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five-flavor-soup · 1 month

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This is technically in response/as an addition to a post on the supposed ‘double standard’ in the fandom between Zuko and Jet as Katara’s love interests, but it’s been so long since it was posted and I figured the OP would be entirely uninterested in my word vomit, especially after like one and half years—so, separate post. I added a link for those interested. There's a cut because this got quite long lmao.

In short, the post supposes the argument that though Jet would’ve made Katara kill people (something Zuko very much Did Not Do, no matter what you think about The Southern Raiders), he cleaned up his act after this. Zuko, on the other hand, did lots of Really Bad Things to Katara & Co. with far more frequency than Jet did and got redeemed after a multitude of episodes doing Various Things Moste Evile. To then slap Jet with The Toxic Ex-label and see Zuko as the ‘healthier’ and ‘better’ option creates a Double Standard(™) within the fandom, which is supposedly bad and not an arguably incorrect reading.

But the differences in fandom perception between Jet and Zuko as Love Interests for Katara (one of which canonically, and the other potentially and apparently talked about in the writer’s room) are easily explained, as can the Supposed Double Standard—just by thinking about it from Katara’s viewpoint, or even the audience’s. Because, well, the worst things Jet ‘almost’ ended up doing didn’t happen because of outside interference only.

That’s the important bit here. He 100% would’ve drowned an entire village just to get rid of a handful of Fire Nation soldiers, had Sokka not managed to evacuate everybody. He 100% would’ve grievously injured two people who, as far as Jet and everybody else were aware, were refugees who might not even be firebenders — considering nobody else saw Iroh heat up his tea, he could’ve been wrong — in an attempt to prove his own hunch. Had the guards not been there, had Zuko not been able to fight back with swords, Jet would’ve genuinely attempted to wound them for as much as a puff of smoke. And Jet consistently involves bystanders (innocent or not) in his desperate quest to harm and defeat the Fire Nation: the Gaang (and particularly Katara, through explicitly manipulative means) and the villagers in Jet; Zuko, Iroh, and the people in the teashop in City of Walls and Secrets. Additionally, we don’t see more violence from him because he’s not a main character like Zuko is—though it’s implied that Jet beats up villagers who are supposedly in cahoots with the Fire Nation often, only agreeing to turn over a new leaf when he, Smellerbee, and Longshot decide to move to Ba Sing Se.

Zuko explicitly and frequently doesn’t harm people: that, or it isn’t important to the plot. He doesn’t burn down the village on Kyoshi, he literally only manages to lightly singe it. He threatens people with violence frequently but never actually goes in for the kill. I’d argue that the most explicitly violent thing he does in Book 1 is breaking Aang out of the Pouhai Stronghold—for his own ends obviously, but if it’s spelled like treason and sounds like treason, it’s probably treason. When he thinks of robbing the pregnant couple while he’s on the run, he stops himself of his own volition; when he considers using Appa to catch Aang (this was a point made against Zuko in the post), he’s unaware of what Appa’s been through prior to that point and sees him as no more than an animal used for travel, much like the ostrich horse he stole earlier in the season.

Zuko’s schtick throughout Book 1 and 2 is that he doesn’t want to think of the consequences of his actions. His plans are never fully complete. He doesn’t think of how he’s going to get a chained, notoriously slippery little eel of an Avatar to the Fire Nation, and he doesn’t think about what would happen to twelve-year-old Aang after they got there—which is horrible of him, but it also shows an odd, ignorant kind of innocence that you’d associate with a kid who’s got a hard time telling right from wrong. Like, I love Zuko dearly, adore him even, but kiddo doesn’t think ahead until the Book 2 finale and even that’s debatable. He’ll eventually start thinking ahead a little bit but for the most part, he doesn’t. Not saying that takes away responsibility, because it absolutely doesn’t, but it is telling of Zuko’s character: he’s an ‘act first, think later’-kind of guy, all ‘fuck around; find out; maybe success’. His sole goal throughout Book 1 and 2 is going home, without even thinking on how to get there beyond like, Avatar in my custody => back in Fire Nation with Avatar => dad loves me again. And he says that his only intention is to go home too, in Ep 2 of Book 1:

Aang: If I go with you, [He holds his staff in front of him as an offer, making sure Zuko understands that he does not wish to continue fighting.] will you promise to leave everyone alone? [The camera cuts to a side-view of the area, Zuko's men still surrounding him, spears poised. After a brief moment of hesitation, Zuko erects himself and nods in agreement. Aang is apprehended by Zuko's men, who take his staff . . . ] Zuko: [Boarding the ship up the walkway. Determined.] Head a course for the Fire Nation. I'm going home.

(Added emphasis for my point)

Zuko is not the Big Bad. He’s not The Largest Threat. He never is. In Book 1 it’s Zhao, in Book 2 it’s Azula, and in Book 3 it’s Ozai. Zuko is a consistent threat, yes, but not a particularly large one no matter how good of a fighter he is. Because he’s presented to us as a disastrously hurt and traumatised little brat who we, the audience, are supposed to feel sorry for, and slowly grow fond of. Because we learn in The Storm that the notion of “caring for others is weak” has literally been branded into him. Because he keeps getting back up to fight, but consistently holds back. We are shown that he knows, on some level, that what he’s doing is wrong: the text suggests that Zuko is actively suppressing his morals. And by the time Zuko hires an assassin to ensure the Avatar is dead, we know that Zuko is incredibly unhappy with his choice(s) and is desperate to be safe; that he’s uncomfortable but wants to be comfortable; that he’s incorrect about the source of his fear while he’s back in the palace. The audience is shown this explicitly.

By contrast, we’re shown that Jet is fully aware that those villagers will die. He’s fully aware that, if he manages to prove the two refugees are firebenders, they’ll be arrested and probably mutilated (if the hand-crushing is any indication). I love Jet and his character, but he’s supposed to be the example of poisoning yourself with your hatred, anger, and hurt. He’s revenge that goes too far, because he doesn’t allow himself closure. He knows the consequences and isn’t shown to care for them, as long as his goal is furthered.

And there is the small, but significant, difference between the two characters: Zuko initially just wants to capture the Avatar, is purposefully remaining unaware of what will happen when he does so, and is clearly shown to change, while Jet just wants to punish firebenders and is very aware of what will be necessary for him to do so, with a handful of lines of how he ‘stopped being like that’. And honestly, Jet is far more mature than Zuko is for quite some time, regarding the violence of war—basically as mature as Zuko eventually becomes at the tail-end of his redemption arc. But Zuko’s maturity is at that point healthier, because he doesn’t want to genuinely do harm.

In regards to their separate relationships with Katara, there’s these fantastic points that @sokkastyles made in reply to the post:

The fact that Zuko actually did change and Katara actually forgave him makes ALL the difference. [ . . . ] The thing about Jet is how manipulative he was with Katara. He not only almost made her kill innocents, but he lied to her about the man he attacked having a knife when he was called out, so that Katara would see her as righteous. Someone who is willing to lie in order to make themselves seem good and someone who says they are going to change but then does the same things doesn’t have a good track record, and that’s a more troubling relationship dynamic than someone who acts as an upfront enemy but then sincerely changes.

And:

I do think it makes sense to focus on manipulation being worse than being a cartoon villain when we're talking about personal relationships. I think many people can relate to having someone like Jet in their lives who seems nice but who lies and manipulates to justify their own bad behavior despite repeatedly claiming that they will change. Not that many people will experience being tied to a tree by someone who wants you to tell them where the Avatar is, and it is completely reasonable for people to be more forgivable of things Zuko did as a villain than things Jet did to Katara when he claimed to be a friend.

I actually don’t have anything to add to this, lol. It’s succinct and well-worded.

Lastly, in addition the relatability and the relationships being different (the manipulative, emotionally hurt, and self-proclaimed anti-hero versus the initially childish, explicitly confused and desperate cartoon villain, plus the girl they hurt horribly), there’s also the problem of Jet not being a main character. Jet is a relatively well-written side character, whilst Zuko is very quickly established as a main-ish character with his own POV (as the writers decided during the conceptualisation that he’d be joining Team Avatar eventually). Zuko’s troubling, self-destructive nature that has been forced upon him and his Tragic Childhood is shown in high definition. The audience is supposed to eventually be okay with Zuko and hopefully like him, slowly adding puzzle pieces to complete the picture of a horrific earlier youth and treatment by nearly everybody he knows except Iroh. Something like this isn’t necessary with Jet, not just because he was already incredibly likeable and understandable from his introduction and onwards, but also because he’s neither a villain nor a main character.

There’s multiple reasons as to why Zuko is often seen as the ‘better’ option, just like there are multiple reasons why Jet and Zuko are compared so frequently—they’re both traumatised teenage boys who ‘rebel’ to get some semblance of control back, but we see Zuko change into a kid anyone would be a little bit proud and fond of and that doesn’t happen with Jet. Double standard or not, Zuko and Jet are different characters who the writers also treated very differently, on purpose. It makes sense to me that the audience would think Zutara is the ‘less bad’ or far better option. We know far more about Zuko than we know about Jet; and Jet’s redemption arc, if we can even call it that, halts permanently when Zuko’s is reaching the height it for him to go into a freefall, ultimately culminating in a genuine redemption. We, the audience, know this. So does Katara.

