#like Zuko knew Lu Ten

[fabdante]

@zutaraweek day 3: union

a little follow up to this comic i did last year. i really liked the idea of union in a political context and this was a very round about way of that. like, a little tongue in cheek with all the different kids from different nations just sort of talking and gossiping together. teens doing teen stuff despite their high profile roles in society, that type of thing.

initially this comic was a lot more ambitious but some complications happened in my life which made me have to chip away at a lot of it. such as having it in full color, with backgrounds. there's been a lot of thought put into the world of the chief kya au, though! particularly related to yue that is not featured at all asdfghjk.

the more i worked on it, the more i got worried zuko might be a little ooc. but i was a bit inspired by crystal catacombs and the softness he had there. whenever i try to write him in this au, he's just usually just happy to be around katara so i'm just going to let him do what he wants.

Anyway, a transcript along with brief image descriptions is beneath the cut under my obligatory art links as well as in the alt text of the art!

art only blog - insta - inprnt - redbubble

Page 1: Zuko and Katara are at a gathering for those invited to the peace accords which seems to be more packed then usual.

Katara: Wow, there’s a lot of people here Zuko: Yeah. There’s a lot of people this year. K: I don’t recognize anyone yet. Z: Oh! I can help you. Z: That’s Mai. Her father is an official. Z: She’s Suki. Leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. Z: And next to her is- K: Yue!

Page 2: Katara and Yue hug and the teens (Zuko, Yue, Katara, and Suki) all chat.

Yue: Katara! K: I missed you! Y: I’m so happy to see you! have never spoken more than hellos was just trying to chat with Yue awkward turtle duck Z: So you do know someone. K: We’ve known each other since we were kids. Lu Ten: Prince Zuko?

Page 3: Lu Ten appears, Yue and Suki gossip, and Katara's a bit sad as Zuko leaves with Lu Ten to handle business elsewhere.

Z: Lu Ten? L: Sorry to interrupt, but can I steal you? Z: Is it important? L: Unfortunately. L: They seem nice. I’m happy you’re making friends.

Page 4: The girls gossip and Mai overhears.

Y: I didn’t know you knew Zuko. Suki: Yeah. Do you know anything about the scar? K: I don’t really know him. We just met. What do you guys know? Mai: No one actually knows. M: About the scar. They kept it quiet.

Page 5: There's a small flashback to Zuko at 14 after receiving his scar, the girls continue to talk, and there's a final panel of Ozai, alluding to a family secret.

M: He just went away for a while. And then he came back and there it was. M: That’s all anyone knows. Except Zuko. K: That’s awful. There has to be more. M: Well…people have some suspicions.

#zutara #zutara week #zutara week 2023 #prince zuko #katara #zuko #atla #avatar #avatar the last airbender #my art

[mugentakeda]

i think zuko and lu tens dynamic was like. if lu ten told zuko the sky was green and grass was blue zuko would believe it due to how he admired his big cousin. and lu ten knew that and found it funny and cute. but he never told zuko anything like that

#and even when lu ten told zuko his opinion on stuff hed tell zuko he can make his own opinion too #and even if zukos opinion is different from lu tens opinion then its still cool #because if it werent for different opinions every conversation would be so boring #unfortunately these things dont stick when youre scared shitless of your father and his word is law. but you know

[comradekatara]

there are a lot of bad takes in the atla fandom (like, atla fandom may as well be a bad take generator) but something that has really been pissing me off lately is the assumption that you can categorize the fire nation royal family into good guys and bad guys. first of all, obviously, they're all bad guys. they are imperialists. but the idea that "sozin ozai azula bad" and "iroh lu ten ursa zuko azulon(?!) good" is actually insane.

lu ten died attempting to conquer the earth kingdom. lu ten was there because his father, iroh, was leading the siege. ursa laughed when iroh joked about burning ba sing se to the ground. zuko laughed too, mirroring his dear mother who taught him about the wonders of imperialism. and the fact that some people think that azulon was a good guy because he favored iroh is crazy. he favored iroh because iroh was the better imperialist, was more charming and tactically savvy as he bent the world to his will. people who think that azulon didn't like ozai because ozai was cruel literally have it backwards. ozai was cruel because azulon didn't like him. sozin shaped azulon, and azulon shaped iroh and ozai. azulon reigned for most of the war, and he was responsible for decimating the southern water tribe and colonizing the earth kingdom.

iroh only realizes the error of his ways well into middle age, after spending a majority of his life colonizing the world. he only stops to reconsider once he experiences the adverse effects of war for himself through the loss of his son. likewise, zuko can only gain empathy for the victims of the war by being one himself, as a refugee in the earth kingdom, and bonding with people who have been hurt by the fire nation. azula doesn't get that chance. ozai doesn't get that chance. azulon, lu ten, and ursa are dead, so they will never get that chance. but it's not like there is some ontological moral divide separating azula from zuko. zuko was a sensitive child whereas azula was better at embodying fire nation values of power and cunning. zuko was punished for his outbursts whereas azula knew how to keep her mouth shut. therefore, zuko experienced circumstances that led him to disavow fire nation imperialism.

but that doesn't mean that azula is ontologically evil. azula was the iroh of her generation to zuko's ozai, and iroh (eventually) disavowed conquest as well. there is no inherent divide between good and bad, monster and human. ursa was a warm and loving mother to zuko, just as iroh was a warm and loving father to lu ten, but they both laughed at others' suffering. their values were shaped by their circumstances and experiences. their ideologies do not make them less human, or less capable of change, just as their interpersonal behaviors do not negate their abhorrent ideologies.

#just because they're cartoon villains doesn't mean they're. yknow. cartoon villains #i think a lot of people just don't really understand iroh at all #and that's where a lot of these biases stem from #because if you think 'iroh good' then the next step is to assume that anyone iroh likes is good and anyone iroh doesn't like is bad #even though iroh is heavily biased and incredibly complicated #analysis #sort of #this is like. analysis for babies #taking you all back to preschool #so we can learn that fascists are human too #azula #zuko #iroh #ozai #azulon #ursa #lu ten #the evil gang's all here!

[old-people-like-avatar]

Netflix Avatar the Last Airbender S1 - Overall Thoughts [SPOILERS]

I am a longtime fan of Avatar the Last Airbender. I did not watch it in its original 2005 run, but I discovered it in around 2010 after my good friend R.S. recommended it to me. It's been my #1 favorite TV show ever since and I have rewatched it more times than I can count. I was cautiously optimistic about NATLA.

Now, having watched the whole first season of NATLA, and looking at the season as a whole, I think the best word to describe it is uneven. I can't say that I loved it, and I can't say that I hated it. But there were things I really liked about it and things that really did not work for me. Overall, I enjoyed watching it -- if only to dissect what did and did not work about the adaptation -- and would want to watch more.

WHAT WORKED

Everything to do with Zuko and Iroh. I found myself going back through just to rewatch all of the Zuko and Iroh-related scenes. I thought Dallas Liu really nailed Zuko -- from tantrums about his journal being stolen to incredible action sequences to the boyish vulnerability of worrying about the laces on his gauntlets. He took an iconic character and made him his own. NATLA added some incredible scenes and lines to my favorite duo: Lu Ten's funeral (coupled with orchestral version of "Leaves from the Vine"); Zuko's first war council; Iroh choosing to go with Zuko on the boat; the 41st Division; Iroh putting a blanket on Zuko. And I liked that NATLA emphasized that Iroh needed Zuko in the wake of Lu Ten's death as much as Zuko needed Iroh after his mother left.

