#phoenix queen azula

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

Battle couple Azulaang

If two people played male monk and female wizard in diablo 3.

It would perfectly represent what I imagine an aged-up Azulaang as a battle couple would look like.

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

Well, I see Aang losing all ounces of romantic feelings before Katara ever had the chance to friendzone him.

Bit of an extra rewrite in reality but the dark avatar arc appears in Aang's saga, particularly book 4: air. Aang still loses his past lives what he gets in return is Raava siphoning Vaatu's dark powers/status and it looks as if they merged as one.

Zuko only gets the throne because Vaatu murdered the entire white lotus and Azula took the mantle of Phoenix Queen. Vaatu (in the form of Ozai) is also dead, so Zuko won't be making the foolish decision of turning to him for advice and no one ever thinks of avenging him out of sheer disgust and hatred for his vile deeds and deception.

How Azulaang would play out is virtually the opposite of how Kataang played out.

Azula only made Aang promise to always guide her back into the light should she be tempted by the dark again. A promise Aang views as not that difficult compared to the first time.

When they meet Aang's cult, its Aang whose acts distant and uncomfortable while Azula encourages him to bask in their worshipping. He explains that his distance is more than just because of modesty, he didn't like the idea of someone trying to get in between him and Azula.

He's shocked and disappointed when he finds out that one of them has his tattoos, but is more cool-headed about it and knows that what's done is done. He sternly informs them that tattoos are for airbenders only. To help correct this egregious oversight, he bestows the tattoo girls airbending with his energybending.

I’ve been thinking about The Promise again, and it’s really interesting to me how the narrative tries to frame Zuko as the “dark” character once again, despite the fact that Aang was the one considering banning interracial relationships and supporting the Earth Kingdom in invading Yu Dao (which most of the people living there did not want).

In canon, Aang only changed his stance on interracial relationships after realizing it would affect him personally. But consider this—what if Katara wasn’t interested in Aang at that point. What if she was with someone else?

It would be interesting to explore how that would change the plot.

[rabiosass]

Genderswapped zucest,,,,,,little brother Azulon creeping on his big sister Zuka.......

This would be so insane though...i could totally picture azulon having a deranged fantasy of bringing back zuka to the fire nation [after crossroads of destiny in canon] so that they can get married and he can be half of the most powerful couple ruling the whole world under the glory of the fire nation.

[atla-genderbender]

ATLA Gender Bender: Firelord Ozai

"You will learn respect, and suffering will be your teacher."

The principle behind this AU is to swap the genders of the main cast (Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Zuko) and other characters where it enhances the story. This means that most child characters, like Azula and Suki, are also swapped, but adults are swapped on a case by case basis. This is especially true for characters who had a formative influence on the main characters, like parents and other role models. If you swap a given character and their parent(al figure)s, this alters the character's personality more than swapping that character without swapping their parents. Sometimes this effect is subtle, and sometimes it is large. This is why I would avoid swapping the genders of a character's parents, unless it makes sense to do so.

In the case of Zuko's parents, I do not think it detracts from the story to swap their genders. I would even go so far to say that some things are enhanced by swapping both Ozai and Ursa. Female Ozai fits surprisingly well into the role of an "evil empress". "Urson" also works as a "papa bear" character. A female Ozai would contrast well with a female Zuko, serving as a "good queen" "evil queen" dichotomy. I also find it fascinating to think about what would change and what would stay the same if Ozai's gender was also swapped. 

I picture female Ozai being no less evil or sadistic as normal Ozai. Unlike Ozai, she would have to maintain the image of a good mother to her children, and a good daughter to her father. This is especially interesting if she is the first female Fire Lord in a line of male Fire Lords. She would be a queen who has to strike the perfect balance of femininity and power in order to please her court. A woman who possesses bewitching beauty to conceal a wicked, sadistic soul. I think she would be very narcissistic and cruel, obsessed with being beautiful and powerful at once.

I attempted to convey this through her design, which could be tweaked in many respects. To explain the rationale behind her design, the Fire Lords of Avatar draw from East and Southeast Asian influences. Firelord Ozai's hairstyle is Chinese inspired (see: atlaculture.tumblr.com/post/65…), but his clothing is Burmese inspired (see: atlaculture.tumblr.com/post/63…). As such, I decided to base the hairstyles of female Fire Lords on East Asian hairstyles worn by female rulers.

