#platonic azutara

[lazyveran]

ask about your arranged marriage au you say >:) :evil_hand_rub:

So. to begin with. Why and How is this what happened? is it a postwar diplomatic treaty thing, and Zuko is already too married to Mai to be the one wed? How much Hell did Azula and Katara put whoever suggested it through, and how did it end up happening anyways? What were each of the girls up to prior to the engagement? how do they feel about it? What does the world look like at the time of this AU, both in terms of the big worldwide stuff and the roles and relationships between the Gaang, whatever side characters are around, and their political positions? Be warned: highly likely that I will continue to enquire

you have unleashed the most self indulgent lore dump. thank you so much for asking. my long winded rambles under the cut

the setting of this au has two major changes; aang is never discovered (im so sorry my baby boy) and iroh is a much more active player within the fire nation. essentially, iroh begins consolidating the white lotus almost immediately after azulon's murder. as such, the fire siblings become terribly co-dependant in both ursa and iroh's absence as he's constantly away scheming against ozai. zuko doesnt get burned at 14. he gets burned at 19! and azula kills ozai for it, setting off a domino effect that lands an underprepared iroh on the throne trying to end the 100 years war as per his agreement with the white lotus members (before azula jumped the gun)

the azutara marriage occurs for like 2000 reasons but the main one is that iroh is forced to make several concessions in order to end the war as his ministers are terribly pro-ozai, thanks to ozai's scheming before azula prematurely offed him, and that the northern water tribe refuses to sign and end the war with the FN, unlike the other nations. azula, having been the princess-general ravaging the earth kingdoms in a five-year long campaign, therefore didnt get to show her face in the water tribes, gets chosen as the one to marry into the southern water tribe. as both a savvy diplomatic move to solidify the peace and to work with said wife towards peace with their sister tribe. iroh has no choice but to agree, and azula as a loyal princess with duty to the throne, also has to agree. (she is terribly, extremely unhappy with this due to ursa-parallel related reasons. and its azula.)

katara is chosen both for her position as the daughter of the chief, and for her prowess as a master bender (to match azula's known reputation). katara herself has been working as a sort of renegade freedom fighter away from the south pole, mostly working against the admiral-prince zuko and his three year campaign against the water tribes. sokka and herself work with an elite team, the black tail wolf pack (extremely indulgent name please forgive me) as guerilla fighters against the fire nation essentially. katara is EXTREMELY unhappy about the marriage alliance that her father has signed her off to, but like azula, her duty to her people and to peace overrides her extreme dislike of the situation.

zuko is the admiral-prince, heir to the throne, burned and shamed by the late firelord ozai, and... marrying toph bei fong. NOW PLEASE hear me out on this. stay with me. as part of the peace agreed by iroh, and the fire nation's precarious position now that expansion and pillaging cant fund their economy, an agreement is made with the earth kingdoms to marry into the wealthiest family in the world. its purely an economic marriage, but since the bei fongs are essentially the only homogenous earth territory ''royals'' that aren't strictly attatched to one kingdom but all of them, and have a daughter to spare, well. their relationship is the funniest to me, they're very much a platonic-married-besties situation. zuko himself is conducting a dreadfully obvious affair with mai, and his siege-weapon of a wife does not care in the slighest. in fact she actively encourages it, as being wife to the heir to the fire nation throne gives her freedom away from her family to be herself. there will be rising tensions between the bei fongs and the fire royals, naturally, as well as toph's own character clashing with the 'no fun allowed' fire nation.

azutara's relationship is an EXTREME slow burn, enemies to enemy-wives to friends to lovers. they're both 20 at the time they're married, but both have been child soldiers for years. azula spends a week acting like an arrogant prat and treating her wife like a peasant through politicking power plays before katara just kicks her ass three times over and azula realises theres actually no power imbalance to play off of. she promptly begins acting like mr darcy. katara has to grapple with the very alien culture of the fire nation and stumbles through all the subtlties of both court and royal life, as well as having to deal with her enemy turned wife and the absolute paradox of a woman that azula is. AND negotiating with her hostile sister tribe into trying to broker peace after a generation of war. i think marrying azula is harder than the whole 'world peace' affair really. they're both miserable and angry and cant understand each other but still see each other

