#MY AZULA AND OZAI AU POST

[trashfactorysstuff]

Silly family drawings again because

[splosh-crime]

Avatar: the Last Airbender - Vigilante AU

Do you ever think about that one time Katara became a vigilante eco-terrorist called the Painted Lady? I feel like that’s not talked about enough.

Here, Katara and Zuko become Best Friends/Vigilante Buddies without knowing each other’s identity

Platonic Identity Porn. If that wasn’t a thing before, it is now.

Sokka & Aang never discovered Katara’s identity as the Painted Lady but Toph knows all.

This could also be a modern AU, in which case all the Gaang are Vigilantes.

- Katara’s the Painted Lady; her mom, dad, and papa (Kya/Hakoda/Bato) were/are part of a secret group investigating and gathering proof of Ozai’s many violations of Native land rights treaties. Kya got badly injured or killed while investigating and Katara isn’t about to let that slide, even if her parents don’t want her involved. She becomes an ecoterrorist targeting Ozai Incorporated.

- Toph’s the Blind Bandit; she ran away from home and is homeless, surviving by being the champion of an illegal fighting ring. She helps out other homeless people whenever she can but doesn’t go out of her way to patrol or anything.

- Zuko’s the Blue Spirit; after being burned, Iroh discovered the abuse and took custody (which wasn’t hard since Ozai didn’t fight for him). Despite this, Zuko feels it’s his responsibility as a son to stop his father’s economic imperialism.

- Sokka’s a Kyoshi Warrior; part of a vigilante team led by Suki. By day, this team is just a Scout Troop that teaches self-defense.

- Jet runs a gang that doubles as anti-hero vigilantes called the Freedom Fighters. He takes in any homeless or abused kid he can and will do anything to keep them fed, happy, and avenged.

- Azula, Mai, & Ty-Lee are a bounty hunter trio hired by Ozai (a corrupt CEO). Azula’s still his daughter, but being in modern times didn’t stop him from molding her into a child soldier to assassinate his enemies.

- Aang’s a new vigilante trying to avenge the monasteries destroyed by Ozai’s corporation. He’s an exchange student living with Katara, Sokka, Hakoda, Bato, and/or Kya.

- Teo (the Mechanic’s son from the Northern Air Temple) kits out all the vigilantes’ gear, tech, and outfits with help from Sokka.

Partial credit to @symphony_sonata on Instagram for their modern civilian lives. Link: https://instagram.com/symphony_sonata?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==)

I also got a lot of inspiration from searching “the blue spirit avatar” on pinterest if you want concept art.

[justanotherthrowaway1950]

I know this really belated, and has been jossed by subsequently released material, but I wrote a fic that takes places as Azula and the Fire Warriors are listening to Zuko's speech at the end of Smoke and Shadow that has Azula reflect on the events of the past couple years, and what she intends to do with her life going forward.

So if you guys have time, I would be honored if you took a look at it. Thanks!

[blluespirit]

Overall NATLA Thoughts

Okay, now that I've watched the series, I can give my thoughts.

Overall, I thought it was good!!! I had fun watching it! I'd rate it a solid 6.5/10. It's nowhere as good as the original, but it was definitely enjoyable and made some nice changes here and there that I liked. There were also some things I was also Not a fan of too.

I said in another post that it's best to treat this like an AU of the original. There will things that are great and things that are bad. That's the nature of adapting something.

Having said that, I need to get my initial thoughts off my chest... here we go.

Things I thought were good:

Sokka's characterisation - I really enjoyed him! I thought Ian did a good job! He played the funny moments well and retained the underlying seriousness/cautiousness. It wasn't perfect, but I enjoyed the changes a lot and think it was overall a solid performance.

Zuko's characterisation - Like Sokka, I do think I was most satisfied with their performances. A lot of Zuko's moments from the cartoon are sometimes... well, cartoonish and definitely wouldn't translate to live action, but I think Dallas did a nice job at balancing Zuko's desperate anger and that occasional sassiness well.

Zuko and Iroh moments were great. Had me on the floor crying. As it should have.

The bending looks a trillion times better than the movie - I understand it would not have been easy for the actors but, overall, I was very happy about it.

The scenery was stunning. It just looked so beautiful. I loved it so much.

Absolutely ADORE that they made Zuko a good calligrapher and artist. I read a fic about a million years ago where Zuko is a fantastic calligrapher and I thought it was perfect and made so much sense, and now I can say it's canon. This is perfect for me.

S U K I

The Freedom Fighters were ✨ perfect

They were so real for making Oma and Shu lesbians

Koh, Wan Shi Tong and Hei Bai looked fantastic, but I have more to say about all of them below, unfortunately.

I actually like the change they made that Katara is Aang's sole waterbending teacher.

Aang is not perfect, and needed more goofy scenes HOWEVER, I did like how they've had Aang's guilt more prominent in the story. The original didn't do a very good job with that, imo.

Zuko entering is breaking and entering era by breaking into an impenetrable Earth Kingdom prison is just perfect.

In Masks, I like how Aang and Zuko got a longer conversation - that was pretty cute.

I liked how they changed Yue a bit and got her out of the arranged marriage... how Yue saw Sokka in the Spirit World before meeting him in the real world.

Things I didn't like:

Far too much info-dumping/exposition. So much spelling things out. It was not as egregious as the movie, and I get there's a lot of information that needs to be conveyed well and quickly... but sometimes it really took me out of the show.

Why are Mai and Ty Lee here.... I was hoping the live action would give them a bit more depth (and they might as it goes forward!), but why put them in season 1 at all if they're just going to stand around???

Some odd changes - putting this as one point, but there are some bizarre changes that didn't make sense to me, as they did not benefit the story or deepen the characters. I have two main examples: a) making it so Aang didn't run away from home, and b) making it so Zuko actually fights Ozai in the Agni Kai.

Characterisation of Katara was Not Great. I don't think I got many hints of the reckless, compassionate, badass Katara until the end when she fights Pakku and rallies all the women together to fight (which happens off-screen). She was sweet and kind, but she just lacked the fire that OG Katara has.

Azula's characterisation - Azula is desperate to impress Ozai and so her character is just…. brewing with anger, frustration, desperation. I was SO excited to see the Azula we are introduced too… perpetually and irritatingly calm, calculating and ruthless. She's perfect, she's terrifying! She's literally the character of all time. But this Azula had more Zuko vibes? I don't think there's anything wrong with giving Azula more concrete motivation by wanting to impress Ozai and establishing that Ozai is abusive to both his kids, but I do think trying to do that right off the bat is a mistake.

WHY is Wan Shi Tong here. I love Wan Shi Tong, but like I said: Why Is He Here? Why could we not have his iconic, ominous as fuck introduction from The Library, and instead he's introduced in a random season 1 episode giving Aang Information(tm) about the Spirit World.

When Aang gave Koh the statue, and then he just takes it and immediately lets all the villages go, and neither of them even say anything, I actually laughed out loud. Like, I am so sorry, but what in the jesus fuck was that.

Speaking of Koh - I think Koh is better the less we know about him. Roku saying ~all Koh wants is a family like the rest of us~ just pissed me off?? I like my Koh the Face Stealer Terrifying and Unknowable, thank you.

NOTHING EVER REALLY HAPPENS WITH HEI BAI!!?? where's my precious spirit bear?? Like Aang never really does anything with him and the replacement Koh story is boring and it sucks.

Bumi.... sorry I just didn't vibe with him at all.

