#azula is no femme fatale | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

zvtara-was-never-canon · 15 days

Note

Yesterday I saw a post that basically said that Avatar wasn’t a feminist show that has a bias towards Zuko and that no female villains get redeemed(?!?)

And said that the show oversexualises Azula which like WHAT

This is not a Cuties situation the camera never accentuates cleavage or anything, if you just saw Azula showing more skin in the beach episode (because she’s at the fucking beach) and then immediately thought about sex that sounds like a you problem.

People really gotta learn what words mean - and that no show from nearly TWENTY YEARS AGO is gonna present social issues the same way modern series would. Avatar has two whole episodes in which the whole lesson is "Sexism is bad, don't mistreat women", and a ton of the female characters are absolutely badass and incredibly well-written. One or two questionable moments is not enough to make claim it is misogynistic.

A female villain not getting redeemed while a male character does is only sexist if her gender is presented as the reason why she can't be redeemed, or if they did all the same things but her actions are presented as worse - and while the ATLA fandom is often guilty of that last one (not always because of sexism, but also because of ableism), that doesn't mean the writting of the SHOW was sexist.

I say this as someone who loves Azula's character and wants a redemption arc for her: the show's ending is a tragic, but logical one. Not everyone changes. Not everyone wants to change, or even gets the chance to. It's sad, but it makes sense and there's nothing offensive about the finale (unlike the way Azula was treated in the comics, but once again the root of the problem there was "the mentally ill are inherently evil/beyond help so anything and everything done to them is justifiable").

"The show oversexualizes her" That one is bit more complex - but not THAT much.

Avatar is a show with lots of fanservice (see Zuko taking off his shirt causing birds to fly and fangirls to appear behind him squeeling), but all of it is stuff that was ALWAYS presented in a way that was 100% appropriate for children. More importantly, the show never tried to use the fanservice to compensate for poor writting or to make Azula an evil seductress (a trope that is not inherently sexist, but can become so if the writer isn't careful with it). Making Azula gorgeous in a scene, or letting Grey Delisle have some fun like the did during the confrontation Zuko and Azula had in The Awakening, is not the same as them reducing Azula from character to sex-object.

Once again, the fandom is far more guilty of the "Attractive means sexual and sex is evil" mentality than the show ever was. I lost count of how many people "theorize" that Azula is a "slut" who slept her way to the top and has even raped people (usually Zuko and Suki) even though the show made it clear she can't flirt to save her life, is so respected/feared because she's a great fighter/manipulator, and has literally never forced herself onto her brother and was obviously lying when implying she had done something Suki because THE SHOW ITSELF told us everything she was telling the Gaang on that scene was just an attempt to buy her father more time until the eclipse was over.

Some of the fans treat her as the typical "evil femme fatale that you can tell is evil because she sleeps around", but the show itself never did that.

Also a lot of what I sometimes see fans claim is "sexualization" is just mundane stuff. I lost count of how many times people were losing their shit because "WHY IS A FOURTEEN YEAR GIRL ALWAYS WEARING MAKE UP?"

Maybe because said fourteen year old is a perfectionist that can't even stand to have one hair out of place, so obviously she'd want her face looking perfect too? Or maybe she wants to look older not to "seduce" anyone but because she'd rather not risk not being taken seriously for being so young? And, crazy thought but bear with me here, maybe, just maybe... Azula likes make-up. Revolutionary concept, I know.

And it's not like the show ever got weird about it like the comics (seriously, girl is hallucinating in a straight-jacket and her hair is all messed up, but SOMEHOW she put on lipstic/the doctors did it for her????). She had a clean face when she was sleeping and when she was at the royal spa getting her hair done, and even at Chan's party her make-up is exactly the same she wears during the day. The "weirdest" place she wore it at was at the beach, and again considering it's Azula, who always wants to look perfect, I can see it.

Seriously guys, there's a difference between "TikTok is constantly telling women, teen girls and children they need to buy 37 different products that they gotta put on before anyone can *gasp* see their face" and "This cartoon had one of the characters constantly wearing make-up because that's a thing teenagers do sometimes + it helps the character be more memorable"

#azula is no femme fatale

16 notes · View notes

drpoisonoaky · 4 months

Text

But she is…soft and shy.

It was one of those nights when everyone gathered around a campfire. It was like our monthly family gathering.

In a moment of silence, Suki stared at Katara for a while. When Katara returned her gaze, Suki spoke.

"I have to ask," I knew from the tone alone that the question would be about Azula.

They always did. Katara didn't know if it was concern or morbid curiosity. She preferred to think it was the former. For her own sanity.

"About what?" Just because she knows doesn't mean she'll answer quickly. Pride, mostly.

"Azula." Hoping her surprised face was believab - "And you already knew that" Well, she had to try.

So she sighs and goes for it. “Sure” She has learned not to fight it.

"I can't imagine her showing any affection to anyone".

That's not a question. But as she was curious as to what Suki was getting at, she let it go.

"Why?"

Questions about Azula usually consisted of "Are you sure she doesn't treat you badly" or "If she's blackmailing you, blink twice". This one was unexpected.

Seeing Katara's confused face, Suki elaborated further on her question.

"It's just that she has this whole femme fatale aura about her. So I can't imagine her cuddling or saying I love you".

"Wait, that means if you've imagined it-" before Sokka could finish the sentence Suki covered his mouth with her hand. Considering Suki's strength, Katara thought it was a miracle that her brother still had all his teeth.

Seeing how Suki's question wasn't born out of hate, but out of pure curiosity. Katara decided to be honest.

"Although it may seem otherwise, Azula is quite shy when it comes to relationships. Everyone looked on, puzzled and confused.

Zuko was the first to speak. “Moving on from the images that Suki does in her brain about my sister. Azula shy? Is she teaching you to lie?”

“What? No! Well she has offered to ‘It’s a great skill Katara’ “said Katara, badly imitating Azula's voice. "But no, although she's more confident now which is...amazing."

While Katara was lost in thought, the rest of the group looked on in surprise.

Suki reached over and clicked her fingers in front of her face, snapping her out of her trance. "I think I speak for all of us, we need more details or context."

"NO MORE DETAILS OF WHAT SHE WAS THINKING," Sokka and Zuko said at the same time.

Suki shook her head as if to say 'well', Aang agreed and Toph said 'I wouldn't mind'.

At that moment, Katara became serious, looking at her friends one by one, and said, "What I am about to say is not going to leave here, and if Azula finds out, she will have my approval in the methods of revenge she wishes to use against you.”

They all nodded in agreement.

"I need a verbal response".

And then they all chanted in unison, "Yes, Master Katara, we promise".

After her friends' affirmation, Katara made herself comfortable in her seat and began to speak.

"At the beginning I also thought Azula would be all 'I know what I'm doing and I'm in charge' but at the very moment of our first kiss she asked me three times if she could kiss me and she stayed static until I was the one who did it".

"That's actually quite sweet," Suki said before Katara could continue.

"After that, she kept asking me if she could kiss me an average of 2 or 3 times at a time."

Before continuing Katara looked at Sokka and Zuko. "Cover your ears and hum a song loudly."

They did, but just to be sure, Katara said, "No, Suki, you can't take your clothes off right now," and when she saw that Sokka didn't react, and Zuko even less, she continued.

"Our first time was more Azula asking me if I was doing it right or if I really wanted to do it than actually doing anything. It was a fantastic experience, but also a bit peculiar.”

