#Azula was not power hungry

[the-badger-mole]

Why don't you think Azula deserves a redemption arc? I don't necessarily disagree with you, btw, I just want to know what made you think that.

I didn't mean that in a moral way, exactly. Morally, I don't think redemption can be earned as much as it can be lived up to (which, btw, I don't think Azula would). What I meant was that as a character, her story didn't deserve a redemption arc because it's not what's been set up. If she had been "redeemed" through her mental breakdown, it would cheapen her arc, and Azula doesn't deserve that. Someone (I think @sokkastyles) mentioned on my post over the weekend that Azula's arc was complete as it was, and I agree. It was a fantastic arc, too. It just ended sadly, and I feel like a lot of people just don't like that. Which is fine. That's their prerogative. That doesn't mean that there was something missing from Azula's story. And it doesn't mean that her arc deserves or needs a redemption.

As I've said before, I do think that there could be a redemption for Azula, but it would need a lot of work to make it worthwhile. First of all, they would have to break Azula down the point where she would not only see her need to change, but have her want to change. She is nowhere near that point at the end of the show. Which is fine. She doesn't have to be. Let Azula be a villain. If she's your fave, embrace that your fave is a villain. It's okay. I am a HUGE fan of Maleficent (the only Maleficent). Yes, her arc had to end with her defeat, but she made defeat look fabulous!

[balanceoflightanddark]

One of the great misconceptions about Azula is the notion is that she's self-serving. That everything she does is to further her own gains, and she'll backstab everyone else in the process whether it be family or friends. Something that's supported by Bryan himself in the Season 2 commentary:

“Yeah, unfortunately in real history, there are people like Azula, who are just so charismatic, but sort of soulless that they’re… You know, but they’re able to climb to positions of influence. Same with, uh, people like Long Feng, unfortunately throughout history. People who are willing to sell out their own–own countrymen, just for their own, uh, security, you know, their own job security.”

And in many ways, that's how it's framed. Azula bringing her brother back to the country is always framed by everyone as using him as leverage in case the Avatar was somehow alive. We see her brutal recruiting of Ty Lee. We don't see a whole lot that suggests that Azula is doing this for anything other than personal gain. After all it's a trait that's pretty endemic to the Fire Nation, especially with her fellow main antagonists Ozai and Zhao.

The thing is though...Azula's problem wasn't that she was selfish.

Her problem was that she was selfless.

Let's wheel around to when she brought Zuko back home. Mainly, there was no way in hell she could have known about the spirit water. She only learned of the possibility when Zuko indirectly brought it up, and that's when she starts to think up of the leverage angle. Plus, it's been said a thousand times before that Azula didn't necessarily need Zuko to secure Ba Sing Se. And even if she did, she could've easily backstabbed and captured him with the Dai Li if she wanted to secure her path to the throne while also taking the glory of slaying the Avatar.

She didn't. Instead, she allowed Zuko to take the glory and return home in honor with no strings attached. Even when her initial orders were to capture Zuko to begin with. And in doing so, damaged her own claim to the throne since the "rightful" heir returned with a tad bit more glory than her.

And we all know how that eventually ended.

This wasn't exclusive to Zuko. Arguably her biggest Achilles' heel was her unwavering devotion to Ozai, something that she was carefully groomed to do once Zuko proved to be an embarrassment to her father's name. Almost everything she did was to get in his good graces and his acceptance. And she didn't except any reward for it either outside of approval. She was initially stunned when Ozai wanted her to be the Fire Lord, clearly not expecting him to bestow such honor upon her.

Course that was spoiled a bit when Ozai proceeded to throw her to the side. All that work, all that devotion, years of trying to be the perfect servant...wasted.

Mind you, Zuko and Ozai are probably the only two family members in the series to have shown her something regarding affection. Her relationship with Iroh was strained and more formal than anything, while Ursa made her feel like a monster. Even her friendship with Ty Lee and Mai was poisoned because her belief that she was a weapon and thus expendable warped her genuine affection into something more akin to a military unit. Again, all to prove she was as ruthless and heartless as her father.

Azula's problem wasn't that she was power hungry, cause she never expected to get power. Her problem was that everything she did, she did for somebody else. Think about it. She wanted Zuko home so she sacrificed her path to the throne. She wanted Ozai's approval so she became something she hated. Azula was desperate for some kind of acceptance, otherwise her mother's rejection wouldn't have shaken her so bad.

It's not like we have don't examples of selfish and egocentric behavior from the series. Zhao was willing to put the entire world at risk by killing the moon just to stroke his own ego. Ozai was willing to burn down the Earth Kingdom (killing who knows how many innocent lives) and proclaim himself as Phoenix King just because he could. Even Zuko was willing to put the safety of the world and backstab his own allies just for a chance to return home and claim his birthright.

Azula...doesn't come even close to those levels of narcissism and self-interest. Cause she based herself around pleasing others and wouldn't stand up for herself when she was crossed, both from personal experience and a low sense of self-worth. In many ways she was like Zuko in trying to please her father.

It's just unlike him, she wasn't presented with a way out.

