#i love zuko so much and don’t say it nearly enough

[blues824]

Hi! I have another request if you don’t mind doing! Could you do a dorm wardens + Jamil/Lilia with a reader who is like Zuko from Avatar the Last Airbender???

Like, she doesn’t act like Zuko aka his rudeness. But instead is kind and smiles even though she’s hiding her pain with a smile. She has bangs or something that covers the eye that is scared. She is shown to have great leadership and strength in battle that causes them to be drawn to her. They got closer to her and later become her lover. Where they later saw her scar and find out what happened. To only be horrified that her father did it. While later comforting her while saying how they would never leave her or something.

I would love to read something like this. But only if you want to write it. If you could, could you have Malleus in it as well. Again, only if you want to!

A lot of you are surprised at how many requests I have, and I’m surprised too. Imma be writing well into the summer.

Riddle Rosehearts

He first found you intimidating because of the scar you have, but when he found out that you were super friendly he grew attached. No hair was going to hide the scarred skin of your eye, but he would make sure that no one ever pointed it out… unless they wished to be beheaded.

When he overblotted, he noticed how coordinated you were in battle. You have done this before, and this puts him at a great disadvantage. Plus, your firebending really did a large number on him and he was defeated in a very short amount of time.

It was in the infirmary room, where he woke up and finally had the courage to ask about how you got the scar. He thought that he had a tough childhood until he heard what your father had done to you. You just argued against that general because he was about to sacrifice a whole legion of soldiers, and your father burned you as a punishment.

Tears started falling from your eyes as you remembered the Agni Kai against your father, and Riddle pulled you into a hug (albeit a very stiff hug). When he overblotted, he was doing his best to redirect the monster away from you, which already said a lot. Now, as he held you in his arms, you were sure that he would never leave you.

Leona Kingscholar

He thought you were a total badass with the scar, and even more so when he found out that you were actually pretty friendly and social. It meant that you were strong because whatever you did only ended up with your eye being scarred.

When he overblotted, your fighting style (aside from the firebending) reminded him of the women from his homeland. I think the ink in Twisted Wonderland is oil-based, so it’s highly flammable. That means that he was very easily defeated. Mans was kind of embarrassed.

In the infirmary, he woke up to you crying. He asked what was wrong and you told him that you were worried that he was going to die like so many soldiers you knew. He asked if you got your scar in battle, and that’s when you told him that it was your father who did it because you spoke out against a renowned general of the Fire Nation because he had proposed sacrificing an entire legion because of their patriotism.

He was angry that someone as great as you had to go through so much pain and torment, so he pulled you into the infirmary bed with him. It wasn’t nearly large enough, but he put you on top of him so that he could hold you close as a way to comfort you a bit, and it made you laugh. As aloof as he is, you were his mate for life. You saw him as #1, and so he was going to make sure you knew that he saw you the same way.

Azul Ashengrotto

To be honest, he also found you quite intimidating until he saw how friendly you were. Now, you were by his side as the person he could go to whenever he felt especially stressed out due to balancing schoolwork and managing the Lounge.

When he overblotted, your firebending was rendered useless due to being underwater. However, you were still able to fight exceedingly well, which surprised Azul. Sure, water was his element, but fighting was yours… so you obviously won.

In the infirmary, he saw you sitting by his bedside looking kind of battered and bruised, and he felt so bad. You laughed it off, saying it wasn’t the worst thing you’ve suffered. You even pointed at your eye to emphasize your point. That’s when he decided to open up Pandora’s box and ask about it.

The cecaelia was absolutely horrified that your father, a person that a child is supposed to be able to trust, would do that to you after speaking out against that unjust general in the meeting. It was devastating to hear, so he couldn’t imagine the pain it must have inflicted upon you. So, he gently held your face in his hands, wiping some stray tears away. Then he summoned the courage and leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss upon your scar.

Kalim Al-Asim

He honestly didn’t even notice your scar at first, he’s just happy that he found someone as cheerful and kind as he was. If only he knew that you were just hoping to give people the joy that was stripped from you as a young child.

When Jamil overblotted, it was Kalim’s first time witnessing you in battle, and it looked as though you had been trained for it. Either that, or you were a natural. Either way, you were able to defeat Jamil with your firebending and your martial arts skills.

You were sent to the infirmary because you were still hurt, and Kalim went with you. He went on a rant about how great you were in the fight and how you made it look like art, but you were just quiet. He could see that tears were flowing from your beautiful eyes, and that’s when he noticed the scar.

You broke down, telling him about how you got the scar. The Housewarden was shocked at the misfortunes of your life, but he was kind of glad because this all brought you to him. And now here you were, in his arms and asking him to never leave you. He would never dream of it, and hugged you even tighter while saying so.

Jamil Viper

He definitely noticed your scar, but paid no mind to it. For all he knew, you were born with it and you might be uncomfortable about it as it is. He just cared that you were kind and friendly, and now you have a little snake (Jamil himself) subconsciously following you around everywhere.

When he overblotted, he already knew that you could firebend at this point because he has seen you in battle, especially the one against Leona. What he didn’t know was that you were also trained in martial arts and sword wielding, so he never stood a chance.

While he was in the infirmary, you were there helping out with his recovery. At this point, he felt as though you were far enough in your relationship for him to know what happened to your eye. You let out a long sigh, before starting at the very beginning. 

You ended your telling with being scared that those you love will leave you after finding out the truth, and Jamil pulled you into his arms, quietly promising that he would never abandon you. You meant too much to him, after all. You were the only constant in his life, the only thing he could truly call his… Why would he ever give you up?

Vil Schoenheit

He also saw your scar, but I don’t think he views scars as revolting. Every scar tells a story, yours is just a tad more prominent. Those stories often resemble strength, so he commends you for what you have been through, whatever that may be.

When he overblotted, he had little to no battle experience and he was fueled by rage. That left you a wide opening to lead with logic and experience, so you were able to bring him down in the short span of a few minutes. It was almost offensive to be that good.

He woke up in the infirmary as the nurse was treating your bruises and cuts, and you were telling them how you got the scar on your eye to distract you from the temporary pain. Vil listened in, and he was shocked that your father was the one who burned you. It was crazy to think that your father was offended at you speaking against a general for the soldiers that would have gone into battle and died.

The Housewarden of Pomefiore got out of the bed as quietly as he could, slowly making his way to you. He cautiously wrapped his arms around your torso, which you melted into because you were familiar with his hugs. This was a tad out of character for your boyfriend, but it was his way of promising you that he didn’t think of you any differently.

Idia Shroud

You reminded him of the character from the show I am the Last Airbender and the Avatar, and I am Being Hunted by the Fire Nation. He was a total fanboy whenever he saw you, and so it was hard for him to even talk to you. You reached out first with a kind smile, and he just melted. Mans was in love.

When he overblotted, you couldn’t fight him with your firebending because it would be fighting fire with fire. He was also very strategic due to hours of playing video games, so you had officially met your match. However, thanks to Ace, you had the gift of spontaneity on your side.

He was surprised to see you by his bedside in the infirmary, and he most definitely wasn’t expecting the passionate kiss you gave him upon discovering that he was awake. Mans felt like he won the shut-in hermit lottery, and he felt kind of lightheaded.

Idia hesitantly placed his hand onto the left side of your face, thumb delicately running over the scar upon your eye. It was an unspoken question, and you answered. He felt horrible, and even more so when you were crying as you remembered how you had ended up with the burn. The eldest Shroud brother grabbed your hand and squeezed it, reassuring the fact that he still loved you.

Malleus Draconia

He noticed your scar, but never made a comment about it because he’s used to seeing wounded soldiers. Like a lot of the others, he cares more about your personality, and he grew attached when you showed him an ounce of human kindness.

When Leona had overblotted, he was there on the sidelines. He saw how magnificent you were in battle, with your knowledge about both firebending and martial arts, and he was very impressed. Sure, you were hurt a few times, but Leona had the worst of it.

Malleus accompanied you to the infirmary, and it was there that he got a full view of the scar. He took over in cleaning up the bruises and cuts, and he asked about the scar so that you would be distracted from the minor pain of the cleaning of your wounds.

You let out a sigh, and started telling the oh-so-lovely story of your childhood. The dragon fae was appalled at how you were mistreated as just a young child. He made a vow to never hurt you as those in your past have, and to make sure you knew that you were cherished and loved as his significant other (and eventual fiance).

Lilia Vanrouge

You reminded him of a soldier who has been in a war, and from the looks of it, you have. He could tell that you’ve seen some shit in your day, and you both held a mutual respect for each other because you both were old souls (Lilia was actually old, in this case).

When Leona had overblotted, he was there witnessing the entire battle. It reminded him of the war in Briar Valley, and your strategy for the fight was commendable. He also never met someone who could bend fire via martial arts, so he thought it was very interesting.

Lilia decided that it was only fair that he accompany you to the infirmary, since you both were warriors of some variant. He most definitely wanted to know who taught you the firebending technique that you just displayed. However, he knew that it wasn’t a joke when he saw the pain in your eyes.

His heart broke when you started telling your sad, long story. No one should have to go through that, especially not someone as great and kind as you. He hoped that you knew that he would never toss you away like your father did to you, especially since he wiped your tears away as he kissed your cheeks.

[hyacinths-in-a-storm-writes]

Day 6- Getting Together

(Azula x Ty Lee)

You can also read it here on ao3

A/N: Slowly getting through all the prompts

“You’re going to be fine, she’s head over heels in love with you.” Zuko yawned from the spot on Azula’s bed where he was perched.

“You don’t know that! It’s just her personality to be polite and nice to everyone!” Azula argued, throwing another article of clothing onto the bed, “What are you even doing in my room?”

“You have my charger, and you won’t give it back until you calm down and go to bed.” Zuko laid back down on the bed, “If you want advice, then I would say just be honest, that usually works.” Azula throws a sock in his direction,

“I will not be taking advice from someone who dated the school stoner, and only for a week at that.” A pillow hits the back of her head,

“At least I had the guts to ask him out! You can’t even look Ty Lee in the eye anymore!” Azula throws the pillow back, knocking him back.

“You know I’m right.” he huffs, tearing the pillow from his face.

“Are you going to help, or not?”

“Like I said, you're worrying too much about it.” he pulled his phone out, “Look either you can tell her, or I’m texting her right now.”

Azula nearly tackled Zuko off the bed, reaching for his phone.

“You better not! I’d kill you.”

“I was just joking! Calm down, don’t scratch my good eye out!” Azula responded by dragging her nails harshly down his arm,

“Ouch! Azula get off, or I’m calling Mom, and we’ll both get in trouble.” reluctantly she did,

“I’m just gonna do it, I’ll tell her tomorrow. I’ll tell Ty Lee my feelings for her, tomorrow.” she decided, curling her hands into defiant fists.

“Good.” Zuko mused, “Can I have my charger back now? Or do you have something else to break down about?”

Azula answered with a phone charger to the face.

~

“Azula!” She heard her name only as somebody tackled from behind. Anyone else would’ve stumbled, but Azula, who had been dealing with this since the age of six, only lightly tripped over her feet, slamming her forearms into the lockers. 

“Hi Ty Lee. How are you?” she said weakly, massaging her arms,

“Good enough, hey can I talk to you about something?” Ty Lee grabbed Azula’s arm,

“Yeah, what is it?” she tried not to notice how nice Ty Lee’s calloused hands felt, gently holding her arm,

“Can we discuss it in private?” she asked, dragging her out the double doors into the relatively quiet outside.

“Ok, what would need to be so secretive?” Azula was starting to get nervous,

“Oh don’t worry, I just wanted to tell you about a girl, I think I have a crush on her.” her heart sank, settling at the bottom of her stomach as it tossed and turned with jealousy.

“Really? Who is this special someone?” Azula tried to keep her voice as light and teasing as she could manage.

“You’d probably know her, she takes AP Psych, just like you.” The only other person Azula could remember who took AP Psych was Katara. Did Ty Lee have a crush on Katara of all people?

“Well you’d have to specify, there’s a lot of people who take AP Psych.” Azula huffs,

“Hmm, well she’s also on the swimming team.” Ty Lee ponders, glancing at her. Katara was also in the swimming team. Seriously? Katara of all people? It might’ve hurt less if it had been someone Azula had never met.

“Speaking of which, when’s your next swim meet?” she asked, Azula didn’t respond, seemingly lost in her own head.

“Azula?” Ty Lee pokes at her side,

“Hmm? Oh, next week, why?”Azula said snapping out of her thoughts,

“I was thinking of coming with you. We could get something to eat afterwards.” Ty Lee offered,

“Sounds great.”

“It’s a date then.” Azula wished it was a proper date, but she shoved that feeling aside, “Oh, did I also tell you that my crush is extremely oblivious?”

“Well she doesn’t sound like a very good fit for you then. If she can’t even realize that you like her.” Ty Lee sighed,

“You do know crushes don’t work like that right?” Azula did know that, otherwise she’d be in love with anyone else besides her best friend.

“Anyways I asked her to dinner next week.” Azula looked to Ty Lee, who was staring very intently at her nails.

“Which day?” she hoped it wouldn’t interfere with their dinner times.

“Which day is your swim meet?” she asked casually,

“Thursday, but why does that matter-” Azula paused, “Oh.”

“Oh, indeed. Seriously Azula for someone who is a straight-A student you can be a bit slow at times.” Ty Lee let out a long breath, but she was still smiling looking for Azula’s response. Azula on the other hand looked like she had been hit by a truck, so she said the first thing that came to her mind,

“You like me? Are you sure?” Ty Lee raised an eyebrow,

“If I didn’t I wouldn’t have said so, or asked you out on a date, would I?” No, she supposed not,

“Does this mean you would want to be my girlfriend?” Azula asked tentatively, despite all the hard evidence, she was still unsure if this was a joke or not.

“Yes, Azula. In fact I could say I want nothing more than to be your girlfriend. That is if you would want to be my girlfriend as well?” she quickly added,

“Yes! I mean we can start it off slowly, but yes definitely I would love to be your girlfriend Ty Lee.” Azula knew she sounded like an overeager toddler, but excitement was lodged into her throat and was slipping into her words. Ty Lee didn’t say anything but just held her hand, squeezing it gently.