Daniel Dae Kim's interpretation of Ozai. Ozai in ATLA is kind of one-dimensional. Daniel Dae Kim's Ozai adds a deeper layer to him in that he genuinely seems to think he's doing legitimate parenting -- even going so far as to visit Zuko after burning his face and remarking, glibly, that he'll recover ("but he'll never heal," says Iroh). It adds an even more monstrous angle to his cruelty because Kim's Ozai seems to think he's doing it for his children's own good. This post perfectly encapsulates my feelings about why I thought the agni kai between Ozai and Zuko was an excellent addition to NATLA.

Zuko/Aang. These two bonding over goat hair brushes was the scene I never knew I needed. The way Aang managed to wrest a little smile out of Zuko in that scene before Zuko blew up at him for criticizing the Fire Lord? And the way that tied into the "Compassion is a sign of weakness" scene from the agni kai? Great character work.

WHAT DID NOT WORK

Dialogue. I already observed at length my dissatisfaction with the clunky, exposition-dumping dialogue in my episode-by-episode writeups. It certainly wasn't as bad as the Movie-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named, but . . . there was no art or subtlety to it, and no trust in the audience. A disappointment.

The GAang did not feel like family. The lack of breathing room in the 8-episode season meant that all of the "filler" episodes that fleshed out the relationships between Aang, Katara, and Sokka were sacrificed. I am not saying NATLA needed to recapture each of the filler episodes. But they needed to build the foundational bonds between the main trio with showing not telling and they really didn't. They separated them for big chunks of 2 episodes. And, really, they just felt like traveling companions. That took all of the emotional heft out of, well, everything related to Aang, Katara, and Sokka. I mean, frankly, the kid actors did a better job establishing the "family" dynamic just by being themselves in their press interviews than the show did with the characters.

Aang did not run away from responsibility. I am not one of those people that's just mad that the show wasn't exactly like the cartoon. No. What I mean is, even putting aside the cartoon, even if you just look at NATLA itself: their own themes were undercut by never showing Aang actually running away from responsibility. Each avatar seemed to be berating Aang for doing something he was never actually shown to be doing.

Katara. I really don't think this one is on the actress. Katara felt like a fundamentally different character from ATLA's Katara. It's not to say an adaption is not allowed to have their own interpretation of a character, but... I just did not understand NATLA Katara. There was no passion, no rage, no overbearing nurturing. She was... I don't know what she was. Traumatized, yes, but nothing grew out of that trauma? Meek, until the plot demanded that she suddenly become a waterbending master without any guidance other than a waterbending scroll? The "younger sister"? More than any of the main characters, I'm not sure what NATLA was trying to say about Katara at all. And, as a result, I'm afraid the word to describe it might be uninteresting. And given that she is the heart and soul of Team Avatar, this one was really tough.

Despite the fact that a lot of NATLA did not work for me, I still enjoyed it because the things that did work for me, well, really worked. So. I'm here for all of the Zuko/Iroh scenes!

#avatar the last airbender #atla #a:tla #avatar: the last airbender #netflix atla #natla #netflix avatar #live action avatar

[muffinlance]

Prompt: Azula joins Zuko on his Avatar hunt instead of Iroh. I don't know why, I don't know how, but I'm certain to be entertained by whatever follows.

Ozai and Ursa were already dead by the time Iroh arrived home. He stepped from his ship into the palanquin, and rode past the places of their execution, holding the urn of his son’s ashes. 

He had no time to entrust them to the Fire Sages before his father summoned him. He brought them along, because this was an easier thing than setting them down. And perhaps Lu Ten’s grandfather would like to see him once more, outside of the family shrine. Iroh would have given anything—

He placed the urn on the floor next to him. It did not kneel when he did. Fire Lord Azulon surveyed him from behind the flames.

“Rise, my son. It is good to have you home.”

They did not speak of Lu Ten. His father had always been a man to look to the flames of the future, rather than the ashes of the past.

* * *

They hanged Ursa, as befitted her attempted crime, and her past station.

They burned Ozai, as befitted his. A child of Agni should always return to the flames.

The children of the traitors had been stricken from the family line. Had been placed in the capital prison; bait for the trap. Azulon was keeping close eye on those who expressed concern for the offspring of regicides. Ozai had expected support for his position; it would be Iroh’s second task to sift through the court, and discard the chaff. 

His first task was a more practical resowing. Azulon had already selected a handful of candidates: women of suitable birth and known loyalties. The wedding date had been set, pending selection of the bride.

“Thank you, father,” Iroh said. 

Lu Ten held his silence.

* * * 

Azula had never liked the servants who’d fussed at her hair and clothes, who’d pulled and tugged until she was perfect, like perfect was a thing outside of her for others to bestow. She only had to look at Zuko to know how far tailored robes and well-oiled hair could take one.

She couldn’t see Zuzu from her cell. Her robes were too cold against the stone and every tug to wrap them tighter just made them worse, she could see it in the guards’ faces, the way they’d stared when she’d first arrived and looked a few days after and now they barely even saw. No one would talk to her, no matter her demands. They didn’t even stop their own conversations anymore; just slid in her food and kept walking and batted away her fires and it was cold here.

There were things crawling in her hair that her nails couldn’t dig out. Sometimes she thought she heard Zuzu yelling, but she couldn’t be sure. And it would have been undignified to yell back. She was a princess. She was fifth in line for the dragon throne. 

Fourth, now that Lu Ten was dead.

Third, because father was, too. 

He’d yelled and then he’d screamed and it hadn’t done anything but make the crowd jeer. Fire Lord Azulon had been silent. Poised. In control. She was his namesake and she would be too. 

She was nine.

* * *

Zuko yelled until his throat burned. The guards didn’t care, they didn’t listen to him, which was nothing new. He shouted and shouted and his own ears hurt. Maybe that’s why he never heard Azula calling back.

Grandfather had made them watch when he’d killed father and, and—

If grandfather had Azula killed, he would have made Zuko watch that, too. Azula was probably just better at being a prisoner than he was. Maybe the guards even talked to her.

He was eleven.

* * *

Iroh’s new wife was a third his age. A flower just coming to bloom. She looked like his first wife; Azulon knew his preferences. She was young enough to be Lu Ten’s sister. She smiled and laughed each day with the other court wives, and came to his room with lists of possible dissenters to discuss in their marital bed. It was not the pillow talk he was used to, but it was charming, in its way. She liked to lay on her stomach and kick her feet above her as they traced the web of treachery with his dead brother at its center. She was here to have his children—a task at which she worked with admirable diligence—and to be the acting Fire Lady. She had not had to struggle and flaunt herself for his affections; she had been picked from a line-up, her expectations realistic, her motives aligned with his. It was the least romantic relationship Iroh had ever been part of. It was… refreshing.

On the day the palace doctor confirmed their newly budded line of succession, the Fire Lord called them both in for congratulations. And for pruning.

* * *

Zuko had turned twelve, but had not realized it. Azula had turned ten. She’d counted the days.

Iroh had not been able to visit them in prison; only to inquire as to their treatment. Individual cells, regular meals of reasonable quality, no abuses. He’d moved his own people into position to ensure the last. 

Azulon had moved them back, after a delay for his soft-hearted son’s conscience. They could not waste loyal men on cuckoo-vipers. And Iroh could not waste his father’s good will. Not when it would be needed in the future, for the most important request.

* * * 

“And your wife agrees to this?” asked the Fire Lord, behind his flames. 