"I don't know why you didn't tell me to cover my ears too," Aang said, blushing.

"You are more mature emotionally and you are not a brother to either of us."

“Still”

With that said Katara gestured to Zuko and Sokka that they could hear again. The two of them were not curious to know what they had missed.

"I think what struck me most about all of this is that it took Azula months to hug me without me asking her to, even though she clearly wanted to."

Katara looked up at the night sky which was full of stars as a soft smile came over her face.

“But now she does. When we are alone she is like this big koala. It’s amazing how fierce and prideful is most of the time and how she changes when she’s comfortable.”

“So yeah, she’s soft and shy but I really love that side of her. As much as I love her femme fatale aura.”

Sokka and Aang were crying. Suki was surprised, not to see these two cry - which they usually do quite a lot- but to have discovered this side of Azula.

“So the sex is mind-blowing now?” ask Toph not reading the room.

“WE DON'T WANT TO KNOW THAT” Zuko replied without giving Katara time to respond.

"Don't worry, the change in the beating of the sugar queen's heart answered for her".

"Oh Agni" Zuko complained.

"I don't know if this makes me see her in a different way, or if I still don't believe you, but thank you for sharing" Even if Suki is the most sceptical person about her relationship with Azula, she has always been a great support to Katara.

"Ok now I think we can talk about how Suki thinks of Azula being a femme fatale?" said Toph with a big grin on her face.

"NO!" shouted the two brothers of the southern water tribe and the Fire Lord.

“Can I give you a hug?” asked Katara to Azula who was sitting next to her.

"Since when do you ask for it?" said Azula turning to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

“I want to be the soft and shy one sometimes”

“What are you implying? I am not like that”

"Sure, sure," Katara said as she wrapped her arms around her. "Hug first and then we'll argue about your self-denial."

And instead of arguing Azula settled into Katara's arms, grabbing her around the waist and buried her face on Katara's neck.

“I am not soft and shy”

So Katara kissed her temple and said "Sure".

#atla #azula #avatar the last airbender #katara #azutara #fire siblings #zuko #suki #sokka #aang #toph #kazula #i think it's cute #i also posted this on ao3 #my fanfics <3

59 notes · View notes

astriddestelle · 6 months

Text

The trailer for ATLA just came out and ngl it doesn’t look half bad. Thoughts so far.

The background looks beautiful.

The actor for Sokka I’m sorry why did they do this to you. He looks so bad 😭😭

Azula actor doesn’t give me Azula energy but Azula in the cartoon was drawn in a femme fatale way so it makes sense it wouldn’t translate well irl.

Suki looks fucking amazing.

Zuko looks interesting, I forgot how much I hated him with that damn bald ponytail

Also kataang nation it’s over 😭😭 there’s no way it’s happening the actor for aang is like a child child and Katara actor looks closer to 16.

Idk if there gonna do zutara but I heard a rumor they are so zutara stans rise up it’s your time to shine. 😏😏

Curious how they’ll handle Mai if Zutara becomes a thing, but I also don’t see this show finishing all the seasons tbh cause Netflix cancels everything.

Suki and Aang and Ozai all look awesome af

Iroh Katara Azula and Zuko we shall see neutral on them.

Sokka is just a no idc

Also would y’all consider this canon or not? Or just an AU?

#avatar the last airbender #atla #netflix avatar #zutara #kataang #sokka #katara #azula avatar #aang

130 notes · View notes

hello-nichya-here · 7 months

Note

https://www.tumblr.com/mostly-mundane-atla/710894569738387456/this-sounds-pretty-accurate-but-there-is-another what do u think ??

Okay, here are the bits I agree with:

1 - Some Azula fans are trying way too damn hard to make her a "Girlboss" that never did anything wrong. This is legitimatelly something I have seen happen A LOT lately and it gets on my nerves SO BAD.

2 - Some Azula fans focus a just a little bit too much on the sad aspects of her character/story, mainly her loneliness and how she felt nobody loved her (Note: I'm being generous here because most of the time people bring that to remind me people that, no, just because she was the favorite child of an ABUSIVE parent it doesn't mean that her life was easy, but I HAVE seen the "character sad, therefore character good" a few times).

The stuff that I don't agree with it AT ALL:

1 - "Cersei Lannister is a character that is like Azula." No. Just no. I know the fandom likes to joke about some simmilarities between both shows or borrow elements from that story to our fanfics, but Avatar is not Game Of Thrones, and Azula is not Cersei. Their personalities are not that simmilar, nor their family situations. Cersei is far more reckless, blood thirsty, downright vile ADULT WOMAN, she never got a single shred of respect from her father or ANYONE, and her main way of manipulating people is to go the Femme Fatale route and seduce them. Not at all like the pragmatic (but not sadistic), prodigious, awkward princess that can't flirt to save her life and that everyone respects/fears. Even the whole "When you play the Game Of Thrones, you win or you die" doesn't really apply because Cersei sacrificed nearly everything to remain the queen, while Azula literally brought Zuko back home, making him the heir to the throne again. They. Are. Not. The. Same. (I won't get into the other characters mentioned because I don't know who they are)

2 - "Azula isn't that well written" Unless we're considering the comics, in which EVERYONE was poorly written, I'm gonna die on the hill that this is just wrong. Azula was not redeemed, yes, and Bryke seems to not understand her, but the way her story and arc went in the show makes perfect logical sense to me - I just don't think that's where or how it should end. We can argue over whether her story is finished, not on if she's well-written character and a deliberately sympathetic villain that was also REALLY good at being a villain.

3 - "Azula doesn't have a lot going on" Bullshit. Regardless of redemption or not, Azula IS a complex character - yes, even if she is the villain of a Nickelodeon cartoon (WEIRD argument to claim she can't be that deep - this is literally a show about war, genocide and abusive families, which is why it stood out to people because NOBODY expected Nick to go there). We literally see her having a mental breakdown after years of abuse, indoctrination and VERY bad decisions that ruined every relationship she had finally caught up with her. I consider this a lot, just like I consider things like waking up one day and finding out EVERYONE you knew and loved has been gone for a hundred years or dealing with the fact your father is an abusive piece of shit that is totally okay with disfiguring and banishing you because you dared to speak out of turn. For fuck's sake, the existence of The Beach as an episode proves this claim wrong because the whole point of that episode is "These villainous Fire Nation teens have some hidden depths."

4 - "There are better stories with better/more complex characters" Again, weird argument. I think Beauty And The Beast is the best Disney movie and that Mulan is the best disney princess, but I still adore Snow White despite her story being VERY simple. And even though I like these stories that all have endings, I like the dark fantasy and heavy on politics story of Game Of Thrones - and even though I think the books are better, I still like the first half of the show despite the changes made to the story. This is not a "Either this or that" situation. You can think something isn't perfect or deep and STILL like it.

5 - "She's not a real person, she's a character on a show therefore her not needing to 'deserve' redemption is irrevelant because what matters is what benefits the story and Azula's redemption wouldn't do that" Really? You're pulling that shit? In a show like ATLA? The show that said "Everyone is capable of great good and great evil"? The show that repeatedly says "Friendship and kindness are going to save the day?"? The show that had one of the bad guys redeem himself by befriending the good guys and visiting his abusive father in jail and saying "Maybe this will make you have a change of heart?" THIS show would not benefit or stay consistent to it's themes if the villain that desperately craves love and validation learned that the way she tried to get these things was wrong and started being a better person who'd eventually be healthy, loved and accepted? Give me a break.