#atla meta #zutara meta #not tagging this j*t*ra bc its a bit negative and i do not want to infringe on anyone's tag lmao #but i will tag it #jetara critical #just to be safe #jet atla #prince zuko #katara #zutara #the thing about both these ships is that katara can be put down as making an active choice in the narrative #though it wants to punish her for it #she is Wrong. he is Bad Guy. here's Better Guy go have babies #regardless. i feel like post-redemption zuko would be easier for her to choose--because she saw the proof of his change

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multi-level-shipper · 9 months

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This shit was a fucking acid trip, like most of the game.

Anyway, something that poked my brain was the Infirmary. For all this game's insanity, there were actually some decent roots planted for worldbuilding/ character development.

It seems like the reason the cast ended up in Queen Bouncelia's domain is because they're treating the player as if they have 6 stars in GTA. Seline is no exception to this rule, and that seems to be her motivation for coming down to the lower floor, as she watched us leave in Chapter 3.

Toadster noted in his "Archives" that she was already hiding when brought in, and crying in her shell. She may have been antagonized by a bigger enemy- likely Kittysaurus or Tama/Chamataki (turtle chameleon thing), and she may have gone past the kingdom's walls for sanctuary. (That's just a loose theory, though.)

In any case, at some point she was frightened enough to shut down completely.

This could be some kind of anxiety attack, though there's no way to "diagnose" Seline at this point. Also interesting that Seline felt too afraid to even continue moving around on the lower floors. I think this is meant to speak to just how dangerous the lower floors are- if the giant ass snail is afraid, you should be, too.

Next, Jumbo Josh. Toadster categorizes him as a "Green Gorilla", which in hindsight, weirdly makes a lot of sense.

Firstly, an adult silverback gorilla can bench up to 4,000 lbs (or at least, that's what google told me.) Not that we needed an explanation of why he was able to throw Stinger Flynn, but I can only assume that if we adjusted that number for his size...it probably checks out.

Second, the fact that he walks like a chiropractor's worst nightmare. It took me a second, but I FINALLY realized that his posture is meant to IMITATE A GORILLA. Like, look at this:

DEFINITELY EXPLAINS WHY HE WALKS LIKE A HORSE IN GARRY'S MOD.

And thirdly, Josh's love for vegetables is also a gorilla trait. 85% of a gorilla's diet is leafy greens, with the remaining percentage basically amounting to termites and larvae.

Not too much to say about the Fucked Up Birds, but still! Nice to see them finally displaying a flamingo behavior (AKA their sleeping posture) because they seemed to lean more heavily on ostrich behaviors in previous chapters.

Toadster mentions in his archive for "The Teacher" that she keeps repeating the phrase "I can't be late" over and over to herself after being subdued.

He also notes that the bowling pins "calmed her down," which may not entirely be the case. In Chapter 3, in Banbaleena's "Classroom", each object had an assigned role like Cool Kid and Popular Kid. The bowling pins were meant to be the Bullies.

So Banbaleena is likely stuck in a prison of her own self-doubts right about now, which is doubly sad when considering her insistence in Chapter 3 that she was actually trying to be a good teacher. Either someone placed this idea in her head that she needs to strictly adhere to all these rules, or it's a stress she placed upon herself trying to fulfill her identity as a teacher.

Stinger Flynn gets better as the story progresses. He seems to have an ego to the point where he sees himself as a savior that can't see the faults in his own plans. His initial "safest procedures" plan seemed so obvious to him, but it seems as if he measures success by efficiency rather than the cost of human lives. While he's smart, he's not immune to being wrong, though he has yet to learn this.

He also seems to suffer from some form of depression, or at least intense sadness, and we see this as he talks to Banban in the latest hallucination sequence. Makes sense- his intelligence would make him much more privy to all the horrible things happening around him. It seems as if his high intelligence comes at a high price.

Last note- This might just be a case of recycling animations/rigs, but I think it's cute that Banban shares nearly the same emo pose as Banbaleena.

#garten of banban 4 #garten of banban #slow seline #jumbo josh #opila bird #tarta bird #banbaleena #stinger flynn #banban #uthman

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buttertrait · 9 months

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🍃Create-a-Villager!🍃

i've been really enjoying all of the cas challenges recently, and i've been playing a bunch of animal crossing, so i thought why not combine the two and come up with my own little cas challenge! i hope you guys enjoy and feel free to tag me or use the hastag #createavillager so i can see all of your lovely sims

link to a random number generator!

🍃rolls below the cut🍃

Species (1-35, roll once)

1- alligator

2- anteater

3- bear

4- bird

5- bull

6- cat

7- chicken

8- cow

9- cub

10- deer

11- dog

12- duck

13- egle

14- elephant

15- frog

16- goat

17- gorilla

18- hamster

19- hippo

20- horse

21- kangaroo

22- koala

23- lion

24- monkey

25- mouse

26- octopus

27- ostrich

28- penguin

29- pig

30- rabbit

31- rhino

32- sheep

33- squirrel

34- tiger

35- wolf

Personality (1-8, roll once)

1- normal

2- lazy

3- sisterly

4- cranky

5- jock

6- peppy

7- smug

8- your pick

Colour(s) (1-12, roll as many times as you like)

1- white

2- purple

3- pink

4- red

5- orange

6- yellow

7- green

8- blue

9- cyan

10- brown

11- black

12- grey

Random details (1-23, roll as many times as you like)

1- vitiligo

2- scar(s)

3- freckles

4- glasses

5- bright/bold makeup

6- no makeup

7- hetrochromia

8- thick eyebrows

9- thin eyebrows

10- no eyebrows

11- hat/some sort of head accessory

12- hair tied up

13- short hair

14- medium hair

15- long hair

16- bangs

17- acne

18- birthmark

19- jewellery

20- no jewellery

21- long nails

22- short nails

23- body hair

#i know a ton of people have made cas challenges but i was feeling inspired #createavillger #ts4 #ts4 cas #ts4 cas challenge #the sims 4 #sims 4 #sims 4 cas #sims 4 cas challenge #the sims community #simblr #acnh

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imagines--galore · 10 months

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||The Thread of Fate|| Part Eight

Summary: Soulmate AU. They say the Thread of Fate connects you to your one true love. It may tangle. It may stretch. But it will never break. Wrapped around your little finger it tightens when it feels your soulmate is close and loosens when they are far. And becomes visible with the colors of your soulmate’s Nation when you finally fall in love with them.

Pairing: Zuko x OroraOC (ATLA)

Rating || Genres || Warnings: T+ Romance. Adventure. A little fighting but nothing too detailed.

Previous Chapters - Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six, Part Seven

A/N: We’re on our way to Ba Sing Se! And if its not too much trouble could you guys just leave your thoughts and tell me what you thought of this chapter and the story overall please? I would really appreciate it.

To say things were awkward between her and Zuko would be an understatement.

Where there had been some form of civility between the both of them, despite their constant bickering, now it was............silence. Sure there were a few words exchanged, but they were short and curt, and neither of them would look at the other when they spoke.

It was beginning to get on Iroh’s nerves. He would take their constant bickering any day over whatever this was. Once more he wandered what had happened when Orora had gone after his nephew. Zuko had returned first, dripping wet and without the ostrich horse or Orora. Iroh didn’t have time to worry long. She soon returned as well, perfectly dry and with a protective covering over both her and Chairo to keep from getting wet. She had simply offered Iroh a small shake of her head at his offer of a hot meal, pulled out her sleeping bag, and disappeared under her blanket.

It had been a few days since that day, and his injuries were on the mend. They were healing remarkably fast. All thanks to Orora and her healing abilities. She would have two healing sessions with him everyday. One in the morning and another one at night. After a few days she allowed him to start practicing a few firebending stances to help his muscles heal properly. But she was always ready in case he pulled a muscle or something of the sort.

During their stay in the rundown hut, Orora had taken to practicing her waterbending stances. She would go through them over and over, until every step was seamless like water running over a rock, and every movement of her arm was as fluid as the water she bended. Given that she needed to practice near water, and Iroh wasn’t about to let her out of his sight for fear of Azula returning, all three of them would go down to the nearby river. And while Iroh would dip his feet in the cool water and Zuko would sulk nearby, Orora would step into the water and practice.

Of course before stepping into the water she had to shed the baggy brown pants and tunic she had worn since the day she had begun her journey disguised as a boy.

Which left her in her underclothes, which consisted of a light blue bandeau wrapped around her chest, leaving her shoulders and stomach completely bare. Around her hips was a sarong type skirt under which she had a pair of, what looked to be, short pants that ended mid-thigh.

Since the time she had chopped off her hair, the strands now just touched her cheeks. Where her pale blue eyes had been the most prominent feature against her tanned skin, now white portion at the front of her hair was what stood out more. The months of traveling had led her to loose whatever baby fat had been left, and while she still thought of herself as unshapely, anyone could see that she was filling out quite well when it came to the curve of her hips and the swell of her breasts. Not to mention the constant walking and waterbending practice she did helped kept her in shape. And though she was eating significantly less then she normally did, she didn’t have a starved look about her face.

