#plant dad zuko

[five-flavor-soup]

The funniest bit of the entire Fire Nation royal family is how stupid some of their decision are, yet somehow they keep working out in their favour?? Like Sozin loses his boyfriend (the Avatar. The one who keeps the balance) by suggesting the Fire Nation goes to war, and then the Fire Nation goes to war anyway. Ozai’s nephew dies in a presumably horrific way and he believes that’s a brilliant moment to ask his dad to make him next in line to the throne, and when that backfires, his wife saves him and their kids and he manages to become Firelord anyway. Iroh decides the best place to lie low and start a life outside of the war is to hide in the city he, personally, laid a 600 day siege on and become a renowned tea maker, and this would’ve worked out had his niece not taken over the city. He also wants tea SO BADLY while on the run that he canonically takes his chances on a potentially incredibly deadly plant (it’s the deadly plant) and he survives. Zuko’s numerous Impulsive and Arguably Bad Decisions that Somehow Work Out Anyway compile into a list so long I’d have to add a readmore to this post. Iroh II proceeds to prove he really is Zuko’s grandson and thinks it a good plan to firepunch a bomb, before deciding to take down a whole squad of airplanes by like, figuring out how to fly one as it’s flying and doing some good firebending to destroy the planes, and he somehow manages to make it work.

Azula appears to be the only one in the family who didn’t get the strong version of the “Make Impulsive and Dumb Plans that can Never Work Out but Do Somehow”-gene (thanks to Ursa’s DNA probably) and she still lost, largely because of elements outside of her control. Imagine being the spawn of the family who fosters all of the ‘best’ traits present in the line (resourceful, highly intelligent, physically powerful) and you still lose to the uncle who thought it brilliant to become popular in a city that hates him and the brother whose plans can all be summed up as “fuck around; find out; success”, because you didn’t plan for something that ended up occurring but you couldn’t ever have expected. I, too, would cry.

#the royal fire family is tragic and hilarious and i stand by that #atla #avatar: the last airbender #fire lord sozin #ozai #general iroh #zuko #azula #iroh ii

[the-badger-mole]

If the members of the Gaang were all content creators on YouTube, what would their individual channels be about?

Ooo...so I vaguely remember answering a similar ask like two years ago or something like that. I don't know if that actually happened, or if it was a conversation I was part of, or a really vivid dream. If it is something I've answered before, I will not swear that these are the exact same answers as the first time.

Katara: Foraging. She has a very popular, but very niche channel explaining how to find edible plants in the wild. Her fans joke that she is secretly a doomsday prepper, but in reality she is aware of how fast someone can become food insecure or homeless and her goal is to help at least a few people facing that reality get by.

Sokka: Hunting and gaming. A lot of his YT content is cross posted from his Twitch channel. He does a lot of video game streaming, but on occasion, he'll post video he takes from camping and hunting with his dad. Katara joins occasionally (or he and their father will appear in her videos), but it's mostly something he and his father share. Those hunting videos are rare (like less than 5 posts a year), but they are his most popular videos because of how genuinely sweet he and Hakoda are together.

Toph: I see her being really into drumming in a universe where she has a YT account, so her content would mostly be play alongs, or original works. She might even become another Dave Grohl.

Zuko: I don't see him being a YT personality himself, but he's actually really good at video editing, so he might help Iroh, who has a Mister Rogers style show.

Suki: She has a cult following for her self defense videos. She has a series where she shows women simple moves to incapacitate attackers. One day she invites three women who have survived various situations (domestic abuse, a mugging, encountering a random man in the woods) where they used self defense techniques they learned from Suki, and Suki's channel takes off too the point where she can make YT her full time job.

Aang: he starts off doing reviews of vegan restaurants that's getting decent enough views, but then he veers into more militant vegan content. A lot of his subscribers drop off, but the ones that remain are intensely loyal.

#atla #the gaang as youtubers

[linnoya-writes]

Zutara Childhood-Friends-to-Lovers Alter-Egos Forbidden-Romance AU (part II)

It was Zuko's idea, to write the first letter.

It had arrived to the Southern Water Tribe by a very cold and shivering messenger hawk, folded by wax stamp of a blue theatrical demon mask nobody had recognized. Nobody, except Katara, and she tried to keep her pounding heart from giving herself and her childhood friend away.

In the years that they had been allies, Katara only recalled the Fire Nation sending messenger hawks to the arctic tundra under dire circumstances (an island's epidemic in need of more healers, a village's drought in desperate need for ice)... and so she noticed the brilliance of her friend's gesture easily. How, in spite of their feuding nations, there was no need to let an innocent creature freeze to death by being turned away as soon as it arrived.

It was Sokka who read the content of the letter. "Her name is Caiduri. She likes fish." Their father had been with the tribal council, and so Sokka was left to decipher the significance of this letter and the writer. "We're supposed to keep this enemy bird?" Sokka deduced. But Katara jumped in immediately to calm Caiduri's annoyed ruffling of feathers, and the bird seemed to find a home on the girl's pelted arm. "She's not our enemy! She's sweet. And she should stay with us until the summer solstice." That meant they would have the bird for months, and Sokka shook his head in disbelief.

"Dad's not gonna like this."

"Well, Dad doesn't have a choice, does he?" She smirked at her brother knowingly.

"Yeah. Well don't get too attached to it. Once it goes back, it's not coming back here."

"It's a she, stupid." But Sokka had already left their hut before he could hear that. Katara groaned, but then yelped as the bird started nipping at her ear. And it hit her that she suddenly had something to take care of-- something else, anyway.

After feeding her the last scraps of their salmon dinner, Katara took Caiduri out with a lantern towards the snowy forest that encompassed the tribal village-- a forest that sang of screeching snowy owl-cats and howling distant polar bear-wolves. The girl had grown accustomed to these sounds, they didn't phase her anymore... but the bird perched on her shoulder trembled from all of the new.

"Don't worry-- you're safe here." Katara reassured, grazing the birds' feathers with a finger. "I just want you to see what I've been working on since the summer."

The little lantern light directed Katara towards a centuries-old pine tree, its trunk leaning back as if basking in the blanket of stars. The tree was as thick as the Fire Nation eastern redwoods that Katara had seen as a child... and it was that memory that had granted her the idea: a tree that thick must have a village of roots underneath, so vast, it can bring up soil a good distance away. And so Katara had searched for a cavern... a bungalow... any place where animals had long abandoned and could still shelter soil and warmth for a foreign seed. Her plum seed was precious; she couldn't just plant it half-heartedly. She tested potential spots with local shrub seeds, first, and then, if it succeeded... with cranberry bushes... and finally, in a little damp bungalow a short hike west of the leaning pine, Katara boldly planted Zuko's gift. All she did was give water and a prayer.

She had done this every night, for weeks.

And when Katara introduced Caiduri to her secret bungalow, the seed's stem was beginning to sprout. Tiny leaves were shining against the lantern light like dew drops.

Katara let the hawk scrunch into her warm pelted hood.

She couldn't help but laugh, thinking that Zuko had been the one to beat her at the first message, the first gift.

It was only because her gift was taking a bit longer to make, and she would've sent it through a private courier or a a stowaway shipment towards the islands. She would've found someone to vouch for her, made up some story to get this gift to the palace after so many levels of clearance.

But Katara had to give it to Zuko; the hawk was a brilliant idea.

By summer solstice, Caiduri returned to the Fire Nation palace. A tiny tropical plum neatly wrapped around the bird's leg. The image of a woman's face obscured by a veiled hat was the first thing Zuko recognized, drawn with ink on the wrapping.

Zuko tried to hide his grin while his uncle and his advisors tried to decipher the strange message.

"As it turns out... she likes plums, too."

#zutara fic #zutara au #atla #zutara #prince zuko #katara

[sokkastyles]

Soooo, life happened and I didn't get as much writing done as I wanted to get done. I don't have a finished fic to bring today but I do have a short sneak peek at what I've been working on for @zkmythicalcreaturesweek Day 2: Werewolves and Vampires. I plan to post the actual finished fic eventually.

Sort of loosely based on the videogame The Quarry.

