#Give Zuko happiness

[fanfic-gremlin-ft-trauma]

happy birthday to one of the greatest fics of all time <3 ( @bisexuallsokka , thank you for writing this masterpiece.)

[muffinlance]

The point where you, uh. You definitely put a note with the wrong story. Because what does this mean

Which was the point Zuko realized trees didn’t really understand people. At all. That was okay, Zuko didn’t, either.

[dreamchasernina]

I JUST GOT THIS COMIC AND THIS PANEL IS SUCH BIG BROTHER ENERGY I LOVE THEM

[umossu]

It's the year of the dragon!! :D

[meitanteisachi]

watching ATLA live action and i am reliving my zuko loving, zutara shipping era

[sneakyvulpine]

get transmascd idiot

[erisenyo]

What’s your Max grief AU, if you’re comfortable with sharing that??

Oh am I ever! The Max Grief AU is the shorthand name I give to a Jeeko canon rewrite idea I have kicking around and partly brainstormed in which Zuko in his cranky, irritable way loves his ship, loves his crew, loves his Uncle, and maybe-but-we-aren't-admitting-i loves Jee, not that anyone knows about them.

And then his crew gets commandeered by Zhao. And the ship that's become his home gets blown up. And the North happens and only Zuko and Uncle manage to escape, despite everything Zuko did to try to find and save them.

And now we end up with a S2 and S3 Zuko who is absolutely spiraling and losing his shit, who doesn't care if Azula catches him, who almost *wants* Azula to catch him so he has something to fight back against.

Now we have a Zuko who keeps seeing the faces of his lost crew in the people he meets throughout the Earth Kingdom, and running into his grief over and over and over with no idea how to manage it.

Now we have a Zuko who can unsettle Jet with the depth of his rage toward those who lead the Fire Nation.

Now we have a Zuko who has no problem learning cold fire on the first try, because Zuko has been cold ever since he came out of the water in the North. No matter how much time he spends baking under the Earth Kingdom sun, no matter how many layers he puts on, Zuko is cold. Like the Northern waters seeped into his very veins. Like his losses are smothering his inner flame.

Like his dead cling to his bones, and his rage is the only thing he has left to keep the cold at bay.

[ssreeder]

“He didn't want to think about the ramifications of the Fire Nation successfully flying one of those war-balloons over the Lower Ring… The only protection available for those poor people would fall squarely on the shoulders of those new recruits, and they would have to be ready to carry that responsibility. This situation was already a mess and they were still in the planning stages.”

Can’t believe I ignored this last chapter. Good thing Zuko isn’t in one of these meetings or there’d be a fight. Interested to see if this is a redemption for Iroh though to think of the little people or if everyone is just completely fine with the lower ring being burnt to a crisp. Bato clearly has his mind on other things so someone else needs to step up. Jeez

Bato isn’t the only one concerned about this, Suki is also pretty fired up about it in the next chapter… the tension of the upcoming battle gets heavier as we go along.

Unfortunately, there really isn’t much they CAN do to keep the Lower Ring from experiencing casualties…. but how many citizens survive & how bad the destruction is will depend on how many resources they send down there and what their plan of action will be to save lives. (If they even care about saving those lives… many of them being refugees and ‘lower class citizens’)

I am also curious to see if Iroh shows any interest in trying to help the citizens in Lower Ring or if he keeps his focus strictly on keeping the forces from reaching the Upper Ring (where his precious Zuko is)… chaos in the Lower Ring can keep troops from advancing, and there is limited space to flee depending on how Azula advances upon the city… idk. I can’t see it going well, and even Iroh, as powerful as he is doesn’t hold much authority over what the generals do with BSS… He is a tentatively welcomed guest after all. Haha.

we’ll see I guess!! Haha thanks for the ask!!

[giyuulatte]

YALL THAT IS MY SON DON’T PLAY WITH ME OR HIM

[thelediz]

Sonic Underground Episode 16: Bug!

I’m watching Sonic Underground in search of inspiration to finish a fic I’ve been writing forever. It’s a sad state of affairs. See the recap of the first three episodes here, if you're interested!

The plot (for want of a better word): Robotnik’s latest scheme is using robot flies to take control of mobian minds and turn them against their friends! The Sonic Underground plans to stop him, but Manic’s impulsiveness gets him infected. Can Sonic and Sonia save their brother and the day?

Don’t let the summary or the outcome fool you. This is a Manic episode, and a surprisingly not bad one, if you think about it more than the show wants you to.