“Are you two finally dating?” Azula heard across the quad. It was Zuko sitting on a table next to Mai. She was ready to charge at him, but Ty Lee held her back,

“Yes! Unlike you!” she yelled back, Azula swore she saw Mai choke back a cough and Zuko’s jaw drop open. She laughed; how lucky she was to have a girlfriend like Ty Lee.

[jasmine-tea-latte]

JTL's long but not as long as it could've been review of Netflix's ATLA

So.

I’ve finished watching the Netflix adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender and I have a lot of thoughts. Because despite some of the more questionable changes, I overall enjoyed this as an adaptation.

I wish I could say that I was surprised by the criticisms I'm seen so far, but unfortunately, I’m not. As much as I adore the OG series for being one of the greatest animated shows (or television shows, period), it’s been placed on a pedestal over the years and any adaptation of it will always be held to an impossibly high standard. And for better or for worse, a lot of fans have their nostalgia glasses on when it comes to the show, so any deviation from the source material is going to receive some form of backlash. I say this as someone who clearly still loves the show 19 years later, otherwise I wouldn't be here writing about it, ya know?

Anyways, if I had to give it a grade compared to the OG series, I’d give it a B- or a C+. If I’m grading it as its own thing, I’d bump that up to a B+ or A-. There are some elements (pun not intended) that definitely should have been kept in, and some changes that I thought were done well.

TL;DR – I had fun watching it even during the parts that made me cry, and the parts that made me say “… well that was a decision.” I’d love to see the last two books be adapted as well, if for no other reason than to meet Toph Mothereffing Bei Fong and see all of Team Avatar together.

(Also because I’d LOVE to see The Ember Island Players, especially if they managed to work in a few fun cameos. Can't you picture Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Play!Toph and thee Dante Basco as Play!Zuko, hamming it up for all it’s worth? Shut up and take my money!)

(And of course, the Last Agni Kai for obvious reasons)

So I’d recommend at least checking it out if you’re interested. I’d also like to recommend that if you do, watch it from a pragmatic standpoint that it’s a condensed adaptation, not a shot-for-shot remake.

Some things that I liked, and some that I didn’t are below the cut:  

(SPOILERS, obvs)

Aang – I really liked this version of him, and though his actor’s still young, I thought he embodied the upbeat, playful side well. I also liked that they removed his one-sided crush on Katara, and – don’t shoot me for this – if they went with Kat@ang later based on how they did their characters in this first season, I wouldn’t be entirely opposed if it’s built on actual friendship and not an unrequited crush. (Still Team Zutara for life, but I don’t think that I’d *hate* it if the show went in this direction.)

Katara – I thought her actress did great when it came to portraying the nurturing, sensitive side. What I didn’t like was them removing nearly all of her feminine rage. Let her be angry! Let her lose her temper and be hot-headed! This post sums it up nicely. That being said, I do think she did well enough with the direction she was given. Here’s hoping we’ll see our girl eff some stuff up if we get Seasons 2 and 3.

Sokka – Fantastic and sarcastic. I really liked his actor’s interpretation of him, and it definitely felt more in line with the character we all fell in love with during the OG show.

Zuko – out of the main cast, I think his performance was the best. He had to step into a major role, taking over from a beloved performance that is still hailed as one of the greatest redemption arcs in modern media with a lot of expectations riding on his shoulders, and I think that his actor knocked it out of the park. It’s different from Dante Basco’s interpretation, obviously. But as I watched each episode, I kept thinking, “there’s our grumpy fire boy.” The scene where he’s throwing the temper tantrum over losing his journal, while Iroh’s standing back and watching? I thought to myself, “this boy is the worst, he’s perfect.” Plus the flashbacks to his life before scarring were done well, and even though I knew what was coming re: the Agni Kai against his father and subsequent banishment, I still got emotional.

Also, regarding the Agni Kai – on one hand, I feel like his absolute refusal to fight back was such an integral part of that scene and understanding who he is as a character. That being said, I didn’t *hate* that in this version he was pushed into defending himself, albeit by holding back. That one shot where he hesitates to attack Ozai, only for his father to use that same move against him moments later… oof.

My ONLY complaint with this version of Zuko is that he didn't say "honor" once.

Other thoughts I had:

🟣 I really liked that we got to see more of the Air Nomads and life at the Southern Air Temple prior to Sozin’s attack. I also liked the explanation the show gave of having all the Air Nomads gathered together for a festival celebrating the comet, which makes more sense if they’re all (allegedly) under one roof.

Additionally, witnessing the genocide itself… I was crying. Especially during the final showdown between Gyatso and Sozin, and the realization that we were witnessing Roku’s (former) best friend slaughter one of his other closest friends.

But why wouldn't they send the children out on the flying bison to escape instead of having them all cornered?!

🟣 I really enjoyed getting to see interactions between Ozai and Iroh, which was one of the biggest missed opportunities in the OG show.

🟣 MY GIRL JUNE. That is all.

The part where she flirts with Iroh was also a nice flip on what happened in the OG show, with his covert pervert crush and all. Plus Zuko’s face when she calls his “dad” cute? Peak Zuzu. Also, poor Iroh hahaha.

🟣 Suki! I really liked the Kyoshi Island episode, plus her awkward flirting with Sokka by kicking his ass.

🟣 I really wish the whole subplot of Kya’s necklace hadn’t been cut, tbh. The flashbacks involving her were good, and as devastating as it was actually seeing her death, it does hammer home the point what a horrifying experience that was (side-eyeing you, everyone making the jokes about Katara always bringing up her dead mother.)

🟣 THE SCARF SCENE. Nice try, Netflix, but I know better than to get my hopes up again from 5 seconds of slow-mo. Did I still screech when it happened, though? Ofc I did!

🟣 The twist with the 41st Division was bittersweet and I may have (okay, definitely) cried.

🟣 Combining Jet’s subplots with the Mechanist’s and putting them in Omashu wasn’t too bad. I do wish the message of “not everyone in the FN is evil” from Jet’s episode had made it into this version, tbh.

🟣 Overall, I liked Jet + the Freedom Fighters. Also, props to his actor for capturing the pretty boy / f*ckboi attitude well.

🟣 Loved Chong and the hippies, of course (SECRET, SECRET, SECRET TUNNEL, YEAH!) and I don’t mind that they were included this early.

🟣 I loved the change to the Cave of Two Lovers and having Oma and Shu be lesbians.

🟣 I feel like if the show’s renewed for a second season and we come back to Omashu, there’s a chance they could revisit the COTL with Katara and Aang this time around.

🟣 The random lady smacking Zuzu with a broom – “how dare you hit that child?!” – was hilarious, and Dallas Liu’s facial expressions of “wtf” and “fml” were a thing of beauty (starts at 1:40 in the video below)

🟣 CABBAGE MAN! I just love that they got the original voice actor, hamming it up and screaming at the sky.

🟣 I LOVED the Blue Spirit episode, and all of the flashbacks, plus the voiceover about masks and seeing past!Zuko contrasted to present!Zuko, as presented in this gifset? RIP my heart.

🟣 The flashback to Lu Ten’s funeral and showing Zuko being the only person to join his uncle, sharing a sweet memory of his cousin while Leaves from the Vine plays? Beautiful. Ditto to the flashbacks of Iroh standing up for his nephew prior to the Agni Kai and the scenes of them getting ready to set sail to search for the Avatar. “I don’t need a babysitter.” “How about a friend?” how about excuse you I did not ask for these emotions how dare you.

🟣 I actually liked the inclusion of Ozai and Azula + Mai and Ty Lee. I also loved the opening of Ep. 3, showing how she was able to infiltrate the team of rebels. RIP to Kevin Tran (in advanced placement), though.

🟣 I loved that Katara rallied the women waterbenders and they were able to help during the Siege of the North. I also liked her reaction when she's talking with Yugoda in the healing huts and realizes why she's been sent there. It gave us a glimpse of the fiestier / headstrong Katara we all know and love, and if the show gets renewed I hope we'll get to see more.

🟣 I really enjoyed them giving Aang and Zuko a few minutes to talk / form a connection after he was unmasked as the Blue Spirit. That was nicely done.

and finally...

Nothing else to add, just chef's kiss.

(gif source)

Anyways! I might make a more extensive list of my personal pros and cons, but for now, I’d still recommend giving it a shot.

[bellatrixobsessed1]

I Am Blackened Bones (Part 29)

The spirit, Azula finds, still speaks to her. Speaks not as a separate entity but as an extension of her own thoughts. Mostly it does so when she finds herself confused or reluctant. It is a small portion of her mind—the portion that acts on impulse and spontaneity. The portion that would probably be called an intrusive thought if the thought was something vicious. These thoughts, while still semi-intrusive, compel her to kiss Katara for no reason or to throw herself into a pile of snow just for the sake of experience. 

She ignores them mostly. 

She is, admittedly, somewhat afraid of them.

Or afraid of what people would think of her if she acted upon them. 

Katara doesn’t seem to mind. She seems to rather enjoy the surprise kisses and the random gifts. Even if the random gifts are just dumb doodles burned onto slabs of discarded firewood. “I didn’t realize that you were an artist.” She says of her newest gift. 

“I’m not.” Azula replies. “I’m mostly bored.” 

“Mostly bored?”

Azula nods. “I swear that it didn’t take this long to make this trip last time.”

“Last time you were in and out.” Katara reminds her. “Time tends to pass quicker when you aren’t there the whole time.”

“Right, yes.” Azula flushes slightly. That was a silly thing to have forgotten. Katara chuckles and Azula would like nothing more than to take a miniature retreat back into her own mind. Evidently she would very much like to sleep through the entirety of her homecoming. Not that she wishes that her spirit self could do it for her. The spirit would have made her look like a complete dolt. She feels as though she will accomplish looking like a fool well enough on her own. 

Katara squeezes her hand. “They’re going to love you Azula.”

“How do you know?”

“Well the Fire Nation seemed to adore you before you left.” 

“I believe that I have fallen out of favor with the general public since Zuzu has taken the throne. Traditional values and beliefs are on a decline.” 

“It’s a shame that you don’t have any way of showing that you don’t exactly subscribe to traditional beliefs anymore.” Katara kisses her ear. “If only you had a beautiful waterbender to date.”

“Yeah, I only have the moderately visually appealing if you squint hard enough waterbender.” 

From her corner of Appa’s saddle, Toph gives a snort and a laugh. 

She wishes that she could laugh too but the truth is that she is…intimidating. Her stomach has been tying itself in knots for the better part of the morning and each passing minute presents her with another opportunity to find something to fret over. 

She and Zuzu hadn’t parted on terrible terms with each other this time around. But they certainly hadn’t had any meaningful discussion while she was occupied with fighting to stay present in her own mind. She isn’t particularly keen on digging up old fights and picking at old wounds. But she is just as dissatisfied at the thought of not confronting her past. 

Franky she isn’t sure why she is so worried, so far her attempts to face herself have all been successful. And the stakes had been just as high, if not more so. And yet this is the thing that worries her more than any other.

She tries to remind herself that Zuko had been the one fighting for her, the real her to come back. 

But it creeps in that maybe he won’t be satisfied with the results of winning that fight. She wonders if it will be strange for him to see her on good terms with everyone else. It will certainly be jarring; he hadn’t been there to witness the full evolution. 

Azula, of course, had been there and it is still jarring when she reflects upon the changes within herself. Both the large and small changes. Somehow those subtle changes are more startling than the more overt ones. She sighs. 

It seems like it had only taken the duration of the one exhale for the Fire Nation to appear on the horizon. It was certainly longer, much longer. But not nearly long enough. Seeing the volcano jutting towards the clouds stirs the butterflies in her stomach into a frenzy.

It is almost instinctual at this point, to see the Fire Nation and feel dread. Even knowing that firebending no longer hurts her doesn’t prevent her from bracing herself for that pain. Her chest constricts. She wishes that she weren’t so accustomed to hurt that she is suspicious of its absence.

She feels Katara’s arms slip around her middle and her chin on her shoulder. Azula hates that she still stiffens at unexpected touches, even the loving caresses and embraces. She resents that she can’t love as effortlessly as the spirit had. Resents that she has to remind herself that she and the spirit are the same and always have been. That they were never opposites so much as twin flames that have come to combine into one brilliant blaze. Hates that she has to actively think about and remember how it feels to live unhurt. How it feels to have been so innocent and trusting. Loathes that she can’t just carry on that way. 

Carefree and open. 

Unguarded. 

So maybe she hasn’t changed all that much. 

Maybe she is the same person that they all hate. That…

Katara kisses her neck. “Don’t do that.”

“What?” 

“Do that thing where you overthink things and upset yourself.” She pauses. 

“If you expect things to go wrong then they probably will.” Sokka comments unhelpfully. “Like a self-fulfilling prophecy.”

“What he’s trying to say…” Aang clarifies. “Things will go just fine if you let them happen naturally. If you try to plan every little detail, you’re more likely to get frustrated and upset when things don’t go your way. And then that frustration will make things worse. That’s what usually happens to Sokka. It happened with Zuko a lot too.”

“I guess.” Azula mumbles.  It isn’t just Zuzu that she is worried about. It is Mai and TyLee too. It has been so very long…

Katara moves to massage her shoulders. If it were TyLee doing the massaging she would surely be on the receiving end of another lecture about how much tension she consistently holds. “How do you think spirit Azula would handle this situation?”

“By completely ignoring Zuzu to marvel at how big and shiny the palace is.” Color blossoms back on her cheeks once more as she imagines some goofy, wide-eyed version of herself bouncing around the palace, inspecting its every nook and cranny. “I would look like a complete idiot if I followed that line of thinking.”

“Well you could ignore Zuko.” Toph shrugs. “And pretend to be very invested with the new furniture.”

“New furniture?”

“Oh yeah.” Sokka says. “He added some new decorative vases and got rid of one of them.”

“The one that he got stuck in as a child?”

Another snort sounds from Toph’s corner of the saddle. “He got stuck in a vase?”

Azula nods. “It was not a very good day.”

“Wait, are you implying that you were in the vase too?” Sokka quirks a brow.

“It was a very large vase and it was surprisingly easy to climb. I could probably fit myself into it without much effort.”

“Oh man, I know how we’re spending your homecoming day!” Toph shouts. 

“Except that he got rid of that vase.” Aang reminds her. 

“I’ll find it.” Toph declares.

“You probably won’t. It has probably been destroyed.” Azula replies, perfectly content to have something else to think about. Indeed, she decides, it is better to think about something else entirely lest she give herself an opportunity for some admittedly destructive overthinking. 

