#Azulaang week

[thebxghag]

Fresh Start

Aang offers to tidy up the unruly mess that Azula has made of her hair three days after they've been on the road as a silent, tense, unit.

The others are off tending to the camp when he approaches her.

"Uhm...you know...I could maybe...even out your hair for you, if you'd like? It cut pretty messily when you sliced off your topknot...you don't -- have to keep it that way."

Azula turns to look at him, searching his face, looking for any signs of ill intention. As per usual, she can't really find any. The ever-present mischievous gleam in his eye is gone too, replaced with sincerity. She turns away again, looking at her dull reflection in the stream she'd gone to kneel beside. Her hair is lopsided, bedraggled. She hasn't run a comb through it since she'd chopped it off in the ceremony which had severed her ties with the Fire Nation.

She looks down at her hands where they're curled loosely in her lap.

"Fine," she says. The word burns in her throat like an ember.

He leads her away from the stream and out to a large, isolated, cherry tree in the middle of the meadow where they've decided to land for the night. Azula can feel the eyes of the waterbender burning into her back as she follows the Avatar away from the group.

She ignores it. What is she going to do in full sight of the entire camp anyway?

The Avatar cuts away the rest of her hair in silence.

His lemur has followed them, and curled up to sleep in a sunspot. The creature seems peaceful, and she finds herself staring at him as Aang snip, snip, snips his way across the edges of her once proud mane.

When he's done, he brushes the few strands that remain settled against her neck, tickling the skin, away. His hand is warm and calloused. She feels the prickle of gooseflesh at the casual touch.

"Better?" he asks, voice quiet.

It is, but Azula doesn't answer.

-------

Azulaang week 2023 day one! :)

[ly0nstea]

Azulaang Week Prompt & Date Form

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Broken Glory

For @ly0nstea's Azulaang Week went with several of today's prompts.

Summary: Azula fights on the front line and gets critically injured.

“I told you so.” 

They all did. 

That if she kept down this sorry little path that she was walking that she would end up alone and hated, deprived of the glory and dignity that she had sought. She hasn’t eaten or bathed in days. There are gashes all over her body and she is certain that the one on her hip is infected. She is growing feverish and shaky but she isn’t sure if she should attribute the shaking to hunger or the infection.

She has to keep walking. Walking and walking without closing her eyes or laying her head to rest. She fears that if she does she will simply drift off and not return. With every agonized step that she takes, she feels more and more like that might not be such a bad thing.

She is so tired.

So terribly tired.

She has no one to blame but herself. 

No. That isn't true. She had grown up on stories of soilders. Of war heros who had come back to tell. Uncle's letters had painted an image in her mind.

Everyone idolized him.

She idolized him.

But he had left out a few details. 

Crucial details.

All of the heroes who'd come back from the battlefield did. They only ever talked about pride and honor and how powerful they had grown.

But that is just the thing, she had never heard from the ones that didn't come back.

She'd never heard Lu Ten's story, short if the disgrace it made of Iron when he'd left the front lines.

When he'd crushed her world and became a disappointment. To her and to his nation. 

She vowed that, when she left to take his place, she would come home with impressive tales of bravery and conquest 

She had forgotten that she was just a girl. A girl filled to the brim with lies and propaganda.

It was nothing like they said. No waving banners and hearty solders laughing over drinks about hard fought and won battles. 

There was only death and brutality. Bloodshed and burns. Missing or shattered limbs. So potent are the horrors that firebenders and earthbenders become the same in her mind. Everyone is suffering and she feels awful for all of them. They look mangled. Some barely recognizable through burns and beneath boulders.

And the smell…

Oh the smell.

Sweet and rancid, sometimes charred. It will never leave her nostrils. 

That horrid smell now clings to her 

That is how she knows that she will die. 

When the smell starts to linger that's When they put fellow soldiers out of their misery.

They had already deemed her as a lost cause and they had done so well before the odor had set in.

She is young.

She is a girl.