So. An interesting thing about this series, which this episode highlights: in most contemporary media, Sonic’s problem is that he does everything on his own, and he needs to learn to rely on his friends. In Sonic Underground, he’s actually fine with teamwork, but the unspoken reality is that he’s actually more effective when he goes off on his own. Manic is the one called out as needing to rely on his team more.

Usually the series doesn’t call him out on this. But it’s fairly well done, to give credit where due, because Manic is the squishy wizard of the triplets: he has a lot of power with his drums, but he’s physically weak, emotionally vulnerable, and the slowest mentally. Whenever he goes off on his own, even in spaces he knows like the black market, he always ends up putting either himself or someone else in danger.

I’m just saying. In a better, more developed show, Manic absolutely could have had an amazing character arc of resentment and misused power and redemption. Sonic Prime!Nines says what.

This is another episode that feels like it was set earlier in the series than the ones that came before it, because Manic doesn’t know Sonic can use airgear hover boards (and probably better than him). He just doesn’t because he’s faster on foot. And their bond doesn’t seem as tight. It’s interesting.

Ah, this is Rudy’s episode. I’d forgotten him. I had also forgotten where I got the Resistance secret code phrase “The party’s at Mother’s, and the musicians are down the hall”. I’ve just always liked it for some reason, I don’t know why.

Rudy is a water dragon, talks about bottle flies, and has a quite broad but surprisingly believable north-eastern Australian accent, for… reasons. I therefore assume the triplets are in Downunda, which is a region from the Archie comics. They also refer to Freedom Fighters in this episode, which is another Archie invention. Enjoy it, folks. But again, is Mobius a kingdom or a world? You will never know…

So. Manic is bitter because Sonic doesn’t need help after getting on Manic’s case about the buddy system. And he goes off on his own to show Sonic up. If this had been more than an episode, it would have been a great arc, I AM JUST SAYING.

He of course gets bitten by the robot fly, while Sonic easily catches the one going after him.

Side note, real bottle fly bites are an absolute BITCH. This episode does not do them justice.

Meanwhile, Sonic reports to Rudy that his village and all the people in it are gone, and once again, this is treated (hammily but) seriously. This series didn’t dwell on them, but it never denied the realities of the world it was presenting.

We get some very quick explanation of the flies. They’re injecting a serum, a full dose of which only lasts an hour. Just long enough for people to march up and into the robotocisor. Robotnik modifies one so that Manic will get re-dosed every hour until he can capture the other two.

But it’s less than a day and only one radio in before Manic’s found out, of course, and when the serum wears off he doesn’t remember anything. The climax moves on as if none of this ever happened.

The song: Never Give Up. In contrast to the last few songs, this one isn’t quite so grating on the ears, and absolutely could have been an early 90s-style fight-the-man anthem. Kick-butt guitar solo. Reminding you that the Sonic Underground’s songs are—in canon—supposed to exist to inspire resistance and morale. Even if they come with a strong dose of magic firepower.

The day saved, the group heads back to Rudy’s village, and a few survivors pop out of the rubble. So not quite the downer it would normally be, though there is a low-key implication that they lost a lot of important people.

Meanwhile, the hedgehogs are trying to impart the lesson on Manic that him going off alone could have gone really badly, but he decides to prank them by playing zombie again. Which is supposedly funny but… really shouldn’t be. Honestly. Pick a lane, Trashfire.

Come back tomorrow if you're interested!

[aether-link]

I’m done re-re watching atla once again. Everytime, I’m always left feeling questioning myself “what is life? What do I do now?…bro…”. I GET LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME FROM ATLA, IT JUST RESETS THE MIND. Damn.

Though one thing I really wish they would animate, is finding Ursa. Zuko’s question to Ozai of wanting to find his mother and NEVER gets animated. UGH PLEASE. The comics are great seeing the gaang after war and what they do. What I’d give to see fire lord Zuko in action and everyone else, seeing Ursa again…damn.

EVEN SEEING KIYI OMG 😭😭 she’s so precious.

