#Zuko is his second chance and he wants to do things right this time

[raychleadele]

Live Action ATLA Ep 4 might be my favorite so far

When the melody of “Leaves From the Vine” started playing over Lu Ten’s funeral, and again when Iroh boarded Zuko’s ship, that’s what did me in. I’m sold.

[iloveboysinred]

That zuko smut you wrote was SO good!! is it okay if i request some nsfw hc ??? but from keith kogane, idk how to be specific lol!! Thank you sm 💗💗

Thank you anon youre my second ask ever i’m super excited !!!!! I’m glad you enjoyed it! You are so kind🥰 & Ofc you can !! I love me some Keith Kogane. Top tier boy in red

Masterlist

cw; sexually explicit content, 18+ MDNI! Nsfw under the GIF kinda long!

GIF BY @/kin-of-the-sheep

- Okay so in my head i feel like after you and all the paladins get launched into space and learn about Zarkon and the war and everything, you and Keith definitely didnt have time to really “get it on” if you know what i mean. Things were moving so fast and you all needed time to adjust.

- But after a few days of training and getting used to the fact that you’re literally in space the switch is back on for sure.

- Keith isnt a patient man. So I feel like he definitely enjoys quickies here and there around the castle. They’re never planned. Sometimes the way you train in hand to hand combat gets a little too touchy, sometimes the way you looked at him made his stomach turn and his dick jump. Keith just needs you in that exact moment, and the way ya’ll be fucking its a miracle nobody has walked in on you yet

-or maybe they just stay away on purpose 😭

- he likes to be rough during these, slapping your ass, squeezing your hips, shit even tugging on your hair. Everything is moving so fast he wants to get a feel of everything.

- but when you guys have real sex, its like night and day.

- You guys would come home from a mission, tired and scared for each other, every time you guys go out there you run the risk of being captured or worse. So immediately you and Keith embrace each other, heading to the showers to clean off.

- It starts innocent, Keith washing your back, washing your hair. He was savoring every caress, just wanting to be in your skin.

- but then he starts getting touchy feely, ghosting his fingers over your nipples, leaving soft nibbles on your neck. You feel him starting to get hard, his body pressed to yours as close as he can be.

- knowing thats on his mind, you decide to take it to his room.

- it takes you a minute to get there, because Keith kept stopping mid walk to press you against the wall and kiss you and feel you up over your towel. He gets needy fast. Like i said, he’s not a patient man.

- So, when you finally reach the intended destination, his movements are in haste, wanting to get you bare and open for him as soon as he can.

- His kisses are slow as his hands wander, holding you close to him as if he’s never going to get the chance again.

- he’s greedy with your body, eating you out messily. He wants every last drop of you, whole time relishing in the fact that you’re all his.

- every sound you make, every reaction to his touch is reserved for him. In a world where everything was taken from him, Keith wanted something to himself. Something he could take.

- So, he took and took. Orgasm after Orgasm until he was satisfied with the mess he’s made of you.

- But even then he’s not finished with you yet. He likes to watch you closely when he enters you. Eyes half lidded as the tightness of your heat squeezes around him, its utter bliss for the two of you, and he doesnt hold back.

- I dont care what anybody says, Keith is vocal during sex. He grunts and moans right above you, thrusting into you with a passion that shocks you. He loves to ask you how he makes you feel, if you like what he’s doing, ect. Despite having been in the same predicament many and i mean maaany times and knowing just how to set you off.

- “like that, baby?” “Fuck…tell me you like this dick” “take it baby, fuck!”

- Very into eye contact during sex. You guys will lock gazes often. You love to drown in his purple iris while he fucks you, getting almost lost in each other, the only thing you can think of is the stuttering of his hips as he nears his end. He’s everywhere at once, his scent, his body, his voice. All you see is Keith.

- ngl Keith folds you up into so many different positions. He just wants to be as deep and as close to you as he can. He’ll have your legs on his shoulder while he basically folds you in half, beating down into you with his forehead pressed against yours, grunting out curses as his hips rock into yours. He loves the way your face contorts with every thrust. He’ll reach between your legs, playing with you just to watch you squirm.

- He loves when you scratch up his back. It lets him know that he’s hitting it just right, boosting his ego as well as adding to his pleasure.

- he doesn’t really do pet names during sex. He’ll call you “baby,” “hun”, “beautiful” maybe even “my love” if he’s feeling sappy & he loves when you call him “baby”, “honey” or even just his name sounds good coming from your lips. But as far as daddy, sir, master?? He will roll his eyes at you so fast and look at you so crazy, it actually makes me laugh thinking about it.

- When he reaches his peak, he smashes his lips onto yours, his hips jerking into yours as he spills into you.

- But when you reach your peak he takes his time to coax you through it, riding it out with you, whispering encouragement and littering your skin with kisses as you come undone.

- after care is a must. Once you guys are all cleaned up you lovebirds will lay next to each other and lock gazes. Kissing and giggling like lovestruck puppies.

- But all that lovey dovey shit aside Keith is a freaaaaak

- Its the little things you do that really gets Keith’s blood pumping.

- like when the team found out he was half galra and Allura was being cold and standoffish to him, you didnt hesitate to rip her a new one about your man! I know thats right

- while you were bickering with her, Keith was just smug as shit, getting turned on by your protectiveness.

- soon as he got you alone he was beating your walls loose, biting you, sucking marks into your neck.

- when you get angry like that he’ll happily bottom and let you ride him. He absolutely loves when you take control and throw him around a little bit. He reaches up to play with your nipples and leave hickeys all over you as you rock yourself down on him, letting you essentially get yourself off on him any way you wanted.

- Be rough with him. Grab his hair, bite him, mark him up. He’s yours and he wants you to prove it.

- teasing Keith is a dangerous game. If you’re in public doing it especially. You’re basically asking him to break you down as soon as he gets you alone.

- sometimes it gets competitive, Keith doesnt back down and he’ll make sure you’re nothing short of a wreck by the end of the night. But you’re his perfect match. The both of you essentially going tit for tat all night. When he thrusts into you, you throw that ass back on him. When he presses heated kisses to your lips, you suck his tongue into your mouth and turn it into a make out.

- When he came back from being gone for two years with his mom, you guys fucked like animals.

- Seeing him shed his angsty teenager phase into his angsty grown ass man phase was making you feral.

- his hair had gotten longer, he was taller, and his body had become more muscular, but still lean.

- when you got him all to yourself after everyone greeted him and he delivered his news and all that, you guys were just straight up nasty.

- you had two years of no sex to make up for, after all.

- He fucked you in just about every position in the book. Doggy, missionary, cow girl, full nelson, all of it. He missed your gasps, your hushed whispers of his name as he brought you to your high. It was sentimental almost, the way his thrusts showed how much he missed you.

- and it was when you reached your peak that it really dawned on him that he could never stray too far from you. Your boy in red was wrapped around your finger, bound to you. He gazed at you in new astonishment, almost childlike wonder as you fluttered around him. Forcing his own orgasm to rack his body. He moaned, low and drawn out. Pressing his lips to yours like he always did when you reached your climax, rocking his hips gently into yours to draw it out as much as he could.

- hushed “i love yous” between the two of you as you basked in the glow of having your Keith back.

Hope you like this Anon 💕 thank you for your request/ask :> notes and reblogs are appreciated, comments, asks and submissions are welcomed !

[hazashiovo]

Omg that kuvira sub req was lit! Could you do one for Zuko please? Maybe after he’s become fire lord?

I decided that instead of writing nsfw, to just make it angst to fluff. Sorry that it's not what you asked for ,but this is what I got.

Genre:Friends with benefits to enemies to lovers ,angst to fluff,

Tw: mentions of trauma, burning and leaving a scar.

Zuko x Fem reader

Ever since you ran away from Zuko to help the avatar restore peace to the world,you kept thinking that he would let go of you.

But no, you can't catch a damn break, since you ran away he's been chasing you. He swore to find you.

How? You have no clue. But you never doubted his devotion for this cause,you knew that Zuko had that burning will in him.

I mean,you were his soldier,and things between you two were...complicated.

Sometimes you would have heart to heart conversations. Maybe about your life,or what you would be in the future, and other times it was just making out after a stressful day. But you never did more than that,he wanted you ,and you wanted him but there was always something holding you back.

Now this is something that fuels Zuko, his need for revenge is powered by those moments between you two. And not only that,but if he finds you he also finds the Avatar. Which is the perfect reason for him.

You get to be punished for treason,and at the same time he would finally have his honor restored. That's what he says to himself at night. It's not like he wants more.

So for months, almost a year he searched for The avatar,and for you,each time you managed to slip right trough his fingers.

The last time he saw you was at the northern water tribe,when he tried capturing Aang you fought Zuko while Katara protected the younger boy. Zuko knew he could do so much damage to you,but he simply couldn't.

You unfortunately lost,after all Zuko was stronger than you. You both knew it,but it never stopped you before.

You tried talking to him,you always thought that if you got a chance you would be able to at least get him to think of another way,a better way. Maybe this way things wouldn't be so complicated between you two.

But no matter how much you tried,he was just too stubborn.

You tried putting a fight again,he was so angry that he didn't even realize with what force he sent that fire at you,not even throwing you a second glance.

Too blinded by anger,now that you weren't in his way anymore he went for Aang.

If you wouldn't have blacked out you would've saw the way Katara fought the prince,after all he harmed you, and wanted to take Aang away.

You woke up on Appa,Katara was tending to your burn mark, trying to completely heal it.

"I'm sorry (Name),but it's going to leave a pretty big scar here." Her hand would lay on your shoulder comforting.

It was rough looking in the mirror,but you started getting used to it. The bad part was when you started having nightmares of your fight with the prince,the burning feeling awaking you in cold sweat.

You healed with time, fortunately for you,the prince and you didn't meet again after that. You split from the team,it was necessary for you to find a way to heal the scar that Zuko left in your mind.

