#azula needs her own warning
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So everybody here knows that I'm notorious for being a massive defender of Ursa, and that I have no patience for the "Ursa was a bad mother, she favored Zuko, and was abusive to Azula and abandoned her kids, and made Ozai abuse Zuko," narrative. That narrative is vile, victim blaming, and deeply stupid on a number of levels.
With that out of the way, I want to talk about some really really bad parenting we see Ursa do during the series. And it is to be clear really really bad.
In the Book Two episode, "Bitter Work", Zuko and Iroh have a conversation:
ZUKO: So Uncle, I've been thinking. It's only a matter of time before I run into Azula again. I'm going to need to know more advanced firebending if I want to stand a chance against her. I know what you're going to say, she's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her-
IROH: No, she's crazy, and she needs to go down.
This scene is a favorite of a certain type of Azula fan who wants to paint Iroh as a big meanie who didn't wave his magic redemption wand over Azula the way he clearly did over Zuko. See? See? He's writing her off here and calling her crazy.
This of course misses the context of that scene, which is that Zuko is taking care of a severely injured Iroh, who was injured by Azula, in what looked a heck of a lot like a murder attempt. Earlier in Book Two, in the episode, "The Avatar State", Azula unambiguously attempts to murder her brother after failing to capture him, and he is only saved by Iroh's quick reflexes.
But let's leave that argument aside for today because what interests me about this scene in the context of Ursa's parenting, is the line Zuko says right before Iroh's infamous declaration: "I know what you're going to say, she's my sister and I should be trying to get along with her."
Because in the context of Zuko and Iroh's situation, where Azula has recently attempted to kill Zuko, and just put Iroh into a coma that Zuko had to take care of him during, in which he has only just woken up from, this line from Zuko actually demonstrates some really warped thinking. It is not a healthy response to the situation at all. And his assumption is that a good caring parent figure like Iroh is going to respond to this situation by telling him that Zuko needs to get along with his sister, who is actively trying to hunt him down and capture or kill him.
So why does Zuko think that? What adult reacted that way to Azula's violence toward her brother in the past? It wasn't Ozai. Ozai is not going to use the language of getting along with one's siblings, when he is so bent on setting them against each other. So who was it?
The show answers this a few episodes before this scene, in the Book Two episode, "Zuko Alone." The answer is clear and heartbreaking: It was Ursa.
The scene in which this becomes plain, starts with Zuko and Ursa walking together. Mai spots them and smiles and blushes. Azula notices, and then turns to Ty Lee, and whispers, "Watch this!"
AZULA: Mom, can you make Zuko play with us? We need equal teams to play a game!
ZUKO: I am not cart-wheeling.
AZULA: You won't have to. Cart-wheeling's not a game, dum-dum.
ZUKO: I don't care. I don't want to play with you!
AZULA: We are brother and sister. It's important for us to spend time together. Don't you think so, Mom?
URSA: Yes, darling, I think it's a good idea to play with your sister. Go on now, just for a little while.
And then Ursa leaves Zuko alone with Azula and her friends.
There is a lot here that I want to talk about. I have in fact talked about this scene before, and what it tells us about Ursa's eagerness to reinforce Azula's seemingly kind and loving behavior: [Link], and even touched on why this is in fact an example of bad parenting from Ursa: [Link], but I think this deserves its own post, where we examine exactly what went on here, what this tells us about Ursa's parenting, and how this affected Zuko, and to a lesser extent, Azula.
In those previously linked posts, I talk about how this is clearly a pattern, that Azula has learned to predict and manipulate, and because we know it's a pattern, we know that this behavior on Ursa's part is repeated, and something her children have come to expect from her. Zuko and Azula know their mother wants her children to get along with each other, and love each other and have a good sibling relationship with each other so much that if Azula she plays into that, Ursa will force Zuko to spend time with his sister, and worse, that time will be unsupervised.
So, to be clear here, what Ursa is doing is giving Azula unsupervised access to her brother, against his will, as a reward for Azula momentarily acting nice. Or in other words, Ursa forces Zuko to spend time with his abuser against his will because she wants them to get along.
I think we can all see how that is some grade A terrible parenting.
And it does have negative effects on Azula. I think that we can see her learning how to manipulate people, learning how to lie and get what she wants from people, and that Ursa by giving her what she wants here, is showing her that this is a thing she can do to get what she wants. That is not a great lesson to teach your kid. I think it also feeds into Azula's possessiveness of her brother, and sense of entitlement towards him. She has learned that even the people who love and care about her brother, won't protect him from her. And she has learned that no matter what she does to him, he is supposed to try to get along with her.
These are some really terrible lessons, and we see some of the effects of them throughout the course of the show, so why is it that the "Ursa is a terrible mother" crowd never bring this up? I mean of course we know why, it doesn't fit their narrative. Their premise is not simply that Ursa is a bad mother, or even that her bad parenting explains Azula's behavior.
In fact frequently it isn't even about finding someone to blame for Azula's behavior, so that the responsibility isn't Azula's. (Which, to be clear is not how it would work anyway, because even if Ursa were exactly the type of horrible mother they said she was, Azula was still making the choices to do Very Bad Things, in the same way that just because Ozai is an abusive father, this doesn't mean Azula stopped being responsible for her own actions). It's more about proving that she has suffered enough that she deserves all the sympathy, and is allowed to be awful to other people, including Zuko, you know, as a treat.
The narrative that the "Ursa is a terrible mother" crowd are pushing is that Ursa didn't love her daughter, and thought she was a monster, Azula suffered so much, and it's so sad, and this is why she deserves to do very nasty things to everybody else, and no one should ever hold her accountable. Frequently there is some flavor of, "Zuko had a mother who loved him, you guys, unlike Azula, so he doesn't deserve sympathy, not like poor baby Azula!" Which is a deeply warped thought process on many many levels, but we're not going to go into that here.
The point is, that this type of bad parenting that I am pointing out here, doesn't fit this narrative, because this is not the kind of parenting mistake that a mother who doesn't love one of her children, and thinks that child is a monster, is going to make. This is the kind of mistake that a mother who loves her children very much, and wants them to have a good relationship, and doesn't recognize the threat that one of her children poses to the other, is going to make. In fact, the fact that she does it, proves that Ursa does in fact love her daughter and does not think she's a monster. So it does not fit the narrative these people are spinning, so they will never bring it up as an example of how Ursa was a bad mom.
Of course the other reason the "Ursa is a terrible mother" crowd aren't going to bring this part up is because it would mean acknowledging that Zuko deserved to be protected from Azula, and needed to be protected from Azula, when they were both children, which would go against the whole "she's a poor innocent child" thing they like to spin, and also because Azula is getting what she wants here, and Zuko is the one suffering, which is not going to get Azula any sympathy points.
And for the most part, Ursa was an excellent mother, who did the best job she could in horrible circumstances that she had very little control over, but she wasn't perfect, and she did make mistakes, which makes all of this a wonderful example of how even very good parents can make very bad choices that hurt their children and cause serious long-term damage.
I've talked some about the long term damage that Azula faces from this, learning about manipulation, and developing some really nasty entitlement issues with regards to her brother, but Zuko's long-term damage is if anything worse.
When we put this together with Zuko's line from "Bitter Work" quoted earlier, we can see that Zuko learns what Azula learns from the other angle, which is to say that he will not be protected from Azula by anyone, and not only will he not be protected, but he does not deserve to protect himself. Not only can he not defend himself, but he can't even protect himself by avoiding her. That's not allowed either. And in the face of her cruelty and violence towards him, it is still on him to make their relationship work, and to be clear, he should absolutely be making their relationship work. And the adults who love him are going to tell him this, no matter what Azula does to him.
I for one am really glad that Iroh is there to say no, that's a terrible idea, and you do not need to keep trying to get along with your sister who is trying to kill you. And it's significant that throughout Book Two, Iroh consistently protects Zuko from Azula, and teaches him what he needs to fight back.
#Atla Ursa#Uncle Iroh#Zuko#Azula#avatar the last airbender#posts i created#azula needs her own warning#i ship iroh/tea#zuko is a dweeby little turtleduck#mother bear ursa
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Hi Im the same guy who asked about if ozai loved azula, and wanted to ask a follow up question if you dont mind. Does Azula love Ozai?
Against her better sense and all logic, she does, unfortunately. This doesn't blind her to the truth of the man her father is, but it's safe to say that Azula loves her father, and she might even be the person who ever loved him most, outright (feels a little difficult to decide between her and Ursa, but honestly, Ursa is a lot more ready to lose Ozai for good, in a final way, than Azula is).
This is, of course, part of the tragedy of their bond: Ozai is effectively destroying his connection with the one person in the world who truly cared about him, who didn't want or demand perfection from him, who idolized him as a child, who still cherished him without that kind of worship as a grown-up, someone who, even when she knew her father was a menace to the world who needed to be stopped, wanted to believe there was another way out besides having him killed. And as much as it hurts them both to see their bond collapsing as it has, Azula still cares about him, no matter if she knows she shouldn't.
Soooo yeah. It's a messy relationship. Ozai doesn't have the slightest clue of how to have a healthy relationship of any nature with anyone. It makes it extremely difficult to forge a bond like that with him... but Azula has always been attached to him, since her childhood. Breaking free completely from her father when he used to mean the world to her is much easier said than done, no matter if she deserves that kind of freedom.
#anon#azula#ozai#... okay in case this shows up in the actual character tags#I feel I must clarify#this is SPECIFIC to Gladiator#I am not doing general ATLA analysis in this post#only talking about my own story which is its own rodeo#so just so you know I don't need anyone telling me that in the comics Ursa and Ozai's relationship is horrible and she doesn't love him#(Gladiator's Ursa has her own backstory and relationship to Ozai fully different from Yang's)#or that Azula is not developed enough to want her father stopped#(I have not been developing this story across 4 million words to hear anyone tell me my Azula lacks development)#this is just a warning#I thought it was logical to tag the characters so I did#don't misunderstand the point of this post please
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Hi, i love your stuff! Your writing is AMAZING!
Could you do a sokkaxreader fic, where reader gets majorly hurt saving sokkas life-and she almost dies and super angst but turns sweet/fluff?
-✨anon
a/n: ugh i love angst!!! tysm for requesting this <3
warnings: mentions of blood, injury,
summary: a fight gone wrong leads to an important revelation for you and Sokka
It all had happened so fast.
One minute your group is enjoying a nice breakfast together and the next you’re fighting off Azula and her minions. They’d ambushed you, catching you in a vulnerable position and striking the moment you least expected them to. You had the advantage of numbers against them, but these girls were immensely skilled, so you didn’t have enough of an edge to completely defend yourselves against their attack.
You were assisting Katara in trying to take down Azula when you happened to catch a glance of Sokka from across the way. His back was turned to you and his focus was set on trying to dodge Ty Lee’s chi blocks, so he wasn’t able to detect the blades that were being aimed in his direction. Your eyes widened with panic as you quickly make your way towards him; you wouldn’t be fast enough to stop Mai from throwing the knives, but you’d at least be fast enough to get in their path and stop them from hitting your friend.
“Sokka, move!” You urged, shoving him out of the way and effectively knocking over Ty Lee in the process as well. You weren’t given the time to process anything else as you immediately felt the blades make contact with your skin, digging themselves deep into your back. You cried out in agony before immediately collapsing to the ground, all while Sokka watched on in horror.
“Y/n!” He screamed before scrambling to your side. The fabric of your top was beginning to turn a deep red, and you could already begin to feel the effects of blood loss take over. Your vision was hazy and your body felt cold, and yet you were still able to make out the features of his face as he stared down at you with tears in his eyes.
“Just hang on, I’m going to get you out of here!” He insisted, some of his tears landing on your face. You couldn’t find the strength to muster up a response, so instead you simply let your eyes close and allowed the cold to consume you whole.
When you regain consciousness again you find yourself in a tent. Everything hurts and your body feels like it’s on fire, and yet you can’t find the strength to move. Blurry faces hover over you and muffled voices fill your ears, but no matter how hard you try you can’t make sense of any of your surroundings.
“-more water. I need more water!”
“Why isn’t it working?!”
A sharp pulse jolts up your spine and this time you do cry out in pain, effectively startling the figures in the tent.
“Y/n!” A voice cries. Sokka’s voice.
He’s beside you in an instant, kneeling before you and taking your hand tightly in his own. You’ve never seen him like this, so distraught and terrified. You wonder what happened when you passed out.
“Try to stay awake, okay? Please stay awake,” he begs you before looking frantically to his sister. “She doesn’t look any better!”
“Sokka, I’m doing everything I can here!” His sister shouts back, equally distressed as she exerts all of her energy into healing you. Progress is there but it’s slow, and she worries that if she isn’t fast enough the damage may be permanent. Why did the blades have to hit your spine so perfectly?
“Sokka…” you murmur quietly, your eyes beginning to feel heavy yet again.
“No, no, no, y/n, look at me! Don’t go back to sleep!”
But his pleas fall on deaf ears, and you’re swept back under.
You’re not sure how much time has passed since you were last conscious, but the lamp beside you must mean that it’s grown dark outside. You feel warm, the sharp pain is gone, and all that is left behind is a sense of exhaustion from your adrenaline inducing day. You try to sit up only to immediately collapse due to the soreness of your back, but at least you’re able to move now.
