#fire sibs

[d4n1infandom]

[thebxghag]

Firelord Ursa au -- Ursa and Azula argue at a family get together while the newly coronated Fire Lord Zuko listens miserably from the steps, and his soon-to-be wife sits in the shadows.

Ty Lee, Azula's closest companion, tries very ineffectually to get Azula to simmer down.

--

I just think they're neat. :3

ko-fi | comms | inprnt | bsky | cara

[firesibs]

“In the end, it was simple: Zuko was hers. Not because of blood or duty, but because no one else could burn as brightly, break as beautifully, or make her feel this gloriously ruined. And she would never let him go.”

Throne of Shadows, soon on ao3x…

[loopy777]

Do you think zuko hates or loves azula

Yes.

Both.

That's how siblings work, especially from the perspective of the older sibling.

This is one from which I can speak from experience.

[phoenix-king-ozai]

Ozai and Fire Family Headcanon!

My headcanon is that Ozai served as the Fire Lord’s Wrath for Fire Lord Azulon. He was his father’s personal enforcer and executioner.

Ozai was called the Demon Prince of the Fire Nation by his nation’s enemies. Also nicknamed Ozai the Oni or Ozai the Obliterator.

There is a 15-year age gap difference between Iroh and Ozai. Azulon resents Ozai for causing Ilah’s death in childbirth despite wanting another child to age into their prime for the return of Sozin’s Comet.

Ozai as second in line for the throne went on hunts looking for the Avatar as stated in Book 1 Episode 1. Ozai was the Grand Admiral for the Fire Nation’s Navy whereas Iroh was the Grand General for the Fire Nation Army. Azulon as Fire Lord of course was the Supreme Commander of the Entire Fire Nation Military.

Personality wise Ozai is very introverted and egotistical kinda like Aizen and Madara. Ozai doesn’t really care about having a romantic relationship and is very much asexual.

Ozai is actually very religious an Agni fanatic acutely. Ozai worships Agni as the Spirit of the Sun known as the Almighty, Glorious, and Divine Spirit of Flame along with Agni’s spirit animals known as Dragons and Phoenixes.

Iroh even gave Ozai his own Dragon egg to raise after he “slayed” the last dragon. Both Iroh and Ozai’s dragons were killed in the previous Seige of Ba Sing Se (there were probably many sieges of that city). However, Ozai came across a Phoenix and her eggs during his childhood and raised them.

Ozai’s teenage dream when Iroh becomes the Fire Lord in the future was to become the Head Fire Sage of the Fire Isles. Ozai also committed human sacrifices in Agni’s name of Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe troops and civilians after razing a town, village, or city that resisted Azulon’s reign. The torture method is called Blood Phoenix and is similar to Blood Eagle from the Vikings in real history. Ozai does this because ancient Fire Nation customs and traditions of human sacrifice in Agni's name go as far back as the Sun Warriors and the ripping out of their enemy's hearts. This is based on ancient Aztec traditions.

Ozai truly did care for Ursa, Zuko, and Azula just like he used to for Azulon and Iroh in his teenage years. Ozai used to worship Iroh as the Dragon of the West and the famed Iroh as the Negotiator. However, Iroh and Ozai had a massive falling out during his teenage years due to his extreme puritan fanaticism and ruthless, vicious, and cruel tendencies.

Each member of the Fire Nation Royal Family specialize in a particular weapon: Azulon (Dual Bladed Naginata Spear), Ilah (Kusarigama Scythe), Iroh (Odachi Longsword), Ozai (Dual Jian Swords), Ursa (Dual Bladed Yari Spear), Lu Ten (Kanabo), Azula (Dual Katana Swords), and Zuko (Dual Dao Swords)

Ozai deeply respects Azula as his heiress and apprentice. Ozai banished Ursa because she made him “weak” and “soft” regarding their children and his expectations of them as Fire Prince and Fire Princess of the Fire Nation.

[akiizayoi4869]

"Azula should be blamed for being the better child"

"Zuko can blame Azula for being the favored one and also being his abuser but Azula can't blame him."

...Wow. I'm not even going to bother saying who it is, seeing as my mutuals will know exactly what dumbass I'm talking about. And to anyone besides this dumbass who actually believes this garbage, I have one thing to say: fuck. you. Seriously, fuck you. Because now I'm actually pissed. I was bullied by students all throughout elementary school because I was always at the top of my class, and my teachers, to my complete and utter annoyance, would constantly use me as an example for what the other students should aspire to be. And I was constantly blamed and bullied for that for years, all because I had good grades and they felt as if it was somehow my fault that they didn't. My teachers knew about this and did nothing. Which then caused me to violently lash out at the other students as a result. You trying to tell me and literally every other kid who went through the same thing that we deserved that shit? Fuck you.

