has two modes- calm and crazy. We took particular care when illustrating the two. When she thinks about Ursa, she goes crazy: her pupils constrict, shadows appear under her eyes, and, when she is at her worst, even her hairstyle becomes chaotic.

GLY: In the original series, Azula was all kinds of awesome. I found her tragic character arc incredibly compelling. She began as a master manipulator bent on power. But when she finally achieved her goals, her mind broke. We gave her a split personality in order to preserve both the manipulative and lunatic halves of her identity.

M: I was concerned that depicting Azula’s fragile mental state in comic form would be difficult, but the combination of Gene’s writing and Gurihiru’s art makes it very clear when Azula is becoming unhinged. Adding Azula to the mix provided a lot of great character interactions, as well as a ticking human time bomb, so to speak.

GLY: Pretty much every one of Gurihiru’s depictions of Azula is amazing, but panel 4 here is my favorite. It’s a small drawing, but they perfectly capture her expression. You can almost hear the clicking gears of nuttiness in Azula’s head.

G: This is the corridor that was shown in the TV show. Here we can see the origins of Azula’s cruelty in her childhood. We think we were able to use light and shadow effectively in this scene.

From Smoke and Shadow:

GLY: When Mai, Tom-Tom, and their parents first appeared in "Return to Omashu", Mai wasn't all that warm to her little brother. In fact, she was willing to go along with Azula's plan to give him up to Team Avatar. 

As the series progressed, however, we saw Mai opening up. She made a place in her heart for Zuko. She gathered her courage and stood up to Azula. These changes allowed her to warm up to her brother, too.

GLY: Were you surprised by Azula's appearance? I hope so. The Kemurikage are the embodiment of fear. Since Azula's most potent weapon is fear, it seemed fitting to make her the leader.

As she said in the series finale, "Trust is for fools! Fear is the only reliable way."

You know, the more I look at this, the more I really wonder if Yang just saw all of the worst takes that came from the fandom and just decided to roll with that while writing the comics.

#atla #anti yang #yang critical #anti atla comics #atla comics critical #the comics suck

[phoukanamedpookie]

Unpopular opinion: Azula would be more conflicted with herself than she'd have conflict with other people.

I wouldn't call it a trend per se, but there seems to be a tendency for fandom to assume that every single person who interacted with Azula before the end of the war would reject her now that the war is over. Yet, I wonder if that overemphasizes the extent to which other characters would hold a grudge against Azula for what she does during the war, especially characters who: 1) did or attempted the same thing, or 2) got over other characters doing or attempting the same thing.

Don't get me wrong. I get that conflict with other characters can create an interesting narrative. As someone who grew up being misjudged by people, Enemies To Friends is one of my favorite narrative tropes. Hard to do that without the initial conflict.

Yet, Azula can be a tricky character to write interpersonal conflict for. Most of her social maladjustment is directly related to trauma, and a narrative that relies on everyone treating her like she's always been the absolute worst reinforces the mentality that underscores her worst behavior and most needs to change ("I'm a monster."). After everything she's already gone through, especially if we take "groomed to be a child soldier" seriously, heaping further scorn onto her seems excessive.

This is a child who, during a mental health crisis, tells herself, "Trust is for fools. Fear is the only reliable way." I can't spell it out enough: Azula hates herself. That's why she's obsessed with control and perfection. Aside from her serious abandonment issues, it's a manifestation of how she feels inherently unlovable. She won't unlearn that through being hated by everyone she knows.

What could help her? Forgiveness. Personally, I prefer the Hebrew term selichah, which is a more accurate definition of what I'm talking about.

Selichah is about reaching a deeper understanding of the person who has harmed us. It calls us to have empathy for the troubledness of the other person. Selichah does not demand that we reconcile or embrace someone who has hurt us. It does, though, call us to come to terms with the fact that the offender, like us, is human, frail, and deserving of empathy. (source)

With selichah, with forgiveness, our ancestors were freed from spiritual slavery because if there were no forgiveness, we would always be slaves to the past. We would never be able to wipe the slate clean. Every sin we committed would be an indelible state. We would be imprisoned in our past. Because there is forgiveness, the slate can be wiped clean. We can begin again. We can write a new and different story in our lives. (source)

And this is in line with a core message of the show: "Everyone, even the Fire Lord and the Fire Nation, have to be treated like they're worth giving a chance."

And I think that the real question, far more than whether other people would give her that chance, is whether she would give herself that chance.

#azula #azula opinions #selichah #azula meta #forgiveness #pookie is jewish

[nothing-more-than-hot-leaf-juice]

hey i have a question! i’m curious about your opinion bc you always seem to have smart takes on atla meta: does azula underestimate non benders? at first i thought obviously not, since the allies she chose are two non-bending fighters (who have the advantage of often being underestimated). but then again... did she choose mai and ty lee because she thought non benders would defer to her, while other firebenders might challenge her authority? and what about her interactions with sokka? thoughts?

First, this post summarized Azula’s mentality and respect of non-benders perfectly and there’s honestly nothing I can add to it. TLDR (but you really should read, this post is a fantastic bit of analysis/Sokka appreciation): Azula 100% sees the strength of allying herself with nonbenders and recognizes Sokka for not just his fighting abilities, but for his leadership status.

What made Azula an effective antagonist wasn’t her firebending abilities or the people she had backing her up, her strength was in her ability to read and manipulate people. She was a threat because she was smart. Azula was able to conquer Ba Sing Se not because she was a good firebender, but because she was ‘a people person’. Let’s remember, she took command of the Dai Li up from under Long Feng without even having to think about firebending. Some of Azula’s most iconic villain moments were entirely a product of her political charisma. “Don’t flatter yourself, you were never even a player.” “Do the tides command this ship?” “Unless, the Avatar’s alive...all that glory would be turned to shame.” Pure charisma, no bending necessary. 

Long Feng: “And the Fire Nation princess is cooperating?” 

Dai Li agent: “Oh yes. More than cooperating-- she’s really taken charge. She’s terrifying and inspirational at the same time. It’s hard to explain.” 