“Hey, it’s okay, don’t move,” Sokka insists, alerting you of his presence beside you. You feel his palm carefully lift the back of your head towards the bowl of water he holds in his other hand, allowing you to take greedy gulps until you’re satisfied. “Katara says you shouldn’t try to get up yet or you’ll strain yourself. Your body is still adjusting.”
“What happened? How long have I been asleep?” You ask groggily.
“About twelve hours,” he replies sullenly, and it isn’t until this moment that you’re able to detect the exhaustion present on his features. “Those blades dug right through your skin and into your spine. Katara spent hours healing you; for a minute we thought you might not make it or that maybe you’d live but be paralyzed for the rest of your life. Why did you do it?”
“What?”
“Why did you do it?” Sokka says more firmly this time. “How could you do something so stupid like that?! You could’ve died!”
“It’s not stupid to risk my life for someone I love,” you correct him with a faint smile. Your admission takes him by surprise, his face immediately growing hot and his mind actually at a loss for words for once.
“You… you love me?” He asks gently, almost as if he doesn’t believe you.
“I thought it was obvious, dummy.”
“Not to me!” He cries defensively. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I don’t know,” you admit with a small shrug. “I guess there’s never really been a good time; there’s always another fight to win or people to save. It just didn’t feel right.”
“I guess you’re right,” he murmurs faintly. “But I’m glad you told me now, and I’m glad you’re alive. Because I can’t stand to lose another person that I love.”
You smile tiredly at his words, a new sense of understanding now being shared between you both. You love each other, and neither of you can stand to lose the other. This is real now, and you’re in it for the long haul.
He presses a kiss to your forehead then and urges you to get some more rest, and so you do. And Sokka stays planted right beside you to keep watch over you in your vulnerable state. In that moment he swears he’ll never let anything like this happen to you again.
And that’s a promise he intends to keep for a lifetime.
#sokka#sokka x reader#sokka imagine#atla#atla x reader#atla imagine#avatar the last airbender#request#✨ anon#angst#fluff
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Cry for the Moon
| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 |
Pairing: Zuko x firebender!reader
Warnings: a few sprinkles of strong language i guess
A/N: I am really happy that you have enjoyed the first chapter! The updates may be generally slow, depending on how much free time I have (mainly at night). I hope this doesn't upset anyone ^.^
Taglist: @annonymatic @yoongiesstar @lost-inthe-v0id @lokigodofmyheart @4l3x1s @potato87123 @asciendo @angelruinz @unamused-boss
Fixing the golden sash of your crimson robes, you leant the railings of the ship, your amber eyes focused on Azula. After verbally making the captain regret the day he was born, the Princess had moved onto her training. Not that she needed any more of it – you were sure that there was little to none she could improve further in her skills and techniques; however, Azula tended to get quite difficult when you shared this particular opinion with her. Hence, you kept your thoughts to yourself and watched the Princess train.
As Azula’s advisors, Lo and Li were there as well. Even the thought of having to interact with the sisters brought you on the verge of throwing out – you despised them both dearly for you could see how their so-called advisory was corrupting Azula day by day ever since Ursa left. Of course, your feelings were mutual. Lo and Li didn’t approve of you being tender to Azula, of you taking care of her as if she was your responsibility; however, they knew very well how good of an ally you were to the Princess, which didn’t allow them to speak ill of you.
Azula stood perfectly straight, holding her fingers in her hand. Then, she started to move her arms in a circular motion to generate lightning. Once the bolt was ready, she fired it into the sky.
“Almost perfect.” Lo said.
“One hair out of place.” Li finished her sister’s word.
You didn’t hide the way you rolled your eyes.
In an aggressive way, Azula pushed away that loose strand of hair away. “Almost isn’t good enough!” She wasn’t pleased with herself, leading her to generate lighting once more and fire it off into the distance.
Sending a warning look at the old women, you walked towards your best friend. “Have I told you before how much I admire the way you use lightning?” You told her with a warm smile on your lips. The strong wind of the open sea was messing with your hair which was already put in a neat top knot. “Perhaps these moments are the most that make me envy you.”
Azula shook her head. “As long as it is not perfect, it doesn’t matter how much you admire the way I use it.”
Over the years, you have learnt to be patient with Azula – it was very much like dealing with a broken child, one needed to hit the right notes at the right time. “Sweetheart, it is perfect.” You insisted, keeping your tone soft and tender. “You have never seen the way your posture stays still even though such powerful energy is using your whole body as a pathway. And you certainly don’t know how magnificent it seems when one gets to see the reflection of your own lightning in your own eyes.” You could see the edge of Azula’s lips curling upwards. “It is terrifying – yes, but it is quite hot, too.”
You had to be careful when you wanted to compliment Azula – she didn’t like it when someone complimented her just for the sake of flattery. You had to mean it and the chosen timing had to be precise – just like now. Her technique was excellent, she could generate lightning with little to no difficulties. At such a moment, further criticising her would only contribute to Azula’s already damaged inner self.
Sometimes, the little girl in her just needed to hear some genuine compliments coming from the heart.
Winking at the smiling princess, you started heading to the kitchen. “I am going to make tea – would you like some as well?”
Azula shook her head as a frown formed on her face. “You and your tea obsession sometimes remind me of Uncle Iroh,” she muttered with an annoyed tone. “And I don’t like it.”
You shrugged indifferently. “I love tea – you should learn to love me like that.”
In fact, it was indeed Iroh who was responsible for your appetite for tea.
[Time Skip]
You stood behind the Princess, as if you wanted to melt into the shadows. Upon reaching land and finding the Banished Prince’s place of stay, Azula insisted you accompanied her during her first encounter with Zuko after three long years. Of course, for you, it too was going to be first time seeing Zuko after all these years. On the way, you gave it your best to tune down your shivering. It wasn’t because you were cold – if that were the case, your breath of fire could get rid of the shivering – no, it was because you were too nervous to look into Zuko’s amber eyes one again.
When Iroh and Zuko came back to their place of stay, Iron placed several seashells onto the table, failing to notice you and Azula at first sight. “Look at these magnificent shells!” Iroh said enthusiastically as he held up a shell. “I’ll enjoy these keepsakes for years to come!”
Zuko was in simple, grey robes with red stripes on the edges. After losing the Agni Kai against his father, he had shaved most of his hair but hadn’t touched the top knot – just like every other person would do in the Fire Nation. “We don’t need any more useless things! You forget, we have to carry everything ourselves now!”
His temper has got only worse as it seems, you thought with an arched brow. Just like a hurt animal, he is barking at everyone around him.
Iroh and Zuko both turned their look to the table as Azula spoke calmly from the corner. “Hello, brother. Uncle.”
For a brief moment, time seemed to freeze as your amber eyes met that of Zuko’s. You tried to understand what he was feeling from the look in his eyes but instead, you found yourself being carried to a distant memory from long, long ago.
“I will be back before you know it,” Zuko said as he cupped your face – his face wasn’t healed so he had his left eye covered. “I don’t want to see you wasting your tears because of it.”
“Please, Zuko.” You muttered between your sobs. “Let me come with you!”
Hearing Zuko silently speaking your name made you come back to the present moment. Without speaking to him, you nodded at his direction and then placed your right hand on Azula’s shoulder. Upon seeing the emptiness in your eyes when they were set onto him, the longing expression on Zuko’s face disappeared, leaving its place to anger.
Using anger to drown everything else he might feel – he is going to regret this but it will then be too late.
“What are you doing here?” Zuko asked Azula with an angry tone.
Azula held up a shell in her hand. “In my country, we exchange a pleasant hello before asking questions.” She spoke with a sarcastic tone, causing the edge of your lips to curl upwards. Right now, you found yourself enjoying how Azula toyed with her prey.
Three years ago, you wouldn’t think twice as you interrupted during such a moment.
However, the only bit of affection you felt at the present moment was towards Azula and no one else in that room.
Azula stood up from the chair and walked towards Zuko and Iroh. “Have you become uncivilised so soon, Zuzu?”
“Don’t call me that!” Zuko glared at Azula.
Iroh was trying to establish a calmer environment. “To what do we owe this honour?” He asked with a clearly upset tone.
“Hmmm... must be a family trait. Both of you so quick to get to the point.” Azula said as if she wasn’t related to them both at all, which raised an urge to raise an eyebrow at her but you kept it to yourself. Azula broke the shell she was holding. “We have brought a message from home.”
You started walking towards the princess with small steps as you talked. “The Fire Lord has heard rumours of plans to overthrow him and thus, he has changed his mind.”
Azula nodded, taking the word from you. The two of you carried out this play as if it were a theatre piece. “Family is suddenly very important to him, being the only ones you can really trust.” Waiting for a reaction from the Banished Prince, Azula paused briefly. “Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home.” Upon not receiving any feedback, a frown appeared on her beautiful face. “Did you hear me? You should be happy. Excited. Grateful. I just gave you great news.”
Iroh responded instead of Zuko, which was apparently enough to irritate Azula. “I’m sure your brother simply needs a moment.”
“Don’t interrupt, Uncle!” Azula got loud furiously. You placed your hand on the small of her back gently, which caused Azula to turn her piercing glare to you.
“Azula, please, you are better than this.” You spoke with a soft tone, which seemed to baffle Iroh to a great extent. Little did you notice the shock inside Zuko’s eyes turn to longing and jealousy. “Controlling your temper should be a simple walk in the park for someone like you.”
Azula gave you a small nod as the fury in her amber eyes lessened slowly. Taking a deep breath, she turned to face her brother. “I still haven't heard my thank you.” She spoke with an annoyed tone. “I'm not a messenger. I didn't have to come all this way.”
Finally managing to look away from you, Zuko shook himself and then started stuttering. “Father regrets? He ... wants me back?”
“We see that you both need time to take this in, don’t we, Princess?” You asked as you looked at Azula from the corner of your eye. She nodded at you. “We will come to call on you tomorrow. Good evening.”
Zuko kept looking behind you even long after you and Azula left their place of stay.
[Zuko’s POV]
The turmoil he felt within was about to drive him mad.
He didn’t know what he needed to reflect on: the fact that his father finally wanted him back after three long years, how his great failure at the North had hurt his pride or the way her amber eyes didn’t shine with love anymore.
Of course, he had spent sleepless nights ever since he was banished, thinking about what she was doing without him, how she was going to welcome him the next time they met, whether she has already moved on…
Zuko knew it would be foolish to hope for her to have stayed at the same place he had left her; however, he couldn’t have been ready for the coldness and emptiness in her eyes. For all his life, those amber eyes would shine the moment they saw him. Her memory had always brought Zuko nothing but warmth and peace. Until today.
It was obvious that the way he left her had scarred her in a way Zuko hadn’t anticipated. It felt like she had ripped that special place in her heart – where their memories, their affection for one another would rest – and burnt it into ashes.
However, she was still capable of showing affection, showing compassion. It wasn’t entirely gone – no, there just wasn’t anything left for Zuko anymore. For Azula, on the other hand… Oh, the Banished Prince didn’t remember being surrounded by that green could of jealousy before. It tasted bitter and it left one longing – longing to be shown the love he was once oh so used to feel.
I want it back, Zuko thought as he sat on the hill, watching the sun go down, colouring the sky in its crimson shades. I want her to look at me the way she looks at my sister. I hate the coldness in her voice. We were meant for each other!
Deep down, he knew very well it was all his fault but he wasn’t ready to admit the truth just yet. It was there, a silent scream, reminding him of every terrible thing he had done that day, he had said that day. Deep down, he understood the reason behind her coldness, behind the distance, behind the lost feelings…
The truth, however, was more bitter than the jealousy. He couldn’t admit it, he couldn’t accept that he was alone responsible for losing her.
Zuko shook himself. No, I haven’t lost her. Not yet. Slowly, he stood up, ready to head back to the hut. Once I am given my rightful place – by my father’s side – I will make it up to her. It was promised that she will, one day, be the wife of the future Fire Lord. I intend to keep my part of the promise.
[Time Skip]
“I told you they would come,” Azula muttered under her breath, keeping her voice to a minimum as you both stood on top of the ramp leading up to the ship.
“I must admit, I am disappointed.” You spoke with an equally low voice. Your eyes followed the Banished Prince as he and Iroh approached the ship. “I would have expected Zuko to be smarter than that.”
You could tell that Azula gave it all not to roll her eyes at your remark. “Oh, please – as if you don’t know my brother at all.”
As Zuko and Iroh walked up the ramp, procession guards stood on either side of them, forming an aisle. You realised that Iroh seemed rather suspicious as he averted his eyes between guards – he probably knew very well that they both were walking into a trap.
The guards closed the aisle when Iroh and Zuko reached the ship. “Brother! Uncle! Welcome! I'm so glad you decided to come.” Azula spoke, keeping up her façade perfectly. You simply nodded at them. For a brief moment, your eyes met that of Zuko’s – he didn’t even try to hide the longing reflecting through his amber eyes. However, you couldn’t risk being distracted, hence you quickly turned your eyes away, keeping up the strict face.
“Are we ready to depart, Your Highness?” The captain asked Azula.
The Princess nodded with a sweet smile on her face – you didn’t remember Azula showing such a smile with an audience. “Set our course for home, captain.”
