#love zuko’s face between suki’s hands

[aakiwa]

Hello Zukki Nation, please let me in

[sokkastyles]

Katara felt exilhirated, her hands catching the cool night air as it whipped past. Bright flashes of colorful light popped on either side of her, accompanied by the huge crackle-boom of what she had learned were called fireworks.

At first, she'd been hesitant to the idea of explosions during a festival, but over time, she'd become more used to the Fire Nation's idea of fun. She had even found it beautiful. Aang laughed, leading Appa to race through the colored smoke while Sokka and Suki screamed in delight, and Katara screamed, too, holding up her arms and feeling free.

Until she looked over at Zuko, whose face seemed to be turning a shade halfway between ghost-white and bogwater green.

She tried to edge closer to him in the wide saddle, but it was impossible to move with how fast Appa was flying. Zuko's eyes met her gaze, and she asked "are you alright?" Her words were swallowed by the wind, and Zuko hadn't heard her, his eyes far away. There was another reverberating boom as an explosion of color went off on her other side.

"You want to know what fireworks are like for me?" Toph said to Sokka as Appa landed, a mischievous grin plastered on her face. She had not been enjoying the festivities any more than Zuko had.

Katara winced as Sokka closed his eyes at Toph's bidding, then watched her brother yelp as Toph screamed "BOOM!" into his ear.

Sokka wasn't the only one to jump. Zuko was still clinging to the side of Appa's saddle, even after they had stopped.

"Hey," Katara said, holding out her hand to him. "You alright?" she asked again, now that she could hear herself talk.

Zuko stood up without taking the offered hand, and climbed out of the saddle only a little shakily.

"I'm fine," he said, and walked off.

She found him later sitting on the edge of a fountain ringed by lantern light.

"I used to love fireworks when I was a kid," he said as she approached, his gaze on the bright reflections in the water. "Now it's just...I...I can't see as well, when Appa goes so fast, and it's hard to hear anything."

Katara remembered how noisy it had been when they were in the air. She remembered her first Fire Nation festival, back before the war had ended, and how afraid she had been of the fire. Now, fear was part of the thrill. Experiencing something like that in a way that was safe and fun, knowing it couldn't really hurt you. It was the kind of fun that Zuko must have grown up with. He must have always known that the fire couldn't really hurt him. Until it had.

"It took me a long time to be able to bend again, after," he said, looking up at her, finally, and Katara didn't have to ask him what he meant.

"Maybe someday I'll be okay with fireworks again," he said.

"It's okay," she said. "Even if it's never the same as it was."

It would never be the same, of course. Sometimes, a part of her wondered when she had become so desensitized. It had to be the opposite for Zuko, now. She saw the way he looked sometimes, when people made references to his past, the way he cringed when he spoke about it, how angry he grew on behalf of the Earth Kingdom citizens he had once considered beneath him. It was funny how time changed the way you looked at things. She wondered if it changed the way Zuko looked at her, the way it had for her. Sometimes it seemed to her that they were always just missing each other. Maybe they would never be able to see each other face the face, but for that one moment long ago, under Ba Sing Se. There would always be a part of her that remembered the feeling of being seen, of being known and having been known, by an enemy who was no longer an enemy, but something else entirely.

Together, they sat on the edge of the fountain, just the two of them. They stayed beneath the lantern lights, while everyone celebrated around them, and remembered what it felt like, to burn.

[aangarchy]

Netflix atla live action review ep 1-3

So i was able to watch the first three episodes and i wrote down some thoughts. Strap yourselves in, it's gonna be a big post. There's a lot i don't like, but it's not all negative. So let's get the negative out of the way first, then we'll get to the positive.

The cgi is abhorrent. Especially the green screen stuff where a lot of movement is happening. I'm specifically referring to the scenes of Katara and Sokka in the canoe as well as the Omashu railing system, and anytime Aang is flying on his glider. The bending may be better than the original live action, but it's not good either. Bending for me was always gonna be impossible in live action. I never feel like there's any connection between the moves the actor is making and the cgi element. In animation it's much easier to make the two connect, but an actor is basically staring at nothing and moving their hands around a bunch, hoping post will make it look good. This show also fell prey to the "ball of water is consistently losing water and yet remains the same shape and size" trap. I think out of all the elements the airbending looks the best and the earthbending so far the worst. The Avatar state looked very janky as well, some shots looked like there wasn't even an actor there anymore and it was all animated. And not animated in a good way either, some of the movements were way to wobbly, reminding me of that weird broom flying cgi in the first harry potter movie where the character is flopping about awkwardly bc it's badly animated. The animals also look pretty weird to me, i can barely tell where Appa's face is most of the time. Also for some reason they have momo making monkey noises instead of lemur noises? Like he legit sounds like a chimpanzee? I wonder what that's about.

The costumes are very hit or miss. They're very bright and i've often seen them fit awkwardly on the actors. Suki's headband was practically sliding off of her head while doing a fight scene, and in Omashu an extra's headscarf literally slid off of her head as she walked out of frame. Don't even mention Bumi to me either, that guy looks absolutely insane to me and i mean that negative. I can't suspend my disbelief enough to pretend that's a real guy. I liked Suki's makeup however, and i really like how they did Katara's hair and outfit. We got our first glance at Ty Lee and Mai too, and i like that Ty Lee is basically a carbon copy of her cartoon outfit.

Some story choices are.... interesting. Some of them, i'm not sure whether i like them or not yet. I'm confused as to why they combined three different stories into the Omashu storyline. We have Bumi, Teo and the Mechanist, as well as Jet all piled up in the same city, and somehow Zuko is there as well. The Jet story happened way too quickly, and i'm confused as to why Sokka was so upset at Jet's betrayal when he hadn't even spoken to the guy at all, he didn't even know his name. I don't like the choice of having everyone split up in Omashu. There was a lot of focus on Katara and Sokka and Aang barely appeared. I will say i really loved the no bending fight Aang and Zuko had in Omashu. Such a shame that their choreography barely got any time to shine due to the fight scenes being edited like marvel movies to hide mistakes. This has me excited for the blue spirit episode though!

I don't like the way they revealed that Aang is the Avatar in the watertribe. Why is Gran Gran the one that immediately knows? Just bc she's old? I liked that Aang revealed it himself in the original, but in this one it's just Gran Gran telling everyone who he is and Sokka not even believing her.

Then there's the opening for the first episode. I have very mixed feelings. I like that they showed the bond between Gyatso and Aang, and i liked the way they switched between Gyatso's last stand and Aang falling into the water. I'm sticking to my guns however with saying that we didn't need to see the attack on the airtemples play out. I liked it being this mysterious event that happened so long ago it's become legend to anyone alive today. But now, as a viewer, we have more information than our main characters. It also took away from the emotional turmoil of Aang finding Gyatso's skeleton. In the original, there's still this slimmer of hope, are they really dead? Could some still be alive? Only for it to be ripped away then and there. Now the audience already knows Gyatso is dead, we know what Aang is about to find. They also didn't really linger on Aang's emotions after this, like at all? He buried Gyatso and basically went "alright where to next?"

There also seems to be a lot less bonding time, making the relationship between the characters in episode 1 and 2 very weird. Katara and Aang barely had one conversation in the first episode, and Katara was already talking about Aang changing her life and helping improve her bending after only one day. It feels very weird and forced. It gets better by episode 3, but it was definitely bad in the first two.

I'm gonna say it again but i'm mad about Sokka's sexism arc disappearing. Suki was angry at Sokka for just comparing her skills as a warrior to him, when she hadn't even seen him fight yet. She also starts out as being weirdly enchanted by Sokka just bc he's an outsider. He's not even attractive at all, and they're trying to sell him as some sort of heartthrob. I like their bonding time while they trained, but i don't like how immediately Sokka is hung up on her. He still needs to meet Yue, and idk about you but to me it would be weird for him to already like one girl, and suddenly jump to the next.

I'm not sure why Kyoshi is being Aang's main Avatar guide here? I always figured it should be the Avatar right before you that would do the job, so why did Kyoshi get to Aang before Roku? And why did she already give Aang the speech about saving the world? What else is Roku gonna do? I know we get the Hei Bai story in this show, so what's the point of the Hei Bai story when it doesn't lead to Roku's dragon coming to Aang to warn him about the comet? I'm not mad at this btw, genuinely just confused. I don't understand the point yet.

