#azulaang critical

[zuko-always-lies]

Why does nearly every longer Azulaang fic I read bother me?

I don’t mean this post to rip into Aang/Azula, or to people who like it, ship it, and write it. Still, it strike me that I’ve rarely ever liked longer Azulaang fics that I’ve skimmed or read, and I want to summarize what seems to be bothering me about them. And to be clear, most longer Azulaang fics that I have looked at me have rubbed me in the wrong way, so I haven’t looked at all that many. Thus, the sample that I am working off is probably not representative. 

Still, if you love Azulaang, you might not want to read on.

1. It’s a hetro ship.  It’s recently occured to me that all my favorite Azula ships are lesbian ones, so a hetro ship probably just is bothering me wrong.  Still, I tend to be much less bothered by Sokkla fics.

2. Many longer Azulaang fics I’ve read seem to have extremely screwed up power dynamics between Aang and Azula, with Aang having tremendious degrees of legal power over Azula, Azula being placed under his authority, Aang being Azula’s “warden,” even Azula being forced to marry him, etc. I don’t tend to like that.

3. A common theme in these fics seems to be isolation, with Azula often completely or largely isolated somehow from her friends, family, people outside Aang, etc. Often her relationship with Aang is her only substantial relationship.

4. In these fics, Azula often ends up being completely cut off from her native culture and society and attached only to Aang’s culture.

5. Canon Azula was ambitious, in the sense that she wanted to accomplish great things. Often, this fics, Azula comes off as happy devoting herself to fulfilling Aang’s needs, with no ambitions.

6. These fics often seem to engage in the “savior significant other” trope, with Aang “saving” Azula. To say that I don’t like that trope much is to put it midly.

Again, I don’t mean to launch a bitter indictment of this ship; I am just trying to explore why I have often ended up strongly disliking the longer fics I see for it, even when they’re written well. Admitedly too, some of the fics which formed my more negative impression are like a decade old. 

I can also point to at least a couple Azulaang fics that I remember liking, like Blue by WriteBecauseYouCannotBreathe, Ten Sides by TalesOfOnyxBats, and The Avatar and the Fire Princess by Loopy.

[valariecomet]

Honestly seeing (mostly kataang and maiko shippers but not just them) say ppl need to move on from what Bryke did with book 4 air makes me genuinely mad.

When I first started watching the show I was basically bullied out the fandom for drawing Zutara fanart. I was either 11 or 12 at the time and it was during 2020. A bunch of people older than me were mocking me for my fanart, not even because it was bad (not that if they did it would have been justified) no, because it was of a ship they like. I was called a whole bunch of colourful names and slurs and got accused of some horrible things just for liking Zutara and it did affect me.

Now, imagine 12 year old me finding and watching Book 4, do you think that just because that was in 2008 it didn't affect me? No! Of course it did! If anything it made me feel worse, so much so I left the fandom for two years and I only got back into ATLA when I was 14, even then I have only recently started engaging with the fandom again. Just because it occurred in 2008 doesn't mean it doesn't affect people now and I'm sure I'm not the only kid who has been discouraged by that video. If you were a kid at the time or not, the video can and has had an affect on people.

Also, it's not like Bryke were kids when they did that, no, they were full grown adults using children's fanart to mock them. It was disgusting and the fact they have never apologized, as far as I know, is gross. It doesn't matter how long ago it happened because it happened and still affects people, I don't think people should be forced to move on just because you believe that it isn't a big deal or it was ages ago so they should be forgiven. If you don't care that's fine, but don't try to force people to feel different to how they feel.

If your a Zutara shipper who's fanart was in that video, I am genuinely so fucking sorry. That is horrible and I can't imagine how it could have affected you. I know if I was in your situation I would still be upset about it to this day because of how discouraging the video was. I know your probably not reading this but if you are I feel for you.

Also I'm writing this after trying for about two hours to complete the gosh darn pachinko machine level in super Mario sunshine so if I sound a bit emotionally charged it's because I have just spend the past two of so hours in agony ✌️

Edit: I forgot about the Azulaang and Tokka scenes in the video since I hadn't watched it in ages, you guys too I'm so sorry, that was so cruel for you guys too.