All in all, she looked rather healthy considering the circumstances.

After a few moments of contemplation where she stared at her reflection in the clear water, Orora inhaled softly before assuming her first stance and starting her practice.

Completely unaware of a pair of golden eyes taking in her every movement sitting on the river bank almost entranced.

Iroh had seen his nephew looking, and a smile pulled at his lips at the expression on the young Prince’s face. “What has you so deep in thought Prince Zuko?” He asked, though there was a certain teasing tone in his words, there was also curiosity and sincerity. That words acted as a reminder that he was staring and he quickly looked away, his cheeks a little red at having been caught staring.

Silence followed his words as Iroh chuckled and returned to watching his student execute a particularly difficult waterbending move to perfection. “Bravo Orora! You are doing very well.” Orora pushed her wet hair back from her forehead to give the older man a grin before returning to her practice. Zuko had caught the move out of the corner of his eyes, and though he would never voice it, he knew that under his Uncle’s guidance, despite their different elements, Orora would become a skilled bender.

“Tell me Prince Zuko, now that you have found your soulmate, is there anything you intend to do something about it?” So perhaps he was being a little nosy, but Iroh was hoping that Orora would be the person to bring a little light, laughter and perhaps love into his nephew’s life. He had been so starved of all three since his mother’s disappearance, and though Iroh tried his best to fill that void, perhaps having another person would help steer Zuko down the right path.

Zuko had visibly stiffened at the question, stubbornly refusing to meet his Uncle’s inquiring gaze. Once more he didn’t reply, though his mind wandered back to the night of the storm. When they had both finally acknowledged what they had been trying to fight since the day they met.

“There is nothing to do about anything, Uncle.” He stated in a flat tone. “Nothing will ever become of it. Our destines will never allow it.” How could anything happen? She was of the Water Tribe and he was from the Fire Nation. If he was ever to have any chance of going back home, he would never be able to take her with him. A prince of the Fire Nation with a water bending soulmate?

Even if the Fire Sages let it slip, his father would never allow it to happen.

Iroh’s expression grew a little grave at what his nephew was implying. “As I have often told you Prince Zuko, destiny works in mysterious ways, but it never throws a problem at a person that they cannot figure out.” He reached out to gently place a hand on his shoulder.

“You will find the answer to this my boy. And sometimes the answer is standing right in front of you.” As he spoke, Iroh’s gaze moved to Orora who was still practicing. Unconsciously Zuko followed his gaze.

And continued to look at her until she was finished with her training and approached the shore. Zuko stood abruptly to his feet as she did, turning his back to her. “I hope you’re feeling up for some traveling Uncle, we will be leaving in the morning.”

Orora frowned, opening her mouth to protest but a silent look from her Master had her sighing. “Well I suppose I should start packing up.” She spoke softly as she quickly dried herself off using waterbending and donning her clothes. Zuko didn’t hear her response, having already started down the path back towards their temporary abode.

————————–

“He shouldn’t be traveling this soon.”

Zuko glanced up from where he had been saddling Chairo. Orora had just exited the small hut from where he could already hear the sounds of his Uncle snoring away. He had probably just finished a healing session with him.

“I know, but if we stay here, my sister might find us again.” He didn’t miss the look of surprise she gave him at his calm response. It was a first for him, to respond normally to anything she said. But he was just tired, and didn’t feel it in him to argue with her. “True.”

If he could be civil, she could be civil.

“I guess we just have to be careful with him.” Zuko gave a small smile as he shook his head. “He may not look it, but he’s tough. He can handle it.” His tone was as reassuring as it could get, and it did ease Orora’s worry a little. A particularly loud snore echoed in the night prompting Orora to smile and for Zuko to let out a small groan of embarrassment.

“Especially after he’s had a good night sleep. Which we should be getting as well.” With one final tug to make sure everything was well and truly packed, Zuko picked up his sleeping mat and moved to walk past Orora and towards the hut.

“Hey Zuko?” The sound of her calling out his name made him pause. He had stopped barely a foot away from her, so the placement allowed them to stand face to face. Just as they had done a few nights ago on the mountain.

There was a certain nervousness about her, but the question that had been gnawing away inside her was what finally compelled her to speak her mind. “Is it because I’m from the water tribe that’s........stopping you?”

He stared at her, the surprise at her question evident in his expression given his parted lips and the how his eyes had widened. Her heart beating almost unbearably fast in her chest, Orora continued. “Because your being from the Fire Nation, not to mention being the Prince is whats stopping me from...........” Her voice trailed off, but her eyes dropped to the finger where the thread was tied.

Pale blue met bright gold, and their gazes held. They held for a long time.

Long enough for Orora to memorize they very shape of his scar, something that she had never really allowed herself to observe before. She also noticed some other things. Like how, for example, how nervous yet soft he looked in that moment. And how when he wasn’t frowning he was actually rather handsome. She was aware how some people would find the scar off-putting, but she didn’t. Scars were a part of life. And while most people hid them, Zuko didn’t have that choice. Still, she did feel herself begin to blush under his intense gaze, but she didn’t let herself look away.

Probably because she wanted to memorize the exact color of his eyes.

Maybe?

Zuko had spent the entire day observing Orora, and even in the past, when he had allowed himself to do so, somehow, she managed to reveal something new and intriguing about herself to him. At the moment he was wandering if the white patch in her hair was just as soft to touch as it was to look at. And then there were her eyes. It was utterly ridiculous how those eyes had the power to invoke feelings within him. Feelings he had made sure lay dormant lest they find the strength to grow stronger. At the moment, he was beginning to feel a little nervous as he struggled to find the words to answer her question.

“Its....not the only thing stopping me.” He responded truthfully, finally diverting his eyes to instead look at the ground between them. Normally he would have brushed her off, but something in her eyes had compelled him to answer.

“I suppose other then being a prince and a firebender, another thing stopping you is my scar. And if you heard how I got it, it would only add to the list of whats stopping you.” What better way to bring himself down even more then to speak of the ugly truth that was in front of her. That she probably looked at everyday. He really should win a prize when it came self-deprecation.

A small sound from Orora made him look back up. And watch in surprise as she stepped forward, her hand raised to gently place her fingers against the scarred skin of his face. The sleeping mat he had been holding fell to the ground as his eyes clashed against the blue of her own. The slight difference in their heights had him tilting his head forward a little.

His mind flashed back to their second meeting, when she had removed the blue spirit mask and seen his face for the first time. She had done the same back then. Did that mean she didn’t find his scar repulsive?

Orora was glad for what she did. For the way she had reached out and touched him. And though he had been surprised at first, she made a promise to never point out to him how she had felt his head lean slightly into her touch. Her thumb brushed against the scar, and all Zuko wanted to do was close his eyes and savor in her touch.

But he didn’t.

He couldn’t.

“It has never stopped me Zuko. And I doubt the story of how you got it would either.” Her voice was soft, so soft that if he hadn’t been standing so close, he would never have heard her properly. As was the norm an argument to negate her words rose in his mind, but another sweep of her thumb had the words fading from his mind. And this time he did allow his eyes to close.

If only to savor in her gentle touch for a few moments.

To allow him this little moment of selfishness.

“Maybe one day, you can tell me. When you’re ready.”

With one final gentle stroke of her thumb and fingers, she pulled back. Zuko didn’t open his eyes, as the younger waterbender began to walk back to the rundown hut. And as she settled into her bedding, she couldn’t help but feel that she had somehow helped put Zuko’s mind and heart at ease with her words.

The thought made her smile. She was still smiling as she slowly fell asleep, thinking of the Fire Nation Prince.

Now all they had to do was work past the fact that he was a prince of the fire nation and she was a waterbender. And though such a feat would take some time, for the first time since he had been made aware of Orora, Zuko allowed himself to feel a little hope.

————————–

“Orora! Watch out!”

The warning came just as the stray flaming arrow flew straight towards her exposed arm. Given her sharp reflexes, the waterbender was quickly able to throw up an ice shield and watch it shatter. As the new threat, who Iroh had introduced as the The Rough Rhinos outnumbered them, the best tactic would be to retreat. Which was exactly what Iroh was thinking as he rode past her with his arm stretched out to help her get on Chairo. She was quick to grasp the back of Iroh’s robe to steady herself before throwing her own arm out to help Zuko jump behind her. The momentum of his jump very nearly threw him off the other side, but Orora managed to grip his arm and wrap it around her waist to keep him from slipping any further.

“It's nice to see old friends.” Iroh said, laughter evident in his tone as they made their escape. Behind her, Orora could hear Zuko scoff as he growled. “Too bad you don't have any old friends that don't want to attack you.” His tone was spiteful and normally Orora would have told him off for speaking like that but he had a point. And it seemed Iroh seemed to be thinking along the same lines as well.

“Hmmm...old friends that don't want to attack me.”

She leaned forward to glance at him from the side. “Do you have anyone in mind who could help us Master?” She asked to which Iroh gave a nod. “I do. And we are by luck heading in the right direction.” So saying he spurred the ostrich-horse to go faster.

The sudden change in pace caused Orora to fall backwards and into Zuko’s chest.

