#redeemed!Azula

[corwynnasmith]

Random writing prompt I want to read:

Fire hazard siblings Zuko and Azula getting along and Zuko has One Brain Cell and Azula has Two but they have to work together to overthrow their father because neither of them wants the other one to die.

KEY POINT: Neither of them have talked about it and neither is willing to admit either of them wants to overthrow their father so they just keep strategically "messing up" and being weirdly cool with the other one also fucking up constantly. Outsider POVs don't know what to think lmfao

[lazyartist16s]

-"Do you miss him?"

-"A little,"

[blorboazula]

Always The Exception

A ficlet featuring beta!Azula being a little insecure about omega!Katara actually wanting her. All my A/B/O are fully @the-genius-az's fault (hope you enjoy it, I promise this not a tragedy.

Growing up, Azula has learned that being an omega doesn't make you inherently weak, look at Ozai. Being an alpha doesn't make you inherently strong, look at Ursa. Being a beta doesn't make you anyone's favorite, look at Zhao.

Zuko and Azula are just the exceptions.

Zuko isn't weak, she never believed. She always thought he should put more effort in his bending, in his studies. He had the potential. Not being a prodigy never meant he couldn't become one of the most powerful, skilled Firebenders of his generation. But he would whine about anything that Azula was ever slightly better than him, and go cry on Mother's arms, and Mother kept giving him space to become actually weak.

The firstborn alpha son constantly upstaged by the secondborn beta daughter.

Azula grew up doing everything she could to be valuable, a need that carved its way into her very bones. Carved with claws made of fire handled by Ozai, by Ursa and by everything in the Royal Family culture.

Now, twelve years after the end of the war, Azula can feel that insecurity burning under her skin. Because she's a beta among alphas and omegas, a better bender and a better fighter, there's the underlying convention that betas don't belong so high up in society.

It doesn't quite matter for them, they tell her. They make sure she knows she belongs �� as a person, not a weapon the way Ozai did.

She's not sure what is going on between her and Katara. The omega waterbender had broken up with Aang, with the Avatar, with the most wanted alpha in the world, and has been getting closer and closer to her. They kissed a few times, but Azula is used to that, to being an experiment. She's not even bitter about it, betas don't mate.

"You're being very clingy," Azula comments, because Katara is, sitting on her lap with face on Azula's neck.

"You smell so good."

"I smell-" the extra sweetness finally hits. "Are you in heat?"

"Not yet."

"I'm sure you know I do not possess the needed equipment."

"Needed equipment," she repeats with a giggle. "I just want you to be here, just cuddle and hold me."

"I'm just a be-"

"No," Katara moves back, pupils blown wide but still sober. "You're the strongest bender I know, you're loyal and fierce and brave. And you're beautiful too. You're just great. Why wouldn't I want to be with you?"

"You want to be with me?"

"'Zula, I've been trying to court you for a year."

"What?"

"For a genius, you're so oblivious."

"I'm just a beta, you're surrounded by suitable alphas."

"You're Azula, that means a lot more than you think it does. Now just hold me, we'll figure the rest later, if you want to."

"I- yes. We'll figure it out later."

[thegaybluejay]

do you like Azula redemption aus?

Hi omg thank you for this question!

Alright, so my thoughts:

Personally, I do think there’s a lot of intrigue in Azula redemption AUs! I stumble across some from time to time and have seen some very well done ones! She definitely was molded into being who she was by Ozai, so seeing her learn to break away from that would be very interesting and cool!

I don’t seek these AUs out too too often though, but that’s just because I happen to focus a bit more on other characters. But yes, I do usually enjoy them when I come across them!

Thank you for asking!

[idolomantises]

I just finished rewatching ATLA and I have to say…

Absolutely insane to me that people were insisting that Azula not getting a redemption was “misogynistic” and some kind of writing mistake. The girl told her dad to commit mass genocide.

[lovegrowsart]

personally i think katara is completely within in her right to be angry at and never forgive the man that killed her mother and in turn zuko is also within his right to be angry at and never forgive his abusers who gaslit manipulated scapegoated maimed banished and tried to kill him multiple times and neither of those things would make katara and/or zuko lesser than or bad people

[zukosdualdao]

it’s time for me to admit that i find a post-canon in which azula and zuko don’t reconcile just as (and maybe more) cathartic than what seems like a large fandom consensus that the only happy/cathartic ending is for them to be on good terms down the road. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[zuko-always-lies]

[memopmiff]

Fun fact 🦅

Black Canary shares the same voice actress as Azula in DC Showcase: Green Arrow and Batman: The Brave and The Bold

[the-badger-mole]

On the Unredeemed

Unredeemed villains are important in fiction. I feel like that needs to be said. There is a trend in recent years (probably since Wicked became a hit) of people wanting to see monsters redeemed. I'm not against that (per-se... glowers in Maleficent), but also, I feel like we do lose something when we lean into the idea that the monster gets to make good.

Fiction can be really useful for teaching us about life. I remember seeing a quote some time ago on Pinterest or something that said something along the lines of "fairytales are important not because they tell us dragons are real, but because they tell us that dragons can be slayed". That has been on my mind a lot recently when I see discussions about characters like Azula and (more recently) Ozai. They are fictional characters with super magic fire powers, but they represent something real- they represent the cycle of abuse in families, and while I understand the impulse to absolve someone as young as Azula, I think it's also important to tell the story where she isn't redeemed.