[likeadragonfruit]

Unalaq is probably the worst received villain from The Legend of Korra, but there was something about him that bothered me from the first episode to the last, even if those issues evolved and shifted.

What Unalaq was

I’ll start off with his design that Bryan admits to being too similar to Tarrlok 

Despite my earlier speculation of possible parallels to Azula, Unalaq is probably best described as a mixture of Azula, Ozai and Iroh

One part Azula, as in written most likely in a manner like Prince Azul from the series Bible/original outline of ATLA. 

(Yet another) villainous father, like Ozai and Yakone before him. The major difference being that while the other two have moments of confirmed or attempted physical abuse, Unalaq’s is confined more to verbally berating his children. 

An evil mentor archetype similar to the original plan for Iroh in the series Bible/original draft. Though here, Unalaq is manipulating Korra to his own ends rather than sabotaging her the way first draft Iroh was supposed to be sabotaging Zuko. (Being Korra’s uncle just hammers the parallel in more)

The Ozai and original version of Iroh similarities are further reinforced with Korra’s choice between him and Tonraq/Tenzin as a compressed version of Zuko’s choice between Ozai and Iroh

All in all, Unalaq almost seems like a greatest hits of previous villain concepts, for what for a time could’ve been the final season. Yet the concept falls flat because of the weird choices around his goals and motivations.

He’s supposed to “have a deep connection to spirits” and be frustrated with the disconnect between humans and spirits

But he’s also a schemer who got his brother banished so he could become Chief of the Northern Water Tribe

And everything he does in the season, manipulating Korra, trying to get Tonraq imprisoned for life, occupying the Southern Water Tribe is in service to reopening the spirit portals supposedly

But not just to reopen the spirit portals, but also free Vaatu, for whom Unalaq was working for/with the whole time?

Unalaq claims to disbelieve that Vaatu is as dangerous as he seems, and claims that Wan only brought chaos

So his solution is to side with Vaatu so he can counter the Avatar?

The best I can come up with is that Unalaq got deceived by Vaatu, much like Wan did. Except that falls flat because what could’ve been so convincing to ignore every warning that Vaatu wanted to end life as everyone knew it?

And in the end, it doesn’t matter what Unalaq wanted since Unavaatu only wants what Vaatu wanted: 10,000 years of darkness (not even getting into the rest of the mess with Vaatu)

What bothered me about Unalaq

Initially, what bothered me about Unalaq was the missed opportunity of him as Korra’s teacher. From the little we see of him instructing Korra, he was a better teacher than Tenzin. Korra still had to work on spiritually and relating to spirits, but Tenzin’s methods weren’t likely to work. (In fact, when he has tries to guide her into the Spirit World, Tenzin explicitly fails.)

Unalaq not only seemed to have a better teaching relationship with her, but also could’ve been an opportunity to explore Water Tribe spiritual traditions and let Korra connect herself to that, rather than the franchise’s insistence that airbenders have a monopoly on spirituality.

The worst part is even under the framework of a villainous Unalaq, they still could’ve done more with the concept. Unalaq teaches Korra is spirit transformation technique offscreen, and despite Korra later having bitter feelings over it because Unalaq only taught her things to manipulate her, it’s still something she uses for the rest of the season. Some extra time with the two of them practicing could’ve fleshed out the relationship, lessons Korra learned besides bending, provided further opportunity to flesh out Unalaq’s philosophy and beliefs, with room to foreshadow the flaws.

The other thing that bothers me, aside from the whole working for Vaatu angle, is that if Unalaq really was about opening the spirit portals, all he needed to do was convince Korra that leaving them open was a better option. Which she decided to anyway, making freeing and fusing with Vaatu pointless. But that goal was also undermined by his need to have Tonraq imprisoned. 

Also, what is with Tonraq and Unalaq’s relationship? Why are they like this? How does this fit with the rest? I have no answers, only more questions

[harrowscore]

finished atla and thoroughly enjoyed it... but what i'm going to do without my girl azula now?? her ending was so sad (and yet exactly what i expected)

[manias-wordcount]

I hope you’re having a good week I have a request if you’re interested in Azula X read reader has the personality of scar from the lion King the animated version obviously 

S/o with the personality of Scar HCs (Azula)

𝗔/𝗡: 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗺! 𝗶 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆!!

𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚? ⇒ 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

𝙟𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙧?

𝙗𝙪𝙮 𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙚?

With this type of personality, your relationship with her tends to have two modes

Mode one is like lovey-dovey sickly sweet because you guys just get each other

In that classic children’s media villain way y’know

Like every conversation between the two of you will be fluid and you can complain about things to each other openly because you guys just understand each other and have such similar personalities

Literally, it’d be so easy to just shoot the shit with each other like this and boss other people around because you two just radiate power and confidence 

(although she’s the only royal here, you’re faking it to you make it lmao)

But since you guys are so similar, mode two is when you guys can’t stand each other

You both can be powerful hungry and uncaring towards others, so it can be really hard to stand each other when one sets the other off into a bad mood

To be frank, getting this relationship to work is going to be difficult since Azula and someone with Scar’s personality are bound not to be good people

But there’s someone out there for everyone- including you and her too

[zuko-always-lies]

What a lot of "power-hungry Azula after the throne" takes miss is that Azula was already securely the heir before the series started. Not only was she Ozai's favorite child, but Zuko had already lost his birthright by being banished. Although throughout Book 1 there is a small chance that Zuko might regain Ozai's favor and his status as Crown Prince by capturing the Avatar, at the end of Book 1 Ozai declares Zuko a traitor and has him hunted as a fugitive. From that point on, Zuko regaining Ozai's favor is extremely unlikely, at least without Azula putting her thumbs on the scale. Iroh also theoretically has a claim to the throne, but he has persistently failed to press it, so any direct threat from his corner also seems unlikely, and of course Ozai would never recognize Iroh as his heir.

