#iroh is thrilled

[mugentakeda]

the tapping of his fathers pacing on the tile is almost enough to drive him mad.

“don’t let your brother’s incessant whining cause you to falter. this is merely a short visit to discuss the matter at hand, and then you’re on your way right back to ba sing se. he will try and whisper doubt in your ear.” the firelord stops to shake a finger at him. “do not listen to him for anything! i will help you in the best of my ability to have this taken care of.”

“i’m not,” iroh snaps impatiently, digging his palms into his eyes. “i’m not listening to him, father. he doesn’t care for lu ten and he doesn’t have to. he has his house and i have mine. empty words have little meaning to me at the moment.”

his father purses his lips. the sting of his stare digs down to the core.

“you say that,” azulon snaps, “but i believe this to be a family affair. its possible lu ten was taken advantage of because he was too busy protecting ozai’s wife and ozai’s children to protect himself. if that’s true, then ozai owes him. i don’t give a damn if he cares about him as his nephew or not. lu ten honored his house, so he shall honor lu ten in return by shutting his trap for once.”

iroh doesn’t have the strength to respond. he’d left ba sing se in a rush after receiving the news, and ordered the shipmen to get him back home on the double. he’s sick, he’s tired, he’s terrified and angry, and he misses his son something awful. the last thing iroh cares about right now is what ozai does or has to say.

there’s a heavy, sad sigh from above him. azulon slowly makes himself comfortable on the sitting cushion next to him, grunting as his bones creak. he sets the knocked over teacup straight again and refills it. the familiar heat and fragrance does nothing to soothe iroh, however.

“there is nothing i can say to make you feel better as of right now,” his old man mutters, sitting the teapot back down with uncharacteristic gentleness, “nor can i say anything sure about ursa or the children. but lu ten, he…. he is a remarkable young man. thick skinned and ornery. lightning generation at only 21, can you believe that? he beat you by a whole year. you must have faith in him.”

“it’s not about having faith in my son, father, of course i have faith in my son. but i have no faith in whoever has- has stolen him from me!” iroh suddenly exclaims, gesturing wildly. azulon flinches as his hands come dangerously close to knocking over the tea again.

your boy flagrantly disrespected you and stayed home to laze around, ozai had hissed, his narrow eyes locked straight up at the throne. both were kneeling before their father’s throne, side by side. i don’t know why you even bother. if he thinks he’s so grown up then he can save his own skin.

iroh didn’t bother to respond. he has nothing to say to his brother even on the best of days. all his life, he’s been nothing but a background character to iroh. always insisting on holing up in his room or office, never joining family dinners or celebration banquets. never one to offer his congratulations, but expects his older brother to offer his. yet, he always liked to think his word was of any significance to iroh. that he was always to be heeded. respect to his elders only means something to his little brother if there’s something to be gained.

flagrant disrespect. lu ten did not disrespect him if iroh never directly asked or ordered anything of him in the first place. he implied it, and lu ten pushed back. it hurt, but it would’ve also been the boys first true venture outside the fire nation. so iroh understood the hesitancy.

iroh would’ve just had lu ten by his side in his war council anyway. he would’ve never seen the battlefield or the city until iroh leveled it. not a spot of green would be spared by his men.

he had envisioned himself shooting a hole right through the flimsy palace wall with his lightning, and his son by his side. winning.

nothing has gone the way you made it out to be, great spirit. i don’t feel very lucky, as of late. the evening sun peaking through the tall windows of the corridor offer his thoughts no response. the general sighs heavily, and continues on his way.

the royal procession had gone through the beach house, along with the rest of the island. not a trace left behind. no sign of a struggle, either.

the procession claims it’s like they vanished out of thin air, sir, jee had whispered.

delicate situations such as this one call for holding the ones you trust most closer than ever. thus, iroh took only his personal guards from ba sing se back with him. jee is a rugged and introverted man, one that iroh knows can keep a secret, so he has been acting as his messenger man and valet for the time being.

another member of his most trusted circle is one of his longest working servants, one that belongs to iroh’s house personally. her name is su, and she is a stout woman around his father’s age. stern and silent, but trustworthy. she was the one that kept a close eye on lu ten from a distance during the periods of time iroh wasn’t around in his youth. she had been the midwife at his birth, she had been the one to pick the wet nurse.

and she had slipped iroh a journal outside of lu ten’s room. leather bound and stained in a deep red, with delicate embroidery of lotus flowers decorating its cover. it looked like something the lady ursa would gift him.

i came across this left behind in lady ursa’s garden, your highness, she had murmured fiercely. i snatched it right up and held it for you upon your return, lest it fall into the wrong hands.

the dark, warm silence of iroh’s own chambers is a small comfort, but the cold leather of the journal in his hands chains him to the cruel reality.

one of the vows iroh made for himself when lu ten came into puberty was that he would never violate his son’s privacy. he’d like to think that his son’s life possibly being in danger is a good enough reason to break it, but it still feels… wrong. especially now that he’s an adult himself.

it’ll be like eating a dollop of wasabi, he tells himself. spicy and painful one moment, then fading tingling the next.

with a sigh, he cracks it open to the back page. a few lines of familiar scrawl.

and the reason i torture myself trying to ignore all these things about him that bother me is because….

he looks away, shame crawling up his back. the candle sitting at the corner of his desk flicker along with his irregular, fear ridden heart.

a dollop of wasabi, he reminds himself. he opens his eyes again with a long breath and looks back down at the journal once more.

…well, that’s the crux of it. i just don’t know how to finish that sentence anymore.

that tells him a whole lot of nothing.

iroh flips the page back again, and is immediately overwhelmed by completely filled pages. then startled, by the sheer amount of times his own name pops up to his searching eyes among walls of scrawled text.

unease curls in his gut, like a dragon slowly rising from a slumber.

the ink doesn’t look too old. and su had said she found it in the lady ursa’s garden. and then jee said the royal procession claimed the fours’ trip to ember island was only to last three days, tops.

and as far as iroh knew, lu ten had been keeping quietly busy after iroh’s departure to ba sing se. lu ten willingly buried himself in paper work, always hunting for things he had the power to make into his business. training with lightning generation was grueling, and took hours, on top of the meditation necessary. and it takes a clear mind to even work with lightning, so…

had he done something recently to upset lu ten, and didn’t realize it? what things about iroh did lu ten torture himself trying to ignore? dramatic wording like that is difficult to overlook.

the general thinks back to how well his son can hide his emotions. lu ten’s court face beats even ozai’s, so it made him a gnarly pai sho opponent, but… he never did the backhanded comments. he can lie, but he’s a man of action before a plotting one. so you’ll never see the storm coming until it hits you directly in the face.

the letters he got back from him in ba sing se were… neutral. unbothered. he hadn’t seemed very troubled at the palace gates during his departure, either. tired and a bit wary, maybe.

but now that he thinks about it, the way lu ten looked at him had been… strange. his eyes had an emotion swirling in them that the general couldn’t read.

he rapidly rolls over the most recent letters in his head, the days right before leaving, trying to think of what he might have done to set lu ten off-

…the tiff they had on the evening before iroh’s departure.

he had forgotten about it completely.

spirits, he’d forgotten about it by the time he stepped foot on the shore. the elation of finally arriving at ba sing se, the first big step toward fulfilling the biggest thing he’s wanted to accomplish his entire life, the ultimate win, decades of planning and dreaming, inspired by agni herself…

he’d been caught up in the heat of the moment.

it didn’t even turn into an actual argument, that’s how small the tiff had been- a few things thrown back and forth during their private dinner, and the rest of it had been spent in awkward silence. iroh had let his hurt get the better of him, and he got testy.

the only thing that spoiled his ongoing luck, his relief of finally being able to go and crush his country’s most stubborn opponent, to make the second biggest win since sozin- was his own son not joining in, or showing any interest.

and that wasn’t even it. the closer iroh and his advisors got to bringing their planning to a conclusion, the more withdrawn lu ten became. whenever iroh brought it up, his son would close like a firelily in the night.

i assumed you were above teenage rebellion, iroh had muttered. i understand you want accomplishments of your own, but-

teenage rebellion? you’re joking, right? why do you always insist on- on patronizing me whenever we don’t agree on something? if you think you’re gonna guilt trip me into changing my mind, you’ve got it all wrong.

the disbelieving, ever so slightly shriller tone lu ten’s voice took on reminded iroh of his mother. she always had the habit of raising her voice a few pitches when she got upset. it reminded iroh of a coyote-eagle, once upon a time. the older lu ten got, the taller and leaner his face and physique became, the more time they spent apart, it’s like a vivid repeat of his mother. he even became a hand talker when iroh hadn’t been looking, just like fuhua.

