Genderswapped Zuko

[lizbee]

A couple of years ago -- literally, I'm talking 24-26 January 2011 -- I did a rough sketch of a cranky, butch girl!Zuko.  (I have some feels, apparently, about rule 63 stuff that makes the female version of a character ultra!femme and often the victim of sexual violence.) 

Shamelessly egged on by sohotrightnow, I then wrote "You Had A Boyfriend (Who Looks Like A Girlfriend That I Had In Èr Yuè)", in which Zhao is creepy and Zuko is the queen of bad decisions.  Which, come to think of it, makes that complaint about rule 63 versions being subjected to sexual violence seem kind of hypocritical, though I'd argue that (a) there is no actual violence, and (b) hey, at least Zuko isn't banished because she's a pregnant rape victim like most of the other versions.

This week, among many, many other things -- ask me some time about my to-do list.  NO, DON'T, IT WILL TAKE ME TOO LONG TO EXPLAIN -- I've been going through my old sketchbooks, and found what looks like follow-up art to that fic, moving girl!Zuko into season 2.

Except, of course, she has season 3 hair.  Which is probably why I didn't post it when I first did it, because I certainly don't usually let a little thing like "it's not very good" stop me!  Why is she wearing ballet flats?  Your guess is as good as mine. 

I'm kind of sorry I never had any more ideas for girl!Zuko fics, but I could never really see how making him a girl would dramatically change her story.  Certain subtexts become more overt and there's some angst re "I'm in love with Mai but I don't want to give Azula and my father any ammunition against me, so I'm just going to sit here and sulk," but overall, not much changes.

Comments

[rhivolution]

So much awesome, seriously.

[lizbee]

Thanks!

[nonelvis]

I really like this, S3 hair and all.

[lizbee]

Aw, thank you!

[glass_icarus]

:D!!!! Also... dude, I think making Zuko a girl would change sib/family/Fire Nation dynamics quite a lot, actually! First sons being much more socially weighty than first daughters (and sons > daughters in general, assuming traditional royal family gender dynamics), I'd guess that in the case of firstborn Zuko being a girl, there would be:
a) less reason for Ozai to acknowledge him as heir to the throne, ever, and less expectation on Zuko's part that he would do so;
b) less acknowledgment of his birthright in the court in general- two potential female heirs with Azula still being the prodigy and the stronger of the two? Hell yeah people would start eying Azula as the next in line, never mind the birth order;
c) discussions of conquest/political alliances by marriage to Zuko (less than to Azula, if Ozai decides he wants his next-in-line to be less ambitious one, or more, if he'd rather keep Azula under his thumb- my money'd be on more, though);
d) that whole Ozai-Azulon discussion, and also the thing with Zuko's mom, would definitely fall out differently and/or might not even take place! Just speculating off the top of my head.

... and dammit, now you're making me want to write this. *headdesk*

[lizbee]

See, I totally agree with you, except that there's no hard evidence that traditional royal family gender dynamics are an issue at all in the Fire Nation. It's the only place with a mixed military, and there's never the slightest hint that Azula can't take Zuko's place.

[geek_anachronism]

Can I just say I love you for this? Yay Rule 63 thinkings!

[attackfish]

THIS!

[cosmic_llin]

Oh, wow, awesome!