As the evening grew long and cool, Katara followed Zuko up the hill, pausing when she spotted a patch of purple fireweed and kneeling down to snap off the stems, to use later. If she were with a group of campers, then she might have stopped to use this as a teaching moment, to talk about the old ways of her tribe, to discuss the plant’s uses and to thank the earth for its blessings. Fireweed meant life was returning to a place. When the flowers went to seed, it meant summer was finally over. They still had some time, yet.

Zuko stopped and turned to watch her.

"You know, I always envied the way everything was so sacred to you. I don't have that."

"Yeah, you do," she said, thinking of the way he looked during his xiaolin classes with the kids. How happy, like he'd forgotten the rest of the world existed. “The kids love you. That. That’s sacred. And you love them, too. And this place. That’s why you keep coming here.”

"Nah," Zuko shook his head. "I just had to get the fuck away from my dad's house. That's what those summers meant to me. Like an escape." He punctuated the last word by breaking an overhanging branch that obscured the path ahead and tossed it several yards into the trees.

Katara thought about the summer he didn't get away.

It was the summer after sixth grade, when the girls’ and boys’ cabins came together at dinner on the first night. Zuko was nowhere to be seen for the first time since she'd started coming here every summer since she’d been eight. She'd been glad, then, that she didn't have to deal with Zuko trying to compete with her in sparring and fencing and canoeing that summer. All summer free of his arrogant bragging and volatile temper.

Then the next summer he'd returned, more arrogant and angry than ever, with that scar on his face.

Katara looked away from him. "It's getting dark."

She wasn't sure when her feelings towards Zuko had started to change, when he'd stopped being competition, stopped being that bratty kid, and started being something else.

Neither of them were kids anymore, and seeing Zuko with the campers this morning had made that clear, too. Zuko was one of the rocks here at camp, one of the best councilors she'd ever met. He cared about the kids, and this place, no matter what he said.

She wondered, as she followed his retreating back down the path towards camp, if her feelings had something to do with guilt about that summer. She didn't know the details about the scar that covered most of the left side of his face, but she did know Zuko was telling the truth when he said his home life had been bad. That situation had gotten better, at least. Was it his uncle that he and his sister lived with now? She couldn’t really remember, and that was when she realized that she didn’t really know Zuko, not as well as she should.

Part of her still felt responsible for how much she had hated him when they were kids. Even though it didn't matter. Even though Zuko had clearly forgotten.

Ahead of her on the path, Zuko froze, his body poised perfectly still. "Did you hear that?" He said, almost like a whisper.

Katara could hear the faint rustling of branches as a light breeze tousled Zuko’s hair. The sounds of crickets, heralds for the coming night. Nothing else.

"N-" But then she did hear it. A long, low howl, somewhere in the distance.

#zutara #zkmythicalcreaturesweek #day 2: werewolves and vampires #zuko #katara #my fic

[my-decade]

my thoughts on Netflix's ATLA live action

As an adult who watched this show growing up and was there for the countdown to the comet (iykyk!!) I have thoughts!

Best: Zuko. angsty, teenage boy depression, father issues, determined to a self-destructive degree. The actor is great at capturing all these facets of Zuko's conflicting, complex character. Really great with the choreography/martial arts too. Its not easy to pull off Zuko's mostly shaven but with a ponytail haircut, but this actor manages it. And yes, the opening scene with him seeing the beam of light from the iceberg and saying, "Finally." did give me some chills. Honestly the actor just captures Zuko really well. Great casting.

Worst: Katara. has the personality of an elegant yet unassuming well watered house plant. Its more because of the writing than the actress… she's doing her best with this depressing egg whites version of Katara she's had thrusted upon her. It's not going to be convincing when Toph comes along next season and calls her sugar queen.

Aang: never has any fun. spends every episode staring into the distance being sorrowful and melancholic. *teardrop rolls down cheek* he is a depressed 40 year old in the body of a 12 year old. He has no fun side to him anymore- an important side for a 12 year old kid to have! Also spends the entirety of season one (you know, titled "water"!) and doesn't learn a lick of waterbending, not even from Katara, who spends a lot of it learning from the waterbending scroll!! Why??? However the actor is doing a great job and I think he captures Aang's essence really well. He is young and I think next season he will improve a lot.

Sokka: I almost forgot to write thoughts down for him, which I think says more than anything else. He's essentially been boiled down to the same old overprotective big brother, but now he comes complete with daddy issues. It's a little hilarious that Katara's worst memory is watching her mom get burned alive by a firebender soldier while Sokka's is hearing his dad say he's disappointed with him. Kind of ruins the moment tbh. They really took all the fun aspects of the main Gaang and dulled them down completely, its sad. At least he's cute though- and imo, the chemistry with Suki's actress was there.

The previous avatars: every single one meets Aang just to berate & yell at him and tell him he shouldn't have friends and where has he been for the past 100 years without giving him a second to speak. What?? Sadly it seems any dignity, grace, or wisdom the previous avatars had in the original, has been completely wiped out in this live action. Also, this idea of them telling Aang about things that are going to happen makes no sense. Did no previous avatar tell Roku his friend was going to betray him, let him die on the island, and start a 100 year long war? Also the idea of Aang being able to communicate ONLY if he's in one of their temples is stupid. What is the point of the avatar state, then? Will Roku be able to teach him anything at all?

Princess Yue: yes I wrote an entire paragraph about her lol. She is one of my favorite minor characters. I think they wanted her to look so accurate to her original counterpart that she just looks too much like a cosplayer, with such a stiff and lifeless looking wig. This is the one and only time I will concede I prefer M. Night's version of Yue as far as costuming goes, though both funnily enough forget her eyebrows shouldn't be dark. The actress was fine. But this version of Yue is quite a different person from og Yue, I can't really compare. Plus, it feels like we see her for a good 10 minutes before she dies for the moon spirit. I couldn't buy into her and Sokka having feelings for each other because it felt like they knew each other for a good 2 hours at most. Ideally, I think these two versions kind of fused together would be perfect.

Azula/Mai/Ty Lee: Grouping them together because. Azula is the most unconvincing out of the characters for me. I don't buy that this girl is supposed to be the princess Azula for a second. I'm neither intrigued nor intimidated, and that's pretty bad as Azula was one of my top favorite characters from the original. The costume is fine, the wig feels cheap, her dialogue is horrendous, the actress can't convince me. Azula isn't smart or cunning, sharp, or collected, and her "working with Zhao" just made her look dumb when the entire plan flopped. She is a whiny, petulant little girl stamping her feet in every other scene. It's not for me. Also, the way her relationship with Ozai is depicted here makes Ozai look like a loser, too. It's like they want us to not be afraid of either of them.

As for Mai and Ty Lee. Ty Lee is fine. She looks okay, the actress is fine for how little we see her. On Mai, the wig is just so bad I don't get what happened. It's like they're struggling on the line of being realistic with the styling, or leaning completely in cartoon-character-came-to-life. I don't think the actress for Mai here was a good choice.

Dialogue: the worst part of this show. When they're not completely quoting word for word from the original, it's.. just bad. Everything is always exposition and thats not good. The few moments that aren't are just... idk.

CGI: not bad. I was expecting worse. Fire, earth, and air all look great. Water feels a little slow, mostly when its just water and not ice but that can be improved I assume. Koh was pretty cool, as was Wan Shi Tong.

Settings: Beautiful!! Omashu looked great. South and North water tribes looked great. Ozai's throne room looked incredible and I was annoyed every time we see it, he is just standing around and not sitting on his throne. It just reminded me how amazing the buildup to Ozai and Azula's reveals were in og season 1.

Costume: Its either a hit or a miss. There's strangley not much in between. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Zuko, Iroh, June, Ozai, Jet, Suki, the Kyoshi warriors, all look pretty great. Then you have characters like Azula, Mai, or Yue, who just look like half decent cosplayers. It kind of takes you out of the moment when it looks like the person is a cartoon character, rather than just a normal person. For example, compare how Katara looks compared to Azula.

Music: of course it was fantastic. A lot of it (I think most) was from the original show, which has one of the greatest soundtracks an animated show has ever had imo.

