#Mai doesn't deserve Azula

[the-genius-az]

I apologize for how long this one gets!

A couple of details about The Boiling Rock: it doesn't change at all in the "death by heartbreak AU", but in the "Maizula endgame", the betrayal is even worse. It's kinda clear that Azula is not even aiming at Mai, she's aiming at her feet to scare her. Like canon, Azula didn't expect any conflict, so she's not in battle mode. She's angry that Mai is choosing Zuko over her.

(If I age them up and make it a situation where Mai's pregnant, Azula is just threatening her, she has aim good enough to shoot close but not close enough to hurt.

If it's a situation like that, Azula's reaction is much more feral.)

Azula doesn't know that Mai's goal is to slow her down, distract her long enough so she doesn't kill her own brother. In canon, Azula's mental breakdown starts to build up when Mai & Ty Lee betray her, in here it starts when Zuko betrays her by leaving – it comes back to platonic mates. It comes back to her doing everything she can, going out of her way and putting her own life at risk, to bring him home and keep him safe. Then he just leaves. He leaves again and now Azula is older, her connections and her reactions are stronger. The little pack, in her alpha brain, is her, Mai, Ty Lee and Zuko. A member leaving means the alpha will be hurt.

So. Azula's clearly not fine, she has her issues, of course she interprets Mai's action as breaking the pack apart even further. And when Mai says the "I love him more than I feat you" (without noticing that maybe that's the last thing she should tell Azula), Azula partially ignores her instinct to never, never harm her omega.

Still, Azula wouldn't hurt her, not really. But then there's Ty Lee right there and she can smell so, so much anger and ferocity. She can't smell the distress underneath because it's too subtle. She reacts on impulse to chi-block Azula.

It's that, taking away Azula's bending – even temporarily – that breaks the pack. That breaks Azula.

Later, post-war and healing, it's a happy ending but not perfect. Azula was betrayed and abandoned by way too many people, hurt way too many times. She can marry, mate Mai, have a kid or two – she refuses to have that litter of pups she dreamed of as a kid. But a pack? No.

Part of her doesn't even fully claim Mai, because what if she does and Mai chooses someone else over her again?

Her bond with Zuko and Ty Lee is permanently broken, she can be civil, even friendly, to them, but nothing more. She might be kind of friends with the Gaang, after being redeemed/healed, they want to include her but she rejects the bond.

Azula feels safer as a lone wolf, no pack. A mate with a half bond, a kid or two, because if she ever feel a bond break again, she knows she won't make it.

Both Mai and Ty Lee will regret for the rest of their lives. Mai thinks a lot about what she should have done differently, said differently to slow Azula down but not hurt her this much. Ty Lee thinks a lot about the way that maybe, just maybe, chi-blocking Azula wasn't the right choice.

I just made The Boiling Rock much more heartbreaking, I think.

- Ash 🔥🍌

Thanks for this, Ash!

She's angry that Mai is choosing Zuko over her.

Annoyed? No, she is sad and hurt because her Omega chooses someone who is not her.

If I age them up and make it a situation where Mai's pregnant.

Oh gods! Do you want to kill Azula?! Why do you seem to hate her, Ash! 😭

She's not only losing her entire pack and her Omega, but her cub too!

And when Mai says the "I love him more than I feat you" (without noticing that maybe that's the last thing she should tell Azula).

Obviously he shouldn't have said that! It seems like everyone hates Azula! Does Mai really love Azula? or do you just use it?

It's that, taking away Azula's bending even temporarily - that breaks the pack. That breaks Azula.

Ash, that destroys anyone, even me! And I know that one day the vipers in my house will leave me!

post-war and healing, it's a happy ending but not perfect.

No, that's not a happy ending, just for the others but not for Azula.

They basically subject Azula to living with an Omega who doesn't even love her and living with people who break her again and again.

Part of her doesn't even fully claim Mai, because what if she does and Mai chooses someone else over her again?

I literally feel a tightening in my heart, you understand, Ash? You hurt me.

He married Mai and has two children, but he will never have his mark, seems ALMOST fair to me.

I wonder what Mai's reaction was when Azula denied claiming her completely, even when she asked her to.

Her bond with Zuko and Ty Lee is permanently broken, she can be civil, even friendly, to them, but nothing more.

I understand getting along with Ty Lee, or at least having a civil relationship, but Zuko? He is literally the person who took everything from his life, and he has to live with the torture of all the traumas that were caused to him.

He's even inside his house forever and doesn't see anyone except his kids and Mai is a mercy.

She might be kind of friends with the Gaang, after being redeemed/ healed, they want to include her but she rejects the bond.

I can already imagine the reaction.

Gaang: Do you want to be part of our pack?

Azula: NO, NEVER, EVER. 🏃‍♀️

Mai:...

Ty Lee:...

Zuko:...

It's obvious to the Gaang that Azula is completely traumatized by the entire packs and bonds.

I hope Mai, Ty Lee and Zuko are ashamed of that.

Azula feels safer as a lone wolf, no pack. A mate with a half bond, a kid or two, because if she ever feel a bond break again, she knows she won't make it.

I won't make it if you keep this up, Ash. 😭

Both Mai and Ty Lee will regret for the rest of their lives.

I'm glad, I just hope Zuko dies slowly and painfully.

Does Zuko regret ruining his Sister's life?

I just made The Boiling Rock much more heartbreaking, I think.

You just put a rope around my neck, you'll be happy, Ash.

JUST DO IT, ASH. 😭😭

[floatyflowers]

Dark Platonic! Fire Nation Royal Family x Non-bender Reader

With Ozai:

At first he didn't accept the fact that you, his youngest child, is a non-bender, and ignored your existence.

That was until he noticed how his older brother, Iroh, spends time with you, Ozai got extremely jealous.

And decided to spend time with you, only to realize that you are his favorite child, and felt like an actual father.

