∽ Very lazy new pinned because now there's more fics in my little box of incest, and I'm feeling like procrastinating at my job.
Ozula ∽
Keeping it in the family
Can I, daddy?
The speech
Training session
Zucest ∽
Late night visit
Aftermath
Crowning Night
A brother's favor
Amends
Firecest (Azula x Lu Ten)
Cousin dearest
Five minutes
Sokkla
Play with Fire (cw: Incest Play)
Heatwave (cw: Incest Play)
Liar, liar... (cw: Incest Play)
Also, some stuff:
∽ I have many ideas, yet limited time, but it's my intention to write them all, so new stuff will show up here periodically. What that period is, that I cannot assure.
∽ My askbox is always open, for anything, even ships/fandoms I don't post about. Be nice, and we can talk.
∽ Love every single one of you who have welcomed me into this corner of the playground with your kudos and comments. Tysm.
Anon, my dear, you got no idea the type of autism you've unleashed. I got A LOT to say about how these two show/understand affection, how the ways they differ on those aspects hurt their relationship significantly, and how, as usual, Ozai is a core reason for the problem.
Onto the analysis!
Words Of Affirmation
Zuko, Prince Zuko, you're a lot of things, but you're not a traitor, are you? [...] I need you, Zuko [...] Today, you restored your own honor.
Where They Overlap: Due to growing up with abusive/negletcful adults, they both have Words Of Affirmation as the absolute main way they want/need someone's love to be shown to them. A sincere "I care about you. You did well. I'm proud of you" is THE way to make them let their guard down. Unfortunately this also means they're both very vulnerable to be emotionally manipulated by anyone who knows what they want to hear.
They're both also VERY literal (see Azula not getting what "partying from dusk till dawn" and all the dozens of scenes of Zuko not understanding a word that comes out of Iroh's mouth) and somewhat socially inept (Azula less so in military/royal contexts), so being direct is the best way to get them to understand things
Where They Differ: While neither of them is above copying Ozai's manipulative tendencies (see how Zuko behaves in the pirate episode), Azula uses both lies AND the idea that she's always lying as means of control, of feeling like she's more poweful, which Zuko actively resents, not only due to trust issues but because, unlike his sister, he doesn't really care what is or isn't appropriate to be said.
Zuko can't really compartimentalize that well, so instead of holding back until it is appropriate to voice a negative or positive feeling (or even to EXPERIENCE said feeling) like Azula does, his emotions will spill into one another leading to Freudian Slips ("Father Lord"), contradictions between what he says VS what he does, as well as endless monologuing and one-sided "conversations" in which he isn't really listening to the other person so he can try and process things out loud.
Interesting to note that Azula begins to develop a lot of the same tendencies post-breakdown, especially in Spirit Temple, as all the conflicting emotions she hadn't been allowing herself to feel for literal years have finally caught up with her.
Azula also has the bad habit of using the very idea that she's a liar to diminish any kind thing she says, because caring is "weakness."
The (Literal) Language Of Hostility: Insults, verbal abuse and complete dismissal of the other's emotional state. Zuko seems particularly vulnerable to this (likely due to the "lucky to be born" incident), to the point of being easily triggered by things that people said without any intention of hurting him, while Azula usually doesn't react at all unless it hits a very specific nerve of either Daddy or Mommy Issues.
They can also get self deprecating when feeling low (Azula calling herself a monster everyone fears, Zuko saying he's stupid, bad at being good and at that everything blows up in his face).
Interestingly, when this defense mechanism of verbal abuse towards others is combined with the tendency of trying to untangle their mixed emotions through talking, we see things like Spirit!Temple Azula being completely unable to shut up about Zuko even when the situation has nothing to do him, or Zuko full on projecting all the jealousy, admiration and resentment he feels for Azula onto Aang in the North Pole.
Their Attempt To Meet Halfway: Moments of vulnerability and sincerity from Azula, ocasional leaps of faith from Zuko, and thicker skin from both, particularly Zuko, even the other says something REALLY messed up ("Make sure the royal painter gets your good side").
What They Actually Need: Honest communication. No secrets, no lies, no broken promises, no hiding when something bothered them or dismissing each other's feelings, and in Zuko's case, no more expressing admiration solely through jealousy. The relationship needs to become a reliable source of comfort, not a "Every now and then I take a risk on this, and sometimes it actually pays off." More trust, less mind games and paranoia.