It feels inevitable that female Ozai would be compared to Wu Zetian. I wanted to minimize these comparisons, and make it clear that female Ozai is not supposed to be a representation of Wu Zetian. Doing so would unfairly demonize a real historical figure. Still, I could not resist including a couple of elements inspired by Fan Bingbing as Wu Zetian in "The Empress of China" (see: dwvyw8kf1avne.cloudfront.net/s…). This is what inspired female Ozai's red makeup, and the stylized phoenix headdress that she wears. Other design elements are not inspired by Wu Zetian, but other portrayals of powerful queens and empresses in Chinese dramas. Namely, Empress Du Feihong in "The Glamorous Imperial Concubine". I hope that the final design is so stylized that it is clear that she is not supposed to represent a real historical figure. I attempted to simplify her headdress in a way that could be easy enough to animate while still making it clear that she is wearing a ridiculous amount of gold and rubies on her head. This is meant to contrast with female Zuko's design. Where female Zuko is humble, female Ozai is vain.

In the end, I am dissatisfied with the design I came up with, for reasons I will explain under "OUTFIT DESCRIPTIONS".

This design approach diverges from the design principles behind the one female Firelord shown in Avatar, that being Izumi. I took liberties with hairstyles, but did not change the masculine style of robes. I felt this would diverge too far from the pre-established rules of Avatar. Additionally, I think it creates an interesting contrast between a feminine hairstyle and masculine robes, especially if Ozai and "Zuka" are the first female Firelords in a long series of male Firelords.

The phoenix imagery actually makes more sense if Ozai was a woman, since the fenghuang is traditionally a feminine entity. I also think it would be cool if she was still named "Ozai", kind of like how "Ty Lee" is very feminine but has a masculine name. It would also imply that "Ozai" isn't the name she was born with, but a name she adopted for its meaning "large presence". 

I picture Grey Griffin as the voice of female Ozai. Specifically, how she voices adult characters, like Ming Hua in LOK and the female Viltrumite from Invincible. I don't think that she should have the same voice as Azula, but Grey Griffin could give her a venomous and vicious voice that would fit her really well.

OUTFIT DESCRIPTIONS:

1: Firelord Costume

I am dissatisfied with the hairstyle I came up with for female Ozai's Firelord costume. I have written previously about my concerns that viewers would conflate her with the real life Wu Zetian. In order to minimize these comparisons, I tried to make elements of her hairstyle abstract instead of authentic to real life costumes. However, I do not think I was successful in achieving my goal. When I first started drawing female Ozai, I knew little about hanfu, and have since learned more about traditional Chinese costumes. The crown that I gave her is clearly inspired by fengguan, which is a distinctly Chinese element. Given Ozai's affinity for phoenixes, I can't not picture female Ozai wearing some sort of fengguan. The design I came up with is flawed, as it is something that "looks Chinese" without being authentic to Chinese costume design. This could come across as offensive. The best approach would be to fuse the Chinese element of the fengguan with other cultural influences, so that the result is something that is not specifically Chinese. I took some time to try to come up with a better design, but to be transparent I am approaching creative burn out with this project and was unable to come up with a better design. I guess this speaks to my limits as an artist.

With all of this said, these designs are best viewed as a first draft and not the final product. These are meant to give an impression of what her character would look like, and could use more sets of eyes to review and improve the design.

2: "Phoenix Queen" Costume

In the second costume, her cape is somewhat inspired by Maleficent's cape in "Sleeping Beauty". Maleficent's appearance also helped inspire female Ozai's widow's peak and facial structure. As I mentioned before, her costume is inspired by the real life apsara. She has dressed herself in the image of a goddess of fire.

3: "Phoenix Queen" Costume, after removing crown and cape

The third costume is supposed to be how female Ozai would appear at the start of her fight with "Aangi". I intended for her to have the same body type as the female Viltrumite "Thula" from "Invincible". I also think that female Ozai's voice would sound like Thula's. I picture her as a warrior queen who spends a lot of time training, giving her an athletic and muscular appearance. I think she would appear more physically intimidating if she has some muscle mass on her frame. This being said, there are a lot of different athletic body types. A less bulky but athletic body type could arguably fit her better.