Final thoughts: Ultimately, it was kind of what I was expecting. You can't condense 20+ episodes worth of development into 8 and expect it all to flow perfectly. However, there are also a lot of changes that really don't make sense to me. I am very curious to know how on earth they will do seasons 2 and 3, as season 1 is the slowest in pace compared to the next two seasons. The original's finale was split into four episodes! Unless they add more episodes for next season, it's going to be a big jumbled mess of lore being shoved into our faces. I am also concerned about Toph. The Gaang so far has been stripped of their fun/unique personality traits. Is Toph going to be the same?

#atla #avatar the last airbender #netflix's atla #personal

[kyra-writes-too-much]

Boiling Rage - Part 1

thanks for the request!!!!

@tobitofunction

“Saw that your open for Zuko request, maybe something about Zuko leaving Mai for the reader and Mai confronting Zuko about it in the boiling rock while reader is there was well”

I loved this idea so i wrote a lot of background too lol here’s part 1! lmk what u guys think in the comments!!! updates maybe a little slow cuz i’m trying to juggle all-honors classes, club softball, theater, and writing so please be patient, thank you! <3

word count 1.1k

~ ~ ~

You wake up to the sound of Zuko’s voice. 

“How are you going to get there, on Appa? Last time I checked, prisons don’t have bison daycares.”

This is followed by sigh. Presumably Sokka’s, because he isn’t in his sleeping bag either. 

“We’ll take my war balloon.”

What?

Zuko and Sokka are leaving? 

Not without me, they’re not, you think. 

You know the location of the balloon, and decide to follow the boys on their excursion. You silently slip out of your sleeping bag, and scale the wall of the cliffs surrounding the Western Air Temple. The forest is easy for you to navigate, as you often come there to hunt for meat and collect edible plants. And as a former Kyoshi Warrior, the obstacles and underbrush don’t deter you too much. In no time at all, you make it to the clearing where the war balloon is. 

Zuko and Sokka don’t arrive for ten more minutes. When you hear them coming, you crouch in the balloon's basket. 

“Okay, here it- AHH! Y/N!?” 

You collapse in a fit of giggles at the look on your boyfriend’s face. Sokka appears behind him, gaping at you in shock. 

Zuko takes a breath, quickly regaining his composure. “Y/N?” he repeats. “What are

you doing here?”

“Waiting for you guys, obviously,” you reply nonchalantly. “You said that you were taking the war balloon.”

Sokka gives you a smile. “So you’re coming to help?” 

“Uhh, yeah. What am I helping with exactly?”

While Sokka explains the plan to liberate his dad, Zuko gets the balloon ready to fly. When he’s all set and you’re caught up to speed, Zuko starts to firebend and the balloon takes off. 

You yawn, tired from getting little sleep. Sitting against the edge of the basket, you close your eyes and let the sweet darkness of sleep wash over you. 

~ ~ ~

“Pretty clouds,” Sokka says awkwardly, attempting to start a conversation with Zuko. 

“Yeah,” Zuko responds. “Fluffy.”

Sokka starts whistling a tune. 

“What?” Zuko asks, aggravated.

“What? I didn’t… say anything,” Sokka responds. “You know, a friend of mine actually designed these balloons.”

“No kidding.”

“Yep. A balloon, but for war.”

“If there’s one thing my dad’s good at, it’s war.”

“Yeah, it seems to run in the family,” Sokka agrees accusingly. 

“Hey, hold on, not everyone in my family is like that,” Zuko retorts.  

“I know, I know, you’ve changed,” Sokka says, attempting to diffuse the tension. 

“I meant my uncle,” Zuko mutters. “He was more of a father to me. And I really let him down.” 

“I think your uncle would be proud of you. Leaving your home to come help us, that’s hard.”

“It wasn’t that hard,” Zuko admits. 

“Really, you didn’t leave behind anyone that you cared about?”

“I had a girlfriend, but we broke up. I have Y/N now, though.” He looked at your sleeping form fondly. 

“Is that why you broke up with…”

“Mai? Yeah.”

“Huh. That gloomy girl who sighs a lot?” 

“Yeah. I… never really loved her the way I should’ve, but Y/N…” he trails off.

“How’d you meet her, anyway?”

Zuko laughs wryly. “The first time we met, I accidentally burnt down her village. But we met again in Ba Sing Se, when I was working in my uncle’s tea shop. She was kind to me, and at first I pushed her away, but… she was persistent. And eventually, I realized that I loved her. And then we met again here, and, you know.”

“Yeah.”

“What about you?” Zuko asks. “Do you…”

“My first girlfriend turned into the moon.”

“That’s rough, buddy.”

~ ~ ~

“There it is!” 

You sit up groggily, and Sokka jumps up excitedly. 

“There’s plenty of steam to keep us covered. As long as we’re quiet, we should be able to navigate through it without being caught,” Zuko informs. 

You get up and stand beside the boys as you enter the steam cloud. The heat covers you like a wet blanket. And then the balloon starts dropping. 

“We’re going down!” Zuko hisses. “The balloon’s not working anymore!” 

“The air inside is just as hot as the air outside so we can’t fly!” Sokka replies. 

The balloon lists to the side, and you’re all thrown against the wall of the basket. You’re pressed into Zuko, who wraps an arm around you protectively. 

“So what are we supposed to do?” your boyfriend says. 

“I don’t know, crash landing?”

“Careful not to touch the water,” you warn. “It may splash up on impact.”

The water grows closer until you hit it with a splash. Sokka didn’t listen to your advice, and he yelps as the water hits his hand. 

A moment later, the balloon crashes into the shore. You all tumble out of the basket in a tangle of limbs.

As Sokka and Zuko argue about the Water Tribe boy’s impulsiveness, you take in the environment surrounding you. The prison is enormous and imposing, the top of the walls barely visible through the thick steam.

Maybe this wasn’t a good idea, you realize. 

~ ~ ~

“I hope these disguises work,” Zuko says. You slide down the visor of your helmet. 

“I’m sure they will. Stop worrying, we’ll be fine,” you assure him, squeezing his hand tightly. He gives you a small smile through the helmet’s visor, which you return. 

Suddenly, a group of guards runs by the door. “Guards, there’s a scuffle in the yard! Come on,”  calls one of the actual prison guards. You all look at each other, but follow, jogging to keep up. 

The scuffle in the yard is “resolved”, and Sokka goes to escort the prisoner to the coolers (whatever that means), but not before saying to meet back there in an hour. 

“You! Come help get the prisoners back to their cells!” one of the older guards orders. With a start, you realize he’s talking to you. 

Zuko draws in a sharp breath, but you just whisper, “See you in an hour,” and hurry after the guard. 

~ ~ ~ 

You’re gone for much more than an hour. You didn’t realize the sheer number of prisoners before. You you did gain some information about what times the prisoners are fed, and let into the yard, and when they’re forced into jobs like mopping the floors, but   it’s nearly dark by the time you’re done. As soon as you can, you go to look for the boys. 

After a while searching, you finally spot Sokka  in the dining hall. 

“Hey, guard. What’s up?” you greet him. 

“Y/N! Thank the spirits you’re ok. Where were you?” 

“I was doing guards jobs,” you mutter. “Where’s Zuko?”

Sokka frowns. “He’s kind of… in a cooler right now?”

#zuko x reader #prince zuko #atla #avatar the last airbender #zuko x y/n

[winter-tospring]

OKAY OKAY EPISODE 6 OF LIVE ACTION ATLA????? I will hear no slander they gave us EVERYTHING you could want to make all the sore spots hit harder. INCREDIBLE additions i am blown away!!!