One reason that most Azula redemption stories bother me is because of the responsibility they tend to place on Zuko as her older brother, despite the fact that she victimized him probably more than anyone in her life (that we get to see. I don't think her soldiers believed her death threat for no reason). There are plenty of stories about the victims of abuse needing to be the bigger person to keep their families together and being villainized when they don't (I think by now we all understand that Terri was not the villain of Soul Food). We need stories about knowing when it's okay to walk away, and that illustrate the idea that "the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb".

In a time when more people are talking openly about going low contact or completely cutting off family members- close family members- I personally think that seeing stories about coming out of the other side of it, of building a new family, healing from the past, and dealing with the residual guilt that comes with "turning your back on family" even when it's the right call, is helpful in the same way that those fairytales about slayable dragons are.

I'm not saying any of this to discourage Azula redemption stories. In fact I would love to see more. Stories that have Azula confronting what she did to the people she should have loved most, and have her considering what to do with the knowledge going forward, instead of just using her past abuse and mental health to gloss over the real harm she did. I want to see her grappling to accept the fact that no one- not her brother, not Iroh, not her friends- owes her forgiveness, and then dealing with all the complex emotions that come with just one of them actually forgiving her. But also, I want to see stories where Zuko gets to let go of his father and sister and go on to be supported in that decision. Because to him, they were dragons, and they were slain.

[bunthebreadboy]

listen, as much as i love azutara where azula is the taller one, the pure comedy of short azula makes me giggle. i present two scenarios:

—

1. katara is significantly taller than azula

azula, too lazy to search for a stool, jumping and trying to grab the book she wants in the library: whoever decided to build these shelves so high will face my wrath.

katara, materializing out of the blue: would you like some help?

azula: i am perfectly capable of retrieving my own book, thank you very much.

katara: i know you are, but it would be easier if you just let me-

azula: NO.

(she eventually gives in and lets katara get the book down for her.)

2. katara is BARELY taller than azula (and also a menace)

katara, healing azula after a fight: maybe if you weren’t so short you would have gotten a swollen lip instead of a broken nose…

azula: i am not short!

katara: you really are though.

azula: you are less than an inch taller than me.

katara: i still bet you wish you had that extra height when that guy punched you.

azula, leaning close: you’re insufferable.

katara: insulting me doesn’t change that you’re vertically challenged.

azula: would you shut up?

katara: make me ;)

(and she does)

—

anyways in both these scenarios they’re rivals to friends(?) to actually friends (but won’t admit it) to lovers and no i will not be taking criticism.

[lazyartist16s]

Azula getting therapy but still shit at flirting (Ty Lee likes it anyways)

Mai is tired of their shit

[satansbiggestkinnie]

A little Izumi approached her dad and her aunt and uncle. Apparently Sokka (her dad),was getting tea with his father in law uncle Iroh. With one question on her cute innocent mind. "Papa,auntie,uncle Aang." She bowed despite not needing to. She was to polite for her own good. Aang chuckled. Zuko smiled. "What is it,Turtleduck?" Katara lifted her up and put her on her lap,while Aang pat her her head.

"I had a question. All my friends have grandparents,do I have any?"

A jolt went up Zuko's spine. Perhaps it was heaven sent? Hell if she was dead in Zuko's opinion. Aang stood there nervously. While Katara tried to come up with a response. "Uh," Katara chuckled nervously. "Well,sweetie..." Zuko took a nervous sip of tea to try to calm himself down.

"And what was Azula like when you were children,papa?"

Zuko spat his tea out and coughed aggressively. Aang stood up to try to help him. Katara waterbend it out of the ground,while Aang tried to slap Zuko's back,rather hurting him instead.

"Well,auntie Azula is good now."

"Was my grandpa a good father?"

Zuko was on the ground,if he wasn't he would be laughing at this ridiculous suggestion. Katara decided to take initiativ.

"Long ago-"

"THERE WERE AWFUL AND SHITTY PEOPLE!"

They turned around to see Sokka standing next to Iroh. Aang swiftly covered Izumi's ears.

"Hi? I'm right here you know?" Azula stated from the back. Chuckling to herself. She walked over to Izumi and took her into her arms. "Good job."

Bonus:

Izumi sat in her papa's lap. "Okay,I'm going to teach you something very important. Alright,repeat after me. Azula always lies,Azula always lies." "Azula always lies."

Azula and Katara peaked through the door,an offended Azula next to a smug,teasing Katara.

Iroh and Aang were lecturing Sokka,that as Izumi's dad,he shouldn't curse in front of her. Albeit,Iroh, slightly kinder than Aang. Toph was laughing her ass off.

[circlique]

A commission I did over the weekend of redemption!Azula and Suki! It was fun imagining what a redeemed Azula would be like!

[myimaginationplain]

AU where Katara & Toph both set up premier waterbending & earthbending academies in Republic City; the two schools are dedicated to teaching holistic, unified forms of their respective elements, bringing together previously disparate styles. Katara's school teaches Southern style, Northern style, & Foggy Swamp style waterbending, without any gender-based segregation between self-defense or healing classes (no, bloodbending wouldn't be taught because Katara don't like that shit). Toph's school teaches her personal seismic style of earthbending, metalbending, & more classical forms of earthbending. Katara's academy is on the coast of Yue Bay, in sight of both Aang's memorial statue & Air Temple Island; Toph's academy is far inland, to the east.

Rather than Toph, Suki is the one who establishes a police/security force. Suki's police academy could have a special program with Toph's, so you'd still get those cool metalbending officers. But the school prioritizes non-bending combat first & foremost. Ty Lee's chi-blocking technique is taught there as a required course.

[hyacinths-in-a-storm]

I said it once and I’ll say it again. Iroh is a boymom.