Things I can't decide on:

Fancy spirit knife to kill the moon spirit annoyed me a bit, but I guess they wanted to Kuruk something to work with and a little bit more interaction with Aang which I get but idk. I really flip/flop on this one.

I've been very on the fence about having Azula (and Ozai) being in the show in season 1 in general. I'm not sure if it benefited either of their characters.

Azula & Ozai's dynamic - Okay, so, I think they're trying to give Azula more depth, right? They're trying to establish what it was like for Azula to live with Ozai and that she's also (like Zuko) trying to desperately prove herself to him, but Ozai using Zuko's... achievements to do that just felt so weird. I get he's doing it to manipulate her, but that just felt so wrong when in canon it's very obvious that Ozai just didn't give a single fuck about Zuko. Ozai pits Azula against Zuko by saying he's a failure, he's a bad bender etc. Azula is born lucky, Zuko is lucky to be born - like, Ozai says that to Zuko's face. I don't know if I am communicating this point very well, but it just didn't seem right to me??

Zuko vs Zhao in the Siege of the North... I genuinely do not know how to feel about it! I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. I don't know how to feel about Zhao telling Zuko that his mission is a sham and that Azula is the prized one... It feels like it's saying the quiet part out loud? In the OG we all know that Ozai sending Zuko on that mission was an excuse to get rid of him, but we can work that out, no one actually says it. And then Iroh just fucking killing him/mortally wounding him instead of the Iconic scene where Zuko reaches out to save him despite everything Zhao has done to him, but Zhao's own pride gets in the way from letting him accept help from Zuko.

Zuko’s crew being the 41st is not necessarily a bad thing at all!!! But I do just want to say that in the original, the attack goes ahead, and presumably, those soldiers die. It’s horrible. Zuko’s sacrifice is in vain, and it was always going to be in vain because the Fire Nation as it stands would not allow Zuko's compassion to win. Ozai would not allow it. While not necessarily a bad choice (all the soldiers bowing to Zuko on the boat was so sweet I loved it!) but I think it does take away some of the horror of Zuko’s story (same as it does with making Zuko fight back in my opinion) because the whole point is that Zuko did the right thing - and he was punished for it, and those soldiers died anyway.

anyway...

Okay!! got that off my chest. I know I just had a big whine here, but I still had a lot of fun watching this show. I think some of the backlash is a bit over the top and unwarranted. It was never going to stand up to the original - and that's okay.

Enjoy it for what it is!

[sproutingliliums]

What are some Zutara fanfics you like?

thank you for asking anon! rubbing my hands together and laughing diabolically rn. most of these fics are completed, but i have a few incomplete or ongoing ones listed at the bottom.

The Color of the Stars by bluenebulae this is my zutara bible... i have read this 3 times, and i think it's still my favorite zutara fic. it diverges from canon during the day of black sun. katara and zuko are both captured and thrown into prison and after breaking out together, they become reluctant allies and travel the world in search of the gaang while also trying to warn the other nations about ozai's plans.

they call you refugee by akaiiko

an arranged marriage alternate universe where when zuko is banished, he leaves the fire nation with—actually, the summary does a pretty good job of explaining it: "Zuko goes into exile with a scar, a mission, and a wife." i think i cried the first time i read this.

refraction by caroes3725

this one's my post-war zutara bible. it is maybe the post-war swt ambassador/politician katara slow burn of all time. it is 200k+ words and it's all worth it, i promise! i prommy!!! read it now!!!! <- this along with The Color of the Stars are maybe my favorite zutara longfics. period.

Mending Wounds by FictionIsSocialInquiry

canon divergent fic where katara sees visions of zuko in the foggy swamp. except in these visions he is older, the fire lord, her husband, and he is gentle and loving, and katara feels sick to her stomach! one of my favs!!!!

lost and found by Smediterranea

hakoda discovers a young zuko, injured, and takes him in. beautiful alternate universe fic where zuko grows up in the southern water tribe with sokka and katara.

The Things We Hide by Lykegenia

katara is held in the fire nation as a political prisoner following the southern water tribe's defeat after an assault launched by fire lord ozai during sozin's comet. the swt, however, will not go down with a fight. love, love, love this one! it has painted lady katara, blue spirit zuko, a sweet romance, political intrigue, and betrayal!!! it's a fun time. also i love hama's inclusion in this :)

The Blackfish and the Dragon by ama

during the day of black sun, iroh takes matters into his own hands and becomes fire lord. shortly after, a marriage is arranged between zuko and katara in order to secure the peace. it's a beautiful arranged marriage au where everyone is so perfectly in character. i really think this fic is one of the best zutara fics out there with a natural and rewarding slow burn romance. and azula is there and she's perfect.

Smoke & Mirrors by sansonnets

blutara bible!!!!!!! that's all i got... blutara go CRAZYYY

so i can die where i met you by irridescence

canon compliant. zuko and katara, eighty years later. the fic is centered around major character death(s), so don't read if you can't handle it but i was sobbing like a fucking baby by the end of it. such a beautiful gorgeous fic that will haunt me forever.

if you don't mind incomplete or ongoing fics:

But Who's Counting? by halfhoursonearth

katara thinks zuko's going to need at least 100 healing sessions after the agni kai. lovely prose and characterization and it's so tender and sweet. just read it!!!

so let us melt, and make no noise by LittleLostStar

zuko is sent on a mission to bring back the heart of the last waterbender so he can restore his honor and return home. but when he nearly dies while in the south pole, a healer named katara saves him and nurses him back to health. (the author describes this as a kinda-sorta frozen AU, and i think it's a pretty good description haha). it's an incredible AU with so much mystery and intrigue and tension!

forgetting is a kind of mercy by nerdylizj

"Five years after Katara and Zuko go missing in Ba Sing Se, Kya and Lee are found living peacefully in the Earth Kingdom countryside." finally, i gotta plug liz's silly n goofy dai li brainwashing fic. it's so good. so painfully angsty. it's about the pain of remembering and about making hard choices and identity and parenthood!!!

[murglor]

I've been seeing some stuff about Aang and trying to "repopulate" the Air Nomads (through his family) come across my feed. I don't think I have much to add to the conversation. What I do have, though, is a... potential head-canon? A post-canon AU idea? Something like that. I love the idea that Ty Lee has Air Nomad ancestry. Her acrobatic and leaping abilities are frankly abnormal. Her eyes read as grey in some scenes; the shape of her head/face are quite similar to Aang's. And why wouldn't there have been intermarriage and migration between the nations before (or even during) the 100 years war? She makes a lot of sense to me as an untrained/instinctive airbender. So let's start making some further assumptions. (1) Imagine a post-canon world where the Fire Nation has shed its imperialism and is seeking to repair the harm it has done to the rest of the world, which I think is more or less canon, including doing what it can to protect/preserve Air Nomad culture. (2) Imagine that that Azula recovers from (a) her Fire Nation / imperialist indoctrination (which we are told Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee all do) and (b) her mental illness/trauma, and thus (c) becomes generally aligned with Zuko and the Gaang (3) Imagine that Azula is a lesbian (pretty heavy subtext to many readers and my own personal interpretation of Azula) (4) Imagine that Azula pairs up with Ty Lee at some point post-canon (not insane, it's far and away Azula's most popular ship and one of her most positive / closest interpersonal relationships in canon) In that world, where Azula has been "redeemed" and Zuko is both Fire Lord and closely connected with the Gaang... wouldn't it make sense for Aang to be the biological father (donor) of Azula and Ty Lee's children (carried by Ty Lee)? It potentially uncomplicates succession (since Azula's children are not, biologically, descended from Ozai, reducing their claim); it has as high a chance as any pairing in the world of yielding airbender children; and it places kids with Air Nomad ancestry into the Fire Nation royal family as a living symbol of the post-100 years war vision of the nations living in harmony.

