#but years later he will hear rumors of the Avatar having a firebending teacher with Kyoshi Island roots

[discordiansamba]

question about the kyoshi twins au: is ursa still at the palace, since the circumstances in which ozai banished her would not have happened? how does iroh fit into everything?

I thought about this, and after thinking it over... I think Ursa would still not be at the palace in this AU. I think Ozai still attempted to usurp the throne from Iroh, and Azulon made the same threat- that for his ambitions, he should kill his only heir. Ozai has already lost a child yes, but it was obvious to all that he was not remotely torn up about the death of the infant prince. Azula, however, is very different.

But the difference is... Azula never knows about this. She doesn't stick around to eavesdrop. She simply wakes up one morning, and her mother is gone and her grandfather is dead. Suddenly she only just has her father. But that's all she really needs, right? She's her father's pride and joy. His perfect daughter.

(She doesn't know her mother was willing to kill for her. That her mother tried, but her father isolated from her on purpose. It was why she was sent away to the Royal Fire Academy, away from her mother's influence. It was making her soft. Ozai couldn't have that.)

As for Iroh... he attempts to reach out to his niece, but it's clear that she's closing herself off from him. It is her father's influence, he knows. For a time, he stays at the palace, trying to spend as much time as possible, before Ozai makes it clear in no uncertain terms that he is not welcome. He decides to take his leave, but he always regrets he could not do more for his niece.

After that, he travels. His experience at the Siege of Ba Sing Se and losing his son has opened his eyes, and his travels open them further. He begins to scheme with the White Lotus. Something needs to be done about his brother- about the war.

(If possible, he would like their plans to spare his niece. She is still young. With time and patience, he can help open her eyes, as his own were opened. If their plan succeeds, she will be the only family he has left, after all...)

[help-i-need-a-cool-username]

Recently saw a tiktok that was like "if you ship [toph and zuko] than you have issues or you see something galaxy brained that i havent" and stumbled upon the concept of aroace Zuko and i concocted this idea ages ago so im posting it now: the epic Toph x Zuko Marriage of Convenience 

Okay what you are all thinking of is book 3 Toph and Zuko, which totally dont have romantic chemistry and with the added age difference is prob why no one ever considers this ship. Four years when you're a teenager is a big difference. Four years when you're in your twenties and beyond isnt that big a deal. So they're adults and they've been friends for years at this point.

You also gotta sit back and look at what they are. Toph is the only child to a very rich and very well known Earth Kingdom family. Her family name in general is huge and carries a lot of weight but you also got her own accomplishments: Master Earthbender, the Creator of Metalbending, the Avatar's Earthbending teacher, and shes a war hero. Thats big. And then you got Zuko, who at this point is the Fire Lord. Zuko himself comes from a prominent Fire Nation family, seeing as he's royalty. He's also descended from a Avatar, but i dont think thats all that well known. Zuko is a Master Firebender, the Avatar's Firebending Teacher, and a war hero. On top of being famous both these people have credibility to fall back on.

So what im leaning into here is not exactly a marriage alliance seeing as the Earth Kingdom has its own royalty but its definitely a political move