#asks #azula meta #azula deserved better

54 notes · View notes

mytoesfelloff · 2 years

Text

I don’t like how fans make Azula out to be this over-sexualized, femme fatale, master seductress like did y’all not see the way sis was STRUGGLING to talk to Chan? I wanna read posts and fanfics of her being the social awkward teenager that she is. Also, I wanna read some Dangerous Ladies content that’s not just “big bad Azula is torturing poor Mai and Ty Lee and they hate her”. Positive Dangerous ladies content (AU or not) where they’re the center of the story and their friendship is the focus in a positive light? Top tier. Positive dangerous ladies content where they’re all lowkey assholes, don’t be fooled by Ty Lee the girl’s a dick at times, but still manage to be lovable is immaculate. Positive dangerous ladies content where they’re all lovable and lowkey assholes AND Azula is socially awkward AND they show affection for each other in their own ways? ✨Exquisite✨ I love to see it.

#avatar the last airbender #atla #Azula #azula deserved better #Azula IS an awkward turtleduck #I hate that phrase but she embodies it so does zuko #but I don’t wanna talk about him #avatar mai #avatar ty lee #dangerous ladies #their friendship #i love them so much #maizulee #avatar azula

374 notes · View notes

howlingday · 9 months

Text

My idea for a DEATH BATTLE!

I'm submitting it here because I think more people will see it. I'll post it on my own blog later.

August 16, 2023

Azula vs. Cinder Fall (Avatar vs. RWBY)

Avatar's sadistic princess confronts RWBY's Fall Maiden in this cruel flame fight!

Azula: Avatar's power-hungry prodigious Princess of the Fire Nation.

Cinder Fall: RWBY's scorching Fall Maiden.

Wiz: Fire is the element of power and passion, caressing us with warmth and light...

Boomstick: ..but these psychotic ladies have burned so much and yet can't satisfy their thirst for might. He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.

Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win... a Death Battle.

PREFACE:

I get that Cinder isn't popular but please don't give me heat. If this is already a popular matchup, please don't gut me, I came up with this MU the same day the day before Stitch vs Rocket Raccoon was released. I don't follow the VS. community outside of DB! I did this because I had an idea, I thought others should hear it, and I thought it would be novel since Avatar is one of, if not the biggest, pieces of animation to influence RWBY. There's no thumbnail and I don't go into as much detail as in an actual episode, this is just my idea.

My format: I'll explain why I want this battle to happen as well as the possible connections, the art style, and how the battle could go down. Since I don't do VS. stuff, I won't give calcs.

WHY:

Connections: megalomaniacal prokinetics. One is born into royalty and power, a princess to a lord, and set to inherit the throne. She is a prodigy, a strategist, and a careful planner. However, she is an excellent manipulator, sadistic and cruel. The other was born a street rat that was abused and had to claw her way to power, eventually selling part of her humanity. She is impulsive despite initially giving the impression of being a femme fatale mastermind. She loses battle after battle, starting conflicts in the name of her thirst for power and might until she is put in her place by her associate. Both eventually suffer a major loss (Azula on the day of Sozin's Comet and Cinder to Ruby during the Fall of Beacon) that exemplify the downfall of their characters. Both are traumatized due to family (Azula being traumatized because she thought her mother didn't love her and her father's expectations and Cinder because of Madame and her daughters abusing her and Rhodes being willing to fight her). Both contributed to the downfall of meaningful landmarks (the Earth Kingdom coup and the Fall of Beacon) after infiltrating the locations with disguises (Cinder as a Kyoshi Warrior and Cinder as a Haven Academy student). They have connections to speeches of power, which I will elaborate on with my...

Personal reasons:

I admit that I want these two to get their teeth kicked in, but there is a bigger reason why I am "pitching" this MU: the character interactions. Recall this quote from Azula: "You were born with nothing, so you've had to struggle, and connive, and claw your way to power. But true power, the divine right to rule, is something you're born with. The fact is, they don't know which one of us is going to be sitting on that throne, and which one is going to be bowing down." Then, there's Arthur Watts's famous monologue to Cinder: "Oh, of course you are! Because that's just what you do, isn't it? And how has that worked out for you? You stormed into Fria's room, thinking you can take on Ironwood's top fighter and war machine. But you couldn't. And that machine became the Winter Maiden. Oh, and let's not forget your deal with Raven Branwen. Get all your enemies in one place so you'd have a shot at revenge. If only someone could have warned you against such a miserable idea. Oh wait, I did! But you pushed ahead and you lost it, when all you had to do was your job! You think you're entitled to everything just because you've suffered, but suffering isn't enough! You can't just be strong, you have to be smart! You can't just be deserving, you have to be worthy! But all you have ever been, is a bloody migraine!" which leads to Cinder crying. THIS is the big reason why I want these 2 to fight. Azula is a good reader of people, so she'll have no problem dissecting Cinder's megalomania, and imagine Cinder's reaction when she is exposed by Azula. Cinder struts around like a big shot, but Watts revealed that she is not only not what she thinks she is, but idiotic and entitled, undeserving of her power, so being toyed by Azula could lead to a meltdown. Regarding their abilities, Azula's blue flames and lightning would be a great contrast to Cinder's red and orange flames and glass manipulation. There's the possibility of a close-quarters fight due to Azula's martial arts training and Cinder's blade training. There's also the possibility of aerial combat due to Cinder's flaming flight.

THE FIGHT ITSELF:

Art and animation:

The dream is that it'll be a hand-drawn fight, but it'll realistically be a sprite battle (all Avatar fights have been w/ sprites) or 3D (all RWBY battles have been in 3D). Going with the infamy of both characters (at least Cinder's), I don't think they'll pour a lot of resources into the project, so I'm guessing sprites. Sozin's Comet will NOT be a factor in this fight.

Possible setup:

(Think Ganondorf vs Dracula) Cinder, being the power-hungry hothead that she is, storms into the throne room with a flare. Azula is unphased, lounging on her throne casually like in the Day of Black Sun, though she was not expecting a challenger. However, she sees something in the one-eyed woman. Azula smirks; she knows what kind of person is confronting her, and she's ready to have fun. It's almost as if Long Feng was an insecure firebender.

"I'm here to claim what is mine." (Like in volume 8's "Take what is mine.")

They banter, Azula being the narcissist that she is, provokes Cinder into attacking her. Azula catches the attack, and Cinder starts to lose her cool.

FIGHT!

So, they fight. Notable highlights:

1. There's fire everywhere, but Azula notices that her opponent isn't a good martial artist after a close spar, but she is proficient with blades, and they're made of glass, too. She's never seen this kind of firebending.

2. Trying to keep her distance, Cinder launches fireballs, summons explosions from the ground, shoots arrows from Midnight (that's right, I'm bringing this relic back), and launches small glass projectiles.

3. Azula catches Cinder off guard with lightning.

4. At one point, the two cause a giant explosion (I'm sorry for reusing this so much), with Cinder soaring to avoid the blast. Azula doesn't come out unscathed.

5. Azula knows what she has to do though, and she smirks. Her opponent may be floating above her, but she is beneath the Princess. Azula pulls a Long Feng, exposing Cinder's insecurities, the fruitlessness in Cinder's pursuit of power, the missing eye, and how shoddily she fights, and Cinder breaks down, shouting and charging headfirst at her enemy. She lost to Little Red, Raven Branwen, and even Watts; she won't lose to this prissy girl.