[the-badger-mole]

I read your Azula redemption post, and I like it. It's kind of sad, but hopeful at the same time. I saw you said you had other ideas for Azula redemptions. Can you give us another? Is there a version you see where she and Zuko are still in each other's lives? One where she maybe still has some power, like as a general or advisor or something?

Thank you! Yeah, it was kind of bittersweet. I think it's also the most complete version of a redemption for Azula that I could think of working for her. The thing about her staying in court with any sort of power is that, to me, it feels kind of like letting a drunk run a bar. The reason I see Azula needing to either be in prison or in exile is because within certain circles, Azula would have a lot of people wanting to put her on the throne in Zuko's place. I think it would take a long time for her to not want to be on the throne in Zuko's place, and well, there goes the whole redemption narrative for her.

As for her having a relationship with Zuko, the version I put in that outline is probably the healthiest one they could have. In a redemption arc where she actually wants a close relationship with Zuko, I don't see her wanting to share him with anyone. At best, she would tolerate his friends and family. Mostly, I think she would resent the fact that he was all she had, but she wasn't all he had. I don't see her being the cool Aunt Azula to his children. She might form a bond with the child that is most like her, if she's allowed the time to spend with them, which I don't see being the case. Obviously, in any of my stories, the mother of Zuko's children is Katara, and I don't see Katara being okay with Azula being around her kids. Especially, unsupervised (completely understandable, btw). I mostly think she wouldn't want to interact with Zuko's kids at all. Her resentment for Zuko having people who love and support him apart from her would color their relationship and cause a lot of tension between them.

The one version of an Azula redemption where I could see her and Zuko having a "normal" relationship where she is actively a part of his life and knows and is known by the people most important to him is an AU story where she never tried to kill him.

The problem I have with most Azula redemption stories is that they don't tend to address the very real harm she did. They just kind of blow past the fact that she was a villain and excuse everything she did because of Ozai's abuse. First of all, canonically, the most abuse we see her get is being Ozai's Golden Child, which yes, I do believe is a form of abuse, but isn't enough to let her off the hook, which a lot of Azula redemption stories do. Second, blaming all of her actions on her abuse completely ignores any agency Azula had, which I think is insulting to her character. Azula was cunning, astute, and ruthless. Let her be those things. She hurt Zuko and made enemies of his friends. Let her have to face the consequences of that, too. An Azula redemption would be messy and inconsistent, and that is not only okay, it's necessary.

[demaparbat-hp]

Hi there. ^_^ ♥ First, LOVE your art!♥

2nd, for your Katara joins Zuko in hunting the Avatar AU idea, I have a question. :)

If originally Zuko was hunting him to restore his honor, but now he's part of the White Lotus, does this make the White lotus evil? (The kind that think they're doing it for good, but they're delusional, because their idea is clearly bad.)

Or, if they're not evil, what is Zuko's new reason for hunting the Avatar, if not for his honor? :)

Hello, and thank you for the question!

I hope you don't mind me making this a sort-of continuation to this post, but the replies are connected, in a way.

Now, it may come as no surprise that I love to play with canon divergences. So it stands to reason that one minor change to canon became the basis for Zuko's character in this AU. Mainly, that he stayed behind with Azula to eavesdrop the rest of Ozai's audience with Fire Lord Azulon, and thus was witness to the latter demanding his death in exchange for Ozai's right to the throne.

Zuko, unable to sleep that night, is wide awake when Ursa comes to see him. He delays her, deeply afraid of what's happening, and follows her silently through the dark halls of the palace when she leaves. But Ozai intercepts her. Ozai kills her, and Zuko watches.

It changes everything and nothing at all at the same time. Zuko's desire to be the Perfect Prince isn't because he wishes for his father's attention and love—instead, it comes from a place of grief. Zuko's is a simmering rage that drives him to one day take the throne (the very same throne that turned his mother to ashes and gave her no ceremony) from Ozai in revenge. But to do so he first needs to be ready for it.

Zuko learns to listen. Slithering through the shadows of the palace and pushing himself beyond his limits. But the Agni Kai happens. And when everything is lost, Zuko turns his misfortune into an advantage.

Uncle had started to introduce him to the White Lotus before his banishment, so Zuko becomes a member after he's fully healed. He makes the best out of what little he has—a crew full of agents, traitors and dissidents, and a position and name in the Fire Nation military that, while precarious in nature of his banishment, still allows him certain sway from within.

Time passes, and he grows. He goes to missions for the White Lotus, puts a stop to several plans for minor invasions and battles (nothing major, as to not cause suspicion) and works hard and subtle to better things wherever he goes.

He makes plans. Reckless, half-impossible plans to depose of his father. But they are useless and, most often than not, bloody.

The conditions of his banishment are clear. He is stripped of all titles and rights as Prince and can never set foot on the Mainland ever again. He's no longer the Crown Prince to the Fire Nation and has, by the Divine Law of Agni, no right to the throne. That is, of course, unless he does the impossible, captures the long-missing Avatar, and brings them to the Fire Lord. And that, for obvious reasons, is not an option. It hasn't been an option for the last one hundred years.

Until it is.

Capturing the Avatar is not something Zuko does to regain his honor or earn his father's respect (the first, because he had never lost it; the second, because he's never had it in the first place). It is a necessity. Something he must do if he wants to reclaim his title as Crown Prince, take the throne from his father and end the war once and for all.

But, let me tell you a secret. This AU? It was born because I woke up one day with a single phrase repeating itself in my head, over and over again:

The Prince refused to play Pai Sho, not because he was bad at it but, rather, out of boredom—he never lost a single game.

And that's just it. It's a game.

He can't take an untrained, childish fifteen year old Avatar to his father. But he can give the kid enough time to get ready. Chase him around, play the Bad Guy, push him away from the real dangers out there. Oh, he will deliver the Avatar to the Fire Lord—he just needs to keep his cover as loyal prince long enough for the boy to play his part and become a fully realized Master.

The Gambit is dangerous and double-edged, but all of Zuko's moves on the board are part of the same strategy. This, after all, is just another game of Pai Sho.

And he never loses.

[beansmakesthings]

Revisiting an old ATLA fanfic idea making me wish I could just project my ideas into people's heads. I know I'll probably never write it, but I have so many cool ideas for it and I even started writing it like 6 years ago, posted a couple chapters and everything, and then hated it and deleted it and I know I'll probably never actually get around to it because it's simply too daunting of a task.

But if you wanna know the idea, since I need to throw this out somewhere, it was an AU where Toph was Zuko and Azula's younger sister, and she hid her earthbending from Ozai until Ursa disappeared. Toph reasonably got upset and accidentally shattered the courtyard via earthbending. Ozai didn't want anyone to find out that his already disgraceful daughter (cause blind) was an earthbender, but Ursa made him swear on his honor he wouldn't kill the kids because she knew that was the only thing that mattered to him, so instead he paid off the Beifongs to take Toph from him (thus making the already rich Beifongs the richest family in the Earth Kingdom and also being why everyone swears the Beifongs don't have a daughter). Watching Toph get taken away right after they basically presume their mother dead which all happens shortly after Lu Ten's death really impacts both Zuko and Azula and helps the two of them see that hey, Ozai kind of fucked up maybe we shouldn't be listening to him so much? Maybe he's not justified in what he's been doing to us? So when Zuko gets banished he's already basically ready to join the Avatar, so it would basically be Zuko with the Gaang, eventually finding Toph at Earth Rumble and being thrilled to find her, Azula eventually being sent to stop the Avatar but when she finds out Toph and Zuko are with them she joins forces with them to be their woman on the inside along with Mai and Ty Lee, and it would basically be awesome

[hello-nichya-here]

I thought you'd be the best person to ask this, obviosly👸 Can you see this dark AU happening? Does it make sense to you?

https://zuko-always-lies.tumblr.com/post/780101263726723072/i-put-my-response-to-an-ask-about-this-post-below

*cracks knuckles* time to get to work

Before explaining how this is, in fact, NOT the only way Zucest could happen, I need to explain what I do or do not agree with how this idea for a dark AU could play out.