Onto the acting, once again very hit or miss. So far Gordon (Aang) has been one of the best. He's a very good representation of Aang's character, and i like that he brought out Aang's sassier side right away. Kiawentiio (Katara) so far has been really good too, and i like her chemistry with Gordon. I was prepared for Ian (Sokka) to be much worse than he ended up being, and a lot of jokes in the first episode did end up landing for me. Unfortunately the opposite is true for Dallas (Zuko), i was expecting his performance to be better than what it ended up being. It's not bad per se, but definitely less refined than i was hoping. Same for Paul (Iroh). I don't like the way he delivers some lines at all (especially the Jasmine Tea lines, it's way too forced, i don't actually believe he likes jasmine tea rn. In the original uncle barely mentions which tea he's drinking, and only once asks for jasmine tea bc it's his favorite. Otherwise he always just says "cup of tea" and never mentions the flavor. Idk why but the emphasis on jasmine tea really bothered me lol). I really liked Azula so far. Elizabeth brought a very cutthroat energy, which is precisely what i'd expect from a character like Azula. Daniel Dae Kim was also just everything i was hoping for and more. I'm hoping to see more of him (for his acting... no other reason.......)

Idk why but i was elated at seeing the cabbage merchant and hearing him say the line. Best moment of the whole show so far (and that's saying a lot i think lmao).

The music is very good. Some of the placement of the more dramatic music is a bit awkward? Like moments that i feel should have a low quiet melody seem to have a more dramatic flow which makes the scene lose emotional value to me. Maybe that's just my preference though. I like the nods to the original music throughout the show, especially for Kyoshi, the fire nation theme as well as the avatar theme, and then the exact same credits music as the original. I love the more epic/dramatic version of the avatar theme.

Overall, i am enjoying myself. I wasn't expecting greatness from this adaptation, and so far i'm remaining kind of neutral i think. It's not absolutely horrible, and i'm not cringing every five seconds. Of course it's never gonna compare to the beauty of the original animation. That's always going to remain untouchable to me. And this adaptation obviously does not come close at all. But it's fun, i guess, so i'm gonna keep watching.

[dynamic-power]

I warned you that I was reentering my ATLA phase. 🤣 here's a little zukka with a splash of Suki because I just love them okay

There was an assassination attempt.

There was an attempt on Zuko's life, and Sokka was at the markets rather than at the palace like he should have been.

He heard the alarm ringing out as soon as the attack began, and while the other shoppers all looked up in confusion and curiosity, Sokka felt his heart drop into his stomach. He knew what those bells meant.

His limbs felt numb as he began to push his way through the crowd. They weren't moving out of his way fast enough. He couldn't think straight, could only yelp as his knees gave out beneath him. Small, strong hands gripped his arms and kept him upright. He was vaguely aware of Stuhti calling his name from behind him.

His mind snapped to attention when he heard her say, "maybe it's best if we stay here until-"

"No," he snapped. The words sounded furious and defiant even to his own ears. He'd apologize to her later. "Get me there now."

Stuhti nodded in understanding before stepping in front of him. "Out of our way!"

The crowd hadn't paid much mind to Sokka in his common Water Tribe garb, but Stuhti was in her full Kyoshi regalia. The people parted for her quickly and easily.

The numbness vanished in an instant, adrenaline taking over, and suddenly Sokka couldn't move fast enough. He needed to get back to the palace, needed to be there to protect Zuko, he should have never left, he should be with him-

"He'll be fine," he heard the warrior assure him as they left the crowd behind. "Suki is with him. She'd never let anything happen to him. And even if she wasn't, the Fire Lord is a powerful man in his own rights."

He knew that. He knew that. But that didn't stop the fear from crawling up his spine, creeping into his heart, blurring the edges of his mind.

They reached the palace gates, where two guards were standing watch, glancing uneasily between the ringing bell and the pair approaching them.

"Open the gate," Sokka demanded, and immediately one of them scrambled for the latch.

The bell stopped ringing. All of them turned to look up at it, but none of them relaxed. That meant the attack was over, not that everything was okay again.

As soon as the gate swung open, Sokka ans Stuhti pushed through and began the sprint for the palace. The courtyard was deserted, and the main door of the palace was open. Sokka could hear the shouts and commands before he even raced through the door.

The commotion stopped as the guards and warriors spotted him. He didn't even have to ask before he was being pointed down a hall.

"Ambassador. He's with Suki in his quarters."

Hearing that Zuko was okay did nothing to ease his panic. He needed to see him, touch him, hear his voice-

Stuhti stayed behind as Sokka made the now-familiar journey towards the Fire Lord's chambers. It took less than a minute, but every second felt like a lifetime.

The door was shut and no one was guarding it, but that didn't matter. Sokka shoved it open, slammed it behind him.

"Zuko."

He was there, seated in an armchair, alive and breathing and smiling up at Suki. He turned when he heard Sokka, and then he was on his feet, crossing the room in a few easy strides.

Sokka collapsed into his arms, clung to him, buried his face in Zuko's neck. Relief settled through him and for a moment, he thought he might cry. "You're okay."

"I'm fine," Zuko said. He held Sokka just as tightly and pressed a kiss to his temple. "I didn't even realize what was going on until it was practically over."

"Honestly, we didn't get in on any of the action," Suki said, sounding a little disappointed.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Sokka grumbled, finally letting go of Zuko and reaching out for Suki instead. She sighed and melted against him, tucking her head under his chin.

"You know, we've been given the rest of the day off," Zuko said, and Sokka could hear his smile.

"Good," Sokka replied, letting go of Suki and eyeing Zuko as he backed up towards their bed. He sat on the edge of it, grinning as the Fire Lord began to approach him with a fond and slightly hungry look. He threw himself backwards into the mattress. "I could use a long nap after the morning I've had."

Suki giggled as Zuko sputtered at him. "The morning you've had? What about the morning we've had?"

[zombiethingy]

all i want is the here and now - purring

For day two of @zukki-week: hair

wc: 1006 | rated: T (for language and to be safe) tags: modern au, slice of life, feelings realization [AO3 link] [prologue] [previous part] [next part]

"And there's another hair," Suki grumbles to herself, pinching the offending thing between her fingers and pulling it free from her (her!) sweater. It's dark and long, straight as a rod. So, it's one of Zuko's, this time.

She never would have thought that living with two long haired guys would result in her having their hairs all over her stuff. But after 4 weeks of living together and washing her clothes in the same wash as them about two times, it seems that zero of her shirts are left hair free. It's as if she lived with cats instead.

It's annoying. But secretly, Suki also loves it. As much as she bitches about finding a hair of one of the guys on her clothing, she's secretly thrilled about it. It reminds her that she's always keeping a piece of them close to her, whether she's aware of it or not.

Whether they know it or not, they are marking her. Piece for piece, hair for hair. Suki loves it.

She still proclaims her disdain for the many hairs of her roommates overtaking the apartment and her stuff, especially when it's her turn to clean the shared bathroom – that's actually pretty disgusting.

But she also embraces them. Finds ways to fold carding her fingers through their hair into the affections they share regularly anyway, takes the opportunity to brush her thumb over Sokka's freshly shaven sides when she compliments him on the new cut and offers to braid Zuko's hair whenever he complains about it getting in the way. Or, lately, whenever he lets her.

He lets her more often than not.

When Suki turns to where the hair still between her fingers comes from, she catches Zuko reaching up to tuck a stubborn strand of hair back behind his ear. He's sitting on the couch with a book in his lap, apparently too engrossed in it to do something more permanent to keep his hairs out of his eyes.

The strand slips from his hold almost as soon as he's removed his hand. Zuko scowls, absentmindedly reaches up again, focus never straying from what he's reading.

Despite her fingers itching to get his hair tamed for him, Suki just keeps looking at him, enjoying that she gets to observe for a while without being caught. He looks so comfortable and cozy, like he's actually feeling at home and able to relax in their shared space. It makes something flutter inside of her, happy to see him like this and proud to have at least a part in it.

Zuko reaches up again, makes a little annoyed humming sound, but it's just too cute. She can't keep up the distance anymore.

She plops down next to him and instantly has his eyes on her. He's still smiling softly.

"I can help with that," she offers, holding up a hair tie.

Zuko's eyes light up. Suki's heart skips a beat.

"Mmh, please do," he hums and turns around to sit with his back towards her.

"Just keep reading," Suki tells him. She won't mind as long as he's content.

Zuko hums as she starts carding her fingers through his long strands, detangling what barely needs to be detangled before she starts separating his hair into small sections.

When the first braid is done and Suki tries stealing a glance at Zuko's face, his eyes are closed, and so is the book in his lap. His lips are slightly parted, something between surprise and relaxation. Suki's heart skips another beat at the clear display of trust.

She gets her hands into his hair again before she gets too lost in looking at him; gets lost stroking his hair and massaging his scalp instead. Zuko starts humming after a while, making other sounds of contentment that make her think how maybe she lives with a cat after all with how similar to purring they sound.

When she strokes along his neck, Zuko softly moans.

Suki freezes.

And Zuko whines.

Fuck.

She forces herself to unfreeze, going back to moving her fingers through Zuko's hair before he realizes what just happened. And only once Zuko is purring again, she lets herself spiral a little bit.

Thankful for how practiced her hands are at braiding and unbraiding his hair, she lets muscle memory take over while she replays those sounds again and again in her head, lets her thoughts stray to other contexts where she'd like to hear those sounds in.

"–looks really nice," she hears Sokka saying next to her all of the sudden.