[iil-nonbinary-baby-bitch]

God I LOVE Azulaang for many reasons but one of the best ones has got to be that it confirms that Aang has a type and it’s “My Friend’s Sister”

[prying-pandora666]

I can see why you voice Azula. Your manipulative and a liar just like her.

You say you have nothing against Zutara but you defend Aang anytime we have valid criticisms of his sexism and racism.

You are highly critical of Maiko and yet you claim to love both Zuko and Mai. If you loved them so much you’d want them to be happy together.

You reblog any Zuko ship that isn’t Maiko. Casually scrolling your blog I have seen you support Zukka, Jinko, Toko, and Zutara but that last one is obviously fake because you also criticize the pirate scene.

Meanwhile you hypocritically support Azula ships like Sokkla, TyZula, and Mailee. You don’t call out Zucest either just like your TERF icon Grey.

Your obvi a Kataang shipper in disguise. Zutarians have been fighting this battle since the beginning. We won’t fall for your Trojan horse.

Azula always lies.

I can see your entire post history behind your eyes. You were born with nothing. And you’ve had to troll, and plagiarize, and drama-post your way to the top.

But true power? The divine right to multi-ship? Is something you’re born with.

Your followers (if indeed you have any) may not know how this is going to turn out.

But I know.

And you know.

Those allegations against Grey Delisle were false. Katy Perry stans made them up because Grey called Katy out on voting for anti-gay politicians.

Whoops. Guess you’re not as informed as you thought.

Don’t flatter yourself.

You were never even a shitposter.

[juniperhillpatient]

always be ready to humble yourself. saw a post of a ship I personally dislike & thought “ugh they don’t even interact outside of a few combat scenes just why” & instantly had to remind myself what I ship & calm down

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Broken Glory

For @ly0nstea's Azulaang Week went with several of today's prompts.

Summary: Azula fights on the front line and gets critically injured.

“I told you so.” 

They all did. 

That if she kept down this sorry little path that she was walking that she would end up alone and hated, deprived of the glory and dignity that she had sought. She hasn’t eaten or bathed in days. There are gashes all over her body and she is certain that the one on her hip is infected. She is growing feverish and shaky but she isn’t sure if she should attribute the shaking to hunger or the infection.

She has to keep walking. Walking and walking without closing her eyes or laying her head to rest. She fears that if she does she will simply drift off and not return. With every agonized step that she takes, she feels more and more like that might not be such a bad thing.

She is so tired.

So terribly tired.

She has no one to blame but herself. 

No. That isn't true. She had grown up on stories of soilders. Of war heros who had come back to tell. Uncle's letters had painted an image in her mind.

Everyone idolized him.

She idolized him.

But he had left out a few details. 

Crucial details.

All of the heroes who'd come back from the battlefield did. They only ever talked about pride and honor and how powerful they had grown.

But that is just the thing, she had never heard from the ones that didn't come back.

She'd never heard Lu Ten's story, short if the disgrace it made of Iron when he'd left the front lines.

When he'd crushed her world and became a disappointment. To her and to his nation. 

She vowed that, when she left to take his place, she would come home with impressive tales of bravery and conquest 

She had forgotten that she was just a girl. A girl filled to the brim with lies and propaganda.

It was nothing like they said. No waving banners and hearty solders laughing over drinks about hard fought and won battles. 

There was only death and brutality. Bloodshed and burns. Missing or shattered limbs. So potent are the horrors that firebenders and earthbenders become the same in her mind. Everyone is suffering and she feels awful for all of them. They look mangled. Some barely recognizable through burns and beneath boulders.

And the smell…

Oh the smell.

Sweet and rancid, sometimes charred. It will never leave her nostrils. 

That horrid smell now clings to her 

That is how she knows that she will die. 

When the smell starts to linger that's When they put fellow soldiers out of their misery.

They had already deemed her as a lost cause and they had done so well before the odor had set in.

She is young.

She is a girl.

She is a liability in spite of her prodigal abilities.

