#as for the azula comic

[seyaryminamoto]

Any thoughts on the upcoming atla movie featuring the gaang in their adult years? I’m clinging to the idea that if I don’t like it, I can pretend it never happened and find solace in fanfiction, just as some people do regarding the comics and even LoK. But it’s not doing much to comfort me. I just wish they’d leave this characters and this universe alone and move on new things. But if you’re optimistic about it, please don’t let my skepticism ruin your excitement. It might be a good movie.

Oh, anon... me, optimistic about canon? There's a handful of franchises where I do trust the canon direction and where I do believe the authors/writers/showrunners/creators have a proper purpose in the content they're making. As active a fic writer as I may be, Avatar, I'm afraid, is not one of them.

This doesn't mean I believe the upcoming movie is guaranteed to suck... but it does mean that I'm hardly the most optimistic person when it comes to any post-ATLA content. To this day, I can't say I've been happy with anything they've created after the first show ended. I have a lot of gripes with ATLA's canon as it is, but as I find it so engaging and I think its potential is immense, I still can cherish the original show while acknowledging quite often that it's not perfect. Meanwhile... I can't really enjoy the comics. I enjoyed LOK Book 1 when I first watched it... the rest of the show soured the entire concept of the sequel series for me later. I haven't touched the novels because I'm afraid I won't like what's in there either, and I feel like me and the fandom will be better off if I don't read them because, if I find stuff there that sits ill with me, I'll probably criticize it for a long time and everyone who loved it will be upset at my criticism, while I'll just be upset at having things to criticize, and everyone will just be miserable...

Anyway. This movie, and Avatar Studios as a whole, have to achieve one thing in order for me to have even a smidge of hope for its future:

I need to know they have purpose and direction.

This is fundamentally what I've found lacking in everything that has followed the completion of ATLA. I really don't know what the purpose and direction of most post-canon content was, it felt like most of it didn't have any (and when they did have purpose, they didn't necessarily fulfill that purpose in a satisfactory way, either). If there's no purpose and direction? Then slice-of-life shenanigans would be perfect! Give me glimpses at how people live their lives after the war ended, simple plotlines that are character-centric and that allow those characters to have agency, to evolve as individuals and to make the most of a world where the war is finally over!

Without purpose and direction, there's no point to attempting to tell epic tales because they'll fall flat, especially when they're following up something that DID have purpose and direction, as in, the entirety of ATLA. Sometimes, stories feel complete because they are. When they're extended further just for the sake of making a bigger profit, the risk of breaking open that sense of completion means that what may have worked at first might stop working in the future. If you add too many pieces of machinery that just weren't part of the original design of a device, the once-smoothly-working device will get cluttered and eventually stop working: that's how it feels for me when I see stuff that gets extended without purpose and direction, be it in this fandom or any others.

I can't have blind hope for these movies. I won't have any real expectations from them until I actually understand what their purpose and direction will be. If that purpose and direction happens to be something like witnessing how our ATLA heroes built Republic City in the era of peace they've brought forward, and how they protect that peace from realistic and reasonable threats against it? (... as in, no spirit shenanigans, no exaggerated benders that retcon things that were established in canon, among other things that appear to be the bread and butter of post-ATLA storytelling) I'll be good with that. But if that purpose and direction is actually "let's make up a sudden, new, BIGGER threat than the Hundred Year War, a threat that was never referenced in LOK and that had no impact on the ATLA characters' story because there's no actual consequences to it in any of our other post-canon content, all be it so we can prioritize big, flashy and epic bending battles over story quality!" then... I don't need that in my life, simple as that.

In short, if I don't sense that there's purpose and direction, I'll just not watch the movies or anything Avatar Studios releases. Again, it will be for the best for the fandom and for myself if that's the case... because I think we all have more fun when I'm having fun too rather than just raging about canon's choices :'D feels like that should be the point of fandom after all...

So, I'm basically on the same boat as you. I don't really think they HAVE to stop producing content for the franchise, but I don't think I can genuinely enjoy what they do unless they actually commit to telling stories worth telling again. Evidently, I have no power over whatever they may do, neither do you, so they'll just do whatever they feel like doing... but if canon goes nowhere with these movies, I'll just wish them well and stick to what I love. It's what I'm participating in fandom for, to begin with.

