#atla: zuko joins the gaang early

[awanderingmuse-ficrec]

you have the sun, I have the moon

Fandom: Avatar The Last Airbender

Author: mithril_starlight​

Rating: Gen

Word Count:  47,162

Pairings: Zutara

Characters: Katara, Zuko, Sokka, Aang, Toph, Hakoda, Azula, Mai, Ty Lee, Haru, Suki, Iroh

Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence

Summary:

Zuko chooses differently in the catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se. Katara's proud of him for it, even if no one else believes that he's really changed. This is basically a season three rewrite because Zutara.

#avatar the last airbender #zutara #katara #zuko #sokka #aang #toph #hakoda #book 3 #atla:alternate time line #atla: zuko joins the gaang early #gen #20to50k #complete #fic rec

[demaparbat-hp]

Darker times will come and go

Times you need to see her smile

And mothers' hearts are warm and mild

I would rather feel this world through the skin of a child

—AURORA; Through the Eyes of a Child

#zutara #atla #zuko #avatar the last airbender #katara #atla art #atla fanart #prince zuko #katara of the southern water tribe #zuko fanart #zuko art #katara art #katara fanart #zuko x katara #katara x zuko #zutara fanart #zutara au #zutara art #crossroads of destiny #uncle iroh #avatar aang #ba sing se #atla zuko #atla katara #atla iroh #atla aang #partially blind zuko #zuko joins the gaang early #FINALLY #So proud of this one :D

[a-todd-illustration]

They've all been stepping on egg-shells around each other since becoming their proper ages. Zuko sometimes falls into paternal habits, and sometimes they react to it.

#myart #fanart #avatar the last airbender #avatar #zuko #atla #avatar au #caregiver!zuko #zuko joins the gaang early #sokka #toph #soft zuko #caregiver zuko #sokka x zuko friendship

[muffinlance]

Prompt: Aang didn't know Zuko was raising a baby dragon

Aang tilts his head. He doesn’t lower his staff, because—because Zuko, but he doesn’t try hitting him again, either. At least, not anywhere near his chestplate, which the other boy is very suddenly defending like there’s a second Avatar inside.

“Do you… have something in there?” Aang asks.

“NO!” shouts Zuko, who definitely has something inside his armor. It makes a kind of scrabbly-paws-on-metal sound and then—

“Do you have a dragon in there?” Aang squeals. 

And maybe in retrospect he should have thought more before bouncing towards the fiery teenager, but in Aang’s defense there is the cutest, tiniest, fluffiest little maned dragon head he’s ever seen trying to peek out of Zuko’s neckline. And anyway, the other boy is way too busy backpedaling and trying to push the dragon’s snout back inside to Capture the Avatar, so. So Aang absolutely shoves a hand at the dragon’s nose for it to smell him, because that’s how you greet them—

—Or is that praying mantis-dogs?—

And then there is a Fire Prince squawking and shoving him away, which is definitely not a bending move, but not before a little lizard tongue tickles Aang’s hand which is so cute.

“Uh,” says Sokka, lowering his club. “I. I am not actually sure how I’m supposed to be reacting, here.”

“We’re fighting,” snarls Zuko, who is cupping protective hands over the dragon, and definitely not fighting. The dragon has wormed one stubby little leg and an adorably oversized wing out, and seems enthusiastically set on more. 

Which is the point where Zuko’s uncle finally catches up to them, at his usual leisurely pace. If he wasn’t with Zuko, Aang would maybe think that the older man wasn’t all that invested in catching him.

“Nephew, do you…” And then he catches sight of the dragon.

Zuko pales.

“Hello, Uncle Backup,” says Sokka, grabbing Aang and Katara’s arms. “And that’s our cue to go go go.”

Zuko chases them. Because he’s Zuko.

Zuko… gets ahead of them. Which is not very chase-y?

Zuko vaults into Appa’s saddle ahead of them and holds his hands up as Katara threatens him with a hovering stream of water. He… doesn’t seem to be leaving, or attacking, and his uncle is running after them way faster than Aang is used to, so. Yip-yip?

Katara and Sokka sit down, once Zuko’s uncle looks very small under them. Zuko keeps his hands up. The baby dragon is flapping its free wing appreciatively in the rushing air. And chirruping really cutely.

“So,” says Sokka, slowly. “You… needed a ride?”

“I don’t—” Zuko starts to shout, before lowering his volume, even if his tone is exactly the same. “I don’t need a ride.”

“Uh-huh,” says Sokka, even more slowly. 

Zuko continues to keep his hands up. His dragon is trying to squirm the rest of the way free, and has decided that gnawing at his chest plate is the way to do this. It’s making pretty good progress against the black and red paint. The metal, not so much.

Aang keeps glancing back from Appa’s head. “You, um,” he says, suddenly realizing that You seemed scared will probably just lead to more shouting. And fire. Which there has been a really noticeable lack of, and Aang kind of wants to encourage that. 

“Did your uncle not know about the dragon?” he asks, instead.

“Uncle is the Dragon of the West,” Zuko says, more quietly than Aang has ever heard him say anything. And also like it’s a full explanation. But judging by the equally confused looks on Katara and Sokka’s faces, this isn’t just another thing he’s missed during the past hundred years. 

The baby dragon huffs at its lack of progress. And flops, like an over-cooked and very dejected noodle, against Zuko’s chest. 

Zuko swallows. And stops glaring at any of them, because he’s no longer meeting their eyes. He lowers his hands, slowly, and works a shoulder strap free. It’s enough for the dragon to puddle limply down into his lap, where it curls into a very alert spring. 

“Do you know how someone gets the title dragon?” Zuko says. “By killing a dragon. Uncle thought he killed the last two. And father was—he was so mad, not that uncle killed the last, but that he killed two. That he didn’t leave some glory for the rest of our family.”

Sokka clears his throat, after the obligatory awkward silence. “Your family is… kind of messed up, huh?” 

“What was your first clue,” says the Fire Prince, his scarred face deadpan.

His very prominently scarred face.

Oh. 

Katara crosses her arms. Which makes her look grumpier, but she’s not able to bend as quickly like that, so Aang knows she’s feeling less going-to-waterwhip-you grumpy and more prove-me-wrong grumpy. 

“If killing it would be so glorious,” she asks, “why haven’t you?”

“It— She— She’s just a child. It wouldn’t be honorable,” Zuko says, straightening his back.

“Uh-huh,” says Sokka.

But Aang. Aang grins. “Hey! I’m a child, too!”

The Fire Prince groans, and drops his face into his knees. His dragon climbs up onto his head and, using his ponytail approximately like a tree branch, stretches both her wings out, and lifts her little nose to the wind.

(You can also read this and other prompts on AO3.)

#Sokka: no but really why are you in this saddle #what is the plan here #Zuko: groaning intensifies #the AU where Zuko joins the Gaang early because he needs to put his dragon into Avatar-protected daycare #also the AU where Uncle keeps trying to get close enough to explain but Zuko is Really Good at hustling the Gaang into the saddle #they make GREAT time to the North Pole #Uncle: I JUST WANT TO TALK #Toph: COME BACK WITH A WARRANT #did she join the Gaang early too? #who knows! not me! #Avatar The Last Airbender #atla #Zuko #Aang #Sokka #Katara #Iroh #ficlet

[kawaiichibiart]

Some of my favorite "Zuko Joins the Gang Early" tropes:

His hair grows really fucking fast, so he disguises himself as a pretty lady

Meets Dadkoda earlier

He doesn't tell Aang the outfit he stole is a school uniform (either he forgot, didn't know or straight up just didn't want to make Aang sad)

One of Aang's pretend parents (keyword, parent, remember: pretty lady disguise)

He and Katara become besties earlier

Is the only one who understands Aang while he's sleep deprived (experience)

Had to leave Iroh behind (unwillingly)

Quickly becomes the group heater

DRAGONS (early visit to the Sun Warriors)

On Hama's shit list (gets bloodbent and imprisoned)

Return of the Blue Spirit

REVOLT IN THE NAME OF THE TRUE FIRELORD!!! FIRELORD ZUKO!!!

WHY THE FUCK IS YOUR FIRE GAY- I MEAN A RAINBOW?! ,

#zuko #atla #zuko joins the gaang early #i genuinely can't remember where the ''disguises himself as a pretty lady'' came from #like i know it was from a fanfic #but that's about it #i can't remember which one #where it is #if it's still up #i want to say zukka but it very well could have been zukki or jet x sokka x zuko as well #all i remember is zuko basically deciding 'im gonna be a woman while we hide'

[ficfinding]

#atla #zutara #zuko joins the gaang early #fake marriage/relationship that becomes real #zuko alone #ba sing se #Katara separated from the gaang in the chase episode #ao3 fic

I'm trying to find this AO3 Zutura fic where Katara gets separated from the rest of the gaang and has to travel with Zuko through the Earth Kingdom to Ba Sing Se to find them and they fake a marriage to not get separated but oops feelings are catching and they fall in love on the journey and in Ba Sing Se and they find out Appa is imprisoned by the Dai Li and rescue him and that's how Katara and Zuko find the Gaang and Zuko pretends to join Azula for the events of Crossroads of Destiny but joins the Gaang instead and when Aang is shot by Azula they take him to a neutral waterbending tribe that Zuko knows and has friends there and Katara lies about being Zuko's wife but they decide to get married anyway and when Aang wakes up he tries to get Katara to change her mind and they fight about it. I really like this fic can you help me find it?

