give me redeemed!azula who is still mean, but only out of habit, and has to stop herself from starting fights at the dinner table because she said that ursaās roast duck was so undercooked zuko must have prepared it.
the only two people she doesnāt insult (or at least, she does her best to stop herself) are aang and sokka. aang because heās been the kindest person to her since her breakdown and recovery, and she feels like sheās disappointing him whenever sheās mean in front of him. sokka because heās funny. she used to insult him yea but heās been teaching her how to roast loved ones.... lovingly.
(side-note: she is, in fact, mean to kiyi, but kiyi loves it and is mean right back to her. azula and azula 2. gremlins united.)
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azulaang in an au where zuko joins the gaang from the start is so funny.Ā zuko spends the entire time to the north pole telling them to be careful of his sister, one of the most talented firebenders seen for generations, more cunning than any foe theyāve faced so far, and will not hesitate to kill all of them (save for Zuko, perhaps) if they were to meet face-to-face.
And then Aang meets her, and she is exactly like Zuko described, and he just. āI think we should convince her to join.Ā She can change, I believe in her, and I know sheās strong enough to change for the better by her own choices.ā
MEANWHILE Azula, while on her mission to capture Zuko (this time for straight up treason), kill the Avatar and conquer Ba Sing Se, spends most of the time trying to think of why Zuko would betray his nation, betray his family (and her), for the Avatar.Ā She does end up holding a sort of grudge against the Gaang as a whole because of this, but especially Aang and Zuko.Ā She hasnāt met them yet.
And when she DOES meet them, after the first few fights against the Gaang (and especially against Aang, when he.... started being nice to her?Ā After the first fight?Ā And not out of fear, he was just genuinely kind and complimented her when she wasnāt causing destruction or hurting others), Azula gets Zuko.Ā Like.Ā Yeah.Ā She could see how heād leave his nation for the Avatar.
Zuko, of course, didnāt join because of Aang, he joined to make the world a better place, but Azula doesnāt know that, so when she goes to confront him about this, āI understand why you joined them, now.Ā The Avatar is as charming as he is deadly.ā and Zuko just. āI... I joined to stop the war because I couldnāt stand to see the suffering anymore.Ā Aang had nothing to do with it.ā
Then, after a moment: āDid you just say Aang was charming?ā
āNo.ā
āYou blush whenever he says something nice about you, and you keep asking him to fight one-on-one.ā
āYour vision sucks.Ā And yes, dumdum, because heās the only person in your little group that can give me a challenge.ā
The argument against Azula getting a redemption arc being āsheās already great as a villain!Ā why would you want to ruin that?ā is one of the most brain-dead takes in the fandom, because completely stagnating her growth as a character just because she worked fantastically as a villain does nothing but actively make her worse now.Ā Look at Smoke & Shadow.Ā Thatās not the villain yāall are talking about when you talk about Azula, but thatās what youāve got.Ā Not every villain needs a redemption arc, but every villain needs an arc, because thatās how story writing works.Ā Leaving Azula as she is now is just insulting & does nothing for the overall narrative other than have a ācrazy evil girlā to mildly inconvenience the main cast every now and again.
And yāknow, since Azula & Zukoās stories are so closely linked to one anotherās, Azula getting her redemption arc with the help of Zuko, who helps her as Iroh helped him - that would also be more growth and progression for Zuko.Ā
I got an ask earlier on what got me into Azulaang.Ā For me, what got me into it isnāt really related to why I love it so much, so thatās going into this post.Ā Azulaang from a narrative perspective, their roles in the universe, story, and as foils to each other.
Side note, but this got LONG, so itās under a cut and thank you to anyone who reads this all oh god oh no
In the canonical series itself (aka, the show), Azulaang actually doesnāt get much interaction besides battles.Ā I believe the only times they directly address each other is in The Chase, and maybe DOBS-though, day was more of Sokka, Toph AND Aang talking with Azula.Ā The only one-on-one exchange of dialogue they have is in The Chase.Ā Itās where Azula introduces herself, and Aang tells her that heās going to fight.Ā Heās not just prey that will go with her easily.Ā A nice contrast to the predator and prey theme of the episode.Ā Azula is relenting, never stopping in her pursuit, and though he and the Gaang run and run, eventually he decides to face her alone.Ā I think this is a good summary of their dynamic in s2.