Acts Of Service & Gift Giving/Receiving
Where They Overlap: Once again, thanks to growing up with an abusive parent that will give them conditional affection based on how their acomplishments (or lack there of) reflect on him, both of these disaster siblings have DEVOTION (primarely through Acts Of Service) as the main way they show affection towards someone, as they believe there's a direct cause-and-effect between being useful (and sometimes an ass kisser) and being loved.
But due to also being literal royalty, these two are quite spoiled, and have both explicitly said they believe people should just give them anything they want/need and that worshiping the ground they walk on is an obligation, and thanks to tons of imperialist proganda, they fully believe they're entitled to just take whatever they want from literally anyone, including other family members, because might makes right.
And abstract things like "obedience" and "company" are very much included in that "taking what they want from people" because the level of devotion they were raised to expect almost fully denies any humanity from the other person. There's a reason Azula called the Dai Li souvenirs. That depersonalization is one half of why Gifts and Acts Of Service are blended in their minds, since both are processed as "Object I like because it does X."
The other half being that, as royals, getting stuff usually isn't that difficult for them, so the very concept of a gift being special cannot exist without it being attached to a different concept that they grasp better.
It really shows that they grew up with an egocentric abuser, and a lot of the most morally reprehensible things they've done in the story were direct results of them embracing Ozai's mentality of "Everybody owes me everything so I don't really have to vallue their efforts, but since I don't owe anybody anything, I should be applauded for every good deed I do for others, no matter how small". Hence Zuko turning to Iroh for help after literally getting the man arrested.
It also explains them not taking it well when their gifts/services are rejected (see Azula's genuinely offended "I am not a messanger, I didn't have to come this far" when Zuko isn't grateful enough at the bullshit good news she gave him that he's Totally Allowed Back Home). It insults their egos AND hits them right in the trauma of "I need to be useful, otherwise I'm screwed"
Where They Differ: Zuko is not good at getting more abstract stuff. Don't get me wrong, he can understand "Having rare/expensive things shows your social status" (he uses "peasant" as an insult just as much as Azula does after all), but aside from the knife he got from Iroh, and that he tried to give to Lee, Zuko doesn't really seem to instinctively grasp that what makes a gift emotionally satisfying changes depending on context.
He gives Iroh, mister "I don't even want to be Fire Lord, I just want a teashop. By the way, can not rob the people who just helped us?", a bunch of stolen expensive items, most of which have no real practical use at that time and that it's likely unsafe for them to be traveling with. It doesn't matter that it's impractical and not his uncle's style, Zuko's pride took a massive hit, so he was trying to deal with it through having those luxuries despite no longer being a prince, and because he cared about Iroh, he did the same for him.
He light up those fountain lights for Jin because she explicitly said it was something he liked, then killed the mood of this own romantic gesture because "Ah yes, must hand her a cupon, this is definetely what she wants right now." He gave Mai a pretty seashell after she bitched about Li and Lo's beach house decoration because, in his head, it was still a simple "Pretty object, pretty girl, give pretty object to pretty girl", because HE very much operates under the mentality that being given literally anything is good, even if you don't even want it or like it, out of the sheer principle of "I now have one more thing that I can say is mine and show off."
We also Zuko pampering Mai by having her servants, at her house, bring her dessert that was already hers. It was HIS initiative to go ask for it, therefore it's HIS gift to her (and at that point Mai was more used to Zuko Logic, so she apprecited it for what it was).
Now, Azula is not fully devoid of that "I grabbed you a glass of water so you wouldn't have to get up from your seat, you should pat me on the head now" instinct, quite the contrary. Ozai manipulated her in the finale by making her believe he was giving her a super important mission that only she could be trusted with by *checks notes* staying the fuck out of his way.
BUT there's a reason this happened with Ozai, and it's the same reason why she tends to go easier on Zuko than on most people. They're the Fire Lord and his heir. The only two people who rank above a princess, aka her, in the Fire Nation hierarchy. She understands the expectation of being grateful to them, of planning her acts and gifts to them more carefully so it's all exactly as they'd want it to be (and I suspect Azula being the spare, on top of the Golden Child he envied, is part of why Zuko doesn't really reciprocate her gifts/acts of service towards him).