“I’m going to find it.” Toph promises. “And if I do, you’re going to get in that vase.”

“I mean, you won’t find it so I don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Great so, it’s a deal then. If I find the vase then you’ll climb into it.”

“And if you don’t find it?” 

“Then I’ll pick my favorite of the new vases and crawl into it.”

“I suppose that I will accept your terms. But only because, in the Fire Nation, we tend to repurpose things that we throw out. The vase is probably part of a tank or an air balloon now.”

“Spoken like someone who is about to get stuck in a vase again.” Sokka mutters to himself.

“I’m sure that, that will earn me the respect of my people and won’t give them grounds to think that the jungle has left me completely uncivil.”

“The people of Omashu love Bumi and all of his quirks.” Aang points out. 

“Caldera City is a bit more…proper. Rigid. Dancing is frowned upon…”

“Not anymore.” Aang says. “You’ve been so focused on how much you’ve changed that you forgot to consider that The Fire Nation might have changed too.”

“Has it?”

“Almost as much as you have.” Aang replies. 

She isn’t sure if that makes her more or less anxious. But she doesn’t have much time to decide. The palace is within eyesight and phantom tickles dance up and down her arms. She closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths. She isn’t on fire. She isn’t burning. The prickles that she feels are all in her head. The product of anxiety more than anything else. 

Katara assures her that she is going to do just fine. 

A little voice in the back of her mind tells her that it will be just another adventure. That she should, maybe, be excited for it.

Excited for the chance to rise from the ashes that she had been burning to and blaze more brilliantly than ever. 

[moscnios]

Hey Mange!! May I get a Zoro x crewmate where his friend is a kind person who wields a sword and never uses them for wrong, until he loses control of his feelings and lashes out, almost hurting somebody in the crew

After such a thing happened reader’s been too scared to wield a weapon again, they cant spar or defend themselves because they don’t have any trust in themselves that it wont happen again and they dont wanna hurt anyone

Just Zoro comforting them, telling them to have some trust and such

Hope u have a good life please and tyyy!

⟡    ֺ   𓂂  now playing  ,  lost and found.

!!     pairing! . . .  gn!reader x roronoa zoro.

!!     type of love! . . .  for you to decide :)

!!     cw(s)! . . .  mentions of violence. mishandling of a weapon. no pronouns used. not proofread.

!!     wc! . . .  0.9k.

!!     notes! . . .  wasn’t sure if this was meant to be platonic or romantic, so it can be read either way. but i really liked this request !! thank you so much for requesting !!

!!     this has happened a few times so i want to address it here in case you see it again, please don’t call me mange, that’s a skin disease that mammals have 😭😭 zuko or z is fine !!

You did it, you finally blew it all over again. Freezing up in a fight, nearly getting yourself killed. And that is what would have happened had Zoro not jumped in front of you, taking down your opponent with ease. He wasted no time to turn on his heel, facing you. You could make out many different emotions in his expression. A little confusion, a bit of anger, and even some disappointment.

He opened his mouth to say something. To ask you what the hell was wrong with you. To ask why you didn't move, why you didn't pick up your sword and defend yourself as a swordsman should!

But he stopped himself as he saw your face. That frightened look in your eyes, tears of fear welling in the corners, as if you'd seen a ghost.

You hadn't stopped thinking about the incident since it happened. To be a swordsman is to always remain in control of yourself and the blade, to never lash out and lose sight, or else things could go very wrong. And that day, things did very wrong.

You lost control of the blade, nearly gouging out one of your captain's eyes. Your own saving grace was Luffy himself, being able to react fast enough.

You'd never forgive yourself, retiring your blade to the corner of the training room. You haven't touched it since and you never planned on picking it up again. Luffy was alive and well, smiling and hopping from wall to wall like he always did. But he almost lost an eye because of you, that was nothing something you could just let fade away.

Rather than training as you used to, you'd spend your afternoons in the back of the Sunny, leaning against the railings as you looked out at the sights that the Grand Line had to offer. Just anything to take your mind off of the incident even if it was for a brief moment.

"Are you going to talk about what happened or are you just going to continue to sulk by yourself?" The green-haired swordsmen's voice sounded from behind you.

You didn't even answer. Your head fell in shame, in disappointment. You wondered if he was still disappointed in you as well, too afraid to look him in the eye as you recalled his expression after he saved your ass.

Zoro took his place right next to you, letting his back rest against the railing. He folded his arms across his broad chest, letting his head fall slightly, closing his eye.

There was a silence between the two of you. The only sound that could be heard were the high winds from above and the sounds of the waves crashing against the ship from below. It felt like you were waiting forever for him to say something, anything was better than this cruel silence. You had no idea what he was thinking, if his opinion of you had changed, if he had even considered you a friend anymore.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see him move, picking his head up and opening his eye, looking up at the white clouds. "Talk to me, ( y/n )," He began, finally looking at you, "Whatever it is you're feeling, what you're going through right now...just tell me."

Slowly you picked your head up, facing your fear of seeing the disappointment in his gaze. But there was no disappointment, there was no anger. There was worry, there was concern, there was care. Expressions of which you haven't seen much from him. He was always so calm and collected, a man to admire. But the Zoro before you, you had yet to see.

"I feel...lost," You started, looking down at your hands, "I feel like...I don't know who I am anymore. I...I almost hurt...Luffy. I can never forgive myself for that."

"Accidents happen. They happen to all of us. You are not a bad person for making a mistake. You are human," He noted.

You shook your head, "I lashed out. I lost control. And it almost took someone else's life! And then when I stop using my sword, I freeze up and I'm utterly helpless! I'm no better than a fish out of the water! I'm too much of a risk to be a part of this crew. You all have done nothing but care about me...and this is thanks I give you all."

Hot tears ran down your face. You were angry at yourself for all of this. "Everything would just be better if I left―"

"Don't finish that sentence." His voice was firm, "Never say that about yourself. We would not be the same without you. I wouldn't be the same without you. Mistakes happen. It is up to you whether or not you allow it to define who you are. And if you asked me, I know that you are better than that. You're a great swordsman and an even greater person. Never, ever forget that."

His words were warm and comforting. The look in his eye confirmed that he was genuine.

"Thank you for listening to me. I can't even begin to tell you how much it means to me," You thanked him with a small sniffle, wiping away the streams of tears from your face with the back of your hand.

He shrugged his shoulders, "Don't mention it. And ( y/n ), don't rush yourself to pick back up where you left off. Don't feel pressured to pick your sword back up just yet."

"How do you know if I'm going to pick it back up at all?"

He thought for a moment, "Call it a hunch. All you need to do is find yourself and your trust in yourself. Take it easy until then and don't be so hard on yourself, yeah?"

You nodded.

Zoro placed his hand on top of your head, a small smile forming, "I believe in you."

© MANGEKYUOU — do not copy, repost, or translate my works.

[azure-firecracker]

ATLA Live Action Episode 5: Overall Thoughts.

I think this is an unpopular opinion but I didn’t mind that everyone got trapped in the Spirit World this time. This show tends to do better at crafting new material than adapting the original’s material, largely due to the fact that anything they do to that material will most likely pale in comparison. This isn’t to say I think they should rewrite the whole plot, but it’s cool when they get to explore a totally new thing. I like the spirit world as a setting, and I like the “creepy place that none of the characters know how to deal with” trope so that in itself did work for me. I saw people annoyed that Wan Shi Tong was there but I didn’t really care one way or another (with the exception of wondering what they’ll do if they get a Book 2 bc I love The Library). I also saw people annoyed that Aang knew who Hei Bai was right away, but to me that was required for this new plot so again, that didn’t bother me.

On Aang: this episode is where the show’s tone shift really got to me. I like that this show was more willing to delve into Aang’s trauma and how tragic his backstory was: while the original dealt with it well, it had limitations due to its being a kids show. This version had an opportunity to explore it more and I’m glad it did. But this episode was where I started to miss the levity of original Aang. It felt like every line was about his destiny, his guilt, his need to be a hero, etc. etc. And this is great in small doses but it can’t be Aang’s (or anyone’s) whole character. Aang needs to feel like a person beyond the backstory, and in this episode he didn’t (and I know it’s writing not acting because Gordon acted the hell out of those lines as usual). Aang being the only one who could resist the fog felt plot armor-y to me but it’s whatever. I liked the further development of Aang and Gyatso’s relationship, they’re very sweet, BUT this is the billionth instance of the show taking something important Katara did (in this case telling Aang he couldn’t have stopped the Air Nomad genocide) and giving it to a male character. They need to stop doing that.

Katara has gone back to doing nothing and having things happen to her but that was true for everyone this episode so I’ll let it slide THIS TIME! Her flashback was well-done (both Kiawentiio and whoever plays young Katara DELIVERED on the acting). The change of having her mother die explicitly because of her bending, while dark, has potential for really interesting exploration in the future, and also sets up some parallels with Aang if they want to explore that. There are also some rather problematic aspects of it relative to her arc as a whole (explained in this awesome post), but in isolation I think it works as a writing choice.

Sokka’s backstory was also well done and I liked that they laid the foundations for where his insecurities come from. I saw some people saying Hakoda would never say that, but I don’t think he was characterized thoroughly enough in the original to make that call. I also think that he’s a minor enough character that they can make those changes without much of a consequence. I do, however, think they needed to switch Sokka and Katara’s flashbacks in terms of order, because Katara’s is objectively way worse but having Sokka’s after it makes it feel like it’s not and it’s just weird.

Zuko didn’t do a lot this episode but Dallas Liu continues to be great.

Highlight of the episode was definitely the Azula scenes for me (and yes this is definitely influenced by my bias since she’s my favorite character). I wasn’t sure how I felt about her nearly burning the trainer because she’s not a RAAAH ANGER character and I didn’t want them to make her one, but I thought about it and realized it made sense if it was more of an “I’m practicing and I can’t stop” thing. I decided to interpret it that way and give it the benefit of the doubt. Of course I loved the “You’re perfect” “It’s not good enough” exchange. It’s an echo of Azula’s book 2 intro but with a younger Azula who’s with her friends and doesn’t have to wear the same masks and hasn’t beaten all the insecurities out of herself yet. I like that this show is allowing her to show so many emotions right off the bat. I loved Azula as a villain in Book 2 but it felt like the original didn’t decide they wanted her to be more than that until mid book 3. This show wants her to be more layered right off the bat, and as someone who always advocates for acknowledging Azula’s depth I really appreciate that. I also loved the shots of her training and just being so frustrated with herself during Gyatso’s final monologue. The narration suited her well and it was something I always pictured her doing when I imagined her life in between Zuko’s banishment and Book 2. It felt very in character.

My overall impression was that not a lot happened in this episode. Like, almost nothing happened. They introduced a cool new setting which I think worked. They used the lack of plot to do some good character work, with varying degrees of success. The flashbacks were good, but the show needs to do more thinking on how those events shaped the characters beyond just having them be their trauma. The main trio’s dynamic did improve a little bit in the spirit world. Sokka and Katara both got to be snarky which was great, but I do still feel like that dynamic is lacking and I can’t put my finger on why. I think it’s serious tone because every time the three of them are together they’re talking about some massive thing. They’re never just…together. I appreciated that this episode had some together time, even if only a little. Azula was by far the highlight (for me) I hope I like her future scenes just as much. And here’s a reminder that anyone who hates on Lizzy Yu for not looking exactly like a cartoon character is not welcome on this blog.

I’ll give this episode an 8.4/10 (elevated because of the Azula scenes).

[zutaras-where-its-at]

One word prompt: Delicate

aang….won’t take it well.

she already knows this, but somehow, the walk to her best friend’s room still feels like a walk to her own execution.

the western air temple is large, vacant, and terribly difficult to find if you aren’t sure what you’re looking for. so it’s perfect for their annual gaang reunions. normally, katara enjoys the temple’s serene atmosphere and peaceful ambiance, but now? she just wishes it wasn’t so damn quiet.

aang’s door is already cracked open like an ominous invitation. she does him the courtesy of knocking anyways.

“come in.”

he’s sitting at his desk penning some official avatar document or other.

“homework?” she teases lightly to mask her unease.

“oh you know, just a bunch of old guys asking for my advice. same as usual.” he scribbles one last line, then sets the brush down and turns to give her his full attention.

those wide grey eyes always seem to strike a familiar, tender chord in her, and she swallows thickly around her guilt. it’s the same guilt she felt when she’d broken up with him all those years ago. for a moment, she contemplates faking a laugh and chickening out, but remembers how he’d appreciated her honesty before (no matter how painful) and opts to rip the bandaid off as gently as she can.

“i wanted to talk to you about something,” she says. “something serious.”

he blinks, nods, and slides off his chair to sit cross legged on the floor. she sits across from him and takes a deep breath.

“it’s…look,” she struggles to find the right words, despite having thought this through a million times already. she tries again, “first, i want you to know that i love you, very much. the last thing i want to do is hurt you, or make you feel uncomfortable.”

aang just nods again, ever-patient. “i appreciate that.”

katara wrings her hands subconsciously, feeling sick to her stomach, but she forces herself to look him in the eye. “i’ll understand if you’re upset or if you need some space. but this is really important to me, and i don’t want it to come from anyone else.”

“okay.”

“okay…”

his cherubim face has filled out since their childhood days—cheekbones angled and jaw covered in light stubble. she doesn’t think she can do this. she doesn’t think he can handle—

“is this about you and zuko?”

katara nearly chokes, teeth accidentally biting into her cheek hard enough to bleed. “huh?”

aang only scratches the back of his head in a gesture so boyish she could swear she sees a glimpse of his past self. “well, you know. you and zuko. dating.”

she splutters. “how—who told you?”

he gives her a dry look and sighs. “i’m not blind, katara. uh, no offense to toph…”

she can’t stop staring at him. surely, he wouldn’t be so calm about this? surely, this is a surprise? shit, her relationship with zuko was a surprise to her.

eventually, she chooses not to look the gift horse too close in the mouth. “when did you find out?”

aang hums, “i suspected something was going on last winter solstice when you both spent the whole dinner arguing about where sokka and suki should get married. but toph told me she was pretty sure it was nothing.”

“since all the way back then?!”

