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soopersara · 10 months

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Recently, I've pondering Book 2 and 3 of ATLA, and I reached a conclusion that surprised me a little.

Specifically, this: Zuko would have been very unlikely to join Team Avatar if not for Katara.

Now I'm not saying that Zuko had a secret crush on her or anything. As much fun as that concept can be to explore in fics, I don't love the idea of Zuko's redemption being motivated by romantic interest, and his canonical arc is clearly driven by his own evolving understanding of the world and the morals that come along with that understanding. Still, if you cut out his interactions with Katara, especially in the crystal catacombs, I just don't see him ever taking that last step to turn against his father and join Team Avatar. He would have been discontented in the Fire Nation, sure. Spending a few years away from home with a guardian who genuinely cared about and protected him could easily push him that far all on its own. He might have become disillusioned enough with the Fire Nation and its role in the war to run away too. Zuko spent enough time in the Earth Kingdom, learning about the people and their suffering, to have doubts and regrets when he finally learned about Ozai's true plans.

But without Katara reaching out to him in the crystal catacombs (or more accurately, Zuko reaching out to sympathize with Katara, and Katara reciprocating), I'm not convinced that he would have considered his future or his place in the world enough to go farther than that. To leave and to join the enemy. And even if he had considered joining Team Avatar, I'm not convinced that he would have thought he had a chance of being accepted if he hadn't shared that moment in the crystal catacombs with Katara.

I mean... sure, Aang sort of reached out to Zuko way back in Book 1. But even leaving aside the fact that that was one moment several months before Zuko finally left home (and an offer that brief and that old is probably shaky at best), it wasn't an offer of friendship in quite the same way that Katara's kindness was. What Aang said to Zuko was:

You know what the worst part of being born over a hundred years ago is? I miss all the friends I used to hang out with. Before the war started, I used to always visit my friend Kuzon. The two of us, we'd get in and out of so much trouble together. He was one of the best friends I ever had, and he was from the Fire Nation, just like you. If we knew each other back then, do you think we could have been friends, too?

"If we knew each other back then, do you think we could have been friends, too?"

It's a hypothetical question. Aang is thinking back to a time before the war, to the people he knew in the Fire Nation an entire lifetime ago, and trying to imagine where Zuko might have fit into that time and those relationships. He doesn't reach out a hand to directly offer Zuko a friendship in the present (and frankly, it wouldn't make sense in the moment if he had), nor does he ever make another offer of friendship until after Zuko actually joins the team. Every encounter between Zuko and Aang from The Blue Spirit on through The Western Air Temple is either a) a fight, b) Aang sparing Zuko's life while Zuko is unconscious (and therefore unable to see the kind gesture and interpret it as an offer of friendship), c) unwilling cooperation against a common enemy, or d) ... That Face that Aang makes at Zuko after interrupting him and Katara in the crystal catacombs.

Maybe it's just me, but... none of those interactions exactly set up a strong foundation for a future friendship, or even a future alliance. If Aang's old "offer of friendship" was all Zuko had to go on, then joining Team Avatar would have been a long shot. An extremely long shot.

By contrast, Katara bares her heart to Zuko and, at least in the moment, makes it clear that her kindness is deliberate. They've fought against one another time after time, they've been unwilling allies in the fight against Azula, and they've had some... generally antagonistic face-to-face interactions as well. But even after all of that, Katara offers to heal Iroh with very little hesitation in The Chase, then offers compassion to Zuko himself in The Crossroads of Destiny. She openly shows Zuko that there's a chance for him, and even when he turns against her in CoD, her angry dialogue still reflects the fact that she thinks he can be better. That she wants and expects him to be better. "I thought you had changed" isn't just anger, it's also a sign that her trust and kindness in the catacombs was genuine.

It's a sign to Zuko that if he can become the person who Katara thought he was for those few minutes in the caverns beneath Ba Sing Se, he might be able to prove himself worthy of that same trust and kindness again. And once Zuko has finally had enough of living under his father's thumb, of sitting silent on the sidelines while the world burns around him, once he leaves his old life behind for good, it's the beacon that draws him onward into a new life and a new purpose.

I can't claim to know exactly what would have happened if Zuko had never shared those pre-redemption moments with Katara. I'm just one random fic writer in a quiet corner of the internet, but I don't think it's unreasonable to say that her kindness to him in Book 2 made his decision easier. Without Katara, Zuko still might have left the Fire Nation behind. He still might have told off his father and tried to rescue Iroh from prison during the eclipse, but that doesn't necessarily mean that his next step would have been to run off to the Western Air Temple and offer himself up as a teacher.

Without Katara, Zuko might have fallen into the cracks in between the Fire Nation and Team Avatar. He might have become a different type of dissenter - maybe a less obtrusive one, like Piandao or Jeong Jeong, or he might have fallen back into his vigilante persona. He might have gone searching for his mother while the war kept raging on the other side of the ocean, or he might have tried to settle down into the type of quiet life that Iroh wanted for them both in Ba Sing Se. But regardless of what choice Zuko would have made, I think it would have been much harder for him to choose Team Avatar if he hadn't had Katara's voice in the back of his mind, telling him that he could be better, and that if he was, he might have a place with her and her friends.

Ship them or not, Zuko and Katara had an incredible bond that shaped a lot of the show. And while I'm not exactly on Team 'Zuko had a secret crush on Katara from the beginning' because of what it can do to his character arc if it's not handled carefully, I think I just found myself squarely on Team 'Zuko changed because it was right, and Katara opened the door for everything that came after.'

#zutara #not necessarily romantic in this post #but you know how the fandom is #atla meta #zutara meta #zuko #katara

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quillthrillswriting · 20 days

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i think that by far, the most common zutara trope i've seen is zuko freeing katara from her unhappy marriage with the clingy, unappreciative aang.

i've always felt that that aang would genuinely worship the ground katara walked on and be exceedingly kind and respectful, and so i've always thought that this trope would make a lot more sense flipped, with aang in the position of being katara's safe space after zukko reverts back to his angry, sullen, lashing out persona that he was before uncle iroh & the gaang's involvement.

this fic is the result of me having the thought "might f around and write a kataang fic that flips the usual zutara trope of "zuko helps katara escape a failing relationship with aang" 😳"

---

Zuko was all alone, heading an entire empire and facilitating the transition of his nation from a war-bringer to a force for peace. At first, she told herself that it was only because he had needed help that she chose to stay with him, but that wasn’t being entirely honest. After that play on Ember Island, all of the scenes where the two of them were in love had opened Katara’s eyes to the possibility, and try as she might, she couldn’t shut them again. And Zuko, after all that he’d sacrificed to help them, after redeeming himself in her eyes, even fighting alongside her, he had seemed like her best chance at home.

So she had stayed with him.

---

Zuko proposed, after just six months, but Katara thought little of the brief timeline. When you know, you know, right? He had given her his mother’s ring, and had her dress in Fire Nation colours for the ceremony. She had been under the impression that the wedding would be a welding of cultures, and so she had spent weeks painstakingly carving a traditional water tribe proposal necklace.

When she had presented it to him, Zuko had only said that a Fire Lord couldn’t be seen wearing another nation’s trinkets . She had quietly dabbed away her tears when he wasn’t looking.

---

The moon rose and set six more nights before Katara rose with it, slipping outside of the castle during the changing of the guard, draped in traditional water tribe colours for the first night in years. Before anyone had seen her, she had made it, slipping between Fire Nation homes almost silently. She only paused to pull clothes and a cloth head covering from a clothesline, silently apologizing to whatever family she had just stolen from. She tucked a couple of coins and a piece of gold jewellery into one of the pockets of the pants still on the clothesline, an attempt at making amends for her crime, then blended into the night again.

She hadn’t stopped moving until she’d finally found a small forest, then she’d made herself a bed of moss and curled up as if she was a child back on the tundra, pretending to be a sleeping snow fox alongside Sokka.

She missed her brother. She missed her home.

---

She knew where she would go once the cargo ship reached the land. The last location Aang had been in was the Western Air temple. So that was where she would go. If she needed to, to find Aang, she’d scour every inch of the mainland. She knew he would do the same for her. Which begged the question- why hadn’t he come to her when he began to feel that something was off?

It was that question that Katara started with, as she settled into a comfortable position on Aang’s woven rug, a cup of hot tea curling steam around her body that she absent-mindedly bent into shapes around her.

---

Aang sighed, looking away. “Katara, I hate to give you more reasons to feel distressed, but in case you hadn’t remembered, you told me to stay away. Told me my “juvenile crush” was ridiculous and made you uncomfortable. I felt awful, and so, I backed off. I kept sending letters every couple months, trying to make sure you were okay, but you told me you were too busy, and I respected that.”

Katara’s tone was unsettlingly neutral when she responded. “...What?”

Aang titled his head, confused. “You said, in your letters, that-”

She responded in that same tone. “What letters , Aang?”

♥ the rest of the (completed) fic can be found here!! ->

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kingofthe-egirls · 6 months

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SUN GOD AU: LUFFY x Y/N (part 2)

part 1

originally requested by @braini-wiz

(cw: food mention/eating, holding hands, reader is a sun priestess that can't see sun god luffy, sorta spoilers post wano, slight gear 5 silliness, smut is still yet to come)

(a/n: sorry it's all plot)

words: 1.4k

Sun god Nika holds your hand all the way to the city’s shopping district. He stamps along next to you, his sandaled feet (you assume) leaving imprints in the sandy roads.

“Still can’t see me?” He asks curiously, squeezing at your hand. His palm is warm and strong around yours. His hand is so much bigger.

You squint your eyes, trying to make out the shape of his form next to you. “Still can’t see ya,” you confirm. “Is that strange?”

He shifts; you can hear the rustling of his clothes as he moves. He whines, as if he’s thinking of something he can’t quite place. Like a word he’s forgetting but can almost taste. “Sorta? Usually priestesses can see me right away.”