#anon #as for the azula comic #... same concept applies #I wish I could trust that Hicks will do a great job #I don't think I distrust her as much as I would Yang #but I still keep a certain emotional distance there #because damn I've just seen this franchise do a lot of questionable things by now #I've been here for a decade #and I just wanna vibe with things I love #if I can't love canon then I don't vibe with canon and it's healthier if people who do #get to vibe with that #while I stick to my own little happy place #much like you wish to anon

[madscientistenthusiast]

Personally I think that Azula should have been redeemed simply so that she can become Zuko's horrible little advisor who whispers evil little plans to him so that he can do the exact opposite

#the only reason she gets this job is bc he doesnt trust her anywhere else in the palace #its like enrichment for manipulative girls #also so that he can set her on asshole deligates like a rabid little lapdog #she just has mean fuckin pomeranian energy that thing bites then lights you on fire w flames so hot theyre cold #i think their sibling dynamic could be sooo fucking funny its insane #azula #azula atla #atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko #atla zuko #firelord zuko #DISCLAIMER I AM YET TO READ THE COMICS SO IDK WHAT HAPPENS TO HER IN THEM #also long overdue for a rewatch of the show its insane

[firenaition]

thinking about what zuko means to azula and weeping. he's a traitor but he's your brother. he held you when you were born. he's banished for being too weak to hurt your father and you learn to hate his goodness. he is somewhere in the world carrying your eyes. he misses your absent mother more than he loves you but that is the price you pay for being the one who stayed. he never grants you this same kindness. you are faster and deadlier and better but it doesn't change the fact that your brave big brother used to tell you stories of dragons every time it stormed because you were so afraid of the thunder. he is the only one who understands what it means to bear the brunt of your bloody inheritance. he crumbled under the weight of it, but you stayed. you always stay. he is half of you. you hate being betrayed.

you don't love him. he's your big brother. who could you possibly love more?

#my favorite most tortured sibling dynamic in the world #zuko and azula #zuko #azula #atla #avatar: the last airbender #fire nation #fire siblings #ozai #iroh #atla meta #poetry #atla comics

[emkini]

AZULA GET BACK HERE-

Any fire siblings concept that gives them this vibe is an automatic favorite 

#do NOT tag this as ship I will sic azula on your ass #atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko #azula #fire siblings #comic #em draws #atla fanart #I like the idea that Azula is Zuko's passive-aggressive court behavior translator #Zuko: So like. did it seem like that noble was being kind of a dick? #Azula: Currently I have a private investigation underway to uncover an assassination plot I believe he is spearheading #Zuko: Ah

[fioleespring]

#but despite the fear of vulnerability #azula is still gonna marry her #and theyre gonna be sun moon wives #and live happily gayver after #atla #avatar the last airbender #yuezula #yue x azula #azula x yue #azue #avatar #digital art #wlw #fan art #atla fanart #art #comic #h draws

[bruciemilf]

“Jason would be a firebender” “Jason would be an earthbender” Jason would be a kyoshi warrior, you indefensible fools

#WELL. I mean I’m saying this bc Jason is amazing war paint #but a part of me is also like ‘some things should stay for the girlies’ #but then another part of me is like ‘kyoshi warriors believe that it doesn’t matter what you are as long as you fight for justice #and protect the defenseless’ #idk what do you think??? #jason todd #dc #dc comics #DAMIAN NEEDS TO BE AZULA CODED BTW. BUT FROM THE EARTH KINGDOM #text

[comradekatara]

the fire nation royal academy for girls or whatever it’s called is such a funny piece of lore to me. like it’s simultaneously a posh girls’ finishing school and a brutal military academy. misogyny boot camp and also regular boot camp. and also it’s middle school. no wonder azula mai and ty lee are so tight, their friendship was forged in the (literal) flames of the hell they endured together.

