ATLA ficlet: Gaps

[terajk]

I've been chewing on eruthros's great Festibility prompt of greatness for months. (Months, I tell you, because it is so great). Sadly, the story I want is WAY too awesome for my writing ability at this point, though I promise you it will happen.

I think Avatar: The Last Airbender set up something REALLY fracking awesome in regards to power and disability with Azula's whole storyline, but then, whether because of time constraints or not knowing how to end things or what, just dropped it/handled her mental illness in a way I am really conflicted about.

First, the awesome: Azula loves power, of course. (Azula/Power=OTP). She can only communicate with people via power-plays, and even has power over people she shouldn't, like her older brother. She is so used to wielding power that she takes for granted she will always have it (cf. her "divine right to rule" speech to Long Feng).

At the same time, the word "crazy" is associated repeatedly with things worthy of dismissal in general and with Azula in particular. Sokka is particularly fond of it, especially when he's extolling the virtues of science in "The Fortuneteller." And Toph says at one point: "You're gonna think I'm crazy, but there's a metal man coming." Team Avatar thinks King Bumi is "crazy" at first, but when they get to know him better he becomes a "mad genius."

 Regarding Azula specifically, after a run-in with the Dangerous Ladies Katara says something about "crazy blue firebending"; mini!Zuko claims that "Girls are crazy!" after falling victim to the apple-on-Mai's head prank, which Azula was the mastermind of. And of course, when Zuko tells Iroh he knows he should try to get along with his sister, Iroh says: "She's crazy and she needs to go down." (This line acts as a dismissal, too, since he's trying to tell Zuko that worrying about making nice with Azula isn't worth it). And then Azula, who has spent her whole life being Important, becomes the sort of person that's shorthand for "easily dismissed."

It's not perfect, though. Her mental illness reads as karmic assistance/a Thank You, the Universe for the heroes, which doesn't sit right with me at all. And I'm bothered by the visual symbols of "instability" that only serve as cues for the characters/audience that "something's off about her" (e.g.her puppet-like stance at the Agni Kai, cutting her bangs off).

But the rest of it makes me squee and flap my hands in an "OMG WANT THIS STORY" sort of way. I mean...the myth that staff/personal assistants and servants are the same! And her relationships with everyone will change! (Except Ty Lee, perhaps). Especially Zuko, who, aside from being Firelord (a power he first thought to give to Uncle) will now have power over her that he never expected and I can see him trying to deny/reject, which is not a good sign in a caregiver. (Did I mention I want family caregiving too? In that family? Word of God bores me). Plus, they both define themselves in relation to each other, and that has changed. I want All the Things.

At this point I can only do one or two of the Things. Here's something where I play around (very, very carefully) with some of these ideas.

This ficlet isn't a fill for eruthros's prompt (she deserves something much meatier).

Title: Gaps
Characters: Zuko, Azula
Word count: 390
Warnings: Language, ableism
Post series, spoilers. Word of God is boring.
For a prompt for fic_promptly: "Zuko, Red Dragon (Thomas Harris)"

DW

AO3