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safereturn · 2 months

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let me hold your hand (and dance around the flames)

Another Ember Island Players Fic Word Count: 1956 Zutara one-shot Read on ao3

Zuko is sure his shame will consume him, obliterate him, turn him to ashes and blow him away in the wind. The only evidence of his existence will be that awful play and the wake of destruction caused by his own implosion.

And yet, it pales in comparison to the anger flowing off the water bender walking beside him. Fearing retribution, he keeps his gaze steadily ahead, focusing on the trio walking in front of them. Sokka, Suki, and Toph chatter about their portrayal; Toph lets out a roar that sends Sokka yelping into Suki’s side. Suki laughs so hard she snorts and slaps Sokka’s back as his cheeks tinge red.

Zuko bites back a snarky comment. It’s simply propaganda, the events told with the inevitable agenda of a Fire Nation playwright, but at least they were written as comic reliefs.

They weren’t failures and traitors.

As they approach his family’s old vacation home, Katara’s sandal gets caught in the transition of cobblestone to sand. She loses her balance, but just as Zuko reaches a steadying arm out toward her, she rights herself on her own. Aang huffs behind him.

Not to mention the resentment radiating off the young Avatar. Aang all but limps toward the house like a wounded puppy, head tucked into his chest.

Katara pulls away from the group and storms off toward shore, back stiff, fists tight. Zuko slows to a stop as he watches her. She marches on to the beach, right where the tide stops overlapping the sand, and slumps to the ground, knees to her chest.

The rest of the group carries on into the house. Aang sends one last glare at Zuko, then runs up the stairs and slams the door behind him, rattling the frame and sending an explosion of sound that evacuates nearby cicada-crickets from the trees.

Zuko feels his chest constrict at the thought of following them inside the house. He isn’t claustrophobic–years spent at sea on a Fire Navy cruiser in close quarters with his crew desensitized him to any fears of being too enclosed. But there was a sort of heat burning under his skin. He was restless and itchy. Like if he walked into that house, he would explode, bringing the walls down around him in a terrible blaze.

Zuko glances over to the silhouette of Katara sitting in the sand again, still hunched, gently swaying back and forth with the tide. He’d seen her move like this once before, flying high over the ocean on Appa, the rain coming down around them.

After confronting her mother’s killer, Katara had been near catatonic. They’d walked away from the quaking old man, but the further they got, the more she had withdrawn. Zuko had helped her climb onto Appa’s back, and she collapsed onto the saddle and stared blankly ahead. She might have been crying, but the rain had cast everything in a haze. As if it were all a dream. And then, like a child being comforted by a mother, she rocked herself side to side.

She hadn’t spoken to him until they landed back at camp, and Katara had thrown her arms around him and granted him forgiveness. He remembers the warmth of her body against his, it had spread through his chest and she gave him a gentle squeeze before letting him go.

Zuko decides he would rather drown at her hand than suffocate amongst childhood memories. He approaches her as one would approach an injured turtle duck, softly and with no sudden movements.

“Go to bed, Aang.” Katara’s words are thick, tinged with finality that left no room for argument. It doesn’t escape him how maternal she sounds, as if she were scolding a petulant child.

“It’s me,” he says. Karara peeks at him over her shoulder, then looks out toward the ocean. “I can go further down the shore if you want to be alone,” he offers, “but I’d rather not be in the house right now.”

He watches her shoulders rise as she fills her lungs with a long breath. Then, slowly, she places a hand on the sand beside her and gives it a pat.

“You can stay.” She sounds tired now, but her tone is softer than her previous chiding.

He sits cross legged beside her, sitting a little closer than intended, his shoulder brushing against hers. Zuko’s nerves were raw, his fingers had been trembling since the end of the first act. The gentle warmth of Katara’s arm against his was like an anchor, grounding him, giving him something to brace against. She doesn’t acknowledge it, she simply sways into him, then back, her chin resting atop her knees.

“I’m sorry about tonight,” Zuko says. “That wasn’t a good play.”

Katara raises an eyebrow. “You didn’t write the play, Zuko.”

“No.” He grabs a handful of sand, it’s clumpy and coarse, still damp. Zuko squeezes it in his hand, then lets it crumble between his fingers. He does it again. “I'm just– sorry. I’m sorry you had to relive that. Relive me.”

She’s examining him. Zuko doesn’t dare make eye contact, but his skin prickles at the heat of her gaze on his face. It travels down his arms, to his hands, until she’s watching the grains of sand trickle between his fingertips.

Again, he feels too large. He waits for his skin to burst open.

“That wasn’t you on that stage, Zuko.”

“It was all the things I’ve done. All the ways I’ve hurt people.”

How much good would he have to do to counter balance all the bad? Terrorizing citizens for any knowledge about the Avatar, burning down villages…

The Catacombs under Ba Sing Se.

The look of terror on Katara’s face, the smell of burning flesh, the cry that tore itself from her lips as she fought to get to Aang, fought to get them to the surface, fought against Azula, fought against him.

The look of anguish on Uncle’s face as he fought to keep Aang and Katara safe.

Zuko chokes on a shuddering breath. His skin burns, his chest burns, his eyes burn.

“I’ve hurt so many people.”

So much blood.

Katara grasps his hand, grains of sand gently chafing against skin as she twines their fingers together. “Stop,” she whispers. “That was not you on that stage.”

His mind stutters, trying to pull himself from the memories. Katara squeezes his hand once and brushes her thumb over his knuckles. Back and forth. He sucks in a breath, then lets it whoosh out of his lungs. The tension in his shoulders drops.

“You have done more than enough, Zuko.”

Enough.

If there is wetness on his cheeks, Katara doesn’t mention it. She simply keeps rubbing soothing circles in his skin with her thumb. They watch the waves crash over the horizon.

“Maybe I should apologize to Aang,” Zuko says, thinking of Aang’s glare.

He can feel her deflate next to him, slumping into herself. Katara presses her face into her knees and heaves a sigh.

“He’s not angry with you,” she mumbles.

“You didn’t see the look he gave me.”

Katara shakes her head and with a shrug says, “He’s angry with me. We had a fight at intermission.”

“What could he possibly be mad at you for?” Zuko saw the way Aang looked at Katara. He worshiped the ground she walked on, what could she have done that was so bad? And why would Aang take it out on him?

“It’s complicated.”

Zuko huffs. It’s not quite a laugh. “Try me.”

Katara gives him an uncertain look, then turns her gaze back to the ocean. Just when Zuko thinks she’ll ignore him, her voice breaks over the sound of the waves.

“Aang had… a hard time distinguishing between the play and reality. Ever since we met we’ve been really close. For months it was just me, Sokka, and Aang. And then Toph joined and it was the four of us. I always trusted them with my life, but it felt like Aang was on my side when Sokka and Toph pushed me too hard. He helped me through some pretty bad things, and I helped him, too.

“I found him in an iceberg, so I was possessive , I guess. He was going to save the world. My world. And I would have done anything–” Karata’s voice cuts off, followed by a frenetic breath. The waves wash higher on the shore, in time with her quick breaths. The water sweeps against their feet.

“I would have done anything to make him happy. He’s my best friend and of course I love him, but what he wants...” Katara heaves a shuddering breath. And then another. Her next words come quickly, garbled. “It’s too much. I’m trying to win a war, and so is he! But I can’t–I feel like I can’t even breathe.”

And then Katara makes an awful sound, a low whine cut off by a choked gasp. And then, even worse, she’s apologizing .

“I’m sorry,” she breathes, pulling her hand from his and swiping under her eyes. “This is stupid, just like that ridiculous actress.” Her hands leave behind grains of white sand on her cheeks.

And for the first time, Katara looks defeated. Not even nine months ago, in a much colder continent, with her family's lives at stake and only a water whip to protect them did she look so small. She had built herself up with fury, indignation. She made up for what she didn’t know in determination.

Now, with her eyes squeezed shut and shoulders hunched, there was nothing she could fight to make this hurt go away.