[mistninja]

I think this bit about zuko and lu ten is kinda cute

[psychicbluebirdmiracle]

WAIT IS THAT REAL IM STILL 1 MINUTE IN CAUSE MY WEBSITE WONT PLAY😭😭😭

[demaparbat-hp]

Hiya!! 👋🏼😄 How's it going? Your fashion taste for Zuko in a Modern AU seems to be artsy, or maybe "formal" is the word. That shirt he wore when he gave Sokka romantic song advice looked Versace🧐. Anyway, I was wondering how you came up with it, he always struck me more as the type that didn´t care much about fashion, so I'm curious about other´s opinions and heacanons about it. And do you have any other fashion headcanons for the rest of the GAang? Also, their music tastes. How did you come up with them? Especially Katara's! 😍

Hello! As it happens, I have a lot of Thoughts and Feelings™ about this, so I'm leaving these over here, and the rest of my ramblings down below the cut!

Let us begin with the Gaang, shall we?

SUKI always struck me as that Pretty Girl from the Gym. She is so incredibly fit it isn't even funny. She could kick anyone's ass, and we'd all thank her. She has this casual gym style that somehow always looks glorious on her, as it should! Comfy yet fashionable clothes for a nice workout or a day in town.

Her music tastes are basically any and all power songs from the eighties and nineties. (Eye of the Tiger, anyone?) She also enjoys metal via Toph, and bands like BSB, NSYNC, or Boyz II Men with Katara. My girl has a very eclectic Playlist and we all love her for it.

SOKKA is That Guy™. Loose T-shirts and shorts everywhere he goes, no matter the weather. He's stupidly into fashion but it doesn't show! At all! And everyone teases him about it. His closet is about 90% Cactus Juice merchandise, hence the "it's the quenchiest!" shirt.

His fashion and music tastes are pretty much the same. He loves poetry but isn't really into lyrics. He'll misinterpret just about anything you place in front of him. His Playlist is mostly vibes and tiktok songs he kind of enjoys. He isn't really into music...at least not as much as his sister.

AANG owns exactly one hoodie, one pair of shorts, and one beanie (THE beanie). Oh, and the crocs—don't forget the crocs. Somehow, he's always wearing the exact same outfit. Every. Single. Day. Ancient Gaang lore suggests that the day Aang goes out without his beanie, it's the end of the world.

His Playlist is the poppiest, most bizarre thing ever. Every single song is Happy by Pharrell Williams levels of happy. Yet sometimes, among the bouncy dance-to songs, you'll find the strangest of things... (He does know what Good Day by Twenty One Pilots is about. That's the reason he likes it so much, actually. And it's so weird.)

KATARA is all about sundresses and loose pants. The epitome of comfortable loveliness. Light fabrics in blue shades, careful embroidery, delicate shoes, and little to no accessories—hers is a simple, yet quite adorable, style. She just needs to add more colors to her usual palette...

She is, first and foremost, a Florence + The Machine girl. It's the Dark Goddess of the Sea vibes, to be honest. Florence Welch is her idol and yes, she will fight you about lyrics interpretation, and win. It may not seem like it, but her music tastes are also very varied.

She draws a little from each member of the Gaang, so you'll hear her humming along to Gorillaz (where did you even find out about them, Aang?), The Weeknd (I...don't think this song means what you think it means, Sokka...), and Hozier (Zuko why did you dedicate Talk to me, Zuko WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT).

TOPH...ah, lovely girl. I'll summarise everything about Toph’s fashion sense in two words: comfort and rebellion. Stuffy dresses forced on her by billionaire parents? No thank you! Give her tank tops with loose shirts and short pants. Bandaids shared with Aang, bracelets from Katara, and even piercings she got in tandem with Sokka. Shoes? What even is that?

Something I love about this fandom is our collective agreement that Toph is into the dirtiest, heaviest, most ear-splitting and soul-crushing death metal of all times. Her Playlist is full of the most obscure names to ever exist, and she can and will blast through your walls with the sheer volume of her speaker.

Zuko. ZUKO.

Even in a modern AU my boy must suffer. That being said, I envision Tales from the Couch as—well, exactly what it is: an ATLA modern AU. While there is not a war to fight, and a lot of plot lines are discarded or expanded upon, much about the core story remains the same.

This is my way of saying that Zuko still goes trough his redemption arc, and it reflects on his fashion choices.

The way you described it works perfectly because of one single reason: in this AU, Zuko is an artist. He had to suppress his love for writing and drawing because of his background and the expectations Ozai had for him (taking over the family company), and a very large part of his redemption arc directly affects his relationship with art.

In the Couch equivalent of S1, Zuko has fallen out of Ozai's graces, and is desperate to protect his place in the company and the Kasai household. He's pretending to be someone he isn't and trying to live up to his Father's image of a perfect heir while still being somewhat cut-off financially, and it shows.