sokka will be an intermitten character, as he becomes a diplomat for the southern water tribe as well as a member of the three nations peace council set up in the wake of the war. im trying to add in suki but im unsure on how, perhaps as another representative or something. ursa will have a plotline and azula will NOT be happy about it at all. iroh is frankly wracked with guilt that in order for peace he has to make the last of his family utterly miserable. all their relationships are complicated and messy and everyone's a little awful

i think a really fun aspect of this au is my odd ideas about azula and gender. azula is, in the eyes of the fire nation, both male AND female. female as a princess, a woman who's royal duties involve marriage and so on. but her status as a master fire bender legally classifies her as male. honestly the fire nation cannot afford to disregard azula on gender lines, since she's the most powerful fire bender on the planet at this point. she's a general in the military too, a traditionally male held role, and so azula herself becomes a grey area in terms of legal gender. as such, azula is technically kataras HUSBAND, not wife. and with that comes all the expectations of a husband over a wife in a royal imperial court. very very indulgent of me i fear

i hope this lore dump/word vomit makes some sort of sense. please feel free to ask more abt this au!!!! i have many many worldbuilding hcs for the fire nation and this au <3333

[thegaybluejay]

Just for fun, here are my rapid fire rambling thoughts on the ATLA ships and platonic dynamics hehe (please don’t go full ship wars tho - these are just my opinions as a chill multishipper!)

My Favorite Ships:

• Zukka - My current brainrot and main ship!! I know they aren’t canon but I really love them and their potential okay😭I just feel like their personalities would work so well! Sokka would call Zuko on his shit and Zuko would be good at grounding Sokka when he needs it. Plus I have seen some absolutely breathtaking AUs with this ship! And fire-and-ice vibes except gay! Them <3

• Kataang - Cutiessss!! I love them! They may not be the ship I think about most often, but when I do think about them, they’re adorable! Aang is such a “my wife” guy and Katara absolutely adores him back! Also the last airbender x last southern waterbender dynamic goes HARD! I like that these two are canon!

• Yuetara - Listen I know they barely interacted but THEY’VE ACTUALLY GROWN ON ME SO MUCH LATELY AND I VERY HIGH KEY SHIP THEM! Something about like, Katara thinking about Yue when she bends is so😭Their story would be heartbreaking in the best way!! Sapphic noncanon blorbos <3

• Mailee - These two are SO cute and have so much potential rahhh!! Again, love some noncanon sapphics <3

• Batkoda - Super SUPER cute and silly and fun! The dads fr <3 Bato is either Katara and Sokka’s adopted uncle or their stepdad and I love it for them hehe! This usually pairs well with a “Hakoda adopts Zuko” AU lmao!

Other Canon/Relatively Popular Ships:

• Zutara - A pretty good ship! I see the potential and tbh it’s very very fun to think about sometimes!!! However, some of y’all toxic Zutara stans need to leave my boy Aang alone lmao. Those who are chill tho, I rock with y’all!! Overall, I’m not opposed if it’s done well and I do occasionally seek out Zutara content! I personally do prefer seeing/writing them as found siblings tho, especially with the Azula and Katara parallels!!

• Sukka - Canon cuties!! I really like them! Suki my BELOVED <3 She’s so underrated!

• Yukka - Also canon cuties! They make me sad tho ahhhhh😭😭😭

• Maiko - Also ALSO canon cuties!! They have an interesting dynamic that I can really appreciate! And gotta love Mai <3

• Jinko - Jin my beloved! These two had a super cute dynamic during the one episode they had together lmaoooo, tho I don’t think about this ship too too often.

• Tokka - I don’t mind it if it’s them getting together as adults! But tbh I personally don’t prefer shipping them as teens and I think Toph’s crush was just a typical young girl crush on someone slightly older lol. Definitely not horrible and most Tokka shippers are relatively chill! I like to think Sokka sees Toph as a little sister tho.

Now For Some Of The Crackship-y/Less Popular Ships (based on ships I’ve actually seen):

• Zukki (Zuko/Sokka/Suki) - Power throuple fr and I love some polyamory!! While I mostly lean plain Zukka, this is extremely fun to think about and would be a great dynamic!