She had put herself on the front lines for the sake of honor and triumph and it has defiled her. She doesn’t feel like a princess anymore. Her fellow soilders certainly hadn’t treated her like one. She was just like any other one of them and when her wounds became grave they left her behind just as they would any other. 

And so she walks and walks and keeps on walking, broken and discarded until her festering wounds and fevered brain drop her.

And when the darkness comes to take her hurt away, she lets it come.

.oOo.

Her pride is terribly wounded but the Avatar doesn’t say a word about it. 

Doesn’t make her feel bad for needing his help. 

Doesn’t try to guilt her for her hand in the war,fir having once relished in the total and complete massacre of his people. 

And somehow that makes her feel all the more uncomfortable. 

He is gentle with her.

Reassures her that she can't take back what her ancestors have done or control what her father continues to do. 

Reassures her that she can decide what she wants to do from here on out. What side of the war she really wants to fight in or if she even wants to fight at all.

She does in that the need to make up for past wrongs. She doesn't in that she is so scared. Her hip is in such terrible pain. She has scars all over in spite of the waterbender's healing abilities.

She apologizes profusely and says that she is just learning how to heal. Azula promises her that a collection of ugly scars and a limp in her left leg is better than the alternative. 

At least as far as her will to live goes.

As far as her ability to bend and return home with dignity and honor goes she is a lost cause. A joke. A disappointment just us great as uncle. 

Maybe that is the nature of her family. 

To become disappointments. Zuzu had done it and Iron before him…

“You're going to be alright.” The Avatar promises, holding a hand to her cheek, a cheek that is still red with a fever she has yet to recover from.

She doesn't feel as though she will be alright. 

“We wouldn't have found you if it wasn't meant to work out.”

His voice is so light and cheerful, it makes her heart flutter. “Okay.” She replies quietly.

He takes her hand in his own. His other hand strokes the back of hers. The backs of his hands have arrows the back of hers have lightning scars. His fingers are small and soft to the tough. Most of hers are broken and wrapped in bandages. Her ribs are broken too and there are multiple fractures in her left leg. It had taken the most hits.

She doesn't like rocks. 

Now and then, the waterbender's brother, she thinks that his name is Sokka---her head has been fuzzy and she can't remember—throws rocks sometimes. The sound of them hitting the ground or knocking against one anothet makes her flinch.

“You're going to be alright.” The Avatar promises again.

She wants to believe him. But it is hard when she feels so weak and broken. So desperate and humiliated. She had been naive and foolish. “Okay, Avatar.” She says in spite of her distress 

“You can just call me Aang.” He smiles. “Avatar is too formal for friends.”

She furrows her brows. “Friends…” she tests the word on her tongue. It has been so long since she'd used the word. So long since she has had any of those. 

“Yeah!” Aang grins. “Me, you, Katara, and Sokka! We're going to restore balance to the world!”

Her heart leaps again. Perhaps she isn't some pathetic, hapless creature after all. “That sounds nice, Ava…Aang.”

He offers her hand a very careful pat. “Everything is going to work out for you. You'll see.”

Maybe it is that sparkle of joy in his eyes. Maybe it is that goofy grin that he wears. But she trusts him. He has been kinder to her than anyone else has been. “Everything is going to be okay.” She repeats as the drowsiness takes over. He lets her lean against him as she drifts off. His grin is that much more gleeful now that she has agreed with his optimism. 

He strokes her cheek, taking care to avoid the bandage. His soft touch carries her off. When she next wakes up, it is to caring hands and bluer skies.

[impossiblycolorfulpanda]

Azulaang - teaching

Azulaang week @ly0nstea

Azula: Lightningbending is a pure expression of firebending, without aggression. It is not fueled by rage or emotion the way other firebending is. Some call lightning the cold-blooded fire. It is precise and deadly, like my father, my uncle, and myself. To perform the technique requires peace of mind.

Aang: Interesting, I guess that's why Zuko's always pushing us to drink more tea like your uncle did him.

Azula: I guess. There is energy all around us. The energy is both yin and yang. Positive energy and negative energy. Lightningbenders can separate these energies. This creates an imbalance. The energy wants to restore balance, and in a moment the positive and negative energy come crashing back together, you provide release and guidance, creating lightning.