Zuko is at a loss for how to comfort her, and he hates himself for it. She so effortlessly brought him from the edge of panic. Forgave him when he was the face of everything that was taken from her.

He thinks of her arms thrown around his neck. Her thumb brushing circles into his hand.

And he does what he should’ve done when Katara sat numbly in Appa’s saddle. Zuko pulls Katara into his side, tucks her head into his shoulder, and hugs her. He winds his arms around her back, and sways her gently, his chin tucked over top of her head. Katara lets out a whimper, and then her arms circle around his waist. She buries her face into the crook where Zuko’s neck meets his shoulder.

For a moment, all there is is the roar of the waves and his stiffness. He doesn’t want to jostle her, spook her. But her fists clench handfuls of his shirt and she is shaking, chest heaving with silent sobs.

Zuko thinks of his mother and turtle duck bites and cries met with warm arms and soothing whispers. And he sways her, side to side, soothing a hand down her hair. She smells of sea salt and the old bath oils left in the wet room.

“Okay,” he says into her hair, “okay.”

It’s not okay. Zuko knows what it’s like to collapse under the weight of expectation, knows what it’s like to choke on the disappointment of others, knows the taste of desperation. It had almost killed him, back in that apartment in Ba Sing Se. And when he’d made it back to the Fire Nation on the basis of Aang’s murder, there were times he wished the fever had taken him.

So much pain.

“Nothing like the actress,” he says. There is wetness and sand and shuddering breaths against his neck. “You are strong, this is strength.”

Katara takes a deep breath. Then another.

The waves wash back out to the ocean and quiet to a lull.

“You’ve given more than enough."

#zutara #avatar the last airbender #atla #is it romantic or platonic? squint at it and let me know what you find #zuko #katara #ember island players #ember island players fic #fanfiction #safereturn write fanfic #zuko has a panic attack #katara shoulders too many burdens #a civil wars song as a fic title #zutara fanfiction #Zutara fic #there is hugging #hurt/comfort #safereturn writes fanfic

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weepingchronicles · 1 month

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Hiii I’m new to your blog and omggg I’m in love 🥰

You said to request but I have too many ideas 😭

Yandere Zuko somehow getting the reader to fall for him, but he doesn’t believe her until she risks her life to protect him?

Orrr like a dark yandere aang???? Goes into the avatar state over trying to get her back?

Or honestly anything your write 🥹🤧 I’m a sucker for your stuff

ahhh you're so sweet! don't worry I love all your ideas! tysm for liking my blog <3 i decided just to do headcanons for this hope you dont mind

yandere zuko getting the reader to fall for him! tw/cw: yandere behavior, protectiveness, insecurity a/n: he's honestly a cutie patootie i cant lie

he's awkward... but determined!

his 'yandere-ness' is very toned down while he is pining over you and won't actually show until he is in a relationship with you.. at least not to your face!

now when it comes to making you fall for him, he is at a loss

not that you don't like him but he always seems to mess up when he's around you

like accidentally making your tea too hot and burning you because he was just so nervous speaking with you

or when you finally have a conversation with him and gives the same enthusiasm as "that's rough buddy"

he does care! just, doesn't know how to show it

so he seeks guidance from others..

sokka's advice tells him to flirt with you and show off his strength

he does try but he ends up accidently lighting something or someone on fire

uncle iroh tells him to make a romantic gesture, plan a date and drink tea

this plan actually works in the first bit until he realizes he is not very good at conversation and from the mishaps whenever he serves you tea- he decide this is a no-go

toph says to buy you things or whatever girls like but you never accept his gifts!

aang says to just be nice to you but he has a fucking panic attack every time you smile at him

his last resort is katara who begrudgingly tells him to be himself and just tell you how he feels

and he does

you accept his confession much to his(and everyones surprise)

but he doesn't believe that you actually like him? i mean, everyone in his life besides his uncle hates him or used to. what if this is just a ploy and you're secretly making fun of him behind his back?

because of his insecurities, he slowly distances himself away from you. he finally got what he wanted but it doesn't feel real, just yet.

that is, until one day, azula comes back and is looking to hurt.

fights happen but azula gets the better of zuko.

she's right about to give him another burn to the face until you step in.

whether you're a bender or not, you risk your life to save zuko.

zuko is amazed and almost in awe

someone really cared enough to save his life and out of all people, it's you!

he doesn't know why he never saw it before but you really do love him!

and he's going to make sure that you never forget that he loves you back.

after defeating azula, you both escape very injured but zuko isn't worried about his wounds, only you.

you tell him that you're fine and that it was worth it to save zuko

but seeing you hurt... it triggers something in zuko, a rage that makes even his skin hot to the touch.

he promises that you'll never get hurt in his care, ever again.

#yandere #yandere headcanons #yandere x reader #avatar the last airbender #yandere atla #soft yandere #yandere avatar the last airbender #yandere zuko

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ivnxrori · 1 month

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When Sun and Moon meet - S1 FINALE

Zuko x Fem!WaterBender!Reader Enemies to Lovers

As one of the Princesses of the Northern Water tribe, you were blessed with a gift by the moon. However you were permitted to be allowed to use the gift at all costs. From many hidden waterbending usages, the aftermath of the avatar visiting the Northern Tribe had led to your beginning journey, hiding yourself as a water bender as a princess from the Northern water tribe

Warnings: death, arguing, angst

Masterlist

҉ * ‧͙ ⋆ ⁺ ༓ ☾ Chapter 4 - New Sacrifices

Panic rushes through my mind, when the enemy from the fire nation has the moon spirit fish in his hands. My breathing grew heavy and my headache was aching even more than before. It's most likely my fear and anger, this soldier from the fire nation attacking the moon spirit. I still stood in my fighting stance while Aang attempted to console the fire nation member. Some old man, who is also part of the fire nation, stood by our side. The enemy lays low, slowly pouring the moon spirit back into the water. My shoulders softened and I sighed in relief, only for the worst to happen. The moon spirit was killed by a blow from the fire, and the moon is gone. “What have you done?” I screeched and ran to the pond, seeing the white fish unable to move. I grab it and next thing I know, only the old man was there, none of the soldiers or the killer. I felt tears peering through my eyes. “What do we do?” my voice cracked, I tried to swallow back my tears and breathe shakily. Everything is happening way too fast… I don't know what's real. I wish it wasn't real. “There's no hope now,” Yue said sadly, leaning against Sokka. “It's over.”

It's over. It's all over. My mind rang the same sentence again and again. It's like I have accepted the fact we have lost, everyone has lost. There is no winner. “No it's not over” I immediately turned my head, seeing Aang with his eyes and arrow glowing. “What can you even do?” I spat angrily but he paid no attention to it. He just went to the center of the water, near the black fish circling around him who is also glowing. Not even a second later, Aang fell through the water. Causing the world around us to be brighter and bluer. The water moved through the bridge violently, slowly moving upward to show Aang who was in the water. The form of the water was like the moon spirit, moving around our nation destroying the fire nation's people. Then once again the atmosphere was back to being dark. I sigh disappointingly at the fact the brightness of the night didn't last forever. I put the fish back in the water. “It's dead,” the old man said as I nodded in agreement. “I have to go” I got up. This place is going to drive me insane if I stay here any longer. “It's dangerous out there” Katara called out but I didn't respond. I needed to go.

҉ ☾

The only hope there is was with Aang, praying somehow he can bring the moon spirit back. I walk around the bridge only to see the scar boy, Zuko. “How did you get out of the ropes?” I called out and he immediately got into a fighting stance. “You're hurt,” I glared at him. Noticing the purple bruises on his skin. He looked horrible and angry, piercing through me with his glare. “Don't bother with the ‘Avatar’” I said “He is destroying your whole nation, you do not stand a chance with him especially with the state he is in currently.” I once again squinted at his marks “You're also tired” I attempted to grab water to heal him, unfortunately to no avail due to the moon. “I don't need your help” He spat. “You’re right” I exaggerated my arms in annoyance “Why should I even bother healing for an enemy” I hissed. I felt a bright light from the corner of my eye and snapped my head towards that direction. “The moon!” I yelled out excitedly “Aang must have done it” I turned around not even sparing a glance towards Zuko. As if I cared for his well being. Well- I did for a short moment, a moment of weakness and kindness from my heart but that was short lived. I ran towards the spirit Oasis as fast as I possibly could.