The AGNI KAI🥹🥹🥹 I was excited/afraid to see more of it here but oh FUCK it delivered 😭 Seeing Zuko struggle and get the upper hand but pause and choose to not hurt his father!!!! Ozai getting the advantage back and fucking going for him and burning him on the shoulder first but then actually TALKING TO HIM, PAUSING AND EXPLAINING WHAT HE'S DOING BASICALLY.????? This is not just a random place he burned Zuko, he PAUSES AND CHOOSES to parallel Zuko's "weakness" by punishing him where Zuko could have hurt him seconds before. He fucking leans in and talks and Zuko has time to understand what's gonna happen. It's horrifying. He burns his face slowly and with backed intention like FUCK. This makes his burn even more horrible. A cruel constant reminder of what Ozai wants from Zuko, that Zuko doesn't want to be. GOD THEY DID SO FUCKING WELL WITH THIS. It is sooooo satisfying in the story.

AANG AND ZUKO GETTING TO ACTUALLY TALK AFTER ESCAPING!!!!! First of all Aang is so cute. It's so sweet how he attempts to break the ice. Gordon and Dallas are amazing in their roles, they embody Aang and Zuko so flawlessly, it's so great to watch. I thought for a second Aang was gonna ask him how he got the scar, aw. Instzad they bond over calligraphy and the rigorous nature of their training 😭 Planting seeds of friendship that Aang is so quick to latch onto and have hope from. I've been loving seeing the nuances of Zuko being clearly different from Fire Nation officials, how the words his dad repeated to him vome back out his mouth really only he's angry or depressed. In this scene, at first, his guard is lower and he is softer. You can hear his desperation so often when he talks to Iroh or when he's angry, too. You can tell that he doesn't believe in the words of his father, but is only repeating them because they feel like the only, even if terrible, way to home.

Man, Aang even gets to pull a smile from him. I feel for Aang so much. All his lovely advice relayed from his beloved Gyatso... He tries so hard. 🙁 It killllllls me that we got a scene with him and Gyatso in the spirit world where he is told exactly what we all want him to hear: it's not his fault 😭 god it felt like such pure fanfic satisfactory moments. Aang deserves this so much. If he'd stayed, he couldn't have saved everyone and would've felt guilty too. He probably would've been killed. I WISH Gyatso could've just been there for another conversation but of course, angst 😭😭😭 he said the right words. He was there and Aang knows he loves him and doesn't hold what happened against him. I'm so glad we got that. 😢

I'm sitting on these last two episodes before continuing with the finale but MAN, this show was made with so much love and passion for the characters, it drives me insane that Tumblr is so obtuse about it. You can choose to focus what's being added, not what has to be cropped for very understandable reasons.

Which, BY THE WAY, i loved that scene when Zuko and Iroh are trying to get info at a tavern and the villagers are all mentioning what they heard from the Avatar. They're mentioning episodes that haven't been included in the show and it's such a cool way to acknowledge those extra events happening without having to show it.

#la atla #Live action ATLA #avatar the last airbender #Atla #atla la #atla live action

[peony-pearl]

Zuko mentions to Ursa he would like for his little siblings to come to the Fire Nation to enjoy the summer festival.

By saying ‘siblings’ she knows he’s talking about Chiyo and Katsu - Ozai’s children.

Ursa, Noren and Kiyi have taken residence at the Fire Nation palace for years now, ever since Ursa was discovered on the outskirts of Hira’a. Once Zuko got the information out of Ozai just over ten years ago where his mother had taken up residence, he was escorted there by Aang to reunite with her. Ursa did not hesitate to return to her children once Zuko lifted her banishment, and she was a key figure in Azula’s recovery.

When Ozai broke out of prison, Ursa was a driving force in trying to find him after he threatened Azula’s life. Knowing he was out there, free, for the past decade has haunted her.

And then, just two years ago, Zuko and Azula received news of his whereabouts... and they found him with the help of Aang, Katara and June.

And they let him keep his freedom.

Zuko’s explanation of the events sounded like a bad dream. Ursa listened to her boy, whom Ozai had savagely scarred as a child, defend his decision after seeing Ozai happy out in some Earth Kingdom farm with a new family.

She was speechless. Zuko had left children in the midst of this monster.

Azula was the one who was more critical of her father’s new life. She vented to Ursa about the pain of seeing him so happy with this naive, sheltered woman who decided to stay with Ozai even after learning about his past. Regardless, Azula would eventually begin receiving letters from both the woman, Niwa, and from her younger sister, Chiyo.

And then Zuko dropped the bombshell.

Chiyo was an Airbender.

Ursa spoke to Aang upon his return with Zuko and Azula. He seemed over the moon, to not only learn there was another Airbender in the world, but she was the descendant of one of Aang’s fellow Southern Air Temple residents, and this revelation gave him hope that there could be more Airbenders in waiting out in the world.

And yet, despite all of this... Ursa could only remember the man who who began denying her as a wife when his lust for the crown became stronger; the man who planted the seeds of lies to his daughter of her being a monster, seeds that blossomed into a beautiful, deadly flower. A flower that he ripped out of it’s garden bed and crushed under his boot when she was no longer useful. And Zuko, the son that he turned against and berated and scolded when all he ever did was his best, until the day he finally tried to step into more assertive shoes earned him a permanently damaged eye.

“So...” Zuko begins to speak. “I’ve thought about inviting dad and Niwa and the kids. I’ll make sure he doesn’t come around you, or Noren or Kiyi. But... he’s kept his end of his promise so far. I’ve thought it was only fair to extend a hand back to him.”

Ursa knew the promise: to write to Zuko and Azula, and to maintain a form of communication on a regular basis.

Zuko also regularly received letters from Niwa and Chiyo, and each one ensured truth to Ozai’s words. Even Azula, who often worried that Ozai was telling Chiyo what to write, would read her little sister’s letters that contained questions and thoughts only a seven year old could ask.

Ursa sighs as Zuko makes his case; he stumbles as he sees his mother’s unhappiness. “I-I can have them stay on the other side of the palace,” he says. Azula sits next to Ursa; Aang sits next to her.

Azula squeezes her mother’s hand. “Or we don’t have to invite him.”

Zuko nods, albeit reluctantly, to his sister’s suggestion. Azula becomes miffed.

“Why are you so adamant to see him here?”

“I’m not! I just-”

“You’ve asked every year since we found him if he can visit.”

“That’s only two years, Azula,” Zuko sighs. “Uncle’s been asking about him too.”

“Well, Uncle’s senile,” Azula crossed her arms.

“Azula,” Ursa gently admonished her daughter, who turned her gaze away as she pouted.

Aang touched Azula’s knee, but remained focused on Zuko. “Maybe just invite the kids?”

Zuko shook his head. “Katsu is only two, and to give up her kids so suddenly for a week may not be easy for Niwa.”

Aang grinned at Azula. “It would be good practice though.”

“Get your head out of those clouds; no kids until those vows are said,” Azula smirked.

“You keep declining my engagement!”

“This is a talk for another time,” Azula hissed quietly.

Ursa, having maintained her silence, wrings her hands together. “... Zuko, in the end, you are the Fire Lord. And this is your home.”

Zuko shakes his head. “Yeah, but-”

Ursa holds up her hand. “I admit. I am not keen on seeing him again. Ever again. But... I know this is something you’ve felt strongly about. Ultimately, the decision is yours to make. I simply ask that you inform me of the decision so I can... make arrangements.”

Azula grinned. “Poison arrangements?” She asked, nudging her mother’s ribs. Ursa chuckled.

“If only I could be so lucky.”

“Guys,” Zuko said in exasperation. “Look... I’ll just invite them next y-”

“No, stop it.” Azula rolled her eyes. “Just tell them to come. Spirits, you’re such a downer, Zuzu.”

“Yeah, Zuzu,” Aang echoed his fiancee. Zuko shot him a tired look.

“I agree,” Ursa said. “Invite them. Besides; should anything go wrong, we have you three to keep him in his place; and Kiyi is becoming more proficient in her own bending.”

“Yeah; if he pulled anything we could take him!” Aang agreed.

Ursa could see the look on Zuko’s face though; but still, he nodded and watched as Aang and Azula decided to retire to bed. Ursa lingered, waiting to talk to her son in private.

“Zuko,” she said, reaching out to touch his shoulder. “You don’t owe him any-”

“This isn’t about owing him. I know where I stand on what dad did to me; to us.”

“And yet you’re so hopeful to see him again.”