With everyone else? She takes the approach of "I am a God blessing you." In her mind, when she's doing something like forcing Ty Lee out of the circus to join her on a mission, she's giving her the greatest gift, rewarding her for years of friendship (and competence), and ascending her status by raising the bar of what is expected of her. She can understand abstraction just fine, but the elistim and condescention makes her unable to separe what someone genuinely wants/needs from what she believes they should want/need.
Her thought process is more complex than Zuko's bare bones understanding of "Gifts and kind actions can be exchanged for hugs and smiles", but it doesn't mean it isn't just as self-centered, ambition-driven, yet paradoxically naive.
The Language Of Hostility: Stealing from or fighting each other for something they both want (which they both very much process as "this was stolen from me by my sibling" when they lose said fight).
Their (Surprisingly Healthy) Attempt To Meet Halfway: Teamwork! Much easier to recognize the effort the other is putting in when you're working towards the same goal, and thus taking some of the burden off of the other's shoulders.
These two were getting along surprisingly well through most of the first half of Book 3. Why? Because Azula gave Zuko a chance to join her in Ba Sing Se and he took it. Because she said she was looking out for him in The Headband, not trying to hurt him or gain something, and he took her word for it that they were on the same side. Because he let her boss her around and even jump on his back in that game (that might as well have been a battle) at the beach, and then she got Chan to invite them both to his party and went to get Zuko when he was sulking. Because he turned to her for help when he needed to know what happened to Sozin.
They were making the conscious decision to ignore their Golden Child VS Escapegoat dynamic and it was paying off until Zuko pulled the redemption trigger and thus became Azula's enemy.
What They Actually Need (Besides What I Mentioned Above): A better understanding of how the other thinks, an effort to break free of their more condescending/ungrateful mentalities, and completely abandon this notion of "I am only deserving of love based on what I can accomplish." Zuko also needs to get better at reciprocating Azula's efforts.
Quality Time
Where They Overlap: Once again, their experience with abusive/neglectful adults is a core part of why this one cuts so deep for them. They genuinely need to feel like they aren't just being allowed to hang around, but that they're actively being chosen as company, that their represence is wanted and vallued.
They're both also the type that doesn't bother pretending they enjoy, or at least don't mind, somebody's company when that isn' the case (unless they have something to gain from it). This part of why them willingly, peacefully coexisting through most of the first half of season 3 says a lot about what their relationship can be like when there's pressure on it.
Where They Differ: Zuko, the banished prince, naturally has a bit more of a chip on his shoulder over being ignored/pushed away (though I'd say post-breakdown Azula has surpassed him in the "I don't cope well wth this shit" depaterment, again likely due to years of unprocessed emotions crashing down on her all at once).
Zuko is also way worse than Azula at pretending he isn't bothered by the company of someone he doesn't like, and while (pre-breakdown) Azula ignores people through just sending them away or turning her back and moving on like nothing happened, Zuko will scream "I'M IGNORING YOU", flip a table and slam a door on his way out.
Azula also seems to view toying with/taunting Zuko as an excellent way to spend quality time together, which he actively resents.
The Language Of Hostility: "I don't want to play with you!", "In MY country...", Zuko seemingly not leaving a goodbye letter to Azula on the day of the eclipse, and "I'm about to celebrate becoming an only child!"
We also have the one case in which a form of hostility was literally imposed on them due to Zuko's banishment, cutting them off from each other completely for 3 whole years, and I've always believed that Zuko's relentless determination to be allowed home again is part of why Azula goes easier on him than she does on most people, and why she was much more hostile after his redemption. He was fighting tooth and nail to get back into that abusive home, not to leave it, and her, behind, until suddenly he wasn't, what a traitor.
The Gene Yang comics take this shit to the next level by having Zuko throw her in an abusive asylum to rot, because much like he doesn't get that Zuko has nothing to learn from Ozai and shouldn't be kneeling before this abusive fucker to ask advice on how to be a good ruler, he doesn't get that ATLA isn't the DC universe, the Fire Nation is not Gotham, and there's no place for Arkham in this story. Fuck that guy. Somehow managed to take an L in an area where even Shyamalan caught a W.