Imagine the shock on your face when you finally got reunited with your friends.To see Zuko there was something you never expected. Deep inside you knew he could change but never actually thought he would.

He would be so awkward, and yeah he would talk to himself, trying to find the right way to apologize to you for hunting you down and kicking your ass. It was also this little thing, he never realized how much you affected him when you were around until you left,and it drove him mad. Never quite understanding why.

He kept his distance from you, mostly because he didn't really know how to approach you. It's not that he's as mad as he was before when you betrayed him, but it's still awkward.

So you two just stayed away from each other. The group could see something was up with you two,I mean they knew about your scar and journey ,but Zuko didn't.

Nobody told him about the scar he left on you back then, and you never confronted him about it.

One night when you wanted to take your mind away from all that's happening ,you found yourself in the lake near your camp.

A swim would do you good.

Unfortunately for you ,that's what the young prince also had in mind.

He was left speechless once he saw your naked form in the water. A certain part of you got his attention,your back.

There was this big part of your shoulder all the way to your waist that was just burned.

And then it clicked, when he fought you in the north water tribe,he did this.

"Stop staring." You speak,loud enough for him to hear you, getting deeper into the water so your back would no longer be visible to his longing stare.

"I wasn't staring." He turns his head away embarrassed,his face hot just thinking that you caught him staring at your form. He acted like a pervert. How could he be so stupid?

Zuko quickly took off, not allowing you to say anything else.

He spent the night thinking,about you ,your scar your body. It annoyed him so much that all he could think was you.

So he left the next day with Sokka, on a mission to free Sokka and katara's dad from a high security prison. Totally no big deal.

Each day he spent there he hoped he could get you off his mind,but no matter how hard he tried you were just stuck on him.

Let's just say that he had some pretty unusual taughts while he was locked away.

After he saw Sokka with Suki he got this weird feeling, it was some inside him pushing him to be this way,with you.

So there he was,back at the camp with a complete mission, trying to find a way to speak to you. And he couldn't really bring up the last time he saw you, 'Yeah I saw you naked and I stared at you, wanna date?' no way in hell, unless he wants to be seen as the biggest creep ever.

"Mind if I sit?" Zuko's eyes dart up at you,he didn't even hear you coming her.

"No one's stoping you." You sit down next to him, noticing how he quickly looks away.

"It's been a while huh?" Your eyes look up at the dark starry sky, hoping he's willing to talk to you.

Zuko furrows his brows, searching for the right words to say. He never had to think so hard while talking to you,why is it so hard now?

"I won't bite if you say something." You nudge him with your elbow, sending his thoughts away for now.

"Listen,I'm really sorry for what I did to you back in the north,I was just so blinded by my desire for honor that I was willing to cut trough-" your lips stop Zuko from saying another word, already hearing what you wanted.

He's sorry for hurting you,and he admitted that he was blindly chasing something useless,and that's all you wanted to hear from him.

He whidens his eyes for a second,finally realizing what's happening he cups your cheek with one hand and closes his eyes, kissing you back.

You break the kiss, looking at his face for any sign of reluctance. But all you can see in his eyes is this soft look,it's really cute.

"You have no idea how much I wanted to hear that from you." You whisper, afraid that if you would speak any louder you would break this comfortable feeling around you.

He smiles, closing his eyes. All this time he thought so much , wondering how your next interaction would go,or what would you say to him.

He missed the kisses,soft ones were his favorite,but the making out had a tool on him too.

"I missed this." He speaks,hand trailing down your lip, carefully touching it.

"I never thought you'd forgive me." Zuko allows his head to meet with yours gently stroking your cheek.

"Thank you for becoming a better version of yourself."you smile, placing your hands on his wrist in a gentle manner.

"Okay what's going on here?" Sokka looks at the two of you like he witnessed a war crime. Did he drink cactus juice without realizing??

I couldn't do it.

I couldn't write Zuko smut yet ,I'm sorry 😭

[the-badger-mole]

I've seen people criticize Zuko for not taking the opportunity to kill Ozai during the eclipse but expecting Aang, a 12 y.o. pacific monk to do that instead. He was called hypocritical for being unsympathetic towards his unwillingness to take a life when he himself couldn't. I do like Zuko and tend to side with him ( post redemption ofc ) over Aang, but that seems like a valid take, I don't think I have a counter-argument to that.What is your opinion on It ? Also, what do you think was the in-universe reason for Zuko to make such a decision? He said that It's not his destiny, do you think there was any other reason for It? Is he not wrong for not doing It just bc of destiny since It's just an abstract concept and the stakes were really high ( plus It's against the show's message about shaping your own destiny) ?

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but it sounds like the people criticizing Zuko for not killing Ozai when he had the chance wanted Aang to do it? That doesn't sound like a contradiction, so I'm not sure if that's how you meant it?

Aside from that, I can only speak for myself. I understand why Zuko didn't kill Ozai. I also understand why Aang didn't want to. What my problem with the resolution for that was that it was the first time Aang seems to have even thought about what ending the war would entail. It doesn't make him look noble, or idealistic. It just makes him look stupid. What do you mean? What do you mean that he took this entire journey to get him to master all the elements on a deadline so he can end the war, and he had no idea what ending the war would even look like? He didn't even consider it? It had to be told to him. He really goofed off this entire series and didn't think about his project until the night before it was due. And don't anyone try to use his age to excuse this to me. First of all, Aang isn't a 12 year old. He's a fictional character who was created by writers. Writers who were telling a story. THEY are the ones who didn't consider how Aang would end the war. Second, within the story, Aang's age is never used as an excuse for why he did this. In fact, not only is an excuse not given, it's treated like a virtue on his end and not a lack of forethought on his part. He's rewarded for it.

Listen, I hate the Lionturtle/Rock of Destiny double deus ex machina, and I have made no secret of it. It was a cop out. It cheapened the finale. It made everything Aang was supposed to learn irrelevant, because no, he didn't have to make sacrifices and hard choices for his victory. He won because he was supposed to win (and how's that for shaping your own destiny?). Here's the thing, though. The Lionturtle, at least, could have worked. If Aang had to come up with the solution himself, go find the Lionturtle and ask for help (and maybe have to perform some challenge to earn it), then it would've been a satisfying ending while still not making Aang himself have to shed blood (nevermind that keeping his hands clean was a privilege most of the heroes in this story couldn't have).

I didn't necessarily want Aang to kill Ozai, and definitely didn't want him to kill Ozai just because it would look cool (although...). I would have been fine with a no-kill ending, if it had been set up right. I just think having Aang kill Ozai given the set up of the rest of the story would've been more satisfying than the cop-out ex machina double team. Or someone else could've faced Ozai, because he was never the main villain of the series. Azula was. And that fight was both satisfying and didn't end with her death, either (because it's a kids' show). It wouldn't even have to change. Aang was not the real hero of this story. Katara was the hero of the first half, and Zuko was the hero of the second. Aang was just the McGuffin. He could've sat this one out and been the one to make the "Real Hero" speech instead of Zuko. That would have been a good ending.

[discordiansamba]

some more spitballing for the Avatar Zuko AU:

After the Agni Kai, Zuko is afraid of his own fire. The one who ends up helping him through this is Gyatso. His life might have been brought to its end by fire, but he is old enough to remember a time when firebending was not just associated with destruction.

The valley in which Aang grew up in was of the subterranean variety- the last place anyone would ever think to look for airbenders. Before Zuko arrived, he'd never left it, though he would often climb up until he could see the sky.

(his father left once, to get medicine for his mother after she fell ill during her second pregnancy. he never returned, and his mother and his younger sibling died.)

Aang at first only knows Zuko as 'Li', but once Toph joins them, she very quickly outs that as an alias. He's forced to admit his name is actually Zuko, and that he's the exiled former prince of the Fire Nation.

Aang, looking Zuko up and down: ...are you sure about the prince part?

Zuko: what's that supposed to mean?

According to rumors, the new Avatar is an Earth Kingdom boy named Li. Long Feng knows this is impossible- his predecessor had the former Earth Kingdom avatar in his possession, but allowed him to kill himself before the Dai Li could take complete control of him. Therefore the new Avatar must be from the Fire Nation.

All the more reason to capture him and bring him under his control.

Sokka: Okay. You know how I said you were being paranoid about the whole 'everyone wants to kill you thing'?

Zuko: Yeah?

Sokka: ...I think you might have been right about Long Feng, actually.

Zuko: No shit.

the rumors of Prince Zuko being a traitor reach the Fire Nation before the rumors of him being the Avatar do. when Azula is sent to collect him, she's in for the shock of her life.

What do you mean, Zuzu is the Avatar? He's Zuzu! He's not even a very good firebender!

Iroh arrives at the North Pole after Zuko does, after his friend Pakku sends him a very curious letter informing him that the Avatar has arrived there. Finally, he will have his chance to teach the young man firebending. He seems to know the basics already, but Iroh knows many advanced techniques he is certain will be helpful.

When he gets there, the Avatar is trying really, really hard to avoid him.

Aang: Why are you avoiding Mister Iroh? I thought you said he was your uncle.

Zuko: He is. That's why I know he wants to kill me.

Toph: Pretty sure Pakku said he wanted to teach you firebending.

Zuko: Well that can't be right. Why would the dragon of the west want to teach the Avatar firebending?

(Iroh will eventually run into Zuko despite his best efforts... but he is only deeply confused as to how his nephew got to the North Pole. Pakku, why didn't you tell me he was here? You know I have been searching for him.)

[goldrushzukka]

happy 4th birthday aidays!!! here is the first scene of the epilogue :)) spoilers ahead for the full fic, which registered ao3 users can read here

There’s a beautiful man sitting at the foot of Sokka’s bed.

His hair hangs loose and wet over his bare shoulders. He has a borrowed t-shirt in one hand and his phone in the other, pressed to his ear. His mouth is open, ready to speak, but whoever’s on the other end won’t let him get a word in.