“The moon! Was it Aang’s doing?” I yelled, running towards Sokka, Katara and Yue. “I came here as quickly as I could to see the moon spirit”. I exhaled breathily looking around. “Where's Yue?” I asked but I was met with silence. Only answer I got was the siblings and the old man moving their heads down, looking at the grass. That's all I needed to understand. “Please…don't tell me…” I shakily said, looking at the grass holding back my tears. “How could you guys let her do that?” I yelled at the three. “I left for what? A few minutes only to find my sister gone?” I continue shouting. “We tried Y/N! We tried to stop her but she was persistent. She wanted to help her nation, she wanted to help you!” Sokka yelled back angrily. Tears were running down my face, everything was just horrible. “If only you guys never came, the fire nation would have never attacked and Yue would have been alive” I scream, crying, letting every bit of my anger out which hasn't been released in years. “How could you say that?” Katara shouts, Sokka standing up “You're so selfish! You even left us three for your benefit. Yue wasn't all that happy here and she acted out willingly to help everyone.” Sokka yelled back. “Calm down kids'' the old man speaks up “This isn't the best situation to fight.” Sokka wasn't wrong however. I was indeed selfish. I never saved Yue like she saved me, and this was the most impactful. I never gave her anything, I was always on the receiving side. I was, in fact, selfish. I continued to look down but I broke. I fall onto the grass, gripping my hair as tears continue to stream down my face. “I know how hard it is to lose your sister but remember your sister wouldn't want you like this, she would want you to be happy. She did it for you” Katara reassured me, patting my back. I hiccuped silently. Of course Yue decided to do it when I was away. I wouldn't have allowed her to sacrifice herself to the moon and she would have hated me seeing her disappear. I got up and hugged Katara tightly, tight as I ever could. Sokka shortly joined. We have received the moon, but at what cost?

“Chief Arnook! Y/N is gone” One of the soldiers yelled out to Chief Arnook. “What?” He responded in shock, already losing his eldest daughter, now losing his second. “She only left a note on her bed” The soldier unraveled the note, revealing elegant writing written with ink. Chief Arnook grabbed the note and scanned it urgently. The letter read…

Dear Father,

I have decided to leave the Northern water tribe. I apologize for the run away, especially with all that's already happened. But this journey will help me, it will help find what I need. Please don't bother sending soldiers to look for me. I have run away on my own terms and I will not be coming back unless the time is right. I have Yue to protect me and to always be there by my side. I love you and Sivoy but please respect my decision to leave. I know this is selfish so once again I apologize. I have taken a Buffalo yak for transportation so please don't worry.

Goodbye Father and Sivoy,

Love Y/N

Chief Arnook sighed “Don't do anything” as he rolled up the paper. “But…Chief Arnook we already sent some soldiers to look for her and put up missing posters” The soldiers said guiltily as the Chief sighed in disappointment. “What are you going to do?” Sokka asked worriedly, “I believe my Y/N would be capable of handling these kinds of situations for now, prevent sending out more trouble and tell the soldiers to not search for Y/N.” The soldiers bowed to Chief Arnook to take their leave.

“Should I have told my father that I also left to take revenge on the fire nation?” I tilted my head, asking the Buffalo yak only to get a huff from the animal. “Yeah I didn't think it was necessary” I shrugged as I continued to make the water under us turn into us, helping the buffalo yak travel through the water. “I think we might make it to the earth kingdom quicker than I thought” I look at the map and look above. “Thank you buddy” I patted the Buffalo yak’s head in appreciation.

Well this is a new start…

Season 1 END

<- Back - Next ->

a/n: LAST CHAPTER OF SEASON 1 WOOO!! And your welcome that i snuck in Zuko in this chapter however Yue does die :( Im not 100% sure if Season 2 will start back up tmr but it will start up soon!! So stay tooned! Im surprised this many people want to read my work honestly LMAO BUT THANK YOU!! Have a nice day!

Taglist: @luvkvni @katovano @karmaswitch @someonesmember @velvet-spider @sh3sa1dwhat @nerdisthenewcool @meiraloves2dmen @fqnfics101 @iluvme547 @leaderwon @yukihatesreoyo @heart4hees @4l3x1s @kkissaku

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guest-1-2-3 · 4 months

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Some Zukka Canon Divergence Fic Recs !

I'm a little bit insane about zukka canon divergence so here are some that I really enjoyed! All of these are on ao3 :)

Boomerangs and Rainbows by Mindbending, Rated T, 67,555 words, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death: One of my favorite Zukka canon divergence fics ever! Zuko dies at the North Pole and ends up haunting Sokka as a ghost. I am in love with how this author showed their developing relationship and trust in each other and it's just !! such a great plot, writing style, execution, and character writing.

Blue by bealeciphers, Rated T, 192,682 words, Graphic Depictions of Violence: Ba Sing Se + Blue Spirit zukka canon divergence 👀 A lot of crazy identity shenanigans with this one. This is Zuko pov so it has a lot of focus on Zuko's inner struggle, character arc, identity, and emotions and I think the author did really well! I really enjoyed reading this and seeing the,,,complicated identity concealment zukka going on here that led to some excellent conflict and complicated falling in love!

Operation Leverage by snowandfire, Rated T, 50,723 words, No Archive Warnings Apply: From Ba Sing Se onwards! Zukka fake dating au as Sokka forces Zuko to tell him stuff about fire nation culture :D I liked seeing them get closer! Enemies to friends to lovers my beloved

Leaving it All Behind by Sreeder, Rated M, 259,815 words, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-Con, Past Child Abuse, Torture, Nudity, Panic Attacks, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault: This one is for those of you who like reading the dark stuff. I am someone who mostly likes to read more lighthearted things but I read this fic on recommendation and wow is it well-written! Sokka is captured during the siege on the Northern Water Tribe and sent to Zhao's prison camp. He runs into Zuko, and they eventually start working to escape together and get closer in the process. Very slowburn, very intense and dark, graphic depictions of torture and death. This has a completed sequel that continues their journey as well as a third book currently in the works!

I'm Not Angry Anymore by team_avatars_eyebags, Rated T, 69,430 words, No Archive Warnings Apply: Alternate universe where Zuko and Iroh have been peacefully living on Kyoshi Island with secret identities for a good chunk of Zuko's banishment and then the gaang shows up and throw Zuko's entire semblance of peace and contentment out the window! This whole fic is technically pre-slash but I liked the concept and story too much to not include it here lol

boys are more trouble than they're worth by lesbianspikespiegel, Rated T, 11,128 words, No Archive Warnings Apply: Some nice pretty fluffy and humorous Ba Sing Se Zukka! Getting to know each other, getting together, and the struggle of scrambling to hide your secret relationship from your friend group. Overall a very light-hearted and funny fic :D

#let it be known i also have a fuckton of recs for soulmate aus and modern aus of zukka #so if anyones interested in that! i might post some recs for those as well #zukka #zuko #sokka #fic rec #fic recs #zukka fic rec #zukka fic recs #atla #did i mention im in love with boomerangs and rainbows? cause im in love with that fic #i think one of the first zukka fics i read and one of the best still #just casually enjoying some zukka. then boomerangs and rainbows shows up and now im insane about zukka