Their (Super Codependent) Attempt To Meet Halfway: Bordeline pathological inability to separate their perception of themselves from each other.
The Golden Child is only truly special because there's a Escapegoat being compared to her. Though in her ideal world, said escapegoat is happy to see her, doesn't have a scar, and seems younger than he should be, like he's still the kid she remembers.
The honorable hero needs a deceitful villain to be his foil - and sometimes the obviously evil advisor that he keeps around for reasons even he doesn't seem to understand, because resisting temptation is honorable, and how will you be tempted without a devil on your shoulder?
Zuko also has the very noticeable pattern of projecting Azula, and his frustrations towards her, onto others (something I'll explore further in a different post dedicated solely to this bizarre, recurring theme in his arc).
Aang, of course, is the most obvious exemple of it since Zuko was aware of it for once and was kind enough to say it out loud - and, ah, the wonders of Zuko Logic. "This person reminds me of the sister I don't like and don't want anything to do with. HE'S COMING WITH ME WHETHER HE LIKES IT OR NOT. I'm nothing like either of them. I had a dream in which I became him. I almost died just to get to this person. I helped my sister kill him. Oh shit, this guy is my friend now. Let me go hide with him in the old family beach house where I shared some good memories with the sister I Totally Do Not Miss"
We also have the rare interesting move by Gene Yang, since Zuko is a very devoted older brother to his little sister Kiyi... who just happens to call him "Zuzu" and came into his life literally at the same time Azula fucked off to the woods. Ah, if only he had leaned into the psychological implications of it all and then made Zuko realize he won't find closure with Azula through anyone other than Azula herself, instead of going "Azula is crazy for thinking everyone is replacing her with Kiyi, even though that is indeed what is going on"
What They Actually Need: To let go of the idea that they're doomed to be rivals/enemies OR that the only way to be in each other's lives is through brute-force, and to be freed of the writers stop listening to misguided adults that are constantly responding to "She's my sister and I should try to get along with her" with a "No, she's crazy and needs to go down".
(Anybody remember Zuko bitching at Mai for not being highstrong and CRAZY at The Beach? Anybody else is also kept up at night by this? No? Just me? Okay)
Physical Touch
(Ah, the temptation to just use a picture of the Bedroom Scene and leave it at that XD)
Where They Overlap: They both want a hug and they both NEED a hug. They're not gonna ask for it, though. Can't let people (aka dad) know they care, or they'll be shot down and made fun of.
Where They Differ: During Book 1, Zuko seemed to have a bit of problem getting comfortable with hugging even his uncle. This gets better in Book 2, and the problem seems fully gone right at the start of Book 3, and doesn't seem to ever come back. This was likely a consequence of having been literally disfigured by his father.
Azula also has some degree of formality remain present when showing physical affection to her friends (they bow before actually hugging her as a show of respect), and full on replacing physical affection when it comes to her father.
The only two characters we see her exchange any form of physical affection with, devoid of that element of "One doesn't simply touch royalty like that" were Chan (who was deliberately not made aware of Azula's status exactly because she wanted to avoid the element of fear, though her personality did the trick just fine)... and Zuzu, the brother she got really touchy with in her bedroom, inspiring a ton of porn, because somehow that scene was way more sexually charged than any interactions with the guy we explicitly see her kiss.
The (Most Unhealthy) Language Of Hostility: Literal fire daggers, lightining through the chest and a raging inferno of flames all around because all the frustration in that relationship has to find an outlet, and violence is super normalized in their home and country.
Once again, Gene Yang has to make things worse through Zuko literally almost throwing Azula off a cliff, even though he's supposed to be redeemed and moving on from anger and reckless violence, because he doesn't get that Azula isn't the Joker and Zuko isn't Batman. Once again, how do you fuck up more than Shyamalan
Their Attempt To Meet Halfway: Freudian Bullshit because, again, all those feelings of frustration, neglect and need for connection have to find some outlet. Even a socially unnacceptable one.
What They Actually Need: A big damn hug, headpats and crying on each other's shoulder. A non-human, non-sibling-shapped punching bag would also help. Plus a safeword and aftercare in all the smutty fics.