“Watch it!” He still had an arm around her waist to keep himself steady, and perhaps it was the close proximity that made Orora fell just a little nervous about the situation. “You watch it. You nearly fell to the other side when you jumped.” She glanced over her shoulder so she could look at him while they argued.

Zuko glared at her, his eyes narrowing. “Next time we’re attacked by one of Uncle’s old friends maybe you shouldn’t rush into things before assessing the entire situation!” He threw back, to which Orora rolled her eyes.

“Oh I’m sorry. I didn’t realize we had the time to asses the threat before attacking. They sure seemed in a hurry to attack us didn’t they?! Or have you forgotten the giant fireball they threw at you?”

Iroh barely suppressed a laugh as he listened to the two teenagers argue. It was nice to hear them speaking properly once more.

“Something amusing, Master?” She may be his student, but Orora had an uncanny ability to make him think before speaking lest he make the young girl angry.

“Not at all. You two carry on with your conversation.”

Though neither teenager felt like doing so. Not when they both realized just how close they were to one another. With Zuko’s arm around Orora’s waist, and back resting against his chest as she leaned against him. They couldn’t even pull away for fear of falling off. With obvious blushes on both their cheeks, they prayed for the journey to soon be over.

For this had to be the most awkward yet pleasant thing that had occurred to the both of them in such a spontaneous manner.

————————–

Luckily Iroh’s friends, whoever they were, were not so far. They entered what had once been a lovely oasis, at least according to the inscription Orora had read at the gate, but now it was all rundown and filled with some of the most unsavory people she had ever seen.

While Zuko and Iroh did not seem bothered with the way they were looking at them, Orora felt shivers go up her spine with the way some of the people looked at her.

At first she tried to glare back.

Tried to make them stand down.

But that only made the looks persistent. An uncomfortable feeling settled in her stomach. And though she knew she could take them out if she wanted to she had to keep her head down for Iroh and Zuko’s sake.

Beside there were so many of them. It was enough leering that it made her loose a little confidence in herself as she directed her gaze towards the ground, hoping to avoid any more unwanted eye contact.

Unconsciously she had stepped a little closer to Zuko, her arm brushing against his as they walked. He had glanced at her, about to tell her to step away a little but he stopped when he caught sight of the slightly fearful expression she wore. He frowned, his eyes instantly assessing their surroundings in case she had seen someone threatening. What he did manage to see were several male onlookers nearly ogling Orora.

White hot anger flashed within him, and his hands clenched as he shot a deadly glare at each and every person who dared look at her that way. One of them seemed to not take the warning look from Zuko, prompting him to nearly take a step in his direction just to throw a punch at him.

However, a hand timidly grasping his stopped him. He did not need to look down to see who it was, but he did begin to walk in front of Orora, almost as if he were shielding her with his body. Orora felt herself starting to relax. If any of these people tried anything she had both Zuko and Iroh to help her.

She wasn’t alone.

Given that their gazes were trained straight ahead, neither of them noticed when the thread between them suddenly glimmered with color before disappearing.

————————–

They had entered the rundown shop where apparently they served the best mango drinks. Sipping on her drink, Orora concentrated on the taste as Iroh looked around in search of his friend. “Are you sure they will be here Master. This place doesn’t rally boast......good company does it?” She was referring to the several mercenaries around. They looked like how mercenary would at least.

Zuko grumbled in agreement. “No one here is going to help us. These people just look like filthy wanderers.”

“So do we.” His Uncle replied with a grin before pointing at something behind Zuko. “Ah, this is interesting. I think I found our friend”

The two teenagers quickly followed Iroh as he led them to a table where an old man sat as if he were waiting for someone. Orora recognized the table and frowned slightly. Zuko seemed to realize what was going on as well. "You brought us here to gamble on Pai Sho?” He said, sounding just as irritated as he looked. Orora rolled her eyes at him, getting a little tired of his rudeness. Sure his presence helped her feel a little safe, but that didn’t stop her from being annoyed by him.

Iroh shook his head. “I don't think this is a gamble.” So saying he led the way towards the table with Zuko and Orora following after him. “May I have this game?” Iroh asked in an almost serene voice. The other man gestured for Iroh to sit down. “The guest has the first move.” He said. Iroh gave a small nod before turning to look at Orora. “My dear, if you would please allow me to borrow a certain tile from you?”

Zuko looked between the Master and Student in confusion. Orora for her part gave a small nod before slowly retrieving the white lotus tile Master Pakku had given her all those months ago and handing it over to Iroh, who placed it in the center of the board.

“I see you favor the white lotus gambit.” The other man said. “Not many still cling to the ancient ways.” Iroh gave a small nod of agreement. “Those who do can always find a friend”

Seemingly satisfied with what Iroh had said, the old man nodded. “Then let us play.”

Orora watched, almost mesmerized as Iroh and the other man placed tile after tile on the board. Never once were they out of sync, neither did they speak a word while they did. Zuko was watching just as intently as she was, though he did sit down while she kept standing.

Finally they each placed the final tile and revealed the pattern they had created.

A lotus flower.

"Welcome, brother.” The old man greeted by opening his arms wide. “The White Lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets.” Never before had Orora felt both curious and perplexed simultaneously. Zuko was helpful enough to voice what they were both feeling in that moment.

“What are you old gasbags talking about?” Instinctively her hand darted out to slap his arm for being so rude. Knowing what the slap was for, Zuko simply threw her a brief glare before turning his attention back to his Uncle who was smiling widely.

“I always tried to tell you that Pai Sho is more than just a game.” He said as he rolled Orora’s tile over his knuckles and clutched it.

A sudden commotion caused all of them to look up to see a man approach their table. “It's over! You two fugitives are coming with me!” Instantly Orora was on the defensive. She uncorked the water bag at her side, twin ice daggers forming in her hand as she took up a defensive position in front of Zuko and Iroh. Iroh’s friend quickly placed himself before Iroh and Zuko, preventing the man from reaching them.

"I knew it! You two are wanted criminals with a giant bounty on your heads!!” He exclaimed, pointing at the two firebenders. Zuko growled. “I thought you said he would help!” He had reached out to grasp Orora’s elbow to prevent her from attacking anyone who would throw back a bigger punch.

Iroh simply placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder to reassure him, still smiling. “He is. Just watch.” Orora allowed her stance to soften, but only slightly.

“You think you're going to capture them and collect all that gold!?”

"Gold?”

That seemed to do the trick. Suddenly the entire establishment was looking at them. Some of the patrons even stood up, pulling out their weapons, ready to attack. Within moments, it was chaos. Through it all, the trio managed to escape with the old man leading the way. And though it wasn’t necessary, Zuko kept a firm grip on Orora’s hand as they ran.

And despite her always thinking she didn’t need help, Orora allowed herself to be helped in that moment.

It felt nice to have someone worry about her safety for once.

————————–

They didn’t have to run very long. Soon they reached a small village at the very edge of the desert, and were all ushered inside a little flower shop.

The man, who had introduced himself as Fung, bowed to Iroh. “It is an honor to welcome such a high-ranking member of the Order of the White Lotus. Being a Grand Master, you must know so many secrets.” Zuko, who was getting a little annoyed with the lack of answers snapped. “Now that you played Pai Sho, are you going to do some flower arranging, or is someone in this club going to offer some real help‌.”

This time Orora punched him in the shoulder. “Why do you have to be so rude Zuko?” She admonished him. His only response was to glare at her, which she returned with just as much heat as it was given. While the two teens bickered, Iroh had moved towards the door at the end of the shop and was already going through it. Both Zuko and Orora made to enter but the door was slammed shut in their faces. Iroh opened the small window to smile at the both of them. “I'm afraid it's members only. Wait out here.” With that the window closed and Iroh disappeared.

“Are you pouting Zuko?” Orora asked in a teasing tone. The young Prince gave a response in the negative in an almost annoyed manner. The girl laughed softly to herself before moving off to wander around the flower shop. A still annoyed Zuko frowned and crossed his arms before he moved to lean against a nearby table.

Discretely he shifted his head slightly to sniff at the flower next to him before pulling back.

The atmosphere in the shop was rather relaxed now that they knew someone was willing to help them. Not to mention the little.....talk they had a few nights ago had helped clear the air a little. Neither of them spoke, too tired to actually say anything from the constant running and traveling they had done throughout the day.

Once she was done exploring, Orora came to sit down where Zuko was standing. It didn’t take long for Zuko to finally get tired of standing and lower himself down to the ground beside her. They didn’t have their bed rolls, so it seemed sleeping while sitting up was the best option.

Orora was the first one to fall asleep. Her eyes had been drooping for nearly ten minutes before they finally closed completely and she drifted off to dreamland. Of course, not before her head fell to the side, landing on Zuko’s shoulder where it stayed for the rest of the night.

For his part, Zuko only blushed at the close proximity. It didn’t bother him though. He was beginning to find a lot of things concerning Orora that didn’t bother him. As he felt his own eyes growing heavy with sleep, he let his head rest against the leg of the table behind him.

Of course during the night, his head slowly slipped down to come to rest on top of Orora’s. But neither of them stirred an inch that night. Unconsciously drawing comfort from the others presence.

