#I’m sorry uncle Iroh I have failed you

[mx-giraffe]

The other day I had a dream that I was going to fight a tsunami and idk I feel like Luffy would try to fight a tsunami, he’s exactly that brand of dumb

[melzula]

I JUMPED WHEN I SAW REQUESTS OPEN

zuko unintentionally saying something he doesn’t mean to reader (ex. ur clingy/annoying) and makes the reader like kinda distant cus they don’t wanna be annoying or clingy yk? then he comforts them and says sorry and it’s very much a angst to fluff moment!

a/n: i love this trope

summary: your sudden disappearance makes zuko reevaluate his behavior

The apartment is empty when Zuko returns from the tea shop. His bones ache from standing all day and his mood is sour from having to serve customers, but it doesn’t distract him from the fact that something is missing. The place feels dull and lacks its normal warmth, and the change unnerves him.

“It seems y/n has not yet returned home,” Iroh observes as he flicks on the lamps to rid the room of darkness.

“Where did she go?” Zuko murmurs, doing his best to mask his anxiety over your absence. It’s not like you to stay out late, especially considering your apartment isn’t exactly in one of the safer rings of Ba Sing Se, and it worries him.

“I’m not sure. She seemed to be in a hurry when she left this morning,” the older man recounts as he scans the room to look for any trace of her left behind. “She didn’t even have her morning tea!”

“She could be in danger. I’m going to search for her.”

“Would you like me to come with you?”

“No, one of us should stay here in case she comes back,” Zuko states before making his way out the door. “I don’t want her to come home to any empty apartment.”

“Be sure to watch your temper if you do find her, nephew. Y/n is struggling to adjust to this new life just as you are, and it is important you are patient with her.”

The Prince says nothing in response to his Uncle’s words, but he immediately feels the guilt and shame that they bring him. His warning serves as a reminder for his recent behavior, and Zuko is then able to figure out why you were nowhere to be found.

You’d been eating breakfast together that morning before he had to leave for work, and despite his irritable mood you seemed to be eager to start the day.

“I was thinking of visiting the market place to buy fresh groceries for dinner tonight. Maybe I could stop by the tea shop and bring lunch for you and your Uncle,” you suggested with a pleasant smile.

“Sure,” Zuko had grumbled in response before forcing another spoonful of bland porridge down his throat.

“And after dinner we can visit the fountain,” you had said with an excited smile. “I’d love to take a walk through the city and get some fresh air. We hardly ever leave the apartment.”

“This city is nothing but dirt. There’s nothing to see out there.”

“Oh,” you had murmured, your features deflating slightly at his negative comments. “I suppose you’re right. Maybe we can just stay in and play a game of pai sho instead. I’m not exactly sure how to play, but I bet you could teach me! It could be fun!”

“Don’t you ever get tired of hearing yourself speak?!” Zuko had finally snapped harshly, his patience finally having been worn thin by your ceaseless suggestions. He didn’t want to take a stroll or play pai sho or have any sort of fun, and he didn’t understand why you couldn’t get that. “This isn’t some little vacation. I failed to capture the Avatar and now we’re stuck here, do you understand? Go play pai sho with someone else.”

The room had grown deathly silent after Zuko’s outburst, and he was too annoyed to notice the way you kept your gaze glued firmly to the table to avoid him see the welling tears in your eyes. Without another word, you quietly excused yourself from the table and made your way out the door without an explanation or a goodbye. Zuko hadn’t seen you since.

“I’m such a jerk,” he curses himself as he roams the streets in search of you. You’re not in the market place and you’re not by the fountain, so where could you be? He’s beginning to worry, his mind conjuring up multiple scenarios where you’re in trouble and he can’t help you. It’s pure torture.

A familiar laugh floats through the air, and Zuko feels the hairs on his neck stand up at the soothing melody. He’s quick to follow the sound, and as he shoves his way through the crowded streets he finds himself coming to a stop at a small noodle shop. The shop is practically tucked into a corner and isn’t much to look at, but the inside is full of life as patrons eat and converse and enjoy the camaraderie. At the heart of the restaurant sits a table full of people focused on the game of pai sho before them, and at the center of the table you sit with a large grin and a white lotus tile in your hand.

“I can’t believe I won!” You exclaim with an excited clap of your hands before looking to the older woman sitting next to you. “Thank you so much for teaching me how to play. This is the most fun I’ve had in months!”

“Y/n?” Zuko calls, garnering the attention of you and your new friends at the table. The airy laughter and pleasantries die down at the sight of him and the room is suddenly filled with tension.

“Oh, hello, Lee,” you greet dully, your cheerful demeanor immediately disappearing when you make eye contact with the boy.

“What are you doing here? Why aren’t you at home?”

“You said to go play pai sho with someone else, so that’s what I’m doing,” you state bluntly, and Zuko looks away guiltily after hearing his own words repeated back to him.

“Can you please just come home? You shouldn’t be out on the streets this late, it’s dangerous.”

“Why do you care?” You retort harshly. “I’m having fun here. These people actually want my company.”

“Y/n,” Zuko says with an irritated sigh, doing his best to remain patient. “Please. If not for me then for Uncle. He’s just as worried for your safety as I am.”

You hesitate at his words, but after a moment of contemplating you finally excuse yourself from the table. You bid your new friends goodbye and promise to return for another game sometime before following Zuko out of the restaurant and beginning your walk back home.

“The moon is out tonight,” he notes quietly in an attempt to make small talk, but you don’t reply. You keep your gaze forward and maintain a respectable distance from him as you walk. “Maybe I was wrong about this place.”

“Congratulations for figuring that out,” you retort sarcastically with a roll of your eyes. Having finally had enough, Zuko grabs your wrist to stop you in your tracks and force you to look at him.

“Y/n, please talk to me,” he begs earnestly. “I feel horrible for what I’ve done.”

“Good, you should feel bad!” You exclaim angrily, harshly yanking your hand away from him. “You’ve been nothing but a jerk since we got to Ba Sing Se, and now that I’m finally giving you the space that you wanted you come and ruin my fun!”

“I don’t want space from you,” he insists desperately. “I was being an idiot! Y/n, I didn’t mean any of what I said. I was just feeling irritable and I took it out on you, but that isn’t fair of me.”

“I’m not going to be your punching bag for the rest of my life, Zuko,” you relent quietly, blinking back the tears that begin to form. “All I want is to start over, but you’re making it so difficult. Why did we even come here?”

“We came here because I realized you deserved better than to constantly live your life on the run,” he admits softly, carefully taking your hands in his own. “I know I’ve failed to make you happy or treat you the way you deserve, but you have to know that I care for you. The best part of my day is coming home to you after work, and I never want you to feel like a burden because you aren’t.”

“Thank you for saying that,” you sniffle with a meek smile, and when he pulls you into his arms for a hug you don’t protest. “I know this has been hard for you, but you have to understand that all I want is to support you and make the change as easy as possible for you.”

“I know, and I’ll forever be grateful for everything you do,” Zuko says before pressing a kiss to the crown of your head. “Now let’s get home before Uncle begins to worry.”

You say nothing more as he puts a protective arm around you and guides you through the streets of Ba Sing Se. The move has been tough, but he swears then that he’s going to do his best to improve his attitude and give you the support you need.

He has a lot of making up to do.

| zuko tags: @ilovespideyyy @yiyibetch @eridanuswave @lammello @a-monsters-love @taeeemin @lora21 @livelaughlovekuni @lovialy

| atla tags: @sirkekselord @niktwazny303

[jettingtothemoon]

Daughter of the Spirits; chapter 11

➳ pairing: zuko x f!reader ➳ genre: a retelling of the show from season 2 onwards with a heavy focus and expansion on zuko’s story (canon divergent) ➳ warnings: violence, swearing, smut (underaged if your age of consent is above 16), spoilers for anyone who hasn’t seen the show ➳ word count: 3537 ➳ rating: 18+ ➳ summary: In which y/n comes across the fire nation prince during her stay in Ba Sing Se. ➳ tags: @harmlessoffering, @lammello (i’m sorry if i’m forgetting anyone, lmk if i am or if you want to be added)

Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,

The Invasion

You found out from Mai and Ty Lee that there had been another war meeting — one Zuko hadn’t been invited to. He was furious, of course.

For the first time in years, he was finally starting to feel like a prince again. What with all the servants at his beck and call, insisting he take the palanquin when traversing the city, even if he was only out on an errand with you. People were by his side day and night, making sure he had everything he needed. It was exactly how it should have been, even if it was quite the adjustment for you both, yet he had still been excluded by his father.

He had told you about his banishment. How he had spoken up at a war meeting and disgraced his father, leading to the agni kai where he had to fight the very man that was supposed to protect him. The man who scarred and banished his own child.

Only this morning was he happy and smiling, simply enjoying the time he got to spend with you. Now, however, he sat staring out of the window, watching as the clouds passed over the moon in silent contemplation.

“Zuko,” you said his name and yet, he didn't move. Didn’t even flinch. It was as if he hadn’t even heard you, only you knew he had.

"Zuko," you tried again, this time wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

Wordlessly, he leaned into you. His scowl never once left his face but he was at least trying to control his temper for you, allowing himself to fall into your embrace.

"It's just a war meeting. I bet they're full of old, boring men."

Your attempt at amusing him seemed to fail as he leaned away from you and back against the window. "They're important. All the best advisors and the entire royal family attend. Even Azula is going."

"Just another reason that it won't be fun, Azula will be there."

Now that got a chuckle. A small one, but a chuckle nonetheless.

"Stop worrying about it and come to bed."

He hummed, turning away from the window and towards you. He wasn't happy and he probably wouldn't be for a while, but at least he could relax with you. Even when things weren’t going his way.

The next day, you sat with Zuko as you made a cup of jasmine tea. He sulked beside you with a frown on his face, thinking about the meeting that was about to start without him. You could tell how badly he wanted to be there, even if he did keep shrugging it off when you tried to comfort him. You thought making some tea would help but it only seemed to sour his mood further and you soon realised it was because he was missing his uncle.

You missed Iroh too. You had wanted to go and visit him but Zuko forbade you, expressing how dangerous it would be if you did. Azula had found out when he went to see him and if anyone were to find out you were visiting a traitor of the Fire Nation you would be hauled away and thrown into a cell of your own before either of you could do anything to stop it.

It pained you to think of the old man sitting in a dark, grimey cell. More so when the smell of jasmine tea reminded you as much of him now as it did your mother.

“Prince Zuko,” your attention was drawn to a servant as he entered the room with a bow, “Everyone’s waiting for you.”

Zuko looked from you to the man who now knelt at the floor with furrowed brows before getting up from where he sat. “What?”

“The high admirals, high generals, the war ministers, and the princess have all arrived. You’re the only person missing,” the servant explained, his eyes lifting to look at the prince as he spoke.

You stood beside Zuko with a heavily beating chest as he asked, “So my dad wants me at the meeting?”

The servant bowed again. “The Firelord said he would not start until you have arrived, sir.”

With a full smile, Zuko turned to you and, although he was going to a meeting where they would likely discuss the deaths of even more people you loved and knew, you couldn’t help but feel happy for him. This was all he’d ever wanted — to be accepted by his father. To be loved and wanted. For his opinions to matter. That alone brought you hope because if he could sway his father or even some of the generals, perhaps he could help save lives on both sides of the war.

You, along with Mai, waited outside the meeting for him, both anxious to hear how it went. She had offered to come with you so that you would not be alone in the palace for too long since she knew just how daunting that could be. Besides, she was still Zuko’s friend too, just as she was now yours.

When he finally emerged, Mai was the first to ask, “So? How did it go?”

“When I got to the meeting, everyone welcomed me. My father had saved me a seat, he wanted me next to him. I was literally at his right hand.”

His words almost sent a chill down your spine as you thought of the worst — that rather than Zuko swaying the Firelord’s mind about the war, that it would be his father who would sway him. You knew better than that, though, and as much was confirmed when you were met with nothing but a troubled expression on Zuko’s face.

“That’s wonderful,” Mai grinned, “You must be happy.”

The three of you stopped in front of a large tapestry, one displaying a large portrait of Firelord Ozai. You placed a reassuring hand on Zuko’s shoulder as he looked up at it and exchanged a worried glance with Mai.

“During the meeting I was the perfect prince,” he concluded, “The son my father wanted… but I wasn’t me.”

You ran your hand down his arm and slotted it into his, giving it a gentle squeeze. For a moment, he squeezed it back, but then tugged his hand free and began to walk away, leaving both you and Mai behind.

She sighed and became the one placing a gentle hand on your shoulder. “Give him time. This was a good thing, he’ll realise that soon.”

You hummed although you did not agree. The only good thing was that Zuko was starting to realise who he was and that the man he was wasn’t the man his father wanted him to be. He was not ruthless and cold. He was kind and strong and so many other things his father would never be. He was better than him and finally, you thought he was beginning to realise that.

When you returned to your room, you found him writing a letter.

“What are you doing?” you questioned, wondering what he was up to.

“Writing to Mai. I at least owe her a goodbye.”

“Goodbye?” you asked, your brows furrowed.

He hummed. “We’re leaving. I… This isn’t who I am. Not anymore. An invasion has begun, we can slip away in the chaos but I have to do something first.”

Whatever he had in mind, whether he just wanted to leave and find your parents or maybe, just maybe, hunt down and join the avatar, you knew you were going with him. After all the time that had passed since you left Ba Sing Se, he was finally ready to accept who he was. He was finally going to do the right thing.

He passed you the brush when he was finished, allowing you to write your apologies and goodbyes to your newfound friends. You addressed both Mai and Ty Lee directly, wishing them well and hoping you would not come to face them on opposite sides of the battlefield. The two of you then signed the letter and Zuko left to take it to her home, putting it someplace where she would see it long after the two of you were gone.

After he returned, as you collected what little things you owned, he knelt before a portrait of his mother and closed his eyes. “I know I’ve made some bad choices, but today I’m gonna set things right.”

He picked up his swords and a small bag of provisions, turning to the lighter side of himself once again, and pulled his hood up to conceal his face.

You stepped forward and pulled him into your arms, pressing a kiss to his lips as your thumb stroked the side of his face. “It’s going to be okay, you know. You’re doing the right thing.”

He smiled and leaned into your touch. “I know.”

He led you quickly through the palace and down underground. You could hear the fighting up above as you moved through the tunnels and Zuko explained that during the eclipse today, no one would be able to Firebend. It was the perfect time for an attack and, along with the invasion forces, would surely be the avatar. He had a plan and that plan was to join them, to help the avatar finally put an end to this war.

But he had to confront his father first and what better time was there to do that than when he had no bending?

When he finally came to a halt before a large, reinforced door, you felt your heart in your throat. How would Ozai react to the news of his son’s betrayal? Would he try to kill him then and there? Or perhaps he would simply try to imprison you both? Either way, you were prepared. You would use your bending — all of your bending — to fight. You were fighting for yourself. You were fighting for your family. You were fighting for Zuko.

You held his hand, squeezing it in reassurance as you had done time and time before.

“I’m ready to face you,” he spoke, as though his father could hear him through the door.

He did not protest as you walked to the door with him, nor did he ask you to remain behind as he walked inside. As dangerous as what he was about to do was, he trusted that you would be safe by his side, and that he would be safe by yours. Whatever was going to happen, you were going to do it together.

“Prince Zuko,” his father addressed him with a frown and lowered his cup of tea, “What are you doing here?”

Zuko walked towards his father, with you standing only a few paces behind. This was his moment and you wanted him to have it but if he needed you, you would be there to fight by his side.