I’m afraid some of ya’ll just don’t have the freak gene that lets you enjoy ACTUAL enemies to lovers. Ya’ll think that trope is just like coworkers fighting over a promotion or smth like no give me people that have tried to maim and kill one another or give me nothing
He can’t lie and say this is only for Azula. Not anymore. There’s something he might need to try and work on, perhaps, but he can’t find it in himself to care right now, and that is; he’s weirdly into this, and he can’t find a reason to find guilt in his actions.
"incest" as in "noone understand me the way you do" and "noone can hurt me the way you do" and "I loved you since day one and I will love you till the end of time" and "I hate you in such a personal, visceral way that only you can make me feel. You hurt me so much yet I still long for you and what we used to have" and "you annoy me so much but I don't know how to define myself without you" and "you're my home, my world, my safety net" and "how can something that's supposedly so wrong feel like comfort and safety" and always "you're part of my flesh, anyone who manages to tear us apart will leave us mutilated and bleeding and we will never be whole again".
Incest can fit all of these contradicting emotions between two people in one lifetime. The blood pact is inscripted in their DNA after all.
Her favorite color is blue, but she pretends it's red.
She is left-handed. As a young child she favored her right hand but Ozai forced her to use her left because... he's left-handed!
Loves fireworks.
Her favorite subject in school was history.
She has borderline personality disorder and Ozai is her Favorite Person.
She is bisexual, but is extremely repressed to the point where she's convinced herself that she's straight. She's also demisexual.
She longs to be a mother and have a big family.
She first bent blue flames when she was eleven.
Loves spicy food.
She viewed Mai as her best friend, she just appeared to be closer to Ty Lee on a surface level. This is why Mai's betrayal shook her to her core.
Sometimes, she would take the blame for things Zuko did, because she knew Ozai would be less harsh with her. She says it's for blackmail potential and a "you owe me" to hide her true feelings.
She often lets Ozai win at Pai Sho.
Calls Ozai "Father" in public and "Daddy" in private.
(NSFW below the cut)
She's a screamer in bed. She's so loud it almost sounds fake.
Literal pillow princess. She loves just lying there being eaten out.
Has very sensitive nipples and is able to orgasm from nipple stimulation alone.
Extremely clingy after sex and sometimes cries.
She is insecure about her small boobs, especially next to Ty Lee.
Squirter.
Loves being dominated.
Has a praise kink (which is basically canon).
She would only have sex with someone she loves.
Also has a breeding kink.
Absolutely loves being kissed and bitten on the neck.
She's extremely fertile. She can practically just look at a man and get pregnant.
Size queen.
And ofc she has a daddy kink. I take this as literal daddy but you can apply this to any M/F Azula ship.
Some great things in this list, but this one in particular 100/10
Sometimes, she would take the blame for things Zuko did, because she knew Ozai would be less harsh with her. She says it's for blackmail potential and a "you owe me" to hide her true feelings.
What are some do's and don'ts of writing Zucest fanfiction?
*cracks knuckles*
DON'TS
01 - Don't treat the incest as a problem that needs to be fixed. Don't make one or both of them adopted, don't make them step-siblings, don't make them unrelated, and ESPECIALLY don't pull the old "they were separated at birth and don't know they're related/don't see each other as siblings." It breaks the entire dynamic for the sake pearl clutching, and if you don't like the dynamic or cest part of Zucest, why bother writing the ship at all? It's a feature, not a bug
02 - Don't make one of them the Generic Villain while the other is the Spineless Victim. They're both messed up, they're both sympathetic, they're both weird about each other. It's okay for them to fight, cross lines or for one to temporarely have the upper hand, but Zucest is about power struggle and codependency. If you try to make it one-sided, TRULY one-sided, you break the dynamic AND the characters. What's the fun in that?
03 - Don't turn them into a different set of incestuous siblings. Doing a Lannister or Andy and Leyley inspired AU is one thing, but at the end of the day, the characters still need to be recognizable. Zuko has far more morals than both Jaime and Andrew (combined). Azula is not as insane, chaotic, dumb and impulsive as Ashley or Cersei (and she's not an evil seductress like Cersei). You can put them in different situations, incestuous royals hiding an affair, modern AU trapped in a tiny appartment, but you can't fully rewrite their personalities.
04 - Don't give only one of them agency to move the plot forward/have an arc/pursue the relationship while the other is just a glorified emotional crutch. That's boring, out of character, and makes the romance impossible to believe because WHY would anyone (especially someone so driven) be interested in someone so passive and useless?
