#hakoda adopted this sad boi

[hugrsstuff]

Zuko of the Southern Water Tribe

[maeve-on-mustafar]

I need a Zukka arranged marriage AU where Sokka is grumpy about his impending arranged marriage and even more annoyed when the Fire Nation sends over a whole bunch of scrolls on proper courting practices and etiquette, because fuck if he’s reading all of that.

But then Zuko arrives and Sokka has an, “Oh, no, he’s hot,” moment. And even though he tries to remain aloof and act like he’s totally not into Zuko, he’s kind of intrigued by Zuko and also feels kind of protective of Zuko when Zuko doesn’t know basic information that even the youngest kid in the Water Tribe is aware is essential for survival. And like, Zuko seeks him out at meals to sit by him but also tries to give him space, and even if he is a bit stuffy and addicted to rules and etiquette. But he’s polite to Gran-Gran and to Sokka’s dad, and even tries to be nice to Katara, who’s even more skeptical of this arranged marriage than Sokka himself.

And like, one thing that’s really weird is that Zuko keeps giving Sokka gifts? Like, he gives Sokka spices from the Fire Nation, he gives Sokka a sword when he learns Sokka is interested in learning how to fight with one, etc. And he thinks this is nice and all, but he never really knows of anything to give Zuko in return. But hey, maybe the constant gifts are a weird Fire Nation way of showing affection?

But soon Zuko starts acting weird and distant, and Sokka can tell he’s stressed and he looks super tired and upset, and Sokka can’t get him to talk to him no matter what he tries. And Sokka is suddenly very worried for this other boy who he wouldn’t have cared about a few weeks ago but who seems so sad now.

So finally—FINALLY—Lt. Jee, who’s been watching this all go down with an unimpressed scowl on his face, basically tells Sokka that all those gifts from Zuko? Yeah, those are courting gifts, and by accepting them, Sokka showed that he’s considering Zuko as a suitor. But since he never reciprocated and gave Zuko anything return, the marriage can’t go through. And if Sokka doesn’t accept, Zuko will have to return to the Fire Nation in disgrace and Ozai would consider him a complete failure. And BTW, if Sokka had just READ THE SCROLLS that the Fire Nation sent over, Sokka would know this. (Lt. Jee is so done with this dude who thinks he can play games with his beloved Fire Prince’s heart. Not while Jee’s around.)

So IDK how this ends, but Sokka should be at least optimistic about his future with Zuko, and Zuko should be shyly pleased that his intended appreciated his efforts all along, yay. And also, Hakoda should find out about what a scummy dad Ozai is and adopt Zuko. Jee is happy his boy gets to be happy. Please reblog if you have other ideas/anything to add!

[thegaybluejay]

Just for fun, here are my rapid fire rambling thoughts on the ATLA ships and platonic dynamics hehe (please don’t go full ship wars tho - these are just my opinions as a chill multishipper!)

My Favorite Ships:

• Zukka - My current brainrot and main ship!! I know they aren’t canon but I really love them and their potential okay😭I just feel like their personalities would work so well! Sokka would call Zuko on his shit and Zuko would be good at grounding Sokka when he needs it. Plus I have seen some absolutely breathtaking AUs with this ship! And fire-and-ice vibes except gay! Them <3

• Kataang - Cutiessss!! I love them! They may not be the ship I think about most often, but when I do think about them, they’re adorable! Aang is such a “my wife” guy and Katara absolutely adores him back! Also the last airbender x last southern waterbender dynamic goes HARD! I like that these two are canon!

• Yuetara - Listen I know they barely interacted but THEY’VE ACTUALLY GROWN ON ME SO MUCH LATELY AND I VERY HIGH KEY SHIP THEM! Something about like, Katara thinking about Yue when she bends is so😭Their story would be heartbreaking in the best way!! Sapphic noncanon blorbos <3

• Mailee - These two are SO cute and have so much potential rahhh!! Again, love some noncanon sapphics <3

• Batkoda - Super SUPER cute and silly and fun! The dads fr <3 Bato is either Katara and Sokka’s adopted uncle or their stepdad and I love it for them hehe! This usually pairs well with a “Hakoda adopts Zuko” AU lmao!

Other Canon/Relatively Popular Ships:

• Zutara - A good ship! I see the potential and tbh it’s very very fun to think about sometimes!!! However, some of y’all toxic Zutara stans need to leave my boy Aang alone lmao. Those who are chill tho, I rock with y’all!! Overall, I’m not opposed if it’s done well and I do sometimes seek out Zutara content! I personally do prefer writing them as found siblings tho, especially with the Azula and Katara parallels!!

• Sukka - Canon cuties!! I really like them! Suki my BELOVED <3 She’s so underrated!

• Yukka - Also canon cuties! They make me sad tho ahhhhh😭😭😭

• Maiko - Also ALSO canon cuties!! They have an interesting dynamic that I can really appreciate! And gotta love Mai <3

• Jinko - Jin my beloved! These two had a super cute dynamic during the one episode they had together lmaoooo, tho I don’t think about this ship too too often.

• Tokka - I don’t mind it if it’s them getting together as adults! But tbh I personally don’t prefer shipping them as teens and I think Toph’s crush was just a typical young girl crush on someone slightly older lol. Definitely not horrible and most Tokka shippers are relatively chill! I like to think Sokka sees Toph as a little sister tho.

Now For Some Of The Crackship-y/Less Popular Ships (based on ships I’ve actually seen):

• Zukki (Zuko/Sokka/Suki) - Power throuple fr and I love some polyamory!! While I mostly lean plain Zukka, this is extremely fun to think about and would be a great dynamic!

• Mai/Ty Lee/Suki - Saw this in a Zukka fic once and it was adorableeeeee! I may not have plans to actively write this or anything, but it’s cute! Another power throuple!

• Jetko - I don’t think they would be compatible long term, but by god they are very very fun to think about in a “Jet flirts with Zuko and Zuko is completely oblivious and they share one kiss before everything goes to shit” way lmao!

• Taang - I can respect it!! I will always love them as chaos siblings personally, but it’s a totally valid and chill ship!

• Katoph - Not a bad ship at all! I’ve only come across like one post tho lmao. Also I do think I heavily prefer them as found sisters, but that’s just me personally! Again, totally a valid and chill ship!

• Azutara - I’m very neutral on this lmao. I don’t despise it at all and it could be pretty interesting?? But tbh really not something I plan to seek out.

• Azulaang - I mean?? I’m also pretty neutral on this one. Aang would be kind to her if she was trying to get help but…idk lmao.

• Tyzula - I see the potential, but I personally think Mai and Ty Lee had a healthier and more interesting and more realistic dynamic. Just my preference tho!

(I think I just want Azula to be in therapy before I reallyyyyy ship her lmao, but NOT THE KIND OF “THERAPY” SHE WAS GIVEN IN THE COMICS)

• Zukaang - I don’t love this as a ship honestly. The canon age gap as teens is sketchy for my personal taste, tho I’ve seen people ship them in “Aang was 16 when he got frozen” AUs and that’s…better and I can get behind it a little! It would be interesting! But I think Roku being Zuko’s great-grandpa just still throws me off of this ship. I don’t have any beef with the shippers tho! I’m very ���live and let live” and I have seen so much worse lol.

Can’t Forget My Fav Platonic Dynamics!

• Sokka and Aang - Two found brothers who share one idiot braincell when they interact LMAO! Love them always <3

• Sokka and Katara - The siblings ever!!

• Zuko and Aang - Enemies to found brothers!! Canon besties! I love their friendship and their parallels SO MUCH!!

• Toph and Katara - Absolutely ADORABLE as found sisters!!!! Love them!

• Zuko and Katara - I really like their development in a platonic sense and I think they’re very very fun and lovely found siblings by the end!!!! Zuko is 100% the brother that just “yeah my sister can and will whoop your ass” LMAO!

• Zuko and Toph - Also very found siblings in my head!! Only have a handful of solo interactions in canon but I DON’T CARE! I WILL FOUND FAMILY THEM ANYWAY! I’m a “Toph seeks out Zuko for sibling hugs/cuddles when she’s cold because he’s basically a space heater” truther.

• Uncle Iroh and the Gaang - Zuko needs to learn to share because that is ALL OF THEIR Uncle!!!