Anyways Zuko has a lot on his plate, dismantling his dad's empire and all that. When he's nearing 30 the council is all like "you need to find a bride". Zuko writes up his ex-girlfriends and finds out they're either married or he just cant bring himself to trap someone into a marriage with him after knowing how it destroyed his mom. So he's stuck with no one of his own choosing so the council and high up nobles are trying to fix him up and not-so-subtly set him up with their daughters. Half of Team Avatar comes and visits (lets say Toph, Aang, and Sokka) and witness the behind the scenes of all this. They're having tea with Zuko and two people come in at different times and try to casually talk about the marriage thing. Toph can hear things that happen in the hallways too. Zuko is all "noooooooo guys why is this happening to me" and Sokka probably finds it funny but also a little sucky, and Aang probably hates it because "Zuko should marry for love!". And Toph is all "I know right" because she can totally relate. Her parents were looking for matches for her since she was born, and now that shes visiting again they've started back up again. Her and Zuko start swapping match-making stories ("so i come home and this boy and his father are there and my mom is all like 'Toph have you met __'" "I'm in the throne room for a meeting on road construction and this guy derails the whole thing so he can introduce his niece to me"). Later on after Toph has been listening in on the palace for a few days now and shes starting to really feel sorry for Zuko. Sokka just keeps making jokes until Toph snaps at him. Aang is pretty oblivious and probably spends all day at the market looking for souvenirs to bring home for Katara. And one night while Zuko is up late doing paperwork by candle light Toph stops by because her body cant sleep at night sometimes and they get to talking and Toph jokingly throws out "what if we just married each other? Then everyone will get off both our backs!" and they're laughing and after they've calmed down Zuko has a light bulb moment and he's like "wait, that might not be a bad idea". They spend all night working out the details to their hypothetical wedding and a day later decide to actually go through with it. Theres uproar from the council of course because Zuko didnt choose their pick Toph isnt Fire Nation nobility. And then Zuko starts listing all her family's importance and stuff and the council is forced to admit to themselves its not actually a bad idea. Plus marrying Earth Kingdom would make the Fire Lord more relatable to the colonies where theyre having a lot of problems with people of mixed heritage right now. Sokka and Aang hear rumblings of this because palace servants gossip and they're debating wether or not to believe these rumors when they run into Toph and just ask her and shes all like "yeah we're talking about it" and they boys flip out. Aang still maintains that everyone should marry for love but Toph and Zuko won't budge.

Over in the Earth Kingdom Toph's parents are ecstatic because the only better option Toph could marry was Earth Kingdom royalty. They completely endorse it and only argue to not seem like pushovers and when topics revolving money come up (ex. dowery). The Earth King gets in on this because its too good a opportunity to not capitalize on it. The Earth Kingdom is abuzz because a foreign King is marrying one of their own. Everyone is hyped and Team Avatar are the only ones who find the whole situation weird because to them its not a fairytale its their actual friends.

All-in-all they get married in the Fire Nation and the guest list was awful to make but people from all over the world are there. Toph's mother freaks out the whole time because "what if Toph falls down all those steps!" The wedding is mostly all Fire Nation tradition but Toph wears a Earth Kingdom wedding dress because everything is political now. Toph and Zuko have a relatively fun night and Sokka has the time of his life. And their marriage actually really works out for them because they're friends. They make fun of fancy people and rant to each other in the evenings. Toph is still running metal bending schools but either now they have to come to her or she gets stuck with a Fire Nation security team for like 3 months of the year she spends in the Earth Kingdom and she gets flashbacks to her childhood. And Zuko is sometimes all "i miss my wife" and the servants are all "awwww they're so in love" but the truth is he wants to talk sh*t with her and because shes blind he always has to write letters with the interpreter's opinion/gossip in mind. Toph still sneaks out all the time because shes not giving up her independence willy-nilly and is not above pulling the blind card to get out of things, which irritates Zuko sometimes because that means he has to deal with boring meetings by himself. They gaang visits all the time and by the time Republic City rolls around Toph manages to get herself sent as a "ambassador" (her and Sokka have some fun their shared meetings) and then to stay on to help set up the police force, which is a little dicy since shes representing the Fire Nation but also shes teaching only metalbending so its a controversial thing. This also gives Zuko a excuse to visit Republic City more often so he can see everyone since they settled down there.

[kira-hayashi]

Zexal Month: Week Three, Day 4: AU Day

Okay I saw someone posting about there ATLA AU  for @zexalmonth SO *cracks fingers* here’s mine!

The Avatar: Yuma! Youngest of 6 children and 4th son of Kazuma and Mirai Tsukumo. He was declared the Avatar at the age of 12. Lives on Kyoshi Island. His parents disappeared after an ambush by the Fire nation that left his oldest brother blind. His siblings train him in earthbending and material arts. After being announced the Avatar they leave the island to find teachers for him. He learns metalbening, lightningbending and seismic sense.

The past Avatar: Astral. Born and raised in the Norhtern Watertribe. He was announced the Avatar at the age of 14 when the Fire Nation started the war. Overwhelmed and scared he left the Northern Watertribe to get to the other nations to his friends, only to end up in a storm and the Avatar state trapping him in an iceberg. About 90 years later the Fire Nation army find him and kill him on sight. He has not much guidance and advices for Yuma but supports him as much as he can and helps him connect with the Avataras before them.  