05 - Don't blame everything on one of them. They both fucked up, they're both flawed, their history is complicated. No, having them be genuinely sorry and apologize each and every time doesn't magically fix that, it makes it extra unfair that fuck ups from the other sibling aren't ever acknowledged or taken seriously.
06 - Don't sideline them for a different ship (especially if the ship in question is Ozula or Urzuko or any other Firecest ship). Don't tag the damn ship if the story is barely about them together, it's mostly about them with other people while having a past affair/weird emotional incest dynamic that never actually turns into proper incest/are just using each other as a proxy to fuck a different relative.
07 - Don't try to mask the incest with "close familial bond" while one or both of them is TECHNICALLY in a relationship with someone else that they never turn to for help, or affection, or support, or discussing plans for the future. Pick a lane, are they really being just friends OR are they clearly a couple? Are they actually in a relationship with other people OR do they just use them as "beards"? (It's okay if "their appropriate relationships" being fake/hollow and unsatisfying is the point to set up proper Zucest that will then replace it/break it up)
08 - Don't take a different character (Aang, Sokka, Katara, Lu Ten, etc) and rewrite their personality completely until they turn into Zuko 2.0/Azula 2.0 so you can write Zucest without admiting it's Zucest. Once again, pick a lane. If you genuinely want Azulaang, Zutara, Sokkla, whatever, then write those dynamics - aka accept that those characters aren't really rivals of either of the Fire Siblings, are not as ambitious or cunning as them, are not as trigger-happy as them, are not as stubborn as them, don't know each other as much as them, and sure as hell don't care about the Fire Nation in particular in the way Zuko and Azula do. Don't turn Zuko and Azula into different characters either (*side-eyes "How I Became Yours" for turning Azula into Yue).
09 - Don't make an OC that is clearly just Zuko 2.0/Azula 2.0 to ship zucest without having to admit it's Zucest. Much like in the previous exemple, everyone can tell, just rip the band-aid off already.
10 - If you write zucest, DON'T DELETE THE FUCKING FIC, PLEASE!
MUSTS
01 - Be accurate to the characters. It's okay that Zuko is impatient, honorable, filled with guilt and rage and a complex over needing to be the Good Guy even when he does messed up things. Is okay if Azula is still a bit manipulative, spoiled, racist, desperate for validation and bratty. It's okay that they're obsessive, clingy, childish, stubborn, cunning, ambitious, HOT, all of it. If people didn't want to see that, they wouldn't have checked the tag. You're not pushing people away by acknowledging their rough edges, you're making your fic BETTER by embracing it and having fun with it
02 - EMBRACE THE CEST! No apologizing, no self-flagelating, no compromising, no forced "bad ending" to pretend it was "a lesson", no guilt, no "barely disguised fetish", none of that nonsense. You're writing incest. You're doing it because it's fun, hot and, yes, CUTE. Don't turn the fluffy fic into angst or the porn into drama if the story doesn't need it. Let them be shameless, let them be adorable, let them be weird, let them be happy, hell, let the incest NOT be taboo every now and then. Own your kinks, own your hobbies, own your damn story. You don't owe anybody an explanation of why there's Zucest in the Zucest fic.
03 - Ignore the fear of being "cliche." Yes, there's tons of versions of "Bedroom Scene, except they fuck", doesn't mean we don't need one (or several) more. They're cliche for a reason, it's GOOD, it works and people like it. Not a single writer writes stuff exactly like someone else would, your take WILL be original, new and interesting on the basis of no one else could have seen inside your head to write it that same way (plus, if it wasn't, it's like getting a second slice of a really tasty cake - GIMME, GIMME!)
04 - Remember, you're writing a story, not a psychiatric evaluation, or a checklist, or a PSA, or the longest fic ever just for the sake of being the longest. Caring about quality is one thing (a very good one at that), but being PRETENCIOUS will get you nowhere. Don't force yourself into a box. Don't add tons of political intrigues and rewrites of the entire show and tons of arcs going on at the same time if you don't actually care. If you'd rather just do a cute slice-of-life/smutty one-shot or series, do it. Fandom and fanfic is meant to be fun, you don't need to take yourself too seriously. It's not a job, it's playing with dolls. You're allowed to just make them smooch and call it a day.