• Hakoda and Zuko - I thrive in this section of the fandom!! They have exactly one (1) frame together in canon, but I ADORE Dadkoda adopting Zuko! Something about it is just so wholesome and cute!!! My very very fav ATLA fics are this trope!!#LetHakodaBitchSlapOzaiAndAdoptZuko2024

• Uncle Iroh and Zuko - God they make me so ALSNDKSNXNCNSNSNXNX, y’know?

• The Gaang as a whole - Obvious I know, but I really do love them😭They all bonded sm and I adore their little family!! I eat up fanart of the Gaang cuddling like CANDY omg. And yes Suki is included in the Gaang because WHY WOULDN’T SHE BE!

Anyway, thanks for coming to my TedTalk. If you made it to the end, you get a big platonic kiss on the forehead MWAH!

[blackat-t7t]

ATLA but Star Wars AU/fusion

The Earth Kingdom is the Republic

The Fire Nation is the Empire (a split-off from the republic? or a Sith empire that came to conquer it? up to you)

The Air Nomads are the Jedi, trying to live peacefully but hunted to near-extinction by the empire

The Water Tribe(s) are Mandalorian. The Northern Water Tribe are the New Mandalorians, who want peace so badly that they refuse to take sides when the rest of the world is at war. The Southern Water Tribe are warrior Mandalorians, who fight bravely but are dwindling in numbers.

This is all just a set-up for a Hakoda-adopts-Zuko storyline where Hakoda has that engrained Mandalorian adopt-any-child-that-is-unattended-or-looks-sad instinct and sees a scarred, traumatized, semi-feral Sith-adjacent boy and goes "my kid now".

[vickyvicarious]

do u have any atla fic recs? all time faves? can be shippy or not

Fun fact, I am incapable of holding back on reclists. In other words: brace yourself, anon. There’s a reason I put most of this behind a cut.

First off, these are almost all Zuko-centric, because I shamelessly play favorites. I’ll sort them by author rec, gen, shippy, and then by other characters because honestly the numbers break down well that way. Within those categories it’ll be more just as I think of it, so no special meaning to the order. I’m not always good about bookmarking even my faves, so some excellent stuff will no doubt be missing, especially since I haven’t read a lot of the more recent stuff yet/forgot some really old stuff, but this will definitely still give you plenty of fic to enjoy.

There’s a good number of FFN links on here so apologies to people who dislike it, but a lot of great stuff is still on there so give it a chance.

Author recs

Everything by @awesomeavocadolove​​  Such hits as Another Brother (Zuko adopted by Hakoda pre-S1), and currently has a Zukka soulmate fic I’ve been meaning to start reading, as well as Unchained Melody, one of my favorite Zukka fics ever. Always quality, you can’t go wrong.

Everything by KimberlyT.  I do not kid. She’s written a variety of ATLA fic ranging from Zutara/other romance to gen, seriously emotional to cracky cabbagebending. I think my favorite is probably Mismatched (S1 Zuko adopts a baby) but honestly just go read it all.

Everything by @emletish-fish​​. She has a very fun writing style and honestly her end-of-chapter notes on why she’s made the choices she has are fun minimetas worthwhile in their own right. Some of her top fics are the Stalking Zuko series (S3 suspicious Katara to Zutara) and The Worst Prisoner (the Gaang kidnaps Zuko in S1 and can’t get rid of him). I think there’s still a good amount of her fic that can only be found on FFN so check there too.

Everything by @botherkupo​​. Especially her Undying Fire series (healer!Zuko) but also just literally everything she writes, it is all so great. Tends toward Zutara but strong gen fics as well sometimes and a lot of fun. Check it all out!

Everything by @muffinlance​​. Loves to toy with her readers’ emotions in the best of ways. Tons of fantastic gen Zuko-centric AUs, I have adored every single fic I’ve ever read by her, can’t praise them enough. Very productive as well, her tumblr is a hub for the ATLA renaissance and her fics inspire lots of others. Has also organized a fanmade ATLA coloring book for charity so get that once it’s out. In the meantime read everything she’s written.

Everything by Haicrescendo. My favorite is What We’re Given (the series where Zuko finds more air bisons and raises them), but there’s a lot of good Zukka fic too. I tend to steer away from explicit works in this fandom unless it’s a smaller part of a much longer plot-centric fic, so there are a number I haven’t read, but I really like the Pokemon!AU Zukka.

Everything by @gaycinema. I really love the EK fight club series (Zuko fights in Rumbles/etc.) but all of it is a good read. Some Jetko, mostly a lot of introspective or emotional oneshots. Which isn’t really a great depiction of how good they tend to be, you’ll just have to read them and find out. You won’t regret it, trust me.

Everything by @captainkirkk. So far eight stellar fics, starting with kind Fire Lord Zuko and ranging to Floating Tea Shop!Zuko who doesn’t want to hunt the Avatar. I love her style and have laughed out loud at multiple of these. 

Gen Zuko fic

Bringing Out the Blue by maguena1. [unfinished, long] Definitely worth the read. The first ATLA fic I ever got really sucked into. The Blue Spirit never gets knocked out so Aang doesn’t know his true identity; he joins the Gaang on a recurring basis, while Zuko attempts to tell himself this is only for information on how to catch them, they definitely aren’t his friends.

It’s Impossible by Sandra Phillips. [abandoned, long] One of the earliest Avatar!Zuko fics (sort of) and a really interesting take on some spirit stuff.

Embers by Vathara. [complete, long] A landmark fic in the fandom, and for good reason. I didn’t love everything about this fic, but it is very well-written and an absorbing read certainly worth the praise. 

the art of description by incandescens. [oneshot, short] Five descriptions of Zuko and Toph’s field trip from various perspectives. Short, sweet, and funny.

Breaking Point by Kryal. [oneshot, short] Zuko isn’t banished but instead sent to serve in the Home Guard. I love Zuko loving his people, and alternate canon explorations, and this is exactly that.

The Alternative by Lunatique. [oneshot, short] The reason Zuko is so determined is because he fears what will happen if he isn’t the next Fire Lord. An idea I support in canon, to a degree, written well.

Hands and Knees by gigerisgod. [oneshot, short] Zuko reflects on the choices he’s made, and experiences he’s had, when joining the Gaang. A nice introspective fic.

Relative Misery by peroxidepest17. [oneshot, short] Toph complains about her family and Zuko takes her on a field trip. Not a fic I take too seriously, but funny in a sad way.

Second Nature by lazyartisan. [possibly abandoned, long] An AU stemming from Zuko’s capture at the North Pole. Well-written and characterized, an old favorite that I actually find needing to reread to give you more detail, but I can promise it’s good.

Year One by peroxidepest17. [oneshot, short] Lessons Zuko learns in his first year being Fire Lord. I really like explorations of Zuko’s journey as Fire Lord and this is a lovely little window into that.

Soft by PenPistola. [oneshot, short] Zuko and Toph bonding after the Ember Island Players. Short and sweet.

The New Phoenix King by JoeMerl. [oneshot, short] Fire Lord Zuko is overthrown, and no one but him is bothered at all. In fact they help. Hilarious crack.

First Name Basis by JoeMerl. [oneshot, short] There’s some popular posts going around Tumblr lately about Zuko not knowing the Gaang’s names, but this fic did it first back in 2008. As amusing as you’d expect.

Male Bonding by glamaphonic. [oneshot, short] The original ‘Zuko and Sokka bond and are also dumb idiot boys’ fic. Katara is permanently rolling her eyes.

it’s not the waking, it’s the rising by isamagicdragon, thegracious [ongoing, series, medium] Azulon tells Ozai to kill Azula instead of Zuko, which leads to heartwrenching fire sibs adventure. I haven’t caught up on the last chapter yet but god is it fantastic and also just a really interesting and new perspective on what could have happened.

Doe-Eyed by Anonymous. [complete, medium] Zuko is a baby, Azula is a loving big sister. More fire sibs and a great exploration on Azula’s POV of turning against Ozai.

kintsugi by discordiansamba. [ongoing, series, long] Zuko doesn’t have Iroh after being banished, and winds up hired as a guard to protect the frail Beifong daughter. Fantastic preseries Zuko+Toph found family fic.

Legacies by WildInkling. [ongoing, medium] Far in the future, a historian studies the journal of Fire Lord Zuko. Also, he was secretly a famous author but no one knows. A funny and poignant outsider POV.

#UndercoverZuko series by naggeluide. [complete, series, short] A completely cracky concept written straight enough to be actually quite touching in parts, but also just really funny. Zuko goes Undercover Boss on his ship pre-series.