(are habits hereditary, or had fuhua died after running away, and came back to haunt him?)

it’s probably best to start a bit further back in the journal. it might provide the context this father needs. he flips the pages for a few moments, and stops at random.

i spoke with a gentleman from the earth kingdom today during my observational trip through the colonies closest to the homeland. if you didn’t look close enough, you would’ve thought him to be any old fire nation fisherman, but i know green eyes when i see them.

his wife was a sailor that hails from caldera city. they met across the seas, in a neutral port town. they have two young twins, just barely older than zuko and azula. isn’t that something?

now, that is something iroh never bothered doing when he was a young man- it’s only now that his joints won’t let him run around chasing skirts anymore that he’s become a people person. but he’s proud of his boy for taking that initiative and having such a sense of responsibility, to go and mingle with the common man. an empathetic ruler that’s popular with his people will have the surest and furthest reaching authority, after all. iroh couldn’t name a single councilman off the top of his head that would be willing to even breathe the same air as a commoner, much less a colonial mutt.

however… this isn’t a colonial. he’s too keen on the idea of his family members’ abductors being petty, revenge seeking crooks from the earth kingdom to be okay with the idea of his son even conversing with one. for all they claim to be true and steadfast, them sneaking in and attacking an unarmed woman and her young children in their beach house just to get back at iroh is all too realistic of an idea.

but lu ten wasn’t unarmed. lu ten is one of the strongest men in the fire nation, and iroh isn’t even being biased about that. it takes prodigy to conjure lightning, and mastery to control it. and lu ten was very protective of ursa and the children- almost too protective. back in the day, during celebration parties at the palace, lu ten would damn near prowl around a pregnant ursa to fend off the careless crowd, lest they bump into her and jostle her. and he’d only been just a young teenager himself, so it was like watching a polar bear puppy that thought itself a snarly guard dog.

then a few years ago, there had been an incident where lu ten claimed zuko’s instructors were smacking him around. he’d grabbed both of the men by the collar and dragged them both viciously through the palace and right out the door- only after the sharpest scolding iroh’s ever heard since his mother was still alive. he’d never seen his son so angry. he’d chuckled at the way those old instructors had babbled apologies and fell to lu ten’s feet, while patting ursa’s back gently as she floundered.

no, it’s doubtful that an old fisherman had anything to do with it. earth kingdom or not. this is just something he needs to talk to his son about once he’s found. it would take a group of very strong benders to take lu ten down, at the very least.

he was wisecracking and friendly. we talked about his business, the officials that take care of the town and the surrounding environment, how he met his wife. he even shared his lunch during our time together- grilled fish, fragrant with sumac and citrus, and a chilled earth kingdom style mint tea. it was refreshing and unique, and i want to do it again. you’d think the fire nation would pick up these little things as it expands, but it just drowns it all out. i’m not sure if that’s a good thing. what made the food good was its earth kingdom style and seasoning, after all. what made the man interesting was his earth kingdom raised manner.

…what made lu ten think it was a good idea to write such things in a journal, and then be so careless to just forget it in ursa’s garden? he’ll have to thank su for her keen eye. if someone lacking critical thinking happened to pick this up and turn it in to his father, he’d have to deal with his son having allegations of sedition on top of everything else.

iroh, personally, is more than happy to let all traces of chilled tea get drowned out. it’s a frequent and light hearted debate between a father and son, the do’s and don’ts of tea. iroh is a stickler for tradition and enjoying the natural flavors. the fire nation boasted only the most fragrant flowers to enhance only the most delicate flavors of only the finest tea blends, after all.

his son claimed it all tasted like dinky dirt water, and stubbornly stuck with his cold hibiscus teas with herbs, and his heavily spiced and creamed saffron teas. it had been a big joke back then, but now… not so much.

a whole lifetime of a father making his son tea, sharing one of his passions. conversations over tea, tea for soothing a sore throat after screaming matches with councilmen, tea to wash down sea water accidentally swallowed at the beach. traditional methods, ceremonies, porcelain pots precious enough to buy a whole town- but it’s dirt water. yet an old fisherman from their greatest enemy shares ice water with a few mint leaves in a tin cup, and its unique.

and he wants to do it again.

the personal betrayal somehow hurts more than the blatant treachery written out plainly on the paper.

to be honest, i think that it’s a great shame that a good man like that has to be careful on his own property-property he paid for with his own money and built with his own hands- due to being from the earth kingdom, even if he has a strong marriage to a fire nation citizen. i thought about it for a long time, and realized that even if he wasn’t loyal to the crown, i didn’t mind. i don’t get angry at the idea, and i don’t think i ever have. i didn’t even think about it until i left. he made good company, offered to share his food with me, and introduced me to his beautiful children as if i was his new neighbor. i think community like that is something the fire nation needs. especially the nobility, who you’d think all have iron sticks shoved up their asses.

interactions like that are the most important ones to me, because they challenge me the most. i hate to cheapen that by thinking i just enjoy being challenged to spite my traditions and elders, or to be contrarian. that’s what coming of age means to me- looking inward, and asking the big questions.

…this can’t be why lu ten has been so distant lately.

the general slowly shuts the journal in dull horror. how long has this sickness had time to fester his son’s soul?

he swallows hard, and gingerly slides the journal in the folds of his robes. under no circumstance can anyone get their hands on it.

and later, when his gut quits churning and the candles around him quit threatening to set his room on fire, he’ll read this whole journal, front to back. brand every sentence, every symbol into his eyes. then he’s gonna burn it, bring his son home, and ask him what the hell he’s thinking.

the next morning, after letting the foul scent of burnt leather fade from his chambers, iroh finds jee.

“what can i do you for, your highness?”

“i need you to bring me the finest bounty hunter money can buy,” iroh murmurs. there’s a madness in his eyes and in his grip now that he’s had time to ponder the contents of his son’s journal, and what they entail. “and no matter what, it stays between us. i do not care what measures you must take to keep it that way.”

jee swallows hard and salutes with purpose. the poor man must be able to his see stress all over his face, but he’s barely containing himself the way it is.

this was no kidnapping. the blasted earth kingdom has everything to do with it, naturally, but it was no kidnapping.

jee returns to him that evening, followed by a lovely young woman, head to toe in black leather. her gait oozes confidence, and her narrow eyes scream danger.

this is definitely not the kind of finest iroh meant by finest bounty hunter money can buy, but he’ll take it.

“…i’ve, uh. fulfilled your request, your highness,” jee says. he looks flustered, and is clearly refusing to even glance at the woman.

“with a few breaks in between, i’m guessing. your collar is uneven, soldier,” iroh deadpans. he’d call it a shame if he wasn’t curbing an episode at the moment.

jee makes a faint noise of distress and fumbles with his uniform, blushing a deep red. iroh realizes that was the wrong thing to say at how the fair lady scowls at the crude jab.

she shoves past jee with an aggressive shoulder clip and crosses her arms before the general.

“i was promised a shitload of coin in exchange for some missing royals,” she says, voice clipped. “i don’t like to work with your kind, but good money is good money. and i can promise better and quicker results than any phony bounty hunter in the world- my companion is a shirshu. she can sniff out a rat from a whole continent away.”

a shirshu, eh? it would seem my luck has made its return after long last.