He's all about imposing long coats and a semi-formal style, imitating what he knows Azula and Father would respect. He's striking and sharp and dark. But no matter how he dresses or carries himself (that air of cold superiority and arrogance)—it won't help him when he needs it the most.

In S2, Zuko has hit his lowest point. He's officially disinherited and tossed away by his father, and would be out in the streets if it wasn't for Uncle Iroh. He goes from sharp, high-tailored outfits to old second-hand clothes that hang loosely on his frame. He starts smoking and cuts his hair off, forgoing the undercut for the first time in years.

But then...Father accepts him back. When Zuko returns home, it's with respect to his name and a very high position in his father's company. He's finally the perfect Kasai heir, dressed in overly expensive suits and finery, even at home... But Father forbids him from wearing Lu Ten's earring, and Zuko can no longer recognize himself without the familiar glint of gold dancing on his peripheral vision.

When Zuko leaves the Kasai name behind him and goes back to living with Uncle Iroh...he's finally at peace with who he is, and what he wants in this life. The sharp edges aren't gone (they'll always be a part of him, after all), but now they're dulled by looser clothes and softer hairstyles.

He's an artist, and for once in his life, he is determined to pursue his own ambitions. Zuko's outfits may not be designer-made anymore, but he takes what he has and makes himself look like he wants to look, like the person he wants to be.

He doesn't read fashion magazines or keeps up to the latest trends like Azula does. He's just...Zuko. And his newfound confidence makes everything he wears look like it belongs on him.

As for music...well, Ursa raised a literature boy.

He loves lyric-heavy music and natural voices, be they soothing or powerful. Dissecting song meanings and possible interpretations with Katara is one of his favorite parts of the day. They're both very passionate and strong-minded individuals, so it stands to reason that their debates can get quite...heated.

Zuko's Playlist is both incredibly eclectic and somehow very...him. There's a common thread that binds together every song and artist he likes, and he's hilariously unaware of this. To take a look into his Playlist is a higher honor reserved only for those closest to him.

In the wide spectrum of things, it is no wonder that Zuko is, first and foremost, a Hozier man. But though Andrew is his God in all aspects of this life, there's someone else that has had a huge impact on him...

Two someones, actually.

Zuko refuses to tell anyone how he got into Twenty One Pilots, but it's kind of a moot point when the beginning of his obsession is nothing compared to everything that came after. They have just about the right amount of everything that makes Zuko...well, Zuko. The poetic lyrics, the soothing or raging music, the heavy, intensely resonant themes...

Up there, in the second artwork, I placed an album cover behind each period of Zuko's life. The election of these records is intentional, as I feel like their general themes work incredibly well with Zuko's arc and growth.

Blurryface in S1. For the demons within us. For giving a name to our fears and shame.

Trench in S2. For escaping the confined walls of a depression city, and fighting to understand the depths of the map of your mind.

Scaled and Icy in the first half of S3. For returning to places you had left behind. For convincing yourself and everyone around you that you're fine, that you're perfect, even though everything is crumbling inside...

Clancy in S3. For recognizing that you can backslide, that you can have fears and shame and pain—but you're shaping yourself with each step you take. For knowing that seeking help from others is okay. Nobody learns to walk on their own.

(And, in the end, you'll always be better than the person you were yesterday. If only because you're still here. You're still alive. You're still yourself.)

.

Overall, I rambled a bit too much, don't you think?

If you made it all the way down here—thank you so much for reaching out and being interested in this crazy AU! I hope you enjoy these ideas and tell me some of your own ❤️

[sistertotheknowitall]

Some Guy on Fear Gas (can apparently turn invisible)

Masterpost

“Danny was supposed to be in class today.”

There was a round of sighs in the coms. See Danny didn’t react in the same manner as the rest of the population when exposed to fear toxin (or in general, but they were mostly used to that). See Danny didn’t scream, he didn’t cry, he didn’t get violent. He got unnervingly paranoid.

He got so unnervingly paranoid about being watched, specifically by the government if the muttered and whispered words were to be believed. His eyes tracked nothing while he slowly moved around invisible people. It wasn't like dealing with someone in an active hallucination experiencing a psychotic break. It was like dealing with someone in a paranoid delusion. He wouldn't let any of the bats near him and often took off, disappearing into the chaos.

Four months into seeing this kid everywhere and their suspicions were confirmed when he literally disappeared after the second time being poisoned.

Danny was a meta and he was afraid.