🔥💧

#atla #zutara #zuko and the gaang #Zuko joins the gang early #fake marriage #ba sing se #zuko x katara

[empressofthesunwriter]

Yin and Yang

Balance is a key aspect in the world, so why shouldn’t the Avatar have an opposite?

In a world where Raava and Vaatu merge with humans, the Avatar and the Daimon try to keep the peace between the four nations.

Aang and Hua are the current incarnations, but wake up 100 years in the future.

How will these two learn all four elements in one year and defeat the Fire Lord?

Book 1.14: The Fortuneteller

Water. 

Earth. 

Fire. 

Air. 

Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. 

Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. 

Only the Avatar and Daimon, masters of all four elements, could stop them, but when the world needed them most, they vanished. 

A hundred years passed, and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar and Daimon, an airbender named Aang and an earthbender named Hua. 

And although his airbending and her earthbending skills are great they have a lot to learn before they’re ready to save anyone. 

But I believe Aang and Hua can save the world.

***

Sokka was surrounded by turtleducks.

Let him rephrase this.

Too trusting, bright-eyed turtleducks surrounded him.

Ever since the Mask-Guy, he refused to call him Blue like the others, Katara and the youngest followed the masked man around, well, like turtleducks!

They asked him questions, interacted with him and tried to make him feel a part of the group.

Sokka was going to go insane.

How could his sister and his friends be so chummy with someone who didn’t show his face and only answered with nods or a shake of his head?!

His instincts told him behind the blue mask was the enemy, but whenever he tried to talk to Katara or Hua or Aang they just waved it away.

At least they found out something about the vigilante.

Not enough that Sokka could pinpoint who could be under the mask, however, it painted a picture of a young man, who didn’t think things really through, who leapt before he jumped and was moody as hell!

Vigilant tried to be friendly, yet you could see how he struggled.

Sometimes it seemed he was ready to explode.

Especially when Sokka himself asked him questions.

Other than the turtleducks, Sokka had asked him uncomfortable things like if he was Fire Nation.

Sadly he didn’t get an answer because Katara screeched how he could even think that their new friend was Fire Nation if he had saved Hua and Aang from them!

That had been a bummer.

However, when he asked Vigilanten if his socks smelled and held them under his nose, the other man's reaction had been priceless.

He seemed to gasp for air and was ready to murder him.

Ha, take that mask-dude!

It was so worth it, even if Katara hit him over the head with the ladle.

Anyway, Sokka was the only one who mistrusted the vigilante and he would prove this to his young and dumb turtleducks.

The other man would not see what was coming for him!

***

Zuko had many regrets in his life, but playing friends with the Avatar and Daimon and their friends might be his biggest.

The water tribe boy, Sokka he learned, was clearly into him, asked him all kinds of exposing questions, if he wasn’t careful and let him smell his rotten socks.

For a second he had wanted to light on fire the water peasant, yet he could restrain himself.

He had a mission to accomplish.

A mission that seemed annoying beyond belief and he had been with them for only a night and day!

The Avatar, Aang was his name, asked him all kinds of random questions, like if he liked vegetables, if he ate meat if he would try the vegetarian lifestyle, where he got his mask and then he just babbled a lot of things to Zuko that made his head twirl.

Aang told him stories from his life at the air temples and…well it painted a picture that Zuko didn’t like.

He learned from his tutors how the Air Nomads had been a crazy cult, with blood rituals and all that, who had a large army, ready to attack the Fire Nation. That’s why his great-grandfather had attacked them first, to save their nation.

Nonetheless, the way Aang talked about his culture made the air nomads out of spiritual people, who respected humans and nature and liked to prank each other.

The banished prince just couldn’t wrap his head around it.

Why would his nation say, air nomads were a crazy warmonger cult, when the last airbender was so bubbly and friendly and told him about the many pranks he played with his friends and mentor?

No, it made not at last sense.

And Zuko didn’t like this.

Even more so when the Daimon, her name was Hua, remembered Aang's stories or was part of it.

Two people from 100 years ago against all the history he learned.

What was the truth?

Was it even important if his only goal was to get Aang and Hua to the Fire Nation to restore his honour?

No! Screamed a loud part of him, however a smaller voice, one he had tried to ignore his whole life, begged him to think and listen.

He decides for now to ignore and humour Aang.

Hua was nice company and had healed his shoulder. She didn’t talk much about the past, only when Aang brought it up, but talked about banal things and his shoulder.

She had been shocked when HE had to explain to her, with a lot of nods and shakes and gestures, that legends said female Daimons had the ability to cure wounds and sickness with water.

Since then, she regularly every two hours gave him a healing session.

Neither of them knew how it worked, Hua was making it up on the go, nonetheless, his shoulder felt each time better.

If this would go on for a few more days, he would be ready to take Aang and Hua with him.

And then there was the water tribe girl, Katara.

She was so thankful that he brought Hua and Aang back to her, her words, and she would cook him something special.

After the soup from last night, she made a delicious stew with komodo-chicken, and he nearly wanted to cry.

She was an amazing cook.

Also, he noted how Katara clearly was the clue, the mother, who held these people and their three animals together.

Sokka might say he was the leader, but Zuko saw with his own eyes, how Katara took care of anyone.

She cooked, she cleaned, she was a shoulder to cry on and she was the strict parent who remembered the others of their chorus.

Well, besides Hua.

Hua helped Katara without her input and remember her chorus, the two males needed to get set fire under their butts.

Aang mostly wanted to be a dumb kid, while Sokka wanted to prove his manliness.

It was so stupid in Zuko's eyes.

On his ship, male or female anybody had their chorus and did them diligently. 

No one slacked around.

If Katara and Hua didn’t give Sokka and Aang sometimes a metaphorical kick in the butt, they wouldn’t move.

If Katara was the mother, Hua was the big sister.

He would never admit it out loud, but seeing Katara, Hua and Aang together train in their elements had been…really beautiful.

First, they had worked all three on water, then Aang and Hua on air then earth and now the Daimon showed the Avatar the first steps in firebending.

A voice inside Zuko, who sounded like Uncle Iroh, burned to give them tips. 

They only had a scroll and what Hua learned from practice and error, they needed someone to tell them their stances were all wrong, however, he couldn’t for a lot of reasons.

Manly, he couldn’t give away he was a firebender, also helping train the Avatar and Daimon in their elements was surely treason and Zuko wanted to go back home, not end up on the Boiling Rock!

So he was a silent observer.

Sometimes Jaiyi, the kyuubi and Momo, the lemur, came up to him for pets or to beg for food.

Strangely it made him remember how he had fed the turtleducks with his mother.

So he couldn’t resist giving them something.

For that, he earned an amused smile from Katara, which made him note, how she was actually a pretty girl.

Then he kicked himself mentally thinking his enemy was pretty.

The blood loss he had experienced and Aang's nonsense stories made him think weird things.

Yes, this was it.

Whatever, they had finished currently breakfast, some Water Tribe dish, salted fish and rice with vegetables, which the prince still was surprised he enjoyed as Katara suddenly stood up and pointed at the lake they had camped.

“Look!”

It’s a fish, a se tu, who leaps into the air, facing the group in mid-jump before landing in the water again.

Somehow this pisses off Sokka.

“He is taunting us! You are so going to be dinner!”

He grabs his fishing pole from his tent set up nearby and attempts to cast the pole into the water unsuccessfully.

“Hey, where's the fishing line?”, wonders Sokka.

“Oh, I didn't think you would need it, Sokka.”, tells him Aang sheepish, holding up an intricately woven necklace decorated with a red flower.

“Why would you think that?”, asked Hua with crossed arms. “With what are we going to catch fish now? With our minds?!”

“Ha, good one Hua!”

“I’m not joking Aang.”

Stupified the Avatar blinks at her, while Zuko fights off the urge to facepalm and Sokka bemoans how his fishing line was all tangled.

“Not tangled. Woven!”, the Avatar explains, if it would make the whole situation better. “I made you a necklace, Katara. I thought since you lost your other one …”

He pauses in mid-sentence and displays the necklace, holding it between his hands as he flashes a toothy grin.

As if they had agreed on it Zuko and Hua side-eye each other, as Jaiyi yips in deadpan.

Of course.

It was because of Katara.

Zuko had needed exactly only three hours with them to note how the Avatar crushed on the (beautiful) waterbender.

From all the stories and legends he read about Avatar and Daimon, it surprised him how Aang and Hua weren’t all over each other.