Avatar Ficlets by JaggedCliffs. [series, oneshots, short] An ongoing series of disconnected oneshots, mostly post-canon and mostly Zuko-centric. Some a pretty fun, one is a great view on Zuko and lightningbending, all worth the read (and follow for when more come out).

The Blind Leading the Blue by BrusselsSprout. [ongoing, medium] An epic Zuko and Toph field trip set in S2. I love them and this.

half in the shadows, half burned in flames by r_astra. [oneshot, short] Iroh dies, Zuko gets caught on the Day of Black Sun, everything ends up all right but damn does it hurt getting there.

A Tale of Earth and Fire by chiiyo86. [complete, medium] Zuko and Toph are married for Politics in a FN Wins AU, and follows them slowly bonding as friends to beginning a revolution. They’re married but it’s not romantic, just some good friendship.

Eight Principles of Yong by psocoptera. [oneshot, short] An exploration of immediate post-show FN politics (sort of), calligraphy, and Zuko. Also has some lovely non-fighting firebending; I always love when people explore other uses of bending.

Healing Properties of Cinder Sage by Dawen. [oneshot, short] Zuko gets very sick in the Western Air Temple. Some good interaction when he’s new to the Gaang, and Toph+Zuko friendship.

We Ourselves Must Walk The Path by WinterSky101. [complete, medium] The Gaang agrees to make Zuko their prisoner in the WAT. Speaking of new-to-the-Gaang, tension, this fic has plenty of it, and also features some good Toph and Zuko.

Frozen by Aris Merquoni. [oneshot, medium] Zuko is captured in the NWT. Some politics, lots of angst, and eventually, healing. Also actually makes me somewhat like Hahn? Incredibly enough.

Reluctant Hero by PAW_07. [ongoing, long] Avatar!Zuko fic. I got to beta it way back when for a little while before I got too busy, and have always been a huge fan of this fic. Great concept, one of the best executions of it I’ve seen, and also one of the first. Definitely read this.

Morality Chain by Pureauthor. [abandoned, long] Azula and Zuko were always on each other’s side; how this changes canon. I love this concept and would happily read a lot more fics with it (please guys, I need more fire sibs).

A viper-lizard’s tales series by Yumi_Take. [ongoing, long] The world needs more of Zuko adopting pets and small children, and those are just facts. This only has one of the two, but it’s a EK baby! Jet plays a big role in this fic as well, a weird kind of uncle-ish to the baby/friend/murderer Zuko needs to watch closely and hold back kind of thing.

(life happens) wherever you are by howlikeagod. [ongoing, long] Katara doesn’t find Zuko and Iroh in the teashop, and canon takes a sharp left turn. Excellent Gaang fic.

The Best Path series by EudociaCovert. [series, ongoing, long] Zuko meets Jet in ‘Zuko Alone’ and winds up getting claimed as theirs by the remaining Freedom Fighters. Really really well-written, I got quite emotional over some scenes.

Shippy Zuko fic

Balm by Thyme In Her Eyes. [Maiko, oneshot, short] A sweet little fic about Mai’s thoughts on Zuko’s lightning scar.

The Black Games by Mrs. Pettyfer. [Zutara, complete, long] Hunger Games-esque AU. It’s the first in a series, and I lost interest after this one but I remember enjoying the fic and it was more personal preference rather than a drop in quality that had me leaving.

Lie To Me by Inkcharm. [Toko, oneshot, short] I’m not actually a fan of this pairing romatically (at least until years down the line), but this little fic of Toph and Zuko bonding through lying to one another is sweet. I choose to ignore the more shippy parts and enjoyed it.

Zutara? What the heck is that? by Ryxl. [Zutara, oneshot, short] Complete crack, have a good sense of humor and I think you will enjoy. Just the mental image of the Gaang finding a Zutara propaganda flyer had me chuckling.

The Three Chores series (1, 2, 3) by Fandomme. [Zutara, threeshot, short] Zuko and Katara slowly bond as he helps with chores. I will admit it’s been years and I barely remember this, but what I do recall is lovely and I always appreciate people lightening Katara’s load.

read the inscription by suzukiblu. [Zuko/Song, complete, series, medium] When Zuko is banished, he is left alone in the Earth Kingdom to fend for himself. Very touching, and I love Song in this.

Hooked by TGP. [Jetko, complete, long] A classic ‘Jet didn’t see Iroh warming his tea’ fic. They’re almost all this premise but so many well-written and very long ones. 

Something To Hold Onto by Wildgoosery. [Jetko, complete, long] The EK fell and Li stayed to fight with the Freedom Fighters to protect the city during its foreign rule. Jet didn’t see the tea fic that goes very AU from canon.

Foxfire by Rahar_Moonfire. [Jetko, ongoing, long] Zuko loses his memories Jetko fic, but with heavy spirit influence and lovable EK OCs, both of which I adore and should be in far more fics.

Once Upon A Teashop by anaer. [Zukka, Jetko, ongoing, long] Cracky Ba Sing Se AU that gets gradually more and more serious. Jet hits on Zuko a lot and Sokka gets a job in the teashop to keep an eye on both of them. Endgame Zukka but heavy Jetko, and both pairings are handled pretty well, not a love triangle that makes me too mad, although as always bear in mind Jet’s messed up. 

Names by TGP. [Jetko, complete, long] I feel like I’m forgetting some more excellent Amnesia!Zuko fics, but this is one I do know of. To be honest I don’t remember it super well because it may be mixed up with other Jetko/amnesia fics in my mind, but I think it was really good. I’ll have to reread myself.

Epistles by Lady_of_the_Flowers. [Zukka, ongoing, long] I love epistolary fic and I love Zuko and Sokka bonding earlier in canon. I will be honest I haven’t read this in a long time and been updating all the while, but the premise alone (Zuko and Sokka become messenger-hawk-pals in S1 and then fall in love) is fantastic. 

Ozymandias, King of Kings by Think_of_a_Wonderful_Thought. [Zukka, ongoing, long] Zuko rebels earlier and actually is sent to the mines, until he is ‘rescued’ by the Water Tribe. Dark but getting lighter over time, and more reluctant-to-rule Zuko which always wrenches my heartstrings. I prefer super loyal and dutiful to his people Zuko but this trope always makes me feel things.

Crossovers

Fallen Drops of Fire by Chasmfiend. [Fullmetal Alchemist, ongoing] Young Azula and Zuko somehow appear in Amestris, and encounter Roy Mustang. I adore the fire sibs, and their relationship in this strange situation is the star of this fic for me, but it’s also fun seeing the FMA perspective of these two.

The Dragon-King’s Temple by Kryal. [Stargate SG-1, long, complete] The best crossover fic out there. Zuko and Toph get stranded on the other side of a Stargate. I don’t know anything about SG-1 but it didn’t matter, the fic was fantastic, they were badasses, it explored language and culture from an outside perspective, and it was just a ton of fun. Must-read.

Other character fic

Loyalty by Julia451. [oneshot, short] The ship captain didn’t misspeak when he called Iroh and Zuko “prisoners” in the start of S2. A lovely look at a nameless character, giving depth to a small moment and humanity to a FN soldier which I always love.

The Only One by HarlowR. [oneshot, short] An excellent exploration of Azula’s mindset regarding Zuko, her desperate need to be loved and jealousy of him matching his own. I think Azula was one of the greatest tragedies of the show, and this fic makes me feel it.

Blood by theAsh0. [oneshot, short] Katara-centric thinkpiece on bloodbending and healing. Dark but really interesting.

Touch and Go by Cadence. [oneshot, short] After Iroh’s struck by lightning, Toph doesn’t let Zuko drive them all away. A momentary alliance and the seeds of friendship. More Toph-focused but still heavy on the whole Gaang.

Shortcomings by Menamebephil. [oneshot, short] Iroh thoughts during his imprisonment, on the theme of mistakes. I love this man and don’t understand why I am so drawn to fic about him that makes me sad.

Watch And Review, Please by Becca Stareyes. [oneshot, short] The Ember Island Players receive some constructive criticism... sort of. Funny and quick.

Azula Redemption Trilogy (1, 2, 3) by Mistress of Sarcasm. [threeshot, short] Second person and deeply introspective, three short little fics delving into Azula’s head and bringing her closer to redemption.