Iroh’s wife had not been directly addressed, and so did not reply. She sat in polite and perfect seiza, her head raised, as befitted the woman currently running her half of the court. Azulon had never seen fit to replace his own wife, after all.

“She does,” Iroh spoke for her. “We have spoken on the issue at length, and believe it best. Our family is small, and cannot afford to be smaller. The children are young; too young to have been in their parents’ confidences. With proper guidance—”

“And how would they place in the line of succession?” Azulon asked. “How would they chafe, how would they plot, with a decade’s experience over your eldest?”

Lu Ten’s own connections at court had been built while his cousins were still in diapers. But he was no longer Iroh’s eldest.

“We believe—”

“No,” his father interrupted again. “I will not allow their adoption. Not by you, where they could smother your own babe in the cradle, and certainly not by someone I trust less.”

Which was everyone, since the night his daughter-in-law had served him tea sent by his son.

“Father,” Iroh began, and his wife shifted her elbow just so, the only indication that she wished to dig it into his ribcage. “They are young, and innocent. They are my beloved nephew and niece. Your grandchildren. We cannot in good conscience—”

‘Good conscience’ had never factored into his father’s policies. Iroh had… begun to realize that, of late. His wife let out a small sigh, deliberately audible only to the man next to her. She had cautioned very strongly against a—how had she put it?—a feelings-based approach to this situation. Feelings rarely factored into her own decisions. She had been hand-selected by his father, after all. 

His wife went into a half-bow, her head lowered. “May I speak, my lord?” 

The flames crackled. The shadow of his father inclined its head, just slightly. 

“To kill the children is wise, and I admit, would set my mind at ease for my own child’s sake. But my husband feels strongly on this matter, and so I support him, for his happiness is my own. May I suggest a compromise? To place them outside the court, where they cannot build influence, nor harm your son’s heirs. A position from which you can judge their characters and value to the nation as they grow.”

“You suggest banishment,” the Fire Lord said.

“Not unstructured, of course. To leave them roaming freely would invite those that would take them in. Perhaps a military commission? As they are commoners, they should begin from a rank befitting their station, of course. Let them prove their worth on their own merit.”

Iroh could not see through the flames, but he knew his wife’s small smile was reflected on his father’s face. 

“A naval position,” the Fire Lord said. “On a ship that does not frequently make port. The frontlines would be the best place for them to prove themselves, wouldn’t you agree?”

Iroh closed his eyes.

“Father,” he said. “Please,” and he could feel his wife willing him to stop talking. The Fire Lord had already agreed to spare their lives. A banishment could be undone, so long as he and the children both outlived the man before them. “I… thank you for your wisdom in this ruling. But perhaps, if they complete some feat worthy of our line, they could be allowed to return?”

The flames were hot against his face. His new wife was still and silent against his side. His father… his father laughed, a low exhalation, the wheeze of a humorless old man.

“Let them bring me the Avatar,” Fire Lord Azulon said, “and I will welcome them home with honor.”

* * *

Zuko didn’t know why they’d pulled him from his cell or scrubbed him down or taken his old clothes. They’d been dirty but they could have been cleaned. His new clothes were scratchy, and too big, and they looked like a common soldier’s, and… and—

And they’d shaved his hair. 

* * * 

It had gotten rid of the bugs, Azula admitted, in the privacy of her own mind. Still. She memorized the faces of the woman who’d held her down and the man who’d shorn her. For future reference.

They hadn’t bothered sizing her new outfit for a child. Azula noted the quartermaster’s face, as well.

* * *

They were put on a ship. It was the first time they’d seen each other in nearly a year.

Zuzu looked at her head, and wisely said nothing.

She raised an eyebrow at his, and graciously granted him the same.

It was hard to tell them apart. They had their mother’s face. And their father’s.

* * *

Their captain’s name was Zhao. He invited them to dinner in his private quarters, once the Fire Nation was behind them. Zuko fidgeted. Azula didn’t.

The captain spoke on how much potential he saw in them, under a commander who saw their true value. 

Together, they could go far. Very far, indeed.

Azula smiled and said all the things she thought father would have said. Zuko scowled. 

Zhao brushed over their arms with his own while reaching for things. He served them more when they said they were already full. He squeezed their shoulders when he brought them back to their rooms, which were next to his, even though the rest of the lower crewmen slept together in the same big cabin. Zuko scowled harder. 

Azula was invited back. Zuko wasn’t.

* * *

Zhao was… Zhao wasn’t a good person.

“I know that, dum-dum. But do you want to stay banished forever?” 

“Uncle said—”

“Uncle’s going to change his mind, when he has his own heir and a spare. We’re threats, Zuzu. And Zhao knows father’s old friends. He’s one of the smart ones.”

The dumb ones had already been executed. 

“I… I think he wants to—to tie himself to the royal line.”

“Eww,” she said. “I’m ten. If he wants to get engaged, I’ll just break it when we’ve got the throne. It will be too late for him to retract his support, then.”

They’d barely left port before Zhao had made his first move. He didn’t seem like a man who waited. 

Azula was ten, but Zuko was twelve. Being twelve was almost thirteen, which was almost a teenager, which was almost an adult, and adults understood things that ten year olds didn’t.

They had to get off this ship. They had to go home.

Zuko had to find the Avatar.

* * *

(This ficlet is now posted on AO3.)

#are you not entertained? #eventually this one will be a Fire Lord Iroh AU #better hope he gets that throne quick <3 #Happy Ending: and then they joined the southern raiders just as Hakoda was setting sail #and Hakoda was unprepared for these feral fuzzy-headed children suddenly on his ship #Bad Ending: and then they joined the southern raiders when Zuko was sixteen and Azula was fourteen #after four years with Zhao #Zuko: *shakes Aang until he glows then yeets him at Zhao like a grenade* #Azula: that's a good first step to being my favorite brother #but I still don't have a crown in my hair Zuzu #Avatar The Last Airbender #atla #Zuko #Azula #Iroh #I actually really like Iroh's new wife? #RIP one-off OC I'll probably never use again #you are the politically climbing aro-ace rep we deserve #New Wife: sure I'll exchange my firstborn for ultimate power in my nation #wait I can keep the kid too? #sweet deal #ficlet #Cuckoo-Vipers

[cobra-diamond]

Who Cared for Azula?

And which of them did she hurt?

Some people will read this and think the answer is obvious. The answer is not obvious. Azula in the Spirit Temple contains a particularly puzzling scene that feels eerily out-of-place and concerns the titular subject: who cared for Azula, and which of them did she hurt? I’m referring to this scene:

Spoilers under the cut.

Who is the Zuko ghost referring to? Honestly ask yourself this: who cared for Azula, and of those people, which of them did she hurt?

Her mother?

Ursa more than likely loves, and at a minimum cares for, her daughter despite us never seeing Ursa act affectionate and snugly toward Azula as she does Zuko, but Azula never hurt her mom. She was a young kid when Ursa left. Is the ghost referring to The Search? Smoke & Shadow? Azula never mentions the face change, Kiyi, the Kemurikage, any of that. Those comics barely seem to exist for this comic.

No, not Ursa.

Her father?

I’d be hard-pressed to say that Ozai loves his daughter, but he definitely cares for her. But Azula didn’t hurt her father. Failing to prevent Zuko’s coup? Mentally falling apart in the biggest moment? Lying to him about Zuko killing the Avatar? Maybe? That can’t be what the Zuko ghost is referring to, but I can believe Azula feels guilt over the events of Sozin’s Comet and that she, in part, is responsible for his current sorry state.