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ao3feed-zukka · 18 days

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Damsel in Distress

Read now on Ao3 at https://ift.tt/5B79IwC by WintersOpalClouds Only once in your life can you call upon the aid of your soulmate in a time of crisis where the spirits will teleport them to you until they deem the danger you're in has passed. A helpful boon but one that can come at a great cost if utilized wrongly. Most parents will teach their children to use this call with extreme caution. To make sure it's a situation where your soulmate can actually help and not one where you have doomed them to extreme harm or to an early death. Sokka knew all the tragic cautionary tales told to children to express this, he knew his soulmate wasn't some spirit, just another human like him. The last thing he wanted was to put their life at risk in a situation far beyond them, to sentence them to die by his side. But none of these known facts even registered in his panic when at the age of 10 the Fire Nation attacks his village and in desperation to save himself and his mother, he seeks out any help he can get, summoning his soulmate before the soldier's flames descend upon them. Maybe he should count himself lucky that his soulmate was one who had the ability to stop the fire from consuming them all. Words: 19587, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Avatar: The Last Airbender (Cartoon 2005) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Categories: Multi Characters: Zuko (Avatar), Sokka (Avatar), Azula (Avatar), Katara (Avatar), Hakoda (Avatar), Kya (Avatar), Iroh (Avatar), Yue (Avatar) Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Minor or Background Relationship(s) Additional Tags: No Underage Sex, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Canonical Child Abuse, Partially Blind Zuko (Avatar), Partially Deaf Zuko (Avatar), Long hair Zuko, Because I'm weak for that, Zuko realizes his dad is an abusive shithead early, Eventual Azula Redemption, she's gotta go through her villain era first though, everyone is 3 years older during main story, Occasional Explicit Content, Kya lives, this has consequences, Yue lives, explicit sexual content will be Zukka only, Bottom Zuko, Alternate Universe - Soulmate, mother said protect soulmate at any cost, and Zuko takes that to a whole other level because he's Zuko, Zuko being utterly devoted to a stranger and his people, better than him being overly loyal to an asshole dad, BAMF firebender Zuko, Protective Zuko, Sokka thinks his soulmate is the prettiest and makes it everyone's business, Sokka doing his best with a self-sacrificing idiot for a soulmate, Choose treachery it's more fun, Iroh and Zuko being partners in crime, Blue Spirit Zuko (Avatar), White Lotus Zuko Read it on Ao3 at https://ift.tt/5B79IwC

#IFTTT #zukka #sokka #zuko #avatar: the last airbender #atla #ao3 feed

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iela-0989 · 1 year

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Zutara (short-comic) - Panic Attack😨

It have been a while since my last Zutara's fanart~ Also, this one took longer than I thought for a merely short & simple comic🥲

This short-comic was inspired by a Zutara's Incorrect Quotes post, I came across here. I only improvised the plot a little😅 But somehow I couldn't find the original post, that has inspired me. I don't even remember the account that posted it. My bad🥲

I purposely made Zuko says 'I Love You' to Katara. But, what are the odds of Zuko confessing his love towards Katara? I mean, it might seems possible for Katara to do so~ But I don't think that, Zuko would be that kind of person, who would express his love verbally~ I don't know~ I'm not an expert on human personality or behaviour~ let me know what you think😆

#zutara #zutara fanart #zuko x katara #zuko #katara #katara x zuko #avatar the last airbender #atla #atla fanart #incorrect quotes #fanart

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stardust948 · 1 year

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Katara: I told you I love you and you’re having a panic attack.

Zuko: Nothing this good has ever happen to me.

#atla #katara #zuko #zutara #source: tumblr #incorrect quotes #atla incorrect quotes #zutara incorrect quotes

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formulaocean · 29 days

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F1 Driver Pairings As Popular Tropes/Pairings

Part 1

(Daily reminder that these are real people and I don’t actually believe any of this is real- but aren’t tropes fun!)

Feel free to add your own! Or request a pairing!

Lestappen as the Red & Blue characters.

Obvious? Yes. Does it work? Also yes. People who should be opposites or are in opposite situations but are actually pretty similar. They’re red and blue! Opposites attract people! It’s flashy new energy drink vroom vs haunted biblical ferrari vroom and it works!

Yes this is enemies to best friends/lovers but in particular it’s awful first impression to begrudging respect to realising I like you as well as respect you- with a large amount of teasing still in play but less violent in nature. Less good memories become very good with time ;) Pride & Prejudice first impression vibes?

Honorable mention: the red string of fate (the inevitable & the predestined, they will be fighting eachother forever etc.)

Think Merlin & Arthur, Gnomeo & Juliet, Zuko & Sokka or Katara, Keith & Lance, Fireboy & Watergirl even

Brocedes as friends turned enemies

The opposite to Lestappen- this is no friendly rivalry. Best friends to not respectful rivals to enemies with a sprinkle of one of you may be turning evil. This relationship haunts the narrative.

Gives “hello old friend” energy. It’s all about the “historical context” and going into a panic attack anytime the other is brought up.

Honourable mentions: “there was only one bed” (because this had to have happened when they were sharing a room while traveling the globe) and dead wife energy.

Examples include Professor X & Magneto, Anakin & Obi Wan, Peter Parker & Harry Osborn. If you’re going biblical it’s the Cain complex.

Maxiel as grumpy x sunshine

That one sunshine character who the grumpy character has a soft spot for- eventually becoming goofy and sunshiney just around them.

A side of coming of age and hero worship which then flips around as time goes on. It’s all about the character growth!

A little bit of resentment- nothing new by Taylor swift comes to mind. “I’ll say I’m happy for them then I’ll cry myself to sleep” definitely gives “if it’s not me then I’m glad it’s him”. Also right where you left me after Daniel leaves to Renault!

The longest game of gay chicken perhaps ever played.

#f1 #f1 fanfic #lestappen #brocedes #maxiel #tropes

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princess-of-the-corner · 29 days

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Ok how about this. On the ship trap Zuko air bends and immediately both of them stop. Zuko accuses Aang of tricking him, Aang refuses, saying something about how everyone's air bending feels different or something. Zuko's air bending feeling like a warm breeze in the middle of winter. Zuko has a panic attack and Aang decides that even if he's his enemy he should still show compassion towards him.

Iroh is worried over Zuko's absence and goes to where he knows the trap is set up. He finds Aang rubbing circles into Zuko's back and his suspicions are confirmed. Zuko is the avatar and everything just got a whole lot more complicated. Iroh and Aang make a very dodgy plan, Aang will 'kidnap' Zuko and Iroh will follow to save him. This sets up Katara and Sokka learning about this farce and immediately being angry but still wanting to go because of learning better water bending.

Katara and Sokka are confused to be involved in this but "Well the angry teen is apparently the Avatar? And he's like genuinely concerned his father will hurt him about it? So we're not going to let him go."

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arianacontreras · 9 months

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headcanon that zuko trying to convince himself that azula always lies doesnt work and couldnt just go back to sleep not knowing if ozais going to murder him or not. He runs from his bedroom looking for ursa but bumps into no one other than azulan heading to bed. Zuko instantly freezes, apologizing profusely in a panicked matter dropping to his knees. And firelord azulan releases all the anger caused by his youngest sons treacherous want to become the next firelord like they didnt just lose a limb (because that is what family is, a part of you) and concerned with the fact that zuko is terrified and shaking and on the verge of a panic attack azulan calls his name and when zuko looks up eyes wide still visibly shaking because azula said firelord azulon his grandfather wants him dead and now the firelord is right in front of him so tall and mad and scary tears begin to fall and zuko begs for his life i am your loyal grandson i will love and fight and protect the fire nation with my honor and all of my being, firelord. Zuko! Dear child what in agnis name has you so shaken? .....yo...y.you said that father must lose his firstborn. That father must be punished for asking to become firelord. That father has to kill me. azulan brings his hand to zukos face trying to comfort him wiping the tears that still are falling and tells him, appalled by any notion of that he would have ozai kill his firstborn: i did not ask your father to sacrifice your life, never would i have you are my blood my lifeline. You are to become irohs son. Because even though zuko was a disaster at ozais presentation earlier he loves his grandchildren so and can not afford to lose another one (and thats why its his decision to give zuko to iroh in order to punish ozai for trying to gain power in light of lu tens death) And it just makes the way ozai brought his hand to zukos face during the agni kai a lil bit worse cuz he got forgiveness and love from his grandfather and a face full of fire from a man who is supposed to love him unconditionally