Yes, you can't firebend nor do you even have the ability to protect yourself.

But why would you need to protect yourself when your father is going to be the Phoenix king of the fire nation?

Ozai will burn down the world for you.

"You, my sweet child, will grow up in the presence of a very powerful father"

With Ursa:

When Ursa found out that you couldn't bend, she became overprotective of you to the point of paranoia.

Since childhood, she refused to allow you to play with anyone except Zuko.

One time, one of her handmaidens scolded you harshly for playing outside without your mother's permission which resulted in you bursting into tears.

The next day, that handmaiden was fired and Ursa made sure that she gets no other jobs.

While thinking of escaping, she thought to take you with her.

However, Ozai has forbidden that from happening.

"When you find out the truth, promise to come find me"

With Azulon

While still alive, he made sure you had the best education and guards.

Azulon also made sure to have you believe that the fire nation is without mistakes or faults.

He tried manipulating you into believing that just your loyalty to your people is enough duty.

However, you are kind, too kind.

Yet, he Azulon didn't hate you for it even if he considered a weak trait to have in the royal family.

He also still has the flower crown you made him stored away safely so it doesn't rot.

It is rumored that the last word he muttered was your name.

With Iroh

Uncle Iroh isn't really as possessive as the other characters, but he focuses on advising you from time to time.

You enjoy drinking tea with him and gossiping about everything.

Even though, Ozai has forbidden him from speaking with you, you would sneak behind your father's back to drink tea with him.

After the loss of his son in the war, Lu Ten, Iroh felt depressed.

Yet you managed to comfort him with your cheerfulness and playful attitude.

It reminded him of his son.

"The best quality in a princess is her kindness, something which your sister clearly lacks"

With Zuko

Zuko thought you would be like Azula but you have proven him wrong.

You are kind, gentle, and nurturing just like your and his mother.

That's why Zuko always found himself by your side, being your playmate...being your protecter.

His mother told him that it's his duty to protect you from danger considering that he is your older brother.

Even though Azula has never hurt you, but Zuko was always wary of her, especially after his mother disappeared.

When Ozai challenged him to an Agni Kai, you were the first to cry out and plead with him to let Zuko off, but Ozai felt jealous of your relationship with Zuko and was determined to teach his son a lesson.

However when your brother got banished, Zuko took you with him in secret not wanting you to be left with Azula.

"I know the journey will take long but once I restore my honor we can return home together"

With Azula

Azula was extremely jealous when you were born, thinking that you will take all the attention from here.

But she realized that you deserve all the attention.

You didn't treat her like a monster, you weren't scared of her.

Instead you showed her love and called her 'big sister'

You would cling to her as a toddler, whenever there was lightning, you would secretly sneak to her room and sleep beside her.

"How can you be scared of lightning, we control it, silly"

Mai and Ty Lee saw how Azula softens whenever you are around.

And when Azula discovered that you have left with Zuko, she destroyed everything in her way and burned a few servants.

"She's mine, and only MINE"

[katarasmomsnecklace]

I wanna talk about all my fav ATLA ships cuz being a multishipper can suck sometimes

I wanna look at ship tags and not see hate for another ship in them

SPREAD THE LOVE

KatAang: Classic friends to lovers. Couples who commit ecoterrorism together stay together

TAang: She was a punk He did ballet what more can I say. But like actually they're so fun to analyze with what we have in canon, they legit give soulmate vibes.

ZuTara: SHOT THROUGH THE HEART another fun one to analyze, opposites attract/enemies to lovers it's a good time

KaToph: They're defined by overcoming their "weaknesses" Katara fought for her right to be a master despite her gender and became one of the most powerful benders because of her will to fight. Toph literally invented a whole new bending style BECAUSE of her blindness. Love them

MaiLee: Bad bitches deserve bad bitches, we love a sunshine and sunshine protector. Their fighting styles compliment each other as do their personalities

MaiKo: 'I love Zuko more than I fear you" will never not be the hardest line in the show. *doesn't care she got pickles* "HOW FUCKING DARE YOU SHE SAID NO PICKLES"

Ty Luki: I just want Suki to show TyLee the ropes of being a kyoshi warrior. They have so much they can teach each other also if you like the Airbender! TyLee headcanon there's something poetic about her unlocking her powers with kyoshi's fans

YueTara: MOON AND OCEAN NEED I SAY MORE

ZUe (I actually don't know their ship name) we in rare pair hell but SUN AND MOON NEED I SAY MORE also applies to Yue x Azula you guys come up with the coolest scenarios that put either of the fire siblings in the north pole, this fandom is so creative

ZuKKi: Let Sokka pull lol but actually a King and His Guard and King and his Ambassador, it's like Sukka is great but make it better

Mai TyLee and Suki should be a bigger ship cuz I swear I'm the only one that sees it (help me name them)

Tell me about your favorite ATLA ships I freaking love these characters and I love when they love each other

[wilcze-kudly]

I think the reason I'm a bit iffy about most zutara shippers who call themesleves "pro Katara" (and lets be honest the tags pro katara/katara deserved better are mainly people building themselves a moral highground of "if you disagree with me, you clearly dilslike Katara and want her to suffer") is just the hypocrisy of it all.

Katara's consent was violated by Aang, yes. But Zuko threatening her and being a fucking creep in the "I'll save you from the pirates" scene was sexy and not at all the nightmare of any sane woman.

Katara's role as a healer is treated as her acting subservient and her loosing her feminist icon status. Unless she's healing/offering to heal Zuko.

Aang is immature and childish. But we will handily ignore Zuko, a whole ass 16 year old who's heir to a country throwing a temper tantrum because his girlfriend dared to speak to another man. [Frankly, in my opinion, Zuko isn't really ready for a serious romantic relationship, but yall arent ready for that conversation]

Aang is supposedly misogynistic, but Zuko's many instances of actual misogyny are swept under the rug. Aang is shown in canon to be incredibly supportive of Katara defying the patriarchy.