He looks up at the click of the bathroom door, and his eyes go wide at the sight of Sokka in nothing but a towel wrapped at his waist.

Smug doesn’t even come close.

“I know,” Zuko says, and has to clear his throat. “I know. Something came up, okay? I’ll be there soon.”

As Sokka turns to his dresser to dig out his second set of clothes for the day, he hears Zuko sigh.

“It was important,” Zuko insists. 

Sokka hears the bed move and glances over his shoulder to find Zuko standing in the corner with his back turned. It’s not really necessary, but Sokka appreciates the little bit of privacy as he takes the opportunity to pull on underwear and sweatpants identical to the pair currently sitting low on Zuko’s hips.

“Can I just tell you when I get there? Twenty minutes. Yes. Yeah, you’ll skin me alive – I got it, thank you. Okay, I’ll – Azula?” He pulls the phone away to look at the screen. “She hung up on me.”

He drops the phone into the pocket of his – Sokka’s – sweats to pull the shirt over his head, and then turns, finally, to catch Sokka staring at him, unwilling to look away now that he doesn’t have to anymore. Sokka sits on the bed and pats a spot beside him in invitation.

Zuko’s shoulders sag. “I have to go.”

“I know,” Sokka says, “but just – let’s talk for a second. Please.”

Zuko sits. Sokka wonders how much he could get away with just by saying please without a shirt on – and then Zuko grabs his hand to steal the spare hair tie from his wrist, and his brain forgets the phrase upper hand completely. Zuko lifts Sokka’s hand – Zuko’s hand now, he can have it, he can have anything he wants – to his mouth and presses a slow kiss to the knuckles.

“Don’t,” Sokka breathes.

Zuko drops his hand. “Oh. Sorry, I’ll –”

“No.” Sokka puts a hand on his face to stop him. “It’s just. If you do that, I’ll kiss you, and if I kiss you right now I won’t let you leave until we’ve broken this bed and traumatised my neighbours. And Azula will skin you alive.”

“You –” Zuko’s cheek floods with heat under Sokka’s hand. “That makes sense, yeah.”

“Okay. Good. Same page.” He takes his hand back.

Sokka looks away while Zuko ties his hair up – Zuko laughs at him, but he knows his own limits – and takes that time to drag his mind out of the gutter. He gets his thoughts lined up neatly how he wants them, takes a breath, and starts.

“I want you to know that I’m aware of the irony of you literally wearing my underwear right now when I say this, but can we, um – can we take this slow?” Sokka fidgets with his fingers in his lap but resolutely does not break eye contact. “We did this all out of order. As much as I want to break beds and traumatise neighbours with you, I don’t want to go backwards. I want to do this right.”

“You want to take things slow.” Zuko’s eyes are soft, but give very little away.

“Just for a little while. Until I can wrap my head around all of this. You kinda knocked my understanding of the universe on its ass about twenty minutes ago, I need a minute to adjust.” He feels vulnerable suddenly. Exposed. So he leans hard on the innuendo as he continues, “And then we can go as fast as you want.” 

“Sokka,” Zuko says. He takes his hand again and moves cleanly past the double entendre. “I don’t care about fast or slow. I meant what I said outside, I just want to be with you.”

Sokka lets out a breath. “We’re really doing this.”

“Yeah, we are. Last chance to back out.”

It’s a joke. Probably. If it were Sokka saying it, he would mean it as a joke. But it’s Zuko saying it, with his soft eyes and nervous bottom lip, so maybe it’s not all joke. Maybe a little bit of it is a question. But it’s a question Sokka knows the answer to, even if he has to break his own rule to give it. 

Sokka kisses him. 

There’s no urgency, he’s somehow able to keep himself in check, but there is heat. Delicious, simmering heat, a fire that won’t go out. He couldn’t stop that if he tried. 

It’s short, and ends when Zuko squeezes his hand, but it gets the message across.

Zuko’s phone buzzes in his pocket. He doesn’t look at it. “I really have to go.”

“I know,” Sokka says. He stands and pulls Zuko up with him. “Let me walk you down.”

Zuko doesn’t say anything until he reaches the door, but a terrible smirk slides onto his lips. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why? Do you have a body stuffed in the trunk? Is that why Azula called?”

Zuko laughs. “No, I just don’t want to get banned from the building for trying to fuck you in the elevator.”

Sokka doesn’t drop to his knees, but it’s a close thing. 

The words same page drift through his mind and disappear into the fog that is trying very hard to swallow up the part of his brain that controls things like manners and public decency. He needs to get this man out of his apartment right now, or they may never leave this room again.

“You have to go,” Sokka reminds him. And himself. And the precarious situation developing in his sweatpants. He ushers them out of his room and towards the front door.

Memories of last night flash through his mind. He takes a moment to indulge in hating himself for being so fucking stupid, and then lets the sound of his own voice asking did you want it to be? echo against his skull until he can’t hear it anymore. He’ll unpack it all later, maybe, but right now he’s got other, better things to think about.

Pulling the door open to let him out, Sokka tells Zuko, “Text me when you get home.”

“Okay,” Zuko says. “Will you say hi to Momo for me?”

Sokka rolls his eyes. “Yes. Go now or I’ll tell him you didn’t even think of him.”

“Okay, okay!” Zuko laughs, light and unrestrained like Sokka hasn't ever heard him before. He's still laughing as Sokka pushes him out and over the threshold.

Sokka leans in the doorway to watch him walk down the hall – what's that saying, hate to see him leave but love to watch him go? – until he reaches the elevator doors. His hand hovers over the button for a minute before he pushes it, and turns on his heel to storm back up the hall again.

Sokka crosses his arms. “What, did you forget something?”

“Yeah,” Zuko says, reaching for him, “this.”

When Zuko kisses him, it's a sticky-sweet promise that leaves a crater where Sokka's higher function used to be.

He starts running at the sound of the elevator doors, and Sokka is grateful, because he knows he’ll say something very fucking stupid the second he gets his brain back online. Something very not in the spirit of taking things slow.

As soon as the elevator closes and Zuko is definitely gone, Sokka shuts the door and sinks to the floor against it. He closes his eyes and breathes.

Nothing about this feels real. He wouldn’t believe that any of what happened downstairs actually did happen if he didn’t have proof, in the form of the ruined shoes on the floor beside him and the waterlogged groceries on the counter. There’s also this incandescent lightness inside him that can’t be explained in any other way than there is never going to be anyone else.

Something soft and purring bumps its head against his hand at the same time that something obnoxious and nosy casts a shadow over him.

“Was that Zuko?” Suki asks.

Eyes still closed, Sokka affirms, “Mm. Yes. We talked.”

“Was he wearing your clothes?”

“It rained while we were talking.”

“Did he kiss you?”

Sokka cracks a smile. “It was a really good talk.”

[mantizimus]

Now hear me out on this one, how about a Zuko x Wife! Female! Reader one shot? It's set after he became the fire lord, basically reader met him in s1 and was basically this absolute badass, no filter and brutal girl who always showed clear disgust at the thought of intercourse or pregnancy, while also disliking kids and feeling like she won't be a good mother because she didn't have a good one either, but after a while into the marriage thought it over and at how Zuko needed an heir so one day while they're just doing their things she just randomly say : "You know I thought about it and I may tolerate a kid or two."

I hope I hadn't botched it.

Kids

Zuko

One of the things that Zuko would never forget was the first time he met you. And honestly, who could blame him? You were strong, tough, and fierce, with no filter. He was absolutely fascinated by you, even though he hid it until the last minute, because he knew you could use it. And imagine his surprise when he later found out that you loved him too. During the time you were together, the prince of the Fire Nation had talked to you about your future more than once. For the most part, you were more than happy to discuss it with him, except for one cute little detail. Kids. You had a less than ideal childhood, which left its mark on your psyche. You were afraid that you would be a terrible mother, which is why you decided to never have children. To be honest, Zuko himself had caught himself thinking the same thing a few times, but he preferred to ignore it or push it into the back of his mind. The Firebender knew that sooner or later you would have to discuss this, but unfortunately, he never got the chance to do so. And when he did, he had no idea how to start the conversation. "What are you thinking about?" you asked, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Oh, nothing," the prince began to evade the question, but deflated when he noticed your gaze. "Zuko," you sighed, "You do realize that if the situation requires it, I will always listen to you, right?" "I understand. There is just one topic that I have always wanted to discuss with you, but I do not know how." "Is it kids?" at times like these, Zuko could swear that you could read minds. "Yes," he replied. Without giving you time to say a word, he continued, "Look, I understand that you're nervous about this and afraid of ending up just like your parents," the Firebender pulled you close, "But I promise you, Y/N: I'll do everything in my power to make sure you don't end up like that." "And how do you know it will work?" your voice wavered, but only for a split second, which didn't go unnoticed. "Because I believe it. And that you'll be a good mother," there was silence. A sticky, unnerving silence. "I need to think about it," you muttered, slowly moving away from him. He only nodded in understanding.

---

You didn't bring it up for the rest of the day, but the black-haired man decided to give you as much time as you needed. He didn't want you to make a decision under pressure. However, by the time the two of you went to bed, the thought had completely left his head… but not yours.

You spent the entire day thinking. On the one hand, your phobia kept rearing its ugly head, reminding you of your parents' mistakes. On the other hand, you knew that your husband was telling the truth and that he would help you no matter what. Finally, it was time for bed. Before you fell into the arms of Morpheus, you smiled. The decision was made.

---

"You know, I thought about it, and I may tolerate a kid or two," if your husband had been drinking something at the time, he would have spat it out right away. "What?" Zuko asked you, confused. "I agree," you explained. He looked at you in complete confusion for the first few seconds before remembering your conversation last night. "Okay," he told you. "And thank you." "For what?" "For letting him know you'll always be there for me," and with that, you pulled him in for a kiss.