“I’m here to tell the truth,” Zuko declared from where he stood, staring his father down.

The firelord furrowed his brows and signalled for his guards to leave, his eyes only once flickering from Zuko to you. “Telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse? This should be interesting.”

Zuko only spoke again when the guards were gone, the strong doors sliding shut behind them, “First of all, in Ba Sing Se it was Azula who took down the avatar, not me.”

“Why would she lie to me about that?” Ozai questioned.

“Because the avatar is not dead,” Zuko explained, “He survived.”

“What?” Only then did the firelord’s expression change. What was a calm and collected leader suddenly turned into an angry father. One who was clearly afraid of what the avatar could do if he was still alive.

“In fact, he’s probably leading this invasion. He could be on his way here right now.” For a moment, it almost seemed as though Zuko was warning his father, as though he had not really turned his back on him. He was still his father, after all, but you knew him better than that. He was changed and he was here for one thing and one thing only, to bid his father farewell.

“Get out!” the firelord snapped with a wave of his hand, anger boiling up in him, “Get out of my sight right now if you know what’s good for you.”

Although the firelord’s temper was continuing to grow, Zuko remained calm. From where you stood behind him, you could almost hear the satisfaction in his voice as he spoke, “That’s another thing. I’m not taking orders from you anymore.”

His father’s brows crossed in rage and you adopted a defensive stance as he began to walk towards Zuko. “You will obey me or this defiant breath will be your last!”

The prince unsheathed his swords, standing ready to fight his father as he demanded, “Think again. I am going to speak my mind and you are going to listen.”

To both of your surprise, the firelord sat back down as though he was ready to hear whatever Zuko had to say. The two of you still stood at the ready, prepared for a fight. You closed your eyes for a moment, focusing on the ground beneath you. You could feel the echoing rumble of machines coming from the surface, another sign of the battle above.

“For so long, all I wanted was for you to love me,” Zuko admitted, casting his eyes to the ground, “To accept me. I thought it was my honour that I wanted but really I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn,” he pointed at Ozai with the end of his blade, “My father who challenged me, a thirteen year old boy to an agni kai. How can you possibly justify a duel with a child?”

It was like a weight off your own chest to hear him finally letting go of all that had burdened him, telling his father just how he felt after all he had done to him.

The firelord only scowled, looking at Zuko as though he was nothing but the dirt under his shoe as he spat, “It was to teach you respect!”

“It was cruel and it was wrong!”

“Then you’ve learnt nothing. This girl,” he gestured to you, “Has only made you weaker than you already were.”

“No! I’ve learned everything, and I’ve had to learn on my own. Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilisation in history, and somehow the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the world. What an amazing lie that was, the people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation. They don’t see our greatness, they hate us! And we deserve it. We’ve created an era of fear in the world and if we don’t want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness.”

The firelord laughed out loud, mocking his son even now. “Your uncle has gotten to you, hasn’t he?”

There was a brief pause and Zuko smiled, actually smiled, in the face of his father’s taunts. “Yes, he has.”

“And this girl? She stands with you now, is she not of the Fire Nation too? Another traitor turned by your uncle’s tricks?”

Now it was you who stifled a laugh. “A traitor? Zuko isn’t a traitor and neither is his uncle. You are the one who betrayed the Fire Nation, you even betrayed your own blood because you’re so blinded by power you can’t see the bigger picture. My name is y/n and my parents were from the Northern Watertribe. They left their home and raised me in the Earth Kingdom to fight against your army! Even now, they fight against your cruelty, and now we do too!”

“You foolish girl,” Ozai glared at you with fire in his eyes, “What could you possibly do to stop me?”

“After we leave here today,” Zuko interrupted, answering his father’s question for the both of you, “We’re going to free uncle Iroh from his prison, and I’m gonna beg for his forgiveness. He’s the one who’s been a real father to me.”

The firelord only laughed again. “That’s just beautiful, maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure.”

“But I’ve come to an even more important decision,” he continued, ignoring his father completely, “I’m going to join the avatar and I’m going to help him defeat you.”

“Really?” Ozai smirked, “since you’re a full blown traitor now and you want me gone, why wait? I’m powerless, you’ve got your swords, why don’t you just do it now?”

“Because I know my own destiny. Taking you down is the avatar’s destiny,” he sheathed his swords and, although a part of you wanted nothing more than to strike him down now, you were in agreement with Zuko. It was not your place, “Goodbye.”

As Zuko turned and began to walk towards you again, ready to leave his father behind once and for all, the bitter man began to hurl more insults at his son, calling him a coward for confronting him during an eclipse when neither of them had their bending.

“If you have any real courage, you’ll stick around until the sun comes up. Don’t you want to know what happened to your mother?”

Those words stood Zuko in his tracks, even when you looked at him with pleading eyes. There was no time for this, the sun would be back soon and the two of you stood no chance against his father at his full power.

Without a second thought, the prince turned back around and demanded to know what happened the night his mother disappeared.

“My father, firelord Azulon, commanded me to do the unthinkable… to you, my own son, and I was going to do it. Your mother found out and swore she would protect you at any cost. She knew I wanted the throne and she proposed a plan. A plan in which I would become firelord and your life would be spared.”

It was awful, entirely diabolical, to think that a father would even consider murdering his own child but knowing what else the firelord had put Zuko through, somehow you weren’t at all surprised. It seemed in his very nature. You wondered what Zuko’s mother ever saw in the man.

“Your mother did vicious, treasonous things that night. She knew the consequences and accepted them. For her treason, she was banished.”

“So she’s alive...”

Cautiously, you moved to Zuko’s side, hoping to console him as tears began to spill across his face.

“Perhaps,” Ozai all but shrugged before raising his tone once again, “Now I realise that banishment is far too merciful a punishment for treason. Your penalty will be far steeper.”

In a flash, the firelord was moving, forming a stance you had only seen once before. The sun was back and he was drawing on its power to call lightning down. Lightning that he intended to use to put an end to his traitorous son once and for all.

“Zuko!” you cried, realising you had already missed your window to create a wall between the two of you and Ozai to block the attack.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as you ran towards Zuko only to see him do the impossible. He redirected the lighting, sending it crashing back down on his father who was thrown into the air at the force.

He grabbed your hand and ran, pulling you out of the bunker before his father could get back to his feet. As you ran out onto the streets, you saw what looked to be the avatar launching an assault on the Fire Nation airships, giving his friends enough time to retreat. “Look!”

“Do you think you can get up there?”

You furrowed your brows. There was a chance that with your bending you could reach the airships and help the avatar but you weren’t sure if you could get there in time. They were fleeing, after all, they weren’t going to stick around for long. Besides, you had more important things to do.

“Maybe,” you shrugged, “but I’m not leaving you. Let’s go get your uncle.”

With a determined smirk, he led you into the prison. He ran so fast that he seemed to miss the cowering guards and singed walls.

“Uncle!” he cried out when he reached Iroh’s cell but his uncle was already gone. The bars to his prison cell were broken and battered, blasted through from the inside. Iroh had already escaped.

Zuko was quick to run to one of the guards, interrogating him about what happened in a matter of seconds, only to be told what you already knew. Iroh had escaped, busted himself out before you had had the chance to get to him. He was long gone now, all you could do was get out of there yourselves.

“Zuko, we have to go. We’ll find Iroh again, I promise, but right now we need to leave!”

Although disappointed, he nodded and followed you back outside.

Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,

[muqingapologist]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks...

this is such a hard question because i’ve gone through so many phases of obsessing over pieces of media in my life, and sometimes it’s really hard for me to parse which characters are lasting favorites and which are just part of that phase. but i’ll try! keep in mind, lots of sentimentality ahead…

and this is in no particular order.

1. wei wuxian (the untamed)

ok so this kind of goes along with a previous post i made discussing my feelings of the mdzs book vs. the untamed. when i first watched the untamed at the recommendation of a friend, it was so unlike anything i’d ever seen before. and wei wuxian was so unlike any protagonist i’d ever encountered before. his determination to do what’s right no matter what others do, but also not being above experiencing doubt and uncertainty about his decisions, really touched me. also of course his carefree attitude toward life is something i repeatedly try and fail to achieve myself. it might also have to do with xiao zhan’s acting choices, but he really touched me as a character. it’s hard for me to say if the wwx of the book did the same organically because i read it over a long period of time after watching the show, so im just going to count the untamed version.

2. shizuku tsukishima (whisper of the heart)

this one is probably pretty niche but allow me to give my most heartfelt recommendation of whisper of the heart, my favorite ghibli movie and one of my favorite films of all time. shizuku is the protagonist of the film. she’s a young girl, probably about 14, and so far, her life has been defined by satisfying her imagination by always reading fiction, immersing herself in stories. inspired by the love interest of the film seiji, she decides she wants to try to be a writer. the film is kind of like a slice of life over a few months of this time, and we see shizuku struggle with perfectionism and wanting to follow her dreams and inability to take criticism, etc. i rarely cry over movies but i cried at this one because i had just never felt so seen by a character. everyone please watch whisper of the heart!🙏

3. prince zuko (avatar: the last airbender)

i think 50% of the reason he’s on here is sentimentality since avatar was a show i watched so much throughout my childhood and of course again more recently with its resurgence in popularity, but also what can i say? his character arc is unmatched. i won’t rehash the details. i will say uncle iroh would probably be here instead if we knew any more about his past because he’s off-screen journey is just so fascinating to me.

4. percy jackson (percy jackson & the 12 olympians)

PURE sentimentality but ya know….also im only considering this character how he exists in the original series. he kind of lost me in heroes of olympus. but yeah percy jackson was the first character that really impacted me back when i was 9, and i think i still carry that impact to this day. i also think the original series still holds up reading it as an adult.

5. kim wexler (better call saul)

kim nation!!! reveal yourselves!! i watched better call saul a little over a year ago and damn, it’s so rare to find such interesting, well-developed, flawed within reason female characters in a tv drama like this. her intelligence and her tendency to get carried away with jimmy don’t contradict each other but work together. her emotional journey….UGH!! kim x post-prison jimmy, who else hopes?

6. xie lian (tgcf/heaven official’s blessing)

so this one is new and i’m not completely sure the deep impression will last yet, but i’ll explain. when i first read tgcf about two years ago, i kind of skimmed because it was so long, and the feelings i had toward xie lian were…not super favorable. i was kind of bored by him and….i saw him as a lesser wei wuxian. AND I WAS WRONG!!! because i reread tgcf finally a couple of months ago, no skimming, really thinking about what i was reading and now i love him. his journey from optimistic prince who had never before suffered to carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders to nearly collapsing under that weight but despite all odds, pulling through and once again finding that optimism, or at least hope. it touched me so much this time around!!! also i don’t know why i thought he was boring first time around. this guy is funny as hell! anyway, lots of lessons to apply to my own life and whatnot.

7. ninth doctor (doctor who)

guys….hear me out. notice im not saying “the doctor” because i think most of doctor who is just nonsense. but that one season with the ninth doctor (and okay i like the tenth doctor’s seasons well enough, or i did really love them. less so these days…). so much potential. so when i say he’s one of my favorite characters ever, i accept that it’s mostly the version of the doctor that lives in my head and isn’t subject to the bad writing decisions made later in the show. it’s a lot of sentimentality, but i am really fascinated by this traumatized alien guy who just lost his entire people, finding himself devolving into more violent, unforgiving tendencies, but meeting rose, jack, whoever else along the way is able to remind him of not who he was but who he could be. of course doctor who is forever ongoing though so character development can only go too far lol.

8. nozue (old-fashioned cupcake)

this is also brand new so not sure if lasting because i only just read and watched ofc, but man. this guy’s journey from being defeatist about getting older and turning 40, being afraid of trying anything new, to allowing himself to experience new things, one of those things being falling in love! his whole concept of using regret as fuel for happiness, transmitting that idea to togawa who transmits it back to nozue later!! ahhh!! so like my love for this character might actually just be love for the entire story but i can’t not mention it every five seconds rn so….

9. isabel archer (portrait of a lady)

so this is the protagonist of henry james’s portrait of a lady, which i finally finished reading last month. and gosh! well the book itself was amazing, but i was especially touched by isabel’s character, mainly because she just felt so realistic. her motivations, her goals, her shift, her sorrows, they all feel earned, creating an incredibly vivid character that i think most people can find something in there to relate to, especially other women who have always been told they are clever and imaginative and yet find themselves struggling internally to live up to those expectations.

10. natasha rostova (war and peace)

it’s been years since i read war and peace in my university freshman seminar, so it’s hard for me to speak on the details of why exactly this character is here. but also it’s no surprise because this is a character that continues to be the star of russian literature. what i can say, she’s another bright, carefree character (clearly symbolizing aspects of russian culture but even beyond that) who it’s impossible not to feel deeply connected to. she goes through some pretty life-altering stuff in war and peace (everyone listen to the musical called natasha, pierre, and the great comet of 1812 for those details!!) and as the reader, you just really feel for her. idk man she still stands out in my mind, but also this is also much thanks to the musical i just mentioned above.

i kind of came up with these on the spot so like…who knows how accurate this is, but i like to talk about the things i like so sue me. thank you for the question though!!

[p-artsypants]

Blurb #8

I'm going to try to share 70 blurbs from my WIPs and unfinished fics to celebrate reaching 70 posted fics! To help with this endeavor, please feel free to send me a word or a fandom you know I write for, and I'll share the blurb. IDK if I'll get 70 prompts, but let's try it! Send as many as you want!

It hurt. It hurt every waking moment of his pitiful existence. The salves were supposed to be helping, that’s what the healers had said. “It’ll get better once the fever breaks.” A woman said. “The scaring shouldn’t be too bad.” Said a man. “It’ll be okay,” said someone that sounded like Uncle Iroh. But the horrible truth was, he would never be the same. Honor lost, skin gone, pain, hate, anger… It was so much. So much to bear. Even for a full grown man, but he was just 13. 13 and a prince of the most powerful man in the world. This shouldn’t have happened to him. Hours went by, too tired to stay awake, but in too much pain to rest. So he laid there in agony, waiting for the fever to break or the infection to take him. Whatever happened first. Then, after hours, days maybe, he opened his eye, and asked for water. It was so cold. So soothing. So everything these last few days hadn’t been. He gulped it down, wanted to just dive in it. But the cup was taken away, and he was pushed back down to lay. Then there was silence, but only for a moment, until the door opened and closed again. The temperature in the room rose, evaporating his sweat. Zuko opened his eye again, seeing the light glint off of a crown. The Fire Lord’s crown. “I’m disappointed in you, Prince Zuko.” It was like being burned all over again. “You failed the very simple instructions given you, time and time again. You spoke out of turn, and you refused to fight in the Agni Kai.” “I’m sorry…” Zuko whispered. And he meant it. He truly was sorry. He’d never act with a free spirit ever again. “Sorry doesn’t restore honor. You humiliated me. You dishonored you’re family, your nation, everything. Now what will you do to make up for it?” What could he offer? Zuko has nothing of his own to give. He was just a boy with no accomplishments. What could he possibly do. “Anything…” he whispered. “I’ll do anything.” Ozai gave the smallest twitch of a smile. “The only thing that stands in the way of our nation’s greatest achievement is the Avatar, master of all four elements. He must be out there somewhere. Either an old water bender, or an even older air bender. Capture him, or convince him to join us, and I’ll restore your honor.” “Thank you…father…” “But until that day, you are banished. I’ll grant you the rest of the week to heal, and then you must leave, and never return without the Avatar.” “But..how do find him…?” Ozai stood. “That is not my concern.” “Thank you for coming to see me…” “It is beneath me to visit the infirmary. Count it lucky that I gave you this mission in person. The next time I see you, you better have the Avatar.” “Yes, My King…” The door shut behind him.