She's snapped out of her thoughts, half-heartedly chastising herself for being so out of it, she didn't notice him getting home, while she tries to assess how incriminating the scene may look from Sokka's point of view.

But when she looks up at him, he's gazing at Zuko with a besotted look and a blush high on his cheeks. Zuko is blushing too, and inclining his head to try and hide his face, effectively pulling his hair from Suki's hands with the movement. Good thing the braids are in a state that counts as done.

Suki briefly considers leaving them alone, trying to figure out how to deal with that emotionally. But before she reaches any conclusion, Sokka turns towards her. The same enamored gaze still on his face, but now directed at her.

Oh.

"Can you do me next?" he asks.

Suki can barely nod.

Oh.

He sits himself down in front of her, or practically in her lap, and offers his wolf tail up to her.

And while Suki lets her hands caress Sokka's head, listening to the content sounds he makes, working and reworking braids into his hair, Zuko simply repositions himself to be out of the way of her elbows, opens his book again and seemingly continues purring.

"This is it," Suki thinks in the easy quiet, "this is why Sokka and I didn't work out last time. We weren't bad for each other, or too much – we were simply missing Zuko."

[crowentity233]

The Dragon's Keep (part 3)

*Finished*

Fire Lord Zuko x (Fem!) Reader

Part 1

Part 4

You are a firebender named Ayushi, who has been accepted to guard over the royal family. You end up guarding Zuko through his travels to visit the sun warriors. The mission, protecting the newest dragons, begins.

Suki patted you awake. "Ayushi, get up. The group is getting into uniform."

You tossed the covers over and stood up. "Thank you, Suki." You spoke quickly, getting your things in order. You grabbed your uniform.

Suki placed her hand over yours. "No uniform. You're going as a guest. Lady Ursa requested it." Her grin was wide.

"Oh... okay." You grabbed a fire nation outfit and got changed. You grabbed your bags and followed the warriors that were ready.

"Yushi!!!!" Kiyi called out running towards you. She grabbed your hand and pulled you to her mother. "Yushi, come on! It's going to be so much fun, we are going to go swimming, and make sandcastles, Zuzu said he would play too. We can go feed the turtle ducks..." kiyi kept talking about the different things you would be doing.

You listened to the girl smiling and laughing as she pulled you past her mother and through the doors following the warriors to the dock. "Wait, Kiyi. We have to wait for your family." You said between laughter.

"Go ahead, you two, we will catch up." Lady Ursa called out to you both.

"Yushi, let's go!" She let go of your hand and ran with the warriors walking around her. You ran after her, grabbing her hand and keeping up with her pace. This girl was a little ball of energy.

Lady Ursa looked back at her son, whispering while servants packed their things away. "No uniform?"

"I told Suki to tell her you invited her. I knew kiyi would like the company." He spoke softly to his mother.

Her lips perked up into a smirk. "Then I'm happy to have invited two guests." She led her son to follow her to the dock.

"Two?"

You got to the dock with Kiyi, both of you laughing. The first group of warriors weren't far behind.

"Uncle!!" Kiyi exclaimed, running to the man at the end of the dock. He was dressed in Earth kingdom colors, but Iroh was still very recognizable. Kiyi wasn't exactly related to him by blood, but she took to what Lord Zuko called him. it was such an innocent way of thinking. Of course, Iroh was more than happy to take on a niece.

"Princess! It is lovely to see you again. Who is your friend?" Iroh held his niece and smiled towards you.

"That's Ayushi. She tells me and Zuzu bedtime stories." She smiled proudly.

"You and FireLord Zuko. Must be some good stories." He grinned at the girl, setting her back down to her feet.

Your face tinted pink. Kids were just so blunt. "It's nice to meet you, General Iroh." You bowed.

"No, no, I'm just Iroh now. I am no general, I own a tea shop. It's a much better place to be."

"Im sure it is. I would love to visit one day." You smile politely.

"Uncle, look, it's Zuzu!" Kiyi yells out, pointing to Lord Zuko escorted with a second set of warriors.

Lord Zuko smiled brightly, seeing iroh. "Uncle!"

"Nephew!" Iroh bowed. The men hugged one another. "It's good to see you, Lord Zuko."

Lady Ursa greeted iroh. She stood beside you and grabbed your hand. "Thank you for being here. I know Kiyi and Zuko will love your company without being a guard. The royal life is very isolated."

You nod your head. "Thank you for inviting me."

She released your hand and walked into the door to go under deck. The warriors set up at their posts, and the others went under the deck to rest before nightfall.

"Yushi! Will you watch for Flying Dolphins with me?" Kiyi jumped up and down. You followed her to the side of the ship where she could watch for them. The ship left the dock, and the water below lapped around the sides. You watched the horizon. You turned your head seeing the land become smaller until it was out of your view.

"Flying Dolphins!" She yelled out. You turned back, seeing her happily watching the animals.

"She rode on them once when Aang was visiting." Zuko stood beside you peering over the side of the ship.

"I did! It was so much fun!" Her joy was infectious.

"It had to be fun. I wish I could ride on one. You're a lucky girl." You looked down trying to imagine what it would be like to ride on such a beautiful creature.

"Kiyi, come with me, honey." Ursa called for her daughter. She wore a smirk hidden behind the wall.

Kiyi whined but followed her mother's call.

You looked around the deck, and a few warriors stood guard at the other ends of the ship, but everyone else had gone inside.

"Are you excited to go to the island?" Zuko asked, breaking the silence that had eased its way as kiyi left.

"Yeah, I'm excited. I've never been." You glanced back over the waters.

"I went a lot when I was a kid." He watched the Dolphins flip around. "I have a lot of good memories there. We planned on going to see the Ember island players. Would you like to go with us? Kiyi is staying with her dad."

"Sure, are they any good?" You asked.

"No, they're terrible. My mother just loves to see them. She used to take me to see them every year when I was a kid. They always butcher love amongst the dragons."

"What are they performing?"

"Love amongst the dragons... again." He sighed.

"Well, we can take it as a comedy show. Are you sure I won't be intruding on your time with your mother?" You turned towards him.

"No, she would love for you to go. Uncle is going to be there, too." He paused."I think it will be like my sister is there. She kinda tried to take Kiyi during a freak out, so she has been a little bit shunned from the family."

"Oh, um, then I would love to go, and um... fill in for Azula." You gave him a soft, reassuring smile. "You know I'd watch anything about dragons."

"You really do love dragons..." He spoke softly.

"Yeah, they were something for me to dream about as a kid. I always wished on a star every night that a prince from far away would show up and fly me away on his dragon. It never happened, of course." You giggled softly.

"Sorry, I was the only prince but a little busy trying to deal with my father, and I thought they were extinct then." He chuckled.

Your eyes flicked over to him. "No, I dont want you to think I wanted you specifically to save me. It was more of a fairytale wish. I knew you were the prince, and Im sure it crossed my mind, but -"

"No, of course not," he cut you off. "I was joking since I was the only prince in the nation. I guess if there is an earth kingdom prince, he could have saved you, but I suppose he'd be on a badgermole." He placed his finger on his chin thinking. "I don't know if the earth king had a son."

"You're funny, Lord Zuko." You said giggling as he thought out a plan of who would have saved you from a life he knew nothing about. "It was just a fairytale. I made it out on my own. I'm here now on a royal ship as a guest. I would have loved to see a dragon, but I don't think I've done half bad."

Zukos cheeks tinted with the complement. The wind from the sea was his saving grace as it slowed the color from rising any further.

Land appeared on the horizon. "Is that it?" you asked.

Zuko's attention caught the land. "Yes, that's Ember island. I promised Kiyi that when we get there we are going to play on the beach."

"I didn't think to pack a bathing suit. I thought I was going to be guarding when you asked last night. I didn't get your mother's invite to be a guest until this morning. I guess I'll have to buy one when we get there."

"I can buy it for you. Our mother can stay with her until we get back and you get changed."

"Are you sure you don't mind?" You asked him, him being so accommodating seemed so foreign.

"I don't mind at all." The ship started to pull up to the dock.

Kiyi flew out of the door. "Zuzu! We're here!" She cheered tossing herself at her big brother.

"We are here." He hugged her. "We are going to the shops. You can stay with your mother until we get back. We will be fast, I promise." He smiled and let her back down.

"Okay, Zuzu. I guess that's okay, but be fast." She warned in a childish way.

He chuckled and ran his hand through her hair. She giggled and ran off to her mother.

"Come on, let's go now, or Kiyi will get upset." He walked towards the ramp to the dock. You followed him, and he led you down the sand paths. You walked around the busy streets. Your warrior complex hadn't left. You kept an eye on your surroundings. No one seemed to notice the FireLord was here yet. This seemed so reckless and not at all like your training, but you were following the Firelord in what was kind of like orders.

You passed by a few shops until he opened a door and let you walk in first. You walked in looking for your size and picked out one. "You can try on a few if you'd like. We have a little time before they even get off the ship. Get what you'd like. I got it."