4: Appearance after being defeated by "Aangi"

The fourth costume is supposed to be how female Ozai would appear at the end of her fight with "Aangi". Since she doesn't have a goattee, I think "Aangi" would grab her by the gold part of her top. I think it would be cool and dramatic if "Aangi" ripped this part of her costume off. In the heat of battle, female Ozai loses the gold parts of her costume, and a waterbending attack by "Aangi" washes off her makeup, exposing her as a false goddess.

Her finger nails and toenails are painted and sharpened, to resemble the talons of a phoenix.

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[ozaitheestallion]

You said you immediately saw Ozai as being played as a drag queen?? PLEASE elaborate I'm so interested in the way ur mind works 🙏

Okay so maybe I’m just incredibly fucked up and deep down the queer horror rabbit hole (I’ve been watching a lot of Dragula, American Horror Story and classic horrors lately), but the second you start looking at Ozai through a drag, camp, “classic Disney villain” lens, it’s hard to see him any other way.

Like I watched this show as a kid when I originally aired and like basically everyone, I was absolutely terrified and sickened by Ozai, the shitty dad and ultimate big bad villain who is also not even really the main villain, right? Like that’s Azula or Zhao or whoever. That’s how basically all of us original viewers saw him and how a lot of new viewers still do. Fair enough. Not inaccurate.

However, I didn’t do rewatches of the show again, not until the revival in interest over COVID. I hadn’t rewatched it even once since it originally aired and so therefore I expected my viewpoint to change…but nowhere near as drastically as my view of Ozai did.

I’m not saying Ozai is written to be viewed as a drag character, because of course he isn’t, but as I said, once you start looking at him through that specific lens, you won’t be able to see him any other way.

He’s kept in the shadows unless we need a dramatic scary reveal. He’s constantly making dramatic, prose-filled speeches for the benefit of…like…no one lmao like most his scenes are one on one confrontations. He has a very dramatic design, being a conventionally attractive man yet has that fuck ass goatee, the best eyeliner in the country and more detail put into his hair than any other character gets.

He does his whole reveal as the Phoenix King that goes off without a hitch, perfectly rehearsed. This was a surprise to no one but Azula. He got every damn person in the palace in on this stupid reveal. They already know he’s going to become a new ruler with a new title. They already know. This isn’t for their benefit. He did an entire reveal just for the benefit of his kid. If there’s one thing a queen loves, it’s a dramatic unnecessary reveal.

As he fights Aang, he just keeps making these speeches that a child will either not be interested in or too far away to even hear or appreciate, yet he keeps going anyway.

Right up until the end and then going into the comics, he’s dramatic, bitter and playing everyone against each other even though he has absolutely nothing to gain anymore. He puts Zuko and Azula against each other and antagonises Ursa even though it will gain him nothing and do nothing except kill time. Insults for the sake of insults and mess for the sake of mess. The fact insults of far greater power can be thrown back at him in his position is something he doesn’t even consider. Just messy for the sake of being messy and evil for the sake of being evil.

Ozai would fit nicely alongside classic queer-coded Disney villains like Ursula, Scar, Hades, Maleficent and Captain Hook.

He’s so dramatic and so over the top with his cruelty, his crimes and his villainous actions, yet is completely and utterly committed to the bit he’s doing. There’s no self aware clever jabs like Azula or obvious moment of “look at how ridiculous he is” like with Zhao. Ozai and his writing are completely committed to what he’s doing and burning down the entire world literally by hand, and at no point is it questioned. It’s like watching Divine in a John Waters film. This is simply what the character I doing and you’re the ridiculous one for questing them.

Ozai takes himself so seriously and so literally and is so very offended and genuinely surprised when he’s questioned and called out, (like why on earth would he think burning his son’s face is a valid teaching moment or burning the entire earth kingdom will in any way be a good start to his new empire), that it becomes camp.