“yeah, well…” he gives her a sheepish grin, “we dated for three years, katara. you think i don’t know what you look like when you’re flirting?”

katara feels her cheeks heat up, though his loose shoulders and amused tone immediately soothe the worst of her worries.

aang’s a terrible liar. always has been. she would know if he was uncomfortable.

she still asks, though, because she would hate for anything to be broken between them due to her own cowardice.

“i’m alright. really, katara,” is what he answers. then, “is this why you’ve been so jittery since we all got here?”

“well, yeah,” she says defensively. “it’s not exactly an easy thing to bring up with your ex.”

“did you think i would break?”

she studies him carefully, then admits, “i don’t know.”

aang just laughs, and the sound is as free as he’s always been. a part of her finally relaxes, eased by his wide smile and twinkling eyes. “don’t worry so much about me. i love you and zuko both. and even if your happiness doesn’t include me, that’s okay. i just want you to follow what feels right. that’s all i’ve ever wanted.”

her nose stings with emotion and she gives him her best, watery smile. “oh, aang, my happiness will always include you. why do you think i wanted to be the one to tell you about it?”

he just stands and holds his arms out wide. she clambers to her feet and folds into his hug, head now fitting neatly under his chin thanks to the seven extra inches he sprouted after the war.

when he lets her go, his eyes shine with his own tears. “not that you ever actually needed it…but you have my blessing.”

[talkingperfectly-loud]

Okay! So, I’ve finally watched the Netflix Live Action ATLA and gathered my thoughts! Spoilers under the cut…

Overall score: 7/10

Overall thoughts: I was actually pleased! I wasn’t going in expecting it to be like the original series, and I was really excited to see how they would tell the story, what they would keep, and what they would change. I think that they did a great creative job melding a bunch of story lines together in a way that made sense, but, on a negative note, they did miss some key character beats that ranged from baffling to unforgivable. I loved this cast, and I think they all embodied their characters so well (Dallas Lui as Zuko?!? Hello?! *Chef’s kiss*). Deliveries were a bit stilted (to be expected with young actors just starting out), but I actually found it endearing, and they’ll only get better with practice. The bending wasn’t nearly as punchy or fun to watch in live action (especially the water bending. Oof), but it was leaps and bounds better than the Movie That Must Not Be Named. Below are the major takeaways:

Things I disliked

- Making the discovery and freeing of Aang completely passive. In the animated show, this was brought about BY Katara and Sokka. Their characters and their bickering, which caused Kataras rage, which caused her to waterbend, which caused her to free Aang. In the live action, it just… happens? Randomly? Nothing caused it, and it was a much weaker moment because of it.

- They took away Zuko’s crucial moments of mercy. Yes, they have him save the 41st, and yes, they have him hesitate during his Agni Kai with Ozai… BUT he was about to burn Katara on Kyoshi island? When she was down and unarmed?? At the North Pole, he was about to burn Zhao, who was also down and unarmed?? Absolutely not. No. No way. He wouldn’t even burn Zhao in the original show, because he knows what it’s like to be burned and despite his rage, he is a good person. There is absolutely no way he would be willing to harm someone who is unarmed.

- Sokka not explicitly asking Suki to train him. We NEEDED to see that humility where he asks for their help, not just him staring wistfully through the door and her taking pity. Humble him!!!!

- Sokka not being involved in the Jet storyline. I know that Katara is more obviously the choice to get involved here (love interest, etc), but Sokka and Jet are foils! They are both young men tasked with protecting people they love. Not having Sokka’s moment where his skepticism and independence saves the day is such a loss for his character. This could have even been kept in the Omashu storyline, with Sokka evacuating a building before a bomb goes off, etc.

- Why the literal heck did Bumi himself come to the front of the palace to receive the inventions from Sai?? What the hell even was that scene??

- Cutting the Haru storyline. This episode is crucial for Katara, who has WAY too little to do in this show, tbh. Her rallying the earth kingdom prisoners, and encouraging them to fight back is so so so important. I think they tried to move this to the Northern Water tribe storyline (when she rallies the women) but we don’t SEE it!! It happens offscreen!!!!

- Minor, but the blue spirit mask looked kinda dumb. I wish they had taken inspiration from real kabuki masks and made it more scary.

- I personally feel that Ozai is TOO personable in this adaptation. I’m guessing Daniel Dae Kim probably had a lot of say over the portrayal of this character, but I don’t think they made him dark enough. Ozai is cruel and that is CRUCIAL. He is abusive and manipulative, and hateful. Framing Zuko’s banishment and mutilation as if these were deliberate “learning moments,” rather than cruel, unjustifiable abuse is character assassination.

- Azula isn’t Azula. No shade to the actress, but the script has her written as a hot-headed, temperamental teenager desperate to prove herself. That’s ZUKO! Azula should be able to make grown men per their pants. Do her bidding. She can command armies. She never lets you see her weaknesses or her walls. She is cold, calculating, and terrifying. She is 13 steps ahead of you. Live action Azula loses her temper during a fight, talks back to Ozai (?!?!), and whines to Mai and Ty Lee about her frustrations. That’s not Azula.

- The “ice moon” thing at the North Pole? Why? Why aren’t there any spirits in this world? There’s no need to change that.

- Zhao’s death!?! What the hell was that!?!? No no no no no. Absolutely awful in every possible way. Where was his karmic justice?!? Why introduce the Fog of Lost Souls if you weren’t going to show Zhao getting pulled down into it?!? Where was Zuko, offering him mercy, despite everything? Where was Zhao’s pride, refusing his hand?? Furthermore, you make Iroh of all people a murderer?!? Fine, you could have him intervene and push Zhao into the water like he pushed him down after the Agni Kai in the original series. But to kill him?? Unprompted?! In cold blood?! Zhao wasn’t even his opponent!! Horrifying and disturbing. Unforgivable.

Things I loved

- The order of events. I actually love starting 100 years in the past and not making it clear what is about to happen. I also love that it isn’t clear just how long Aang has been asleep for! I love love love that dramatic irony if you know, and the reveal if you don’t.

- Aang stealing Zuko’s notebook. Finally, it’s explained how the gaang knew Zuko’s name lol

- Aang & Iroh meeting and chatting on the ship when he’s captured! It’s such a small scene, but felt so reminiscent of their conversation from Book 2 that it made me happy.

- Suki being so awkward!! Yes girl!! You have clearly never flirted before and it is obvious! I also loved having her mother be the matriarch of the village. Makes total sense tbh.

- Fleshing out Omashu! I love that they combined Jet & the Mechanist here. It makes Omashu feel more real, and it’s a natural place to put these storylines. I think this was really well done. Also bringing Iroh & Zuko into the story here was seamless, and worked to further both their characters (Zuko choosing Iroh over Aang, Iroh sacrificing himself to save Zuko)

- Having Bumi be an angry old man. This is controversial, but if we put aside Legend of Korra for a second where canon says Aang and him stay bffs, this actually makes a lot of sense. It’s not fair that Aang got to be asleep for 100 years. Bumi, as he said, had to struggle and suffer during that entire time. I’m glad that not everyone is like “it’s okay, it’s not your fault” because it kind of is!! I’m glad they had someone to actually hold him accountable a bit!

- Aang and Zuko connecting during the Blue Spirit episode. Aang making Zuko smile! Them joking! Them feeling pity for each other! The star-crossed friendship of it all! Gorgeous, gorgeous scene.

- Expanding on the theme of friendship vs. isolation. It’s such a key theme in the animated series that flies under the radar, and I really like how they took it and seemed to run with it.

- Azula collaborating with Zhao. It makes so much sense, since Zhao is just some rando tbh?It sets up both the Dai Li storyline and sibling rivalry nicely in season 2.

- Having Zuko’s crew be the division he saved?!?! A stroke of absolute genius.

- No Kataang!! I’m so sorry, but I honestly always felt that any romance in the original series was gratuitous, odd, and oh so Western. This is a story about children at war. I’m glad the romance is taking a back seat.

- Having Pakku see Katara for HER, rather than for her grandmother!! I always hated that in the original show! She fights her damn heart out and he still won’t train her UNTIL he sees her grandmother’s necklace. It always felt like the age-old blight of men not being able to care about a woman unless they have, or can image having, a personal connection to them (What if that was your mother, daughter, etc). I LOVE this change.

- Katara rallying the other women!! Pulling up everyone!! This is such an obvious change I can’t believe they didn’t have this in the original show. As I said, though, I do wish we saw her speech to them. That’s such an important character moment.

[doyouevenshipbr0]

top 10 strongest firebenders

im on fire. cant stop making lists.

rules: no avatars included and nothing from comics or books. STRICTLY ATLA AND LOK!

lets go

honorable mentions: so i feel as though fire lord sozin should be SOMEWHERE on this list, but we just really do not see him firebend nearly enough to know where he would rank. so im just gonna play it safe and leave him off the list.

10. zhao- im ngl he’s kinda ass LMAOOO. but to be so honest there are no other firebenders that we see for a significant enough amount of time so here he is. he obv has to be kinda good bc he was an admiral/commander/whatever tf, but he gets his ass handed to him in every fight. he gets beaten by zuko in like ep 3 when zuko himself was kinda ass (sorry its true. remember this for later on so u wont be as mad as me), and in the ep with jeong jeong we see that he totally lacks restraint and discipline. zhao sucks! but idk who else would be 10! so here u go!

9. iroh II- love him! we really dont see much of him but what we do see is pretty epic! its nothing that would be able to put him any higher on this list, but again he’s a general (i think LOLLLL) so hes gotta be good. he was def a force to be reckoned with when we saw him, we just didn’t see him much!

8. mako- to be so honest i think mako is over-hated in a lot of ways, his bending being one of them. i feel like he isn’t very spiritually connected with firebending which isn’t necessarily a problem but it is one of the reasons he can’t be any higher (in my opinion). he is still a master though and is the best firebender we see in tlok (outside of pli). he can lightning bend soooo easily, has great battle iq, and he’s very shifty, and he uses his MMA style firebending to his advantage for sure. he’s definitely the pinnacle of a modern fire bender which is cool to see but i do think works to his detriment when it comes to the rest of this list. but even though he’s so low on this list, make no mistake he is an excellent firebender and i think he outbends bolin easily (im just bringing bolin up because bolin is higher on his list than mako is but i do think mako is the better overall bender).

7. jeong jeong- we don’t see much from jeong jeong so idk if this is fully fair, but he is a legend in avatar the last airbender, and when we do see him firebend, we see stuff that really no one else in the show does. he clearly has a lot of raw strength and talent, and i think a lot of his power comes from his understanding of firebending. he’s also a member of the white lotus! i just can’t put him higher because 1. he doesn’t have any sub bending feats (not that that fully matters but it is definitely a plus to have those skills) and 2. we don’t see him much.

6. zuko- im not gonna lie i think zuko is overrated as a firebender. HOWEVER he is by farrrrrr the most improved firebender we see across both series. he saw the original firebenders/the dragons/the meaning of firebending whatever tf and i think that gave him a full spiritual connection and understanding of firebending. after this he was locked tf in! i just can’t put him higher because, this is fucked up to say, he lacks the natural ability and talent that numbers 5-1 have (IN MY OPINION!!!). he started as a great firebender that works his way up and earns his spot as a master firebender, but firebending doesn’t exactly come easy to him, and honestly, his firebending just does not impress me the way 5-1’s firebending impresses me. sorry zuzu!

5. p’li- so her and combustion man are sooooo interchangeable for me like i really cannot decide who is the stronger bender. all i will say is combustion bending is OP as FUCKKKKKK and that’s why p’li is here. both combustion benders we see are insaneeeeee threats.

4. combustion man- the only reason he is over p’li is because 1. he just seems like a more booming threat that the gaang really cannot figure out how to deal with than p’li was in tlok and 2. p’li gets killed lol. combustion man does not get killed (i think…..?) so i think he’s higher for those reasons but i think they are super interchangeable and i can see why u might think they could be switched.

3. azula- so ok. if we were making a list of “firebenders with the most potential” she is number 1. imo she is the best firebender in the verse other than 1 and 2 and it isn’t even close. but she is only 14 and just is not fully realized as a firebender like 1 and 2 are even before she loses her mind. i donttttt wanna hear “well zuko surpasses her in the end” because yes ur right but literally only because she genuinely has a psychotic breakdown. i think if u take crossroads of destiny azula and have her fight sozin’s comet zuko, she still clears. she has such an immense level of skill and technique that really cannot be matched. she has an insane battle iq, and yes she’s naturally gifted but she is also extremely hardworking. she is also the most fun firebender to watch but i guess that’s not a valid point lol. i think if she gets her mental health in check in her adulthood then she can easily become the best firebender in the verse. unfortunately we dont see that tho! also BLUE FIRE!!!!!!!! blue fire. im done here.

2. iroh- ok. i know. i know. many of u think he’s number one. for me, he just isn’t. maybeeeeee in his prime but he is simply not there anymore which is what we see. with that being said he is the mf dragon of the west and he outclasses every other firebender below him on this list with ease. it was suggested that he try to fight ozai for a reason! he’s really the only other firebender that is on his level! he also easily handles azula which no other firebender can do.

1. ozai- i dont have a fun long winded reason for this one. i know we only see him bending (for the most part) during sozin’s comet when all firebenders are buffed, but even comparing him there to the other firebenders during the comet, he was an absolute MONSTER firebender. also ive used phrases like “spiritual connection” a lot to describe a few of these people, and to be honest, i feel like ozai has little to none of that, which is definitely a con for him, but this is just one of those situations where his insane natural ability, raw strength, and power make him outbend literally everybody else. lots of people argue ozai and iroh’s spots but 1. iroh says himself he isn’t sure that he can beat ozai and 2. im pretty positive bryke literally said ozai is the strongest firebender in the world. which is a boring piece of evidence, but it’s a pretty good piece of evidence nonetheless. also he kicks aang’s ass the entire final battle until aang goes into the avatar state lol. he just seems like the most overwhelming force of firebending we ever see imo!

[arverst-aegnar]

Not anon, but this is ... well, it's basically what you wrote up there, just in different words.

I'd like to say "to be continued", but i've got so many other things i'm working on right now that that would be unjustified optimism. But if someone else feels inspired and wants to run with it, go ahead.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first time he saw the photo, scrolling through his feed, Aang thought he had imagined it. But he had been staring at it for five minutes now, and it was as unmistakable as it was incomprehensible.