In reality, he wanted to escape the ship before Suki saw and convinced you to take a few warriors. He didn't want spectators. He was well aware that he was being watched at the palace. This would be one of the few times he couldn't be truly alone with you, and he wasn't going to miss the opportunity. Making use of it was questionable, but at least he could be alone with you.

"Okay, thank you." You left out the Lord Zuko for prying ears. You searched around at a few bathing suits. Grabbing a few that you liked. You went into a changing room. You changed into a white one. You stepped out but shook your head. Zuko just glanced and kept his distance. You went back in and changed into a black one. Again, you stepped out, but it didn't really seem to match you. Zuko kept to himself but secretly enjoyed seeing you in such a contrast from your warrior outfit. You stepped back in and changed into a red one. This one was well fitted, hid areas that were on your radar as imperfections, and the swimwear made you feel good. You stepped out and nodded at Zuko. "This is the one."

He looked down, seeing you weren't in sandles. He grabbed your hand and led you to the shoes. Your hand was so delicate and yet held so much power. The warmth coming from your hand was a given sign of being a bender. It was so comforting in his own. He didn't want to let go, but he guided you to the seat and let go so you wouldn't question.

"You really don't have to..." You sat down as he grabbed a pair for you handing them to you.

He had guessed your size. They fit perfectly. "I insist." You slipped on the sandles and looked back up at Zuko. He offered his hand, and you took it he helped you up from your seat.

He held your hand and led you to the merchant. He didn't let go when he reached the merchant. He pulled out two gold coins and gave them to the man. "Here is your change..." He started to pick up the coins to hand Zuko.

"Don't worry about it." Zuko threw his hand up and turned with you still holding your hand. Confidence seething through him with you never pulling away or acting as if you wanted to pull away.

Your heart beat quickened as the old man spoke again. "Have a nice day." Then, under his breath mumbling ,what a nice young couple." You wanted desperately to turn and correct him, but zuko just continued walking. He opened the door for you to step out.

You both walked back into the streets. You held your clothes and shoes in one arm. You heard footsteps behind you. "There you are!" Suki looked up and down at the pair. Her hand fell to her hip. A smirk plastered on her face as Zuko finally let go of your hand. "We've been looking for you. You know you can't run off like that." She was speaking to Zuko. You were a free woman, but he was open for attacks at any moment.

"I just wanted time without an army behind me. I had Ayushi with me. We could have taken anyone who tried to attack."

"Next time, tell me that you're taking your girlfriend shopping at least." She giggled.

"She's not my girlfriend." "I'm not his girlfriend." You both said in unison.

"I'm joking you two." She poked fun at the pair. "Come on. your bags are already in the house. Kiyi is out at the beach." She paused her voice. When the pair followed beside her to the house. "Ayushi, you look so good in that. Don't you think so, Zuko?"

"Um, yeah, you do look... good Ayushi." Zuko said uncomfortably.

"Zuko, have you been working out? Ayushi feels his arm." Suki tries to grab his arm.

You wrap your arm around his and pull him closer, shutting her down as you all continue walking to the house. "Suki enough teasing, we get it. You think we are secretly together."

She smirks and leaves both of you entangled. You did exactly as she wanted. "Okay, sorry. I was just messing with you two."

You held Zuko's arm as you neared the house. His mother didn't notice your arrival. Kiyi was occupied by a group of scorpion crabs. Suki split from the pair, not saying anything. You both snuck in the house away from kiyi. "Will you show me to where I'm staying? I have to put my clothes away."

The clothes you were wearing still in the arm that wasn't entangled with his. He never pulled away. He led you to a room that had your bags inside. There was another set of bags and a bed opposite from the other. "I'm staying in here too. Uncle must be staying in the room I'm normally in..." He trailed.

A/n: it's not as cliché as it seems trust the process.❤️‍🔥

Tag list:

@mochminnie

@i-put-the-ass-into-sass

@lylyysz

[awkward-txrtle]

fun. x ATLA

Idk if anyone else in the fandom listens to fun., but I'm a big fan of pretty much the whole Some Nights album. I was listening to it last week (yes, even the Some Nights - Intro, which I don't vibe with) because it was speaking to me in terms of ATLA characters (certain songs reminded me of certain characters).

"But Turtle, Nate Reuss wasn't focused on ATLA when he was writing this album"

Ok, and? I'm gonna have some fun with this!

So here's each song and the character I think it fits (not all are exact fits & not every song is included, but most are)

1. Some Nights - Sokka

"This is it, boys, this is war/what are we waiting for?" feels very Sokka to me, especially since he considers himself a warrior and is the protector of Wolf Cove after Hakoda and the other men leave to fight the fire nation. Also "I still see your ghost" could reference Kya, but more likely Yue, since Sokka says that he sees Katara's face when he tries to remember his mother. The line about the martyr reminded me of Suki. Ok also the "miss my mom and dad for this" line?? Come on. Ok BUT "my heart is breaking for my sister and the con she called love/and then I look into my nephew's eyes" is just SCREAMING a Zutara or Kataang fic of some sort. Come on, right?? It's just begging to be written. Overall, this is very existential crisis-Sokka to me.

2. We Are Young - Katara

Ok so I wasn't fully sure what song to give Katara and it just didn't feel right to leave her out so I deadass just gave her this one like 5 minutes ago, but it still works. It would also be AU-based, but hear me out. I'm assuming y'all are most likely to know this song out of all of them. So Katara's at a bar after breaking up with her boyfriend (Aang) and the Gaang's all here. "My seat's been taken by some sunglasses askin' bout a scar" would be Zuko asking about the scars on Katara's hands that she couldn't fully heal after Aang's firebending accident. "But between the drinks and subtle things/the holes in my apologies/you know I'm trying hard to take it back" feels very Aang to me, especially since he's immature. Then right after, I feel like it switches to a more Zutara vibe for most of the song. Also "the moon is on my side/I have no reason to run" with Katara is such a sick combo omg.

3. Carry On - Zuko

The lyrics are very angsty. "You swore and said we are not/we are not shining stars/this I know, I never said we are" feels like a very Zuko & Iroh interaction to me. And also "though I've never been through hell like that/I've closed enough windows to know you can never look back" !!!! Like that feels very Season 3 Zuko to me. Also, no matter what, Zuko is forced to carry on, whether it's with Ozai, Azula, the Gaang... Although don't get me wrong, Zuko does take back his destiny, but I'm referring more to how he can't give up. Also Ursa tells Zuko and he later says how he struggles and fights, even though it's hard. "And we talked and talked about how our parents will die/all our neighbors and wives" Zuko is very familiar with the concept of mortality, he nearly died and he loses his mother at a young age. I'm sure he worries about when Iroh will die, as well as his friends. I feel like Zuko has a line about people leaving him, but I can't find it. Ok next point "and it's nice to know when I was left for dead/I was found and now I don't roam these streets/I am not the ghost you are to me" is very reminiscent of Zuko's relationship (or lack thereof) with Ozai. Also "may your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground" feels like a very Iroh line. Last point, "on our darkest day, when we're miles away/so we'll come and we'll find our way home" is very reminiscent of Zuko's redemption arc and how he returns home and retakes his place in the line of succession and becomes Fire Lord.

4. It Gets Better - Katara?

Honestly the "yes, I know it hurts at first/but it gets better" reminds me a lot of Katara. I also liked the line about fire in the sky and snow on the ground. Not too much else to say.

5. All Alone - Mai

I really encourage you guys to listen to this song, it was really interesting. The lyrics reminded me of Maiko, especially how Mai seems to not care about anything. The girl's voice reminded me a lot of Mai throughout the series, especially her interactions with Zuko. "I gave her to you/I don't need a toy/I thought you might appreciate it/I don't like the way it moves" reminds me of their interaction when Zuko tries to give Mai the shell on Ember Island. "How do you cry with inanimate eyes/you're never gonna smile/with the way that you're wired" also reminded me a lot of Mai's character throughout the series.

(I really like All Alright, but wasn't sure who it would fit well with)

6. One Foot - Toph

"I put one foot in front of the other" is very Toph, she is a fighter first and foremost. "I don't need a new love or a new life" also feels very her, Toph doesn't care as much about the more material things compared to the rest of the Gaang. I'm sure there's more that can be said about this connection, but I didn't really vibe with the song so much. Sorry Toph.

7. Out on the Town - Aang

Okay, Aang fans, I'm asking you to stick with me here. "Cause I know I'll never take the time/to unpack my missteps and call all of our friends" feels very much like season 3 Aang, where he doesn't face consequences for his actions and Bryke kinda places him on this pedestal of sorts. Also, this is a kataang breakup song to me. The chorus really feels like Aang to me, putting his feelings before those of other people, causing a scene, there being consequences (that he somehow gets out of, but that's not today's discussion). "But I'm waiting for the day you come back and say/'hey maybe I should change my mind'" reminds me of the first 2 times Aang kisses Katara and how he expects her to change her mind on how she feels about him. Also the repetition of "open up your heart".