You stare down as dust kicks up around your feet. “Sorry,” you say.

Your voice is quiet, shy.

Ashamed.

Luffy tugs on your arm.

“What’s wrong?” He asks, slowing his pace. The sunshine filters blue through the shadow of olive trees, as you trudge downhill towards the city. The sun temple sits atop a rocky incline, facing over the sea.

Grassy tufts of shrubbery line the walkway, with an olive grove foresting the western side.

You stare at the shoreline, sapphirine and gold as it sparkles beneath the setting sun. The olives are still unripe: small and caterpillar green.

This city has always hated you.

You shake your head.

“Sorry I can’t be a better priestess,” you say, adrift. Your feet scuff the ground as you walk. It’s something you’ve always known: that you don’t have any spiritual gifts. Or any gifts at all, really.

Luffy stops, tugging at your hand.

You stumble, but gasp as you feel his strong hand steady you by the stomach. His palm presses flat against your abdomen; his fist curls in the soft fabric of your chiton.

Your blood runs hot beneath his touch. And maybe that’s not just because he’s the sun god, but you push that thought away for later.

“Stop that,” he says, voice suddenly low and serious. His breath is steamy, hot on your face as you suppose he leans closer. You squeeze your eyes shut, fighting against stinging tears.

“S-stop what, master?”

He scoffs. “First off,” his index finger pokes your forehead. Your eyes spring open, staring at the space in front of you with a frown. “Stop calling me master. And second,” he squeezes your shoulder, his hand leaving your stomach. It feels cold without him. But then he’s leaning in even closer, the weight and press and heat of this man who's also a god standing in front of you, smiling at you (for you hear it in his voice) is all just so much.

“Stop saying you’re no good.”

You blink.

That’s not what you thought he was going to say.

“Excuse me?”

He starts walking again, the soft pat-pats of his sandals scuffing down the hilly sand. He stretches out, his limb's elastic space roping between you, before suddenly you’re shooting through the air and crash landing into his invisible embrace.

“What the fuck—?!”

He snickers, straight into your face, before smooching your cheek once again. But this time, you don’t feel fear. You feel brave.

You stop breathing for a second, holding air in your lungs as you lift your fingers to where you think his face might be. You feel squishy skin (cheeks?) and then the slope of his smile. Your fingers brush against his teeth, and you grin. “You smile wide,” you say, staring at nothing but feeling his smile.

“Shishishi!”

He snickers in answer, and starts trotting back down the hill towards the city. His steps turn to leaps, turn to bounds, and then you’re screaming in delight as you fly through the air. He sets you down once you reach the city gates.

****

Sighing, you set down the woven basket of goods you’d shopped for at the marketplace. You’d bargained with butchers for the best prices, the freshest goods, and the most succulent cuts of meat. Sun god Luffy seems to be pleased.

He hovers over your shoulder, somehow suspended in midair.

“Shishishi,” he snickers, poking at the paper-wrapped packages. “Let’s eat!”

You swat his hands away as the paper folds beneath his divine touch. Except you don’t know where his hands are, so it turns into you just swatting the air above the basket with two hands and a scowl on your face. You stamp your foot.

“Stop that! We have to cook it, first.”

He sighs, all dramatic, while a slide whistle sounds as he presumably sinks to the floor. You snort. “You’re silly,” you decide, stepping around the sounds of his pouts and whines. You heft the basket onto your hip, and start heading down the stone hallway to your kitchen.

It’s a simple space, all whitewashed and clean as you place the basket atop the wooden counter space. You drizzle the counter in olive oil, and start unwrapping the meat.

****

It’s a little while, before the food is ready to eat.

Sun god Nika has been busying himself by poking all around your living space. He’s knocked over seven candles, three sconces, and at least one marble statue (of himself).

The cracked-off head now sits on the altar, haphazard and ridiculous atop the golden offering dish.

You sigh, wiping your hands on a dish rag. The meat is sizzling, spiced and greasy as it pops in the skillet you’ve set over the hearth’s flames.

“S’ready yeeeet?” Luffy whines out, sinking to his knees again as he tugs on your dress. The pink chiffon crinkles under sightless fists.

“Stop acting like a baby,” you complain, swatting your hands through the air again to try and disconnect his hold from your skirt. “But yes, it’s ready.”

Luffy yelps in delight, the floorboards squeaking under his feet as he speeds to the stove. He grabs a steak—it lifts by itself—and devours it in one gulp. You watch it disappear.

“So good!!!”

He cheers, before starting to devour the next piece of meat. You smile, despite yourself, and reach for a piece yourself.

****

Later, when you’re both full and happy, you sit outside the temple’s back entrance, watching white stars pinprick through the violet sky.

“S’beautiful,” he sighs, reclining on the grassy hill next to you.

You tear a handful of soft emerald blades between your hands.

“So…stupid.”

You admit without thinking.

Luffy stops, the sound of his breathing paused as the air stills. “What makes ya say that?” He asks.

You sprinkle the torn up grass back onto the ground. You stare at the stains it leaves behind on your fingers. “It’s so restrictive,” you confess, “I wanted to become a sailor, but women aren’t supposed to do that,” you scrunch your face in disgust. Luffy stays quiet as he listens to you vent. He’s the only one who’s listened to you speak in a long, long while.

Priestess life is lonely.

“So I started training as a priestess instead,” you prop your chin in both hands, curling forward over your crossed legs. Your leather sandals are scuffed, at the soles. “Since no one wanted to marry me,” you sigh, “This was my only other option. Unless, of course,” you smile wryly, “I wanted to be a prostitute. At least that way I could own land.”

“Seriously?”

“Yep.”

“Stupid.”

“That's what I said!” You say, exasperated as you lift your hands just to drop them back onto your lap. Silence stretches between you, until another spark of courage shoots through your belly. Slowly, you reach an arm over to where Luffy’s voice has been coming from. You can see the dip in the grass where he sits. Your hand alights upon his knee. “Sun god temple isn’t so bad, though.”

“What’s…not so bad about it?” He asks hopefully, a slight rasp in his heavenly voice. You shrug, snaking your fingers through his own.

“I get to spend most of my time alone,” you say, “So I can sort of do whatever I want. Except leave.”

Luffy stays silent for a moment.

“Wanna come with me?”

Stillness.

“I’m sorry, what?”

He squeezes your hand, his divinity warm and safe beside you.

“I said, d’ya wanna come with me?”

You stare at the space where your hand rests a foot above the grass. “Come with you…where?”

He squeezes, once.

“Heaven!”

****

#dumpster dive #my writing #one piece fanfic #luffy fanfic #luffy x reader #luffy x y/n #luffy comfort #luffy fluff #sun god au #gear 5 spoilers #op spoilers

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eponastory · 1 month

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Ah, Sarcastic Chorus...

Let's break down the 'I'm going to fix you' argument for Katara.

First off, no one can 'fix' anyone. Going into a relationship thinking you're going to change somebody and make them different is going to make that relationship bad. It's not necessarily toxic, but bad. Why? Because it's not your job to 'fix' the other person. The only one who can do that is the other person. You can only 'fix' yourself.

A lot of relationships fail because of these expectations.

I'm going to talk about fanfiction here for a moment since I've been writing a Zutara story. Since Zutara isn't Canon (but we really wish it was) and all, I only have what does happen in Canon and what happens in fanfiction tropes I see a lot.

In the show we get these wonderful little moments where Zuko and Katara are fighting each other (book one), and it sets a nice theme of opposites attract. The motifs are there with all the color symbolism... it's nice. That does immediately set our brains to 'oh they are so going to get together'. There are a lot of nuances to that, and it's lovely.

I'm not going to lie, Katara is in that group dynamic of 'The Heart' role, and yes, it does put a little pressure on her character to care for everyone. It's my least favorite role for a character and it's a bitch to write when you want that character to be independent.

Anyway, back to Katara. She's the mother figure, the caring and nurturing one that has to help everyone else sort out their problems while she has to internalize her own. It sucks. It really does. So when we get to TSR in Book 3 and she is practically berated by everyone for not acting like herself... she gets pissed, rightfully so because she had to help everyone else with their bullshit until Zuko finally joined. This is where Zuko becomes a foil for her.

Just to be clear, a foil is basically a character that encourages change to happen within a dynamic. It can be a group or a pairing. Usually, that character had opposite goals or a different personality. Zuko started out as the antagonist, but when he joined the Gaang, he's now a foil for the entire group.

Back to what I was saying... what was I saying? Oh yes!

So Katara is rightfully pissed because she needs to deal with her trauma when everyone is suddenly 'this isn't who you are'. No, this is exactly who she is. She is very much like her element. Water is fluid, it can be calm and it can be a torrent... which is exactly the way she is written. It's always been her, she just put everyone else's problems above her own. Now that she has to deal with her problems, it's chaotic for everyone else.

And yes, she does have survivors guilt.

That is her main problem, so now she has to deal with it. And Zuko gives her that chance.

This is getting pretty long, so I'll try to wrap everything up here.

Zuko doesn't need to be 'fixed' he's already done that himself by himself. Joining the Gaang was essentially a fresh start for him (I use that term lightly) which is why he is so awkward when he goes to talk to them at the Western Air Temple (or is it Eastern? I don't remember ahhhh. Fibro brain!) And it's so cute and I just want to hug him. I digress, but it's great.

He's got a shitty past, but he is trying to change himself even further by accepting responsibility for what he did to them individually. In Katara's case, he has to work hard for her. It's lovely, and the payoff is great. I know for sure that is what I see in their relationship. He cares so much about her that he works hard to win her trust again. Why? Because she showed him compassion in CoD, and that struck a chord in him. Her strength is her compassion when he was taught by his sociopathic narcissist father that emotions like that are a weakness.