Maybe her father.

Her uncle?

Iroh is not shown to “care” for his niece. Be cordial, polite, neutral, yes, but affectionate? Devoted? No way. Azula only hurts Iroh after he hurt the Fire Nation, as a traitor, as per her father’s orders. Azula did not hurt Iroh personally and Iroh did not care for Azula personally either. Iroh did, after all, fail to avenge Lu Ten’s death and abandoned the siege. That’s not Azula’s fault. Other people in the Fire Nation, and Earth Kingdom, dislike him too.

Definitely not Iroh.

Her brother?

Zuko is never shown to care for his sister. Let me make something clear: siblings do no tend to leave each other as they love their parents. Perhaps in an ideal world deep sibling love is the standard, but there’s a reason siblings terrorizing each other is a meme: they want all the parental attention for themselves. And this happens between Zuko and Azula. Zuko is bitter toward his sister, highly competitive, and harbors a massive inferiority complex. Zuko is never shown to be loving, affectionate, or personally devoted to her. In fact, Azula is shown displaying more evidence of sibling love than Zuko, but that is neither here nor there. Azula has hurt Zuko, yes, but Zuko did not care for her. Zuko is not someone who cared for Azula, and who Azula hurt. He’s primarily a rival whose weakness she didn’t care for.

Not Zuko.

Mai?

Mai cared for Azula? In what way? When is Mai shown being affectionate, loving, and personally devoted to Azula? When does Mai bring Gatorade and Campbell’s over to Azula when she is sick? Mai is as biting and sarcastic and nasty as Azula at times. And how exactly did Azula hurt Mai in such a way as to draw feelings of guilt from Azula? Azula helped bring Zuko home so Mai could get back together with him. Azula “freed” Mai from Mai’s parents and Omashu. How did Mai care for Azula outside of taking orders from her nation’s princess?

Not Mai.

Ty Lee?

Maybe. Did Ty Lee care for Azula? Did Ty Lee love Azula, feel affection and personal devotion to her? She hugged her in Return to Omashu and was excited to see her, but she turned down her “beloved friend’s” offer without a second thought. Did Ty Lee want Azula as a friend at that point, or was she upset Princess Azula knew of her and wished she had never known her? Azula definitely hurt Ty Lee at the circus, without a doubt. But did Ty Lee care for Azula? All we see is Ty Lee giving Azula lousy dating advice that did nothing to assuage Azula’s self-esteem issues. That’s love? That’s care?

Azula hurt Ty Lee, but did Ty Lee care for Azula? Maybe, but likely no.

Lo and Li?

Lo and Li said they were concerned for her well-being. Nobody else ever said anything like that to Azula throughout the show, nor any expanded content since. Yeah, they might have cared for her. Maybe they even loved her. I have a hard time saying Lo and Li were good for her, but it does seem they took a personal interest in Azula. And Azula banished them unfairly. She hurt them. And they appeared to care for her.

Yes, Lo and Li.

Her servants?

Her servants technically cared for her, cooking meals, doing laundry, her hair. They seemed shocked when Azula banished the girl holding the cherries. Perhaps some of them loved her, having known her for her whole life. I find it plausible Azula’s servants felt affection and personal devotion to Azula. And she hurt them. She unfairly banished them. They didn’t deserve it. And they cared for her.

Yes, her servants.

Her Imperial Firebenders?

Maybe? I assume they were mostly men and some women. I imagine at least some of those men were attracted to their princess, and I imagine some of those women were impressed by their princess’ firebending prowess. I can’t say they loved her or were affectionate, but they were certainly dutiful, at least duty-bound. And she banished them unfairly.

Yes, her Imperial Firebenders. They didn’t deserve it at least.

Her Dai Lee agents?

Screw the Dai Lee. They are scumbags. She was right to kick their sorry asses to the curb.

Who else? Her Fire Warriors?

How did she hurt them? She rescued them from the asylum!

The Zuko ghost confused me, and I find it interesting that it also confused Azula. Of all the dialogue in the comic, this felt the most unnatural, disturbing even, and Azula’s expressions during the encounter reflect that same feeling.

The Zuko ghost doesn’t sound like the rest of the comic. Azula had responses to all the ghosts until that point. The previous discussions concerned topics that felt natural to Azula’s perspective and experiences. The Zuko ghost don’t sound like it is expressing Azula’s self-loathing and creeping doubt the other ghosts conveyed.

To me, it sounds like it was speaking fandom talking points.

Grey Delisle, many years ago, said in an interview that she thinks Azula manipulates people into being her friends because she’s afraid people will leave her. The comic almost says this verbatim.

Certain fans believe that Azula took advantage of scores of people who were weaker than her, or dependent on her as would a petty toxic individual in an abusive interpersonal relationship, regardless of her station as princess. They, without question, cite Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee as being the prime examples.

Of the three, Zuko is the only one she took advantage of for petty reasons, and primarily as a poorly-raised child. For Ty Lee, she gave her the medieval lord treatment to rip her from the smelly circus where platypus-bears lay eggs out in the open. Mai? I don’t see it. But the Zuko ghost is not talking about people she hurt in general. It’s talking about people who cared for her that she hurt.

Zuko has hurt Azula. Ty Lee has hurt Azula. Mai has especially hurt Azula. But did these people care for her? Did she betray their love they held for her?

I don’t think Zuko, Mai, or Ty Lee “cared” for Azula by the time the events of the show roll around. The Zuko ghost sounds like it is using fandom talking points from certain fans who hold the most pessimistic interpretations of Azula’s behavior.

I find it notable that Azula is drawn with a confused and disturbed expression while she is being confronted by the most off-sounding accusations. I also find it notable that the ghost delivering these accusations turns into a threatening monster. I also find it notable that she winds up killing this ghost.

Maybe it is a metaphor.

To answer the question, "Who cared for Azula, and which of them did she hurt?" It appears to be Lo and Li, her servants, and Imperial Firebenders. Maybe Ty Lee and maybe her father. But think of all the arguments over Azula and her interpersonal relationships. Does anyone care about Lo and Li getting banished? Her servants getting wrongfully accused of trying to assassinate her? Her Imperial Firebenders for being disloyal? Her father being in prison and debended at the hands of Zuko and his supporters?

Of course not, it's always Zuko, Mai, and Ty Lee, but the evidence that they "cared" for her is flimsy at best. The people who Azula should feel most guilty about hurting are the ones we, as fans, and the narrative, give the least amount of sympathy to.

#azula #avatar the last airbender #avatar comics #atla meta #azula in the spirit temple

[themattress]

Who helped negatively shape Azula?

As of Azula in the Spirit Temple, it couldn't be more clear.

Azulon and Iroh are both guilty through inaction. In Azulon's case, he just straight-up didn't give a damn about Azula...her being named after him and being a prodigy at firebending failed to move him in the way Ozai had hoped. As for Iroh, he knew damn well what kind of a parent his brother was likely to be, but let his own military ambitions and desire to please his father take precedence over any concerns. Then, when he finally had the opportunity to help, he only did so for Zuko because he saw in him both his own dead son and a young version of Ozai that he could save from falling to darkness, while in Azula he only saw current Ozai which completely ignores the fact that she's a child. He didn't help her, and she got worse. Especially damning is that even after Zuko betrayed him and he was locked in prison, Iroh still reached out to help Zuko through teaching him he was Avatar Roku's descendant which somehow means the potential for good is inherit in him...yet did no such thing for Azula even when she is also Avatar Roku's descendant whom that theory should also hold true for.