[muffinlance]

Hey I don’t mean to be rude or anything I just have a genuine question. What is your stance on Iroh like I know that you don’t like his treatment of Azula I don’t think anyone does. But in some fics like little zuko versus the world you write him like an uncle trying his best and in salvage he’s still kind of trying his best but the faults in his methods are more pronounced. But in fics like towards the sun he seems like a complete asshole. I don’t mean this to be rude in anyway shape or form and I’m sorry if it gives you that impression, I’m just really curious on your take on him, because there’s just been a lot of Iroh hate in recent times (like some of the call outs are definetly justified while others are not in my opinion) and I was just wondering your opinion on everything. Because while I like him as a character, I can recognize where he failed but the whole situation bugs me for whatever reason.

So sorry for this long as post and I’m sorry if this reads like a call out I really am just interested in your thoughts on the subject and mean no disrespect whatsoever. Please feel free to ignore this if you find it uncomfortable.

Thanks 😊

Okay, so I LOVE Iroh, but the man is demonstrably not perfect. Which is fine! No one is, and character growth is good! But I like writing nuanced characters, not putting people up on pedestals. He can be a caring Uncle and the best, most supportive family member Zuko has and still fill a whole bucket with issues that have a solid canon basis. Issues like:

Spending two and a half years treasoning out of Zuko's ship, because you don't get or maintain a high-ranking position in most societies by doing nothing. And you KNOW Ozai would have taken the excuse to execute both Iroh and Zuko if he'd had even an inkling that was happening.

Spending the first five decades (six? age unclear) of his life being down for world domination and an active participant in the war effort. That is a lot of land conquered and a lot of people dead because of him. Laughing at the thought of destroying one of the world's most populous cities, anyone?

Changing his mind on the war only when his own son dies. Relatable, but still not a good look.

Being raised from birth as Azulon's preferred heir, which is a whole ton of baggage to unpack.

Not telling Zuko when his nephew is doing things that can get himself killed. The entirety of the North Pole arc is a disaster from a parenting perspective. Letting your nephew sneak aboard the ship of the man who tried to kill him, go into an enemy stronghold with no plan or exit strategy, and for what? To catch the Avatar, and return to his abusive dad who would likely look for the next reason to get rid of him? Iroh, what--and I mean this most lovingly--the fuck.

Not being honest with Zuko. Okay, don't tell him about the White Lotus while he's still daddy's boy, that's fair. But after the hair-cutting in season two? Bring the boy up to speed, Iroh! You know he needs a mission!

And don't even get me started on Iroh never clearly stating "I'm on the side of the Avatar and world peace, why don't you join me". Iroh. Iroh why did we go into the Crossroads of Destiny with Zuko not knowing you would whole-heartedly support him if he wanted to change sides. IROH.

And more!

Honestly a lot of these probably just came from the writers not yet knowing the full arc of a plot element (White Lotus probably didn't exist in a fleshed out form until season two, based on the writing) or it being a kid's show and them not thinking too hard (North Pole and Crossroads: they wanted to maintain Zuko's character agency, but they did it at the expense of his parental figure being extremely hands off, which is a common trope in children and teen media that drives me BATTY, you can still run those character arcs with the adults having their own agency, give me five minutes alone with your storyboards guys--)

But anyway. That's the canon Iroh I have to work with, and I don't gloss over things just to make him look better no matter how much I love the man. It's more interesting to explore the implications, and have him and Zuko heal their relationship.

In conclusion: I always write Iroh as loving Zuko; it's the same relationship across all my fics. But the different fic premises can result in very different ways of expressing that.

[veryblushyswitch]

hello cutie bean! saw that prompts are open and decided to ask about platonic Zuko x Toph (ATLA) tickles c: scenes with the incredulous tsundere-Toph and trying to 'melt' her Zuko stuck deeply in my head, so I'd wanted to go back and read about this couple. if you don't mind, of course!

Avatar The Last Airbender ~ (tickle fic) 🔥 🪨

Lees: Zuko & Toph

Lers: Toph & Zuko

Author’s Note: These two are so freakin funny and adorable. Of course! Thanks for your patience and hope you enjoy! 💖

*————————————————————————*

“So, what do you wanna do?” Zuko asked awkwardly to the blind girl next to him.

The two were sitting beside each other outside. The sun keeping the temperature warm while a cool breeze made the weather perfect. They didn’t have anything to do so they decided to take a walk before sitting down in the grass.

“I don’t know. We didn’t really have a plan when we started walking.” Toph sighed with a shrug.

“How about… we get to know each other with questions. That’s what people do right?” Zuko rubbed the back of his neck.

“Sure. Sounds fun.” Toph placed her hands behind her head laying down.

“You wanna go first or should I?” Toph asked.

“O-Oh. Uh… you can go first.”

“Okay.” Toph thought for a moment, snapping her fingers when an invisible lightbulb lit up above her head.

“Okay I got one. What makes you laugh the most? Or makes you really happy? Personally I love fighting and hanging out with the others. Fighting because, well I get to beat people up, and hanging with them because they’re my family. And they never fail to make me smile.” Zuko was surprised at the question.

“Uh. I don’t know actually. I haven’t really genuinely laughed in a while. I don’t know what makes me happy either. The only thing I thought would make me happy was getting my honor back. We all saw how that went” Zuko sighed.

Toph could tell from the tone in his voice that this was something that made Zuko feel… alone. He didn’t know where his uncle was and the gang was still trying to get used to him. His uncle could get him to smile a bit when Iroh knew he needed it but genuinely laugh? He couldn’t even remember what that sounded like.

“That’s just sad. I know you had a tough childhood and all but man. Not even knowing what makes you laugh.” Toph suddenly sat up quickly. “Hey! What if I make you laugh?”

Zuko looked over at the earth bender.

“I doubt you can. But you can try.” He laid still, too down to move.

“Okay then. Uhhhh- how do you make a tissue dance?”

Zuko lifted an eyebrow in confusion and shrugged. “Don’t know.”

“You put a little boogie in it!” Toph made jazz hands.

“That wasn’t very good was it? It was Sokka’s joke anyway.” Toph let her hands fall to her lap.

Zuko let out a pity laugh. “Yeah. It was pretty bad.”

Suddenly, Toph had the perfect plan. A sure fire way, no pun intended, to get Zuko to laugh.

“Hey, Zuko. I know how to make you laugh.” Toph said moving closer so she was sitting next to his side.

“And what would that be?”

“This!” Toph yelled as wiggling fingers found Zuko’s sides.

“Gah! Wahahahahahait!” Zuko sat up and began to shove at the tickly hands.

All efforts were futile when Toph moved up to his ribs. He fell back with a squeal, his feet drumming against the soft grass.

“Tohohohohoph! Wahahahahahahait! Hehehahahahahaha!”

“Wait for what exactly? For you to stop being so ticklish? Sorry to break it to ya Zu Zu but I don’t think that’s gonna happen.” She smirked.

Zuko continued to twist and turn, although not trying that hard to get away.

“Do you like being tickled?” Toph asked while moving her hands to his stomach. He curled up on his side, high pitched giggles filling the air.

“Because I’m not even holding you down and I know you have the strength to fight back.” She massaged circles into the sides of his stomach, a spot that got great reactions from Aang.

“IHIHIHI DOHOHOHOHON’T KNOHOHOHOW! HAHAHAHAHAHA PLEHEHEHEHEASE!”

“Please what? Please keep tickling you? Sure thing!” Toph quickly pulled up his shirt and blew a giant raspberry on his lower ribs.

“GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! TOHOHOAHAHAHA!” Zuko pushed and shoved at Toph but his arms turned grew weak and limp.

“Thihis is hilarious. You’re soho ticklish.” Toph laughed. This time, she went down to squeeze his knees.

His laugh resided back down to giggles, but he stopped trying to push her away. Instead, wrapping his arms around his waist so the happy tickles wouldn’t end.

“You actually sound kind of adorable when you laugh. And you’re not even trying to get away.” Toph scribbled under his knees, cooing at the squeals and light kicking of his legs.

“Okahahahay enohohohgh. Plehehehease.” Zuko wheezed. Toph pulled her hands away and helped him sit up.

They sat in silence for a few moments while Zuko caught his breath.

“So…” Toph started. “You like being tickled, huh?” She smirked.

Zuko blushed then smirked right back.

“Yeah. I do. But you know what else I like?”

“What?” Toph asked not being able to see his already wiggling fingers.

“Getting revenge.”

He lunged forward and darted his hands up and down the girls sides. Watching as she curled in on herself and snorted up a storm.

“Nohohohohohoho! *snort* Zuhuhukohohoho!” She fell back against the grass, immediately regretting it when he targeted her tummy soon after.

“What’s wrong? Can’t take what you dish out?” He vibrated his hands along her ribs, slowly inching his way towards her underarms.

“Sohohohoho mehehehehan! NAHAHAHAT THEHEHEHEHEHEHERE!!” Toph squealed when he pinned an arm above her head and used his free hand to scribble under her arm.

“Not here? Not under your arm? Why not? Are you ticklish under here or something?” Zuko released her arm and used both to tickle the hyper sensitive area.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *snort* GAHAHAHAHAHA! *snort* HEHEHAHAHA!” Toph covered her face to hide her blush and hopefully block out those snorts.

“I didn’t know you snort when you laugh.” Zuko giggled, moving back down to her stomach.

“Ihihit only hahahappens when IhIhI’m tihihickled.” She lightly smacked at his hands.

Zuko pulled his hands away, smiling at the way she fell back against the grass.

He did the same, laying beside her looking up at the sky.

“I guess we know what makes you laugh now.” Toph punched his arm.

“I guess we do.” He rubbed where she punched him remembering what she said back at the play.

They laid like this till it was time to head back to eat, smiles still plastered on their faces.

[asfearlessasamango]

Sorry if this is late, but 🔥 for the ask game?

🔥 pick an atla character to ship zhao with

the clownery of me writing this jokey question then me having to answer it. omg. okay. you CANT ship zhao with any northern water tribe characters— i just refuse. zhao + most main characters are also, ethically speaking, in “what the fuck” territory due to the fact that zhao is a grown man in a kids’ show and the age/power gap is way too much. bee tee dubs, if i’m going to be romantically fiddling with zhao for some well-adjusted joyful relationship, i’m also going to be planning an at least 10% redemption arc as well, as if zhao has survived his failed attack oh the nwt, and has perhaps been disowned/exiled or taken prisoner.

zhao has some options:

iroh (no) (okay it would be really funny watching zuko react but)

ozai (no. this is a strangely popular pairing, even tho it wrecks ozai, zuko, azula, and the fire nation’s entire deal. also i like the idea that zhao is an illegitimate child of sozin’s, that he is ozai’s and iroh’s brother and zuko’s uncle, so zhao is fighting for the power he believes he should have. he's so bitter and ambitious, particularly towards zuko, because of his situation. his illegitimacy is also why he’s gotten so many promotions.)

ursa (they could bond over ozai i guess? but NO bc ursa is a very passive wilting character who wished to leave and zhao is all fire and ambition— they wouldn’t be able to stand each other)

jeong jeong (more important for zhao to seek out his old teacher and apologize and learn jj's enlightened ways, i think)

piandao (huh?)

but quite frankly, for zhao to have the best most dramatic romance and plausible half-redemption arc, he must venture outside of the fire nation elite and its exes.

zhao must... date from another kingdom.

hakoda, bato, or a swt warrior (NO, because bakoda is too important)

king kuei (no??)

king bumi (no??)

aunt wu.

yes.

after failing in his attack on the southern water tribe, but wimping out of actually dying cause he's a puss puss, zhao is hauled back on board fire nation ships to promptly be exiled. his former soldiers begin sailing him to the earth kingdom, where they'll toss him ashore. it's a strange and ego-breaking trip for zhao, their former commander. none of his young soldiers will look him in the eye or pay his orders attention, not even the few that liked him. the rest humiliate him. they blame him for their loss, for the losses of their comrades. by the time zhao is literally thrown onto random sand, he's nearly glad to be kicked off his own ship.

zhao is in the middle of nowhere, on purpose. mentally/emotionally he is also in the middle of nowhere. what is he even supposed to do?? he wants power, he wants revenge on his ex-soldiers-- but he can't have the only power he wants anymore. he doesn't want to overthrow the fire nation government. he wants it to succeed. he doesn't fully comprehend that he'll never be able to go home. zhao has no idea where he is, at all.

after a few hours of sitting where he was thrown on the sand, watching his ship disappear forever, zhao realizes he has to start walking. zhao may be morally rotten, but he's not stupid-- he steals clothes from clotheslines to disguise himself as an impoverished refugee. which is totally not what he is, okay? he's just casually begging for work because he kinda needs something to do.

this is where he runs into the reality of what he and his country have done to the earth kingdom-- the first little town he finds is poor as shit. they have nothing to offer him besides a bowl of thin soup, a bed of molding straw, directions towards the next town, and a ride to it, if he shares the ostrich-horse of a young son moving there to look for work. zhao accepts. what else can he do? in his mind this life is still temporary. an adventure to recount to his cousin when zhao gets back to caldera, eventually.

the son is stupid and fascinated by this world-weary traveler. zhao wishes he'd pretended to be mute or injured. anything so he could stop mumbling a fake backstory that contradicts itself every few sentences. mostly, zhao decides to describe the time he razed an earth kingdom village two years ago as if he was one of the villagers, not the razer, and even throws in a killed fianceé so this boy will stop asking questions.

the son asks, "don't you fucking hate those firebending bastards?"

and zhao snaps, "firebending is the greatest sport on earth."

the son looks at zhao and says, "is that why you have firebender sideburns and a hoity-toity caldera accent and yellow eyes?"

the son is not as stupid as zhao thought.

zhao arrives at the next village covered in bruises, with an old injury in his leg absolutely screaming in the language of fucked-up, tied up at the hands and ankles, the son's half-hour rant against the fire nation still rambling on, and is once again promptly and literally thrown-- this time into jail. "the jail" is an old horse stable with not even a guard. it does not bode well to zhao that they believe he has nowhere to escape to.

but this village is larger and nicer, with better houses and a beautiful volcano behind them. zhao almost feels at home, looking at the volcano through the small window in his cell, for the hours they leave him there.

until gross earth kingdom farmers show up after a day in the fields and start evaluating him.

he can't be treated as a welcome guest or a new villager because... it's pretty obvious to them, after the son shouted all about it, and zhao refused to deny it, that zhao is definitely from the fire nation's military. possibly the upper ranks.

"can we ransom you?" one of the farmers wants to know.

"no," zhao says, scowling. even that bratty prince wasn't so openly stupid. "they'll kill me if they see me again."

"you must've not been a very good soldier."

zhao grits his teeth so hard they almost break. "i saw a girl exiled for eating her commanding officer's dinner," he tells them. (because zhao had just wanted to eat his own fucking dinner, okay??)

in the end it doesn't matter. they decide zhao isn't their problem to punish, but he certainly isn't their exact problem to take care of, so if he's not opposed to the idea, he could be reaching the next village by nightfall.

except zhao can walk about two feet per minute, with a cane.

let's just call aunt wu, one man says next. as zhao is sitting on the barn floor in humiliated silence, trying not to touch or massage his injured leg in front of anyone, doing the math on exactly how far he has fallen in the past 72 hours, the most beautiful woman his age he has ever seen in his life sweeps into the room. she's wearing goth white robes and raises a contoured eyelid at him.