“Is it wrong to hope for a new path? I found mine, mom. Outside of the Fire Nation. Away from him. I found my life, my meaning. And so has he. I saw it. I saw him experience a life he’d become fully invested in. I saw two happy kids; a beautiful home... And...”

“... And?” Ursa asked.

Zuko swallowed.

“... And I was so mad he found it without us. But you know what? I also found my path without Azula. And... she’ll always have that in her mind. But she’s forgiven me.”

“She could not control the struggles you faced.”

“As I couldn’t control hers; and I’ll always have dad’s favoritism to remember. We’ve all been subjected to lives we didn’t want. Dad was one of them. So were you.”

Ursa folded her arms in front of her, looking much like her daughter. Zuko pleaded to her, still not quite over the fact that he was so much taller, and yet he still spoke to her like she towered over him.

“Mom... The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But there’s a part of me that wants to see this through. He’s my father. And I’ve hated him, and part of me still hates him. But after everything I’ve learned... if Aang can forgive me for everything I allowed to happen to him and his friends... if Uncle can forgive me for turning away from him, I want to know I can reciprocate that.”

“You don’t have to forgive him.”

“Mom, I haven’t. I will never forgive him for what he did to me, or Azula, or you. But I feel like I have an obligation, as the Fire Lord, to make sure he’s not causing trouble. I called off the searches once I saw how much he’s changed. Others have done the same for me. Time goes on. He... He looked out for me back when we were looking for Chiyo. I was hurt and he stayed with me.”

Ursa’s eyes widened as Zuko recalled the event to her for the first time.

“When I told him we would find Chiyo he was thankful for me. I... Sometimes I think maybe now... Maybe now I could get to know my dad-”

“Zuko you don’t have to.”

“I know I don’t. But it’s my decision. I respect every bit of advice I get from you but this is something... something I need to do for myself. If Azula never wants to see him again after this, I will never invite him again.”

Ursa reached out to hold her son’s hand.

“And you’re not scared?” She asked. Zuko laughed.

“Mom, I’m terrified.”

Ursa’s face became one of determination.

“Then I will be right here with you.”

“I’m not scared that he’ll hurt me,” Zuko insisted. “Like you said, we can handle him if he were to become a threat.”

Ursa clasped Zuko’s hand tightly with both of hers. “But you’re still scared,” she said. “And I won’t let you be scared alone; not after I missed so many years.”

#atla #a continuation even though I haven't even started on the official fic for Homestead lmao #I've already done the ship swap for Aang so now he's romancing it up with Azula XD #also I ignore Ursa's origins from the comic but I do keep Noren and Kiyi #but the face change doesn't happen so Noren is just Noren #I'm also really invested in Zuko's interest in seeing how a visit with his old man will go #like #if Ozai can see himself in Zuko #the thought of Zuko remembering how hard it is to prove to people he's changed and seeing his dad invested in proving himself? #idk it gives me feels that Zuko could show such leadership by leading by this huge example #besides so long as his dad isn't causing trouble then that's a good thing right? #But it's such a sore spot because Ozai was such a crap dad #but Zuko sees Ozai being a great dad to Chiyo and Katsu #and Zuko wants to foster better childhoods for his siblings #Zuko and Ozai being reverse mirrors of each other will always give me brainworms #my writing

[nyamadermont]

Tree of Life

@flashfictionfridayofficial

#FFF194

Avatar: Legend of Korra

887 words

Will this man ever get to the point?

Tenzin laid the letter down and dropped his face into his hands. Four pages in, he still had no idea what the ‘honorable whale master of the King Kuei Sea’ was asking. Never mind what that title even meant. From what Zuko had told him, Kuei had only seen any ocean one time, about a year after the war. Naming a sea (that probably had a perfectly good Air Nomad name - if Tenzin could figure out what this idiot meant) after him seemed… ill-fitting, at best. 

He rubbed his face and picked the letter back up. 

“Is it that bad? Which locally-important gasbag is it this time?”

Lin

He closed his eyes, and felt a wave of memory wash over him. How many times had they studied, far into the night, commiserating over letters just like this one? It was one thing that had been so much easier with her. 

He sighed. 

He straightened himself and stood from his spot on the floor. He allowed his face to relax and warm as he saw his friend leaning against the doorframe. The late evening light softened her, and it was just so good to see her out of uniform. 

“Hello, Lin. I would have come to greet you.”

She waved a hand. “I know the way.”

He narrowed his eyes a little. “She’s not here right now. I think she took the girls to the city for the afternoon.”

Her smile told him that she knew that, and was just waiting for him to catch up. 

“It’s you I came to see.”

Tenzin’s heart clenched. She had said those exact words to him on their last day as a couple. When he had to tell her that he hoped they could return to being just friends. 

Today, he could see that she had chosen those words deliberately. And she was waiting for him to catch up. 

So he just waited. 

Her demeanor shifted. She stood up straighter, and her brow creased, just a little. 

“Would you come walk with me?”

He was beside her in two strides. 

They exchanged a long look. She gave him a smile that spoke of gratitude, turned and led him away through the house. 

They exited through the back, walking in silence, as they often had. They passed by the Spinning Gates, unexpectedly still and unused. They followed the path that led them around to the southern extent of the plateau, overlooking the ocean. 

When she came to a stop, he looked at her, then turned to appreciate the setting. Other than the ocean and the sky, there was little to see. Even the birds were elsewhere. 

When she knelt at the edge of the overhang, she folded her hands on her knees, and stared forward. He paused briefly, then matched her position, sharing the silence. 

He heard her take a breath.

“What I’m asking permission for is for making a change in the Island, nothing more.”

He turned to face her, but said nothing. 

She inhaled deeply, turning to meet his gaze. “May I plant a tree here?”

Without hesitation, he answered, “Of course.”

Oddly, her fingers fidgeted, just on the edge of his vision. Her eyes dropped from his.

“It has been five years since the fight with Zaheer at the Northern Temple. Since you three nearly died.” She paused, meeting his gaze again. “That time.”

He snorted.

Lin looked out over the water, and he watched her search for the words she wanted.

“But there was a tree that broke her fall. A tree that saved her life when I couldn’t.”

She looked up into the clouds and drew in a long, deep breath. She met his gaze again. 

“I want to plant a tree here, and ask her to marry me. To start a new life. To pledge to her that I’ll do everything in my power to catch her.”

Tenzin smiled. “Did Mom or Dad ever tell you about the tree in the courtyard? The one that’s near the visitor’s overlook back over the ferry?”

She smiled and nodded. “That’s where I got the idea from. The tree they planted together as a pledge.”

He watched as her eyes slid away from him and her head bowed slightly. “Did you plant one with Pema?” He could see her clenching her jaw.

Tenzin turned to face Lin. “Yes, we did. It’s near the entrance to the Astronomy Tower. I will show it to you, if you like.”

She folded her hands together. She turned her face to him, but did not smile. Reaching toward her, he opened his hand in invitation. She turned her body to face him, and lifted her hand to take his. 

He searched her face. “Bring Kya here. Plant it together. She’ll know.”

He smiled. 

“I am confident that she will agree. Plant the tree of your new life, here. We will help you tend it.”

At that, she relaxed her face into a smile that he remembered, but had not seen for years. Her eyes drifted past him.

He stood and turned to see Kya, smiling gently at Lin. In one hand, she held a small spade. In the other, she held a seedling.

He hugged them both, and leaving them, walked toward the Astronomy Tower.

#flash fiction friday #fff194 #tree of life #kyalin #lin beifong #tenzin #kya ii #nyama’s short fics

[hello-nichya-here]

You said that despite all of Iroh's hipocricy and flaws you like him. What do you like about him?

First there's the very thing you mentioned in your question: he is a deeply flawed character. I REALLY like complicated characters. Hell, even characters I don't like get points if they feel like real people.

I've said that Iroh was better as a villain and I meant it, but not in the sense of "He is fundamentally a garbage person, will never change, and doesn't deserve happiness."

Iroh in book 1 and for the first episodes of book 2 was a genuinely well written character. The writers were NOT scared of showing us that he had a an evil side - we see him taunting warriors of Ba Sing Se, bragging about how he got the name Dragon Of The West, and we see him joking about burning a city to the ground.