#zuko #atla #atla zuko #prince zuko #avatar the last airbender #zuko angst #uncle iroh #fire lord ozai #what a dbag

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franceblr · 5 months

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thinking about the fact that despite modern au Zuko being in therapy for his CPTSD and having made a lot of progress, growing little by little into his kind and compassionate side, some days he's still an utter mess. Thinking about how Zuko is fair and level-headed and yet sometimes his most animalistic and irrational side takes control and locks adult Zuko up in a pantry, while it rages and destroys everything he's built for himself. Thinking about the uglier sides of his trauma, those that he usually bottles up and suppresses until he inevitably can't anymore. Thinking about Zuko going through cycles of impatience, selective mutism, touchiness, defensiveness, starting fights with Sokka for seemingly no reason. Thinking about Zuko being mulish, selfish and unfair, mad with anger and grief like a rabid dog. Thinking about Zuko pushing Sokka away, and Sokka feeling so tired, hurt, rejected, angry and guilty, but not leaving because his love for Zuko is unwavering and he knows Zuko is tearing into him out of sheer desperation. Thinking about how painful it is for Sokka to see Zuko back himself into a corner and hurt himself and those he loves most. Thinking about how Sokka is the only one who possesses the required balance of patience and strictness, putting up boundaries and holding Zuko accountable and yet forgiving him when he eventually comes back around and manages to calm down the angry animal in him. How Sokka is the only one with the self-restraint to not mirror Zuko's aggression and not yell back because he knows Zuko will have a panic attack if he does. Thinking about Sokka's endless love and grace in seeing the worst parts of Zuko and giving them space to exist, and still patiently coaxing out of him the better ones that are kind, responsible, brilliant and forgiving.

Thinking about how brave and strong Zuko is, until he's hit by the cycles where Zuko isn't hostile and irritable, but scared. The phases where he's always sweaty and anxious, waking up with shaky hands and a tight chest. The 2 am mornings when Sokka has to physically keep Zuko from getting up and obsessively checking the door locks for the 6th time because even if Ozai is in jail, Zuko is sure that he'll get out and kill him. The days when Zuko is absent and yet hyperaware, easily startled by noises, incapable of eating or sitting down or doing anything at all that isn't waiting for something horrible to happen; when his muscles are tense and his jaw is clenched so tightly he ends up with a migraine, the pulsing in his temple making him cry as he throws up in the toilet. The phases where he's scared like a child and it's irrational and he feels so pathetic and ashamed but his entire body is paralyzed with fear and he shakes with adrenaline for days, barely able to function. Thinking about the times when Zuko is jumpy and easily triggered and stressed more than usual, and he tries so hard to hide it and pretend like everything's fine, but Sokka knows and misses his snarky and sexy boyfriend who's capable and smart and doesn't walk around the house with bleeding nailbeds like an anxious ghost. And yet Sokka holds his face and promises to him that he's safe and loved and protected and Sokka will never ever let anyone hurt Zuko ever again, he swears, because he loves him, he loves him so much, and repeats the same 5 or 6 simple sentences in hopes they will etch themselves in Zuko's brain and give him some relief from the terrors of his past.

Thinking about Zuko being aware that he's spiralling and not being able to take back control and prevent his self-destructive tendencies from hurting Sokka and Uncle and his friends, and feeling so ashamed and remorseful and weak. Thinking about Sokka being aware that Zuko's actions aren't a matter of poor self-restraint and nastiness, and recognizing that sometimes Zuko just isn't able to help it, and needs a hand. And so Sokka steps in and takes the lead, showing Zuko that he's loved even when he fucks up.

#zukka #zuko x sokka #it's projection hours baby #i don't think that zuko is a guiltless uwu baby incapable of handling his emotions #i actually love strong and level headed zuko with a touch of feral asshole #but that kind of trauma and deformation doesn't disappear overnight and even despite ones best efforts #interpersonal relationships can be SO hard

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zutarawasrobbed · 1 year

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Zuko’s Fear of Fatherhood

Zuko is terrified at the prospect of having children one day because he doesn’t want to end up like his father. His council has started getting more pushy about finding a wife and making an heir to solidify his rule. He has constant panic attacks.

Zuko tells Katara all about this in letters while she rebuilds her home in the south. Her tells her he thinks the world would be better without another of his family’s kin in line for power. He’s convinced his family is cursed and intends to break it.

Katara responds with words of comfort and reassurance. She validates Zuko’s feelings and gives her personal opinion about the subject. She tells him she knows he never would be like the man who burnt him. She tells him it’s okay not to want children. But reminds him not to let fear drive him away from the prospect of it.

After years of rebuilding and Zuko constantly asking, Katara finally accepts Zuko’s invitation and becomes a Southern Water Tribe ambassador when she turns seventeen.

The first day she arrives, Zuko has come from yet another meeting strongly urging him to start a family and is stressed out until he hears the sound of children’s laughter in the courtyard.

He follows the sounds and finds Katara by the turtle-duck pond, happily reading children's scrolls to the children of palace workers. Suddenly the dread in his soul is gone and replaced with warmth; the idea of having a family isn’t so scary.

TL;DR: Zuko is scared shitless of fatherhood until he sees Katara reading to children, which awakens his brovaries.

#zutara #Zutara hc #zutara headcanon

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almostangrything · 15 days

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Headcanon time.

Azula definitely suffered from nightmares when she was a kid. Since she was supposed to be perfect, she couldn't show weakness by going to her parents. Her mother didn't like her and her father wouldn't care. So who does she have left? Big brother Zuko.

Imagine a tiny, three-year-old Azula sneaking into Zuko's room, sniffling, with her head barely out from behind the doorway. Zuko isn't happy, because even five-year-olds need their sleep. He thinks she's come to be a menace, but is surprised to hear, "Zu-Zu? I had a nightmare..."

So he lets her in, and hugs her until she calms down. He would do different things to soothe her as well. If her hand were shaking, he'd hold her hands and rub his thumbs in circles on the backs. Trembling and crying meant he'd gently trace down her head, over her face, down her neck, shoulders, and arms with his fingers until she was still. If she was really distraught, He would do something with her hair.

When Azula was around eight, she stopped having really bad nightmares. But strangely, the night after Zuko had been banished, she had a relapse and woke up from a nightmare with tears in her eyes. Her hand was on Zuko's door when she realized that he was gone. So she goes in, sits on his bed, and wraps herself up in the blankets. This continues every so often. She tries to calm herself down the way Zuko would, but she can't do it like her older brother can.

While banished, Zuko finds himself sometimes find himself doing the repetitive motions he'd use to soothe Azula. He doesn't know why, but it's rather soothing for him as well.

When Zuko comes back during season three, Azula has a nightmare. She doesn't want to see Zuko, but she's crying because of her dream. So she goes to his room and opens the door, and very quietly says, "Zu-Zu? I had a nightmare..."

Zuko was not expecting that at all. But he begrudgingly lets her in, taking off his shirt/vest thing and putting it around her shoulders. Holding her close so that she can hear his heartbeat, he asks her to tell him about her dream. Azula tells him that in her dream, she lost everything and became an awful mess. It had felt so real to her, and the worst part that scared her the most was that it seemed entirely feasible. Try as he might, with everything he could think of, he just couldn't calm down his now fourteen-year-old little sister, who was having a panic attack.

So he just holds her and tells that no matter what, she is his little sister, and he is her older brother, and that it has always been that way, and always will be. Azula tries to punch him, but it doesn't do much. As he keeps repeating it, she slowly calms down. Unfortunately, she also feels guilty for needing his help. Zuko reminds her that she's never too old for a hug from her big brother. Azula and Zuko get a good night's sleep for once in their lives.