"i knew you'd be here sooner or later. but i didn't predict you'd be so dirty," she says.

her solution is pretty simple. zhao, after being pressed but not smirked at, quietly admits that he is willing to work for food and a bed. aunt wu needs a helper around the house, for weaving, dish washing, gardening, and keeping an eye on meng.

aunt wu looks at this filthy beaten-up fire nation exile who probably has money, somewhere, and a tragic backstory, probably, and an elite family, maybe, and is just a fucking miserable unloved human and is like "this is my new poor little meow meow".

zhao looks at this single milf his age in his area, who 1000% has all the power she wants or could need, with everyone eating out of her palms out of love, not fear, (everything zhao has ever wanted!!) and this look on her face like ZHAO!! KILLER OF THE MOON (for like a minute)!!! could not do a single thing to sway her smug opinion of him, and is like "what the fuck."

thus begins zhao's campaign to overthrow/impress/intimidate aunt wu. it's two months of increasing shenanigans and shouting and zhao demanding fortunetelling just about every day (he's gonna prove it's wrong! it's a hoax! he'll kick aunt wu from grace and he'll have the power! he also maybe likes it when aunt wu holds his hand!) zhao has sympathy-kicking bouts of nightmares and trauma symptoms (you! will! sympathize!).

aunt wu, who has zhao sleeping in her small house, definitely wakes up to his nightmares in her house, so they end up sitting together nightly. it's zhao seeing this impressive woman alone at night and learning more about her lonely, impoverished childhood on the streets of a different village, where she learned to read people like open books. aunt wu, when pressed, tells him quietly about her husband, buried beyond the volcano after a yearslong withering illness, leaving her alone. how she adopted meng, an orphan of the sickness that swept the villages a few years back, when no medicine could be found.

zhao does mental math about a trade blockade the fire nation set up on the earth kingdom around then and feels sick. aunt wu presses him for details about the war and the world and he tells her how much both things suck. he describes caldera, a red-coated city where people make a living off trading cruelty. it’s not like here, he says. aunt wu raises her eyebrows. you think we’re kind here?

zhao evaluates his hands, stabbed with 400 needles, raw from scrubbing dishes, and stained with paint from a project of meng’s he helped with. he thinks about how he could not more clearly be a guilty bastard. and how wu took him in anyways, as her own problem. and how wu insists fire lord sozin was wrong to not acknowledge zhao as his son, that ozai is cruel and wrongs his own blood, that zhao is her favorite out of all the fire nation bastards.

yes, he says, and wu smiles and tilts her head, and the next morning zhao's palms apparently say that his soul has chosen a new path.

and then zhao’s leg heals. he keeps exaggerating his limp and pain to put off leaving. because he has to leave, right? he has to keep wandering around in this penance purgatory until he dies, right? or finds some shittier village to scrape by in? he keeps meaning to mention this to wu— that he’ll be leaving soon. but the thought of leaving her alone with meng again is something he can’t do.

and wu never mentions zhao leaving, either. so... he kind of just doesn't. one day he walks without his crutches or cane, and no one mentions it, and to make his intentions clear, zhao goes ahead and walks around the village all the next day to do wu's errands and shopping and comes home to her at dinner with an extra tapestry he thought she would like.

(it's ugly as fuck. zhao got it with his own money, tho, and wu is blushy anyways.)

and it's like, not a full redemption, and it's not a soulmate romance-- it's mostly fueled by foully horny middle-aged sex and practical acts of service, the nice aspects of companionship. zhao is 55 with bad joints but he can go shirtless and carry around wood to uhhh. repair aunt wu's roof with the best of them. they both learn more about what things actually, emotionally fill you up and aunt wu teaches admiral zhao where the clit is (i'm so sorry) but it is what they deserve. they deserve each other! these two ambitious bastards could help each other settle down! i'm sorry! i ship aunt wu and zhao now.

the emoji atla ask game

[firelxdykatara]

there’s this trend in the atla fandom of ppl complaining about how the fandom mischaracterizes zuko and then.......mischaracterizing zuko.....in the same breath.......and i JUST

-insert that one gif of hades here-

look. i’m sorry. i know you love your weird headcanon that zuko is just an absolute dick, an asshole for no reason and that this should somehow remain a cornerstone of his personality no matter where in his life he’s being depicted, but that’s????? not remotely accurate to his character in the show lmao

he’s not ‘a dick’, he’s a traumatized teenage boy with emotional regulation issues and unhealthy coping mechanisms. these are not cornerstones of his foundation as a person, they are the result of--you guessed it!--the trauma he suffered as a thirteen-year-old boy. and while i’m not gonna pretend that he will ever be 100% perfectly well-adjusted (he’s probably always gonna have issues with his temper, ingrained trauma responses that will become far less commonplace but still crop up, particularly if anything happens to trigger a regression), but to pretend that people who focus more on ‘awkward turtleduck Zuko’ post canon are treating him like some ‘uwu soft boi who never did anything wrong’ is weirdly reductive.

and it’s so strange to me, because we see who zuko is before the trauma that quite literally changed the entire direction of his life. he was a kind, compassionate boy, who felt badly when he realized he’d hurt that baby turtleduck and that was why the mama had attacked him, and who stood up and spoke out in a war meeting because the general was planning to just throw away the lives of an entire squad and he couldn’t understand why anyone would treat their own people that way!

he wasn’t an asshole or a dick, and his rude and abrasive responses to stimuli came as a direct result of his trauma and the following three years of desperately searching for something he, on some level, had to eventually recognize he would never be able to find.

(iroh knew from the start that ozai had sent zuko on a meaningless mission that he would never actually be able to complete. i don’t think zuko ever fully realized this, but i do think he was beginning to subconsciously, and it’s why he was getting increasingly agitated and frustrated prior to discovering that the avatar was still alive. then, everything kicked into overdrive and he was desperate to actually capture the avatar and prove himself, so he never had to fully grapple with the realization that his father wanted him to fail.)

zuko with the gaang in the back half of book 3 is already much better at managing his emotions than at any point in the series prior (except possibly that one shining moment in ba sing se, moments before Disaster), and with his friends and uncle around him as a support network after the war, he would only continue to grow and become healthier and happier. (this is part of why i reject the comics out of hand, incidentally. bc i don’t for a moment believe that everyone would literally abandon him to the point where he had no one to turn to for help but his abuser.)

allowing zuko to be happy and healthy isn’t ignoring who he is at his core, it’s giving him the time he needed to heal and expanding on that. zuko was never just ‘a dick’, he was a traumatized teenage boy who needed to learn healthy coping mechanisms and emotional responses to things, but that was never a permanent state of being for him. zuko, pre-banishment, is a much more likely template for how a happy and healthy zuko would act, imo, and i don’t understand why so many ppl insist otherwise.

[beifongsss]

flirt [zuko]

Pairing: Zuko x earthbender!reader baybeeeeee

Summary: An anon request <3 “ zuko and a super outgoing/confident/flirty reader? all the fics i’ve seen so far are super shy reader x zuko, they’re super cute, just not very relatable to me lol”

i hope i do your request justice :3 also i’m sorry that I keep making the reader a bender but this fits bc they have to fight Zuko lol

.masterlist.

~

You don’t even know how you ended up traveling with the Gaang.

One day you had been living in a small Earth Kingdom town, helping out the Beifongs as Toph’s etiquette tutor and the next, you found yourself being tugged away from your home by the youngest Beifong. You couldn’t deny the fact that you finally felt free flying on the (abnormally cute) sky bison as you headed to who-knows-where.

You had nothing left for you back in the Earth Kingdom town you had been born in. You were the only daughter of a well-known family who had always been loyal to the Earth King. Unfortunately, they had been captured on a trip to Ba Sing Se and subsequently killed by the Fire Nation. With no family left to turn to, you proceeded to accept the Beifong’s offer to stay with them in return for you teaching Toph about high class etiquette.

Toph was an interesting girl and you found yourself being impressed with everything she did. You were always her number one supporter, especially when it came to her being The Blind Bandit. She was an extremely talented bender and in return for you tutoring her, she was your bending instructor and you became her only most promising student.

Eventually, Aang, Katara, and Sokka all filled you in about the banished Fire Nation prince and how he had chased the Gaang everywhere they had gone in an attempt to capture the Avatar. You and Toph were upset at the stories and were immediately anti-Zuko, promising to help Aang master earthbending as fast as possible.

You got along well with everyone, especially Sokka who was almost as talkative as you were. Of course the good vibes didn’t last long and you all found yourselves arguing as you found yourselves being chased by Azula and her friends. The situation had culminated in a battle at a small, abandoned town. You had arrived to see Aang being cornered by two people, each of them throwing fire towards the young Air Nomad.

Engaging with the person closest to you, you thrust your hands out, shooting a pillar of earth out and tossing the person into the closest building. Sharing a look with Aang, you waved him off. “Go! I’ll hold him off.”

“Be careful,” Aang warned, looking towards Azula uncertainly. “That’s Zuko.”

Your eyes widened as Aang ran off before turning your attention back to the boy in front of you. He struggled to get up before a burst of fire left him, sending rock debris everywhere. Quickly, you sent up another wall of earth, protecting yourself from the flying rocks before breaking it apart and sending it towards Zuko. The banished prince grunted before throwing a few fireballs towards you, causing you to stumble back and fall.

Eyes narrowing, Zuko made his way to you, pulling back his fist as fire formed around it. Groaning, you sat up, finally getting a good look at the boy in front of you. Almost immediately, a flirty smirk made it’s way onto your face. You quickly scrambled to your feet, bouncing up to him without any hesitation. You dodged his attacks, fighting back as you bit your lip.

“So...you’re Zuko?” you asked, dodging another punch. At this point, you were engaging in hand to hand combat instead of relying on your earthbending. Zuko didn’t reply, his eyes narrowing as he kept sending blasts of fire again.

“Aang told us about how you haven’t been able to capture him,” you continued, blinking innocently as Zuko became visibly angry. “But he failed to mention just how handsome you are.”

At your words, Zuko’s eyes widened and he misstepped, losing his focus at your words. You took that opportunity to step back as well before taking a strong step and raising your hands, encasing the banished prince in a slab of rock.

“Let me go!” Zuko cried out, steam coming out of his nose as he struggled. You stood in front of him, arms crossed as you stared at him. He truly was handsome, with piercing gold eyes and soft-looking black hair. You opened your mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by Sokka.

“(Y/N)! A little help here?” the Water Tribe boy yelped, narrowly dodging a blast of blue fire from Azula.

“Coming!” you replied, eyebrows furrowing in slight concern before you addressed Zuko once more. “It was real nice meeting you Prince Zuko. I hope to see you again under more pleasurable circumstances.”

With a wink, you sprinted away, jumping in front of Sokka and sending up a wall of earth as Azula struck again.  You continued to sprint around, helping out whenever called out to you. The fight came to an end when you all had Azula cornered, and you sent a brief smirk to Zuko as you saw him standing near you. “Finally made it out huh?”

He had glowered at you and you simply rolled your eyes before turning back to Azula. “The whole tough guy act is hot but something tells me you’d look better with a smile.”

You missed his surprised look as Azula shot a blast of fire towards an older man, who you later learned was Zuko’s uncle Iroh. In the ensuing chaos she escaped, and you were left with a shaken Zuko and an injured Iroh. At Zuko’s threats insistence, the five of you left, looking back at him as you flew off on Appa. It was silent for a few minutes before you finally spoke up. “So, why didn’t you guys mention that Prince Zuko is hot?”

The only sound that was heard was Sokka slapping his forehead.

~

The next time you saw Zuko was in Ba Sing Se. You had been walking around with Katara, having stayed behind with her to plan the invasion. She was talking quietly as you looked around the city, pretending to be listening to her. On your shoulder, Momo was chattering quietly, also looking around with his large eyes.

You sighed softly as you entered a cozy-looking tea shop. You looked around in appreciation before you heard Katara gasp. Quickly, she grabbed your hand and whirled around hurrying out of the shop. You felt yourself crash into someone else, losing Katara’s hand and falling to the ground. You looked at the door before looking at Momo, shaking your head at Katara’s weird behavior.

“Are you alright?” a soft voice ask. You pushed yourself up, ignoring the hand in front of you before looking up. Your eyes widened in surprise as you found yourself staring at Zuko’s uncle. Iroh, you recalled vaguely. Recognition flashed in his eyes as he looked at you, remembering you as the earthbender who had trapped his nephew. Bracing yourself for the worst possible scenario, you nodded in response to his question, holding Momo to your chest.

“Would you like a cup of tea?” the retired general asked, a warm smile on his face as he guided you to a table. “You look like a jasmine type of girl.”

Sensing no ill intentions from the smiling man, you nodded. “Jasmine happens to be my favorite.”

“I see. It is my nephew’s favorite as well,” Iroh continued, gesturing to the boy behind the counter. You smiled as you noticed Zuko standing behind the counter, his back to you as he focused on whatever he was doing. Noticing your smile at the sight of his nephew, Iroh smiled as well. “I’ll send him over to give you your tea.”

“I would greatly appreciate that,” you said, your eyes not leaving the handsome boy.

You played with Momo when Iroh left, silently speaking to the winged lemur as you waited for your tea. You placed Momo in your lap when you heard someone set down a tray on your table, looking up to see Zuko standing there. “Hey handsome.”

Zuko glanced at you, doing a double take when his eyes met yours. “Y-You!”

He grasped your hand, pulling you out of your seat and towards the back as you struggled to hold on to Momo.

“Ow! Ow! Can you stop?” you hissed, pulling your hand away from him. You placed Momo on your shoulder before rubbing your wrist. You glanced down at it, noticing how raw it looked. “You really need to learn how to control your temper Zuko.”

“What happened here?” Iroh’s asked before Zuko could speak again. He gently took your hand in his inspecting the burn before turning to his nephew. “Now Lee, is this any way to treat our customers?”

“She isn’t a customer uncle,” Zuko replied bluntly. “She’s traveling with the Avatar. She is the earthbender who fought me the day you were injured.”

“You’re the earthbender who trapped my nephew?” Iroh looked at you in surprise. You nodded, causing the older man to chuckle. “You are a very talented bender.”

You blushed at the compliment before answering, thinking about Toph. “Thank you, I was trained by the best.”

“We must get this wrapped up. Come with me,” Iroh led you to a back room, where he proceeded to get some type of salve and some wrappings. “Zuko if you could please do this for me, I’m afraid I have to get back to the customers.”

Iroh left the two of you, but not before stopping and handing Momo a few litchi nuts. Momo chittered before jumping off your shoulder, landing on a windowsill as he began eating the fruit. You glanced at the burn once more before looking back at Zuko. “You know, you just gave the term ‘too hot to handle’ a whole new meaning.”

Zuko tried to hold his blush back at your words as he sat in front of you. He grabbed your arm, applying the paste and then gathering the wrappings, beginning to tie them around your wrist.

You hissed when he tightened it a little too much, pulling away from the boy. “Ow! If I wanted you to be rough with me I would’ve told you.”

This time, Zuko could not hold his blush at your double entendre. A faint smirk appeared on your face as you began to wrap your wrist.

“Let me do it,” Zuko muttered reaching for your arm.

“No,” you replied leaning away. “Trust me I can do it myself.”