• Mai/Ty Lee/Suki - Saw this in a Zukka fic once and it was adorableeeeee! I may not have plans to actively write this or anything, but it’s cute! Another power throuple!

• Jetko - I don’t think they would be compatible long term, but by god they are very very fun to think about in a “Jet flirts with Zuko and Zuko is completely oblivious and they share one kiss before everything goes to shit” way lmao!

• Taang - I can respect it!! I will always love them as chaos siblings personally, but it’s a totally valid and chill ship!

• Katoph - Not a bad ship at all! I’ve only come across like one post tho lmao. Also I do think I heavily prefer them as found sisters, but that’s just me personally! Again, totally a valid and chill ship!

• Azutara - I’m very neutral on this lmao. I don’t despise it at all and it could be pretty interesting?? But tbh really not something I plan to seek out.

• Azulaang - I mean?? I’m also pretty neutral on this one. Aang would be kind to her if she was trying to get help but…idk lmao.

• Tyzula - I see the potential, but I personally think Mai and Ty Lee had a healthier and more interesting and more realistic dynamic. Just my preference tho!

(I think I just want Azula to be in therapy before I reallyyyyy ship her lmao, but NOT THE KIND OF “THERAPY” SHE WAS GIVEN IN THE COMICS)

• Zukaang - I don’t love this as a ship honestly. The canon age gap as teens is sketchy for my personal taste, tho I’ve seen people ship them in “Aang was 16 when he got frozen” AUs and that’s…better and I can get behind it a little! It would be interesting! But I think Roku being Zuko’s great-grandpa just still throws me off of this ship. I don’t have any beef with the shippers tho! I’m very “live and let live” and I have seen so much worse lol.

Can’t Forget My Fav Platonic Dynamics!

• Sokka and Aang - Two found brothers who share one idiot braincell when they interact LMAO! Love them always <3

• Sokka and Katara - The siblings ever!!

• Zuko and Aang - Enemies to found brothers!! Canon besties! I love their friendship and their parallels SO MUCH!!

• Toph and Katara - Absolutely ADORABLE as found sisters!!!! Love them!

• Zuko and Katara - I really like their development in a platonic sense and I think they’re very very fun and lovely found siblings by the end!!!! Zuko is 100% the brother that just “yeah my sister can and will whoop your ass” LMAO!

• Zuko and Toph - Also very found siblings in my head!! Only have a handful of solo interactions in canon but I DON’T CARE! I WILL FOUND FAMILY THEM ANYWAY! I’m a “Toph seeks out Zuko for sibling hugs/cuddles when she’s cold because he’s basically a space heater” truther.

• Uncle Iroh and the Gaang - Zuko needs to learn to share because that is ALL OF THEIR Uncle!!!

• Hakoda and Zuko - I thrive in this section of the fandom!! They have exactly one (1) frame together in canon, but I ADORE Dadkoda adopting Zuko! Something about it is just so wholesome and cute!!! My very very fav ATLA fics are this trope!!#LetHakodaBitchSlapOzaiAndAdoptZuko2024

• Uncle Iroh and Zuko - God they make me so ALSNDKSNXNCNSNSNXNX, y’know?

• The Gaang as a whole - Obvious I know, but I really do love them😭They all bonded sm and I adore their little family!! I eat up fanart of the Gaang cuddling like CANDY omg. And yes Suki is included in the Gaang because WHY WOULDN’T SHE BE!

Anyway, thanks for coming to my TedTalk. If you made it to the end, you get a big platonic kiss on the forehead MWAH!

[allgremlinart]

you dont fw azutara? :(

I dont dislike it but ignites absolutely nothing within me I'm sorry 💔 a fake yuri rarepair fan I guess but like. if I had to ship Katara with a girl it'd probably be that water tribe factory worker from the comics (you know. the one with the freckles? they had 10,000x more les tension than she and Azula did imo 😬) or Toph, but I go back and forth on that one (they're sooo good as platonic)

[mayskalih]

who else would you draw katara with? ty lee or mai?