Azula doesn’t regard people as threats when she knows she can easily manipulate them. That’s the real reason she doesn’t regard Zuko as a threat in the series. In Crossroads of Destiny, she knew that if she just said the right words to push the right buttons in Zuko’s brain, there was no doubt he would join her. From the beginning of season two to the end of season two, Azula knew that all she would have to say to get Zuko in the exact state of mind she wanted him to be in was “father wants you to return home” and “you will have father’s love.” Zuko could have listened to Iroh and joined Aang and Katara, but Azula knew that that was his weakness, his hope that he could regain his honor. He wanted his father’s love and acceptance more than anything and she knew that. So she exploited it and Zuko sided with her. 

She does the same thing with Sokka on the day of the eclipse. Azula recognized him as the leader, could read him as a protector, knew his relationship with Suki, and was able to stop them because she taunted him. She pushed the right buttons. She got him to stop thinking tactically and they never reached Ozai. 

Azula did something similar with Zuko twice in the series by targeting the people he cared about to divert his attention. The first was in The Chase when she was cornered and hit Iroh. Zuko wasn’t going to go after her when Iroh was hurt and she knew that. She does the same thing in Sozin’s Comet when she directs lightning at Katara, knowing not only that this is someone Zuko cares about, but that Zuko would never want someone to get hurt when it’s his fight. He’s always been noble and protective and Azula knew how to use that to her advantage. It wasn’t her firebending that gave her power over Zuko throughout the series, it was her ability to exploit his weaknesses.

Azula knows the power of fire, but what she knows is more important for herself and others is the power of manipulation. She looks at people and gathers two things: 1. what their weaknesses are and 2. how exploiting those weaknesses can benefit her. That’s why she wins. That’s what made her an excellent villain. The fact that she was seemingly always two steps ahead of everyone because she just read people that well. 

And there’s the other aspect where she regards caring as a weakness because that’s what she was taught. She differentiates herself from Zuko, Sokka, and Katara because she sees them as weak for caring. Because in her life, she’s been taught that caring is a weakness that needs to be snuffed out. She watched Iroh lose the siege of Ba Sing Se because of his grief. She watched Zuko get burned and banished because he cared about defenseless soldiers and didn’t want to fight their father. That’s what she believes. Azula expects practicality and ruthlessness because that’s what’s always been expected of her. We see this especially with how she commands Mai and Ty Lee and how she doesn’t hesitate to lock them away when they betray her. She’s been conditioned not to care, not to love. Even if she does, she doesn’t let herself let that affect her decision making. Caring makes you weak; it makes you vulnerable. And that was the last thing Azula wanted to be. 

She surrounded herself by allies who could prove to her that they valued loyalty more than love. She tested Ty Lee’s love for the circus when she got the circus master to set the ring on fire. She tested Mai’s love for her family when she gave her the choice to go through with the hostage trade for her brother. And she tested Zuko’s love for Iroh when she gave him the choice in the catacombs. In each of these instances, she exploited their fears to make them side with her, but in the end they choose love over loyalty, overcoming their fears (but that’s a whole separate post). Azula valued them for their loyalty and their willingness to put feelings aside to do what she wanted, but that didn’t last. 

Azula does think she’s stronger and smarter, but not because of her firebending, it’s because she doesn't care as much. She considers herself a pragmatist, not bound by love for other people. Mostly because she internalized the notion that she was never going to get it. Azula believed she was a monster. Unlovable. So she decided that those who did rely on love to keep them going and to make them strong were the weak ones. She convinced herself that “fear was the only reliable way” because it was easier to believe that she was right and that she was going to be victorious rather than confront the fact that she was alone. 

Mirror Ursa: “I think you’re confused. All your life you’ve used fear to control people. Like your friends Mai and Ty Lee.” 

Azula: “Well what choice did I have? Trust is for fools. Fear is the only reliable way. Even you fear me.” 

Mirror Ursa: “No I love you Azula. I do.” 

That’s why she’s dangerous and that’s why she’s tragic. Azula’s wasn’t bound by people the way anyone else was. She wasn’t going to jump in front of lighting to save her friend or lose a siege over grief. Azula lived in a perpetual competition and in order to win --win her father’s favoritism, win battles, win the throne-- she didn’t give herself room to care. That’s why she thought she was better than her opponents. And Azula only thought she was worth anything if she was winning.

Azula wanted to be perfect. She wasn’t give a choice but to be perfect. And if she cared, if she let love for other people cloud her judgement or if she let herself rely on others who would inevitably think she was unlovable, then she would lose. And in the end, the isolation and the emptiness were two of the major factors that drove her into the deep end. And she didn’t have anyone there to save her from drowning. 

#zuko has his swords so he doesn't need to firebend #azula has her mind so she doesn't need to firebend #the most heavily guarded city in the earth kingdom <<<< azula just being that smart #hot leaf meta #azula #atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko #sokka #mai #ty lee

[my-bated-breath]

Hello! I love your blog and was wondering something: what do you think about "zuko and katara were written narratively to be siblings." I was reading somewhere that the agni kai is supposed to be about zuko saving the sister who can heal (katara) from the one cannot be salvaged (azula). It doesn't really make sense to me, but I wanted your input. Thank you!!

Thank you so much for your ask, anon! It means the world to me that you would like my input on this subject :)

(Now for me to recede into my meta-analysis persona-)

There are several fallacies to this argument that exist due to a misreading of the subtext in Zuko and Katara’s relationship and the narrative implications of the Final Agni Kai.

To begin with, out of all the canon Zutara interactions we see in the show, none explicitly frame Zuko and Katara as siblings. At most, we see a few scenes that are framed ambiguously - and ambiguous is the keyword here because ambiguous subtext does not contradict romantic subtext. In particular, the necklace-capture scene from The Waterbending Scrolls, the Crystal Catacombs from The Crossroads of Destiny, and a large portion of The Southern Raiders allude to intimacy often seen in romantic relationships.

Then, on paper, most of the Zutara interactions after the Southern Raiders can be read as platonic, but we have to remember that framing/subtext is everything. In their meta here, @royaltealovingkookiness analyzes which Zutara scenes can be interpreted as sibling-coded and which ones cannot. To summarize, there are a few post-TSR interactions that are strictly platonic (though there is no such thing as “strictly” in fandom), but many scenes - not my boyfriend/girlfriend in response to Jun, Zuko taking the lightning for Katara, POV shots of their hands reaching out for each other during the Final Agni Kai, just to name a few - extend into romantic setup. So no, Zuko and Katara do not work well enough as a sibling dynamic to justify the “saving the sister who can heal from the one who cannot be salvaged” argument.