Overall, I found the entire album to be very Zuko-coded.

If you read this far, I appreciate you!

[shamelessliarkickapow]

Arrvatarr! The Last Arrbender!

It's a Zutara pirates au!

Chapter 1, part 3/3

Read the full chapter on AO3

Or read it on tumblr:

Part 1 Part2

“Uncle, no!”

Katara could tell from the widening of those asymmetrical yellow eyes and the tenor of the Fire Prince’s voice that he genuinely loved this old man. It might have been sweet, that affection for his elder relation, had it not been coming from what was obviously one of the worst people on the planet.

“I am Iroh, a venerated general,” the old man went on without a glance at the prince, “and the Fire Lord’s only brother. He is sure to pay handsomely for my safe return. You should ransom me and let my nephew take his ship and leave.” 

“River boat,” Sokka corrected. “Because we’re sinking the ship.”

That aged face bowed slightly in acceptance. Katara could not read the careful mask of his lined features. 

“Toph,” Suki asked, never taking her eyes from the enemies before her. “What do you think?”

Toph was frowning, gripping the gunwale behind her with her unburned hand. Katara could see how red that burned palm was where it hovered near her belly. Not blistering yet, and not scorched, but it must hurt terribly. Healing had to wait, though.

“He’s...” Toph’s unseeing eyes narrowed like what she was getting was confusing, but then her expression relaxed and she smirked very faintly. “A little truth, a little lies. But who cares? Why don’t we just ransom them both?”

“Good thinking,” Sokka said with a spreading smile. “Double ransom! I love it almost twice as much!”

The old man, Iroh’s eyes were flicking between them, taking them in with shrewd cunning. They paused on Aang and finally came to rest on Katara. “Is one of you the captain,” he asked mildly, “or is this some kind of collective or something?”

“There’s no captain,” Katara said quickly before Sokka could launch into his twelve-point lecture on why he should be in charge. “We don’t need a captain to come to a consensus.” She looked back at Sokka and Suki. “Double ransom works for me. Suki?”

Suki went on watching the old man closely. “I don’t like the idea of two firebenders in the brig. Twice as much trouble if they get loose.”

“Well,” Aang weighed in carefully, still finding his feet in the group dynamic, “the Fire Nation - I mean, you know, historically - highly values honor and an honor-bound oath is generally considered unbreakable...”

“Nice!” Sokka turned a wide, knowing grin on the two firebenders in question. “Swear on your honor that you won’t try to escape.”

“No,” the prince sneered. “How stupid do you think we are?”

“I swear on my honor that I will not attempt to escape,” the old man said.

“Uncle!”

Toph grinned. “Oh, he means that. What are you gonna do, Prince Pretty-hair? Let this old guy get taken hostage on his own?”

“Don’t call me that! It’s Prince Zuko, you uncultured little boor!”

“Actually, Toph’s a boar,” Sokka corrected, delighting in his own clever wordplay and peering around at the rest of them with a ‘get it?’ look. “As in flying? As in Bei Fong?”

Aang laughed. “Good one, Sokka!”

“She’s almost too cultured to be a pirate,” Sokka went on smugly, “but we gave her special permission because she’s so cool.”

“Yeah,” Toph said and spat on the deck. “I’m a fancy lady just like you.”

“Rraugh!”

Katara watched the prince roar out dazzling flames that briefly drove back the night and lit up his furious face and the strong column of his throat and his pale, muscular chest between the bands of steel that held him. He really was cut like a statue, his body a weapon well-honed for combat. 

She wasn’t, like, attracted to him or anything; he was evil and he represented everything she hated and sought to fight in the world... but the sight of him - the hot spark of his element in combination with the precise, powerful movement of his body - was... kind of exciting. 

And watching him get teased into a fury was amusing, too.

Abruptly, Katara realized the old man was watching her. Whatever he saw on her unguarded face, it must have been telling. His eyes were a little wide in surprise that swiftly morphed into a sort of contained delight. Before Katara could become fully embarrassed, Iroh spun around to peer up at his nephew with wide, guileless eyes, holding out his hands beseechingly.

“Prince Zuko, you must see reason! Surely you will not leave me to suffer alone at the hands of these dastardly scoundrels!”

The prince broke from his rage to gape at his uncle in stunned incredulity. Then he huffed and rolled his eyes and ground out words through his clenched teeth. “No..! Uncle, I wouldn’t leave you, but-”

“Then you must swear on your honor to not attempt an escape,” the old man cried, clutching his hands to his chest. “After all, we will only be held captive by these ruthless criminals for the time it takes the ransom demand to be answered.”

There was something in the prince’s eyes. Confusion, reluctance, hurt. “The Fire Lord-”

“I know, my nephew,” he said more gently. “His response is sure to come quickly. I have no doubt we will be free again in a matter of days.”

Katara glanced at Toph and found her squinting, still reading the conversation. Whatever subtext was passing between the two firebenders, she wasn’t picking up on any outright lies. But still, it was kind of a weird exchange.

“Perhaps,” the old man went on, “if we cooperate, these ruffians will not subject us to any cruel misuse.” Slowly, he turned a speculative eye back on them - and paused on Katara in particular. “But who can say with pirates?”

Katara screwed up her face and shrugged combatively back at him as if to say What did I do?

“Tch. They’re hardly pirates at all,” the prince muttered testily. 

He followed his uncle’s stare though and Katara felt again the prickling warm wash of his scrutiny. 

Katara was very familiar with lustful stares. She had blushed under the eyes of a great many boys and men in her long journey with Sokka and then Suki and, later, Toph. She had explored and pruned attraction into friendship with so many steady Earth Kingdom boys. She had watched desire fade from the eyes of Northern tribesmen when she so much as hinted at her ambitions. She had endured predatory assessments that came at the front end of a fight and wilted away by the end. (The heat snuffed right out of most firebenders when they realized she was the stronger bender.)

Not this firebender, though. Even when she beat him, he wasn’t beaten. Not really. He simply refused to be done. So annoying. 

So exciting.

The way this prince, Zuko, looked at her... it was subtly different from any of those other men or boys who came before. His eyes didn’t linger obviously on her body. He didn’t undress her with his eyes. He didn’t lick his lips or hitch a brow or smirk knowingly or secretly stroke his stalk of grass with his tongue. There was almost no sign at all that there was desire there. But Katara could feel it when his yellow eyes fixed on her and narrowed. It was just there, like seething coals tucked under swaddles of ash in the cook pit, ready and hungry and waiting to be stoked... should an inferno become desired.

“Fine.” Prince Zuko said it with a hard, sardonic quirk of his lips, as if this was all some pointless exercise, the end result of which he already knew. “I swear on my honor I won’t try to escape.”

Katara, for reasons she hadn’t entirely hammered out yet, smirked.

[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.”

[andrea-lyn]

ATLA recs post take 2 (electric boogaloo). Am I totally unsurprised I have enough for a third post at some point? Nope. ANYWAY, enjoy another round -- once again predominantly Zukka, though there’s some f/f in this round!

ATLA Recs #2

i wanna be still with you by tristanyvaine

Handwritten letters sent back and forth do not a love story make. Or. Maybe they do, in the case of a certain Fire Lord and Water Tribe warrior who happen to fall in love over sending letters to each other at least.

keeps me up late at night by midnights

Fifteen years since the war had ended, and still Zuko remembered every step of the way as if it were yesterday. More than anything, he remembered Sokka. He'd been in love with him then, and he still was.

ft. ambassador sokka, fancy parties, pining zuko, and two oblivious fools

the brightest you've ever been by panthalassas

Azula folds herself into the lotus position and empties her mind. Then Yue places her hands on either side of Azula's face, and her mind fills back up again. Or: Yue notices Azula is lonely. Turns out, Azula's ready to feel some emotions.

real love baby by verdanthoney

Five times Zuko and Sokka pretend they aren't in love, and one time they don't.

OR,

Sokka initiates a friends with benefits relationship between them, and Zuko keeps coming back for more.

Seasons in the Sun by burkesl17

Ambassador Sokka's first year in the Fire Nation, a story for each of its seasons. With thunder, assassins, blossoms, poison, politics, volcanoes and a baby dragon. Also falling in love.

Or: four parties, four assassination attempts.

Please Return if Found by CSHfic, VSfic

When Sokka sees a “lost pet” poster near his apartment for an actual, literal dragon, he thinks it’s a joke.

Right up until he finds the dragon sitting on his couch.

Nobility by hikuni

Book 3. Sokka/Zuko. Set after The Boiling Rock Pt. 2, Sokka and Zuko explore the Western Air Temple, where Sokka tries to get Zuko to talk about girls, marriage, and maybe even a future for the two of them.