#the lore we get abt it from rangi in the kyoshi novels basically just confirms what I suspected #which is that it’s the worst school you could ever attend #also unrelated but does anyone have a link to the new azula comic #im….. intrigued #azula #mai #ty lee #I should have a tag for their trio #my gorls <3

[comradefleur]

azula in the spirit temple preview pages. azula understanders and lovers, WE UP! 🥹❤️‍🔥⚡bro my heart....this is INSANE

#azula in the spirit temple #azula #avatar comics #atla comics #avatar the last airbender #atla #avatar #ursa #zuko #iroh #ozai #mai #ty lee

[hyacinths-in-a-storm]

I love how Azula was “I’m gonna take over Ba Sing Se but I’m gonna do it with culturally accurate clothing”

#also where did she get it from? #did she go shopping with mai and ty lee? #where’s that tale of ba sing se??? #where’s azula ty lee and mai avoiding the gaang zuko & iroh and the da li agents in increasingly comical ways?? #I would’ve ate that up fr #azula #ty lee #mai #tyzula #maizula #mailee #maizulee #atla #avatar the last airbender

[drawnbyroni]

it’s okay, you can laugh it’s funny!⚡️

#comics #art #funny #funny comic #avatar the last airbender #azula #azukka #atla sokka #atla azula #ty lee #sokka avatar the last airbender #azula avatar #comic strip #memes #funny memes #artists on tumblr #sokka #april fool's day

[kukya]

Towards the Sun spoilers (I guess?)

So I've just (read: a few days ago but I was procrastinating on art) finished reading the prologue of Towards the Sun by @muffinlance (if you are unfamiliar with this ff, go read it and traumatize yourself, I recommend it :D). Even though I felt like drawing the Agni Kai, cause, like. Wow. I ended up drawing this silly one which plays off an old joke instead :D

#atla #aang #azula #zuko #avatar #muffinlance #art #avatar the last airbender #atla fanart #towards the sun #towards the sun fanart #comics #azula is having her moment #aang was not prepared for this #kukyaart #I am casually munching on MuffinLance's content rn #tasty fics (◕‿◕✿)

[waterfire1848]

I was today years old when I realized that’s Ozai in this picture of the Search which could mean two things.

One. He told Azula to go with her mother and brother because he didn’t want to deal with her anymore so Azula literally has no one in this picture who actually wants her/wants to spend time with her.

Two. Azula saw her father but opted to continue following her brother and mother in the hopes that they would notice her and include her.

Either way 😭😭😭

#azula #the search #anti the search #anti atla comics #zuko #Ursa #Ozai

[mad-tears]

ⁱ'ˡˡ ᵐᵃᵏᵉ ᵗʰᵉᵐ ᵖᵃʸ - said a 5'0 foot girl

#I can't get over this I'm sorry #she is just so tiny which is kind of funny #ozai and ursa are tall #zuko is tall too #she is just like her uncle #azula #azula in the spirit temple #atla #avatar the last airbender #atla comics #melietpost

[humming-doodles]

Was going through my old art folder tidying things up and realized that I don’t think I ever shared my full piece for the avatar cookbook zine I was in years ago??? So uh here’s that I guess a;lskdfj - the piece on the right was one of the other ideas I pitched, I still like the color thumbnail a lot!

#i cannot Believe i've never posted this before #that's fuckin Wild I could've sworn I did that #was literally just gonna share the image on the right but then I looked and realized the actual final piece wasn't anywhere #avatar the last airbender #aang #zuko #katara #toph #sokka #suki #azula #ursa #atlacookbook #not a comic #finished art #man what other stuff have i forgotten to share

[joodeegemstone]

#avatar the last airbender #atla #azula in the spirit temple #tyzula #ty lee #azula #atla comics

[mugentakeda]

not even harvards top scientists could understand the complexities of the azula-iroh beef lore that i made up in my head

(silly bonus under the cut)

#YES THIS IS A REPOST. Again. my bad #they both suck so bad i love them... best uncle niece dynamic in fiction ever..... theyre the same in all the worst ways.... #yes im an iroh fan yes i think azula can hit him with a comically large mallet we exist #“how do u think iroh and azula are the same but think azula should be allowed to beat irohs ass”. ill give you 3 reasons #1. shes a female. 2 shes not a boy. 3. and most importantly SHES A GIRL #waiter waiter more irrepairable family relationships please!!!!!!!!!! #id go on a 10 yr long spiel about my thoughts and hcs abt their dynamic and what they think ab each other but i shall Refrain. #lu ten couldve been the dad that stepped up but he had to eat shit and die for the plot and good of the world. Amen. #azula #iroh #lu ten #zuko #atla #avatar the last airbender #alicias art