“Why are you being so difficult,” the boy groaned, lunging for the wrapping. You leaned back too far, falling onto your back as you reached out for something to grab on to. The only thing you succeeded in doing was pulling Zuko down with you.

You stared at the boy above you. “When I told you that I hope we’d meet under more pleasurable circumstances, this wasn’t what I had in mind. Not that I’m complaining.”

Zuko stuttered for a few second before deciding to scowl at you instead.

“If I had known I was interrupting, I would’ve stayed outside. Prince Zuko, I never knew you were so good with the ladies,” Iroh’s voice floated in. You sat up immediately, only succeeding in getting closer to the prince. You tried to ignore the blush that you knew was visible on your cheeks.

“I would be honored to be wooed by such an attractive man,” you said, looking up at Zuko through your eyelashes. Iroh raised an eyebrow. “Unfortunately, I simply fell back and pulled your nephew down with me.”

“Well, as an apology on his behalf from earlier, let me offer you a nice warm cup of jasmine tea,” Iroh said, setting down a tray. “On the house.”

You smiled as you pulled yourself up, leaving Zuko on the ground. “It smells delicious but I am afraid I must get going. Katara must be wondering where I am. Thank you very much for the offer.”

You bowed before whistling sharply, causing Momo to fly to your shoulder.

“My nephew will walk you out. It was nice to met you...” Iroh trailed off as he realized that he had never asked for your name.

“My name is (Y/N),” you supplied, smiling.

“A truly beautiful name,” Iroh said, stepping away from the door. “It was nice to meet you (Y/N). I hope to see you again soon. Zuko, please walk her out.”

You bowed once more before you followed Zuko back out to the store. When you reached the steps, you turned around and faced him once more. “It was nice to see you again handsome. Let’s do it again sometime.”

Zuko’s reply was lost as you stepped forward, leaning up and pressing a soft kiss to his scarred cheek. “Have a nice evening.”

Momo’s chittering was the only thing that could be heard as you walked away. Zuko stood on the steps until he could no longer see you, the blush on his cheeks only intensifying when he remembered how your lips felt pressed against his cheek.

“It seems to me that she is the one wooing you,” Iroh said, hiding a smile.

“Shut up uncle.”

~

You didn’t see the handsome prince again until you had all safely escaped to the Western Air Temple. You had been trying to talk to Aang about learning firebending when you and Toph had felt someone arriving.

“Aang, I think we should be making some plans about our future!” Sokka exclaimed, trying to get Aang to pay attention.

“Okay, we can do that while I show you the giant Pai Sho table! Oh, you're gonna love the all-day echo chamber!” the air nomad replied, already preparing to run off.

Aang came to an abrupt stop when you sent up a wall of earth in front of him.

“I think that’ll have to wait,” Toph said, turning to face the newcomer.

“Hello, Zuko here,” the prince said, raising his arms up in greeting. Immediately, everyone except you took a fighting stance. You didn’t really pay attention to most of the conversation, too busy staring at Zuko’s hair. It had grown out some and to be honest, you thought it looked really good.

“Wait,” you interrupted, stepping forward slightly. “You look really good with your hair like that. Not to say you didn’t look good before but this, wow. you’re even hotter.”

“(Y/N)!” Sokka and Katara exclaimed at the same time. Sokka pulled you back before smacking you lightly. You smacked him back, the two of you bickering nonstop. You missed Zuko’s bewildered expression, along with most of the conversation.

“There's no way we can trust you after everything you've done,” Aang spoke, catching your attention. “We'll never let you join us.”

“You need to get out of here,” Katara added, a hard expression on her face. “Now.”

Zuko looked at you, his eyes pleading.

You sighed before speaking, your arms raised in surrender. “Look, I think you’re probably the most attractive guy I’ve ever seen-”

“Hey!” Sokka cried indignantly.

You ignored him. “But to be fair, you did send an assassin after us. Not to mention everything else you’ve done. I can’t help you handsome.”

“If you won't accept me as a friend, then maybe you'll take me as a prisoner,” Zuko said, kneeling with his hands out. You looked at Katara, a suggestive smirk on your face.

“(Y/N), stop,” she sighed before turning back to Zuko and bending some water. “No, we won't! Get out of here, and don't come back! And if we ever see you again, well, we'd better not see you again!”

Zuko bowed his head and turned to walk away, glancing back once more. For once, you didn’t meet his eyes.

~

“Has anyone seen Toph,” you asked as you rushed into the courtyard. “I haven’t seen her since yesterday.”

“I haven’t seen her since she stormed off yesterday,” Sokka said, polishing his sword.

“Maybe we should go look for her,” Katara said, noticing your distress.

“We’ll look for her!” The Duke said, rushing off with Haru and Teo.

You whirled around when you heard a loud rumble, only to see a gaping hole in the wall. Toph tumbled out of it, her eyes wide.

“Toph!” you exclaimed, wrapping her up in a hug. “What happened?”

“My feet got burned,” she replied, pushing you off of her.

Her feet were an angry red and you felt your anger rise up as you realized who had done it. “The next time I see Zuko I swear to the spirits that I will-”

“It was an accident,” Toph interrupted you, placing a hand on your arm. You bit your lip as Sokka carried her over to the fountain.

“Ah that’s the stuff,” Toph said, closing her eyes as she dipped her feet in. Soka opened his mouth to say something only to be cut off by an explosion. Being the closest to the source, you were flung back, metal and stone landing on top of you.

“(Y/N)!” you heard Aang yell as everyone else ran away.

“I’m fine!” you called back. “Go I’ll be okay.”

You bended as much earth as you could away from you, only to still be stuck when you realized you couldn’t move the metal.

“We have to get (Y/N),” Toph said, worriedly grabbing onto Katara.

“We will. Hold on,” Sokka said, staring at the blasts Combustion Man was sending their way. After a few more blasts, he was able to tell where he was and aimed his boomerang. The boomerang met it’s mark and they all ran out, Sokka and Toph immediately going over to you.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but thanks Zuko,” Aang spoke softly.

“Hey! What about me?” Sokka asked, helping you up. Your leg was injured but luckily nothing had been broken. Sokka was fussing over you, looking at the nasty bruise that had been left from the metal and you were trying to push him away, claiming that you didn’t need his help.

“...I’d like for you to teach me,” Aang’s words gained yours and Sokka’s attention. Zuko bowed.

“Thank you. I’m so happy you’ve accepted me into your group.”

“Not so fast,” Aang said. “I still have to ask my friends if it's okay with them. Toph, you're the one that Zuko burned. What do you think?”

“Go ahead and let him join,” Toph said as the pounded her fist into her palm. “It'll give me plenty of time to get back at him for burning my feet.”

“Sokka?” Aang asked.

“Hey, all I want is to defeat the Fire Lord,” the Water Tribe Boy shrugged. “If you think this is the way to do it, then, I'm all for it.“

“Katara?”

“I'll go along with whatever you think is right,” she said simply, glaring at Zuko.

“What about you (Y/N)?” Aang asked, already knowing what your answer would be.

“You’re telling me I’m going to have to see him every day?” you asked, gesturing towards Zuko. “That sounds like a dream come true.”

“Thank you,” Zuko said, redder than a tomato. “I won’t let you down.”

“I’m sure you won’t,” you replied. Groans were heard from everyone else.

~ “Come on (Y/N)!” Toph yelled at you. “Do it!”

You stared at the metal in front of you, trying to concentrate on it. You were in the courtyard, a few days after Combustion Man’s downfall. Zuko and Aang were firebending a few feet away from where Toph was trying to teach you how to metalbend. Ever since you had gotten trapped, she had been insistent on teaching you.

With a loud huff, you closed your eyes. You reached out focuising as much as you could and turning the pieces of metal in front of you into smooth, shiny balls. You opened your eyes when you heard clapping, turning to see Aang cheering softly for you. Zuko stood behind him, shirtless.

“That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” Toph taunted, bending the balls of metal back into scraps. “Do it again. This time concentrate harder. I don’t know why you’re so distracted today.”

“You don’t know why I’m distracted?” you said turning to face Aang and Zuko. “Prince Handsome over here is training shirtless and you expect me to not be distracted by that?”

“I don’t get distracted by that,” Toph countered.

“Of course not,” you said, facing her again. “You’re blind.”

Aang snickered and Zuko coughed as he tried to choke back his laughter.

“Do it again,” Toph barked. “Zuko come stand next to me.”

Zuko complied and crossed his arms as he stood next to Toph. You found yourself blushing lightly as you stared at the way his arms flexed before focusing on the metal once more. You struggled for a few minutes, feeling Zuko’s eyes on you. You glanced at him once more, watching his arms flex once again as he shifted in place. Looking up at his face, you saw him already looking at you, a smirk on his face.

You looked back at the metal trying not to look at the prince again. He knew exactly what he was doing to you.

~

It wasn’t until Ember Island that you got to spend more time around Zuko. After the day Toph had made him stand next to her as she trained you, you made sure to train as far as you could possibly get from the prince. That didn’t stop you from flirting with him every other chance you had though, always commenting on how you couldn’t train around him because he made you flustered.

Your comments seemed to make him equally, if not more, flustered.

The day you guys went to see the play, you had sat next to him, intertwining your fingers when the lights went off. He had stiffened up, an unreadable look on his face when he felt your hand in his. Thinking he had been uncomfortable, you pulled back your hand, only to blush when he pulled it back towards him this time taking it upon himself to intertwine your fingers.

Your hands remained intertwined for the rest of the play, even when you exited the private box for the intermission. You didn’t miss the smug looks from everyone else and while Zuko blushed, you had simply leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek the same way you had back in Ba Sing Se.

When the second half of the play started, you proceeded to lean on Zuko, nestling your head in the crook of his neck. His heart racing, Zuko disconnected your hands before wrapping his arm around your waist and pulling you in closer. You closed your eyes as you leaned into him, enjoying the warmth that seemed to radiate from him.

~

The next few days were spent watching Aang and Zuko training as you lounged around the beach house. You spent most of your time with Toph as she kept drilling metalbending into you until you could do it with your eyes closed.

A few nights before Sozin’s comet, you found yourself sitting on the roof of the house, staring up at the moon. You jumped slightly when you felt someone sitting next to you, the warmth emitting from them telling you it was Zuko.

“What are you doing up so late?” he asked, his eyes never leaving you.

“I could ask you the same thing,” you hummed, still looking at the moon. You looked at him to see him scowling. “I couldn’t sleep so I came out here to look at the moon.”

“Sokka’s first girlfriend turned into the moon,” Zuko said, fidgeting under your gaze.

“That’s rough,” you said, looking back up.

It was silent for a few minutes before Zuko spoke up again. “Why do you like teasing me so much?”

You looked at him, bewildered. “Teasing you?”

“Yeah,” Zuko said, turning to face you. “All the compliments and the kisses and everything. Why?”

“It’s called flirting, Prince Zuko,” you said with a smile. “People typically do it when they’re attracted to or like somebody.”

“So why do you do it to me?”

You stared at him in disbelief, wondering if he was joking or if he was truly that oblivious. “Because I like you!”

Zuko’s eyes widened in surprise at your words. “You like me?”

“I thought you knew! I thought that’s why you kept flexing the day Toph kept trying to get me to metalbend,” you hissed poking his arm.

“I was joking around,” Zuko replied, swatting your hand away. “I thought you saying I was distracting you was a joke so I kept flexing to tease you.”

“Well you did tease me,” you mumbled. “Just not in the way you’re thinking of.”

“So,” Zuko said, not meeting your eyes. “You really like me?”

You rolled your eyes before leaning forwards, pressing a firm kiss to his lips. His eyes widened in shock before he closed them, his hand reaching up to cup your face as he melted into the kiss. You pulled back and giggled as his lips chased yours, pecking him once more before leaning back. “Does that answer your question?”

Zuko nodded quickly before grabbing your hand. “I like you too.”

You smiled as you shuffled closer to him. “Good. I’d be pretty upset if you didn’t.”

You gasped lightly as Zuko pressed his lips back to yours, sliding his arms around your waist and pulling you into his lap. Your arms wound around his neck, hands tangling in his hair as you eagerly kissed back. Zuko pulled away first, a chuckle escaping him.

“What?” you asked leaning your head against his shoulder.

“I can’t believe uncle was right,” he replied. At your questioning gaze, he explained.

“You did end up wooing me.”

~

AHAHAHAHAAHHHH i hope this is good i spent a lot of time on this one and i’m not too proud of it but i hope you enjoy <3

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Imagine leaving the fire nation with Zuko when he was banished and helping comfort him when he’s having his breakdown.

Your years of banishment had been pretty uneventful at first, just travelling the seas and every corner of the earth looking for the avatar who didn’t exist. Then he suddenly did and your life was turned into an endless chase. You honestly didn’t care that the avatar was the biggest threat to the fire nation but as it was Zuko’s mission to capture him you helped. Then after Zuko’s many failed attempts Ozai sent Azula and you went from being the hunters to the hunted. You, Iroh and Zuko all had to go into hiding and Zuko took it the hardest. He’d been in an awful mood for days but when Iroh offered to teach him lightning bending he perked up and put all his effort into learning the skill.

You however, were more than happy to stand and watch from a distance. You had always been scared of lightning and although you’d done a good job hiding it in the palace (if you showed it you knew Azula would constantly do it so you managed to stifle your flinches) you still didn’t want to get too close. So you stayed by camp preparing food for later when suddenly you heard yelling. You stood up and frowned to see Iroh and Zuko arguing. Zuko was clearly angry at Iroh and pushed past him storming away. You ran over to Iroh and watched as Zuko stalked away from your camp. “What happened, what’s wrong with him?”. Iroh sighed “he wanted me to fire lightning at him but I refused and now he’s heading out into the middle of a storm”. You frowned looking up at the sky, it was drizzling but it didn’t seem like storm weather. "I’ll go after him, see if I can get him to calm down" you suggested and Iroh nodded “thank you y/n”.

As you rushed after Zuko you were hit with the irony that this was what you always seemed to be doing. Following Zuko around, trying to calm him down, but that’s was friends did. When Zuko was banished you weren’t sure if it was the thought of being truly alone in the fire nation or just all the pain and sadness you knew he must be feeling but for some reason you demanded to go with him. The whole point of a banishment was to make people leave not stay and so you managed to talk your way into accompanying Zuko easily. You helped Iroh nurse Zuko back to health from his injury and it was really hard at first. When his burn was fresh it was so angry and painful but Ozai didn’t let you have the royal physician work on him. It was mainly up to you and Iroh and you did everything you could. At first the main worry was if Zuko would lose his eyesight or even his eye but Iroh managed to save both. When Zuko did wake up he was in excruciating pain constantly and it killed you to see him lie so clearly wreathing in pain but refusing to show it. He thought he deserved it and that killed you further. You wanted to shake him and yell that it wasn’t his fault, that it was Ozai’s but Zuko had a problem seeing who his father was. You’d given up trying to tell him and for the sake of your friendship decided to just support him, Iroh assured you Zuko would eventually realise the truth of everything and you prayed he was right.