Eartbenders:

Fourth: Oldest child and first daughter of Kazuma and Miari Tukumo, leader of the Kyoshi warriors at the age of 19. She is very protective over her siblings and a very patience teacher. Has a natural talent for earthbending and easily learned seismic sense and metal bending when Third taught them.

Third: Second child and first son of Kazuma and Mirai Tsukumo. Eartbending master at the age of 18 and teaches earthbending to the kids on Kyoshi island. He’s very calm and strategic. During an ambush by the Fire Nation, one soldier injured his eyes, leaving him blind. Struggled with it until he discovered seismic sense and learned how to ‘see’ again. Taught it to all the earthbenders on the island. During their jouney he was captured by Fire Nation and trapped in a metal cage. Discovered metal bending and caused havoc on the entire Fire Nation camp on his own.  

Second: Third child and second daughter of Kazuma and Mirai Tsukumo. Fourths second in command and a free spirited 16-year-old with a serious side. She was the one who heard about the group of benders that could teach Yuma the other three elements. She too knows seismic sense and metal bending, but had a harder time learning than her sister. In love with Vector but denies it.

Girag: A thickheaded 16-year-old with a soft spot for his pet tanuki Ponta. He can be a bit dumb sometimes but in a very sweet way. After accusing a fire bender teen for stealing Ponta, the two got into a fight only to realize it was a huge misunderstanding. They became friends and after Girag showed his new friend, Alito, how horrible the Fire Nation treats the Earth Kingdom and its people, the two set out to make a difference. Only to get in a lot of trouble and being rescued by a traveling air nomad and his two water tribe companions. Once their little group of 7 was completed, the Avatar and his siblings found them and he too learned from Third and is able to meatal bend. Seismic sense not so much.  

Eliphas: Earth Kingdom King. Never left Ba Sing Se. There is no war in Ba Sing Se.

Airbender:

Durbe: A 16-year-old Air bending Master traveling the world with his trusted sky bison Mach. Raised in the southern Air Temple. During his travels he came across two stranded water benders and offered them a ride to the Earth Kingdom, where he was going anyways. The three formed a strong friendship and they ended up rescuing Alito and Girag from a group of Fire Nation soldiers. He becomes Yumas Air bending teacher and is very patience with him, since earth and Air are opposite elements.

Waterbender:

Nash and Merag: 15-year-old Twins and last water benders from the Southern Watertribe. They weren’t very skilled as they had no one to teach them. Their people send them away in hopes to save them when the Raiders came to wipe out the last Waterbenders at the South Pole. Both escaped on a small boat but ended up stranded, luckily Durbe found them and took them with him on Mach. The three became friends and the twins later learned waterbending together with Yuma under the harsh training of Vector. Merag becomes a skilled healer

Vector: Became a Waterbending master at the mere age of 13, a prodigy and very skilled bender. Intrigued by the ‘good’ and ‘evil’ use of every element and knows that any bending can be both. Discovered bloodbending and mastered it at the age of 16, once it was found out he was banished from the tribe. On his way to the Earth Kingdom he found Mizael almost drowning in a storm. He rescued him and the two somehow became friends. A small group of waterbenders, an air nomad, a fire bender and an earthbender find them and they (somehow) become a group. First, he was against teaching the twins but after seeing how pathetic their bending was, he put them through hard training, later teaches the Avatar as well. Has the biggest crush on Second and fears Fourth.  

Firebender:

Mizael: 17 years old. Crown prince and heir to the Throne of the Fire Nation. If he wasn’t banished by his father and marked as a traitor to the Nation. He wants peace and bring back balance to the world, spoke out to his father during a war meeting. He was given nothing but a small boat that ended up breaking during a storm. He would have drowned if Vector hadn’t found him. Both share a deep connection, despite Vector never admitting it. They understand each other and Vector promised to never use bloodbending on him. (He did once. To save Mizaels life). Mizael later teaches Alito and Yuma fire- and lightningbending. Even going so far to simulate an actual Agni kai with them. He knows that it has to be Yuma to defeat the Fire Lord to bring peace to the world and he is prepared to become the next Fire Lord to keep that peace. Even if it means fighting his younger brother in an Agni Kai.