She is a liability in spite of her prodigal abilities.

She had put herself on the front lines for the sake of honor and triumph and it has defiled her. She doesn’t feel like a princess anymore. Her fellow soilders certainly hadn’t treated her like one. She was just like any other one of them and when her wounds became grave they left her behind just as they would any other. 

And so she walks and walks and keeps on walking, broken and discarded until her festering wounds and fevered brain drop her.

And when the darkness comes to take her hurt away, she lets it come.

.oOo.

Her pride is terribly wounded but the Avatar doesn’t say a word about it. 

Doesn’t make her feel bad for needing his help. 

Doesn’t try to guilt her for her hand in the war,fir having once relished in the total and complete massacre of his people. 

And somehow that makes her feel all the more uncomfortable. 

He is gentle with her.

Reassures her that she can't take back what her ancestors have done or control what her father continues to do. 

Reassures her that she can decide what she wants to do from here on out. What side of the war she really wants to fight in or if she even wants to fight at all.

She does in that the need to make up for past wrongs. She doesn't in that she is so scared. Her hip is in such terrible pain. She has scars all over in spite of the waterbender's healing abilities.

She apologizes profusely and says that she is just learning how to heal. Azula promises her that a collection of ugly scars and a limp in her left leg is better than the alternative. 

At least as far as her will to live goes.

As far as her ability to bend and return home with dignity and honor goes she is a lost cause. A joke. A disappointment just us great as uncle. 

Maybe that is the nature of her family. 

To become disappointments. Zuzu had done it and Iron before him…

“You're going to be alright.” The Avatar promises, holding a hand to her cheek, a cheek that is still red with a fever she has yet to recover from.

She doesn't feel as though she will be alright. 

“We wouldn't have found you if it wasn't meant to work out.”

His voice is so light and cheerful, it makes her heart flutter. “Okay.” She replies quietly.

He takes her hand in his own. His other hand strokes the back of hers. The backs of his hands have arrows the back of hers have lightning scars. His fingers are small and soft to the tough. Most of hers are broken and wrapped in bandages. Her ribs are broken too and there are multiple fractures in her left leg. It had taken the most hits.

She doesn't like rocks. 

Now and then, the waterbender's brother, she thinks that his name is Sokka---her head has been fuzzy and she can't remember—throws rocks sometimes. The sound of them hitting the ground or knocking against one anothet makes her flinch.

“You're going to be alright.” The Avatar promises again.

She wants to believe him. But it is hard when she feels so weak and broken. So desperate and humiliated. She had been naive and foolish. “Okay, Avatar.” She says in spite of her distress 

“You can just call me Aang.” He smiles. “Avatar is too formal for friends.”

She furrows her brows. “Friends…” she tests the word on her tongue. It has been so long since she'd used the word. So long since she has had any of those. 

“Yeah!” Aang grins. “Me, you, Katara, and Sokka! We're going to restore balance to the world!”

Her heart leaps again. Perhaps she isn't some pathetic, hapless creature after all. “That sounds nice, Ava…Aang.”

He offers her hand a very careful pat. “Everything is going to work out for you. You'll see.”

Maybe it is that sparkle of joy in his eyes. Maybe it is that goofy grin that he wears. But she trusts him. He has been kinder to her than anyone else has been. “Everything is going to be okay.” She repeats as the drowsiness takes over. He lets her lean against him as she drifts off. His grin is that much more gleeful now that she has agreed with his optimism. 

He strokes her cheek, taking care to avoid the bandage. His soft touch carries her off. When she next wakes up, it is to caring hands and bluer skies.

[sovietfulcrums]

Azulaang - Captured

Azulaang week @ly0nstea

“My lucky day.” Azula smirked, watching as Ty Lee and Mai dropped Aang at her feet. The chi-blocked avatar could only look up at the princess, wondering what plans she had with him.

“Put him in my quarters. Lets get the hell out of here.” Azula ordered, entering the tank train.