05 - If you DO have tons of more theme/plot-heavy ideas instead of just feeling like writing some fluff/smut, by all means, GO FOR IT. If you are genuinely passionate and want to explore how their romance would affect everything - the family dynamic, their friendships, the Fire Nation's politics - embrace it.
06 - MAKE IT HOT, especially if you're writing smut. Once again, if people didn't want to see it, they wouldn't have checked the tag. It's a romance. They SHOULD be made stupid by their sibling's good looks, they SHOULD be into each other, they SHOULD be getting handsy and freaky, they SHOULD be in each other's business (cuddling, sharing the bed, being "too close", bathing together, etc) even when not actively having sex because duh, they're in love and in lust. Let them make some Fire Babies. (And let other characters find it hot too, get rid of the catholic guilt)
07 - Accept the kinks and freudian bullshit, it is the backbone of this ship. It's as much of a feature as the incest itself, stop trying to "correct" it as if it's a bug. You don't need to be into every single kink under the sun, but don't ignore the elephant in the room. You signed up to write two freaks going at it, commit to the bit.
08 - Let the other characters react to it in a non-moralistic way. Aang is not going to say "I can forgive you playing a role in genocide, but I draw the line at incest", it's not believable, he doesn't even do nuclear family and he's a very forgiving person (especially towards his friends). Iroh would forgive pretty much anything from Zuko. Mai and Ty Lee knew these freaks from childhood. ROYALS DO INCEST ALL THE TIME. They don't have to "get it" or like it, but it's okay if they do, or if they're just indifferent. Taboo can be fun, but don't use the characters to virtue signal.
09 - They (particularly Azula) WILL make it a weird race/class thing, especially if their nation has a history of incest in your fic. Same for them making it a weird narcisism, codependency thing. Incest opens all kinds of cans of worms, that's the fun of it. No matter how redeemed the both of them are, they'll still find a way to creep everyone out.
10 - Write. Just. Fucking. Write. You got an idea that sounds fun, or hot, or that goes well with a canon scene, or that is inspired by a fic you liked? WRITE IT! Give the ship the love it deserves.
BONUS
It's "Dum-Dum" not "Dumb Dumb", Azula is saying it like a little kid that can't pronounce it quite right (just like with "Zuzu"), that's the whole point, get it right.
"But absolutely yes, give me all the awesome, sexy, powerful fire royals/royals adjacent in a hot poly relationship[, the Fire Foursome]. Got fic anon? 😈"
I think going through the Fire Foursome tag would be worthwhile. Most of the stories are short stories or incomplete. You should be able to get through most of the tag in a weekend.
Hey anon! Sorry I never got back to you, life got so tiring, and writing got blocked, so I hadn't been here in a while. I saw your other ask and saved the tag in my to be read list. I'm sure it should help me get through the work week 😏
About a month after his father’s downfall at the hands of the Avatar, and within the first week after his crowning ceremony, Zuko had visited Azula in the asylum. He was wary of it, he didn’t necessarily want to, but it felt like the right thing to do.
It was the moment for amends, Aang had reminded him, with a pointed look at the folder resting on the corner of Zuko’s desk. Inside, was a meticulous report of Azula’s diagnosis so far, her behaviour, her diet, everything. A falcon arrived at his window every other day with a detailed account of it, and Zuko promptly put it in the folder.
He’d not read any of it yet.
“I have to travel soon.” If he could see her, Sokka would probably find her precious golden eyes appraising his reaction, and that’s why he keeps perfectly still.
Through his laboured breathing he oh’s his interest, hoping this is the moment the reason for his imprisonment reveals itself, and he can put his hands on her warm skin.
“To the palace.” Okay, he thinks, that might explain some of the tying up. “To work some things out with Zuko.” Right. That explains all of the tying up.
"How come Zuko appointed you Ambassador?”
“Well,” Azula started, killing the last shot worth of liquor in the bottle, “he couldn’t very well appoint me Fire Lady-”
Sokka’s alcohol-aided brain takes a minute too long to work through her reply, only to arrive at a result he’s not entirely sure what to make of. His brows knit together in confusion while a faint blush dusts over Azula’s sharp cheekbones. Is she implying what he thinks she’s implying?