With Zuko completely disgraced and Iroh a non-threat, the biggest potential threat to Azula's "right to the throne" actually comes from another quarter. If Ozai remarried or took a concubine, their children might threaten Azula's position, especially if they were male. Ozai might even desire a male heir and favor one over Azula. Azula would still have 14 years and many accomplishments on them, but this would still be more dangerous than "traitor Zuko" making his return to grace. However, since Ozai seems to have shown little interest in having more children in the many years since Ursa left, this is strictly a hypothetical threat.

Without these hypothetical half siblings of Azula, Ozai is essentially stuck with her as his heir. Aside from the disgraced Zuko, Ozai has no one other to choose, even if he wanted. There might be some distant relatives of the royal family available, but they would have weak claims and Ozai would have to be truly desperate to choose them over his own, prodigious daughter.

Azula's status as the next Firelord is thus essentially secure at the beginning of Book 2. All she needs to do is keep breathing, not screw up in an absolutely horrific way, and not get her only potential competitor back into her father's favor. Even if she wants the throne, she already essentially has it in the bag. It doesn't make sense for her to do anything particularly crazy or desperate to secure it, or even really expend much energy or thought on an already "solved" problem.

Meanwhile, Zuko desperately wants to be crown prince again but is literally a traitor marked for death, so him doing something crazy to try to regain his "rightful place" makes perfect sense.

[theotherpacman]

offsetting all my hateposting with another positivity post

things I didn't get to in my first positivity post but have since remembered

the part where katara uses her waterbending to put out the flaming arrow and stop the bombing???? cool as shit. A+ use of waterbending

having jet sneak them into omashu was pretty damn good. it's not like the live action show could've realistically pulled off the goofy fake beard thing, and it introduced jet as this kind stranger doing something significant for them at great personal risk to himself, setting him up to be a Good Guy, at once making him more complex (he isn't just angry and power-hungry - he really wants to help people) and making it hit harder when katara learns that he's,,,, a terrorist

"that wasn't you. that was me" honestly iconic

that moment where sokka goes "oh us southern water tribe warriors are more known for our hand-to-hand fighting" and suki is like "!!!! flirt opportunity!!!! I shall impress him with my fighting prowess and thus woo him!!!!!" and then she kicks his ass like ":D :D :D and now we shall kiss" omg babygirl ur too good for him

I added this to my first positivity post in an update but azula as a prodigy archer!!! adds to her characterization directly as highly talented and multi-skilled in various combat techniques, and symbolically as very precise, efficient, perfectionistic. love it

zuko's diary. oh my god zuko's diary

seriously first of all zuko as a calligrapher and artist deepens his characterization as skilled in areas his father deems worthless and weak, and secondly aang getting his hands on the thing helps him see into zuko's head more which is cool, but more importantly zuko losing his own personal diary to his fucking nemesis is a hilarious choice can you imagine how that would've driven him insane

that lady in omashu who smacked zuko with a brush bc he was beating up a child. queen

[blorboazula]

I've been reading a bunch of Azula fics, I have three pet peeves (and they bother me a lot because I read "Azula-friendly" only).

Azula shot Iroh with lighting: she didn't. I've just watched one or those bending compilations and her shot even makes the fire noise. there's no crackling of electricity, there's not the whole bending movement she does for lighting.

the same goes for Mai, she was going to shoot fire. (it's not as if we see her shooting with two fingers multiple times...) fire is faster, she's good at it, that's a primary weapon.

sending the Kyoshi warriors, Ty Lee and Mai to prison is the worst thing she could have done. it makes sense to send Suki to the Boiling Rock, as it makes sense that Hakoda was there, they're the leaders. having prisoners of war is not a war crime. actually, war crimes ≠ acts of war. sending the Kyoshi warriors to prison after fighting them is exactly what you expect of people in a war.

Ty Lee and Mai committed treason on her face. that's not even about the betrayal, that's just a whole ass crime. that's the crown princess, the second most important person in the fire nation, literally the only one left to take the throne. if this wasn't a children's show, they'd have been executed before Azula could move again after being chi-blocked.

sure, being resentful about being in prison is fine, but if you don't want to go to prison, perhaps don't commit treason in front of the god-damned crown princess?

now, the worst of all: Azula always wanted to be Fire Lord.

Azula...

born fifth in the line of succession...

who has her grandfather, her father, her uncle, her cousin and her brother in front of her...