Supposedly Aang makes Katara do all the housework. Despite there being evidence to the contrary. Zuko has just recently learnt to brew tea.

Katara being the Avatar's wife is supposedly degrading. But if she were Zuko's wife, I'm sure she wouldn't be just a baby maker. (What a horribke thing to call a woman btw. Tall call your own mothers baby makers too???) Despite the fact that Izumi's mother hasn't even been mentioned by name in tlok. But yeah. She'd be afforded the respect she deserves I'm certain.

Aang is, on most accounts, supportive and respectful of Katara's opinions, even when he disagrees with them. Zuko openly mocks people who oppose him. I am going to make a longer post on the Southern Raiders episodes and how all of you watched that episode blindfolded or smth.

Aang comparing Appa being kidnapped (his last connection to his genocided people, the last vestige of his happy past) to Katara's anger over her mother is bad. But Zuko comparing mommy leaving his ass to Katara's mother getting brutally slaughtered in front of her ? Silence.

Aang supposedly needs Katara to mother him and that's a bad thing. But Azula, Mai and Ty Lee having to gentle parent Zuko almost everytime they interact is never talked about, despite the uncalled for verbal abuse that trio goes through from him.

Aang and Katara's 2 year age gap is creepy. But Zuko and Katara's 2 year age gap is fine. My bigest gripe with Zutara lovers is them completely erasing Katara's childishness and immaturity, in order for her and Zuko to have this mature, sexy relationship. She's 14, guys. 14.

This post really isn't meant to decry Zutara. I just want people who ship Zutara to get off their high horse of feminism and to accept that they're no better than the rest of us ship loving freaks. Wanting the main girl to bump uglies with the broody emo twink doesn't make you a modern day suffragette. Disliking a main canon pairing isn't a measure of your love for a female character.

Grow up.

Enjoy your ship like a normal person.

[balanceoflightanddark]

Acknowledgement of Pain

I think one of the things that I feel Azula in the Spirit Temple gets right is acknowledging one of what I believe to be one of the pillars of her character.

That is, acknowledging what she went through, the pain she endured, was legitimate.

What do I mean by this? Remember that scene where Azula confesses that she feels like she's a monster at the fire pit during "The Beach"?

The way she brushes off her concerns about what she's doing is wrong? She has problems admitting to what is eating at her and opening her up to others. This is reinforced since...well Zuko isn't exactly the most sympathetic to Azula and her relationship with Mai and Ty Lee is strained. So it's not like she can admit to them either. Growing up under Ozai's influence probably wouldn't help since having concerns or internal struggles would probably be seen as "weak" in his eyes.

And weakness...well we all saw what happened to Zuko.

Privately though, we see another side to her:

Azula: Don't pretend to act proud. I know what you really think of me. You think I'm a monster. ... Azula: Well what choice do I have? Fear is the only reliable way. Even you fear me.

Her strained relationship with Ursa and her belief that she's a monster does eat at her. It's not something she can just brush off so easily. Particularly when she doesn't have anybody to admit it to. Sure, she tries to make excuses like how fear is the only thing she knows how to get people to like her, but that's normal. Again, this is something that's instilled in her for years and it's not something she's good at handling by herself.

On some level, she DOES know she's hurting...but she can't admit it to herself since that would be a betrayal of everything Ozai built her up to be. And since Ozai was the only one who validated stuff like her talent with firebending and being more than just a troubled child, how could she tear that down without tearing herself down?

What I think Azula needs though...what she's craving...is for somebody to validate that yes, she was hurt. That her family and loved ones did hurt her. Yes, it might be misdirected since she lumps the Fire Warriors in there, but it's still valid since she probably wouldn't have a grasp on her feelings. I think what Azula wants is for her pain to be acknowledged and for somebody to say, "that's not right". In the environment she got, she never got the chance. And the spirit didn't help since it just labeled her a monster for rejecting its "redemption".

Hell, even her slaying of the Zuko image demanding she apologize to them doesn't acknowledge that she was hurt too and that neither party can entirely blame the other. It's all take and no give according to the spirit, which rightfully isn't treated as valid by Azula or the narrative. Otherwise, I think she would've faced more repercussions for defying it.

What Azula needs is for her pain to be acknowledged. Not brushed aside or downplayed. I mean to actually be acknowledged and treated with the amount of gravity it deserves.

[rose-bunny-28]

I genuinely feel bad for Azula.

^Side note - Yes, I know standards for royalty are different than common everyday standards. Still, it's personally upsetting to me.^

I just finished ATLA for the first time (I'm late for the party, yeah, yeah I know), and I was honestly sad about what happened to Azula. She had so much damn pressure on herself to not mess up and to please her father. She was only 14. Fourteen. She was way too young to be experiencing everything she did. She always had to try to not disappoint her dad, and was taught driving fear into people is better than friendship.

I wouldn't say Azula is like, the best character ever to exist. But she's very well written. I really like her, she's complex and very interesting, and honestly I believe she lived in fear, but doesn't know how to handle it.

I believe that Ozai made her live in a way where she feared that she could be banished, or hurt like Zuko was. She didn't want to be a disappointment.

She says she doesn't have any problems, but in the Ember Island episode, quote "My own mother said I was a monster." For a second, she did seem genuinely sad about it.

But, then she pays it off as if she isn't hurt one bit.

Azula doesn't know how to express herself like normal people. She's a bit like Mai. Mai doesn't express feelings and doesn't really know how to. Azula doesn't know how to express feelings either. So, she hides it all under a mask of confidence and high dignity.

Before her coronation, she had lots of anxiety and didn't know how to handle it. So she was banishing people left and right out of her anxiety that she could be killed. And when she lost against Zuko and Katara, that was her breaking point.