This is…extremely long and meandering and tbh I don’t think there’s any way for me to really clearly define why I view Ozai as an example of a classic queer/drag coded villain. If you don’t agree and do take his portrayal as an abusive father and an imperialist tyrant seriously and that’s how you prefer to view the story, then by all means do that. I’m not trying to change your mind.

I’m just saying that sometimes our views of things can change dramatically as we ourselves change as people, and sometimes those changes are extremely entertaining, nonsensical and fun to explore.

Like the IT remakes, some unspeakable horrors can also be viewed and enjoyed as queer adjacent comedies if you look sideways and saying. And sometimes the unspeakable horrors are better that way.

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

I'm fine with her being a cop. It goes to show that she actually grew up and is willing to take responsibility. Just like with Aang, how he had to grow up and take his role as avatar seriously.

I see Azula being Aang's traveling companion/partner and a permanently on flame that ends with them being married. She'll also dub herself Phoenix Queen.

In the series itself, there is a book 4: air. The story arcs from the second half of LOK is moved up into Aang's saga. His past lives become severed but only because of Aang purifying Vaatu and causing his powers/status to be siphoned and fused with Raava's.

Calling all ATLA fans

So it’s well know that a lot of fans were disappointed at Toph’s role as police chief after the events of ATLA. What role do you think would better suit her personality and character development? Would she still teach metal bending to be used in a law and order capacity or would she have a different career entirely? Since I operate under the vein with Zutara as canon I often see her as Aang’s bodyguard/travelling companion and on again off again flame.

@theadamantdaughter and @honxrable I’m tagging you two cuz I’m really interested in your thoughts.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Okay! Official but incomplete list of Miraculous assignments for the ML/Atla AU!

(Organized by character-miraculous-Hero/Villain name)

Sokka - Ladybug - Captain Harlequin

Katara - Black Cat - Painted Jaguar

Aang - Turtle - Lionturtle

Toph - Tiger - The Blind Tiger

Zuko - Dragon - Seiryu

Azula - Fox - Vulpyro

Ty Lee - Bee - Honey Stinger

Mai - Mouse/Rat - Rat Queen

Jin - Pig - Babirusa

Yue - Rabbit - Moondust

Suki - Snake -

Haru - Ox -

Teo - Horse -

Kuzon - Monkey -

Meng - Goat -

Jet - Eagle - Bateleur

-

Ozai - Butterfly - Phoenix Moth

???? - Peacock -

Notes:

I don't have any thoughts on characters for the Goat, Rooster or Dog. After all we've already had to drag Kuzon into this to fill out the team. There's just. Weirdly not that many named child characters that'd be part of the group? I might just bring in more of the Freedom Fighters for convenience's sake.

Still debating on what to do with the Peacock considering I have two options on either Zhao or my OC Noriko. Either way they're both working for Ozai it's just a debate on who gets it. (tbh I think while Ozai would see Noriko as more useful in potential, given the Peacock being broken he would rather keep the more useful pawn)

[hello-nichya-here]

What has been your opinion on the Zucest works that have been written in 2024. I have heard a lot of people say that the community is entering a new golden age thanks to works like Fire Lord Iroh, Death of the Phoenix and Through Flesh and Metal, and so I would like to know the opinion of someone who has been the head of the community for years.

I unfortunately haven't had time to give many new stories the time for a proper read, just a few quick looks, but so far it's been pretty neat to not only see so many people interested in the ship, but going out of their way to make content for it, and from what I've seen for myself (and heard from others) it's been quite good! It's wonderful that the ships finally been getting some justice, and I'm two seconds away from begging my boss/aunt for a vacation so I can catch up on my reading and commenting without sacrificing what little time I still time for writing and relaxing.

And I am forever grateful that "Evil Azula forces poor, innocent Zuzu to sleep with her because she's crazy, and he hates every second of it" has offiicially died down. Even the noncon/dubcon fics nowadays in which Azula is the agressor feel far more creative, fun and engaging than the old ones that practically felt the need to scream "I hate Azula! She's a bad person!" every other line.

Also... holy shit, it HAS been years since I became queen of Zucest by default. Time is broken as fuck.