Echoing Refrains by catie_writes_things. [oneshot, short] I really like nuanced explorations of the whole FN royal family. It’s perfectly fine to write Ozai as pure evil bastard, but exploring  what might have been or how he got there, or even as in this fic his talent for music being inherited by Zuko is really interesting too. Iroh-centric.

our curse by ohmygodwhy, and the last dragon by thesometimeswarrior. [twoshot, complete, short] Stay away if you don’t like to cry. In the first Zuko learns Ozai is executing Iroh, and isn’t able to stop it; the second is even worse because it’s Iroh’s POV. I put this in the other characters section because honestly I adore the second fic even more than the first, but they are both fantastically written and will hurt you a very great deal.

Finally, I’m not quite bold enough to put my own fic on a reclist, but just shameless enough to mention I’ve written a few Avatar fics I quite like if anyone feels the desire to check them out on my AO3. ;) But seriously give love to all the rest of these, they deserve it. (And as I said, there’s lots more excellent stuff, this fandom is so prolific and well-written!)

[rizadyke]

bless us with Modern AU Rangi and Kyoshi as the best moms to Suki who support her and her gf Yue whole heartedly

Omg ok lets GO! ( @ijustwantasheetcake sent an ask about this au too so I’m just gonna tag you 😌💓)

Suki’s mom left her and her dad when she’s a baby and she’s raised by her dad on their island until he passes away when she’s 7

There’s like..obviously not a great foster care program on the island so she gets sent to the mainland and put in the home of Kyoshi and Rangi

Kyoshi is a lawyer (Jinpa is her long suffering assistant) and Rangi is a personal trainer

They weren’t sure about having a kid so they’re like ‘well let’s foster kids and we’ll make a difference in their lives and we probably won’t have them for very long anyway so we won’t get attached”

Until they meet Suki for the first time who was just orphaned and she’s from Kyoshi’s home island and looks so scared and Kyoshi makes a promise to herself that no harm will ever come to this little girl

(Rangi doesn’t hear her, but she makes the exact same promise)

Once Suki gets past being shy she is the most rambunctious, loud, confident kid out there. She wants Rangi to teach her weapons and Rangi is STRESSED like “maybe when you’re a little older!!” And Kyoshi is losing her shit because she KNOWS from Hei-Ran that Rangi wanted to play with swords as a kid too...this is her penance.

Suki’s first day of school she beats up this boy in her class for saying girls are weak....that boy was Sokka and he’s like wait you’re SO cool and immediately becomes her biggest fan

(The first time Suki went over to Sokka’s house Hakoda opened the door and she looked him in the eyes and went “Your son needs to learn girls are smarter and tougher than boys sometimes” and little bby Katara is behind him and just goes YEAH!!)

Kyoshi and Rangi are so happy their baby made a friend but Sokka and Suki are the most chaotic duo of all time they literally never know what these children are going to get up to

After about a year of having her live with them they sit her down and Suki gets scared they’re leaving too but they’re like omg no we want to adopt you!! And they ALL cry and go and get ice cream and Suki looks up at her new moms and she just thinks about how in this moment she’s the happiest she’s ever been in her life

(Suki calls Kyoshi mama and Rangi mom and they both sob the first time she calls them that)

Kelsang and Hei-ran absolutely LOVE their granddaughter and tell her so many embarrassing stories about her moms when they were younger

Her Aunt Kirima, Uncle Wong, and Uncle Lek (Lao Ge doesn’t rly have a title but she loves him too) are always popping in and teaching her new things like how to hot wire a car and fun stuff like that

Her Uncle Wong gives her a new Rolex ‘for her birthday’ and Kyoshi is like “it’s not her birthday...also did you steal this”

“Mom look Aunt Kirima taught me a new thing to say when I see a police officer!!” “ok honey what is it” “Fuck pigs!” “SUKI NO-"

(They all do be hating cops but Rangi is NOT about to let her ten year old get arrested no ma’am)

Her moms encourage her to do what she’s passionate about so Suki starts a couple different martial arts pretty soon after she moves in with them and by middle school she’s kicking ass and taking home trophies

(Kyoshi’s like “just have fun don’t worry about winning the tournament!!” And Rangi is like “You’re gonna win because you’re the best athlete here duh also that girl favors her right leg take that into account when you fight her but also yes have fun!!”)

She’s also in debate club and all advanced classes and her moms are SO proud of her they can’t believe their kid is just. The MOST talented

Every year on the anniversary of her dad’s death Suki gets really sad and withdrawn and Kyoshi and her do a little trip just for them back to their home island

They lay on the beach and look at the stars and Suki tells Kyoshi all the stories of the constellations (Kyoshi knows them all but she could listen to her daughter talk for hours she loves her so much)

Kyoshi tells her how she wishes she could’ve know her dad, but she’s forever thankful to him for bringing her favorite person into the world

“I’m your favorite person? before mom?” “Yes but don’t tell her because she’ll make me stand in horse stance for hours and we both know it”

She’s joking though she loves both her girls to the moon and back

When she turns 12 Kyoshi FINALLY gives into Suki’s begging and decides to teach her to fight using the fans (literally ever since Suki moved in she would see them and just go *heart eyes* but Kyoshi wanted her to wait because she was worried she’d get hurt)

(She finds out she had no reason to worry because Suki is literally a natural)

Rangi spars with her in their basement they converted into a home gym (because all three of them are exercise freaks lowkey) and Suki never wins but Rangi tells her after every match how much she’s improved and what she can work on

On the five year anniversary of Suki getting adopted her moms throw her a party and invite all of her friends (her absolute best friends, however, are Sokka, and recently, Ty Lee. They’re the kids in middle school who are the smartest in class and win every single game in gym but are also absolutely feral and make mincraft jokes and start food fights)

Suki cries at the party, surrounded by all these people she loves, because she’s so thankful she has all of them in her life

She cries even more when she opens her gift from her moms. Inside are two beautiful new golden fans, just for her.

[archergwenwrites]

ZM - Feb 19 - Avatara

(A/N: What a rich vein this prompt proved to be!)

@zutaramonth

“Sifu Aang, how did you get so old?”

“Well, little Katara, I listened to my mother.” 

The little girl squealed. “I am never listening to her again!”

“No, wait, wrong lesson! Come back-”

*

“Sifu Aang, how did you get so old?” 

 The old man sighed and leaned on his staff, tilting his head. His long hair jingled with the Water Tribe charms tied into his braids, the headband he always wore keeping them out of his eyes. He squinted out at the snows that rolled over the horizon as far as they could see. He looked down at the bright seven year old who had come out to walk with him. “They say, Katara, that benders and others close to the spirits, that as they keep up that connection, nurture their chi, they can live centuries. Avatar Kyoshi lived several centuries.”

“So if I get good enough at waterbending, I’ll never going to die?”

He chucked, ruffling her hair. “I never said that, little one.”

*

“Sifu Aang, how- how- how…”

“Hush, dear, hush.” He cradled the breaking eight year old in his arms. “Let us be sad together. Let us grieve together.”

“But how-” she broke off into more sobs.

“Oh child.” He looked up as Hakoda entered the shaman’s tent, new lines of grief etched into his young face. Aang extended a hand, and, when the chief took the bait, he pulled him down into a group hug, making a Katara sandwich.

“One day at a time, and lots of hugs.” He felt the younger man’s shoulders shake. “Just like this.”

*

“Sifu Aang, you’re being stupid.”

The old man just chuckled and leaned on his staff, squinting out into the snows on their walk. “Sokka tells me you almost capsized your boat this morning.”

The teen crossed her arms. “He deserved that tongue-lashing for ignoring that I caught a fish before he did. It’s what Gran-Gran would have said.”

“The difference between you and Kanna is that one of you is actually a tribe elder.”

“I don’t see how some ultimately harmless splashing means I now have to go out on a walk with you. Losing all my time to do housework seems a little harsh.”

“Katara, have you ever felt like something is missing?”

“What?”

“Have you ever felt like there is more you’re meant for?”

She huffed. “Yeah, like I think my destiny is to pull fish hooks out of Sokka’s thumbs and do all the mending he’s too impatient to finish.”

Aang fished inside his coat and withdrew an old wooden box. It was easily held in his hand, worn around the edges where the yellow paint had worn off. There was a funny looking lock on the face of it, symbols she did not recognized carved both into the lock and the box itself, creating crevices for the yellow paint to survive the years.