In the comics after the events of ATLA, it's shown she was put in an insane asylum.

Really if you think about it, everything that has happened to Azula and Zuko is because of Ozai. If he wasn't so strict or cared only about one thing, they wouldn't have ended up how they did. Sure, Zuko got something great but Azula has gone insane.

If people who know me irl read this, they would say it's because I have lots of empathy, so of course I feel bad for Azula. I guess, but also, Azula didn't deserve what happened to her. She deserves better.

Thanks for reading this. Have a great day/night.

And if you want to add something, don't be afraid too. Reblog or commenting something would help.

[sokkastyles]

Azula hallucinated her mother saying that she loved her because that’s what Azula really wants more than anything, is for her mother to love her, so her mind created a hallucination of her mother saying that to comfort her because Azula was in a lot of pain. This is why Azula cries after her mother says that she loves her because Azula knows that it’s just a hallucination saying so, not the real Ursa, and so Azula still believes that her mother actually didn’t love her.

Okay, I know you're just a troll with a fetish for being verbally eviscerated online, and don't really deserve the time of day (did you really just make another blog MINUTES after I blocked you just so you could send this?), but this is a thing that actually deserves a longer meta because I see people say this about the mirror scene so often and it's only partially true, and doesn't acknowledge what is so very good about that scene.

Azula does indeed hallucinate her mother in a moment when she is in great pain. I do agree that Azula wants her mother's love more than anything. I also think Azula knows the truth, that her mother is not there, and that this is a large part of why she cries after breaking the mirror.

But you also have to look at what else the scene is telling us about Azula's relationship with her mother.

Because Azula did not conjure up the illusion of her mother to comfort her. I do agree that part of her desperately yearns for that comfort, but in order to understand this scene and what it means for how Azula views her mother, we have to look at what the hallucination of Ursa that Azula's mind conjured up is actually saying, and how Azula reacts to her presence.

Azula does not seek comfort from Ursa. Far from it. When Ursa appears, at first complimenting her hair, Azula reacts defensively, saying "what are you doing here?" She denies it when her mother expresses interest in care toward her, saying that she knows what her mother "really thinks" of her. Ursa replies that Azula is confused.

And, of course, since this is really Azula having a conversation with herself, this means that Azula is confused. She doesn't really know what her mother thinks of her. This is supported both by the textual framing of Azula talking to a mirror - a common trope in visual media used to symbolize that a character's perception is distorted - and by the fact that Azula has been gaslit by her father her whole life to believe only the things he says and to not listen to her mother, who her father took away from her when she was eight. Azula does not see her mother clearly here, and what she is really seeing is a reflection of herself.

The hallucination of Ursa tells Azula that all her life, she has used fear to control people, like Mai and Ty Lee. And because we know that Azula was hit especially hard by Mai and Ty Lee's betrayal, we know that this is a sore spot for Azula. That Azula knows, deep down, that her friends abandoned her because she treated them badly.

Azula does not want to admit this, though, so she replies defensively, saying that fear is the only way, and justifies it with "even you fear me."

Part of what's going on here is that Ursa takes the form of Azula's conscience, saying the things that Azula cannot admit to herself, because she has internalized the idea that the empathy her mother tried to teach her was a weakness. Another thing that's going on, though, is that Azula is trying to justify her actions by falling back on the idea that her mother hated and feared her.

If even Azula's own mother feared her, then fear must be the right way of doing things, the ONLY way of doing things.

And that's the tragedy, because love certainly didn't work for Ursa. It didn't make Ursa stay or make her happy. So therefore, Ozai must be right. Love is a weakness. Fear is the only way. Azula watched her own mother be afraid of her father at the same time that she was forced to choose between who to listen to. Who do you think had more power there? Who did she choose to believe? Ursa was vulnerable and scared, and Azula desperately wants not to be those things. Fear must be the only way because the other option is to be afraid.

But then Ursa says that line, that one line that totally shatters Azula like so many shards of a broken mirror. No. I love you.

Azula cries because this is what she's always wanted. She cries for the mother she's lost. She cries for the friends she's lost. She cries over the fact that she can't let herself love anyone, and that this is why she's alone. She cries for the fear she felt throughout her childhood that she was never allowed to express because it's a weakness. She breaks the mirror in a fit of rage and cries because even destroying the image won't make the truth Azula knows go away, and she can't reconcile the confusion she feels over her mother with what she has internalized from her father, who at this moment has also abandoned her, so she has no idea what she should believe anymore. She cries because she hates her mother and she hates herself and she loves her mother and she doesn't know how to love.

Because remember, Azula is really talking to herself. Destroying the mirror is an act of self-destruction, just as cutting her hair (the hair her mother loved) is an act of self-destruction. Just as challenging her brother to a duel to the death is. Just as the insistence she's held on to for so long that she is a monster is an act of self-destruction, a denial of her own humanity, and therefore a denial of all the things that she thinks make her weak.

But a big theme of atla is that those things, the things that give us our humanity, don't make us weak. They make us strong. This is what Azula fails to reconcile at the end of the story, and that's her tragedy.

[yandere-avatar]

Hello!, I hope your day/night is going well!, I thought of something to request and just wanted to shoot my shot lol!

- How about some headcanons of possessive yandere ty Lee?

- // oh and I just wanted to ask this in case your comfy with writing team up yandere scenario's if not I totally understand!-//

-Maybe a scenario where the fire nation squad/ zuko, Azula, mei and ty Lee are all yandere for the reader?