Aang: That's very cool.

Azula: Yeah. Remember, once you separate the energy, you do not command it. You are simply its humble guide. Breathe first. Now, you tell me how this lightning redirection thing works.

Aang: Oh yeah, Zuko told me that your uncle invented this technique himself by studying waterbenders.

Azula: Is that so?

Aang: If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it. You must create a pathway from your fingertips, up your arm to your shoulder, then down into your stomach. The stomach is the source of energy in your body. It is called the Sea of Chi. From the stomach, you direct it up again, and out the other arm. The stomach detour is critical. You must not let the lightning pass through your heart, or the damage could be deadly.

Azula: Wow.

[zeke-best]

Aang was the sweetest to #Azula in the comics, he always tried to be nice. He was also the only one who tried to see the good in her. I love him for that. He even called her a friend

[roselevesque]

A thing I've never seen discussed is current fandom's very, very weird view on reincarnation storylines and how they affect relationships? Some people seem genuinely think that "I was your relative/we were relatives in a past life and therefore my/our current self(ves) gravitate towards each other and are tied together in new ways we have yet to explore ( found family/platonic/romantic/enemies etc. )" = any such ship featuring this idea is legit incestuous. Just...How????

[writebecauseyoucannotbreathe]

Me: tumblr I want azulaang content can you help me find azulaang content

Tumblr: tags no work

Me: tumblr I have somehow managed to find azulaang content can you help me share azulaang content

Tumblr: reblog no work

Me: tumblr—

Tumblr: no work

[sokkastyles]

I just venture into the Anti Zutara verse and is incredible because is just people hating on Zutara fans, not the ship itself, with arguments like I see in the Anti Keteeng verse. Nope. They are just being extremely toxic against real people. Even saying that if we don't like Keteeng we should watch another show, because apparently they own the show now and dictate who can or cannot watch it and have opinions about it. 🙄

Btw, I saw a comment hating on you and I just wanna say that you're amazing and don't let this kind of shit get to you. Haters gonna hate. Be safe.

Thanks. Apparently some people consider me a "BNF" and I think that's part of it, but that's weird to me because I've only been here for a year and a half and barely follow any ATLA blogs. I just created this blog as a place to put my ATLA stuff because I didn't really want minors following me on my other blog.

And yeah, the thing about anti zutara stuff vs anti KA and MZ is that posts that are anti the canon ships are commenting on and analyzing what is in the show. Whereas with zutara, it's all fanon so any attempts to "debunk" is just commenting on people's headcanons, which is always gonna make you look like a jerk.

Something I've heard someone else say that has always stuck with me on fandom is that you should try to avoid having opinions about other people's opinions, because that's always what leads to fights. So when I try to make my posts commenting on the canon ships, I try to comment on what's already in the show instead of other people's interpretations of it. I know I don't always succeed, but that's always my goal.

When I first got into the fandom, I was immediately turned off by the zutara hate not just because I already shipped it, but because a lot of it is twisting the narrative in order to disprove something that is fanon to begin with so if you start reading this posts knowing nothing about the fandom, like I did, it looks a lot like these people are tilting at windmills. Like, not only is there no real point, but literally no fanon shipper needs or wants to hear why you think their headcanons are wrong.

If people do know me from my personal they probably know that I'm always pro-shipping. I use anti tags mostly to avoid arguments when I criticize the canon ships, but my point is never to criticize shippers. I could care less what people ship. Really. Which is why I was genuinely surprised when some people got angry when I said I wouldn't make or support callout posts for people not shipping zutara in the "correct" way. Or why I gently ignore it when people send me asks after I reblog from certain bloggers to "warn" me that so-and-so ships x, y, or z unacceptable ship (usually azulaang or zucest). I know. I do not care. Which is not to say that there aren't certain ships and certain dynamics that bother me immensely. But I don't go out of my way to attack those shippers because I can't actually make a judgement about why someone ships something, especially if the ship itself is fanon.