“One hundred years ago, Fire Lord Sozin made the mistake most evil people do, that to do good one must be righteous. But if the average person can look at evil planned and say ‘no, not this,’ they can do good even if they do not make a grand public gesture.” He offered her the box.

“It’s locked; I can’t open it.”

“It’s an airlock. An airbender can open it.”

She raised an eyebrow, looking so much like her grandmother about to tear into a foolish tribesman. “You know, I liked you better when you were everyone’s crazy adopted uncle who could toss us the highest into the snow banks.”

Aang exhaled, slow and heavy, the stream of his breath clear as it wound straight for the lock and twisted through it, popping the lid. “And that is how I managed to toss you so high.”

“You’re an airbender!”

“Open the box, Katara.”

She did so, and her brow furrowed as she stared at the few trinkets inside. A green top lying on its side, a red cloth doll, and a yellow knotted string with multicolored beads looped along its length sat in the box like a strange memento box. “How did you get my stuff,” she asked softly, confused by her words as much as by the box’s contents as she reached for the beaded string.

“This box has been locked for a hundred years, Katara,” Aang replied as her fingers closed around the first bead.

Light exploded across her vision, and it felt like she was flying through the air. She landed on her back and immediately rolled back to her feet. To her confusion, it looked like she was in what Aang had described swamps as looking like when he told stories. Everything had a faint glow, including the bald kid sitting cross-legged in front of her and smiling up at her.

“Hello Katara!”

“Am I dead?”

“Nope! Just woefully untrained. But that’s okay, because you’ve only just learned you’re the Avatar like I was.”

Katara raised an eyebrow. “You’re just a kid.”

“So are you. Don’t tell Aang though, there’s no question that will answer that he’s ready for.”

“He’s a hundred and twelve. I sure hope he can handle a message from the spirits.”

The boy stood, yellow robes floating around him a nice contrast to his blue arrow tattoos. “Just trust me. Now, you’ll get better at this as you practice, but I’ll help you back to your body this time.”

“I left my body?” “You’re the bridge between the human world and the spirit world, Katara. This is part of the job.” He smiled and tapped her forehead.

She blinked and she was surrounded by snow again, lying on her back. Aang was climbing back to his feet, the box lay open between them. “Well,” he began, extending a hand to help her up. “I did not expect such a light show.”

*

“I saw the lights! Just hand over the Avatar and I will leave! No one has to get hurt.”

Aang met Iroh’s eyes over the head of the blustering teenager. This was the nephew he spoke so highly of? He did not look like much, or like anything but a devoted son of Ozai’s, despite the scar. Ah well. His hand was forced by Sokka’s loud mouth. The next mail ship would undoubtedly carry away with it a report from Ozai’s spy – the identity of whom still escaped his probings, something that would forever prickle at him – given that the boy had tried to get Katara reprimanded for waterbending.

He was pretty sure how the youths would respond to this.

“Alright, alright, enough is enough.” Aang stepped forward, inwardly smiling at the surprise on the Fire Nation Prince’s face. “I am the Avatar. Take me away.”

Gold eyes narrowed. “How do I know you’re not just lying to save your people?”

With a sweep of Aang’s hand, air flung snow into Zuko’s face. “I’ll go with you, if you swear any of my clever attempts to escape will not result in retribution on the tribe.”

As the teen clawed at the snow in his collar, Aang winked at Katara. She nodded, ducking her head to hide a smirk.

“Deal. Bring him aboard.”

*

Zuko took a fortifying breath outside the room his men had stashed the Avarar in. He was about to go face an old man, yes, but one who’d had a hundred years to master all four elements. This was what he’d been training for, what his father expected him to face. He could do this; he was not the failure Court and his sister thought him.

He threw the door open, hoping to intimidate.

It didn’t ruffle the old man at all. He was sitting chin in hand as Uncle Iroh placed a tile on the Pai Sho board between them.

“Uncle!”

“Ah, Prince Zuko. Do come in. I could use your eyes; the Avatar is beating me soundly.”

The Avatar shook a finger in friendly chastisement at Uncle. “Hey now! No cheating. That’s not very honorable.”

“Excuse me! You are a prisoner! Uncle, stop playing with him.”

Uncle placed a tile. A stupid move, actually, unless there was a pattern Zuko wasn’t seeing. Uncle probably had some gambit in play Zuko couldn’t actually help with that would slam shut around the Avatar’s tiles sooner or later. Why lay out the spirit tile to follow the world tile?

The older man chuckled. “She was cute; wasn’t she? The young lady protecting the tribe’s little kids?” He snuck a teasing glance at Zuko as Uncle’s eyebrows raised in consideration. 

He thought of fierce blue eyes glaring out of her well-formed face. “I didn’t notice.”

“Didn’t notice? Iroh, I am beginning to suspect both your Pai Sho skills and your parenting skills. What young man doesn’t notice a pretty girl?”

“I was trying to catch you!”

“Well I am much too old for you. And I’m not sure I’d be interested in someone who’s so focused on his goal he forgets about situational awareness.”

“I am situationally aware!” Zuko yelled, right as the shipped lurched and suddenly stopped.

The Avatar smiled. “Well, that’s my ride.”

*

Zuko breathed heavily with effort, his ship tilting from the ice the waterbender - oh, father was going to have words with their spy - had produced to stop their movement. The Avatar was laughing over head, his walking stick turned into a glider, wheeling in a wide circle to follow after the small boat piloted by the young tribesman who’d challeneged him.

Leaning over the rail, Zuko met the eyes of the waterbender - the one who’d protected the little kids - as he looked back. She was staring back, perhaps to track the Avatar.

Her eyes were fierce, and with the wind blowing her hair he could see what the Avatar-

She flipped him off with both hands, and the boat vanished around an iceburg.

[redrobin-detective]

Random ATLA Headcanons

(most of them involving Zuko sorry)

- Zuko's scar ended up very symbolic in the Fire Nation. For most of his life, it was a source of shame and disgrace. But after the war ended, when people realized peace was possible and they learned the true horrors of what the Fire Royals had been up to, that changed. The scar became a symbol of standing up for your beliefs no matter the personal cost. Protesters from all over the world would smear red paint across their left eye to show their support of their causes. Zuko was stunned but extremely touched, his mark of shame became a mark of honor. The practice outlived Zuko and became part of the culture, a lot don't even remember what it was from, only that red paint across the eye meant that they would not let tyranny stand in the way of peace.

- We know Azula was born insanely talented but that almost meant she had a harder time controlling her fire as a child. It was so powerful, it often got out of control. She sleep bent all the time and accidently burnt things far too often. Ursa/Zuko helped comfort her when she was upset but it was Ozai who taught her to channel her fire, to concentrate all her wild energy into a hotter, blue flame. Azula constantly feared losing control, of herself and of her things, because of this and is a major reason why those betrayals hurt so much and led to her downfall.

- Azula never recovered from her mental breakdown, she had good days of clarity in which she cursed Zuko and Team Avatar and swore that she would have revenge. But she also had a great many bad days when all she could do was scream and writhe on the floor. The instability had been seeded in her since childhood, once she started down that road she shattered completely. Zuko made efforts to get her help but also recognized that their father left scars he could not see nor heal. She died young, in her 30's, but Zuko kept her comfortable until the end.

- Azula actually did care for Zuko, she thought he was a weakling and a bit pathetic but she had pleasurable moments with him from her childhood. She was being sincere in her offer for Zuko to come home because she honestly did miss having him around (even if it was just to torment and manipulate him but that's practically how Azula shows affection). Ozai had been highly suspicious and initially wanted to throw Zuko in prision once he was back in the Fire Nation. It was Azula who praised Zuko's ruthlessness and gave him credit for the Avatar's death. Azula had no inkling that Aang might still be alive, she did it to change their father's mind. After Zuko betrayed, the first cracks in Azula's madness began to show, worsened by the fact that Ozai punished her heartily for convincing him to trust Zuko.

- After burning his child, Ozai denied Zuko any real treatment other than was needed to keep him alive. As such, Zuko's burn is much worse than it really should be, physically not just aesthetically. Uncle helped but without skill and materials there wasn't a lot he could do. He can still see out of the eye but not terribly well. He can't open the eye all the way, but he also can't close it right either. He can cry out of it but the tearducts were badly damaged and make tears painful. While the skin is pretty much dead and desensitized, there's a vague low-level hurt that Zuko has become accustomed to. Once he got on better terms with Katara, she bugged him until she let him look at his eye. She was horrified at the unrepaired damage and set on fixing the internal workings. She helped clear his vision a bit, soften the delicate skin around his eye and take away some of the pain. Zuko was so immensely grateful he started, to his embarrassment, to cry and cried harder when he realized it didn't hurt any more.