You continued following Zuko but through the countryside but he was moving very quickly and you struggled to gain any ground on him. Soon Zuko disappeared from your view altogether and you just carried on hoping you’d find him. Iroh was right and soon the light rain turned into a downpour. Then the lightning started and you jumped every time a bolt boomed across the valley. If it was anyone else the lightning would’ve scared you off but Zuko was your closest friend, you had to find him. Your foot slipped as another lightning bolt lit up the sky and you sighed but continued to follow the direction Zuko had gone in. You were beginning to give up finding him when you came to the top of the hill and saw him stood on a cliff edge. You paused taken back at the sight and then you realised what he was yelling. He was  screaming for lightning to hit him, sobbing and yelling at the storm to strike him. He looked the most broken you’d ever seen him. Even worse than when he was first banished, at least then he’d had a mission he pretended was reasonable, now as a fugitive hiding from Azula as well as the earth kingdom he didn’t have that. He didn’t have any hope. Zuko was broken and Ozai had done this to him. The thought alone brought tears to your eyes and reaffirmed the fierce protectiveness you felt for him. "Zuko!" you yelled through the storm and somehow he heard you. He turned around shocked before returning his gaze to the lightning "what are you doing here y/n?". "I’m making sure you’re not doing anything stupid like trying to get hit by lightning". Zuko didn’t respond to your joke "go back y/n" he said simply and you paused. "No i...Zuko this is dangerous the storm is really close". "So go" Zuko said yelling at you now. He was angry at the world and you were the nearest thing for him to vent it through.  "I don’t want you here i didn’t ask you to come with me! If it’s so dangerous then go! You never should've come here with me anyway, you should be back in the fire nation not here with me". "Wait why is this about me leaving the fire nation with you?" you asked and Zuko glared. "Because you and my uncle are always so selfless, it makes me sick! You changed your whole lives for me, you helped me recover from my burn you both try and appease me but it’s useless! I will never accomplish my mission, i will never be able to take us back home! I’ve ruined both of your lives and seeing you trying to help me makes me sick with anger. I can’t fix it y/n, i can't repair the damage, i can’t get my honour back, I can’t" he yelled and collapsed on his knees shaking with tears. You wrapped your arms around him and held him as he carried on sobbing. "No wonder father prefers Azula i’m useless! Useless, useless" he carried on hitting the ground with his fists until you grabbed them so he couldn’t. Zuko kept repeating the world useless however and so you just held onto him tightly as he cried. Eventually he stopped talking and just sobbed into your neck. You were crying too seeing him so defeated and just held onto him tightly. The rain was mercilessly pelting you both but you didn’t even register it, you were too focused on what was happening to your best friend. "You’re not alone and you’re not useless" you told him "we don’t care for you because we think you’ll save us but because we love you, you are worth it Zuko" you told him raising his face to yours "you are worthy". Zuko just stared so you hugged him again and Zuko clutched you tightly. The rain showed no signs of stopping and after a close lightning bolt you managed to get Zuko to stand and come with you. You found shelter in a small cave and led him inside. Zuko collapsed on the floor as soon as he was inside and you helped him lean against the side of the cave. He was shaking and still crying so you wrapped your arms around him again. Zuko leant into you and you patted his back trying to soothe him. Finally Zuko stopped crying but he didn’t move away from you. You supposed he needed the comfort and had no intention of denying him that...but you were still so close to all the rain and cold. Your feet and hands were freezing and you were itching to make a fire and move further into the cave. After waiting as long as you could you spoke softly "Zuko we should make a fire....you’re freezing". Zuko got off you without a word and followed you as you walked further into the cave. You found the makings of an old campfire and the wood lit instantly. Zuko moved closer to the fire and sat hunched over his knees. You came to sit beside him and silence settled. You were sure he must be hungry and searched through your bag for some food. It was soaked but you managed to find an only slightly damp packet of fire flakes at the bottom. You opened it and held it out to Zuko. He glanced at you over his shoulder and you shook it "we won’t be able to travel in this weather so we'll be stuck here for the night, i’m sorry but this is the only food i have". Zuko sniffed "it’s okay" and took a handful. You both sat munching on the food quietly until it was all gone. You added the packet to the flame and tried warming your hands on the fire. "You’re shivering" Zuko noticed and you shrugged "it’s okay". "No it’s not, you’re soaking wet and trapped in this cave all because of me". You shook your head "not because of you, yes i choose to follow you but not because I had to. I did it because i wanted to, i’m not your responsibility". Zuko shrugged "i guess but you wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for me". You knew he actually meant this whole situation not just the cave and sighed worried he still blamed himself. "Maybe but we are here so the only thing to do is to make the best of it, how about we try to sleep? Things will look better in the morning". Zuko didn’t reply but you laid down close to the fire and hoped he’d copy you. "Make the best of it" you heard Zuko mutter "okay". Zuko suddenly grabbed your shoulders and began dragging you to the side of the fire nearest the cave opening. "What are you doing?" you asked laughing and Zuko smiled "making the best of it, if we have to sleep here then you should be near the fire but we also need to make sure it doesn’t go out so we’ll block the wind with our bodies and still get the benefit of the fire”. The wind blew angrily against your back and you frowned before Zuko sat down putting himself between it and you. He blocked the cold and the fire’s warmth was more noticeable. "Better?" he asked and you nodded "thanks". A massive lightning bolt struck right outside the cave and your whole body jumped. Zuko laughed “what was that?”. “I...I hate lightning”. “What since when?” Zuko asked and you shrugged “since forever, i can usually hide it when i’m safe inside but when I’m in the middle of a storm....” you trailed off when another bolt struck and you flinched again. They seemed to be getting closer. Zuko smirked “it’s okay it can’t get us in here”. You nodded “i know that but...”. Zuko paused and cautiously put an arm around you “does this help?”. You managed not to blush but you couldn’t look at his face. “I...yes”. Zuko nodded and he smiled slightly before pausing. "Y/n about today....". "It’s okay" you said immediately but Zuko shook his head. "No it’s not, i didn’t mean to yell at you but i did and that was wrong. I’m so sorry". "You were just upset" you shrugged and Zuko nodded "i was but you are not the person to direct that at, all you and my uncle have ever done is be there for me, even changing your whole lives for me and i guess i feel guilty about that, like i’ve dragged you down with me". "You didn’t drag me anywhere i came willingly and so did your uncle because we care about you, you don’t have to be held responsible for that, we don’t hold you to that and so you shouldn’t. We made our decision and neither of us would change it". "Really you’d still decide to follow me out here in the storm?" Zuko asked with a smirk. "I’d like to say yes but i can’t feel my toes". Zuko laughed but noticed you were indeed still shivering. Zuko moved closer to you again and tightened his grip on you. You didn’t manage to hide your blush this time but luckily Zuko was looking away to also hide his own blush so he didn’t notice. "Thank you" Zuko said suddenly "that’s what i’m trying to say....i don’t know what i did to deserve someone like you in my life but somehow you’re here and i want to thank you, i don’t do it enough but thank you for being with me, for not giving up on me, it means a lot". "I’ll always be here for you" you smiled. "Really?" Zuko asked smiling, you knew he was joking but could also hear the sharp undertone of his voice, that part that was seriously asking, scared you didn’t mean it. "Always" you nodded and laid a hand on his cheek. Zuko’s blush deepened and you pretended not to notice. "We should go to sleep” you smiled and Zuko nodded still pink "erm good idea". You lowered your head against his chest to hide your smirk at Zuko’s awkwardness and folded into his side. With the rain pouring outside and the warm fire you were actually very comfortable. Zuko seemed to be too and you smiled as he stroked your arm absentmindedly "goodnight y/n" he said softly and you smiled "goodnight Zuko".

[atlabeth]

transferred part eleven - atla smau

masterlist | part ten | part twelve

there’s a time skip of about a month between this and the last chapter just so u know

summary: trying to run from your past is hard, but falling for your brother’s roommate is even harder. little do you know that he’s falling for you as well.

a/n: i am so sorry this took so long to come out. i’ve been really unmotivated to write in general plus i’ve been super busy with school. i also have been hating everything i write lately i rewrote this like 4 times before i was okay with it lmao. also realizing that i might’ve channeled my stress over school into this chapter. manifesting a tea date w zuko

wc: 1.9k 

warning(s): cursing, pining, some very stressed out college kids, a painfully awkward zuko after a fun realization

perm taglist: @dv0412 @siriuslyslyslytherin

transferred taglist: @ourbestfriend-mishacollins @lil-lex1 @xxshad0wxb1rdxx @zuko-is-the-sun @akiris @irohs-teapot @thatarthistorynerd @charlenasaxen @minninugget @marvel-ousnesss @count-thotticus @what-ye-egg @furblrwurblr @thesstuff @mariachiii @ietss @dizzy-miss-lizzieeeeee @xbarrjallenx @tommy-braccoli @dreamsluvrr @floofybread @thelovelylolly @lin-biefong-is-my-life @tiffanyy-21 @sistheselenophile @theincredibledeadlyviper​ 

“Take all the time you need, I can see that it’s a very busy day.” Your head shot up from below the counter when you heard the voice and a grin broke out on your face. 

“Zuko! What are you doing here?” You felt the heat rush to your cheeks as he smiled, which was something that seemed to occur every time you were around him. It wasn’t your fault he had a smile that could make anyone melt. 

“Zuko! What are you doing here?” You felt the heat rush to your cheeks as he smiled, which was something that seemed to occur every time you were around him. It wasn’t your fault he had a smile that could make anyone melt. 

“What, am I not allowed to just show up?” He joked as he pulled a chair out from a nearby table and sat down. 

“No, of course you are! This is actually the highlight of my day. It’s just, this is one of your rare days off, so I figured you would wanna spend it doing something better than, uh, coming to the place that you work.” You dropped the towel you had been using to clean on the counter and walked around the register, taking your own seat across from him and crossing one leg over the other. 

“Well.. you sounded really stressed in your texts, so I thought I would pay you a visit. It can’t be easy balancing all of your classes along with this job, and I figured I could try and help with some of that.” 

The grin from before came back and you rested your chin in the palm of your hand. “Zuko, that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me. You didn’t have to come all the way here just to hang out with me when we live together.” 

He seemed taken aback by that, surprisingly so. “How? I mean, you had a boyfriend, right?” Thankfully, you missed him visibly cringing at his choice of words as you looked away and passed it off with a laugh that only sounded slightly strained. 

“Keyword is had. I don’t really wanna get into details, but there’s a reason we broke up.” You opened your mouth to say something else in an attempt of changing to subject to anything that wasn’t your failed love life when you heard a familiar voice behind you. 

“I see that my only working employee is taking a break after her break?” You turned your head in a flash and your eyes widened slightly when you saw it was the one responsible for paying your bills.

“Oh, Iroh! I am so, so sorry. Blame your nephew for distracting me on the clock.” You immediately jumped out of your chair as Iroh came out from the back and he simply shook his head, giving you and Zuko a warm smile. 

“Please, do not worry. This is actually for the two of you.” He set the tray with a teapot and two cups on your table and the calming scent of jasmine immediately washed over you.

“Are you sure? I mean, you’re practically paying me to do nothing right now,” you asked, hesitantly settling back in your seat. 

“I have complete faith that you will be able to handle anything that comes your way — today has been a slow day anyways, so you will be fine.” 

“Don’t even try to stop my uncle once he’s made up his mind about something,” Zuko chuckled. Iroh gave his nephew a knowing look that made him blush as he continued walking towards the door.

“Enjoy your date!” He called as he exited the store. Zuko’s face somehow turned an even brighter shade of red and you bit down the smile growing on your lips. You wouldn’t mind if this was a date, of course, but you knew it wasn’t. It was just one of your best friends coming in to see you to help you wade through the endless sea of stress you had found yourself lost in. Definitely not a date. 

“Y/N?” Zuko’s voice snapped you out of your pondering and you nodded with a small laugh. 

“Sorry, just got lost there for a second.” You picked up the teapot and poured a decent amount into both of your cups. “Y’know, I’ve actually started to like tea since I started working here,” you mused, taking a small sip of your own once you finished. “That might have something to do with the fact that we get a discount, but you’d be amazed at the things I’ve grown to like just because they’re cheap.” 

Zuko responded with a laugh of his own, and from there, conversation flowed easily. You weren’t even aware of how much time had passed as the two of you traded stories — your classes, events from your childhoods, your high school experiences — about anything and everything. Your stress melted away a little bit more with each shared anecdote and cup of tea. 

You found yourself enthralled with everything Zuko said — it wasn’t so much the material as much as the way he just… was. The way his eyes sparkled when he talked about his passions, how he tapped his fingers against the ceramic cup when he got excited, and of course, that smile that made you melt. You hung onto every word he said, but you enjoyed him simply being there just as much, if not more. 

And as Zuko watched you talk animatedly, barely able to get through the story you were trying to tell without laughing every other word, he knew that he would do anything to keep that smile on your face. The million dollar smile that lit up every room you walked into and made his heart burst at the seams every time without fail. He wanted you to see yourself the way he saw you, and he would do anything to make you happy. 

It was at that moment that Zuko realized that he was crushing on his best friend’s sister. Hard. 

“Shit,” he muttered. Your story grinded to a halt, exaggerated hand gestures frozen in the air, as you fixed him with a questioning look. 

“Did you say something?”

“No, no— Just- it was nothing. Keep going,” he gave an encouraging smile and nodded for you to continue, which you happily obliged. 

“So, anyways, that was how my lab partner asking a question led to us setting our entire experiment on fire,” you finished with a chuckle. You hit your hands against the table a few times then stood up. “Thank you for this Zuko, really. I wish we could just stay here talking, but I’m not getting paid to do nothing. I gotta get back to work.” 

You waited for a response, but the faraway look in his eyes once again signalled that he wasn’t paying attention. You sighed and snapped your fingers in front of his face, and that seemed to get him out of his stupor. “Hello? Earth to Zuko? 

He blinked a couple times and you let your hand fall to the table, concern flickering across your face for a second. “Sorry! Just.. thinking.” 

“About what?” 

“Classes,” he blurted after a too-long pause. 

You could tell that he was hiding something — throughout your time spent together, you had picked up on how he would always pick at the skin on his right thumb whenever he was nervous — but you didn’t want to push him. 

“I take offense to that, Zuko. You think that your classes are more important than my very entertaining story about my chem lab, I’m just- I’m heartbroken,” you snickered. “I was just telling you that I enjoyed this, and I really appreciate the break, but I actually have to get back to what I’m being paid to do.”

“Right! I, uh- have to get to those.. classes I was talking about.” He laughed nervously and stood up as well, and the two of you bumped heads as you both reached for the tea tray in the middle. 

You let out an exasperated laugh and backed up, rubbing the heel of your hand against your forehead. “Zuko, please! This is my job, let me do this, okay?”

He opened his mouth and closed it a few times, looking like a fish out of water, as he stared at you with wide eyes. You nodded expectantly and raised your eyebrows and he was finally able to get something out. “Uh- right.” 

You chuckled as you picked up the tray and set the cups on it as well, but it was more than a touch concerned. “Is.. everything okay?” You asked, casting a glance back at him once you reached the register again. “Because I don’t mean to overstep, but you’ve been acting strange ever since I started talking about chemistry. Do you have a thing against molecules or something?” 

“Oh, no—it’s nothing you did! And I don’t have anything against chemistry,” he laughed. “I just.. I have a lot on my mind.” Zuko paused, letting his words linger in the air and causing more than a few questions to pop up in your head, but he broke the silence before you could ask. “I really enjoyed this, though.”

“Well, if you ever wanna talk about that stuff on your mind, then you know I’m here,” you smiled. “I had a great time too. And honestly, Zuko, you might be the only thing getting me through this week.” 

“Well, I’m happy to be of service,” he said, returning your smile. “Do you need me to pick you up after your shift?”