The urge to smirk was too strong, you had to try quite hard to keep it to yourself. She does know how to play, you thought as you fixed your eyes on Azula. I love it.
“You heard the princess!” The captain shouted to the crew. “Raise the anchors! We are taking the prisoners home!”
It didn’t even take a second for you to turn to the captain with a sharp look on your face, your beautiful features being darkened by the fury raising within you. You idiot! You had only one damn job to do – one single thing!
The captain widened his eyes in realisation at his mistake as he looked at Azula; Zuko and Iroh were taken by surprise. Azula, on the other hand, carried the same fury inhabiting your face. You knew that if it weren’t for the importance of keeping the prisoners on board without letting them escape, Azula would have already chopped off the captain’s tongue.
“Your Highness, I …” The captain stuttered nervously but he quickly lost his spotlight as Iroh started to send fire blasts at the guards. Zuko threw the captain off into the water, stomping furiously towards Azula and you.
“You lied to me!” Zuko shouted at Azula, angrily.
Azula smirked. “Like I have never done that before.” The Princess held you from your arm as you both walked away, leaving the Banished Prince behind. You were confused as to what Azula’s plan exactly was but it seemed like she trusted the guards to capture him.
“Azula,” you spoke with a low but strong voice. “The guards won’t be able to hold them back. Don’t underestimate your enemy.”
“Ah, please,” Azula’s voice was overmuch condescending. “It’s Zuzu we are talking about.”
Before you could start lecturing Azula, you both turned back upon hearing Zuko blasting off two guards off the ship. He charged at the two of you with fire draggers in his hands but you could easily tell that his main goal was to reach Azula.
Iroh shouted at Zuko, telling him to leave the ship, but Zuko being himself, completely ignored the only sane thing to do at that very moment. The edge of your lip curled upwards as Azula easily dodged all of Zuko’s attacks – you didn’t even have to intervene.
“You know, Father blames Uncle for the loss of the North Pole. And he considers you a miserable failure for not finding the Avatar!” Azula talked as Zuko panted for air and for the first time since the previous day, Zuko was seeing the true face of his sister. “Why would he want you back home, except to lock you up where you can no longer embarrass him?”
Zuko conjured up two fire daggers again and leapt into the air, sending a powerful fire blast at Azula. You extended your arms forwards, palms resting against each other as you jumped in front of the fire blast. The flames went by you, losing their strength as your body acted like a shield between the siblings, protecting Azula from the flames.
As the smoke drifted away, Zuko’s eyes widened with shock and disappointment when he saw you standing there. Taking a deep breath to disconnect your emotions from your actions, you punched forward a wave of flames. At first, it seemed like Zuko was frozen in his place, unable to move as your flames flew at his direction, getting closer by the second.
Then, at the last moment, the Banished Prince rolled to the side. He wasn’t even capable of dodging the attack. Not because he was too weak – he was anything but weak – no, it was because he had never known this you before. He didn’t know what to do.
You had never let your flames get this close to him before – even back then, when everything was different.
“You always go too easy on me!” Zuko protested as he helped you to your feet. “I have seen you regret others the day they were born while training – why do you always hold back when it is just the two of us?”
A small smile formed on your lips as you walked towards the table to grab a bottle of water. “Zuko, do you truly believe that you will have to fight me someday?” You asked and paused for a moment to drink the water. “I mean like out there, in the world.”
“Of course not!” Zuko answered without even thinking about it. “You… Why would I have to fight my future wife?”
“See, this is exactly why I use different methods.” You said as you took small steps towards Zuko, who had a confused expression on his face. “With others, I have to show them what awaits them if they dare cross me someday. But with you, I can simply focus on the training.”
Slowly, you cupped Zuko’s face, standing on your fingertips, and placed a small kiss on his lips. The Banished Prince carried the hints of pink on his cheeks. “Since you won’t ever get to stand on the other side of my flames, you have nothing to worry about.” Zuko wasn’t able to hide his smile. “I will always be by your side.”
You felt as if you shared the same flashback with Zuko – time seemed to freeze around the both of you. Memories from a distant past started to flow in front of your eyes. However, this shared state didn’t last as you were both drawn back to reality with Azula, shooting fire towards Zuko.
For a split second, you felt the urge to jump between Zuko and the blue flames but it disappeared as quickly as it came.
Zuko jumped to his feet and continued to duel Azula, the two eventually making their way up the stairway leading to the central control area of the ship. Before you could follow them up, Azula knocked Zuko to his feet with a blue fire blast, the Banished Prince landing roughly at the bottom of the stairwell.
Your eyes widened as you realised Azula was getting ready to generate lightning. However, you knew very well where you loyalties lied; hence, you took another deep breath to let the chains of the feelings go away. With enough attention, anyone could see the hints of humanity leaving your amber eyes.
Azula moved her arms in a circular motion, generating the lightning to fire the bolt at her brother.
Suddenly, Iroh stepped in – you didn’t even notice him going up there – and grabbed a hold of Azula’s right hand as if he could take away the lightning. Your eyes widened with shock when you saw Iroh literally redirecting the lightning, causing it to strike a far-off cliff side.
Holy shit, you thought to yourself, your mouth wide open. Iroh redirected the fucking lighting! I didn’t even know such a technique existed in the first place! Oh, I would give up everything to learn that!
Well, maybe not everything but a significant amount.
Admiration left your body when Iroh kicked Azula off the ship. “Azula!” You shouted and jumped after her into the water, without even thinking about staying on board to at least hinder Zuko from escaping. When it came to Azula, you tended to let go off everything just to be sure she was safe.
“The royal guards are nothing but weights,” Azula spoke angrily after arriving the shore. Quickly, she used her firebending to dry off herself. “Unnecessary weight needs to be gone.”
You raised an eyebrow at her while using the same technique, hot steam was radiating off your body. “What do you have in mind?”
Azula smirked, her clothes were already completely dry. “We will be paying some old friends a visit.”
As you followed her to the ship, you couldn’t help yourself but roll your eyes. “So I won’t get to see my boy for a while, eh?”
“Your dog,” Azula put an emphasis on the word dog while speaking, causing you to roll your eyes for the second time “could have made it to my list of useful people if he had used some of his time for training instead of fooling around.”
“No wonder he is intimidated by you.” You muttered under your breath. “Well, anyway – who are these old friends?”
#prince zuko#atla zuko#zuko x reader#the last airbender#avatar the last airbender#princess azula#zuko#zuko x oc
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Daughter of the Spirits; chapter 11
➳ pairing: zuko x f!reader
➳ genre: a retelling of the show from season 2 onwards with a heavy focus and expansion on zuko’s story (canon divergent)
➳ warnings: violence, swearing, smut (underaged if your age of consent is above 16), spoilers for anyone who hasn’t seen the show
➳ word count: 3537
➳ rating: 18+
➳ summary: In which y/n comes across the fire nation prince during her stay in Ba Sing Se.
➳ tags: @harmlessoffering, @lammello (i’m sorry if i’m forgetting anyone, lmk if i am or if you want to be added)
Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13,
The Invasion
You found out from Mai and Ty Lee that there had been another war meeting — one Zuko hadn’t been invited to. He was furious, of course.
For the first time in years, he was finally starting to feel like a prince again. What with all the servants at his beck and call, insisting he take the palanquin when traversing the city, even if he was only out on an errand with you. People were by his side day and night, making sure he had everything he needed. It was exactly how it should have been, even if it was quite the adjustment for you both, yet he had still been excluded by his father.
He had told you about his banishment. How he had spoken up at a war meeting and disgraced his father, leading to the agni kai where he had to fight the very man that was supposed to protect him. The man who scarred and banished his own child.
Only this morning was he happy and smiling, simply enjoying the time he got to spend with you. Now, however, he sat staring out of the window, watching as the clouds passed over the moon in silent contemplation.
“Zuko,” you said his name and yet, he didn't move. Didn’t even flinch. It was as if he hadn’t even heard you, only you knew he had.
"Zuko," you tried again, this time wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
Wordlessly, he leaned into you. His scowl never once left his face but he was at least trying to control his temper for you, allowing himself to fall into your embrace.
"It's just a war meeting. I bet they're full of old, boring men."
Your attempt at amusing him seemed to fail as he leaned away from you and back against the window. "They're important. All the best advisors and the entire royal family attend. Even Azula is going."
"Just another reason that it won't be fun, Azula will be there."
Now that got a chuckle. A small one, but a chuckle nonetheless.
"Stop worrying about it and come to bed."
He hummed, turning away from the window and towards you. He wasn't happy and he probably wouldn't be for a while, but at least he could relax with you. Even when things weren’t going his way.
The next day, you sat with Zuko as you made a cup of jasmine tea. He sulked beside you with a frown on his face, thinking about the meeting that was about to start without him. You could tell how badly he wanted to be there, even if he did keep shrugging it off when you tried to comfort him. You thought making some tea would help but it only seemed to sour his mood further and you soon realised it was because he was missing his uncle.
You missed Iroh too. You had wanted to go and visit him but Zuko forbade you, expressing how dangerous it would be if you did. Azula had found out when he went to see him and if anyone were to find out you were visiting a traitor of the Fire Nation you would be hauled away and thrown into a cell of your own before either of you could do anything to stop it.
It pained you to think of the old man sitting in a dark, grimey cell. More so when the smell of jasmine tea reminded you as much of him now as it did your mother.
“Prince Zuko,” your attention was drawn to a servant as he entered the room with a bow, “Everyone’s waiting for you.”
Zuko looked from you to the man who now knelt at the floor with furrowed brows before getting up from where he sat. “What?”
“The high admirals, high generals, the war ministers, and the princess have all arrived. You’re the only person missing,” the servant explained, his eyes lifting to look at the prince as he spoke.
You stood beside Zuko with a heavily beating chest as he asked, “So my dad wants me at the meeting?”
The servant bowed again. “The Firelord said he would not start until you have arrived, sir.”
With a full smile, Zuko turned to you and, although he was going to a meeting where they would likely discuss the deaths of even more people you loved and knew, you couldn’t help but feel happy for him. This was all he’d ever wanted — to be accepted by his father. To be loved and wanted. For his opinions to matter. That alone brought you hope because if he could sway his father or even some of the generals, perhaps he could help save lives on both sides of the war.
You, along with Mai, waited outside the meeting for him, both anxious to hear how it went. She had offered to come with you so that you would not be alone in the palace for too long since she knew just how daunting that could be. Besides, she was still Zuko’s friend too, just as she was now yours.
When he finally emerged, Mai was the first to ask, “So? How did it go?”
“When I got to the meeting, everyone welcomed me. My father had saved me a seat, he wanted me next to him. I was literally at his right hand.”
His words almost sent a chill down your spine as you thought of the worst — that rather than Zuko swaying the Firelord’s mind about the war, that it would be his father who would sway him. You knew better than that, though, and as much was confirmed when you were met with nothing but a troubled expression on Zuko’s face.
“That’s wonderful,” Mai grinned, “You must be happy.”
The three of you stopped in front of a large tapestry, one displaying a large portrait of Firelord Ozai. You placed a reassuring hand on Zuko’s shoulder as he looked up at it and exchanged a worried glance with Mai.
“During the meeting I was the perfect prince,” he concluded, “The son my father wanted… but I wasn’t me.”
You ran your hand down his arm and slotted it into his, giving it a gentle squeeze. For a moment, he squeezed it back, but then tugged his hand free and began to walk away, leaving both you and Mai behind.
She sighed and became the one placing a gentle hand on your shoulder. “Give him time. This was a good thing, he’ll realise that soon.”
You hummed although you did not agree. The only good thing was that Zuko was starting to realise who he was and that the man he was wasn’t the man his father wanted him to be. He was not ruthless and cold. He was kind and strong and so many other things his father would never be. He was better than him and finally, you thought he was beginning to realise that.
When you returned to your room, you found him writing a letter.
“What are you doing?” you questioned, wondering what he was up to.
“Writing to Mai. I at least owe her a goodbye.”
“Goodbye?” you asked, your brows furrowed.
He hummed. “We’re leaving. I… This isn’t who I am. Not anymore. An invasion has begun, we can slip away in the chaos but I have to do something first.”
Whatever he had in mind, whether he just wanted to leave and find your parents or maybe, just maybe, hunt down and join the avatar, you knew you were going with him. After all the time that had passed since you left Ba Sing Se, he was finally ready to accept who he was. He was finally going to do the right thing.
He passed you the brush when he was finished, allowing you to write your apologies and goodbyes to your newfound friends. You addressed both Mai and Ty Lee directly, wishing them well and hoping you would not come to face them on opposite sides of the battlefield. The two of you then signed the letter and Zuko left to take it to her home, putting it someplace where she would see it long after the two of you were gone.
After he returned, as you collected what little things you owned, he knelt before a portrait of his mother and closed his eyes. “I know I’ve made some bad choices, but today I’m gonna set things right.”
He picked up his swords and a small bag of provisions, turning to the lighter side of himself once again, and pulled his hood up to conceal his face.
You stepped forward and pulled him into your arms, pressing a kiss to his lips as your thumb stroked the side of his face. “It’s going to be okay, you know. You’re doing the right thing.”
He smiled and leaned into your touch. “I know.”
He led you quickly through the palace and down underground. You could hear the fighting up above as you moved through the tunnels and Zuko explained that during the eclipse today, no one would be able to Firebend. It was the perfect time for an attack and, along with the invasion forces, would surely be the avatar. He had a plan and that plan was to join them, to help the avatar finally put an end to this war.