[sharlmbracta]

i can't help but think that the two firelords in aang's fever dream would've been ozai's previous, early-staged designs, from the concept of the "firelord" to the concept of "ozai"

1.

this guy literally has fire shaped eyebrows and a fire nation insignia (or what it used to be?) stuck on his forehead. his blatant (stereotypical?) theme from his appearance is powerhungry(small eyes, bulky form), greedy-arrogant(eating grapes as a symbol?), brute-forced(war-themed clothing). I think this could be the very first design of him when creating the first idea of the "ultimate hero" and the "ultimate villain". The marks of the "first" can also be seen from the clothing design (the scarf? napkin? thingy around his chest) and simple color choices (simple red with simple yellow).

also you can see that he was agreed to have a very long and thin beard from the beginning which would feed on the "wisdom" "intelligence" and "strength" propaganda

2.

again, simple red and simple yellow.

clothing looks rather flashy, which means this look of him was also made at early stages of development and the atla fashion in general hasn't yet been stabilized. (: the flair in his wrists and the thing that goes across his shoulders to his chest. makes no sense. the top half looks like a flashy sleeping robe while the bottom half looks like... an outdoor activity metal skirt?)

he looks older than the previous one. does he? he looks more manipulative though. i think this is where his "slick tongue" personality was established bc a narrow eyes, narrow eyebrows character design kinda points to a stereotypical "rat person". i think. again long beard. that points to his high status or whatever.

this design looks like it was given to an earthbending trainer who haggled on money rather than actual teaching, who was assigned by toph's parents to be her earthbending teacher

3.

this is the very first time his face is actually shown. in seasons 1 and 2, his face was intentionally hidden, probably a tactic to bubble up the audience as "what could a monster like him look like 😱".

but ironically, he's a very normal looking guy. in fact, the most normal looking guy the designers could ever make intentionally. No part of him that could make anyone go "yep this is the face of the villain." this design of him is meant to convey that looks are often the most deceiving to your judgement. this ALSO shows when the gaang finds his baby picture in his beach house on ember island and mistake him for baby zuko.

it represents that everyone can go crazy with propaganda and an insane amount of power. like aang said, how everyone is capable of "great evil" and "great good".

taking katara's quote on the baby picture, "but he looks so sweet and innocent": his "innocent" look acts like a mask he puts on, as well as the mask of neutral expression, on top of the mask of his slick tongue.

the only thing that changes from here on is the frame of his face for anatomy i guess

below is also an impacting scene in my viewpoint:

how his face contorts from this

to this

in less than a second at azula's proposition of "burning it all to the ground". shows him that he's able to mask everything as he want it to, especially about stuff like neutral-face and power-face as that is NOT his ego-high power-tripping face:

THIS is his ego-high power-tripping face

and this is him putting back on his slick face right after a moment of being unable to mask his shock-rage and consequently rage-stripping himself

"now the universe delivers you to me like an 💅act 💅 of 💅 providence 💅" yep the providence that single-handedly blew your fucking ship up

also i forgot that the scene right after defeating ozai existed, i forgot how much of a drama queen he is:

"i'm STILL ALIVE"

and "i AM the phOEnix KING"

ok girlie fellow girlie

one more thing: he sounds genuinely proud of zuko when he commends him for "slaying" the avatar. and he reprimands aang for being "weak even with all the power in the world". looks like he really does think everything around power and ONLY power. hmm, i wonder who taught him that, hmm? tragic.

[stardust948]

I mentioned posting a Neverland or Wonderland AU for Zutara month but I ran into writer's block for both, so here's their summaries for the time being.

Neverland AU:

Neverland was a dream come true. No suffocating grandfather. No stupid rules. No finishing school. Just endless adventure with a whimsical flying boy and his friends. Everything Katara could ever want. Or at least, what she thought she did. After uncovering the dark truth, Katara has no one to turn to except the scarred pirate and his crew if she wants to return home.

Wonderland AU:

After running away from Aang's (or Hahn's, still deciding) very public proposal, Katara follows a strange looking hare-fowl and stumbles down an ice hole. She wakes up in an even stranger land full of talking animals and plants; the very place she'd dreamed about every night for as long as she could remember. Katara is told she's the chosen one, destined to defeat the Red Queen (or Phoenix King, still deciding whether to use Azula or Ozai) and their right hand man, the Knave of Hearts, a fiery knight with the ability to transform into a dragon.