“That’s so sweet of you, but I can just catch a ride with Jin. She works at the dress shop across the street, and she actually lives pretty close to us!” You saw the slightest glimpse of disappointment flicker through his eyes and you stumbled over your words trying to explain. “It’s not that I don’t enjoy your company! I mean, obviously I do, we just talked for like, three hours— it’s just she offered, and I didn’t want to say no, plus she’s in my bio class, so I thought it would be good to get to know her—”

“Y/N, you don’t have to explain yourself to me,” he interrupted with a light laugh. “I don’t mind. I just wanted to make sure that you weren’t trying to get out of it because you didn’t want to make me feel bad or something. I know I’ve told you a million times, but I really don’t mind. You make my mornings brighter.” 

You averted your gaze with a small smile as you felt your cheeks heat up, and you bounced on the balls of your feet. “Cool. I’ll see you when I get home then?” 

“Yeah. Good luck with the rest of your shift, Y/N. I’m glad I could help with some of your stress.” The two of you exchanged waves and then Zuko was on his way. As soon as he left the shop you deflated and leaned against the counter, shaking your head and muttering to yourself. That man didn’t even know the effect he had on you. 

The rest of your shift went by much, much slower than your time with Zuko, but the conversations the two of you had during your break kept buzzing around in your head. And though things had started picking up with customers coming in for their lunch breaks or for a quick tea stop, making a lot of extra work for you, a small smile stayed on your lips for the rest of the day. And it was all thanks to Zuko. 

[oldpotatoe]

to make up for the Other Thing, today i thought about a backwards flwogb. trickster spirit gives sokka a lil head bonk and instead of losing his memories gives him false ones based on his own wishful thinking, where he and zuko have been dating even though they aren’t, and wakes up like “oh zuko no worries babe *smooch * i’m fine” and zuko, who has been secretly in love with him forever, is like “🙂 ....excuse me what” (potential for comedy? yes. potential for zuko angsting??? also yes 🥰)

backwards flwogb... aka... feels like we only go forwards? I may have failed a-level maths, but even I know two negatives equal a positive. quick maffs

god blee your brain though. imagine sokka, who before this moment had grown a tad too touchy feely with zuko anyway-- hand lingering too long on zuko's shoulder, hugs that were tight in the best of ways, a quick ruffle of hair in passing that always annoyed zuko at first before that very same hand would tuck the now-loose strands behind his good ear, making zuko blush in the process-- that very same sokka now grabbing zuko by the collar and pulling him in to plant a massive smooch on his cheek.

"you worry too much, babe," says sokka with a fond eye roll, pushing himself off the bed.

zuko just stands there and tries not to self-combust. "oh no."

because how much of this new sokka is the bump to the head, and how much is it just... sokka losing his inhibitions + muddling his daydreams together to think he and zuko are already a thing?

but zuko doesn't know this. zuko thinks he's just taking advantage of sokka in this vulnerable state. tries to avoid him at all costs. talks as little to him as possible, and pretends he doesn't see the hurt look on sokka's face. holes himself up in his office and hopes the self-loathing doesn't hurt bury everything he's worked so hard to build within himself these last x years

but also insert shenanigans where sokka tries His Damnedest™ to arrange cutesy dates with zuko/ give him back massages to relieve his stress-- haha sokka baby don't you know you ARE the stress--/ basically tries his best to be a good attentive boyfriend while everyone around them is like, "uhh... do we... say? anything? is the fire lord being harassed by the swt ambassador?" (what's the atla version of HR, I wonder?)

until one day, zuko finds himself giving up, giving in to the urge of just... letting himself be loved by the object of his affections. being selfish never felt so good. doesn't help the way he hates himself, for letting sokka believe in the lies he spins around himself while zuko just stands there and watches helplessly.

it can't last. the guilt gets too much. zuko gently breaks up with sokka. "I just don't feel the same about you," he lies through gritted teeth, heart aching. "oh," says sokka, heartbreak evident in his voice and his face and every line of his body and. and zuko can't do this anymore. he flees to iroh's teashop, taking up his allocated days off to serve tea mindlessly, avoiding iroh's gentle prodding and generally being miserable.

anyway when sokka [insert fix to head that resets him a la buzz lightyear spanish mode] and regains his memories, the first thing he does is go storming to ba sing se, absolutely pissed.

"you idiot," he says. "why?"

zuko's mouth flaps open and shut. "uncle's having a sale on the ginseng," he says uselessly, "buy two cups and get the third one--"

"shut UP," growls sokka, crowding into zuko's space. the old ladies on table 4 ooh and aah over this exciting new development to their lunchtime pai sho session. iroh quietly tops up their tea.

"I saw the way you looked at me," says sokka, a lot more quieter now. "when I thought we were together. you-- you love me, don't you?"

and what can zuko say to that, except-- "yes," he says, eyes slipping shut in shame. "I'm sorry for not ending it sooner, I never meant to take advantage of you, I--"

a hand, warm and calloused, winds it's way through the strands slipped loose out of zuko's bun, tucking them behind his ear. it's the same way sokka's always done it, a quietly intimate moment in the otherwise loudness that's always accompanied their interactions. what's new is the way the hand cups his cheek, prompting zuko's eyes to flutter open.

"I love you too," he says.

zuko finds his hand drifting up to clasp sokka's, pushing it away. "you-- you're still-- it's still the-- sokka, it wasn't real--"

"it's always been real to me," says sokka like it's a confession. "I've been in love with you for a long time, now. the head bump just made it-- more."

"aww," say the little old ladies from the back. iroh wipes a tear away from his cheek, gratefully accepting a napkin from mrs ling.

"oh," says zuko, still uselessly, but with a growing warmth in his chest. "well."

"... I tell you all that," disbelief lines sokka's voice, "and all you can say is well? I practically swam across the oceans for you! I had to drop all my duties-- do you even know the shit that's waiting for me when I get back? ambassador chengueng's going to have my head on a-- oomph."

yeah they're kissing. half the jasmine dragon is applauding. the other half is grumbling about terrible service and uncomfortable displays of public affection. iroh just shoves coupons upon the latter and shoves everyone except his hopeless nephew and his equally hopeless was-then-wasnt-now-is-boyfriend out the doors, the end.

[zuko-always-lies]

Remember this(”Avatar Roku”):

Zhao (angrily): No prince. No Avatar. Apparently the only thing I do have is five traitors. Fire Sage: But Commander, only Shyu helped the Avatar. Zhao: Save your stories for the Fire Lord. As far as I'm concerned, you're all guilty! Take them to the prison hold!

For the longest time I thought this was just an example of Zhao being a complete asshole, without any justification.

However, I recently realized something:

Iroh (concerned and frustrated): Sailing into Fire Nation waters... of all the foolish things you have done in your 16 years, Prince Zuko, this is the most foolish. (Scene cuts to a close up of the deck of Zuko's ship. Zuko is in the forefront looking through a high powered spy glass. A guard is behind Zuko to the left. Iroh is behind Zuko to the right.) Zuko: I have no choice, Uncle. Iroh (angrily): Have you completely forgotten that the Fire Lord banished you?!?!? (With a look of anguish and worry) What if you're caught? Zuko (turning around from the spy glass): I'm chasing the Avatar. My father will understand why I'm returning home. Iroh: You give him too much credit. My brother is not the understanding type.

And 

Zuko: He's not turning around. Iroh: Please Prince Zuko, if the Fire Nation captures you, there is nothing I can do. Do not follow the Avatar. Zuko (bowing his head): I'm sorry, Uncle. (Turning to his helmsman, he points forward) Run the blockade!

And

Zhao: The Avatar...and the banished Prince. This must be my lucky day. Soldier: Commander Zhao, what are your orders? Zhao: Shoot the Bison down. Soldier: But there's a Fire Navy ship out there, Sir, one of our own. What if it's hit? Zhao: So be it. (The soldier starts back in alarm.) It belongs to a traitor. (Zhao turns towards a soldier standing ready at the trebuchet.) Ignite! (The soldier ignites one trebuchet. The camera pans down the length of the ship as each soldier ignites his assigned trebuchet.) Launch!!!

And

(Scene cuts back to the entryway. Four of the Fire Sages and Prince Zuko assume firebending poses. They shoot five simultaneous fire blasts at the doors. This time, however, the lock mechanism does not respond. The camera cuts to a close up of Zuko's face. He is extremely aggravated.) Zuko: Why isn't it working? It's sealed shut! Fire Sage: It must have been the light. Avatar Roku doesn't want us inside.

And

(Camera cuts to a close up of Aang's face. He is shocked and amazed. He bows deeply to Avatar Roku. The scene cuts back to the entryway to the sanctuary. Shyu is kneeling on the floor in front of Prince Zuko. His hands are tied behind his back. The four Fire Sages stand behind him.) Zuko: Why did you help the Avatar? Shyu: Because it was once the Sages' duty. It is still our duty.

And 

Zhao: What a moving and heartfelt performance. I'm certain the Fire Lord will understand when you explain why you betrayed him. Fire Sage (bowing): Commander Zhao... Zhao: And Prince Zuko, it was a noble effort. But your little smoke screen didn't work. Two traitors, in one day, the Fire Lord will be pleased.

The Fire Sages did, in fact, commit a serious offense: not only did they fail to apprehend the banished Zuko when he entered Fire Nation territory, they actively aided and allied with him. What Zhao is doing is still a dick move, but he has some sort of justification for it.

[domxmarvel]

Loyalty

Masterlist

Requested by: Anon

Pairing: Zuko X Male!Reader    

Words:835

Request:How about Zuko x male soldier reader who makes a promise to never leave his side once Zuko ends up having a small break down about questioning his abilities to actually capture Anng, Maybe the two were always close friends when they were young and he chose to follow Zuko after his exile

The crew was gathered around when you were interrupted.Zhao wanted to take the whole crew,to help his invasion on the north pole.You slipped away while he was talking to Iroh,your blood ran cold as you ran to Zuko’s room.

“Prince Zuko”He bolted up

“Y/N,what’s wrong?”He asked,moving closer.You could hear footsteps heading your way,quickly followed by Iroh walking in.You moved to stand next to Zuko as Zhao walked in

“I’m taking your crew”Zhao announced

“What”Zuko shouted  

“I've recruited them for a little expedition to the North Pole”Zuko turned to Iroh

“Uncle, is that true?”

“I'm afraid so. He's taking everyone” Zhao took a step closer

“Sorry you won't be there to watch me capture the Avatar. But I can't have you getting in my way again”You could see Zuko tense up,but quickly managed to grab his arm before he charged at Zhao. “Also i’m taking Y/N” Everyone went silent,you could cut the tension with a knife. You could feel Zuko tense up again.

“I’m sorry general”You let go of Zuko,moving to stand in front of him “But you’re forgetting that I'm not a crew member,I am prince Zuko’s personal guard. I’m staying here,my loyalty is only to him”Zhao went silent and even though you could’t see Zuko’s face,you could feel him smirking behind you.

“I respect your loyalty,but when you realize that you swore loyalty to the wrong man. Know that my offer still stands”

***

The next night you were out on the deck,you had said your goodbyes to the crew. The silence felt strange,when you were snapped out of your thoughts.

“Y/N”It was Iroh “I’m going for a walk,would you like to join me?”

“No thank you,i have to stay where prince Zuko is”

“I’ll be back in a bit”He started walking away and suddenly stopped. “Y/N i know Zhao’s offer was temping bu-”Normal you’d never interrupt him,but something about this made it almost impossible to not say anything

“It’s not that tempting,i meant what i said.I’m only loyal to prince Zuko”

“Thank you,my nephew might not ever say it but he appreciates what you did,”Iroh said before he left.

After a while of staring at nothing,you walked in.You knocked on the door and didn’t get an answer.A few seconds later,you pushed the door open and walked in. Zuko sat up when he saw you

“Y/N?”He stood up “I thought you left”

“You remember what i told Zhao,right?”

“I remember exactly what you said”He sighed,you moved closer to him

“May i?”

“You don’t have to ask,just sit down”

“What’s bothering you? Well other then what happened with Zhao”He suddenly leaned against you

“Did you really mean what you said? I mean I've been trying to capture the avatar for a while and I've just failed at every opportunity.I-I don’t know if i can do this,maybe i’m doomed to fail and never regain my honor”

“I know it’s been difficult but you can’t just give up,we don’t know how long it’ll take but you can be sure of one thing.”You reached out,putting your hand on his “That i’ll be by your side when you do”

"Y/N" You looked up meeting his eyes,he moved closer and suddenly you were kissing. You reached up,cupping his cheek as his arms wrapped around your waist. You pulled away for a second only to be immediately pulled back in. He only pulled away when he needed to breathe,you pressed your forehead against his. You leaned back in,but pulled away when you heard a noise and bolted up.

“Did you hear that?”

 "Y/N calm down it's probably just my uncle"He reassured you,trying to pull you back. But your instincts told you that something was wrong.

"I'm gonna check"

"Wait" He walked up to you "I'm coming with you"

"Just stay behind me,my prince"

"You know you don't have to call me that,you can just call me Zuko" You gave him a quick kiss before walking out of the room.You made your way through the halls,ending up at the bridge.Noticing that one of the windows was open,you moved to close it.When you got close you could smell something,it smelt like burning.You quickly turned towards Zuko,who was looking out the other window.Looking out you could see the same green bird thing that the pirate captain had,immediately you put two and two together.You knew there wasn’t enough time

“Zuko”As soon as you said his name there was a huge explosion,he pulled you towards his body.When the fire reached you,he used his bending to push the fire out of the way letting you run out.

[p-artsypants]

Wip Ask Game

Spy X Family - Enlisted, Avatar Grin and bear it, and Your HTTYD stuff all look interesting.

Hi hi!! From this WIP Game post. I mentioned Enlisted already, but I’ll talk about it again.

I haven’t written any of it yet. It was supposed to be about Twilight being compromised and having a hit out for him. His identity is revealed while he, Yor, and Anya are hiding in the house. But the SS find Yor’s weapon stash and they assume she’s in on it with him. So the family has to stealthily flee the country. While escaping, Yor and Anya reveal themselves by their actions. Anya tells Twilight to give his gun to Yor while he’s driving, “Mama’s a great shot!” And Yor takes out two cars while their being chased. It’s all in my head. Maybe it’ll get written one day lol

Grin and Bear It- I started writing it right after we finished Avatar. I didn’t get very far, but I shall share it! 

It hurt. It hurt every waking moment of his pitiful existence. The salves were supposed to be helping, that’s what the healers had said.

“It’ll get better once the fever breaks.” A woman said.

“The scaring shouldn’t be too bad.” Said a man.

“It’ll be okay,” said someone that sounded like Uncle Iroh.

But the horrible truth was, he would never be the same. Honor lost, skin gone, pain, hate, anger...

It was so much. So much to bear. Even for a full grown man, but he was just 13. 13 and a prince of the most powerful man in the world. This shouldn’t have happened to him.

Hours went by, too tired to stay awake, but in too much pain to rest. So he laid there in agony, waiting for the fever to break or the infection to take him. Whatever happened first.

Then, after hours, days maybe, he opened his eye, and asked for water.

It was so cold. So soothing. So everything these last few days hadn’t been. He gulped it down, wanted to just dive in it.

But the cup was taken away, and he was pushed back down to lay.

Then there was silence, but only for a moment, until the door opened and closed again.

The temperature in the room rose, evaporating his sweat.

Zuko opened his eye again, seeing the light glint off of a crown. The Fire Lord’s crown.

“I’m disappointed in you, Prince Zuko.”

It was like being burned all over again.