They have been soulmates since the beginning of time.

Of course, he read about Avatar Kyoshi and Daimon Tian Kuo, who had just stayed friends, but they had been one of the expectations of the universal rule.

How the Avatar and Daimon were half of the same soul and drawn to each other.

Why this here was not the case astonished him.

Katara approaches Aang, taking the necklace and thanking him.

Sarcastically Sokka tells the Avatar: “Great, Aang. Maybe instead of saving the world, you can go into the jewellery-making business.”

“I don't see why I can't do both.”, he grins, as Sokka starts to fight the fish,  and turns to Hua. “I have something for you too.”

Not only Hua was surprised, but the whole world stopped for a second, beside Katara who was like finally.

“Oh, what do you have?”, mumbled Hua with a cute blush.

Smiling Aang takes her hand and pulls out a little bracelet made out of pink flowers.

“That’s for you, I know how much you like pink and cherry blossoms are pretty.”

“Thanks, Aang, that’s super nice of you.”

The two smile at each other and ah, there was the legendary wordless connection Avatars and Daimons shared.

Aang might have a big crush on Katara, but he was at least attracted to Hua.

And she seemed attracted to him too.

And Katara.

Zuko had noted that she was bisexual at least. She stared quite often at Katara's breasts. (And no! It didn’t mean he had stared too, he had manners!)

Huh, it was kind of funny how the two soulmates who ever soulmated had a crush on the same person. 

Only one was keeping her feelings for herself, while the other really thought a fourteen-year-old would like a twelve-year-old.

Smiling Hua puts her bracelet on and shows it to Blue.

He gives her a tiny nod, which she interprets as it’s pretty.

Then Katara calls out: “So, how do I look?”

All beside Sokka, who still fights the fish, turn to her.

Aang and Hua have the most reaction, both blush up a storm, looking at Katara in one of awe and amazement.

Even Zuko has to gulp quietly.

It seems like all around the waterbender was coloured with shades of pink and purple, sparkles of light glistening every now and then.

She was smiling sweetly, blushing slightly with one hand behind her back and the other touching her necklace in a pose.

“You mean, all of you or just your neck?”, stutters Aang nervous. “I mean, because both look great!”

Hua just nods rapidly.

Finally, Sokka catches the fish and can’t help to tease Aang for his stupid little crush.

Yes, even he noticed it.

“Smoochie, smoochie, someone's in love!”

He makes kissing noises before the se tu breaks free from his grasp, slapping Sokka in the face with its tail and disappearing under the water.

Poor Aang stutters more as Katara goes for the kill. She can’t make Aang think that she has feelings for him. His crush on her needed to die yesterday and he should fall in love with Hua, how it was supposed to be.

Also, they are super cute together!

“Stop teasing him, Sokka. Aang's just a good friend. A sweet, little guy! Just like Momo.”

The lemur has landed on Aang's shoulder and Katara pets him.

Disappointed Aang thanks her.

Sokka emerges empty-handed from the lake, soaking wet and cross. 

Momo suddenly flies off Aang's shoulder upon hearing a loud noise in the distance. 

He leaps onto a rock followed by Aang, who observes the scene. He points to the source of the commotion.

“Someone's being attacked by a platypus bear!”

They all start running.

They find a way to calm man who dodges the swipes of the platypus bear like nothing.

“Well, hello there!”, the calm man greets them friendly. “Nice day, isn't it?”

“Make noise! He'll run off!”, advises Aang.

“No, play dead! He'll lose interest!”, yells Sokka.

The bear swings its claws only to miss striking the man once again.

“Whoa, close one!”, laughs the calm man bemused.

“Run downhill!”, begins Katara.

“Then climb a tree!”, adds Hua.

“No, punch him in the bill!”, shouted Sokka.

“And then run in zig-zags!”, finished Aang.

“No need, it's going to be fine!”

Having enough of this stupid idiot our masked prince gets his swords out and makes a loud screeching noise with them.

All have to hold their ears, so terrible it was.

Luckily the platypus bear didn’t like it either lays a large, spotted egg and escapes the scene, swimming down the river.

“Next time a warning!”, mutters Sokka to Mask-Boy, before he picks happy up the egg and then turns to the calm man: “Lucky for you, we came along.”

The calm man just well calmly responds: “Thanks, but everything was already under control. Not to worry. Aunt Wu predicted I'd have a safe journey.”

“Aunt who?”, asks Aang.

“No, Aunt Wu.”, corrects the calm ma. “ She's the fortuneteller from my village. Awful nice knowing your future.”

Katara looks off to the side as she ponders this.

“Wow, it must be. That explains why you were so calm!”

“But the fortuneteller was wrong!”, reminds Sokka. “You didn't have a safe journey; you were almost killed!

Hua nods in agreement and Zuko quietly in his head agrees too.

The calm man would have been platypus bear lunch if it weren’t for him.

“But I wasn't! All right, have a good one!”, he bids them farewell and begins to walk away only to turn back again. “Oh, and Aunt Wu said if I met any travellers to give them this.”

He hands Aang a wrapped parcel containing a long, thin object and leaves mysteriously. 

Sokka, Hua and Zuko behind his mask eye the man suspiciously.

This was too much cryptic nonsense for their ears.

“Maybe we should go see Aunt Wu and learn our fortunes.”, suggests Katara excitedly. Seems like one like this cryptic nonsense. “It could be fun.”

“Oh, come on. Fortune telling is nonsense!”, said Sokka loud and clear.

“I’m with Sokka, it's just a scam.”, added Hua. “They tell you what you want to hear. If someone could really see into the future they would be powerful!”

Blue agreed with a simple nod.

Meanwhile, Aang quickly unwraps the mysterious parcel, which turns out to be a red umbrella. He opens it and holds it over his head.

“What do you know? An umbrella!”

At that moment, the sky darkens and it begins to rain. A low rumble of thunder can be heard. Katara bends an arched shield of water over her head to shelter herself from the weather. Hua copies her, shielding also Sokka and Blue.

“That proves it!”, tells them Katara, now under the umbrella.

“No, it doesn't! You can't really tell the future!”, argues back Sokka.

“If it wasn’t for Hua, you would be wet by now.”, sasses Katara back.

Suddenly Sokka loses his grip on the platypus egg as it flies through the air. 

He attempts to catch it, however, it merely flies a few feet into the air and lands on his head, cracking and causing the egg to run down his face.

Thankful Hua cleans him with some of the rainwater before she shields them again.

Then a discussion breaks out between Team Avatar-Daimon if they should go into the fortuneteller town.

Zuko stays silent observers.

In the end, Sokka and Hua only agree because Katara reminds them they need more supplies since Blue is now with them.

Secretly Zuko was pleased.

Maybe he could manage to slip away from them for a few minutes, find a Hakwery and send messages to his uncle.

This was something Zuko wouldn’t admit also out loud, but he loved and cared for his uncle.

He knew Uncle Iroh must be already sick with worry over him.

He has been missing for a good two days.

Yeah, so better go into the crazy fortuneteller town and try to send him a message.

***

Annoyed Hua had to listen, on their way to the fortuneteller town Makapu, how Sokka and Katara squabbled over if the fortunetelling was real or not.

She was on Sokka's side, she didn’t believe in this mumbo-jumbo, so she said nothing and continued to shield herself Sokka and Blue from the water.

She was proud of herself for how she could do something like this now and walk.

Sokka then pretended to predict the future, saying how it was still going to rain, but, of course, it stopped then.

Aang told him how not anyone had this gift.

Whatever.

They were finally in Makapu and Blue put a hood over his head.

Katara and she had repaired the shirt she had cut open and added a hood at Blue's request since he was a wanted man by the Fire Nation.

You could never know if someone was a Fire Nation spy or just wanted the ransom which was surely on his head.

Before they could walk up to Aunt Wu's house, Blue tried to tell them something.

It took them some creative charade playing, however, they got how Blue hadn’t any interest in fortunetelling and would take a stroll around the town.

Katara was sad, she had wanted all her friends to have a reading, yet if Blue really didn’t want she would let him.

So they split up.

As they reached finally Aunt Wu’s house a strange man calmly welcomed them with: “Aunt Wu is expecting you.”

Together Sokka and Hua roll their eyes at Katara's excitement.

This was all for the show, didn’t she realise?

The quartet walks through the doorway, Sokka and Hua expressing their disgust. 

They enter a room, with four pillows situated on the floor to the right of the room. 

The strange man closes the front door. 

A young girl walks into the room clad in a pink kimono and wearing her hair in braids that stick out from the sides of her head.

“My name is Meng and I'm Aunt Wu's assistant.”, introduced the girl and suddenly gasped.

She has a twinkle in her eyes Hua knows too well. Couriers she follows Meng's sight of the eye and lands on Aang.

What?!

Something inside her which sounds like a thousand voices start to hiss and growl.

“Well, hello there.”, formally purrs Meng in Aang's direction.

Only Aang disinterested hello, calms the hissing and snarling voices in Hua.