And you know what? Maybe Azula does blame him. Maybe she wanted him back for all that time but she couldn't because he was a "fuck up". And she blamed him for that.

Ever think that maybe the fucked up sibling relationship is the fault of the adults? Not hers? And that maybe, just maybe, neither one of them wanted their relationship to be that way? Azula does say this to him after all:

Ever think that they actually try to act like normal siblings when they aren't being pitted against each other? When things aren't being stacked against them? The tragedy of this is that things always WERE stacked against them.

Maybe, they were afraid of each other. Because they each represent what the other could become if they fell behind. And they were terrified of that. But at the end of the day, they are still siblings, being encouraged by the ADULTS to constantly fight each other and even kill each other. And yet they still care about each other. THAT is the tragedy of these two.

Ergo, Azula is not to be blamed for being the "better child". You know who all blame goes to? The adults in their lives. The adults who were supposed to protect them, love them, etc. It is NOT THE FAULT OF THE CHILDREN YOU DUMB FUCKS.

[asocial-inkblot]

Post Ideas, #3

Headcanon: Neither Zuko nor Azula were trying to backstab each other in the last turtleduck pond scene.

So after looking over the answers I got, I came to the conclusion that #3 would be a good idea to write about first. This one’s been on my mind for some time.

One of the never-ending debates within this fandom appears to be about which sibling tried to double-cross the other first, after returning home to the Fire Nation. On one side we have people claiming Azula had to have gone out of her way to bring Zuko home and reinstated as crown prince, for the sole nefarious purpose of destroying him...somehow? (I think for someone to come to this conclusion, he/she would have to focus more on facial expressions and sound effects than dialogue and plot. Intentional on the part of the series crew I’m sure.) On the other side, we have a much smaller but still note-worthy crowd that believes it was actually Zuko that was out for sibling’s blood while the two of them were in front of the pond, due to his response to Azula’s questioning. 

Both point-of-views didn’t come from nowhere and I can sympathize with either. However, I now believe that neither fire sibling was trying to harm the other (what happened before and afterward doesn’t matter much to that scene in question). 

My reasoning is as follows:

In The Awakening Zuko and Azula have finally made it back home (as have Mai and Ty Lee). Lo and Li present them to the people as their returning Princess and Prince.

Now the heroes have returned home!

Your princess, Azula... [Crowd cheers.]

And after three long years, your prince has returned...

Zuko!

Zuko reacts to the praise, but not with scorn, anger, apathy or even regret.

He reacts to it with anxiety.

Zuko approaches with a worried expression. [Crowd cheers.]

We next see them while Zuko is doing his favorite pastime at the pond, and Azula walks up to him.

Why does Azula walk up to Zuko? Why does she come to the garden that we have little reason to believe she has a strong attachment to? Well, in Azula’s own words:

You seem so downcast. Has Mai gotten to you already? Though actually, Mai has been in a strangely good mood lately.

She notices his mood. She knows he’s gloomy about something but doesn’t want him to be. Especially not when things are (from her pov) going so well for him. The Mai line has been interpreted by some people from the fandom as a sex joke. I think the takeaway is the same regardless, but I’m pretty sure Azula is just trying to cheer Zuko up by (dryly) joking about the general disposition of her friend (who at this point is also his girlfriend) and by hinting to him (Azula’s not a very straightforward person like Zuko tends to be) that his presence is making a hard-to-please Mai, very happy. I think her saying Mai’s name twice was deliberate too.

I don’t sense any malicious intent on her part here.

Zuko responds to Azula’s prodding. She replies back casually, and then he states what he’s most worried about:

I haven't seen Dad yet. I haven't seen him in three years, since I was banished.

So what?

So, I didn't capture the Avatar.

Up to this point, their words and even tone-of-voice are calm and unassuming. Then the mood changes when Azula asks what the problem is again.

Who cares? The Avatar is dead. [Zuko looks away.] Unless you think he somehow miraculously survived.

This moment kills me because Zuko does something right away that I noticed he actually does more than once with Azula.

He looks away! It’s brief but it’s there. Everyone’s different, but when I look away after someone confronts me on something, it usually means that I’m 1. afraid of something or 2. ashamed of something. Zuko has reason to feel both here. He’s being confronted by Azula on a gravely important matter.

So after he looks away, Zuko remembers how Katara told him about the spirit water while they were in the Crystal Catacombs, before Azula arrived.

[During flashback.] This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I've been saving it for something important.

Wait, hold on a second. Did Katara just...not mention anything about the water being able to bring people back from the dead (aka help them survive as we saw Katara do for Aang)? Nope, she didn’t. She doesn’t imply that it can do that in the previous episode either. Here’s her saying the same thing but with another line and extra bit of info at the end:

[Holds up a vial.] This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I've been saving it for something important. [Moves in front of Zuko.] I don't know if it would work, but...