Alito: a young 14-year-old Fire Bender born in an Earth Kingdom colony. He finds Ponta, the tanuki, and gets into a fight when Girag thought he stole him. Alito realizes how awful the Fire Nation truly is and together they cause trouble for the Fire Soldiers, only to be saved by Durbe, Nash and Merag. He learns from Mizael and is able to lightning bend. He and Yuma become good friends.  

Mist: 14 years old and Mizaels younger brother. A prodigy and creates blue flames. He was very happy when is brother got banished, since it made him the next heir to the throne. He wants nothing more than become the Fire Lord, driven by serve childhood trauma and to prove himself to his father. After the new Avatar was found, his father sends him out to capture and kill the Avatar. He takes his two “friends” with him. Kaito and Luna.

Don Thousand: Fire Lord and a power-hungry tyrant. Banished his oldest son, severely emotionally damaged his second son and no one know where his wife(E’Rah) is and rumors exist that he killed her. Is defeated by Yuma.

Non Benders:

First and Dark: Twins and fourth and fifth sons of Kazuma and Mirai Tsukumo. 13 years old, First is the oldest. They too become Kyoshi warriors and are very skilled fighters. Both learned how to Chi-Block and learn material arts based on the bending forms. Dark gets along with Vector pretty well, much to Fourths horror.  

Kaito: 17 years old and childhood friends of Mizael and Mist. A very skilled fighter and uses knifes. He and Mizael have been in love for a long time. He’s devastated when Mizael was banished but after finding him again while hunting down the Avatar, Kaito and Luna betray Mist to help Mizael and his group to escape.  

Luna: 16 years old, a Chi-Blocker and circus artist. Enjoys the fights with First and Dark as it is an even match ever time. Betrays Mist for Kaito and Mizael. Childhood friend of the three.  

A bit story:

While the Tsukumo kids search for teacher, Seconds hears rumors about the group with every bender present. They soon find these rumors to be true and decide to find them, since it would be easier than trying to get to the other nations. They find him and Yuma gets his teachers.  

The invasion on the Fire Nation during the Day of the Black Sun fails.  

Yuma faces Don Thousand on the day of the Numeron Comet (Sozins Comet). Mizael and Vector fly to the Fire Nation on Mach for Mizael to challenge Mist to an Agni Kai for the crown. Nash, Merag, Durbe, Alito, Girag, First, Dark, Second, Third and Fourth take down the entire Fire Nation fleet, to ensure that Yuma can fight the Fire Lord uninterrupted and to stop the fleet from burning down the Earth Kingdom. With all 4 elements, with three metal benders, a lightning bender at his strongest through the comet and two Chi-Blockers, the fleet went down in a blaze.  

Nothing is completely set yet and I might change some aspects. But most characters are final. Tho the zexal siblings still need names...

[leyacer]

I finally finished sketching some of the others in this AU! I originaly planned to just draw the other half of the party, but I added Symonne because I wanted to draw her.

Just like last time, ideas and stuff under the cut!

Sorey, Mikleo, Lailah and Edna

General story stuff:

When it wasn’t known yet that Sorey was the Avatar, the few Air Nomads that had survived the genocide were hunted by the Fire Nation, just in case the Avatar had somehow survived as well. Thus, the Air Nomads went into hiding, barely even bending anymore just in case there were spies or bounty hunters.

Team recruitment order:

Start: Sorey + Mikleo

After leaving the North Pole, before the desert: +Edna +Dezel

After Serpent’s Pass: +Alisha

After the drill: +Rose

After the coup of Ba Sing Se: -Alisha

Before trek to the Fire Nation: +Zaveid +Lailah (in that order)

Day of Black Sun: -Dezel +/-Alisha

Alisha

A non-bender skilled at fighting with spears, she joined the military as soon as she became old enough to, and quickly gained a lot of respect amongst her comrades for her talent with the spear and her firm but kind heart.

Eventually, she gets sent to Ba Sing Se to help with the shortage of manpower. On the way there, she meets Sorey and his friends.

They part ways again after making their way to Ba Sing Se (and stopping the Fire Nation from conquering the city with a new drill), because they both have different things they need to do.

