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Arsonist's Lullaby: An Azula Timeloop Quest

Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
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JIMI94 said:
Wouldn't this be similar to her showing the originals in spoiler text? The difference in how available they are wouldn't be much difference. I think she has some plan/interest in how the final product of the story looks/how people interact with it and those who read it originally? At least that's my impression, since I don't think it's about the effort. Otherwise she'd have probably put it in information when Redshirt posted it.
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Well, she apparently decided to put an Informational mark on it anyway.

I speculate that maybe she has specific intentions for the main character sheet, but is not actually trying to conceal from future readers what Azula was like in the beginning. She just doesn't want 'old' Azula and 'new' Azula co-existing on the main sheet on the front page.

Of course, I could be misunderstanding the situation.
 
It certainly beats reconstructing it backwards from the changes seen in story, or retrieving it via wayback machine (which IIRC only has the second oldest version).
 
Tylansimov said:
I feel like she'd have a lot of fun as Zuko's spymaster, ferreting out secrets and foiling plots against Zuko.
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Azula didn't ferret out secrets in Ba Sing Se; she subverted existing power structures and usurped the earth kings throne. She is the Dragon Emperor, not the Blue Spirit; that's Zuzu's destiny.
Zuko has managed to find the avatar; save him from Zhao; infiltrate the north pole; abduct the avatar; escape from the north pole; escape azula; infiltrate the Di Lee headquarters within Ba Sing Se and rescue Appa; plot and execute an assassination; and liberate prisoners held in the most secure prison in the fire nation.
He is an accomplished triple-agent(/s) trained by Iroh; a high ranking member of the White Lotus; and has been successfully embedded within the avatars circle of advisors whilst remaining loyal to the fire nation.

Edit: wow, this was page 49... oops, not sure how that happened.
 
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This has been a very fun read. I guess it's time for me to join the voting.

[X] A flame. It's funny—despite everything, even sharing lessons for a year or so before you accelerated past him, you don't think you've ever taught Zuko a single thing about firebending. He's certainly never taught you. You've only ever used your fire to hurt each other. Maybe you should try, just this once, to offer a moment of your incandescence for something other than pain.
 
TheTryhardOfDS2 said:
This has been a very fun read. I guess it's time for me to join the voting.

[X] A flame. It's funny—despite everything, even sharing lessons for a year or so before you accelerated past him, you don't think you've ever taught Zuko a single thing about firebending. He's certainly never taught you. You've only ever used your fire to hurt each other. Maybe you should try, just this once, to offer a moment of your incandescence for something other than pain.
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The vote's been closed since last year, but your vote won anyway.
 
Magery said:
"I am beginning to understand," he says, heavy and slow, like each word is being cut out of his heart, "that I will wake tomorrow to a far greater history of mistakes than I thought I had carried here today.
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I know I am turbo late, but I just wanted to say I come back to this scene regularly as maybe my favourite moment in any avatar fic. Looking forward to whatever else comes, I love the format :)
 
Words in a website can not express how much I love this story and how often I reread parts of it. The characterization, the drama, the comedy, the introspection and the cinematrography makes this fanfic a unique and fantastic experience. Thank you

I love how you focus on the friendship between Azula, Mai and Ty Lee. I have read many azula fics in my personal quest to at least see stories where she is happy, since I doubt canon will ever have her redeemed ( of the original era she is the only villain that can draw attention, they are never going to let her go) and since ATLA is not a series where villains are happy I doubt she will ever be. And even in this Azula centric fics the focus is always on her relationship with Zuko ( obviously is important like you show here but is not the only important relationship) or on shiping (which is fun but platonic love can be great too) or they insert her in the Gaang.
That's the main gist of it, thanks again.

Now Theory Time

As always happen when you reread sometimes you form theories and I have some:

I think Azula's freedom will come from a rejection of violence in general. As someone else said she would use beraucracy to stop the ships from sailing ,and I insert reject her father but she will not fight him. Not because of fate like Zuko but because she has already fought with Sozin's comet far more times than necessary and she will use the comet for something far more enjoyable like fire dancing.

I think this because of this quotes:

[Like whether or not the road to freedom is some airbender nonsense about negative jing, or whatever foolhardy preaching left them entirely defenceless against Sozin's ruthless cunning]

[The truth is absurd, and the truth is this: there is no path to victory that flows through the tips of two outstretched fingers.]
Sometimes you think it might be a tragedy: the transcendental flame brought by a celestial miracle, turned only to destruction. Not a single living person will ever experience this day again except a few squalling babes. It seems almost a shame that it has only ever served as a tool for war.
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( I don't know if I put well the quotes)
For me the condition is that Azula realizes not just that Mai, Ty Lee and Zuko love her but that her Father doesn't really love her and the only way to be happy is to choose her friend and brother. More idealistic and universal motiviation like balance and faith will not work agains the ideology of nationalism and imperialism that Azula firmly believes in.