Azula always wanted to be Fire Lord.

you mean the kid that has abandonment issues?

not even counting that. after the whole shit with Lu Ten dying, Azulon dying and Ozai usurping the throne. she still has 1) her father in the throne and 2) Zuko as the crown prince. to want to be Fire Lord even then, when she's a lot closer to it, is making her want the people she loves the most to be dead or exiled.

even if you don't believe that she loves someone. why would she bring Zuko back home, restore him as the crown prince, if she wants to be Fire Lord? leave the guy there, betray him after he helped you, that would make more sense for a power-hungry secondborn daughter of the secondborn son than bringing your only competition to the throne.

I don't know where the idea that she always wanted the throne comes from, I just know it's stupid and doesn't fit anything in her show characterization

[nayadoesstuff]

People (mostly Zuko stans) like to think Ursa was some saint. Ursa is not a saint, let's be completely real. I mean, series!Ursa is a plot device - she's there to remind Zuko to never forget who he is. The show wouldn't paint her in a bad light. Comic!Ursa is also a terrible portrayal. I can't imagine a parent choosing to forget their own children to go and live another life and have another child. Kiyi is quite literally a replacement child - and lying about who Zuko's father is? That could've put Ozai, Ursa herself and Zuko at risk if Azulon ever caught wind of it. She did it to spite Ozai, which I think is so incredibly stupid. Back to the point - Ursa is not a saint in any way. No completely innocent person has a collection of poisons which they can use at any time. Ursa also grew up in the FN. She was married to a Fire Prince - I highly doubt she'd support any kind of rebellion. Let's be honest, she'd probably be a hardcore imperialist. I'm quite sure it's implied Ursa had a hand in how Azula turned out, even if it was mostly Ozai. She'd probably be proud of Azula for taking over Ba Sing Se and being an imperialist if she stayed with Ozai. Are we forgetting she laughed, along with Azula and Zuko over Iroh's whole 'burning Ba Sing Se to the ground' joke? Ursa is not a good person, and IMO not even the best mother. It doesn't mean she can't change. In fact, we don't even know much about her without the comics (which were terrible) I feel it's lazy writing. They needed a reason why she wouldn't return or try to contact Zuko when he joined the gaang - it could've been done much better. Especially her relationship with Ozai. Sure, it's fine for her to be a victim of abuse, but it's incredibly boring and been done before. The trope of evil guy and kind woman where evil guy abuses kind woman is OVERDONE. It'd be more interesting if Ursa and Ozai actually liked eachother. The idea of them marrying because she's Roku's descendant is good, but I feel the rest of it was poorly executed - she could've been as power hungry as him. I mean, Ursa's family would've been nobility if Roku didn't betray the FN. Maybe she wanted power, maybe she was like Ozai in that regard. It would've been a lot more interesting if they loved eachother for a while because of the things they had in common but Ursa stopped chasing power after her children were born and Ozai didn't.

[prying-pandora666]

Look at this for a moment.

Notice how Azula, a 14 year old child at her oldest in the show, is now somehow a “woman” and not a girl.

Notice how Ozai isn’t her father and only remaining parent. He’s just “a man”.

Notice how the emphasis is on Ozai’s power as something Azula desires, as if she’s the power-hungry equivalent of a gold digger rather than an abused child who can’t defy her father who also happens to be the unquestionable ruler of their highly-militarized nation.

Notice how Azula being motivated by wanting her father’s love and approval—a normal desire for any child but especially one who hasn’t received love—is somehow “reductive”.

And yet Zuko having the exact same motivation despite being two years older somehow isn’t?

This is misogyny. And it’s been so internalized that they can’t even recognize it’s coming from inside the house.

Fandom is a mess. Can we please talk about the sexism and ableism surrounding Azula discourse?

You don’t have to like her or agree with her redemption to recognize this is not okay.

[high-on-cactus-juice]

honestly I’m kinda annoyed by people who view Azula as some irredeemable psychopathic monster cause that’s such a misunderstanding of her character and everything she represents.

don’t get me wrong my girl is crazy in the series, but she’s also just a 14 year old girl who was raised as a weapon her whole life by a goddamn EVIL DICTATOR. while her other parent was emotionally unavailable due to her own mental issues at the time (I’m not saying that Ursa was a bad parent, I’m saying that Ursa was fucking traumatised by being forcibly married to a tyrant, and she ended up seeing a reflection of her husband in young Azula). when one of your parents is a tyrannical power hungry ruler and your other parent is emotionally unavailable because they associate you with their trauma, of course that’s gonna fuck you up???