Aang had to give Azula credit; she made sure he was tied up, unable to escape. The fact that he was tied up to her bed posts made him realize what her plans were for him.

Azula entered the room, a cruel smile on her face as she approached her prisoner. 

“Now that we’re all alone, you’re mine avatar. All mine.” Azula softly said as she straddled the avatar, looking down at her prize.

“Go ahead and torture me, Azula. I won’t talk.” Aang defiantly snarled.

“I have something else in mind.” Azula said, leaning forward to kiss Aang.

"Just lay back and enjoy the ride." Azula said, gently riding him. Aang thrusted upwards, matching Azula’s pace as she began to ride him more ferociously. Azula felt herself come close to losing control. She grabbed his hands and clenched them tight in a vain effort to hold off her impending orgasm, but that wasn't enough. Her body shook with pleasure as she climaxed as Aang fill her up.

"That was amazing. Avatar." Azula said, kissing Aang.

"Well, i aim to please." Aang replied, watching as Azula playfully slapped his chest in response.

[firenaition]

AZULAANG WEEK 2023

day 1: azula joins the gaang early

here is my offering to the azulaang gods today, featuring prose of forgiveness and devotion and also aang having a silly lil crush on azula. please enjoy! <3

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

Azulaang - teaching

Azulaang week @ly0nstea

Azula: Lightningbending is a pure expression of firebending, without aggression. It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other firebending is. Some call lightning the cold-blooded fire. It is precise and deadly, like my father, my uncle, and myself. To perform the technique requires peace of mind.

Aang: Interesting, I guess that's why Zuko's always pushing us to drink more tea like your uncle did him.

Azula: I guess. There is energy all around us. The energy is both yin and yang. Positive energy and negative energy. Lightningbenders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance, and in a moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together, you provide release and guidance, creating lightning.

Aang: That's very cool.

Azula: Yeah. Remember, once you separate the energy, you do not command it. You are simply its humble guide. Breathe first. Now, you tell me how this lightning redirection thing works.

Aang: Oh yeah, Zuko told me that your uncle invented this technique himself by studying waterbenders.

Azula: Is that so?

Aang: If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it. You must create a pathway from your fingertips, up your arm to your shoulder, then down into your stomach. The stomach is the source of energy in your body. It is called the Sea of Chi. From the stomach, you direct it up again, and out the other arm. The stomach detour is critical. You must not let the lightning pass through your heart, or the damage could be deadly.

Azula: Wow.

[azulaang-chakras]

I have nothing new to contribute to this year's azulaang week, but I'm working on updating my entry from last year. It's not much, but I'm trying.

[el-hijo-de-hernandez-27]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Aang/Azula (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Toph Beifong/Katara, Azula & Katara (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Earth King/Original Characther Characters: Aang (Avatar), Azula (Avatar), Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong, Katara (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Malina (Avatar Comics) Additional Tags: Azulaang Week 2023, learning to love, implied teaching, little handholding Summary:

It is the Fifth Anniversary of the End of the War and Azula must confront her feeligs for a certain Airbender.

 FIrst work for Azulaang week 2023

[struggling-author]

As a child, I was obsessed with natural disasters.

There was something so pure about giant tidal waves washing over the land, cleansing the barren earth, and reminding the people that the ocean could wash them all away if it only chose to do so.

There was something so raw about earthquakes and their destructive potential, swallowing whole cities in their wake and crumbling age-old civilizations to dust overnight.

Natural Fire, too, was magnificent. A single ember spreading like wildfire, burning flora and fauna alike and making people flee in fear at the sight of it.

Though most of all I loved the storm and the wind. There was something strangely freeing about a current of air coming out of nowhere and violently ripping you away from the world and everything you’ve ever known.

-

Azula's obsession with a monster called the Avatar.

My first post for Azulaang week and the „Monster“ prompt.

I decided to do something different than what was probably intended but I hope you all like it.

Also ironically I already had a story called monster focused on their daughter Zuki, so check that one out as well if you want.