Moreover, although the Final Agni Kai’s themes are centered around the divide between the Fire Nation’s legacy of war and hope for peace, Azula’s vicious nature and Katara’s healing abilities are not framed as juxtapositions within the narrative. Instead, it’s Azula and Zuko’s Agni Kai that embodies the juxtaposition between destruction and reconstruction, revealing a brother and sister torn apart by childhood, one fighting to continue her ancestors’ war, the other one fighting to bring peace to his descendants. Later, when Zuko jumps in front of the lightning meant for Katara, it’s not him “saving one sister from another,” but him acting out a fear stemming from love. Because Azula’s psychology can be captured by her two lines: “You should have feared me more!” and “Trust is for fools! Fear is the only reliable way.” So by aiming the lightning at Katara, Azula pinpoints Katara - love - as Zuko’s weakness. And it is his weakness - he collapses to the ground, lightning only partially redirected, electricity flickering through his body as he groans in pain. Except that’s not the end, because Katara defeats Azula and heals Zuko. Her bond with him is what saves him, proving that love (either platonic or romantic, though at this point it’s mostly platonic) is a strength, not a weakness.

The lightning scene could never be about Katara as a sister, but perhaps more importantly, it never was about the difference between Zuko’s “sisters.” Instead, Zuko, Katara, and Azula’s roles all reflect another set of differences - war and peace, fear and love.

#atla #atla meta #zutara #zutara meta #kind of? #my bated breath's posts #my bated breath analyzes #ask #anonymous ask #Final Agni Kai #zuko #katara #azula

[aspoonofsugar]

More specific questions on your last analysis of Azula as character: you mentioned at the end she shown the potential to grow into a better person but that possibility was not explored, can you please share your take or theory on how to make that happen and what the kind of person she would be if developed properly?

Hello anon!

We have one of the show writers’ thoughts on the matter here.

I think his description of a positive development for Azula fits with what has been established about her in the series.

As I have written in the post, I think that Azula’s main flaw is “control”, which manifests itself in two distinctive ways. First of all she tries to manipulate others. Secondly she tries to suffocate her own feelings. Because of this, she would need to go through a character arc which challenges this flaw, so that she can correct it.

Let’s highlight that this is also what happens in ATLA, but there Azula is not able to overcome said flaw, so she has a tragic arc. As a matter of fact (generally speaking) the difference between a positive character arc and a negative one is that in the latter the character fails to change in time. However, true tragedy (imo) is reached through making clear the character could actually positively develop, but is still not able to for several reasons. And this is what happens with Azula imo.

In particular, this is made clear for me in Azula’s conversation with her “mother”:

Azula: All right hair, it's time to face your doom.

Ursa: What a shame. You always had such beautiful hair.

Azula: What are you doing here?

Ursa: I didn't want to miss my own daughter's coronation.

Azula: Don't pretend to act proud. I know what you really think of me. You think I'm a monster.

Ursa: I think you're confused. All your life, you've used fear to control people, like your friends Mai and Ty Lee.

Azula: But what choice do I have?! Trust is for fools! Fear is the only reliable way! [more quietly] Even you fear me.

Ursa: No. I love you, Azula. I do.

In this scene, Ursa is nothing more than the repressed parts of Azula. This is made clear both by the context (Azula is hallucinating) and by the symbolism used in the scene (Azula sees Ursa in the mirror while she is looking at herself and makes her disappear at the end of the scene by crashing the mirror). In particular, Ursa represents (in Azula’s mind) a different way to love and to be loved. After all, this is what their very short conversation is all about.

On one hand Ursa embodies Azula’s wish to be loved (No, I love you, Azula. I do). Azula deep down wishes to be loved by other people, but she does not let herself be vulnerable nor does she treat others well, so she can’t obtain what she really wants. Her feelings are so repressed that she actually hides what she wants even from herself. However, she can’t lie to herself forever and her most hidden desires resurface through her mother’s hallucination.

On the other hand Ursa directly calls out Azula’s behaviour ( All your life, you've used fear to control people, like your friends Mai and Ty Lee). This phrase alone suggests that Azula has some confused grasp that she has misbehaved. Or at least it says that she is conscious that the reason why her friends have left her is rooted in her behaviour.

In short, this scene conveys to me the idea that in Azula’s character the concepts of loving and being loved are strictly tangled. She needs to love just as much as she needs to be loved. So in order to progress she should face this aspect of herself. In a sense, she starts doing it at the end of ATLA when Ursa appears in front of her. However, even if she can finally see this side of who she is, she is still refusing it. This is why she fails to make progress in the end. In order to grow she must accept this part of herself.

Let’s also highlight that at the end of the series Azula is trying to change her approach to things, but she is doing so in the wrong way.

As @echo-from-the-void pointed out:

Azula’s initial and final looks are complete opposites. When she first appears she is so obsessed by symmetry and control that one lock of her is enough to make her angry. At the end of the series Azula herself cuts her hair, so that her appearance becomes asymmetric. Similarly, she has spent the majority of the series manipulating everyone, so that she could have at her disposal a vast group of followers. However, by the end she sends everyone away. In a sense, she goes from one extreme to the other and both extremes are bad.

That said, this shift in behaviour in itself means that by the end of the series Azula has started to face the turmoil inside herself. This in itself is progress even if the result is ugly.

After this long ramble, I will finally address your question. In order to change Azula needs two things.

a) Consequences for her actions and she has received them in the series itself.

b) Someone willing not to give up on her and to give her a second chance. This is the part that is not present in the series.

As a matter of fact Azula’s ideas about love and relationships are so confused that I doubt she could change on her own. In the post linked above, the implication is that Zuko would have helped Azula without giving up on her and I think this could have been a good idea to have Azula develop. After all, Azula and Zuko are two characters strongly linked to each other.

As far as how Azula’s redemption could have concretely happened, that would have depended on many factors like the plot itself. Does Azula still need to spiral more before she can finally be redeemed? Does she need to meet her mother again? Will Zuko be able to help Azula alone or there will be the need of her interacting with other characters? After all, Zuko did not change only because of Iroh, but also because he got to meet many different people while he was travelling. He was shown humanity and kindness by these people, so he stopped seeing them as enemies.

In short, the ways a redemption for Azula could have happened are many. I think her arc in season 3 could honestly be seen as the perfect start for such an arc. In that season Azula is strongly challenged and does actually change, even if the change is not positive. If the story had not reached its end in season 3, Azula’s spiral could have been resolved negatively or positively.