The couple in the photo beamed at the camera like they had just won the lottery: cheeks flushed, eyes shining, wide smiles. Zuko's chin rested on top of Katara's head, which was pressed to his chest, her left hand splayed out to show off her glittering ring. The comments underneath were full of “Congratulations!” and “About time!” and “So happy for you!” and “You guys are perfect for each other!”

Perfect for each other? Aang couldn’t understand how anyone would think that. Last time he had seen them, they couldn’t stand to be in the same room together. (Well. Not so much the actual last time he’d seen them, but that had been under … extenuating circumstances.) Now that he thought about it, it had been a long time since he’d seen either of them: almost a year, in fact. But that was hardly enough time for them to get engaged.

He clicked on Katara’s page, half-expecting to find it was all a joke or a prank or something. Instead he found --

I’ve never spent my birthday surfing, eating ice cream, and stargazing over a fire on the beach before! Best part, though? Spending it with my amazing boyfriend who set it all up for me. I love you so much, babe!

Fell asleep at my desk, working on my latest case (what else is new?). I stumble out into the kitchen to try to pull myself together enough to go into work, and find Zuko in my kitchen making tea to go along with the doughnuts he picked up. How did I get so lucky, to find someone who takes such good care of me? <3

Is your boyfriend man enough to take over crocheting a baby blanket because your grandmother’s arthritis is flaring up? Mine is. 

Only sixty-three more hours until Zuko comes back from his “super-manly, dudes only” hunting trip with Dad and Sokka, but who’s counting? (Me. I’m counting.) 

Dinner at The Badgermole to celebrate Zuko’s birthday!! Thanks to everyone who helped me plan for this and keep it all a surprise!! 

On my way to Ember Island with the new CEO of Jasmine Dragon International for the opening of the first international Jasmine Dragon location! Zuko, you’ve been working incredibly hard to get everything ready, and I know your uncle is as proud as I am of what you’ve accomplished!

Coffee from Aunt Wu’s with Zuko to celebrate my first day at the new job!! Don’t tell Uncle.

If you’d told me a few months ago I’d be here, laughing so hard soda is coming out of my nose, I would never have believed you. It’s been an incredible, amazing, crazy first month with you, Zuko Rokura, and I can’t wait to see what comes next. <3

Almost every post was accompanied by a photo: her page was full of photos, mostly of her and Zuko. That was weird enough by itself – Zuko had always protested when other people tried to take his photo, and tried to hide in the background or something if he couldn’t get out of one – but for someone Aang had always thought of as grumpy and closed-off, he was smiling in an awful lot of them. He’d never liked physical touch, either, shying away even from Mai when the two of them were dating, but almost all of the pictures showed him and Katara hugging, holding hands, cuddling, kissing … 

Something unpleasant curdled in Aang’s stomach.

Zuko’s page was private, but a bit of searching found his personal Hawky account. There weren’t nearly as many tweets –

here's my list of places i can/cannot take my gf to on Ember Island, please rec places with NON-SPICY and/or SWT options

things wrong with @paintedlady: - so pretty i can't breathe when i look at her - compliments me too much - cold toes

blue, the autumn sky ocean waves in a typhoon your eyes in moonlight

-- but Aang didn't think he wanted to read much more anyway. He set his phone aside, and decided to avoid social media for the rest of the day, maybe even the week. 

It didn’t make much of a difference. Looking at the houses as he walked Appa had him thinking about where Zuko and Katara were planning on living. He stopped by the store to pick up some muffins and tea so he wouldn’t need to grab something before work in the morning, and wondered when Katara had got that new job. The way the sun glinted off the colored glass outside the crystal shop brought back that first terrible photo, with the beautiful shining ring on Katara’s hand that Aang knew would take him six months to afford, maybe more.

Was that why she and Zuko had gotten together? Surely not. Katara didn’t care about money like that. At least, the Katara he had known a year ago hadn’t.

When he picked up his phone again, it was lit up with notifications. Maybe some of his old friends were trying to get in touch, mend bridges, because of the engagement. He cringed in anticipation. 

He felt a combination of relief and exasperation upon seeing it was just a bunch of messages from his girlfriend.

Mai: (3:30pm) Ready to die of boredom after today. Dinner?

Mai: (3:47pm) Where are you?

Mai: (3:52pm) Don't tell me you're sulking about your ex. 🙄

Mai: (4:25pm) Is your phone dead?

Mai: (4:33pm) Whatever. If you have a clean suit, meet me at Bosco's. If I'm in a good mood by the end, we can get drinks at my place.

Aang sank into the couch, staring at the last text. He'd told Mai about his meeting with the financial advisor last week, and he knew she hadn't missed it when his third credit card declined at that boutique shop the other day. He'd only just gotten his first paycheck from his new job, and it wasn't enough for half an appetizer at Bosco's. And if she was already annoyed with him, he knew she would be ordering one of the priciest entrees on the menu -- where did she think the money was going to come from?

Picking up on his master’s unhappiness, Appa whined and thrust his muzzle onto Aang’s lap. He reached down and stroked the fuzzy white head. “I’m okay, buddy,” he murmured.

As he settled into petting Appa, Aang closed his eyes.

“Hi, sweetie!” Katara greets him with a smile and a kiss on his cheek. “How was the dog park?”

“Great! Appa made a bunch of new friends, didn’t you, boy?” The dog is giving Katara his own hello, which makes detaching the leash a little tricky, but Aang manages. His girlfriend giggles as Appa eagerly licks her face, which makes Aang laugh, too. He’d never doubt Appa’s loyalty, but there’s no denying he loves Katara almost as much as Aang does.

Katara eventually nudges Appa down. “How does pad thai for dinner sound? I made extra in case you wanted to take some for lunch tomorrow.”

Aang slides an arm around her waist as they walk to the kitchen and pulls her to his side. She fits perfectly. “I really worked up an appetite chasing Appa around the park today. I might just eat all of it!”

She snorts. “Okay, Sokka.” Aang laughs. “But I may have made some egg custard tarts for dessert, so keep that in mind.”

The table is already set and two plates ladled high with pad thai, fresh seaweed rolls, and Aang’s favorite dipping sauce. He pulls out Katara’s chair for her, and plants a kiss on her hair as she sits down. In between bites, they talk about their day, the coming week, and about whether Momo is getting fat.

“I was thinking about inviting Zuko and Mai over for dinner sometime,” Aang says, watching his girlfriend’s face carefully.

Her nose wrinkles. “I don’t know what Mai sees in him. Zuko’s such a jerk.”

“He’s really not that bad, once you get to know him.” Aang reaches out to take her hand. “But I won’t ask if you really don’t want them to come. I could just meet them for coffee or something.”

He watches Katara consider, idly rubbing his thumb against the back of her hand. She can be stubborn and hot-headed sometimes, but he trusts the sweet, caring side of her will win. 

After a long minute, she shakes her head. “Thanks, Aang, but it’s your decision who you invite to your apartment for dinner. If you want to invite Zuko and Mai over, then I guess I’ll just have to find a way to be nice to him for an evening. Even if he is a jerk.”

Aang smiles. He’s not planning on it being just his apartment for much longer, but that conversation can wait for another day. “I’ll tell him to be on his best behavior.”

He insists on clearing the table, and Katara pulls the tray of egg custard tarts out of the fridge. When he suggests a movie, he can tell she knows he’s really suggesting they cuddle on the loveseat and get distracted by feeding each other bits of egg custard tarts, but the sparkle in her eyes and the upward twist of her lips tells him she doesn’t really mind. 

Aang loses track of the movie fifteen minutes in. There’s egg custard on his shirt and in Katara’s hair, but they’re too busy giggling like teenagers to care. He cups her face in his hands, gently, reverently, cradling her like the precious gem she is, while she looks up at him with adoration. When he leans in to kiss her, the world around him disappears. It’s just him and her, like it’s supposed to be. Forever.

The sound of Momo knocking something off the coffee table jolted Aang out of his daydream. With a groan, he leaned forward, burying his face in his hands. He didn’t know what hurt worse: remembering that it wasn’t real, or that it never had been.

He hadn’t appreciated Katara properly. He knew that now. She’d been taking care of him for so long, he’d just assumed that’s how it always would be. She’d made it look easy, cooking and cleaning and shopping for the both of them, so he thought he could manage on his own. He’d been taken in by Mai’s glamor and thought if he did things her way, he would be more sophisticated, more mature. He’d been an idiot.

Aang pulled out his phone, and scrolled through his feed until he found the announcement again, and with it the information he wanted. In his first uncomprehending encounter, he had missed the tentative wedding date.

Six months. He had almost exactly six months to fix his finances, break up with Mai, and win back his forever girl.

I keep thinking about a cheating Flying Dagger.....

Zuko breaks up with Mai/Katara breaks up with Aang and so here is Aang now living with Mai and he's now realizing how much Katara actually did

Mai hates cleaning, cooking, and would rather spend the $$ to pay a maid, would rather eat out at expensive places and so on... Aang now has to really be responsible for things he never really gave a second thought towards

He really misses Katara, his friends are obviously pissed at him. He probably only knows what's going on in Katara's life thanks to friends of friends/social media and learns shes now with Zuko

First of all, thanks for using Flying Dagger. Together we can make this a thing!

Second, this sounds amazing. If you write this, puh-LEASE tag me in it!!!

[the-last-cuddlebender]

hi! if youre still taking requests could you do the gaang doing dumbassery because they are all dumbasses? (if you want) anyways ur cool have a nice day

Aw, thanks, Anon🥰 I’ll raise you one better and give you Christmas-themed-Modern!AU dumbassery (feat. Zuko, Sokka, and Aang)

Words: 973

******************************

Zuko approached the house with a slack jaw and a firm questioning of...well, of everything. He blinked three times to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating, and he immediately wanted to walk away when he realized he wasn’t imagining things. He had developed a sixth sense for knowing when he needed to have plausible deniability, and his instincts were screaming at him to get away from there.

Why. And why today. He was too tired for this.

“What…” Zuko struggled to find the ability to string his thoughts together. ‘Confused’ wasn’t a strong enough word to describe what he was feeling. He was concerned, for certain, and for many reasons. Some of it was for his own sake, but most of it was for his dwindling hope that humanity, as a collective, would be able to evolve forwards ever again. “...What is he doing?”

Sokka shrugged and didn’t look away from the warning-label-in-the-making wandering around on the roof. He lifted the lower half of his face out of his powder-coated jacket and accepted his fiancé’s greeting-gift of hot cocoa—extra marshmallows and a little gingerbread-man on top because being extra had its perks when Zuko got in trouble.

“He’s trying,” Sokka said between sips.

Zuko stared at the roof and the confused monk on top of it. And as he watched Aang gamble his life amongst the snowy shingles, he couldn’t help but have the same feeling of watching a documentary on National Geographic where he knew the baby deer was going to be killed and couldn’t do anything about it.

“But what is he trying?”

Sokka shrugged again. “‘Dunno. I’m just here to keep him company and to catch him when he falls off the roof again.”

“Again?”

Sokka spared him the same half-lidded gaze he had been giving their tattooed brother (in all but blood). “You were his teacher, Zuko. You should know he can be a pretty slow learner, sometimes.”

Zuko rubbed his growing headache and fought the urge to pound his head into the nearest tree. Aang was on the highest point of the roof and tangled in what had to be forty or so feet of Christmas lights. Thankfully, he had stopped waddling in a circle in his vain search for freedom and plopped into a seat in the snow. If the inevitable two-story fall didn’t kill him, then hypothermia definitely would. Born and raised in the mountains or not, he had no business wearing only jeans and a long-sleeved shirt with the damn sleeves rolled up to his elbows (the shirt was reindeer themed and had ‘Naughty List Advocate’ printed across the chest).

Sokka sipped his hot cocoa. Zuko contemplated his place in the universe. “...She’s going to kill us for letting him do this,” he said.

“Oh, don’t worry.” Sokka slung an arm around Zuko’s shoulders and tugged them together. He gestured with his cup of cocoa towards the arrowed human hazard. “Katara won’t spill blood around the holidays. She’s too much of a goodie-goodie. Besides, this is Aang’s first Christmas. She wouldn’t dare mess it up for him.”

Zuko scowled but looked thoughtful. “I guess it is, technically, his first Christmas. Has he really only been here for less than a year?”

“Eight months. Feels a lot longer than that. And don’t worry too much about him falling from the roof. He pretty much lived up there for the first few weeks he moved in.”

“...Why?”

“He missed the altitude.”

“Ah.”

A small avalanche slid off the roof and plopped into a heap in front of them. The Christmas lights were all somehow turned on and probably an electrical hazard with how taut they were pulled, and Aang paused for breath from trying to free himself of his cocoon of pretty colors. He moped—nearly pouting—in a way that made them fight the urge to hug him and donate to an ASPCA commercial.

“Has he even seen Christmas lights before?”

Sokka smiled from ear to ear. “Nooooope,” he said, suspiciously happy.

“And you didn’t bother correcting him on…,” Zuko gestured to Aang’s creative stringing of lights, “...whatever that is?”

“He knows what Google is. He can look it up if he wants to.”

“Does he, though? Does he really?” Zuko shook his head. “Someone has to tell him.”

“I think it’s cute. Let him figure out what it means to him all on his own.”

“Hey, Sokka!” Aang shouted from two sheer stories above them. “Are all of the lights working—Oh, hey, Zuko!” The overgrown golden retriever disguised as their best friend smiled down at them with a floodlight’s intensity. He flailed his freed arm like one of those inflatable things in front of car dealerships. “What do you think? Pretty cool, right? I’ve been working on it all day!”

“Yeah, I can see that!” Zuko said. Sokka cackled, and Zuko elbowed him. “It looks...It looks very nice, Aang! Just be careful, okay?”

“I am, don’t worry! I’ve fallen from higher places back at the Temple!”

Zuko gave Sokka a pointed look. “You still think he’s going to learn?”

“Point taken.” Sokka passed Zuko his hot cocoa so he could cup his hands over his mouth. “Hey, Aang! I think that’s enough! It looks really good, but you don’t wanna overdo it! It’ll be too bright!”

“But...But I still have so much left to do!”

“Can’t you finish it later?” Zuko yelled. “You’ll catch your death out here if you don’t put on a jacket!”

Aang ignored that last part. “I can’t stop! Katara is going to be home in a few hours, and I have to have the lights up before she gets here! It’s a surprise!”