And during the night the thread between them continued to flicker with color.

————————–

Tag List - @wavesofchaos @violet-potter @rennysketch @emma-andrea1

#Zuko x OC #zuko x reader #zuko x y/n #zuko imagine #Avatar The Last Airbender #avatar the last airbender fanfiction #avatar the last airbender imagine #the thread of fate

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sokkastyles · 2 months

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ATLA Live Action Ep 1 Thoughts:

When the writers meant they wanted it to be like game of thrones, clearly they meant "we want the battles to happen in complete darkness so nobody can see what is going on," and not, you know, the sex stuff.

Idk why this never occurred to me until now but ostrich horse is chocobo.

They are clearly going for a darker, more grittier feel here, but it clashes with the attempt to keep things true to the animated origin. Like, the earth kingdom OC looks straight out of some more realistic Adult fantasy show, whereas Sozin's character design makes him look like evil Santa.

So firebenders are able to do that to bodies, which I appreciate from a fanfic perspective and also confirms what people have been theorizing about the agni kai, that Ozai put his hand on his son's face. Not sure it was necessary to see it, though. The original does a good job of horrifying us with implied violence and the adults already get it, while showing it makes it less accessible to a younger audience. This is hardly a problem unique to this show, though.

Air nomads actually riding sky bison!

I like having more background with the air nomads and Aang's actor is great but front-loading the flashbacks doesn't work great for the pacing.

One thing I do really like is the emphasis on how the war damaged the harmony of the nations in more than just a spiritual way. No one has friends from other nations now. Zuko comes seeking "someone who does not belong" with the (false) promise that no one will get hurt if everyone keeps to themselves, keeps the status quo. The air nomads are a complete anomaly in a world of division. We are introduced to Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Zuko, and all are isolated in their own way by the war at the beginning of the story.

Overall there is something just weird about the pacing. Characters keep pausing at vital moments of action to deliver exposition or meaningful monologues. It just feels off.

Zuko so desperate for "glory" that he accepts Sokka's proposal to fight one on one (nice foil to the final agni kai by the way). Then his surprise when Aang shows himself reveals that Zuko himself did not know whether he would really find the Avatar in this village he's suddenly shown up to terrorize. God, it just emphasizes how low Zuko is at this point. This is probably his first real high stakes fight and he might have killed Sokka over absolutely nothing out of a false sense that he had something to prove. It's just...sad.

The scene at the Southern Air Temple looked great and had me in tears. I actually saw some criticism of this to the effect of them "ruining Aang's arc" because he comes out of the Avatar state himself, but first of all, let's be real and admit that if mastering the Avatar State was Aang's arc, he never completed it. Second, just because he could bring himself out does not mean he can control it, and he's still letting his emotions control him which is a learning curve for handling that power, it's just that he was able to control his anger in that moment by remembering the people he loved. Which is not that different from how the scene plays out in the original, only he isn't using Katara as a crutch. Which is a good thing, actually. It's much more fitting and poignant that he thinks about Gyatso here.

I don't think there was any mention of Katara wanting to go north. She has a few lines about wanting to help more and Aang teaches her about balance so she can bend now, apparently, but where is her drive? It feels like they're attributing her accomplishments to Aang and that bothers me. Maybe it'll be mentioned in the next episode, since they haven't talked about Aang learning waterbending yet, either. But I do miss the Katara who was ready to banish herself from the village the moment she met Aang not just because it was the right thing to do, but because of her own desire for independence and autonomy.

Liked the scene between Aang and Iroh. It gives us a glimpse of an Iroh who is stuck as to what to do and so he just gives Aang the Zuko treatment by offering him tea. I'd be excited if this means we get to see more development for Iroh.

#atla live action #atla la thoughts #atla la ep1

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burst-of-iridescent · 11 months

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Hi, what are some lesser known zutara fics you think deserve more attention?

to clarify, i'm not sure if some of these fully count as "lesser known" but i personally think they deserve more love:

always the bridesmaid by bluenebulae: modern au, oneshot. zuko is katara's blind date to sukka's wedding and it's cute as all hell <3

souvenirs we never lose by taliax: post-canon, multichapter. katara offers to heal zuko's scar again on a diplomatic mission in the northern water tribe. it's soft and wholesome and also there's fake dating which is always a win.

clothe me in seasons, dress me in snow by sadladybug: canon compliant, multichapter. be warned that this is heartbreak city. i cried like three times, but it's written so beautifully it's worth the pain.

following blue by boogum: canon divergent, multichapter. bluetara + zutara travelling together + a grouchy ostrich horse... what more could you want?

a warm embrace by ewinkie: canon divergent, multichapter. zuko and katara fall asleep together after the events of the southern raiders, and oops, now they can only sleep well when they're together... but that doesn't mean anything, right?

(the fluff is fluffing in this one. trust me.)

how (not) to care for katara by tiny_katara: canon divergent, multichapter. if you want zuko taking care of katara, delirious confessions, everyone knowing zk has feelings for each other but zk, and toph shenanigans... this is the fic for you <3

#zutara #zutara fanfiction #zutara fanfiction recommendations

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givemea-dam-break · 3 months

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heart's fury - prologue

book one: hope "prologue"

in which a story begins.

pairing: zuko x (fem) reader

a/n: hey guys! first part of my big zuko x reader, which was originally post on ao3 here! this is a brain baby created by my return to the atla fandom (first time properly being in the fandom since i first watched this as a child rip) and a need to write something for it which woooo! big moment since i had been in the biggest writing slump i've ever had before i wrote this. i hope you all enjoy the first part, and the following chapters, because i have so enjoyed writing this and continue to enjoy it! love u all <3

warnings: none

words: 838 heart's fury masterlist

There was something so idyllic about the southern seas in the early morning. The way the sun’s fiery light reflected atop the soft blue waves; the smell of salt and cold air mixing together; the distinctly freezing southern air that, somehow, could not permeate (y/n)’s thick jacket. She felt strangely warm standing at the bow of the ship, staring at the towering icebergs that the ship easily slipped between. She wondered how anything could become so large, so imposing, but she supposed it was part of the southern charm. The last she had heard, the Southern Water Tribe had dwindled in numbers. Fire Nation soldiers imprisoned their waterbenders decades ago and, though they were accustomed to the cold, not every child could survive in such extreme conditions. No outsiders, including the Fire Nation, had set foot in Southern Water Tribe territory in years. (y/n) could only imagine how sparse their population was. But they were persistent, these Southerners, like the icebergs. They had not let the Fire Nation get the best of them.

“What are you doing out at this time?” a voice asked from behind. “It is far too cold and early.”

“Catching some peace,” she said simply. “My gut is telling me that today is going to be different.”

A hand came to rest on the railing beside her, old and weathered and gentle, but still admirably strong. Connected to the hand was, well, perhaps the only Fire Nation nobility she had been able to tolerate in years.

General Iroh, now retired, had a kind face and a soft smile that she was sure would alone keep her warm if she had not been wearing her jacket. The crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes, the wrinkles in his forehead, and the deepness of his smile lines did not age him but, rather, did the opposite. He reminded her of a mischievous - yet remarkably wise - child; one that could not be trusted alone with a basket of sweet treats. He shivered in his red robes, but he kept a firm grip on the icy metal railing.

“And why do you say that?”

(y/n) turned her gaze back on the icy path ahead of them. She had always trusted her intuition, knowing that it was a better weapon than her knives or even her bending, but she often couldn’t explain the reasons why she felt things. Maybe it stemmed from her childhood, some sixth sense she had developed by guessing what her mother would make for breakfast or which way her father would take her on his ostrich-horse to get to the Royal Palace in the mornings. Perhaps it was some semblance of a spiritual connection - one of Iroh’s stories that had taken root and given her a strong mind.

She wasn’t sure what her answer to his question should be.

“Just a feeling,” she said. She always said.

It seemed to be enough to appease Iroh. “We are nearing the south pole. I fear that my nephew will be let down once more.”

It was a justified concern. The reason they both stood on this ship, thousands of miles away from home, was a fruitless hunt, bred from punishment, shame, and a terrible lust for honour and, ever a self-centred royal, Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation was determined to get what he wanted.

The Avatar.

Two and a half years the three, and a handful of Fire Nation soldiers, had been hunting the living legend down. It was a futile search - Fire Lord Ozai was aware of this when he had banished his son - but Prince Zuko was adamant. He had ordered them around the world in search of a man who had not been seen in a hundred years, and thrown a princely fit every time they did not find him.

Iroh was right to worry. Prince Zuko’s sole ambition was to find the Avatar and restore his honour, taking back his rightful place as heir to the title of Fire Lord, but it made one wonder what would happen if he were to accept that the Avatar was unreachable.

Not that he would ever accept it.

“This isn’t the right path for him,” Iroh murmured. Despite there being nobody else on deck, he kept his voice low, leaning closer. “Capturing the Avatar is not the correct decision.”

He cast her a meaningful look, something in the wise, dark eyes sparkling as he turned and walked away, likely to make himself a cup of tea.