Thank you for the ask!

#azula #atla #asksfullofsugar #anonymous

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Incentive

Day 6: Second Chances

Pair: Azula/Mai

Summary: Azula struggles to recover and make the most of her second chance. Mai helps her work through it.

Azula isn’t sure that this is how second chances are supposed to work. She thinks that she is supposed to feel relieved; she’d just laid her pride aside and asked for forgiveness, she’d just apologized. Isn’t she supposed to feel weightless?

She doesn’t she only feels battered, small, and humiliated. She feels no closer to being loved or accepted than she had before she’d made a fool of herself. They may not hate her, if their words are to be believed, but they sure as hell take care to avoid her. She is still alone. The only difference is that she has lost her dignity and self-esteem on top of it all. She wishes that she hadn’t asked for forgiveness at all.

She wishes that she didn’t need to. She wishes that she could have just been a decent, more loveable person from the start.  But she hadn’t been and she can’t change it now. She doesn’t think that she can do anything short of awkwardly interjecting into conversation and she has already humiliated herself enough.

She spends much of her time alone in the palace garden, trying to keep herself together. She doesn’t want to go back to the institution, but the longer she is alone, the longer she sits there by herself, the worse she feels. The more she slips. Her stomach ties itself into sorrowful knots, she scans the garden before allowing herself to shed some tears. She bunches herself up on the bench.

She doesn’t want to be alone anymore. She thinks that they might sympathize, might forgive her, if they saw her like this. But Agni is she afraid to let anyone see her like this. They’ll take advantage of it, they’ll belittle her, make her feel weaker…

Azula sits herself up and rubs the heels of her hands against her eyes. She tries to will herself to stop crying. But the thoughts harass her, memories bombard her. Memories of times before things were so horrible, so lonely and dark.

It leaves her heart and mind aching to recall how close she had been to TyLee and Mai. She grips the edge of her chair and stares down at her feet trying to regain her composure. She rubs her hands over her face, feeling infinitely worse.

When she looks up she sees a figure looming over her. Her mood plummets further. Evidently, Mai is the last person she’d wanted catching her cry.

Mai gives a drawn out sigh. “This definitely doesn’t suit you.”

Azula wipes her eyes and allows herself to wipe her eyes.

“And here I didn’t think that you had emotions.”

That is rich coming from her.

“I try not to.” She mutters. “They don’t do me any good.”

“Because you don’t express them enough.” Zuko appears from behind.

Azula sniffs hauntily. “Because the last time I did it, it went over so well.”

Zuko furrows his brows. “Why do you think that it didn’t?”

“I’m still alone, aren’t I?”

“No, you aren’t.”  He says.

She quirks a brow. “Who do I have, Zuzu.”

Mai rolls her eyes, “for someone so smart, it's amazing that you can’t figure out how to interact with people and take social cues.” She pauses. “We’re checking on you because you haven’t talked to us since you apologized.”

Azula slightly purses her lips, “I...you guys…” she trails off. “You didn’t want to talk to me?” She intended for it to be a statement but it sounds more like a question.

“That’s not true, Azula.” Zuko insists.

“Then why am I alone?” She hisses.”

“Because you isolate yourself?” Mai shoots back.

Azula narrows her eyes, she isn’t sure if she is more angry or upset. She knows for sure that she is frustrated, and perhaps, confused.

“You can’t just expect everyone to forgive you after one apology, you have to put in an effort.” Mai adds.

Azula rubs her hands over her face. She isn’t sure what else she is supposed to say, what more effort can she possibly put in? She just knows that she doesn’t want to be hated. “I did put in effort.” She mumbles.

.oOo.

Azula’s expression dims considerably and Mai sighs. She almost feels bad. Almost, she isn’t willing to let things go that easily. She has never seen the princess look so lost and almost desperate. It is somehow satisfying, frankly, Azula is due for a struggle or two. Though she supposes that, having lived her life so smoothly, she isn’t entirely metnally equipped for a prolonged struggle.

Or maybe she is. Mai can’t imagine that she would have fallen apart so substantially if she hadn’t already had some deep and untended mental wounds.

She doesn’t want to let Azula off the hook so easily, and yet, she could very well push the princess away for good if she doesn’t relent a little. At least Zuko speculates as much; it is the reason that they have bothered to check on her now.

“Some effort this is.” Mai comments despite herself.

Azula’s face seems to grow even more vacant. She gives the slightest head shake. “Forget this.” She stands quite abruptly and makes her retreat, ignoring Zuko’s call.

.oOo.

It was a mistake, she had made a mistake. She’d made a mistake and made a fool of herself. A second chance was supposed to be a fresh start and yet she feels as though she has only fallen further behind. That she has sacrificed a part of herself for nothing at all.

She steals away into her room. Likely she won’t leave it until everyone is asleep. If she is going to be alone, she will be alone in peace. But when nightfall comes around, she finds that she hasn’t the energy nor motivation to be up and about. When the nightfall comes it hits her in full. She has messed her second chance up, not that she truly had one at all. Even so, she has done damage beyond repair.

Azula rubs her face against the pillow and tries to alleviate the flutter in her belly. It refuses to subside. Her head hurts. She thinks that it is stress. She just wants to feel good again. At the very least, she just wants to feel right again.

She wants to belong. She wants the care that everyone else gets. She clutches her head in her hands and curls in on herself.

She wants to be okay. She isn’t okay.

Azula wakes to the sound of knocking at her door but she doesn’t want to get up. Whoever it is, lets themself in.  “Zuko told me to come check on you again.” Mai comments nonchalantly.

“You’ve done your job. You can go now.” She doesn’t lift her head, there isn’t a point. She imagines that Mai has better matters to attend anyhow. For a moment, she thinks that Mai is going to listen and retreat. Instead she languidly lies down next to Azula with her hands folded just below her chest.

“I said that you can go now…”

“Remember when we went to the beach?”

“I try not to.”

“And we were talking about our feelings.”

And hers had been well and played off, not just by them but by she herself. She imagines that they had agreed with her anyhow. “What about it?”

“You said that I need to express myself more.”

“What of it?” Azula mutters. “Are you going to take the opportunity to lay out your grievances with me now.”

“I think that I’ve already done that.” Mai pauses. “I was going to say that maybe you need to express yourself more. There are more emotions than angry and empowered.”