[oneatlatime]

The Guru

Happy 2024 everyone and welcome to the first time I managed to type 2024 without first typing 2023! Oh and also a write up of The Guru. That too.

Me too Iroh. Me too.

So Zuko is riding high on that post-crisis 'time to get my life together' buzz that, similar to 3 am life plans, should absolutely not be listened to. Wonder how long before he crashes and burns? There's literally 2 episodes left, so I'm guessing one and a half?

Poor Sokka. My boy's got anxiety.

I don't know if it's a monk thing, an airbender thing, an Avatar thing, or an Aang thing, but I envy his complete lack of nerves.

How is Appa ok with them splitting up for a week after JUST getting them back?

I paused in a funny place. Have bonk-eyed Appa.

I love them comparing heights. What do you want to bet that that guy on the right was one of the youngest allowed to go fight, and Sokka made a big deal about how they're almost the same age and surely that means he can go too, right?

A lot of these Southern Water Tribe people have dreads or braids. That's neat.

Bato's arm is still messed up. That's some good continuity.

I've found the source of Katara's cheek bones. I guess Sokka takes after his mum.

Ok I know this is a really emotional moment (and it is! Sokka's spent two seasons earning this!) but my brain fixated on the furs and briefly thought they were sky bison pelts.

"It's been a difficult week for me." This guy thinks the Kyoshi Warriors are there to provide him therapy. Someone please just crown the bear instead.

He just gave away literally every relevant plot point AND outlined how to make sure all these plot points don't succeed. Crown. The. Bear.

Maybe if these generals spent less time playing with their giant model Earth Kingdom and more time general-ing, the war wouldn't suck so much?

Pretty.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the designs, the colour palette, the music, the sound design of this air temple. I love everything about it. If I had the chance to live anywhere in the Avatar universe, it would be here. Even in its ruined state it's such a refreshing contrast to the claustrophobia of Ba Sing Se. I can feel the freshness of the breeze through the screen.

"A spiritual brother of your people" an adult perspective on a near extinct culture! What a resource!

"and a personal friend of Monk Gyatso" an old as balls perspective. He's got to be at least 130.

Anthropology cul de sac time: this guy is so valuable as a resource on the Air Nomads. There's probably parts of Air Nomad culture that Aang can't ever accurately talk about, because he was a kid when he left, and there was almost certainly stuff that the adults kept to themselves, or only shared with the older Air Nomads. This Guru doesn't seem to be an Air Nomad himself, but there's a good chance that there is knowledge that he has, that Aang doesn't. Aang should be nerding out more about this. I'll do the nerding out for him.

Aang just breezes right by that Gyatso name drop like it's nothing. Huh.

Oh hey Toph. I'd forgotten she was in a box. Tweedle dum and Tweedle dumber really are quite the pair. What's their plan for keeping her fed and watered? Actually, these guys apparently don't know that maps exist, so it's probably never occurred to them that humans need sustenance. They'll rock up to the Bei Fong estate with corpse Toph and wonder why they aren't getting the reward money.

Mai gets called out in-universe for shopping at Hot Topic.

Ty Lee's buttering up of Azula is getting less and less subtle as the season progresses. It's a testament to Azula's lack of awareness that she's hasn't noticed that, and that Ty Lee can get away with it.

Azula's right that it's an extraordinary opportunity. The King gave them quite literally every piece of info required to overthrow his kingdom in a 25 second conversation. I can't blame her for taking advantage of such an easy win.

That's a very effective unimpressed face. And a very impressive beard.

It's funny to see a spiritual concept from the real world pop up in a show that includes things like bending and giant fish possession. The mention of Chakras kind of sticks out. They couldn't invent a Avatar universe version?

"Once you begin this process, you cannot stop until all seven are open." Well that doesn't feel like foreshadowing at all.

This episode should be called "Aang's self-care Journey." It's about time the kid had a me day that wasn't avoidance-based.

Fear: Losing Katara - makes sense. Losing control of his powers via fish possession - makes sense. The Fire Lord - makes sense. But the Blue Spirit? He helped. Doesn't make sense.

Guilt: Running away - makes sense, although I thought he'd worked through that with Katara in the storm. Nuking that idiot General's base - makes sense, but boy did he quite literally ask for it.

This guru is saying some wonderfully accurate, and realistic, things. I love that he's not taking the Katara route of denying anything is wrong. He's going for the acknowledge, then heal route. And yes, it's unfair of me to compare the emotional maturity of Katara to a century+ old spiritual expert.

I'm going to ruin the immersion here and point out that Sokka's dad's voice actor voiced a bunch of characters in season 1. He's doing an excellent job, but couldn't they get a unique voice for a character that's so important (albeit offscreen) to Sokka?

That's an incredibly roundabout way of avoiding pointing out that the Southern Water Tribe are active participants in a bloody war. Sure, we can show multiple characters with visible scarring from horrific burns, but heaven forbid we imply that the Southern Water Tribe sinks ships. The parameters for what is and isn't appropriate on this show sometimes make no sense.

"Aren't you listening? I said the rest of you men get ready for battle." He hasn't seen his boy in two years, but fifteen minutes in his company and he knows exactly what needs to be said and how. That's some top tier parenting. Dad of the year. Dad of the century. Only decent Dad in this show that isn't technically an uncle.

"Follow your passion Zuko, and life will reward you." Great advice for your eight year old audience. Also a great way to end up unemployed.

Positive Sokka creeped me out a few episodes ago. Now positive Zuko is freaking me out too.

Pretty.

Back to Chakras! Shame: Burning Katara - makes sense. But that's it? To have the inner peace of mind of a twelve year old who's somehow only ever done one thing that he's ashamed of.

Is there anyone in the earth kingdom who isn't stupid? Once again wondering at the network's standards. Visible burn injuries are fine, but Mai can't say 'Shut up." It's got to be Shush up. Although I do seem to recall of brief time in the early 2000s when Shut Up was treated as a curse on par with Shit or Fuck. Maybe that was just at my school.

Chakras again! Even for a show that often has an A, B, and C plot, this narrative is ping ponging around a bit much.

Grief: nothing major, just a whole nation. Makes a horrific amount of sense. but I don't buy that he can get over grieving the whole world as he knew it by thinking about his crush. That's way too high a pedestal for Katara to be placed on.

Lies: Not accepting he's the Avatar. Interesting that not accepting that he's the Avatar and not accepting that he's a firebender are two different problems.

I see you reusing the opening credits footage. Your blue filters can't fool me.

PRETTY

Illusion: So we're relearning what we learned in The Swamp. Aang's probably the person currently alive least likely to believe in the rigid separation of the nations anyway. This doesn't feel like an illusion he's subject to?

The way this episode dances between its narrative threads is so great. It's all woven in so beautifully. And this makes perfect sense! Toph's spent her life secretly doing things excellently that everyone says are completely beyond her capabilities. Life has taught her that the statement "you are not able to" doesn't apply. Of course immutable laws of bending physics are treated with the same respect as an adult telling the champion of the Earth Rumble that she's can't earthbend beyond breathing exercises. If you told her that humans can't fly, she'd figure out how within the week.

Plot collision incoming.

Interesting that Katara initially recognises Zuko by his voice rather than his scar.

I'm pretty sure that Zuko and Iroh don't know about the whole brainwashing thing, but wouldn't it be hilarious if Zuko introduced himself to Katara as Joo Dee, and his uncle Joo Dee, welcome to the Jasmine Dragon, can I take your order? That would throw Katara into one hell of a moral quandary.

Katara being framed as the solution for Chakra number four comes back to bite Aang, as she's the problem in Chakra number seven. I knew that pedestal was too high.

I've changed my mind. This episode should actually be called "Half a dozen reasons why everyone should just learn to keep their goddamn mouths shut already."

So is anyone going to let Zuko and Iroh know that they're now in immediate danger and need to leave, like, yesterday?

I think the Guru is going for the whole 'if you love them, let them go, and they'll come back to you' thing. Don't cling, in other words. But for the sake of the plot he's suddenly lost his ability to explain Chakras in a way that makes them seem like the logical thing to do. The only clunky bit of this episode so far.

May I introduce you to our Lord and Saviour Toph?

"I am the greatest earthbender in the world." Yes. Yep. Yeah. That's now a quantifiable fact, and it's correct. Look on ye mighty and despair. She's even got Bumi beat.

Earth Tongue Running is a bit wonky looking but it covers a crazy amount of distance.

What's the range on Toph's earth sense? Can she sense what direction Ba Sing Se is?

I hope those two idiots' horse bird is ok.

"You don't know how much this means to me dad." He does. Very much so.

Every word out of this guy's mouth is precision engineered to make Sokka feel like a million bucks and I for one think it's about time someone built him up. Also, seeing this makes me realise how few good parents there are in this show. It's a trope of kids' adventure shows that the parents fundamentally can't be there, but I also think it's a commentary on yet another thing that this war has messed up.

Hey look! Being a man is knowing where you're needed the most, and right now that's in Ba Sing Se, protecting your sister! I love narratives that tie their themes up with a pretty bow on top.

This is Azula laying a trap, right? Which means that Katara squealed to someone about the exact location of Iroh and Zuko's tea shop. Don't like the implications of that.

Photos taken seconds before disaster.

Final Thoughts

This episode was a lot! I mean that in a good way! But I felt a bit like the Maxell Blown Away Guy, the way I kept getting assaulted by yet another plot thread. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a criticism. I think the switching between plot threads and the amount of info in this episode worked 99% of the time. But I'm kind of in awe at the balancing act the writers pulled off and I'm sort of sitting here blinking a bit trying to fit all this stuff in my head. I'm probably going to forget half the stuff I wanted to talk about in this write up, so here goes nothing.

Given the Azula reveal in at the end of last episode, I thought that this would be the episode where the shit hits the fan. I was wrong. I'm glad I was wrong. An episode of set up is required and is nice breathing room, even an episode as busy as this. And I got to leave Ba Sing Se! But this does mean that next episode is going to be calamity after calamity.