What was going on?!

The group sits down as Meng plays perfect host: “Can I get you some tea or some of Aunt Wu's special bean curd puffs?”

“I'll try a curd puff.”, brightens Sokka up at getting food.

Meng holds up an index finger in a gesture, her eyes never leaving Aang, saying to Sokka just a moment.

The Daimon has the urge to bite off the finger of this girl, even more so, as Meng kneels down beside Aang and gets really close to him.

She clearly tries to hit on him with the whole our names rhyme things and Hua wants to kick her ass.

It doesn’t help how the thousand and thousand voices in her head snarl and hiss.

Mine!

Stay away from them!

That’s MY yang!

Bitch I  will scratch your eyes out!

Was…was she jealous?

Since when was she jealous?!

When Aang had his little fanclub in Kyoshi she didn’t react this way nor was she angry that Aang crushed on Katara.

The way this Meng made come out the jealous girlfriend in her, was not normal!

Hua bet this was her past lives who had been together with their Avatar and now trowed a hissy fit.

Well, Hua would ignore them. Aang was her friend and nothing more.

Still, as Meng left them to get them the tea and food she was quite happy.

“I can't believe we're here in the house of nonsense.”, grumbled Sokka.

“Try to keep an open mind, Sokka. There are things in this world that just can't be explained.”, lectured Katara. “Wouldn't it be nice to have some insight into your future?”

“It would be nice to have some bean curd puffs.”

“Ditto and some tea too.”, agrees Hua.

This earns her a strange look from Katara.

“Hua, are you alright?”

“Yeah, why?”

“It’s just something in your voice…”

The waterbender trails off as Meng with a tray walks towards Aang with a besotted look in her eyes.

Hua feels her and her past lives hackle rise.

Suddenly Meng trips; Aang attempts to help her recover, accidentally holding her hands in his in the process. 

The two stare at each other for a moment; Meng blushes.

They two then hear a growl and turn to a Hua who looks like fury incarnated, with blazing orange eyes and a snarling face.

“Be more careful, girl!”, hiss a thousand voices from Hua's mouth.

Aang looks stupified at his other half, Sokka raises an eyebrow, and Meng looks ready to faint, as Katara puts her hands on the Daimon's shoulder to calm her down.

“Hua, it’s okay.”, she cooes at her best friend and gives her a big cheek kiss.

This gets Hua out of Daimon State.

Embarrassed how she had lost her nerves, Hua grips a mug of tea and gulps it down without looking anyone in the eye

Oh Spirits, what was going on with her?!

Did she really enter Daimon State because of some Floozy, who made pretty eyes at Aang?

Okay, she needed to get a hold of herself and tell her past lives to chill.

Aang would stay her friend and nothing more.

Her past lives whined at this.

Hua ignored them.

While she had her crisis, Meng left and Aunt Wu entered to welcome them and ask them who wanted to go first.

It’s Katara.

So the three stay in the waiting room, Hua drinking tea after another, while Sokka eats the puffs.

“Mm, not bad, not bad!”, states the water tribe boy.

He holds the bowl out to Aang and Hua.

The Avatar declines, while the Daimon puts some in her mouth, still not looking at anyone.

“So, what do you think they're talking about back there?”, wonders Aang.

“Boring stuff I'm sure.”, answers Sokka casually, biting into a puff. “ Love, who she's going to marry, how many babies she's going to have.”

Aang agrees nervous before he proclaims to go to the bathroom.

Finally, Hua looks up.

She knows Sokka would not ask her why she got into Daimon State since it was mambo-jumbo for him, so they could talk.

“This is all so stupid.”, she mumbles to Sokka. “I can’t believe how eager the others are for this nonsense. We should have gone with Blue.”

“Can’t agree more with you, besides the thing with Mask-Boy.”

“Sokka, do you still think he is some kind of spy?”

“My instincts don’t lie, Hua. Look, the guy refuses to take off his mask, who does this?”

“Maybe someone who got hurt badly by the Fire Nation and has a deformed face?!”

That’s when Aang struts back into the room like a happily peacock.

Okay…what happened now?

“Looks like someone had a pretty good bathroom break.”, says Sokka, picking his teeth.

“Yeah ... when I was in there …”

Disgusted, both Sokka and Hua look away and hold up a hand to signal Aang to stop and yell how they don’t want to know.

Aunt Wu with Katara reenters the Room, asking for her next client.

Sokka stans up with a: “Okay, let's get this over with.”

“Your future is full of struggle and anguish. Most of it is self-inflicted.”, tells him Aunt Wu dryer than the desert.

“But you didn't read my palms or anything!”

“I don't need to. It's written all over your face.” 

Sokka resumes picking his teeth in disgust; as Aunt Wu waves Hua over.

“What about you young lady?”

“Oh alright.”

So Hua follows Aunt Wu into her chamber. 

The chamber is a fairly spacious, dimly lit room. 

Four pillars support the ceiling and four cushions are situated in the centre of the room, surrounding a small fire.

Both sit down facing each other.

“What kind of method would you like to see your future…?”

“Hua, my name is Hua.”

“Ah, flower. A pretty name for a pretty girl. It’s said: The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.”

This makes Hua blush pleased.

“Thank you. That’s nice to say to you.”

“No problem, dear.”

“I think, I would like the hand reading the classic one.”

Aunt Wu nods and Hua gives her hand.

The older woman stares at the lines in astonishment.

“I never saw such lines.”, she muttered, but Hua can still hear her. With a finger, she follows a big one. “Your destiny! This is incredible. You will be involved in a great battle, an awesome conflict between the forces of good and evil. A battle whose outcome will determine the fate of the whole world!”

Okay, this was disappointing.

“I’m the Daimon I already know that.”

Stupified Aunt Wu blinks at her.

“Is this all, then I will go.”

“No wait a second, here is something which will help you on your journey.”

Aunt Wu strokes over another line and explains: “This is the love line. You are destined to love a lot of people and carry them in your heart, but you will have someone who will carry you in your darkest times. Who will be your guiding light, your sun, your rock in stormy waters! This love is so potent, so eternal that it will save the world or doom it if you don’t find each other.”

Now Hua blinks.

“Okay, can you tell me more about this mysterious person?”

“You have known each other since the beginning of time, you loved each other in many, many lives. Your stubbornness and his deafness stop you both from being together and creating a love which will change the whole world.”

“Ah, I get it now!”, snaps Hua and takes her hand away. “Because I told you I’m the Daimon, of course, the Avatar is my destiny. I will tell you that I will create my own destiny and love someone because I LOVE them and not because we did it before!”

Dramatically Hua races out of the room, ignoring the calls of her friends and walks the street of Makapu.

She has a lot to think about.

***

Of course, Aang was worried for Hua, she must have gotten a bad prediction, but he needed to hear from Aunt Wu that he truly was destined to be with Katara like she had told the waterbender when he had listened in on them.

So he was disappointed when the bones just told her what he already knew.

“Yeah, yeah, I knew that already. But did it say anything about a girl?”

“A girl? You want to know about love?”

“Yes!”

Aunt Wu purses her lip, she can’t believe she got two times today the same destiny, as she looks at the bone fragments.

“Ah, there it is.”

She picks up a bone splitter.

“It says this crush, this obsession you currently have will doom the world.”

What?!

Aunt Wu tuts him.

Ups, he had yelled this out loud.

“The one your heart belongs to currently is not for you. If you choose her over your real love, something terrible will happen. You will lose a great power within you. You need to let go of your obsession and realize who your heart belongs really. If you do this, you will become even more powerful and create a love which will change the whole world.”

“But…but…”, stutters Aang totally confused. “Very powerful bender….”

The fortuneteller repeats his words before she understands.

“You listened in, in my reading with Miss Katara, didn’t you?! How dare you?! This was a private matter!”, she scolded him harshly.

“But…but…”

“See, this is an obsession, not love! You are so fixed on the idea that Miss Katara is your love that you forget anything and don’t think any more about what’s right and what’s wrong! Young Avatar listen closely, you will doom yourself and more importantly, the world, if you still go this way. And now out!”

He doesn’t let him told be twice.

Aunt Wu was scary when angry.

And she was wrong about him and Katara.

He was a very powerful bender.

He was the one for Katara.

He ignored the thousand voices in him who called him a stupor idiot.

***

Zuko had been fortunet.

Makapu had a Hawkery, who even sent letters to Fire Nation Vessels. So this meant the little town was neutral.

Better for him.

He wrote quickly to his uncle about where he was and his plan and asked for time.

With this, he gave the man the scroll and the hawk was off to go to delivery.

Since he had nothing better to do he walked around town, waiting for the others to be done with their nonsense.

Zuko didn’t believe in fortunetellers, destiny may exist but if you fought hard enough you could change it.

He needed to believe this or he would never return home.

His feet carried him to the marketplace where he found Hua, sitting on some stairs of a random house, sulking.

Silently he joined her.