/ I totally understand if you don't vibe with these requests! No pressure to do them just wanted to stress that hgbgb, anyways have a lovely day/night :) /

I write Polygamous stuff, but I don't know if it's the best, but I can always try. This has been in the drafts since: July 14, 2022 [Almost a full year... I'm so sorry. You've probably forgot you requested this because it's been so long] (3rd oldest draft and oldest ask)

[Possessive] Ty Lee

She doesn't understand why you get so mad that she only wants you to pay attention to her

Granted multiple people flirt with her, but she always shuts them down

She watches you and uses her abilities to get to high places to see you

If you're a bender, she uses her Chi Block on you

She's very giddy and loves being with you

She loves partying w/ you and taking you places

She doesn't want you to meet her sisters, in fear of you comparing them to each other

She wants to be herself with you

She's ecstatic and always energized

She always defends you when someone tries to make you look dumb

Unlike Mai, she would trade the other nations if they kidnapped you, because she loves you more than anything else in the world

Though, she is like Mai in the sense she'll betray Azula, because she loves you more than she fears her

Azula, Mai, Ty Lee, and Zuko

You were at first with Ty Lee

Though, you two were never official

You two just bonded better than the rest of them

Zuko and Mai became protective over you, seeing you repeatedly get hurt

Azula just saw you as stupid and she liked humiliating you

Zuko saw himself in you and wanted to protect you from Azula

^Mai was jealous at first, but soon realized you weren't enemies, but friends. You deserved to be protected from the monster that is Azula

You love Azula, because you've realized that she's never really had love in her life [It's more out of pity]

You go with them everywhere, though this gets you a lot hurt

They always get you, but then Azula becomes a little more anxious about letting you come

Azula would never tell you, but she loves you more than anything in the world and that scares her

Ty Lee just thinks your fun, but she doesn't really form a complex feeling for you. She just likes that you're fun

Mai and Zuko see themselves as your protector, especially against Azula. They kind of act like your parents, but they're both distant emotionally, but you definitely open them up

The GAang [Katara, Sokka, Aang, and Toph]

Katara was the first to fall for you, but not the first to tell you her feelings

It's probably Sokka who tells you

But you don't take it seriously, because he's a flirter

Toph is mean to you and is kind of like a big bully

Aang is nice and treats you like he's known you forever

You both just click so well

When Toph and Katara fight, you are brought into their fights, because they want you to be on their side

"I think Sokka is calling me-"

You don't want to catch that smoke

You're probably the most scared of Katara, she reminds you of a scary mother, but don't tell her, because she wants you to see her as a lover not a mother

It took you the longest to get close to Toph, because she has walls up and it's hard to get them down

You bring up her being blind and she get super angry and you quickly blush in embarrassment

^ You do try and watch it and be more considerate of her, but she also doesn't want you to treat her different. Just treat her like the rest. Once you do, she'll let you in

Aang and Sokka make fools themselves in front of you, because they're not good with crushes, no matter how smooth Sokka is

Though you do all get along better than the relationship with the fire nation group [Ty Lee, Azula, Zuko, and Mai]

You're very close and it's hard to break you apart

[pizzaboat]

I'm thinking about Azula's attempt at tricking Zuko and Iroh to come back home and the horrible things she says to him in the episode. And like, I obviously don't have to say that Zuko didn't deserve that shit before I continue my next thoughts

But I personally, Azula's aggression makes me think "resentment"

I don't buy into the "she's evil so she said it to be evil"

It didn't seem like the kind of moment she'd look back on to laugh about, because while Azula definitely enjoys messing with Zuko, I don't feel it ever really looked like that unless she was slipping (much like after Mai and Ty Lee betrayed her)

I just headcanon she resented Zuko for being banished because Ozai had both them convinced it was Zukos fault. With Zuko not around to take the brunt of their fathers negative attention, Azula got it more often

And I wouldn't even say that Ozai blew off steam at her. Because it would be far more calculating than that, he just made her think that's what he was doing. Really, Ozai would've been breaking her down from just the favourite child who needs his praise, to the only child, who will be discarded and all affection withdrawn from her if she falls short of any standards he sets

Zuko being banished marked the acceleration of her adultification and isolation. Zuko still acted like a kid when he was 13, but Azula doesn't at 14, that tells you a lot

And of course maybe it started when Ursa was banished and Zuko was left with no one on his side in the Palace while Ozai groomed Azula into his mini me

But I do headcanon that Zukos banishment was the big push to isolating Azula fully and focusing on bending her to being only a weapon

And Ozai has Azula resenting Zuko, because while she's so smart and cunning, she's only been fed the stories she can imagine

That's my headcanon anyway. Azula resents Zuko for being banished because she ended up alone, and deep down, she knew something was very dark and off about her life at that point. There was just a cognitive disconnect on why it was all so miserable because she was getting all their fathers attention, and that's what Azula thought she wanted

[penguinfrommars]

The fire Hazard siblings deserved better

Someone pointed out that azula cared more for zuko and he did for her and I can't stop thinking about it. His entire life, zuko was constantly over-shadowed and compared to azula so it's only natural for someone to grow jealous. But, more than that azula quite literally made his life hell with playing pranks on him, teasing him and actually burning him. So it's only natural for zuko to grow up fearing and even hating azula, even if he does see her as a sister.

On the other hand, we know that azula's a perfectionist and a control freak. Pretty evident from the whole beach episode and even the spirit temple comic, she doesn't understand love and freindship because no one really showed her any. Sure, she had Mai and Ty Lee who probably treated her like a freind, but even at that point she only knew how to control people. Which is why, I think throughout her life she saw zuko as something she could control and keep by her side. She probably thought that zuko would always choose her. It's pretty evident from the fact that in book 3 she lied to her father, the most rebellion she's shown, for his sake. Infact, she disobeyed direct orders to bring him as a prisoner, but rather found a way to bring him home as her brother. Apart from that she clearly saw zuko as a landmark, as a reassurance. That all she had to do was be Better than him. Better at bending, better at politics etc. Because that way she had her father's attention. (Pretty obvious from the "You can't treat me like Zuko")

Personally, I feel like they deserved so much better, especially azula. I feel like, if zuko had made an effort to show azula that he cared about her, not out of fear but out of love, and if azula had tried to be nicer with zuko instead of belittling him, things might have been different. It's impossible for them to have the same dynamic as Sokka and katara because their situations were as different as day and night. Katara and Sokka had to rely on eachother to survive and to protect the village while Zuko and Azula had to compete for their father's favor. Still, I feel like they could have a much better relationship than actively trying to kill eachother and maybe even work together as slightly-less-maniac-but-still-disfunctional siblings.