"Zuko is extremely weird about women in general and frankly rather sexist" Zuko is the "normal" amount of weird about women in general, by Fire Nation standards and by teenage-boy-trying-too-hard standards. Aka he has a few casually sexist beliefs/behaviors, but he's no Pakku.

Could this get worse with age or due to major life change? Sure, and again, it's the point of it being a DARK AU, but it's still important to keep in mind that acting like he's already a raging misogynist that just happened to not victimize a woman is a gross exageration/mischaracterization.

"He’s even weirder with Azula" No lies detected, you'd have to watch the show on mute and with your eyes closed to miss this.

"He’s got massive a Madonna-Whore complex" Flat out lie, nothing in canon indicates this.

"Zuko was largely raised by Iroh" Half truth. Iroh is obviously a central figure in Zuko's life, but that boy was raised by his parents first and foremost. Iroh's influence cannot be ignored or understated, but it does not mean every single fuck up in Zuko's life can be traced back to him.

"Iroh, who is “Mr. I managed to commit onscreen sexual assault in a kid’s show" Iroh was being a sleeze that took advantage that June was paralyzed to cuddle her. Inapropriate, gross, inconsiderate, and he definitely deserved to be called creepy for it (which June did in the finale) but it's still VERY different from groping her, or full on raping her. He's not Ramsay Bolton, or Joffrey Baratheon, hell, he's not even Roshi from Dragon Ball. He crossed a line ONCE. If, again, we want to exagerate that for the sake of this being a dark AU, fine, but the fact that it is indeed not accurate to canon should not ignored.

"Iroh almost certainly did not teach Zuko to respect women, and might have taught him that objectifying and assaulting them is okay" Again, if we're exagerating what he actually did in the show, then sure. But if we're looking for CANON-ACCURACY the one character that should fill that role of Zuko's mentor in how to be a misogynistic pig should be Ozai - ya know, the canonically abusive parent that Zuko actively tries to copy as a means to survive? The guy that (in the comics at least) is canonically a rapist?

Seems like a far less forced option, especially since, despite their super close relationship, Zuko actively resists Iroh's advice several time and canonically throws away an opportunity with a girl he genuinely liked, and that Iroh set him up with, because that would not give him a path back to Ozai's good graces and was thus not a priority to him at all, leading to him deciding it had no room in his life.

"Zuko actually already has one really creepy, rapey scene with Katara (in the “pirates” episode)" Bullshit. It's unironically the least sexual "villain ties one of the heroes up" scene I've ever seen in my life, probably because Zutara has zero chemistry despite being obscenely popular - because I will be fair, it is NOT hard to make a scene like that look rapey even if it's not intended to be such, but you can say that about literally any scene that involves someone being restrained (I'm forever traumatized after accidentally finding porn of Zhao X Aang during the Blue Spirit episode)

"The Fire Nation could plausibly have a royal tradition of incest" 'Could' being the keyword here. It's certainly not uncommon for royalty, especially racist ones, but it's not inevitable, and that still would lead to the question of what degree of incest is acceptable? First cousins? Aunt and nephew? Siblings? Parent and child? Who the hell knows?

"There’s a couple scenes in the show that could be read as Zuko lusting after Azula" Again, zero lies detected.

"A big theme of Zuko’s relationship with Azula is he wants to “put her in her place,” to exert power and domination and revenge over her. Sexual assault would fit into this well" Again, no lies detected, with the obvious disclaimer of "But only in a really DARK AU, not with Zuko's canonical characterization"

"One of the central premises here (and indeed in a lot of dark! Zuko scenarios) is that for Zuko, defeating his sister, putting her “in her place” and even watching her break down were some of the greatest experiences of his life, and he’s eternally trying to recreate that high" Again, would make sense in this context, but it is important to remember that this is not just an exageration, it's downright deviation from canon, since Zuko felt only pity for Azula seeing her breakdown.

"You are free to argue that Zuko would never do it in a million years, but there is a surprising degree of logic to it" As much """"logic"""" as you'll find in my non-con fics. Aka not completely divorced from actual logic, but pretending they're one in the same is one hell of a stretch.

Now, with all that out of the way, let's get back to those two scenes that can be read as Zuko lusting after Azula because they're THE best way to explain why "Zuko goes full evil bastard mode and rapes her" is far from the only path to Zucest - and it's actually the least logical, far more convoluted one.

The first one is his fever dream in which Azula is the manipulative, threatening Blue Dragon... that lures him to a trap by being oh so considerate and attentive to his well-being and asking when he plans to go to sleep (which can be taken as an euphemism for something else - be it "die already" or "come to bed and have sex with me"). She continues to do so even though Zuko himself (whom she refers to as Fire Lord) refuses to do as she says, partially due to the Red Dragon's advices, before being inevitably defeated by this evil temptress.

The second one is the infamous bedroom scene. Zuko has realized he walked into a trap, but doesn't know what trap or how it got him, so he demands answers from Azula, who's playing coy, toying with him, getting very touchy, and eventually lets him know just how screwed he is (with Grey practically purring the lines no less).

These two scenes reveal some very important things about Zuko.

1 - Azula being this overwhelming, almost supernatural threat that he has zero chance of overcoming is a core part of WHY he's attracted to her and he does NOT want it gone, at least not fully - which opens the door to him fantasizing about two very different scenarios. He wants to put her in her place... but he also wants her to do the same to him. If she's ALWAYS losing, the thrill is gone. Azula needs, at the very least, to never, ever, ever give up the fight. If he truly breaks her, truly makes her submit then he loses the object of his lust.

2 - Zuko LOVES the thought of Azula's life revolving around him. He gets off on the notion of always being on her mind, even if what she's planning to do to him is awful. Her simply being the foe that loses, but never gives up is not enough. She needs to pursue him too. There doesn't need to be mutual consent at all times (or ever) but it canNOT be just him abusing her. His ego simply could not stand it. Azula hating, fearing and/or obeying him 100% of the time is not what he wants. He gets off on turning the tables on her - he can't do that if she never genuinely wins any battle (real or metaphorical) against him. He'll take being her victim over not being on her mind at all.

3 - Zuko is very much attached to the idea that he's the hero and Azula is the bad guy tempting him. And not just through teasing and playing coy only to then act innocent when he makes a move. She needs to not only take the initiative every now and again, but to also make him not listen to reason, force him into giving into temptation, ignoring his objections. Zuko might love some top tier bullshit, but even he prefers the real thing - if Azula is not turning the tables on him, and aggressively, openly pursuing him FOR REAL, he's not interested. He likes the MUTUAL struggle for power. The NEVERENDING battle. And as much as he likes being the predator, he likes being the prey too. Azula has to make him powerless. She has to disarm him, have her way with him, ruin him, and make him enjoy it against his better judgment.