6. Azula, smugly manipulates her opponent: "I know why you fight. You fight for power, for strength, for superiority. Admirable though your efforts may be, it's meaningless. Your eyes alone reveal your story: a powerless runt pushed around and abused, even betrayed. You killed almost all that stood in your path until you lost your eye and your arm. You willingly sacrificed yourself for power, but you fight so poorly, and it didn't get you anything except misery and defeat."

7. The battle ends with Cinder shooting Azula and using Scorching Caress like she did with Pyhrra, leading to her crying like with Watts or Azula using lightning to shock Cinder to death like she would've done to Zuko.

Azula is the smarter of the two, is the superior martial artist, and has the faster attack in lightning manipulation, but Cinder has greater mobility with her flight and if scaled to Emerald and Mercury like in Blake vs Mikasa, she's capable of dodging lightning, can likely end the fight with Scorching Caress, and theoretically won't run out of weapons since as long as there's dirt, she can turn it into glass. Azula is at the risk of a mental breakdown and Cinder is prone to manipulation and has underestimated her opponents.

Ending puns:

"Azula simply made Cinder fall."

"Azula got flamed, and got her glass kicked."

Possible track names:

"Fallen Hot Megalomania"

The names would be in reference to Cinder's last name, the idea that both have fallen from grace or power and their unending drive for power.

It would take elements and cues from Cinder's theme from Vol. 8 and the final fight between Zuko and Azula.

THANK YOU AND I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS!

---------------------------------------------------

Wow... Just... WOW!

I've honestly considered these two in a fight, and honestly, I'm still not sure who would win.

Next Time on Death Battle...

ROYAL FLAME

Princess Azula:

+ Master manipulator

+ Fire-bending prodigy

+ Skilled martial artist

+ Outwitted the entire Earth Kingdom

- Emotionally unsound

- Quick to anger

Cinder Fall:

+ Skilled in armed combat

+ Responsible for the destruction of Beacon, Haven, and Atlas

+ Effective airborne combatant

- Easily tricked

- Grimm arm cannot recover with aura

What do y'all think?

#submission #cinder fall #rwby cinder #princess azula #atla azula #death battle #ideas #not afraid #my submissions #my thoughts #atla #avatar the last airbender #rwby

23 notes · View notes

bloody-wonder · 2 months

Note

top 5 villains in fiction? Or alternatively, top 5 antagonists, totally up to you.

thank youuuuu :)

lol so i'm very obnoxious about what kind of character does or does not constitute a villain/an antagonist so these are like top 5 that passed that rigorous selection process

graham reid malett aka gabriel (the lymond chronicles). so my problem with villanous characters is that i'm a contrary bitch and when authors want me to really hate someone i usually end up either not caring either way or actively rooting for them lmao. but with gabriel dunnett managed to create someone truly terrifying and compelling at the same time. he's sort of a variation on lymond himself in the sense that he's what other characters think lymond should be - he's a version of lymond that conforms. or seems to conform, to put it more accurately, but that's the horror of it all - being a good man vs. seeming like one, and who's to say what's more important in the grand scheme of things? so the depiction of how any reasonably talented sociopath can charm his way to power and none will be the wiser is very realistic and scary but also - his villain monologues? outstanding. his gaslighting game? virtuoso. the homoerotic tension with the hero? off the charts. yet to be dethroned as my favorite villain of all time.

azula (avatar: the last airbender). i just like how cool and competent and dramatic she is and tbh the gaang were able to beat her only bc she conveniently got a bad case of mommy issues at the end. the last agni kai lives in my mind rent free - truly one of the greatest moments of cinema history.

milady de winter (the three musketeers, especially the 1978 adaptation). i knoooow she's the problematic femme fatale trope or whatever but i don't care. she's the blueprint. she has that sad backstory of being used and abused by men but i don't even particularly care about that either. she's an evil spy ladyboss i connected with on a neurological level when i was 11 and i have loved seeing her winning battles and losing wars again and again ever since.

lord voldemort (harry potter). tbh just a classic nostalgic "i want dominion over everything" kind of villain who at the same time represents evil and insidious real world ideologies that we like to think we defeated once and for all until they rise again - and in a very ironic fashion too, given by whomst this particular villain has been authored. i like voldemort's iconography and origin story but i also like how at the end of the day he remains a "flat" sort of villain with none of that boohoo nonsense. like, seriously, sometimes one needs less snivelling and more "there is no good and evil, there is only power and those too weak to seek it". i like the trope of having to collect a number of macguffins and do things in a very specific way in order to defeat him - and it does feel satisfying to see the characters finally accomplish it.

shen jiu (the scum villain's self-saving system). lol unlike in the case of milady i do care about shen jiu's backstory insofar as it means he has done nothing wrong ever in his life but he's on this list bc he's the titular scum villain and the book itself is about interrogating the roles people play in each other's lives and how those can be reframed if we change the perspective of the narrative. shen jiu is the villain bc luo binghe is the protag - the book tells us so on the meta level. but then as shen yuan learns more about shen jiu - and especially when we read the extra stories from shen jiu's pov - "villain" does not apply anymore as per my very specific criteria lol. in this regard shen jiu is also notable for asking one of the realest questions: while trying to get him to reconcile with liu qingge yue qingyuan says something like "do him a kindness and he'll return it tenfold" - to which shen jiu replies "ah but that's the thing - why should i be the one to be kind first?". bc if you think about it "why should i be the one to break the cycle of violence?" is one of the fundamental villain questions.

#book tag #tv show tag #movie tag

5 notes · View notes

donotmindme1 · 8 months

Text

My idea for a potential DEATH BATTLE! #1

August 16, 2023

Azula vs. Cinder Fall (Avatar vs. RWBY)

Avatar's sadistic princess confronts RWBY's Fall Maiden in this cruel flame fight!

Azula: Avatar's power-hungry prodigious Princess of the Fire Nation.

Cinder Fall: RWBY's scorching Fall Maiden.

Wiz: Fire is the element of power and passion, caressing us with warmth and light...

Boomstick: ..but these psychotic ladies have burned so much and yet can't satisfy their thirst for might. He's Wiz and I'm Boomstick.

Wiz: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win... a Death Battle.

PREFACE:

My format: I'll explain why I want this battle to happen as well as the possible connections, the art style, and how the battle could go down. Since I don't do VS. stuff, I won't give calcs.

WHY:

Personal reasons:

THE FIGHT ITSELF:

Art and animation:

Possible setup:

"I'm here to claim what is mine." (Like in volume 8's "Take what is mine.")

They banter, Azula being the narcissist that she is, provokes Cinder into attacking her. Azula catches the attack, and Cinder starts to lose her cool.

FIGHT!

So, they fight. Notable highlights:

3. Azula catches Cinder off guard with lightning.

4. At one point, the two cause a giant explosion (I'm sorry for reusing this so much), with Cinder soaring to avoid the blast. Azula doesn't come out unscathed.

Ending puns:

"Azula simply made Cinder fall."

"Azula got flamed, and got her glass kicked."

Possible track names:

"Fallen Hot Megalomania"

The names would be in reference to Cinder's last name, the idea that both have fallen from grace or power and their unending drive for power.

It would take elements and cues from Cinder's theme from Vol. 8 and the final fight between Zuko and Azula.

THANK YOU AND I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS!

#death battle #rwby cinder #cinder fall #princess azula #atla azula #ideas

4 notes · View notes

nono-bunny · 2 months

Text

Thoughts from watching the ATLA live action!