She is abundantly aware; sorrow, hurt, betrayal, confusion, and venrability create an awful cocktail in her mind and she is nearly at another breaking point. Her breath catches and her eyes sting. She isn’t going to cry again.

“You can talk about how you feel.” Mai continues. “And I don’t mean flippant and off-handed remarks.”

“Then what exactly do you want?” She asks. “Begging. A real sob story.”

“Begging works for me.”

Azula isn’t sure if she had meant it in jest or in seriousness.

“But a real sob story works too.”

“And then you’ll throw it back in my face…”

“See, this is your problem. You don’t let people in. You don’t trust people.”

Azula’s draws a sharp breath as her mother’s face resurfaces in her mind. Fear is the only reliable way, but she doesn’t instill that anymore either. She has nothing. She finds herself gripping her head again.

.oOo.

In spite of everything, Mai’s heart tightens for her former friend. She is very visibly distressed, which is rather uncommon for her. But Agni, if it isn’t a good place to start. It is a wide open door. Truly she doesn’t know why she cares, she really shouldn’t. “Maybe you can start by telling me why you’re so upset right now.”

Azula is silent for a very long time. Mai is just about ready to give up and wander off to do something that has the potential for productivity. She catches Azula mumble something, she isn’t even sure if the princess is talking to her at all. She may very well be talking to herself again.

“I can’t trust people.”

Mai halts.

“They use me.” She adds very quietly. “Father used me. Zuzu used me to find mother…” With each word her voice seems to sound almost weaker. “People only want me when I can get them something. That’s why nobody wants me now.”

“Nobody wants you now because you treated everyone like they were disposable.” And so they threw her out first. It is her own fault. Azula goes quiet again. “You don’t have anything to say?”

“What do you want me to say.” Her voice is so soft that Mai can barely hear her.

“You always seem to have something to say.”

“I don’t this time.”

“Because I’m right?”

“I guess, maybe.” Azula mutters. “Probably.” And then after a moment. “You can go now.”

She isn’t going to let it go that easily. If she can push a little harder… She is going to have to show the princess mercy if she does. “Do you even care?”

“About what?” Azula asks.

“About how you treated everyone? Does it bother you at all?”

Azula doesn’t answer for a good while. “Maybe. I think so.”

Mai sits back down, this time at the foot of the bed. She wishes that the princess would just let it out.

“I guess that I wouldn’t feel like this if it didn’t.”

“Feel like what?” she pushes further.

“I don’t know.” Azula replies.

And for the first time, Mai considers that Azula genuinely might not know. That she truly doesn’t understand her own emotions nor how to express them.

“Unwell.” She says after thinking.

Mai quirks a brow. “Could the word you’re looking for be, guilty? Ashamed?”

.oOo.

Azula swallows. That sounds about right. It sounds right but she isn’t sure what Mai will do, how she will weaponize that if she confirms as much. She supposes that she has nothing left to lose. She simply nods. “Among other things.”

“What other things?”

Mai is merciless. Azula toys with her bedsheets for a good while before answering. “Isolated.” She gives another very extended pause. “Miserable.” She is tired, so very tired. This conversation is exhausting her. “I can’t do this.” She whispers more to herself. But it would seem that Mai is able to make it out.

“You can’t do what?”

“My head hurts.”

“I can have one of the servants fix you a headache soothing tea.”

Azula nods. Tea sounds nice.

“What can’t you do?”

“Keep talking about this.” She replies. Though she thinks a border, all-encompassing ‘can’t’ is more accurate. Truth be told, she isn’t sure how much longer she can hold on for. “I just want to feel like myself again.” She doesn’t want to be tired and hurt. She misses her confidence and motivation. Her drive and her pride. She misses everything that she used to be. Mostly everything.

“We can talk about something else.”

.oOo.

They do. They talk for hours about everything but how the princess feels.They talk until Azula seems to forget about her pain at least for a little while. And that is just it. Pain. She doesn’t say it aloud but Mai comes to conclude that Azula is hurt. If she is anything like Zuko--and, as much as they’d both hate the comparison, they are alike--hurt is conveyed and masked by anger and coldness.

Mai thinks that Azula has been hurting all along. That she hid it very deeply beneath layers of intimidation and a stoic demeanor.

“Can I ask you something else?”

“Hmm?” Azula mumbles. She snuggles her head against the pillow, closing her eyes.

“You’re sad, aren’t you? That’s the other thing you feel, isn’t it?”

Azula nods again.

“Do you at least feel a little better now?’

She shakes her head. “I did for a moment. But, this isn’t going to work out. Something is going to go wrong…”

“That doesn’t have to be true.” Mai says.

“I don’t have what Zuko did. I don’t have anyone who is going to support me no matter what I do…” She pauses.

“I will.”

“But you didn’t.”

Mai cringes. “You were going to kill him.”

“I wasn’t going to kill him.”

“But you were going to let those guards kill him. I couldn’t let you do that.”

Azula presses her lips together and seems to shudder.

“Is that really what you would have wanted?” Mai asks. “You’re a lot of things, Azula, but I don’t think that you would have been able to live with killing your own brother.”

Azula grips at her head again and Mai’s stomach flutters. This time her grip is so tight that she can see the princess’ knuckles. Mai takes her hands and gently rubs the backs of them, “relax.”

She feels Azula’s hands flex. “I can’t.” It comes out as more of a gasp. Mai notices that she is shaking, if only slightly.

“Believe it or not, I like to think that I was helping you. If you killed Zuko, you wouldn’t have been able to come back from that. But you can come back from this.”

Azula shakes her head again. “No, Mai. I can’t.”

“You can. You just need to do what you’re good at; keep fighting.”

“You love him more than you fear me.”

“Yes.” Mai agrees. “But I don’t love him more than I love you.” She flinches at her own admission. She hadn’t meant to let that slip. She dares to hope that Azula hadn’t caught it. But Azula has a habit for catch even subtleties, and Mai hadn’t been subtle.

“You love me?”

Mai sighs and squeezes Azula’s hand. “I just wish that you’d stop making it so hard.”

“But what about Zuko?”

“Well since we’re sharing feelings today; to be honest, I’m still angry about the letter. He does a lot of things that...bother me. I like your brother, he’s a good person but we argue too much.”

“I promise you that you’d argue with me more.” Azula shifts, her hair falls over her shoulders.

Mai quirks a brow. “You have no idea how much Zuko and I argued, do you? He fought with me over what shade of red our flags are.”