Worship the Ashes by meregalaxiesandgods, patentpending

All Azula wants is for things to go back to the way they were – her father on the precipice of conquering the world, her own position secure at his right hand. Now, the only secure thing is her, trapped in a gilded cage in her brother's new Fire Nation. Lonely and adrift, Azula would do anything to make it end, until an unexpected connection rekindles a light she long-thought had burned to ashes. But falling for Suki isn't something Azula can let herself do, especially with the world as they know it threatening to crumble around them.

Or: Azula goes to therapy, has an identity crisis, stops actively trying to kill her brother, makes a few friends, and falls in love along the way.

No Quiet Life by JustGettingBy

Zuko's not sure when it started. It would be easy to say it started with Boiling Rock, or with the Western Air Temple. But whenever it started, his crush isn’t about to go away anytime soon.

*

“It’s not too late, ‘Lee’. We could steal a boat. Sail across the high seas until we hit the horizon. Spend the rest of our days living off the land.” He brandishes his arm as if to show Zuko the untapped potential of their future as wild hunters.

“No, Sokka.”

Sokka shrugs. “Well, it was worth a shot. When you’re up to your eyeballs in expense reports, don’t say I didn’t ask.”

Zuko’s mouth feels very dry. “I won’t.”

virtues uncounted by bloobeary

fire lord zuko visits the southern water tribe eight years after the war ends

based on that text post

Will We Last the Night by CSHfic, VSfic (My absolute fave of the canon rewrites for its wildly IC enemies-to-lovers feel)!

Chief Arnook never assigns Sokka to protect Princess Yue, so he goes to fight the Fire Nation with the other men. When the moon dies, and the ocean spirit takes its revenge, Sokka is caught standing on the deck of a Fire Nation ship. Sokka should have drowned… and he would have drowned, if not for a certain Fire Nation raft fleeing the North Pole.

[An enemies-to-lovers season 2 rewrite, where Sokka is separated from the gaang during the Siege of the North, and travels the Earth Kingdom with Zuko instead].

Ashes Inside When You Finish Your Song by Muncaster

Sokka writes lyrics for his sister’s band. Zuko plays piano and is unnecessarily nice. Fellas, is it gay to write love songs about your friend and his golden eyes?

(AKA, a modern band AU featuring The Gaang, crappy software equipment, homoerotic lyrics, and the realization that maybe, if you think about a guy every night before you sleep, you just might be in love with him.)

Relief Next to Me by wilteddaisy (taotu)

Sokka thinks Ozai’s beach house is pretty awesome. Slightly less awesome is the couch he has to sleep on, as is accidentally getting into Zuko’s bed. At first, that is.

[misguided-ghostz]

I love the idea that everyone gets involved when Zuko and Katara finally decide to get married. They decide to get married in the Fire Nation but make sure to include customs from the Water Tribe. This causes Sokka to be way too involved. Katara as already decided to wear her mom's old wedding dress because she just couldn’t say no to her grandma along with knowing her dad would be happy to see her use it. Suki and Toph help Katara with her vows and picking out jewelry. Aang and Sokka help Zuko pick out wedding bands. Even Azula gives Zuko her opinion on Zuko's vow and what he should wear and what should be included in the ceremony because " Not because I actually care, but I don't what you disgracing what is left of the royal family", so she claims.

Along with pleasing the fire court and sages, almost all decisions somehow need to be run by Sokka because he has an opinion on EVERYTHING. From the time the ceremony starts, what direction guest should be facing, should Zuko be standing 5cm to the left or 2 cm to the right to get the perfect lighting for pictures.

A week before the wedding it all became way too stressful for Zuko and Katara. They just want to be married and start their life together but everyone (specifically Sokka) has become way to invested and what they wanted to be a simple ceremony has somehow become the social event of the century. This is why 3 days before the big day Zuko and Katara disappear.

While Sokka is having a mild cardiac event and the fire court is in shambles. Zuko and Katara escape to Ember Island.

''I wish we could stay here forever, without having to worry about any crazy wedding planning" hums Katara while laying in Zuko's arms on one of the private beaches of Ember Island.

" I know my love, but duty calls Fire Lady Katara"

"Future Fire Lady Katara. If we even make it in time for our own wedding or the fire sage don't burn us both alive for running away"

"I'm more concerned about your brother killing both of us"

"Oh god. I know that marrying the FIRE LORD would never have allowed us to just have a simple wedding but how did we let it become this giant circus orchestrated by Sokka. I'm pretty sure I overheard him discussing where to place a box of fireworks before we ran off"

" We love are family and they just wanted to give us the best, Kitkat'

" I know but my dream wedding you be just me and you here on the beach. No one else"

With that, a lightbulb goes off in Zuko's head and he slowly gets up and brings Katara up to her feet.

" Marry Me Katara"

" I was supposed to tomorrow but we ran away if you didn't remember" Katara chuckles.

" Sorry. I meant marry me right now"

"What?"

" There's an old chapel on the other side of the island run by an old fire sage who retired a few years ago. We go right now and get married"

" We can't"

" Why not?"

" Be..be..because..."

"You're right we have allowed this whole wedding to be turned into a circus to please our families, but this is our marriage. This should have always been something we planned together something between just me and you. Why can't we be selfish this one time. Let's get married right now. Our vows should be between us anyways not spilled out in front of the entire Fire Nation when doves are flying around and fireworks going off"

Katara stays silent for a few moments too many to make Zuko comfortable.

"Kitkat?"

"Ok"

"OK?"

"YES! Let's do it!" Katara yells as she jumps into Zuko's arms

"Let's do it" Zuko catches her and smiles.

And with that Zuko and Katara get married just the two of them and and fire sage (who promises to keep it between them) in an old broken down chapel on Ember Island. Tears streaming down both their faces as they make their promise and vows to be together forever, through thick and thin, just the two of them.

They make it back in time for their "actual" wedding the next morning. Sokka spots them first walking hand and hand down a palace hallway. Beyond pissed but just happy they are finally back in the palace, Sokka rushes them to get ready as they quietly whisper ( Bye Wife/ Bye Husband) as they are separated. Luckily, Sokka doesn't hear them.

Later that night they are officially presented as Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Lady Katara in front of their family, friends, and Fire Nation. Sokka and the rest of their family forever questioning why they always celebrate their anniversary a day early.

[fanfic-gremlin-ft-trauma]

I've been cooking this one up for a while but early 90s (like set between 91 to 92) college au. Mai, Suki, and zuko are goths who does sokka's makeup every chance they get. they would chilling in sokka's dorm, and Mai would be like "someone hand me the white face paint".

the rest of the gaang + azula/ty lee is still in high school. they're doing a HS trip of the college. azula sees zuko and Mai eating lunch. she gets the attention of the tour guide, points at them, and says "I want THEM to tour us." also azula loves calling Mai and zuko, "Gomez and morticia".

she also does not hesitate to call zuko 'koko' in public and she will do it every time she sees him.

when toph is bored, she likes to fuck around with katara's answering machine at the ungodly hours of night. like when all the tv goes off (bc back in those days, the TV literally turned off. like It was just static), she'll call her, knowing she won't answer and just fuck around. katara would like wake up to fifteen messages on the answering message, all from toph. half of them are just her rambling about random ass shit, and the other half is jokes. Gran Gran would be like "your friend surely does talk a lot."

yue comes into town. she ends up going to the college and meets sokka, whom she becomes friends with. she's really heavily impacted katara's sense in fashion and makeup. yue's fashion & makeup is inspired by the 60s and 70s. she wears a lot of flowy dresses, skirts, and shirts. a lot of white, light blue, and other light colors in the blue family. yue teached katara some brown girl makeup hacks bc she knows how hard it is to find makeup for brown skin. she used to take katara shopping too like she was like the big sister she never had 😭

then zhao did some shit and yue & her family had to move.

SO SOKKA HAD A CAMCORDER WHICH WAS HIS DAD'S AND HE USES IT TO RECORD RANDOM SHIT AND DAY TO DAY LIFE 😭. one of the tapes was sokka and zuko trying to bring up their TV up the stairs since they just brought it. suki was recording. sokka's hand slips and the tv goes down the stairs and breaks. it just gasps and a beat of slience 😭.

and POLAROIDS. SO MANY POLAROIDS.

NDJISNDCNUOXSANUAOXSXNOSAUONAXSUUONASXNUO YOU GENIUS YOU INCREDIBLE HUMAN EATING THIS SHOVING IT IN MY MOUTH THROWING UP!!!!

ohhhhhhhh this gives me so many ideas. I could rave about every single one of these. Katara yue Bestiesm yes pls sharing makeup + fashion ideas would be so them. The 90s college vibes in fic are always immaculate and THIS. Sokka would absolutely use a camcorder ohhhhh I can see it. Nothing has ever been more canon than that. Him recording so many little fun aspects of their life and he gives it as a present to the friend group- like a lil memories vhs thingy. ALSO THE POLAROIDSSSS YES YES. omg that’s immediately reminding me of the wonderful @petricorah ‘s All Time art of modern au zukka in a Polaroid. I need more vibes like this I’ll invest actually.