- Aang's death was a long, slow process. He was only about 70 when he died but he seemed much older. 100 years in suspended animation in the iceberg took it's toll. He went grey long before the others and he started to physically and mentally decline around age 50 or 60. When he did pass, everyone was sad but also a little relieved that the cheerful boy who liked riding penguins was finally free from his degenerating mind and body.

- Katara didn't truly consider Zuko a friend until months after the end of the war. She forgave him and then finally trusted him after he took lightening for her but as an actual friend, her care and affection took longer. The foundation was in the months following his coronation as Katara had to keep healing him and they bonded a lot, by the time the year anniversary came around, she was as close to Zuko as she was with the others.

- Toph never really reconciled with her parents. She felt guilty for what happened and for hurting them but any time she made a (half-hearted, brash) attempt to bridge the gap they insisted that she come home and be a good girl. She became bitter and resentful of their controlling nature and began avoiding them altogether. She continued to use the surname Bei Fong to rub it in their faces. Her daughters only saw their grandparents a few times because neither they nor Toph could accept each other faults.

- Katara became a social activist after the war. She and Aang, now married, travelled a lot together and separately saving whoever they could and spreading peace. Once the kids came along, Katara needed to stay home for longer periods of time but she still travelled when she could and still fought the good fight. When they were older, the kids would accompany Aang and Katara on their travels. This kept up for many years until Aang/Sokka's death in which she decided she wanted to go back to the Southern Water Tribe and devote herself to being a healer. She laughed when she heard the next Avatar was born close to her home and she knew that she could never really stop. 

- One of the many, many reasons Zuko and Sokka became the ultimate best bros is that Zuko also enjoyed tinkering with machines. He wasn't nearly as creative and inventive as Sokka but he was knowledgeable on mechanics from his years at sea and pretty good at math. On lazy days, Sokka would come up with wild ideas and Zuko would do the calculations and begin building.  

- But seriously, Zuko and Sokka are the actual best friends to ever friend. They hang out whenever possible which is never as often as they want but when they do meet up it's like they never seperated. Sokka has so much sway over the Fire Lord that some people joke he should be made a council member, which he eventually is to many people's distain. They remained best friends until the day Sokka died.

- The Gang didn't find out that it was Ozai who gave Zuko his mark until the hearing where Ozai was sentenced for his war crimes. Zuko tried to stop it but Iroh insisted that Ozai be held accountable for, what Iroh considered, his most despicable crime. There was a lot of hugs and tears from the Gang and Zuko was just super uncomfortable. Over the next few weeks, Ozai received quite a few visitors and was taught lesson after lesson one what happened to those who messed with a member of Team Avatar.

- Zuko actually came really close to dying from Azula's lightening. There was a lot of damage and Katara and other healers worked full time on Zuko for days to keep him alive. He almost slipped a few times but Katara (and eventually the rest of the Gang when they arrived) would yell and plead and he'd come back. It was tense for a few days but finally he stabilized. When he was conscious again, he was legitimately shocked at how concerned and relieved the Avatar and his friends (now Zuko's friends) were that he was ok.

- Sokka died fairly early, non-benders don't live nearly as long as benders. I'd place his death a few years after Aang who also died very young for a bender and an Avatar. He was mourned across the world for his heroism and bravery. He was at the North Pole when he died, his friends seeking care from the best healers in a futile attempt to try and save him. When he passed, the full moon darkened for a full minute before coming back brighter than before. They were immeasurably sad but they knew that Yue and Sokka had once again reunited.

- Once they found Ursa (ignoring the Search, Zuko just found and tracked her down and brought her back to the Palace), Katara grew close with her. Katara was immeasurably excited for Zuko to be reunited with his mother but also jealous. She tried to be supportive and wound up really liking Ursa. She was kind and gentle but also strong enough to murder a Fire Lord for her children. Ursa reminded her a lot of Kya and Katara soon looked to her as a pseudo-mother figure to help her when she was struggling.

- Likewise, Hakoda became another paternal figure in Zuko's life. Iroh was great and wonderful, Zuko's true parent who deserves that honor, but Hakoda thinks that a boy needs to learn other things. Whenever Zuko was at the South Pole, Hakoda would take Zuko out on trips, teach him to fish and hunt and do all the things the men of the village are expected to do. It's hard and he's not very good at it, but Zuko learns these skills. More importantly, Hakoda gave Zuko advice that maybe Iroh couldn't give, served as a younger, slightly more accessible adult man for Zuko to turn to.

- Basically what I'm saying is the Fire Nation Royals and the Southern Water Tribe Chief's family basically adopted each other into their families. The world doesn't quite understand but this is the dawn of a new age where anything is possible.

- Ursa was the one who initially introduced Zuko to swords. She was a master swordswoman herself and, as a non-bender, she needed some way to defend herself. Ozai deemed her swords skills unworthy and so she was forced to practice in secret. Young Zuko would watch her fascinated as she danced and maneuvered her sword with all the grace of a dancer. She taught Zuko the basics before she disappeared and he kept up the training as a way to honor her memory.

- Mai and Ty Lee ended up fitting into the group quite well. It was weird at first but once they stopped thinking about it's like they'd always been there. The two girls really blossomed in a healthy, open group and were able to recover from Azula's abuse. Mai and Zuko could be sickeningly cute and they never seemed happier than when they were with each other. Ty Lee spent most of her time with the Kyoshi Warriors but steadily developed good relationships with the Gaang. She became closest to Aang and Katara (and Zuko of course) and Toph and Sokka found themselves drawn to Mai's dry, cutting sense of humor. A gathering never felt complete without the two of them there.

- Ty Lee visited Azula whenever she was in the Fire Nation, apologizing for the betrayal (recognizing that it was a significant reason why Azula broke) and trying to help repair Azula's mind. It never helped and more often than not Ty Lee left in tears but, like Zuko, she persisted in visiting. Mai never saw Azula again after their last encounter at the Boiling Rock. She said she'd suffered enough at Azula's hands and had no desire to see her again. She knows Zuko is a little upset at the curt dismissal but Mai will never forgive the Fire Princess for everything that happened.

- Toph adopted Zuko as her big brother pretty early on. She stomped her foot one day and declared that Azula wouldn't accept him then Toph was going to steal Zuko away. The boy was confused but found he genuinely enjoyed having a younger sister to tease and dote on and carry around again. Toph would always burst into the Fire Nation Palace and demand to see her big brother, even when they were both old and grey.

[setaripendragon]

Like Fire and Water - Part 6

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 Woo, final part! Look at me making up a bunch of history for the Avatar verse. I absolutely headcanon that the Yu Yan were once air-benders (okay, the Temples cannot be the only air-benders, Embers has convinced me of that, and also; Air Nomads. The monks and nuns lived at the temples, that’s not nomadic.) that were absorbed into the Fire Nation looong before anything even remotely associated with canon happened. The ending feels a little cramped to me, but I had so many people I wanted to give a say before I wrapped things up, but not enough material for another part, so... I did the best I could. I hope you guys find it satisfying.

Today had been a very long day. Not that Ursa wasn’t glad to have seen her daughter, and finally – finally – managed to apologise for the way she’d left, but it was exhausting. Azula had been a handful growing up, and she was worse now. They had parted amicably, at least, with promises to write. Azula had hinted that she was planning to return to the Fire Nation, which made Ursa suspect that she was, in fact, going to try and infiltrate Ba Sing Se. Or perhaps Azula had expected Ursa to think that, in which case, her hints had probably been the truth.

Ursa shook her head to herself, and poured another cup of ginger tea. She was over-tired, and five years out of practice at playing courtly intrigue. Better not to try and divine Azula’s intentions. Instead, she would wait and see what happened next, and pray her family came out of it in one piece.

When she’d received the message that her daughter was outside Ba Sing Se and waiting with Hakoda’s ships to meet her, she’d been terrified she’d get there to find the beach on fire and Hakoda dead amongst the ashes. But no, he’d been fine and even, if her ears hadn’t deceived her, cracking jokes. And Azula hadn’t set anything on fire, although she’d clearly been tempted a few times during their conversation. The fact that Ursa was also a fire-bender, and could probably put any fires she started out was the only thing that seemed to stop her on a couple of occasions.