Sokka cupped Zuko’s mouth with one hand and projected his voice with the other. “Okay, that’s fine, then! Just be careful, okay? We’ll be right here if you need us!”

Aang nodded so fast that his head threatened to come off his shoulders. “I will! Thanks, guys!”

Sokka released Zuko’s mouth, and Zuko mumbled through his forced smile so Aang couldn’t see him talking. “You do realize that if he gets so much as a scratch, then our lives are forfeit, right?”

Sokka laughed a little, shrugged yet again, and sipped his cocoa some more.

Zuko rolled his eyes so hard that it was a miracle he didn’t go blind. “Do you have to have a deathwish for Christmas?”

“Eh, it’ll be fine. What’s the worst that could happen?”

Right on cue, Aang appeared as if he had been summoned—first as a startled yelp, then as a snowballing cocoon of lights, and then as a projectile.

Luckily, Zuko caught him.

Not so luckily, Zuko hadn’t meant to catch him.

...Zuko’s broken arm throbbed just as badly as his headache, and Aang—lying in the hospital bed right next to him and admiring the little Christmas wreaths and snowflakes Katara drew on his leg’s cast (she even colored a blue line to show where his tattoo wound down his leg)—wasn’t exactly helping him.

He was way, way too tired for this.

Zuko made the mistake of looking at his companion-in-cast. Aang’s puppy-dog eyes were internationally ranked, and they disabled Zuko’s ability to say ‘no’ when he asked if he could pretty please make up for breaking his arm by decorating his cast for him.

(‘Creative’ wasn’t a strong enough word to describe the end result...But Zuko really did like the pair of red and green dragons. They had antlers and snowy-white beards, and the fire they breathed looked like Christmas lights thrown into a blender. It made the nauseating amount of permanent-marker-smell completely worth it.)

Every few hours, Sokka brought them greeting-gifts of hot cocoa and fruit cakes—extra marshmallows and moonpeach-flavored gooey centers because being extra had its perks when Katara was contemplating her allowance of her brother’s and her future brother-in-law’s continued existences.

Aang meekly showed Katara the little drawing he made of what he intended their roof to look like.

She kissed his frown away and practically lived on the roof for the next two days to make it happen.

Once the lights were lit, a small crowd gathered around their house like how people did when they saw a car accident.

But Aang couldn’t have been happier, and, when he slung his arms around their shoulders and thanked them for making his first Christmas that much brighter, Zuko and Sokka couldn’t not smile along with their brother (in all but blood) if they tried.

[absolutelyfizzing]

Sifu Hotman

zuko x water tribe sibling!reader

request - I want to request a Zuko x fem reader being Sokka and Katara's sister. She can be the older sister or sokka's twin sister. Also when they start dating Sokka and Katara can like threaten him by saying don't hurt my sister or else.

A/N - This is taking place after the war, I'm vaguely uncomfy writing for underage people (or like younger than 17) so I just went ahead and aged them up. I'm sorry if that's not what you were wanting! I'm also sort of ignoring the plot of the comics and stuff and we are ignoring Mai's existence. I don't feel like this was my best writing by any means but i tried and i thought it was a cute idea. There will probably be more zuko x reader coming soon

word count - 2000

MASTERLIST

You took a deep breath in, the warm air refreshing after having just spent the last month in the southern water tribe with your family besides Katara who was off saving lives with Aang. Your twin brother stood beside you, his hair grown out and tied into a ponytail. Your sister would be here in the fire nation in a week with Aang. It had been three years since the war, you had just been kids at the time. You and Sokka were 15 during the last battle and you had felt so old then. Now, looking back, you had been immature and childish but you had grown up. After the war ended you remained in the fire nation for a few months. You had wanted to get a little bit of quiet before you started going on more adventures with your brother.

You had been very close with Zuko while he was traveling with you and the gang. You didn't know why but you trusted him, maybe it was because you trusted Toph's judgement but either way you had accepted him quicker than the others. You remembered how cold the rest of the group had been to him and it almost was funny to you now considering that Katara had just told you a story in a recent letter about Toph, Aang, and Zuko getting into a bickering match about fire flakes that ended in Toph trapping both of the boys into a earth tent. It was also hard to comprehend that Zuko was the new Firelord and he ruled over a whole nation.

It had been 2 years since you saw Zuko in person. It wasn't on purpose but you kept getting pulled in different directions, none of them leading you into the fire nation. You were excited but also scared to see him, butterflies filling your stomach at the thought of seeing him. You'd had a bit of a crush on the new Firelord when you last saw him but you refused to tell either of your siblings, knowing that they would threaten him to high heaven before he even knew about it.

Your brother walking beside you calmed you a bit, his presence being comforting to you. He was much taller than you now and he was more confident than the kid he had been during the war. You knew that the same was true for Aang, though he never grew up in personality. As you approached the gates of the palace you wondered if Zuko had changed.

You realized that he had as the gates opened and he was stood on the steps up to the palace waiting for both of you. His hair was long and it was pulled into a messy bun. His scar was no longer shrouded in his bangs and he seemed more confident in his stance. His robes were long and elegant and you wondered if he wore them by choice of if they were required because of his position. Your brother jogged slightly to get to Zuko faster, having grown to hold a strong bond with the man. You walked calmly but there was a smile on your face as your brother and Zuko embraced. Once the released each other Zuko turned to you. You noticed him gulp a bit and a blush threatened to cover your cheeks. Your grin became wider the closer you got to him and soon you were wrapped in his embrace.

You noticed that his frame was larger. You leaned your head back from the hug to look at his face and he looked well. Like he was happy and maybe even getting enough sleep.

"Hey there, Sifu Hotman." You smiled and Zuko rolled his eyes as he released you from the hug.

"I see we haven't matured in 2 years?" He grunts but you can see the smile trying to creep onto his face. "Toph still calls me that too." He grumbled lowly and you started laughing.

"Where is the little demon?"

"She's away dealing with some prisoners for me. She should be back in a week or so." Zuko smiled. "She's taken up a pretty important role here. She's like my personal lie detector. She likes to sit in on council meetings and scare everyone."

"I think that's actually her dream job." You smiled and Zuko hummed in agreement. There was a bit of a silence as you and Zuko just gazed at each other. He seemed so sure now. You had missed him dearly.

"Okay! Let's get this show on the road, people!" Sokka yelled and you internally groaned that he had to ruin the moment. Before you all turned toward the palace, Zuko sent you a wink and you felt a blush cover your face. As you headed up the steps of the palace you felt a comforting hand on your lower back as the Fire Lord gently followed behind you, Sokka running ahead of you, likely to find the food in the kitchens that he was accostomed to spending all of his time in.

"Can I speak to you in private when we get a moment?" Zuko asks and again your heart rate picks up. You turn your head to look at him.

"Of course" You smiled and he smiles back at you, making your head spin a bit. You spent the next few hours meeting new advisors, getting a tour through new parts of the palace, and catching up with Zuko who seemed to be acting more clingy than you had ever remembered him to be.

"Y/N, would you mind coming with me?" Zuko asked and you turned to face him with a smile.

"Of course!" You chirped as he led you to a secluded hallway away from your brother who was discussing war strategy with an advisor of Zuko's.

When you reached a place where you were out of earshot of others Zuko gently took your hands.

"I have something to confess." He stated and you felt fire on your cheeks, you nodded for him to continue, "I'm in love with you. I have been for years and I've never acted on it because there was always something going on and I was so unsure but now-" he gazed into your eyes with sincerity, "I couldn't be more sure. I want to be with you. If you'd have me, that is." Instead of answering you jumped forward, pressing your lips onto Zuko's in a searing kiss. He groaned and pushed back, trapping you against a wall. He pulled away to press his forehead into yours and you closed your eyes for a moment before opening them again and gazing at the man in front of you.

"Katara is gonna kill you." You mumbled and Zuko smiled.

"You aren't worried about Sokka?"

"I just know that Sokka can't win in a fight against you. Katara on the other hand..." you trailed off and Zuko looked offended.

"That's pretty rude to say to the man who just confessed his love for you."

"I'm just being honest. Toph might have some words too."

Zuko shuddered at the thought of what they could do to him. Sokka would be upset but he could probably handle it. Aang would be happy for both of them he was sure, always the peacemaker and moderator. Aang would probably be the only reason that Katara wouldn't attack Zuko immediately.

Over the next week you snuck around with Zuko, taking alone time any chance that you got. Sokka rarely let you get any peace as he stayed with you nearly constantly. He was always a little on the defence with you and he would likely settle in and ease up over the coming weeks as he got used to the new environment. You were never a huge fighter, though you could hold your own. You also couldn't bend. You were the one of the group who took care of everyone, you were the smartest in strategy by far, and you were the only one who could reason with Toph. Because of this, Sokka had gotten used to just being near you in case anything happened, though it was rare that anything did. You appreciated it normally but now you wanted time alone so that you could spend it with Zuko as you got used to being in a relationship that was more than platonic. But today was the day that the rest of the gang was arriving, even Suki would be joining you so you hoped that would take some of the clingy-ness of Sokka away. You all stood at the front of the palace, much like Zuko had stood for you a week earlier, and watched as Appa approached in the distance. He flew gently in front of you and as soon as he landed in front of you he licked you with his giant tongue and you were covered in slobber. Despite this you couldn't be happier to see the giant animal and you embraced him. You were suddenly pulled away and brought into the arms of your little sister.

"I missed you, Y/N." She mumbled into your neck and you smiled into hers, it had been so long since you had seen her and you felt tears come to your eyes at the relief of having her near.

You spent the next hours catching up with Katara and Aang, who had grown to be taller than you since you last saw him. Toph and Suki arrived that night and you were all glad to be together again at last, old memories coming back and filling you all with joy. You and Zuko looked at each other and you took a deep breath. You had discussed that you would be revealing your relationship to the rest of the group when you were all together but you were nervous for their reactions.

"So... I have something I would like to tell you guys." You stated and all of the conversation died down, all eyes suddenly on you. "Me and Zuko are together." You rushed out and you only got blank stares for a moment before there was groaning from Toph and Sokka.

"You couldn't have waited another year? I didn't think you would have figured it out by now." Toph grumbled and pulled some coins out of her pocket, Sokka doing the same. Suki and Katara held out their hands and money got dropped into them, both with smug looks on their faces. Zuko looked over at you and had the same look of shock that you likely did.

"What?" You mumbled.

"We all knew you were going to get together of course, you've been pining after each other for years, but me and Suki said you would be getting together this month and Toph said in a year. Sokka actually said in 3 months so he was closer than Toph was." Katara stated simply and you still just stared at her, mouth agape. "We also talked about the fact that if he hurts you," Her gaze shifted to a nervous looking Zuko, "we would all be committing some crimes."

"I feel like I should clarify that those crimes include maiming and murder." Sokka glared at Zuko and he gulped.

"But I'm so happy for you two!" Katara exclaimed, her attitude shifting completely. You and Zuko stared at each other in shock and then you smiled at him. You were so happy to finally be together and to have your friends around you.

[thispatternismine]

New ATLA Fic Preview

Here’s a preview of a fic I've been working on. Based on this AU idea by @electronswrites, where Aang is found much earlier & the Gaang is formed of characters from the generation up (I tried posting this yesterday, but I think Tumblr was glitching or something? idk?). Tagging various people from the post’s notes that seemed interested: @professionalranter31, @muffinlance @gaymedievaldruid @girl-loves-travel45 @kacievvbbbb @beastlybeauty1 @shorteeby40. Lemme know if any of you want to be removed.

This AU involves some changes to canon, because somebody needs to teach Aang waterbending, so Hakoda is a bender here. (If you're wondering, 'Wait, so who is going to take on Sokka's role of non-bender warrior?': Kya. It's Kya. Kya is here to chew bubblegum & kick ass & there is no bubblegum in the world of ATLA so that really simplifies her 'to do' list.)

Ages have also been adjusted. I've decided that everyone is the same age as their show equivalents (where available). Hakoda is 15 (same for Bato), Kya is 14 (I might switch them idk), Ozai is 16, Ursa is 15, etc. I've decided on 24 for Zhao's age - still young, but old enough that he'd be super resentful being bossed around by a teenager. Zuko is already around, as per the og post, & is 1.

A few small tweaks to the ideas posted: Zhao & Ozai are bitter rivals, rather than friends. Ozai & Ursa weren't betrothed (because I figure in that case Azulon would just move the wedding date). And Ursa escaped the 'school' she was sent to while still pregnant & went on the run.

I haven't really planned this fic out too well, beyond this first chapter, a vague outline, & a few random ideas, & ngl it'll be a while before I do any proper work on it (which is why I'm just posting this preview on tumblr rather than Ao3), because I have a current WIP that I'm nearly done with, another that I want to at least update, & a third I would like to start posting. I don't even have a title.

But for now, here's the first chapter: Hakoda Tries to Impress A Girl

Hakoda scanned their surroundings as Bato steered their boat deftly between icebergs. They didn’t really need to be out here – the village had enough provisions stored away that they’d be okay unless their hunters had a real nasty bout of bad luck. But bad luck did happen (often in the form of Fire Nation raids) & nobody would say no if they caught anything extra.

And it got them out of shoring up the snow wall around the village, which was tedious work.

Kya wouldn’t be called upon to help with the building work, but she had jumped at Hakoda’s invitation, keen to get out of the village for a while.

The men wouldn’t let her train with them anymore. Nobody minded a woman having some kind of basic training, at least enough to know how to wield a club without knocking herself out instead of her opponent. That was just common sense. If any Fire Nation soldiers got through the warriors’ defences, then it was useful to have some of the woman be able to hold them off from burning people’s homes (or worse) until the real warriors were able to step in

But when Kya had started beating some of the men, the Chief had put his foot down. He couldn’t stop her watching though; he couldn’t stop her practicing the moves she’d seen on any man who bothered her either.

“Kya,” Bato was saying, carefully. “If you hit a man in that spot, it really hurts.”

She rolled her eyes, continuing to swing her club. “I know. That’s why I did it.”

“But it’s dishonourable! That’s not how you win a proper fight!”

That got a snort. “Like the Fire Nation cares about honour.”

Bato looked pleadingly at Hakoda for help, but he kept his eyes on the water, pretending not to notice. He understood that, as the Chief’s son, Bato felt he had to take his side. But she’d been in the right & Sunoq had had it coming. Maybe he’d learn to keep his hands to himself in future. (He also didn’t want to risk being on Kya’s bad side, even a little.)