“impressive,” iroh praises truthfully. he’s a weak man for crass and foul-mouthed women. “i’d like to take a look at this beast, and then we can discuss the details and prices. i also hope you’re alright with keeping this transaction under wraps, my dear.”

she sneers. “you can call me june. and i’d highly suggest keeping a few steps away from my nyla, for your own good.”

jee clears his throat. “i’d listen to that one, sir. her creature is something else.”

iroh hums pleasantly, and keeps a few paces behind june as they go. a strange calm has washed over him now that the universe finally makes sense to him again; he has a few more people he’d like to question, and he’ll be all set. then sooner, if he’s lucky, rather than later, his sister-in-law, his nephew, and his niece will all be found and returned home, safe and sound. his son will be in his arms, whole and unharmed. ba sing se will simply have to wait.

and if they’re lucky, the dragon of the west won’t have thought up a better solution to finally grinding their sorry ashes into their own dirt by the time he gets back. but regardless, he will win.

#somehow this did not leave off on a redemption-esque note. My bad #I PROMISE IM GONNA ABIDE BY THE POLL RESULTS OKAY #this part can honestly be called Irohs Cognitive Dissonance: The Thrilling Saga #also im sorry about the lack of focus on irohs relationship with zuko and azula. #i know it tracks in canon (azulas doll gift) but im still. Kinda unsure. #im honestly better at just writing irohs dialogue vs his thoughts #and this being him before he starts changing makes it even WORSE #so i hope. i did him some justice. Awks #also i hope you guys liked the implication of june and jee making out sloppy style. #even if iroh kinda ruined it. #idk where that even came from it just happened #i hope u guys are seeing all the azula-iroh parallels about Winning and Luck. thats all intentional #runaway fire fam au #alicias writing stuff

[the-badger-mole]

📔

I guess we're still doing this...😆

Ozai and Ukano have for years had an unofficial agreement to marry Zuko and Mai in order to combine fortunes (or land, or whatever). Both children grew up knowing about this, but as it wasn't ever a formal agreement, neither of them talked about it as a certainty. Zuko in particular chose to think of it as more of a strong desire of their parents than an actual inevitability.

As they grow older, Mai begins to think that maybe marrying Zuko might not be so bad. They date for a while in high school, then they break up so they can focus on college and experiencing life. They meet up a few times in the interim, and Mai is finding the idea of marrying him more and more appealing. Finally, Zuko comes home for his 25th birthday, and his mother insists on throwing a surprise party for him. Only, the biggest surprise of the night is Zuko's guest. His new wife, Katara

#atla #zutara #anti maiko #i haven't decided if this is going to be a #mystery #romcom #or maybe a straight up drama #zuko and katara eloped after dating for 6 months #iroh is thrilled! #ursa takes it in stride #ozai is...well ozai #mai is high key PISSED

[daincrediblegg]

Ok but was someone going to tell me that I called the shot of Paul Sun-Hyung Lee getting cast as Iroh in the netflix ATLA or was I supposed to find that out in a cursory search bc some extraneous cast list came out on google myself?

#apollo blessed me with good casting choices what can I fucking say? #he’s literally the only man for the job and I will watch it on this single merit alone #the man was fucking MADE to be iroh and frankly it is god-tier casting. I’m so excited #I mean he’s just a great actor in general and I’m so thrilled that he’s getting such an iconic role to chew on but like #I KNOW he will adapt to it well like he has the emotional range chops #also pray for me that I’m right that in the mandolorian season 3 my man’s bit part gets expanded like please god

[outpastthemoat]

I cannot get over what a people-pleaser zuko is at heart.  that boy did NOT want to go on that date with jin!!  he ONLY went on that date because iroh wanted him to go and zuko wanted to make his uncle happy!!

listen to me.  EVERYTHING about that date was zuko trying to make iroh happy.  zuko went on the date (he did not want to go on the date).  zuko wore the fancy earth kingdom clothes that he CLEARLY did not feel comfortable in and had not picked out for himself (he did not want to wear the fancy earth kingdom clothes).  zuko allowed iroh to style his hair WITH HAIR GEL (he did not like the hair gel) and sat still for TEN WHOLE MINUTES until iroh was satisfied with his look (he did not want to sit still). 

and he went on the date (he did not want to go on the date). zuko ate the noodles (he did not like the noodles) and tried his hardest to make small talk (he did not want to make small talk).  and then.  during the course of the date that wasn't his idea and that he didn’t want to go on.   zuko firebends lights up the lanterns at the fountain, just to make jin smile, because she was sad and he couldn’t stand to see her unhappy.

and then he came home and told iroh the date was nice (it was not nice).  because he knew that saying so would please iroh (he wants to make iroh happy.)

zuko wants to be a good boy SO BADLY!! and that’s what makes his attempts to please ozai so tragic.  he can never make his father happy; zuko is destined to always fall short for the simple reason that there is nothing zuko can do that will ever please ozai.  

and meanwhile, iroh is so ready to be thrilled and appreciative of every tiny little half-hearted step zuko makes in his direction, but what iroh really wants is for zuko to find a happiness that's his own choice, not just whatever he thinks will make iroh happy with him.

and zuko just doesn't get it; he's so often frustrated because he can't figure out what iroh wants from him. so instead he steals pastries and golden tea pots and he eats the congee with a smile and sweeps the floors and serves the tea and goes on the date and does whatever he thinks iroh will approve of, in order to earn iroh's affection (he's never had to earn it) (he's never understood that).

#zuko #iroh #jin #atla #my meta

[ssokkasmoon]

THEIR FAVORITE POSITIONS !NSFW!

!characters are aged up!

SOKKA ♡

While he usually dominates, cowgirl lets Sokka relinquish control and admire your pleasure. He enjoys watching your breasts bounce as you ride him passionately. Bonus if you do the work while he relaxes.

ZUKO ♡

As face-to-face intimacy is important to connect emotionally, missionary is his favorite. Zuko loves gazing into your eyes and kissing you deeply as he moves within you.

AANG ♡

His favorite would be Spooning :Aftercare is a priority for him. Aang finds spooning intensely intimate, able to whisper sweet nothings and place gentle kisses along your neck and shoulders as you come down from your high.

IROH II ♡

He likes prone brone, Similar benefits to doggy but your bodies are flush. Iroh is secretly fonder of rougher sex at times and enjoys spanking or hair-pulling during this intimate angle.

MAKO ♡

Makos competitive side comes out when he can effortlessly lift you and take you against the wall. The thrill of potentially being caught adds extra excitement he can't resist.

BOLIN ♡

Oral: Seeing you unravel under his skilled mouth and tongue is a huge turn on for Bolin. He takes his time lavishing you with licks and sucks to draw out your pleasure.

JET ♡

From Behind: Jet loves the control and dominance of taking his partner from behind. Being able to grip your hips and set a deep, pounding rhythm allows him to let go of his inhibitions.

TAHNO ♡

He love going for it from behind while he bends you over furniture, Similar to doggy but affords spanking and grabbing easily. Furniture provides support so he can thoroughly claim you.

#avatar #avatar the last airbender #avatar atla #avatar preferences #atla #avatar the legend of korra #zuko x reader #avatar aang #avatar lok #zuko #aang x reader #sokka x reader #jet avatar #tahno #iroh ii #atla sokka #jet x reader #avatar x reader

[captainkirkk]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

All the fics I’ve read and really enjoyed in the past week-ish. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please look at tags and warnings on ao3 before reading.

Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-Kun

Sick Days by IcyPheonix

Iruma encounters a side effect of living in the demon world he'd never considered before.

He has absolutely no immunity to demon sickness, and when a mild seasonal cold sweeps through the school, Iruma is wholly unprepared for what happens.

how to be a good person by thewunderkind

In the middle of one of the harshest winter in the Netherworld, they found a human child.

DC

Beef Consommé by Vamillepudding

Parenting is Bruce's thing, and Jason isn't planning on messing with that. But when Bruce fails to spot the countless red flags about Tim's home life, it falls to Jason to step up. Of course it does. Because he's literally the only one in his family who knows how to be responsible, and if Dick disagrees, he can suck it.

stay with me by envysparkler, Periazhad (+podfic)

Jason knows it has to be bad if Bruce is asking him for help.