That my dear Kat*angers is why we love this ship.

It's a beautiful dynamic between them that I would have loved to see Bryke explore, but they just gave us the most vanilla bland version of a romance they could find by pulling a D&B (Game of Thrones writers) and subverting expectations. It sucks.

TLDR version.

Katara doesn't have to fix Zuko.

#dont go into a relationship thinking you can fix someone thats bad #fix yourself and it will work out fine #zuko is an awkward turtleduck #anti anti zutara #pro zutara #pro katara #zutara #anti kataang #anti bryke

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twilight-linkess · 7 months

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lu atla au Warriors and Legend

I have Warriors as a Shiekah Warrior. He's not a bender. @anicomicqueen suggested Warriors as a Kyoshi Warrior, so I have a couple sketches of that too, even though I ended up going in a different direction.

Tentatively, I have Legend as the rightful heir to the throne and a fire bender. I was thinking that Four could be a bit like the Mechanist, in that he invents the air balloons and such, but he's been fighting me every step of the way so...

Also Firelord Ganondorf

It goes something like 100 years ago a warlord (Ganondorf I?) conquered the Fire Nation and set himself up as Firelord. However, someone from the royal family escaped and that leads to Legend. During this time, a faction of the Shiekah (who work for the royal family) splinter off and support the conquerer and become the Yiga.

The remains of the Shiekah are pushed from the Fire Nation and end up regrouping and settling in the land surrounding the Western Air Temple. Too weak to actually oppose the new regime themselves, they mostly keep tabs on the the Fire Nation and have an ongoing feud with the Yiga.

Anyways, back to Legend and Warriors. I think Legend is also staying with the Sheikah and when news of the Avatar's return they volunteer to find him to let him know he has allies. Their bad at being diplomats, though, and initially appear to be enemies to team Avatar. Shenanigans ensue.

#linked universe #lu warriors #lu legend #lu atla au #linkeduniverse #lu fanart #linkess-art

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mah-o-daryaa · 5 months

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ATLA Modern AU: Avatar Edition

This is going to be a slightly different post. I don't think people ever consider the past Avatars in an AU set in a modern setting. Where do you think they would come from, if they had IRL nationalities?

For sake of simplicity, let's say the AU takes place in the United States, since most ATLA Modern AU fics I've read take place there, mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area. We could also use NYC as the setting, since Republic City is roughly based on 1920's Manhattan. I think this task would be much easier if we consider the real-life influences for each of the four nations. I'll be using this post as a reference for these influences.

For example, the Air Nomads are based off of Tibetan Buddhists with some Nepalese and Bhutanese influences, so it would be pretty obvious to make Aang Tibetan in a Modern AU. The same would also go for Yangchen, although I would personally prefer Bhutanese or Sikkimese Yangchen because the Western Air Temple (I'm not talking about the episode) is inspired by Bhutanese cliffside temples. Another option would be making both Aang and Yangchen part of a Tibetan diaspora living in India. Kyoshi, being half-Air Nomad, would also be of Tibetan ancestry.

The Fire Nation is inspired by a combination of Chinese and Japanese cultures, while Ember Island being inspired by Southeast Asian, mostly Thai and Cambodian culture. In a Modern AU, I can see Roku being Thai, while Wan and Szeto would most likely be Chinese, Szeto is from Hong Kong/Macau. I also have a particular desire for Korean Wan, for no other reason than the fact that his VA, Steven Yeun, is Korean. I also wouldn't mind Wan being part of a Chinese diaspora from Malaysia or Singapore.

The Earth Kingdom, being the largest and most diverse of the four nations, is inspired by many Chinese dynasties, various ethnic minority groups in China, and even other Asian cultures altogether. However, we'll be paying attention to one specific cultural influence in Kyoshi's appearance: Heian/Edo Japan. She wears samurai gear and kabuki makeup. How in the name of the Moon Spirit am I not supposed to make Kyoshi Japanese (half-Japanese, anyway)? Kyoshi Island, formerly known as Yokoya, is literally ATLA's equivalent to Japan in the real world. There are even Ainu influences in Kyoshi Island, what with the clothing of the people in Suki's village.

The last nation is the Water Tribes, and the last two Avatars left are Kuruk and Korra. Now, the Water Tribes actually have a more diverse range of cultural influences than what we might expect. According to both @atlaculture and @kkachi95, the SWT is based on Inuit, Yupik and other First Nation peoples, with some Polynesian influences as well. The NWT, in addition to these influences, is also influenced by Mongolian and Siberian peoples. Since Kuruk is from the NWT, in a Modern AU, he would probably be Siberian, mostly Yakut, but I wouldn't mind Mongolian Kuruk either. For Korra, since she is half-NWT and half-SWT, I think she would be mixed like Kyoshi, except Korra would probably be half-Inuit, half-Yupik. I also want Kuruk and Korra to be part of a Mongolian or Central Asian diaspora living in Russia (I'll admit, I'm only saying this because I really want them to speak Russian), but that probably wouldn't work due to the differences in their cultures in-universe.

I have an idea for a Modern AU involving the Avatars, as well as their backstories for said AU, but that's for another time. For now, I turn this question over to you guys, and I want to know your thoughts on my nationality headcanons.

#atla #atla modern au #past avatars #aang #yangchen #roku #wan #szeto #kyoshi #kuruk #korra #atla headcanons #mah rambles #imagine this

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sweaterkittensahoy · 28 days

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hellooo mota prompt if this floats your boat:

demarco/macon practically together in every scene in the stalag is very much thought provoking, maybe some postwar getting together? I firmly believe benny was Enamored by macon!! benny swinging by macons base/flight school to introduce meatball after months of back and forth letters is suchh an image.

if this doesnt spark anything for you thats completely alright too, i love your prompt fics and vibrating with the thought of reading your rosielemmons!!

[Oh, I got thoughts right away! Love this idea! NOTE: Oh, this one got away from me.]

WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY

RECIEVED AT Birmingham, AL

Via CHICAGO, IL

R: Leaving Noon. Chicago. Stopping just in KY for the night. Back on road 6AM tmw. C U in the afternoon. - BD&M

Richard reads the telegram twice, just because he can. It's just after two o'clock now, the humidity really digging into the air. He'd mentioned it to Benny a few letters ago, warning him to make sure Meatball had extra water for the trip.

It feels odd that it's finally happening. After months of letters and cards, Benny's coming to Alabama to see him. To see the flight school he's setting up. To meet Richard's family and friends.

Like that's something a white boy does.

Richard puts the telegram on his desk and walks outside, looking up at the sky. He thinks about the Stalag more than he'd like, but this time, it's on purpose. Strange way to make a friend, bunking together at a prison camp. But they are friends. Richard's sure about that.

He thinks about Benny's smile and his laugh. The way his handwriting gets messy when he writes a funny story. Richard turns his gaze to the hanger he's nearly finished building. There are two planes in there, a third on the way. It's due to get delivered while Benny is here. They'd planned the trip on it.

...I'm happy to help with whatever you need while I'm there. I haven't flown a Cessna since training, so maybe don't put me in the pilot's seat, but I'd love to see a plane get delivered. You'd think they'd fly it in, but I guess a truck delivery makes a little more sense. Guy's gotta get back home somehow...

Benny pulls up to the little house by the airfield at four o'clock the next day. All the windows of his car are down. Meatball's got his head out of one of them, panting like all get out.

Richard steps out the front door and waves hello, then walks towards Benny, hand out to shake.

Benny's handshake is as firm as Richard remembers. His smile is brighter, but they're not worn out at a camp anymore. They're men who survived and came home. Who wrote each other the first letter on the same day by accident.

Richard's not one for signs, but he holds that fact close to his heart. That they wrote each other that first letter on the same day, neither of them truly doing it first. The friendship they'd built in the Stalag had simply done the work when it was time.

"Look at you!" Benny says. He grabs Richard's shoulders and squeezes. "You look like you get three meals a day!"

"Sure do," Richard replies. "You're about as skinny as ever."

Benny grins. "My ma's trying her best, but I've always had a hollow leg, you know?" He turns and opens the back door of the car. Meatball jumps out, sniffs, and immediately pees on the driveway.

"Is that approval or disapproval?" Richard asks.

"Think it's just urine," Benny replies.

And it's Richard's turn to grin. Meatball walks over and sniffs his hand, and Richard pets him. "Never actually seen one of these in person before," Richard says to Benny. "Huskies don't do great down here."

Benny wipes his hand across his temple where sweat is beading. "Yeah, I can tell. Chicago gets warm in the summer, but we get the lake breeze."

"Well, come on inside. It's a little cooler."

Benny grabs his suitcase from the trunk, then lets Richard lead the way into the house. Meatball walks next to Benny, snuffling every inch of yard he can.

Benny sighs in relief when he steps into the house. "Oh, yeah, this feels much better."

"Built it to let the heat out in the summers," Richard says.

"Those plans you sent me don't do it justice," Benny replies, looking around in the living room. "But I think I remember where everything's supposed to be. He points to the door at the left. "That's the dining room."

"It is."

He points right, "And that's the hallway with two bedrooms."

"Yes."

"And on the back, you've got the kitchen on the left, and your office on the right, with the bathroom tucked in between."

"Yup."

"Did you paint the bathroom blue like you planned?"

"Find out," Richard says, gesturing that way.

Benny walks that way, and Richard watches him move. He bounces on his toes a little. He didn't do that at the camp. Richard likes it.

He likes a lot of things about Benny.

He sometimes thinks Benny likes a lot of things about him.

But they've only had letters since the camp, and some things a man does not write down without surety.

"It is blue!" Benny calls from the bathroom. Richard listens to him walk towards the kitchen, then turn and walk to the office. "Oh, this turned out real fine," he hollers. "Those bookshelves are beautiful. You hand-carve the curve?"