[dadycoool]

Was there a link for the fic you were working on?

I made an original post on my blog, but here's this one. New chapter every day until Friday.

[zukkaart]

A brief summary of the most popular A:tLA ships

Kataang: the definition of a power couple

Sokkla: The mental image alone is lethal, unironically the sexiest ship

Zukka: grumpy x sunshine trope at its finest

Mailee: black cat x golden retriever (yes there’s a difference)

Azulaang: pure unfiltered comedic potential

Sukka: walk him like a dog sis walk him like a dog

Jetko: which one will end up dead? Tune in next week to find out

Zutara: enemies to lovers with so much angst you need to just have your emotional support snack in hand

Tyzula: me and the bad bitch I pulled by being mentally ill

Taang: one is a pacifist and the other is entirely unhinged- the world would burn

Maiko: that relationship you have in middle school with your “best friend” before you realize you’re both gay

Yukka: the single most heartbreaking ship in existence

Azutara: two chronically jealous and lethal women? no one would leave that wedding alive

Yueki: they never met but this is somehow entirely plausible

Yuetara: princess x savior trope but in the cute way not the toxic way

[thebxghag]

Handholding

Aang drags azula toward the sound of the fanfare. Her heart flutters in her breast, unwarranted, in her opinion, at the shape of his fingers twined around her own, and the way that he laughs giddily as they run.

She fights to regain her composure as Aang pulls her along; a tugboat navigating crowded waters.

They reach the parade's edge, and Azula stumbles briefly before righting herself. She looks up into Aang's face, watching as he lights up with a grin, glowing in the lantern light from the parade while he watches it pass them by.

Azula looks too, watching, listening. He doesn't let go fo her hand, and she can't bring herself to let go either.

---------

Day two~!

[ly0nstea]

Should I do Azulaang week 2024, would y'all be interested in participating in it?

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Fringes Of Lucid

For @ly0nstea's Azulaang week. Prompt(s): Spirit & Sick

Summary: It can’t feast upon her if her dreams become her reality. Aang wonders if perhaps he can help her with that.

Her forehead is clammy and her body won’t stop shaking. It has been a few days since he had found her in that temple. The spirit had been feasting on her–for how long he isn’t certain. But it comes by each time she slips into one of her dreams. 

It drinks from her desires, from her deepest wishes–all of those things that she longs for but dreads that she will never see outside of the REM state. 

He is afraid that it consumes more than just her desires. He is afraid that it is slowly stealing away her ability to dream at all, leaving her with only that which has her waking up crying out. He doesn’t think that she remembers doing so. But then, she isn’t really awake enough to remember.

Sometimes she is lucid enough to talk to him, but whether she has been lucid enough to remember those conversations is to be seen. She is rather soft-spoken during these conversations, her voice laced with sleepiness that gives it a sort of mumbly slur. He finds that she is rather pleasant to talk to. 

They don’t really talk about much, nothing important anyways. He mostly tells her about what it was like to live in the Air Temples and she tells him Fire Nation folktales of all things. She never struck him as the type to enjoy the fantastical. She loves dragons though, she loves them very much and has let slip that she wanted to be a dragon as a little girl, that she still sometimes does. During that conversation she had been lingering on the very fringes of lucid. Awake enough to be coherent, sleepy and out of it to make little wooshing noises and add arm flaps while talking about dragon flight. 

She is never quite lucid when they talk about her predicament. About the spirit that is reaping her energy. They only talk about it when she emerges fresh from one of her dreams-turned-nightmare. 

This is when she cries, when her body shakes. 

This is when she asks him if she is going to die. 

She says that she can feel herself withering away. 

Her skin has grown so pale. Pale enough to accentuate the dark circles under her eyes. This spirit is taking so much from her on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level. She has so, so many wishes and yearnings for the beast to consume.

It can’t feast upon her if her dreams become her reality. Aang wonders if perhaps he can help her with that.