ATLA

The prince and the admiral by Buridanio

Iroh was exiled many years ago. Instead, Zuko is sent on his Avatar hunt on the ship of the abusive admiral Zhao. Until they cross paths with the ship of Chief Hakoda of the water tribe who, despite Zuko's insistence, for some reason refuses to kill him.

A Start by RumpleByRam

After long years at sea fighting the Fire Nation, Hakoda hopes the shipwrecked prince will have some useful information to end the war.

After long years at the mercy of General Zhao, Zuko hopes that the Water Tribe chief will kill him and be done with it.

Neither of them get exactly what they want, but somehow, that's better.

Marvel

No patch job by Buridanio

Fury wants Peter Parker to join the team of Avengers. The Avengers aren’t unanimously thrilled about the idea. But they get to know him, come to care for him, and start to realize that he really, really needs their help.

Clone Wars

Get the Balance Right by litrapod (litra), wanderingjedihistorian (RangerJedi67)

"It’s why we have to get the balance right,” Cody pointed out. “You are my mate which means in our pack hierarchy your word carries weight. But if I’m there and you speak up when I don’t?” Realization dawned on Obi-Wan’s face. “It could come across as me trying to take authority from you,” he said. “The very thing our mating is designed to prevent.” Cody nodded, grateful that Obi-Wan finally understood.

#i also reread the 'mage in a wolf pack' series but that is too long to rec on here #and lbr i reread that series on a monthly basis #weekly fic round up #my posts #fic recs #marvel recs #dc recs #atla recs #sw recs #m!ik recs

[melzula]

Hi ! the number one iroh stan has returned :) could i request a continuation to the lash iroh and kya’s daughter piece, but this time their proposal and marriage story ?

a/n: hello anon! apologies for how long it took to get to this request. i focused more on the proposal part for this piece, but if you’d like me to also write about the wedding i’d be happy to do so!

summary: Iroh has an important question to ask Kya and Katara when you return to the south

~based off of these headcanons~

After spending a wonderful year residing in the Fire Nation with your boyfriend, the feeling of homesickness called you back to the South to visit your mother. Though you enjoyed your time away, you felt you’d been gone long enough. There was so much you had to tell your mother, and you were sure she was dying to hear all about your travels.

The shores of the South approach in the distance, and a shiver of excitement runs down your spine. More shivers follow, and you start to wonder if it’s your nerves or lost tolerance for the cold after spending so much time in the heat that has your body trembling.

A coat is carefully draped over your shoulders, and you smile up at the man who now stands beside you and keeps you close to his side in an attempt to share his warmth with you.

“We’ll be arriving shortly,” Iroh notes with a smile. “I’m sure your family will be happy to see you.”

“Thank you for coming with me,” you reply gratefully, “I hope I’m not pulling you away from anything important, General.”

“Escorting my beloved home is important,” he reiterates earnestly. “Besides, as your suitor it would be rude of me not to greet your family.”

“I know Gran Gran will be thrilled to see you,” you note with a fond smile, “and my mother. She hasn’t seen you since we studied under Zuko together.”

“I look forward to seeing them again,” Iroh says, a glint in his eye you don’t quite catch as you settle your gaze on the approaching Southern Water Tribe. Though you don’t know it yet, Iroh plans to do more than just reconnect with old friends during his time in the South.

And if all goes well, he’ll be able to do what he’s thought about doing since he first kissed you in front of the water fountain in the palace gardens.

~~~

The shrieks of laughter outside bring a smile to Kya’s face as she watches you run around with your younger cousins in the snow. Little Meelo sits delightedly upon your shoulders as you dodge snowballs thrown your way by Ikki and Jinora who try their hardest to catch you. Though you’ve always been the oldest, you’ve never once denied their requests to play. It’s endearing to see you so happy, to see how much you love and care for the children.

“I think she’ll make a fine mother one day,” she says offhandedly, her eyes never leaving your smiling face. “Don’t you think, Iroh?”

Though he’s caught off guard by her question, the General is full of sincerity when he replies, “Yes, I believe she will.”

“Are you taking care of my daughter? Is she happy with you?”

“I pride myself on making y/n happy,” he says earnestly. “She’s the most amazing woman I’ve ever met, and it’s been an honor courting her.”

Kya hums thoughtfully, a gentle smile on her face as she focuses her attention on you and your little cousins who have just managed to successfully tackle you to the ground. She’s missed having you home, but something tells her you won’t be staying for long.

“Kya,” he says, calling her attention back to the man beside her, “I love your daughter, and I’m certain there’s no one else I’d rather spend my life with. I came on this trip not just to pay a visit to old friends, but to ask you for your approval. I’d like your blessing to marry y/n.”

She’s silent for a moment, brows threaded together thoughtfully, and for a moment Iroh fears he’s overstepped. But a small laugh leaves her then, and when she turns to the General her eyes are glistening with tears.

“From the day she was born it was my job to make sure y/n always felt safe and loved no matter what. I knew that there’d soon be a day where I’d have to share this responsibility with someone else, and I can’t think of anyone more qualified for the job than you. If you can promise me that y/n will continue to feel loved and safe even when I’m gone, then you have my blessing to marry my daughter.”

“I promise I will treasure your daughter for as long as I live,” he professes full-heartedly. “I’m immensely grateful for your blessing.”

“Yes, but I hope you know my blessing isn’t the only one you’ll need to marry y/n,” Kya notes with a playful smile. “You still have to get the seal of approval from her grandmother and uncles.”

“And I plan to.”

~~~

“I can’t say how excited I am to see you and my granddaughter together,” Katara says as she lays the carving tools onto the table. “I only wish Aang were here to see it, too

“Thank you for your blessing and agreeing to help me with this,” Iroh replies. “I have to admit I’m not exactly sure what I’m doing, but I want to make sure I honor y/n’s culture when I propose.”

“A betrothal necklace is the perfect way to do so. I’ve provided everything you need, all you have to do is carve the stone.”

“What should I carve?”

“Something meaningful,” she says. “There’s no correct way to make a betrothal necklace, but adding a personal touch will make it more special. Is there a symbol or a memory that perhaps holds importance to you both?”

“We shared our first kiss under the crescent moon,” he murmurs thoughtfully to himself. “The stars were the brightest I’d ever seen them, and the water of the fountain almost seemed to sparkle. I professed my love to her that night, and we’ve been together ever since.”

“It sounds to me like you already know what that memory is,” Katara notes with a gentle smile. “I think a crescent moon would look beautiful on this stone.”

“Some stars on the choker would give it just the right touch,” Kya notes from the doorway, watching as her soon to be son-in-law begins carving into the stone. “But I think y/n will love it no matter what.”

“I just want it to be perfect.”

“It will be,” your mother comforts. “I have faith that everything will be just fine. You two are meant to be.”

“Aunt Kya! Gran Gran!” A voice calls out from the hallway. A breathless Jinora stands in the doorway, collapsing against its frame for support as her tired legs give out fro running for so long. “Y/n’s on her way back from the marketplace with my dad!”

“Try to see if your father can stall her for just a bit longer,” Katara advises. “The necklace isn’t quite finished yet.”

“Yes, Gran Gran,” she quips before rushing back out the door.

“We’ll keep watch for y/n until you’re done,” Kya says. “Good luck.”

The two women leave the room then, allowing Iroh a moment alone to work on the necklace.

He carves the stone into the shape of a crescent moon and places it in the center of the ribbon. Using the leftover pieces, Iroh follows Kya’s advice of crafting smaller diamond shaped stars to line the choker. It’s simple but perfect all at once, and he’s hopeful that you’ll love it all the same.