But of course, the bigger guilty parties are Ozai and Ursa, her own parents, because their actions directly impacted her. Ozai is the guiltiest of all since he's the one who groomed her to be like him and believe in his psychotic, sadistic, manipulative worldview and bigoted, authoritarian, nationalistic philosophies. Ursa gets some leeway for being a victim of Ozai's abuse, but it can only carry her so far. As frightened of Ozai as she was, she was still an adult, and her children were far more vulnerable and at risk from Ozai. And yet Ursa let her fear of Ozai, whom she saw in Azula, and her guilt for inadvertently setting Zuko up for being targeted for abuse by Ozai, cloud her maternal judgement. She focused her energies on Zuko, neglecting Azula save for chiding her when she acted out for attention, and gave Ozai the perfect opportunity to convince Azula that unconditional love was a fantasy. And on top of that, she ended up completely abandoning both her children. Both of Azula's parents sucked.

Not guilty at all are Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee and Lu Ten. Zuko, Mai and Ty Lee are all victims of Azula plus of their own parents (the exact same as Azula's in Zuko's case), while Lu Ten was never in a position where he could have possibly done anything to help her; for all we know he barely ever got to see his younger cousins given how active he was in the military.

And on that note, Azula can't be fully absolved of guilt for how she turned out given that those peers whom she was closest to and whom she victimized all managed to overcome the way the adults in their lives failed them and negatively shaped them by their own free will. Azula could have done the same but instead doubled down on it, and that was her downfall.

#Avatar #The Last Airbender #Azula in the Spirit Temple #Azula #Analysis #Tragedy #This Has Been a PSA

[trashfactorysstuff]

What are your headcanons for the fire family modern au?

Mostly all my modern au headcanons come from the fanfics I’ve read…which most of them consist in either them being owners of big companies lol. But I do have a phew on my own.

TW for Abuse!!

- I like to think that Ilah died in childbirth (like mostly all the fandom does lol) and Iroh being the one who took care of him as much he could, since Azulon was too depressed and neglectful to care about the baby.

- Iroh was meant to be the one who takes control of the company but when Lu Ten died, he just let Ozai to take care of it. Mostly like what happen in the canon.

- Azula tends to be alone in the big mansion, just taking Mai and Ty Lee for company.

- Following the previous one; Azula wants them to be on sleepovers most of the time so she doesn’t feel alone or invited them to vacations every summer.

- Zuko gets send to live with Iroh by Ozai, since he is basically an abusive ass who barely cared about him and since he knew that Iroh was depressed for Lu Ten’s death, he just manipulated him for it. Iroh is smart but he was vulnerable, y’know?

- Azula and Zuko have times where they go to Ursa’s hometown, showing how disconnected from reality they are.

- Ozai has them in a very strict academy, the slightest hint of imperfections gets with heavy punishments.

- Ozai is terrified of Azulon, he doesn’t show it but he can be nervous around him. He dies for his approval everytime.

- Along with the previous; Ozai is the type of jealous to be better than the other. Iroh has one son? He has two. Iroh owns a small business? Ozai owns a big company. You can get the idea I hope.

I have plenty of more and I can do a second part if you guys want but for now, stick to this and this old drawing from last year😭

#oof #I love modern aus so much #ozai #azulon #iroh #azula #zuko #ursa #ilah #mai #Ty Lee

[stardust948]

do you have any zutara or atla fic recs?

Oh yes! I have plenty!

Fluffy fics

Questions & Answers by @gemgirl28

Kya and Lu Ten learn about the Hundred Years War, and Kya has a lot of questions for her Father about his role in the war. Or The Steambabies learn the origin of Zuko's scar.

A Month of Sundays by ok_boomerang

Fire Lord Zuko is desperately trying, and continuously failing, to successfully propose to Ambassador Katara. She's oblivious; everyone else is entertained. Meanwhile, Zuko is giving weekly Sunday speeches to the Fire Nation in an effort to help his people feel closer to their government. This effort was not supposed to include telling the entire Fire Nation about his plans for a future with Katara before even she knew about them. But it's fine! They promised not to tell!

Even Dragons Need Hugs by EKWolf2020

Zuko is missing his wife while off for business. While she is gone, he can't help but feel prickly and clearly misses having her near him.

Fire Dance by HomeAgainRose

Zuko goes with the gang following the events of Crossroads of Destiny. This is what happens when they're first in the Fire Nation and Aang ends up at the Fire Nation School. Katara wasn't exactly prepared for the feelings that come out.

little rays of starlight by JasmineTeaLatte

Izumi had been a mere babe during her first and only trip to the Southern Water Tribe, back before Druk had even joined their family or the twins were even born. She remembered freezing white snow flurries and huddling in her father’s arms for warmth, but little else...   Or, the Fire Lord and his wife take their infant daughter out on a trip to see the Southern Lights during the crown princess' first visit to the Southern Water Tribe. Takes place in the timeline of "The Phoenix and the Dragon" but can be read as a standalone.

vitamin z by thetasteoflies

Katara has a cold and there's only one person in the world she wants to see.

Angst/More Mature Fics

Incendiary by Anon

Bizarrely, the first thing Katara felt was a wave of relief. Zuko. Not Ozai. They just wanted her to marry Prince Zuko. And then the horror of it washed over her, cold and harsh and insistent; an iron grip on her heart.

Past the World's Horizon by Mauve_Avenger / @the-badger-mole

When Katara finds herself with an unwanted secret admirer, she and Zuko end up on a frightening adventure.

The Scourge of the Mo Ce Sea by ajstyling

She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and with one look at her face he understood the truth of her words. She would kill him and not lose a minute of sleep.

i'm still here by owedbetter

"You see me."

And somehow, that makes all the difference.

thicker than water by akaiiko

Zuko tries to pick up the pieces of Katara.

AUs/Slice of Life fics

The Worst Prisoner series by @emletish-fish

What if Sokka was there during the events of the Blue Spirit? What if he accidentally kidnapped Zuko? It's not a poor life choice of it's an accodent, right?

The Prince of the Fire Nation by HarrisonHolmes2014

Zuko was raised in the Fire Nation royal family alongside his sister Azula. He has never known any life outside the palace, his family, or his homeland. But when two slaves claim that he is their brother, Zuko must face a destiny he never asked for.

The Fire and the Flood by @badlucksav

Katara has lived in the same town with the same people her whole life, and since the death of her mother, she feels like her life has been on hold. But then she meets Zuko, an intriguing stranger, and everything changes.

what you want is what i want by zelzenik

Katara isn't alone. She has Bumi and Kya. The three of them are family.

Zuko isn't alone either. He has Izumi. The two of them are family.

But maybe... just maybe, they can all be family together.

It Runs In The Family by Anon

Katara and Zuko were a lot of things. War heroes. Master benders. Fire Lord and Fire Lady. Their favorite occupation? Parents. They'd managed to find each other again and had children, who are part of a brand new world and mixed nations family. While isn't exactly easy, as shown through a repeating series parent teacher conferences.

Or basically, steambaby shenanigans because they have Sokka as their uncle and how could they not be wreaking havoc?

Shameless Self Plugs

They have stolen the heart inside you; but this does not define you series

At a young age, Katara is taken to the Fire Nation as the first candidate in an experiment to assimilate the 'savages' instead of wiping them out. She grows up alongside the Royal Family before eventually escaping. Years later, an oddly familiar Fire Nation solider shows up at her village looking for the Avatar.