Took a bit of a break because writing these while watching takes a lot of time, actually, but! I'm back on my bullshit again, let's go!

Episode 3:

Jet? Is this Jet? Truly wish I could tell, it would be nice if I could fucking SEE ANYTHING!!!

Oh I do think it's just some rando rebels, but looks who's with them, oh my god! Dang dang diggity dand-dang, it's the best villain of the show! Me recognizing her so fast is 100% a matter of me being really impressed with the way she looked in all the official stills and being really hyped to get more of her because of how much I love Azula rather than it being obvious btw, I kinda tried not to watch any pre-release stuff to not get biased in either direction when it came to the actors, like mostly I just read a couple of interviews whenever they popped up for me, so. Genuinely this is gonna be probably one of the only times I'll recognize a character based on face alone when they first appear without their classic outfit (which? Idk how much of that is gonna happen anyway lol), I just!!! Really liked the casting for Azula purely based on the visuals (as I know literally none of the actors in this show, I just know Ozai voiced General Fong and obviously the OG Cabbage Merchant is reprising his role), like I know a lot of people wanted her to still look like a vicious femme fatale or whatever, and like, I get it, OG Azula is hot, we ALL had a crush on her as kids, but. It's vitally important to remember she's a kid, and more than anyone her casting should reflect that given how often I see people say "we should just let villains be villains" when it comes to her. She's a villain, alright, but she's a tragic one, and the entire reason why there are so many Azula "apologists" (like myself) rather than Ozai ones is precisely because of her age and circumstances. So like? Going into this show knowing that one of their prime directives with Azula is to make sure that aspect of her character is abundantly clear was genuinely a real comfort on a personal level. I'm looking forward to seeing her be cruel, but I'm also looking forward to her not being treated as "irredeemably bad to the bone". Anyway! Azula!!!

Oh shit this is a fire nation civilian coup??? Genuinely was sure this was how they skip ahead a bit and reveal that as soon as Ozai heard about Aang he sent out Azula to Omashu for some reason, but her being a domestic spy for him is actually so cool. Tbh I always kinda wondered what she was up to before being sent out, like? Was she still in school? Obviously Mai and Ty Lee weren't, was she there alone? So this is a cool way to show her finding ways to be active even before being given her first big task abroad! Btw, as much as a part of me loves Spymaster Mai, if I'm being honest that job was absolutely made for Azula ngl, she's killing it!! Can't wait for fics showing her reprise that role in Zuko's council after the war lmao (I already read some with a similar vibe and they're always enjoyable, but now Spy Azula is back and I want more!!)

Fire Palace secret entrances canon?!

I don't actually have too many comments on the whole failed infiltration scene, I mostly just think that aside from being very enjoyable, it was also a masterful way to introduce and estabilsh characterization for everyone involved! I do really like showing that there's a rebel presence in the Fire Nation, and how quickly its plans gets snuffed out. It has probably existed ever since the war started, and Aang has only reignited their efforts. There's something I find really interesting here about how Iroh and the rest of the Order of the White Lotus, who seemingly do nothing for so long, are ultimately the ones to succeed- like, is it about patience? Unity among the nations? Strategic placement of the rebellion leaders and their importance? Ultimately, a bunch of old noble men organizing a worldwide network working with The Chosen One were the ones to succeed in their rebellion attempt rather than the many disillusioned (probably) poor citizens that came before them, and like? I get WHY, but. It's genuinely very depressing how realistic that whole thing is. Idek how coincidental it is, me immediately thinking of The Order here when this is an episode that introduces one of the most prominent people in its ranks, because like? That one interview that's about the LA showrunner "being relieved he didn't have to adress Katara's romance" or whatever was actually about a whole lot more, and one of the things they talk about there is explicitly how the way they built up the episodes was by looking at the original and grouping up stories with similar themes- specifically how both Jet and The Mechanic ultimately do terrible stuff because of the war (he put it much more aptly in a way that really made sense but I can't remember the exact phrasing atm) and like? Another theme there is also rebellion vs compliance- so it makes perfect sense to me that this episode also shows the domestic side of that, y'know?

Yo fr Azula's actress is fantastic here??? I just KNOW people are gonna hate how she's more nuanced here, but personally, I loved how it seems she's a bit conflicted when Ozai kills people she knew, yet ultimately lets the sadistic glee and the "I defended my family and my country today" side win out, ending with a smile. It's good! It's compelling! It's... Very different from the way the original show was very subtle about showing how Azula was also suffering right up until the very end- it was still there, of course! She isn't having a good time in the flashbacks to their childhood! It's shown through Zuko's pov though, which inherently makes her seem better off than she actually appears to be, and like. On the whole Bryke really threw Azula under the bus A LOT, even when it doesn't match what we're shown of her, and because her suffering and struggles were less visibly obvious ig it was easy for them to forget/ignore how she was hurt by her situation too. A lot of Zuko's arc comes at the expense of stopping to think of Azula as a human, forgetting that she's also still just a child, and? I like that the LA refuses to ignore that. Her play here was how easily she convinced others the war tore up her family, and you're forced to remember- it did. She's off the mark with who she believes was at fault here and who was wronged, but ultimately... She genuinely has lost so much here, including her childhood and innocence- she was left alone with only bad influences, and when THIS is the kind of thing her father has her do and witness on the daily? Of course she turns out the way she does!!! And given how much people tend to miss that Azula was both a villain and a victim, yeah, I'm fucking glad they're highlighting the victim part!

Okay I officially don't like how Aang teaches Katara bending philosophy. It's weird, it feels off, and while I do like that he seems to be in tune with the whole "the four elements aren't really separate" thing with the way he approaches explaining air bending philosophy to a struggling waterbender... I do kinda feel like it would've hit harder if he had done it while nailing this form like in the show- him just getting it because he's the Avatar and has past life experience feels hollow, but him getting it because he gets the philosophy would actually feel earned, and I wish that happened. I know he doesn't really touch waterbending this season, and like, I know they gave him a reason (an emotionally charge one that makes sense), but. This is a scene that really called for him to try, and he... Doesn't. I wish he did. It makes them seem so much more distant from each other, and next season he's obviously gonna have to get over this and start learning with Toph, so what gives? Is the plan to have him start learning both at the same time and remove Katara's experience as his teacher from the equation in Bitter Work, only show what works best when both attempt to start teaching him at the same time using different styles of teaching? I don't get it. This just really feels too Katara focused in a way that feels a bit jarring because they still inserted Aang into the scene when really... He just takes out a lot of the emotional weight this scene could've had without him interfering- it just feels like a weird time for an expositional trauma flashback. I don't get what this scene was about! I'm guessing Katara is gonna nail the waterwhip later in combat like in the original, but it was just kind of a weird mish-mash of three plotpoints (Aang's refusal to learn without Gyatso, Katara's trauma, and Katara struggling with her waterbending) in a way that didn't really work for any of them? Aang was cute, but. He really felt out of place in this scene- it's literally one taken from the original, but when they take out the reason he was there and instead turn it into a "oooo isn't Katara so tortured by her past" it just kinda... Feels obtrusive to an otherwise cool scene of Katara practicing