Also thank u for truthing abt Zuko mai and suki gothism bc it’s so important to me. Also that toph and katara anecdote IM ROLLINGGG. SHE WOULD 💀. like she is such A Little Shit and would make Katara’s life hell (also god forbid in a modern modern au someone gives her discord. she’d abuse the /tts command to its full potential.)

Also omg Gomez and morticia so true bc mai is the hot unbothered kick ass goth lady and Zuko just. follows her around. adores n admires. as he should.

oh and I saw this addition and wanted it to be in the same post cuz. it’s just so amazing I’m LAUGHINGGGG

THIS IS SO CANON SO TRUE THEY WOULD DESTROOOOYYY EACH OTHER FOR THOSE YEARBOOK PICTURES. and like. what’s funny is Zuko’s one is kinda canon. Iroh absolutely did his hair in hs bc that boy was an awkward mess and had no time to worry about his appearance.

this is literally giving me life omfg thank u for this

[goldrushzukka]

10, 17, 21, 29 🤔

hi my love

10. Is there a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

i never ever ever thought aidays would get the attention it did. granted it was originally supposed to be 3 chapters of angst-less romcom hijinks, so of course i didn't expect it to blow up as much as it has bc it also blew up in my own mind to become this huge story. the encouragement when i decided to expand it a bit was amazing, and even better was the theorising and close reading that came when i decided to expand it a Lot. (and this is so cheesy but thank you so much to you specifically michelle for loving aidays enough that i noticed and befriended you bc i would not have finished it without you ily)

17. What’s something you’ve learned about while doing research for a fic?

none of my writing has ever gone into much detail on anything technical so i dont really have a good answer for this except for all the times i learned americans have so many different words for things that really do not need a different word. also some irish-isms are so deeply ingrained in me that it takes saying them out loud in an american accent to hear how wrong it sounds for my narration.

21. Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why?

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

these two have the same answer so I'll just do them together. in my original draft of aidays11, the scene where sokka goes to get groceries actually had a zukka interaction. i wrote about 1.5k words and then realised i hated all of them and scrapped the scene entirely, and then that supermarket trip became just an excuse to get sokka outside into the rain for the sparks fly/how you get the girl climax moment. i won't post the full scene here bc i truly do actually hate most of it but here's some of it

His shoe squeaks on the linoleum when he stops dead in his tracks.  Zuko, examining the skin of a peach three feet away, looks up at the sound. “Oh,” he says, setting the peach down. Several expressions flash across his face, and Sokka can’t get a read on any of them. “Hey.” The first thing out of Sokka’s mouth, before he can stop it, before he can even think, is, “What are you doing here?” Zuko blinks at him. “Sorry, that was – sorry,” Sokka says. He shouldn’t get any closer, but he does, approaching the fruit stand and cutting the distance between them in half. Like that’ll help him think straight. “This is just – I mean, isn’t there a supermarket closer to your place? This is a little out of your way, isn’t it?” Okay, so there are less rude ways to ask that. Ways that don’t make it sound like Sokka’s being territorial about the fucking produce section. But Sokka doesn’t know how to talk about anything normal right now, especially not with Zuko, because all he can think about is last chances and leaps of faith and his own terrible, terrible wanting.  Is this what it’s going to be like forever? Unable to have a normal interaction without almost spilling every secret he’s ever had, every desire that holds his heart for ransom? Forever crushed under the foot of the elephant in the room? “Azula needs something specific for a recipe she’s working on,” Zuko says. He holds his hands by his sides in a way that Sokka thinks is very intentional. “Our place doesn’t have it. Well, no, it does, but I brought it home and she threatened me with a knife, so I guess our place doesn’t have the right one.” He smiles a little as he says it, and for a second, Sokka forgets about the last chances and the leaps of faith and the terribleness of his wanting. He forgets about Katara and Jet and Suki and the what-does-it-all-mean headache he’s had since waking.  For a second, Sokka is standing in the produce section and the man he loves is smiling at him. Zuko asks, “Do you know where the basil is?”

And Sokka says, “Yeah. Do you need it dried or fresh?” “Fresh, I think.” “Okay. This way.” Sokka leads him to the tiny garden section, right by a big window at the end of the frozen food section. It’s mostly flower bouquets and succulents, but there’s a handful of potted plants under a cheerful sign encouraging customers to start their own herb gardens.  Sokka hands a potted basil plant to Zuko. “There’s a little card in there that tells you how to take care of it.” “Oh, cool,” Zuko says. “Thank you.” “We had one for a little while,” Sokka says, astonished at himself for being able to carry this conversation as far as he has. “We kept it in Suki’s room.” “Your room gets better light, though.” Something awful and bright as a star twists inside Sokka’s chest. “Yeah, but Suki was the one who remembered to water it. And then Momo got at it, and we had to throw away two sets of sheets.” Zuko throws his head back laughing, the same way he did last night and a hundred times before then, and that awful star inside him expands, exploding as he thinks, maybe this is it.  But Zuko says, “Thanks. I’ll see you.” And it isn’t. Sokka lets him go, because what else is there to do? If Zuko wanted to stay, he would. If Zuko wanted to talk about last night, he would. If Zuko wanted to choose him, he would.

[serpentinearchitect17]

Just a short scene I wrote because Zutara has been occupying about 90% of my thoughts lately 😅

Side Note: This scene diverges from canon after the end of the war because damn it, Zuko and Katara will always end up together in whatever context, scene, or story I write. I’m also still working on my full fledged fanfic! I don’t want to give away too many details, but it is a Modern-Day AU with Lunar New Year celebrations, and an extreme amount of fluff and pining. I can’t wait to finally share it! I’m hoping for a late spring/early summer release on AO3, but that may be optimistic because I write about as fast as a snail-sloth.

Anyway, without further ado…

*****

~Zuko’s Favorite Color~

Three years after the end of the 100 Year War, the Gaang meets on Ember Island to spend the week together. Before leaving, Zuko asked Iroh to take over his Fire Lord duties for the time being, just so he could spend his holiday relaxing and enjoying his time with his friends.

They’re all lounging on the beach at the night, drinking tea around a fire.

After slurping her tea and setting the empty cup aside, Toph turns to the group.

“Let’s play a game,” she suggests. “The rules are simple. All you have to do is guess Sparky’s favorite color. The winner gets to have all of their meals paid for by him tomorrow.” She slaps Zuko, who’s sitting next to her, on the back. With a wicked grin, she continues, “And the loser has to plant one on him tonight, with his consent, of course.”

Zuko chokes on his tea. “Hey, wait a minute! None of that is even remotely fair,” he protests, gesturing wildly. He glares at the world’s greatest Earthbender with a scowl. “Either I have to dole out money or I have to give out a kiss. How does any of that benefit me? And why in Agni’s name would we play a game where you all guess my favorite color? It makes so sense!”

Sokka laughs. “Dude, you’re just afraid I’m gonna win and you’re gonna have buy me food. You’ve seen the way I eat - you’ll be out of money by the end of tomorrow!

Snorting, Zuko shakes his head. “Buddy, I think you’re afraid that you’re gonna lose and have to kiss me.”

“Psh, you’d be lucky to kiss me! I’m a real catch, aren’t I, Suki?”

Suki kisses her boyfriend’s cheek and coos, “You sure are.”

Impatiently, Toph sighs. “Are you in or not, Fire Lord? C’mon, you’re among friends. No one’s gonna hurt you. You can back out if you wanna, but I think it’ll be fun.”

Zuko knows she’s right. It’s all in good fun. These are his friends - the ones he’s trusted time and time again. No one would be cruel. Plus, if he’s being honest, he’s hoping that he’ll get to kiss a certain someone tonight. Someone he’s had a crush on for a long time.

“Fine,” Zuko mutters. “Go ahead.”

Toph gleefully rubs her hands together. “Excellent. Does everyone consent to the rules of the game?”

A chorus of ‘yeahs’, ‘yeses’, and ‘yeps’ goes around.

“Sweet,” Toph says. “I’ll go first. Sparky’s favorite color is…blue.”

Sokka nods sagely. “Yep, it’s 100% blue, no doubt about it.”

Suki chimes in with, “I agree. It’s totally blue.”

Aang hums, stroking his chin. “I think blue would be the correct answer here.”

It’s Katara’s turn. She furrows her brows and frowns. “Why are you all saying blue? His favorite color is obviously red! It’s the color of his homeland, and every article of clothing he owns has some shade of red in it!”

Zuko’s cheeks flush to a deep crimson. He feels himself sinking further into the sand. “Um…” he trails off, scrubbing his hands over his face. He’s not even sure how to respond.

Everyone looks at him expectantly.

Toph smirks. “So, Sparky, what is your favorite color?”

He knows he can’t lie. He’s never been able to, and he doesn’t think he could start now. He decides to give in, resigned to his fate.