"Yes, I did," Richard says. He walks into the office himself. Benny's looking at the built-in shelves with a smile, leaning in to read a few book titles. Meatball comes in, sniffs a leather chair, then climbs up and lies down.

"Meat--"

"He's okay," Richard says. "I don't mind dogs on the furniture."

"My sister doesn't let him in her house anymore. He shed all over the baby."

Richard laughs, picturing it. "Bet the baby loved it."

"He was climbing all over him. Meatball was delighted."

"Must have been a little rough for him, going from a whole base full of people giving him love to just you."

Benny's face changes, his smile turning smaller, but not in a bad way. More like he's having a private thought he likes a lot. "It's not so bad," he says. "Sometimes, you just need one person to love you the right way, you know?"

Richard swallows hard, nodding. He thinks about his first few days at the camp, the pain from his broken neck, and the frustration and rage about being a prisoner. Locked in a bunkroom with a bunch of white boys he didn't know and couldn't bring himself to trust.

And then when he'd been struggling to sit up one day, Benny had leaned over from the next bunk and held out his arm. Richard had stared, waiting for him to say something, but Benny had just sat there, arm out. The offer plain as day.

Richard had grabbed his arm and managed to sit up.

"We don't have much for pain around here," Benny had said once Richard had breathed through the spike of agony in his neck. "But I could make a fire, if you wanted. Heat some water. Get something warm on your neck."

Alex and Robert aren't there to help. They'd gone with a few of the other men to learn where to scrounge up supplies. Richard considers his options, then nods.

"Something warm might help," he'd said.

And that had been the start of it. Benny made a fire and warmed up some water and soaked some rags. He'd laid them over Richard's neck and sat next to him, asking him about himself like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Where you from?" Richard had asked.

"Chicago," Benny had replied.

"You know any black people there?"

Benny had thought a moment. "My neighborhood's mostly Italian and Jewish," he'd said. "But I talked a little with a couple of fellas at work."

The answer had felt honest, and Richard had liked it. "Yeah, don't know a lot of white boys myself. Are Italians white in Chicago?"

Benny had laughed. "Mostly, I think," he'd said, and then he'd gotten up to get another cloth out of the water.

Richard looks at Benny, looking at his books in his office. Remembering the layout of the house in a way that tells Richard he's re-read his letters.

Richard's re-read Benny's letters, too.

"You got anyone loving you the right way these days?" Richard asks.

Benny bites the corner of his mouth. "Maybe," he says. He shuffles his feet and takes a step forward. "I, um, I wrote you a letter yesterday. Before I left Chicago."

"What's it say?" Richard asks.

"Nothing much," Benny replies. "But it didn't feel right to miss a week, you know?"

Richard takes a deep breath and a step forward. "I know," he says. "I usually write you on Wednesdays."

"Yeah, I've noticed." Benny leans against the bookshelf and looks up at Richard. His face is different than in the camp, more filled out. He's still skinny, but there's a glow of health to him now. They're doing all right, the both of them, Richard thinks.

"Richard."

"Yeah?"

"You wanna be loved by just one person in particular?"

Richard thinks of Benny making that fire. Warming up those rags. Thinks of Benny telling him terrible jokes and asking him about books and chemistry. Telling Richard about his family and asking about his. Playing cards side-by-side, where they cheated by showing each other their hands. Walking side-by-side during that whole long march, Benny checking every now and again that Richard was doing okay.

And then letters. Letters upon letters. All the devotion and care Benny had shown before shining through in a different way. Richard had read them in disbelief at first. Devotion and care like this, in this world. From a white boy.

"You got anyone in mind?" Richard asks.

Benny takes one more step forward, and Richard dips his head down. Benny touches right where his neck used to hurt the most, and Richard holds his wrist, and the kiss is just a little thing. Brief and a bit dry. But it's a promise. An agreement. A start.

Richard:

Just a quick note this week. I'm about to get Meatball loaded into the car and start driving. With a little luck, I'll beat this letter to Birmingham. Won't beat the telegram I'm sending, though. But it didn't feel right to go a Saturday without a note.

I'm writing this down so I don't chicken out: Ask me if I'm seeing anybody, will you?

Yours,

Benny

#demarcomacon #masters of the air #benny demarco #richard macon #oh look i snuck a letter into a love story from the 40s #how original of me and my work #fic prompt

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hanayori89 · 1 year

Text

No Woman Beyond (Honeymoon Edition)

A/N: If you don't like sex content- this is not your chapter! You have been forewarned.

It was easy to see how one could get lost here.

You had your arms fastened securely around Link's waist, as he directed Epona through the Gerudo Desert. A thin piece of wood acted as a plank connecting you to the main bridge that led to the fortress. Epona maneuvered in a poised fashion over the plank. She began to pick up speed once you crossed over it. Within a few seconds, Link directed her to a halt as you approached the fortress. Upon your arrival you were taken aback by the fortresses' deserted state.

"Link, aren't there supposed to be guards? Or prisoners?" You couldn't help but feel a chill run through you at the vision of the desolate fortress. It also wasn't helping that the sun was setting. The desert can be quite chilly when nighttime approaches. Why would Link choose this as the first stop on your honeymoon tour of Hyrule?

Link dismounted Epona and held his hand up to you. As you took his hand and began to swing your legs around to jump off, Link took you in his arms, catching you instead. His body was the perfect shield against the dropping temperature. He held you for a moment without saying anything, until he unwillingly pulled away. "Thank you... for saying yes. I know that you may see that as silly. All I can think about is all the things that could have scared you away. Now you're here with me and-" a hint of red began to poke through his cheeks, "I want to show you my gratitude."

You couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. The fiery Link from the contest inconspicuously buried beneath awkward Link, who stood before you unsure. You wrapped your arms around his neck in a reassuring gesture. You saw his insecurities poking through much like your own had. You wanted to do anything you could to quell them. They didn't deserve a place in the bed you'd be sharing from now on. "Link, we were friends before we were lovers. There isn't a single thought in that reserved head of yours that could ever have scare me away from you. Although... " You began to dart your eyes around frantically. "Just reassure me there are no prisoners waiting inside to get me."

"There will be only one prisoner inside." His ambiguous statement was marked by a lusty drop of his voice. This was the hero you were waiting for. The one that practically ravaged your neck in front of all of Hyrule without a second thought.

"What did you do?"

He grabbed your hand, ushering you along inside the fortress. "Let's just say that Nabooru felt indebted to me because of my help with the Spirit Temple. While there wasn't a single thing I wanted in return, I did run this idea by her. She was more than accommodating. All of the prisoners and guards have been evacuated. They will be staying at the Spirit Temple until tomorrow."

You entered the western part of the fortress, where Link and you entered a tower. You knew this tower from his story of when he was captured by the Gerudo guards. Of course, you never understood why they wouldn't have barred the windows. Or stripped him of his stuff. Nevertheless, Link escaped and actually earned appraisal from the Gerudos for his remarkable craft.

You could make out the faint outline of the setting sun beyond the window. The marble interior of the fortress amplified the chill in the desert air. Link noticed, wrapping you into his arms. "I brought blankets. Although, I have a few activities that will keep us both warm." He whispered into your neck. His voice cut off by the sound of his panting breath. You felt the warmth that radiated from his body leave your side, his breathy whispers becoming further away.

"Y/N."

You turned around only to see Link swiftly draw his sword from his back. Your breath hitched as the cool blade rested on your clavicle. In one hurried motion, he cut the straps of your dress.

"Link!"

The animalistic gaze from when you spoon fed him in the contest returned. Warmth and excitement surged through you, erasing how frigid you felt moments ago. You stood astounded at how quick Link could flip his character. A thrill shot through you then. Even though he was Link, your best friend; he was also the freaking Hero of Time. You watched with surreptitious longing as he returned from each temple, more masculine than the last. The journey he undertook truly had evolved him into a man. There was a dirty little secret you held close to your chest. You hadn't actually wanted Link to teach you how to shoot. You simply wanted to feel his body next to yours. You wanted to feel the body you dreamt of lying next to each night. The body that made you squirm in your sheets with desire. Now you were about to bare yourself in the rawest way possible for him to devour.

"Undress." Link's voice was sharper than the blade he held at you.

The impish side of you came out. You ignored the throbbing that began in between your legs. "And if I don't?"

"Who's holding the sword here?"

You glanced downward, letting your eyes settle on the now clearly visible erection beneath his tunic. Then it all became clear. You knew exactly what Link's angle was and goddesses did you enjoy it. You continued to let your eyes linger upon his powerful hard on. Despite his confident demeanor, Link couldn't fool you as his cheeks began to redden. You decided to play along.

"I suppose you do."

You took the bunched fabric you held up over your breasts, gracefully letting it slide down. The fabric lay loosely, a divine halo emphasizing your hips. Link sucked his breath in, not completely sure you weren't a mirage. "So much better in person." Link whispered.

The response caught you off guard. "What is that supposed to mean?"

The error of Link's words caught up to him. "I-I what I meant to say was-" Link knew he would have to tell the truth. He scratched the back of his neck in a nervous tick you recognized from his youth. "Remember when I showed you the lens of truth?" His voice seemed to dip at the word 'truth.'

"Yes..." You arched your eyebrow upward not liking where this was going.

"I may have inadvertently... seen underneath your clothing with it."

You stomped your foot in response. "Inadvertently? You've already seen me naked?" Link fluttered his baby blues at you, a waggish grin forming beneath them. "I needed something to think about when I was alone. You know-"

"That's why you were awkward with me!" You realized you couldn't even blame him. You'd have done the same if the lens of truth was in your possession. "Well, it seems we'll have to get even then. Won't we Mr. Hero?"