Kintsugi series

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with gold. It treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise. Zuko is tortured by Ozai after helping Katara and Aang escape Ba Sing Se.

Head Above Water

While running away from home after the Agni Kai, Zuko befriends a curious mermaid. He later learns how protective merfolk are.

Dead Hearts

Ozai is a mass serial killer who forces Zuko to lure his victims to him. It’s the same drill for as long as Zuko could remember until his father sets eyes on the new girl who just moved from the Southern Water Tribe.

Let beauty come out of ashes

Zuko is done with Spirit tales. Everyone knew worthless nobodies like him didn’t receive happy endings. He wasn’t even allowed to go to the ball to see his love, a veiled waterbender he met in the woods, in person. Zuko lost all hope until a mysterious dragon helped him with a bit of magic.

Always With Me

While moving away from the only home she’d ever known, Katara finds herself spirited away to a strange in between realm. There, she struggles to ink out a living with the help of a mysterious masked boy who promised to get her home.

Are There Still Beautiful Things?

Katara befriends a lonely boy and they spend the summer together until he suddenly moves away. She doesn't learn the dark truth about why he left until years later.

#long post #atla #zutara #zutara fics #fanfic recs

[phoenix-king-ozai]

I imagine this is how Ozai and Azulon's relationship was like. For context, little Ozai tried to give Azulon a father's day gift and Azulon responded poorly not just because he finds Ozai irritating, but because he interrupted his convo with Iroh so it goes about as well as one would expect.

My theory is that Azulon’s wife Ilah died to give birth to Ozai because she was middle-aged and Azulon wanted a spare heir in case of Iroh's death on the battlefield or his incapability to procreate (Iroh had Lu Ten very late in life despite being a promiscuous war general) Azulon also wanted are younger child for the return of Sozin’s comet. Ilah refused because she knew the risk involved and Azulon forced himself on her as his right as Fire Lord and her husband. Ilah despises Azulon after this despite his apologies and guilt due to her shunning of him.

Azulon truly loved Ilah but let his temper and desire go to his head. Fire Lady Ilah refuses his apology and never forgives him for his martial raping her. But on the other hand, she is somewhat happy and hopeful about their second child. Crown Prince-Shogun Iroh on the other hand is ecstatic about having a baby brother or sister. The birth of Prince Ozai during the Summer Solstice and the hottest day in the history of the Fire Nation bring joy and pride to Fire Lord Azulon and Crown Fire Prince-Shogun Iroh as this is a sign that the newborn has been blessed by Agni the Spirit of Fire | Flame & the Sun itself!

That joy and pride turn into hatred, horror, sadness, and despair when Fire Lady Ilah dies of traumatic pregnancy, covered in blood and burns. The horror and trauma that their beloved wife | mother suffered had left a gruesome, bloody, and violent image in their mind. Azulon despite knowing the truth that he killed Ilah through his actions of marital rape, uses baby Ozai as a scapegoat to let out his anger, rage, fury, and despair. Iroh also grows to despise & resent his baby brother and refuses to touch or hold him out of complete neglect, but later comes to regret his part in the emotional abuse on his innocent child brother.

The newborn’s only aunt’s Li and Lo look after their baby nephew, teaching him the ways of their father, his grandfather Fire Lord Sozin. The Imperial Clan of the Fire Nation: Ryuzo Clan (Fire Lord clan) has lost one powerhouse in favor of another. Strong, gifted, and intelligent like his mother and brutal, ruthless, cunning, proud, and above all a powerful warriors like his brother, father, and grandfather before him.

However, whereas Ozai was neglected and despised over Fire Lady Ilah's death by Iroh and Azulon. Lu Ten wasn't despised or mistreated by Iroh and Azulon compared to Ozai. Probably because Azulon cared more about his heir to his first-born son and having his first grandson. Also, I believe that Iroh later realized that the neglect, isolation, and emotional abuse his brother suffered during his childhood had emotionally scarred him. He didn't want the same fate for Lu Ten despite his beloved wife dying just like his mother had. Lu Ten being the Golden Child of the family and Azulon and Iroh's pride and joy despite having the same circumstances that befall him, and Ozai being the Black Sheep of the family; causes him immense loathing and jealousy of his nephew's happiness and relationships with his father and brother.

I believe that Ozai and Ursa have a long loving, complex, and complicated relationship. Ozai's imperialistic ambition and brainwashing along with paternal abuse by Azulon made him extremely emotionally damaged and socially unstable. Iroh had Ilah and Zuko had Ursa to help love and guide them. Ozai probably only had abusive Azulon and neglectful Iroh; who both probably hate him due to Ilah's death in childbirth.

@trashfactorysstuff His phenonmal artwork and headcanon!

#azulon #ilah #iroh #ozai #lu ten #fire nation royal family #fire hazard siblings #fire fam #fire family #royal fire fam #fire nation parenting #fire nation child abuse #tw rape #tw marital rape #tw child abuse

[ekwolfwriter-blog]

WIP Zutara Month Challenge: Meet Cute/Ugly

Honestly, this one is a bit of a challenge for me. Not that I could not do meet cute, but mostly because I associate meet cutes/ ugly with modern stuff. And while I have dabbled with modern stuff, I have been trying to stay closer to the time period of the characters - at least for me.

Definitely can recommend one or two meet cutes that are pretty sweet and fit that modern feel.

As for this challenge, I think I am going to twist the prompt a bit and show a bit of a meet cute that is a set up for a bigger plot.

For context of this plot: This AU is a no war AU - well not yet at least. A version where the North and South are kinda like the same in terms of a royal class that rules over the rest, and the royal blood must rule - does not matter if male or female. There is on tradition, in order to succeed, one must be married and approve by the council of the water tribe elders to be come the ruler (it is vague because it is a fairy tale). Katara is a princess in this story and Zuko, banished from his home and sent to the Southern Water Tribe for protection, ends up meeting Katara as a young princess.

Eventually, they will grow up together. Zuko becomes her personal knight/ guardian as she gets more rambunctious, but they grow and care for one another; and become close enough that they are in love. But traditions keep them apart... for now. So, here is how their meet cute went:

Zuko looked over at the training ground as he is trying to think of something to cheer his princess up from this news of having to be married to someone else. He saw the new soldiers fighting and sparing and some of them stumbling, but all the while a few laughs. Zuko chuckled as well.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" Zuko asked.

Katara glanced up at him from the ground, still had tears in her eyes a little. "What?"

"I was just thinking about the first time we met. How different things were then?" he said as he was recalling the first time Uncle brought him to Madame Kana many years ago, asking the matriarch at the time to take him under his wing after an incident scarred and banished him. Zuko was shut down then, and had a bandage over his left eye so he could not see or hear much.

Katara thought about it as she nodded. "I recall. Sokka and I were trying to see what was going on. And it did not help the grown ups were trying to shoo us away while your uncle and Gran Gran were talking."

Zuko nodded. "I don't remember much of what they were talking about. But there was something that caught my attention that day."

Katara looked up at him softly. "What caught your attention?"

Zuko glanced down at her, his golden eyes seemed to flicker with a teasing look. "A pair of soft blue eyes that was being too fussy about leaving and not missing out on something new."

Katara rolled her eyes and smirked. "Well not my fault I was curious."

"Curious enough to try and sneak glances at me as I was being escorted to the training halls?" Zuko teased as he thought about it.