But that was actually just a tangent.Ā See, the main form of storytelling we see for Azulaang is.Ā Well.Ā Physical.Ā They donāt talk, they fight.Ā Which is natural, since theyāre enemies, but Aang talks a lot.Ā Like, a lot a lot, even in fights.Ā Azula, too, she makes verbal jabs and insults to Zuko in their fights and Suki too.Ā But when sheās fighting Aang, thereās... nothing? And same with Aang.Ā Almost all of their storytelling, their dynamics, is told through fights, and seeing as how ATLA is an action series, fights have just as much meaning in the storytelling as anything else.
You might be thinking, ābut isnāt that just them fighting?Ā doesnāt that mean they hate each other?Ā you canāt have a dynamic out of fight scenes alone!ā you fool.Ā You foolish fool.Ā 1) Enemies to lovers.Ā 2) You put two prodigies of their respective elements, one a princess groomed from birth to be her fatherās right-hand, the other destined to become the most powerful person on earth, both designed to be weapons by the adults around them, and you think that fighting/bending WOULDNāT be as much as a form of communication, an expression of themselves, as a conversation around a campfire?
Azula killing Aang at the end of S2 is the last time they really fight, which I think is pretty interesting.Ā Iām sure thereās more I could say about it from a narrative perspective, but thatās more on post-show potential than anything else, plus brain not co-operating atm.
And, yeah, I gotta bring attention to their positions as narrative foils.Ā Parallels.Ā Whatever.Ā Theyāre similar.Ā Like, really similar.Ā And of course, Zuko + Azula & Aang + Katara + Sokka all have similarities that can tie them to one another, but Azulaang is one of the ones which I think doesnāt get the commentary it deserves. (side-note, but I wish more people discussed Azula & Katara in how they approach being āwomenā despite being very young in the absence of their mother, where Katara puts herself in a motherly role because she and Sokka both have a hole to fill, and Azula makes herself seem older than she truly is, lipsticks and make-up and long nails and all, because Ursa leaving took the last of her childhood away)
So, letās look at them:
Young prodigies of their respective bending arts (for Aang, his airbending of course).Ā They are recognized for this and praised for so.Ā With Azula, itās shown in Zuko Alone when Ozai shows her off, and also her introduction scenes in s2 to show off just how formidable she was.Ā With Aang, itās the fact heās a master at such a young age.Ā Of course, thereās differences too.Ā Azulaās natural talent is honed by the adults around her.Ā She is being raised for war.Ā Aangās is, well, I assume normal for Air Nomads.Ā The monks knew he was the Avatar, but given that he didnāt find out until he was 12, I donāt think that really affected his airbending.
You take these prodigies, and you put them in war.Ā They are given responsibilities that seem impossible to handle.Ā No adults can handle them, after all.Ā Aang must end the war thatās been happening for a hundred years.Ā He must be the one to defeat the Fire Lord - something that Roku couldnāt do.Ā Azula must capture her brother and uncle.Ā In time, she gives herself more responsibilities: kill the Avatar.Ā Conquer Ba Sing Se (which Iroh himself couldnāt do).Ā Aang must help end the war.Ā Heās a key part in ending it.Ā Azula must end the war.Ā Sheās a key part in ending it.Ā They are on different sides of the battle.
The adults around them, the same ones who give them these responsibilities, they do not see them other than their power.Ā Generals look at Aang and the Avatar State, and decide to use him as a weapon.Ā Ozai looks at Azula and her talents, and decides to raise her as a weapon.Ā These two in particular get this more than any other characters in the series I think.Ā Absolutely thereās other characters who are strong, prodigies, young, with the world on their shoulders.Ā But none are quite as... not sure about the word.Ā I donāt wanna say dehumanized.Ā Weaponized?Ā As Azula and Aang.