“You failed the very simple instructions given you, time and time again. You spoke out of turn, and you refused to fight in the Agni Kai.”

“I’m sorry...” Zuko whispered. And he meant it. He truly was sorry. He’d never act with a free spirit ever again.

“Sorry doesn’t restore honor. You humiliated me. You dishonored you’re family, your nation, everything. Now what will you do to make up for it?”

What could he offer? Zuko has nothing of his own to give. He was just a boy with no accomplishments. What could he possibly do.

“Anything...” he whispered. “I’ll do anything.”

Ozai gave the smallest twitch of a smile. “The only thing that stands in the way of our nation’s greatest achievement is the Avatar, master of all four elements. He must be out there somewhere. Either an old water bender, or an even older air bender. Capture him, or convince him to join us, and I’ll restore your honor.”

“Thank you...father...”

“But until that day, you are banished. I’ll grant you the rest of the week to heal, and then you must leave, and never return without the Avatar.”

“But..how do find him...?”

Ozai stood. “That is not my concern.”

“Thank you for coming to see me...”

“It is beneath me to visit the infirmary. Count it lucky that I gave you this mission in person. The next time I see you, you better have the Avatar.”

“Yes, My King...”

The door shut behind him.

—

That was three long years ago. Three long years of searching, hopping from town to town, ruin to ruin, shaking up villagers and merchants and never finding a single clue.

The Avatar was a myth. A fool’s  errand.

But he couldn’t be. He just couldn’t be. For the sake of that scarred, dishonored 13 year old boy, he couldn’t be.

“Have you eaten yet today, Prince Zuko?” Asked Iroh.

“No. We haven’t stopped at a village in days and I’d rather starve than eat more of that grizzle the chef calls food.”

“You should plug your nose then, it’s better to eat gross food than no food. You’re a growing boy.”

“I’ll pass.”

Iroh lingered for a moment before saying. “You know, we really ought to be making our way north again. The man have been complaining about the cold, the food, everything. It’s not wise to keep a crew unhappy for so long.”

“We haven’t finished scouring the ice yet. We knew this was going to be rough. It’s their fault if they didn’t prepare.”

Iroh sighed, out of steam. “You’re right, my dear nephew.”

Just then, off the front of the ship, a beam of light burst from the ice in the distance.

“That’s it! That has to be from the Avatar! Tell the crew to double the speed south! We’re close!”

As Zuko left the cabin, Iroh muttered to himself, “that’s what I was afraid of.”

—

Zuko stood at the front of the ship as it poorly navigated through the icy straits.

“Can’t this hunk of iron go any faster?!” He shouted at the Captain.

“We’re low on coal, your highness. This is as fast as we can safely go.”

Zuko ground his teeth in frustration.

They were close. He could feel it.

Like a blessing from the spirits themselves, a flare shot into the sky.

“Is that a Fire Nation flare?” Asked Iroh, confused as to where it would have come from.

Zuko ripped a spy glass out of the captain’s hands, zooming in to the launch site. There. There were two figures, one definitely an airbender based on his movements.

“Pretty spry for an old man…”

“Where did he come from?”

“No clue…” he panned the spy glass over, catching the outer walls of a water tribe village just a mile or two out. “…but I bet that’s where they’re going.”

“What is your plan, Prince Zuko?” Asked Iroh, calmly.

“We’re going to pay the Southern Water Tribe a visit, and have a talk with the Avatar.”

“Just a talk?” Asked the captain, vainly containing annoyance.

“Yes. There’s no way we’re going to convince him to join our cause if we resort to violence. We have to do this carefully.”

“Very good,” Iroh praised. “What are you going to say to him?”

“I have that speech you helped me write out. I’ll read that.”

“You’re just going to read to him? Oh come now, Nephew. He’s not going to take you seriously unless you’re sincere.”

“I’m not improving.” Zuko said firmly. And everyone on deck agreed, that was a terrible idea.

“Still,” Iroh continued, “You shouldn’t rattle off the whole thing. The Avatar is wise, old, and as an airbender, a pacifist. He will appreciate human connection.”

“Why don’t you do it then?”

“This is not my quest. It is your destiny to speak with the Avatar. Don’t let nerves ruin it for you.”

“I’m not nervous!”

Despite this proclamation, his heart rate still rose as the little village came closer.

Zuko stomped across the deck, talking to himself. “Your alliance is critical in ending this war. If the other nations see that you’re working with us, they will see we have nothing but good intentions towards them.”

“Like what?”

“What?”

“You’re doing good, Nephew, what are the good intentions?”

Zuko clenched his jaw, narrowing his eyes, before continuing his pacing. “Technological advances, ways to improve agricultural and fishing. Also seizing the means of production to create steel, which allows for stronger ships, tools, and buildings.”

“Good good. Keep going.”

“A tight alliance between the Fire Nation means armed trade routes to protect imports from bandits and thieves, though the Fire Nation itself has cut back on crime with stricter punishments and programs that help the impoverished. With stricter policing, citizens feel more comfortable living in the city, traveling out at night, and spending money on goods and services, making a prosperous economy.”

“Excellent, wrap it up.”

“So, in sort, the Avatar represents a foundation of truth and hope, and to have you align with us would show we only have the best intentions and the fighting will cease.”

“Well done, Nephew. How do you think that went?”

“It sounded rehearsed, like the 50 other times I’ve said it.”

“But it sounds less like the formal speech you have prepared in the cabin.”

“Father would have gone with the prepared speech.”

“Your father is not the one leading this mission. You need to conduct it the way you see fit.”

“Brace for impact!” Called the helmsmen, mere seconds before the boat gave a sickening lurch.

Zuko nearly ran down into the hull, waiting for the nose of the ship to drop. Finally, finally after three years, they found the Avatar. Now, just to convince him to join.

It seemed a lot easier in his head.

Iroh was right beside him as the nose dropped. “It’s best to be cordial with the village. It will give the Avatar a good first impression. Take a couple breaths.”

Zuko could concede, on occasion, when his uncle made a good point. He took a deep breath, steam spewing out.

“Again, without the smoke, please.”

The breath was clean this time. “I’m ready.”

They descended down the ramp, looking to the water tribe all the invaders they were, and not the peace bringers they were hoping to be.

Zuko let his eyes drift across the crowd. Children. Mothers. Elderly. And one spunky teen with a boomerang.

That attack was deflected a bit too easily, and did nothing to disrupt Zuko’s advance.

“Where is he?”

Iroh had to hide a wince. That was neither diplomatic or…or even remotely helpful. This was going just as he had predicted. Badly.

“I know he’s here!” Zuko barked, “Where’s the Avatar?”

A child started crying.

Zuko took another calming breath, not really caring if there was smoke coming out of his nostrils or not. “We…we’re not here to hurt you. We just want to talk to the Avatar.”

He continued to be met with near silence, minus the crying child. And sadly, patience was not one of Zuko’s strengths.

“Where is he!?” He shouted, a burst of flames coming from his hands.

It was a little too close to be ‘intimidating’ and more just straight up ‘an attack’. But before the flames to lick a single person, a gust of air blew it back.

Then a monk stood in front of him. Decked in orange, bald head with tattoos. A child. The Avatar was a child.

Why was the Avatar a child!?

“I’m the Avatar.” He stated.

“Yes,” said Zuko, smartly. “We’d like a word with you.”

“If I come with you, will you leave this village in peace?”

“You have my word, Avatar.”

The boy relaxed his glider to his side, as Zuko gestured some of his men forward.

“Please escort the Avatar to the top deck.”

One man grabbed him and gave him a shove.

“He is our guest!” Zuko barked.

Someone scoffed, but it was unknown if it was from his men or the water tribe.

Zuko tried not to notice the look of dread and horror the boy threw over his shoulder as he was led onto the ship.

The table on the top deck was cleared, and the Avatar was placed in a chair. Everyone else sat in a circle around him.

And there was silence.

“So...uh, how’s it going?” Asked the Avatar. The child Avatar.

His memorized speech had completely vanished at this baffling turn of events.

“Uncle, go get the speech from my cabin.”

“Are you sure? I don’t know if—“

“Get the speech!!” He barked, making the boy flinch.

Unbothered, Iroh strolled our of the room, like he wasn’t even in a hurry.

Which left Zuko to fill the awkward silence. “You are...much younger than I expected.” How old was this boy? 8?

“Oh uh, yeah. I’m 12. Katara thinks I was frozen for a hundred years. She says there’s a war...and last I knew, there wasn’t. So...” He rubbed his head. “Uh, I didn’t catch your name.”

“I am Prince Zuko, eldest son of Fire Lord Ozai.”

“Ozai? Okay. Sozin was Fire Lord last I knew.”

“Sozin was my great grandfather.”

“Wow! Then I really was frozen for a hundred years! This is so weird!”

Weird indeed.

“I’ve been searching for you for a while, Avatar.” Zuko confessed. “Now that I’ve found you, you can help end this war.”

“Well, that’s great! First real task as Avatar is to end a world war. Seems kind of daunting, but I’m willing to try! For peace and all that.”

“That’s what I was hoping you’d say.”

Finally, Iroh returned, a rolled up paper in hand.

“What took you so long?!” Zuko snapped. “My cabin is right down the hall!”

“My apologies nephew, but you can’t rush an old man.”

Zuko growled before snatching the paper out of his hands. Then he began to read aloud the prepared speech that he and his Uncle had written for a old man.

“Sozin’s declaration of war was not an act of violence, but an act of goodwill and rebirth to all nations.”

The Avatar rested his elbows on the table

—Peace should be established on the basis of the Fire Nation with the Capital Island as its capital. This is the Fire Nation and international consensus and anything else has no value—

The Avatar was frowning, one hand resting on his chin.

—This is a significant political step that obviously needs to be augmented by additional steps of goodwill, this is not a 100-meter dash, it is a marathon. It’s about building relationships for the long term—

Iroh took notice that the Avatar wasn’t even looking at Zuko. Just glancing around the cabin.

—Ba Sing Se, like most of the Earth Kingdom, long rejected official diplomatic ties with The Fire Nation, saying recognition should only come in return for concessions in peace talks. Its accord with The Fire Nation would break that long-held tenet and could usher in agreements with the other states, undermining an unspoken consensus that was a rare source of leverage for the Northern Water Tribe—

As the speech continued its long and laborious ramblings, the Avatar became more and more distracted.

Which Zuko took no notice of.

—According to the Northern Water Tribe, and to many others in the world who agree with them, peace can't be reached without conceding to the Earth Kingdoms' demands, including uprooting settlements and colonies, and troop withdrawal from Earth Kingdom cities. No more. This concept of ‘peace through withdrawal and weakness’ has passed from the world—

Some of the other men in the room started to shift uncomfortably after standing for so long.

—We stand by our position that only a negotiated one-state solution can bring lasting peace to the World. Together with our Militant partners and the region we have campaigned intensively in past months against an annexation and for the resumption of direct negotiations—

The Avatar was face down on the table.

—Many economic opportunities will open now, and these trust-building steps are an important step toward advancing states’ interests.

Zuko rolled the paper back up and looked to the Avatar. “So, what do you think?”

The boy sat up straight, a tight smile on his face. “It was—interesting! Very interesting! And really good! Moving, in fact!”

“So you’ll join the Fire Nation?”

The boy’s smile turned into a wince. “Oh, that’s what you were trying to do?”

In rage, Zuko crumbled the paper, igniting it, and turned it into ash.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know what you were trying to tell me. Read it again, I’ll pay more attention this time!”

But Zuko just looked at the ash in his hands and sighed.

Iroh sided up to Zuko and spoke softly. “He’s a child, Zuko. He’s not going to understand idiosyncrasies of politics.”

“But that’s what I’ve been practicing!” Zuko hissed back, as quietly as he could. “What else am I supposed to do?”

“You’re a child. Speak to him like one.”

“I’m not a child!” He barked, not even trying to be quiet.

“Of course not,” Iroh placated, patiently. “Just keep it simple.”

“Simple. Okay...” Taking a calming breath, Zuko took a seat at the table across from the Avatar, hands folded on the top.

Maybe if he relaxed, the other rehearsed speech would come back to him.

“Your alliance is critical in ending this war. If the other nations see that you’re working with us, they will see we have nothing but good intentions towards them.”

“Oh, okay! I mean, from what Sokka and Katara told me, the Fire Nation did some pretty horrible things.”

Zuko squeezed his hands, hiding wince from his face. “I’m certain if the Water Tribe experienced any hardships from the Fire Nation, it was self-inflicted, or the actions of a soldier that was not representing his country well.”

The Avatar looked doubtful, but offered a smile anyways. “Okay, well, you said the Fire Nation has good intentions. Like what?

It was just like he had rehearsed. “Technological advances, ways to improve agricultural and fishing—“

“Oh really?! So you’re helping people grow more crops? How does that work?”

It was almost like he was speaking a different language. Zuko wasn’t sure what he was asking at first and just gave a long slow blink. And then he realized the boy had asked him ‘how’.

“We…have…tools.” Zuko started, haltingly.

“Tools that are better than Earth Benders?”

“Yes.”

“Like what?”

“I…don’t know.” Zuko turned to his Uncle. “Help.”

“Tools that non-benders can use,” Iroh elaborated, coming for the rescue. “In case the farm doesn’t have Benders.”

“Oh, I see!” Said the boy, ever enthusiastic. “What else do you have?”

“We’ve also seized the means of production to create steel, which allows for stronger ships, tools, and buildings.”

“What do you mean, you’ve ‘seized the means of production’? What does that mean?”

“It means…” Zuko turned to his Uncle again for help.

“We’ve taken over old iron mines, and we’ve employed Earth and Fire Benders alike to work the metal into steel, like this ship is made of.” He very carefully avoided that the Benders in question were in fact prisoners in labor camps.

“This does seem like a very sturdy ship,” commented the Avatar. “Probably great for Fire Benders! I saved a couple of Fire Nation ships when I went on my temple trial. It seems like the old wooden ships ignited really easily in the summer.”

“Yes...they would.” Zuko wasn’t really interested in hearing the child’s anecdotes, so he pressed forward. “A tight alliance between the Fire Nation means armed trade routes to protect imports from bandits and thieves, though the Fire Nation itself has cut back on crime with stricter punishments and programs that help the impoverished—“

“Oh that’s smart! What do you guys do?”

“What?”

“To help with poor people? Do you have like, charity pools? Or work incentives?”

Zuko looked to Iroh, who shrugged.

“I guess we don’t...actually know how those programs work...but we have them in place!”

“Okay, well you can tell me about it later.”

Zuko mentality back tracked to find where he was in his little spiel. “...With stricter policing, citizens feel more comfortable living in the city, traveling out at night, and spending money on goods and services, making a prosperous economy.”

“Oh I think I get it.” The boy nodded. “So what happens to thieves? Last I knew, the Fire Lord had them work in mines, or…depending on the crime, they lost their hands. You don’t do that anymore, right?”

“I…don’t know what happens.”

The Avatar frowned again, in that perplexing way of his. “You don’t know, and you’re going to be Fire Lord?”

“I…haven’t quite…gotten there yet.” This kid was throwing him off and making him look like an absolute idiot. “So, in sort, the Avatar represents a foundation of truth and hope, and to have you align with us would show we only have the best intentions and the fighting will cease.”

“I mean, I guess that makes sense,” said the boy, rubbing his chin. “But who started the fighting? And I heard the Fire Nation wiped out all the Air Benders. What was that all about?”

As for the HTTYD ones, I have a lot, so I’ll share those on a separate post if there’s interest.