Aang and his Chakras: I'm fascinated by this guru. I hope he comes back. That brings the total number of people who were alive before the war started up to three: Aang, Bumi, Guru Patik.

I'm impressed that the run through of the Chakras rarely felt like an info dump. The onion and banana juice thing didn't work for me, but I'm sure it worked for people in the target age bracket. Kids love burp jokes.

So many shows sprinkle in tragic backstories for flavour and then never have them influence the character in the present. It was a nice contrast to see a show take a whole episode to tell Aang "yeah all that sucked. It's ok to feel down about it. Here's how you move forward."

Sokka and his dad: Love it. Love it so much. I love seeing Sokka built up, and he definitely deserves it, but I wonder if this is the reward for a character arc well done, or the set up for a character arc that's about to start? Is his dad's praise his prize for crossing the finish line, or is it so he's built up with farther to fall?

I loved seeing more of the Southern Water Tribe. I loved the fashion. There's a lot of variety in accessories and variations on a few basic elements like those knee guard things. I loved their hairstyles. I loved how cozy and communal that command tent felt. I loved their ships. I wonder how often these guys work out, that they can make loading ramps that are presumably deployed and stashed out of the way frequently, out of whole logs rather than planks. I have a bone to pick with the child-friendly sea mine. But it provides a good set up for a dad joke, so I'll let it slide.

Zuko and Iroh: Of course the one time Zuko is allowed to be in a good place, it's so that he and Iroh both have farther to fall when the inevitable happens. Poor guy just can't catch a break. I'd be mad at Azula for the party crashing that I'm assuming she'll do next episode, but it's been established that Zuko has all nice things taken away from him as soon as he gets them, and I can't blame Azula for being a tool of the universe.

Azula & Long Feng: Azula's acting in Long Feng's prison cell was miles ahead of what Long Feng was doing in front of the Earth King, so I'm wondering if Long Feng has bitten off more than he can chew. Also: conspiring with the enemy to bring down your own city just so you can reinstall yourself as the power behind the throne that will presumably cease to exist as soon as the Fire Nation takes control? That is both treasonous beyond description and an incredible case of shooting yourself in the foot. What's Long Feng's plan here?

Toph and the Dunderheads: it says something about the consistency of Toph's characterisation from her introduction onwards that she breaks the universe this episode and my reaction was "that's neat." It's obviously a huge moment, but of course Toph can do that. Toph can do anything. More importantly, Toph knows that Toph can do anything, so Toph routinely does do anything, especially things she shouldn't be able to do. If you had asked me a few episodes back which character would be most likely to fundamentally redefine bending, I would have said Toph, since she's already fundamentally redefined bending with her earth sense sonar vision.

Also Toph just breaks stuff. Things that come into contact with her cease to function as intended and instead function as Toph requires. Look at the two idiots: both successful business owners, one also a successful hoodwinker of the richest family around. But they come into contact with Toph and their brains take an extended vacation.

Katara & the Generals: this plot was more like an extension of Azula's plot than its own standalone thing. You can't blame her for spilling the news about Zuko and Iroh to someone she honestly thought was Suki. Not much else to say about it, although it's cute that she asks for a table for two at the tea shop. Momo gets a chair!

I like that there's a theme this episode of things going wrong despite the best intentions. No one's acting maliciously here apart from the Antagonists. The Earth King is having an honest chat with people he thought were friends. Sokka vouched for people he honestly thought were the Kyoshi Warriors. Katara shares information about a presumed threat with people she honestly thought were her allies. You can quibble with the wisdom of some of these decisions, but there were all done with good intentions. The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry and all that. It brings to mind that Star Trek quote about how you can do everything right and still lose. And this set up is going to hit harder when whatever goes wrong next episode happens. And something will go wrong. A few months ago I figured that the Season 2 finale would be a triumph, but all signs are pointing towards a tragedy instead.

This episode was visually stunning, the soundtrack in the Air Temple sections especially was very evocative, and I applaud the minds that could juggle that many plot threads at once without dropping any. This one is definitely going on my rewatch list.

[linkspooky]

Hey, since you said it was fine to send asks, and it will take me a while to comment the recent chapters, I'm taking this as my chance to proclaim my love for Li. Like go off lil' one, act as an abused child lashing out instead of the miniature saint your sibling described.

Jokes aside, I guess she's based on the popular fanon interpretation of Azula as a 'psychopath'? After seeing your post about Lio, I'm really curious about what went in her creation, and can't wait to see how she is in present day and how she will interact with Azula and the Gang. If she's still alive. Especially because I don't really take Azula's visions as gospel truth, but neither Lio's tales so I really want to see if the real Li swings more on one side or the other or if both versions are true at the same time.

Kudos for making such interesting OCs and intricate plots!

Thank you so much for the ask! Your comments gives me so much motivation to write.

I'm glad you like Li, here's some concept art from @oakyvii of the siblings Li and Lio. You are one hundred percent correct that Li is just fandom Azula.

Specifically the tendency of people to try to armchair diagnose Azula with some form of aspd or sociopathy in order to invalidate the abuse she faced as a child and how it played a role in shaping who she is. The popular "Azula sets turtleducks on fire" headcanon that's not substantiated in the show whatsoever.

The way that these bad faith interpretations want to use Azula's mental illness as a sign of some sort of internal wrongness in her. Proof she was always bad from the beginning, because as a child she was a little bit off-putting and demonstrated low empathy.

One of my biggest objectives with this blog is deconstructing "Good Victim / Bad Victim." I believe the origin is a lot of those armchair diagnosis of Azula is that people want to downplay Azula's victimhood in comparison to Zuko's. Instead of making Azula and Zuko both victims who react differently to the same abuse because they are different people, and there's no right way to react to the abuse Azula was just a psychopath all along. People want to make Azula into a mini-ozai who was like that from the beginning.

It sort of runs contrary to the whole idea of Zuko's redemption arc, because instead of Zuko having to work hard to be a better person every day of his life. To make this narrative that Zuko was innately good all along, just misguided and Azula was a sociopath who lit turlteducks on fire at the age of eight. Zu

Good and Bad Victim is bad because it assigns moral values for how people react to trauma, and usually the people who are assigning that value are people who've never been under the same trauma. Therefore it creates this expectation that people have to endure pain with saintlike in patience. If you're a victim the moral thing to do is to shut up and take it, and definitely do not make a fuss for any one else. Good victims can only express their victimhood is socially acceptable and easy to understand waysTM otherwise they're not worthy of human empathy.

This rant is pertinent to Zuko and Azula, because while Zuko does sometimes react to his trauma in ugly and violent ways he's still pretty easy for the audience to empathize with. In the first season he's incredibly incompetent at being evil. Even in season one when he's a straight up antagonist he's part of a charming comedy duo with Uncle Iroh. Zuko can be angry and violent and treat his Uncle and crew poorly, but he never like kicks puppies onscreen or anything. He's marked as the brooding, byronic character, but he's no Heathcliff. He's not even really Spike or Sasuke, he doesn't hurt a beloved character. He never does permanent irreversible harm to a named character. Even Catra from SPOP helps kills Glimmer's mom.

Compare to Azula who in her second episode burns the net underneath Ty Lee tight rope for daring to say no. Ty Lee is someone who both the audience considers a friend and the audience likes, so Azula's treatment of her is incredibly hard to swallow.

Even if you look at the way Zuko is when he's young, in Zuko alone he's made out to be a classic underdog, a soft, put-upon young boy who's desperate to impress his father. Whereas in the same episode people diagnose Azula as a born sociopath because she at eight years old, is already acting like daddy's little child soldier. Nevermind that Zuko, Azula and Ursa all laugh at the burning of Ba Sing Se together. It's easy to empathize with Zuko being a sad, underdog who wants his father's love. It's a bit harder to wrap your head around Azula's disturbing unchildlike behavior even if she's a product of her environment too.

That's actually what I liked about Toya's character in MHA. That Toya is the bad victim of the Todoroki family. That he's incredibly unlikable. He's not a big brother who secretly cares about his younger siblings all along. He's a selfish monster that demands his father's love and will do anything to get it. He was considered the problem maker in his house as a kid, he made a fuss and made things worse even though everyone was telling him to shut up. He yelled at his mother and didn't sympathize with her as much as Shoto did. He was in too much pain to notice everyone else in the house was suffering too.

(That's actually what I like about the Zuko and Azula sibling dynamic too, that Zuko isn't a magically forgiving big brother, that he holds a grudge about Ozai and Azula's treatment, that it's messy on his end even post character development).

This is why I introduced Li into the story, to make a character out of "Fandom Azula" or the way people want to characterize Azula as a sociopath so they don't have to acknowledge her victimhood.

There's one more character Li is based off of, or two more characters really. You could say that Li is based off of fandom Katara. That the fandom has a tendency to simplify women into either wholesome or toxic, nurturing figures or poisonous women. Li is partially based off of that heartbreaking line where Sokka says (I'm paraphrasing) "I can't even remember what my mom's face looks like, I just remember Katara."

Or rather, my idea for Li came from the concept of what if someone was forced into the role of playing mother to take care of the emotional needs of someone else and they got sick of it. What if the emotional labor of having to care for your brother, when you're still a child yourself exhausted you, took everything from you until there was nothing left. Like the darkest possible interpretation for Katara having to step up and parent her brother when their mother died and Bato left for the war.

The reason why Lio is so overprotective and emotinoally dependent on Li, is that Li is practically the one who raised Lio in the place of their missing mother. Li is a parentified child, and all of her problems stem from being a first born daughter expected to be a mother to a brother who's only two years younger than her. Li is also much worse off than Lio since she's illegitimate in court, but she's always had to suppress her own feelings and push her feelings aside in order to take care of her brother's feelings first.