You let your hands fall to your breasts. You massaged their voluptuous tissue before you stopped at your nipples, letting your thumbs graze across them. They hardened in front of Link. You didn't fight against the moan that slid from your throat. You moved your hands downward to the dress that lay on your hips. "Drop your sword and I'll drop the rest of my gown."

Link did as he was told, the stoic hero now officially buried. His eyes shamelessly roamed every curve of your body. You slid your gown down, standing in your f/c panties. The scraps of setting sun in the dungeon flirted with the now nude image of your body. You weren't sure if it was the desert air or the fact you now belonged to Link, but you felt intoxicated.

"You look like a goddess." Link whispered as his eyes met your face in disbelief. "I've waited so long. I must have you." He took a few steps toward you only to be greeted by your hand blocking his way. You grabbed both his hands, meshing your body against his. You kissed him with unbridled vigor. Licking, sucking and teasing him until you felt his back hit the marble wall. You had him where you wanted him. You pulled away, only to yank his head back, running a trail of your saliva down his throat. His hat fell, revealing his tousled ponytail underneath.

"Enough playing around!" He hissed in a throaty tone. Before he could overpower you and pull you back into him; you picked up the sword he dropped.

"Now who's holding the sword?"

Link couldn't help but give you an amused smile. "Clever. I'd expect nothing less from my wife."

"I bet you wouldn't expect this either." You decided to take delight in torturing him. You both waited years, what would a few more minutes matter. You took the tip of the sword's hilt, caressing it with a flick of your tongue.

"Wh-what are you-" Link fell to his knees. You kept ravaging the hilt with your tongue. Little strings of saliva dribbled down it, glimmering beneath the desert dusk. You peered at Link, meeting his gaze before you took the hilt fully into your mouth. You began to bob your head up and down slowly, refusing to break eye contact. Link began to writhe his body in discomfort. He adjusted his erection, letting out a small whimper as he attempted to fix it.

You continued your erotic fellatio session only to become distracted by Link's increased fidgeting. "Y/N, I'm hurting. Please." You pulled your mouth off the hilt giving it a small, wet kiss on the tip. You dropped the sword and stood above Link. You took your hand, cupping his chin and forcing his face upward. "Did I just hear the hero surrender?"

Link buried his face into your stomach, kissing and biting the flesh on your lower abdomen. He mumbled into your skin," You just heard the hero trick you." He grabbed both of your wrists as you fought against his grip. He leapt up, grabbing your lips between his thin, hardened ones. You became lost to the rhythm of his tongue working itself in and out of your mouth. Suddenly, an itchy band cuffed your wrists. He had tricked you, indeed. Your wrists were now bound together by a rope that he single-handedly tied about them.

"When I'm through with you, you'll be the one begging." He warned into your ear. "Get on your knees." The brash demands resumed where they had left off. You did as you were told. You felt wetness accumulate in your panties. You needed some type of friction. Some type of relief.

Link grabbed a blanket, setting it beneath you. He rolled it up into a pillow. "Lie down." He helped adjust your body to the blanket, resting your head on the pillow he created. He laid on top of you, besides his hat, he was still fully clothed. His lips swallowed yours in a few sweet maneuvers. Then he kissed your forehead, looking into your eyes. You could feel his cock through his pants as the weight of his body pinned you down. You gently rocked your hips against him, grateful for the liberation of pleasure. Until Link pulled his body off you. "Ah, ah, ah. Not yet, greedy girl."

He submerged you with kisses from your lips, down your neck until he hit your breasts. The fabric of the chafed gauntlet still on his hands as he rubbed your breasts until they felt swollen. Goddesses, how you wanted to fill the fortress with your moans. As if by telepathy, Link got into your ear, "I purposely had this place evacuated. There isn't a soul here but us. There's no reason for you to hold back." Then with a gentle nibble of your earlobe, he resumed kneading your breasts. Your nipples stood pert; Link's lips continued to roam any bare piece of your flesh he could discover. Until finally he swooped in, allowing himself a deliberate suckle of your nipple.

"Oh!" You couldn't help but flounder beneath him in ecstasy. His eyes met yours and he released his grip on your nipple. "I've discovered a weakness." He gave you a slick grin before he continued pillaging your nipples with his lips.

"Link! I-" You helplessly pressed your legs together. Anything to relieve the aching in between them. He was flagrant with the loud suckling noises that he made. He took momentary lulls where he would just moan into your skin and stare at you adoringly. Between the pressure you created by rubbing your legs together, the barrage of nibbling on your breasts; you felt a wave of immense pleasure seize you.

"LINK!" He ignored your cries. He mashed your breasts together while gazing at you beneath his lashes. "Mmmm," he took turns doting on each nipple with his tongue. That was the move that really sent you over the edge.

"OH! GODESSES!" You began to lurch forward from the orgasm that rocked throughout your body.

Link stopped his erotic task, leveling himself eye to eye with you. "Did you just come?

Your head hung over the rolled-up blanket. Your hair surrounded you in a pool of h/c. Your eyes were closed as you continued to regain composure. Your chest continued to balloon in and out from the immense panting you were doing.

"Did I give you permission to come?" Link pulled himself up to your shoulder, clasping some of your flesh between his teeth. The sudden impact of his teeth made you gasp with delight.

"First, you make me wait at my own competition. Then, you decide you'll just come without me. Is that anyway to treat your husband who saved Hyrule?"

The mock pity party made you giggle. You realized he was waiting for you to taunt him some more. You secretly loved the fact that even during sex you both had such a strong bond you could joke around. It helped ease your apprehension.

"The type of hero I need is one who will alleviate all my arousals."

"Ah, I see." Link knotted your hair in between his fingers as he massaged your scalp. He gave your hair a slight tug, pulling your head back. The delicate skin of your neck on display as he circled his nose into the crook of it and began to murmur. "So, the type of hero your body needs... would he do something like this?"

You felt his fingers rub the outside of your panties. Even though you just came, you couldn't resist the whines that escaped. "Link... mmm" You gyrated your hips to meet the pace of his fingers. He lowered his face in between your legs, letting ragged little breaths tickle your clit. You knew what was coming next. You knew you had no chance of winning this round either.

Link took his teeth, pulling at your panties and smoothly tugged them down. Once he had them around your knees, he grew impatient. He snatched them off with his hands, leaving your legs open and on display.

"Goddesses, I've imagined this for the longest time." He began to strum your clit like he was playing an instrument. The noises you made eluded you. He pumped his fingers in and out of you, the sound of your wetness filled the uninhabited fortress.

You ruffled his hair in between your fingers. You tried to gently direct his tongue to soak up some of your juice, but he just continued to watch you writhe beneath his fingers. "Do you want to come again?" Link asked as he continued to diligently play with you.

You didn't respond. You simply moaned, raising your hips up into the air to meet his fingers and go deeper inside of you. "If you guess the song I play, then I will reward you. Heavily."

You lied still, utterly confused by what he meant. Was he really going to just stop fingering you and play his ocarina? Then the warmth of his tongue slid itself up and down your pussy. You howled at the contact you so patiently were waiting for. You noticed he seemed to flick his tongue in directions. It dawned on you then, he was etching musical notes inside of you with his tongue. His tongue pressed into you, then it stroked your clit downwards, then upwards.

He continued this torturous stride. Meanwhile, all you could think about was sweet release.

In, down, up. In, down, up.

"The song of storms." You murmured as you pulled another tuft of his hair with your hand.

He pulled away, an appreciative glare in his eyes. He gave you a slight nod of affirmation. "So, you have been paying attention. Do you know why I chose that song?" You had a feeling this was going to be corny.

He got up, finally removing his tunic. He took each gauntlet off, letting them hit the floor. He continued to take off the remaining articles of clothing. You watched him, transfixed on the scars scattered around his body. You forgot he had asked you a question.

"I'm not sure I want to know." He stood in his boxers, before he gently slid them off. There were no longer any secrets between you. The image of his cock ruptured every single fantasy you've ever had about it. You felt your lower abdomen cramp in response to it. Then you decided you shouldn't be surprised. He was Hylia's chosen hero. And chosen he so apparently was. He held his hand out to you, lifting you off of the cold, dungeon floor.

Your wrists still tied together; he guided you to one of the walls. Retaining his chivalry, he moved your hair away from your neck. He gently pushed your body against the wall. Your nipples hardened as they felt the frigid marble against them. You could feel him rub your ass with his hands. He leaned in close, his hot breath warm against your ear. "I chose that song because I'm so proud I can harness the power to make you that wet." You knew he was going to say something corny.

He gave your ass a swift smack, taking your breath away. "OH! What was that for?"

"I'm still pissed you made me wait so long in the competition." You felt him caress the spot he spanked with his cock. You could feel warm, pre-cum ooze on your skin.

"Y/N." He sweetly kissed the side of your neck. "It's my turn to come." He thrusted himself into you from behind, catching you off guard. There was no build up. Each thrust was forceful and calculated. Whereas you were demure with your moans, Link had no indignity. He fluctuated from expletives one minute to loving mantras the next.

"I want to penetrate you!" He blurted out. You thought of Zelda and the comment about producing an heir. You were certain with the speed and voracity in which he was fucking you, an heir was imminent.

The sound of your flesh continued clapping together over the silent sand dunes that surrounded you. You couldn't hold out for much longer. He slowed his pace, only to release a hard smack on your ass again. Your skin slightly raw from the abrasion.

"I'm not Epona. Although, I'd say you ride her a lot better than me."

You knew the challenge was enough to send him over the edge. He gruffly grabbed your hair and pulled your head back, fucking you savagely. You didn't know another Hylian could possess such wicked strength. He licked the side of your throat, murmuring inaudible phrases into your flesh as he bit it.

You arched your back slightly more so that his cock would slide and hit your pussy. Both of you exploded in a moan as the orgasm began to peak through both of your bodies like a flicker of sunlight in the dark cell.