Besides, he had another reason for inviting her along; he was hoping to show her a waterbending move he’d just learned.

Learning to bend had been a struggle. The only teacher available to him had been an infirm old man who’d been missed in the raids. Before he’d died, he was able to teach Hakoda some healing, & a few simple moves that didn’t require much, well, movement. But any actual attacks that would be useful in fighting the Fire Nation, or anything big or powerful, were beyond his ability to demonstrate. And that was the exact sort of thing that would be of interest to Kya.

He’d done his best to figure out moves based on the man’s descriptions, but it was difficult, especially as his mind had been wandering as his life drew to a close, & some of those descriptions had been confusing.

But today he thought he had something. Something that might impress Kya. And he really wanted to impress her.

They’d known each other pretty much their whole lives (it wasn’t that big a village) & the three of them had always been friends. But recently he thought he’d like to be something more than friends with her. He wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to just come right out & ask her though. She was scary when she was mad, & he knew from training that she did not pull her punches at all.

They found what they felt was a promising spot, & Hakoda & Bato cast their lines & sat back to wait, but hours passed & nothing was biting. And Kya, who’d been crouched with a spear, staring intently into the water, swore she hadn’t seen a single fish.

It was as if they were avoiding the area. But there was no sign of any predators, & if that was what it had been, then whatever it was should have moved on by now in the absence of prey.

Weird.

Well, at least he didn’t have to worry about scaring fish away.

He began swooshing water to & fro, slow at first, but gradually getting faster, before pulling upwards, making large waves that pushed the boat closer to the large iceberg in their vicinity.

The next step – which he hadn’t quite consistently managed yet – was to turn the waves into ice. If he could figure that out, it would be immensely useful to the tribe – he could quickly erect defensive barriers or build bridges.

Maybe then the Chief would stop looking at him like he didn’t belong.

He did his best to follow the movements the old man had described, which had worked a little in his experiments, but the water stubbornly remained water.

And Kya was watching…

“Damnit!” he muttered, shoving the water hard in frustration. Why wouldn’t it work?

A crack appeared in the iceberg in front of them.

“Ooh ooh ooh! Yes! Crack it open!” Kya was practically bouncing with delight.

Well, who was he to deny a lady’s request?

Channelling all his frustration (& his desire to impress) into his movements, he attacked the ice like it was a Fire Navy ship with the Firelord himself on board. Slowly, more & more cracks began to appear.

And then finally, with a roar of effort, he managed it, & the iceberg spilt, falling apart. He stood for a moment in triumph…

Before falling over (fortunately landing in the boat & not the freezing water) as the water displaced by the falling ice washed past them. Bato paddled frantically to stop them being flung away & smashed against the ice, while Kya & Hakoda did their best to shift their weight to keep the boat balanced.

Once it passed, they cautiously sat up & looked around.

“Well, that was certainly impressive,” said Bato, drily. “Though I don’t think this is going to help us catch any fish.”

He turned to Kya, hoping that she was impressed at least, but she was staring past him, at where the iceberg had been. At first, he was disappointed, but when he followed her gaze, he saw the water was glowing.

“What the-”

A new iceberg rose out of the water, & it was definitely unusual, for several reasons.

Firstly, it was glowing. Secondly, it was spherical. Thirdly, there was a person inside it, a boy a few years younger than them. That last one wasn’t necessarily unusual on its own, but the fact that he was sitting in a meditative pose rather than suspended limp in the position that he’d drowned in, or curled in on himself in a vain effort to fight off the freezing cold. The glowing arrows on him were a bit odd too.

The things got even weirder still as the boy opened glowing eyes.

“He’s alive!” Kya scrambled to her feet & leapt over the distance between the boat & the new iceberg, using pieces of broken ice as stepping stones as she pulled her club off her back. “We have to do something.”

Hakoda scrambled after her, not sure what to do, but not wanting her to do this alone. And maybe he was being overly cautious, but he wasn’t sure it was a good idea to let mysterious glowing people out of ice prisons.

By the time he reached the iceberg, Kya had already struck the ice several times, & as he reached out to try & stop her, the ice finally submitted to her will & the iceberg broke apart.

They were both knocked down by powerful gusts of wind as the light exploded outwards. Hakoda curled around Kya protectively, even though she’d never needed anyone’s protection, & certainly didn’t want it.

Eventually the light & the sudden wind subsides, & Kya elbowed him to make him let her go.

They scrambled to their feet & stared at the jagged remains of the still-glowing iceberg, not sure what to expect. Kya brandished her club & Hakoda attempted a waterbending stance as a figure emerged from the crater, arrow & eyes still glowing as it seemed to survey them.

And then the glow faded & the boy collapsed. Kya dropped her club & jumped forward to catch him. Hakoda, still wary, picked up the club & approached more cautiously.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Bato paddling the boat closer.

The boy opened his eyes (a weird shade of grey, but at least they weren’t glowing anymore) & gasped. He stared at Kya for a long moment.

“I need… I need to ask you something…” he said, weakly & Hakoda wondered if he wasn’t about to die even after all that.

Kya looked worried, probably wondering what ominous last words the boy might come out with. “What?”

“Please… Come closer…”

Kya leaned in as Hakoda tightened his grip on the club.

“What is it?”

“Will you go penguin-sledding with me?” he asked, in a much brighter voice.

Wait, what?

⁂

Prince Ozai stood at the railing of his ship, staring out at the ocean, deep in thought. Icebergs towered around them, & the non-benders in the crew shivered & rubbed their hands together when they thought he wasn’t looking.

Almost two years he’d been on this hunt. His mission was monumental, & would be daunting to someone more easily intimidated, but up until now, his investigations had been straightforward.

His first task had been to search each Air Stronghold in the hope of finding clues, or at least understanding his quarry, but the buildings were empty shells full of nothing but bones. (Some of the bones were… rather small. But of course the Avatar himself had been a child at the time, so it had been necessary. Absolutely necessary. But he had avoided lingering in some rooms…) Any scrolls & trinkets that hadn’t been burned would have been carried off back to the Fire Nation, from which he was banished.

From there he had turned to the Earth Kingdom, moving from port to port, questioning sages, digging through dusty archives, & chasing rumours of spirit sightings. It had been tedious & frustrating – and so far fruitless – but at least he had known how to proceed.

Now though…?

What little he had managed to gather about the Avatar’s life before his grandfather’s heroic pre-emptive strike on the Air Nation & its armies, said that the Avatar had resided at their Southern Stronghold, though a letter found in the possession of a dissident Air Nation supporter a few decades ago mentioned plans to send him away.

If it was true that he’d lived in the south, perhaps that would be his preferred hiding place. Hence, his order to turn south to investigate the Southern Water Tribe.

But they had no strongholds to search, merely scattered settlements clinging to the harsh tundra & at the mercy of whatever the climate threw at them. Paper was scarce & the preferred method of conveying information was oral, so he doubted there were any archives or libraries. And they had limited contact with the rest of the world, so no bustling ports where visitors could mingle with crowds of people who were so eager to share gossip that they didn’t care what nation their audience was from.

Was he to be reduced to sailing around the whole Agni-forsaken place, stopping at each & every single village, no matter how small, & searching each one for the Avatar? Not only was that tedious, but inevitably after he showed up at the first village, warnings would go out to the others, & word would spread. If the Avatar was hiding here, then he would flee.

He had also underestimated just how big icebergs could be. Navigating would be… something of a challenge.

Staring out at the cold blue waters, he felt the enormity of his task threatening to overwhelm him. What was he supposed to do? How could he succeed in pleasing his father? How could he restore his honour?

He involuntarily reached to touch the top of his head, quickly turning the gesture into a scratch. The chopped strands had grown out now, enough that he was able to tie them back to keep them from falling in his eyes as they had kept doing after his haircut, constantly reminding him of all that he had lost. Probably long enough to form into a topknot again, especially if he used some of the longer strands that had been left untouched to bolster it. But he didn’t dare attempt it, even in the privacy of his cabin. Lieutenant Zhao didn’t want to be here, saw this mission as him being sidelined from a promising military career (which it wasn’t; it would be the making of his career if – no, when – Ozai found the Avatar), & would sell him out for a packet of fire flakes given half the chance. And he didn’t even like fire flakes.

He took a deep breath, some flames escaping his mouth on the exhale. No, he could do this. He had always risen to meet every challenge set to him, even if he had never seemed to surpass his brother (at least in their father’s eyes). He could manage this one too. Who cared that everyone sneered that it was impossible? Ozai would show them!

Even if his last challenge had been what had got him here.

It had been a glimpse at a party of some noble or other. A girl he had never seen before, perhaps a year younger than him. He had thought he knew of everybody who was worth knowing at court, but he didn’t know her.

When he had pointed her out to Ukano, the other boy had sneered. “Oh, her? Don’t you know? That’s Roku’s granddaughter.” He shook his head, a disgusted look on his face. “I know your grandfather allowed the family to keep their house in the capital, but I don’t understand why people invite them to things.” He snorted in derision. “Pity, I think.”

He should stay away, but… well, a girl from a family of traitors on the fringes of noble society. Her prospects were slim. She would be easy.

He had promised her so much, things he could not offer, because his father would not allow a marriage to someone like that. But she had been swept off her feet, convinced he was just like a prince from one of those insipid romance plays she liked. And he had played that role perfectly.

It had surprised him to find she was actually good company (aside from her taste in theatre). She was intelligent, & creative, & beautiful. But, of course, none of those things mattered; her tainted bloodline made them totally unsuitable for each other.

She hadn’t been as easy as he’d expected, but he’d been persuasive & charming, & in the end had claimed his prize.

There had been consequences, but he had ignored her tearful, terrified letters; what could he even do for her? Even if father had been willing for them to marry, he certainly wouldn’t now; she was damaged goods. (Even if Ozai had been the one to inflict the damage.)

She had swiftly disappeared from court, ‘sent away to stay with a family friend in the colonies’ (ridiculous, as that family had no friends), & he assumed it was over.

And it had, but not in the way he’d expected.

In the event his father had even found out about his actions, he had expected to face criticism – somehow, he had never been able to measure up to the example sent by his brother, already a war hero before Ozai could even write his own name, & scathing rebukes for the smallest mistake or flaw had been a constant fact of life. But he hadn’t expected anger. Or punishment.

He had brought shame on his family, dishonoured them, & himself. He was to leave the Fire Nation, never to return unless he found the Avatar, missing for 64 years.

He reached up to touch the top of his head again… only to quickly snatch his hand back as a door opened behind him.

“Enjoying the view?” came Zhao’s voice. As always, he was careful to keep the mocking tone just subtle enough that if Ozai took issue with it, he appeared irrational & unreasonable. “See the Avatar at all?”

Ozai wanted to blast the man with lightning, but he was well-connected & popular amongst the officers – certainly more popular than Ozai was, even though he was their prince! – & often those connections had helped them obtain adequate supplies to keep the ship running on the meagre budget his father had allotted him (he was teaching Ozai frugality & proper supply management, obviously), so he did his best to rein in his temper.

Once he felt he had his rage enough under control that words would come out when he opened his mouth, instead of flames, he took a breath to answer…

And a pillar of light shot into the sky in front of him.

[icrowler]

I FINALLY found the one-shot’s I’ve done on insta ages ago, so I’m gonna post them! (separately) 1 ○ Zuko and Sokka bantering until the jokes get flirty/obvious that they like each other

“Do NOT crawl into any big monsters mouth anymore, I don’t want to have to tell you again”, a flat hand slicing through air put sharpness and seriousness to Zuko’s words. Sokka didn’t exactly listen, obviously, and was already halfway into the dragon’s mouth. If said dragon hadn’t been raised by Zuko, the chieftain would be walking around missing half of his body by now. “But I know he ate my food that I packed to take with me. This is,” His hand slipped from the roof of Druk’s mouth and Druk let his maw snap close. Gently and lazy. “This is a life and death situation!” Sokka complains from inside.

Zuko’s had enough of this nonsense and grabbed Sokka by the ankles, told his pet to open its mouth wide and yanked the warrior out. Sokka laid there, covered in disgusting dragon goo, looking up at Zuko with innocence in his blue eyes. “I’m tired of babysitting you, you’re a grown man and should know better.” The words were scolding and harsh but for Sokka an opportunity to redirect the attention to his long time friend and partner in anti-crime. “You love taking care of me, don’t deny it, Jerk.” Sokka said, cocky and pretentious. He got back up and wiped his face. “Can’t get enough of me and that’s why you keep coming back.” Zuko was fuming. Snow around him nearly started melting if it hadn't been for his long and hard training on how to keep his composure. Sokka was absolutely right and that made him angry because he didn’t want himself outed in a situation like THIS. Sokka wasn’t stupid - silly but not stupid - and noticed Zuko’s overreaction. “That’s not true!” Zuko claimed.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” Suddenly something in Sokka changed and he was the one to find himself three shades of red. “Do you like me?” Zuko panicked. No no, I said not now. He couldn’t say it, though, his throat was dry as a desert and he feared he would burst out crying if he opened his mouth. He didn’t know why; possibly because keeping feelings a secret was much easier for him than admitting them. He simply nodded. Sokka was beaming, grinning like a goof. “I’d kiss you right now if I wasn’t covered in dragon spit, I can’t believe it.”

[schrodingersauthorii]

In honor of Salvage Ch. 18, I have prepared the first chapter of my Phoenix Salvage AU. @muffinlance , there’s one scene that’s 100% an improvement in my overall writing structure I pulled from you, and I bet NOBODY can tell which one it is.

—————————

The young soldier must have somehow heard the blade coming. He didn’t have time to cry out, but the panic stains his face. Not quite the easy death Hakoda wanted, but unavoidable, and still far kinder than leaving him to the sea.

Two years of fighting had left many too-young Fire Nation soldiers dead on this deck, but this was different than a battle. Different even than a mercy kill, back when they thought maybe Fire Nation prisoners would simply accept a fate other than death.

The soldier wouldn’t have left them any choice in the end. But he hadn’t forced their hands. Not yet.

One of the men murmured a prayer, a simple benediction for the journey to the next life. This wasn’t the clean up after a battle, and there might not Fire elders speaking rites for the kid somewhere across the sea. The soldier might only have what they give him, and they're pragmatic people- not cruel.