Zuko represents everything Azula could have been. the two siblings are placed as fundamental opposites because Zuko is the one who achieved his redemption while Azula descended further into madness. however we do ignore the fact that a big part of the reason Zuko chooses redemption is because of the actions of other people, because of the support he had from Ursa and Iroh and later the gaang members. and if Azula had been given the same circumstances from the start she could have been redeemed too, just like Zuko.

but she wasn’t given any outside perspectives of the world outside of her fathers brainwashing ideology. so of course she listened to the one parent that she was left with because that’s what she thought love was. she was a child who was raised by only being exposed to her father’s propaganda, in other words literally cult brainwashing.

people don’t understand that Azula is a tragic character and not a psychopathic one, because she COULD HAVE been a redeemed character, she had all the POTENTIAL to be redeemable, and the only reason why she wasn’t redeemed towards the end was because she actively CHOSE not to be redeemed. because how can she go against all she has ever known?

notice how when Iroh talks about Azula he says she is “crazy and needs to go down” because that’s the truth and that’s what needs to happen in that moment, BUT he doesn’t at any point say that Azula is irredeemable, because he knows that if she was given the same chances as Zuko she could have been redeemed.

also people throw around the word psychopath a little too easily. Azula does care about others to some extent, she has emotions and complex feelings that she doesn’t know how to express due to her fucked up upbringing, and unstable mental health. hating Azula has low key become a gateway into stigmatising people with mental health disorders and I don’t like that. if you’re gonna dislike Azula think of a better reason than “oh she’s psychopathic and heartless boohoo”

[atla-recluse]

Has it ever been discussed, what sort of things Zuko had to have been taught by who-even-knows, to be so throne-hungry at the age of just 16?

Was it Ozai teaching it to Zuko? Iroh teaching it to Zuko? Was it Ozai teaching it to Zuko through a young, impressionable Azula?

Or is Zuko just that naturally preoccupied with power and control, but able to hide behind his younger sister's far greater raw power and skill and her being preferred by the main bad, to get away from these accusations?

[yxngchen]

LOVE the pattern of the Power Hungry Father with Two Children dynamic throughout atla and lok. Ozai/Azula/Zuko, Yakone/Noatak/Tarrlok, Unalaq/Eska/Desna. idk if it’s on purpose but it is so interesting every time

[balanceoflightanddark]

"Azula overturned Zuko's banishment, not because he really cares about him, it's just in case Aang survived her lightningblast and she'd sadistically frame Zuko as a scapegoat and save her own ass from Ozai's wrath!"

So, a lightningblast is not an instant-kill move? If it still is, then this plan can only work if Azula had supernatural clairvoyance, precognition, ESP, and/or is a Jedi. Which I recall none of these things being revealed.

Zuko completely spilled the beans about Azula making the blast and that Aang survived. Two episodes later, at the boiling rock, oh look! Azula is perfectly fine!

Ah yes. The blackmail. People just loooove to frame Azula's whole "giving Zuko the credit for killing the Avatar" maneuver as some master plan that Tzeentch would be proud of in order to bring her brother to ruin. Thing is, she had no way of knowing that Aang would have any chance of survival.

Something that she herself brought up before:

See? She genuinely believed the Avatar was dead and that Zuko had nothing to worry about. The whole myth about bringing Zuko back just to use him for blackmail doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Even with the common misconception that Azula is power-hungry, why bring back and restore somebody's status when she could've just used the Dai Li back in the Earth Kingdom?

Bringing Zuko back honestly did more damage to her chances for the throne in the long run if that's what she was after...and to her as well.

Did Azula blackmail Zuko? Yes. But you also have to remember that she figured out that Zuko was withholding information from her. Here's a post by my dear friend @akiizayoi4869 which goes into detail, but the short gist of it was that both siblings are equally guilty of hurting each other with this mess. And trying to pin the blame squarely on Azula is an attempt to make Zuko look better than he actually was.

But to the second point. It is true that we didn't see what Ozai did when Zuko threw her under the bus (a rather dick move of him I might add since he didn't really gain anything from it). Thing is, I don't think Ozai would've hurt Azula if he still had some use for her. He'd probably scare the hell out of her and give her an ultimatum of killing Zuko or killing the Avatar to get back into his good graces. Since she failed in both, that could factor in his decision to abandon her during Sozin's Comet since she wasn't needed anymore.

Honestly, that potential scene is a huge missed opportunity. One, it actually gives Ozai more development and elaborates on the relationship between him and Azula. Two, it helps paint Azula in a more sympathetic light and clears up some of the ambiguity around her actions. And three, establish that between the two, Ozai is the more heinous one if he threatens to do the same thing to Azula that he did to Zuko. It certainly would give this line a bit more weight:

Thing is...Book 3 had a LOT of writing problems and shortchanging characters when it came to development. We didn't really get any time with anyone from the Royal Family not named Zuko outside of "The Beach" to humanize them too much. Some of the story decisions such as Azula's breakdown do feel a bit rushed. And we also missed out on storylines which could've developed her a bit more, like the arranged marriage subplot. So while her getting a scene like I mentioned would make a lot of sense in terms of character development, I'm not really surprised given what we've seen from Book 3.

[theerurishipper]

how would a redemption arc work for azula? because like you said, azula isn't even close to the realization that she was wrong. what kind of major event would it take for azula to realize her genocidal ideals were wrong? how would zuko react to her change? because I dont want zuko to accept it right away for obvious reasons.

I'm not exactly sure how a redemption arc would work for Azula. I much prefer her the way she is in the show, a tragedy to illustrate how being abused can sometimes turn you into an abuser yourself. If she were to have a redemption arc, it should be away from anyone' influence. Away from Ozai, because obviously, and away from Zuko as well. I think it would be good way to illustrate how a victim does not have to help their abuser, and it would give Azula the opportunity to find herself without exacerbating her inferiority complex when it comes to Zuko. I feel like if he was always around to help her, she'd learn nothing about personal responsibility. Even Iroh didn't help Zuko when it really came down to it, and Iroh wasn't even Zuko's victim in the way that Zuko is Azula's. But anyway, I'll give it a go.