Lio and Li's relationship is a direct mirror for Zuko and Azula's. Both Zuko and Lio don't see their sisters as people. Zuko swings wildly between demonizing his sister as the bad one because she's always had Ozai's favor and he sees Azula as an extension of Ozai's abuse and also putting her on a pedestal for her talent and envying her for it. Whereas Lio pedestalizes their sister as well, by making her out to be a perfect saint. Lio seems to love their sister more, but neither of them seem to see their sisters as fully realized human beings separate from themselves. Lio doesn't even mention Li's name when they're ranting at Zuko, they just call Li "my sister" because that's all they see Li as. An extension of themself.

Li is based off of one more character and that's Tsumiki Fushiguro from Jujutsu Kaisen. If you haven't read Tsumiki is the big sister of one of the main characters. Despite protecting her being Megumi Fushiguro's main motivation, she literally never appears onscreen once, she only ever appears in her brother's flashbacks, and then is brutally butchered by the main villain and fridged for Megumi's character development.

I thought Tsumiki was a missed opportunity because we never got to learn who she was. Megumi put her on such a massive pedestal as his ideal of what a good person was, the person he lived to protect, but in the end she was just a sleeping beauty figure. It didn't matter who she was as a person to Megumi, she just needed to lay there in bed and be helpless so Megumi could continue to play fairytale knight.

I thought about what kind of effect would having your own brother put you on such a big pedestal have on you? What would Tsumiki think about her brother objectifying her? About her brother making the entire reason for his existence protecting her, but not really caring about who she is as a person?

So I decided it would be interesting if Tsumiki wasn't actually that good of a person at all. She never was, that was just Megumi's projection of her. What if he jsut wanted to make her into some like Madonna-like figure, or some pure princess in need of protecting? What if Tsumiki strangled cats when no one was looking? How lonely would it be for Tsumiki if she knew her brother loved her very deeply but the person he loved, wasn't her?

That's basically where the original concept of Li came from. That eventually morphed into making Li into Fandom Azula. She sets turtleducks on fire and strangles cats when nobody's looking. Not only is she a joke about fandom Azula, but she also in story foils Azula by being the monster that everyone thinks Azula is.

Azula tries so hard to deny her own humanity, but Li is just that way naturally. Azula can't go all the way into making herself a weapon, because she isn't Li. She's torn up and broken on the inside because she does feel guilt and know on some level she was wrong. She probably wouldn't have had her mental breakdown if she wasn't capable of feeling guilt like she is. Ursa in confronting Azula in the mirror also points out Azula knows that the way she treated Mai and Ty Lee by trying to control them with fear was wrong, Azula just wont' admit it.

Other people see Azula as Li. Azula tries to be cold and unfeeling like Li, but when faced with the real deal she finds Li to be incredibly disturbing. o the point where eight year old Azula, who was a little bully and good at getting her friends and her brother to do anything she wanted doesn't know what to do with Li. Li's just too offputting to her once she reveals her true nature, she's an unfeeling, dead, thing and Azula doesn't want to be like that.

So yes, Li is fandom Azula. She's just genuinely a sociopath. Now the challenge is to make you guys like her even if she's just a flat sociopath, and I hope I succeed!

[petricorah]

“we can’t leave him here” “sure we can” is so goddamn funny when you know they’re divorced (via @haroldtea)

so which one is it? who says it?

Does Sokka say it? And it hurts Zuko more this time. He was barely conscious before, just making out the voice of the Avatar's non-bending friend say they should leave him to die. And part of him wishes they would. He'd failed.

And here he was, failing again, but now he was losing the man he loved.

"You can't leave me here," Zuko said, his voice a frail whisper. He knows it's selfish. He knows Sokka belongs with his people, that half his heart is with them, that he could do far more good there, where he belongs, but he can't leave him there.

"I have to," Sokka says.

And he does.

Or is it Zuko? Do you think he sees Sokka grapple with his decision, not knowing if his heart lies with his people or Zuko, and Zuko is angry, even though he knows he shouldn't be, that he doesn't have the right. Do you think he leaves him first, before Sokka's even decided (before Sokka works up the courage to tell him he'd chosen Zuko.) Do you think he burns him before Sokka has the chance to do it?

"Y-you can't leave me here," Sokka said. His voice is wrecked, ruined. He's pleading with him.

"Sure I can," Zuko said, and he brushes past him, unable to bear the look on Sokka's face.

Do you think Zuko feels some satisfaction that things have come full circle? Do you think that gives him enough power for him to survive the first few weeks being apart from Sokka? Do you think he leans into his anger so he doesn't have to dwell on his own pain and regret?

But then again, there's only one real answer, right? They get back together, they don't--the end was bound to happen. It was unavoidable.

"I can't leave you here," Zuko said.

He held Sokka in his arms. His hand was over the wound on his stomach, pressing as hard as he could with heat from his palms. But pressure, cauterization, none of it was going to work, and they both knew it.

The dust of battle was distant from his mind, and the only thing he could focus on was feeling the pale pulsing of Sokka's heart from the wound just under his ribs. With every second, it was getting fainter. His life, slipping from under his fingertips.

"Zuko..." Sokka said, mouth parted as he looked up at him, trying to hold himself up somehow.

Zuko knew that tone of voice. He knew what was coming next. He refused to let it happen.

His fingers curling into Sokka's blood-soaked shirt. "I-I can't do this without you. I don't want to do this without you." Sparks flashed from his palm, singing Sokka's shirt. "I love you. I never stopped loving you."

Sokka smiled, but his eyes were sad. It was...a little too late for that confession. He tried to sit up slightly, but his elbow gave out, and Zuko readjusted, still trying to put pressure on his wound.

"Don't try to move," Zuko said tersely. "I-I need to think. We're barricaded in, but I-I'll find a way to carry you out--"

Sokka winced, placing his hand over Zuko's on his torso. "You're gonna make my sacrifice meaningless?" he said with a huffed laugh that cut off in a pained gasp, eyebrows drawing together. "That's a dick move, Hot Stuff."

Zuko bit back the bile in his throat. His eyes flicked back and forth, looking at Sokka's ashen face. He could feel him getting weaker, see it in his face, the focus waning in Sokka's glassy eyes.

Sokka had pushed him aside, taking his place. That hit wasn't meant for him. He wasn't even supposed to be here, and now...

"You shouldn't have done that. W-why did you do that? Why? You're so--"

Stupid. Reckless. Foolish. But he couldn't say that. He couldn't say any of that, because there was a good chance it was going to be the last thing Sokka heard him say.

"So are you," Sokka retorted weakly.

Reading his mind. Even now.

Sokka was serious now. The softness was gone from his infliction, replaced with the severe decisiveness of a leader and ambassador. "You have to go before they come back."

"I can't leave you!" Zuko snarled, his hair falling into his face, as every inch of his body felt like it was breaking, crumbling to pieces, his voice splintering in his throat. "You can't leave me."

Sokka's ice melted, and he spoke in a low voice, a whisper between them, in that tone that he used to say he loved him. "Sure I can," Sokka said. He reached up, knuckles gently moving back his long black hair, thumb grazing across his scarred cheek.

Zuko leaned into his touch, eyes screwing shut. He was trying to chart it to memory, the feeling of Sokka's fingertips, him, everything, because he couldn't do this. They should have had more time. He'd wasted it.

"You can't leave me," he repeated desperately, voice barely registering above the sound of his own anguish.

"It's okay, Zuko. Let me go."

And then his hand dropped, and coldness where his touch had been rushed in.

///

Sokka slowly opened his eyes. He was looking at something white.

He squinted.

White and cracked.

Did the spirit world have peeling ceilings?

He tried to sit up, and immediately collapsed. Pain unlike anything he'd experienced flashed through him. Well, flashed would presume that it left quickly. This was wave after wave of agony, stretching through every part of him. He let out a stifled gasp, but managed to prop himself up with a locked out elbow, only to feel a warm hand on his shoulder. It gave a slight nudge, but that was enough to send Sokka falling back into the sheets.

"If you try to get up again, I'll kill you."

He stilled. That voice, soothing and sharp, unmistakeable.

He was almost afraid to look, because it couldn't be real.

It was Zuko. Alive. Well, with a few more burns and scratches, but alive. Alive.

"You're alive," he breathed out. Then his heart pounded in his chest. "Unless we're both dead, and the spirit world makes you heal from the injuries that killed you before you get to be a spirit ghost or--"

"No," Zuko said. He bent down and helped Sokka sit up, propping the pillows behind him so he could rest properly, then he sat back down in the chair next to Sokka's bed. "We're alive."

Sokka's heart pounded against his ribcage, and he relaxed slightly in relief.

"The assassins?"

"Taken care of," Zuko said. "Thanks to the research you put together, we were able to find the ambassador who betrayed me. Thank you," he said. "And thank you for...risking your life for me. Again."

Sokka shrugged, ignoring the pain that stabbed through him with the action. "You've done it for me before."

Zuko's yellow eyes darkened, and Sokka faltered. This had been different. Even as he'd shoved Zuko aside, he didn't think he'd get to...see him again, much less...

"I mean, I wasn't that close to dying. I just had to be dramatic." The lie came quickly with a nonchalant wave of his hand, but that, too, sent pain through his joints. He pressed on. "I mean, some of that stuff you said." His trademark smirk played across his lips. "That you still loved me? How many years has it been?" He shook his head with a click of his tongue. "That's embarrassing for you, Fire Lord."

Zuko chuckled, a low, good sound. "Is it?"

Sokka nodded, closing his eyes for emphasis. "And you're probably thinking about how you regret it, now that I didn't actually die. But you can't take it back. And you're probably thinking, 'oh, he got hurt because of me, I can't be with him now, blah, blah, blah.'" He opened one eye up, and saw tension in Zuko's shoulders. Of course he was right. "But..." he leaned forward slightly, ignoring the pain, because it didn't matter. Nothing mattered except.