That's THE core reason why this AU feels off despite many true points: it's premise assumes not only that Zuko would never want Azula's genuine consent (or at least for them to take turns being the victim/aggressor), but also that the incestuous attraction is one sided - which is simply not true at all.

The fever-dream obviously cannot be used to say anything about how Azula feels towards Zuko. She's not actually in the scene, and considering how young she had been before his banishment, the logical conclusion is that Dragon!Azula's behavior in it is based on Zuko's desires, not on anything Real!Azula had ever done.

But the bedroom scene? That is all Azula. The REAL Azula. Teasing, playing coy, getting inappropriate... just like Zuko wanted. Meaning he either knows her very well or that she can read him like a book and is willing to indulge in his little fantasy (or, more likely, both are true).

And it's important to keep in mind, this is Azula we're talking about here. A master manipulator, yes. But still a proud princess, an insecure teenage girl, and someone that looks down on a "tease" even if she's jealous of the attention they get.

She would gain no leverage from indulging in Zuko's little fantasy. Mocking him for his doomed attraction could have been fun, but there's simply no way in hell she'd try to entice him just to give him blue-balls, even if she assumed he'd never try to make a move (with or without her consent). She'd see it as demeaning...

...Unless she was interested. Much like with Chan, in which she played the role of pretty bimbo that just agrees with everything he thinks and finds his lame jokes funny. The core difference being she didn't have to put on an act, just taunt her brother for being a dumbass, as usual, while getting a bit more touchy.

She just had to be herself to get Zuko to be interested. That is VERY unusual for her, and might be the core of why she was interested (ya know, besides the fact that he's canonically the person she loves the most, after Ozai, who was literally designed to look like Zuko and was also a Fire Lord)... which opens the door for Zuko to fantasize about making her less evil through """""love""""" (and daddy issues).

The possibilities for Zucest to happen are endless, no dark AU needed, because BOTH of these dumbasses are physically incapable of being normal about each other.

[stardust948]

3 Inch AU

Prequel to this post

Zuko rubbed his aching eyes, praying what he thought just happened didn't. That a bright light did not flash in the middle of his and Azula's spar leaving his body sore and head aching.

He forced himself to open his eyes and found himself in the middle of a strange spirit forest. Great. First the body switch fiasco now this! Why were there so many spirits hanging around the palace?!

"Nice going dum-dum." Azula spat. "You angered the spirits again!"

"Again?! That was your fault! Both times!!!"

"As I recall, no one knows what angered the last one, but you pushed me onto this spirit and now we're 3 inches tall!!!"

"What?!" Zuko shot up.

Azula pushed the vegetation back revealing an oversized throwing star Mai gifted her. The very one Zuko knocked out of her hand when their spar turned into a messy free for all.

Zuko's heart sank.

"Like I said, 3 inches tall. Thanks a lot."

"None of this is my fa-"

A shadow fell over them seconds before a huge bird swooped down. The siblings barely had time to jump out of the way as the bird snatched up the throwing star. The two shared a frightened look. They had to get out of the garden or they'll surely be next.

A brief silent truce was formed as Zuko and Azula began the trek. Thankfully, they were relativity close to the walkway before they were shrunken. After scaling the huge steps, the ground trembled as a massive figure in deep red robes passed by. The siblings gasped.

"DAD! HELP US!"

"WAIT! DOWN HERE!"

They quickly chased after him, but it was no use. Ozai tuned out their now shrunken voices, assuming it was a chorus of summer insects. And there was no possible chance of the siblings catching up to him on foot.

Azula grabbed Zuko's wrist. "Agni's Arrow!"

Zuko skidded to a stop then spun his sister around. Azula produced fire jets from her feet to build momentum. After counting to three, Zuko released her. Azula shot through the air at breakneck speed straight towards her father.

This better work for they were both done for.

~*~

The palace was quiet. Too quiet.

That alone put Ozai on edge. He swore he heard his children out by the garden earlier. It was just another sibling spat but when he decided to check on them, the garden was empty.

A part of Ozai hoped the children settled things on their own and left without a big fuss. The rest of Ozai knew that was wishful thinking. So, he walked the perimeter just to be sure.

Ozai let out an annoyed sigh. The humming bees were a lot louder today. He'll have to talk to the groundskeeper about that least they overrun the whole garden.

Something landed on his shoulder. Ozai tsked and brushed it away. It seemed the infestation already began.

"Dad!!!"

Ozai stopped dead in his tracks.

"Azula?"

It was so faint. Maybe he was hearing things.

"Down here! Hurry!"

A small blue flame shot from his arm. Ozai glanced down and saw his daughter dangling from his sleeve.

"What the-"

Ozai quickly scooped her into his palm before she lost her grip.

"A-Azula?" Ozai gaped at his now tiny daughter trying to get her bearings. "What... how...?"

His eyes widened. If Azula was like this then...

"Where's Zuko?!"

Ozai lifted his feet as horror gripped him. Cool relief washed over him when he spotted a small figure running towards him.

"Dad!"

Ozai knelt down and lowered his hand for Zuko to climb onto. Now that his children were safe, Ozai calmed down enough for his mind to piece together what happened.

"Don't tell me-"

"Spirits." the siblings answered at the same time.

Ozai groaned. "Not again."

[ilove-yuji]

Jujutsu kaisen x Alta au (unfinished)

Aang - Yuuta. I think they share similar traits, plus their original stories are kinda similar!

Katara - Maki. Again a pretty obvious choice considering both Maki’s and Katara’s personalities and even sharing the struggle of defying misogynistic elders.

Sokka - Yuji. These two both share the comedic relief role! And their personalities also match.

Suki/Toph - Nobara. I genuinely couldn’t think of someone to cover toph (I wanted ages to match) so I’m having nobara do a 2-for-1. I really feel like she covers both here.

Zuko - Megumi. Omg who could have thought that the emo kid with the sad backstory matched up with the emo kid with the sad backstory!! What a mystery!!!

Fire fam

Ozai - Zenin clan. I’m gonna explain this more in depth in my storyline notes , but yeah evil zenin clan… who could have guessed

Ursa - Mamaguro. Obvious, considering both stories. I might go more in depth on the whole Toji situation in storyline notes.

Iroh - Gojo. Deeply cares for Megumi and wants him to go on the right path? Perfect I say

Ozai’s Angels

Azula - Sukuna.. maybe…

Ty-lee - Tsumiki. Similar personalities but little age difference we can fix!

Mai - Mai. I will explain how this happens, since I’m keeping Mai and Maki as twins.

Storyline Notes

Sokka x Suki doesn’t happen because nobara and yuji are sibling goals.

Mai x Zuko doesn’t happen because they are related in cannon (jjk), and it’s weird to swap that around you know?

Kataang for life peace out

Maybe a little zukka action…

Zenin clan is taking the place of ozai, so they favor whoever Azula is gonna be, Megumi speaks out at the meeting and gets challenged to an agni kai, loses to his dad (Toji, but still working out how it’s gonna work) and gets sent out to find the avatar. Gojo/Geto (still deciding) join him on his journey.

Megumi and Tsumiki are not gonna grow up together

Maki and Yuji grow up together, not related though.

Maki and Mai are still twins! but during a fire raid when they were around 5 years old, Mai gets kidnapped for being a water-bender. Mai resents Maki for not ever coming for her. Causing her to fake it as a non-bender in the fire kingdom. Gojo takes her into his care, not too long after taking Megumi into his care.

Maki and Mai have no relation to the Zenin clan.