[thispatternismine]

Into the Fire [10/x] - Untitled

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Relationship(s): Mai/Zuko, Zuko & Iroh, Ozai & Zuko, Zuko & the Gaang

Summary: When Azula met her brother in Ba Sing Se & told him he could come home, he believed her, even though she had made this exact offer before. This time there was no loose-lipped Captain to give the game away, & he was brought back to the Fire Nation not as a hero, but in chains. When he is dragged from his cell months later, he expects to be facing his execution, not his coronation.

Chapter 1: A Decision is Made

Chapter 2: Preparations & Discoveries

Chapter 3: A Public Spectacle

Chapter 4: Prison Break, But Legally

Chapter 5: Casually Suggesting Treason

Chapter 6: Confused Hakoda

Chapter 7: Family Drama

Chapter 8: Iroh & Ozai Have A Custody Dispute

Chapter 9: The Phoenix Queen

Chapter 10: Untitled

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

Zuko's redemption is associated with water. If Azula were to have a redemption, it'd be associated with air.

Water is the element of change.

Zuko's arc starts with his life recently being changed for better and for worse. He has trouble accepting change but he either must learn to adapt to the change or end up crushed.

A different type of firebending move he learns is one that's associated with waterbenders. We don't see him try any other techniques from other nations.

It's also interesting that when around Katara, he keeps a cool head. He cares the most about what she thinks.

By the time Zuko becomes Fire Lord, he has a hand in changing the world for the better.

...

Air is the element of freedom.

Azula's arc would be about trying to free herself from toxic expectations.

For her whole life, she's been trapped and her earthly attachment has always been Ozai. Azula was taught that young people must have rigid discipline and order. Almost the polar opposite of what Aang was taught. Being told she has to be Fire Lord has trapped her even more. That expectation proved more than what she could handle.

She may be restrained in a straightjacket but her real prison is her broken mind and the lies she's been told her whole life. Now believing she doesn't belong anywhere.

Something to add to her redemption that differs from Zuko's is for her to open and master her chakras. It can take her a while to warm up to that idea, and it likely wouldn't be possible for her to take it without her and Aang obtaining a spirit bond that's developed after Aang lets go of Katara and embraces his last chakra, but once it's done, she truly becomes free.

To better represent her freedom, she takes the mantle of Phoenix Queen for herself. She's reborn, stronger than she ever was before, and goes from belonging nowhere to belonging everywhere. You could say she's "free as a bird."

[smollucy]

So basically I'm trying to write a ATLA fanfic but if Azula defeated Ozai and became Phoenix Queen 😈😈😈

"The Phoenix Queen (A ATLA work) " by LucyTheTerrrrrrrible on Wattpad https://www.wattpad.com/story/363779365?utm_source=android&utm_medium=com.tumblr&utm_content=story_info&wp_page=story_details_button&wp_uname=LucyTheTerrrrrrrible

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

Not bad. I like to see Azula in Phoenix Queen material though.

more pictures of the lovelies 🥰😍

inspired by this post

I love the idea of Sun Warrior Azula as bridging the gap between Fire Nation and Air Nomads. Like look at her! She would fit right in at any Air Temple, while also still maintaining her unique Firebending look and culture. Discovering the Sun Warriors could really give Azula some new perspective in life on her journey of finding herself, a way to channel her pride and ambition as a Firebender into something positive and find a new purpose, beyond the weapon her father had made her. Then she and Aang could travel around together and bring their near-extinct cultures back to life all over the world!And bonus she gets a cool blue dragon to race with Appa.

credit:

first Aang by our lord and savior @adajel!

second Aang by the talented @vosveti!

and both Azulas also by @adajel

edit/composition by me

[atla-genderbender]

"Just as the world will be reborn in fire, I shall be reborn as the supreme ruler of the world. From this moment on, I will be known as the Phoenix Queen!"

Concept sketch for "Phoenix Queen" Ozai.