“Hey Blue.”, she greeted dull. “Had a nice walk?”

He nodded.

“I should have come with you, Aunt Wu was such a waste of time!”

He nodded again.

The Daimon gave him a little smile and then handed him a little notebook and coal pen.

“Here I bought this for you. So you can better communicate with us. Always playing charades must be getting annoying.”

This…Zuko didn’t know how to feel about this. 

It was a really nice gesture, no doubt. Besides his uncle, no one thought about him to make him more comfortable.

And here was this little girl, the Daimon, who just used her money on him.

Something in his stomach felt unpleased.

She and the other thought he was their friend.

Not knowing they had a snake among them.

Suddenly…his plan seemed cruel to him.

But he shook it off.

Nothing was more important than to restore his honour.

“Ah there you guys are.”, they hear Katara call for them.

She and the rest of Team Avatar-Daimon joined them.

“Why did you run away Hua?”, asked Katara her best friend. “Was your prediction so bad?”

“It was stupid and I don’t want to talk about it.”

For that all gave her a look, so Hua searched for something to distract them.

“Oh look, people are gathering let’s check this out.”

And off she was.

The others just looked all at each other, wondering what was with Hua, before Sokka shrugged his shoulder and made a come-follow motion.

Nearly the whole town stands around a pagoda-like structure, staring at the sky.

“What's with the sky?”, wonders Katara.

The calm man they met before was there too and explained: “We are waiting for Aunt Wu to come and read the clouds to predict the fate of the whole village.”

“That cloud kind of looks like a fluffy bunny.”, musses Aang, pointing at it.

“You better hope that's not a bunny! The fluffy bunny cloud forecasts doom and destruction.”

“Do you even hear yourself?”, groaned Sokka in disgust.

“Wow, even more mambo-jumbo.”, added Hua, while Blue nodded in agreement.

These three were so done with this whole town.

“The cloud reading will tell us if Mt. Makapu will remain dormant for another year or if it will erupt.”, tells a village woman.

The calm man smiles. “We used to have a tradition once a year of going up the mountain to check the volcano ourselves. But ever since Aunt Wu moved to the village twenty years ago, we have a tradition of not doing that.”

“I can't believe you would trust your lives to that crazy, old woman's superstition!”, shouted Sokka in disbelief and was shushed by Katara, since Aunt Wu was coming.

Aunt Wu and her guard appear ascending a stairwell. The crowd had formed an aisle to allow for the two figures to pass by. 

Hua stands beside Katara and then Aang, while Sokka and Blue stand behind them. 

Aang and Katara smile widely as Aunt Wu and the guard walk by them. Hua and the two older males, even the one who wears a mask, look unamused.

The crowd is clapping for the fortuneteller. 

Suddenly Meng appears next to Aang. Hua sees this and feels her anger rise again.

What does the Floozy want?!

The girl in the pink Kimono points at the sky, asking Aang if he thinks this cloud looks like a flower, he shoves her away, which pleases Hua greatly, just to ask the same of Katara.

Katara shushes him to listen to Aunt Wu's cloud reading.

The Daimon only pays half attention, till Aunt Wu proclaims that the vulcano isn’t going to destroy the town this year.

The crowd celebrates, while the three skeptics just cross their arms and shake their heads.

What a load of ostrich-horse shit!

“Since I got you here, uh, there's something I want to tell you.”, hears Hua Aang's voice over the cheering crowd. She turns slightly and sees a blushing Aang and a clapping Katara. “I like you, but more than normal.”

Did he just confess?!

And in the middle of a crowd?!

Either he was brave or utterly stupid.

Utterly stupid decided Hua, since she saw for a second how Katara's eye twitched before she played the I-didn’t-hear-anything-card and gripped the Daimon by the hand to run off to follow the fortuneteller.

“Nice played, Katara.”, whispered Hua to her best friend.

Katara made a grimace.

“Spirits, I can’t believe he did that. Even after I compared him to Momo this morning. Why is he so fixed on me?”

“Who knows? Hey maybe you should tell him he is the son you always wanted, maybe that will help.”

“Well, it certainly can’t hurt to try.”

***

A while later Hua joined up with the boys because Katara wanted another reading from Aunt Wu and the Daimon wanted to stay far away from that place.

She finds an interesting scene before her.

Blue actually uses his notebook and shows what he wrote to Sokka.

After the water tribe boy read, he huffed.

“Okay, you may be not so stupid to believe this utter nonsense in this town, but I still got my eye on you, Mask-Dude!”

“Sokka, play nice.”, chest him Hua. “So what’s going on?”

Aang answers her. “Sokka wants to change the minds of the people here.”

This makes Hua blink before she tells in a deadpan: “They are a lost cause, Sokka. Ostrich-Horse learn to fly before they will change their mind.”

“Oh yeah, we will see. It’s time for science with Sokka!”

With that, he walks to his first victim.

The other three stay still, before Blue writes something and shows Aang and Hua.

>>Science with Sokka?<<

“Yeah, we don’t know either.”, tell them the youngest in chor.

Since they have nothing better to do, they follow Sokka around for a while, trying to change the minds of the people of Makapu.

It was going bad.

So bad, that Hua told them she would get herself a snack and Blue joined her.

She wasn’t that hungry, but seeing Sokka lose his mind was scary.

The Daimon bought a for her and Blue a peach, as Katara joined them.

“Hey Katara.”, greeted Hua.

“Hey, Hua, hey Blue.”

“Is this a papaya in your hand? Don’t you hate papayas?”

The waterbender signed loudly.

“Yes, but Aunt Wu said I have to eat one.”

Her best friend wants to answer, but both see how Blue is writing fast something.

He shows it to Katara.

>>You can’t do all that this lady tells you. If she told you, you were going to marry Aang would you do that?<<

Katara makes a face at this, while Hua nods in agreement.

“Katara this is all nonsense, I mean she told me I would end up with Aang and we all know this is not going to happen!”

“Aha! That’s why you ran out!”, pointed Katara in triumph at her.

“Yes, I choose my own destiny and this Daimon is fine without Avatar.”

“But why?”, whines Katara. “You and Aang are actually really cute together. We all know you cuddle to sleep.”

This makes Hua turn into a pepperoni.

“You know?!”

Blue answers.

>>You are not subtle when you drag your sleeping back beside him when you think we sleep.<<

Hua whines, before she turns to her best friend.

“So what did she tell you, that you believe her so much?”

“I’m going to marry a tall handsome powerful bender.”

For that Hua and Blue deadpan at her.

Now Katara was the one blushing.

“What?”

“Katara that’s exactly what we mean by Aunt Wu telling people what they want to hear.”, begins Hua. “Most girls want a tall handsome powerful bender. She would have probably said the same to me if I didn’t blab out that I’m the Daimon. Also, I bet with you if a lesbian goes to her, she will have trouble coming up with a cover story.”

Blue nodded in agreement, while Katara seemed pensive.

Well, if you said it like this…

More time to think she doesn’t have as Aang with Sokka on his glider lands beside them.

They tell them how the volcano was about to erupt and in that moment an explosion was heard and the volcano rumbles violently. Grey smoke is emitting from the peak of the mountain.

They have to warn the people.

Sadly no one wants to listen to them. The villagers to trusting in Aunt Wu's readings.

However, this gives Aang an idea. If they only listened to Aunt Wu, they would make them listen this way.

So he steals himself into Aunt Wu's house, searching for the cloud reading book, as he sees Meng in the reflection of a mirror.

“Oh, I didn't see you there.”, he says arkwark. 

“You don't like me, do you?”, asked Meng sad, her braids drooping down.

“Of course I like you.”

“But not the way I like you.”

“Oh, I guess not.”

“It's okay. It's just really hard when you like someone, but they don't think of you that way.”

Aang casts a sad glance to the side, thinking of Katara. “I know what you mean.”

“She's beautiful, by the way.”

“Huh?”

“That Earth Nation girl. I can see why you like her so much. She's strong, she's a bender, she is the Daimon and her hair seems so manageable.”

…Uh what?!

Aang blushes so red, that you need a new name for it.

“What you think I’m in love with Hua?!”, he shouted shocked, gasping for air. “She is my friend nothing more.”

Meng deadpans at him.

“Your friend? Sure. That’s why she was ready to kill me.”

“That’s a bit extreme…”

“Her eyes glowed and she spoke with a thousand voices!”

“Yeah, this is a Daimon Avatar stuff our past lives want us probably to be together but I like Katara and Hua likes currently no one.”

The girl lets out a sound which clearly says that she doesn’t believe him.

“Here.”, she hands him the cloud reading book. “You searched for this, right?”

“How did you know?”

“I've kind of been stalking you…Heh …”

“Oh, thanks ... I guess.”

Okay, he needs to get out of here!

***

In the end, all went smoothly. 

Aang, Hua and Katara on Appa’s back bend the clouds into the symbol of volcanic doom.

Sokka leads Aunt Wu there when it’s done and finally, the village moves.