All that’s left to do now is propose.

~~~

“Iroh, it’s the middle of the night, what are we doing out here?” You question with a quiet laugh. It’s below freezing outside and your only source of light comes from the crescent moon above. Everyone in the village has long retired for the night by now, leaving just you and your boyfriend out in the cold.

“I have something I’d like to show you,” he replies with a smile, taking your hand and guiding you through the thick snow towards the water’s edge. The waves are quiet and gentle, sparkling underneath the starlight in a way that takes your breath away.

“It’s beautiful out tonight,” you sigh appreciatively. “I almost forgot how peaceful the ocean can be.”

“My grandfather used to always say that water is the element of change,” Iroh notes thoughtfully, “and the people of the Water Tribe are held together by love and community. It’s what makes you so kind, so strong and passionate. You’re unlike any woman I’ve ever met, y/n.”

“My, General, you sure do have a way with words,” you tease despite the butterflies that seem to flitter rapidly in your stomach. Though you’ve been together for a little over a year, he still manages to sweep you off your feet just as he had when you’d first started courting.

“I mean my words,” he says earnestly, gently taking your hands in his own and pulling you closer to his figure. “My time with you has been nothing short of wonderful, and I can no longer picture a life without you by my side. If you’ll have me, I’d like to dedicate the rest of my time on this earth making you happy.”

You’re stunned into silence at his words, stomach twisting in knots with excitement and anticipation. You watch as he carefully reaches into the pocket of his parka and gasp at the sight of the necklace he presents to you. It’s the most beautiful betrothal necklace you’ve ever seen, and tears begin to brim in your eyes as the meaning of this little midnight adventure starts to finally come together for you.

“Y/n, it would be an honor to have you as my wife. Will you allow me the privilege of becoming your husband?”

“Oh, Iroh, yes!” You exclaim delightedly, throwing your arms around the man and gifting him the sweetest kiss that he gladly accepts.

Tears stream down both of your faces as he holds you tightly in his embrace and savors the feeling of you. From the moment he kissed you in front of the fountain of the place gardens he knew in his heart that you were it. Bumi had brought you back to the Fire Nation, but it was fate that allowed you to fall in love with your childhood playmate. He couldn’t think of anything better than that.

“May I?” Iroh asks with a gesture to the necklace, receiving an eager nod from you as you tug down the collar of your dress to allow him to put the choker on. His movements are gentle as he carefully drapes it around your neck and clasps the ends together. It rests beautifully along your neckline and conveys the message that you are now spoken for. You love it, and you love Iroh, and you make sure to tell him so.

“I can’t wait to marry you,” he professes earnestly before once again pulling you close to his frame.

You share another kiss under the crescent moon, and in that moment life is perfect.

#iroh ll #general iroh #kya #iroh ll x reader #iroh ll imagine #general iroh x reader #general iroh imagine #tlok #tlok imagine #kya’s daughter!reader

[comradekatara]

You've mentioned Zuko's "inability to kill" before, so could I ask you to elaborate on that?

sure. zuko is banished for, essentially, committing treason. he says to ozai that he was banished for "speaking out of turn," but simply speaking out of turn is not actually why ozai banished him. zuko said that people shoudn't have to die for the sake of further empowering the fire nation, and that goes against their nation's entire ethos. zuko lacks, as azula puts it, that "killer instinct that is just so fire nation."

while zuko does set fire to suki's village in his quest to capture aang, and you could argue that he may have committed other such acts offscreen, we never actually see him outright kill anyone. unlike zhao, who kills the moon, and azula, who kills aang in a manner that would have ended the entire avatar line had katara not revived him, zuko threatens and intimidates and harms, but when it comes down to it, he does not actually kill, because he simply cannot.

he threatens to kill zhao, and if he had killed zhao, no one in the audience would fault him for it. zuko does not even burn him upon winning their agni kai, going against custom; zhao calls him a coward for it. zhao tries to kill zuko on multiple occasions, including when he blows up zuko's entire ship. but, when the ocean spirit is dragging zhao under, zuko still extends his hand in a futile attempt to save zhao. contrast this scene with sokka arguing to leave zuko for dead in the same episode. he legitimately does not have a problem with letting zuko die, because, as he says, zuko would do the same thing to them (at least, sokka seems to think so).

sokka kills combustion man, toph kills yu and xin fu, and neither of them have any regrets. conversely, katara cannot kill yon rha, and aang cannot kill ozai. like sokka and toph, they are justified in killing these men, perhaps even more so (since yin and xin fu did not actually attempt to kill toph, "only" kidnap her), but they ultimately choose mercy. like zuko on kyoshi island, aang and katara's actions, such as blowing up the factory in jang hui, may have had indirect casualties (i don't count aang being merged with the ocean spirit because he was not truly in control), but they are never able to kill directly, because when faced with another human being, regardless of how much they may hate them, their pathos prevents them from delivering that killing blow.

zuko, as a foil to aang and katara and the deuteragonist of the narrative, is also someone whose instincts prevent him from being the cold-blooded killer his nation expects of him. it is why, unlike the rest of his family (including iroh), he is unable to produce lightning; he is too sensitive to become the perfect weapon his father wants him to be, which is why azula's reveal is so thrilling and terrifying to the audience, because she is what ozai wants in a protege, unlike zuko, who try as he might, fails at embodying the fire nation values of ruthlessness and power at any cost.

#some caveats before anyone misinterprets me: #1) zuko has still done awful things. i am not saying that he is 'inherently good' or that because he has 'good inside him' that makes it ok #just as i am not saying that azula is 'inherently evil' for having that killer instinct. morality is far more complicated than that #this isn't a 'zuko smol bean uwu' post. i'm just stating facts from the show #just because he never directly killed anyone and just because he was abused into believing he was doing the right thing #does not mean that he did not do bad things (burning suki's village being the most tangible harm we see him cause iirc) #he just cannot kill people directly which is crucial to understanding his character esp as he relates to aang and katara #2) i am not faulting sokka and toph for killing people! and anyone who thinks that i am saying that is a dumbass. ok bye #asks #zuzuthelord #analysis #zuko #not tagging everyone else

[soopersara]

For reasons that have everything and nothing to do with the most recent chapters of I&S, I've been thinking a lot about a time travel AU that I will absolutely never write.

Specifically, I want a time travel AU where little-kid!Zuko (age 9-10) travels forward in time and meets angry-teen!Zuko (we're talking like... the Book 1 egghead version of angry-teen!Zuko here). I know that sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, but the way I envision this playing out is:

Teen!Zuko and kid!Zuko meet, and after a healthy amount of confusion, figure out that they're two different versions of the same person. Kid!Zuko is... not thrilled to be stuck on a rickety old ship with a much grumpier version of himself, but hey! Uncle Iroh is here, and he's got lots of board games and even more free time, so it could be worse. Teen!Zuko, meanwhile, is having a bit of a crisis as he gets slapped in the face with several realizations all at once.

Realization #1: A warship is not a good place for a 9-10 year old boy to live, but there's literally nowhere else in the world where kid!Zuko will be safe. For as long as kid!Zuko is stuck in this timeline, teen!Zuko has to look after him.

Realization #2: Oh, shit. No one has seriously fucked up kid!Zuko yet. His life obviously hasn't been perfect, but this is pretty much the peak of kid!Zuko's sweet-and-innocent phase.

Realization #3: ... as fucked up as teen!Zuko's life has been, he desperately doesn't want to be the person who fucks up kid!Zuko's life.

Cue teen!Zuko scrambling to get his shit together so that he can be a reasonably healthy and stable guardian/big brother figure for his younger self. He starts working on his temper and trying to take Iroh's advice more seriously, and while things don't always go smoothly (kid!Zuko definitely picks up some vigilante tendencies from teen!Zuko. There may or may not be sightings of a tiny Blue Spirit causing trouble up and down the Earth Kingdom coast), teen!Zuko eventually figures out what he's doing. He puts in the work to become a decent role model, he deals with some of his own shit (and his outlook on life improves), he grows to see kid!Zuko as the little brother he never had, and he generally doesn't fuck anything up too badly.