But he had to confront his father first and what better time was there to do that than when he had no bending?
When he finally came to a halt before a large, reinforced door, you felt your heart in your throat. How would Ozai react to the news of his son’s betrayal? Would he try to kill him then and there? Or perhaps he would simply try to imprison you both? Either way, you were prepared. You would use your bending — all of your bending — to fight. You were fighting for yourself. You were fighting for your family. You were fighting for Zuko.
You held his hand, squeezing it in reassurance as you had done time and time before.
“I’m ready to face you,” he spoke, as though his father could hear him through the door.
He did not protest as you walked to the door with him, nor did he ask you to remain behind as he walked inside. As dangerous as what he was about to do was, he trusted that you would be safe by his side, and that he would be safe by yours. Whatever was going to happen, you were going to do it together.
“Prince Zuko,” his father addressed him with a frown and lowered his cup of tea, “What are you doing here?”
Zuko walked towards his father, with you standing only a few paces behind. This was his moment and you wanted him to have it but if he needed you, you would be there to fight by his side.
“I’m here to tell the truth,” Zuko declared from where he stood, staring his father down.
The firelord furrowed his brows and signalled for his guards to leave, his eyes only once flickering from Zuko to you. “Telling the truth during the middle of an eclipse? This should be interesting.”
Zuko only spoke again when the guards were gone, the strong doors sliding shut behind them, “First of all, in Ba Sing Se it was Azula who took down the avatar, not me.”
“Why would she lie to me about that?” Ozai questioned.
“Because the avatar is not dead,” Zuko explained, “He survived.”
“What?” Only then did the firelord’s expression change. What was a calm and collected leader suddenly turned into an angry father. One who was clearly afraid of what the avatar could do if he was still alive.
“In fact, he’s probably leading this invasion. He could be on his way here right now.” For a moment, it almost seemed as though Zuko was warning his father, as though he had not really turned his back on him. He was still his father, after all, but you knew him better than that. He was changed and he was here for one thing and one thing only, to bid his father farewell.
“Get out!” the firelord snapped with a wave of his hand, anger boiling up in him, “Get out of my sight right now if you know what’s good for you.”
Although the firelord’s temper was continuing to grow, Zuko remained calm. From where you stood behind him, you could almost hear the satisfaction in his voice as he spoke, “That’s another thing. I’m not taking orders from you anymore.”
His father’s brows crossed in rage and you adopted a defensive stance as he began to walk towards Zuko. “You will obey me or this defiant breath will be your last!”
The prince unsheathed his swords, standing ready to fight his father as he demanded, “Think again. I am going to speak my mind and you are going to listen.”
To both of your surprise, the firelord sat back down as though he was ready to hear whatever Zuko had to say. The two of you still stood at the ready, prepared for a fight. You closed your eyes for a moment, focusing on the ground beneath you. You could feel the echoing rumble of machines coming from the surface, another sign of the battle above.
“For so long, all I wanted was for you to love me,” Zuko admitted, casting his eyes to the ground, “To accept me. I thought it was my honour that I wanted but really I was just trying to please you. You, my father, who banished me just for talking out of turn,” he pointed at Ozai with the end of his blade, “My father who challenged me, a thirteen year old boy to an agni kai. How can you possibly justify a duel with a child?”
It was like a weight off your own chest to hear him finally letting go of all that had burdened him, telling his father just how he felt after all he had done to him.
The firelord only scowled, looking at Zuko as though he was nothing but the dirt under his shoe as he spat, “It was to teach you respect!”
“It was cruel and it was wrong!”
“Then you’ve learnt nothing. This girl,” he gestured to you, “Has only made you weaker than you already were.”
“No! I’ve learned everything, and I’ve had to learn on my own. Growing up, we were taught that the Fire Nation was the greatest civilisation in history, and somehow the war was our way of sharing our greatness with the world. What an amazing lie that was, the people of the world are terrified by the Fire Nation. They don’t see our greatness, they hate us! And we deserve it. We’ve created an era of fear in the world and if we don’t want the world to destroy itself, we need to replace it with an era of peace and kindness.”
The firelord laughed out loud, mocking his son even now. “Your uncle has gotten to you, hasn’t he?”
There was a brief pause and Zuko smiled, actually smiled, in the face of his father’s taunts. “Yes, he has.”
“And this girl? She stands with you now, is she not of the Fire Nation too? Another traitor turned by your uncle’s tricks?”
Now it was you who stifled a laugh. “A traitor? Zuko isn’t a traitor and neither is his uncle. You are the one who betrayed the Fire Nation, you even betrayed your own blood because you’re so blinded by power you can’t see the bigger picture. My name is y/n and my parents were from the Northern Watertribe. They left their home and raised me in the Earth Kingdom to fight against your army! Even now, they fight against your cruelty, and now we do too!”
“You foolish girl,” Ozai glared at you with fire in his eyes, “What could you possibly do to stop me?”
“After we leave here today,” Zuko interrupted, answering his father’s question for the both of you, “We’re going to free uncle Iroh from his prison, and I’m gonna beg for his forgiveness. He’s the one who’s been a real father to me.”
The firelord only laughed again. “That’s just beautiful, maybe he can pass down to you the ways of tea and failure.”
“But I’ve come to an even more important decision,” he continued, ignoring his father completely, “I’m going to join the avatar and I’m going to help him defeat you.”
“Really?” Ozai smirked, “since you’re a full blown traitor now and you want me gone, why wait? I’m powerless, you’ve got your swords, why don’t you just do it now?”
“Because I know my own destiny. Taking you down is the avatar’s destiny,” he sheathed his swords and, although a part of you wanted nothing more than to strike him down now, you were in agreement with Zuko. It was not your place, “Goodbye.”
As Zuko turned and began to walk towards you again, ready to leave his father behind once and for all, the bitter man began to hurl more insults at his son, calling him a coward for confronting him during an eclipse when neither of them had their bending.
“If you have any real courage, you’ll stick around until the sun comes up. Don’t you want to know what happened to your mother?”
Those words stood Zuko in his tracks, even when you looked at him with pleading eyes. There was no time for this, the sun would be back soon and the two of you stood no chance against his father at his full power.
Without a second thought, the prince turned back around and demanded to know what happened the night his mother disappeared.
“My father, firelord Azulon, commanded me to do the unthinkable… to you, my own son, and I was going to do it. Your mother found out and swore she would protect you at any cost. She knew I wanted the throne and she proposed a plan. A plan in which I would become firelord and your life would be spared.”
It was awful, entirely diabolical, to think that a father would even consider murdering his own child but knowing what else the firelord had put Zuko through, somehow you weren’t at all surprised. It seemed in his very nature. You wondered what Zuko’s mother ever saw in the man.
“Your mother did vicious, treasonous things that night. She knew the consequences and accepted them. For her treason, she was banished.”
“So she’s alive...”
Cautiously, you moved to Zuko’s side, hoping to console him as tears began to spill across his face.
“Perhaps,” Ozai all but shrugged before raising his tone once again, “Now I realise that banishment is far too merciful a punishment for treason. Your penalty will be far steeper.”
In a flash, the firelord was moving, forming a stance you had only seen once before. The sun was back and he was drawing on its power to call lightning down. Lightning that he intended to use to put an end to his traitorous son once and for all.
“Zuko!” you cried, realising you had already missed your window to create a wall between the two of you and Ozai to block the attack.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion as you ran towards Zuko only to see him do the impossible. He redirected the lighting, sending it crashing back down on his father who was thrown into the air at the force.
He grabbed your hand and ran, pulling you out of the bunker before his father could get back to his feet. As you ran out onto the streets, you saw what looked to be the avatar launching an assault on the Fire Nation airships, giving his friends enough time to retreat. “Look!”
“Do you think you can get up there?”
You furrowed your brows. There was a chance that with your bending you could reach the airships and help the avatar but you weren’t sure if you could get there in time. They were fleeing, after all, they weren’t going to stick around for long. Besides, you had more important things to do.
“Maybe,” you shrugged, “but I’m not leaving you. Let’s go get your uncle.”
With a determined smirk, he led you into the prison. He ran so fast that he seemed to miss the cowering guards and singed walls.
“Uncle!” he cried out when he reached Iroh’s cell but his uncle was already gone. The bars to his prison cell were broken and battered, blasted through from the inside. Iroh had already escaped.
Zuko was quick to run to one of the guards, interrogating him about what happened in a matter of seconds, only to be told what you already knew. Iroh had escaped, busted himself out before you had had the chance to get to him. He was long gone now, all you could do was get out of there yourselves.
“Zuko, we have to go. We’ll find Iroh again, I promise, but right now we need to leave!”
Although disappointed, he nodded and followed you back outside.
Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13,
#zuko x reader#prince zuko x reader#zuko x you#prince zuko x you#zuko angst#zuko fluff#zuko smut#zuko fanfic#atla zuko#atla#zuko avatar the last airbender#avatar#avatar the last airbender
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Netflix atla live action review ep 4-6
So, they completely ruined Bumi. Spoiler warning.
The more episodes pass by the more confused i get with the choices that were made. I wrote down commentary for the episodes and the thing that i wrote down the most was "why does this happen?". The writing is incredibly confusing and messy, feels too rushed in some spaces and too slow in others. There's just... so much going on and so little at the same time. They brought in elements that in the OG don't get introduced until later in s1, s2, the comics, or even the legend of Korra. The reason these things get introduced so early here is not clear at all, because they don't serve any purpose other than to be an obstacle to Aang, Sokka and Katara on their way to the North.
Mai and Ty Lee are.. there. They get introduced earlier but they don't serve any purpose at the moment other than stand around, watch Azula train, ask questions so that Azula can give us the answers the viewer needs. My guess is they only got introduced for the audience who watched the OG to go "oh we know them!". We get the secret tunnel story earlier too, but it has absolutely nothing to do with love. Somehow "love is brightest in the dark" now correlates to the badgermoles being able to sense a human's emotion. It's a waste of a storyline, doesn't teach us anything about love, gives us Omashu lore which is useless bc neither Sokka nor Katara actually use love to escape the tunnels. Also Oma and Shu are lesbians now, but you only know that bc they changed Shu's pronouns. Wow, so progressive! We have lesbians in the story now! Boy do i feel represented as a sapphic!
We get Koh early on as well, but his entire gig got changed. Now suddenly he doesn't steal faces but he "feeds", and hunts using the fog of lost souls (which is tlok lore mind you) as a tool to trap humans. We introduce the mother of faces (comic book lore!), or rather pendant of her that Koh owns. There's no reason for her to exist in this story though other than to be an easter egg to everyone who read the search (Not even the majority of the fandom!) and to offer a solution to this problem we've created, which is Koh capturing our friends in order to eat them and us not being able to convince him into letting them go. There's no feeling of dread in the Koh scenes at all because the whole problem of not showing emotion is just not a thing now. No suspense, no fear, just a weird cgi clown face worm. The worm doesn't even menacingly circle around Aang to invoke a feeling of being surrounded, it just sits there. I also just don't understand why Koh is here already bc now who is going to give us information about Tui and La?
This decision also creates a problem that Hei Bai's story just isn't about Hei Bai anymore. We get fed a few lines from a talking fox about how the forest spirit got hurt, but there's really no solution? Aang buries a pinecone in front of the statue and tells him not to give up hope but he didn't even really need to do that, because Hei Bai wasn't the one kidnapping villagers! It was Koh. Why did we appease Hei Bai if Koh was the real villain? Hei Bai/Koh's story leads us to Roku, but Roku is completely useless. All he does is undermine Kyoshi's advice to Aang, tell Aang about the mother of faces pendant so he can appease Koh, and then we leave. I knew in advance Roku wasn't going to warn Aang about the comet here bc Albert Kim already told us working with a deadline like that with child actors is just impossible. But with Roku suddenly not being Aang's main Avatar guide he just gets nothing to do. There's no suspense in this part of the story either, bc the time limit of the winter solstice isn't a thing here at all. Aang also ends up flying over Fire Nation borders without issue, and gets led right into the sanctuary without the puzzle of figuring out how to open the door, and without the problem of Zhao's soldiers waiting for him when he comes out. It creates this issue of there not being any excitement, at least for me. I genuinely am getting a bit bored with the show, which was never an issue with the OG for me. There's a reason all of this extra material didn't get introduced until later on. There's too many characters and they all get too little time to really do anything useful, they're not fleshed out, the stories aren't thought through and it ends up getting very confusing and boring. I'm genuinely curious for the perspective of people who have never watched the OG cartoon, bc i wonder if they're even able to follow along without prior knowledge of this universe.
Bumi is just... not Bumi. They completely changed his character to be this bitter old senile man that resents Aang for abandoning the world. This doesn't make any sense because in this version of the story Bumi shouldn't know that Aang is the Avatar at all, because Aang was told right before he disappeared! So why does Bumi immediately know that Aang is the Avatar, and why does Aang immediately recognize him? Also the original point of Bumi's tests is to get Aang to approach fights and puzzles from a different angle, so he can learn versatility as the Avatar. But here the tests are just happening because Bumi is mad at Aang for leaving and wants to get back at him for being gone so long. He says some lines about Aang having to learn to make hard choices and you can't rely on your friends, but Aang ends up proving him wrong in the end! What is even the point of Bumi's part in the story now, except for him just being another obstacle on the way to the North Pole?