“They are maroon.” Azula replies.

“That’s what I said. He keeps saying that they are crimson.”

Azula sakes her head. “Maroon is darker. Our flags are darker.”

“See, you and I already agree on more than what Zuko and I agree on.”

Azula chuckles. It is the first time that Mai has heard her laugh in ages. The first time she has heard the princess laugh without malice in an even longer span of time. She does have a rather charming laugh. Mai very nearly groans. It is much harder to stay resentful when the princess lets her guard down.

“Are you...actually entertaining the idea that we could be…” Azula asks.

It occurs to Mai that, that is exactly what she had done. “Alright, how about this. You make a real effort to get better and make amends with everyone and you might just get a kiss.” TyLee would be gushing.

She might have imagined it, but she thinks that the princess’ eyes had lit up, if only slightly. She certainly sits up with an almost rejuvenated energy. Mai supposes that even a small glimmer of hope can go a long way with someone as broken and downcast as Azula is. “How?” Her voice is quieter again.

Mai thinks for a moment. She supposes that she can show mercy. “You can start by coming to dinner tonight and then breakfast and actually starting a conversation instead of expecting us to come to you.”  If this is too much she supposes that she’d be willing to settle for Azula simply talk about how she feels at the end of each day. Frankly, that might be good for Azula anyhow so she adds that as a second thing for the princess to do.

“I can try.” Azula resigns herself to it.

“Good. Because dinner starts in about twenty minutes. You can get dressed and come with me.” She guess that she can give the princess some leeway if she misses a day or two. But she doesn’t tell her as much.

.oOo.

Having a pattern has helped. And once she’d gotten used to it, it helps to have opened up and to continue to do so. She does feel much less heavy. Much less oppressed and overburdened. She thinks that this must be it, that this is how a second chance feels.

This time she is not alone in the garden. Not for long anyhow. She sees Mai lazily making her way across the courtyard with an armful of pastries. They will spend the first half an hour to themselves and then the others will come along.

It is nice to have Mai back. It is nicer still to have reassurance that she is lovable in spite of her prickly, rather abrasive, personality. She supposes that these traits compliment Mai’s cynicism well. They both share a love for dark humor. They both help each other express themselves, even if it is because they have managed to aggravate each other that thoroughly.

They don’t do this very often. Evidently Azula finds herself perhaps too cautious about avoiding conflict. She knows how she can be and she isn’t pleased with it. Mostly she tries to be agreeable. And mostly it works. She finds that she doesn’t particularly disagree with Mai and Zuko’s ideals and values after giving herself some time to think about her own.

She has thought about a lot of things. About her world views, about her social views. About her life and herself in general. She concludes that she is mostly satisfied. She isn’t yet entirely comfortable with the person she has evolved into, she has to get used to it. But she is aware that it is for the better. That she is better. That despite it all, she feels better.

Mai sits down, “fire flakes?”

Azula picks one from the bowl and pops it into her mouth.

“Well?”

“I’m feeling better.” Azula says. “I feel like I’m not hated anymore.” It is more than just a small relief. “Yourself?” She realizes that it is the first time she has actually inquired about Mai’s day. Clearly the question has caught her off guard.

“I’m…” she thinks. “I’m happy.”

“You? Happy?” Azula snickers. “Why is that?”

“Because, honestly, I didn’t think that any of this would work out.” She shrugs. “I thought that you’d cooperate for a few days and just...decide that it wasn’t for you. But you didn’t.”

“It’s a working method.” She shrugs. “I can’t argue with something efficient.” She is certainly happy to not be a mess of emotions. And more pleased to not be one comment away from weeping all the time.

Mai takes her hand and gives her a small kiss. It is her daily treat. As promised, she gets one for every day that she shares her emotions. She gets one on the bad days. She gets several on her bad days. And suddenly her bad days aren’t so terrible. At the very least she knows that she is loved. Even when the day was spent bickering Mai still offers a kiss. Even if they say nothing else after it. Even if they wake up angry at each other, she still gets her nightly kiss. She still shoves her anger aside for approximately ten seconds, five if she is truly pissed, and lets Mai kiss her.

It makes her feel whole. It makes her feel less like a weapon or an extension of her Nation’s will and more like a human. A human with feelings. Feelings that she is learning to be open to and about. It makes her feel like she truly has been given a second chance.

#Avatar The Last Airbender #Azula #Mai #Azula/Mai #atla femslash week #femslash #fanfiction

[phoukanamedpookie]

Unpopular opinion: Azula doesn't need redemption.

Wait wait wait! It's not what you think.

A redemption arc implies that Azula is broken or corrupt, that she needs to be saved from her own inherent wretchedness. I don't think that's true of her. (Nor was it true of Zuko, I might add, which is why I don't like calling his growth a redemption arc.)

Azula is not missing some crucial component that needs to be fixed or replaced to make her fit to join the rest of humanity. The actions and attitudes she displays on the show are the predictable result of a child who grew up in an environment where:

love is conditional

love is finite

vulnerability is weakness

approval is based on performance

fear is control is loyalty is love

other horrific implications I'm not going to delve into right now

This is her normal. Virtually all her time and energy are dedicated to surviving in all this. She knows no other way.

What she lacks is not a moral compass. What she lacks are maturity and perspective. What she needs is space to breathe and think, time to live a little and figure things out without her father or some other authority figure holding her under his thumb (h/t @idreamtofmanderleyagain ).

"Oh, dear. You've been through so much recently. Hurt and betrayed. So twisted up inside. You're still full of love. Ah. But fear has moved in where trust should be." —Guru Pathik, "Appal's Lost Days"

"Well what choice do I have?! Trust is for fools. Fear is the only reliable way." —Azula, "Sozin's Comet, Part 3: Into the Inferno"

Azula's problem is not that she's a big ol' meanie who needs to stop being mean. Her problem is that she uses fear to control people because she doesn't trust them not to betray or abandon her. But in order for Azula to find the genuine love and affection she needs, she has to learn how to trust, how to open up, how to be vulnerable.

This is going to be very hard for her because she's been given ample reason not to trust anyone. Her mother is banished because she committed treason for Zuko. Iroh goes into exile from the Fire Nation for Zuko. Zuko betrays and leaves the Fire Nation then comes back to take the throne from her. Mai betrays her for Zuko. Ty Lee betrays her for Mai. Everyone she's close to abandons or betrays her, often specifically for Zuko. Everyone except Ozai.