Basically, looking after kid!Zuko teaches teen!Zuko self love (but with extra steps! I don't think grumpy-teen!Zuko could ever learn anything the simple way 😂)

All of that growth makes it harder and harder for teen!Zuko to ever envision himself returning to the Fire Nation. After all, if he wouldn't put his younger self through the pain of going back there and dealing with Ozai, why should he put his present self through that? And on a related note, kid!Zuko definitely has questions about teen!Zuko's scar and banishment. When teen!Zuko reaches a point where he's able to think about the Agni Kai, he can't imagine anything that kid!Zuko could ever do to deserve that kind of treatment, which leads teen!Zuko to question whether he deserved it. And as teen!Zuko starts to come to grips with the fact that he's probably never going back home - certainly not if it would mean putting kid!Zuko through the same pain that teen!Zuko experienced there - he has to start considering what other options he has for the future.

Kid!Zuko may or may not accelerate teen!Zuko's redemption arc even more by befriending various members of the Gaang and dragging his 'big brother' along to meet his new friends/disappearing for a few hours with his new friends only to be 'rescued' by teen!Zuko who is... very surprised and very awkward about it when he realizes who kid!Zuko is hanging out with.

There are obviously lots of time travel AUs out there already, but apparently this one is just going to live in my brain for the forseeable future 😂 As much as I love the standard "post-redemption!Zuko meets Book 1 Zuko and mentors his younger self to accelerate his own redemption/drags himself kicking and screaming toward redemption" time travel AUs that I see around the fandom, I think I'm just hungry for a time travel AU where pre-redemption!Zuko doesn't know what his future could look like. To me, there's just something really appealing about the idea of a time travel AU where his redemption gets accelerated not because he knows his life will get better if he becomes a better person, but because he wants to be someone who his younger self can be proud of.

#atla headcanons #zuko #zuko headcanons #time travel au #now it's time for me to go back to daydreaming #about the Zutara variant of this AU #where either Katara finds kid!Zuko first and has to find him a permanent guardian #which can only be teen!Zuko or Iroh #and since she's bonded with kid!Zuko by the time that she finds teen!Zuko and Iroh #she can't get herself to just drop off kid!Zuko and run #so they all strike an uneasy alliance #OR the other version #where kid!Zuko and teen!Zuko are traveling together from the beginning #and when Katara comes into the Ba Sing Se teashop #kid!Zuko starts playing with Momo #then teen!Zuko tries to get his 'little brother' to stop bothering the customers #Katara sees teen!Zuko #and Zutara-flavored teashop shenanigans ensue #zutara

[ariaroseloklover]

So this is not requested but I saw one like this a while ago and can’t find it somewhere I’m making my own adaptation

Summery: reader is sue beifongs eldest daughter and iroh has always liked her but y/n being headstrong needs a little nudge from friends and family

Warnings- cheesiness, none I think let me know if I missed any , this is not spell checked I wrote this at 12:01 AM

You walk into the wedding dressed in a beautiful dress ready to witness the wedding that can only be described as oh so Varrick with little details obviously picked by Zhu Li. everything was going well until you saw opal, her being your sister you always knew when she was up to something but this time you weren’t quite sure what you go towards your seat at the wedding and see what your sister had been grinning about… she had sat you beside iroh, it wasn’t that you didn’t like iroh you actually had quite the history but every time he would start to get close you would shut him down, you hated to admit it but you were just as headstrong and your aunt Lin and the idea of being the wife of the future fire lord being limited to nothing more then the wife of a powerful man was less then thrilling to you

As you sat beside iroh you could not help but wonder what your wedding would have been like had you excepted his proposal all those months ago, your feelings for iroh never died you just pushed the back, but now iroh was all you could think about you breathed in the close proximity between you and iroh noticed hotpot your demeanor changed, taking advantage of the calm state you were in he raps his arm around you, you snuggle into him out of instinct you sit through the wedding until it’s time for everyone to leave for the after party but neither you nor iroh moves

“You can’t keep doing this to me y/n, I need to know if you really see a future with me you can’t keep giving me hope and tearing it away” iroh all but begs after everyone has left

You know his words are true but it stings to see how much you had hurt him you sigh

“I know, but I think I’m finally ready to talk about us about what this relationship means to me because it’s means every thing to me iroh.”

Iroh looks at you with adoring eyes and leans in to kiss you it’s a familiar sensation that you missed but it was cut to an abrupt stop when you hear clapping jumping back to see not only your family but irons to

He looks at you with a wide grin despite the intense blush covering both of your faces

“I guess we have some explaining to do.”

#General iroh x reader #General iroh II x reader #General iroh x fem reader #General iroh II x fem reader #lok x reader #general iroh x Beifong reader #General Iroh II x Beifong reader

[erisenyo]

Hey there, can I ask how you come up with your OC names?

Anon I am THRILLED you asked because I am about to dump so much in-my-head-only worldbuilding on you, so much more than you probably needed or wanted lol.

As always this is not short, and forgive in advance the butchery I’m about to do of like, all of phonetics and linguistics.

OKAY so generally speaking, when it comes to names I have a set of foundational building blocks/general guidelines for the various countries and I work from there. These are based on phonetic characteristics of the canon names we see, and then from there I'd start layering in additional fun along groupings I've noticed around gender or class or family lines or whatever if I want to take the worldbuilding that deep.

So for example, with the Water Tribes…

We have Sokka, Katara, Hakoda, Bato, Kya all from the South, so I pick out...

Hard K or T sounds being quite common

Primarily A and O as vowels

Vowels being between consonants (ie, being single vowels)

Names being 2-3 syllables

In the North, we see Yue, Hahn, Agna Qel’a, Arnook, Kanna, Pakku...

Some similarities with the Ks and hard Qs

Now we see some softer ‘gn’ and ‘hn’ and L sounds, and the addition of P (which makes Bato’s “B” and Sokka’s “S” stand out)

Some ‘oo’ instead of ‘o’ vowels (so double vowels)

Hahn and Yue with no hard consonant sound at all (and both upper class!)

So that gives us some basic starting blocks to start building up names that sound like they fit within the Water Tribe culture in terms of sounds, as well as some potential regional and class differences to start working with! (Maybe Q sounds are only in the North, and upper-class people have soft consonant names, for example.)

Similarly in the Fire Nation…

The royal family is Zuko, Azula, Ozai, Azulon, Sozin, Iroh, Lu Ten, so...

A lot of Z and K sounds

(Male) names that end in N

A lot of two-syllable names (with the emphasis on the first syllable)

A lot of riffs on each other (Sozin and Ozai, Azulon and Azula, Azulon and Zuko)

Iroh and Lu Ten stand out as having fairly distinct names comparatively, with the “oh” ending and the softer "Ir" and "Lu" starts

Chan, Zhao, and Ruon-Jian are the other upper-class guys we see, which gives us...

short syllables again

N endings (for men) agai

The ‘two word’ name again (so Lu Ten's name naming structure is used elsewhere)

The introduction of “Ch” and “J” and “R” and double-vowel sounds (ao, uo, ia)

We also see Roku and Kuzon...

So very similar names to our royal bunch with those Ks and Zs and oku/uko and uzon/ulon sounds

Also older names from 100+ years ago, and commoner names

Mai, Ursa, Ty Lee as our upper-class ladies gives us...

short syllables again

‘two word’ names again

M sounds!

Mai and Ursa both don't have a hard consonant stop

Some phonetic/vibey similarity with “Mai” and “Ty”

And adding in Chit Sang (another commoner!) (presumably!)...

Another two-word name

Introduces the ‘ng’ ending

Leverages a lot of the consonant sounds we already saw

Uses an “it” usage of the "I" vowel (vs Iroh’s I)

So pulling it all together, in addition to those foundational consonant and vowel sounds, we also see that the royal family has a distinct naming convention that may be rooted in archaic naming styles.

And we can start to build out some ideas around gendered naming, family/honorific naming, and some potential class/pre-unification culture differences, as well as some space to speculate about why Iroh and Lu Ten’s names are so different from the rest of the royal family, too (as well as the ammunition to suggest that Zhao comes from a family of suck-ups lol)

Moving onto the Earth Kingdom (where I truly went wild)…

We start off with Toph, Haru, Long Feng, Kuei, Jet, Bumi, Poppy, Lao, and there's a lot of varability here!