Okay so. This scene bothered me so much that I thought I had to take another look at it through a different lens than "this is a weird change from the original" because that's not a charitable thing to do and kind of the opposite of what I'm attempting to do when watching this show, so I rewatched it through the lens that usually DOES make me like this show- what were they trying to say here, what did this change mean? Initially what really bothered me and caught my focus here was Aang's presence and effect being so different than the original, so I tried ignoring how weird it was that he was still in the scene, and just... Focused on what he added to it- which is when I was finally able to get it, I think. So! I think this is actually the show's depiction of Katara's anger, believe it or not! When she attempted to focus on her emotions, she instead kinda defaulted to her memories- of her fear, and helplessness... And anger- which is when she "explodes" her water. Rather than channeling her emotions, she let them control her, and was thus immediately thrown out of balance. This actually kinda checks out with the original show? A more technically skilled or disciplined Katara is actually usually INSANELY powerful, as she channels her emotions to get the water to do what she wants... But the show literally starts with an emotional Katara who has no real skill or control over her powers accidentally doing some really powerful uncontrolled bending. Like? Going by that logic, I can kind of imagine that what makes a master bender is control- that sort of explosion isn't really something that happens to Katara after the NWT, same with season 1 vs season 3 Zuko for the most part actually! And given how Aang, a master, mentioned that his training mostly covered control... I think that's maybe what they're getting at here? Idk, but this also being the Jet episode, aka an emotional one for Katara, really makes me think that this scene was meant to be its own thing with its own message, but just... Had the unfortunate luck of looking A LOT like the scene for The Waterbending Scroll. Anyway I spent genuinely way too long thinking about it so! Moving on!

Cute Sokka and Momo moment!! Followed by primo Water Tribe sibling moment!!

Zuko and Zhao actively working side by side is an incredibly intersection dynamic, I really like it!! Also poor Zuko desperately trying to hold on to the way he thinks he should act...

Why does Jet get to have his instincts while poor Sokka is reportedly removed from this arc?? Yeah so I'm going into this episode very skeptical given how much I like Jet as a Sokka episode but. I'll try to not be too biased, after all it makes sense that he'd be busy with the Mechanic! Still a shame, hope it's been exaggerated a bit.

Oh my god this is still a really fun group dynamic with Jet ngl

Cabbage Merchant!!!

Omg Teo is so cute! And The Mechanist blowing shit up inside a city rather than just in his own place is actually so funny, imagine all the bureaucratic nonsense he must constantly elicit! He must be such a pain to deal with lmao

What?! The Mechanist gets a name?! I'm shook!! Not really lmao, fr he needed one, it's genuinely such a relief. Sai The Mechanist!!

Oh wait this wasn't Sai's fault? I legit thought he just exploded an experiment or something so I wasn't worried, this gives the scene a much more sinister vibe because it's either Jet or legit somehow firebenders!

Yesss go off Teo, fantasize about dropping bombs on your enemies! Lmao that was both a horrifying and hilarious scene somehow

Katara being just... Completely indifferent to the aftereffects of the bombing felt incredibly off. Aang's attitude, while admirable, is strange given that like? Truly, how does he think he can help here? This is... A lot for an Aang that only knows airbending, a Katara that doesn't yet know how to heal, and a Sokka that has yet to show any aptitude for invention. This episode feels like it should've happened just a tad later, or alternatively, have been just a bit lighter and/or right outside of Omashu. It'll probably still work, but. Again, this is... A lot, really fast, and the characters don't feel like they're quite ready for it yet- I hope to be proven wrong, of course, I inevitably will be! But... Idk, again, this is just. A LOT.

So... Ty Lee never runs off to the circus here, or will that happen between seasons 1 and 2? What about Mai? Will she leave with her family to Omashu/New Ozai in season 2? Genuinely interested how they'll handle the change of circumstances here. I like how these two keep their personalities, and I like the fear mixed with loyalty we can see from them already, but... This is a pretty big change that strips them from a lot of the characterization inherent in the circumstances of their first appearance in the original show, so I hope they manage to make up for it and maybe expend on these two a bit more, as they truly deserve it. They too look really young, which is a good thing and works well with Azula!

Speaking of Azula, once again, I adore her characterization here! Bitter, self assured, effortlessly cruel... A villain, but one that I'm sad to see in that position. She's "softer", or maybe I should say she doesn't have quite the same amount of edge, and... I like that about her, because I feel like she's going to earn it throughout.

Damn, Teo is like. REAL angry here as opposed to the mostly naive and peaceful version we see in the original. I don't... know that I like this episode and what it's doing with everything going on too much so far tbh, actually, a lot of it feels barely recognizable, which isn't a crime, it's just... This episode introduces so many things that I don't know that it manages to do ant singular one justice?

Why is Katara the one first finding out about Sai, and why is she not referring to him by name? This all feels so disjointed istg!! This should be a Sokka and Aang focused episode, so why is Katara so prevalent here? The way they shuffle the roles here makes no sense!!

This is... Not the point of Jet? What are they doing here with him? Why is he sparing a traitor? Since when did Jet discriminate between enemies? Or are they going for a "only firenation people are his enemies" kinda thing? Also, where are the freedom fighters? So much about this bothers me, and I get it, I get that they had to merge plots, but. This creates completely different vibes for everything and everyone in a way that wasn't really an issue with the first two episodes. This merger is really doing a disservice to everything, it's just... Depressing and disjointed, and everyone feels ooc for both the original and what was established so far. This is an episode so filled with characters I cannot imagine any new viewes being able to keep up or care, and frankly, I can't either.

Okay the rest of the freedom fighters are here and I am healed. Still kinda pissed about how strangely righteous Jet is rn and how the whole Air Nomad conservation conversation is just. Not gonna happen but. It's cool to see the little guys!

Cool fight scene overall but. God I really wish Aang and Sokka were there, this feels so disjointed for a third episode!! Why are they all separated right now, it hurts the show so much!!! Even if they're all off getting the parts of these episodes that were most relevant to them, the others had a place there too, and. Genuinely hurts that Sokka is just. Cut out of the Jet arc

In other news I hope to god Sokka is being an unreliable narrator, because Hakoda does actually have an interest in engineering (bombs, at the very least lol), but I guess maybe Sokka hasn't really seen that, huh? Hoping this is a set up for Sokka coming into his own and developing real confidence, rather than just rewriting Hakoda and Sokka's relationship. Like, that Sokka doesn't think Hakoda cares about this stuff because he never tried to talk about it with him, and that they'll later bond over it or something.

Sure would've been nice to get detective Sokka in this episode!!!! God I genuinely do think that after the setup for the episode, all of the scenes work nice, but I just. This episode really, really suffers from the separation of the trio, and even though they do a good job at making the different plots work together... This could've been a great episode but it's just. Too much stuff going on, there are like five fucking plots and characters we're following and while they both mesh well and work individually, it's also just that... Theoretically it works, practically it's really difficult to follow, especially as a fan of the original that's already a bit confused by where they're going with all these changes.

Genuinely so weird for them to make Katara's memories of her mother about the sun, aka, the firebender's source of power. Like?? How am I NOT meant to think about Zuko rn??? This scene was so needlessly Zutara coded istg, it's bizarre!! It was a good scene and in line with what I thought they were going for which gives me a lot of hope in terms of Katara's characterization!! Still wish Sokka and Aang were there though.

The Zuko and Azula parallels in this episode!!!!

I don't like that they made Jee actively go against Zuko, ngl.