They also weren't afraid to show that he could be ridiculously clueless sometimes. He changed course of the ship during an important mission just for a piece he needed for his game, he tried making tea with what he knew could be a deadly plant, he firebended in public while undercover, and he thought that "Why would he banish you if he didn't care about you?" was going to cheer Zuko up AND was a reasonable thing to say to an abused child.

He also felt genuinely guilty stealing Song's ostrige horse after she and her mother helped him and Zuko, but did it anyway. He was disappointed in Zuko for stealing even when it wasn't a matter of survival, but still couldn't bring himself to actually berate him for it and call him out for being unfair, cruel and selfish. He wanted to protect his nephew, but did nothing besides look away in pain and shame as Ozai burned him. He didn't really show how much of a badass fighter he was until Zhao pushed him too far and tried to kill the moon.

Iroh was a funny, likeable guy, with a truly monstruous side. He did horrible things, but also had lines he would not cross. He was a wise man AND a dumbass. And he wanted to be a good person, a good uncle, and a good father - but he had no clue how to do that because all he was taught to see as normal and good his whole life was evil. All the Saint!Iroh bullshit that started in book 2 and got a billion times worse in book 3 don't erase the good writting that was there before, just like the comics (and the flaws of book three) are not enough to ruin the show for me.

And on a more personal note, there are two things about his dynamic with Zuko that feel a bit like my relationship with my parents: My mom loves old popular sayings and uses them in conversations all the time, which confuses my autistic brain, and I sometimes have to talk some sense into my dad when he is being a dumbass (old people can be as dumb as children, I swear to God)

Plus, there's the nostalgia factor. I watched the show as a kid, and I loved Iroh because I didn't understand that some of the things the show was framing as good (his blatant disregard for Azula, his unwillingness to see the bad in Zuko, and him just fucking off to Ba Sing Se and leaving his nephew with the responsibility of fix all the damage their nation caused) were actually fucking awful. I have too many fond memories of the character to truly hate him even though I see the problems with him now.

I've said it before, but the best word to describe uncle Iroh is UNCLE. He's an old fucker who can be wise, but can also be too stubborn and set on his ways to notice that his behavior is often not the best... but I spent enough time with him to know he is not all bad, and can be truly loving. He just needs some therapy and someone to hold him accountable for his fuck ups.

#asks #iroh #about me #iroh deserved better

[friendship-showdown]

Friendship Showdown: Preliminary Round #17

Propaganda:

Rose and Citron (Plants vs Zombies): Two time travelers having fun and killing.

Carter Locke and Leila Vernon (The Magic Misfits): Carter grew up with his neglectful uncle and then ran away to the town where Leila and her friends lived. He found a family in her and her friends, but turns out that her dad was actually his (dead) dad's cousin! Her dads took him in and from then on they have a really close bond, described as more like siblings than cousins. Leila was adopted and Carter didn't have a loving family for his early life, but they found siblings in each other. <3 They would literally do anything for each other!

Zuko and Sukki (Avatar: The Last Airbender): One of them may have burnt the other's village to ground, but hey! He apologized! And did it so while mopping the floors of a jail with her. That's something.

#plants vs zombies #the magic misfits #avatar the last airbender #preliminary round

[seriowan]

Hi hello hi!

I am a fiend for people's OCs. Would you mind screening at me some tidbits about Kiana and Kiho? They look awesome, tell me more about them please 🧎🏾‍♀️

you can't tell but i am screeching in barely-contained excitement

HI YES I WOULD LOVE TO TALK ABOUT THE UMAKI TWINS thank you for asking 🥺❤️

Kiana and Kiho come from Shili and were discovered by Shaak Ti after the temple got wind of two force-sensitive twins. They are fraternal twins and because their mother was killed during childbirth, their father thought of them as a curse rather than a blessing and was all too happy to give them away when Shaak Ti came by. (They were about 7/8 years old when they were taken to the temple.)

Kiana was born blind, so she is often depicted with her eyes closed. Her force sensitivity allows her to see auras, giving images and living figures a distinct shape without showing their features — so even though she is blind, she carries herself as if she isn't. She is very empathetic to all that lives, so she constantly struggles with killing or causing death — it isn't in her nature to kill the only thing she can see. She also struggles with the concept of death, fearing it in a way that is against the Jedi code. She became a Jedi knight before the Clone Wars so the transition from being a student to being a soldier was very, very hard on her mental health. (For age context, she and Kiho are the same age as Anakin.) Luckily, she found solace in her master Ramses Barra (a Nautolan oc), and Sargeant Ares (clone oc). Kiana is always chastised by her master and brother for being too kind and generous because it lets people take advantage of her services and it often leaves her hurt. Her saber-wielding is more of an art form because she always moves defensively rather than offensively. She lets her master, brother, and clones do the killing, all while she looks the other way. fun facts: she has charms hanging off of her lightsaber hilt and 'peacekeeper' engraved in the metal to remind her of what it truly means to be a jedi. —— [Kiana's inspiration comes from a collection of figures like Aang (atla), Hestia (greek mythology), Sam & Arwen (Lord of the Rings)]

Kiana's brother is... a different story. From the start, Kiho was always very protective of his sister. He stood up for her and he protected her in a way that not only strengthened their relationship as siblings but also through the force. They could read each other's emotions without even saying a word. Kiana essentially learned to see through him. That being said, everything changed the moment they were brought to the temple. Because they were split apart for their studies, the past trauma and abuse from his father affected Kiho a lot more than it did Kiana, who learned through her teachings to let go of the anger. The stronger he became in his abilities, the stronger Kiho's emotions grew and the better he became at hiding it. Over time, he went from being the troublemaker to becoming the silent but deadly soldier. Though he is quiet and reserved (and definitely more of an introvert than an extrovert), he is completely different in battle and serious situations. He becomes calculating and straightforward, like Master Windu. Unlike Kiana, he doesn't fear killing or causing harm, so the transition into the clone wars was all too easy for him. In fact, he grew to welcome the fight, using battles as a coping mechanism through his very chaotic and unorganized fighting style. His stance on life leads to him bonding with Anakin a little too well in terms of how they view the council and the war effort. Death is a concept that he has accepted. Oh, and fun fact: he's a plant dad and an avid reader. —— [Kiho's character inspiration comes from Bucky/The Winter Soldier (Captain America), Zuko (atla), Wolverine/Magneto (X-Men), Daemon Targaryen (House of Dragon), Batman (DCAU), Leonardo (TMNT 2003)]

my inbox is open for any more questions about my ocs!! I'll be making a blog for them soon <33

#oc: kiana umaki #oc: kiho umaki #oc: sargeant ares #oc: ramses barra #seriowan's ocs #star wars ocs #ocs: the umaki twins

[rrantipole]

Toh but its atla and eda is the avatar but she’s still cursed (or maybe it should be luz and eda is her crazy (<3) mentor but i dont wanna make her (luz) the avatar bc of eda’s whole “dont wait for someone to tell you you’re special” speech :p)

Philip would be zuko’s ex dad and zuko = hunter (does hunters scar have something to do with philip?)

Amity and her family are part of the fire nation her family makes weapons for the emperor (The guards/emperors coven are also all fire nation - Lilith was also a part of the fire nation but she can’t bend fire ((her family is from the earth kingdom - momma clawthorne can bend earth but papa clawthrone cannot (very minimal) - he makes stuff for benders help them))

Of course Willow and her family are also from the earth kingdom. Willow is the only bender in her family and one of the strongest in her family - leans more towards controlling plants though

Gus is a water/air bender (haven’t decided which would fit better) and he makes a lot of illusions with his element - one of the bests 👑 again

#toh #the owl house #atla #avatar the last airbender #atla au #headcanon #I’ll probably make some fanart for this #<3 #hunter #amity #luz #eda #lilith clawthorne #eda the owl lady #eda the owl mom #willow #gus porter #momma clawthorne #firebender au #:p

[ofherlionheart]

im doing this for me as much as im doing it for y’all lol pls enjoy … a like the sun ch 4 excerpt 😳

----------

They’re in the courtyard after lunch, catching their breath as they watch Piandao preside over Bishal and Manu’s bout of sparring, when Zuko’s mouth opens and blurts a question without permission: “Do you think my mother loved Ozai?”