Generally, the names are one or two syllables and start with a consonant

We see more double-vowel pairs (uei, ao), perhaps in the upper class but just as many single vowels

Consonants are hard or soft, and don't seem to group like the Water Tribe or FN royals did around particular sounds

Names end in vowels or hard sounds or softer 'ph' and 'ng'

Those guardrails are fairly wide and broad for feeling out distinct-sounding names, but it makes sense given how huge the Earth Kingdom is and its history of war, displacement, movement, etc.

So for a fic like That Love You've Been Looking For which was super EK-centric and focused on worldbuilding, I ended up breaking it down into broad regions and leaning into place names as well to help articular some basic rules:

In the southwest (Gaoling, Toph, Lao, Poppy), I decided that there’d be a mix of single and two-word names, and that the ‘ph’ ending would be used by women and the ‘ng’ ending for men

On the western coast (Haru, Omashu, Bumi), I went with primarily two-syllable names that follow a ONE-two pattern (PA-lo, BU-mi, CHE-lu, HA-ru) and went with mostly softer consonants

In the north (Ba Sing Se, Si Wong Desert, Long Feng), I went with short multi-word names where each part would be a single syllable

And in the center I was kind of pulling it together from what was left, but I went with names that end with an ‘an’ or ‘in’ sound and echoed some of the place names I was using

So we have some building blocks for the various regions, this time that we can use to indicate where someone’s family could be from and to give each region a more specific feel.

For Kyoshi...

I generally lift the Earth Kingdom rules, but view it as more of a trade-center and melting pot (Suki could fit in WT or FN rules), so it's deliberately a lot looser and with more variation.

And everywhere has a Lee/Li, so none of these rules are hard and fast, and I imagine too that there’s a ton of cultural mixing and fads and trends and whatnot in naming across various regions.

A quick note from a process standpoint--

This approach is very much not trying to find names within various existing real-world cultures. If I'm writing ATLA canon-world, I tend to stick to the idea of leveraging real-world contexts as a base rather than a strict guide. Something I wanted to flag, as there are other ways to go about OC naming that lean much more heavily into researching the naming conventions of various cultures throughout history, thinking about translation and name meaning, etc.

And also, if I need a lot of names, I'll often use the Fantasy Name Generator and look for names that either fit or that I can tweak into the above 'rules.' (Otherwise I accidentally start giving people ship names lol, RIP to Mailee, Maizula, and Yutara, you lived on under new personas)

I also don't always dig as deeply into the way names can signify class or status or whatnot, either. It can be very fun, but sometimes you just need a one-off name so your POV character looks like they actually interact with the people they nominally see every day haha

#asks and answers #anons really teeing me up #atla #world building #fic writing #I like getting into gender and class stuff (or the noticeable lack of it) with names #It can be really fun to play with in the background to signal things about a culture or particular character

[attackfish]

Continuation of the au where water bender zuko gets adopted by arnook? It’s such an interesting one

Continued from: [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], [Link], and [Link].

1. Iroh has gotten as far as he has, taking over the Fire Nation fleet and forcing Zhao's suicide, based on an appearance of legitimacy, by his royal blood, and reputation of the Dragon of the West. But that sense of legitimacy only goes so far, and he knows he can't lead the fleet into outright treason against Ozai without mutiny. So he prepares to sail the fleet home, and to relinquish it into his brother's grasp. This prospect, it must be said, does not exactly thrill him. He finds himself entertaining wild fantasies about how he might avoid giving his brother back the fleet, but he's aware that unless his brother hands him a fantastic excuse on a silver platter, he's going to have to hand the fleet over.

2. Back in the Fire Nation, Azula spent Iroh's entire absence stewing in a sick sense of dread. It's a pointless, paralyzing emotion, but she can't manage to push it back or make it go away. What happens if her father conquers the Northern Water Tribe and kills her brother? What if he fails? (What if her father finds out she's the one who told her uncle his plans?) It's that last one that keeps her up at night, the last one that dogs her steps, the last one that lingers as she preens and smirks under her father's praise. It never occurs to her to confess and plead for leniency. Excuses and begging are for lesser mortals. Her father taught herbetter than that. Now that she's done it comma she just has to hope that she's covered her tracks well enough.

3. Ozai barely notices when his brother leaves. He likes it better when Iroh isn't there anyway. But he can't help but notice when Iroh stops Zhao's invasion in its tracks, takes over the fleet, and kills his pet admiral. And to say Ozai is furious is a dramatic understatement. Ozai is livid. Ozai is incandescent with rage. And in retrospect, Iroh's timing is telling. Someone must have tipped him off. And when Ozai finds out who, he will light them up like torch and rost them alive where they stand. A fate he also intends to bestow upon his traitorous brother. And anyone who went along with Iroh's order to retreat, should count themselves lucky if when Ozai is through with them, they are permitted to so much as crew a fishing boat.

4. Well, Iroh had been looking for a pretext. And here his brother has handed him one so generously. It would be horribly ungrateful if Iroh didn't take it. But it gets better, or perhaps worse, because as Iroh sails through Fire Nation waters, word reaches the fleet that Ozai has banished his only daughter, for the crime of telling her uuncle about the invasion, that he attacked her and burned her across the face, and ordered her to come home only oncd she has her brother's head, the Avatar captured, and her uncle in chains to face the Firelord's justice, so that she can undo her treason.

5. It isn't hard to divert the fleet to intercept his niece's ship, to bring her onboard, and present her, barely lucid, to the sailors of the fleet, to ask if they think that maiming a child and casting her out is justice, to ask them if they think that throwing away his only heir is the actions of a sane man, or of a mad tyrant. Once again the fate of the Fire Nation rests on a lost heir and a lost battle, but this time it is Iroh sweeping in to cast his brother down.

#avatar the last airbender #azula #ozai #uncle iroh #posts i created #do you want to ask a question it doesn't have to be a question #five headcanons #i ship iroh/tea #azula needs her own warning #noodle lord ozai

[the-badger-mole]

Iroh Did Some Stuff Wrong...Not Saving Azula Wasn't One Of Them

There's a....hmm...an interesting conversation that I was looped into recently (I blocked the two people most deeply involved, and I don't remember their names, but I think a few of you know who I'm talking about**). The gist of it is that Iroh didn't do enough to save Azula and he gave up on her too quickly....after she tried to murder both him and Zuko within a few episodes.

I disagree.

Azula's story is tragic, and she was failed, but not by Iroh (and honestly not by Ursa either. Don't talk to me about the comics). Azula was failed by her father and by the draconian imperial system she grew up under. There are a few thing people seem to gloss over when it comes to the defense of Azula and blaming Iroh for what happened to her.

The first thing is that Azula was young when Iroh was leading the siege at Ba Sing Se. He was actively fighting a war before that. The chances are high that he didn't spend much time in the palace or with Azula in her youngest years. There's no reason to believe at that point that Iroh in his visits home would notice anything particularly wrong with how Azula was being raised. It's probably how he and Ozai were raised, too. To Iroh, before the loss of Lu Ten caused him to question everything, what would look so wrong about how Ozai was raising Azula?

The next thing is that Azula is a prodigy. She was a talented bender from a very young age. She was also a daddy's girl. The way Ozai favored her and saw to her training were forms of abuse, but they were not forms of abuse that would've been as immediately recognizable as what Zuko went through. Azula was thrilled to be Ozai's favorite child. Iroh wasn't going to come between that bond. Not after years of hardly being around and then coming home a failure. Not after Ozai successfully stole the throne from him. Azula is never shown to have much respect for Iroh. Imagine if he approached her trying to save her from her father, who she does respect (and love, I guess).

If there was a point where Iroh could've intervened with Azula, it was well before the show started, and probably before he knew an intervention was needed. He was only able to save Zuko because Ozai didn't care about him. Azula isn't Iroh's fault, and it is so weird to me to see people trying to argue that he failed her. What could he have done differently for her, except discover time travel? Even then, you can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved.