There's a lot of instances where I feel like the bond between characters gets completely lost. We barely spend any time with the side characters like the mechanist, Teo, Jet and the freedom fighters, and the people in the spirit village. It makes some scenes feel very out of place. These storylines all happen at once, and they don't get their individual moments to shine. We have no room to feel betrayed by Jet or Sai, because we barely got to know them to begin with. Jet and Sai only spend time with One member of the gaang each, but when their betrayals come to light the rest of the group acts devastated, as if it was their dear friend. Sokka also gets really mad about the Jet thing, but he only met Jet once when he smuggled them into Omashu, and Jet didn't even tell Sokka his name. He said it afterwards when Katara met him again. It makes absolutely no sense why Sokka is yelling at Katara for trusting Jet only bc she finds him attractive, when Sokka wasn't even there during all of that!
The sense of family between the gaang that we get from the original also just doesn't happen here. Especially because these characters so far have spent more time apart than together. Aang constantly gets separated from Sokka and Katara, leaving no room for them to bond. We get Katara and Sokka bonding, but they shouldn't need those types of scenes because they're already siblings (which isn't very clear in the show either btw!). I ended up forgetting that Sokka and Katara were trapped by Koh, bc we spend so much time away from them (a whole episode, which is now an hour!).
I have little to no criticism for the Blue Spirit story. Want to guess why that is? Bc they left it pretty much untouched. We even get a little bit of an extra scene, with Zuko and Aang talking while Zuko recovers after getting hurt during the escape. I liked this choice, especially bc it highlights how conflicted Zuko is.
This is where we get Zuko's backstory. I have one question here: why did they make Ozai more sensible and less ruthless? Was that a Daniel Dae Kim decision? Bc it feels like a Daniel Dae Kim thing to do. They're very on the nose with the way Ozai is abusing Zuko and Azula, but then they turn around and make this man visit Zuko after he burned him and praise Zuko about finding the Avatar. I understand that they did this to show how Ozai uses Zuko's accomplishments in order to push Azula, but even if it were to do that: the original Ozai would NEVER. The problem here as well is that they don't let the viewers draw any conclusions themselves anymore. They're holding the viewer's hand through the whole thing, leaving no room for nuance or doubt.
I just finished episode 7 and 8 and I have Things To Say. None of which are good. Writing it down is challenging so it might take a day or two.
#atla#avatar the last airbender#avatar#netflix atla#atla netflix#natla#netflix#atla live action#atla live action spoilers
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hcs for azula being jealous of reader spending 'too much' time with zuko (platonic for zuko obv, but only because she's trying to find out what azula likes? like r is planning to ask out azula)
sorry if this didn't make sense 😭
Jealous! Azula HCs
note -> Azula is so silly i love her.
warnings -> none.
contet includes -> jealous Azula, fluff, mentions of platonic Zuko.
Azula has liked you for a very long time, ever since you were kids, but she refused to admit her feelings for you cause of her pride
She hated the fact you started spending more time with her own brother then her, she wouldnt admit it but she was jealous
Azula was ready to give Zuko another scar every time she saw you whisper something in her ear
She would confront you about it, completely pissed off, you are supposed to be her friend not his
When she learned you were planning on asking her out and you only talked to Zuko cause you needed some help, she could feel her ears go read
I guess he can live another day
#azula#azula x reader#atla#atla x reader#avatar the last airbender x reader#avatar the last airbender
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Arsonist's Lullabye
Chapter 1: A Burning Flame
Summary: Y/n and Zuko ponder about a potential friendship.
Pairing: zuko x fem! reader (Live Action or Animated)
A/N: And so the slow burn starts! I’m pleasantly surprised by the positive feedback on the prologue, and I’m hoping to keep pumping out these chapters for y'all (and for myself LOL). As always, I would love any feedback / constructive criticism to help me improve on the story. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Avatar: The Last Airbender, I am merely a nerd who hyperfixates a lot. Lots of divergence from the canon story lol.
Warnings!: Mentions of Ozai (yes he deserves his own warning), Zuko’s scar, Talks of self loathing, and insecurities (give Zuko and Azula therapy fr!).
Y/n moved in two weeks before classes started at the University of Ba Sing Se.
She was looking forward to the change of scenery. It was a tough decision to leave Agna Qel’a, but it had to be done. She desperately needed a chance to live apart from her family for once. When she had gotten a spam email asking her to apply for a transfer, she jumped at the opportunity. When she was accepted, she was encouraged to apply for Shui, A scholarship program.
Shui was a program for students of water tribe descent, regardless of where they were from. It would pair her up with an incoming first year student to mentor and guide through college. It was a pretty intense application process, writing essays, getting interviewed by university representatives and moving in early. The first week was rather uneventful, meeting all the first years and doing an assortment of different icebreaker activities in an attempt to find the perfect mentor-mentee match.
But all of it was leading up to this big moment. She was about to learn who her mentee was. The program coordinator for Shui had given all the mentors and mentees a piece of paper with their person’s name on it. The atmosphere in the room was full of energy as all of the students waited impatiently to learn who they would be paired with.
“Alright everyone! On the count of three…”
They began to countdown altogether. “Three…Two…One!”
Chaos broke out in the room with lots of cheers and laughter. Y/n opened her piece of paper.
Katara
She had talked to Katara a lot the past week. Y/n liked Katara. She was sweet, and particularly snarky to her older brother, Sokka, who was also a mentor this year. Y/n also vaguely remembered a mention of her being a water-bender, just like herself. Katara locked eyes with Y/n from across the room, and they quickly started to walk towards each other.
“I’m so glad I got you! You were like, the number one person I had on my list!” Katara squealed with excitement and Y/n laughed at the younger girl's antics, bringing her in for a hug. The two rocked side to side, before Y/n released Katara from her grasp.
“Let’s go get lunch. My treat, obviously.”
Katara let out a sigh, “You are amazing. This is going to be a fantastic year.”
As the pair walked off campus and into the city, Y/n passed the tea shop she had visited a mere two days ago. The cashier, Zuko, she remembered, looked about her age. She had thought about him a lot. Like being drawn to a treasure chest, eager to uncover the secrets hidden within its lock. Did they attend the same university? What major had he chosen to study? Where exactly was he from? Is he a bender? Of course there was another part of her brain, the nosy part, that wondered,
How did he get the scar on his face?
She came back to the present once she realized she had stopped in her tracks, causing Katara to stop alongside her.
“Y/n? Are you alright?” Katara asked attentively.
Y/n shrugged off her concerns, waving a hand dismissively. “I’m fine. Do you know any good Southern Water Tribe restaurants nearby?”
“Um, of course I do! This one restaurant has the best stewed sea prunes in Ba Sing Se!..”
While Katara rambled on about food, in the back of Y/n’s mind Zuko permeated her thoughts. He was like a burning flame the way that thoughts of him danced around her mind, filling it with visions of an all encompassing fire.
She wanted to know him.
~
On the days where the shop was closed, Zuko didn’t do much. He had no hobbies, no life outside of the Jasmine Dragon. He was very much aware of this fact, as Iroh constantly lectured him on it. The words replayed in his mind frequently. ‘You need to hangout with people your age, Zuko.’
He was actually starting to agree with his uncle on something.
When he had moved in with his uncle as a 14 year old, hanging out with people his age was out of the question. With his bandaged face and newly shaved head, he knew that his peers would have ulterior motives for interacting with him. In return, he had reverted into exactly the kind of son his father had always wanted. Stuck up, authoritative, even cruel. It’s why he was ostracized in highschool. He recalled how his first year of university had completely gone up in flames, but then again, that was all his fault. Everything was always his fault. He was fortunate that Iroh was a thousand times more forgiving than his father. Iroh hadn’t so much as batted an eye when Zuko told him that he would need to restart his freshman year of college.
Zuko realized he would need to try harder than that this year. He held out hope that his sophomore year would be different.
Maybe Y/n could help with that. She seemed friendly enough when they met at the shop?
Zuko shook the thoughts from his head. ‘You don’t even know her!’ his head screamed. If he were more rational, he’d berate himself for being so invested in a girl he knew virtually nothing about. But he can’t seem to bring himself to actually think logically right now. The desire for connection burns in the pit of his stomach, and he can feel himself growing frustrated at his inability to just be cool for once in his life.
The boy pushed the negative feelings away, taking a couple of deep breaths like his therapist had taught him. Zuko was determined to be better. To be good. And he knew exactly where to start. With the people he tormented for years.
He knew he had to make amends with Aang and the others.
#arsonist's lullabye#writermai05#atla#atla live action#atla netflix#avatar the last airbender#prince zuko#zuko x reader#prince zuko x reader#atla x reader#prince zuko imagine#modern au#college au#aang#katara#sokka#toph#zuko
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Platonic!yandere!Aang using the prompt Hydrangea please? Remember to drink water❤️🌼🕯️
Warning: Aang convinces the gaang that Reader needs him, airbender Reader, the gaang is also kinda starting to become yandere
Since pronounced were not specified: they/them reader
Hydrangea - "Perhaps we adore you too much to be just friends, family might be a better word."
also can I just say I am terrified to start school again, this isn't my best but I hope you like it!
Kofi - 700 rules - 700 masterlist
Aang couldn't believe it, he had heard from Zuko that there was an another airbender.
So the gaang couldn't help but agree that they needed to rescue the unknown airbender. They were kept at a remote island, surrounded by fire benders, they had to investigate the routine in place.
Reader hated their abilities, they hated that they could bend air. The firebenders around them often ridiculing their abilities, yet the fire princess treated them kindly.
Azula had just visited and had given them a book about airbending traditions, as she knew how desperate Reader was to reconnect to their roots. The reason for this gift? Reader had been a good pet.
Aang couldn't help but feel a pit grow in his gut, how dare they harm his sibling. How dare they ridicule our culture. But most of all, the audacity Azula has to treat you like a pet.
The gaang had to formulate a plan, and it didn't take long for Aang to start visiting them sneakily.
their first meeting went as expected. Strange.
Reader was reading the book on the air nation, scoffing at some parts that were obviously altered to suit the fire lord's point of view. "The book isn't trustworthy." A boy said, you looked up in shock, ready to scream until you saw what he was wearing. 'He has to be the avatar, or is there perhaps another airbender?' Reader thought, they couldn't speak, they didn't trust their voice.
"I'll get you out of here." He promised. "I'll teach you about our culture."
He was rambling. "Are you the avatar?" Reader interrupts, causing his eyes to widen with joy. "Yes, I am, my name is Aang." He introduced himself. "Zuko told me about you, you are Reader right?"
Reader nodded. "The fire prince?" They asked softly. "Did Zuko finally find himself?"
Aang chuckled at Reader's wording. "I'll tell you all about it when we get you out of here."
After that it didn't take long for Reader to be rescued, it went quietly and Reader sighed in relief when they were at a cave with the gaang. Shaking as they hugged Aang.
"I am Katara, this is my brother Sokka." Katara introduced herself and her brother. "I am Toph." The earthbender introduced himself.
"Hi Reader, it has been a while." Zuko started as he bowed slightly. "I apologize for my sister's behavior and my past insolence."
Reader then hugged Zuko and introduced themself to the gaang. "Thank you for rescuing me, I'll make sure to be out of your hair quickly." Reader added to their introduction, causing Aang's eyes to harden.
"You can stay with us for a while." Katara told Reader, Toph hummed in agreement and said; "Yeah, twinkle toes was so excited to find another twinkle toes, you can't just leave right away."
Alarm bells rang in their head, but they chose to ignore it.
How wrong that was of them.
During one of their stops at a village, Reader had made a lot of money with their story telling. Toph was always with them when they told their stories, and quite frankly she enjoyed them.
Aang wasn't allowed to stay with Reader during story telling because he would scare everyone off with a glare.
'At least he thought them about their culture' Reader thought whenever they saw unusual behavior from Aang.
When Reader saw that they had enough money to make it on their own for a while, they announced it to the gaang causing an uproar. "No." Aang said right away. "You can't.
"Twinkle junior, you need Aang." Toph would say. "You aren't as tough as me yet."
Reader had looked at Zuko for back up as the gaang gave them the reasons to stay and why they are too weak to live on their own, but he shook his head as well. So Reader decided to confront them.
"Why are you guys acting like this, this isn't how friends are supposed to act."
"Perhaps we adore you too much." Aang started. "To simply just be friends."
A nervous chuckle left Reader's mouth
"Family might be a better word."
#treefairy🧚♂️🍁#platonic yandere#soft yandere#yandere x darling#male yandere#fluff#yandere avatar the last airbender#yandere avatar#yandere aang#avatar aang#atla aang#prompt#avatar the last airbender aang#atla#avatar the last airbender#atla fic#the gaang#yandere atla#aang#fanfiction#avatar#yandere themes#yandere#tw yandere#yandere x reader
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natla naysayers have used the term "feminine rage" so much that I just really wanna know what people think 'feminine rage' means? Because Katara is angry here.