Good fight between Sokka and Katara!! Once again Sokka is the one who brings out the usually hidden facets of Katara, I genuinely love the way this show portrays their bond!! As much as I like and miss the Sokka we see in Jet that never appears here given how he... Never meets Jet, I do really like the way this became a three way perspective battle with no one really being wrong. Everyone has reason to believe what they do, and this doesn't make Katara look like just a lovesick fool or Sokka like a jealous asshole (which I don't really seem them as but. I've seen people who do)- the original lessons they learn in Jet are kinda... Removed unfortunately but this does make everyone generally look better as a result lmao. I'm not happy about what this episode did, generally speaking, but. This is a good way to reunite everyone imo, it's fun!

I. Didn't realize The Scarf Scene was in the Jet episode?! Holy shit the implications... Zuko trying to hold on to Katara as she's seeking Jet,,, What the fuck were they on about here unless it was some Zutara high??? What the fuck what the fuck what the fuck?????? I am. Not okay. Genuinely why was this here, why does this exist at all, this is so weird!!! I get it now, y'all, I get it.

Holy shit this whole action sequence is fantastic!!! This episode REALLY struggled to set things up in a believable and natural feeling way but I'm glad it stuck the landing in terms of the resolutions!

In other news, yeah, so that dramatic "My Cabbages!!" scene is not gonna make sense AT ALL to anyone who hasn't seen the animated show, huh?

Holy shit Iroh sacrificing himself for Zuko like that is!!! Incredible. He's gonna get out scot free even if caught because of Bumi, so like... There's that, but! Still Incredible. My poor boy was SO confused by it too, Iroh is likely just gonna go have some tea with Bumi for a bit lmao

This was a good way for Aang to get captured though!! I'm guessing Sokka and Katara are also implicated with a plot against Bumi? Honestly it'd be... Incredibly strange if we don't see the characters from this episode in the next one but I'm kinda getting the feeling we won't given that it's the Bumi one? But neither plot has really reached any sense of closure, so... Hoping they do next episode? Idk, all around just. Really strange to have all of this happen in Omashu but. Whatever lol, this episode mostly redeemed itself at the end haha

#avatar the last airbender #atla #atla live action #avatar the last airbender live action #natla

1 note · View note

phoukanamedpookie · 2 years

Text

The odd thing about framing Azula as a seductress is that "The Beach" shows that she's nothing like that!

Of her friends, she's not the sexy one. She's gorgeous, but she doesn't play the seduction game well at all. She tries to be appealing but comes off as intimidating. A femme fatale this girl is not! She's a 14-year-old girl made of hormones and feelings who comes on way too strong because she always tries too hard.

Hot Goth Chick Mai and Ten Boyfriends Ty Lee are better suited to that role than she is.

#azula #actual human child azula #femme fatale #adultification #the beach

334 notes · View notes

astraleulogy · 4 years

Text

on this episode of amanda’s weird dream

#it was another secret society dream but this time i was trying to infiltrate it #i havent watched peaky blinders in a while but cillian murphy was there #i had to sleep with him or something but the main schtick behind the society was they fucked up your left eye and when you entered the #building you had to answer the question ‘which eye?’ and the correct answer was left #emma thompson was a part of the secret society and she was putting people through traumatic prison enclosure by taking kidnapped people down #into this weird cell lock gymnasium type thing. she kept squishing people in including me and i had to pretend this was my way out or my way #into the cult. it was tough but i went looking through the crowd to find a way out and i told these people i’d help them escape they just #needed to play along and stay calm. i left the gladiator stage through a small door underneath a staircase and came out to see cillian #he was the leader of the cult but he knew it was wrong and he wanted my help to overthrow emma thompson #and i said yes of course im trying to save these people #he dragged me into another room with guards and dogs and started stripping me and himself as if he thought id sleep with him #but before anything could happen there was an explosion outside and they had to go and fight off these people closing in on them. i remember #it being like a weird victorian era hideout and all these bright lace curtains and wooden fixtures but no electricity only oil lamps+candles #there was a lot more it felt like.... i keep wanting to say azula was there from atla and i tried to seduce her into not killing me???? idk #im not a femme fatale by any means but holy shit what #personal #my dreams

0 notes

low-budget-korra · 3 years

Text

Katara stans: Gay and straights that are considered the "mom" of the friend group because they are responsible. They are also determined and low-key hot-head

Toph stans: kind of everybody yeah?They are also stubborn, a lil bit aggressive but in a exciting and cool way and not in "I'm scared" way. You get a lil surprised when you learn that their love language is touch. ( I'm not counting those sexist and racist dudes who said their are Toph's fans. They aren't real fans and Toph herself would throw them out of the fandom)

Suki stans: Straight girls who are feminists and lgbt allys. They may be into sports too and they have a nice tasty in men or they wish they had.

Azula stans: There's a really high possibility that they suffer from mental illness and/or daddy issues. They also suffers from the "the kid that was treated like prodigys, with people putting too much expectations in their shoulders but they grow up to be a normal person and can't deal with the expections that was unfairly put on them" syndrom. Oh, and most of them are gay

Mai: Most of them are straight and had a big emo phase in their teenage years, sometimes they still listen to panic at the disc. They didn't talk much and they are low-key badass

Ty Lee: Half of them are straight and half of them are gay. Both want a boyfriend or girlfriend with golden retriever energy

Korra: Gym gays who like sports and/or gays who like gym gays and gays who like sports. They are pretty badass and cool. They look like bad bitches but in the reality they are soft and caring, and need therapy do deal with their anxietys . Also have touch as one of their two main love language

Asami stans: Gay femme or gays who likes gay femme. Depending on their mood , they can be awkward hot nerd or femme fatale. Top and dom energy but mostly switch or power bottom. They like to give gifts to their love ones

Lin/ Kya stans: Gay Af . Like milf's and may have some mom issues. Their favorite movie is Carol

Kuvira stans: Also Gay , wants to be dominated and step on by a powerful woman.

230 notes · View notes

hello-nichya-here · 2 years

Note

i've been seeing many posts recently about how Azula was sexualized by the show and how some people make her play the role of femme fatale in fanfics, especially towards Zuko, and i want to know how you feel about it since you like to defend Azula from bullshit but you're also an expert on the weird side of the fandom.

Do you think the incest subtext was something the writers created to show how evil Azula is? Do you think people would still ship Zucest if it wasn't there? Do you think people would still think of her as a femme fatale if it wasn't there?

This is gonna be a long one, so let's get the easy part out of the way: Azula could have been a villain for literally one episode, have no interaction with Zuko or any other guy, and be wearing a burka the entire time and there'd still be people shipping them AND writting stories about her being a femme fatale. Fanworks, smutty and otherwise, are about taking aspects of canon and adding your own twist - that ranges from absurdly "loyal" to canon, to just loosely based on it with characters that have the same names, same faces, and slightly similar personality as their canon counterparts, but that are basically a completely different person.

The problem is that the ATLA fandom really sucks at differentiating canon from fanon. Many of the fans, especially those who like the Femme Fatale!Azula and/or those who assume Evil Lady = Slut, will look at actual proof that Azula is NOT that type of character in the show, and respond with "But she acts completely differently in a porn parody!" or "But the Evil Seductress trope is really popular!" and not realize that they're bringing up something that is completely irrelevant to the conversation because there's a big difference between a kink/trope and an actual character.

By far the episode that contradicts the Seductress!Azula idea the most is The Beach. That episode makes it canon that Azula doesn't really know how to interact with people her age, let alone flirt with a boy, and we literally see her first kiss happening. When she uses her "We'll dominate the earth" line it shows that she has no idea how to mask her real self to look more appealing, which is a key aspect of any female character that "uses her sexuality as a weapon." Girl couldn't play that role if her life depended on it. Honestly, even if she could, I don't think she would. Azula is paranoid about losing control and of letting others get too close because they could betray her. She's just not that type of character. At all.