(y/n) breathed a sigh, watching the misty breath hover in front of her before dissipating. This was not the first time Iroh had hinted at the secret she kept close to her chest, clutched in iron fingers. If anyone else were to know, she would likely be dead by now. But Iroh shared her cause.

If they ever found the Avatar, wherever they were, she would fight tooth and nail to ensure Prince Zuko could never take them back to the Fire Nation.

<-masterlist chapter one ->

#givemea-dam-break #zuko x reader #prince zuko x reader #atla x reader #avatar the last airbender x reader #prince zuko #zuko #atla zuko #zuko fanfiction #atla zuko fanfiction #atla fanfiction #avatar the last airbender fanfiction #avatar the last airbender #x reader #fanfiction

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muffinlance · 1 year

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PEEEEEASE!!! Some Song and zuko shenanigans!!! I just love how you write them <3<3<3

The ostrich-horse comes back weeks after she was stolen. She raises one big foot and scratches at her harness, which clearly hasn’t been tightened properly, because the saddle finishes slipping sideways and dumps the thief himself into the dirt outside her stable. Song is just coming off from a shift at the clinic, so her first thought isn’t That bastard, it’s Dehydration, probable sunstroke, has he had a single meal since he left us, that bastard.

His eyes are closed. His breathing is shallow. She nudges him with a foot, then pats him down. Two swords and a knife get hidden in the shed at the bottom of a grain bin. She draws up two buckets of cool water from the well. One of them goes in the ostrich-horse’s trough. The good girl coos, and drinks greedily. The other one goes over the thief’s head.

He sits up, sputtering.

“Hello, Junior,” she says, and drops the bucket on him, too.

“What? Where? …Song?”

He doesn’t have the grace to look sheepish. But she’ll take the flash of fear in his eyes, the way his shoulders twitch under the lacking weight of his swords, the way his hands convulse around the bucket. It feels good. Probably not in a way she should like, but it’s not like she’s planning to do whatever it is he’s afraid of.

(He was afraid the last time he was here, too. But not of her.)

“The well’s in back,” she says. “Get a drink. Don’t make yourself puke. And don’t steal my bucket.”

She’s moved on to brushing the ostrich-horse’s feathers when he comes back. The ostrich-horse has moved on to pecking grain. Li is holding the bucket, and wobbling a little. His skin is still sun-flushed.

“Sit down,” she orders, pointing to the porch, with its shady overhang.

“What…?”

“Sit.”

She finishes rubbing down the ostrich-horse’s feathers. Checks her feet for scuffs and stones, and her legs for strains. Then she walks past a sitting, wide-eyed Li, goes into the house, and comes back with a basket of carrot-potatoes and a scrub brush.

“Clean these,” she orders. “You know where the water is.”

And he’s already got a bucket to do the washing in. He’s been clutching it since she handed it to him. She’s getting a little sick, of that cornered pygmy puma look of his.

“You got a meal and an ostrich-horse rental from us, last time,” she says. “This time, it’s payment up front. With interest.”

“I don’t have any money.”

“Work for it,” Song says.

Li has no idea how to clean a tuber. He’s very diligently overdoing it when her mother comes home.

“Hmm,” she says quietly, stopping next to Song. “Do I need to get someone?”

Li’s shoulders stiffen, because he’s got better hearing than either of them thought, and because he has to know that ostrich-horse theft isn’t treated lightly. Their town isn’t big enough to warrant guardsmen, but a few neighbors and a rope would get things done.

“He’s starving,” Song says, after moving this conversation farther away.

“Hmm,” says her mother.

“Our ostrich-horse isn’t.”

They both stare across the yard. At a refugee with golden eyes, who doesn’t know how to even start preparing his own meal. But whatever money he had, however he’d gotten it, he’d let their bird—his bird—eat first.

They don’t let him sleep in the stable, for obvious reasons. He doesn’t run off in the night, for less obvious ones.

#Zuko has re-named the ostrich-horse Strawberry Jamboree #it didn't fit into the ficlet but it is very important to me that you know this #Meanwhile Uncle: searching for his lost nephew #follows bison hair trail #assumes if he sticks with the Avatar he’ll eventually run across Zuko #Meanwhile Zuko: is a confused second player in Song’s Stardew Valley game #he literally doesn’t know how he got here #which is not the first time in his life that has happened #waking up on a farm with a bucket of water to the face was much nicer #than waking up on a ship with his face still feeling fire #Avatar The Last Airbender #atla #Zuko #Song #ficlet

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wilcze-kudly · 1 month

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do u have more kuvira hcs? i love the way u talk about her 🙏🏻

Ooh, thank you for the ask! I'm flattered. I always worry about how I treat Kuvira as a character since I may be a little mote hostile towarda her than a lot of my mutuals?

She was born in a place that used to be a Fire Nation colony. Due to this, she's very keenly aware of the poverty of the lower class after the 100 year war.

Kuvira's parents owned a farm and Kuvira worked on it a lot. She was used to waking up super early and going to bed late. I don't think she got a lot of time to be a kid, so getting moved to Zaofu and being expected to just be a child was very hard on her.

The catalyst of Kuvira being sent away from her family was her lashing out at her mother and accidentally breaking a few of her ribs with earthbending. This is what prompted her parents to drop her off at Zaofu.

Kuvira was quite a temperamental and petty child. She would be very bossy with the Beifong babies. I think it usually worked out, since most of the kids were willing to let her choose what games they would play or what they'd do.

However, I think that whenever faced with pushback, she would get into arguments which occasionally turned violent. I think she would've injured the other kids at least a few times.

Due to this, Baatar Sr was unsure about keeping Kuvira around, byt Suyin insisted and eventually Kuvira acclimated and stopped throwing rocks at the other children. I still think there's a healthy distance between her and Baatar Sr, however, since he still remembers having to comfort his kids after they got pushed ot hit (or bitten). Perhaps another reason Kuvira feels not like part of the family. Since 'dad' was always distanced.

Kuvira is a horse girl (ostrich horse girl? 🤔) She definitely dragged Baatar Jr out of the city to ride the horses from the surrounding farms. Baatar... wasn't enthusiastic about this.

She used to be a bit superstitious as a child due to her upbringing.

I think she gets along easiest with the twins. They shared interests in earthbending and sport. I think the twins are the only ones that actually considered Kuvira a sister. And they were most hurt after she left. I don't think their relationship will ever recover, truly bit I think they may be the first people whose forgiveness Kuvira actually tries to get. Whether she fully succeeds, I'm not entirely sure.

She enjoys meditating. And self care, however she rarely pampers herself because whe doesn't think she deserves it/hasn't done anything to earn it.

I think her favourite type of book would be the budding science fiction genre. She gets into big arguments with Baatar Jr over how realistic they actually are.

She's much taller than most of the Beifongs. Big scary amazonian woman. She could lift the twins by the scruffs of their necks like kittens. Opal hates it.

She definitely really admired (and had a crush on) Avatar Kyoshi as a kid. Ahe was actually very excited about meeting Korra but was too chicken to introduce herself in B3, even though the twins tried to convince her to do so.

Thank you for the ask, love! I have a love/hate relationship with Kuvira, but it is fun to speculate on her.

#kuvira #wei beifong #wing beifong #suyin beifong #baatar #baatar jr #baatar sr #legend of korra #avatar #tlok #the legend of korra #avatar the legend of korra #atlok #lok

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gladerwolfstarkimagines · 2 years

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Zuko cannot be torn away from his search from the Avatar...until his best friend gets ill and his true feelings come out.

You’d known Zuko since you were children and you got along because you were both similar. Rich kids from important families but neither of you were particularly good at fire bending or showed much promise. You were both the disappointment of the family and pretty much each other’s only friends. So when Zuko was banished it was a no-brainer. Even if he wasn’t your best friend the fact you were pretty much in love with the Prince would’ve made the decision for you. So you decided to go with him and stowed away on his ship but honestly it was probably a week before your parents noticed you were missing. Iroh warned you the journey would be dangerous and you’d potentially never go home but you didn’t really care about that.

Secretly Iroh was happy you’d come along. You were Zuko’s best friend and the only one who was able to make him smile during the first month of his banishment. As much as Zuko was now pretending to be hard and cold you were his Achilles’ heel. Zuko seemed to melt around you and you were rather oblivious which made the whole thing rather cute. However as you all became outlaws running from Azula your situation got direr and direr until Zuko announced you were leaving Iroh. Iroh could tell you felt guilty by the way you couldn’t meet his eye for more than a few seconds but he told you it was okay. Zuko needed you more than he did.

So that was how you found yourself alone with Zuko, riding an ostrich horse as you hunted the Avatar while trying to avoid his sister and anyone else who might want to kill you. You’d been riding for days at this point and you were tired and sore. To make things worse you also had a cold. You figured it was for following Zuko out into the middle of a rainstorm and tried to power through but each day was getting worse. The constant swaying of the ostrich horse made the world spin and when you broke down into a coughing fit Zuko slowed the mount. "Y/n are you okay?". You couldn’t speak for a while, busy trying to breathe but when you could you nodded "of course I am". Zuko frowned but kept going. He knew you weren’t well but it was of the utmost importance he caught up with the Avatar,

So you pressed on, you didn’t mention to Zuko how you were struggling to keep your eyes open or how you felt your strength failing. After a few hours of rest Zuko asked if you were really well enough to keep going. You didn’t have much choice so you told him you were and started riding at dawn. You lasted two hours before passing out.