More on the Toji situation, Toji would be very mistreated my the Zenin clan, leaving and falling in love with mamaguro. When Megumi is 4 years old the Zenin clan kidnap Megumi and kill mamaguro. This deeply hurts Toji so he returns to how he was before mamaguro. Gojo, being ordered by the Zenin clan to go after Toji for his crimes. Gojo kills Toji, and Toji asks him to watch over Megumi. Gojo makes his wish and 2 years later is officially megumi’s guardian. (The reason Gojo is ordered by the Zenin clan is unknown, and the reason Gojo knew about Megumi was because there were rumors of him being a firebender.)

This is mostly a rough draft to get my thoughts on digital paper.. if I work out some of the kinks I might make a fic. If anyone has any ideas let me know!!

Also my first tumblr post!! Yippie!!

[the-genius-az]

imaginary war AU

The posts about the ATLA kids having various mental illnesses and developing a real-life roleplay of the 100-year war doesn't wanna leave my head, so have some headcanons =] (this is gonna be long so buckle up)

Azula

-16 yo

- (paranoid) schizophrenia/schizoaffective, childhood abuse (cPTDS)

- a machievillian

- hallucinates 90% of the time, she's always in her own world

- when not, she's a very quiet, closed off person

- admitted at 11 after suddenly snapping at her mother leaving

- firmly believes the anti-pshycotics/any pill they give her is the same poison her mother 'gave to their grandfather'

- Azulon died a natural death without Ursa's intervention

- Has a god complex

- fully believes she's 'Agni' at times (a deity from her imaginary world)

- every time the sun shines on her or it's sunny outside, she makes sure everyone knows her 'bending' is completely pure (meaning she attacks everyone close enough)

- she has martial art knowledge and uses it against the nurses

- Ty Lee and Mai are the only people she feels like she can trust (her mental state will collapse even further when Ty Lee and Mai leave)

- has no hope of getting better

- 24/7 supervision

- Zuko is both her ancor to reality and the reason for her hallucinations

Zuko:

-18 yo

- cPTSD, HORRIBLE anger issues (intermittent explosive disorder/disruptive mood dysregulation disorder)

- Goes into blind rage often

- random hallucinations and delusions

- knows Azula is struggling but oftentimes cannot make himself care enough to help her or just talk to her normally

- Azula's hallucinations hurt him, so he gets aggressive and very snide (that makes Azula's hallucinations worse, and his 'charater' in her world be her enemy)

- cares for people, but holds grudges for forever

- Iroh helps him regulate his anger when he visits

- getting better slowly

Ty Lee:

-15yo

- synesthesia, hyperactive ADHD, depression

- doesn't know that Azula's imaginary world is a product of her illnesses

- plays along because she thinks that everyone is just bored and has a game going on to fill in the time

- Talks a lot

- a child of abusive domestic labor

- she both ran away from home and tried to commit suicide to escape her parents

- is getting better and will get released soon (every nurses dreaded day)

Mai:

-17yo

- Alexithymia, social apathy

- she either refused to comply with her parents for whatever reason so they sent her here or she put Tom-Tom in danger

- does no give a FUCK about what the nurses say (she's either very uncooperative or does the exact opposite of what was asked of her)

- feels wronged all the time

- prods at Zuko because he's 'free entertainment' when he gets angry

- when bored out of her mind, she listens to Azula's blabbering or pisses off Zuko

- plays along when alone with Ty Lee and Azula

- no signs of getting any better, but the nurses have no reason to keep her in the asylum except her parents paying to keep her there

*Quick background break about the monks before I talk about Aang!*

- the Avatar is a diety they believe in, kind of like how Shaolin monks believe in Buddhism

- it's a very gated community

- only family members or very few handpicked people can join the monastery

- it's basically Shaolin monks but less hardcore on discipline and performance

*Anyway back to the charaters*

Aang:

-14yo

- god/savior complex, religious psychosis

- believes he's the Avatar and will bring peace and balance to the world

- for some reason, Ozai is his nemesis (he's seen him maybe twice when Ozai visited Azula)

- gets very aggressive and irritated when Ozai is mentioned or if he sees him

-keeps most of his routine from before his admittion (meditating, exercising, praying...)

- always freaks out so hard when his hair starts to grow back that he has to be immidiately shaven (if not, he gets either aggressive or paranoid)

- wishes to cure others with his 'Avatar powers'

- no chance of release, but he is usually allowed to roam freely without supervision

Toph:

-13yo

- anxiety, childhood abuse victim

- got in trouble with the authorities and got sent to the asylum after trying to harm security at the juvenile prison she was in

- both sad and happy she's away from her home

- rebels all the time

- youngest person in the asylum

- Is vary of Azula ever since Azula tried to attack her

- sometimes plays along the 'war' (usually on the opposing team as Azula) just to have an excuse to talk shit to Azula straight to her face

- was incredibly sheltered (like in canon), but her parents ignored her even more

- has an avoidant attachment style

- bounds of extreme coldness or rudeness against people she considers friends

- probably will get released, but she attacks nurses/gets worse whenever her release date gets close

Katara:

-19yo

- I don't think she would have any illnesses that would land her in the asylum

- I think she'd be a med student/nurse

- cares for the girls

- has a way of getting Azula to take her meds, Ty Lee to settle down...

- very calm and friendly but pretty easily irritable (Mai annoys her all the time)

- got attacked by Zuko so bad she had to take a month long break

- Azula is the reason she's in therapy (both because of how Azula's deteriorated mental state makes her pity Azula and because Azula verbally berates her all the time)

Sokka:

-21yo

- a nurse

- takes care of the guys

- only one strong enough to hold Zuko down when he has one of his fits

- Zuko's #1 caretaker

- a beloved nurse even though everyone swears he gets on their nerves

- Him and Toph are best buds

- was the first one to see Azula out of her hallucinations as she was roaming the asylum (he still wonders how the confident and prideful Azula is the same person as the hollow and quiet girl he found that day)

I dont have any specific headcanons for Suki and Yue so tell me yours if you have any

Might do a part 2 about my hc about how the 'war' works

-Squid

I don't want to write so as not to ruin this beauty.

Please send your other ideas, Squid.

[marinette-buginette]

One might call me fixated to titles with the word 'fire' in them but I NEED to know the concepts for these WIPs: The Book of Fire, All the Fire Lord's Men, Our Lady of the Fire Islands.

That's okay fire anon, I got you haha.

Details under the cut, cause as per usual, idk how to be short. Also, I think we went through like half of the WIPs already?

The Book of Fire, Post canon Sokkla

So anon if you read this other Sokkla story of mine called Comedy of Errors (which I kind of consider a cousin fic to this), there is this line:

"For example, being sent to a Temple on some remote island, with only Fire Sages for company, to learn every word and comma in the Book of Fire until my eyes bleed out and I am at my wits' end with boredom."

This is basically the fic of that option. Instead of being kept under lock and key in the Palace, Azula gets shipped over to a remote/isolated Fire Nation island that's basically a seat for a particularly secluded branch of the Fire Sages. She's doing great in some regards, and she's for sure more attuned to her firebending than ever but she's indeed bored out of her mind. Eight years of routine will do that to you. Meanwhile, Sokka (and a bunch of other people working on the administration in Republic City) are on the way to the Fire Nation for this summit Zuko is holding when the airship they are on had a technical malfunction and they need to do an emergency landing. They cannot repair it, they don't have the pieces, so they need to send word to the capital that they need to be towed out of there or something. Luckily, the island is not abandoned like they thought. Unluckily, the residents have one messenger hawk and it is currently away, so Sokka and co are stranded there for a few days. He does not take very well to seeing Azula out of all people, he doesn't trust her one bit. Azula though, is having the time of her life messing with him, it's the most entertainment she's had in years.