She longs for travel and adventure. But she is too sick to even stand. She longs to firebend again, to shift and glide through her favorite katas. But she is too sick to keep her balance just standing upright. She longs to go home. But she is afraid that there is no longer a place for her there. She wants her friends bank–the new ones that have only recently left her. But she is in no condition to look for them. She longs for her mother to love her, to have a happy family. But there is so, so much work to be done there and some of it has to be done within the walls of a prison. She wants to hear her mother say that she is proud of her. But she doesn’t want to forgive her mom. She wants love and friendship and someone to hold her. But she is uncomfortable when people try. 

She wants so many things–needs those things, really. But it is hard to accomplish when she can barely keep her eyes open. He thinks of hoisting her onto Appa and flying her back to the palace but he is terrified that her condition will worsen if he takes her away from the temple. 

So Aang does the best that he can. He does the only things that he thinks could help; he takes care of her–he fetches her food and water and holds her her upright so that she can eat and drink it. He, to the best of his ability, keeps her clean–dabs her forehead with cool cloths and helps her change clothes when she allows it. 

Most of all, he holds her hand. 

She longs for affection and friendship–that he can do for certain. Sometimes she falls asleep in his arms, these are the nights that she manages to sleep peacefully. He hugs her tightly and tells her that she’s going to be okay because she’s such a strong person. She bunches the fabric of his robes in her fists. 

He has been doing this for several nights now and it seems to soothe her. And so he lifts her into his arms again, he strokes her bedraggled hair and rubs her back. 

“Avatar?” She murmurs. 

“Yeah?” 

“I’m tired.” 

“You just woke up.”

“I’m always tired.” 

Sometimes this is as far as the conversation goes before her head dips and falls limp against his shoulder. Tonight she continues, “I didn’t see it tonight. The spirit. It wasn’t here.” 

“You mean last night?”

She nods. “Yeah, that’s what I meant. It didn’t bother me last night.” She nuzzles her face against his chest. 

Aang smiles. “That’s great news, Azula!” He gives her a little squeeze. 

“My head hurts.”

At the risk of her dozing back off, he lays her head back against the pillow. “I can try some waterbending if you’d like.” 

She nods and gestures to the bowl that he keeps by her bedroll just in case. As he draws the water from the bowl he inquires, “what did you dream about last night?” 

She furrows her brows. “I can’t quite remember. It was something silly, I think.”

“Something silly?”

She nods again. “I think that the clouds were made of mochi and father was yelling at them to go back to being regular clouds. I liked the mochi clouds though, because they made lightning that you could eat.” 

Aang laughs. Azula rubs her tired eyes. “Sokka would love that dream.” Aang mentions. “Maybe you can share it when we get you home.” 

“Home.” Azula repeats softly. He withdraws the water and she rolls onto her side. She manages a little smile. The first one that he has seen on her face in quite some time. It makes him smile. He cups her cheek. 

“Are you feeling better?”

Azula sits up. “A little, yes.” 

This is the most coherent that she has been in a while. “Do you want to try to go for a walk?” He offers. “It’ll be good for you to have some fresh���” She is already on her feet, her body sways slightly and she brings a hand to her sagging head. He leaps up, for a moment he is certain that she is going to topple. 

But she lifts her head back up and takes a deep breath. “I’m alright, Avatar.” 

“Aang is fine.”

“I’m glad to hear that he is.” She replies. 

Sometimes it is truly hard to tell if she is joking. “I mean that you can just call me Aang.”

“I didn’t realize that I had the ability, thank you for letting me know.” 

He rolls his eyes. “You know that I’ve been taking care of you, right?” 

Azula is quiet for a moment before finally deciding to mutter a thank you. He isn’t sure if she should be thanking him yet, he can’t imagine that the spirit has given up that easily. Fulfilling one of her desires might have startled it but he can’t imagine that it is terrified enough to stay away. 