Maybe I'd have Azula travel around the world, learning more perspectives kind of like Zuko did. I do think it would be harder for her to do than it was for Zuko, but I think being forced to confront the world and every perception of it that she's had would help her on the road to becoming a better person. The same way Zuko did, she should go on a journey by herself, having to struggle to find food and shelter, struggling to get by. She once thought she was so capable, so powerful, but she's struggling. She put all her value into being the best firebender, a prodigy, a raw talent that she was born with, the divine right, but she can't see any of that now. Her natural firebending isn't coming to her aid here. It doesn't bring her food, it doesn't bring her shelter, and it doesn't bring her any help. She's so hungry and tired... she can't even firebend that well at all, can't conjure up her flames as strong as they used to be.

It's almost as though her skill, her expertise in fighting with fire... isn't as important or useful as she thought. It doesn't matter as much as she thought it would. It leads to her needing to reevaluate everything she knows, because if what she believed was most important really isn't... then what is important? What makes her worthy, what makes her special?

And when she comes across people who are suffering the same way she is, instead of scoffing at them and dismissing their pain like she once would have, she sees herself in them, and she understands them. And she also begins to understand that her father, and she by extension, did this to them. It sits wrong with her, now that she knows what it feels like. She's already beginning to realize that maybe her divine right isn't all that she thought it was, but she clings onto it anyway, because it's the foundation of her worldview, and without it she has nothing.

Azula keeps on travelling, she meets more and more people. I think it should be the Earth Kingdom that she travels in most, because it's where she caused the most damage to the people, it's the place she wanted to burn to the ground, and now she's forced to travel there.

And then maybe, on her travels, she stays with a family one day, who let her in out of the goodness of their heart. She scoffs at them for being so weak, so naive, but she's tired and hungry and has nowhere else to go. While she's staying there, she happens upon a scene where one of their kids is getting hugged by their mother, getting a kiss on their forehead or something, and she can't help but remember her mother doing that to her, and she can't help but remember that her father never did. And her mother was weak, and her father was is powerful, but... the kid looks so happy. And so was she, back then, when her mother showed her she loved her. But she didn't love Azula. She didn't.

But did she? Could it be that she really did love her?

Azula runs away from them in the middle of the night.

Because sure, it's a worthless display of affection, so far removed from power and fear and everything her father taught her to be, everything she strove to emulate. And they're just Earth Kingdom peasants, after all, what would they know about who she is and what she's destined for? But she can't help but think about the joy in that child's eyes, the loving way his mother looked at him, like how her mother used to look at her, how she used to feel so special when her mother stroked her hair and gave her a kiss on her forehead. Even Azula can't mistake what the look in that mother's eyes were. And if it reminds her of her mother... was her father wrong? And if he were wrong about that... what else could he have been wrong about? Her, raw talent, her divine right which she's already questioning?

And those people... they had no power. They had no money, no glory, no superior bending ability, but... they were so happy. And as long as she can remember, her family wasn't. Of course, maybe that was Zuko's fault for being so weak, her mother's fault for being so weak, her uncle's fault for being so weak... but this family has nothing, nothing like she did, and they're still so loving, so happy. And she still can't shake her faith in her father entirely (though it already began, back during Sozin's Comet), but... maybe, just maybe, somewhere deep in her heart, she's forced to admit that maybe she would liked this a lot better. Her father never did this... but maybe he should have.

She keeps travelling. Some people help her, some turn her away. She understands both of them. She would turn away anyone who came to her for help. They never were worth her time. But now she's on the other side, the one in need of help. And the people who help her, once she would have called the naive and weak and foolish, but they are the ones who help her stay alive, who she depends on. She's starting to realize who the better person is, between these two. When it comes down to just being a person, stripped of wealth and power, who it's better to be. Her father always said these things to her, and she believed it for the longest time. She did everything she could to be on his right side, to be like him, to be better than her brother... but ultimately, in her time of greatest need, none of it matters. What's really helping her is kindness, is compassion, the things she derided and scoffed at. In the fact of the harsh reality, she has to admit that her father is wrong. She can't deny it anymore.

Maybe she happens upon a refugee camp at some point, and she sees these people suffering, with nothing. She used to believe that weakness led to your own suffering, and that it would never happen to her. Zuko brought his fate upon himself, after all. Iroh lost his son because of his weakness. Her mother was sent away because she was too weak. But Azula sees these people, there people who have nothing because everything they had was burnt away. She would have blamed them too, but she's also spent so long feeling helpless, realizing that when it comes to the world outside the confines of her majestic royal palace filled with luxury and comfort, that not everyone has that kind of power, even her. Especially not her. And she knows, just as surely as she knows that she wanted the fire that destroyed their homes to be lit, she knows in the depths of her mind and heart that this is their fault. The fault of her father, and her own. Just like what happened to Zuko was her father's fault.

