#lizzy yu

Her smile in the end…

The Character↑

The Cast↓

Btw, I’m on VGen rn

Feel free to check it out if you’re interested in commission!

a/n: thought 'homophobic fire nation banning same-sex relationships' and natla azula and my brain brained. enjoy! .⋆˚࿔𖥔 ݁ ˖𓂃.˖✧˖.𓂃˖ ࣪ ⊹✶°⋆. ✶first rule; tell no one.

✶second rule, do not refer to her as your girlfriend. ever.

✶you are not in love. at least, not to Azula. it is merely a "mutually beneficial relationship", she'll say.

✶for the sake of your own sanity, you'll pretend, too.

✶it's less romantic and moreso didactic - she is more of an orator than a lover, more steel then softness. she was never trained in this, never educated.

✶..and yet, her icy gaze will soften whenever it locks with your own. after particularly taxing meetings, she'll give into your shoulder massages and warm words with a disgruntled sigh, though she never once complains.

✶life in the palace can be cozy, yes - you have 24/7 hour access to the spa, the best chefs, the best books, the softest bed to share.. the list goes on. but there's also tension, power struggles, manipulation and evil eyes around every corner.

✶when she's fresh from court, Azula is crabby beyond belief.

✶it's an unwritten rule that you have to listen to her badmouth those "utterly incorrigble" Generals & Commanders she so dislikes sharing the same air with.

✶"Commander Shiro considers himself an 'intellectual', you see.. and yet, he could not locate the Fortress of Hu Xin upon my pressing! Do you not find that absurd?"

✶kisses from the Princess are few and far between. yours make her feel stupid. a well timed kiss on her cheek - or, agni forbid, her collarbone - will have her steaming. she acts like she doesn't need them, that she is "above such trivalities", yet you kiss her goodbye during a full work-day (i.e; planning how to scorch out the last Earth Kingdom territories) and she'll be in a relatively good mood the rest of the day.

✶you want her to kiss you? earn it. Complimenting her the entire day? Okay. Reorganizing all her books in the bedroom? Fine. Sparring until your joints ache and your knuckles bleed? Now that's more like it!

✶sparring is one of Azula's ways of loving you. she won't firebend, a mercy, but she'll come at you without mercy. one second you're on your feet, the next on your arse with her hand at your throat.

✶smirk. "too slow."

✶above all, Azula's love language are acts of service - incredibly subtle, nearly invisible, but there. when you wake up, tangled in her silky crimson sheets and grogged out, there'll be a single candlewick lit in blue flame, chasing the darkness away. go to the kitchens and the chefs will've already made your favorite dish despite the lack of warning. "Is that so? How perculiar." she'll say innocently upon your next chat. "What a coincidence."

✶On her good days, the 'coincidences' pile up. your pyjamas that need washing? oh, already clean. that shelf you had to dust? spotless.

✶Azula is a woman steeped in contradictions. she'll claim to serve at the pleasure of the Fire Lord while glaring behind his back. she'll say she misses Mai & Ty Lee while pitting them against each other. she'll say you "are but an ant in the scale of something much grander", but keeps you around anyway.

✶one particularly dark night, she'll say you are "ridiculous" as she rests her head on your lap, thick, inky mascara smearing and dribbling down her cheeks - hair tusseled in black, tangled hanks around her face. she'll say she "fell", but the large, reddened handprint against her swollen cheek tells a different story. Ozai's cruelty is never accidental. that was the first - and last - time you cuddled.

✶Azula isn't big on physical affection. her version of a hug is grabbing your shoulder with one hand, patting it stiffly, before trudging off to whatever work awaits her.

✶Azula's posessive in the sense that she wants to be all you think about. In the morning, the afternoon, the night. even when you're in a dingey, dirty tent deep in the Earth Kingdom, in the pipe dream of capturing the Avatar - she'll constantly ask what you think of her. if you even want to be here with her. if you're truly dedicated to the cause and this relationship.

✶it's controlling, it's manipulative, it's wrong. but damn, if it isn't intoxicating.

✶petnames are one-sided. Azula would rather die and be tossed into a volcano than ever call you 'darling', 'sweetheart', 'baby'- ..wait, what did you just call her?

✶azula.exe is malfunctioning

✶when the nights grow frigid and the wind howls, Azula becomes your heater. she's always running warm, and whenever you latch onto her like a drowning woman onto driftwood, she'll tense - before slowly but surely relaxing.

✶"When I become Fire Lord-" she'll say with absolute certainty, voice a low, confident whisper amongst the cruel shadows; "Which I will.. we will no longer have to hide, hm?"