Which, before anyone jumps on me, isn't to say I think anything goes or that there aren't valid criticisms to be made, especially since ATLA does touch on so many sensitive issues. But I agree, saying people shouldn't watch the show if they have different interpretations or are critical of some aspects of it is gatekeeping and toxic positivity. James Baldwin said "it's because I love America that I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually," and of course he was talking about things much bigger than fandom, but the same lesson still applies, which is that you should immediately question anyone or anything, any system that puts itself forth as above reproach to the point where criticism is pathologized. I made a shitpost recently about canon shippers saying that "postmodernism was a mistake," but like, postmodernism didn't happen in a vacuum. It's directly linked to the civil rights movement, women's suffrage, gender theory, and a broader understanding of the global world. It's inherently about questioning and tearing down existing structures, and you can't have social justice at all without it. You also cannot even have shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender without postmodernism, because the show itself and its very inception was born from an interaction between anime and western animation, the writers and creators were very involved with the fandom, and the result is something so incredibly self-referential that Derrida is probably turning somersaults in his grave.

But anyway.

[zuko-always-lies]

Fanfic idea: postwar, world leaders go down the “judicial murder” route with Azula and Zuko is 100% willing to go along with it, but Aang is not. In fact, Aang feels that everything that is going on deeply conflicts with his moral code as an Air Nomad and decides his responsibility as the same requires him to screw the consequences and rescue Azula!

[azulaang-chakras]

💢💦💚

Ship that is most misunderstood: Azulaang. People gotta stop clutching those pearls and open their minds up to the wealth of possibilities (like my fanfiction. shameless plug).

Ship that is taboo: I don't actively seek out taboo ships, and nothing I've got is really taboo. Azulaang and zukaang get badmouthed on twitter, so I guess they're as close to taboo as others are concerned. In terms of ships with content that is taboo, I don't think I have anything. Ships with big age differences like sansan get shipped in an intellectual/critical sense, but I don't go further than that unless Sansa is aged up in the fic or art (I actually got a couple of sansan wips, but they're a ways away). For ships that suffered a dip in popularity and are disapproved of by the creators, I'm a bit stubborn and I have great taste, so I'll always be a beaujester shipper (for those who aren't in the fandom, the ship suffered from an inorganic, almost retcon-like shutdown from the creators, and was then ghosted by much of the fandom).

I try to keep an open mind. If a fic has content that I'm iffy on or resistant to, such as a student/teacher dynamic, huge age gaps, or dark elements like gore and dubcon, but gets a recc from a trusted source, I'm open to giving it a chance.

Ship that you secretly like: Online, nothing. There's nothing I conceal if I'm into it. In real life, I probably wouldn't talk about a third of the ships I'm into. In my private social circle, where most of my fandom interactions take place, I don't talk about azutara, but that's only because the others don't really go for it for one reason or another, but I know they wouldn't stop me from talking about it if I wanted to (another side note: after the chakras AU is done, my next big project is an azutara fic)

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

Have you read the great gatsby? I asked dr rev this "Listening to the song rewrite the stars in the azulaang playlist. What do you think of a Great Gatsby AU with Aang and Azula (from someone who never read the book 😅)" but she has also not read the book.

i HAVE read the great gatsby! two-three years ago, yes, but i absolutely loved it. (thanks, ap lang.) so spoiler alert on for this ask if anyone hasn't read it but wants to

hmmm an azulaang great gatsby au... im intrigued, i must admit! but first i want to get my few reservations about this idea out the way: at its core, the great gatsby is a criticism of 1920s America, how the "American dream" is nothing more than corruption and the pursuit of wealth/power, and is written through the perspective of Fitzgerald following the unprecedented devastation and bloodshed of WWI (the Lost Generation of authors). it's obviously a very western narrative, and it's criticism of America i think could be difficult to reconcile with the eastern tale of atla. but, on a more surface level of simply examining the characters and plot without reading as deeply into Fitzgerald's intentions... again, i am intrigued!

i love the idea of aang in the role of gatsby pining towards azula as daisy, as they were lovers in their youth but were torn apart by war, and chan could be tom and he's having an affair with some fire nation girl as the equivalent of myrtle. zuko could be nick (that way some zukaang could be dropped in, because anyone who reads the great gatsby recognizes that nick had some feelings towards gatsby; also nick and daisy were cousins, so zuko and azula being siblings is as close to matching that as we can get lol) and mai could be jordan, cuz y'all know i love some maiko. also aang + mai friendship is SO underrated.