Platonically? Yes. But romantically, I like azutara. Also with Jet? (I do like doomed relationships)

[avatarfandompolice]

You called it, but I am wrong to be weirded out by people engaging in shipping of the Netflix Avatar characters? Cause not only are they real ass people, they are kids. It is not the same as shipping fictional characters, and tbh, it is the other side of people sexualizing the cast and being frustrated that the cast does not look like 2d drawings of boys and girls that could easily be 2-5 years older than their canon ages. I have seen people using the cast's promo photos and platonic personal photos to push stuff like Azutara. And I just saw fanart of someone pushing for Season 2 Tyzula.

Not only is it creepy af but the characters in the show have absolutely zero chemistry not that that’s ever stopped them before

[juniperhillpatient]

Hello @juniperhillpatient I’ve got another ask for you this time. And it’s not about Azutara this time. I know it shocks me too.

So my question is about TVDU. I know that Katherine Pierce is your favorite character in TVD. I was wondering though, what is your opinion about the Originals and the Mikaelson’s.

I’ll be frank, when it comes to TVDU I’m on team Mikaelson all the way. Favorite characters of mine are Rebekah and Elijah.

But what are your opinions on the original family?

I’ll be honest as much as you’d think I’d love the original family based on my taste I’m way more invested in the OGs like Elena, Jeremy, Damon, Stefan, Bonnie, Caroline, Alaric, & even my poor girl Jenna 😭 I haven’t watched the Originals or Legacies to be honest so I’m probably missing a lot. My fave of TVD is definitely the earlier seasons if I’m being fully honest, sometimes as much as I love all the world building & new characters & stuff in theory some of the plots just got a bit.. idk.. Much for me lol. I was having the most fun when the world of vampires still felt a bit more, idk mysterious & rooted in classic horror.

As far as their appearances in TVD I liked Klaus & Rebekah the most because they’re both just so complex & their relationship itself is interesting to me as well as Klaus’s monstrosity & Rebekah’s humanity!

Thank you for the ask & sorry this is probably a disappointing answer if you’re really into the original family. I totally like them in theory & I’ve heard good things about the Originals I’ve just never gotten into it idk (to keep it real TVD is like 60% about Delena, 20% about the platonic main cast friendships & family dynamics, & 20% about the Katherine Elena Madona Whore Good & evil dichotomy specifically for me lmao)

[hello-nichya-here]

Hi! Can you share your thoughts about these ships? Do you think they have canonical potential (that is, could some of them work with canonical characters if the circumstances were different? Or can they only work if the characters are distorted?) What do you like or dislike about them?

Zukaang (Zuko/Aang)

Toko (Zuko/Toph)

Azutara (Azula/Katara)

Azulaang (Azula/Aang)

Zukaang

I like it to be purely platonic, but it would not be at all difficult to make them it canon. Their dynamic is already one of the most important aspects of the show, and their hug at the end was one of the best parts of the finale. The show could have easily gone there if the writers had wanted to.

Toko

I really, really, really, really like this one! I love their friendship, the image of Zuko blushing when Toph hugged him in the finale lives rent free in my head, and some of the fics I read that on what their life-changing field trip would be like scalated FAST and I ended up being into it.

Azutara

I used to just not care about this one, but some annoying people have made me resent the ship.

Azulaang

While I like the idea of Azula interacting with and possibly befriending Aang, I don't think they'd ever be into each other like that, and most of the fics I've seen have either one or both of them be widly out of character to justify a romance happening.

[evilprincesss]

the vibes and aesthetics of azutara are immaculate, it’s one of the funniest katara f/f ship because katara would absolutely have so many problems with azula at the start of whatever their relationship ends up being.

they would work well in theory BUT no, they don’t. i recall a post complaining about how writers make azula a white lesbian in azutara fics back in 2020 and things haven’t changed since then which really sucks. there’s just so much weird racism when it comes to FN characters interacting with WT ones. it’s not something i like to seek out anymore because people can’t write brown characters in this fandom, and don’t even get me started on the whiteification of azula. it’s just so bad as a brown girl to see my fav be treated like some surrogate mother for azula or anyone, ugh.

even with all those issues. a platonic friendship blooming between the two is something that i can see working out because katara deserves to humble azula more and they would be a good competitive outlet for the other.