The earthbender bends the earth away, while the non-benders shovel a big trench which leads to the river.

Hopefully, it would be enough.

However, it wasn’t.

The trench filled too quickly, and the people of Makapu ran away, while Team Avatar-Daimon stayed to watch.

Then when it’s ready to overflow Aang and Hua bend together in a kind of dance with air the overflowing lava away and cooling it down.

Katara, Sokka and Blue who were the last ones standing were astonished by the feast they created.

“Okay, now I get this whole Yin and Yang thing. These two just stopped a volcano without words.”, tells Sokka.

Katara and Blue nod in agreement.

So this was the power of the Avatar and Daimon.

Beautiful and otherwordly.

It made them all feel really humble.

The village was safe now and the people returned.

Aang handed the cloud reading book back to Aunt Wu. “By the way, we kind of borrowed your book.”

“So you messed with the clouds, did you?”, guessed Aunt Wu angry.

She takes her book back in anger while Katara and Hua look guilty and Sokka smiles and points at them, indicating that they had a part in the cloud manipulation, too.

“Very clever!”, laughs Aunt Wu.

“No offence, but I hope this taught everyone a lesson about not relying too much on fortune telling.”, called Sokka the villagers out.

The calm man just responded with: “But Aunt Wu predicted the village wouldn't be destroyed and it wasn't. She was right, after all.”

Anraged Sokka gets near the Calm man's face and through gritted teeth tells him he hates him.

Katara and Hua each grab a hand of Sokka leading him away, trying to calm him down, as Blue follows them with a shake of his head.

After Aang finish talking with Aunt Wu, he joins his friends on Appa.

Today Katara flow the bison and she said goodbye to the villagers for them and asked Meng to take care.

Never seeing the fake smile and wave from Meng stopped she muttered a: Floozy.

Previous

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#own character #ocs #ao3 writer #fanfic writing #avatar the last airbender #aang #sokka #katara #toph beifong #zuko #suki #zutara #sukki #aang x oc #bisexual #bisexual oc #atla #atla katara #atla zuko #atla aang #atla toph #atla sokka #atla suki #atla zutara #atla sukki #alternate universe #oc x canon #canon divergence #queer oc #zuko joins the gaang early

[sketchbonked]

chapter 11 (you’re coming back and it’s the end of the world) is now up!!!

highly suggest listening to i want you by mitski, i bet on losing dogs by mitski, and eventually by tame impala as you read!

this one’s for all my Gao fans. hope you enjoy the zuko alone parallel

in which: ozai’s angels are back baby! bending battle, semi-agni kai between zuko and azula, and aang swooping in at the last second!

#atla #zuko #avatar the last airbender #aang #azula #ty lee #mai atla #iroh #uncle iroh #katara #i still worship the flame #ao3 #atla fanfic #fanfic #zuko joins the gaang early #atla au

[water-beats-earthbender]

Look, i love Katara, i really do. She's one of my faves, which is why it pains me when season 3 fics make her out to be a complete bitch. Yes she hated Zuko, yes she was mean to him, but y'all take it too far.

I especially hate in the "the gaang learns how Zuko got his scar" fics when the whole story of Zukos scar comes out bc Katara goaded him. Zuko does not owe them that. Zuko went 3 years on a boat with never mentioning how he got his scar. He never tells anyone in canon about it and only talks about his scar in season 3 to people who already knew. The audience only knows about his scar because IROH told the story. Zuko is not telling to story unless it's pried out of him (the exception being the "I assumed you already knew" trope in the fics because i love that and that is a valid assumption that Zuko would make).

But making Katara unnecessarily cruel and then having Zuko tell the story of his scar as a gotcha moment is leagues out of character for him. And Katara. The og gaang does kinda deserve to know why Zuko was chasing them, but at the same time Zuko does not owe them his traumatic backstory. The story of his scar is not something that he's telling the everyone with ears about.

Katara glares at Zuko, threatens him in private, doesn't like to accept his help (the keeping rocks from crushing you), and makes snide comments (mainly after Azula attacks them). But she still let Aang go alone with Zuko to the temple of the sun warriors. She threatened Zuko, but was the one to catch him when he was falling in the western air temple. She's grumpy and butter in the Southern Raiders but them forgives him and hugs him. Then Zuko and Katara are basically inseparable after that. She can't be too cruel towards him. Lowkey Zuko would probably accept bad treatment bc that boy has insecurities but Katara would never act like that and she wouldn't forgive herself for it because her main character trait is compassion.

#atla zuko #zuko #Zuko's scar #katara #atla katara #atla #avatar the last airbender #stop making katara into a complete bitch in ur fics guys #i read for multiple ships but like when youre trying to make zutara happen in your fic dont make katara too much of a bully post DoBS #like obvs yes shes mean and she hates him #and shes right to #however #there is such a thing as too far #and having her taunt him about his scar is too far #its a disservice to my bestie Katara #or in Zuko joins the gaang early fics people use season 3 katara without the backstory that leads to season 3 katara's anger #before Cross roads of destiny katara would be suspicious of Zuko butbshe would not be cruel #she doesnt like him and would yell like in canon but also like in canon her anger fizzles and she bonds with him #its only after she thinks he betrayed or manipulated her thta shes cruel like season 3 #sokka is sceptical but tbh guys without katara holding a grudge in s3 zuko would assimilate into rhe gaang much easier pre s2 finale #katara can be mean but shes not cruel and she wouldnt be that awful

[grizzabella-02]

i don't know how but i love the fact that the fandom has collectively agreed that if jet met zuko if he was part of the gaang he would have had a crush on him

#i find this fucking hilarious #zuko #atla zuko #jet #jet atla #atla jet #zuko atla #zuko joins the gaang early

[stardust948]

What would change in the Zutara ship/dynamic and/or Zuko and Katara individually if Zuko didn't betray Katara in Ba Sing Se and immediately chose her?

I think they would be very close. Basically the Post TSR on speedrun. The others would be a little hesitant but warm up to Zuko eventually with Sokka taking the longest bc he's naturally a skeptical person.

I also think Zuko and Katara would start acting like a couple without realizing it. Like "oh we're just good friends" then go on errands together and know each other's tea preferences by heart. I have a headcanon that in The Headband, they pretend to be Aang’s parents and in a fake marriage then just never drop the act 🤣

Aang: Why are they still walking arm in arm? The dance was two weeks ago.

Toph: Seriously?

Thanks for the ask ❤️

#anon #answered ask #atla #zutara #zutara au #zuko joins the gaang early

[awanderingmuse-ficrec]

Cherry Wine

Fandom: Avatar the Last Airbender

Author: Kaatiba

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Violence, Abuse, Sexual Content, Underage

Word Count: 151,452

Pairings: Zutara, Sukka, Tyzula

Characters: Zuko, Katara, Iroh, Ozai, Aang, Sokka, Hakoda, Kya, Ursa,  Azula, Dai Li, Earth King, Appa, Momo, Bato, The Gaang, Original Male Character(s), Piandao, The Blue Spirit, The Painted Lady, Toph Bei Fong, Lu Ten, Roku, Sozin, Fang, Ta Min, Hama, Haru, Teo, The Duke, Ty Lee, Mai, Suki, Sun Warriors, Druk, Katara’s and Zuko’s Child(ren)

Tags: Missing Scene, Episode: s02e20 The Crossroads of Destiny, Pre-Slash, Fix-It of Sorts, Zuko's Scar, Zuko's Childhood, Bonding, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, What-If, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Zuko-centric, Ba Sing Se, POV Alternating, Slow Burn, Fluff and Angst, Fire Nation Lore, Chi Blocking, Zuko whump, Protective Gaang, The Gaang Learns How Zuko Got The Scar, Book 3: Fire, zuko joins the gaang early, Season 3 rewrite, Fire Nation, Southern Water Tribe, Episode: s03e02 The Headband, Hurt/Comfort, Ozai Being a Terrible Parent, Toph Beifong and Zuko are Siblings, Episode: s03e03 The Painted Lady, 'Team Avatar' more like 'Protect Zuko Squad', Episode: s03e04 Sokka's Master, Episode: s03e05 The Beach, Episode: s03e06 The Avatar and the Fire Lord, Episode: s03e07 The Runaway, Episode: s03e08 The Puppetmaster, Episode s03e09: Nightmares and Daydreams, Episode: s03e10-11 The Day of Black Sun, POV Azula, Episode: s03e12 The Western Air Temple, Western Air Temple, Ember Island, Azula has feelings, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, Protective Sokka, Violence, War, Azula Redemption, Episode: s03e13 The Firebending Masters, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Epilogue, Domestic Fluff, Politics, Fire Nation Royal Family

Canon Divergent AU where Zuko joined the Gaang early in the S2 finale: Crossroads of Destiny

 like rum on fire

What if Katara got to know Zuko a bit better in the catacombs, and it altered his choice in Ba Sing Se?