I've come across a lot of fanfic where Azula gets imprisoned or institutionalized, locked away from the world "for her own good" or because she's a lethal threat to every person who comes near her. Personally, I don't think that the way she behaved during her Agni Kai with Zuko is how she would continue to act once it was over. I think she'd probably be deeply ashamed and embarrassed by how she lost control like that.

All that said, she can't learn that she can trust people in isolation from others. I also think that forcing her to interact with people connected to her trauma in an unequal power relationship would also be unhealthy for her. Her challenge is to break out of old habits of domination and control through learning how to trust, not replace one dominating and controlling figure with another who's just nicer about it.

Here's how I can see this working:

Disgraced, humiliated, and consumed with shame, Azula goes into exile (read: runs away from home) to answer a burning question: who is she supposed to be without the war?

Basically a wandering beggar, she quickly gets a reality check about what being on her own really entails. For a time, she has to rely on the kindness of strangers to survive. Learning, growth, adventure, and spirit shenanigans ensue.

#azula meta #azula #azula redemption

[phoukanamedpookie]

Where did Azula learn to control others through fear?

"Ultron can't tell the difference between saving the world and destroying it. Where do you think he gets that?" —Wanda Maximoff, The Avengers: Age of Ultron

Some folks act like Azula came out of Ursa’s womb using fear to control people. The way some folks characterize Azula, the moment she started to speak, she was saying shit like, “Trust is for fools! Fear is the only reliable way.” 

Where do you think she gets that? How does she believe that fear is the most reliable way to ensure loyalty? What in her limited life experience has taught her this?

If you read between the lines, it’s obvious: she knows it works because it works on her. Look at how she interacts with Ozai versus every other adult on the show. She never talks back; she never disobeys.

Remember: this is a teenager. A teenager who never talks back? A teenager who never disobeys? 

By contrast, look at how Zuko interacts with Iroh. He talks back to Iroh. Mood swings left and right. Does the exact opposite of what Iroh says is a good idea. Zuko’s a 16-year-old boy. Of course he acts like that.

Fine, some kids are just agreeable. But Azula? Nah. If Avatarverse had Santa Claus, she’d be on the naughty list almost every year. (Azula, we don’t light our firebending instructors on fire. Azula, we don’t burn the flowers in the royal gardens. Azula, we don’t steal knives and play with them. Azula, we don’t hurl loaves of bread at turtleducks. Azula, we don’t shove our friends in the dirt. Azula, we don’t burn our uncle’s presents. Azula, we don’t taunt our brother with how our father is going to kill him. Azula, we don’t set fire to the kuai ball net. Azula, we don’t burn down an admiral’s house becuase his son rejected us.)

But this spirited, perceptive, mischievous child obeys Ozai without question, and she, in turn, uses fear to control others. Read between the lines. Ozai taught her that by making her fear him.

Now, before somebody swoops in and makes Azula’s trauma all about Zuko (and I have issues with the ubiquitous nature of the Golden Child vs Scapegoat thing), when I say that Ozai made Azula fear him, I mean that he did things directly and specifically to her.

In the show and tie-in media, there are huge chunks of Azula’s life that haven’t been accounted for. We don’t know what happens between Ursa’s banishment and Zuko’s banishment. We also don’t know what happens between Zuko’s banishment and Azula being sent after Iroh and Zuko. That’s a good five years, roughly a third of Azula’s life, that remains shrouded in mystery. During that time, anything could’ve been happening to her. 

Given the drastic difference between Azula as a child (who, while naughty, looks and speaks and acts as a child) and Azula as an adolescent (who looks and speaks and acts in a disturbingly adultlike manner for a 14-year-old), something happened to her.

#azula meta #azula

[phoukanamedpookie]

Notes on an Azula transformation arc, part 7

Disappointed that this old man greets her and not the Avatar, Azula frowns.

“Who are you?” she asks.

“I am Guru Pathik. You seek the Avatar.”

“Yes. Where is he?”

Guru Pathik explains that Aang left a couple of weeks ago to oversee the restoration of the Northern Air Temple.

“What are you doing here?” asks Azula.

“Waiting for you,” he says.

Guru Pathik explains that he’s there to teach her about the chakras and help her find balance and peace.

Skeptical, Azula is about to turn right back around and go to the ship, but Guru Pathik invites her to stay for supper and rest a while. Supper is banana and onion juice. Azula gags.

Azula gets up bright and early. Guru Pathik is already awake and meditating. Birds flock to him, perch on him.

Azula practices her firebending. Guru Pathik claps.

“Wonderful! Wonderful! You are very talented. I have never seen a firebender who had blue flames. Before you go, there is something I wanted to show you, something you can take with you.”

“Is this about chakras?”

“Of course!”

Azula huffs and follows Guru Pathik to the spring where he showed Aang how chakras worked. He explains what chakras are and how energy is supposed to flow through them, but it gets blocked by different kinds of emotional trauma.

He does the thing where he reads Azula’s energy.

“Oh, dear. Oh, dear,” says Guru Pathik, “You are so young, yet you are so twisted up inside. So much anger, so much pain.”

Azula shrugs him off, “Good. It's what makes me stronger.”

Guru Pathik shakes his head, “You poor thing. It’s what holds you back.”

Azula puzzles over this a moment. “So you’re saying that if I open my chakras, I’ll become more powerful.”

“Indeed.”

“Let’s try it.”

Thus begins the process of Azula opening her chakras. This is much harder for her than it was for Aang. Unlike Aang, who drew on Air Nomad teachings to detach and let go, Azula learned to push herself forward by relentlessly suppressing everything that makes her feel or seem weak.

They begin with the Earth Chakra. It deals with survival and is blocked by fear.  Azula denies being afraid of anything. Guru Pathik tells her that everyone experiences fear.

Guru Pathik: “When you can face and name your fears, you can overcome them.”

Azula begins to meditate.

Flashbacks of Azula’s past.

We hear Azula’s words at the bonfire on Ember Island: “My own mother thought I was a monster.”

Flashbacks of a young Azula getting into all kinds of mischief, some of it harmless, some of it dangerous. Ursa tries to discipline Azula for some of these things, but Azula says, “But Dad said it was OK,” to which Ursa sighs, defeated.