Even Katara doesn’t know what it would do. So why would Zuko? I think it’s obvious by this point that Azula wouldn’t know about it either.

After Zuko’s done having his probably-would-have-been-good-to-know-about flashback, he responds in a way that actually makes sense when you think about it.

No. There's no way he could have survived. [They glare at each other.]

Of course he’d respond that way. Why should he think anything else or assume he should tell her any differently? Who ever heard of someone coming back from the dead anyway? (Don’t answer that.) They glare at each other sure, but is that really evidence that either of them at this point had it out for each other? Sometimes people glare when someone proves them wrong. Sometimes people glare as a response to someone else’s glare. An angry expression isn’t synonymous with “watch your back”. 

Now I’ll admit, Azula looking immediately displeased implies that she’s caught on and will bite back (though not necessarily try and horribly harm him, which she doesn’t do), but that’s only after Zuko lied to her (remember, we’re focusing on this scene only). She may not objectively know that he lied, but in her heart she knows, because he’s her brother. And he likely has failed to fool her in the past. I also don’t think Azula is the type to care all that much about reasons, only outcomes. Ends over means. So even if she knew for a fact that Zuko wasn’t trying to hurt her here, she’d still be livid and would still probably want to teach him a lesson about lying in such a way that multiple people could get screwed over.

Now to those still unconvinced about Azula’s innocence: What reason do you think she would have to want to harm Zuko for no reason?

To those sure that Zuko was being the crappiest sibling ever here: What do you think Zuko was trying to accomplish exactly? 

Honest questions btw. Why would either sibling want to hurt each other in this scene? They’re not “good” people (and Zuko’s especially bad at being a sibling at this point) but...why? 

I also think another argument to be had is whether Zuko is even cruel/conniving/smart enough to suddenly want to “throw Azula under the bus”. That would mean knowingly feeding her to the man that burnt him. Would he want her to be burned? Would he do that, and at that exact moment? We can only hope he’d never try to do something so low.

With that said, one of these days I’ll make a post about Zuko’s overall intelligence and intentions towards others (including those he has some bad blood with). It’s a number on that post somewhere.

Next up in important-ish discussion topics: #5

[vickyvicarious]

A short late-night ficlet based off an ask sent to @captainkirkk that I saw reblogged by @muffinlance .

Now on AO3: the place you need to reach

What if Azula had been the one to burn Zuko?

.

Zuko thought - he'd thought it would be General Bujing. It made sense, that was who he'd disrespected, that was what he had done that was wrong, speaking out of turn when he should've known better -

When he said he wasn't afraid to fight, he had thought it would be against someone who had done wrong. Someone who would hurt the very people that he was supposed to protect. Someone who the Fire Lord felt it his duty to support, but - but not a person who mattered. No one who would propose such a plan could really matter.

He took a deep breath and stood, turning to face his opponent. Ready to strike them down.

And Azula smiled at him, from what suddenly seemed very far away.

"Father," Zuko said. He wanted to yank his head away, to stare at the seat of honor where Ozai sat watching, but his sister's smile was so very sharp. "Father, I thought - I don't -"

"You will fight for your honor," his father said. Azula began walking forward, each step measured and slow. "Show that you are not weaker than a mere child. Learn respect from the princess who has always shown it."

Zuko watched Azula approach, steady and smiling. Her hair pulled up and back, her hands relaxed at her sides. She was too young to fight an Agni Kai. Truthfully, Zuko was on the verge of being too young, himself - but it wasn't right for her, barely past her tenth year. It had never been done, not that he knew of.

He hadn't disrespected her. He hadn't spoken a word to her.

"Fight me, Prince Zuko," Azula said, close enough now to touch. Her smile was a poison thing. She looked happy to be here. Proud of herself.

Of course she felt proud, she was about to defeat him in front of all the world. To dishonor him, to demonstrate that the prince was not only a fool but a weakling at that, unable to match his own younger sibling. Zuko felt such a rage flare up in him suddenly, such a hatred that fire was sparking off his hands before they were even fully raised.

"I spoke with the Fire Nation's best interest at heart," he said, shifting his stance into a ready position. "I meant no disrespect!"

His voice rose to a shout against his will. His fingers were trembling. He wanted to turn, to face his father and ask openly for forgiveness. Azula shouldn't be here. She was too young, she hadn't been in the room. She would not be here unless Ozai was very angry.

Zuko had not fought his sister in years, since she had moved on to more advanced sets and a new firebending tutor more skilled than his own. Even so long ago, she had always won. Everyone in the Inner Palace knew the young princess was a prodigy, far outstripping her talentless brother.

Azula's regal smile slid wider, showed her teeth. She finally lifted her hands.

"It's alright, brother," she said. Kept her eyes locked on his: "I will teach you respect."

Zuko moved first, feeling something like a sob building in his chest. He already knew he would lose. He knew he would never win against her.