It was a hard day for him as his uncle basically asked Zuko to hide him away. That much he knew. As he got older, the details were clearer to him as to why, and talks with his uncle and Lu Ten over letters, and even with the matriarch herself explaining to him why, it made sense. But the pain then as a child being left behind in a world so foreign from his own, and with people that did not seem to like him or want him. And yet a waterbending princess seemed to follow and break the rules to keep watching him. Staring at him like she was trying to figure out something about him that drew her to him.

Katara blushed as she turned her face away. "I just wanted to make sure you got there safely. It is only right."

"If that is what you say, my princess," he smirked as he looked away.

Katara returned her gaze up at him as he was looking away. "If I recall, you were not exactly the most talkative and seemed to have more bite to you than what the other guards were willing to put up with. And at least I was the only one willing to face you. Even Sokka would not spar with you until you were finished training."

Zuko chuckle as he nodded as well. "True. Even if I was doing the same exercises, no one really wanted to fight against a fire bender. Given our reputations."

Katara stiffened as she looked away again. She remembered following Zuko out of fear that maybe he would snap at someone, and while he did, Katara did not see him use firebending like the rumors said. If anything, he was just a scared kid, doing his best to not give the others reasons to attack him. Well give them reasons to hurt him more than she knew they did as she would find him in the sick bay, beat and hurt. And how she saw his scar the first time.

Katara took a breath as she spoke: "Firebenders are more than capable of showing compassion and care. You just need to let others see it."

Zuko looked at her and nodded. "You remembered?"

Katara nodded. "Of course, I remembered it vividly," she said softly. "It was the first time you let me heal you. Even if you were snappy."

Zuko chuckled again. "Well can you blame me when an nearly 8 year old comes up and heals you and has more wisdom in her words than half the grown ups? I thought you were mocking me at first."

Katara rolled her eyes. "If I was mocking you, I would have challenged you to sparring."

"You did that too. And then rightfully kicked my butt," Zuko added as he smiled.

Katara smiled. "I still think you let me win then. I was no where near good as I am now."

And going to stop there, otherwise, I will go all night. But this one, I do hope to make into a story. But I just need to figure out when. If people are interested, please let me know!

#zutara #writing #zutara fanfiction #zutara month 2024 #meet cute #day 3 #katara x zuko

[the-air-nomad]

Naive

The war had ended 4 years ago, but the world was far from perfect. You were one of the middle men of the Fire Nation. You felt that the war was useless, but you never stepped out of line. Although you were a strong bender, you ran away from a possible career in the army and chose to be a guard in the Royal Palace. Unfortunately for you, this was the beginning of your downfall.

Y/N pov:

I still remember the happiness I felt when Prince Lu Ten allowed me to work as a palace guard. I had always seen the young prince as a role model and I was sure that we would have a great time playing pranks around the palace. But then he left for the army and my world shattered. I was assigned as Prince Zuko's guardian and I swore that I would protect him with my life.

Although I got along well with Zuko, Princess Azula was a completely different story. Since the first day of work, Princess Ursa had tasked me with punishing her disobedient daughter. She knew that not even Ozai would try something dirty with one of Prince Lu Ten's guards. Ozai was evil, not stupid!

A/N pov:

You tried to be as nice as possible with Azula, but the little witch was doing annoying things just to get your attention. Fortunately for you, you escaped the palace once Zuko was exiled. You thought you would never see her again, but fate did not agree.

At Zuko's request, you agreed to supervise the psychotic princess. Although you knew you didn't need anyone to control the little witch, you accepted the help of 5 other capable benders. Azula was just as you remembered her, a broken person who would do anything for the slightest bit of attention. She never fooled you, no matter how hard she tried.

Y/N pov:

The prison was by far the sickest and most horrible I had seen. The prisoners were treated like worthless toys by the guards. I didn't care, the prisoners had committed more heinous crimes than I could count. But one day I exploded.

I was walking towards the princess's cell mentally preparing to force her to eat, when I started hearing screams. I rushed to the cell and almost broke the door. My blood started to boil at the scene in front of me.Two guards were trying to immobilize the terrified princess, and another was trying to tear her clothes. You gave in to your anger and destroyed two of them with a bolt of lightning. The next few minutes were a frenzy of blood, screams and flames.

When I regained control, I was in a dense forest with the princess.

Azula: are you ok Y/N? You took some brutal hits!

Y/N: why do you care? Shouldn't you kill me and run?

Azula: We both know you're the only person I wouldn't kill.

Y/N: so you can be honest? surprising!

Azula: You know very well that I never lied to you! You lied to yourself all your life! For once, be honest with yourself Y/N!

Y/N: to be honest with myself? Sure! I am an idiot! I've always been an idiot! You know why? Because I always let you destroy my life!

Azula: Maybe if you had seen from the beginning that we were made for each other, now we would rule the world together! But nooo! You had to run away with my idiot brother! And don't think I didn't find out about your little business with that bitch!

A cold shiver ran down my spine when I saw her demonic grin.Suddenly everything made sense. The way she always seemed to watch me from the shadows, the fact that Ozai had allowed me to stay in the palace even after exile, all my friends were horrified by the thought of staying in the same room with me. All this time I was being manipulated by a girl 10 years younger than me! Azula starts laughing and clapping.

Azula: Yes! I knew you were a smart boy!

Y/N: stay away from me!

Azula: oh come on Y/N! What will you do? You are a criminal now! welcome to the family!

Y/N: you are crazy! You are a monster! Iroh was right! You must fall!

Azula: No, I don't have to! What I have to do is prove to you that you cannot survive without me!

Y/N: what? Azula! Don't you dare hurt me!

Azula: don't you dare leave me ever again! You are mine, we are made for each other! And don't you dare to lie to yourself! We all know you would never kill me! no one will save you from me!

Y/N: when Zuko finds out we're missing...

Azula: Zuzu? Oh dear, you are so naive! He sent you into my clutches! My dear brother didn't want to lose me, after everything that happened he still loves me! How much were you worth to him? A promise! All I had to do was promise to take my meds, not try to kill again him and blah blah blah

Although I do not own the characters from avatar the last airbender, this work belongs to me! I sincerely hope you liked it. please rate it and leave a comment! follow me to see my next posts! Don’t forget that the request are open💖💖💨

You can buy me a coffe if you want:  buymeacoffee.com/TheAirNomad

#avatar the last airbender #avatar #sokka #zuko #katara #aang #atla #yandere avatar the last airbender #gaang #toph #yandere azula x reader #yandere azula #azula x reader #azula #atla azula #princess azula #suki #iroh #atla zuko #fire lord zuko #firenation #firebender reader

[mugentakeda]

azula and lu ten things because i am insane

-lu ten does that shit where he appears at azulas door randomly with a bowl of fruit. he cuts them and peels them himself (<-frequent kitchen invader). he kinda floats in and drops it off at her desk silently while maintaining intense eye contact with her like a weird ghost

-they do a lot of “parallel play” together. azula didnt go to the fire nation academy for girls until after lu ten died, so while she still was being taught within the palace, theyd do their work together in the palace library. shed do her studies, lu ten would pour over his scrolls. when lu ten does this stuff with zuko there’s always chit chatting, but when its azula they just do their thing in each others company and in silence. lu ten likes to bring blankets and pillows and tea so they can do it on the floor instead of slouching over the tables

-when bad summer storms roll around the three like to sleep in lu tens room because his bed is the biggest. azula likes to whisper menacing shit like “cousin when youre firelord i will usurp you and make you and zuzu my court jesters” when zuko falls asleep. and lu tens just like Okay💯