The second theory is that in the period of time where Azula was dellutional, Aang took away her bending at least once. This theory came about because to me it makes little sense that Azula considers that only the avatar will know the significance of her bending. Azula is not Zuko she has berely talk to Aaang why would she think that, I think that in the process of conquering her spirit He got to know that and Azula in the same process realized that too.
Also there are two extra quotes that supports this but I don't want to search because im supposed to be working: one where Azula says that the Avatar has ruined her life in several cycles and the famous " what Zuko does to you is worse"

Again thanks for everything
 
justoforquest said:
I have read many azula fics in my personal quest to at least see stories where she is happy, since I doubt canon will ever have her redeemed ( of the original era she is the only villain that can draw attention, they are never going to let her go) and since ATLA is not a series where villains are happy I doubt she will ever be. And even in this Azula centric fics the focus is always on her relationship with Zuko ( obviously is important like you show here but is not the only important relationship) or on shiping (which is fun but platonic love can be great too) or they insert her in the Gaang.
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The various parallels between the fire siblings are pretty incredibly complicated and dramatic, so it's not exactly surprising that people drawn to write about Azula would be drawn to explore that relationship. Narratively, the function Azula serves is to be Zuko's foil - she's his path not taken, and vice versa. And if you want to redeem Azula, there are three really obvious paths: (1) Ozai abandons, banishes, or does something Azula sees as unforgivable earlier in canon than Sozai's comet, leading her to switch sides; (2) Azula and Zuko love each other more / have a better relationship, leading her to make different choices and eventually choose Zuko over Ozai (causing her to switch sides); or (3) post-canon and post-Ozai being deposed, Azula abandons him as her moral compass / the center of her worldview, and can thus heal and be redeemed. Path 1 doesn't really need to be about Zuko (threatening Ty Lee and/or Mai might do it instead), but Path 2 is Zuko-centric and Path 3 has to pay at least some heed to her relationship with Zuko since he's effectively her legal guardian/jailer and her post-canon life is going to be driven largely by his choices and thus their relationship. Which is not to say that Azula's relationship with Zuko is or should be the only important one, just that it makes sense that even Azula-specific fanfiction tends to place a large amount of focus on it. (And if you're writing an Azula fic set during canon, there's also the issue that she has more numerous and more consequential interactions with Zuko than with everyone else combined during the show.)

A couple fics in case you haven't located or read them, which I've tried to gear towards happy endings and a focus on Azula's development over (or without) shipping:
  • we'll be safe & sound (when it all burns down) is one of my favorites Azula redemption fics. It runs parallel to canon for nearly all of Azula's interactions with Zuko and the Gaang but with very different internal motivations and a hard divergence at Boiling Rock and particularly Sozin's comet. IMO her relationships with Mai and Ty Lee (and OCs) matter a great deal more than with Zuko. She gets to be happy post-canon in the continuation stories. I read it as platonic Maizulee.
  • Azure and Obsidian is very much a Path 2 Zuko-relationship driven fic but (again IMO) more of a focus on Ozai, Mai, and Ty Lee than Zuko. She's redeemed and gets a happy ending without ever being declawed. Ships Maizulee.
  • the sun don't shine underground is a Path 1 fic that's driven more by Azula's relationships with Iroh, ship's crew, and (absent) Ozai than with Zuko, although she'd probably identify Zuko as her primary motivation. I'd say the primary through-line of the fic is Azula being deprogrammed and learning how to be happy and have healthier relationships. No ship.
  • Fading Falsehoods is post-canon Azula redemption; the key is her being hit with a spirit curse that makes her unable to lie. Happy ending. Does ship Azula with Suki.
  • Stories Untold is post-canon Azula redemption mostly through the lens of Legend of Korra; Zuko plays a role in one of seven snippets that isn't even really about him. I suppose it's more Azula getting her fair due than being happy, but I found it satisfying. Does ship Azula with Ty Lee.
  • a thousand little faces is a post-canon Azula redemption, partly through a relationship with Aang but more through spirituality and time. Ships Azula with Aang, obviously.
A lot of the best Azula stuff is (yet again IMO) not redemption, but is instead leaning into the tragedy of her situation and how toxic virtually all of her relationships are. (And here I'm thinking of things like Molotov and its sequel Hollowpoint (horrifically dark modern AU), or were we everything you ever thought we'd be? (even worse cannon divergence after Boiling Rock), which are much more about dragging your heart through broken glass than about anyone being happy.)

[To the extent my favorite Azula fics have pairings, it's almost always F/F because my own head-canon is that Azula is closeted and self-loathing sapphic woman; The Beach is Azula trying very hard to remain "perfect" in an unfamiliar (hence her awkwardness) but still heteronormative environment]
 
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