OR

Katara unlocks Zuko's tragic backstory, finally gives him the hug he needs, and the rest is history

the tide of her breathing

(Sequel to "like rum on the fire" but can be read independently)

Zuko makes a different choice back in Ba Sing Se and the rest is history...

OR

A remake of Book 3 where Zuko joined the Gaang early

oh, but she burns

(sequel to "like rum on the fire" and "the tide of her breathing" but could be read independently)

A Canon-Divergent Remake of Book 3 where Zuko joined the Gaang back in Ba Sing Se, and it alters the course of Destiny...

OR

The last half of S3 with 200% more Zutara and Tyzula

cherry wine epilogue

canon divergent book 4 and onward; epilogue scenes from the Cherry Wine series

#avatar the last airbender #atla #zutara #tyzula #sukka #zuko #katara #100k #wip #not rated #book 2 #book 3 #atla:postcanon #atla:angst #atla:team as family #atla: slow burn #atla: zuko joins the gaang early #atla: zukos scar #atla: azula redemption #atla: ozai parenting #atla:fluff #bluespirit!zuko #paintedlady!katara #The Muse's Favs #fic rec

[bard-llama]

WiP Wednesday: Early S3 AU

I decided I wanted to figure out how to make Zuko join the Gaang after Ba Sing Se but before the Invasion, so here’s what I came up with lol

After the war meeting in which the Fire Lord had proclaimed that they would burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground, Zuko had to get away from the palace. He knew he was too transparent, knew that if he lingered, his doubts would be visible and Father would be disappointed again and Azula would torment him and–

So. He left. He found a minor official duty to carry out far, far away from the capital. Touring the secure prison facilities of Fire Fountain City was one of those duties that everyone always put off, but was technically important, so getting approval for his trip was both easy and did not require speaking to his father face to face, for which he was grateful.

Zuko wore his heavy official robes and was shadowed by two royal guards as he followed the local Fire Fountain City guard through the jail. To be honest, he wasn’t paying that much attention, more focused on the screaming in his brain that had been there ever since Father had seriously decreed that they were going to burn down the Earth Kingdom.

Why!? What was the point of it!? Three and a half million people lived in the Earth Kingdom, including their own citizens! The Fire Nation colonies were in the Earth Kingdom, and Father hadn’t said anything specifically about them, but–

And for what? What good did burning the land they conquered do them!?

Why had everyone in that war room cheered for this plan!? Were they all insane!?

Zuko knew better than to speak out, but holding his tongue in that moment had been the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. He was the only one who hadn’t burst into applause after Father’s speech (though he’d forced himself to join in, so as not to attract undue attention).

Not a single other person on that war council had appeared to object to this plan in the slightest. How could that be!? What was wrong with them!?

He swallowed hard, recentering himself before he could lose control in front of the guards. He would – he would figure out something. There had to be a way to do something. There had to be.

“Up ahead, we have a specially-ordered wooden cell, to contain two very valuable prisoners,” the Fire Fountain City guard was saying when Zuko tuned back in. “There’s–”

He was cut off by an explosion and Zuko instinctively bent the flames away from them, moving into a battle stance. Two figures emerged from the cell and it took a moment for Zuko to recognize them through the smoke, but the piercing glare of Katara’s eyes was more than familiar.

“You!” Katara snarled.

“Katara,” the little earthbender girl, Toph, hissed. “We gotta find Aang before Sparky-Sparky-Boom-Man does!”

Zuko blinked as Katara nodded to her companion and then pulled water from somewhere, sending ice spikes at Zuko. He batted them aside with a burst of flame, but when his vision cleared, they were both gone.

“Wait!” He called out without thinking about it, running after them. The legend was that the Avatar was the only one who could stop the Fire Lord. That meant the Avatar needed to know how urgently that was needed.

“Your Highness!” one of his guards shouted after him and Zuko tore off the ornate outer robes, throwing them into the guards’ faces for long enough to elude them. The last thing he needed was them getting in the way.

Now with a freer range of motion, Zuko ran after Katara and Toph. It didn’t take long to catch up, especially not when the two he was following ran into their two missing compatriots. At the sight of him, they all sank into attack positions, but for once, he didn’t want to fight them.

Before he could say as much, the air around the Avatar sparked and exploded and he dove out of the way, running with his friends behind him.

Shit. Zuko knew he’d forgotten something.

The assassin he had hired followed after the Avatar and his friends and Zuko chased him without thought.

“Wait!” he yelled. “Stop! I order you to stop!”

The assassin did actually still, and for a second, Zuko really thought–

Then the assassin turned, eyes fixing on Zuko. It took a moment too long for Zuko to recognize the way the air crackled and he crossed his arms in front of his face, bending as much of the explosion as he could away.

It wasn’t enough and he was sent flying back, slamming into a wall. The last thing he thought before the world went black was fuck, feels like broken ribs.

––

Sokka did not know what was happening. It was not a feeling he enjoyed. All he knew was that Toph and Katara had been gone for too long on their scam, and when he and Aang went searching for them, they found the entire city seemingly abandoned.

Then the explosions had started.

Running into Katara and Toph – almost literally – was a relief, but he had no idea where they came from. That relief quickly soured as he caught sight of who was chasing after them.

“Zuko,” he snarled, holding his boomerang at the ready.

Another explosion went off, far too close to them and Sokka decided that maybe Zuko wasn’t such a significant concern right now. Not dying needed to be the priority.

Then, for some reason, Zuko shouted at Sparky-Sparky-Boom-Man – you know, maybe Combustion Man would be better – ordering him to stop.

Suddenly there was an explosion where Zuko was, and then there was a too-loud thud as Zuko collided with the closest wall.

Sokka had just a few seconds to take that in before the air around them was exploding again. He ran, making sure his friends stayed together and pushing Zuko from his mind.

They dodged around the city, trying to outrun Combustion Man, but they weren’t having much luck. They did get a small lead when Toph threw a boulder in front of an explosion and the shrapnel hit Combustion Man as well, but it wasn’t enough.

Somehow, they ended up near the wall that had a Zuko-shaped imprint. Zuko himself was leaning against the concave wall, one hand over his ribs, the other helping him stand. He definitely looked like he’d had better days and Sokka once again dismissed him from his thoughts. Right now, Combustion Man was the significant threat.

Speaking of…

Combustion Man had somehow managed to get ahead of them and he jumped down in front of them, his metal feet stomping into the cobblestone.

Fuck. Sokka and his friends backed, but all they had at their back was Zuko and a wall, and this was very, very bad.

“Aim for the eye,” a hoarse voice said and Sokka blinked.

“What?”

“Aim for the eye on his forehead. Disrupt his chi. Hurry!”

With a shrug at his companions, Sokka threw his boomerang because really, he had no better ideas.

He managed to score a hit, but it didn’t seem like it really did much other than stun Combustion Man, because he shook himself and inhaled, ready to explode them. Only it was the air around him that crackled and popped and–

“Duck!” Zuko shouted, and then there was a loud whoosh and fwoom and heat washed over Sokka’s back where he was curled around Toph, instinctively shielding her head. But the pain he was expecting never came and when Sokka glanced up, he saw Zuko with his arms spread, containing the explosion in a way he hadn’t known firebending could do.

Finally, it was over and Zuko slumped back against the wall, hugging his midriff. Sokka stood slowly, helping Toph up – and actually being permitted to do so – and checking on Aang and Katara. Everyone seemed to be okay.

Where Combustion Man had been, the cobblestone and the walls were charred black. There was… something lying in the ash, but if Sokka looked too closely, he was going to end up throwing up.

He made sure Aang didn’t look that way. He didn’t need to see that.

Instead, Sokka turned them to face Zuko, who… wasn’t actually attacking. Although, from the way he was holding his ribs, it was possible he couldn’t attack.

Still, Sokka was ready. They surrounded Zuko, all in defensive positions, but Zuko held out his free hand.

“I’m not here to fight you,” he said.

“Then why are you here?” Katara demanded.

Zuko licked his lips, then blurted out, “you have to stop him.”

“What?”

“You – you have to stop him,” Zuko repeated. “You have to stop my Father. You’re the only one who can.”

Sokka shared a confused glance with Aang and Katara.

“I thought you were on your Father’s side,” Aang said slowly.

“I am,” Zuko said immediately. “But – he’s planning to burn down the Earth Kingdom!”

“What!?”

“He’s – he’s gone crazy. They’ve all gone crazy!” Zuko continued, unscarred eye wide with something like panic. “They want to burn three point five million people to the ground!”

Sokka stared, speechless. The others didn’t seem much better either.

“He’s not lying,” Toph murmured quietly.

“Why are you warning us?” Katara asked suspiciously.

Zuko just shook his head. “Our colonies are in the Earth Kingdom! There’s thousands and thousands of civilians who have nothing to do with the war. You can’t let them burn.”

Before they could say anything, there was a shout of “Prince Zuko!” and pounding footsteps approached them. Shit.

Interestingly, Zuko appeared just as concerned about the approach as they were – and then he hissed quietly, “take me hostage.”