**Don't tell me their names. I don't really care. They're blocked, it's over. This was just context

#atla #iroh #azula #iroh didn't do wrong by her #he saved the child he could #and that's okay #THE YEAR OF CONTENT!!!!

[hello-nichya-here]

Hey Nichya! I have a quick Zucest question how would you change the Search comic?

Oh honey, I would change basically EVERYTHING about the comics, especially the stuff regarding Zuko and Azula.

She'd be treated for breakdown either at home or in an actual good hospital. She'd be guarded constantly because Zuko is not stupid, but she'd not be treated like she's a bomb that would go off at any moment. He and the Gaang would be suspicious of her, but they'd not constantly beat her and assume that her just breathing is a threat to everyone's safety.

Basically, she'd be seen as a dangerous fallen enemy that no one is sure what to do with, but the heroes would not abuse her and justify it with a "It's fine because she's Azula."

Zuko would be caught between trying to be mentor of redemption to her like Iroh was to him and "I'm just being a merciful ruler and letting her recover properly before I decide what punishment she'll get, if any, in case she's still hostile after coming back to her senses." He'd be conflicted, unsure of how he feels about her, the affection he still has for her battling their bitter rivalry and the thrill he gets now that he is finally her superior. He'd also not ask Ozai of all people for advice on how to be a good ruler.

Eventually, once Azula is stable enough to go on a damn mission, they'd try to find their mom, as Azula wants closure and Zuko just wants Ursa back in their lives. In this version, she only doesn't remember them because the spirit who changed her face erased her past memories without telling her it'd do that. Ikem would also not try to prevent her from remembering her kids, and Kiyi would not be used as a replacement for Azula.

Still, seeing her mom having a happier life, in which she has a seemingly perfect daughter, hurts Azula deeply - but this time Zuko will comfort her, because thanks to Ozai he knows how awful it feels to genuinely believe you're no good and feel such bitter jealousy towards a younger sibling.

And now, we reach the fun part: Zucest! With Zuko being all sweet and genuinely trying to comfort her, Azula steals a kiss because she just wants to feel loved. Zuko is shocked, embarrassed and very confused, but ends up giving in to Azula's advances.

By the time they return to the palace with their mom, step-dad and sister, Azula is already pregnant. Everyone is shocked and highkey horrified by their incestuous affair, but it doesn't matter because they're not royalty and don't get to tell the Fire Lord what to do.

#asks #zucest

[yell0wsalt]

Obligatory OTP Asks!

Linzin: 7, 29, 42

Irosami: 30, 44, 57

Ryuvira: 3, 14, 28

...may have gone a little overboard, have fun 😛

Linzin:

7. Would they build a pillow fort together just because?

Absolutely. They’ve had a series of icky rainy days and neither of them are in the mood to get out and do anything. Cue gathering as many pillows around as possible and building a fort in the living room.

If following elements from canon, Lin has hated the rain ever since. Tenzin first brought up t it as a subtle way to distract her.

29 Who is more likely to jump in an elevator? Who freaks out?

Lin is definitely jumping in the elevator and Tenzin is freaking out. She may or may not be using her metal bending to mess with the cable pulley system of the elevator...

It’s adds to the thrill.

And Tenzin’s stress.

42. What's their favorite type of weather to enjoy together? (getting snowed in together, watching thunderstorms, etc.)

Fall. Lin loves the coziness of the fall season. Leaves changing, seasonal treats, etc. Tenzin has fun with the weather: cool breeze, leaves falling, etc.

Irosami:

30. Your OTP gets to pick out each other's outfits; what is each wearing?

Of course it depends on the occasion: what they’re doing, if anything. If they’re lying around in the house Iroh finds it very attractive when she wears his clothing. So he’ll pick out something of his for her to wear: part of his uniform such as his jacket, a casual shirt of his, things like that.

Asami while she does love a man in uniform, adores it when he is dressed casually yet nice. Preferably with his sleeves rolled up. See them forearms.

44. Who would dance in the kitchen making dinner? Would the other join in or watch from the doorway?

Asami is the one dancing in the kitchen while making dinner. She’ll sing along and dance to what’s playing on the station.

Iroh may walk into the kitchen to see how the food was coming along and catch her in the act. Silently he’d watch from the doorway and break out a laugh when she’d get distracted and nearly mess up the food.

Iroh’s not very comfortable with dancing, so he wouldn’t do much of it on his own. Asami would have to be persuasive to get him to join on her little dance party.

57. Who’s the serious one when grocery shopping and who likes to toss random things in the cart?

So when it’s just the two of them, Iroh is the stickler for the grocery list. Meticulous in planning out the best time to go, which grocer would be best for the items they want that week, and the optimal travel plan throughout the grocery store aisles.

Meanwhile Asami is grabbing what looks good.

When they have kids though Iroh is more lax and indulges in what his kids want to get.

Ryuvira:

3. Do they wear the other’s clothes? (sweatshirt, bandana, necklace, etc.)

Yes! Kuvira is a freaking thief for taking his clothes. Half of his shirts are hers now. He doesn’t mind it in the slightest.

14. How do their personalities compliment each other? How do they clash?

With Ryu’s ambivalent nature, one of the biggest things about him is how he doesn’t care. That sounds crazy, but that also makes him someone who doesn’t really judge, depending on who the person is.

Kuvira is very self driven. Being with her pushes him and inspires him to grow, do and be better. It opens up a world for him to learn how to care about those around him.

While Kuvira is a very driven person, she’s also insecure, and really hard on herself. He balances that out to tell her in one way or another, “It doesn’t matter. None of it does. I’ll still be there for you.”

28 What are there thoughts on pet names? Do they have any?

They keep it pretty simple with pet names. Anything super fluffy or ooey-gooey for Ryu makes his skin crawl and also sounds weird coming from Kuvira.

Ryu tried it out for Kuvira early on in their relationship since he thought that was something couples were “supposed to do.” It made him physically ill

They’ve settled on playing around with their names (‘Vira, Vee) but also use common terms of endearment (darling, babe)

Obligatory OTP asks

#these were so much fun!! #And writing fics for these three it was also helpful #thanks for the ask! 😄 #Irosami #Linzin #ryuvira

[trashfactorysstuff]

Oc time

I’ve never shown any ocs from fandoms here in Tumblr but we all start in something??

Since I finish Atla and being more curious about the royal family, I’ve seen myself asking about Iroh’s wife and for what I’ve seen she is not even mention it. So I assume is pretty much an arrange marriage as well.

Nüying got married at a young age with him. She is from a noble family and also is a firebender; her firebending is not something she gets to use because they only took her because she was a firebender and would give a child. Nothing special.

Nüying is a very shy girl, obedient and was trained to be a lady of the house. She doesn't usually talk much and only does it when she feels it's necessary, although when she's in confidence she can open up more and be more social. She usually don’t let herself open much because she must have to keep the image of her royalty life and the new life that comes from that.

At first she felt a bit uncomfortable knowing that she had no choice but to accept the marriage and accept being with a stranger; but she found herself fascinated with Iroh. They never got to know each other as she wanted, since he went to the front when she was pregnant, dying in childbirth. Despite everything, she found herself on good terms with Iroh.

+ Nüying leaving her princess bearing for a few seconds in front of Iroh + Random facts

Random facts:

- She use to play very well the Erhu.

- She loved kids, always wanted to become a teacher.

- She was a teenager when she got married.

- Despite her all serious/shy portrait, she loves to laugh.

- A book lover, her room was full of them. Was so thrilled when she knew that Ursa once was Dragon Empress from Love Amongst Dragons. She never gets to know much Ursa but manage to have a nice relationship with her.

He always kept as far as possible from conflicts between the family behind closed doors. She was only a spectator of some of the family's deals. She found herself somewhat relieved that she was married to Iroh instead of Ozai.

#I FEEL DO CRINGY BUT YEAH HER #I feel like a cold bitch for killing her like that but #is for ✨l o r e ✨ Nüying #i tried to make Lu Ten with some factions of her cause this was originally gonna be posted time ago #i wouldn’t say she didn’t love Iroh but probably was something there #she didn’t get much time to spend with him to say that but she definitely was liking his company and the friendship they manage to get #iroh be looking fresh haha #nüying #iroh #oc Nüying