For a second, Sokka’s eyes slide over to him; then he turns back to the duel and scratches the scruff along his jaw. “Your dad kind of sucks.”

“I know.”

“Do you think your mom knew?”

He thought about it last night, after they finished his work and Sokka ambled off to his guest room. He thought about how much time Ursa spent staying away from his father, ushering him and Azula away from the palace whenever possible, until they became too old and lessons or school filled their days. After that, Zuko remembers that she was always at Ozai’s side when she had to be—festivals and important dinners with important guests—but even those became less frequent as the years went by. The only other time Zuko saw her in those later years was when he was upset and would go running to her rooms, or late at night when she would visit him before he went to sleep.

Zuko supposes that he assumed that that was what love is: careful avoidance of potential eruptions. He’s pretty sure now, though, that it’s something different. “When Azula and I got older, I think she did,” he answers. “I don’t know about before. I took a while to realize he was wrong. And an awful father.”

“Okay, but you were his kid,” Sokka counters.

Bishal shifts too much weight to his back foot, and Zuko sees how Manu will disarm him a moment before it happens. Manu shouts triumphantly, and Piandao nods his approval; Bishal scrambles for his sword again. 

“And she was his wife,” Zuko replies. “I remember her being happy. I remember him happy.” He really does, in the strangest moments. He’ll be looking out the window when a breeze lifts the curtain and he’ll suddenly recall Ozai’s merry laughter echoing through the Ember Island house as his mother impersonated a shopkeeper they’d encountered earlier in the day. An off-tune pipa brings him back to when he was six in a teahouse and couldn’t understand why his parents kept looking at each other and stifling laughs until Azula loudly demanded, “Why does that pipa player sound bad?” and Ursa had lost it.

The memories are distant and hard to recall. But they’re there.

“Sometimes good things don’t work out,” Sokka says.

Zuko looks at him, and there’s a distance in Sokka’s eyes that makes Zuko pause. He gets a sense that Sokka isn’t really thinking of Ursa and Ozai anymore—could they ever have been called a good thing?—but before he can articulate the question struggling to form in his head, Sokka comes back to himself. “Why are you thinking about your parents?”

Zuko frowns. “I—I don’t know. I guess being here makes me think of them.”

“Did you all use to visit Piandao?”

“No. I came here the summer that Ozai made my mother disappear.”

Manu takes advantage of a misstep by Bishal again, and this time, Bishal bows his head in defeat. “I need to think about that sequence,” Bishal apologizes to Piandao.

“Visualize it before it happens,” Piandao agrees and then looks toward Zuko and Sokka. “Sokka, would you let Bishal take a rest?”

“Yes, Master,” Sokka says. He plants a hand on Zuko’s shoulder, squeezes, and then uses it to push himself to his feet.

Bishal comes over, sweat dripping from his brow despite the cooler winter air. “I hope you and Sokka were figuring out whatever trick Manu’s pulling,” he says, bending to brace his hands above his knees.

“We were talking about my mother.”

The ease immediately leaves Bishal’s expression, something taut and serious taking over, and Zuko regrets being so bluntly honest. This stay in Shu Jing has been a breath of fresh air for all of them; Zuko doesn’t want to ruin that. “When you put too much weight back, you leave your side exposed,” he says.

“Oh,” Bishal says before lowering himself to a seat next to Zuko. They watch as Sokka and Manu bow to each other, and then Sokka immediately springs forward to attack. “Does Sokka know she might still be alive?”

“Yes.”

“What does he think, about trying to find her?”

There’s a shhhhing! of metal on metal, and suddenly Manu’s sword is halfway across the courtyard. “What?” Manu demands, and Sokka laughs good-naturedly.

“We haven’t really talked about it,” Zuko answers.

“What do you think?”

Zuko closes his eyes. He doesn’t know what he thinks, because this, too, is a place where he tries not to think. He spent sixteen years loving his mother deeply, and now that the world is becoming a better, more peaceful place, is he not allowed to keep his affection untroubled and pure?

In any case, he has a nation that’s vying for his attention in a hundred different ways for his every waking moment. As Azula said, he needs to think of the future; the headpiece that usually weighs so heavily on his head demands it of him. He doesn’t have enough daylight for the ghosts that wind around his neck to whisper in his ear, or for the molten feeling in his chest that rises and churns and swells at the strangest moments.

“Excellent!” Piandao shouts.

Zuko opens his eyes to see Manu, swordless again, and Sokka bow to each other. Manu retrieves his blade and then heads for Zuko and Bishal.

“I am not ready to go again,” Bishal intones.

“I can go,” Zuko volunteers.

He can feel Sokka’s eyes on him as he gets to his feet and goes to where he left his dao. The skin on the back of his neck prickles, and he feels like he’s already sweating anew; in a sudden burst of frustration, he yanks off his shirt and tosses it aside before taking up his dao.

Sokka whistles, and Zuko’s grateful for the hair that falls in front of his face, obscuring the heat that rises to his cheeks. “Okay, Mr. Flamey-o, we get it!” Sokka teases, raising his sword and bouncing on the balls of his feet. “You don’t get cold!”

“Do not let the physical attributes of your opponent distract you,” Piandao warns.

Sokka squawks, his ready stance lowering as he gives Piandao an indignant look. “Distracted? I’m not —”

Zuko springs forward, and Sokka barely throws up his blade to block Zuko’s strike. “Hey!” he protests, even as he contorts in a way that somehow puts Zuko on the defensive. 

Zuko redirects his slash and dances out of reach, eyes catching on the swell of Sokka’s shoulder, the glisten of sweat pooling at the hollow of his throat. “Hey,” he croaks, feeling suddenly delirious, because watching Sokka this closely as Sokka focuses so intently on him is causing flames to eat at the edges of his very being, and he —

Shhhing!

One of his dao goes spinning out of his hand, and it’s all he can do to divert Sokka’s momentum against him and push forward again. For a moment, they’re close enough to breathe the same air. Sokka’s eyes are boring a hole somewhere in Zuko’s torso, and it’s here that it strikes Zuko, with the clarity and inescapable destruction of a lightening bolt, that the entirety of one of his favorite people in the world is somehow contained by this ordinary body of mortal flesh before him. How can something so mundane house a spirit as vast and powerful and layered as Sokka?

Before he’s realized it’s happened, his other dao is knocked out of his grip, and he’s left, defenseless, at the end of Sokka’s gaze. They can’t have fought for long, but Zuko finds he’s gasping for breath, wheezing for air that crackles like live embers in his lungs.

Sokka lowers his sword, relaxing his stance as he tilts his head. “You okay?” he asks, his brow crinkling.

Zuko wants to smooth out that crease with his thumb. He wants to fight without weapons, just bare hands and feet, because he wants to know intimately what the flex of a body resisting his feels like. He wants to run to the edge of this island and fling himself into the ocean because maybe then he’ll finally remember what it is to be cool and calm and balanced.

“I’m fine,” he snaps.

Sokka doesn’t flinch, but he stays quiet as he watches Zuko retrieve his dao. Zuko’s never realized until now how much Sokka just looks at him. People in the capital don’t look at him like that. In the capital, such a sustained, direct gaze is aggressive. It’s asking for something.

“Zuko.”

At the sound of his old master’s gravelly voice, Zuko straightens his spine. Piandao’s dark eyes pin Zuko where he stands, and while Piandao can’t possibly know the thoughts that are rushing through Zuko’s head, it feels like he does. Regret and shame rise in Zuko’s throat, and he turns to Sokka. “I’m sorry,” he says. “My mind was somewhere else. I am okay.”

Sokka nods with a smile, easy as anything, even if there’s something in his expression still scrutinizing Zuko. “It happens,” he says and reaches out to lay his hand on top of Zuko’s head.