“What!?”

“Hurry!”

Sokka stared at Zuko, baffled, but then the guards were upon them and Toph had never needed telling twice when it came to following a bad idea.

“Back off!” she yelled, creating a sharp spike of stone and moving it to rest against Zuko’s throat.

“Your Highness!” the guards cried out, horrified. Zuko didn’t move.

Belatedly, Sokka shook himself and moved to actually restrain Zuko, holding his boomerang to Zuko’s throat, because maybe Toph had it covered, but he needed to do something.

Zuko did not resist in the slightest.

“If you come after us, we’ll kill your Prince!” Toph threatened, edging backwards. Aang blew the bison whistle frantically and they all edged away around the corner – and then bolted, Zuko easily freeing himself from Sokka’s grasp, but running with them anyway.

Appa landed in front of them and they all scrambled up into the saddle, Zuko seemingly encountering no issue with jumping from the ground, even though even Aang could only do that with airbending.

As soon as they were all on Appa, they took flight, and they could see the guards trying to follow them, but before long, they were out of sight.

Aang brought them to the first abandoned little island they could find and as soon as they landed, they all fell to the ground in relief. Except for Zuko, who landed lightly on his toes and immediately began pacing, swearing under his breath as he pulled his hair, ruffling the fancy topknot.

“Uh.” Sokka shared a confused look with Aang and Katara. This was not how confrontations with Zuko were supposed to go.

“Aren’t your ribs broken?” Toph asked eventually.

Zuko barely paused, just muttering, “had worse. I really need to stop getting blown up.”

“I’m sorry, what!?”

Zuko didn’t answer, going back to his pacing. Mostly he seemed to be repeating “fuck” to himself, so Sokka didn’t feel bad interrupting again.

“What the fuck is going on?” he demanded.

Zuko started rambling. “If the guards heard anything, they think I’m a traitor and I’m dead. If they didn’t… then they think I’m a hostage and will report it to my father. He probably won’t care much, ‘cause if I can’t free myself, what good am I? But if they report that you’re alive, then I’m dead anyway, because Azula told him I killed you. Also they probably think we murdered the assassin, which is not great, but better than being dead, so–”

“Hold up,” Sokka held up a hand. “First off, whose side are you on?”

“I don’t know!” Zuko said, pulling on his own hair. “He’s – he’s crazy! He – how can anyone think that’s a good idea!? But they did! All of them! The entire war council cheered at the idea of fucking genocide and–”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Toph said. “I think we need more context here. What’s going on, Sparky?”

Zuko stopped, blinking. “...Sparky?”

“Would you prefer Princey?”

“Definitely not,” Zuko said immediately. “Um. So, okay, yesterday, there was an important war council meeting. I was invited to attend.” He swallowed hard, breathing shaky. “The – the Generals reported that there were still earthbender rebellions that were causing trouble in the Earth Kingdom. They recommended sending more troops, but – my Father asked me if I thought sending more troops would help. And I – all I said was that the people of the Earth Kingdom are proud and strong and can endure anything as long as they have hope. But Father took that to mean we need to destroy their hope and then Azula suggested burning everything down and everyone applauded and Sozin’s Comet is coming and millions of people live in the Earth Kingdom! They’ve all gone crazy!”

Zuko’s frantic words fell over themselves as he spewed them out, clearly stressed and panicked. They’d never seen him like this before and frankly, it was weird. Where was the shouty, fire-happy asshole they knew and despised?

This guy in front of them almost seemed human.

“Zuko,” Aang interrupted Zuko’s tirade. “Breathe.”

Zuko sucked in a loud breath and let it out slowly. “What do we do?”

“‘We’!?”

“The Avatar is the only one who can stop the Fire Lord,” Zuko said casually. “And he has to be stopped. They all have to be stopped.”

“Are you… asking to join us?” Toph said slowly.

“No! Yes! I don’t know!” he threw his hands up in the air, then tugged on his hair again. “How can they all have gone crazy!? What is wrong with them!?”

“So… to be clear, you are not in favor of genocide?” Sokka asked.

“Of course not!” Zuko burst out, sounding offended.

“Okay, just gotta check,” Sokka held his hands out placatingly. “‘Cause you know, this isn’t exactly a new thing for the Fire Nation.”

Zuko stared at him. “What?”

Katara scoffed. “If you’re so opposed, why didn’t you say anything? If you really thought it was wrong, you would have spoken out.”

Face twisting with anger, Zuko snarled, “oh, forgive me for wanting to keep the other half of my face!”

Sokka blinked. “Wait, what!?”

Zuko blinked. “What?”

“What the fuck did you mean, about your face?”

“...oh.” Zuko looked like he’d swallowed something that wriggled. “You don’t know.”

“Know what?”

“When – when I was thirteen, I spoke out in a war council meeting,” Zuko said, voice shaking slightly.

#atla #wip wednesday #zuko joins the gaang early

[a-todd-illustration]

"Dad, we want you to meet our... other dad."

By the time they meet up before Day of Black Sun, the group has gone from jokingly calling Zuko 'dad' to kind of actually meaning it. So Sokka needs to explain to his real dad why they are calling a firebender his title.

#myart #fanart #avatar the last airbender #atla #avatar #zuko #avatar au #gaang #sokka #zuko joins the gaang early #katara #hakoda #hakodad #caregiver zuko #dadko

[valtiels-darkness]

Zhaoko Plot #1

When Korra inadvertently caused a new spirit portal in Rep City, people began exploring. Tenzin goes back to the Fog of Lost Souls and "frees" Zhao out of pity, but what he did was send him back in time. Zhao wakes up, holding Tui and the sky stained red. He remembers everything that happened. So, when he releases Tui back he doesn't kill the spirit. Just leaves. Fast forward about 20 minutes. Zhao is just in a cave, thousand yard stare out into the blizzard watching as La/Aang destroy the fleet. Turns out one of Zhao's subordinates finished the job. Zuko finds him in the cave, furious and ranting. Trying to fight, but senses something is off.

You see, Zhao looks at Zuko differently, now. I mean, Zuko tried to save this man, who tried to have him killed, mocked him, shamed/belittled him. That was the big thing that tormented Zhao in the fog. Let's face it, Zhao is a broken man. I mean, why else would he be a glory hound? Fiercely Loyal to his nation? For some, being a narcissistic asshat is a symptom of survival (I personally don't think the man was born that way). Then the 70ish years of mental torment? Yeah, he is a bit unstable trying reconcile him before the FoLS and after. Iroh finds the two in the cave and alao notes Zhao's demeanor. Carefully coerces him to join Zuko and him.

Basically, Zhao redemption, dealing with a lot of heavy things. Zuko never betrays the GAang in the Crystal Catacombs due to Zhao's insistence that Ozai does. Not. Care. About. Zuko! So, that's a plot. A lot of room to wiggle and all that jazz. The GAang (Zuko included) aged up, Zhao aged down a bit.

Still an age gap. No underage. Your basic, Zuko joins the GAang early, Time travel, and Zhao redemption.

Feel free to message me if you need to brainstorm! I love doing that! Also, please credit for base plot <3 pref 3rd pov.

#atla #zhao #zuko #zhao redemption #zuko joins the GAang early #fanfic idea #zhaoko #Zhao/Zuko

[kawaiichibiart]

More of my favorite "Zuko Joins the Gaang Early" tropes:

There's always a chance he'll get second hand embarrassment when Katara pretends to be an earthbender so she can get arrested (okay this one isn't really a trope, it's more of a desire)

The 50/50 chance he's the one Jet carries up to the Freedom Fighters' hideout

Animals like him

Finds out Roku is his great grandfather earlier

He and Yue are besties (or in some cases, spiritual siblings)

He was probably kidnapped, ngl

Ranaway and got adopted by someone (usually by either Hakoda's family or by Bato)

Was banished but rather than be sent to find the avatar, he was thrown overboard (either literally or placed into a boat that got lowered into the water with nothing but him and maybe a note in it) and got rescued and adopted (again either Hakoda's family or Bato usually)

↓ Time travel bullshit

Spiritual bullshit

↑ Zuko can join the Gaang early but something has to happen to him (turned into a dragon, turned into a child, memory loss... take your pick) bullshit

A/B/O AU

Soulmates AU (I like the romantic ones but the platonic ones are my favorite)

The fight in the catacombs still happens the same, it was just planned that way so Zuko could be a spy on the inside (I think I saw this like once and I regret not remembering the name or where I read the fic, so this is also more of a desire)

Dragon boy (either literally, he is a dragon, or metaphorically (probably not using that correctly but whatever), he acts like a dragon (chances he got raised by one))

Fuck this, let's be pirates

Fuck this, let's sell tea

Fuck this, I'm going to be the Firelord, let's go back so I can fight my bastard of a father (again this was a one time thing, far as I can remember but it cracked me up, desire number 3 is to see more of this)

#zuko #zuko joins the gaang early #atla #avatar: the last airbender #atla zuko