"OH, Link. I'm, I-" With a hollow grunt you felt semen began to seep inside of you. He continued to thrust until every little drop was expelled from him. Your knees began to buckle from orgasm, and you felt yourself begin to drop down. Link grabbed you, pulling you up into his arms and cradling your head into his chest. He rained kisses on the top of your head as he rocked you in his arms.

"There isn't a woman in Hyrule or beyond that could satiate me like you do." He whispered above you. "So, now you've seen who the Hero of Time really is. I don't know what came over me. Just ever since I saw you at the competition I-"

"Link. It's okay. We both felt the same thing. For a long time, I might add." You traced one of his scars with your finger. The thought creeping back in that you just had sex, in the Gerudo fortress, with the Hero of Time. "You're definitely the hero my body needs."

You looked up at him and he smiled warmly down at you. "Let's get you warm." He whispered into your lips as he dove in for one more kiss.

You both settled into each other's arms. Sleep began to force your eyes closed. That is until Link interrupted," I can't wait until you see what I have planned in Lake Hylia."

Your eyes shot open as you looked at Link. "What do you have planned?" The only answer he gave you was the sound of him snoring.

You guessed you wouldn't find out what delicious torture lie ahead until you got to Lake Hylia.

Wattpad with other fanfics listed below 👇🏻

#legend of zelda #link #loz #link x reader #ocarina of time #romance #fanfiction #smutty #smutwarning #wattpad #zelda ocarina of time #loz oot #oot link #zelda oot

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zutaras-where-its-at · 6 months

Note

One word prompt: Delicate

aang….won’t take it well.

she already knows this, but somehow, the walk to her best friend’s room still feels like a walk to her own execution.

the western air temple is large, vacant, and terribly difficult to find if you aren’t sure what you’re looking for. so it’s perfect for their annual gaang reunions. normally, katara enjoys the temple’s serene atmosphere and peaceful ambiance, but now? she just wishes it wasn’t so damn quiet.

aang’s door is already cracked open like an ominous invitation. she does him the courtesy of knocking anyways.

“come in.”

he’s sitting at his desk penning some official avatar document or other.

“homework?” she teases lightly to mask her unease.

“oh you know, just a bunch of old guys asking for my advice. same as usual.” he scribbles one last line, then sets the brush down and turns to give her his full attention.

those wide grey eyes always seem to strike a familiar, tender chord in her, and she swallows thickly around her guilt. it’s the same guilt she felt when she’d broken up with him all those years ago. for a moment, she contemplates faking a laugh and chickening out, but remembers how he’d appreciated her honesty before (no matter how painful) and opts to rip the bandaid off as gently as she can.

“i wanted to talk to you about something,” she says. “something serious.”

he blinks, nods, and slides off his chair to sit cross legged on the floor. she sits across from him and takes a deep breath.

“it’s…look,” she struggles to find the right words, despite having thought this through a million times already. she tries again, “first, i want you to know that i love you, very much. the last thing i want to do is hurt you, or make you feel uncomfortable.”

aang just nods again, ever-patient. “i appreciate that.”

katara wrings her hands subconsciously, feeling sick to her stomach, but she forces herself to look him in the eye. “i’ll understand if you’re upset or if you need some space. but this is really important to me, and i don’t want it to come from anyone else.”

“okay.”

“okay…”

his cherubim face has filled out since their childhood days—cheekbones angled and jaw covered in light stubble. she doesn’t think she can do this. she doesn’t think he can handle—

“is this about you and zuko?”

katara nearly chokes, teeth accidentally biting into her cheek hard enough to bleed. “huh?”

aang only scratches the back of his head in a gesture so boyish she could swear she sees a glimpse of his past self. “well, you know. you and zuko. dating.”

she splutters. “how—who told you?”

he gives her a dry look and sighs. “i’m not blind, katara. uh, no offense to toph…”

she can’t stop staring at him. surely, he wouldn’t be so calm about this? surely, this is a surprise? shit, her relationship with zuko was a surprise to her.

eventually, she chooses not to look the gift horse too close in the mouth. “when did you find out?”

aang hums, “i suspected something was going on last winter solstice when you both spent the whole dinner arguing about where sokka and suki should get married. but toph told me she was pretty sure it was nothing.”

“since all the way back then?!”

“yeah, well…” he gives her a sheepish grin, “we dated for three years, katara. you think i don’t know what you look like when you’re flirting?”

katara feels her cheeks heat up, though his loose shoulders and amused tone immediately soothe the worst of her worries.

aang’s a terrible liar. always has been. she would know if he was uncomfortable.

she still asks, though, because she would hate for anything to be broken between them due to her own cowardice.

“i’m alright. really, katara,” is what he answers. then, “is this why you’ve been so jittery since we all got here?”

“well, yeah,” she says defensively. “it’s not exactly an easy thing to bring up with your ex.”

“did you think i would break?”

she studies him carefully, then admits, “i don’t know.”

aang just laughs, and the sound is as free as he’s always been. a part of her finally relaxes, eased by his wide smile and twinkling eyes. “don’t worry so much about me. i love you and zuko both. and even if your happiness doesn’t include me, that’s okay. i just want you to follow what feels right. that’s all i’ve ever wanted.”

her nose stings with emotion and she gives him her best, watery smile. “oh, aang, my happiness will always include you. why do you think i wanted to be the one to tell you about it?”

he just stands and holds his arms out wide. she clambers to her feet and folds into his hug, head now fitting neatly under his chin thanks to the seven extra inches he sprouted after the war.

when he lets her go, his eyes shine with his own tears. “not that you ever actually needed it…but you have my blessing.”

#this got so long lol #idk i just really like the idea that they’d all still be close friends #even if katara and aang didn’t work out #or if zuko and katara actually got together #i like to think their friendships are strong enough to weather something like that #katara #aang #zuko #zutara #my zutara stuff #fanfic

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comradekatara · 1 year

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how often does the gaang and co ummm um AAH I CANT THINK AF ANYTHIG Top eight silly gaang facts part 1 ?

okay I guess this calls for some of my most firmly-held yet largely inconsequential “headcanons” as the kids say (usually not a fan of that word bc it is far too broad and therefore useless, but I do think it applies in this case) [mario voice] lets a go!

aang is a really big fan of lychees, they are his favorite fruit, but since they were primarily grown at the air temples, there is a distinct shortage of lychees in this strange new world. after the war, aang makes sure to repopularize lychees, and he even gets a few lychee desserts and lychee flavored drinks named after him.

after the war ends, sokka finally gets the opportunity to practice his art in earnest. his combination of dedication, adaptability, and innate talent at anything he sets his mind to leads him to vastly improve at a brisk pace. the drawing we see of the gaang at the beginning of lok was actually done by sokka only a couple years later.

aang and suki have had a very intense prank war going since suki first arrived at the western air temple. unlike sokka, who never appreciated aang’s pranks, suki gets pranked by aang and immediately plots revenge. in fact her pranks are so good it causes aang to reevaluate and forces him to step up his prank game. on ember island they are pranking the other at least five times a day, but it seems to die down once the war ends. that said, the pranks themselves escalate from harmless goofs to elaborate schemes. at one point suki is nearly sent to supermax (again) for “endangering the life of the avatar,” but aang vouches for her before it can get to that, because he doesn’t wanna look like a pussy by admitting that suki’s prank could’ve killed him.

one of zuko’s primary coping mechanisms as firelord is adopting all the stray cats who wander onto the premises in search of food. he lets them all roam freely around the palaces, and names every one (which is kind of awkward bc he is so much better at remembering these cats’ names than literally any human he’s ever met, least of all the important political figures he ought to know). there’s one cat in particular, an extremely fluffy white cat with bright blue eyes, who is just his favorite. he doesn’t understand what makes her so special until katara arrives at the palace with aang on one of the rare occasions that she actually agrees to set foot in the fire nation, and the moment she meets this cat she’s like “zuko i think this is my soulmate.” they have no choice but to take this cat back to the south pole, where she lives a blessed life as katara’s cherished and beloved catara.

sokka is king kuei’s most trusted advisor, but sokka really hates king kuei, so as a bribe/incentive for keeping him in ba sing se kuei lets sokka spend most of his time there doing research at ba sing se university. he teaches the obligatory engineering course because it would be a waste not to while they have him there, but it’s clear he mostly cares about physics, and his intense and esoteric physics research alienates 99.99% of the student (and faculty) body. nonetheless, he thinks anyone who doesn’t understand what he’s talking about despite the fact that this category encompasses “most people” is an idiot, and he calls them idiots to their face. the handful of students who can actually follow what he’s talking about and put in the work are deemed “normal” and he asks them to help him with his research. these select few go to bat for sokka whenever someone complains about him. they’re like “he actually makes a lot of sense you just need to try to understand him” and everyone else is like “he told me to drop out and go back to preschool” and they’re like “well you should listen to him then.”

toph goes to see her parents after the war ends, assuming they’ll finally have to accept her now that she’s a certified war hero and the undisputed greatest earth bender in the world. instead they just criticize her and demean her and make her cry, so she’s like “fuck this” and chops her hair off to her chin. she goes back to the fire nation and appoints herself senior advisor and emotional support to the firelord (because he needs it). not only are her lie detecting and bodyguarding skills (as well as just her general savvy when it comes to navigating the court) instrumental in keeping zuko safe those first few years, but she’s also instrumental in azula’s recovery process, taking her on weekly long walks outdoors, sometimes spent in silence, but progressively not, which prove extremely therapeutic not only for azula, but for toph as well.

the first year ty lee spends on kyoshi island, suki goes from not quite trusting her (despite begrudgingly accepting that she’s hot), to enjoying her friendship (despite her overwhelming hotness), to being forced to accept that ty lee might actually have the teensiest upper hand in combat (which is ANNOYING and definitely not sexy!!!), to being forced to accept that she does have an honest to goodness crush on ty lee, to deciding that it’s only embarrassing if she doesn’t actually do something about it. sokka’s just laughing his ass off like “do you hook up with every new kyoshi warrior you recruit from off the island or do you make a point to only recruit the hot ones so you can hook up with them” and suki’s just like “oh my god SHUT UP!!!!!!”

mai takes advantage of zuko’s new initiative to promote the arts across the fire nation by going to the open mic nights in the city and honing her craft of stand up comedy. sokka is her number one fan (in general and when it comes to her art), but whenever mai’s like “sokka you’re funny you should try a set” sokka’s just like “thanks but i have self-respect. i mean, not much, but enough to know better than that. uh............. I mean.......... YOU’RE amazing though.”

suki hears about the cactus juice incident from katara who is attempting to shittalk her brother but suki only hears “best drug in the world ripe for the picking in the si wong desert” and makes aang take her there on appa so she can harvest as many cacti as possible for her lucrative new business model. katara fears she may have created a monster.