yeah part of what's so jarring to me about how badly azutara is portrayed in fanon is that it does have some very fun stuff going for it in terms of like the narrative foils thing and the sun and moon thing, but people drop the ball so hard with it that i can't stand it at all anymore. i mean i understand why it happens given there's little interaction between them in canon, and again, most of the show's fandom is white because it is a racist show.

i really like the idea of them as friends too. i don't see it happening in canon as like. bryke hate azula so bad, but in aus i think there's lots of room for katara to be her pushy self with azula and call her on her shit and generally bully her which azula very much deserves, and from that, if azula turns in on herself to examine what's wrong with her, there's room for them to become friends, and what a funny friendship it'd be. i can't wait til azula joins the gaang in utterpok and i get to start exploring platonic azutara in it.

[julietwiskey1]

do you ship azula with anyone??

I don’t actively ship Azula with anyone. That’s not to say that I don’t like reading ship fics from time to time, though they aren’t my preference.

I think her and Sokka are cute together and tend to be my favorite ship with her. But I also like to read Tyzula, MaiZula and Azutara (though I’m burned out on that last one). Though I do also like stories that feature Azula as Aro/Ace, and not just in the sense that the authors says it as an excuse not to ship.

As for my own stories I usually stick to more platonic relationships. Contemplated adding TyZula into my long series, but currently it’s just strong friend love.

[chubbs-the-fish]

Which popular ships of Azula do you not like? Tyzula? Azutara? Sokkla? or Azulaang?

Any of them. That girl is not in a good position to be in a steady relationship, and while unhealthy relationships can be interesting to explore in fiction she has enough bad platonic relationships to explore before busting out into the romantic ones.

Romances aren't solutions to other issues, putting someone into a relationship doesn't 'fix' them. I haven't read a lot of ATLA fics, so there very well might be some good executions of any of those ships out there, but I just can't picture Azula in a relationship without heavy character changes or growth from what we get in the original series.

[zukos-firebending]

My rule of ship art is that if i,

a) draw them together with a shipping intention

b) draw one of them holding/wearing something that represents the other

Then it's ship art. Anyway, for my multishipper credentials, i have produced ship art for:

Zukka

Jet x Zuko x Sokka

Yueki

Yuetara

Azutara

Azula x Yue x Katara x Suki

Makorrasami

Zuko x Sokka x Suki

Zuko x Sokka x Suki x Yue

Yue x Sokka

Mailee

Kataang

Aang x Toph x Katara

Mai x Zuko x Sokka x Ty Lee

(platonic marriage) Zuko x Toph

If you want to join in, tell me in the tags or replies how many different ships you've drawn/written art for!!

[darkrpfinder]

Hi hello 22 year old here using she/they pronouns. I recently just finished the live action Avatar: The Last Airbender series and I’m looking for 18+ roleplayers to write Azutara/Katzula (Azula x Katara with me writing as Azula) or Rangshi (Rangi x Kyoshi with me writing as Kyoshi). I can write anywhere between 1-6 paragraphs, I only write in third person. I roleplay on Discord primarily. We can make a private sever or rp in dms, although private servers are preferred. I am also open to platonic interactions. Like this if you’re interested and I’ll get back to you!

.

[rphunter]

Hi hello 22 year old here using she/they pronouns. I recently just finished the live action Avatar: The Last Airbender series and I’m looking for 18+ roleplayers to write Azutara/Katzula (Azula x Katara with me writing as Azula) or Rangshi (Rangi x Kyoshi with me writing as Kyoshi). I can write anywhere between 1-6 paragraphs, I only write in third person. I roleplay on Discord primarily. We can make a private sever or rp in dms, although private servers are preferred. I am also open to platonic interactions. Like this if you’re interested and I’ll get back to you!

.

[stupidlyqueer]

atla-verse ships I'll write when I get courage to write atla fics

Azutara

Tyzula

Rangshi

Korvira

Yuezula

Bonus: platonic Sokkla & Thopzula 'cause they're my broOTPs

Bonus 2.0: fire hazard siblings + Ursa

[thisbluewind]

fall between the cracks

Pairing: Azula & Katara, background Zutara

Wordcount: 1998

Summary: Azula has a nightmare, and calls Katara. Modern AU

Other notes: so, I wrote this for a gift exchange for a server i’m in, but my giftee asked not to be tagged if i posted it outside the server, so here it is!