And they still help her, believing her to be one of them, someone who has been hurt by the Fire Nation like they have. And for the first time, she feels that she doesn't deserve their help. She doesn't deserve their kindness. She's horrified by the true reality of her actions and their consequences, horrified by what she's done.

And then maybe someone recognizes her. And then people are drawing weapons and trying to defend themselves. They all come together in hatred for her. In fear of her. It's what she's tried to achieve for so long, to subjugate these people, to rule them, to make everyone fear her. But she sees them come together, fearing her, and she only feels sick. There are children crying, somewhere, and for a second, she sees Zuko in his place, crying, half of his face burnt off-

She runs. She can't deal with this. Some people chase her, trying to take her down, because they're so afraid of her. She's never truly been confronted with such raw hatred before. She thinks of all the children, with burns on their skin, and thinks of Zuko, his face burning, and she thinks of how she had smiled. She thinks of her father, teaching her all sorts of falsehoods about power, and worthiness, and how she knew, she did, that it would only last as long as it pleased him. She thinks of that family, happy and loving, and how much better it seemed compared to her own family. She thinks about how so many other families have been the same way. She thinks about how even the people in this camp, who are so hurt and powerless, were ready to fight her to protect their family.

She thinks about her mother, who was the one who really loved her. Realizing her father was wrong also brings about the realization that she was wrong about her mother. That her mother was trying to protect her. From her father. The man who would burn the face of his son, all because he wouldn't fight his father. Who treated Zuko like he was worth nothing because he couldn't bend as well as her. Who treated her like she was worth something only because she could bend her fire better, the same bending ability that she's realized is ultimately meaningless, which doesn't matter when it comes down to the realest parts of the world. Who fed her lies and treated her like a tool, because he saw her as a weapon, not a daughter. He never looked at her the way her mother did. With love. He just wanted to use her, and he cast her away when he was done with her. Just like he did with Zuko. She wasn't special, she wasn't born lucky, she was just more convenient, and he used her and discarded her like a cheap toy.

And she has to admit, that fear isn't the answer. She's seen people now, people who are more afraid of her than anyone has ever been before. They should be running away. But they don't. She thinks about these people, who she thought were weak, but really, they are stronger than her, because even in the face of fear, they fight. Because they have love, and that's always been more powerful. Just like Zuko. Like Mai and Ty Lee.

Her mother wouldn't have done what her father did. She would have helped Azula. She tried so hard to. Her brother tried too, as she fought him and relished in his pain. So did her uncle, while she spurned him and wished him dead. So did these people, even though she wanted to burn them to the ground not so long ago. Her father was well on his way to do it. Burn down their homes, kill these people, some of whom are her age too. And she suggested it, she wanted to be by his side, like it was some game, some glorious quest.

Her father is a monster. So is she. She's always laughed it off, believing her mother thought that about her, and trying to pretend it didn't matter. But it does. Now it does. She's always known all this, somewhere in the depths of her mind, her mother's teachings had left a mark, but she can no longer run from any of it anymore. It's the truth. She's a monster, and for the first time, she feels remorse. She can no longer hide behind her belief of superiority, of her divine right to rule. She feels guilt, the way she did on that day, before she lost everything she once thought mattered, when her mother looked at her and said I love you Azula. I do.

From then, she keeps travelling. She tries to avoid people. She doesn't dare face anyone, for fear of what rejection she might face, especially because she now knows she deserves it. She doesn't deserve their help or their support. Not these people, not Zuko or Mai or Ty Lee or her uncle or her mother. And as she's going on like this, she sees some people one day, shivering in the cold, trying to light a fire and failing. She's also cold, so she lights a fire. But the fire in her hand is blue, like ice, too hot, too much. So, for once, she stops focusing on making her flames the hottest they can be. The flame in her hand cools down, and now it's a warm yellow glow. And then she actually feels warm, not just on the outside but in her heart as well. And she looks at these people, and she knows how they feel. She knows what she'd want someone to do for her if she were in their place. So, she lights their fire with a flick of her wrist. They don't see who she is, they don't even notice her. For all they know, they managed to light it themselves. But they look so happy, so content, so warm. Because of the fire. And she didn't even use it to fight. Her fire is helping people, making them happy. Maybe it's not just good for fighting.

Just like her.

She knows in her heart that this is what her mother would have wanted. Her mother who was right all along. So, she goes on doing this, secretly helping people. Lighting their fires, their torches. It's small, but it clearly means a lot to people on cold days and nights. And they never notice her. But she's surprised to find that she doesn't need or want the attention anymore. Just the fact that she helped makes her feel the warmth she thought respect and power would get her.

And so, she doesn't just help with her fire. She tries to learn new ways to help. She tries to learn how to treat wounds, especially burns. And she finds so much more fulfillment in this simple work than she ever did in plotting against her brother and planning to burn down the Earth Kingdom. And it's not even just because of her mother's words anymore. Her mother was right. This is something she wants. She still struggles sometimes with doubts about if she's wrong now, still struggles with feelings of resentment and anger towards the people she knows don't deserve it. She still feels small when she thinks about her father, about what he'd think if he saw her like this, even though she's realizing he doesn't matter. But she's getting better. She feels better than she's ever felt.