In NATLA she yells at Sokka for acting like he's her dad, telling him off when he dismisses her for following Jet and him ignoring her warnings about the mechanist, then again when she freezes Jet and walks away, and then when she talked to Pakku, then when she talked to Aang and he told her she shouldn't fight, then later with Zuko in the spirit oasis. She was angry. Not as much as the original, but she isn't the flat board people think she is here?
She was not confident at the start because the draw a direction connection between her bending and her personality. As she grows more confident and learns more moves, she comes out of her shell.
Sokka stifles her, but this time because he thinks waterbending will somehow get the Fire Nation to their shores and the search for a waterbender is what killed Kya. Katara has trauma surrounding waterbending put on her by colonial forces. It's in-text, Katara needs to embrace her culture, and the good parts of her mother's life and celebrate the memory of Kya. Waterbending is like a million different things to her now; her culture, honoring her mom, being herself, fighting against the FN by simply bending, it doesn't even have to attack a person. Her bending at all is shown as something important.
And at the end she DOES. And she's confident and centered and smug about her powers. It's not the same arc and it could have been better written, but they're building up to why Katara acts the way she does the same way they did with Azula. One's a modification, the other's an addition.
It kinda sucks when people dismiss Katara's new arc because it's genuinely good. Bending is culture, the Fire Nation made her and the southern water tribe so afraid of what they are that they have to hide it and hate it but she grows throughout the show to go "fuck you" to the Fire Nation and everyone else and bends. That's a personal journey right there. In the OG Sokka didn't want her bending because he just thinks all benders are a problem. It's such an important commentary on colonialism! They take away your culture, bastardize it, to strip you away of your identity. They teach you different languages and say your gods and beliefs are evil and bring trouble. Sokka think waterbending, just Katara daring to even try it would mean the Fire Nation will come. They made the SWT afraid of their own culture and made it so that Sokka now thinks "surviving is enough" and Katara- her hope, and her embracing bending- is what shows that people should strive for more.
Like istg if you stop looking at what's gone and see what's there on the show, you'll find the new stuff.
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being her one true friend hcs ; azula
requested by ; batstickblog (16/06/22)
fandom(s) ; avatar: the last airbender
fandom masterlist(s) ; here
character(s) ; azula
outline ; “Azula x fem!reader (taking place event’s of Book One: Water) Shy daughter one of Imperial Firebenders. Visiting the palace, when she met the princess of the Fire Nation. Quickly closed friend’s and Azula truly care about the girl more than her two friends and brother before she leaves. Stories mixed between Fluffy and Fix-it fic.”
warning(s) ; canon typical levels of angst but mostly fluff
the two of you had first met when you were children — with your father having dragged you along to a war meeting with his fellow aristocrats in order to gain some sort of leverage with the ailing fire lord
he’d been beaming and filled to the bursting with the pride and aggression your kin were known for as he discussed strategy and hostile takeover — but you were just bored and looking for any opportunity to escape the clutches of thinly veiled mathematics and other boring grown up stuff
so you came up with an excuse of feeling sick and needing air, slipping away and running to the courtyard like your heels were on fire
and that was where you met your best friend
princess azula; the young daughter of the fire lord’s younger son — renowned overachiever and star student who earned nothing but praise from her tutors and family members
princess azula who was training right in front of you — blue flames pillaring up from her fingertips as she danced across the large flat stone she’d haphazardly thrown onto a shaded area in the far corner of the courtyard
you’d watched her for a while before she realised she had company and with the confidence only found in children, she invited you to spar with her
and, as the saying goes, the rest was history
as the years passed by, the two of you stuck by each other through it all — through her grandfather’s death, through her father’s coronation, through her mother’s disappearance and through her brother’s banishment
arm in arm and side by side through thick and thin — there was nothing that could separate you from each other
you trained together, you learned together, you lounged together, you mocked together and you grew up together — truly two peas in a pod
you were there cheering her on from the sidelines as she mastered her bending and were the one to push her to pursue lightning bending — there to help her work through her issues with her parents until she reached something close to contentment and acceptance
she was there ready to sponsor and help you reach your goals — funding your hobbies and bolstering your studies by giving you full access to the palace library on the condition that you spend more time with you — but also ready to scold your parents if ever they try and force you any which way (a princess outranks any aristocrat, after all)
and whilst she’d never be caught dead admitting how deeply she cares for you, it’s clear to see through how kindly she treats you compared to anyone else — soft eyes, gentle words, pushing you more when you think of giving up and threatening anyone who even thinks of hurting you
how she only ever sleeps soundly when she’s pressed against you: leaning against your side or lounging across your lap as she promises she’s just resting her eyes
how you’d always catch her smiling softly out of the corner of your eye whenever you’d start passionately ranting about your latest interest
how she balked and paled and started spitting out excuses when you overheard your father proposing that your family move into one of the earth kingdom cities that the army had just captured — far away from her and everything you’d ever known
a greater reaction than when her oldest friends left the capital — mai for the same reasons your family had considered and ty lee for the circus — and when her own brother was burned and banished
she feared — truly feared — losing you and it showed
but, thank the spirits, that day never came and your parents decided to stay in the city and you didn’t have to leave azula behind — honestly you could have cried
the week following that she barely left your side, finding every excuse she could to be around you — training, studying, practising her royal duties and on and on…
(not that you minded, of course, but you certainly got in your fair share of teasing remarks anyway)
and for a short while everything was back to normal — or as close as it could be with the fire nation being so close to winning the war
… until azula was assigned on a mission to retrieve her brother and uncle
…
that was a difficult conversation for the two of you to have: tearful, emotional, genuine and above all else hard
hard to be hugging not knowing how long you’d be apart (she couldn’t know exactly where zuko was after all)
hard for her to insist on you staying behind (not because you couldn’t hold your own but because she didn’t want to run the risk of you getting hurt under her watch — it would kill her to see you hurt)
hard for you to wave her off whilst keeping an encouraging smile on your face (because if you wavered then so would she — and you didn’t want her to give up this opportunity to further prove herself to her father)
hard for her to promise to fetch her dear brother and uncle back home safely before the comet hits (because, no matter how hard she tried, there was still a part of her that dreaded zuko stealing the love of their father and their people as he had their mother)
just hard in general, really
but somehow you managed, giving a hug and a cheek kiss goodbye before she hurried onto that boat — azula filled with determination as you waved her off
she would bring them home
she would do her part to help ensure the victory of the fire nation
she would come home safely to you
because, really, what other choice did she have?
she’d sworn it you she would and she’d never once broken a promise she’d made — not to you, not ever
so failure simply wasn’t an option
#sleepingdeath#female reader#fluff#fluff hcs#atla fluff#atla x reader#azula fluff#azula x reader#avatar the last airbender fluff#avatar the last airbender x reader
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It still kills me that people scream that ursa horribly favored Zuko and this ruined Azula like it wasn’t her displaying concern at extreme troubling behavior and comforting Zuko when he needed and him likely needing it more bc HE was very targeted and not favored by his father (and our one flashbacks is from Zukos perspective! Of course it centers around him). Azula felt her mom hated her because she was torn between the violent cruel behavior that ozai encouraged and ursas disapproval of that it was a no win scenario
And like, after Ursa was banished, anyone want to put odds on how long it took Ozai to start going, "yeah your mother, she totally thought we were both monsters, she didn't understand," to Azula?
#avatar the last airbender#azula#ozai#atla ursa#zuko#posts i created#do you want to ask a question it doesn't have to be a question#noodle lord ozai#mother bear ursa#azula needs her own warning#zuko is a dweeby little turtleduck
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Are they really your friends if they haven’t threatened your partner? Yes they are, but where’s the fun in that.
This is the Gaang threatening Azula for “Katara’s sake”.
— Sokka
Sokka: Katara out!
Katara, raising an eyebrow: Excuse me?
Sokka: Can you please get out so I can speak with Azula?
Katara: Whatever you want to say to her I’m sure I can be in here.
Sokka: No. And don’t ask.
Katara:
Sokka: Pretty please?
Azula: I’m honestly intrigued.
Katara: Ugh. Fine.
Sokka: Thanks sister. Luv ya.
*Katara out of the picture*
Sokka: Listen up snooty princess. *Put his boomerang on the table*. I’m here to talk about how I will punish you if you hurt my sister in any kind of way.
Azula: Sure, I’m all ears.
Sokka: Wait what?
Azula: But I must advise you I experienced a lot of forms of torture already. Father used to say “It’s war Azula, they will do this to you if you’re weak and they catch you. It’s for you own good”
Azula: So what do you have in mind? Father favored the traditional practices of the Earth Nation.
Sokka: I- Damn. Spirits.
Azula: Look I never would hurt your sister on purpose. Ever. You have my word and honor.
Sokka: I’m going to hug you. So be ready. Here I go.
Azula: This is certainly a technique that my father didn’t use.
Sokka: NOW.
— Suki
Suki: Let’s talk.
Azula: Last time I checked you weren’t my friend in the kyoshi warriors. Did something happen to Ty lee?
Suki: I want to talk to you as Katara’s friend.
Azula: Ugh.
Suki: Listen asshole If you consider for a fraction of sec-
Azula: I am not going to hurt her on purpose. I’m a bitch. I know. I’m mean. Believe I know. But-
Azula: Wait why am I explaining anything to you?
Suki: Because I’m going to kill you if you don’t treat her as she deserves?
Azula: She’d do it first, don’t you think?
Suki: ..Well yeah, but it’s mandatory. They give Sokka the warning talk when we started dating.
Azula: They give it to Sokka and not you?
Suki: In Katara’s words “You could do way better than him so we’re going to remind him that”
— Toph
Toph: Princess purple platypus.
Azula: Living creature who doesn’t know what a bath is.
Toph: I’m here to give you a talk captain firebitch.
Azula: About how you are going to murder me if I lost my mind again and hurt my girlfriend on purpose?
Toph: Yeah I guess.
Azula: Message received.
Toph: Good. Another thing.
Azula: What?
Toph: Is it true that you know several torture techniques from the Earth Kingdom?
Azula: *sighs* He cannot shut up. Yes.
Toph: Good so start to talk princess snooty-pants. I want details.
— Zuko
Azula: Is your turn in that madness that they’re doing?
Zuko: Has everyone talked to you?
Azula: I think the avatar didn’t but I’m not sure. But I don’t think he knows how to threat someone.
Zuko: Who knows. So can you help me to figure out how to distribute all of the income from-
Azula: Thank Agni. No talk from you?
Zuko: Of course not. If you hurt her she will beat the shit out of you. Well, maybe you will have an awesome battle like I would pick popcorn and watch. So no, I’ve started learning when I don’t need to talk.
Azula: Oh I wasn’t expecting that. Good job Zuzu.
Zuko: So can you help me?
Azula: Gladly.
— Aang
Aang: Hey Azula. Mind if I sit here?
Azula: Do as you please Avatar.
Aang: Oh thanks.
Aang: By the way I came here to say you something.
Azula: So I was right you were the one left-
Aang: Listen Azula I’m only going to say this once. *Avatar State on* Hurt Katara in any kind of way and I will forget everything I know about peace. I’ll bring Kyoshi and let her do whatever she wants. Your past will look like a fairy tale compared to what will happen to you. Understood?
Azula, pale as a piece of paper: Sure.
Aang: It was nice to see you. Let’s grab some tea someday. Bye!
Azula:
Azula: Who would have thought that the air monk which I already kill once would be the most sadistic. My respects Avatar.
— Katara
Katara: I assume they give you the talk, right?
Azula: You have assumed correctly.
Katara: Poor thing.
Azula: I know you don’t feel bad for me, quit the show.
Katara: Don’t be such a baby. Now I need to know, who was the weakest?
Azula: Your brother by far. He spent more time trying to hug me than threatening me.
Katara: No surprised. Who was the “scariest”?
Azula: The Avatar. But don’t you dare to tell a soul.
Katara: Aang? The pacifist monk? Aang who cries if he eats a piece of meat?
Azula: Yes sweetie, that one.
Katara: *barely holding her laughter*
Azula: One more laugh and I’m done with you.
Katara: No you don’t.
Azula: I hate you.
Katara: I hate you too babe.
Toph, from afar: WHIPPED.
— Ty lee & Mai
Azula: Did you give Katara the talk
Ty lee: What talk?
Mai: I don’t think we need to tell her where the babies come from.
Azula: The one of If Katara hurt me you will hurt her etc.
Mai: No?
Ty lee: Why would we ever do that? We like Katara. She’s way nicer than you.
Mai: Being honest she could do better than you.
Azula: And I’m betrayed once aga-
Azula: Oh no. I’m the Sokka. Somebody kill me.
Mai: I think she lost it. Again.
Ty lee: Suki could also do better than Sokka.
Azula: I’m a sinner in the eyes of the fire nation. SOMEBODY KILL ME.
Ty lee: NO YOU ARE NOT ANYMORE NOW IT’S LEGAL.
Mai: Ugh. She’s so dramatic.
#atla#avatar the last airbender#azula#atla incorrect quotes#fire siblings#katara#azutara#kazula#sokka#aang#mai#ty lee#lgbtq#toph#suki#zuko
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heal him | zuko x fem!reader
description: when zuko gets hurt during the agni kai with azula, katara attempts to heal him while y/n fights against the princess.
trigger warnings: graphic violence, blood, gore, description of minor injuries, earthbender!reader, mentions of death, etc. read at your own risk.
word count: <1k
"Katara!" You whisper-yelled as she slipped from your side to move her way onto the battle field between Zuko and Azula. "Stop! What are you doing?" You scolded her as you reached for her wrist to stop her.