Also you can't convince me that Zuko and Azula wouldn't make THE MOST POWERFUL DUO ever

Edit : Lu ten. The answer is lu ten

[kiki-strike]

azula thoughts (from someone who was also a psychotic 14 year old)

hi! i have seen a lot of azula thoughts and i thought i'd add my own because i have a perspective not everybody has. i'm ignoring anything in the comics because i don't like them.

i don't think azula has schizophrenia. she was under a huge amount of stress since ty lee and mai switched sides, and even more when she was supposed to be crowned fire lord. i think she had a stress-induced psychotic episode. early onset schizophrenia is super rare and she is under a huge amount of stress when she has her breakdown.

psychotic episodes (brief psychotic disorder) last less than a month. obviously this doesn't mean everything gets awesome afterwards, because azula has a lot of issues before the psychotic episode, but it does mean that the hallucinations (ursa), delusions (firing all the staff) would stop. of course that might not happen, because brains don't like being put into boxes, but here's what i think would happen.

azula is admitted to inpatient. azula spends a little while getting stabilized, enough that she's able to look like she's not experiencing symptoms anymore. she would definitely lie about her symptoms. i did. pretty much every abused child in a psych ward lies. of course they would probably keep her a bit longer for observation (in which case azula would spend this time manipulating staff (like i did)), but they would have to let her go eventually, and it would be way less time than a year.

she would probably be released into zuko's custody (disapproving noise) and i think zuko would understand that azula needs to get the hell out of the fire nation in order to heal like he did, in order to figure out things like who she is without ozai and what she really wants to do, outside of his influence and (implied) threats.

i think azula moves to an earth kingdom town, somewhere small and sleepy where she has limited contact with everyone from her own life. where she has complete control over her own life, and no control over anyone else's (unlike under ozai, where she controlled other people because ozai controlled her). where she learns how to talk to people without scaring them. where she learns how to say sorry over small things first. baby steps.

i think eventually she definitely should apologize to everybody she wronged (the gaang, the fire squad, the people she banished). but not right away. there's a reason why making amends is step 9 and not step 1. azula is a very powerful, abused child. which means that her situation is just terrible for everyone involved.

azula deserved better. yes she did bad things. but that's what happens when everything around you is bad. zuko got to get out because he was in an environment that wasn't 100% terrible. azula just hasn't got that yet. i like to think that she did after the series ends.

[the-genius-az]

The canon ending Azula isn't mad at Zuko and the others, she's seething with fury that Mai and Ty Lee chose someone else when she would LITERALLY do anything for them.

Damn, what do they want? that sacrifice the world? to save the world? Just say it and I'll do it, you don't have to leave.

It hurts Azula to not be their girlfriend/wife, she did a lot of things for them, she deserves them.

[zukomysweetbabyboy]

This may be a controversial opinion but I'm glad that Azula was the prodigy firebender and not Zuko not just because Aang stumbling upon the prodigies of all the elements is unrealistic and feels cheaper but it was so essential to both Zuko and Azula's character arcs.

I mean, it’s no secret that Azula's character arc did not get the attention that she deserved. But from what we did get, we know that she put a lot (and I mean A LOT) of her self worth in her firebending which isn't surprising because she idolized Ozai and he was fucking useless without bending and, specifically, in being better than Zuko. Azula was the best firebender in the world and inheriting an entire kingdom at FOURTEEN years old. From her father, she was taught that she was safe as long as she was better than Zuko ("You can't treat me like this! You can't treat me like Zuko!"). This meant being sneaky (staying behind in the throne room while Azulon talked to Ozai), being emotionless (teasing Zuko about his grandfather literally ordering his father to kill him - what the fuck baby Azula), being tactful (knowing the answer to the question Ozai asked in the throne room & only speaking in turn), being perfect ("Almost isn't good enough!"), and most importantly: being the best firebender (mastering advanced forms as a child, blue firebending, etc.). She was taught from her mother that these things made her a monster ("My own mother thought I was a monster - she was right of course", "What is wrong with that child"). She was smart enough to know that she couldn’t have the acceptance from both parents, but acceptance from Ozai meant being safe and acceptance from Ursa meant being loved, and to Azula being safe was more important.

This is where the difference between Zuko and Azula starts. Where Azula is all head (being safe > being loved), Zuko is all heart. Zuko didn't understand why his father hated him or why Azula was cold. He was genuine in his love and in his hurt and in his anger. He wasn't good at being the perfect prince, so he couldn't gain acceptance from his father (he couldn't be safe) but he clung to his mother (preferring her company even to Mai and Ty Lee and Azula, who were his age). He internalized what she said in the throne room about his struggling making him strong, and we see him repeat that sentiment throughout the show. Zuko's sense of identity comes from his persistence whereas Azula's comes from her perfection and both of these ideals are trauma responses. It's obvious that it's not healthy for Azula to base her identity around being perfect and It's no wonder she cracked by the end of the series although that should have been handled SO MUCH better - WHERE is the buildup she deserved, Bryke. But it is also not healthy for Zuko to base his identity around struggle, even though this flaw doesn't drive him insane like Azula's perfection and in a fucked up sort of way it is productive to him being a great Fire Lord. Zuko's character arc is well done (maybe the most well done character arc ever, actually) but he finishes the show with a lot of growth left to do.

tldr: Both of their characters relied on Azula being a prodigy and Zuko not being. Azula is all head and Zuko is all heart and their parents pitted them against each other.

p.s. I have SO many thoughts about their dynamic and how canon could have been tweaked just a little bit to make it so beautiful and tragic and compelling, but that will have to be a different post. Also all of the quotes are from memory so if they're wrong oops.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

ZK shippers who complain about "Katara being Aang's reward for saving the world" or something like that are incredibly funny because they then proceed to act like Katara being Zuko's reward for redeeming himself is better

Not to mention, the show NEVER "rewards" Aang with Katara. Their romance was developed through literally the entire show, and no matter how much zutarians try to deny it, Katara was already showing interest in him as early as the middle of book 1 (and was already super close to him from literally the moment they met).