-whenever they see each other with snacks they like to make it a goal to snatch it and run off as fast as possible. one time lu ten snatched a mooncake right out of azulas mouth and hauled ass through the courtyard. ursa and iroh were playing pai sho together and he kicked the whole table over just to slow azula down

-azula spontaneously appears in lu tens room to annoy him when shes bored and cant find zuko or if zukos busy. she stands outside his door complaining until he lets her in and then she just wanders around his room and messes with his stuff and stands there menacingly. And rhen she just leaves and lu ten will call after her like “and stay out WEIRDO” and azula will respond like “YOURE BALD”

-when azula was a baby and lu ten was still looking after her for ursa, he eventually had to teach her how to eat on her own. everytime azula ate shed have to bathe cus shed get food Everywhere. face, clothes, hair. under her clothes. eyelashes. up her nose. it was disastrous

-lu ten was always someone azula knew would be there for her but. he was only her cousin. and lu ten taking care of azula while ursa suffered from her ppd is a secret that lu ten kept to the grave for the sake of ursas pride, so while lu ten loved azula a great deal and to a very intense level that mixed and complicated the love and older sibling has and a parent has (complicated because lu ten was only 15 at the time lol), azula never knew. and unless ursa tells her in the future then she never will

-itll always be one of the things azula hates her uncle most for. what she finds most disgraceful and pathetic about him. she’ll have to spend more years remembering lu ten than she did knowing him, and its all her uncle’s fault. and all they have are ink portraits and paintings. so eventually, his features, his human face, will slowly ebb from her mind. and the minds of everyone that ever knew him.

her father never talks about him, never talks about any of the phantoms in their family. they don’t do anything for his birthday. so she just lets herself in his room, and messes with his stuff to find proof of his existence.

its dusty. clean but untouched, like he’s just left for a long vacation and tidied up a bit before going out the door. the robe he last wore is still slung over his desk chair. his sandals are still kicked across the floor with one flipped on its side. the lounge chair on his balcony has marks on its seat and back from how much he sat on it.

but theres no humming to nonsensical tunes just to fill the silence (because azula used to swear he liked to hear the sound of his own voice). there’s no scrolls and papers stacked madly on his desk. the scent of spiced saffron tea doesnt linger in the air anymore. it’s not strangely lived in. it makes sense where the servants tidied some areas up, when lu ten never made sense in how he did anything. it’s not right.

it doesnt feel haunted, though- the dread she feels when she goes into mother’s room doesn’t exist in lu ten’s. the sunshine from the always open drapes warms her. the dips in the mattress from when the three of them would cram together, where she and zuko would crawl all over him and dig their elbows and knees into his lanky limbs, they call to her welcomingly. like the silence after the whisper, like he’s under the covers telling her to quit standing at the doorway like a weirdo and to just come in already. like if she pulled the blanket back he’d be there to listen when she’d tell him about the horrible dream she had.

its not dread. its warm feelings and nostalgia lingering, but slowly becoming infected by her own bitterness. a gentle reminder of something she’ll never get back. a question wondering what she did to the universe for it to take away the one person that always corrected her, but never while also judging her or scolding her simultaneously.

and as she looks at the knick knacks on the shelves, she knows that lu ten wasn’t meant for a soldiers death. it’s not just because he was a prince. it wasn’t just because it was down in the trenches, among filthy barbarians in a far off city. it was because she just knew lu ten was meant for the long and simple life, and then a simple death. in his sleep. leaving happy memories like the ones azula has, with tons of kids and grand babies that he loved to pieces and helped raise. by the beach at sunset. leaving an imprint everyone forever, a fond memory brought up at every turn. he didn’t deserve to just be known by a family and a palace that liked to suffocate everything within it.

when she takes ba sing se in her fist, she still knows that. and knows this is probably not even what he wanted, because her cousin was gentle and fair. but he’s also dead forever. he’s her gentle and fair, dead forever cousin. she’ll never stop thinking about how happy he would’ve been to be surpassed by her with lightning, because winning never mattered to him. he’ll never be older than twenty three.

so she will do what she wants in his memory rather than doing what he would’ve wanted. she will do everything shes wanted to do since she knew he was crushed out of existence like a dying star. she will find her uncle and make a wound in the shape of her bitterness, right in his chest, and twist the dagger until he howls like a dog. she’ll rip his arm off for his disgrace, for coming home with only a limb of her cousin’s, and no rage to show for. no want for anything.

#alicias writing stuff #dai li lu ten

[the-flames-of-gold]

Lu Ten lives. Iroh, in a last ditch effort, took him to the Sun Warriors, because he knew the Masters could help his son. Lu Ten survived, but Iroh had to leave him there.

(Also, note that Lu Ten and Zuko are known as Angi' Chosen, I'll elaborate later)

Cue like...seven? I think? years later, Aang and Zuko arrive. everyone is acting weird around Zuko, but he just doesn't fucking get it, until his cousin, who Zuko had thought was dead, walks from deep within the temple.

Lu Ten has lived among the Masters for years, bathing in their flame and dressed in their scale, and he's alive.

Zuko stands there, for a while, before, infront of Aang, the Sun Warriors, even the Dragon's, he burst into tears.

Lu Ten comforts him, and in the end, the boys get the Masters blessing, but Lu Ten stays.

Zuko says goodbye to his cousin, thinking he won't see him until after they defeat the Firelord. Then, at the last moment, as Azula charges lightning, pointing toward Angi's Chosen, two great beasts, a mess of blue and red and flame and storm and fire itself, decend opon the battle field.

#avatar the last airbender #atla #alta au #zuko #azula #aang #fire siblings #sun warriors

[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

#zuko #azula #atla #fire hazard siblings #Fire Hazard siblings is such a cool name #If azula and zuko worked together they would have been a FIRE HAZARD #I apologize for attempting a pun #Zuko and azula would have a good cop bad cop dynamic #But you can't tell who's good cop or bad cop #Azula deserves a redemption #Only acceptable azula redemption is her not wanting to please ozai #She'd still kill you without second thought tho

[weirdlotiel]

Okay. So I watched the Avatar live action show out of curiosity.

To be fair, I don’t feel as much connection to it as to the oroginal animated series. Visually it’s really nice. I really enjoyed watching Iroh and Zuko. Yue and Suki were really good too in my opinion. Heck, I liked Azula, even if she’s a broken “psycho”. But Aang and his friends? Just… I like them, but it’s not enough, if you understand what I mean. It may be because of not enough development as some pointed out. I know the actors did their best (probably 😂), but it’s weird for me to watch a show and be unable to connect with the main characters. Especially when I knew those characters earlier.

I enjoyed watching the flashbacks. That idea was great, especially that there are parts we didn’t saw before like Lu Ten’s funeral. And the fact that Zuko’s crew are the people he saved by standing up to his father.

I also liked the fact that Yue had some more connection to the spirit’s world than just being saved by and then returning the life to Tui.

I wish things were a bit harder for Aang. With getting in touch with his past selves. With understanding the spirit world. Hah, with guessing that Bumi is Bumi. (Though I liked Bumi himself, even if he was a bit different than in the animation.)

If there is second season, I will definitely watch it, if only for more of Iroh aand Zuko, and because I want to see Toph. The series is not that bad, it’s good… but it’s not awesome or whatever. I’m sort of glad I didn’t have high expectations, because I think I would be more disappointed.

#avatar #avatar the last airbender #atla #aang #zuko #iroh #netflix #live action #show #katara #yue #sokka #suki #toph