After some time working in the city, Alisha hears rumors about the mysterious Dai Li. Their public face seemed honorable enough, but the fearful way people talked about them made Alisha doubt them nonetheless. 

She starts an investigation in her spare time, and while investigating a certain lead, she runs into Sorey, Rose, Mikleo and Edna, who were also, in their own way, after the Dai Li.

They team up once again, discovering the source of the rumors and exposing the Dai Li for what they are to the Earth King after a battle with the leader of the secret service, Lunarre.

When Sorey and the others are about to split up for their own reasons, Alisha stays in Ba Sing Se, not only as a guard, but also to make sure the Dai Li case is wrapped up properly.

It isn’t, and she gets captured at the start of the coup, and doesn’t escape until Ba Sing Se has already fallen.

She doesn’t meet Sorey and the others again until the invasion on the Day of Black Sun.

Despite being 100% fine with being a non-bender herself, as she is very proud of and confident in her fighting skills, she still gets easily amazed by others bending.

After Alisha found out Sorey was the Avatar, Edna almost tricked her into paying to see Sorey bend multiple elements at once (they hadn’t been in battle together before this).

“What, we could use the money!”

Rose

She lived most of her life in a village near the western coast of the Earth Kingdom, but when that got destroyed by the Fire Nation army, she and other villagers decided to flee to Ba Sing Se.

This is four years before the main story takes place.

Although the villagers felt fine living there protected by enormous walls, Rose couldn’t stand the atmosphere and general culture and left the city after a year.

She still visits the villagers every now and then when she’s in the city again.

To make a living, she took up a job smuggling people who somehow couldn’t get inside the city the normal way.

At first she only acted as an escort from the havens to the city, but in time that escort job went beyond the walls.

She got caught the first time she smuggled people in, but, after escaping, she found better ways to do her job and didn’t get caught again.

To defend herself after fleeing her hometown and be better at her job, she took up fighting with twin daggers.

When she meets Alisha, who’d been learning to fight with a spear her entire life, she gets insecure about her own fighting abilities, as she’s only been fighting with daggers for a short time when compared to Alisha.

This comes up after some time, and after some talking, Rose starts training even harder.

She meets Sorey, Mikleo and Edna near the end of the Serpent’s Pass, and offers to help them get inside the city.

They refuse and Rose leaves to find some other clients.

On their way to the city, they encounter Rose again, with clients.

Despite their head start, Rose had caught up to them due to her knowledge of the area.

They travel the rest of the distance to the city together, splitting up again at the entrance.

Rose barely got her clients inside the city when she noticed the giant drill nearing the walls and the tiny figures of the team in the distance.

After getting paid, she rushes over, learning through Edna that Sorey and Alisha had gone in by themselves to sabotage the drill.

She wanted to help them, but didn’t want to risk getting caught, so she went around the drill first to find some way of weakening it from the outside.

She finds Mikleo at the back, who apparently had just escaped from Fire Nation soldiers via Slurry Express. Before they can think of what to do now, though,woman who’d been chasing Mikleo earlier (Eleanor (yes she’s in this too and caught in basically the same dilemma but with the war and the Fire Nation army instead of the Abbey)). They get into a battle, Rose proving to be extremely vital in defeating her.

After the battle is over, Rose discovers Sorey’s identity, and decides to go with him, because she’s not going to leave him and his friends alone in Ba Sing Se.

Even after Ba Sing Se has fallen, she keeps going with them.

“It’s clear by now that you can’t survive without me, so just get used to it.”

Dezel

One of the very few Air Nomads who survived the genocide.

He lived at the Eastern Air Temple, and was there when it was attacked by the Fire Nation.

He managed to escape, but during that, he was blinded by a firebender. 

He did somehow defeat the firebender before he was killed, but did get heavily wounded.

He escaped by flying bison.

He and the animal took care of each other for a while, but the bison was a sickly one and eventually died during winter.

After some time, Dezel found a way to use his air bending to still ‘see’. He’d gotten used to being blind by then, but this new way of using his bending still made his life easier.

Because Air Nomads were being hunted before Sorey was discovered, Dezel started using throwing knives instead,  using his airbending to make sure they don’t miss (as far as that’s possible without it getting noticed).