Zuko felt a breeze behind him and was about to ask what was going on when you slipped off the ostrich horse. Zuko cried out your name and tried to grab you. The result was he got pulled off the horse by gravity and tumbled onto the floor with you. “Y/n!” he yelled shaking your shoulders. Your eyes were closed and you weren’t responding. Zuko was madder at himself than he’d ever been. "Y/n! Y/n! Are you okay? Y/n wake up!" Zuko cried. You didn’t respond and he held your body rightly, panic spiralling in his brain. He didn’t think you’d hit the ground any harder than him and he couldn’t see any cuts or gashes on you from the fall. "Y/n!" Zuko screamed and you made a noise. It was only a grunt of recognition but it was enough. Relief swept through Zuko. You were alive, atleast for now. He’d make sure you stayed that way. Zuko gently picked you up and placed you on the horse in front before he got on behind you. He held an arm around you and snapped the reigns. He knew there was a settlement about 8 hours away and figured if he rode none stop he could get there quicker. "Don’t worry y/n, I'll make up for all of this" Zuko muttered.

When you finally reached the town Zuko ignored the tired ostrich horse’s moans and forced her down the main street "does this town have a doctor?" he asked. The people on the street just stared and his temper flared "are you deaf? Answer my question!"."Yes there’s Dr Gohen, she lives on the west side of town next to the grocers" one woman replied. Zuki groaned, of course he was on the east side. He snapped the reigns leaving the villagers in a dust cloud.

Zuko found the grocers and identified the doctor’s house beside it. He dismounted and carried you inside kicking the door open with his foot. "I need the doctor" he called "now". A woman appeared who Zuko assumed was Dr Gohen. She moved immediately to help you and Zuko was reassured. "Place her here" she said clearing a bed and Zuko lay you down anxiously "she was ill a few days back...I thought it was just a cold but then she collapsed earlier today and I couldn’t wake her up". The doctor nodded touching your forehead "she hasn't regained consciousness once?". Zuko paused "not properly, she’s been muttering and speaking in her sleep but nothing coherent, I worried the fall maybe harmed her. The woman opened your eyelids and examined the pupils "she doesn’t have concussion, I think it's just exhaustion from a bad flu that's going around". Zuko frowned "can you heal her?". "It's not about healing but letting her recover. I can give her remedies to take away her temperature and help her to rest but she needs time to get better. You've obviously been travelling too hard the both of you. Once the fever has broken she should wake but if you leave straight after that it will only happen again. You need to let your...friend" the doctor said pausing "rest, if she’s more important then wherever your destination is". "She is" Zuko nodded and the woman nodded approvingly "then I'll get to work". It was only afterwards it dawned on Zuko he’d put you before his honour and throne...he was surprised at how comfortable he was with that and thought you might be the only thing in the whole world he cared about more. That thought made him blush but he refused to acknowledge why and turned back to the doctor.

1 day later You shot awake gasping for breath. The last thing you remembered was falling and now you were in a dark room...in a bed with a blanket. "Y/n?" a voice asked and you paused "Zuko?". A flame appeared and Zuko’s worried face popped into view "hold on let me light the torch". You heard Zuko fiddling around before light filled the darkness. You were in some small room, a makeshift doctor’s office by the looks of it. Zuko was seated in a chair beside your bed and you realised he’d been sleeping there. "What happened?" you asked. "You collapsed" Zuko told you "it was my fault I kept pushing us to keep going". You went to disagree but Zuko hurried on "so I brought you here and the doctor has been trying to bring your temperature down since yesterday. How are you feeling?". Zuko moved closer to examine your face and you only now realised you were very sweaty. Your shirt clung to you and you could feel how wet your hair was against your neck. You were sure you smelled awful and looked even worst. So you moved away and tried to fix your hair. "I feel fine" you shrugged and Zuko raised an eyebrow "really?". You nodded "yeah. When do you want to leave? First thing in the morning". "Not happening” Zuko shook his head "Doctor Gohen said you needed rest otherwise you'll get ill again so we’ll stay right here until you're 100% better!". "But Azula..." you started and Zuko shook his head "she won’t find us here and even if she did...well I'd take that risk then you getting ill again. We got lucky y/n, the doctor was nearby. If we’d been 5 days away or in the middle of nowhere...well it's not a good scenario". Zuko’s words and how much he wanted to assure your health made your heart flutter. When you looked up you realised Zuko was looking away and blushed slightly. "Well okay if you’re sure?" you asked. Zuko nodded meeting your eyes again "I am, now are you hungry? If so I can wake Gohen". You shook your head "I'm fine". "Then let's go back to sleep, morning will be here soon". You nodded and laid back down, your heart still beating fast and your cheeks still flushed which had nothing to do with the fever.

You woke up the following morning to find Zuko awake and sorting through your meagre possessions. He was counting your coins nervously and you frowned. He was clearly worried but Zuko was someone you had to let come to you with his worries. If you ever tried to force it he’d just shrivel up. So you made a show of waking up giving Zuko time to hide everything. "Y/n" he said jumping up "Dr Gohen she's awake!". A woman hustled into the room and she looked at you making a noise. "Still pale..." she placed a hand in your forehead and nodded "but the fever’s broke so that's good, how are you feeling?". "Good...well I feel like I could really use a bath but other than that I'm fine!" you lied. The woman nodded her head "mhh hmm well we can do a bath, you come and help" she cried at Zuko who paused "me?". "Yes two hands are stronger than one, you can help me carry the water". Even in your ill state the look on Zuko’s face at the idea of doing menial labour and the fact the Prince was running you a bath made you smirk.

So Zuko carried buckets to a tub from the well and heated them slightly in his hand for you. The doctor seemed to sense this and nodded "I'll leave you go it. Go grab her when she’s ready and stay near in case she needs your assistance". "Me but I..." Zuko blushed "with her bath?". The woman raised an eyebrow "i’m sure your friend would prefer you over a stranger...now stop being bashful and go help her, she might need help walking here". Zuko approached your room and knocked "you ready y/n?". You nodded and Zuko came closer "do you need help getting up?". "No I can do it" you said adamantly and stood up. Zuko saw the strain of your hands as you clutched the bed and how you wavered but you took one step at a time until you reached the bathroom. "Do you...need any help?" Zuko asked blushing and you blushed too "no I'll be fine". Zuko nodded "okay call if you need me" and left.

You locked the door and slumped against it. You were exhausted from the walk and took a few minutes for the room to stop spinning. Then you made your way unsteadily to the bath and climbed inside. Your hands wouldn’t stop shaking but the warmth was nice. You realised Zuko must've done this and smiled. When you got out of the bath your legs would barely support you, worrying you. You knew you’d have to ask Zuko for help so you used your remaining strength to drag clean clothes over your head and legs and leant on the wall. "Zuko..." you called "I don’t feel so good can you help me get back to my room". "Of course are you...are you ready for me to come in?" he asked clearly hesitant. You called yes and Zuko cautiously opened the door, eyes on the floor until he realised it was safe. "What's wrong?" he asked and you shrugged "i just feel a bit faint and walking is hard, can i use your arm?". Zuko nodded and held it out to you. You gripped it tightly and took a step forward. Your knees began to shake and you felt the room behind you spin. You went to call to Zuko but he’d already predicted what you needed. "Y/n" he cried and he wrapped an arm around you. Your legs gave out and he picked you up easily bundling you to his chest. "It’s okay don’t worry" he told you and rushed you back to bed. He placed you down carefully and called for the doctor scared. She ran in and Zuko explained what had happened. He covered you in blankets as you couldn’t seem to stop shaking and the doctor smiled "this is my fault...the poor girl is starving that's why she’s feeling faint. I will bring her some soup but make sure she eats it slowly". Zuko said he would and waited anxiously for the food. "Thank you...for helping me" you said softly and Zuko nodded "no problem". Dr Gohen appeared with two bowls making Zuko frowned "I can see she's not the only one who’s skipped meals" was all she said and pressed the bowl into Zuko’s hands. Zuko went to argue when he remembered the purse and sighed. He sat down next to your bed and watched to make sure you were eating slowly and began eating his own.

After the soup you were tired so you napped. Zuko was nervous you would never get better but when woke up a few hours later you had your colouring back and the shaking had stopped. "I feel so much better" you cried before sneezing. Zuko smiled "your fever and shakes have gone but you’ve still got a cold y/n, don’t even get ideas of going anywhere". You rolled your eyes but were secretly relieved.