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innocentimouto · 1 year

Note

What do you think of the narrative's and the fandom's tendency to equate the Fire Nation characters' trauma to that of the victims of war, the way they do?

Both Zuko and Song have scars from the Fire Nation. Both Zuko and Katara lost their mothers to the Fire Nation. Stuff like that.

Both Zuko and Song have scars, but Zuko's is made more important to us. Both Zuko and Katara lost their moms, but people only complain about Katara trauma dumping.

Others have said this, but Western media tends to sympathize a lot with colonizers. I can't recall, but I have a vague understanding that I've seen some cartoons with people displaced from their homes trying to get it back and being painted as evil and crazy.

It's uncomfortable to acknowledge that everyone was once good, and every horrible person has the capacity to turn good and feel regret. And that's a strong message.

But media usually messes it up by portraying the villains as more sympathetic as the heroes or victims. It's good the Fire Nation aren't written as born evil and that evil runs through their blood---

Well except for that one scene.

So we get funny Fire Nation soldiers, and Zuko and Iroh get an absurd amount of funny moments, especially in Book 1, we meet Fire Nation kids, we get a whole episode to humanize the four Fire Nation teens, we get a lot of Iroh favoritism, the only female soldiers, we get the underdog Zuko from episode 3 and all his writing that came with that. We get an episode dedicated to explaining how firebending is life. We get Roku as a mentor figure. We get an episode humanizing the one who started the war. We get an amazingly complex villain, Azula. We get a strong girl trio with a different skill set.

These are the villains.

What do the other nations get?

Water Tribe.

Well they're sexist. Both the North and South apparently. This is only stated for them and no other nation. The season dedicated to them is barely even spent with the Water Tribe so that's nice. We get some cute kids at the beginning I guess.

We get sexist Pakku. There's Yue who is sweet. We get Hahn. Aang fights all by himself the first day of the siege because apparently after one boat, none of the benders are up for anything else. Also we see nonbenders but when the moon goes, they are nowhere to be seen.

The Northern Water Tribe never shows up again, despite I don't know, LOSING their princess to the Fire Nation and who knows how many others.

We also get Hama and her missed opportunity. And bloodbending which is only considered evil.

That's it. Roku's Water Tribe teacher doesn't get a name and isn't portrayed with much respect or attention like his other teachers. Aang has friends from everywhere except the Water Tribes. He's not even confused about the state of Katara's home, which was different as early back as Hama's time. And his temple is the closest!

Hakoda, Katara, Sokka, and Yue are great, but their nation could have used more attention from the writers.

Earth Kingdom.

We get Bumi who was funny to me as a child and still is, but he's kind of messed up and not a great leader. We get Toph's parents, an extreme general, Jet's portrayal, Ba Sing Se, the Dai Li, the bully soldiers for Zuko to look down at when he still hasn't changed, etc.

We get a lot of culture from the Earth Kingdom and a lot of kind or funny characters. This nation isn't so bad, except Toph, Jet, Haru, and Teo are all underdeveloped.

There are quite a few villains from here though and the only strong depictions of loss to war are Haru and Jet, and it's lacking for obvious reasons.

Air Nomads.

The way Aang leaves the Southern Air Temple with Katara and Sokka is how I wish the genocide was treated the rest of the show. It's barely mentioned after though. Aang is unrelatable to so many people who watch the show, and it doesn't help he never has episodes of crying over his friends or missing them.

The Mechanic destroying a temple is portrayed as good.

Their culture is brought up really only at the end of the series and we're supposed to believe Aang and the others haven't been killing soldiers all this time?

Aang not killing Ozai is great politically and morally, but he has killed before and it's not unreasonable to believe the Air Nomads allow killing if out of self-defense.

This whole thing has generated a lot of hate for Aang as a result of how little we were able to connect to his trauma and culture.

Aang being childish and wanting to have fun isn't him being immature or being unable to understand the trauma the other characters have endured. It's part of keeping his culture alive to bring joy and fun to others, and he did that naturally from episode 1.

(I think it's amazing thematically that Aang didn't kill Ozai, but we should have gotten an acknowledgement that all the kids have technically killed and Aang was just uncomfortable to end the war with death as it would be against his culture or to do it in cold blood. Something like that.)

#Aang #Water Tribe #atla critical #Aang defense

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kyra-writes-too-much · 1 year

Text

Boiling Rage - Part 1

thanks for the request!!!!

@tobitofunction

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

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

word count 1.1k

~ ~ ~

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

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

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

“We’ll take my war balloon.”

What?

Zuko and Sokka are leaving?

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

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

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

“Okay, here it- AHH! Y/N!?”

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

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

you doing here?”

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

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

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

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

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

~ ~ ~

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

“Yeah,” Zuko responds. “Fluffy.”

Sokka starts whistling a tune.

“What?” Zuko asks, aggravated.

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

“No kidding.”

“Yep. A balloon, but for war.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“It wasn’t that hard,” Zuko admits.

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

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

“Is that why you broke up with…”

“Mai? Yeah.”

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

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

“How’d you meet her, anyway?”

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

“Yeah.”

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

“My first girlfriend turned into the moon.”

“That’s rough, buddy.”

~ ~ ~

“There it is!”

You sit up groggily, and Sokka jumps up excitedly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I don’t know, crash landing?”

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

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

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

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

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

~ ~ ~

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

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

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

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

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

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

~ ~ ~

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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dragomer · 2 months

Note

It’s me again with another Firecest/Watercest Au for ya. I’m glad you liked the other one. I thought I was alone in liking both Zucest and Kacest. And not just one or the other!

The Au goes like this:

Ozai informs Azula that she is set to marry the son of a council administrator (the same boy whose house she burned down on Ember island).

Azula is understandably pissed off and her loyalty to her father begins to shake. Irrevocably so.

Now after Zuko confronts Ozai, he is cornered by imperial guards. Zuko is outnumbered and has resigned himself to go out fighting. Until… he is saved by a blast of blue flame.

Azula takes Zuko’s hand and together the two of them flee the palace, via the air balloon. They pair head to the Western Air temple. Where their alliance with the Gaang is tentatively accepted.

Do you remember that scene where Zuko stumbled on Sokka and Suki doing “the nasty” in canon? In this Au, Zuko stumbles on Sokka and his true love Katara making out.

The water couple try to assure Zuko that they were just practicing “sibling bonding” in order to raise cohesiveness on the battlefield between them. And that they were definitely not in a secret relationship!

Both Katara and Sokka are terrible at lying, so a flabbergasted Zuko decided to walk away. Leaving the Water duo to their activities in Sokka’s tent. Shrugging, Katara and Sokka decide to continue their “sibling bonding”. The night was still young after all.

Zuko goes to his tent and finds Azula there, reading a scroll by the blue glow of her bending. He took about to observe her, which was a mistake because Zuko was (to his shame) temporarily blinded by her beauty and became tounge tied. Thinking about Katara and Sokka’s “sibling bonding” doesn’t exactly help matters”.

He tells her about Sokka and Katara’s “sibling bonding”. Zuko doesn’t see how it could possibly improve their battle readiness. Azula however, immediately understood just what exactly was going on. She was unsurprised that Katara and Sokka finally gave into their feelings for each other. The teasing and hidden meanings behind the water siblings every interaction told her thus. Azula felt a kind camaraderie with the water siblings. They after all have similar feelings for eachother, that Azula had and has for Zuko.

Azula was also pleased with the opening that Katara and Sokka… activities gave her. She suggested to Zuko that the two them should engage in their own fire “sibling bonding”. In the interest of expanding their own Fire sibling battle cohesiveness of course. Azula also refused to be outdone by Katara. If she could act on her long simmering feelings for Sokka. Than Azula could do the same with Zuko.

Zuko was shocked (and not a little intrigued) by Azula’s proposition. He still didn’t see how making out with Azula would improve their battle effectiveness.

They two started kissing. Chaste at first and then gradually more heated. Till Zuko abruptly stopped and asked Azula point plank if this was what she wanted.

Azula then admits her feelings for Zuko. No lies and no holds barred. She waits anxiously for Zuko response and looks anywhere but at him, Zuko instead coups her face, looks deep into her amber eyes (the same as his own) and kisses her.

Zuko then confesses his feelings to Azula and says that if she isn’t scared about how taboo their feelings are, and how the world will react, then he isn’t scared either.

The moans of the Fire siblings and the Water siblings continued long into the night.

Neither incestuous couple expected Toph’s rather merciless teasing in the morning. But her seismic sense told everything that happened last night.

Everything.

Oh, nice idea! Another possibility could be that Azula is the one who has no clue what 'sibling bonding' really was.

You should really write your ideas and post them!

Thanks for the ask ^^

#atla #avatar the last airbender #azula #zuko #zucest #thanks for the ask ^^#katara #sokka #watercest

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orangepanic · 4 months

Text

Mistletoe

This was supposed to be a short drabble. Oh well.