They are both heroes, they both saved the world, and each other, all the time. They are treated as equal by the narrative (and like I pointed out in a different post, the first voice we hear in EVERY EPISODE is Katara's, and we got her backstory before we got Aang's, even though he is the protagonist). No one is being "rewarded" with the other.

Meanwhile zutarians love pretending Katara had anything to do with Zuko's motivation to redeem himself, NEVER call out the show for completely disregarding Katara's very valid reasons to mistrust and resent Zuko (him literally stabing her in the back, helping Azula take Ba Sing Se which led to Aang's death, then sending an assassin after them) and pretending it was totally about her projecting her trauma about her mother onto him, and go on and on about how he "deserves" her since he is a better person than Aang according to them - and that's supposed to fully compensate for the fact that they never demonstrated any interest in each other.

"Date him because he is a Nice Guy" is only bad to them when it is the wrong "Nice Guy". The REAL Nice Guy deserves to get the girl (that he doesn't even want) and we should just pretend he never did anything wrong ever because he had a difficult life and is "Nice" - unlike that "Jerk" that will totally only mistreat and then disregard Katara.

And they have the NERVE to call Kataang an "Incel Fantasy" when all they write for Zutara is "Incel Speech 101"

No wonder they also hate Maiko as much as they do: not only does Mai not coddle him, but Zuko also appreciates that she holds him acountable when he screws up! He should tell her to go back to the kit-I mean, be more "supportive and empathetic" like the absolute doormat of a person they make Katara out to be in their fanfics.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Messy/Jumbled Thoughts On Azula in the Spirit Temple

Obviously my initial reaction to it was not particularly glowing and excited to say the least. But after some discord chatting and discussion with my IRL friend I have come to conclude very solidly that I have no idea how to feel about this one. And I'm genuinely not sure if Hicks was trying to make Azula sympathetic or trying to make her completely irredeemable.

So one of the things that makes it confusing to me is how Azula declares that she does not want redemption because it is for the weak. And how she chooses to end by saying that she'd just find new followers to control. Off the bat to me that just felt like a nail in the coffin. A solid she's not getting redeemed.

But then my IRL friend pointed out that she started the comic by declaring that she was going to take revenge on her ex-companions. But ended up finding them and choosing to leave them alone instead.

To me this kind of felt like a massive cope on Azula's end like the equivelent of "fine, I didn't need you guys anyways! I'll find new *~better~* friends!" Like a way of masking how upset it made her to see them having fun without her. Or that she's in denial about how much it hurts.

But my IRL friend thinks that her choosing to just let them be is a sign that there was some progress made despite her declaring that she didn't want redemption.

Which leads to some of the discord discussion that I found insightful. Someone (let me know if you want me to name you) pointed out that pretty much all of the comic was the spirit showing Azula her own inner thoughts; in other words Azula was calling herself a monster and a bad person and what not.

Which, honestly, could be why the comic felt so confusing and disjointed??? Azula is confused and conflicted and we're seeing this through her eyes so it's conflicting and disjointed.

Azula has enough awareness to know that she's not a good person and that some stuff is her fault but she also acknowledges that she's not entirely to blame. I'm talking about 'Ursa' asking Azula what she is and Azula responding "alone, betrayed over and over..." and declaring that it's basically not her fault vs 'Mai' saying "maybe you're a terrible person who gets what she deserves."

Baring in mind that this is a manifestation of Azula's thoughts; she simultaneously sees herself as a victim and as a bad person.

And honestly I can actually see that making sense; people tend to be their own harshest critics. All abuse cases are different but many abuse victims blame themselves while also acknowledging that the abuser is to blame at the same time.

I feel like it's actually not entirely off base for someone in Azula's situations to have conflicting thoughts. Facing yourself for who you are, including (and especially) the worst parts of yourself is not easy. It is embarrassing even in ones own mind to admit wrongdoing. Almost everyone has that one embarrassing memory that still makes them blush when they remember it while lying alone at 2AM. It's sort of like that but worse. It is hard to put aside pride and ego even in privet. Now try doing that with a spirit watching and judging you.

Azula is facing down the worst parts of herself in an almost physical sense. And I think that she doesn't know who to blame or how to portion out the blame. Like she has difficulty telling how much of it is her fault vs how she was raised. Out of her mouth is all of the stuff about how its everyone else's fault. But then the manifestations of her thoughts say the exact opposite. She is literally at war with herself.

And she's scared and she lashes out when she's scared. She covers fear and insecurity with either anger or nonchalance. So when 'Zuko' asks her to repent so to speak, of course she says no. She's effectively being backed into a corner. She's on the defensive. And also 'Zuko' has taken on a monstrous and terrifying form. I wouldn't not shoot lightning at that.

Not to mention that, the entire time Azula is talking about how the spirit is manipulating her and that none of it is real. I imagine that, that makes it that much harder to face herself because she's effectively being gaslit in a sense. Like it doesn't feel real to her, she doesn't trust it--rightfully so tbh. She says that she thinks she is being lied to. Of course she isn't being open minded to what she is being shown. It isn't being done in good faith.