SIDE NOTE: Sokka taught Zuko how to do the worm. Once, little Azula had had a nightmare where giant worms killed the world, and back then, Zuko had promised her that once he learned how, he'd teach her the worm so that they could blend in. Once Sokka taught him, he found a way to teach Azula.

"C'mon, Azula."

"No."

"I gotta teach you how to do the worm."

"Like the dance?"

"Yeah, so you can blend in when giant worms take over the world."

Cue THREE HOURS of Zuko trying to teach Azula the worm. They become fire-breathing worms.

#avatar the last airbender #prince zuko #princess azula #headcanon

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hella1975 · 1 year

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taob chapter-by-chapter summary except it's brief and mildly insensitive (obviously spoilers ahead)

chapter 1: hakoda and the water tribe crew are on a boat. zuko is on a boat. it's just after the blue spirit episode. two world's collide and they fight each other. zuko loses. zuko gets injured. it's not funny. during the fighting however a young crewman from zuko's ship - a teenage boy called lee - is killed. the swt take zuko prisoner and so ensues a very chaotic series of events

chapter 2: zuko is placed in the infirmary where we meet the fan favourite healer, kanut. hakoda decides to enter correspondence with general fong bc he doesnt want the hassle of dealing with the fire prince (fair) and zuko throws soup at him. he escapes but it lasts like 5 minutes LMAO. it's not funny. hakoda threatens to hurt zuko if he firebends again and zuko reacts v normally

chapter 3: zuko is, fundamentally, a dumb cunt and he escapes again, this time bumping into the Biggest Warrior Who Is The Entire Reason He's In The Infirmary To Begin With; chena. kanut intervenes before a fight breaks out but zuko is still taken to hakoda for his first proper interrogation. they go back and forth before zuko reveals he went to the south pole. not believing zuko's avatar shenanigans in favour of assuming there was a raid, hakoda decides to go home to check

chapter 4: OUR VERY FIRST TOMKIN FRATERNISES WITH THE ENEMY. we officially meet the youngest crewmen; tomkin and nanook. cultural misunderstandings see the rocky beginning of their friendship with zuko. it's also decided to put zuko to work bc no one really knows what the fuck to do with him and he's just moping about the boat atm. another crewman, aput, is put in charge of zuko's chore duty, but is joined by tulok, the man who killed lee, which makes zuko uneasy. he's brainstorming another escape attempt when hakoda asks to speak with him

chapter 5: a letter arrived from general fuckfeatures saying he was happy to take zuko off hakoda's hands (bruv 😐) in three weeks time. hakoda finds himself reassuring zuko but, in a panic, zuko lashes out and flees, cornering himself on the bowsprit of all things. hakoda tries a different approach and talks zuko down. they talk for a long time before zuko feels comfortable enough to come back to the deck, but when he does, he slips and hakoda instinctively saves him, which causes a moral panic for both of them. the bar is truly on the floor

chapter 6: we arrive at the south pole! the crew find out zuko was telling the truth and never led a raid. hakoda is v perplexed by zuko and in a bid to try and find out why he doesn't commit gratuitous violence he winds up admitting that he wasn't actually going to attack zuko's ship that very first day. we also get a kanut backstory! this is his chapter fr

chapter 7: hakoda's revelation leads zuko into a crisis thinking it was his fault lee died. lots of lee turmoil in this one. you are not immune to explorations into the moral greyness of war. tomkin backstory! zuko gets his stitches out as well as a lecture from kanut on the importance of community/family. zuko is very quickly realising these people are not at all what he was told, and they're realising the same of him

chapter 8: sleepy zuko is not rocking with arctic winters. where the fuck is agni. this is very funny to everyone else involved. he soon wakes up tho bc we get THE AURORA SCENE

chapter 9: THE GANG GO HUNTING! zuko cant kill though and hakoda is being so brave about it. more lee turmoil as zuko starts interviewing everyone like 'Yes or No: No Violence Is Ethical Under Wartime?' and receiving different responses, none of which feel right. regardless, he goes back to the village and actually has a moment where he's laughing with tomkin and nanook and doesnt feel like they all hate him, so naturally it all goes to shit bc tom nook - misreading the situation so badly they should get an award for it - start asking about zuko's scar, and they go too far and he lashes out and boom! one burnt tomkin coming right up. JUST as they were starting to trust him too. life's a bitch

chapter 10: scar reveal chapter!!!!! there's tears and hugs and it's all generally v cathartic <3

chapter 11: zuko continues interviewing people. tomkin sets all of nanook's shirts on fire for shits and giggles. kanut starts pushing the zukka agenda on complete accident. hakoda carefully pulls out the adoption papers. kanna is horrified. more news at 10

chapter 12: tulok and zuko! they talk! they come to a conclusion on their wartime morality dissertation! they give lee a proper burial! zuko decides he wants the war to end! zuko ends the chapter with thee most obvious line of foreshadowing known to man no seriously what was that

chapter 13: the great rum heist of 99AG. zuko also gets fried by lightning but this isnt about him bc we officially get OUR FIRST TOVAH POV

chapter 14: we stop in wei hai where hakoda makes zuko promise to be less reckless. chena joins the Adopting Zuko bandwagon except he's caught on a stirup and is being dragged unwillingly along through the mud. meanwhile, tovah isnt what she seems and reveals a very malicious side to herself that is very focused on zuko

chapter 15: gaoling! the kids dick about on the beach and generally get to act their age before convincing hakoda to let them go into the town together. while in gaoling, tomkin reveals he's a HUGE blue spirit fan. zuko has a meltdown about it. tomkin then tries to get the attention of a girl he likes, but she waves at zuko instead (HELP) and tomkin takes that personally. like yes king that's zuko's fault he's just too much of a pussy magnet guilty as charged. zuko is just very confused bc he's fully gay but he's fully not okay about it so instead of clarifying him and tomkin just fall out. pray for nanook. chapter ends with two footsoldiers, oro and renmin, being told to send word to tovah that zuko is in gaoling and to keep an eye on him

chapter 16: nanook knows what zuko is. hakoda doesn't. tries to talk to zuko about embracing queerness anyway. it goes HORRIBLY bc zuko's just like 'i dont think my great-grandfather - inventor of homophobia - would like this' and storms off all angsty like. he goes to gaoling WHERE TOPH IS!!! she bumps into zuko on her way to earth rumble and they decide to beat each other up at a secondary location as like. a bonding activity. kids being kids. meanwhile oro and renmin are all about profit maximisation these boys want a PROMOTION baby, so they decide to ignore tovah's orders and eavesdrop on the water tribe camp, overhearing that the boy they're watching over is PRINCE ZUKO. they decide to kidnap him and take him to general fong, and if the water tribe put up a fight, they'll kill them. zuko overhears this

chapter 17: zuko decides - instead of running to save his own skin - to go back to the water tribe, but remembering the injuries and potential fatalities of their fight in ch1, he decides to do this alone. he's so clever. he sneaks into camp to get his swords and just before he leaves to intercept oro and renmin, he remembers his promise to hakoda about being more careful. wanting to leave something to show the water tribe he left willingly and to make it look 'less reckless', zuko leaves ONE of his dao swords behind. i love metaphors. cue a fight scene with oro and renmin god i fucking hate writing action scenes this one still elicits a trauma response out of me. zuko surrenders when they threaten to kill the swt and goes willingly. his firebending stops. he gets blood on his hands. shadowing the fore if you will

chapter 18: toph goes to meet zuko and he doesnt arrive so she immediately snitches on him to his adoptive family. the water tribe find evidence of his fight with oro and renmin and combined with hakoda's knowledge that he wouldn't just leave one sword behind for no reason, they know he's been kidnapped again lol. BATO ARRIVES! tovah goes to fong saying she lost the prince and fong is like 'oh ffs :('