“Flying lemur got your tongue?”

Iroh startled out of his pleasant daydream to see Pema beside him. Like most of the guests at the party she had a drink in her hand, though he suspected with Rohan it was only sparkling lychee juice. All around them the sounds of the acolytes’ singing swirled softly like a lover’s caress. It was really quite pretty. Iroh had hardly heard any of it, lost as he was in his own thoughts of someone even prettier.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” he said.

“I mean that you haven’t said two words to anybody in the last hour,” said Pema. She gave him a warm and slightly teasing smile. “At least out loud.”

“Is there another kind?”

Pema cast a glance across the room to where a lone figure stood examining some of Tenzin’s artwork. “She could use a friend, you know,” she said. “It’s been a hard year for everybody, but I think maybe for her most of all.”

“Who?” Iroh feigned.

Pema rolled her eyes. “I might be younger than my husband but I wasn’t born yesterday.”

“You fooled me.”

Pema swatted his arm lightly. “You’re flattering the wrong woman, Iroh.” Then she tipped her chin back across the room. “Go on,” she said softly. “I think you might be surprised.”

Iroh swallowed the rest of his courage in one long gulp, set the glass down, then wove his way through the revelers towards his target. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Avatar Korra chatting animatedly with Jinora. Mako stood beside her, tall and lanky, his arm wrapped casually around Korra’s waist. Iroh didn’t understand it. He had the utmost respect for Avatar Korra, of course; she was the hero of Republic City, and he was forced to admit that her instincts to face Amon had been correct. Not to mention the fact that she’d saved his own life. But to set aside another for her… when Mako had had… well, it was frankly baffling.

Iroh felt a wiggle of flutterbats in the pit of his stomach as he slowed to a stop beside the large silkscreen of the Western Air Temple.

“Do you like art, then?” he asked. It was a terrible opening line and he knew it.

“Oh, hello, General,” said Asami. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

“Iroh, please. And I only just arrived. It’s a nice landscape.”

“It is,” Asami said. “I’m no art critic though. But I’m considering traveling for a while and the air temples piqued my interest. There’s so much history there.” She pressed her red lips together. “So much loss. And yet look at us. Tenzin said that the songs tonight are all traditional Air Nomad holiday chants recently recovered from temple scrolls hidden before the attacks. They haven’t been sung at Solstice for more than a hundred and fifty years.”

“Incredible,” said Iroh. He hesitated, hopeful. “So you’re interested in history?”

Asami smiled, for the first time meeting his eyes. “Is this a test, Iroh?”

“No, not at all. I was only curious.”

“About history?”

“About you,” he said. He was rewarded with a faint pink blush on her cheeks. His pulse quickened. “I find you interesting,” he added. “If that’s alright for me to admit.”

“Of course, you must not know that many non-benders,” said Asami.

Iroh blinked. “What?”

“Oh, I just assumed…”

“Half my family are non-benders,” said Iroh. “Not to mention Commander Bumi and my chief of staff and a third of the United Forces. Why would you think bending had anything to do with it?”

Asami’s blush deepened. “I’m sorry,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m afraid I’m not very good company tonight.” And with that she turned and headed for the door. Iroh watched with a mixture of hurt and puzzlement as it swung shut behind her. But when he looked back across the room at Pema she made a little shooing motion with her hand. Follow her.

Iroh squared his shoulders and followed Asami out into the night. She hadn’t gone far. Spirits, she hadn’t even taken her coat. He could see her walking quickly down the path up ahead with her arms wrapped around her. Iroh jogged up behind. His boots clacked against the frozen stone.

“Miss Sato, wait,” he called. “Please.” He swiftly unbuttoned his uniform jacket as Asami slowed. “At least take this while I fetch your coat. You’ll freeze on the ferry.”

Asami turned to face him. She looked so pale in only the moonlight. “You don’t have to do that,” she said, gesturing to his jacket. “I’ll go back and get it. I only forgot.”

“Nonsense,” said Iroh. “Yours is the fluffy purple one, yes?”

“Yes. But—”

Iroh wrapped his jacket around Asami’s shoulders like a cape and turned on his heels. “I’ll be right back.” Before she could argue further he jogged back towards the warmth and light of the main house. The coats were piled in an adjoining room. It didn’t take him long to find the long lavender one he’d seen Asami come in with. He was back out the door as fast as his feet could carry him.

Asami herself stood just where he’d left her. She was by no means short for a woman, but standing alone in the courtyard wrapped in Iroh’s oversized red jacket she somehow seemed small all the same. It made him want to fold her into his arms against the night. Instead Iroh slowed and held out her coat.

“You really didn’t have to do that,” Asami said, taking it. Iroh caught his own jacket by the sleeve and slipped it back over his shoulders.

“Too late,” he said.

She laughed a little at that. “You really are as much of a gentleman as you look, aren’t you?”

It was Iroh’s turn to blush at that. His whole body felt hot. “Unsubstantiated,” he said, focusing down on his buttons. “You looked cold. Anyone would have.”

“I like that you think that.”

Iroh squashed down the wriggling nerves in his stomach and took a quick breath. “If you’re leaving, may I walk you to the ferry?” he asked. With that he pushed a little fire into his right hand. “I have a light. It’s a lot of stairs.”

Asami gave him a bemused smile. “I can handle myself, you know?”

“I do,” said Iroh. “You’re one of the most capable people I’ve ever met, Miss Sato. But it’s still dark out.” He held out his flaming palm. “May I?”

“Only if you call me Asami,” she said.

“Of course,” said Iroh. He paused, then as casually as he could popped out his elbow as he turned, hoping that if he was reading this wrong he could pass it off as a stretch. Instead Asami looped her arm through his. Iroh’s heart fluttered as they fell into step beside each other and started down the path. This wasn’t at all how he’d expected his evening at Tenzin’s to end. Even if all he got to do was escort Asami Sato to the ferry it was him doing it, him and no one else. It might lead somewhere. It probably would lead nowhere. As Pema had said, she’d had a hard year. Maybe even as hard as him. Asami had given no indication she was looking for so much as friendship, let alone romance, and neither from him. But at least he’d tried and managed to be of service. It really was dark out. The light from his fire cast flickering shadows across the stone up ahead.

“Do you miss home this time of year?” Asami asked.

Iroh’s jaw clenched. Most of his everyday life had gone down with his ship. Not to mention friends, comrades, and two years of memories.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “I didn’t mean to pry.”

“No, it’s alright,” he said. “It’s one of the hazards of the profession. Spirits, it isn’t even the first time my ship has sunk. I can’t say it gets easier, though. But every one of us is prepared.”

“Ship?” Asami asked. Then her eyes widened. “Oh, I meant the Fire Nation.” She raised one delicate eyebrow. “So you consider your ship your home more than Caldera?”

Iroh shrugged as he felt his face grow hot at the mistake. “I haven’t lived in Caldera since I was seventeen,” he explained. “I didn’t think about it.”

“And you don’t mind being so far from your family? Your parents and siblings and”—a slight pause—“girlfriend… or boyfriend…”

“No,” he said quickly. “I mean, yes, of course I miss my family. My parents, my brothers and sister, my grandfather.” He pointedly did not continue that sentence. “But I’m used to it, and so are they. I think our relationship is better for the distance.”

“What’s it like?”

“Which part?”

“I’ve never been anywhere,” said Asami. “We have homes all over the near islands but we hardly ever went and never stayed more than a few days. Dad always had business. My friends are from Republic City. Even Korra, before here she always lived in one place. But you, when you think of home you actually think of a ship that moves around the world with you.” Her eyes shone. “So, what’s it like not to miss the place you grew up in?”

“For the most part it’s fascinating,” Iroh said honestly. “Everywhere I go has a history and different food and traditions. Yet people are still people no matter what. Take Tenzin’s Air Nomad chants. No one has heard those songs for three generations, and yet everyone tonight knew it as music. There’s an innate humanity in all of us.”

“Spoken like a man of the world,” Asami smiled.

“Or someone who thinks too much,” said Iroh. “Commander Bumi says I took too much philosophy for an officer.”

“I like it,” she said.

Iroh’s throat tightened. The fire in his hand burned a bit brighter.

They made their way carefully down the long earthbent staircase to the ferry dock. Iroh could just make out the light from the boat in the distance. It seemed they still had some minutes.

“Thank you for the light,” said Asami, dropping his arm.

“Any time.” Iroh didn’t leave though. The silence stretched thick and awkward between them. He clasped his hands behind his back and shuffled his feet. It was now or never.

“Asami—” he started.

“Iroh—”

Asami gazed up at him and laughed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “You were saying?”

He bowed. “Ladies first.”

“I was wondering if you were going back to the party or not,” she asked. She cast a glance towards the approaching boat, then met his eye. “I could use some travel tips. Maybe over a drink? If not now, then—”

“I’d like that,” said Iroh. “It’s still early. I’ve had my fill of Air Nomad ballads anyway.”

“Me, too. There’s a great little bar on the waterfront that sometimes has a swing band.” Asami’s smile looked almost shy. “Do you like dancing?”

“Yes.” Iroh was an awful dancer but he wasn’t about to tell Asami that. Let him be so lucky as to show her later.

“And does the Fire Nation have mistletoe?”

“Missle what?”

Asami pointed up to a clump of green weeds someone had inexplicably tied with red ribbon to the top of one of the stiles that made up the entrance to the ferry dock. “Mistletoe,” she said again.

“Never heard of it,” said Iroh. “Is it to ward off dark spirits?”

The corners of her eyes crinkled in response. “No.”

“Then what is it?”

“Nothing,” said Asami. “Maybe I’ll tell you later.”

#irosami #holiday fluff #tlok #fanfic #iroh ii #asami sato

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