That’s not the reason for the exasperation felt by this family though. It was what always happened after. The first time he ignored every vigilantly when they tried to bring it up. After the second time he attempted to avoid everyone, extended family included.

(He had asked Kate if she was also Batman’s kid. “More like their aunt.” “Oh okay so it really is a family business. Like that show Unnatural. You don't happen to have also lost your parents at a relatively young age and now go on to fight a dark presence in their honor, do you?.” Kate had stared passively at him, the others had warned her. “….. okay… are you more of a Zuko honor type?”)

However, it was like the universe conspired against Danny. Even Bruce agreed that there had to be some god or being doing this (nothing is ever a coincidence). They kinda felt bad for him. He was very obviously trying to avoid them and he was either really bad at being evasive or a deity was laugh at him. Once he had thrown himself behind a lamp pole smaller than himself and closed his eyes to avoid Stephanie.

(It was very awkward. He could turn invisible and knew they knew so why…..? She had politely continued past so not to embarrass the poor guy further. Cause this was embarrassing and they both knew it.)

Finally it was Duke who pulled them all out of limbo. He had come across Danny on the roof of another bank. A lesser known capital union closer to crime ally this time.

Danny hadn’t been avoiding Duke in the same manner as everyone else. He still stopped to give Duke food but he never spoke and he ran after. Duke thought it would be weird to chase him but it was also weird to turn around, have an orange shoved into his hands then watch his friend run away.

However, this time Danny didn’t run as Duke approached so Duke sat next to him. Pulling out a granola bar, he handed it to Danny, “that’s why you feed me all the time right? Cause you know how many calories we need as metas.”

Danny had laughed, “no actually, that was a bit that morphed into a habit. I just thought it was funny.”

“….what.”

“Don’t get me wrong, now that we’re friends I am more than happy to feed you but yeah. The first candy bar was a thank you and then the second time I thought ‘I have fruit.’”

“….. wow… okay.” There went his plan of empathizing. They sat in silence as Duke tried to reorganize his thoughts.

“I’m sorry for avoiding you all.” Duke turned his head to face Danny, who kept his eyes forward, “you know no one cares that you’re a meta.” “Obviously. It wasn’t the invisibility that I was upset about," Danny said.

“The muttering. The paranoia.” Danny grimaced and didn’t say anything.

“You don’t have to tell us till you’re ready, man. Just let us know if you need help. Please, are you safe?”

Danny nodded and Duke nodded back and they had both continued to sit. When they parted ways Danny handed Duke a small bag of chips.

Danny had apologized everyone one at a time even though they had heard it from Duke. Danny never explained nor did he want to talk about his it. His power of invisibility was also a subject off limits. All of them were worried but they didn’t want to force him to talk about it. They had to trust that he would one day feel comfortable doing so with any or all of them. (Still, it was hard seeing their friend so paranoid that he flinched back from them. )

Post Six

[jayietheriverwarrior]

Okay. Okay. I’m rewatching ATLA and I just hit The Runaway and… new headcanon.

After the war, Toph pulls Aang, Suki, and Zuko aside and explains the whole “Sokka can’t remember what their mom looks like” thing and says she wants to do something about it, for both Sokka and Katara. So they put together a plan. They get Hakoda, Gran Gran, and any other Water Tribe members old enough to remember Kya to give them as detailed a description of her as possible, then with Zuko’s financial help they hire a top-notch portrait maker to put it all together.

Sokka and Katara aren’t suspicious when Zuko approaches them about having them sit for a portrait together - they helped save the world, they have quite a bit of fame and political attention now, makes sense to kind of capture them how they looked when they first defeated the Fire Lord for posterity. But with both of them sitting for the portrait for reference, and with the information from the Water Tribe describing her to work from, the artist is able to put together a damn good recreation of Kya. And when Sokka and Katara finally get to see the finished product r and realize what the artist was really working on, and what their friends did for them… Katara of course bursts into tears, both sad and happy, grief for her mother and joy to see her face so clearly again after so long, and full of love for the friends who went to so much effort to give her this.

But all Sokka can do is stare at the portrait. For so long, his image of his mother has grown murkier and less distinct in his mind. For so long, when he’s tried to picture his mom, all he could see was Katara, because it was Katara who stepped up and took on that role, Katara who made sure everyone stayed together and kept them feeling like a family. But now, he looks at this portrait of his mother, smiling and warm and alive in a way that she hadn’t been in his mind in so long, and instead of Katara in her face, he sees himself.