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28480725

Azula shot upright, eyes wide and gasping for air. It was just a dream; you don’t need to get so upset over it, she berated herself, trying to steady her racing pulse. She could still see it in her mind, her father standing in front of her, the hateful lies he’d insisted were true echoing in her head.

You should have been better. You failed. You didn’t do your duty. And the worst of them all: You're just as bad as Zuko. For all her life, ‘Zuko’ had been Ozai’s synonym for disappointment, worthless, weak, and everything else she wasn’t supposed to be. She knew that her brother was none of those things, but the opinions she’d had drilled into her head for her entire childhood wouldn’t let go. You weren’t good enough. It hadn’t been her fault. If you had been better, this wouldn’t have happened. It wasn’t her fault. You could have stopped this. It couldn’t have been her fault-

She dove for her phone, and dialed the first number that came to mind.

“Azula?” Katara’s tired voice filled her ears. “It’s three in the morning.”

“I apologize for waking you. I wasn’t thinking.” Her voice sounded small and empty. Exactly the way she felt. “I will call back in the morning.” She moved to hang up, but Katara spoke first.

“Wait. What’s wrong?” the other girl asked.

“I… I had a nightmare.” It sounded foolish once she said it out loud, and Azula opened her mouth to take the words back, to lie and convince Katara it was nothing. But once again, her friend answered before she could.

“About your father?”

“Yes,” Azula admitted. “I understand it’s ridiculous to still be thinking about something that happened in college now, but-”

“I’ll be right over,” Katara promised, and the line went dead in Azula’s hand. She stared at it uncomprehendingly. Katara cares about you, she reminded herself. She cares.

In what seemed like forever and no time at all, a quiet knock sounded at her apartment door. Azula swung her legs over the edge of her bed, and stood up quickly- too quickly, it seemed, as the motion set her head spinning. She waited for the dizziness to pass, and walked to the front door. When she opened it, Katara gave her a quick hug. Azula stepped back awkwardly, wordlessly inviting her friend to come in.

Seeing her uncertainty, Katara took her arm, and led her to the kitchen. Once they were there, Azula moved with stiff and practiced efficiency, selecting ingredients and placing them on the countertop. In barely two minutes, there were two warm cups of tea on the table. Jasmine, Uncle and Zuko’s favorite.

Once they were both settled, and sipping at their tea, Katara looked at Azula expectantly.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked, obviously concerned.

“High school,” Azula said, bitterly. “Was a series of unrealistic and harmful expectations piled on top of me, one after another, with consequences when those impossibilities were not met. College was the result of those three years of buildup exploding in my father’s face, and by extension, mine.”

Katara nodded, clearly struggling to keep any signs of pity off her face.

“I was the envy of the entire school. Popular, intelligent, powerful. And then Iroh helped Zuko come forward about what had happened and when the news broke-” Azula snapped her fingers “-nobody wanted anything to do with the true failure, me. Just like that. Even Ty Lee and Mai abandoned me. I went from the most liked to most hated, in a matter of hours.” She grimaced. “I didn’t come to school for two weeks, but I heard the rumors. She was in on it, he hired someone to fake her success, and all the rest. I never stopped hearing it, not for the rest of my life. Every interview, I’m asked what my role was in what happened to Zuko. If I attempt to befriend someone, they inevitably demand to know what really happened. And if I don’t give the answer they want...” She stared at her feet. “I keep wondering if it’s worth trying again.”

“I didn’t know that it still affected your career.” Katara looked down at her feet. “If you want, I can pull some strings, get you a comfortable position in my company-”

“Thank you, but no.” Azula stopped her. “If I succeed, I have to do it on my own. Otherwise, I’ll just be proving what they all said about me. That my successes will always come from other people’s generosity. Not to mention what it would do to your reputation.”