“The river is nice.” Azula comments upon their arrival. She finds herself a perch on a rock, on that is bathed directly in sunlight. She holds her arms out and lets the rays caress her skin. She closes her eyes and tilts her head up, basking in the warmth on her skin. He finds himself wondering if she’d ever let him caress her in the way that the sun does. She looks over at him and smiles and thinks that she might just. 

It occurs to him that he already has her trust. That he has earned it by taking care of her in such a vulnerable place. She pats a spot on the rock and he joins her.

“I think that I know how to get rid of that spirit.” 

“Destroy it with your Avatar powers?”

“It feeds off of your desires and fears.” 

“I’m not afraid of…things.”

“Everyone is afraid of something, Azula. You don’t need to tell me what it is though.” He thinks that he already knows anyways; she is afraid to be alone and hated. She is afraid to be weak. She is afraid to let people in. “We need to either get you the things that you desire or help you to let go of them.” 

She frowns. “You want me to let go of my family?” 

He chuckles. “Yeah, that’s what I said to the Guru when he told me that I needed to let go of Katara. It’s about worldly attachments. What we need to do is balance your chakras, so that you can fight the spirit off easier. It’s a spirit that attacks through spiritual energy.”

Azula nods. “That makes sense.”

“Now that you’re coherent…”

“I’ve been coherent this whole time.”

He quirks a brow and, with a mischievous grin, imitates her dragon impression. Her cheeks color and she looks away from him, folding her arms across her chest. “I’ve been coherent most of the time!”

He’ll let her have that, even if it isn’t true. “Well now that you’re doing a little better, I think that we should try some meditation and balancing your chakras. It’ll be good for you. It’ll make you a stronger bender too!” 

“Alright, Avatar…Aang. We can try it.”  She stretches her arms and lays herself across his lap. He watches the shadows of the canopy stir upon her face. She reaches up and touches his. 

“Just so you know, there is one less desire for the spirit to use against you.”

“What’s that?” She hums.

He leans down and gives her a little peck on the lips. “I love you, Azula.” 

She swallows. “Th-thank you?”

He laughs and ruffles her hair. At least he can say that she is trying her best. He supposes that she will have to get used to things. And she will get used to them, she will have plenty of time after they beat that spirit.

[sovietfulcrums]

Azulaang - Azula joins the gang early

Azulaang week @ly0nstea

Katara and Sokka glared at Aang and Azula, watching as Azula stood behind him, an arm snaking around his waist.

“You expect us to believe her that she’s changed?” Sokka spat.

“To be honest, i’d be surprised if you guys did believe her. But i’m willing to give her a chance.” Aang answered.

“Oh bullshit, Azula! How do we know that this is some sort of a trap you’re planning?” Katara asked.

Azula resisted the urge to roll her eyes in response. She’d need to gain favor with the avatar’s group if she wanted to stay with Aang and have more intimate moments with him. The sex was something she wasn’t going to walk away from.

“It isn’t. If i wanted to capture Aang, i would have done it already. But after constant sparring with him across the earth kingdom, i decided why not join him?” Azula pointed out.

“As much as i’m loath to admit it, i need to know firebending. Azula’s here to teach me. Might as well take it.” Aang said.

“Fine. But we’re keeping an eye on you.” Katara answered, glaring at Azula.

Night came, and Katara could only wake up filled with worry. She searched for Aang, only to hear him chatting with Azula.

“Why do i get the feeling that being my firebending teacher wasn’t the only reason you decided to join?” Aang asked.

“Oh please, Aang. The only other option was to have few sporadic romps with each other in the earth kingdom and given the size of the country, even that’s not a given.” Azula pointed out.

“I see your point.” Aang answered, kissing Azula.

Katara peaked thru some bushes, watching as Azula pushed Aang onto the ground and straddled him, legs open showing off her flexibility.

“I think i’m going to enjoy this arrangement, Azula.” Aang said, his eyes roaming up and down Azula.

“That makes two of us, dear.” Azula answered.

[firenaition]

so excited for azulaang week in our little ao3 ecosystem :")