chapter 19: bro i swear i almost got death threats for this chapter 😭 zuko arrives at fong's base and it's immediately clear he's not there to have a funky good time. fong kills oro and renmin because he doesnt want anyone knowing he has the fire prince and he cuts zuko's hair to send to ozai and enter negotiations. meanwhile bato has to be the voice of reason and, because they're outnumbered due to most of their men waiting for them at chameleon bay AND this is clearly fong's doing so they have to be politically careful AND they cant be seen being actively fond of the fire prince, it's decided they cant go look for zuko (at least not yet). chena is the most vocally against this. im so normal about them. zuko gets taken to a prison beneath fong's base by the prison warden - who he nicknames spider bc of his apperance - where zuko meets two young boys. zi se (5y/o) and lanse (10y/o) - war minnister qin's sons. both boys are shouted at/threatened when news of the northern air temple arrives and zuko defends them. lanse is killed, and days became weeks became months (🤭🤭🤭)

chapter 20 - appendix between book 1 and book 2. not important. go girl give us nothing

chapter 21: zuko in the cell with the five year old he's totally not developed a codependent self-sacrificial bond with. we see life in the prison aka chan - the biggest prisoner - fighting zuko for food and zuko just being BRUTAL like these two are just tearing into each other rn. zuko's firebending is gone and he's scared of fire now from being tortured. meanwhile our above-ground gang reveal it's been four months and they're going into the day of black sun arc and bc of war politics the water tribe have had to ALLY WITH GENERAL FONG NOOOO. very tense convo between him and them BUT he does reveal that zuko is alive which is more than what they knew 5 mins ago

chapter 22: TOVAH BACKSTORY! fong asks her to keep an eye on the prisoners while he's gone bc she's his most trusted soldier and she's like huh. what an odd request. i think he's hiding something. im so hot and clever. so she goes to the prison cells and what do u know there's a boy matching prince zuko's description right there. she breaks him and zi se out and throws spider to chan and the other prisoners where he literally gets torn to shreds. hot girl summer. the day of black sun happens and the adults are taken prisoner while the kids (including tomkin and nanook) escape on appa. kanut punches fong tho and gets taken seperately for bad behaviour. i giggled

chapter 23: zuko above ground finally! it's all rlly overwhelming but tovah gets them out of fong's base and all the way to the woods before zuko starts threatening her. she reveals that she's part of the white lotus and has been working for iroh this whole time. we get more of her backstory r.e her vendetta against long feng and the dai li. we catch up with kanut and he's put in prison WITH iroh. when unclehoods collide. the gaang arrive at the western air temple

chapter 24: zuko and zi se arrive at the white lotus camp and a healer - akinari - sees to zi se but when he tries to check zuko, zuko lashes out and breaks his arm. it's all just a lot for him and zi se is struggling too. after a bad nightmare, zi se asks zuko to promise him that they're safe now and zuko - with a very healthy relationship with promises after hakoda let him down - realises the only way he can promise that is if he kills fong. he comes to the decision and when does, his fire comes back blue. meanwhile, sokka starts brainstorming about which prison his dad was taken to, figures it out bc he's the most character of all time, and sneaks off to break hakoda out of the boiling rock. the same prison tovah told zuko fong was in....

chapter 25: zi se reveals to zuko that he's got a rotten tooth (months in unsanitary conditions with poor if nonexistant hygeine measures are a BITCH! hate it when that happens) and zuko has like? a whole downwards spiral about it? he takes it as confirmation that - at least as he is now - he cant take care of zi se and he's 'failed' him after sacrificing everything trying to do the opposite. it's basically confirmation for him that he needs to leave not just to kill fong but also just to be alone. i gotta put me first! tovah gives him his blue spirit mask LMAO and those two leave the camp on akinari's war balloon. tovah is going to break iroh out. zuko is going to kill fong. high treason besties that slay together. meanwhile iroh and kanut are bonding over the trauma that is dealing with zuko, and they decide their own escape plan. sokka gets to the boiling rock and, not long after, so does zuko. they bump into each other and have a !!!! moment before deciding to work together (sokka doesnt know about the Kill A Man plan zuko's got going...). tovah gets to iroh and kanut easily enough and tells them about zuko. they both decide they need to go to the boiling rock as well

chapter 26: zukka sleep in a cupboard overnight and NO ONE is gay about it at all ever. sokka sees zuko's scars and knows Something Bad Happened since he saw zuko last but zuko is deflecting at the speed of Repress Everything so not much comes of it. still, they bond and sokka actually really clicks with zuko and wants to help/befriend him and he's generally pretty chuffed with their alliance. meanwhile, hakoda and fong are being transported to TBR together bc they're the respective leader of their groups. hakoda clobbers fong. it's v fun. the guards take their weapons including zuko's dao that hakoda has kept with him this whole time. sokka sees suki and zukka decide to split up; sokka going after hakoda and zuko going after suki. they agree to all meet again in TBR's old library. zuko and suki get their old weapons back from where they're all stashed before being caught by chit sang, who wants in on the escape. suki asks after her warriors but chit sang says the only earth kingdomers to come in recently are a general that morning. zuko knows it's fong and goes a bit crazy like 👹 bring him 👹. meanwhile, sokka has already got hakoda to the library bc he's the compotent half of zukka and they're there when kanut and iroh come bickering in

chapter 27: bonus chapter! all the shuhon prison shenanigans with chena, aput, tulok and bato. they start a food fight and meet suki's kyoshi warriors. this fic is so fun and angstless

chapter 28: SIKE! everyone is in the library; sokka, hakoda, iroh, kanut, suki, zuko, chit sang, fong etc. there's reunions and dramatic dialogue and sokka feels very betrayed by EVERYONE and iroh is not communicating with his tormented nephew AT ALL and hakoda is so worried about what will come of this that he also isn't communicating that well either. it's a SHITSHOW. kanut is chill about it tho. so anyway zuko kills fong and is all like 'im evil :) i need to go to the land of evil people where i dont feel guilty about being evil :)' so he returns to the fire nation with azula and no one can rlly do anything about it lol. there is a frankly silly amount of comments on this chapter i literally barricaded my house to escape the screaming and bitching of my comment section

chapter 29: ZUKO ALONE CHAPTER! he's en route to the fire nation. this is almost entirely just him and azula having very tense conversations trying to figure each other out bc their relationship is VERY warped from canon. zuko is summoned by ozai and ozai says he's welcome home and he's proud of him for doing something that is literally HAUNTING zuko and zuko's like 'hmm. should probably unpack the implications of that at some point'. they all go ember island like in canon and mai is like my arranged-husband-since-childhood in CHRIST you have septicemia' and he's like 'nah'. him and azula talk on the beach and zuko finds out she has blue fire as well and it's a nice 'we're terrible but we're terrible together' moment. she reveals that ozai is planning to destroy the earth kingdom and it jolts zuko into realising he cant just step out of the war; he needs to act like he swore he would when he resolved lee's death. he knows he needs to leave the fire nation to warn the others of ozai's plans

chapter 30: ANOTHER ZUKO ALONE CHAPTER! zuko packs a bag and decides to just like. TRASH his room lmao take that fire nation! azula catches him and those two have another moment. they're very angry and hurt by each other but she also doesn't snitch on him to ozai when she realises what he's doing so it's just very complicated. zuko goes to yell at ozai anyway and gets a lot off his chest in that conversation. he escapes with help from mai and flees the fire nation as a traitor

chapter 31: we check back in at the western air temple! everyone is v concerned about sokka and tom nook are struggling being the only real 'adult' presence. the other water tribe men are en route to the western air temple and are all reeling from the news of zuko. sokka particularly is Not Okay about it all and him and suki basically break up. he talks to hakoda but he's not ready to hear the full story yet, so they agree to discuss it another time. meanwhile, zuko goes to the white lotus camp to get zi se so those two reunite! yay! hope this doesnt further their co-dependency! they journey to the air temple and zuko's injury gets progressively worse. the rest of the tribe reunite at the temple