He still feels angry and bitter towards the Fire Nation for murdering his people and destroying his culture, and over the years he starts desiring revenge.

When he comes across Sorey, he nearly begs him to do that for him (without revealing that he’s an airbender), as the Avatar should be able to.

When Sorey declines, Dezel tries to force him, getting into a fight with Sorey that ultimately reveals his true abilities.

Rose, who’s with the team at that point, realizes that Dezel could be a teacher for Sorey, if they pursuade him properly. She offers a compromise: Dezel teaches Sorey airbending, Sorey will defeat the Fire Nation, not by killing them, but he will defeat them and help the surviving Air Nomads in any way he can.

They agree before Sorey can jump in and protest. From there on, Dezel travels with Team Avatar. 

Most airbenders get their tattoos when they've mastered airbending. Dezel was about to get his when the genocide started

Dezel can be a harsh teacher, but over time, he grows to really care about everyone in the group.

He enjoys talking about what the Air Nomads were like, but even more so about winged lemurs, sky bisons, etc.

Mikleo and Sorey both enjoy listening to him, although Mikleo sometimes seems to get nervous at the thought of flying on giant bisons.

During the Day of Black Sun, when everyone discovered the Fire Nation knew about their plans for an invasion and Symonne ambushed the ones who tried to infiltrate the shelter, he stays behind to allow the others to escape.

No one knew what happened to him after that until Sorey defeated Heldalf. It turned out Dezel had been defeated by Symonne and imprisoned as a war criminal for the rest of the war.

Zaveid

Another airbender who survived the genocide.

Unlike Dezel, he already has his tattoos.

He hides these after taking refuge in the Earth Kingdom.

He was headed from the Eastern Air Temple to the Western Air Temple, but when he arrived, all he saw were burnt corpses and scorched, abandoned buildings.

He traveled to the other Air Temples, but he just kept seeing the same things over and over.

On his way to and fro, he picked up rumors about what happened to the Air Nomads, but didn’t want to believe them until he’d seen it with his own eyes.

After that, he didn’t know what to do. He roamed the Earth Kingdom for a while, coming to hide his identity, as airbenders were still being hunted by Fire Nation spies and bounty hunters.

Eventually, he met a young woman he settled down with, but she was killed during a Fire Nation attack two years later.

He resumed roaming the lands after a few months, years later encountering Sorey and co.

Dezel is already in the team by that point, and both of them are amazed at meeting a fellow airbender. 

After Zaveid joined the team, they exchange some fighting techniques every now and then. (Sorey joins in a few times)

Despite having a similar experience, Zaveid isn’t as bitter and angry towards the Fire Nation as Dezel is. He’s mostly sad from the loss of so many people he loved, but hides it more and more over the course of the years. He somewhat gets over it in the end.

Symonne

Azula

An exceptionally skilled firebender, she worked her way up to becoming Heldalf's right hand man.

She was born an orphan, and when she discovered her talent for firebending, she joined the military.

She didn't know what to do with her life, as she didn't have any close friends or family, and the only things she had going for her were her firebending and cunning. Joining the military gave her the purpose she otherwise wouldn't have had.

She disguised herself, so people wouldn't ask questions about the little girl walking around in uniform.

She managed to trick people for a long time, but when she was invited to the royal palace along with the other generals, her identity was at last revealed.

The generals wanted to expel her from the military and punish her, but Heldalf saw potential in the little girl who'd somehow managed to become a general in his army, and appointed her to his advisor and right-hand man.

When Heldalf leaves to burn down the Earth Kingdom, he doesn't let Symonne come with him, and instead makes her into the new Fire Lord.

Symonne can't handle this. In the military she'd had her purpose, and it hadn't changed when she became Heldalf's advisor: she could still fight for her country and superiors. Something she won't be able to do as Fire Lord.

Losing the one thing she dedicated her life to breaks her, and allows Mikleo and Zaveid to take her down in the end.

Whenever Symonne sets out on some sort of expedition, she takes Eleanor with her. Their relationship is shaky at best, and mostly based on a common goal rather than some sort of trust. They work together very well in battle, but not much else is going on besides that.