"Zuko needs help," Katara pulled her hand back and walked onto the field, standing behind Zuko. You parted your lips and breathed out softly, worried for her safety, along with Zuko's.
Azula's fingertips built up an immense amount of blue lightning as she smirked and turned to see Katara standing behind Zuko. His head turned to see the waterbender standing afar from him.
Before his sister could strike Katara with the lightning that built up between her fingertips, Zuko shouted, "No!" He lunged to the side and blocked the lightning from striking her.
Releasing a sharp breath, you hurried towards Katara and clenched your fist as you saw Zuko groaning in pain, against the ground.
"Heal him, now!" You spoke sternly and walked around her to face Azula yourself. Katara nodded slowly and rushed towards Zuko, kneeling down beside him.
"Ah.. Zu Zu's girlfriend, I've been dying to properly meet you," Azula smirked wickedly as you clenched your jaw. You motioned your hands forward to push the stone up against Azula, but she jumped in retaliation.
"Stop this, Azula.. while you're still alive," You spat as you motioned your hands again to form a stone ball, tossing it towards her, but she sliced it in two with the electricity that ran through her fingers.
"You clearly don't know the rules of an Agni Kai, do you?" She laughed as you breathed heavily through your flared nostrils. You stomped your foot against the stone ground and caused a large pillar to protrude up from beneath the ground, slamming Azula in the face. She stumbled back against the ground.
You took this as your opportunity to swiftly motion your hands, arising several stone pillars from underground that enclosed around her. You lowered your hands and released a soft breath. Azula released an angry cry before summoning lightning from the sky, burning the stone around her.
Azula jumped back up onto her feet and shot blue flames towards you. You lifted a stone wall from the ground and blocked it in front of you, to avoid being struck by the heat flames. You stepped back onto your heel and pushed the stone wall towards her, across the field as it slammed her back against the rail.
You ran towards her and lifted another stone wall, slamming it down against her as she was unconscious against the ground. Swiftly, you pulled the bandanna from your hair, letting it loose, and stood before Azula. You grabbed her wrists and pulled them behind her back, tightly tying them together so that she couldn't move or break free from it.
Sweat dripped down along the sides of your face as you stood over her, watching as her eyes closed, looking almost lifeless. You turned to see Zuko standing up with Katara. He was still weak, you could tell.
You hurried towards them and released a soft breath as Zuko's lips curved into a soft, thankful grin. You wasted no time and wrapped your arms around his torso, burying your face into his chest. He returned the chest and rested his cheek against your head. You could feel Katara squeeze in, making you smile softly.
Once the three of you pulled back, you looked at Katara and released a soft sigh, "Don't ever do anything like that again."
"I'm sorry, I just thought you could use our help," Katara looked from you to Zuko.
"Thank you.. both of you," Zuko offered a soft smile. You pulled your lips into a thin smile before turning to see Azula, waking up. You watched as she struggled to free herself from the knot you tied. You smirked gently and turned back to see Zuko and Katara were also looking at her.
"Come on, we should go," You told them as they obliged.
.
a/n: hi, my loves!! i hope you all liked this! it's my first atla piece so i hope you enjoyed reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it. let me know if you'd like more of these! i'd be happy to write more of them. i love you all, dearly. mwah! much love and treat people with kindness. — angelina.
#smut#imagine#reader#x reader#edit#zuko#zuko x reader#zuko x you#zuko x y/n#katara#sokka#aang#azula#agni kai#fire nation#earth nation#air nation#water nation#atla#atla x reader#sokka x reader#katara x reader#avatar the last airbender#avatar#aang x reader#toph#toph beifong#fire#water#earth
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A rant about Aang and Byrke
WARNING NOT KATAANG FRIENDLY
CONTINUE WITH PRECAUTION
Hello my loves!
Here I'm with a new blog entry.
This time we will talk about Kataang, Aang and Byrke.
Since I'm writing a FanFic where Aang is paired with an OC, I thought I could tell you why I prefer Aang with OCs instead of Katara.
Just to be clear.
I like Aang.
I love Katara and would for this girl sell my liver.
But them together as a pair...please no!
Kataang is one of my NOTPs.
In my Let's Talk about Zutara post I pretty much said why I can't stand this pairing.
One is the age and maturity gap.
What does a 14-year-old want with a 12-year-old? It's just creepy, no matter the gender and it would have been better if they got together at like 22 and 20.
Even if I think Zutara is superior, I could grimly accept Kataang.
Second Aang and Katara are the worst version of their self together.
I haven't read the comics, but what I saw on Tumblr and on Legend of Korra was enough to make me angry.
Katara was reduce to Aang price, girlfriend, housewife and mother of his children.
The warrior girl we all loved, who never turned her back on people who needed her, became in the name of love (and Byrke) a shadow of herself.
Our real Katara would smack this wishy-washy version of herself to kingdom come!
Then we have Aang. The boy clearly turns into a Nice GuyTM when it's about Katara.
He kissed her TWICE, TWICE, without her consent and never said sorry for this.
He thinks he deserves her love because he is the Avatar (the hero) and that's how it be.
Till Season 2 Aang wasn't that worse about Katara, a lot of plotpoints pointed out that Aang obsession, I'm not calling it love, on Katara was not good.
He replaced the love for his people with Katara.
Erm, that's not healthy at all.
What Aang expierendec was traumatic, he is the sole suriver of a genocide, but he can't shove all his love for his people to Katara.
How can only one person hold this standards?
It's impossible.
Katara is a bandaid on a ripped arm.
A bandaid isn't going to fix Aang trauma.
He needed to really face it and accept it and let Katara go.
Guru Pathik told him he to let Katara go, but I don't think it was meant to say, don't love that girl anymore.
No, it was more like: you clearly are obsessed with her and think if she loves you all your hurt will go away, but this isn't the case!
Aang could still love Katara, he just needed to stop to put her on a pestal!
Then we know what happens, he let's her go, seems to get the Avatar State, but turn it down because Katara is in danger and he must save her.
Alright, we all would run to our loved one if they are in danger, but Aang, you are the Avatar.
The Avatar is the peacekeeper of this world.
Sadly he can't put his own desires forward, he has do to what was for the world right!
In the Crystal Catabombs he realizes this.
So he let's go of Katara to get the Avatar State and then gets shot down by Azula.
Then when the first episode of season 3 rolls around, you get the feeling that Aang learnend his lesson.
Because he was selfish, he lost his greatest eapan.
He needed to be better.
Only...after the first episode season 3 was really...bad.
I can't say it better.
If you compare it to the other two seasons...season 3 has mayor problems.
A lot of plotpoints get forgotten, Aang didn't learn from his mistakes, he acts entitled for Katara love and he gets his Avatar State back thanks to Deus-Ex-Machine Rock and even finds a way to handle Ozai thanks to Deus-Ex-Machine Lion Turtle.
How, HOW, did the creators look at this and want a golly what an awesome final?
It was not!
It was rushend and not earnend!
Because Aang is a selfinsert from Bryek.
They statet once in an interview that Kataang was reflection how they had a crush on their babysitter, who of course didn't wanted them and would go out with the "bad boy".
The bad boy here in question is Zuko, which is hilarious since Zuko is the most awkward dork.
So they wanted to create a story were the young hero gets the hot older girl.
No normal 14-year-old girl would date a 12-year-old and if she did call the police on her ass!
Avatar was only amazing because of writers like Aaron Ehasz, who turned Toph, who was supposed to be a boy and a love rival for Aang, into this badass girl who didn't let her disabilty stop her to become the greatest earthbender and inventer of metalbening in the world.
They truned Iroh into thee loveable and wise uncle and not like Byrke wanted into a spy for Ozai.
Also Azula was supposed to be a boy too, but she became the female villain we all loved and wish we would see in other media's too!
A lot of writer wanted also Zutara to happen and not Kataang.
If I remember right season 3 was so rushed and lacking because the movie-who-shall-not-be-named was in production and Bryke wanted the series to end before it.
A lot of concept were thrown out the window for it.
The writers wanted to make even a season 4, where Aang would even find other airbenders, but noooooooooooooooo we can't give Aang the healing he deserves, we must live out a fantasy trough this boy.
Looking at you Bryke.
Anyways we got, what we got and I'm so not happy about it.
Zutara should be canon and Aang should have found a girl who loved really, who was his equal and who didn't needed to be a broodmare for the air nomads, becasue there where still air nomads around.
Here we get back to my preference to ship Aang with OCs. Since I'm a big fan of the theoretical season four we would have gotten, it's only naturel to imagine own characters, since no canon characters exist for it.
I would have loved to see Aang with a descendant of Air Nomads. She learning from him, he learning from her, cute!
But let's be real if Aang is writing good he could work with a lot of characters.
Even canon ones like On Ji. I found her really cute with him.
The only thing I want for Aang partner is that the girl doesn't get reduced to a broodmare.
So the airbenders have always to come back/stop from hiding.
IT'S NOT THE COMPLICATED!
BUT WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS!
WE LIVE IN THE DARK TIMELINE!
AVATAR COULD HAVE BEEN THE MOST REVOLUTIONARY CARTOON EVER, BUT NOOOOOO TWO MEN HAD TO MAKE THEIR WEIRD FANTASY REALITY AND DIDN'T LISTEN TO THEIR TEAM OF WRITER WHO WERE LIKE, FAM THAT'S NARRAVTIVLY SPEACKING HUGE STEPS BACKWARDS!!!!!!
AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!
Yeah, I think you all guessed how much I hate Bryke.
Fricking pricks!
Also, people who make fun of their own fans because they ship a pairing themselves not like are the worst!
That shows have much respect they have for their fans.
Zero.
They just wanted to live out their fantasy and be done.
Again, fricking pricks!
So for now, that's from me, I needed to get it out of my chest.
Till next time my loves!
#avatar the last airbender#anti kataang#anti bryke#katara deserved better#aang deserved better#zuko deserved better#the whole gaang deserved better#bryke critical#avatar the last airbender season 3 was a trainwreck#zutara
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Daughter of the Spirits; chapter 12
➳ pairing: zuko x f!reader
➳ genre: a retelling of the show from season 2 onwards with a heavy focus and expansion on zuko’s story (canon divergent)
➳ warnings: violence, swearing, smut (underaged if your age of consent is above 16), spoilers for anyone who hasn’t seen the show
➳ word count: 3570
➳ rating: 18+
➳ summary: In which y/n comes across the fire nation prince during her stay in Ba Sing Se.
➳ tags: @harmlessoffering, @lammello (i’m sorry if i’m forgetting anyone, lmk if i am or if you want to be added)
Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13,
A New Start
The western air temple, that is where Zuko was sure the avatar would go. It was the nearest place for them to regroup and recuperate. They would be safe there. Well, as safe as they could be. So, the western air temple was where you went.
“We should be careful. They, uh, they probably won’t be very happy to see me,” Zuko stated as he prepared the ropes, making sure they were tight enough for you to safely climb down into the temple.
“You’ve been chasing after them for the better half of a year now, but they haven’t seen you since Ba Sing Se. It was Azula who tried to kill the avatar, not you. I’m sure they’ll be able to find it in their hearts to give you a second chance.”
“Well,” his tone was almost high in guilt as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck, “I might have hired an assassin to hunt him down when I found out he was still alive.”
“Zuko!” you yelled, scowling at him.
He hushed you, clearly afraid that someone nearby might hear you, and avoided your angry gaze. “I know, I know. It was a bad idea but it was before I… before I decided to be good.”
You sucked in a deep breath, held it for a few moments and dispelled your anger with a long exhale. A was a trick your mother had taught you when you were young, one that always helped you keep a cool head. It was a teaching Zuko could certainly learn from as well.
Zuko was quick to descend into the temple after that, tugging on the rope when he reached the bottom to let you know it was safe for you to follow. He seemed lost in thought when you landed beside him, the sound of your feet hitting the floor hadn’t even caused him to glance your way.
Then came the sound of a beast, a sound the both of you recognised all too well. Zuko grabbed you and jumped back, making sure to conceal you both as the avatar’s bison flew overhead. He narrowed his eyes before gesturing to a staircase behind you both. “Come on, up here.”
It didn’t take you long to realise that Zuko had been here before, likely on his search for the avatar, which meant the last time he had visited this temple was with his uncle by his side. You could only imagine how strange it must have felt for him to have been here now, still in search of the avatar but this time as a friend.
Zuko insisted you took a moment to rest before seeking out the avatar and his friends. He joked and said the two of you would need all your energy if they turned hostile and chased you away but you knew what was really troubling him.
He, Prince Zuko, was nervous. Nervous of how they were going to react when they found him. Nervous of how he would speak to them. He wasn’t the most sociable person, as you both knew, and he wanted it to be perfect. He wanted to be sure he wouldn’t say the wrong thing, especially when he knew that he was the last person any of them would want to see.
When he was ready and had finished practising his introduction to a nearby toad — much to your own amusement — he took a deep breath and slumped to the ground.
With a soft smile, you sat down in front of him. “It’ll be fine. Just speak from the heart, tell them that you want to help — that we want to help. He’ll need someone to teach him firebending and I doubt he’s got too many options. They’ll come around.”