The Fire Nation burns their dead. That would be kindest, but if they could safely build a pyre, then they could have safely kept a firebending prisoner. The young soldier have a sea burial.

The corpse vetoed this. Violently.

Akake and Tuluk yelped, dropping the suddenly burning body onto the wooden deck.

Fire shouldn’t be green and purple, Hakoda barely had to think, and the fire disappeared. He blinked the sparks out of his eyes, and the deck was as clear. No fire, purple-green or otherwise. Just a vaguely soldier shaped mound of ash.

Hakoda reached down to touch it: barely warm, and not so much as a soot mark beneath it.

Something stirred. Something tiny. Hakoda grabbed it without giving himself time to think about it. Whatever it was squirmed frantically in his hand.

Hakoda looked down, expecting- something. A still beating heart, perhaps. A reptile or worm, at the very least. Something repulsive and macabre. But a tiny, down-feathered bird trembled in his hand. He brushed ash off of soft, orange wings. Even filthy, the fledgling glowed like sunrise.

“It’s a bird,” Hakoda said, dumbfounded.

“A bird,” Tuluk repeated.

The bird cheeped in distress. Hakoda started to pet it, but it nearly fell to the deck in its effort to escape his hand. He quickly cupped it with both hands instead. The bird pecked at his fingers.

The entire deck stared in stunned silence. What were they supposed to do with a bird?

————————

Tolko presented a box hastily stuffed with hay from the albatross-pidgeon coop. Hakoda carefully dropped the chick inside. It burrowed down into the loose “nest,” still cheeping incessantly.

“He’s so cute,” Tolko gasped. “What are we going to do with him?”

Tolko stared at the bird with love already in his eyes. The bird stared back with… suspicion. At the very least.

Hakoda’s temples begun a warning throb.

“Ask Kustaa if he can… find anything,” he finally said.

Tolko cooed at the bird as he walked away.

Hakoda felt a dreadful portent hum in his bones: this would not end well, and there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop it.

------

“What is that?” Kustaa asked.

“A bird,” Tolko said. And held the chick up to Kustaa’s face, as if not seeing the puffball was the problem.

“Which might also be a Fire Nation soldier. The Chief wants to know if you can find anything.”

“A soldier.”

“Yeah. He was drifting past, we fished him out, but he was. You know. A Fire Nation soldier. And he said he was a firebender. So.”

“So what?”

“He kind of...died. And spontaneously combusted. The bird was in the ashes. See?”

Tolko brushed the bird’s head and held up a sooty finger. The chick couldn’t really floof in anger- it was already at maximum floof- but it gave its best impression of outrage anyway. Tolko hastily placed it on the table before it could tumble out of his hand.

“This is a bird,” Kustaa said. “I’m a healer, not an ornithologist. Or a shaman. All I’m qualified to say whether or not YOU have brain rot.”

“Umm…” Tolko mumbled.

“Any headaches? Blurred vision? Acute pain in your arms or legs? Motor difficulties?” Kustaa asked as he prodded Tolko’s arms.

“No?”

“Then we’ll work with the assumption that Spirits were involved, not Swamp Fever. Hopefully, a minor Spirit.”

Kustaa leaned down in front of the bird.

“Can you understand us: peck two times, then three.”

Low and behold, the bird did… then stared at them and pecked a deliberate pattern of some sort.

“I don’t understand that,” Kustaa said.

A storm of outraged peeping.

“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do about it. Are you a Spirit, one peck for yes, two pecks for no.”

Two pecks, and more outraged peeping.

“...Are you a bird?”

In hindsight, it was incredibly bold of them to assume Zuko knew more than they did about anything.

--------

Tuluk entered Hakoda’s office after a single knock, and Hakoda’s temples immediately resumed pounding.

“Apparently, the bird insists he is the soldier, and NOT a Spirit,” Tuluk said.

Hakoda pinched the bridge of his nose. And resolved to make an offering soon. There were stories about shapeshifting Spirits who forgot they weren’t human.

“Keep an eye on him,” Hakoda said. “We’ll head to the nearest port and find an Earth Sage. This is exactly the kind of trouble we don’t need.”

Tuluk nodded grimly.

A thought struck Hakoda. “How did…?”

Tuluk sighed. “Lots of questions. Lots of patience. Kustaa is positively charmed with the little menace.”

“He’s a bird.”

“A mean one,” Tuluk agreed. “But he’s warmed to Kustaa and Tolko, for stars knows why.”

Hakoda didn’t like the idea of a Spirit getting… attached to his crew, but he liked the idea of an upset Spirit on his ship even less.

“Keep an eye on them, please,” Hakoda said.

Tuluk nodded, understanding in his eyes.

“I’ll do my best, but that’s a conversation you need to have with Kustaa and Tolko. Probably the rest of the crew, too.”

Hakoda’s headache sharpened with knife-like intensity. Tuluk eyed him with concern.

“Chief. Nobody will blame you if you need a drink before that. Kustaa’s almost ordered a shipwide medicinal order.”

Hakoda sighed.

“After,” he promised. And didn’t clarify after what.

—————————-

Their youngest crewman tucked the surly creature into his parka, from where it eyed everyone and everything with deep suspicion. Tolko kept up a mostly one-sided commentary, which the soldier-bird seemed surprisingly engaged with.

“Do you know his name?” Punuk asked as Tolko showed the bird their snack break offerings.

“No,” Tolko said through a mouthful of salted fish. “It’s the character for ‘righteous rule,’ but we couldn’t figure out the pronunciation. So Birdie it is.”

“Birdie” cheeped aggressively enough to attract the other crewmen’s attention for the first time in hours. There was still work to be done, and his constant noise quickly faded into the background.

“That’s terrible. How about… Sparky? Ember?”

“Blaze.”

“Inferno.”

“Red.”

“You can’t call him red, he’s pink.”

“He’s definitely more orange than pink.”

“Orange still isn’t red.”

Ragnalok tossed an empty water skin at the pair.

“Stop torturing the poor guy. He already died once today.”

The trio went quiet.

“Way too soon, man,” Panuk said.

Birdie was… worryingly quiet for several hours after that.

-------

Tolko roused in the middle of the night, awakened by a faint stirring of downy feathers and soft cooing. Birdy was awake. Tolko couldn’t see it, but dawn must be on the horizon.

Birds liked dawn. So did firebenders, presumably. It was early, but Tolko wasn’t tired-tired, so…

Tolko scooped Birdy up in one hand and slid out of his hammock. “We’ll go top deck,” he whispered as he tucked Birdy into his collar.

Birdy cheeped in a maybe grumpy, maybe affirmative way. But it was soft, so Tolko didn’t think he was upset. Birdy was very, very good at communicating when he was upset, bird or not.

It still seemed uncharacteristic. And Birdy was slumping on Tolko’s shoulder in a way he hadn’t yesterday.

Tolko scooped Birdy back into his hand, and Birdy just… cheeped quietly. Cheeped once and fell silent.

Okay. It was early: Birdy might just be tired. It was a Thing, that birds got sleepy when it was dark- even if it wasn’t actually night. They’d go topdeck and watch the sunrise, and if Birdie still seemed off he’d come back and wake Kustaa.

Tolko climbed the last stair just as the sun broke free of the horizon. Birdie chirped softly again, and Tolko held him out into the light.

“It’s beautiful,” Tolko said.

And Birdie once again caught fire on the Spirits damned deck.

[helpistolethesecharacters]

Love Conquers All

Part 2

Zuko x Male Reader

Word Count: 1643

-----------

The next morning Y/n followed Zuko back down to the kid's campsite. Y/n was half expecting them to have packed up and left, but he was happily proven wrong when they got down there.

The kids were sitting in a half circle, clearly waiting for the two of them to arrive. From the looks of things, they might actually be more open to talking to them today.

A look at the water tribe girl told Y/n that she still had a serious distrust for them that would be annoying to get past.

They approached the group. Y/n held back. He would be on guard for anything they might pull that could hurt Zuko.

"Um, so, you guys have something you want to say?"

Y/n guessed that if you couldn't count on the Avatar to break the ice then the world was doomed.

"Yes. I'm here because I know now that my destiny is to teach the Avatar firebending. I also wanted to say that I'm deeply sorry for all of my actions that have caused you pain or worry. I know that my apology doesn't fix everything, but I hope that it can help pave the way to better relations between us."

Y/n had missed this version of Zuko. He had been buried under so much pain and anguish, and had been desperately trying not to let anyone see it. It was good to have him acting more like himself again, but no amount of royal training was going to remove his awkward manner.

"Why should we believe anything you have to say? You've been chasing us around the world trying to capture Aang and kill us! We shouldn't even be sitting here listening to you!"

That girl was really sticking with her hard-done-by feelings. Y/n was going to have to keep a close eye on her around Zuko.

"Actually," the water tribe boy interjected, "I had a question about that."

He stared into the remains of their fire for a second before looking up at the still standing duo.

"Why didn't you just use your airbending to capture Aang? I mean, it looked like you were holding your own against Katara pretty well. When we first met you could have wiped the floor with us. So why?"

Y/n was surprised. The Water Tribe boy was more perceptive than he had given him credit for.

"It's a secret."

Bless Zuko for trying to take the question for him. Y/n sent a grateful smile his way.

"The Fire Lord has decreed that any airbenders are to be executed. If any are found, it's a death sentence."

Y/n looked around at the appalled faces of the kids. Finally it looked like they were starting to realise what they were involved in.

"How can you side with monsters like that?!"

Y/n turned furious eyes on the opinionated girl.

"I don't side with them! I side with Zuko."

"That isn't any better! So you're saying that if he decided to go back to the Fire Nation tomorrow you would just go with him?"

She was on her feet and flinging her words at him much the same way she had been with water the day before.

She turned back to her friends.

"This is why we can't trust them! I know you want to have someone else who's an airbender Aang, but he won't do the right thing if Zuko doesn't."

She spat Zuko's name like it was a bad word.

Aang turned big eyes on them.

"Would you really go back to them?"

"No."

"You just said----"

"I won't go back to them because Zuko won't. And I stand with him."

Y/n chanced a glance at Zuko only to find him already looking at him. He had that soft smile on his face that had been missing for years. Y/n was so glad that it was back. They reached for each other at the same time, fingers coming together and intertwining easily, familiarly.

There was a surprised intake of breath from the kids in front of them.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh." Was Y/n's eloquent response.

"Well, that doesn't make it okay to do the wrong thing when you know it's wrong."

She was still lecturing them, but the wind had clearly gone out of her sails.

Y/n managed to pull his eyes away from Zuko and look back at the group.

"We really are on your side this time."

Y/n stilled. The air had shifted in the way that it did when it was trying to warn him of something, becoming electrified. He spun around, scanning their surroundings, trying to locate the problem. He spotted the man up on the cliff just in time to bring his sword up and deflect the wave of energy that he sent at them.

Y/n growled. His timing had been off, resulting in his returned wave being sent off in a different direction.

"You all need to get out of here! If he keeps this up, the whole temple is going to come down."

"Y/n, if you can keep him busy, we can try to find a way to get rid of him!"

The Water Tribe boy was apparently their leader, was Y/n's distracted thought as he stood waiting for the man's next barrage.

If they got out of this alive he was going to smack Zuko upside the head for ever hiring the assassin.

That was probably something that the group of kids didn't need to know about, Y/n thought absently.

He was almost too focused on the long distance fight between the two of them to notice Zuko attempting to distract the assassin from where he stood nearly beside him. When had he gotten over there?

Something whizzed by Y/n's ear and he was so distracted by the thought of Zuko doing something so monumentally stupid as to antagonise the most ruthless assassin in the Fire Nation from a matter of feet away, that he didn't even sense it until he felt the air move by him.

He watched as the boomerang flew true and struck the assassin in the center of his third eye. He felt the world slow down as he saw the man draw in a breath for another wave of energy, but instead of it being sent to where they were standing, it exploded in his face and in the air all around him.

Y/n's heart stopped when the whole side of the temple crumbled and fell. Zuko had still been up there.

His sword fell with a clatter that was muted in his ringing ears. He was over by the side of the temple before he even thought about it, scrambling to find Zuko. If he was gone then that was it.

Y/n felt a thought settle in the front of my mind. He felt a sickening sinking feeling in his stomach, but there was no denying it.

He turned empty eyes on the group who were all celebrating their lucky escape. It was their fault.

He stood at the edge of the temple, watching them, feeling the wind caress him. It was whispering something to him, but he still couldn't hear anything over the adrenaline still coursing through his body.

He took a step toward them, reaching for his sword but coming up empty. His gaze narrowed in on it, lying on the floor back where he had been standing.

He was shaking, he realised as he tried to take another step but found himself on his knees instead.

The wind was growing around him as he fell forward onto his hands. He could feel himself falling apart, but he couldn't seem to pull himself back together. He had always had Zuko for that, but the stupid self-sacrificing idiot had gone and gotten himself blown off the side of the temple.

There was a groan from the ledge Y/n was nearest to. The wind died suddenly.

Y/n turned his tear streaked face sharply in it's direction.

He recognised that voice.

Then he was scrambling once again for the ledge, and grabbing hold of Zuko's arm and pulling with everything he had until he had his idiot firmly in his arms and far enough away from the edge.

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly and held Zuko in his still shaking arms. Y/n hoped Zuko was comfortable because he was never letting him go again.

-----------

They had gathered around the fire that someone had restarted to sort out something for lunch.

Y/n had the feeling that his melt down hadn't gone unnoticed by at least one member of the group. When he had gone over to pick up his sword from where he had dropped it, the little blind girl had watched him with her unseeing eyes. He had just sheathed it and walked back over to Zuko's side, but she hadn't stopped watching him ever since.

Y/n was sitting by Zuko's side, too strung out from earlier to be properly on guard, but he was sure that since they had seen him in action they might be a little hesitant to attack so openly.

Once everyone had a bowl of food Sokka cleared his throat. He had an uncomfortable look on his face.

"So."

Y/n waited silently. This was Zuko's destiny, it was up to him to earn his place with the group.

"You know why we're here. Our reasons haven't changed. I think, it comes down to this. Can you trust us?"

"Look," Sokka started, "We don't fully trust you, but I think that's fair. I mean you chased us around the world, but we also saw what you did for us back there. You could have died trying to help. So we're willing to give you a chance. But just one."

Zuko's face lit up with his happiness. It was a sight that Y/n knew he would always enjoy.

"You won't regret this. I promise!"