Hakoda had promised, once they’d seen Azula, Mai and Ty Lee off – Ursa was glad those two had stayed; if there was one thing Azula needed more than anything else it was a couple of true friends – that he would try and make it back to the city for the night. Ursa appreciated it. She could really use her husband’s support and bad jokes right about now.

The worst part about seeing Azula was the way that, every now and then, an expression would cross her face that was so purely Ozai that Ursa wanted to cry. No matter what Hakoda said, she hated herself a little for leaving her children with that monster. He’d injured them both in different ways, and Ursa would kill him for that, if she thought herself capable. Azulon had been old, and easy to get the drop on. Ozai was in his prime, and quite a bit more cunning than Azulon had ever been. Azulon had been ruthless and cruel, yes, but he was always very straightforward about it.

A knock at the door shook her out of her thoughts. It was probably uncharitable of her to think ‘oh spirits, what now?’ as she climbed to her feet and headed for the door, but she wasn’t in any mood to take it back. She was even less inclined to take it back when she opened the door and found Katara standing there, apparently alone.

She found a smile for the girl anyway, even if it probably did look tired and sad rather than the welcoming she’d been aiming for. “Katara. I wasn’t expecting to see you until the weekend.” She said as she stepped out of the way to let the girl in.

“I… wanted to talk to you without my dad around.” Katara admitted stiffly, glaring around the room. She didn’t seem at all softened by the Water Tribe decorations that Hakoda had added over the last few months. “Or Sokka. He wandered off with Toph for a while, to give us a chance to talk.”

“I see.” Ursa murmured politely, even though she wasn’t entirely sure she did. “Tea?” She offered, because manners were important.

“Sure.” Katara agreed shortly. She gave the teapot a deeply suspicious look as Ursa poured Katara a cup and refilled her own. When Ursa settled back at the table and wrapped her hands around her newly steaming mug, Katara reluctantly joined her, sitting across from her and toying with her own cup, fidgety and pensive. “Sokka told me that you killed Fire Lord Azulon.”

Ursa nodded. “I did.”

“I thought he died in his sleep.” Katara fired back, eyes narrowing.

Ursa smiled, although it felt sharp on her face, and clearly looked less than friendly to Katara, because she leaned back a little bit, and then, with very deliberate casualness, stirred her tea with a graceful swirl of her hand in the air. “Very, very few nobles of the Fire Nation die of natural causes, Katara.” Ursa informed her, ignoring the silent threat. “Azulon died in his bed, certainly, and he was asleep before I woke him with my blade at his throat, so that he would know who had killed him, and why.”

Katara absorbed that, then frowned. “Why?”

“That… is a complicated question.” Ursa said finally. “And it ties in to a lot of my history that you don’t know.”

“You’re Fire Nation.” Katara stated coldly.

“Yes.” Ursa confirmed. “I’m always surprised at how long it takes people to notice,” she said, gesturing at her eyes, “and it takes them even longer to reach the logical conclusion. Then they’re far too easily put off by a story about an Earth Kingdom mother and the pirate raids along the coast.”

Katara’s expression turned hard. “Fire Nation raids.” She stated, and the ‘your people’ behind it was loud and clear.

It was not an easy accusation to answer, and Ursa thought her words over carefully before she said anything. “Yes.” She agreed finally. “In that particular case, I won’t argue that the Fire Nation is at fault.”

“That particular case?!” Katara demanded furiously.

“Mm.” Ursa hummed. “Under Sozin and his son and grandson, the Fire Nation has committed many atrocities. And before Sozin it was the Earth Kingdom that pillaged and raped its way across the continent, under Conqueror Chin’s command. And before Chin, it was the pirate hordes of Chief Kalea looting and murdering up and down the coast. And before that it was the devoted zealots of the Living-Earth-Mother, Queen Nitocris. And before that it was the Yu Yan-” Katara made a triumphant sound, like she hadn’t even registered any of Ursa’s other points. Ursa gave the girl a stern look. “-air-benders and their founder, Taiyari.”

Katara gaped at her. “The Yu Yan aren’t air-benders!”

“Not anymore.” Ursa agreed sadly. “But once, the Yu Yan archers were the terror of the skies. After their defeat they disbanded and vanished into the other three nations. As far as I’m aware, the Fire Nation is the only place they maintained most of their customs. The accounts of their origins are old, and rare, but they have some preserved documents here at the university, if you doubt my sincerity.”

That, at least, seemed to give Katara pause. She stared down at her tea while she marshalled her thoughts. “How do you know about all of that?” She asked, still suspicious, but with less hostility than before. “I’ve heard of Chin the Conqueror, but…”

“I like my history.” Ursa admitted with a faint smile. “I’m more fond of myths and legends, but I know the darker side of history, too.” She paused to sip her tea. “I like to learn about a time when my people weren’t the enemies of the world. It gives me hope that all has not been lost for my people. The other Nations have treated the world just as horribly, and yet life goes on, their people continue, and most of them keep trying to do good.”

Katara opened her mouth, then stopped and frowned. “You distracted me.” She accused, although with less venom than Ursa honestly expected. “Why did you kill Azulon?”

“Simple answer?” Ursa offered, and when Katara nodded, she offered her a gentle smile full of irony. “He threatened my children.”

Everything about Katara seemed to soften at that, anger draining out of her like the tide. “And what’s the complicated answer?” She asked after a moment, glancing up with a challenging expression that just dared Ursa to try and dodge the question again.

Ursa found she couldn’t actually meet Katara’s eyes while she tried to tell the story. She looked down at her tea. “It started, I suppose, when I got engaged to a very charming young man.” She began carefully. “I was an only child, and my parents were minor nobles who pinned all their hopes for political ascension on me. I was shown off at parties and banquets, but most noble boys…” She trailed off, and shrugged ruefully. “But that is a poor excuse for why I fell for my husband’s charms. And I did fall for them. Hard. I thought he was… well, like me, I suppose. A second son, with no real power of his own, used as a game piece by his father to accrue more influence.”

“But he wasn’t?” Katara asked shrewdly.

Ursa pursed her lips. “Well, he was, but where I had learned compassion, to treat those below me as more than just pieces to step on to get myself higher, he had learned cruelty. And he wanted, above all else, to have power over those who presumed to control him.” Here she smiled bitterly, and shook her head. “And when he misstepped, and Azulon ordered him to kill his son in penance, he was going to do it.”

“Kill his-!” Katara gasped, hands flying to cover her mouth. “And he-!”

“Now, after five years to reflect, I begin to wonder if Azulon hadn’t meant for him to simply give up his son, adopt him out to his brother, but either way, Azulon’s order was ambiguous enough that my husband decided to kill two birds with one stone, and get rid of ‘the embarrassment’ and get back into his father’s good graces at the same time.”

There was a long, drawn out silence.

“His… father’s…” Katara breathed, horrified realisation dawning on her as she said those two condemning words. “You-!” She began, but seemed to choke on her next words. “You married-! You were the-! Your son is-” And she stopped. And stared.

Ursa looked up at her at last, but saw only shell-shocked disbelief on Katara’s face, nothing more telling. “Yes.” She said, hesitating before going on. “I married Fire Lord Ozai. Although, at the time, he was only Prince Ozai, and by the time he was crowned, I had already been banished.”

Katara took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “The Fire Lord was going to kill his own son.” She stated in tones of disgust.

“Yes.” Ursa confirmed. “And despite committing treason to protect my children, all that did was leave me banished and unable to protect them when Ozai turned my daughter into his perfect little soldier, and branded and banished my son simply for speaking up in defence of his people.”

Katara recoiled. Her hand flew up to her left eye, and when Ursa nodded wordlessly, she blanched and went pale. “His own dad did that to him?!” She gasped, horrified. Then her expression hardened. “I always knew the Fire Lord was a monster.” She spat.

“Quite.” Ursa agreed with a hint of dark humour.

For a moment, Ursa wondered if her humour was in bad taste, but then Katara smiled, a grim, knowing sort of smile. The moment settled, and they both finished off their tea in the comfortable silence that followed. Ursa refilled their cups without speaking, resolved to give Katara the time she needed to process everything. Katara quietly thanked her for the tea, then abruptly groaned and buried her face in her hands. “I just can’t believe this.” She complained.