And then she ends up in Ba Sing Se, and then Zuko is there. With Iroh. And the Avatar and his friends. Zuko spots her. She runs. Zuko chases her. She didn't mean to run into him, but he's coming after her. Zuko confesses that he was worried about her, that he's been looking for her. And she's shocked that he would, even after everything. Because even now, she can still see the wariness in his eyes, the slight nervousness in his posture, the way his friends stand tall behind him, making less of an effort to look concerned, even though they don't look completely antagonistic.

So Azula does the one thing she's always been running from, something she knows she has to do but has never been able to. Admit to her mistakes. Apologize. She still wants to run, but Zuko is here, he's been looking for her, and he's worried about her. She would have felt, and a part of her still feels, anger towards Zuko, still blames him unfairly. But she's grown to recognize it for what it is. And so, she says to him I'm sorry, the first time she's said the words and truly meant it. He looks shocked, but then smiles, and says I forgive you.

But she can see he doesn't, not really. She can see now, how much he loves her, how much wants her to get better, how much he appreciates her sincere apology. How much he wants to forgive her. But she can still see the doubt, the pain and fear in his eyes that she caused. She can see the resentment and the hurt. She's not blind to it anymore. So she says, no you don't. And when he steps forward, tells her to stay, Azula, I don't want to lose you, she tells him that it's best for the both of them if she leaves. And maybe one day, she'll come back, when she's become better, enough to truly begin to make up for what she's done to him, and he can truly forgive her. And he smiles, and says good luck.

So Azula goes off to do more good things and learn to heal herself and find her worth, and then they meet and can actually be a decently stable family again. Or not, YMMV.

Thank you for your ask!

[the-sky-queen]

Avatar the Last Airbender theories I had that turned out to be false

So unlike literally everyone else, I didn't grow up with ATLA and discovered it sometime when I was in high school. Can't remember exactly when. Because of this, I created a few theories as I was watching for the first time, trying to predict where the show would go. All of these ended up being completely wrong, but they're fun, so I thought I'd share them!

Zhao becomes the Firelord

Sooooo funny story with this one. I actually had two exposures to ATLA before I actually watched it and one of them was THE SERIES FINALE. I didn't see the whole thing, but I did catch a huge chunk of the ending. So before I even started watching officially, I knew Zuko was gonna be a good guy, which is why I never gave up on him. XD This also means that I got to see Ozai's FACE.

Ozai doesn't show his face in book 1, and by the time I started watching, I'd forgotten what Ozai's voice sounded like. I also had very little idea of who I'd seen Aang fighting in the finale was in the first place. So I kinda took one look at Zhao and said "YES. HIM." The theory went like this:

Zhao slowly climbs the ranks of the Fire Nation over the course of the series, growing more and more power hungry as time goes on. Eventually, he gets to the point where he overthrows/assassinates Ozai and becomes the new Firelord. Aang has to fight him in the finale and Zuko has to take the throne that's rightfully his back.

Imagine my disappointment when Zhao got eaten in the book 1 finale. XD I was so convinced of this theory that I didn't even believe he was really gone for a looong time after this.

2. Zuko is a Double-Bender

Remember the Blue Spirit episode? Of course you do. Well, there's this split second clip as Zuko's rescuing Aang where he picks up a bucket of water and splashes it on a guard or something. I completely missed the bucket on my first watch of this episode and concluded that whoever this Blue Spirit guy was, he was a Water Bender. I then proceeded to get my mind absolutely BLOWN when I realized the Blue Spirit was actually Zuko. I started going crazy with theories that Zuko was secretly a Fire Bender AND a Water Bender. Hence, a Double-Bender. I asked a friend about this theory of mind and she sadly debunked it for me. However, this is still my favorite ATLA theory to this day and I have an entire AU centered around it. One day I'll get around to actually writing it.

3. Jet is a major recurring character

So the other time that I got ATLA spoilers before watching it was when I accidentally half-watched most of Jet's introductory episode. The friend I was with at the time groaned in annoyance at Jet, leading me to believe that he showed up A LOT and he was the worst thing this show had to offer. I fully expected Jet to pop up ALL THE TIME and make a nuisance of himself. I was relieved to discover he doesn't come in nearly as much as I thought he would.

4. Ba Sing Se stuff

Rapid fire round! I thought a lot of things about everything that happened in Ba Sing Se:

Team Avatar all get brainwashed by the Dai Lee except for like Sokka or someone, who then becomes wanted by the entire brainwashed city and has to figure out how to reverse all this.

Zuko happily lives out the rest of his days with Uncle Iroh at the tea shop and never runs into Team Avatar again.

5. Azula alone

Team Avatar frees the entire city of the brainwashing. Specifically Joo Dee.

Yeah, I thought all of Ba Sing Se was brainwashed, not just some people.

I was 100% convinced that Mai and Ty Lee were going to betray Azula at some point during book 2 and then join Team Avatar. I guess this kinda happened? Kinda?

Aaaaand this is all I can think of for now. I'll make another post if I think of more theories I had, but this is about it. :)