Now, let me make a distinction very clear here: There is an incestuous subtext in the show - Grey Delisle (an adult woman who used to be a narrator in trailers for porn movies) literally said she voiced the bedroom scene seductively. And there are other scenes that feel weird, like Zuko's dream of Azula as the blue dragon, which literally has him thinking of her as the embodiment of temptation (sure, temptation isn't always sexual in nature, but it's hard to miss the obviously implications, especially when combined with "Azula" asking Zuko if he plans on going to the bedroom any time soon). It's there. I don't think the writers ever intended on actually fleshing out that "plot", they were just toying with ideas, kind of how there was a fuck ton of Zutara bait in the show, but the plan was obviously to make Kataang and Maiko happen.

However, while that subtext is there, the "Femme Fatale" thing is basically non-existent. When Azula lied to Zuko about Ozai wanting him home and then when she actually gave him the chance to be a prince again, there was no "seduction" (in a romantic/sexual way) involved. He wanted his honor, his country, his title and his father's approval, and that's exactly what Azula offered. Nothing more, nothing less. She was also nice to him on The Headband and on The Beach without any ulterior motive. Hell, the "Azula always lies" line is incredibly ironic since the event that made it come up was Azula telling Zuko a terrible truth he did not want to believe.

Even their infamous interaction in The Awakening doesn't really fit since Azula only threw him under the bus because he (accidentally) did that to her first by not telling her in Ba Sing Se that Aang could have survived, and when he confronted her she told him why she did what she did, and then never did anything against him after that until he changed sides. Again, Grey voiced it seductively, and the animators sure as hell helped the scene look suspicious as fuck, but they obviously were using it as fanservice, not as something that they were planning on ever having mean something or affect the story in any way - though that certainly doesn't mean that people won't use it to demonize Azula some more.

Again, the one time she is truly playing the role of evil seductress luring Zuko in just to stab him in the back later is in Zuko's dream. That scene tells us literally nothing about Azula since she's not even there, but it shows that either Zuko internalized the mysoginistic idea that "evil" women and "slutty" women are one in the same, or that he is repressing some attraction that he considers immoral and dangerous - whether he is even aware that he is doing it or not is a completely different story.

And notice how this happens BEFORE Azula acts in any way that could be considered even remotely inappropriate towards her brother, yet many fans that picked up on the subtext are 100% sure that if there are any incestuous feelings there they are either completely one-sided (with Azula being the "sinful" one, of course) or something she has to "manipulate Zuko into wanting"? Funny how that works, huh?

#asks #azula meta #fire siblings

63 notes · View notes

ohmygodtheywereparabatai · 3 years

Text

Salt Takes: The Double Standard of Child/Adult Soldiers

—

The last thing I want to do is get tangled in ATLA fandom drama, but I choose violence, so short and sweet it is.

This scene.

People race to defend Azula here, claiming she was a child who didn’t understand the full atrocity of what she was witnessing. That she was molded from the beginning to believe her cold sneer and clutched fist were her faith in justice served showing. Then all fingers point to Zhao as the grown adult who displays full-blown sadism.

Cool. So, er, half-assed interpretation and apologism at its finest.

Look, ya big brained. You want to pick apart early psychological development in the Fire Nation princess? Great. You’re onto something. But this scene, at face value, is blatant characterization. Azula has no remorse. She thinks what she’s seeing is deserved. These statements can and should co-exist before further analysis, because the first statement is visibly, directly implied for seven year olds to pick up on and file away.

Kids’ show. Aired on Nickelodeon. 6-11-year-old demographic. Gucci? Gucci.

Zhao, on the other hand, is the bass-boosted version of S1 Zuko. He’s not a child soldier, damnit, but he is a soldier.

When Zuko knocks him down in their Agni Kai, the instinct to, uh, avoid getting your face burned off is overridden because he acknowledges the hand dealt to the loser, stares right back at him, and says - “Do it.”

A bit gorey to imagine what would have happened if Zuko obliged.

When they face off in the North, Zhao makes his position clear: “You're the Blue Spirit, an enemy of the Fire Nation! You freed the Avatar.”

“You should have chosen to accept your failure, your disgrace. Then, at least, you could have lived!”

So aside from the fact that he is, by definition, doing his duty by dispatching a disgraced prince responsible for treacherous action... it’s also his character. Azula is as driven to perfection and loyalty for her nation as she is conniving and vicious. Zhao is as driven to immortalizing himself in history and bulldozing the enemies in the Fire Nation’s path as he is a smug, walking dick. They’re both every inch the product of an imperialist agenda as they are the villains of their respective seasons. They’re bad, they’re rotten, but they’re soldiers.

To drag the comics into this for a moment, the vilification of the other nations began as early as pre-genocide. Soldiers were brainwashed into associating the Avatar and his people with their own doom. It’s no mind-blowing inference that the same notions were hammered into cadet Zhao, or that little Azula was spoon-fed the same story.

Shifting the lens when they’re in the same shot - assigning sadist status to one and victim status to the other, ain’t gonna fly. Try again.

Ahh, and someone was slick enough to point this out, but Iroh’s flinch in this scene, next to Azula’s fist of satisfaction?

Oop!

Perspective is so funny, isn’t it?

Next thing - the godforsaken ‘Zhao is a creep’ angle.

I don’t even want to dig my fingers into this one. This take is so obviously for purposes of Zuko whump that I’m going to spare myself the loss of braincells. While I have nothing against exploring this in fic, don’t even try to tell me it’s rooted in canon. It’s 100% true that interpretations of source material are infinite, but that doesn’t mean all of them are right.

What happened to the creep angle during this scene? Oh, yeah, it sparked hot, steamy Zucest.

I found about two to three sources while hunting down these images alone that (aptly) explained Azula’s sexualization as a “temptress” femme fatale-esque character, and even touched on Grey DeLisle’s sultry voice acting that did nothing for the portrayal of a fourteen year old girl. I’ve got nothing against any ship as long as the shippers are respectful... but hmm, do I spy another Zhao-Azula double standard?

(You okay back there, Iroh?)

Oooohh nooo, it’s the predator eyeing his next prey!! It just can’t be Jason Isaacs’ “wonderful, cunning evil vibe” poured into another role... Do I have to pull up several Lucius Malfoy/Harry Potter oneshots based on the scene where he hooked his cane on his shoulder to show you how asinine this take is?

Azula and Zhao both target Zuko’s insecurities to get a rise out of him. Azula and Zhao are both complicit in the conquering of the Earth Kingdom. Azula and Zhao both believe (respectively) that they were given divine right, that they wield the superior element. Azula and Zhao both grin like maniacs while Zuko is getting his face torched - it’s who they are. They align so closely that exploring the weight of a poisoned upbringing, deadly ideals, and raw firebending power drawn from a different root than the first masters is impossible without owing consideration to both characters. Both their arcs end in fucking insanity. Nationalism does that to people. Talk to me about that next time.

Jesus. I need a cold shower. Thanks for reading.

#long post #the uncrispiest of double standards #an S for you an M for you and an H for you #tw cussing #atla #avatar the last airbender #atla meta #zhao #azula #admiral zhao #zuko #ok i’m going to be soft again 🥺 (but ready)#omgtwp’s salt takes

104 notes · View notes