We see young Azula watching Ursa interact with Zuko, all cuddles and smiles and quality time. We see young Azula, clearly jealous, repeatedly be mean to Zuko, which makes Ursa even more protective of him and admonishing toward her.

We see a young Azula snooping around the palace, spying on her parents. She hears Ursa say, “I’m worried about Azula. Something is happening to her, and it’s making her do some dangerous things, and she can be so awful to Zuko sometimes."

We see an exasperated Ursa asking of young Azula, “What is wrong with that child?”

In the present, Azula says, “I’m afraid no one will see me as anything but a monster.”

We see a flashback of Azula during Sozin’s Comet. We hear Ursa’s voice saying, “All your life, you used fear to control people.”

Azula snarling, “Well, what choice to I have! Trust is for fools! Fear is the only reliable way!”

In the present, Azula says, “I use fear to control people.”

We see all the times Azula’s used fear to control others, like when she terrorized Ty Lee at the circus.

We see everyone Azula knows leaving her behind, one by one, until she is surrounded by darkness, alone.

Azula, in the present: “Because I’m afraid I’ll always be alone.”

Guru Pathik: “Now, surrender those fears. Let them flow down the creek.”

Azula keeps meditating, going deeper. She realizes that her fears come from her past, but her present and her future belong to her. It’s up to her if she will be a monster or not. Her past was lonely, but her future doesn’t have to be.

And her Earth Chakra opens.

The next day, they prepare to open the Water Chakra. It deals with pleasure and is blocked by guilt. Guru Pathik asks Azula what she blames herself for.

Flashbacks to times when Azula was cruel to Mai and Ty Lee. We see Azula make Ty Lee cry on Ember Island. We see when Azula was ready to kill Mai.

Azula, in the present: “I hurt my friends.”

Flashbacks to times when Azula was cruel to Zuko.

Azula, in the present: “I hurt my brother.”

Flashback to when she treated Not Shu Lien poorly.

Azula, in the present: “I disrespected my teacher.”

Guru Pathik: “Accept that those things happened. Do not let them cloud and poison your energy. You must learn to forgive yourself.”

Azula meditates. She realizes that she acted the way she did because she was taught to and knew no better. But now she does know better, and she can do better.

Guru Pathik: “Remember how alive you felt at your moments of greatest pleasure.”

Azula meditates, at first focusing on her victories, such as her conquest of Ba Sing Se and her (almost) slaying of the Avatar. But those victories soon rang hollow.

She thinks about the milestones she reached in her firebending: the first time she firebended, mastering her first form, first making her fire blue.

She thinks of the good times she had with Mai, Ty Lee and Zuko, especially when they got up to all sorts of mischief.

She thinks about learning from Not Shu Lien.

She thinks about how much fun she had on the South Pole. Mock battles. Penguin-sledding. Sparring with Katara.

And her Water Chakra opens.

The next day, they work on the Fire Chakra. It deals with willpower and is blocked by shame. Guru Pathik asks Azula what she’s ashamed of, what her biggest disappointments in herself are.

Azula meditates.

Through flashbacks, we see Ozai sneer, frown, or call Azula weak every time she made a mistake, showed too much kindness (weakness) to others, or cried over something he thought silly. We see Azula get colder, sadder, angrier.

Azula, in the present: “I was weak.”

In a flashback, we see Katara defeat Azula and chain her up. We see Azula, beside herself with fury, shoot fire from her mouth, her nose, even her ears!

Azula, in the present: “I was a failure.”

Guru Pathik: “Weakness and failure are a part of life. You must let go of judging yourself.” 

In a flashback, we see through Azula’s eyes the devastating costs of the war and the Fire Nation’s part in it.

Azula, in the present: “My country did terrible things, and I helped.”

Guru Pathik: “You cannot deny this part of yourself. You are princess of the Fire Nation, and you are a firebender.”

Azula meditates further, concentrating on times when she used firebending for more than destruction. She remembers her time on the island, how firebending kept her alive. She remembers her time at the South Pole, how useful her firebending proved to be, how glad people were to have her around because of it.

And her Fire Chakra fully opens.

Another day, they start on the Air Chakra. It deals with love and is blocked by grief. Guru Pathik tells Azula to lay all her grief out before her.

Through flashbacks, we see Ursa disappearing into shadow, never to return. We see Zuko board his ship and leave the Fire Nation, perhaps never to return. 

We Mai and Azula at the Boiling Rock.

“The thing I don’t understand is why? Why would you do it?”

“I love Zuko more than I fear you.” 

We see Ty Lee chi-block Azula as she aims an attack at Mai.

We see Ozai, having crowned himself the Phoenix King, leave Azula behind at the Fire Nation.

In the present, Azula tries to block the grief, but Guru Pathik says that sadness is not weakness and tells her to let the grief flow out. Azula lets herself cry.

Guru Pathik: “Love is a form of energy. The love you shared with your family and friends is not gone. It is in your heart, and it is reborn in the form of new love.”

As she cries for those feelings of loss, Azula also sees Not Shu Lien. Katara. Sokka. The Southern Water Tribe. Zuko. Her mother.

Azula’s Air Chakra opens.

Opening the Air Chakra is very hard on Azula, so Guru Pathik lets Azula chill for a few days. 

Azula practices her firebending, drilling one of the most difficult forms. Her moves are as crisp and precise as ever, but they’re also freer, less constrained, as if she’s dancing rather than fighting. She firebends with pure, unadulterated joy.

That night, as she sleeps, she dreams that she’s four years old again, living at the palace. Her mother brushes her hair.

Tiny Azula excitedly says, “Mom, look!” and ignites a fireball in her palm. She juggles it, adding more little fireballs, giggling with delight.

“Oh!” says Ursa, alarmed. Then she calms and says, “That’s beautiful, sweetheart! Zuko, come here! Look what Azula can do!”

Zuko approaches, awestruck, “Wow! Mom, do you think Azula will be the best firebender ever?"

“I don’t see why not. If she works hard, there’s no telling what she can do.”

“Really?” asks Azula.

“You can do anything you set your mind to.”

Azula smiles.

“And I’ll help!” says Zuko.

They all smile and hug.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the world, Ursa, very much alive, wakes up and starts her day. Nailed on the wall of a small house is a child’s drawing of a happy family that bears a strong resemblance to the Fire Nation royal family. The characters for each family member are written above their heads. There’s a father (Dad), mother (Mom), older child (me), and younger child (Azula).

#azula #azula redemption arc