“Which part?” Ursa asked kindly.

“My dad married the Fire Lord’s ex-wife!” Katara burst out, incredulous and pained. Ursa raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to realise the implications of what she’d just said. Slowly, Katara began to put the pieces together. “That’s… going to really piss the Fire Lord off, isn’t it?” She asked slowly.

Ursa raised her teacup to her lips to hide her vindictive smile. “Probably.” She said blandly.

Katara stared at her as Ursa sipped carefully at her tea, then lowered it again, carefully maintaining a straight face as she did so. A tiny giggle escaped Katara, and then she clapped her hands over her mouth in a futile attempt to muffle her laughter. “Oh, Tui and La, that’s… that’s actually really funny.”

“You father thought so, too.” Ursa muttered, unable to hide her smile any longer. “After he got over the shock.” She sighed at the memory. It was a good one, full of laughter and love. She’d had too few of those before Hakoda, and too many to count since she’d met him. “And just to be clear,” she went on, her tone serious enough to catch Katara’s attention, “your father really is a thousand times the man Ozai wishes he could be.”

Katara’s smile slipped sideways into something strangely rueful. “You… really do love him, don’t you?” She asked, quiet and sad.

Ursa blinked, caught off guard by the sudden melancholy beating off Katara in palpable waves. “I- Yes, I do.” She replied.

“I’m sorry.” Katara said, and then sniffed like she was trying not to cry. “Sokka was right, it’s not- it’s not fair of me to blame you, but I just…” She choked on a laugh that sounded terribly close to a sob. “I just miss my mum. I want her back.”

Ursa wasted no time in sliding around the table until she could pull Katara into a hug. Katara went stiff for a moment, then seemed to melt all at once, hugging Ursa back with surprising force. “You don’t have to be sorry for missing your mother, Katara.” Ursa murmured into dark hair. “And you’re allowed to be angry that she’s gone, that she was taken from you. I only hope that you can come to see me as an ally, not your enemy.”

Katara sniffed again and drew back, and Ursa was surprised to notice that it didn’t seem like any tears had been shed. Katara’s eyes were wet, but the tears hadn’t spilled over. “Well, you did murder the man who ordered my mother’s death, so…” She said, cracking a grin. When Ursa let out a startled but pleased laugh, Katara’s grin softened into a smile. “Yeah, I think-”

There was a knock at the door. Ursa rolled her eyes, and cursed the spirits for their idea of good timing. Katara grinned. “I think it’s probably Sokka.” She offered, and when Ursa stood and opened the door, she found that Katara was right.

“Hi!” Sokka exclaimed brightly, something a little manic in his eyes. “Did you tell her about the Fire Lord, yet?”

“Sokka, I thought you’d told me about the Fire Lord.” Katara said, in a tone of growing suspicion.

Ursa kept a straight face only through sheer force of will as Sokka blanched, and looked nervously over his shoulder. “Uh, yeah, totally.” He said awkwardly. “I mean, I should- give you two more time to- chat. And not kill each other. That’d be… really good. Maybe Toph should stay here to mediate-”

“Don’t exaggerate.” Ursa chided mildly. “Katara hasn’t even tried to drown me once.” She mused, stepping back to let Sokka inside. He didn’t seem to want to take the hint, and dithered in the doorway. “A few angry words are the least of what I’ve had to deal with today.”

“Yeah, but-” Sokka began.

“But what, Sokka?” Katara asked, coming up to stand at Ursa’s shoulder, arms crossed and a deeply unimpressed expression on her face. “What did you think I was going to do to the woman who picked Dad over the Fire Lord?”

Sokka blinked at her rapidly for a moment. “She-! You-! Argh! You’re evil.” He accused. Then raised his voice a little as he stepped inside, jostling his sister with his shoulder in a petulant sort of revenge. “Okay, I think it’s safe, guys!”

“Excellent!” Iroh’s voice preceded him into the apartment, and Katara stiffened as Zuko came into view over Iroh’s shoulder. Ursa couldn’t help but smile, though. He looked stiff and angry, but Ursa knew her son, and she knew the difference between his true anger, and the way he tried to hide his insecurities. He was nervous, not angry, so she pulled him into a hug the moment he was in arm’s reach. “It is very lovely to meet you properly this time, Katara.” Iroh was saying, as Zuko clung to Ursa as though to reassure himself that she really was there, and she hadn’t vanished since he’d seen her yesterday.

“Uh-huh.” Katara drawled.

“Oh, get over yourself, Sugar Queen. Uncle’s nice.” Toph interjected.

“Uncle?!” Katara echoed incredulously.

“I would be most honoured if you would consider me your uncle.” Iroh announced, as if Katara’s question had been jealous, rather than infuriated. “Ursa is as good as a sister to me, and it would be a delight to count her family among my own.”

Zuko finally drew back and let Ursa usher him into the apartment and close the door behind them. “Katara, would you like to help me with dinner?” Ursa asked over the bubbling chaos that had spilled into her apartment.

“Yes.” Katara said quickly, grateful for the excuse to dart around Iroh and over to Ursa’s side. Only once she was there did she register that it meant she was in close proximity to Zuko. Her eyes narrowed sharply. “You’d better not cause any trouble, because if you think-”

“Whoa, calm down, sis!” Sokka called over some conversation about the tea market in the Earth Kingdom. “Our new brother has agreed to a truce as long as we’re in the family home, so don’t go starting any fights, or Dad’s going to be pissed.”

“Mum’s going to be pissed.” Zuko corrected, shooting Ursa a look from the corner of his good eye.

“I would. I finally managed to buy an apartment of my own, so I would hate for it to get burned down or water-logged.” Ursa agreed.

“Hmph. Fine.” Katara huffed. “Is he going to be helping with dinner too?” She asked Ursa, pointedly not asking Zuko. Ursa had a feeling there was a right and wrong answer to that question, and she had a feeling it wasn’t the one she might have expected it to be.

“Yes.” Ursa said, and was pleased to see that it was the right answer. She led the pair of them into the small kitchen and started flipping through her small notebook of recipes to find something that would feed… Oh, spirits, at least six, possibly seven.

“Just don’t ask me to make the tea.” Zuko groused, accepting the box of eggs Ursa passed him from her pantry and passing them to Katara, so that he could take the vegetables Ursa was holding out.

“Hey, if we’re staying for dinner, we should invite Aang!” Sokka suggested.

Battle-honed reflexes were the only things that saved their dinner from ending up splattered all over the kitchen floor, and two voices shouted “No!” in perfect unison.

“Aw, come on, guys. It’s not fair to leave Aang out!” Sokka protested.

Iroh cleared his throat. “Perhaps Miss Be Fong and I could keep the Avatar company. That way he need not be left alone, and the four of you can have a nice family dinner together.” He suggested. It was a good idea, and no one had any real objections, so after Zuko had reluctantly let his Uncle hug him, and Toph had punched all three teenagers in the arm hard enough to make them wince, they left.

“So!” Sokka clapped his hands together, then rubbed them like an evil genius. Ursa wondered if it was as clear to Katara as it was to her just where he’d picked up that mannerism. “Dinner! How can I help?”

Three minor disasters and one successfully made stir-fry later, Hakoda arrived home, looking worn out but relieved, only to pause when he spotted Katara. He opened his mouth to speak, but Katara beat him to it. “I’m sorry.” She said quickly, wringing her hands together and not quite meeting her father’s eye. “Dad, I’m sorry about… what I said before.”

Hakoda huffed a happy little laugh, and hugged her. “Thank you, Katara.”

When Katara let go, Hakoda made a beeline for Ursa, and she put the stir-fry down on the table just in time to turn into his embrace. He was warm and solid in her arms, and he nuzzled into her hair with a little hum of contentment, before she tipped her face up to offer him a proper welcome home kiss.

“Dad, no! Stoooop!”

“Oh, ew, gross!”

“Urk, do you have to?”

They only stopped kissing because Hakoda was laughing too hard to continue. Ursa rolled her eyes at him, but her own smile gave her away. She hummed thoughtfully, giving Hakoda a considering look. He met her look with happy curiosity, and the sheer perfection of the moment made Ursa feel more than a little playful. “Yes. Yes, I think I do have to.” She informed their kids, and promptly kissed her husband again. Ever in favour of a good prank, Hakoda made sure to kiss her back quite thoroughly.