“Yeah, okay. Speak from the heart. I can do that.” He smiled back at you and pulled himself to his feet with a newfound determination. At the very least, having you by his side helped boost his confidence.
You approached the flying bison as it came to land, frowning just a little when the two of you had gone unnoticed and the avatar and his friends began to climb off on the other side.
“Oh, and you’re gonna love the all-day echo chamber!” the avatar exclaimed, clearly excited to show his friends around one of his people’s temples.
Just hearing his voice almost made you excited too but the looming fear that the conversation you were about to have wouldn’t go well was weighing too heavily on your chest. Zuko only wanted to help, you only hoped they would understand that. At least they had no reason to doubt you, other than the fact that you were once again approaching them by Zuko’s side, but you had tried to help them back in Ba Sing Se. Surely they would remember that.
“I think that’ll have to wait,” the young girl whom you remembered to be called Toph spoke, clearly noticing your presence with her earthbending.
The bison moved aside, revealing both you and Zuko, who raised his hand with a smile. “Hello, Zuko here.”
All four of the group adopted a defensive stance with angry scowls on their faces, clearly expecting you and Zuko to attack. To try and show them you came in peace, you both stood at their mercy, neither of you raising your arms to fight.
“Hey, we heard you guys flying around down there so we just thought we’d wait for you here.”
The bison was the only one to move, roaring loudly before licking Zuko from his feet to the top of his head.
You chuckled as you watched the creature’s clear display of affection. “Looks like someone remembers you.”
When the bison licked his face again, the avatar finally lowered his staff with wide eyes. Not that you could blame them for their confusion since there was no way they could have known it was Zuko who had freed the bison back at Lake Laogai..
Zuko rubbed the slobber from his face as he spoke, “I know you must be surprised to see me here.”
The watertribe boy, Sokka, frowned. “Not really since you followed us all over the world.”
Awkwardly, Zuko looked away. “Right… Well, uh, anyway, what I wanted to tell you about is that I’ve changed… and I, uh, I’m good now and well, I think I should join your group,” he looked at you and corrected himself, “we should join your group. Oh, and I can teach firebending… to you.”
The four of them only grew more confused, their eyes flicking between you and Zuko. They seemed to be thinking but they had still not let down their guard. Getting them to trust either of you, especially Zuko, was going to be no easy task.
“See… I, uh—”
“You wanna what now?” Toph cut him off with far too much anger residing in her soft features, her jaw almost clenching as she made it clear she thought what Zuko was saying to be crazy.
“You can’t possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you? I mean how stupid do you think we are?” Katara snapped before turning her attention to you, “And you? You may have tried to help us back in Ba Sing Se but even now you’re still with him? Don’t you remember all the things he’s done?”
Sokka chimed in next, he too wishing to say his peace, “Yeah, all he’s ever done is try to hunt us down and capture Aang!”
“I’ve done some good things!” Zuko cut in, trying his hardest to defend himself, “I mean, I could have stolen your bison in Ba Sing Se, but I set him free. That’s something.”
The bison licked him once again, proving to them all that he at least approved of Zuko being there.
“Appa does seem to like him,” Toph concluded and finally began to let down her guard.
“He probably just covered himself in honey or something so that Appa would lick him,” Sokka shrugged, “I’m not buying it!”
You went to speak, hoping that you would be able to sway them, but Zuko beat you to it.
“I can understand why you wouldn’t trust me and I know I’ve made some mistakes in the past—”
“Like when you attacked our village?”
“Or when you stole my mother’s necklace and used it to track us down and capture us?”
The watertribe siblings both stepped forward as they hurled their accusations at him. Zuko had told you that he had hurt them and that they would not be likely to trust him but he hadn’t given all the details. Hearing directly from them some of the horrible things he had done somehow didn’t surprise you but it still hurt to think that he was capable of such things before. He wasn’t that person anymore though and you knew that, you just needed to convince the rest of them of that too.
“Look, I admit I’ve done some awful things,” he confessed and pushed a frustrated hand through his hair, “I was wrong to try and capture you and I’m sorry that I attacked the Water Tribe… and I never should have sent that Fire Nation assassin after you…”
You seemed to realise it before he had because Zuko kept rambling about how he had wronged them and was trying to make things right but all four of them had grown angry once again. They clearly didn’t know that he was the one who sent the assassin after them, not until now.
“Wait!” Sokka cut in again, reaching for his boomerang, “You sent combustion man after us?”
Zuko seemed startled as he realised he had only made things worse but knew that all he could do now was come clean and hope they would eventually come around to the idea of him helping them.
“Well, that’s not his name but—”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to insult your friend!” Sokka remarked with a roll of his eyes, looking about ready to pounce.
“He’s not my friend!” Zuko snapped, clearly growing frustrated that they were still being so hostile toward him when he was all but wearing his heart on his sleeve. Not that you could blame them, in their shoes you would have felt the same.
Toph pointed an accusing finger at him with a scowl. “That guy locked me and Katara in jail and tried to blow us all up!”
Seeming to notice that the avatar was the only one not shouting at him, Zuko sighed and asked, “Why aren’t you saying anything? You once said you thought we could be friends. You know I have good in me.”
Without a word, Aang looked at his friends who all shook their heads with a frown. Then, he cast his eyes to you, someone he himself had seen as an ally once. You pleaded with him without words, silently begging him to give the two of you a chance.
Finally, he spoke, “There’s no way we can trust you after everything you’ve done. We’ll never let you join us!”
Your heart sank in your chest but you were nowhere near as crushed as Zuko. It was his actions that had brought him to this point. All his mistakes and bad decisions leading up to yet another rejection. It only hurt more this time because for once, he really was trying to do the right thing.
“You need to get out of here. Both of you.” Katara glowered at the both of you, her eyes two steely daggers.
Somewhat ready to admit defeat, you moved to place a hand on Zuko’s shoulder to urge him to leave. The two of you would be able to make a difference elsewhere, you were sure of it. Even if the avatar was refusing your help. Before your gentle touch could reach him, however, he burst again and began moving forwards as he flung his frustrated arms in the air.
“I’m trying to explain that I’m not that person anymore!” he cried out, trying one last time to convince them of his sincerity.
The four of them readied themselves once again, clearly taking his frustration as a sign of aggression. Once again, you couldn’t blame them. His notorious temper was getting the better of him again — a temper they had only seen before a fight.
“Either you leave, or we attack,” Sokka exclaimed, once again threatening Zuko.
The prince bowed his head before kneeling before them. “If you won’t accept me as a friend, then maybe you’ll take me as a prisoner.”
“Zuko…” you spoke with a soft breath, worried but also warmed by what he was willing to give up to help them.
“No! We won’t!” With a swing of her arm, Katara sent a force of water flying towards Zuko, knocking him back.
You ran to his side, kneeling in the puddle to help the drenched prince up.
“Get out of here and don’t come back!And if we ever see you again, well, we better not see you again!”
Dejected, he let you help him to his feet and shrugged you off, bowing his head as he walked away.
Before following him, you looked at the four of them, your eyes finally falling on the avatar as you spoke, “I know it might be hard to believe but he really is just trying to help.”
They didn’t utter a word as you followed after him, walking in silence as you left the western air temple.
You couldn’t blame them for their lack of trust in him, or you for that matter, but it still hurt to see Zuko so downtrodden. Finally, he decided to do what is right only to be ridiculed and chased away.
“Ugh, I can’t believe how stupid I am!” he began as he paced up and down, speaking more to himself than you, “I mean, what was I thinking? Telling them I sent an assassin after them? Why didn’t I just say Azula did that? They would have believed that! Stupid!” He groaned again and fell to his knees with a thud.
“You told them the truth, Zuko. That’s all you could have done. You tried and that’s better than not trying at all,” you tried to reassure him but he only flopped down onto his back, letting his hair spill out across the ground.
You sighed and moved to lay beside him, both of you watching the leaves sway in the canopy above. “Your uncle would be proud, you know.”
He turned his head towards you and waited until his eyes met yours before speaking, “You think so?”
With a tender smile tugging at the corners of your lips, you reached up to cup his cheek, smoothing your thumb across his skin. “I know so.”
He smiled back and pressed his forehead to yours, sinking into the warmth of your touch.
“I just… I don’t know what to do now. I can’t go home, not that I want to, and I can’t face my father alone. Not when it’s Aang’s destiny to stop him.”
You pulled back and sat up, stretching your limbs before rising to your feet. “We’ll find those that we’ve lost. We’ll find your uncle and then go search for my parents. If we can help anyone suffering at the hands of the Fire Nation along the way then we will. We don’t have to confront your father head on to make a difference.”
Zuko hummed and closed his eyes only for them to jolt back open when you lightly kicked his side.
“Well, come on then. If we’re going to be fighting firebenders I should at least know some basic moves.”
He crossed his brows and began to sit up, looking at you questioningly. “You want me to teach you?”
You only grinned. “Well, who else is going to?”
“Hmm, since you already know how to hold a flame I think we can start off with some basic techniques.” He returned your smile and stood before you, adopting a stance you had seen him use time and time again.
Standing opposite him, you tried your best to mimic his stance. He circled you, eyes scanning for any flaws, and nudged your knee forward, forcing you into a slightly lower squat. When he came back into sight again, he crossed his arms and hummed in approval.
“Good. Now, take a deep breath in. It is this breath that becomes the energy you need to extend from your body, creating fire.” He returned to his position and demonstrated, taking in a deep breath before punching a fist out in front of him. With a burst, flames shot from his fist, flickering around his knuckles and flew through the air beside you.
You steeled your expression and strengthened your stance, determined to learn at least some control over the element you feared most. As Zuko had done before you, you sucked in a deep breath, focusing on how it felt as it travelled through you. It was similar to the breath you had taken earlier to dispel your anger and you could feel the energy tingle under your skin as you focused it into your fist which curled at your side.
The prince watched on intently, moving to the side as you closed your eyes. When they opened again, you pushed your fist forward through the air with great force and, to your surprise, nailed the move first time.
Zuko clapped, applauding you as he stated, “You’re a natural.”
As the hours passed by, you were relieved to have managed to provide a good distraction for Zuko as he taught you move after move, honing your firebending skills. By the time the sun began to set and the cold night air closed in, you felt much more confident that you would be able to divert attacks from other firebenders by using their own flames against them.
You found some food for the night and made a small fire to keep you warm before cuddling up under a makeshift tent. Although you were worried Zuko would find it hard to sleep with so much still on his mind, you were relieved to find that teaching you had worn him out. His soft breaths hit your ear as he slept with one arm slung around you, holding you close.
The two of you slept for a while before you felt Zuko stirring beside you, sitting up slightly as he called out, “Who’s there?”
You sat up beside him, eyes peering through the darkness to see who or what was out amongst the trees. Before you could do anything though, Zuko pulled you behind him and sprung into action, conjuring a flame as he yelled, “Stay back!”
“It’s me!” a voice you recognised called out only just too late as the girl bended a wall in front of her to block Zuko’s attack.
Both yours and Zuko’s eyes widened when she stumbled back with a yelp, falling to the ground. “You burned my feet!”
Zuko was up before you. “I’m sorry, it was a mistake,” he protested as he began rushing towards her.
Toph backed up, crawling across the ground as she hurled boulders at Zuko. “Get away from me!”
“Let me help you! I’m sorry!” He tried again but the young earthbender only continued to flee.
You were finally on your feet as she yelled at him to get off of her and with one final move of offence, raised a pillar from the ground, sending Zuko flying. You were at his side in a second, already noticing he was hurt as he continued to yell after the girl.
“I didn’t know it was you!” he winced and grabbed his likely already bruising side, “Come back!”
With a cry of anguish he fell to his back and yelled at the world, “Why am I so bad at being good?”
You hushed him and pulled his head into your lap, already running your fingers through his hair. “It’s okay, she’ll be okay. Katara is a healer like me, she’ll be able to help Toph.”
He groaned and sat back up, holding in a sob of pain as he clutched again at his side. “I know, it’s just all I ever seem to do is make things worse.”
You squeezed his shoulder and moved to untie his shirt, reaching over for your waterskin as you pulled it open. The bruise was about as bad as you had expected from such a forceful impact. His skin was turning a dark shade of purple and was littered with painful scrapes and scratches. He sucked in a breath as you placed your hands against his skin, water already swirling around your fingers.
“Shhh,” you hushed him and smiled slightly as he visibly relaxed while the pain began to subside. It had been a while since you had been able to use your healing, what with having been in the Fire Nation for so long, but it felt good to be doing something to help someone again. You couldn’t relieve all of Zuko’s pain, but you could at least heal his physical wounds.
When you finished and whisked the water back into your waterskin, he pulled your hands back to him, placing them on his skin once again, and leaned forward until his head rested against your shoulder.
“They hate me,” he mumbled.
“They just don’t know you. Not the way I do.”
You smiled softly when he looked back up again, his amber eyes searching for refuge in your own. You were the only person who had ever looked at him like that, he realised. The only person to look at him with such tenderness in their eyes — such pure, unbridled love.
Chapters: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13,
#prince zuko x reader#zuko x you#zuko smut#zuko angst#zuko fanfic#zuko fluff#atla zuko#atla#zuko avatar the last airbender#avatar#sokka avatar the last airbender#prince zuko x you#prince zuko
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