You spent most of your time in and out of sleep and next woke up in the middle of the night. Your throat was dry and so you tried to grab some water from the jug but knocked your cup on the floor. Zuko jumped up from his chair beside you at the sound and his eyes shot around "what’s wrong? Are you okay?". "I'm fine I just knocked the cup" you explained and Zuko nodded. "Okay...good, are you feeling okay?". You nodded "yeah...just it's a bit cold". Zuko nodded. He walked over to the fire and fire bent. "Zuko" you scolded but he just smirked "they won’t know” and returned to his chair. He passed you his blanket and you sighed "aren’t you cold?". "I'm fine" he told you but when you touched his fingers they were ice cold "Zuko not you're not you're freezing!". Zuko shrugged "so? You're cold too". You sighed "yes but you're worse probably because you've been on that chair for days...why don’t we share?". Zuko blinked "I'm not taking the bed from you". "No not like that! At the same time, it's big enough for both of us and that way we’ll both be warmer. Zuko blushed "y/n...the bed isn’t big". "still...I'm freezing and I know you give off good body heat so come here". Zuko chuckled "you know that's the most assertive I've ever heard you". He stood up and came closer. You moved to one side and Zuko laid down. It was a small squeeze but it was warmer. Zuko arranged the blankets over you both and you laid together. When Zuko thought you were asleep he shifted you fully onto his chest and wrapped the blankets around you tighter. He placed his arms on top of the quilt further warming you. The cold didn’t bother either of you the rest of the night

A few hours later the door opened and Zuko clutched you tighter. He saw it was the doctor and paused. He supposed he should’ve been embarrassed to be caught in bed with you like this but he actually didn’t care. Instead he just covered you up and looked at her. "What's wrong?" he asked and she whispered "there’s a Fire Nation tank coming this way. There’s a decoy town in their way but they're coming and if they find us...we could all suffer". Zuko blinked, it had to be Azula. "I came to you because I know you're skilled. I've seen the swords and I have my suspicions about who you are". Zuko blinked as her eyes went to his scar. "I healed your friend, can you save us? Or atleast go scout and tell us if they're coming close so we know to evacuate?". Zuko nodded "of course. I'll leave right away. Don’t tell y/n or she’ll try and follow me. You can’t let that happen". The doctor nodded "I won’t let anything happen to her". Zuko nodded "then we have a deal".

You woke up a few hours later to find Zuko gone which was odd. The sun was shining brightly but you couldn’t hear a noise in the house or even the town. You got up and were pleased you felt a lot stronger. You made your way slowly to the door and pressed your ear to it. Nothing.

Confused you opened it slowly and finally heard some soft noises. You followed them and paused outside an open door. "He’s the prince of the Fire Nation! What do you think drove them here?" one of the nurses cried in a loud whisper. "We’re not certain" Doctor Gohen said and the nurse laughed "know anyone with those burns? Plus the bath water was lukewarm when we cleared it! He’s from the fire nation. If we help them find him or even hand over the girl they might leave us alone". "There's no guarantee!". "Well we can’t just do nothing" the other cried and you rushed away. You had to get away. You packed your things, taking some clean clothes and medicine before you went to the window. You opened it slowly and hopped out without making a sound. The streets were deserted but you headed to the area of the stables. Sure enough your ostrich horse was there and she recognises you. You quietly saddled her and rode out of town. You followed some fresh tracks in the correct direction and hoped to see Zuko.

As you got close to the decoy town you heard noises and hid your horse, proceeding on foot. You stuck to the shadows and ran straight into Zuko. He jumped and quickly pulled you down into a hiding place. "Y/n what are you...". "The nurses know who we are and were debating turning us over to Azula. We have to leave". Zuko sighed "dammit she’s already here". You looked around nervously and Zuko noticed "not here here, on the other side of town. The Avatar is also here. I'm hoping he'll distract her enough for us to get away. I'm gonna go lead them to one another. You stay here and I'll come get you when it’s time to go. You frowned "no way! I'm coming too!". Zuko shook his head "no y/n. You're not well. You couldn’t walk to the bathroom yesterday without feeling faint. Your firebending won’t be strong enough and Azula will notice that and focus on you. You know how she exploits weakness, we can’t have you getting any more hurt so stay here, please?". You sighed "Zuko...". "Y/n please” he said taking your hand "for me?". You blushed surprised and Zuko also had a blush on his cheeks but he didn’t drop your hand or look away. "Okay" you nodded and his shoulders relaxed in relief "I'll be back soon. Stay here" and he disappeared.

You stayed with the horse and soon heard the fighting. The floor began to shake and you heard houses collapse. You could hear yelling and grunting that was either Zuko or Azula. In case it was the former you crept out of your hiding place and approached the noise.

When you got there Azula was being backed into a corner by Zuko and team Avatar. Azula losing and Zuko working with the Avatar were both such strange sights you forgot to keep yourself hidden. You were behind Azula and Iroh spotted you. His gaze softened and he smiled “y/n...” before he could stop himself. Zuko rushed forwards but that was all the distraction Azula needed. She shot a bolt of lightning right at you and you felt a funny sensation go up and down your arms. You heard someone yelling your name and then some more shouting. You felt someone grab you and hold you in their arms and then everything went black. When you eventually regained consciousness you heard raised voices once again. This time it was a very recognisable angry voice.

Zuko.

"If you hadn't revealed her presence Azula wouldn’t have shot her! Why did you just call out her name like that? You're supposed to be a wise old man". "I've admitted it was a mistake and apologised. I will do both again when y/n wakes up which we can be assured she will. What more can I do? I cannot trade places with her no matter how much we both want me to". "I do want that, it should’ve been you" Zuko agreed and silence fell.

You heard the words but didn’t really process them as you felt fuzzy. You blinked your eyes open and tried to sit up but your chest felt heavy. "Y/n!" Zuko gasped suddenly "you're awake, wait don’t sit up". You blinked as Zuko’s face came into view and he gently eased you back down "hey don’t try and move okay. You're safe, you're okay". You blinked "Zuko?". "I'm right here" he told you and you felt him grip your hand "how do you feel?". You blinked "fuzzy...my chest feels funny". Zuko nodded "we gave you some pain medication so that's the dizziness and your chest is heavily bandaged which is what the weight is. Are you thirsty?". You nodded, your mouth felt all crisp and dry. Zuko pressed a cup to your lips and you drank a little bit. "Are you hungry?". You shook your head and Zuko nodded "okay". "She should try and eat something" Iroh said and Zuko glared "I know but if she doesn’t want to right this second then she doesn’t have to!". Iroh shrunk away and you frowned, more of your senses coming back to you. "Azula....she shot me right?" you asked. Zuko nodded "yes with lightning. It was bad but it looked worse than it was, you'll get a scar but you should make a full recovery". "Where are we?" you asked and Zuko explained a house near the town but not so close they’d find you.

Iroh had left at this point to get water and Zuko sighed "I'm just so glad you're okay. Two near-death experiences in one week is far too much y/n". You chuckled "really? I thought they made things more exciting that’s why I kept doing them!". Zuko shook his head but his smile soon vanished "I don’t blame you for either. It was my fault the first time and my uncle’s this time. We must keep getting you injured and it sucks...what if one more time it's too much and we lose you for good. I'd never forgive myself or him". You frowned "you know it wasn’t either of your faults don’t you?". Zuko smiled badly "I knew you’d say that but it was y/n".

You sighed unhappily, whenever Zuko was in one of these moods there was no reasoning with him. He’d just sit in a ball of self-hatred and brood. Zuko noticed your expression and frowned "it is y/n. You can’t convince me otherwise". "Trust me I know and that's the problem...I hate hearing you talk about yourself in this way. Berating yourself for things you had no control over...it’s painful". Zuko looked at you confused "but I'm just being honest. I can’t just lie and tell myself I've done nothing wrong when I have". "Yes but you disproportionately scold yourself. You view events in a skewed light and never see the other side...sometimes it’s just so frustrating! If only you could see yourself how I see you, how we all see you...". Zuko stared at you "and how do you see me?" he asked not taking his eyes from you. You blushed slightly but didn’t look away either. "When I looked at you I see Zuko. My oldest friend who has been through so much pain and suffering. I see the toll it's taken on you but I also see the good there in your eyes. I see a good young man who questioned himself because others constantly did. I see a caring person who was punished for his best quality. I see someone I respect and admire who I do anything to protect...I see a pretty amazing guy" you smiled and Zuko stared at you. "What about all my faults? My temper, my stupidity and weak bending? My scar?". You shook your head "those aren’t your qualities they're just opinions you have of yourself. They don’t define you and they're not what I see". Zuko carried on staring at you for a while longer before he swallowed "I...I wish I was the man you see me as. You deserve someone like that". "I deserve and want you" you said finally biting the bullet "exactly as you are". Zuko jolted as you spoke and he frowned "wait do you mean...". "I like you" you said simply "you Zuko". Zuko blushed "I...is the medication affecting you? Do you still feel loopy?". "No...just rather nervous and apprehensive of your response. I mean I did just confess my feelings to you and you asked if I was loopy..." you started when Zuko cut you off with a kiss.

"I wasn’t rejecting you, more making absolute sure before I did that" Zuko told you "I like you too y/n. These last few days made me realise how much. When you were lifeless in my arms because of me however indirectly...I knew if you died I'd never forgive myself. That’s why I can’t let myself off for this or uncle. You matter too much to me". You bundled Zuko closer and he pressed himself against you. “You matter to me too” you told him and felt Zuko sighed in relief to hear someone tell him that.

You never stopped telling him that for the rest of your happy lives together.

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