.

She didn't tire. Didn't err. Moved deadly, quick and precise and her fire bled blue through the center of his own, again and again.

Zuko did his best. He didn't hesitate, didn't falter even when his techniques were shown to be lacking, again and again and brutally still more. She knocked him to the floor each time, and then stepped back.

Waited for him to get back up, every time.

Zuko did. He was sweating hard, his muscles aching, his heart racing. Small burns dotted his torso, souvenirs of a hundred successful hits. His hair was falling into his eyes.

For her part, Azula still looked perfect. The picture of an honorable warrior. Her breathing remained steady, her eyes shining bright. She grinned at Zuko as though they were playing a game, as though Mom would be along soon and scold them for playing too rough.

Zuko's breath came harder and harder. It was so loud in the quiet of the hall. He knew he was scowling, knew he looked a mess. He knew they could all see how this would end. He knew, knew without ever looking once, that Ozai would be frowning, ashamed of his heir's shameful display.

It wasn't fair. Azula shouldn't be here. She was too young, he hadn't wronged her, she was too strong for him and Father knew that, everyone knew he couldn't defeat her -

She wouldn't have fought to enter the meeting. She wouldn't have spoken out of turn. She wouldn't ever show such a disgraceful performance as this, skidding down to her knees yet again, sobbing on a harsh breath out, shaking all over. Getting back up.

Azula knew respect. Zuko knew only that he couldn't give up.

He hated her for letting him rise every time. For never dealing the final blow. It was nothing but cruelty, but she kept smiling, she looked so so very proud -

.

This was no Agni Kai anymore.

Zuko could barely produce a single flame. He couldn't think, couldn't remember even the most basic forms. He even tried to tackle her, graceless and inelegant and no honor to anyone involved. Of course he failed.

The deathly silence of the crowd had vanished, a low murmur filling the hall instead. It wasn't proper, an Agni Kai deserved a respectful hush, but Zuko wasn't fighting an Agni Kai anymore. He didn't know what he was fighting. He only knew that he couldn't stop, couldn't give in, couldn't let himself fall and stay fallen because if he did -

If he did, Father -

He had been crying for a while now. Azula wasn't smiling anymore.

Her form was still perfect, but her face had grown pale. She didn't wait as long for him to rise from each new blow; dove back in the instant he staggered upright, hit harder each time. Her fire was so hot against his bare skin, new burns on his chest pulling with each gasping breath. He could tell she was growing frustrated. Knew she wanted him to just give up.

He didn't know if she understood why he couldn't. If his opponent had been anyone else, any other person, he would. He'd let himself slide to the floor and accept his defeat with grace. He'd still lose his honor, still fall far in the eyes of his people, but he would be seen as a prince who'd made a mistake and could learn from it. The consequences wouldn't last forever.

If he allowed his sister to defeat him like this, in front of everyone like this, with his honor on the line - if Zuko surrendered here, Ozai would never look his way again. He couldn't explain how he knew this; he'd simply understood, from the moment he saw Azula. His father had chosen this test for him, had ordered him to learn respect, and if he lost here he would lose everything.

Azula hit harder and harder and hotter, her eyes panicked now. She was so smart, had been a genius from the cradle. She'd always been better than Zuko, had always been the clever one who thought things through to their conclusions. How was it she hadn't seen the ramifications of this from the start?

Everyone knew an Agni Kai could only end in surrender or death.

Azula sent him tumbling again, rolling to a painful halt on the edge of the raised platform. Zuko gasped, choked down bile. When he lifted his head he saw the Fire Lord, seated directly across from him. His face was shadowed, beyond the reach of the torches, but he sat tall and strong.

Zuko stared into those shadows as he dragged himself to his knees once again, thought a tiny formless prayer, just please. He didn't know who he was asking, or for what.

"Azula," the Fire Lord said, voice firm and clear. "Teach him."

Zuko didn't have any time to move. She stepped in front of him, blocking his view of his father. He had no time, no strength to rise anymore regardless, could only look up at her and -

And she looked so scared -

But her fist was drawn back and burning the brightest blue. It shot forward and Zuko was too tired to dodge. He'd known all along it would end like this.

He forgot not to scream.

.

The Fire Lord pronounced that Prince Zuko had shown great dishonor during his Agni Kai. He had refused to stop fighting; his inability to acknowledge the superior strength of his opponent was a shameful display that only highlighted his own weakness. As punishment, he was banished. Only when he captured the Avatar would he regain his honor and be allowed to return home.

All agreed that Princess Azula had shown great skill and wisdom. Though only a child, she had completely outmatched her older opponent, and her future clearly held great promise. Her only error was small, hardly worth mentioning, a perfectly understandable fatigue after such a drawn-out battle: the final blow losing its distinctive blue heat, fading to a cooler orange just before it hit.