It will include, among other things, fire rituals, smut, and an unexpected plot twist at the end, which I do not want to spoil.

All the Fire Lord's Men, AU Dark(ish) Sokkla

This AU has been eating away at my brain for the past month I am so excited to talk about it

Alternative Universe, where a few things went very different, the Avatar was never found and the Fire Nation won. However, it's an AU so the White Lotus is not useless and they had quite a successful streak of assassinating Fire Lords. Except the current one. The current one has been creating issues for almost a decade at this point but finally they might be able to get her. This plan has been long in the making and they task Sokka with it.

Fire Lord Azula and White Lotus Agent/Assassin Sokka, bit of politicking, bit worldbuilding, a lot of undercover mission, and a few surprises along the way. They both have so many issues in this. And they will fuck about it. The plot actually requires them to. Why, you might wonder? Well, that's one card I am keeping close to my chest. Let's just say that the title will become a bit funny in retrospective.

Our Lady of the Fire Islands, Pre-canon Urzai

AKA my way to deal with my visceral hatred for the comics lol.

Ursa's POV from her times in Hira'a, her marriage with Ozai, her adapting to the royal court and climbing up the ladder up to her first pregnancy. Including court politics and intrigue, toxicity all around, cunt4cunt Urzai cause that's miles more interesting than whatever that was in the comics, world building for the Fire Nation and more. Saint Ursa doesn't exist, she never did, and this explores her being an actual fully rounded character instead of a soggy cardboard full of badly executed cliches.

[waterfire1848]

For the ship prompts

#7 fake relationship au for tyzula (Ty Lee/Azula)?

Hello, anon!! Thanks for the ask!

Post canon AU

Azula was gonna kill someone. She was actually going to go back to prison, or whatever the hell that asylum was, and she didn’t care. That place had to be better than listening to the oldest council members alive go on and on about wheat distribution.

Don’t get her wrong. Azula knew this was incredibly important. She wasn’t about to say it wasn’t, but it was just so insanely boring. Zuko and her were passing looks to each other, both of them silently begging the other to declare an Agni Kai and get them out of here.

“The final item up for business is Princess Azula’s wedding.” An old man, General Kai, said.

Now that woke her up.

“Wedding?!?” Azula and Zuko yelled.

“Yes. Fire Lord Ozai had it written that if you could not find a potential partner before your eighteenth birthday then I would be in charge of finding you one.” Kai grinned.

Azula wanted to set the man on fire. She and Kai always hated each other because while she preferred to play the long game during battle and believed in putting time and effort into projects, Kai was more of a throw every soldier they had at a problem and see what happens.

The only reason he wasn’t kicked off the council after Zuko came to power was because his wife and Zuko were actually pretty close and she promised him no mutiny would come from her husband. Which was true, Kai never intended to go against Zuko but he did still hate Azula meaning he was definitely enjoying this.

“What? That can’t be a real agreement!” Zuko demanded.

“The Princess signed it herself.” Kai grinned.

“Azula?” Zuko asked.

“I forgot.” She snapped, “Not a lot of time to think about getting married when you’re locking up in a mental institution.” She hissed.

“There’s no issue though because I already have the perfect man lined up for you.” Kai told her, “Commander Aoi.”

“Koh’s Lair, no!” Azula snapped. On top of being one of the most insufferable humans Azula had ever met, and that was saying a lot, Aoi was over ten years older than her. If she remembered correctly, he should be in his early 30s by now. Zuko must have had similar thoughts because he instantly shook his head.

“As Fire Lord, I-“

“Read below, your majesty.” Kai said.

“No future Fire Lord may void this contract. Neither can new laws exacted by the Fire Lord.” Zuko read.

“Ozai is in prison and will die there. His contracts have to be void.” Azula argued.

“Maybe, but you’d have to prove that and you can’t.” Kai smiled, “I’ll send a messenger hawk to Commander Aoi and tell him the-“

“I do have a suitor!” Azula suddenly said.

“What?” Kai asked.

“Yeah. What?” Zuko asked.

“I have a suitor. We just haven’t been public yet.”

“Oh? Who is it?” Kai asked.

“Ty Lee.” The look on Zuko’s face would have made Azula burst out laughing if not for the seriousness of the situation. Kai looked at her in confusion and a bit of anger at the realization that she was about to one up him, “And since I do have a suitor, you can still Commander Aoi that the wedding is off.”

“Your father would have never allowed-“

“Nowhere in that contract does it say my suitor needs to be male. Just that they must be a member of nobility which Ty Lee is and she’s a respected member of the Kyoshi Warriors as well.” Azula’s grin was spread all across her face that she didn’t notice Zuko giving her a concerned look, “Ty Lee is my partner.”

“I think that’s a good place to adjourn the meeting.” Zuko said.

—————————————

“TY LEE?!?” Zuko yelled.

“I didn’t know who else to say!” Azula yelled back, “It’s fine. You’ll find a loophole in the contract or, worst case scenario, Ty Lee and I get married then divorced in which case we’ve fulfilled the contract and nothing more will need to be done.”

“Worst case scenario???? Azula, how do you think Ty Lee will react to this?!?”

“She’ll be shocked, of course, but she’ll understand that this was all to keep me from having to marry Aoi.” The way Azula pronounced his name made it seem like she wanted to vomit, “I’ll tell Ty Lee the news tomorrow morning and inform her of the plan.”

Zuko bit his lip. Yeah. Just a plan. Ty Lee would be just dandy hearing that she was, legally, now dating Azula, practically engaged. Only to also find out that Azula just said her name to get out of marrying a man much older than her, not because she actually liked her. The girl she’d had a crush on since they were kids was now fake dating her but wanted nothing more. Zuko shook his head. This was not going to end well.

————————————

“I’m sorry. We’re what??” Ty Lee asked.

“Dating. About to be married if you want to be specific.” Azula clarified. The way she spoke made it seem like she found nothing unusual or confusing about this.

“Azula, I….I just…how???”

“When I was younger, my father created a contract with me which basically said that if I didn’t have a suitor by the time I was 18 then General Kai could find one for me.” Ty Lee winced at Kai’s name. Even she knew how much the two didn’t like each other, “Kai was about to stick me with some old commander so I told him you and I were dating. It’s only until Zuko finds a way out of this or we just have a quick wedding then get divorced a day later, but that’s only a worst case scenario issue.”

Ty Lee’s jaw had dropped by the time Azula finished her plan which made the firebender uneasy, “Ty, please. We just had to fake a relationship for a few days. Please, I need your help or I’m going to be chained to some 30 something year old man for the rest of my life.”

“Well…wait! You could just marry Aoi then divorce him!” Ty Lee told her.

“Two problems with that. One, the thought of getting married to Aoi for any period of time makes me want to vomit. Two, I can’t. Both of us have to agree to the divorce and Aoi will never divorce me once he’s in line for the throne.” Azula handed the contract to Ty Lee, who quickly scanned it over.

“Azula, why did you ever agree to this?” Ty Lee asked, “You can’t divorce your partner or pick the person for yourself.”

“I had a lot of parental issues when I was younger, okay?!”

“Daddy issues.” Ty Lee smirked. Azula’s face turned red, but Ty Lee spoke up again, “If I’m going through all this then I get to call it what it is.”

“So, you’ll help?”

“Of course I’ll help.” Azula visibly deflated as if, for the first time in days, she felt some kind of relieve.

“Thank you, Ty.”