“Alright,” Katara nodded, knowing exactly what Azula meant. After all, she had gone through the same thing rising to the top of her company, despite Pakku and the others on the Board of Executives doing their best to stop her. “But you need to know that having help doesn’t diminish your accomplishments. There is nothing wrong with needing help sometimes.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re talking about more than jobs?”

Katara shifted in her seat. “I know you didn’t want to when Zuko first brought it up, but I was wondering if you were still so against going to therapy.” Azula flinched from the word, bringing her hands together to rest in her lap. She straightened her posture, feeling like she had to hide all signs of the emotional turmoil inside her.

“My answer remains the same as it did then.” Azula spoke slowly, her words measured and careful.

“Are you sure? I know it helped your brother,” Katara pressed. “Or if you’re uncomfortable with that, maybe you could try talking to Zuko instead-”

“What happened to Zuko and what happened to me are completely different things,” Azula snapped. “We may have both been hurt by our fathe- Ozai, but our experiences were fundamentally different on every other level. He was the hero, Katara. I was just something for my father to brag about. Zuko faded into slightly positive-tinged obscurity after he exposed Phoenix Industries, and I have been vilified by mainstream news reports and my past defines everything I do. He had help and support from Iroh, and I was left to fall through the cracks. Do not insinuate that we went through the same thing in the end.” Katara seemed surprised by the ruthlessness and efficiency with which Azula delivered her argument. And why shouldn’t she be? I’m sure Zuko doesn’t dwell on this as much as I do. But still, Katara had clearly been hurt by her harsh words. “I-I’m sorry.”

“I get it. You’re not thinking straight right now.”

“You’re right, I’m not.” Azula stared down at her hands, screaming at herself internally for testing Katara’s patience at- she checked her watch- three-thirty in the morning. She was a fool for bringing Katara into this, a fool for telling her everything, and a fool for never being strong enough to handle anything on her own. Pathetic. Weak. Worthless.  

Blinking back tears, she avoided Katara’s gaze. “I apologize for inconveniencing you. I will most likely be fine in the morning.” Most likely, you’ll be calling in sick to work and sobbing in bed for two hours in the morning. Bad enough that you’re lying again, you don’t even sound convincing.

“Azula, look me in the eyes and tell me that again.”  

She forced herself to maintain eye contact, and forced her voice to remain steady as she spoke. “I will be fine in the morning.” Liar. Liar. Liar. That’s all you do, isn’t it? All you can even do anymore.

“Do you even hear yourself right now?” Katara slammed her cup down on the table with surprising force. “Do you have any idea how unconvincing you sound?”

“I’m fin-”

“No! Don’t say you’re fine. You’re not fine, and anyone with a single brain cell can see that!” Katara waved her hands as if hitting the air would make Azula listen to her. “I’m completely sick of watching you run yourself into the ground again and again! You take extra shifts at both your jobs and stay up late trying to find a job where you can use what you learned at that fancy law school, and then you burn yourself out trying to be everything you’re supposed to be, while still holding fast to your nothing-to-do-with-Ozai policy! You take a day off to recover, and start the whole cycle again the next day! I hate watching you do this to yourself!” Katara continued her diatribe, but it blurred together in Azula’s ears. Burned out. That sounded about right. But what was the other part? Could it be that Katara couldn’t stand Azula’s method of being a functioning adult? Or perhaps that Katara felt responsible for her, as Azula’s closest (and only) friend? It didn’t seem that way, from the passionate tirade alone.

“Why are you doing this?”

Katara blinked, interrupted mid-rant. “You mean why am I trying to make you take care of yourself?”

“Yes. Why are you trying to make me take care of myself, and offering me assistance in life? The system I currently have is working fine, and doesn’t affect you in any way. I can’t make sense of it. The only possible explanation that I can think of is that Zuko or Ursa put you up to it.”

“Didn’t you say your mother wanted nothing to do with you?”

“You’re avoiding the question. Why?” Azula barely managed to disguise her wince at the mention of her mother. It was her own fault, she supposed, for bringing Ursa into it.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Katara blinked. “You’re my friend, and I want what’s best for you. What, did you think I hated you?”

“Well, at first, yes,” Azula confessed, shocked. “I assumed you were spending time around me for Zuko’s sake, and mistook your… forceful personality for hatred of me.”