Peeking between his fingers, he mumbles, “It’s…um…blue.”

Toph laughs uproariously. “Called it! And we all know why! See, you love blue because everything about it reminds you of Sugar Queen.”

Sokka makes a gagging sound, but offers his own explanation. “Blue is the color of her eyes, which you’re constantly drawn to, by the way. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

Suki smiles. “Blue is the color of the clothing that she wears.”

Finally, Aang wraps up the conversation with, “Blue is the color of water, which is the element that she bends.”

Katara has been silent this whole time, her entire face highlighted in a lovely, rosy hue. She only has eyes for Zuko right now.

Quietly, she stands from her spot and crosses over to him, sitting down beside him. “Is any of this true?” she asks him softly, an unreadable expression on her face.

A shaky breath leaves his lips, and he nods. “Yeah, all of it,” he answers honestly, feeling his heart thump wildly.

Then, to his complete dismay, she gives him breathtaking smile.

Her ocean blue eyes never leave his as she murmurs, “Now might be a good time to tell you my favorite two colors.” She pauses, leaning over to brush the hair out of his eyes. “Red and gold because they’ll always be a part of you, Zuko. Every time I see those colors, I immediately think of you.”

His gasp is low, but an enormous grin overtakes his face. “Really?”

“Really.” She turns back to the group, who’s been watching with rapt attention. With a gentle smirk, she shrugs. “Guess I lost the game. And I’m nothing if not a gracious loser.”

Zuko hears Sokka snort, but only focuses on Katara.

“Do you really want to kiss me?” he asks nervously, hands clenching the bottom of his tunic to keep them from shaking. “Because I want to kiss you. Spirits, do I ever want to. But, your comfort comes first to me, always. So, we can forget this whole thing if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“I want to,” she sighs dreamily. “I’ve been waiting three years. Don’t make me wait any more.”

With that, they both lean and their lips touch. Finally.

As they continue to kiss, Zuko vaguely registers the sounds of claps, hollers, and an indignant whine of, “Dude, that’s my sister!” in the background.

Eventually, Katara pulls back to catch her breath, leaving Zuko in a dazed state.

She giggles, presses a light kiss to his scarred cheek, and says, “I think you may need to tap into the Fire Nation’s budget tomorrow. Your personal finances aren’t going to look so good with all of those mouths to feed.”

His eyes widen and dart to his friends, who all wave back at him smugly.

Groaning, he wraps his arm around her waist to pull her closer.

He addresses the group. “You’re all the worst. But…” he trails off to kiss the top of Katara’s head. “This stupid game was worth it.”

[creampuffqueen]

Random Unfinished Sukka Fic

so i was cleaning out my old docs and stumbled upon this random sukka moment that i wrote a while back. i have zero idea where i was originally going with it, so the likelihood of me finishing it is pretty slim. but it's short and very cute so i thought why not just throw it out here; people might enjoy it

sukka cuteness below the cut

In the few days since they got back from the Boiling Rock, Sokka and Suki have been practically attached at the hip. 

Not that Suki’s complaining, of course.

She was so alone in that prison, that place. Separated from the other Kyoshi warriors, the girls she’d come to love as her sisters. 

She’d been alone, isolated from the outside world, no clue about what was happening. She didn’t even know what day it was half the time. 

And then Sokka and Zuko had arrived, and suddenly she wasn’t alone anymore.

They were out.

And now, Suki was currently in front of a campfire, wrapped in a blanket despite the warm summer weather, head leaning on Sokka’s shoulder like she didn’t have a care in the world. 

His arm rested on her own shoulder, and he planted soft kisses on top of her head, as if he’d been doing that his whole life. Suki could get used to this, she decided, eyes fluttering closed as Sokka’s lips found a place on her forehead.

“Okay, even I know what’s going on, and I’m blind,” Toph groaned. “Enough with the PDA, Snoozles.”

“Hey!” Sokka protested. “Last time I checked, it’s not illegal for a guy to kiss his girlfriend.”

Toph made a face and said something else that Suki decided was probably best she couldn’t hear over the crackling embers. 

She was tired. They all were, really. The countdown until Sozin’s Comet was growing ever smaller, every passing day seeming to add yet another layer of stress to the group. 

And although she was sure she could fall asleep right here, in Sokka’s arms, Suki managed to pull herself away with a large yawn.

“It’s late. I’m heading to bed.”

Sokka helped her up, ever the gentleman, keeping their fingers entwined even though her tent was hardly a few feet away. 

That was the thing about being with Sokka, Suki had already discovered. Some part of him was always touching a part of her.

He held her hand wherever she went, smiling as he placed a kiss on her knuckles that made her blush. His arm on her shoulder, a hand on her waist, legs tangled together wherever they sat, like they could never get close enough. 

She ducked inside the tent, not letting go of Sokka’s hand as she did, keeping him close beside her.

“I swear to the spirits, you’d better not-” Toph shouted outside, though Suki just ignored the girl. 

The tent was small, cozy. Suki couldn’t complain; she’d spent nights in far worse. Her bedroll was laid out neatly, and she tossed the blanket on top of it as she sat down. Otherwise, the tent was empty, all of her worldly possessions lost long ago. 

Sokka sat before her, cross legged like she was, knees touching. Their hands were still joined in the middle, both of them lingering, unwilling to go. 

There were no words spoken between them as they leaned together at the same moment. No need to, as Sokka’s hand gently cupped her face while their lips met. 

The kiss was slow, gentle, unrushed. Like they had all the time in the world. It was like she was floating.

They stayed like that for a long while, his fingers soft as they stroked her cheek. She thought she could have stayed like that forever.

When they finally pulled apart for air, neither moved away. Suki rested her head against his, pulling their still-clasped hands upwards to place a kiss on his knuckles. 

“Goodnight.” Sokka finally whispered, fingers tracing her jaw.

“Goodnight.” Suki breathed against his mouth, kissing one corner of his lips, then the other. 

---

well there you go. enjoy!

[zombiethingy]

all i want is the here and now - sandwiched

For day three of @zukki-week: non-sexual intimacy/relaxing

wc: 647 | rated: T (for language and to be safe) tags: modern au, slice of life, feelings realization [AO3 link] [prologue] [previous part] [next part]

4 weeks, 6 days, and 8 hours after moving in the apartment of their dreams with Suki and Sokka, Zuko finds himself caught between his two roommates on the couch.

They were having a movie night. Zuko got to choose what they watched, and apparently, he's the only one who cares about the movie anymore, because Suki and Sokka abandoned every pretence a while ago in favour of burring their faces into Zuko's neck on either side.

It's a little surreal and a little strange and a lot confusing.

But what was he supposed to do when both of them inched closer independently, ending up cuddled into his side after a while? What was he supposed to do when Sokka squeezed his hand behind his back to move even closer? And how was he ever supposed to change anything when he finally got the courage to drape his arm around Suki and she let out a content hum that he felt? Was he supposed to then push them away suddenly when they let their head rest against him too? Or when their hands met on his chest, holding onto him but also onto each other? Surely not.

So he lets them get as comfortable as they want to against him, lets them cuddle him and hold each other, enjoying his place in the middle.

And he gives his best not to feel guilty about it or as if he's taking too much, tries to silence the voice inside telling him, how he doesn't deserve this much affection. Because he's not that touch-starved teenager anymore that soaked up even the tiniest amount of attention he could get. He's not. Ever since he found those people who actually like him and tell and show him so freely. And especially not after Sokka started to integrate regular hugs back into their lives and Suki started to do his hair for him.

But by Agni, does it feel good to be sandwiched by both of them as closely as he is now.

So, he lets himself have it, allows his body to relax and soak up their warmth and closeness. He doesn't even flinch when Suki's hand somehow finds its way into his hair and Sokka's underneath his shirt. It all just increases the closeness, and the good feelings. And, if he's being honest, it's exactly what he needed too.

Eventually, he even lets his hand move up and down Suki's side, drawing patterns with his fingers and occasionally scratching his nails along. He would also like to stroke Sokka's hair, but he's leaning onto his arm and moving it from between them now feels cruel. He settles for reaching over as far as he comfortably can with his hand and resting it against Sokka's thigh.

They snuggle in even closer after a while, reaching out to hold each other around the waist and essentially trapping him in between.

And despite it being a movie he really wanted to show his friends, and have them like it, he doesn't find it in himself to be annoyed about them falling asleep on him. Suki's quiet snoring and Sokka's mumbling are somehow too cute to be mad about. For once in his life, he feels certain that there will be other opportunities, more evenings the three of them are going to spend together, and other times to watch the movie. So all he does is some scooting around to get comfortable, and more importantly, be a better cushion, watches his movie while his roommates somehow cuddle even closer, and eventually starts dozing of too.

His last thought before he falls asleep, is how he hopes that he'll get to feel this safe and loved for the rest of his life. And how friends might not be the term he really wants to use for Suki and Sokka in the future – neither is roommates.