chapter 32: HUGE FUCK OFF REUNION CHAPTER JESUS CHRIST THIS HAS SO MANY SPIDERMAN POINTING MEMES. so sokka finds zuko in the woods trying to figure out what the FUCK he's gonna say bc he's not seen everyone since literally chapter 16. zukka are zukka. zi se is their divorce lawyer. sokka eventually takes zuko to the temple and everyone chokes up and hugs and it's so cool. zuko explains about the comet and ozai's plans and then immediately passes the fuck out bc that's what happens when you don't treat an infected wound! kanut is fuming

chapter 33: fever dream chapter!!! all those fucked up fever dreams god i loved writing those i should give zuko septicemia again just so i can write more fever dreams. the gaang come to terms with zuko being in the camp; suki is chill with it, aang and toph are ecstatic, and katara is reluctant but has too much of a bleeding heart to overlook the Tortured Teenager and Literal Five Year Old. sokka is the only one actively against zuko rn. everyone else sneaks in to see zuko and we get our first bit of comfort in ages <333

chapter 34: zuko getting Rest and Recuperation and biting it and biting it and biting it. he talks with hakoda who confirms he's actually wanted at camp and zuko - who thought they'd all hate him - is like what the fuck, so they get a lot of clarification there. katara comes in and offers to use her water healing on zuko, but she comes in with food and we see the beginnings of zuko's inch resting relationship with food now after starving/fighting for food in prison. he has to chuck the food away to stop himself from seeing katara as a threat and that combined with what she's seen of zi se's behaviour is enough for katara to be like 'ah. this is an Issue'. the whole thing is just a lot for zuko and he has a panic attack when katara leaves, seeking comfort from zi se like they always did in prison except zi se doesnt need zuko as much as he did, and it's just a very stark reminder that ZI SE is getting over things but zuko just cant seem to. he lashes out and shouts at zi se, who cries and is found later by sokka. sokka comforts him and zuko sees and is SO normal about it

chapter 35: zuko gets discharged from the infirmary and is immediately faced with kanut and bato's 'we've been friends since childhood and ARE going to be annoying about it' shenanigans. meanwhile sokka is figuring his shit out and decides he's comfortable enough in himself to finally start over with zuko. those two have a talk and decide to have a clean slate and zuko takes it... weirdly seriously. like bro is DETERMINED to get his redemption by sokka. cool the jets freak that's how homosexuality happens!! oh also aang tries his first real attempt to get zuko to be his firebending teacher and zuko is effectively just like 'omg thanks for asking! fuck no 🙏🔥'

chapter 36: sike!! aang no.1 bully manages to bug zuko into going to the firebending masters with him and zuko saw an opportunity for a day out with free childcare and didn't look back. they do the whole firebending masters episode as normal just with some taobification (aka zuko is a massive baby about it) and then they come home with a healthier relationship and hearts open to the element of fire <3 beautiful showstopping never gets old

chapter 37: SOKKA AND HAKODA FINALLY TALK AND FIGURE THEIR SHIT OUT JESUS CHRIST YOU'VE NEVER SEEN TWO MEN MISCOMMUNICATE SO BADLY SINCE HAIKYUU. zuko however cant get out of eating with everyone today and it really triggers his food trauma. he spirals and lashes out at tulok when he goes to reach for him, pointing a knife at him and nearly wounding him. obviously this makes zuko freak out and he runs outside. tom nook comfort him and then so do the others. still it's a huge step back for zuko and he's really beating himself up over it. also zi se says 'good soup'. taob is increasingly becoming me seeing how much shit i can get away with

chapter 38: just a hakoda, zuko and zi se chapter that at the time i thought read as a shitty bonus chapter but has lowkey become one of my favourite, most integral chapters of book 2. zuko is having a nightmare and goes for a walk around the temple to calm down, which then sets zi se off crying when he wakes up and zuko's not there, and they proceed to just make each other worse from that point on. like that is the plot of the chapter. zuko starts shutting zi se out when he cant stop him crying which is when HAKODA FATHER FIGURE NO.1 finally steps in <3 he comforts zi se and puts him to bed and then comforts zuko, who has a really cathartic scene of just shouting and saying shit he's been needing off his chest for a WHILE. he falls asleep with hakoda watching over him

chapter 39: sokka drops his food plan to the delight of zukka readers everywhere. seriously i took the piss with the slowburn tag. zuko agrees to start having his meals with sokka and it goes better than expected and is also a weird take on the forced proximity trope, bc apparently shoving them in a cupboard in TBR wasn't enough. bato is On To Them. meanwhile tulok found a waterfall and tomkin bullies nanook, zuko and toph into going with him which causes our latest zuko freak out: Coming To Terms With Your Damaged Body Post-Torture. still they have fun and zuko takes a little healing step in the right direction which becomes a LEAP when it starts absolutely pissing it down. the Rain Scene u will always be famous

chapter 40: GAY CHAPTER! canon aroace kanut PLUS bato-hakoda-kanut flashback PLUS queer adults being comfortable and idiotic PLUS lesbian chena mention PLUS zuko starting to tackle his own internalised homophobia PLUS our roots of kanut and zuko bullying each other into life-changing revelations. i fed you so well with this update

chapter 41: it's decided that they're gonna leave the air temple soon but azula goes 'we leave when I SAY WE LEAVE' and ruins everything. before that though zukka go hunting and zuko gets a Very Normal Amount Of Protective over sokka when he cuts his knee. those two are making PROGRESS. tom nook have a gay sparring scene... i know the rituals are intricate... AZULA ATTACKS! tense sibling moment! mailee slaying (literally)! the gang deciding to flee! everyone splits up! zuko & tomnook go with the gaang and the swt crew go with the others! tragic. i am booed off stage

chapter 42: ZUKO AND KATARA BESTIEISMS ERA. starts off with zuko generally shutting down, being really overwhelmed to be back out in the world and retreating to his tent as a result, missing the simplicity of being back in the cell. insane thought process from your local trauma victim. tom nook try and help him but are almost TOO accomodating, and in the end it's sokka who helps most because he's able to kind of shake zuko out of it without babying him. still, zuko goes on to lash out at AANG OF ALL PEOPLE and it causes a fight between him and sokka. katara speaks to zuko alone and those two just Get Each Other i mean it we need more zuko-katara friendship in fics NOW. they relate over being angry at the things that have harmed them and being unable to forgive and move on quite as well as their peers, and the chapter ends on a really sweet note of the two of them sitting with that admission and finding solidarity in each other

chapter 43: a taob take on the southern raiders ep. katara's leftover anger bubbles over and she starts snapping at everyone. tom nook have a very fruity scene where nanook longs harder than a wife waiting for her husband to return from war. what's all that about buddy. finally, katara's bad mood comes to a head and she upsets zi se, which makes zuko feel like he needs to acknowledge her temper, but first he needs to deal w the other water tribe sib. zukka talk! zuko apologises for their spat last chapter and they have a weird 'let's promise to be vulnerable with each other in a bro way forevermore' moment. guys being dudes. sokka tells zuko about kya and why he thinks that's what has katara in such a bad mood. zuko then talks to katara and says that he can help her find the people who killed her mother if that's what she really wants. zuko and katara bestieisms will always be in any atla fic i write. katara very firmly decides she is in fact going to commit premeditated murder which sokka and aang are NOT chuffed about in fact sokka is pissed OFF with zuko and those two fight AGAIN however in the exact same pov sokka realises that he fancies zuko. lord grant me patience. katara and sokka talk it out and eventually katara decides not to commit murder. epic loss for murder everyone boo for the left-wing agenda.

#FINALLY DID THIS #im not gonna be too thorough with these bc it's just supposed to rejog your memory not like. actually explain everything lmao #like if u want more detail ur gonna have to read/reread otherwise this would have been an UNGODLY length lol sorry <3 #i'll reblog this with each update and add to it as i go #it'll also be linked in the next chapter's summary #im so fucking organised god im hot #taob updates

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