Katara shook her head and started to laugh. “I’ve gotta say, between dating Zuko and having Sokka for a brother, I’ve heard a lot of things like that, but what you just said takes the cake.”

“Hmph.” Azula tried to frown, but wound up smiling instead

“It’s true,” Katara teased lightheartedly. “I don’t know how you got it into your head that my way of showing complete and utter contempt was showing up at your door with cupcakes on your birthday, or inviting you over for dinner, or coming to your house at three in the morning because you had a nightmare.” She grinned. “Of course, they could have been poisoned cupcakes.”

Azula laughed. “Oh yes, they were definitely poisoned, that’s why they probably had more sugar in them then most desserts.”

“Toph gave me the recipe, you know she has a sweet tooth.”

“Have Mai and Ty Lee finally realized that their pining isn’t one-sided yet?”

“Surprisingly, yes,” Katara gave a half-smile. “It seemed like they never would, but it finally happened.”

“I’m happy for them.” Azula smiled. “It’s unlikely that either of them will ever want to speak to me again, but I wish them the best.”

They both lapsed into comfortable silence, sipping their tea and relaxing in each others’ company. After a while, Katara had to leave, as she had work the next day.

“Be brave, okay?” She hugged Azula.

“I’ll try.” Azula hugged back.

The next morning, when her alarm went off, Azula rolled out of bed and stared at the next law firm in her notebook. She pulled up the website on her phone, and was immediately drawn to the sentence in the description that they specialized in dealing with corrupt employers and large megacorporations. In a perfect world, where she wasn’t Ozai’s daughter, it would have been an excellent fit for her. Azula typed the number into her phone, and hovered her finger over the call button. Would they turn her away upon finding out who she was? Be brave, Azula. Katara’s voice echoed in her head.

Azula made the call.

[juniperhillpatient]

in the interest of distracting myself from writing my fic continuing to discuss observations about my ATLA re-watch, I'm gonna revert from my usual form of pretending the Kataan.g Vs. Zutara argument doesn't exist (because it's an aspect of fandom that annoys me since I'm not into either ship) & instead I'm gonna just blatantly make fun of the show.

because re-watching from the start it's actually hilarious (warning this is fully a hater post) how poorly written the Katara / Aang "romance" (& calling it that is a HUGE stretch) arc is. like, I have no skin in this game. I don't particularly care if ships are canon. y'all have seen my ao3, my main ship is Azutara. I do not give a fuck if ships I like are canon. I don't really ship Zutara, although I totally get the appeal, it just doesn't scratch that itch that's required for me to get excited about a ship ya know?

so, like, as someone who has no skin in this game, it's just kind of comical? in a way? why on EARTH did they write 3 seasons of Katara not being super into Aang as anything but a friend while he thirsts after her, have a guru tell Aang that he should let go of his feelings for Katara, have Aang kiss Katara & her not be into right before the finale & STILL have them as endgame? and like....if that's not stupid enough (& it really should be lmao) they give Katara & Zuko this intense personal scene between them in the catacombs, & I'm all for platonic bonds but it's been established with Jet that Katara likes bad boys who are a bit haunted (& tbh I'm a Jetara shipper like full disclosure I wish Katara had ended up with Jet if she had to "end up" with anyone) & it's really hard to deny that the framing is romantic when later persistent jokes about Zuko & Katara being a couple are made.

then....then.....in the finale. in the show's finale. Zuko dives in front of lightning to save Katara.

......and she....still ends up with Aang?

y'all. I do not even fucking ship Zutara. I know it sounds like I do, but like, I actually don't care about it as anything but a friendship. personally don't really think Katara should've "ended up" with a guy at all since that's not really the point of the show. I'm literally just making observations about the writing & objectively the way this is framed is fucking insane to me

what the fuck were they doing? I've never seen a show fuck up their main romance so badly lmao

ok. I'm done. I won't mention this again for a while. I REALLY don't want to become someone who makes a habit out of / makes my blog about / trashing ships. but I legit just had to get this one super petty post about this out 'cause I can't get over how hilariously dirty this show did their main character's romance lmao what the fuuck