“But!” Azula’s face fell, “To sell this we need to act the part as well.”

“Right.” Azula nodded. This was a pretty basic fact. Of course they’d need to act like a couple now.

“Which means more than just some kissing and holding hands. We need to have a date where everyone can see us.” Ty Lee told her.

Now it was Azula’s turn to drop her jaw, “A date?” She asked.

“Yes.”

“And…what if one of us has never been on a date?” Azula asked, getting Ty Lee’s full attention now. The acrobat gave her friend, now fake almost wife, a kind smile. She had forgotten how uncomfortable Azula was with this kind of stuff. When Azula first returned from the mental institution, Ty Lee tried to help her meet people but the Princess wanted nothing to do with it. Only Ty Lee noticed that Azula did, in secret, try to meet people but it was difficult with her life and past actions. The most she’d ever done was a few kisses at some parties Ty Lee took her to but never a date.

“I’m thinking a calm dinner in the palace where the servants can see us and then we let them gossip. No one around but us.“ Okay. That came out way more romantic than she has anticipated but it did seem to calm Azula down a bit.

“That sounds good. Does a date mean…”

“No. You don’t have to wear a dress.” Ty Lee confirmed, laughing at her best friend’s hatred of the clothing.

“Thank the spirits. I’ll get something set up with the cooks for tonight.” Azula told her, “Thank you so much for this. I promise you’ll only have to pretend to date me for a few days.” Ty Lee waited until Azula was out the door to look down at the ground.

“Lucky me.” Her voice trembled with sadness.

—————————————

That night, Ty Lee got her best clothes from her house and made sure to walk all around the palace so everyone could see her. She kept making up excuses to go everywhere so all the servants could see her walking around. Finally, she arrived in the dining room to find Azula at the table. She had her hair down and was wearing the best robes she had. When Ty Lee looked closer she realized the fabric was made with spider-snake silk: the most expensive in the world.

“Wow.” Ty Lee whispered, “You look beautiful.”

“As do you.” Azula smiled.

“What’s on the menu today?” The acrobat asked.

“Pig-cow, rice, and egg custard.” Azula told her.

“Ohhhh. I love egg custard!” Ty Lee happily took some from the center of the table and put it on her plate, biting into it as quickly as she could, “Mmmm.”

“Glad it lived up to your expectations. I remember you telling me a few years ago that it was your favorite. I thought making it was the least I could do.”

“You made it?” Ty Lee asked.

“Okay. I, personally, didn’t make it but the chefs did and I’m the one who told them to.” Azula argued, “Same thing.”

“I’d argue that. It felt very different when we were doing wilderness training and I did the cooking while you told me what to make.” Ty Lee chuckled at the memory of the three of them in their tent, all yelling at each other as they tried to make the fish they caught edible.

“If I recall that correctly, I helped by catching the fish.”

“You almost burned them alive so they swam away then Mai hit them with her knife.”

“Exactly. It’s teamwork.” Azula grinned, bitting into her pig-cow, “I must say though that this pig-cow is better than you’re burning salmon-cod.”

“It was burning because you’re a firebender who controls all the flames in a room.”

“So first cooking was all you and now I’m responsible for the burned fish. Make up your mind.” Azula took a sip of her drink while Ty Lee looked at her with a raised eyebrow:

“I have made up my mind. I blame you.”

“Ha-Ha.”

A few minutes of silence filled the room until Ty Lee couldn’t hold it in any longer and spoke up, “Why did you say my name?”

“What?”

“My name. When you were thinking of a name to give to General Kai, why did you say my name? When you were thinking of potential people who you’d rather date than Aoi, why’d you say my name?” Ty Lee asked.

Azula looked down at her plate, clearly taking a few vital moments to think, “You were simply the first name to come up.” She lied.

“Azula-“

“It’s nothing more, Ty. You were the first name I thought of, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

“It doesn’t?” She asked.

Azula’s gaze wasn’t angry or confused when she uttered, “Do you want it to?” She actually looked a little hopeful.

“I…I think I do.” Ty Lee admitted. Spirits, her stomach was doing flip and every second that Azula wasn’t speaking felt like 100 years of waiting.

“I think I said your name first because thinking of potential partners made me think of someone who I’d want to be with, who I’d want to spend my days talking to, who I’d be fine with seeing every day and would accept me for everything I’ve done and was. Can I be honest?” Azula asked.

Ty Lee nodded, “Your name wasn’t the first to come up. It was the only one I could think of.” The acrobat’s eyes grew, “Ty, you don’t have to-“

“How would you feel if we turned this fake relationship into a real one?” Ty Lee asked.

Azula beamed at her long time friend, now girlfriend, “I’d love that.”

[splosh-crime]

Gaang in the Iceberg AU

Apocalypse AU. Fire Nation Wins AU.

What if when Aang saved Katara, Sokka, Appa, Momo, and that old fisherman from drowning in the Storm, he froze them all for another hundred years.

If you want to keep Zuko young/part of the main storyline, just say he fell off his ship and drifted close enough to Aang to be frozen along with them.

Unless you wanna go the Spirit Bullshit route, Toph would have 0 reason to be in the vicinity of that storm and would not remain young with the others of the Gaang. She could easily join up once they reach the Foggy Swamp though since that’s canonically where she went after retiring. Honestly, having these time-traveling teenagers and 112 y/o sassy lady on this quest to save the world sounds kind of hilarious.

This could also easily become a Vigilante AU too, since 100 yrs post-ATLA would technologically be around the early 2000s given that TLOK seemed about 50-ish years post-ATLA and tech advanced to our equivalent 1950s (ish). If you want to see my Vigilante AU ideas, they’re here but they’re not adapted to this specific AU, so if you want help doing that, dm me.

During 100 years (200 in Aang’s case) the Gaang have been gone, the Fire Nation wins the Hundred Year War through use of Sozin’s Comet and rules the Earth Kingdom with an iron fist.

Azula inherits the throne as Phoenix Queen after the passing of Ozai. When Ozai returned from burning the world to see Azula’s violent breakdown, he burned her (similarly to how he’d burned Zuko) in order to ‘snap her out of it.’ She’s still highly unstable but kept it together enough to avoid being burned again, developing a few more unhealthy coping mechanisms as a result.

The Water Tribes would come to little further harm without the Avatar highlighting them as targets. The South Pole provides no strategic advantage and the North Pole is both neutral and heavily guarded. Zhao is unable to justify his need for an army in his quest to become the “Moonslayer” without Aang as a cover target.

Amon probably wasn’t able to get on his bullshit while struggling to survive the Fire Nation’s imperialism, so Amon never started the Equalists. He still might’ve taken enemies’ bending though. Idk how/when he learned to do that in canon.

Harmonic Convergence will have happened 30 yrs before the Gaang reawakens, recreating the Airbenders. Without Aang, they have no one to teach them bending, nomad culture, nor protect them from the Fire Nation’s persecution. The Fire Nation has little motivation to repeat the genocide, believing the Avatar Cycle to be broken/fictional, but Airbenders still face prejudice and a repeat attempt of Earth Queen Hou-Ting’s Airbender Army seems likely, especially considering how easily airbending can power up firebending.

If you didn’t watch Korra, basically, the queen kidnapped/enslaved all the airbenders (including children) and kept them in a dungeon to be forced to brutalize each other as training.

That’s all I’ve got for this AU at the moment but I’d still adore hearing any reactions, additions, or constructive criticism you have for me in the notes. If you want to write this, I’d be beyond honored and would be delighted to receive a link or offer to collaborate in some way (even as just an idea soundboard).