The touch is brief, but there’s weight behind the contact. Blood rushes in Zuko’s ears. “Again,” he says roughly, taking a step back and raising his dao.

#writing #mine #like the sun inside of you #ik i've teased parts of this scene before #was the 'hand on top of head' moment inspired by a drama i was watching literal months ago? #who's to say #i love writing touch starved freaks #atla

[quill-and-chalk]

I predict TOH Season 2b even though I’ve only seen 3 episodes so far

Hello I figured this would be a fun little game to play. I didn’t watch season 2b as it aired because I was focused mostly on school and other stuff going on so I am going to be binging it tonight. I have only seen up to like the 3rd episode and have only seen light spoilers so I figured it would be fun for me to predict the rest of this season and we can see how wrong I am in about… 3-4 hours. I will be going by introduced arcs/arcs I remember soo if something new has popped up then I definitely won’t cover that. Anyways I’m gonna go ahead and make a fool of myself.

Kings family Arc

This poor poor man has gotta find his mysterious relative at some point right? Like they wouldn’t leave that plot hook hanging there for THAT long right? I predict that someone from his family (not necessarily his dad. It could be an uncle or something.) shows up and then King has to decide between his family by choice and his family by blood yada yada yada. One things I will add onto this is that I believe his lost family member will teach him how to use his powers better. Annndd that’s like all I got for him.

Raine’s whole being controlled by plant mom™️ Arc

I hope Raine gets better GOD I hope they get better. Based on the fan stuff I have seen people have been focusing a lot on the school experience of Eda, Raine, and Lilith, and that makes me think at some point (hopefully when Raine gets freed from a freaky version of poison ivy) they all talk about or revisit their past. Idk how Raine gets freed but honestly I’m gonna make two bets and it’s either A.) They get freed just seconds too late and the whole worlds merging thing has already happened or B.) They get freed and now Belos has to find a replacement and that’s WORSE. Also this is sad but I assumed even after they are saved they at MAX just blush furiously around Eda. Raineda is just S1 Lumity for the rest of the season and tbh I would be willing to bet money on that.

Eda’s Magic Arc (or should I say lack of magic)

Gonna be honest I think Eda gets her magic back. I think Lilith probably comes up with a plan to save it BUT I also think Eda learns how to work with glyphs and debates whether she even wants to go through that process. Speaking of Lilith based on fan reactions my guess is that her Mom is not the evil backstabbing woman I thought she was… which I sad I really liked that theory but apparently this season had enough sadness with out that soooo ya. Not much to say about this but one out there theory I have is that in like … the finale or something, Eda like regains her full powers and goes apeshit on some one. I only give this prediction a 50/50 shot of happening.

Hunter… also known as Zuko 2.0 arc

Damn y’all really like this boy. Like seriously I know he is sympathetic but it seemed like in the span of 2 week everyone went from ‘Ya he is a sympathetic character and I hope he gets a redemption but he is really morally gray right now’ to ‘OH MY GOD THIS BOY! HE IS SO ME! I LOVE HIM! NO ONE HURT HIM!’ So that was interesting. My guess is that it’s revealed that whole Belos is connected to the brothers theory is true BUT and here me out. Belos is just one clone/magical being in like.. A LONG line of clones/magical beings made from one of the original brothers and Hunter is like supposed to take up Belos’ mantle and therefore inorder to ‘prepare’ him that man decided he was going to gaslight-gatekeep-and-trauma all over hunters childhood. Is that theory out there…. Yes…. But honestly so were all the pre-S2B theories about Hunter so don’t judge me.

Crack Prediction about Willow and Gus

I want Gus and Willow (and Amity if she wants too) to lead a secret rebellion. Please I got a taste of it in S1 finale and now I want the full meal. Literally I would give up EVERYTHING if I am right but I just know I am not. I mean Willow and Gus are such overlooked powerhouses it’s insane and I feel like and arc like this would be suited for them so I am just hoping it happens. Or honestly for them to do anything cool.

Go on and tell me how wrong I am because I won’t be looking at tumblr until I finish the show. I might live blog it’s but only if something insane happens. I WILL be spamming my feed with all the fan content I have missed though once I am done. So yea.

#the owl house #toh #the owl house shitpost #toh shitpost #luz noceda #I really don’t think I am prepared y’all

[paramouradrift]

You're safe now

@febuwhump

Fandom: Avatar the Last Airbender, Pairing: Zukka Modern AU in which Zuko is the captain of the fencing team.

This fic has reached a secure location on AO3 here.

That's it! This is the end of this story.

“Are you ready for this?” Zuko asked, taking Sokka’s hand and squeezing it. “Yeah,” Sokka said, letting out a huge breath. “Yeah. Let’s go.” They walked outside to the airport pickup zone, where his dad was already chatting with Aang and Katara. His blue pickup truck was waiting, and his step-dad Bato waved to them. Behind the truck was a blue minivan, out of which leaned two of Sokka’s more obnoxious cousins. “Hey, there he is! Mr Swordmaster himself!” one of them called. “Watch out, or he’ll poke you to death!” the other added. Sokka heaved a pre-exhausted sigh. “Zuko, may I present my worst family members,” he said. “Dad you already know, and that guy over there is Bato.” His cousins cracked another few jokes until they were inundated with sprays of water. Aang and Katara, armed with super soakers, fell on them, cackling with unbridled malice. The screams and curses of his cousins were muted by the windows being rolled up, and many an impotent rude gesture was exchanged. Sokka bent over double laughing, leaning hard into Zuko to keep himself from falling down. “Welcome to the family, Zuko,” his dad said, walking up with open arms. “They’re a rowdy bunch, but they’re alright once you get to know them.” “I see,” Zuko said, accepting the offer of a hug. Sokka straightened back up. “Hey, where’s my hug?” he asked indignantly. “Right here!” his dad said, pulling him into a headlock and giving him a noogie. “Ack! Dad! My hair!” he cried. “This is what you get, boy,” his dad said, releasing him. “Gran-gran’s furious, you know.” “Oh god, why?” Sokka whined. He knew why, but he didn’t know why why, and Gran-gran’s fury was always to be assiduously avoided. “Because somebody didn’t tell her we had someone with a shellfish allergy coming to visit,” his dad said, giving Sokka a significant look. Sokka groaned. “Zuko wouldn’t have accidentally eaten a crab, dad,” he said. “Still, it would’ve been a problem if he’d had an allergic reaction,” his dad said reprovingly. “She’s at the supermarket now, so you’d better help her make dinner tonight.” “Yeah, yeah, I got it,” Sokka said. “Come on, Zuko.” They sat in the back of the truck, alone for the moment while his dad and Bato packed their suitcases into the bed. Sokka fidgeted uncomfortably. “I didn’t know you were allergic to shellfish,” he said. “It never came up,” Zuko replied with a shrug. “I told your dad because Katara mentioned you guys liked to do crab cookouts sometimes.” “Ugh, I’m so bad at this,” Sokka groaned, dragging his hands down his face. Zuko smiled, nuzzling his temple before planting a lovely kiss there. “It’s okay,” Zuko said. “I can take care of myself.” “Hey, Sokka!” Aang shouted, throwing open the front passenger door. “Hey, Zuko! So Katara’s dad lent Katara and me these huge water guns, did you see?” “Yes, we saw,” Zuko said. “You absolutely destroyed Toklo and Nan,” Sokka said, chuckling. “Ah! Hilarious.” “We’ve been deputized, you see,” Aang explained. “If any of your cousins start giving you shit, we’re authorized to attack with full force. Don’t you worry about this trip, buddy. You’re in good hands!” To demonstrate, Aang attempted to spin his super soaker like it was a Smith & Wessen cowboy revolver. He ended up spraying himself in the face and dropping it. Katara ran up and double-tapped him while he was down. “See?” Zuko said, pointing at their idiot friends. “You’re safe now.” “My heroes,” Sokka said, wiping a tear from his eye. He’d probably die of laughter before Gran-gran could kill him during dinner prep, but at least he’d die in Zuko’s arms. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

#febuwhump #febuwhump2023 #febuwhumpday28 #atla #fanfic #zukka #en garde! prets? allez!