I think that my biggest hang up is how she was 'offered redemption'. Putting that in air quotes because was that really a chance at redemption? The spirit didn't put her in a situation conducive to meaningful change. To me it was almost just one more added trauma on top of what she was already dealing with. It's basically similar to Azula going to see a therapist but the therapist is terrible at their job and digs up trauma while offering no coping skills nor advice.

Instead of giving her advice or support this spirit tries to terrify/shock Azula into changing. This spirit put Azula massively on the defense and wondered why she was getting defensive. Literally all of her traumas, fears, and triggers were being thrown in her face and she was supposed to make something of it?

I'm no therapist but I'm pretty sure that that's not how change works.

Azula was getting yelled at and shamed for not wanting to change or acknowledge that she needs to. But the spirit who was trying to 'help' didn't give her ANYTHING to work with. No words of encouragement or coping tools. Nothing but showing her things that terrified and upset her.

It's like trying to teach someone who is afraid of water to swim by throwing them into the ocean and getting mad when (after being pulled out of the water) they come out more terrified than they were prior.

And this is what confuses me about how AitST is supposed to be interpreted. Are we supposed to see the spirit as the asshole or Azula as stubborn? I know how I see it, but how did Hicks intend it to be portrayed?

This was supposed to be the 'see if Azula is going to start her redemption path once and for all' comic. But was she TRUELY even offered a redemption? Because I don't think so. To me that was just Azula getting another layer of trauma to work through. And nothing about that situation she was in could even be remotely conducive to meaningful/long term change.

Speaking on my own experience alone; change and habit breaking, becoming one's best self while facing down their worst requires a few things; comfort, encouragement, support, enthusiasm, and stability.

Azula was terrified, alone, uncomforted, antagonized, and cornered. She was in a setting exactly the opposite of what is needed when someone is trying to make a change or do some hard introspection.

And now I'm left wondering if Hicks meant for the spirit to be seen as the asshole or if the comic was trying to say, 'look she chose not to walk the path to redemption.'

Right now it feels like they're gonna take the easy way out and leave her as the villain and point to the comic and say, 'see, she had her chance.' To which I say, "Did she? Did she actually?" But who knows maybe we are supposed to see that spirit as an unhelpful and evil. Maybe her walking away and not taking the vengeance she vowed is a good sign.

TL;DR: How the hell is this even supposed to be interpreted. What is the tone??? Is this Azula sympathetic or anti-Azula. Because I genuinely can't tell.

Never have I been so confused about a thing I have read.

[blorboazula]

I've been sorta exchanging ideas with @the-genius-az and that whole thing is fully to blame for the upcoming A/B/O fics :)

the context for this is: Maizula are "true mates", Mai still betrays Azula in the boiling rock and it basically breaks Azula. despite all the healing, Azula still can't form actual bonds with people and the closest she gets to do it (and to form a pack) is with her own pup and the Gaang's pups. cue to Mai watching Azula with babies in the garden (this is also the version they're a little bit aged up in canon). it's alpha!Azula x omega!Mai.

During the short years when Mai tried to give Zuko a chance, she thought she could love him when she watched him being soft. Soft and gentle with the turtleducks, sat on the grass and allowing the tiny creatures to climb on him.

She could fall in love with him, if he was the only option she had. She could fall in love with him, for showing genuine affection towards a pup that's isn't his.

Nowadays she still likes watching him, she thinks he looks great playing with the turtleducks and spending time with Izumi, still spending time with Ilah. Years later, she still loves it.

Nowadays, she has a better sight to enjoy.

It's not surprising at all, not really, to see Azula in the garden. All the rough, sharp edges have always hidden the softness inherent to the alpha. Searing heat to harm, soft warmth to make you feel safe and loved. Azula is soft when she's allowed to.

Her father never wanted her to, he wanted a weapon (and Azula needed a parent).

It's a heartwarming sight, it truly is. Azula, who grew to be a strong, handsome alpha. She healed enough to let her inherent protectiveness shine through. Mai can see it often, and can see how Azula now has good days more often than bad days. Can see it in the way Azula isn't that afraid of allowing herself to be an affectionate mother to their daughter.

(It's so, so beautiful, Azula playing with Ilah, showing how beautiful her firebending is.)

Sometimes Azula sits with the baby turtleducks, they climb her lap, seeking a human's soft warmth. She pets them, picks them up to give them soft kisses on their little head, allows them to nip her fingers and her toes. Gives them bread and fruit cut in tiny, neat cubes.

Destiny or not, Mai never had a chance of not loving Azula.

When their friends come around, the kids flock Azula the same way the baby turtleducks do. Ilah is always a little jealous, but Azula makes sure that her pup isn't left out in favor of the other kids. Nowadays she's too big to fit on Azula's lap when she has Bumi and Kya and Lin, but she glues herself to Azula's back. (Mai is infinitely happy that the early years separated didn't mean that Ilah's bond to Azula was permanently damaged). Izumi too, more often than not, it's adorable how the cub is close to her aunt.

Today Toph brought Suyin too, so Azula is really under a pile of cubs.

And she's glowing.

Really, Azula's giving off happy pheromones like there's no tomorrow. And the cubs respond to it by doing the same, so the whole garden is smelling like happy alpha and her cubs.

Mai loves it.

Mai loves that Azula gets to be happy, even if it's with pups that aren't hers. Azula gets to be happy, and it's all that she needs. All that she deserves.

Mai doesn't dare intruding, not when Azula is softly telling them a story. Probably a play, even if the alpha still won't admit that she loves those plays. That she likes theater as much as Zuko. That it comes from her grandmother, probably the one person of her family that never gave her so much trauma she can barely look at them.

The world feels right like this. Not perfect, but much better than Mai would have dreamed.

Better yet when Azula seems to find a moment to look back at her, and offers a small smile. Amber eyes shining with happiness that Mai feared would never be there.

Really, not loving Azula was never an option.