"I'm telling you, you can't get rid of me. You're stuck with me forever. No matter what you say or do, friends or more, I'm here. I'm going to be by your side. And I'm not going anywhere."

Zuko was quiet for a moment, and Sokka hesitated. Zuko's face was unreadable, and Sokka could feel his heart in his damn ears--

But Zuko closed the gap between them, and kissed him.

It was soft, gentle, like he was afraid he'd hurt him, but Sokka melted into it all the same, his hand fitting in his spot on Zuko's cheek, Zuko's warm palm a grounding presence against his neck.

Zuko pulled back, swallowing, his hair slightly out of place. Sokka resisted a smile. That was always his favorite part--seeing Zuko's stoic facade break in a mess of blushing and mussed hair. Seeing him lose control, to just let go when he was with Sokka. Even now, through everything they'd been through and everything that had changed between them, he still...

"I love you too," he said. "In case you didn't know."

Zuko smiled, and reached forward to take his hand. "Good. Because I'm not leaving, either."

[woodlaflababab]

Zuko and Aang and Being Trans

Okay so, as a trans person, I've actually always personally disliked 'trans headcanons’. Like, if people want to do that, all the power to them. I understand that it can help people to connect their struggles to a favorite character. I just don't get anything from it and for me it just doesn't make sense since being trans shouldn't change anything about a character besides what's in their pants, and even that is optional.

However, I've been thinking about Zuko and Aang a lot and I've realized two things. 

Zuko's journey throughout the series could actually almost seamlessly contain a trans journey.

Aang's arc as the avatar is a great allegory for the trans journey.

Hear me out.

Zuko

Zuko starting out trying to force himself into a role and certain personality? Could totally connect that with also trying to fit in a certain gender role, like, as a trans man, being a ruthless princess like Azula. I mean, come on, he already compares himself to her.

And then the symbolic cutting of the hair? That can totally be a trans man moment. And, having a buzz cut now, the earth kingdom citizens assume him a man, and Zuko's like, I'll stick with this since we're supposed to be undercover. 

Him in Ba Sing Se? Learning to be comfortable and then happy in this life disconnected from his role? Could absolutely have some time to come to terms with actually being a man and not just a woman undercover as a man.

And then he has a chance to go back home but, of course, to do that he has to go back to that role and bam, typical second wave of doubt in the trans journey.

He realizes just how much he really doesn't fit that role. Both as a part of the Fire Nation cruelty, and as a princess, and he goes to his dad like, “fuck you, I'm not a princess, I'm not even a girl, I'm gonna go help the avatar and then come back and take your place as fire lord”

And then he goes to the gaang who just thought he was a cis man this whole time jsndnsnd. 

Like, you could so easily give him a trans arc without forcing anything into the series. It'd go right along with everything.

Aang

With Aang, it's not the same. Trying to add a trans arc to his story would be adding in stuff. It wouldn't just seamlessly blend in, it'd stand out. BUT fuck if the arc of accepting his place as the avatar isn't a great trans metaphor.

He reaches the age of 12 (the start of puberty) and realizes he's different. Starts experiencing a disconnect with those who should be his peers. Fears being seperated from a parental figure. All very classic, starting to realize you're trans things. 

He comes out of the iceberg and straight up denies being the avatar because he doesn't want to be and worries they may treat him different, but eventually admits it and starts the process of trying to grow into this role. 

That's how it starts. You realize you're trans, you hide the trans, but that never works and eventually you have to admit it and start transitioning even if it's scary.

Then, the constant doubt he has as the avatar? Transitioning can feel like two steps forward one step back where there's recurring doubts of 'can I actually do this?’

He often seeks counsel from spirits and even past avatars but their advice is often only partially helpful because, ultimately, they lived in a different world and time. Every avatar's experience is different. They don't know exactly what it's like for Aang and can only give the best advice they know from their experience, which is very reminiscent of trying to talk to older trans people.

But Aang throughout the series more and more becomes a fully fledged avatar and owns it.

And then the end where Aang realizes being everything the world expects of him isn't true to himself. He learns to combine being the avatar with still being himself, that those two things go hand in hand. Knowing he doesn't need to be or do what the world says an avatar should be or do. 

It's very reminiscent of the common post-transition struggle of realizing all the trans stereotypes don't all fit you. The world telling you what being trans should look like and learning that being trans looks like whatever you are because you define what it is. Aang decides what being the avatar means.

Obviously this is heavily influenced by my own experience, but you can definitely draw the parallels there.

I still wouldn't headcanon either of them as trans. I just think it's interesting how similar their journeys are to trans experiences.

[unevenpatterns]

Fic idea - Jet is a spicy kitten (Jetko)

So since I will soon have less time to write due to getting a real grown up job, I wanted to get some of my ideas written down before that happens. They might become actual fics at some point, so spoil it for yourself if you want to I guess? One thing that keeps plauging my Jetko heart is the fact that in canon Jet never discovered that Zuko was a prince, just that he was a firebender. Imagine the fucking conniption he'd have over that... (as he pretty much does in Second Chances)

So let's say Jet survives, but he doesn't escape. He passes out, but looks very much like like he's gone. Smellerbee and Longshot sit with him but eventually leave him behind, thinking he's dead and they can't carry him out of there and escape themselves. There were a lot of people under Lake Laogai, and most of them quickly get transferred to other prisons by the Dai Li before they collapse the whole thing. They also stumble upon Jet and take him with them. This leads to Jet being imprisoned again. How would anyone know he's alive? After the war ends and Zuko is crowned firelord he returns to Ba Sing Se to visit and during this visit, war prisoners are exhanged from both sides. Zuko is shown around the prison and lo and behold who does he find there? His old crush/friend/enemy. Horrified he immediately wants Jet released.

Jet is of course enraged about being by being granted mercy by a stupid firebender and also really confused about how a tea server suddenly has the power to do that. And why is he wearing such fancy clothes?

But he is also smart enough not to protest until he's out. Fighting the firebender can wait 2 minutes, right? Except then someone says Zuko's title out loud right as he is let out, and nope, Jet hits the roof and tries to commit murder.

But he's weak and the guards get him down. Zuko tries to explain that no, no, this is normal Jet behaviour, it's fine, just let him go, while Jet is still screaming about wanting to slice him down the middle right next to him.

The earth kingdom guys suggest that they can release him after Zuko leave Ba Sing Se as they don't particularly want a diplomatic crisis on their hands. Zuko doesn't trust the earth kingdom to actually let Jet go later on, so he takes him into custody as his own prisoner.

One of Zuko's advisors jokes that it's like having a feral kitten in a cage trying to tame it. Not knowing what else to do Zuko takes this too literally and starts asking people a lot of questions about how to tame kittens. He applies this knowledge with varying succes.

Cue Zuko owning a very spicy kitten that hisses a lot and has to be tamed before being rehomed.

Zuko: 🥰😺 Jet: 🤬😾 Everyone else: 😰😨😐

(If you can't already tell I love the dynamic of one person wanting to murder the other, while the other one is not taking it seriously at all and just thinks he's adorable and "misunderstood")

[cyansadness]

this is how i think season 2 of grease rise of the pink ladies should start

we open on the facciano’s old apartment in new york. it’s snowing outside. the house is full of boxes. this is the night before they are set to move to rydell. frenchie is walking to her room when she hears yelling from jane’s room.

being a nosy younger sister, she leans closer to try to hear the conversation better. frenchie can’t really hear much. just jane yelling and a male voice yelling back. we can only hear bits and pieces of the conversation.

‘i never want to hear from you or see you again.’ ‘come on, don’t be like that jane.’ ‘i mean it zuko, get out.” ‘calm down facciano.’

frenchie hears footsteps approaching the door so she dives into her own room just as jane opens her own. frenchie watches the interaction from a crack in the door.

the conversation now is crystal clear as jane forces zuko out of her room. he goes to grab her forearm but she pushes him away.

‘come on jane, what are you going to do, huh? move to california and just forget about everything that happened?” he would ask, getting closer to jane but she would take a few steps back. the camera is facing his back, we still can see his face.

‘yeah, i’m not letting you ruin this second chance for me. you’ve done enough zuko. just leave me alone, for good this time.’ jane said, crossing her arms in front of her. ‘good-bye zuko.’ jane said, throwing something small at him. it bounced out off his chest and landed on the floor.

jane stepped back into her room and shut the door. zuko bent down to pick up what jane threw at him. a gold ring with a dark red gem in the center. he huffed before going to leave the facciano’s residence for the last time.

frenchie has a confused look on her face. what happened? what did they do? why were they arguing? so many questions and one sister unwilling to answer them.

we see jane through her small window that leads to a fire escape. the window is frosted over. as the camera pans out, we see her packing the last things in a suitcase.

the camera lifts up to show the night sky before quickly dropping back down where we are back in rydell.

this is right after the last scene of season 1. we see jane storm into the frosty palace, everyone jumping out of her way because calamity jane is on a warpath.

she’s angry but under all that anger, there’s fear. she has her back to the door as it jingles again. the pink ladies followed her, obviously.

they talk over each other as they question everything they just saw. as jane was about to start talking, the bell jingles again. jane looks up again and zuko is standing at the door, a smirk on his face like he’s been waiting for this day to come. this is the first time we’re seeing his face.

with that proud smirk on his face, he looks at jane dead in the eyes. “hey facciano, long time, no see.’

then we get our iconic title card and theme

bam, mic drop

now we just need a season 2.

[the-badger-mole]

Swept Away

Katara took a deep breath. In through her nose. Out through her mouth. She wasn't nervous. Not really. Not in the sense that other people mean when they say they're nervous. She wasn't scared. She was eager. In a few short minutes, she would be a wife. She would be Zuko's wife. He was going to be her husband.

"Are you sure about this?" Suki asked for the thousandth time. "Really sure?"