Thing is, though, that Aang has unconditional love on his side.Ā When he was younger, he had Monk Gyatso, he had Appa.Ā He had the other kids in the Temples, he had friends around the world, he was allowed to be a normal kid.Ā Azula didnāt have that.Ā Ozaiās āloveā was conditional.Ā She believed that Ursa thought she was a monster.Ā Yes, she had friends in Mai and Ty Lee, but whether they began as genuine friendships or not, they ended with her clinging onto them through fear.Ā Aang had the Gaang throughout the series.Ā People joined him, he made relationships, he was loved by so many because of his journey.Ā Everyone left Azula.
So, you take these two characters, these foils, who are so close to understanding each other but oneās missing the key that makes the other stand victorious in the end of the show.Ā Azulaās story is a tragedy, Aangās is that of a hero.Ā And I think the beauty of that, in Azulaang, is that Aang reaches out to Azula.Ā Despite her killing him, the hurt sheās caused, and all their fights, Aang understands her.Ā Most fics and such Iāve read of this pair - well, itās not as easy as just that.Ā Their relationship is a complicated rollercoaster.Ā Recovery and redemption does not come easy.Ā In those fics that donāt take place after the pair has been established already, thereās something just really.Ā Really hits me hard.Ā About Azula being forgiven, loved, and challenged, by the boy sheās killed, and the boy who won the war.
Less of a meta-note and more fluffy.Ā But domestic!Azulaang gives me joy.Ā Obviously theyād presumably have responsibilities with the world post-war (married office couple talking shit about governors vibes), but I fully believe that Aang would take Azula on a Appa-trip (atla universe equivalent of a road trip) and show her the world outside of the Fire Nation Palace, war council rooms, and yknow.Ā War.
Also, I like bullying Ozai, and if thereās one thing that would cause him more pain than finding out his sonās partner was a nonbender with a worse sense of humor than Iroh from the Southern Water Tribe, it would be his daughter, the one he molded to fit into his absolute image, dating the AVATAR, a monk, who took away his bending and keeps showing him a weird marble trick, āAzula make him stop please this is torture, what do you MEAN you want me to spend time with your future son-in-law, i am NOT allowing you to - DONT WALK AWAY FROM ME, HELP MEā
Zuko isnāt getting bullied as much, but I think Azula and Aang would love teasing him.Ā Affectionately.Ā He wouldnāt mind as much because it comes from a place of love and care.
āzuko raised by the southern water tribeā fics - been done and done again, doesnāt really add anything except redeemed!zuko from the get-go, rarely touches on the implications of the fire nation prince living with the people his family has raided and terrorized for a century almost & the culture shock of that, exists for childhood friends to lovers zukka or zutara,
āzuko raised by the foggy swamp tribeā fics - a delicacy, zuko growing up in one of the most spiritual places in the world and being at one with nature, culture shock must be addressed because authors CANāT ignore the fact that youāre putting a prince in a swamp of hillbillies, zuko being absent for s1 & showing up out of nowhere s2 as a swamp teenaged firebender,
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wheres my azula redemption longfic with ursa being a main character and trying to help azula as iroh helped zuko. every long azula redemption fic ive seen completely glosses over ursa or makes her like. gaslight-y and victim blamey on azula. whereās the god damn love and support. where is it.
āShe promised not to harm anyone unless it was in self-defence,ā Aang said, firmly. āAnd that she wouldnāt damage any property intentionally, and also that sheād get Zuko to pay anyone if she did end up burning down their home.ā
Katara slapped her palm against her forehead, much like how Sokka would. āToph, can you make sure Azula isnāt doing anything?ā
sneak preview of my current azulaang wip, where aang has been helping azula on her redemption arc and falling in love with her, no one else knows, and then one day aang brings azula along to announce that theyāre engaged.
basically azulaang decide to play an epic prank on everyone, but especially ozai, and the prank is called getting married.
tbh iām not exactly expecting much from this post but uuuh...... interact with this if you ship zucest and/or donāt mind dark content featuring azula or want to hear me ramble about how much i love (to hurt the) fire nation royal fam.Ā iām also looking for mutuals into whump and the such.Ā iāll be posting fics and the like soon once my alt gets accepted by AO3.