In my previous sketch of female Ozai, her crown as Fire Lord is inspired by Chinese fengguan. Since this crown is already intricate, her crown as  "Phoenix Queen" needs to be even more elaborate. To embody her vanity, madness, and megalomania, I took inspiration from apsara crowns. By appropriating the costume of an apsara, she visually declares herself an all-powerful goddess of fire. I felt this was fitting, as in ATLA Ozai appropriates Buddha imagery to create a cult of personality that carries into the comics.

The crown that sketched here is not entirely accurate to an apsara crown. Here it is depicted as an enormous, continuous crown, fused together with gold. There are a couple of reasons I decided to do this, but the main reason is because of a scene which occurs in the TV series finale. Before Ozai fights Aang, there is an impressive shot where he is shown standing on an air balloon. In the genderbent AU, I picture female Ozai standing in the same position, wearing this massive crown. From a distance, it should appear like she is wearing a massive flaming bird on her head, or a mass of comets. This was easier to achieve by making her crown a single, fused unit. Additionally, I picture her tearing off her crown in a single smooth moth, then burning off her cape in the moments before her fight with "Aangi". This is also easier to pull off if her crown is a single, fused unit. While this design is not culturally accurate, I think it is appropriate, as she is exploiting the imagery of benevolent goddesses for evil purposes.

Depending on how you view it, her crown is supposed to look like fire, comets, or a flaming phoenix. So much gold and jewelry is employed that it might look garish. When she is turned to the side, the centerpiece of her crown should resemble the head of a phoenix. When viewed from the front, it should resemble a comet, or the Fire Nation symbol that Iroh draws in the sand.

By taking inspiration from Southeast Asian cultures, I hope it helps divorce her from association with Wu Zetian. I don't think it would be appropriate to only have the villains inspired by Southeast Asian cultures, which is one of the reasons why I also took inspiration from Southeast Asian cultures when designing "Zuka""s comics outfit. These decisions are meant to pay homage to the rich heritage of Southeast Asian cultures, rather than associating them with villainy.

An earlier iteration of this design was more inspired by the naga crowns worn by depictions of Queen Soma, where the naga heads were replaced by phoenix tailfeathers. I decided against this, as Queen Soma was a real person and it felt disrespectful to her legacy.

To differentiate her from an adult Azula, I've drawn female Ozai with a more square facial structure, and red eye makeup.

Here is what her hairstyle looks like without the crown:

Like what I’m doing? Consider leaving me a donation via Ko-Fi.

[thispatternismine]

Into the Fire [9/?] - The Phoenix Queen

Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender

Relationship(s): Mai/Zuko, Zuko & Iroh, Ozai & Zuko, Zuko & the Gaang

Summary: When Azula met her brother in Ba Sing Se & told him he could come home, he believed her, even though she had made this exact offer before. This time there was no loose-lipped Captain to give the game away, & he was brought back to the Fire Nation not as a hero, but in chains. When he is dragged from his cell months later, he expects to be facing his execution, not his coronation.

Chapter 1: A Decision is Made

Chapter 2: Preparations & Discoveries

Chapter 3: A Public Spectacle

Chapter 4: Prison Break, But Legally

Chapter 5: Casually Suggesting Treason

Chapter 6: Confused Hakoda

Chapter 7: Family Drama

Chapter 8: Iroh & Ozai Have A Custody Dispute

Chapter 9: The Phoenix Queen

Extract:

He approached the bars, confident despite her frosty demeanour. Of course they had not been on the best of terms when they had parted. But she'd always forgiven him in the past. She was simply like that-

Her hand lashed out and grabbed his goatee, yanking him toward her. His face slammed into the bars. Stunned by the impact, it took him a moment to realise she had let go. But before he could pull away, both her hands were around his throat.

Stupidly, his first instinct was to push her back with flames.

"What have you done, you wretch!?" she yelled. "My son's face! My daughter's... Everything!"

He wanted to say that Zuko and Azula were their children, and that she had left him with sole responsibility over the discipline of them, as he saw fit. But he couldn't get the words out past her tight grip.

He tried to push her off, but he was so weak he couldn’t have fought a turtleduckling. His vision was starting to darken around the edges. Was this how his end came?

[ tip jar ]