"I am." Katara opened her eyes and turned to her sister-in-law. She couldn't fight the smile that spread over her face. "I'm more sure of this than anything in my life. Zuko's it. He's the one."

"Katara," Suki sighed. "Look, I get it. Zuko's incredibly hot. He's smart. He...seems really nice, but-"

"Suki," Katara started to say, but she didn't get a chance to complete her thought.

"Katara, you've known him three months!" Suki burst out. "You've only been dating for eight weeks! You are the most straight laced person I've ever met. Why are you doing something this...impulsive? You're not impulsive!"

"What are you talking about?" Katara turned from the mirror to face Suki directly. "I'm exactly this impulsive. Don't you remember Jang Hui? My protest about gender equality for STEM fields at the North Pole? The time I started a rally for prison reform?"

"Okay, fine," Suki relented, rolling her eyes. "When it comes to social justice, you are very impulsive. But, this? Katara, you're getting married! Without your dad here. Without your GranGran! I know how much they mean to you."

"They mean the world to me," Katara agreed. "But you know I've never cared about a huge wedding. I love Zuko. I love him. I don't see why I should have to wait to make him my husband just because it would take too long for Dad to fly over to see us get married. We'll have a big party...a huge one later. And everyone we love will get to meet and celebrate. But this feels right!"

"Right?" Suki snorted. "It feels right to get married without telling anyone but me and your brother?"

"Yeah," Katara said. A wistful smile tugged at her lips. "I know it sounds crazy, but...I can't wait to marry him. I literally cannot wait. I've never felt this way about anyone. You know! I know you do. Sokka told me you and he started talking about marriage two months in." Suki rolled her eyes skyward and groaned.

"Yeah, talking about it!" Suki repeated it. "We didn't actually get engaged until a year in! We got married on our second anniversary!"

"Zuko and I don't want to wait that long," Katara laughed. "So we've on a faster timeline. So what?"

"What if there are things you don't like about him?" Suki pressed. "What if he's....I don't know...super anal about the way you put toilet paper on the roll? What if he doesn't wash his feet in the shower? What if he...he hates cats?"

"Did you know Sokka's every annoying habit when you married him?" Katara challenged. Suki made a face at her and sucked her teeth.

"No," she admitted. "But I knew a few of them! I knew enough to know that I could deal with the biggest ones."

"So do I," Katara said. "I know that Zuko likes his food unreasonably spicy. I know that when he's angry, he shuts down and needs a day or two before he can talk about it calmly. I know he thinks rom-coms are a wasted of a perfectly good evening. But I also know that he already values my opinion and will make decisions with me. I know he's put in so much work unlearning toxic traits he was taught as a child, way before he and I met. I know he has the softest heart underneath the hard layers. In three months, he's become one of my closest friends. I trust him, and he trusts me. I love him, Suki. I want to marry him now.

"Um..." Suki swiped at her eyes with her knuckles, and blinked rapidly against more tears. "I get that. I do! I just don't want you to regret doing it this way. I don't want you to regret not having Dad here to walk you down the aisle. Or not having Gran Gran help you into your gown. Don't you want a first dance with Zuko?

Katara turned back to the mirror and considered her reflection. As a girl, she had pictured her wedding. Her dressed in silk and looking the best she's ever looked, and her father walking with her to meet her husband. It was exactly as Suki said, with her dancing with her new husband while people took pictures and tossed confetti. Her extended family together and celebrating.

"I don't need it," she told Suki. "Did you know that the only family that Zuko has is his uncle? His mother is dead. His father is a monster. His sister won't speak to him. He wouldn't be alone- he has friends- but, it wouldn't be the same. Plus crowds make him anxious.

"So he asked for this?" Suki frowned. "He wanted to get married at City Hall?

"No, this was my idea," Katara assured her best friend. "He said he was fine with whatever I wanted. But Zuko's an introvert, and a little agoraphobic. The only buffer he would have would be me and his uncle. He wouldn't enjoy himself. Not as much as I would want. There will be plenty of time later to celebrate with the people we love. But not all at once.

"Dad won't like it," Suki warned. Katara shrugged.

"He'll get over it once I explain it to him," she said. "And he'll love Zuko. They have a lot in common."

Suki stared at Katara for a long while, wracking her brains for something, anything to say to her sister-in-law. She came up frustratingly empty. She should have more objections to her best friend and sister marrying someone she's only known a few months. Katara was convincing. She was very convincing when she wanted to be. Finally, Suki threw her hands up in surrender. If Katara was making a mistake, then the next best thing Suki and Sokka could do was make sure they were at least close enough to help her if she needed it.

"Sokka's not thrilled," she told Katara. "I promised him I'd talk sense into you before it was too late."

"It's been too late for a while," Katara chuckled. Suki nodded and laughed with her.

"I see that now," she said. "Sokka's going to be so disappointed."

"I hope that won't cause any issues with you guys," Katara's brow drew down in worry. Suki just waved her off, though.

"Nah," she said. "I'll just tell him I'm pregnant if he gets too riled up." Katara gasped and leapt up from her seat.

"Are you joking?" she squealed. Suki grinned and shook her head.

"I just found out a couple of days ago," she said. "I was going to take him out to the game this weekend and have it announced on the jumbotron, but I'll use it to distract him from your questionable decision making if I need to."

"I'm so happy for you!" Katara said pulling Suki in for a hug. Suki hugged her back tightly.

"I'm happy for you, too." And to her surprise, Suki realized she meant it.

[discordiansamba]

@mayplesyrup replied to your post “thinking about the assassin zuko AU again......”:

I’m curious what kind of relationship Zuko and Azula have after he starts his redemption, and also what Azula does with the Gaang. Does she join them? Does she help them without joining them?

​I think Azula and Zuko's relationship is ultimately less strained than that of Iroh and Zuko's, because I picture Azula holding on to a lot of guilt about the way she treated Zuko before he 'died'. That guilt just gets worse as she spends more time around Iroh, and starts to gradually unlearn what Ozai has taught her. She should have been nicer to him when she had the chance, and now she'll never get it.

And then Zuko turns out to be alive.

And he turns out to be an assassin. Her father took Zuko from their family and threw him into that hellish life without a second thought. And honestly? It's a real eye-opener to Azula about her father. She's having quite a lot of those, actually! And not just about her father, but about the Fire Nation and the war as a whole.

She does ultimately end up joining the Gaang. She helps her Uncle teach the Avatar firebending (though she finds it intensely frustrating due to his lack of progress at first). She's the one who tells them Li's real name- that he used to be her brother, Zuko. That she thought he was dead for the longest... and she doesn't know what to do now that he's alive.

I think she feels sorry for Zuko? She remembers what he used to be like. He was just a kid. He was dramatic and stubborn, but he laughed and smiled- and now he doesn't do that anymore. She sees a shadow of who her father wanted her to be in him- except at least she was allowed to feel things. Zuko wasn't allowed to feel anything. She wants to help him, but she's not sure how.

But Uncle helped her, right? So surely, there must be a way to help Zuko. She just has to figure it out.

[quillthrillswriting]

now that ao3 is back up, boy oh boy do i have a fic rec for you!!!!

i get that the comics are meant to fill that gap between atla and lok, but i feel like we've always been missing that moment where katara and aang actually formally confess their feelings and talk about everything they had been through. with how mature both of them are, it feels somewhat... unrealistic to me that we're never shown that moment where they talk it all out, after three (3!!!) whole seasons of buildup >:(

this fic was inspired by me wanting to show the moment when aang and katara are finally free from the responsibilities placed on them by the war!!!<3

OR: Aang wakes up the morning after him and his friends saved the entire world, and the first (and only) thing he can think about is Katara. When they get a chance to talk, the two take a walk down memory lane.

---

“Is it ok if I ask you something? While we’re on the topic of… us kissing?” Aang asked, hesitantly. 

Katara nodded. She had a feeling that she knew where this was going. “Ember Island?”

“Yeah.” He breathed. “We never got to… talk about that. After we kissed at the invasion, there was never a moment alone, and I do recognize now that Ember Island wasn’t the right time to bring it up, and I shouldn’t have sprung all of that on you. It wasn’t fair for me to ask you to make such a big statement. It wasn’t right for me to be so demanding. I felt ridiculously jealous over the implication that you were interested in Zuko, and I… well, I reacted poorly. I really am sorry for that.”

“I appreciate you saying that.”

He continued. “But, if you don’t mind me asking… what did you mean when you said you felt confused?”

Katara sighed, drawing water from the lake and tossing it between her hands idly. “I still don’t quite get it, even now. I think the best way to describe it was that I was in fight or flight, locked into survival mode. I did have feelings for you, and I knew that, but I just couldn’t let myself be vulnerable like that at a time like that. I guess that I was worried that if we started something, it’d be a weakness for the both of us. It felt too selfish to distract ourselves from the greater mission at hand when the world was at stake.”

“Ah.” Aang said, thinking it over as the pieces began to click together. “That… that makes a lot of sense.”

Katara continued. “If we’re both being honest, you do have a history of… avoidance, Aang. Giving into my feelings for you felt like it would mean enabling that bad habit of yours, and it seemed like the world needed you more than I did.”

---

Katara fought the blush spreading rapidly across her cheeks as the two leaned closer together. “Do you remember making that necklace for me out of fishing twine? So I could have a placeholder while Zuko had my mother’s necklace?”

He only nodded in response, her proximity rendering him entirely incapable of producing coherent speech. “I still have it. I don’t think you realize how much that meant to me.” She laughed, lost in memory for a second. “The way you looked at me when I put it on… and Sokka said you were acting like you were in love, and I… called you a good friend?”

“Mhm?” Aang asked, about as close to her as he could be without her lips on his. “What… what about it?”

"I don't want us to just be... good friends, not anymore." She took a deep breath, her voice wavering with nerves.

I think we were meant to be more than that." Katara breathed.

---

♥ the rest of the (completed) fic can be found here!! ->