okay that's the cast lol.

instead of the green light at the dock, aang stares at the blue light of azula's dock every night (since her fire was blue). while daisy is more submissive than azula is, they're both sharp and aware of the prejudice and struggles they face as women in a man's world, hence why i don't think azula as daisy would actually be too much of a stretch. aang works as gatsby in that the avatar was revered by many even though people didn't know him personally, just like everyone loves gatsby and his parties despite having never met him. and oml aang absolutely would be willing to take the blame for azula's accidentally killing myrtle (aka random fire nation girl lol) - could keep it as a car accident like in the book, or change it to something else - and thus by extension becomes willing to die for her (kind of parallels how azula killed him in atla, as it could be argued daisy killed gatsby by not taking the blame for her crime). although the image of aang floating dead in a pool makes me 😭 like damn. and then zuko organizing his funeral and no one comes, even after everything aang as gatsby gave to the community, giving them fun in the form of his parties much like how in atla aang restored fun to the gaang despite the war - gosh, so good. so painful, but so good. plenty of opportunities for azulaang pining, fluff, and angst! in short, i think this au could be really awesome 👏

sidebar: i really recommend reading the book, anon! it's a quick (if a tad heavy) read and is just an absolutely phenomenal story. i thoroughly enjoyed it

[dannyurl]

Salty ask. 16-27 >:D

16. Never really thought much about this, it’s good enough for what it is.

17. Not really, I don’t have any strong opinions on this.

18. Well, I say for shipping in general there’s inherently a lot of denial and bias, you’re of course biased to your favourite character, and there’s a lot of denials if they’re paired with another person you don’t like either in fanon or canon (whole KA-ZK drama for example). If you ship something unpopular, kinda like you, Azulaang, you of course like Azula, biased toward her, probably thinks she deserve a redemption arc, and there’s possibly some denials in there too concerning her treatment and portrayal .

19. Hyper critical trying to find slights just for the sake of it, I guess it can be fine, but please present a good argument or at least put some thinking or research into it, few I’ve read have some really bad takes and some really misinformed ones (mostly ones about eastern religions and cultures), and some about META stuff are just bad. I’ve read one where the poster was really adamant in saying ATLA was bad because people there speak English and they should either speak Asian languages or they should make up languages for each culture to speak, and EK is big so they should have some dialects, and maybe a common language for people from different cultures to speak, like dude, it’s literally a damned cartoon made by Americans whose target audience are children, making every culture speak a different language will make storytelling to their target audience way more difficult and not to mention the cost, and can you Imagine pitching your idea about a children cartoon where there’s like 4 different languages, 1 common language, and a few other dialects spoken?

20. Sukka, they usually don’t have too much drama either in fandom or in the fics.

21. Love em, like a breath of fresh air, all those creativity.

22. Hate is kind of a strong word, more like slight dislike. It’s Zuko because of some the fandom’s portrayal of him.

23. Who’s unpopular in ATLA really? For real though, I have no idea.

24. Would I recommend ATLA? Yes. It’s good, story is good, characters are good, bending is cool.

25. For ATLA? I think the ending is fine.

26. Aang I guess, he fits with most people.

27. Jet, mostly because I don’t find his appeal. Boring answers, but it’s mine.

[loopy777]

Presenting...

The Avatar and the Fire Princess

~A Soap Opera in Six Parts~

Rating: T for Violence and Gothic Shenanigans Characters: Aang, Azula, Zuko, Mai, Ursa, Kiyi Pairings: Azulaang, Maiko Notes: Political Marriage, Unhealthy Minds

The Critics Agree:

“This pairing makes no sense and the author is stupid for writing it!”

“Seriously, no one ever used that title before?”

“This is weird. It’s an Azula fanfic but there’s no nudity or smut. I don’t get it.”

“Why isn’t Korra in this?”

“Wait, is this an AU?”

(Note: Not actual reviews.)

Links: AO3 | Fanfiction.net | deviantArt