✶…

✶"..You're asleep, aren't you?"

I love how Kia and Dallas reacted like this when ian (sokka) burst into the scene…can’t explain it but i love it

I just watched the first episode of the second book of NATLA: simply fantastic.

First, I'd like to talk about Sokka, because I already feel like he is getting a sense of how the character was in the original series. He's sarcastic, makes funny comments, and constantly irritates everyone with his jokes.

At first, I found his comedic beginnings very weak, but it wasn't really the actor's fault, but rather the Spanish dubbing; it sounded forced and unnatural. When I decided to switch it to the original language, his comments usually sounded much more real and not like a forced attempt to sound funny.

I like how they strengthened their relationship with Katara; they joke around and talk more often. Something that's been overshadowed in the latest canon releases (movie and comics) because they rarely speak. And Katara seems to be just as sarcastic as he is; now they're both funny, not just him!!

And I love that they didn't choose how Yue's death has affected him; Aang asks him about it, but Sokka tries to avoid it. I loved that scene because in the original series, no one really cared about Yue after Book 1 besides him.

Katara: OMG Katara, I loved her in this episode. She's more sassy, and we've seen progress in her waterbending. Plus, she acts more like an equal to Aang instead of his mentor. They actually seem like friends now, unlike the somewhat maternal dynamic she had with him before.

And finally, we saw an interaction with Suki! FINALLY!!! Katara rarely had female interactions other than Toph, and they usually fought. Obviously, they had their moments of camaraderie, but Katara really lacks female friends! Seeing her interact with Suki in such an intimate way, and even being invited to become a Kyoshi warrior, warmed my heart. It was beautiful.

Now, something I'd like to point out is that I don't understand what the Katangers' complaint was about her relationship with Aang. The whole episode was a Kataang one, how could they not realize that?

They joke around with each other, and you can really feel a really good bond of trust. Aang thanked her for pulling him out of the iceberg?! He never did that in the original, as far as I remember. I'm pretty sure she just joked around to hide how flattered she was because Aang said it so sincerely; it was beautiful.

Then they fought the snake together and healed it together. I liked how she insisted he should learn to heal. The original show tries to imply that this is a role assigned only to women and how that's something negative, but throughout the show, the only characters who perform healing roles are women, and Aang, who could also do it, never learns! Here, that message simply resonates better, and I loved it.

I also liked the scenes between Suki and Sokka, the peach scene, and how they want to formalize a relationship but seem unsure or even ready. I think it deepens both characters, is more realistic in a world of war, and emphasizes how these kinds of bonds are a bit more complicated in adolescence. When they held hands, without saying anything, just looking at the horizon with that background music, without a kiss, it was profound and beautiful.

And they go from that incredibly romantic scene to one with Aang and Katara (also considering that the scene before Sukka's was romantic too). I think it's literally a scream that tells us there's something more between them; Aang even has to work up the courage to talk to her. And that music? It wasn't there for nothing, especially after that cliché where one character wants to talk to another but then backs out. Every hint of Kataang is there; anyone paying attention will notice.

Now, I'd like to take a minute to appreciate Lizzy Yu's AMAZING performance; it was spectacular. Especially in the final scene, when she's away from her father, Azula's characteristic threatening and manipulative nature truly comes to the fore; now everything makes sense! It was the same in the original show; Azula on her own is a master of strategy and fear, but with her father by her side, she becomes just another subordinate.

Her relationship with Mai and Ty Lee really feels toxic here. In the original show, Mai dares to challenge her, and Ty Lee feels like a genuine friend. But here, we sense their fear of her and how she manipulates their minds through it. It makes me wonder if that's the kind of strategy Ozai used against her and Zuko.

The only character I don't understand is Ozai. I don't know if he's trying to test her, or if his decisions are based on misogyny, which is why he prefers a random male soldier and Zuko over her. I think this Ozai is very confusing, or if he just enjoys testing his daughter's patience, there is something strange.

And speaking of Zuko, I think he's the most in-character character in this show; he's practically identical to the original. He's always looking for fights, complains about everything, is always in a bad mood, tends to look down on Iroh, and seems to miss his past.

"Mushi, get your son in line"

"Im not your son"

"I know"

💔

And then he criticizes him for surrendering? That hit me hard, really hard. Obviously, it's Zuko once again looking for someone to blame, someone to take it out on, but I can't help thinking he has a point. Not so much that Zuko wouldn't be in that state if it weren't for him. But because Iroh really should have fought for what was his. I think that in the end, he never wanted that throne.

I don't know if there are people who were bothered by this scene, but on the OG show Zuko has said worse things to Iroh, really.